Homily by AJ Fox

The opening words are a welcoming of the ancestors, adapted from words by Christina Shu and Tera Little, read by Religious Education Director AJ Fox.

In Church
Written by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Public Domain
Performed by Colleen Appel

I Lift My Voice
Words and Music by Andrea Ramsey
From the Justice Choir Songbook
Used with Permission

Here in the Silence
Words: Niki and Gordon Davis
Music: F. F. Fleming
Used with Permission

The Rowan Tree
Traditional Scottish Folk Song
Public Domain
Performed by John Prescott

The closing words are adapted from Rhys Williams.

Remembering our spiritual,
courageous ancestors who forsook oppression with security
to gain freedom with opportunity,
may we go forth to master ourselves by accepting duty with responsibility,
by showing balance in our judgments and by having breadth of vision in our deliberations.
May we be exemplars of that spirit,
moving forward with conviction and commitment,
with unity and without uniformity,
with relationship to serve the truth that sets us free.
Amen.