Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman

Moment of Perspective – Belonging – AJ Fox

The opening words are “A Place of Belonging and Caring,” by Kimberlee Anne Tomczak Carlson.

It is not by chance that you arrived here today.
You have been looking for something larger than yourself.
Inside of you there is a yearning, a calling, a hope for more,
A desire for a place of belonging and caring.
Through your struggles, someone nurtured you into being,
Instilling a belief in a shared purpose, a common yet precious resource
That belongs to all of us when we share.
And so, you began seeking a beloved community:
A people that does not put fences around love.
A community that holds its arms open to possibilities of love.
A heart-home to nourish your soul and share your gifts.
Welcome home; welcome to worship.

For All That Is Our Life
Words: Bruce Findlow; Public Domain
Music: Patrick L. Rickey; Permission Granted
Accompanied by Eva Riebold with Live Congregational Singing

Solveig’s Song
Composed by Edvard Grieg from Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt”
Public Domain
Performed by John Prescott and Eva Riebold

Odd Velvet
By Mary E. Whitcomb
Illustrated by Tara Calahan King

The closing words are Cheered by Our Community, by Burton D Carley.

Cheered by our community,
blessed by our covenant,
uplifted in mind, and renewed in spirit,
go forth with courage and in peace to meet the days to come. Amen.