Order Of Service
An All Ages Service for Stewardship Sunday
+INGATHERING MUSIC The PBUUC House Band
Moondance by Van Morrison
The Shadow of Your Smile by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington
CALL TO WORSHIP Rev. Diane Teichert, Minister
and Dayna Edwards, Director of Religious Exploration
DIANE: Today we are celebrating being good stewards of our church. A “steward” is someone who takes good care of something because it’s important to them.
DAYNA: One way we take good care of our church is by giving money to keep it going and help it grow. And this is the time of year when the adults promise or pledge how much money they can give.
DIANE: So, this morning, we are talking about who we are and why our church is so important to us that we want to give our money to it.
DAYNA: But obviously, each of us has more than money to give. That’s what we REALLY are going to discover today.
DIANE: If you are a newcomer here, we hope this service helps you get to know us and us to get to know you.
DAYNA: But even more so, we hope that you find out that some of us are a lot like you, and that you are a lot like some of us, and that we all are a bit like each other.
DIANE: We hope you’ll return again and again. In that way, we will all become something new together.
CHOIR Yonder Comes Day Clif Hardin
David Chapman, Music Director and pianist
WELCOME Bettie Young, Worship Associate
+GREETING TIME
CHILDREN’S CHOIR Spirit Says Do Allison Hughes and Jeanne Judd, Directors
CALLING THE FOUR QUARTERS
Tabitha Pierzchala and Tricia Most, Tina Van Pelt, Jim Pierzchala
UNISON CHALICE LIGHTING
We light the chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism.
This is the church of the open mind, the helping hands,
the loving heart, and the radiant spirit.
Esta es la iglesia de la mente abierta, de las manos amigas,
del amor del corazón, y del espíritu radiante.
INTRODUCTION Who are You?
Diane: In our Chalice Lighting Words, we declare our hope that Unitarian Universalism is the faith of the open mind, the helping hands, the loving heart, and the radiant spirit. At the same time, we declare and hope that our specific congregation – Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church – will be the church of those very same, really great four ways of being in the world.
But what about us, as people? Each of us, you and me?
Each of us is probably a little of each of those things too, but I think that each of us is more like some of them than others, maybe even more like one of them than all the others. You might be mainly a helping hands kind of person, and not so much a radiant spirit kind of person. You might have an open mind, but not so much a loving heart. Or maybe you are pretty much just one of those things – say, maybe, you’re someone who radiates joy a lot of the time – it’s not that you have a closed mind, or a mean heart, or you’re lazy and will never ever help out. It’s just that when people think of you, they remember your sparkling eyes and great smile.
Each of us has our own gifts, abilities, and strengths (and things we are not good at, too). I wonder what you think yours are? Today we are going to really delve into each of these four ways of being in the world and ask ourselves: which of them is most true of me? Which of those things am I most like – the open mind, the helping hands, the loving heart or the radiant spirit??
I invite you to sit for a moment and quietly ponder: are you a thinker, a helper, a lover, or a… radiator??? Well, that’s not quite the right word for “radiant spirit,” is it?! Or, are you a thinker, a helper, a lover, or a bright light?
I really don’t believe that anyone can truthfully answer “all of the above” so please look for the one – or, maybe, two of those things that is most you!
If you’d like to share what you are thinking in answer to this question with someone sitting near you, feel free to ask if they would like to talk with you, and especially if you are sitting with a younger person who might need help in thinking about themselves in these ways, please converse with them while the house band is playing. When the music stops, please quiet down.
INTONATION House Band
Diane: In the next few minutes, we are going to focus separately on each of these four ways of being in the world – open mind, helping hands, loving heart, and radiant spirit. We are going to meet an Important Unitarian Universalist who is a good example of each of them. Plus, the Chalice Dancers are going to teach us a new way to move our hands and arms to show it. We will all try to do it, while we all sing a line from song number 1003. So, if you are holding a songbook, do it with one hand, so that the other arm is free.
And, when we get to the one way that you feel is YOU, you will be invited to come up to the table over here, put your name on the appropriate post-it and put the post-it on the chalice drawing. Remember, choose only the one that is MOST you – we don’t have enough post-it notes for everybody to come up twice! But, if you absolutely cannot decide between two because you are equally each of them, okay, come up twice! And don’t be too bashful – if the person sitting near you told you that you are a Radiant Spirit, well, maybe you are!
Meanwhile, we are going to create a sculpture on these columns behind me, so watch there to see what object appears for each of the four ways of being in the world.
One last preparation, to be ready to sing, please locate the songbook nearest you. There should be enough for every two people to share. Possibly, you might need three people to share one book. Please move the books around so that everyone can sing when the time comes. If you are holding a book, please find #1003 in it, so that you’ll be ready to share it when the time comes. We will remain seated to sing, so everyone can see???.
OPEN MINDS
Diane: So how do you know if you are a person of the Open Mind??
If you are willing to try something new, or are quick to see that the old way of doing something isn’t working and a new way is needed, you probably have an open mind. If you like to learn, start or invent new things, you have an open mind. If you change your views based on new experience, you are a person of the Open Mind.
Dayna: Please welcome an important Unitarian Universalist of the Open Mind: Mr. Tim Berners-Lee!
Enactment: Important UU – Mr. Tim Berners-Lee (enacted by Matt Elliott)
Background: He is British, but has lived in the US at least twenty years so his accent may have faded a bit. He is described as casual, not “full of himself,” and wears casual business attire, like khakis and a pale blue button-down collared shirt.
My name is Tim Berners-Lee.
I’m honored to be considered an “Important Unitarian Universalist.” But surely you could have found someone better to represent an Open Mind than I.
Still, I’m honored you thought of me, and I’m glad to be worshiping in a UU church this morning. Mine is really different from yours. Mine is an old New England Meeting House, painted white with a steeple and clear windows, more than 200 years old, right on the Lexington town square where the Minutemen had their skirmish with the British. I like yours, too — in the woods, also with clear windows.
I was born in England and I’m 55 years old now. I work at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And I live not far away in Lexington, Massachusetts, close enough that I ride my bike to work. I’m married to a woman named Nancy Carson, who is a computer programmer. We have two kids, Ben and Alice, who are in their twenties now.
What I’m known for is inventing the World Wide Web, which is what made the Internet accessible to regular people, not just governments and industry. The whole idea of it was that the world’s knowledge should be free and available to all. In fact, the World Wide Web turned 25 years old last week! How many of you have ever looked something up on-line? Raise your hands. See, it’s a very useful invention!
Why am I a UU? Well, after our children were born, I felt a need for a religion I could believe in. And actually, I think the Internet and Unitarian Universalism are a lot alike. I even wrote a whole essay about that, which you can find on the Internet (of course!). But simply put, I think that they share a theology, which is: “When people work together based on mutual respect toward some greater vision, they find a great freedom.”
It’s really good to meet you. I can really tell that this is a church of the Open Mind and I hope you will contribute generously to its support. If you have coffee hour like my church does, I’ll look forward to meeting you then!
Dayna: Thank you for joining us today, Tim Berners-Lee!
Diane: Now, please find #1003 in your teal songbook and get ready to sing, while trying out the motions modeled by the Chalice Dancers. We will sing the first line only, once all together. After we sing it once, if being a person of the Open Mind is most you, please come forward, put your name on the “thought cloud” post-it and place it on the chalice poster. Meanwhile, everyone else will keep singing the first line. Plus, we are going to create a sculpture on these columns behind me, so watch to see what goes up there to represent the Open Mind.
MOTION AND HYMN #1003 Where Do We Come From? Part 1
HELPING HANDS
Diane: So how do you know if you are a person of the Helping Hands? How would you recognize it in someone else?
If you like to help out, then you have helping hands. If you use your hands, literally, to get things done, or to create things or art or music, then you are of the Helping Hands. If you like to organize people to get things done and or serve other people, you are a person of the Helping Hands.
Dayna: Please welcome an important Unitarian Universalist of the Helping Hands: Mrs. Fannie Barrier Williams.
Enactment: Important UU – Fannie Barrier Williams (enacted by Sabrina Jones)
Background: Fannie’s speech would have reflected her upbringing in an upstate New York white community and her college education (graduated from Brockport Normal School, a teachers college (now SUNY Brockport). She lived in Chicago from the late 1880’s to 1926, where her husband established a successful legal practice and she was a community leader, so her dress would have been refined.
My name is Fannie Barrier Williams.
I’m honored to be considered an “Important Unitarian Universalist,” but actually, I lived back when the two were separate, and I was a Unitarian.
But surely you could have found someone better to represent Helping Hands than I. Still, I’m honored you thought of me.
I was born in 1855, in a small town of almost all White people near Rochester, NY where my family was well-respected. When I was 15, I graduated from the teachers college in my town, the first Black person to do so. The Civil War was over and slavery had ended, so I went to the South to teach in a new school for Black children. But I soon found that my upbringing in the North had not prepared me to be treated so terribly in the South, so I left. Then I went to music school in Boston, but I wasn’t welcome there due to my color. I knew for sure: things had to change!
Soon I found myself at home in Washington DC with other educated Black people, and there I met the man who became my husband. He was a law student. After we got married, we moved to Chicago where he became a successful lawyer.
What I’m known for is starting local and national organizations to help other people, especially African American women, and for giving speeches in favor of equality for all. For example, we started Provident Hospital, the first hospital in Chicago to have Black and White people as both staff and as patients. And I helped start the National League of Colored Women with over 200 local clubs in many states, which provided child care centers, classes, employment bureaus, and savings banks. The most important of my speeches were the two I gave at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and in fact, I headed up an effort to make sure that African American women were represented in all aspects of the Fair. But, I don’t mean to brag.
My husband and I joined All Souls Unitarian Church in Chicago. Its religious beliefs were what we believed. As I said in a speech to African American women in Memphis, Tennessee, your religion should “stand more for love than doctrine, more for human worth than church name. . . What men and women do, rather than what they say or profess, shall be the standard of religion.”
It’s really good to meet you. I can tell that this is a church of the Helping Hands and I hope you will contribute generously to its support.
Dayna: We are honored by your presence here today, Mrs. Williams!
Diane: Now, please find #1003 in your teal songbook and get ready to sing, while trying out the motions modeled by the Chalice Dancers. We will sing the second line only, once all together. After we sing it once, if being a person of the Helping Hands is most you, please come forward, put your name on a hand-shaped post-it and place it on the chalice poster. Meanwhile, everyone else will keep singing the second line. Plus, we are going to create a sculpture on these columns behind me, so watch to see what goes up there to represent the Helping Hands.
MOTION AND HYMN #1003 Where Do We Come From? Part 2
LOVING HEARTS
Diane: And, how do you know if you are a person of the Loving Heart? How would you recognize it in someone else?
If you feel empathy easily – like if you feel sad when someone shares their sadness and joyful when someone shares their joy – then you have a loving heart. If you can listen closely and convey that you care, then you have a loving heart. If you are kind and caring even toward people you don’t love or don’t even like, then you are a person of the Loving Heart.
Dayna: And, now, may I present: an important Unitarian Universalist of the Loving Heart, Clara Barton.
Enactment: Important UU – Clara Barton (enacted by Penny O’Brien)
Background: She had dark hair pulled back in a bun and wore a long black skirt and black jacket on the battlefield, and long black silk dresses on speaking tours.
My name is Clara Barton.
I feel honored to be considered an “Important Unitarian Universalist,” but actually, I lived back when the two religions were separate, and I was a Universalist.
But surely you could have found someone better to represent Loving Hearts than I. Still, I’m honored you thought of me.
I was born on Christmas Day in 1821 in Massachusetts – and I died when I was 91, not far from here, in Glen Echo, Maryland.
What I’m known for is being a nurse taking care of wounded and dying soldiers on the battlefields during the Civil War. I got things organized so there would be food and clothing for them too. So much suffering, it was horrible! We took care of all soldiers, no matter what side they were fighting on. That’s what a loving heart does, I think.
Later, a war started in Europe when I was on vacation there, so I volunteered for the International Red Cross organization helping people in war-torn cities. When I got back to our country, I worked hard to get the American Red Cross started and keep it going. It helps people deal with disasters, like fires or hurricanes, and is still going strong today.
I grew up a Universalist, just like you kids are growing up UU. We went to church every Sunday. We had wooden seats with no cushions, and they were really uncomfortable!
Later in my life, I explored spiritualism, but like I wrote back to a letter writer, “Your belief that I am a Universalist is as correct as your belief in being one yourself, a belief in which all who are privileged to possess it rejoice.”
It’s really good to meet you. I can really tell that this is a church of the Loving Heart! And I hope you will contribute generously to its support!
Dayna: We appreciate your visit with us today, Miss Barton.
Diane: Now, like before, please find #1003 in your teal songbook and get ready to sing, while trying out the motions modeled by the Chalice Dancers. We will sing the third line only, once all together. After we sing it once, if being a person of the Loving Heart is most you, please come forward, put your name on a heart-shaped post-it and place it on the chalice poster. Meanwhile, everyone else will keep singing the third line. Plus, we are going to create a sculpture on these columns behind me, so watch to see what goes up there to represent the Loving Heart.
MOTION AND HYMN #1003 Where Do We Come From? Part 3
RADIANT SPIRITS
Diane: And, lastly, how do you know if you are a person of the Radiant Spirit? How would you recognize it in someone else?
If you are someone who is wise and kind and humble all at the same time, then you may have a radiant spirit. If you ask others to help out and they cannot say “no” – not because you make them feel guilty or are seriously persistent – but because you are loved and respected, you probably have a radiant spirit. If your eyes sparkle and your smile widens as you invite someone to join you in an endeavor you believe in, you are a person of the Radiant Spirit.
Dayna: And, now, may I present: an important Unitarian Universalist of the Radiant Spirit, Melissa Harris-Perry.
Enactment: Important UU – Melissa Harris-Perry (enacted by Ebeth Porter)
Background: She grew up in Virginia, has a tiny bit of a Southern accent. Seems to wear sweater sets?
My name is Melissa Harris-Perry.
I’m honored to be considered an “Important Unitarian Universalist.” But surely you could have found someone better than I to represent Radiant Spirit. Still, I’m honored you thought of me.
I’m forty years old. My big news is that my husband James Perry and I have a new baby, born on Valentines Day, who came home to a happy big sister, my daughter from a previous marriage, who is eleven. Can’t quite believe I’m the mom of a tween and a tot!
What I’m known for is talking and writing, but especially talking – as a professor of political science, as a talk show host on MSNBC television, and as a guest lecturer, like at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly in 2009 – with 4,000 Unitarian Universalists as my audience! My topics usually connect pop culture, race, gender, gender identity, faith, power and money.
Most recently, I’m known for apologizing. I apologized in public, on television, for something I really regretted airing on my program. Mitt Romney accepted my apology. Don’t you think forgiveness is a covenantal matter for us UU’s?
I was raised a Unitarian Universalist. Raise your hand if you were too! I see lots of kids raising their hands!
You see, my mother – who is white – was raised Mormon and my father, well, his great-great-grandmother was sold as a slave on a street corner in Richmond, Virginia. Dad attended Howard University where he shared a room with the activist Stokely Carmichael. By the time my mother and father met in Seattle in the early 1970s, each had become a parent and had been divorced. After I was born, they moved their blended family and children—white, black, and mixed-race (me)—to Virginia in the aftermath of the civil rights movement. In that context, we pretty much had to be Unitarian Universalist!
Like I said in 2011 when I spoke in Washington DC to a couple hundred interfaith clergy who support Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual and Transgender rights – your minister was there! – I found God when I was a teenager, and over time I’ve come to call myself a Christian UU.
I feel bound to the religion that gave my enslaved ancestors the power to believe in a God that loved them when all evidence pointed to the contrary. A powerful and justice-loving God is an important political tool in resisting inequality for those who have the fewest resources.
It’s really good to meet you. I can tell that this is a church of the Radiant Spirit. And I hope you will contribute generously to its support!
Dayna: It’s been great to have you with us today, Melissa.
Diane: Now, you know what to do, except we will sing the fourth line only. After we sing it once, if being a person of the Radiant Spirit is most “you,” please come forward, put your name on a starshine-shaped post-it and place it on the chalice poster. Meanwhile, everyone else will keep singing the fourth line. Plus, watch the sculpture for what will represent the Radiant Spirit!
MOTION AND HYMN #1003 Where Do We Come From? Part 4
CELEBRATION Who are We?
Diane: Look at the chalice poster and the sculpture. See how we as individuals are represented there? It tells me that each and every one of us is important to the whole, and that we make a very beautiful whole! Worthy of supporting with our money, as well as with our open minds, helping hands, loving hearts and radiant spirits!
Let’s watch the Chalice Dancers bring all the motions together while we sing #1003 as a round. Watch the song leader for your section. We will sing it three times.
MOTION FINALE – HYMN #1003 Where Do We Come From? Round
Chalice Dancers – Sharon Werth, Director
CHOIR Be Ours a Religion Thomas Benjamin
OFFERING
OFFERTORY WITH SILENT CANDLES OF JOY AND SORROW
House Band A Child is Born Thad Jones
STEWARDSHIP TESTIMONIAL Chris Evans, Stewardship Co-Chair
+HYMN #1074 Turn the World Around
CLOSING WORDS
RESPONSE #123 – Spirit of Life in Spanish then English
EXTINGUISH THE CHALICE / CLOSE THE FOUR QUARTERS
MUSIC FOR LEAVING Take the “A” Train Billy Strayhorn
+Late-comers may enter