*Gathering Hymn                                   Circle ‘round for freedom, circle ‘round for peace

                                                                   For all of us imprisoned, circle for release.

                                                                  Circle for the planet, circle for each soul

                                                                   For the children of our children, keep the circle whole.

 

Prelude                                                     Reflection I (9am)                                                                          Richard Wilder

                                                                   Dear Mister God, Children’s Letters to God (11am)              C.M. Shearer

 

Welcome                                                  Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur

 

Chalice Lighting                                     Sanna Legan & Alexis Restum, YRUU Youth Group

 

*Opening Hymn                                      #149 Lift Every Voice and Sing

 

*Covenant                                                Love is the doctrine of this church.

                                                                   The quest for truth is its sacrament,

                                                                   And service is its prayer.

                                                                   To dwell together in peace,

                                                                   To seek knowledge in freedom,

                                                                   To serve humankind in fellowship,

                                                                   Thus do we covenant with each other.

 

*Hymn of Praise                                      From all that dwell below the skies

                                                                   Let songs of hope and faith arise

                                                                   Let peace, goodwill on earth be sung

                                                                   Through every land, by every tongue.

 

Offering for the Westside Food Bank and Turning Point

 

Time for All Ages                                     Supper Bowl Sunday

 

Song of Blessing                                     This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…

                                                                    Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine...

 

Life Together

 

Pulpit Message from Dining for Dollars Fundraising Auction Team

                                                                     Garland Allen

 

Offering                                                       Take Me to Church                                                       Hozier-Byrne, Andrew

                                                                     Gabriel Paredes, tenor

 

Devotional Time

 

Silence

 

Sung Response                                        Open My Heart                                                                            Henry S. Flurry

                                                                     Open my heart to all that I seek;

                                                                     Let me be part of the Love You give.

 

Reflection                                                  DeReau Farrar

 

Music for the Morning                             My Belief (9am)                                                                                           Yiruma

                                                                    Gloria, Gloria (11am)                                                                   Antonio Vivaldi

 

Sermon                                                      With and Without God                                         Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur

 

*Closing Hymn                                         #1054 Let This Be A House of Peace

 

*Benediction

 

Musical Response                                   Finlandia (9am)                                                                                Jean Sibelius

                                                                     May Love Be Your Guide (11am)                                                    Clif Hardin

 

*Please stand in body or in spirit

 

Greeters:                                                        Sanna Egan, Tom Foretich & Denise Helton

Ushers:                                                           Steve DePaul, Linda van Ligten, Greg Wood & Ned Wright

Coffee:                                                            Diane Macunovich, Peggy Rhoads, Kit Shaw & Alicia van Ooyen

Bookstore:                                                     Nancy Babbitt

Backyard Bounty:                                         Rima Snyder

 

To honor Black History Month, in February our opening hymn will be Lift Every Voice and Sing . Often

called the Negro National Anthem, this hymn is a setting of a poem that was originally written to

honor President Lincoln in 1899. There is something profound about reciting this text anytime topics

such as oppression, justice, or activism enter the conversation. It is a text that calls us toward the

pursuit of liberty for all, while rejoicing in the progress we have made and honoring those lives that

have been and will be lost to the struggle.

 

Thank you for your generous gifts of $436.10 for Black Lives Matter LA and $768.07 for the UU Service

Committee.

 

This month, as part of our Supper Bowl Sunday campaign, 60% of our offering will go to the Westside

Food Bank to provide food to social service agencies serving preschool children, seniors, veterans,

and people who are homeless on the Westside of Los Angeles. The Food Bank acquires as much food

as possible through donations, and also purchases food from wholesale merchants to consistently

provide our member agencies with the most nutritious food possible. Our Extra Helpings Westside

Program, which recovers food that would otherwise be thrown away from bakeries, restaurants,

caterers and food suppliers, provides about one third of the food we distribute. Thanks to the

economies of scale and our efficient operation, we can acquire five pounds of food for each donated

dollar.