CELEBRANT   INSTRUCTIONS

IF Amanda…she will need to be introduced by: “I’d like to invite our minister, Rev. Amanda Aikman, to the pulpit at this time.” (or something like that)

1. position the microphone and speak directly into it
2. speak slowly, pause between sentences
3. look at the congregation
4. smile
5. don’t put yourself down, laugh at mistakes, drop papers or make wisecracks
6. if you need a moment to find your place, etc….. take it. we’re not going anywhere.
7. compare the printed Order of Service to yours. make sure it matches.
8. sit down with the congregation when the speaker comes to the podium
9. thank the speaker, if appropriate. thank anyone else you feel needs to be recognized.
10. remember: YOU ARE IN CHARGE. Act like it.

.*Prelude music may precede the service.  Nod to the musician when you’re ready to start.*

GATHERING TOGETHER

1. → CHIME

Ring the chime to quiet people down. Nothing else need be said.

2. → GATHERING HYMN

Starts immediately. Pianist plays the hymn intro. No announcement needed.

3. → OPENING WORDS

Select your own words or choose from tab #3

4. → CHALICE LIGHTING

Select your own words or choose from tab #4.  

5. → WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

WELCOME: choose your own words or from tab #5 – PART 1

INTRODUCTIONS – PART 2

CLOSURE – PART 3

** On the first Sunday, the children will be with us to this point.

.DRAWING CLOSER

6. → HYMN

“Please stand as you are able for Hymn # ______ found on page ______ in the (grey) (teal) hymnal”.

7. → OUR UU HERITAGE

“Built on a history of tolerance and the search for freedom of religious thought, our UU heritage is rich and diverse. In the words of the only Unitarian king in 1568 - “We need not think alike to love alike” - and following the example of 16th-century Transylvania Unitarian congregations, we continue the search today.  Did you know.... “     (start reading the passage for today)

8. → JOYS AND SORROWS

Select your own words or choose from tab #8. There are words for both BEFORE and AFTER.

TURNING TO ONE ANOTHER, TURNING WITHIN

9. → OFFERING

FIRST select your own words or choose from tab #9. THEN reach under the podium and get 2 baskets for the people who come forward to get them.  Put them back under after the offering.

If the music runs beyond the basket return, just sit and wait.

10. → MEDITATION

If the speaker isn’t doing this and you would like to include one in the service, there is a tip sheet and some Introductory Words in tab #10.  Choose your meditation from any source and feel free to use the chime before and after.  

11. → HYMN FOR MEDITATION

Decide who is introducing this if there is one.

“Please (stand as you are able) (remain seated) and join in singing Hymn # ____________.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

         THE MESSAGE

12. → You need to invite the speaker to the podium AND/OR introduce them at this time. What you say will depend on whether or not they have already been involved in today’s service.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OPENING OUTWARD

13. → CLOSING HYMN

“Our closing hymn today is “ _____________”.  Please stand and open the (black) (teal) hymnal to page _____.”

14. → CLOSING WORDS

Choose something appropriate here.  A reading, poem or thought connected to the topic of the service would be best. If you don’t have anything, choose from tab #14.

15. → EXTINGUISH THE CHALICE

Select your own words or choose from tab #15.

16. → CLOSING CIRCLE SONG

“This ends our service for today. Please form a circle as we sing our closing song.

We’ll sing this twice. And please join us for coffee and conversation immediately after the service.”

.Tab #3 – OPENING WORDS

Welcome, friends.

to a day of hope and promise,

to a place of peace and comfort,

to a journey toward truth and justice.

and to a community of love and courage

that will help us along the way.

Come in…

Come into this place which we make happy by our presence.

Come in with all your vulnerabilities and strengths, fears and anxieties, loves and hopes.

For here you need not hide, nor pretend, nor be anything other than who you are and are called to be.

Come into this place where we can touch and be touched, heal and be healed, forgive

and be forgiven,

Come into this place, where the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the

compassionate is expected.

Come into this place.

Together we make it holy.

Gathering together this morning from many directions, we give thanks for the beauty of this day, the warmth of this gathered company, and the breadth of the magnificent Spirit that calls us to worship.

.From the dailiness of our lives we come seeking transcendence.

Beyond time, beyond our physical selves, and yet within the context of this very moment, we seek to touch – and be touched by – the spirit of creation and hope.  In this hour of  worship, may we be open to the power of the Spirit of Life.

Come, let us worship together.

Let us open our minds to the challenge of Reason,

open our hearts to the healing of Love,

open our lives to the calling of Conscience,

open our souls to the comfort of Joy…

Astonished by the miracle of life, grateful for the gift of fellowship, confident in the

power of living faith, we are here gathered…

Come, let us worship together.

We come now to this house of worship.

Spirit calls to spirit;

Hand reaches out to hand;

Heart joins with heart;

Voice lifts with voice a song of praise.

Come, let us worship together.

Into this house of sacred community may we come…

to share,   to learn,   to speak,   to listen,   to grow together in the spirit

    of peace and harmony and love.

We come eager to know, and to grow; to face the mysteries, and to

confront the hard questions.

We come to rejoice and be glad.

We come to be changed.

We are people of all ages who enter this space bringing our joys and our concerns.
     We come together in hope.

We greet each other warmly with our voices and our smiles.
     We come together in peace.

We light the chalice to symbolize our interdependence and our unity.
     We come together in harmony.

We share our growth and our aspirations.
     We come together in wonder.

We share our losses and our disappointments.
     We come together in sorrow.

We share our concern and our compassion.
     We come together in love.

We come to this place bringing our doubts and our faith.
     We come together as seekers.

We sing and pray and listen. We speak and read and dream. We think and ponder and reflect. We cry and laugh and center. We mourn and celebrate and meditate. We strive for justice and for mercy.
     We come together in worship

.Tab #4 - CHALICE LIGHTING

We light this chalice to find inner peace, love for each other, and faith in ourselves.

We strive to be welcoming to whomever we meet and kind to all living creatures.

So, gather around this light of hope as we share this time together.

We light the chalice of our living tradition with these words:

To face the world’s shadow, a chalice of light.

To face the world’s coldness, a chalice of warmth.

To face the world’s terrors, a chalice of courage.

To face the world’s turmoil, a chalice of peace.

May its glow fill our spirits, our hearts, and our lives.

The chalice lit amongst us is a beacon –

A beacon of hope, in a world in crisis;

A beacon of possibility, made manifest in community;

A beacon of warmth through our interconnections;

A beacon of light illuminating our shared wisdom;

    A beacon of connection by our being together.

Deep calls unto deep, joys calls unto joy, light calls unto light.

Let the kindling of this flame rekindle in us the inner light of love, of peace, of hope.

And “as one flame lights another, nor grows the less”, we pledge to be bearers

Of the light, wherever we are.

.In this free church, we come together without creed, focusing instead on the

core values of justice, equity and compassion.

We come together in mutual acceptance of our diverse ways of being.

We come together in the stubborn belief that community is possible and that peace is more than a dream.

We light this chalice as a beacon of hope for those who have gathered here this day;

for all who have ever walked through our doors; for those who may yet find this spiritual home, and for those whose paths will never come our way, but with whom

we are ever connected in spirit.

May this flame, eternal symbol of transformation, fire our curiosity, strengthen

our wills and sustain our courage as we seek what is good within and around us.

We light this chalice for all who are here, and all who are not;

for all who have ever walked through our doors; for those who may yet

find this spiritual home; and for those we can’t even yet imagine.

For each of us and for all of us, may this flame burn warm and bright.

.Tab# 5 – WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 1

This is a free church.

Whether you are a theist or humanist, Christian, pagan, or nature mystic;

Whether you are gay, straight, transgender or bisexual;

Whether you are disabled or temporarily abled;

Whether you are young or old, or in-between.

We are so glad you are here today.

You make our circle complete.

The Mission of Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is to create a welcoming and loving religious community that cares for our planet and it inhabitants, inspires spiritual growth, promotes justice and encourages lives of integrity, joy and service.

All who are in sympathy with this Mission are more than welcome!  We are so glad you’re here today.

Welcome to our liberal religious fellowhip, where your beliefs are embraced, your values are respected, and your priorities are important.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

PART 2   Choose one of these to continue.

If you’re visiting with us for the first time, or returning after a long absence, we extend an especially warm welcome to you. We invite you to stand, as you are able, and introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.

PART 3 – After people introduce themselves

Wherever you’re from, whoever you are, you are most welcome here.

.Tab #8 – JOYS AND SORROWS

BEFORE

This fellowship is a community of caring.

This is the time in our service when you are invited to share a personal joy or sorrow

with those gathered here.  If you wish to share today, please come forward, speak your name into the microphone, drop a pebble into the water, and share your personal joy or sorrow at this time.

Ours is welcoming community where we find connection;   
...a spiritual community where we find meaning;

Ours is a sharing community where our joys are amplified;   
...a caring community where our sorrows are lessened;

We take this moment to reflect on our joys and sorrows and acknowledge the mutual support of our community;

If you would like, you may come forward and release a stone in the water in silence or with a brief verbal expression of a special joy or sorrow.

If you woke this morning with a sorrow so heavy that you need the help of this community to carry it; or if you woke with a joy so great that it simply must be shared, now is the time for you to speak.
You are invited to step up to the podium, introduce yourself and speak to us today.

.AFTER

And one final pebble for all the joys and sorrows not spoken but which we hold in our hearts.  

A final pebble. May we remember those who have spoken, those they have named, and those we hold in silence in our hearts.

A last final pebble for the joys and sorrows that haven't been spoken, but which remain in the silent sanctuaries of our hearts. These joys and griefs, spoken and unspoken, weave us together in the fabric of community.

May we be reminded that all things come and go; that today’s joys and today’s sorrows will in time give way to those of tomorrow and that those of us who have strength to share today ought do so while we can, and that those who are in need ought allow ourselves to receive for tomorrow those roles might well be reversed. Spirit of Life, mother and father of us all, help us to remember those who are not here with us today, those who need what we have found here and those who have what we here need. May we always be open to growth and change, to movement, to grace. In the name of all that is holy, and in all the holy names that have ever been uttered (and those that have not even yet been imagined), let us say Blessed be, Shalom, and Amen.

.Tab #9 – OFFERING

The purpose of the church is to encourage all who gather here to grow more

generous in spirit and in action.

This is the great end of all the world’s faith traditions: to bring the human being closer to the divine by acts of creation and compassion.

We now take an offering that allows us to exercise that all-important generosity of spirit, an offering that will support this self-supporting church and its ministries.

The gifts of the congregation will be most gratefully received.

If you a re proud of this church, become its advocate.

If you are concerned for its future, share its message.

If its values resonate deep within you, give it a measure of your devotion.

This church cannot survive without your faith, your confidence, your enthusiasm.

Its destiny, the larger hope, rests in your hands.

The morning’s offering will now be gratefully received.

An offering will now be gratefully received for the work of this Fellowship.

This congregation is a theologically diverse religious community with membership

Open to all who are in accord with our principles and mission.  We are an independent member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, an

Association of approximately 1000 congregations in this country and around the world.  Our congregation is entirely self-governed and financially supported by

the voluntary generosity of our members and friends.  To this end, let there be an offering to sustain the work of this beloved community.

Tab #10 – MEDITATION

INTRODUCTIONS

.Tab #12 – INTRODUCING THE SPEAKER

.Tab# 14 – CLOSING WORDS

As you prepare to leave this sacred space pack away a piece of this church in your heart.
Wrap it carefully like a precious gem.
Carry it with you through the joys and sorrows of your days.
Let its gentle glow strengthen you, warm you, remind you of all that is good and true
until you gather here again in this place of love.

May we look with gratitude upon this day, for the beauty of the world, for the first radiance of dawn and the last smoldering glow of sunset.

Let us be thankful for physical joys, for hills to climb and hard work to do, for music that lifts our hearts in one breath, for the hand-clasp of a friend, and for the gracious loveliness of children who remind us of the wonders of life.

May we be appreciative above all for the concern and love of those around us; for the exceeding bliss of the touch of the holy which suddenly awakens our drowsy souls to the blessed awareness of the divine within us and within others.

For all of this, and for the countless other blessings present in our lives, let us be grateful. Amen.

I wish for you a troubled heart at times
As woes of world and friend come close beside
And keep you sleepless.
I wish for you the thrill of knowing
Who you are,
Where you stand,
And why.
Especially why.
Not prosperity, but dreams I wish for you;
Not riches, but a sense of your own worth I wish for you.
Not even long life, however proud we’d be to have it so.
But life that is crammed with living,
Hour by hour.
And love I wish for you;
May you give it frequently.
I wish for you solitude in the midst of company,
And a mind full of company within your quiet times.
Full todays I wish for you, and full tomorrows.

And now may we go forth
     in the certainty of faith,
     in the knowledge of love,
     and in the vision of hope.
And in our going, may we be blessed
     with all good things on this day
     and forevermore. Amen.

.Tab #15 – EXTINGUISING THE CHALICE