Gathering Music
“All You Need is Love” by John Lennon
Performed by the UUS:E Singers; Dorothy Bognar on piano
Welcome & Announcements
Centering
Prelude
“Ode to Joy” by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Eliot Vadas (piano)
Introduction to the Service
Chalice Lighting & Opening Words
Reading
“The Thank You Letter”
by Jan Caberea
Opening Hymn
“Filled with Loving Kindness”
#1031 in Singing the Journey
Words: Traditional Buddhist Meditation
Adapted by Mark W. Hayes
Music: Ian W. Riddell
Led by Sandy Johnson
First Verse
May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well.
May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be whole.
Second Verse
May you be filled …
Third Verse
May we be filled…
Love Notes #1 (Elizabeth Thomas)
Welcoming Visitors and Sharing Joys & Concerns
Musical Response
“Scherzo” by Carl Webster
Performed by Simone Ford (cello) and Dorothy Bognar (piano)
Offering
Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, and in recognition of Black History Month, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of February will go to Manchester’s African American and Black Affairs Council or AABAC.
AABAC is a community-based organization whose mission is to uphold all aspects of the lived experiences of Black people through advocacy, education, and community endeavors. AABAC strives to eliminate injustices experienced by Black people in Manchester, CT, through engagement with Manchester residents, community partners, and allies.
Offering Music
Gavotte from Cello Suite #6 in D Major, by J. S. Bach
Performed by Margeaux Ford (violin)
Love Notes #2 (Elizabeth Thomas with Genna Bender, Margeaux Ford and Charlie Schultz)
Homily
“Reflections on Love” (Sheila Foran)
Closing Hymn
“When Our Heart is in a Holy Place”
Words and Music by Joyce Poley; Arr. Lorne Kellett
#1008 in Singing the Journey
Led by Sandy Johnson
Chorus:
When our heart is in a holy place,
When our heart is in a holy place,
We are bless’d with love and amazing grace,
when our heart is in a holy place.
When we trust the wisdom in each of us,
Ev’ry color ev’ry creed and kind,
And we see our faces in each other’s eyes,
Then our heart is in a holy place.
Chorus
When our heart is in a holy place,
When our heart is in a holy place,
We are bless’d with love and amazing grace,
When our heart is in a holy place.
When we tell our story from deep inside,
And we listen with a loving mind,
And we hear our voices in each other’s words,
Then our heart is in a holy place.
Chorus
When our heart is in a holy place,
When our heart is in a holy place,
We are bless’d with love and amazing grace,
When our heart is in a holy place.
When we share the silence of sacred space,
And the God of our Heart stirs within,
And we feel the power of each other’s faith,
Then our heart is in a holy place.
When our heart is in a holy place.
Closing Words & Extinguishing the Chalice
Closing Circle
May faith in the spirit of life
And hope for the community of earth
And love of the light in each other
Be ours now, and in all the days to come.
