About the Music
The music for this service, which integrates Latinx and indigenous perspectives, was chosen to reference and honor values of the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.

Lady Xøk is a Nu-Nueva music project mixing Indigenous instruments, electronic, acoustic, and experimental performance and multimedia installations. Front woman interdisciplinary artist Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra pulls from roots in Latin American Nueva Canción and American Blues. Members are Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra (vocals, piano, guitar) and Xilam Balam (bass, Indigenous instruments).

Curandero is a Twin-Cities based sound-healing project whose music presents a fusion of pre-Columbian Indigenous instruments, house, and dance hall. Curandero's music brings together traditional indigenous instrumentation and rhythms of Mesoamerica (Mexico) with electronic DJ elements and production. Members are Gustavo Lira, Xilam Balam, and Rico Simon Mendez (DJ Don Cuco).

Ahmed Anzalduúa, Director of Music Ministries, piano

ORDER OF WORSHIP
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Nic Cable, Ministerial Intern
Rochelle Lockridge, Worship Associate

Gathering Music It is Well with My Soul
Philip P. Bliss; arr. John Purifoy

Prelude Present — Footfall
If you ever wonder if I am thinking of you
Watch the rain fall on our hearts
It makes its mark to wash the darkness away
If I ever wonder if you are here beside me
Watch the tears fall on our souls
Where we hold hope and love all our days
And if we ever wonder if we can walk the long road
Watch the sun give us this gift of the day
As we make our way through the here and now

Call to Worship Rochelle Lockridge

*Opening Hymn (6) Just as Long as I Have Breath

*Responsive Reading (610) The Journey of Love

Silence

When I breathe in, I breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I breathe out love.

Embracing Meditation

Minister’s Prayer

Interlude Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
arr. Carol Tornquist

Offering Music Sister, Sit on Down — Footfall
Sister, sit on down. Sister, sit on sit on down. Sister, sit on down
Tell me something I don’t know
Tell me something about where you want to go
Tell me something I forgot about to love or hope or know
Make a space to let it in
Take a break to start your heart again
Wake up knowing that it’s easy to find yourself a friend
Talk your way onto the ride
Shake off the shadows of your pride
Walk into the world knowing that we’re right here by your side

Readings A Hidden Wholeness — Parker Palmer
A Sikh Prayer for America on November 9, 2016 — Valarie Kaur

*Hymn of Affirmation (1) May Nothing Evil Cross This Door

Sermon The Power of the Shared Table

*Closing Hymn I Know I Can

Benediction

Postlude Peace Call — Woodie Guthrie/arr. Footfall
Open your hearts to the paradise to the peace of heavenly angels
Take away that woeful shadow dancing on your wall
Take to the skies of peace of friends, of the peace of one great spirit
Get ready for my bugle call of peace
Chorus: Peace peace peace
I can hear the bugle sounding, roaming around my land, my city and my town
Peace peace peace
I can hear the voices ringing, louder while my bugle calls for peace
If these storms fill your heart with a thousand kinds of worry
Keep to my road of peace, you’ll never have to fear
Keep in the sun and look around, in the face of peace and plenty
Get ready for my bugle call of peace
I’ll clear my house of the weed of fear and turn to the friends around me
With my smile of peace, I’ll greet them one and all
I’ll work, I’ll fight, I’ll dance, I’ll sing, of peace of the youthful spirit
Get ready for my bugle call of peace

About the Worship Leader
Nic Cable is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Religious Studies, as well as Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. Nic received his Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2014. In the few years prior to coming to Unity Church, he lived in Michigan where his wife pursued her law degree. During this time, Nic worked full time for the UUA in Stewardship and Development, and part time with the UU Church of Greater Lansing. Nic feels blessed to learn and grow as a ministerial intern at Unity Church this year and is looking forward to getting to know the community.

About the Worship Associate
Rochelle Lockridge was lured by the sweet siren’s song of the Unity Choir singing from the balcony in 2002. She has been a member of the choir and the Unity Church family ever since. After careful consideration she has expanded her involvement to include serving as a worship associate. Rochelle lives in Maplewood, newly venturing out to build her own management consulting business. In addition to following her passions in grand-parenting, music, and digital storytelling, she has recently rediscovered the joys of Ballroom dancing.

About the Musicians
Footfall is what happened when folk, punk, rock, classical and good common sense converged. If a label helps, alt country is where we landed. We hope you’ll agree but mostly just want you along for the ride. Footfall is Jim Christiansen and Debbie Cushman. We’ve been playing music together for about fifteen years. Jim plays guitar, slide guitar and mandolin. He also sings a mean harmony line and can be nudged into lead. Debbie brings guitar, vocals, piano and dreams of fiddle playing. Songwriting is shared and so is banter over covers. The day jobs pay for the gear. The music feeds the soul. 

Kathleen Bartholomay, a long-time member, has enjoyed a rich history of musical involvement at Unity Church: accompanying Unity’s adult choir, coordinating summer music, and sharing her musical gifts in recitals, memorial services, weddings, and other occasions. She sings with the St. Paul Vocal Forum, and is completing her training to become a music therapist. Kathleen holds a Master of Music degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. www.twincitiespianist.com

ORDER OF WORSHIP
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs, Co-Minister
Heidi Huelster, Worship Associate

Gathering Music

Words of Welcome Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs

Ringing the Bell

PRELUDE Sicilienne — Fritz Kreisler

Call to Worship Heidi Huelster

Lighting the Chalice

*Opening Hymn (128) For All That Is Our Life

*Responsive Reading (515) We Lift Our Hearts in Thanks

Silence

Embracing Meditation

Minister’s Prayer

Interlude Deep Peace (Traditional Gaelic blessing) — Bill Douglas
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace to you.

Offering

Offering Music Affetuoso (from Sonata in D Major) — George Frederic Handel

Readings

You Must Try to Praise the Mutilated World — Adam Zagajewski
Accidents of Birth — William Meredith

*Hymn of Affirmation (123) Spirit of Life

Sermon Cultivating Gratitude

*Closing Hymn (318) We Would Be One

Benediction

POSTLUDE Berceuse, Op. 16 — Gabriel Faure

About the Worship Associate
Heidi Huelster and her husband Josh were married at Unity in 2002, and have been calling it their church ever since. Heidi is currently working on her Masters at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she gets riled up about education policy and parent outreach. She enjoys travel, playing the piano, producing the podcast Parent Town, cooking, and seeing art. The coolest thing she gets to do is call herself “mom” to her children, Mimi, Howard, and Zoe, who pretty much amaze and make her laugh every day.

About the Musicians
Wendy Tangen-Foster is violinist, teacher, and performer whose passion is helping others connect through music. She is the director of Ms. Wendy’s Suzuki Violin Studio in Saint Paul where children and adult students learn to build character, sensitivity, confidence, and expressivity through studying the violin as part of a joyfully vibrant community of families. With over 20 years of Suzuki and music teaching experience, Wendy loves to travel and share her joy and passion for music at Suzuki workshops around the country. A dynamic performer, Wendy plays regularly with Rogue Tango on Sundays at the Loring Pasta Bar, and with CharangaTropical, a nine-piece salsa band with strings. Wendy makes her home in Northeast Minneapolis where she enjoys running, playing backgammon, cooking, going to art shows, and jamming with friends. Ms. Wendy’s Suzuki Violin Studio is currently accepting new students. Her studio theme this year is cultivating gratitude. wendysuzukiviolin@gmail.com

Unity Choir is the foundation on which our music program is built and is a vital and energetic presence in our community. Its members share various levels of musical experience and a wide variety of activities and interests, all of which are brought together by their love of singing. Ruth Palmer, Director (9:00/11:00)

About the Offering Recipient
Growth and Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit, research and advocacy organization, focused on expanding prosperity in Minnesota. It promotes policies that reduce inequality and that eliminate racial disparity, through investment in human capital and public infrastructure, by ensuring universal and affordable health care, and through a cleaner and greener economy. Unity Church member Dane Smith is president of Growth and Justice.

Assistive Listening System
To access the sanctuary’s assistive listening system, please switch your hearing aid to “T” or request headphones or assistance from an usher.

Worship Associate: Avi Viswanathan

Includes a Story for All Ages delivered by Director of Religious Education Kerri Meyer.

This podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Ray Wiedmeyer.

Two reflections offered by Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs and Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs.

Such a small thing to be thankful for... not even three feet square. In 1936, Georgia O’Keefe put oil on canvass. She painted the skull of a deer and some flowers floating in the clouds above a barren range of gentle hills as a way of saying "thank you" for their beauty and their gift. What great and small things have we to be thankful for?

Our dear friends in Homorodszpeter, our partner village in Transylvania, have done so much to deepen and enrich our lives. Ray Wiedmeyer, recently returned from pilgrimage, will offer a reflection on his journey as the whole Unity Church family gathers to give thanks.

Saying thank you is good manners but it can be ever so much more. Giving thanks can be a way of life. It can be a deeply nourishing spiritual practice.

Like grammar and syntax provide structure for our language and communication, gratitude can provide the underlying structure to our lives. Explore the role that gratitude can play in everyday living, particularly when challenged with pain and disappointment.

We owe so much to so many. As we prepare our minds and hearts for the election Tuesday let’s think about thanking the Georges; George the Third, George Washington, George M. Cohan, George Gershwin and yes friends, the Georges Bush.