Order of Service
November 1, 2026
Worship Leader Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker
Liturgist Alice Carnes
Music Ellen Gozion, Director of Instrumental Music; Kate Thurston-Griswold and Madeline Celi Kitch, harmony vocals; Richard Gordon, upright bass.
Song Leaders Janet Pohl
Tech Emily Sweeney
Prelude A Psalm of Life by Lotus Dickey –– Ellen Gozion, Kate Thurston-Griswold & Madeline Celi Kitch
Welcome Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker
Lighting the Chalice and Call to Worship Rev. Kate and Alice Carnes
Opening Hymn #347 Gather the Spirit
Collective Reading Alice
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.
We covenant:
To practice Interdependence, we honor the interdependent web of all existence;
To practice Pluralism, we celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology;
To practice Justice, we work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive;
To practice Transformation, we adapt to the changing world;
To practice Generosity, we cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope;
To practice Equity, we declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love
Story for All Rev. Kate
Singing For Our Children #1057 Go Lifted Up
Go lifted up, love bless your way;
Moonlight, starlight guide your journey
Into peace and the brightness of day.
Offering Alice
Donations by check may be mailed to the church office. Electronic donations can be made online through the church website or by texting “give” to (412) 435-1050 and following the instructions.
Share the plate for November is 412 Food Rescue*
Joys and Sorrows: During the offertory music, you are invited to light a candle or place a stone in Blessed Community water as you offer silent gratitude or prayers. Two tables are in the sanctuary; one in the front, to the right of the platform, and one in the back right alcove.
Offertory Music Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, Trad.** Ellen Gozion, Richard Gordon
Meditation, silence, or prayer Rev. Kate
Hymn #1008 When Our Heart is in a Holy Place
All Souls Day of Remembrance Pastoral Care Committee
Musical Response Crossing the Bar by Rani Arbo –– Ellen Gozion and Richard Gordon
Sermon Hope and Creativity Take a Walk Rev. Kate
Hymn #1028 The Fire of Commitment
Extinguishing the Chalice Flame Rev. Kate and Alice
We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth,
the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment:
these we carry in our hearts until we are together again.
Benediction Rev. Kate
Postlude Here is My Home by Si Kahn –– Ellen, Madeline, and Kate
To donate to Share the Plate
– by check mailed to the church office, please include STP on the memo line
– online on the church website, use the drop down to select Plate.
– by texting “Give” to 412-435-1050 following the directions with the word share or pledge after the donation amount as appropriate.
To make a pledge payment
-by check, please put pledge in the memo line
– online on the church website, keep the default General Fund 2025 option
*412 Food Rescue works with restaurants, grocery stores and food donors across our region to connect surplus food to members of our community facing food insecurity. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, we rescue nearly 5 million pounds of food annually, which is distributed to our neighbors through our nonprofit partners. In addition to addressing food insecurity in our community, our impact is also environmental, by diverting food away from landfills where its decomposition would otherwise result in methane emissions. For more information: https://412foodrescue.org/
** Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, a seafaring song from sisters Eleazar Tillett and Martha Etheridge, Outer Banks, NC, was collected by Anne and Frank Warner, 1951. The song is traceable back to an original composition by W.T. Wrighton and J.E. Carpenter in [1864].
Richard Gordon, upright bass and friend of First Unitarian Church, learned to play guitar, bass, and mandolin by hanging out with all the wrong people in all the wrong places. An award-winning bassist, he has played in a variety of bands since 1987, including Pittsburgh-based Bertha and the Belles, who have appeared on First Unitarian’s SongSpace stage. As “Mandorichard,” he hosts a folk, bluegrass, and old-time radio show on WRCT.