Writer Alice Hoffman muses that they might be “the only true magic,” William Styron says they are the secret to “living several lives” (all at once!), and actor Emma Thompson says they “are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them.” Each one enables us to “travel through time” (Carl Sagan) and is “a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors” (Charles Baudelaire), a mirror (Carlos Ruiz Zafón), and a journey (Sharon Creech).
We’re talking about books, of course–and today, that’s what our service leaders will do: talk about a way a book has powerfully affected their lives. Our altar will consist of beloved books: yours. Please bring one or many to display and get great conversations started.
We also joyfully dedicate Margo Dillinger, daughter of Jen and Onath Dillinger, during the service.
Then we’ll have a campus wide Celebration of Books and Reading, with storytelling, a workshop on how to access and add to the vast world of online public domain literature online, and an ereader clinic so you can finally load ebooks onto that ereader. Visit UUCPA’s Hamaker Library and take out a book. Buy one from the UU Used Bookstore or new from the marvelous collection in the lobby. Bring a book to the Little Free Library and take another one home with you. As Mary Engelbreit said, “It’s a present you can open again and again.”
Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern
Worship Associates: Weijia Cheng, Joe Bailey, and Brian Weller
Special music: The Season of Us, jazz duo
Follow along in the order of service bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20230205.
We gather in person in the Main Hall, in person on the main patio, and via Zoom: bit.ly/uucpa_service_11am (it’s the same link we used to use for the 11 am service). In-person, we are distanced 3′ and masked for safety; proof of vaccination is required to enter the Main Hall. You may also sit on the patio if you prefer. Please sign in at the welcome table as you arrive, for the sake of contact tracing. To watch the service live on our Facebook page, visit: www.facebook.com/uucpa/live_videos.
Photo by Sarah Elizabeth on Unsplash