Chime and Welcome        Tim Raymond

Prelude       “Die Nachtigall” (“The Nightingale”)     Quartet
Felix Mendelssohn                   
Members of the Quartet:
Cordelia Wilson, Lydia Grossman,
Ryan Burch, and Ethan McCollum

Lighting the Chalice and the Black Lives Matter Candle    Pat Allison

Opening Words           Rev. Liz Weber

Hymn    Finlandia for Animals        Ethan
Words: Barb and Rev. Liz Weber; music: Jean Sibelius

This is my dog, the one that makes my heart soar
This is my cat, the one whose purr I love
These are my pets, who bring joy to my living
They are the ones I’m always thinking of.
Oh, hear my song, for creatures that are crawling
And all who swim and who fly up above.

These are our pets that give us understanding
Of other creatures under heaven’s sky.
Dogs, cats, and gerbils, fishes, snakes, and hamsters:
They help us know of things that swim and fly.
Rhinoceros, and porpoises, and condors:
All need our care. Oh, let us heed their cry.

Story      The Song         Loren Crawford
Author: Charlotte Zolotow; illustrated by Nancy Tafuri

Our Mission and Covenant      Pat
We are a church of reason and spirit,
that witnesses for progressive faith,
nurtures our community and transforms our world.
                                                           
Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law.
This is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace,
to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

Story    St. Francis, the Animals, and Blessings   Rev. Liz

Joys and Sorrows            Rev. Liz

Musical Response  #1009   Meditation on Breathing      Ethan
words and music: Sarah Dan Jones

Meditation and Common Prayer        Rev. Liz

Musical Response    The Swan     Susie Onwood and Ethan
from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns

Moment for All Ages     The Animals Bless Us        Loren

Invitation to Generosity           Rev. Liz

Offertory       The Lone, Wild Bird     First U Choir
Words: H.R. MacFayden
Music: William Walker’s Southern Harmony, arr. Ethan

Story      Becoming a Good Creature      Rev. Liz
Author: Sy Montgomery; illustrated by Rebecca Green

Animal Blessing Parade

Hymn #203      All Creatures of the Earth and Sky     Ethan
Words: attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Music: from Ausserlesene Catholische Kirchengesang

Extinguishing the Chalice        Pat
We extinguish these flames, 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.

Closing Words       Rev. Liz and Loren

Postlude    A Place in the Choir      First U Choir
Words and music: Bill Staines

Benediction         Rev. Liz