For more information on how to make a recurring booking, please see theResource Booker User Guide. ALL: Come out, people of God! what are human beings Oh Holy Flame, spark of all creation,You who we greet as the Great Flame in our lives,Providing shining light for our visionAnd soothing warmth for our hearts;Help us be attentive witnesses todayTo the extraordinary wonder That walks among us Daily in grace. In Jesus, the Sacredness of those on the margins of the world is centered and affirmed, the tables upended, love overcomes hate. At the end, the submit button forwards this information review to the conference office, the correct COM chair, and to the preferred email address used on this form. In this difficult time, trans siblings, hang on. We claim that diversity as we come before you and as we go out into the world. Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington D.C. And so we turn to Jesus, who showed us what it looks like to live into our true selves as people of God. The distinct names attributed to the sacred meal Jesus instituted with his companions attests to more than denominational and doctrinal differences. [PDF] Download the Bulletin Covers Planning Kit for 2022 [DOCX]. Through your grace you reach out to us. Perhaps the most indicative and faithful to the season of Christmas is Emmanuel (God With Us). Hour by hour I place my days in your hand, safe from those who would harm me. You are great enough to hold us all in your arms at the same time. Too many in the world still ridicule those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, and intersex. Hear the prophetic call to live in the radiance of God and do the simple if difficult things required of those who claim and are claimed by the Holy One. (Enfleshed, adapted by KFR, 2020), CommunionOne: Open your hearts to Love.ALL: We open our hearts to you, O God. You are sister, brother, and sibling. More inspiring worship ideas can be found on GatheringWorship.ca. Rooms are available for booking between 8am and 10pm each day. No further licenses are required. Amen. Your child did not see outcasts, but only your own people. Background checks and resources for creating a safe space for all congregants. A life in the unity of the Trinity is one of being shaped and sent daily in the image and in the purpose of Holy Love. ALL: Come out, people of God! Not sure what streaming and copyright law requires? Global . Rend Our Hearts: 2023 Lenten (and Holy Week) Sermon Seeds Series. 2. (KFR, 2020), One: I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever.ALL: With my mouth, I will declare your faithfulness to this generation and all generations.One: Your steadfast love is established forever.ALL: Your faithfulness as firm as the strongest oak, as strong as the heavens themselves.One: You said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one, my servant DavidALL: Following you, we have established our own covenant with you and each other, to affirm the lives of our transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay siblings, to invite them into the full life and ministry of your Church, our church.One: For you are the glory of their strength, of our strengthALL: By your favor, our burdens are lifted. The 2022 Information Review was due on Feburary 11th, 2022. The Notifications screen contains a log of all notifications you have received through Resource Booker. We come, and we pledge our commitment to walk the path of Jesus. Start worship planning today: Find prayers, music, weekly inspirations, and more! Conference StaffCovid-19 InformationCongregation ResourcesMinister ResourcesLocal Church Search & CallBecoming a UCC Pastor, NewsCalendarIA Facebook pageNE Facebook pageSD Facebook pageStaff Blog. Click on an event in the calendar to view the booking details. The work of the people of God continues Sunday by Sunday and throughout the year. Call to Worship (Psalm 31) One: On this Coming Out Day, I turn to you again, God. This service was created and edited by Kimi Floyd Reisch. Forgive us, God, for breaking our covenants.Forgive us, God, for those moments when we stayed silent and ignored your command to speak.Forgive us, God, for those times when we witnessed harm and did not intervene.Forgive us, O God, for those moments when we forgot to act always in love for one another. We praise the works of your creative hand that fills our life with beauty. Celebrate: World Communion Sunday Resources World Communion Sunday is coming up on October 2, 2022. We might remember the prophesy of Isaiah with the promise of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Son of God and Son of Man, depending upon which Gospel account you read, also speak to who Jesus is. The Holy Spirit is at work within and through us. I'll be working on updating these and finding new resources. And why does it say there are several available but when I click on the folder it shows no room available? Despite the abundance of life around us, we still turn to destruction. The form and content of the service focus on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God's redeeming love in Jesus Christ. Can I access Resource Booker outside the UCC network? ALL: Do not allow us to make our ideas of you into an idol. Content on ucc.org is copyrighted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and may be only shared according to the guidelines outlined here. Amen. God is here to walk with you and lead you to a place where you can find peaceful rest. Some honor a loved one, living or deceased, by bestowing their name upon the new addition to the family. Its suitable for your service on Sunday, Nov. 22. (Helen Rose), Prayers of the PeopleOne: In the midst of all that keeps our spirits frantic, overwhelmed, or troubled, we pause. Even in death, O God, your love prevailed. Worship Ways; Sermon Seeds; Synod 33 Worship Videos; Music and Liturgical Arts; Stewardship & Generosity Resources; Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA) History, Polity, and Theology; Search and Call; Ministerial Profiles; Ministry Opportunities; Manual on Ministry; Column. In your love you created us. In the many names of Love, may it be so. To maintain ministerial standing, UCC authorized ministers must complete the following: (Black Hills, Dakota Oahe, Prairie Lakes, and Two Rivers Associations). The United Church of Canada acknowledges that its buildings and ministries, from coast to coast to coast, are on traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples. Write, paint, photograph, sing, dance, pray, celebrate, love, gather, protest, and speak your truth. The longest season of the liturgical calendar is filled with Sundays called Ordinary Time. It begins with Trinity Sunday and ends with the Reign of Christ. Jesus Christ, lover of all, ALL: bring healing, bring peace. A three year rotation of scriptures for preaching developed by protestant churches. Hang on to hope, to love, to yourself. (Enfleshed), Prayer: Blessed Are the Queer Blessed are the wanderers, Seeking affirmation. The Holy Spirit is that which can transform our deepest anger, sadness, and loneliness into something new. Amen. For laughter. (KFR, 2020), 3: Wakantanka Taku Nitawa (Many and Great, O God, Are Your Works)11: Bring Many Names28: For the Beauty of the Earth30. One: Our God is a god of resurrection. +GATHERING+ . For those without food or housing. The Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort is a 5 year old collaborative program of the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Freedom Center for Social Justice in Charlotte, NC and the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion at the Pacific School of Religion, Together A Prayer for 2020 Transgender Day of Remembrance in a Pandemic by The Rev. Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming The LGBTQIA2S+Community (https://thehymnsociety.org/resources/songs-for-the-holy-other/). Find resources for your weekly services including liturgy, music suggestions, prayers and sermon starters as well as ideas for special services and those in settings outside the church. ALL: Amen. For those who have yet to repent. The Pilgrim Press & Stillspeaking Publications, The Faith Education, Innovation and Formation (Faith INFO)Team, Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA), The Pollinator: UCC Environmental Justice Blog, Subscriptions at the United Church of Christ, General Synod 2021 Thursday in Black Offering, General Synod 2021 Racial Justice Offering, Local Church and Conference Resource Directory. (KFR, 2020, based on Romans 6), God, your child Jesus taught us to welcome each other, but welcome often seems too little in this world.Welcome, without affirmation, becomes an empty promise,Devoid of the lesson that to truly welcome each other means to see the face of God in each other.We commit to affirm all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,Welcoming them and Affirming them as Gods beloved creations.You taught us that whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will see a prophets reward;That whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous.We know that until we are all free, none of us can be free, And we commit to co-creating that world of welcome and affirmation until all people can access that promise. Remind us that we are all born holy and deserve love and tenderness. Over the past several years, the Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences and Council of Conference Ministers have created several worship services for your congregations use. Where we share in joy or concern, let us respond together, God, hear our prayers., For all the queer, trans, and intersex children and youth across the globe. We move from concentrating on the event of Christ in the world and shift to the impact of being in Christ in the world. To live into Gods extravagant welcome and advocate for justice. In stressful lives and a world in turmoil, Morning Prayer will reconnect you with God. and may your study be prayer. For those who have no safe place or people to retreat to. Our Offices: | 8:00am 5:00pm CT (M-Th) and 8:30am 12:00pm (F) |Des Moines Office Phone: 515.277.6369 | Sioux Falls Office Phone: 605.338.8738Des Moines Office Address: 5609 Douglas Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310 | Sioux Falls Office Address: 3500 S Phillips Ave. Ste 100, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences of the UCC. Our difference is what makes us valuable, beautiful, and divine. Browse the collection of days below, or download the complete lectionary. You hide them safely away. Repentance, reconciliation,and repair require an inward transformation of mind, body, and spiritrepresented by the heart. Confident of your commitment to wholeness and healing, we lift before you the wounds inflicted on your beloved queer and trans children. Learn more and join a Community of Practice today! We pause to remember the basic gifts of water, of trees, of beauty, of the land we gather upon. Colorful Creator58: Spirit of Love106: My Heart Sings Out with Joyful Praise175: O Christ, the Healer, We Have Come177: God of Change and Glory207: Just as I Am249: Peace I Leave with You, My Friends274: Womb of Life, and Source of Being286: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness351: I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry362: When Love is Found388: Help Us Accept Each Other391: In the Midst of New Dimensions392: En Santa Hermandad (United by Gods Love)402: De Colores (Sing of Colors)433: In the Bulb There is a Flower437: We Shall Not Give Up the Fight461: Let Us Hope when Hope Seems Hopeless467: Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth471: What a Covenant495: Called as Partners in Christs Service502: Dear God, Embracing Humankind511: I Love My God, Who Heard My Cry524/525: This Little Light of Mine576: For the Healing of the Nations581: Lead Us From Death to LifeOther Sources. Amen. Blessed are the lovers of leaving Leaving family and familiarity, Leaving tables Where love is not being served. If the spiritual transformation is missing, however, the actions become meaningless and a mockery. One: We hold in this space, those who have endured the worst of what the world has to offer. One: You are as close to us as our own breath and yet, your essence transcends all that we can imagine. Don't forget to send us your submissions! Explore Your Faith at a United Church Theological School, Join in a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, Congregations and Councils of the United Church, Whistleblowing: How to Report Suspected Wrongdoing, Create a Guaranteed Livable Income Program, Honour Children Who Attended Residential Schools, Human Rights and Accountability is NON-NEGOTIABLE, Israeli Military DetentionNo Way to Treat a Child, Say No to Extrajudicial Killing of Palestinian Children, Stop the latest Palestinian evictions in East Jerusalem, Support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Urge PayPal to Extend Its Services to Palestinians, Speak Out for Palestinian Human Rights Defenders, Unsettling Goods: Choose Peace in Palestine and Israel, Ministry and Personnel Committee Resources, Kindred Works and the United Property Resource Corporation (UPRC), International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, United Church Pension and Benefits Centre. Terry Williams, Ohio RCRC Faith Organizer. These resources come from all settings of the UCC; they are written by pastors, educators, musicians and covenanted ministry staff members. Click here for Mission Moments, which can be used with your newsletter or Sunday worshipbulletin. n online hymn and worship music database for worship leaders, hymnologists, and hymn lovers alike. How can I see more information about a room? You are the transgender and gender-fluid person, you are the same-gender-loving and bisexual person You are each of usmade in your image, incapable of limiting your vast expressions of beauty. This raises questions of how to use content from hymnals online properly. God chose every single one of us. Fill yourself with affirmation and love for yourself. Every bit of love that is out there, God has guided you to find it. For forgiveness. Blessed is our love. The longest season of the liturgical calendar are filled with Sundays called Ordinary Time. It begins with Trinity Sunday and ends with the Reign of Christ. (KFR, 2020, inspired by Psalm 13), One: From ancient times to this present day, people have gathered in sacred spaces like this one.ALL: Moments of time fold together when we immerse ourselves in love and connection.One: We ask for Divine Love to be revealed to us in this gathering.ALL: We open our spirits to the depth and breadth of Divine Presence.One: We listen for sacred whisperings and await holy joy to be written on our hearts.ALL: Being truly ourselves, we come together in this eternal moment.One: We bring our prayers to you as one community, one assembled bodyALL: Transgender, Nonbinary, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Intersex, Gay, Queer, Ally. Download the Bulletin Covers Planning Kit for 2023 [DOCX]. Welcome! This collection emerged from a desire to make queer hymns hymns by, for, or about the LGBTQIA2S+ community accessible to a wider range of congregations. Why doesa room appear as 'Unavailable'? On this page you will find recorded resources for worship, some services in their entirety and some just parts. Technical: Many links are active with current information even when my guiding link points toward an earlier year. ALL: God, hear our prayers. Contact. Love of the world. Since the very beginnings of your Church, we have struggled to overcome our fear-based rejection of difference. I am going to attempt to do updates with the current format, conceentrating on removing resources that no longer exist. Questions? Amen. For connection. If you are unsure of the capacity of a room, please seeRoom Facilitiessection. You want us to not just survive, but flourish in a world that you imaginedfilled with mercy, with love, with beauty. You can view a list of all your bookings under 'Accepted' in this section. UCC Open and Affirming Coalition | Worship Worship for Pride Month and ONA Sunday Worship Resources for Open and Affirming Sunday A recording of our virtual National 2020 Open and Affirming Service is available YouTube. The Working Preacher site offers an introduction to the Narrative Lectionary, sermon preparation, and worship service planning preparation. GATHERING SONG. that you pay attention to them? There is sacredness and divinity in understanding the deep meaningfulness of coming into our being. It is not that trans people have never existed, it is that we have been erased and taken out of history. May the Spirit guide us all to a place of love, a place of full affirmation. These are filtered into various categories at the top of the screen. All materials can be found on the Conferences Vimeo channel. (Lavon Baylor, 2014; edits by KFR, 2020), God, we come before you in these mortal bodies,Pledging that we will become instruments of peace, love and hope.Christ called us to serve as disciples to all nations, to all people.We commit to serving without fear, learning how to serve as Jesus served,Seeing the beloved-ness of your people, people set free from sin through the sacrifice of the Cross.Let us be instruments to glorify you, O God. ALL: Our sexual and gender diversity enriches us, creates joy in our lives. [PDF] 2022 Lectionary for Year C. [PDF] 2021 Lectionary for Year B. For Health & safety reasons it is important that you do not exceed the capacity of a room when making a booking. My planned remake of the Textweek site did not . (KFR, 2020), Together we defy the darkness by being the Light. Your child was the transgender child rejected and cast from their family for daring to Come Out as their true self. On the night of his arrest, he gathered around table with his companions.He took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said, This is my body which is given for you.Do this in remembrance of me., He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying,This cup that is poured out is the new covenant.. For those who are unsafe in their communities. For pleasure. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is a taste of the Kin-dom of God. But you heard me, you heard and listened. When does breaking news compel rewriting Sunday's sermon? He was humble yet grounded in your love for him. Worship Resources Discover new resources for you to bring into your worship services (music, litrugy, lectionsaries, etc). The power and glory of the resurrection forges forth a new way of being. (Lavon Baylor, 2014), Gracious God, you love all that you have created, and you celebrate the diversity of your creation. ALL: God, hear our prayers. Lectionary-based video sermons by some of Americas best preachers for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes, or for individual use. Shame that does not reflect the good news, that we have been given eternal life.Let us be obedient to the work Jesus entrusted to us,Let us hear his teaching, and through it learn how we are to treat one another.Hear this prayer of our hearts, O God. 2023 Lectionary for Year A. Our Offices: | 8:00am 5:00pm CT (M-Th) and 8:30am 12:00pm (F) |Des Moines Office Phone: 515.277.6369 | Sioux Falls Office Phone: 605.338.8738Des Moines Office Address: 5609 Douglas Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310 | Sioux Falls Office Address: 3500 S Phillips Ave. Ste 100, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences of the UCC, Marks of Ministry Self-Assessment & Peer Review, and Ministerial Code Review, every 3 years, 2023 Nebraska salary and benefit guidelines, 2023 South Dakota salary and benefit guidelines, 2022 Nebraska salary and benefit guidelines, 2022 South Dakota salary and benefit guidelines, UCC Pension Board Health and Dental Plan Highlights and Rates, Wisconsin Council of Churches (Washington Island Forum), Periodic Vocational Support every 3 years, Continuing Education, 6 hours every 3 years, Continuing Education, 6 contract hours per year, Periodic Support Consultation every 3 years, Modest scholarships for Iowa authorized. Its a new week and a new day. Teach us to weave our lives together. Link to Transgender Day of Remembrance resources. In this way, each day, we begin again in love. Help us create a world where all queer, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay people can flourish. We move from concentrating on the event of Christ in the world and shift to the impact of being in Christ in the world. Your bookings will appear in the My bookings screen in a calendar view. When you use 'Refine search' it filters all rooms to show only the rooms that are available at your preferred time/date. (Enfleshed), Prayer of Confession Loving God, in your wisdom, you created a world rich with diversity. And so to the One who is Love, we bring the prayers of our communities. We want to pass on the good news through this offering and by the way we live each day. Throughout your history with your people, you have reminded us that those whom the world sees as the least are the greatest in your eyes. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he demonstrated his perspective on their relationship; they surrendered to his act of servitude. We have, at times, sided with political and religious powers that refuse to recognize your image in all people. He took bread, blessed it, and when he had broken it, gave it to the others and said, This is my body which is given for you. Scripturally-based, crowd-sourced, and curated set of resources for worship planners and leaders. 4. Resource Booker, replacing 'Web Room Bookings', is a web application allowing UCC staff & students to make ad-hoc room bookings. In the midst of an oppressive power that seeks to fragment us, to make us insufficient and insignificant enough to document, to make us non-data, we must not forget our sources of knowing. But we have not always honored the gifts you have given. We ask this in your many names. ALL: Be kind to us, O God, were sinking again. What are human beings Every flower that blooms, every animal that delights, every body of water that sustains our lifeall part of your good works. Christian rituals, in particular, reflect that our inward being manifests in outward doing. Worship Resources. A life in the unity of the Trinity is one of being shaped and sent daily in the ima, Black History Month Call to Worship February 2021 Year B, Martin Luther King Weekend Service January, Office of the General Minister & President, The Council for Health and Human Services Ministries, Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ La Declaracin de Fe de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo, Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data (CARDD), About The Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD). ALL: You are mother, father, and parent. You can find the homepage from there. We ask that you give us the grace to celebrate with our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and nonbinary family as they choose to live authentically in the world. Working together, we are excited to grow GatheringWorship.ca with you. How do we respond to the confession that Christ has come, Christ has risen, Christ will come again? Life and death have been transformed through the work of Christ. As trans people, we know the love of God. You can download from YouTube at youtu.be/-dTb7fc43Tk. Easter begins a new season. Begin your day (Monday through Friday) with a quiet and centering experience of Morning Prayer at 9 EDT. Prayer after CommunionALL: God of abundance, we give you thanks for the grace we experience at your Table. We pause to remember each other as those whose precious and precarious lives are inherently bound together. The Deputy Director of Transgender Law Center, Isa Noyola, once said that, Transgender people are medicine, spirit, and leadership. Indeed! Anything and everything UCC: merchandise, books, resources, and more. For the ones forgotten and betrayed. Creation Care Worship Resources Use worship services and resources on Earth Day, or on any other day throughout the year when your congregation celebrates the wonder of creation 2020 Earth Day Worship Resources Healing our Earthly Home Worship service order (Word) Healing our Earthly Home Worship service order (PDF) ( Directory for Worship, W-1.1001) Offered below are worship resources you may find helpful. ALL: God, hear our prayers. For the ones who lay down their lives for their friends. All prices USD. Explore the Congregational Toolkits for teaching your congregation about mental illnesses Send us stories and/or questions (use the form below or email chair@mhn-ucc.org ). We pray for all those who hunger for justice and liberation today. So that all know love, safety, belonging, and dignity. However, the folders remain! United Church of Christ Resources Anything and everything UCC: merchandise, books, resources, and more. We hope these links will assist your worshipping community. Office of the General Minister & President, The Council for Health and Human Services Ministries, Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ La Declaracin de Fe de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo, Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data (CARDD), About The Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD). Enter into the baptismal waters of the Jordan River with John the Baptist as Jesus shows up alongside the Voice and the Spirit. develop a liturgy for an annual renewal of your ONA covenant. Out of the places we hide Out of insecurity Out of shame Out from under that which silences love and justice. And so we dare to proclaim, with pride and faith, our truths: ALL: We believe in the power of love. At times, we turn away from this diversity, fearful of its transformative power. Others choose names based on the meaning of the name itself. I am having trouble logging into Resource Booker - Who should I contact? When chaos and trauma cause distress, we counter by reaching for love and remembering joy. Some members of that choir included Leah Laird, Tim Trussel-Smith, Jennifer Mills Knudtsen, Lee Hull Moses, Douglas Ann Cartwright, Allison Lanza, Daphne Gascot Aries, and Cara Gilger. For your presence within and around us, in our highs and lows, our hope and our despair, God, we give you thanks. 2023 UCC Yearbook & Directory $40.00. God chose to speak to us, to show us a way towards authenticity to show others the way toward the value of life, the destructiveness of rigid gender rules. (PAUSE) God in your mercy ALL: hear our prayers. Worship ALL: We come today to celebrate our deliverance from that despair and to give thanks to you, Loving God; We know you God, God who takes care of all who stay close to them. Let our hearts and minds hear the message of love and hope delivered on Calvary.God of all truth and goodness, help us to set aside shame,Shame that has no advantage. Amen. Wider Church Ministries. Learn what scholarships are available to UCC: Scholarship application forms and grant applicationsopen online on Thursday, December 1st. Things are basically as they were in my last update, if not more difficult. Cast out from our families, churches, and society, our fight for our existence and for our freedom is our ministry to the world. We recommend that the congregation stands (as they are able) to recite together the words of your Open and Affirming Covenant as an act of faith and recommitment following the sermon. Discover more worship and music resources for all your needs! A variety of prayers, liturgies, and how-to articles for use on Sundays, Festivals, and special UCC calendar days. It can be a challenge figuring out something new. Curious about what it means to be a part of the UCC? We pause to remember our neighborsdistant and near. (MK, 2020), Based on We are Descendants by Lavon BaylorWe are descendants of your righteous ones,Those who obeyed, you Beloved children,Greeting your covenant with joyous praiseThrough fearful nights and problem laden days. (resources to links indexed by scripture text) WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH TEXTWEEK. Please see the Resource Booker User Guide on how to make, cancel or edit a booking. Advent celebrates anticipation. We come. Connecting United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations, lay leaders, and clergy with the resources they need for healthy and vital ministry in their contexts. In many of our traditions, a covenant (like the covenant of baptism) is a vow that should be renewed every year. Resource Booker, replacing Web Room Bookings, is a web application allowing UCC staff & students to makead-hoc room bookings. Link here to weekly scripture readings, prayers, and public domain art based on weekly texts. All Rights Reserved. A LITANY ADAPTATION OF "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING. Of hope in the grip of evil. Be prepared and committed to witness, testify, and demonstrate the realization of the kindom. Ive put my life in your hands. This day, when people are going hungry, give us bread to share. A four year process for preaching on Sacred Scripture, developed by Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. The Psalm appointed for each week in the Revised Common Lectionary cycle is reinterpreted in poetry and art as a reflection of Gods work of justice and compassion in our midst today. ALL: God, you have piled up stacks of blessing on those who believe, You stand ready and waiting for all who run to you to escape an unkind world.