Weekly e-nUUs – January 15. 2014

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Worship & Music

Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.

 

January 19 – Arresting Art

Led by the Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Worship Associate Ted Voneida

This Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend we will honor his legacy by reflecting on the courage it takes to resist oppression. Drawing on our recent tradition of Art Sunday, we will explore the courage of resistance through the arts

 

Seeking Reflections on the Power of “We”

Our capabilities as individuals are enhanced by the shared creativity of others.  Members and friends of the congregation are invited to illustrate the power of collaboration by contributing true personal reflections for the Music Sunday service.  The Feb. 2 worship theme will celebrate the power of an ensemble of people to inspire new possibilities.  Brief personal reflections from any type of setting are sought that highlight a new opportunity that emerged from a group effort. Contributors are urged to express the emotional tone of the experience.  

Selected submissions will be read aloud during the service without revealing authorship. Please note that based on the number of submissions, it’s possible that not all will be able to be included for this particular service.  Email your reflection to both Hal Walker and Christie Anderson by Sunday, Jan. 26.  Thanks!!

 

Lifespan Learning

RADIOLAB AND PANCAKES will return during 2nd service on Jan.26th. Our short is “Cosmic Habituation”.

“Cosmic Habituation explores the ways that new scientific discoveries can invalidate old, our Unitarian Universalism puts science and reason among our spiritual sources, what happens to our spirits when something we have long considered fact is proven false? That is the start of our discussion for Jan.26th.

We will return on Feb.23rd during 2nd service, our short then is “Ally’s Choice”  “Ally’s Choice” is about a girl who lives in a very racist environment.  How will her friends and family respond when she decides that she is not “African-American” but “White”, and is accepted as such by the racist leaders in her school? This short challenges all our preconceptions about “race” and identity.

Thank you for attending RADIOLAB AND PANCAKES throughout the previous year, I promise to bring the most interesting and thoughtful Radiolab shorts to our discussion group throughout the coming year. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Spoehr.

 

Community Within

Coffee Hour Celebration

The Committee on Ministry invites everyone to attend a special coffee hour this Sunday, January 19 in honor of Dan Hayes.  Dan has been mowing the church lawn for the past 15 years!  He has just retired from this position and we hope you can join us to thank him for his service.  Coffee, tea, and cake will be provided.

CoM members: Please attend if you can.

 

Retiree’s Lunch

Tuesday, January 21 at noon in Fessenden Hall

We’ll meet for an hour to an hour and a half depending on the number of people who attend so everyone has an opportunity to check in with the group. All retirees are welcome to join us. Bring your own lunch; beverages will be provided.

 

Save the date February 2

Recently the UUCK Membership Team decided to celebrate the membership of some of our longstanding Church members by designating them as Jubilee members.  We envision such Jubilee membership status would be recognized first at twenty years of service and each five-year interval thereafter (i.e., 25, 30, 35, etc.).  In honor of those members who have reached such landmark membership anniversaries in 2013 and 2014, we are holding our first Jubilee Anniversary Celebration during coffee hour on Sunday, February 2.  We hope that you will be able to join us so that we can recognize these long commitments to our beloved church.

 

New UU Classes in February

Our New UU classes cover everything you wanted to know about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent in particular and Unitarian Universalism in general, but were afraid to ask.  Well, maybe not everything, but we try to give you an overview, a starting point.  Some history of both, some organizational details. Come join the conversation.  And, if you’re curious about membership, this is the place to be.

Part 1 will be on Sunday, February 9, from 9-11 am. Part 2 will be on Sunday, February 16, from 9-11 am.  You may attend one or both, although attendance at both is encouraged.  Different topics will be covered in each.  We will gather at the Annex, the yellow house next to the church.

If you have any questions, contact Claudia Miller or Marion Yeagler.

 

The Patricia Pownall UU Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, February 11 at 7 pm at the home of Kathy Kerns. This month we are reading Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. This book spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.  In March we will be reading The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.  All are welcome

 

The Library Committee would like to thank all those who purchased the 2013, volume 3, of Here We Have Gathered. Your support of the Library is deeply appreciated and will give us the resources to continue adding new books to our collection. A few copies remain. If you would like one please see any Library committee member.

The Library Committee is pleased to welcome Jane Krimmer and Gene Wenninger as active committee members. We are indeed grateful to you both for agreeing to help us with this important work.

A brief heads-up: the final Symposium for this church year will be held on Tuesday, February 25th at 7:00 P.M. in Fessenden Hall. We will view a discussion between Bill Moyers and the the author, Margaret Atwood. Refreshments will be served after the viewing, to be followed by a discussion. Joel Slater will be the Moderator.  Do plan to join us for a thoughtful and stimulating evening. The program should conclude around 8:45 P.M.

 

Book Review   

Madiga, Arthur J., ed. How to be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People’s Religious Ceremonies. v.1, 1996; v.2, 1997; Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock VT, 2nd ed. Coedited by Stuart M. Matlins. This 2 volume set was recently donated to the church library collection and is located in the category, “Celebrations and Passages.”

Ecumenical interaction has always been a part of the UU tradition, whether in the RE program visiting other churches or when adults participate in various community groups. Vol. 1 covers the basic service and ceremonies of all major religions and denominations in America. Vol. 2 covers other religions and denominations in America with smaller memberships. This group includes Unitarian Universalists. In both cases the material is based on information obtained directly from each group. Submitted by Martha S. Kluth

 

With winter weather arriving, we are aware that there may be occasions when we need to cancel programming at the church.  Though we are unlikely to need to cancel Sunday services entirely (Rev. Melissa, our minister, and Hal Walker, our music director, live within walking distance), we may choose to have only the first service if the weather or the roads indicate limiting programming.  It is more likely that we may need to cancel our religious education program in inclement weather as our Director of Religious Education, Karen Lapidus, and many of our volunteer teachers and advisers drive some distance to get to church.

If the weather or the condition of the roads cause you to wonder whether we are proceeding with our programming as scheduled, please check for cancellations before you head out.

You can check in one of three places:

  • our church’s Facebook page,
  • call the church number and listen to the message on voicemail
  • tune in to any television or radio station connected with iAlert.  (WKYC-TV, Channel 3)

 

We’d like to remind our members and friends of the online tool we are using to help schedule volunteers for Sundays.   It would be really helpful to the Sunday Volunteer Coordinators if you would be willing to use this tool.  Please see the link below.  Thank you.

All the members and friends of this church are needed to extend hospitality to our visitors. We need a large team of people who volunteer to help greet and usher on Sunday mornings, to prepare an inviting coffee hour or to donate flowers to add a focal point of beauty to our services.  In order to make it easier to participate, we are using a new tool that will allow you to see what Sunday morning hospitality positions are available and to decide when and how frequently you might be able to help.

Sign up at:  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/904054FA9A62BA57-sunday

 

Outreach and Social Justice

January Special Collection – This Sunday our monthly special collection will be taken to replenish the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.  This fund exists primarily to help members and friends of the congregation in times of financial emergencies. We take a collection to replenish the fund once each year. A few people have already made their contributions for this year and for them we are grateful. Thank you for considering this fund as part of your annual giving.

 

UU and Interfaith Connections

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing (UUCGL) seeks to hire an experienced and qualified Director of Music, to lead the welcoming and inspiring music program at our church.  The Director of Music supervises the entire music program (including several ensembles) and the music staff of the church. S/he also serves as the Adult Choir Director or the pianist/accompanist.  The Director of Music reports to the Senior Minister, leads the planning and goal-setting for the music program, and is accountable for the program budget.  This half-time position consists of 20 hours a week (averaged throughout the year) with attendance expected on no fewer than 43 out of 52 Sunday mornings, as well as Christmas Eve.

Salary is $25,000 annually, plus annual leave, sick leave, and access to purchasing health insurance coverage.  Please submit a resume, cover letter, and professional references. You are also encouraged to send a video or audio recording representing your musical expertise. Send application materials by way of email to [email protected] or mail to UUCGL, Attn: Director of Music Search, 855 Grove St, East Lansing, MI 48823.  Preference will be given to candidates who submit materials by 3/1/14.

Visit http://bit.do/UUCGLmusicdirector for more information about this position andwww.uulansing.org for more information about the church.

 

Income Generation

THANK YOU!

A heartfelt and sincere thank you to all who have caught up on their pledges and made up the financial shortfall that I wrote about in the January newsletter. The response has been tremendous and our dire straits are no longer dire, thank goodness. We are in much healthier financial shape now and we are breathing easier.

On behalf of your Board of Trustees and the UUCK staff, thank you.

In service and in faith,

Elaine

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