Weekly e-nUUs – June 4, 2014

blessing of the animals june 8

 

 

 

 

 

Worship & Music

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

 

June 8 – Walked By My Dog: Blessing of the Animals (9:45 ONLY)

Led by Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, Director of Religious Education Karen Lapidus and Worship Associate Lori McGee

Back by popular demand, we will once again have a Blessing of the Animals during our annual outdoor service at Plum Creek Park in Kent. We will have one service only beginning at 9:45 am at pavilion number 2. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to sit on and your cats or dogs or other pets on a leash or in a crate. If you don’t think your pet will do well around all those other pets and people, feel free to bring a photograph instead.

After the service we will enjoy a potluck picnic lunch. Please bring your own place setting and silverware and a dish to share. Bring any games you might like to invite others to play and come join in the fun. For directions to Plum Creek Park, visit tinyurl.com/plumcreekpark

 

Sunday Service Proposals Sought

The Sunday Program Committee will be meeting soon to plan lay-led Sunday services for the summer.  It is now accepting program proposals.  If you think you might be interested in preparing and leading a service, please contact a member of the Program Committee –Lois Weir, Liz Bright, Andrew Rome, Lori McGee, or Christie Anderson.  They can provide you with assistance if you are new to the process.  Links to information about planning a service and the proposal form may be found on the Sunday Program Committee’s web page at //kentuu.org/ministry/sunday-program/.

Lois Weir,

Chair, Sunday Program Committee

 

Would you like to enjoy a night of great music all and help fund an Accompanist to the Choir at the same time?  If so, please come to the Saunis and Friends of the UU Church of Kent concert on June 6 and enjoy an evening of music provided by many of our talented Friends of the UU Church of Kent.  I love to make music with all of the various musicians this church has been blessed with, but it’s hard to make that happen very often.  So I decided to invite all kinds of musicians to join me for a night of music- making to benefit the church and a bunch of them said “ Yes!  Let’s do it!”   Some of the songs will be ones chosen by the folks who bought choosing-rights and front row seats during the Service Auction in November.   So far I know there will be a wide variety of songs including: funny songs, sad songs, naughty songs, Celtic songs, folk songs, blues, and some ragtime.  Audience participation is encouraged. During intermission there will be goodies.  The concert starts at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary of the UU Church of Kent.  The cost is $15.00 per person.  Spread the word.

 

Lifespan Learning

Summer RE program begins!  Our theme is “Simple Gifts”, which will be a series of easy, mostly stand-alone social action and social justice projects.  

To kick-off the summer RE program, on June 15th, the school-aged children and youth will be guided through a process of envisioning their ideal space as we move into the building expansion and renovation.  We will dedicate the new play area, as well.

Summer RE will take place at 9:45 am.  During the month of July, we will only have services at 9:45.  In June and August, we’ll have the usual two services at 9:45 and 11:30.

This year we are adding a separate preschool program along with the multi-age group, which includes school-aged children and Middle School youth as helpers.  Nursery care will be available for our youngest UUs during all worship services during the summer.  The preschool will meet in the upstairs classroom while the older children will meet in Fessenden Hall.

Karen Lapidus, Director of Religious Education and the members of the RE Committee

 

Community Within

It has come to our attention recently that there are some members and friends that may not be receiving the Weekly e-nUUs  and/or the monthly newsletter, The Chalice Flame.  If you happen to be one of these individuals but would like to begin receiving either of these publications electronically, please send a request, including your email address, to the Church Office at [email protected].  Thank you.

 

Outdoor Play Area at UUCK

It has been a long time coming, but an outdoor play space for kids at UUCK is now a reality!  The space is right behind the church on half of the lot we purchased this past winter.

Please join me in thanking all the people who worked on this project.  Randy Ruchotzke has taken the lead and he has been assisted by Larry Johnson (who donated the fencing), John Brovarone and Michael Lee (who helped install it),  Ian Hogan (who cleaned out locust bushes), Kevin Kerns (who identified the species of bee back there) Jennifer Gregg (who encouraged those docile bees to relocate and who, with her husband Don, rolled a big magnet over the property to get up all the nails and other bits of metal) Colleen Thoele (who is organizing our play equipment collection), Angela Barzizza-Young (who started the Facebook organizing group and contributed ideas) and Noah and Alan Kerns and Kim, David and Jack Homsher (who came out to help build the little path to the play area.)

We want you to be aware that the church is not supplying a play space monitor.  Adult supervision is required for kids playing in the space at all times.  We hope children and families will enjoy this space and find it a great addition to their time at church!

 

The Patricia Pownall UU Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 pm in the home of Mary Ann Kaspert.  This month we are reading Cloud Cover: A Memoir of Perseverance and Transformation by Margo Milcetich . Born in Boston in 1953, traveling the world, eschewing a college career at Brown University in Rhode Island, in the ’70s, Margot Milcetich turns her focus to meditation for peace of mind. Eventually, she lands in Kent, Ohio, in a home by a lake, married with two children, trying to find herself, and creating an extraordinary life in an ordinary “householder” package. Meditation and yoga help her to heal herself, living in the beauty of nature, enabling her to transcend a devastating diagnosis, become an equal, loving partner to her spouse, find meaningful work and ultimately expressing her voice. She integrates within herself what felt unmoored and fractured. Today’s yoga practitioners will especially appreciate this account of how yoga and meditation transcend our circumstances. In July we will be reading The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution Alex Storozynski . If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper .  All are welcome.

 

Drivers Needed

On any given Sunday, we usually have a handful of people who need a ride to church and back home again.  Our ability to respond to requests for rides has been inconsistent.  Sometimes we are able to help link riders with drivers, and other times we run up against a lack of volunteers.  We are wondering if we might be able to identify a person or two who would be regularly available to drive in exchange for gas money and a little stipend in appreciation for the time.  Knowing that someone is available even when we cannot find volunteers would make it possible for us to help more people get to church more often.  If you are interested in exploring this possibility, please contact Rev. Melissa at the church office.

 

UU and Interfaith Connections

What is permaculture? And, What might permaculture mean for UUCK – now and in the future?    Come explore the 7th UU Principle on the interdependent Web of Life with Tom Gibson of the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland.

Related to a church project for national UUA Green Sanctuary certification, Tom facilitated use of this ecologically sustainable creative design process to cultivate northeast Ohio’s first 5,400 square foot permaculture “nibbling” garden: a feast for the eyes and the earth and its people, animals, insects, and plants. June 10, 7pm in Fessenden Hall. All members, friends and community members are welcome! For further information contact Mary Lou Holly.

 

Save the Date: Friday, September 5, 2014

Join us for an evening in developing cultural and religious awareness presented by Mr. Isam Zaiem,

Islam 101 and Being Muslim Post 9/11 – Challenging Islamophobia, Profiling, and Marginalization

Watch for more detailed information in the future.

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