Worship & Music
Services are offered on Sunday mornings at 9:45 and 11:30 with Nursery Care available for all services.
September 14, 2014 – We Pledge Our Hearts
Led by the Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer
Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith tradition. The word covenant is a religious word to talk about promises. When we become members of a Unitarian Universalist congregation we are making a promise to ourselves, to one another and to that which is larger than ourselves. What is that promise?
From the Library
Rev. Melissa’s reference for last Sunday’s service, “To be Human is to Promise” is the Soul Matters packet which will be used by for Chalice Groups and worship these. The packet is available on our website at //kentuu.org/soul-matters-packet/
U.U.’ve Got Talent! “We know you’ve got it, it’s time to let it out!”
On Saturday, October 11, the UU Church of Kent music committee is hosting a musical fundraiser. WE ARE IN SEARCH OF TALENT. This is your opportunity to perform solo or to invite other members of the congregation and friends to create a small ensemble. This is your chance to release that creative spark within you. Before Sunday, September 21, please contact Hal Walker with your idea. We are looking for a diverse range of 3 to 5 minute musical selections that express your unique talent. Only a limited number of spots are available, so start getting ready now! All ages welcome!
Lifespan Learning
Sample Chalice Groups Offered in September
If you have thought about participating in a Chalice Group but haven’t been sure it is right for you, consider coming to one of the two sample groups Rev. Melissa will be offering this month.
Sunday, September 21 from 2 to 4 pm in the Founders Lounge
Tuesday, September 23 from 7 to 9pm in the Founders Lounge
Before you come to the sample group, please read through the September Soul Matters packet which you can find on our website //kentuu.org/soul-matters-packet/ Give yourself a little time to try out one of the spiritual practices included in the packet. Click here to download the The Chalice Group brochure and Sign-up form; please know that the deadline to register is September 24.
Religious Education Registration
Parents and caregivers of all children and youth are asked to complete the annual registration form each fall. It allows us to keep your contact information up-to-date, to know if your child or youth has any special needs and to get your permission for participation. Forms will be available in Fessenden Hall during social hour for the next several weeks. Blank forms are in each of the RE classrooms, as well. Please return completed and signed forms to Colleen Thoele, Religious Education Assistant.
2014-2015 Religious Education Classes Begin on September 14th
At 9:30 we offer:
Nursery
Preschool
Grades K-2
Grades 3-5
Children in grades K-5 start the morning in the sanctuary with their families. Younger children start at 9:45 in the classroom
At 11:30 we offer:
Nursery
School-Aged
Middle School
High School
Children in the School-Aged class start the morning in the sanctuary with their families. Younger children as well as the Middle School and High School Youth start at 11:30 in their classrooms.
The Wi$dom Path: Money, Spirit, and Life
The UUA has developed a new program on the topic of money and spirituality that will be offered at our church this year for the first time. As the program materials note, “Money plays a role in nearly every aspect of our lives. Depending on how we understand it, our relationship with money can enhance or limit our ability to live our lives to the fullest. In this program, participants join together to give this important aspect of our lives due attention in a religious community. The heart of this program is an exploration of the relationship between money and spiritual values, specifically our Unitarian Universalist values.”
Participants will explore money and values through conversation and activities that allow them to consider their own stories and different perspectives on money, help them feel better equipped to make money decisions, and encourage them to consider whether they want to pursue changes to bring their financial choices in better alignment with their values.
The 12 sessions will be offered as 3 topical series. Although members can drop into any session, you will get the most out of the program if you attend regularly. The first series, on Money and Self, is an introduction to the program in which participants explore their own attitudes and experiences with money. The 3 sessions in this series will meet on Thursday nights September 11, 18, and 25 at 7PM.
After a short break, the second series will meet every other week starting mid-October (on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday, depending on the preferences of those attending the first session). This series of 5 sessions, on Money, Spirit, and Life, will guide participants toward taking actions that align with their personal values. The last series, Money and Society (4 sessions), explores how our financial ways of being affects others. The last series will meet in January and February.
Questions? Want more information? Please contact Kathy Kerns.
A WILDERNESS ICON: UTAH’S RED ROCK CANYONLANDS
The connection between nature, wilderness, and spirituality goes back to the very origins of humanity. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent will host a program entitled “A Wilderness Icon: America’s Red Rock Canyonlands” on Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 pm.
The speaker will be Clayton Daughenbaugh, conservation organizer with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Chairperson of the Sierra Club’s National Wildlands and Wilderness Committee. Daughenbaugh will address the topic of faith and the land while promoting the national campaign to protect America’s red rock wilderness. The program includes a multi-media slideshow documenting citizen efforts to designate public lands in southern Utah’s spectacular canyon country as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This 15-minute journey through red rock splendor, narrated by Robert Redford, invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these unique lands. Comprehensive legislation is pending in Congress and administrative decisions by the Department of Interior are ongoing.
The national campaign to protect the Red Rock Canyonlands has been endorsed by the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly and by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for the Earth.
Community Within
Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 14 when we highlight the many programs and ministries here at the Church at our annual Ministry Fair. Following each of the services, representatives from each team and committee will be available to help you explore varied opportunities to get involved. We hope you’ll find something that both interests you as well as helps build both your faith and sense of community here at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent.
This is the Church of the Helping Hands
This phrase is part of the chalice lighting we teach the children in our church. But, have you ever paid attention to the number of helping hands you see each week? The hands making coffee, greeting, passing out orders of service, lighting the chalice, leading worship, making music, running soundboards, caring for our infants, teaching our children, baking for coffee hour, washing dishes . . . How about the hands that aren’t so visible, the hands fundraising, working for social justice, assisting with the library, creating art, preparing classes and worship experiences, decorating, mowing, weeding, scrubbing, painting, repairing, organizing, updating websites, counting money, providing transportation, making phone calls, writing articles, attending meetings, creating newsletters, mentoring youth, arranging social events . . . The lists are endless, but the number of hands are finite.
To help us match the right hands for the right jobs, the church maintains a volunteer database. Individuals indicate areas where they may be able to help. When a need arises, we then have a list of people to contact. Members and friends are asked to visit the church website, kentuu.org. Click under “Members” and bring up the “Volunteer Form”. You can fill out and submit this form on line, or you can pick up a paper form from the membership table at the Ministry Fair this Sunday.
Thank you for volunteering your hands this year!
Questions, concerns, suggestions? Contact Mary Leeson.
Retiree’s Lunch – Tuesday, September 16 at noon.
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.
Attention New Members – Sunday, September 21 is New Member Sunday!
The congregation will recognize and welcome our newest members at the services on September 21. To best plan, if you have joined the Church since June 9, 2013, please RSVP to MaryBeth at [email protected] or 330.673.4247. We strongly encourage all New Members to participate in this service, please include the number of adults and children and which service you plan to attend with your RSVP.
Have you have been thinking about joining and want to participate in this service? Claudia Miller will have the Membership Book available for signing Sundays, September 7 and 14. Look for Claudia in the Founders Lounge, outside the Sanctuary, after both services. Please remember following your signing of the Book to RSVP.
From the Library
Do mark your calendars for Gingr Vaughan’s lectures on Islamic Art, Wed. Sept 24th and W Oct. 22nd at 7:30 in the Sanctuary. Knowing a culture’s art deepens our understanding of that culture, and this is a special opportunity to go deeper into the world of Islam. Gingr will answer questions after the lectures, and refreshments will be served.
The Lost & Found is once again overflowing!
Please check the Lost and Found, located on the coat rack shelf outside of Fessenden Hall, for any items that you may have recently left at the Church. After Sunday, September 28 any remaining items will be donated
Join the UUCK greeter team!
We are actively recruiting greeters for the 2014-15 church year. No experience required! It’s one of the easiest ways for new friends and members to get involved, serve the church, and learn who everyone is. It’s also a wonderful way for established members to share their enthusiasm for the community.
If you are interested in committing to this ministry as a new or returning greeter, please contact Jen Fisette or Andrea Case to get signed up!
Church Campout
It’s time once again for the “Where’s Walden” fall camp-out. We’ll be gathering the week-end of October 3-5th at the Loleta Recreation Area in the Alleghany National Forest in Pennsylvania. The campground is about two hours from Kent. This is a family friendly event and everyone is welcome, but there is a limit on the group size, so sign up soon on the form posted downstairs in Fessenden Hall. We’re staying at the group site which can accommodate tents. If you wish to bring a camper you’re welcome to reserve a site in the adjoining campground. Dinners are pot luck style, everyone brings their own table ware and food and drink to share. The theme Friday night is American cookout, Saturday’s theme is comfort food. Randy Leeson cooks pancakes, bacon and eggs for all on Saturday and Sunday morning. Everyone furnishes their own lunches and snacks. Activities to choose from include: hiking; canoeing; kayaking; exploring the stream; and relaxing around the campfire. The cost for the weekend is $5 per person with a maximum of $15 per family. This fee covers the cost of the campground and firewood, there is an additional cost if you wish to rent a canoe or kayak.
Outreach and Social Justice
Kent Social Services is in need of a video baby monitor for the new Emergency Winter Shelter. If you have one and are interested in donating it, please contact Kent Social Services at 330.673.6963.
In Our Own Backyard: The Immigration Crisis in Ohio
Saturday, September 13 from 9:30AM to 3:30PM, the UUCA congregation will host this very important conference, co-sponsored by UU Church of Akron, UU Church of Kent, West Shore UU Church, UU Justice Ohio and Immigrant Worker Project. What makes this news especially exciting is that the conference will be attended by the Rev. Peter Morales, who is the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). President Morales will preach the sermon at the opening worship service and participate in the rest of the program, which will include panel discussions and presentations coordinated by our partner organization, the Immigrant Worker Project (IWP). Jeff Stewart from IWP will bring several guests from the immigrant community who will share powerful stories about their experience, including first-hand testimony about the recent migration of children from Central America. In addition to President Morales, the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Rev. Geoffrey Black, will also be in attendance. The conference is free; everyone is welcome to attend both the morning worship service and the conference. A free will offering will gratefully be accepted to cover the expenses of child care and lunch. Registration deadline Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 9 PM.
Income Generation
Looking for a great way to support the Church? Use GoodSearch and GoodShop!
GoodSearch is an internet search engine powered through Yahoo! and the site donates about a penny for each search made. Simply go to www.GoodSearch.com and choose the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent as your charity to support. The pennies will add up quickly if many people use this free tool. While on the site check out www.GoodShop.com and www.goodsearch.com also. If you’re an online shopper or like to eat out, many stores and vendors will donate a percentage of your purchase back to the Church and the Good Dining participating restaurants will donate a percentage of your tab to the Church. This is truly fundraising made easy! Last year, the Church received $213.00 from Good Search and GoodShop based on the use of a few of our members and friends. Thank you!