Sunday, December 18 – The Last Straw, led by the Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Karen Lapidus, Director of Religious Education. Join us for services on this Multi-generational Sunday at 9:30 or 11:15 am. This year we continue our tradition of making the Sunday before Christmas a family-friendly, multigenerational celebration of the season. Come hear the story of an old camel, a little lamb and the journey of lifetime. Come see what purpose may be found when we follow where we are led, even when we aren’t sure why.
The Christmas Eve refreshment committee is requesting cookie contributions for the holiday celebration between services on Christmas Eve. If you could bring 1 1/2 or 2 doz cookies to the church kitchen by 6 PM on Christmas Eve we would be very grateful.
Last Sunday for Holiday Share – December 18th!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to both donate and purchase gifts and goodies for yourself and others. We offer homemade foods and handcrafted items along with other holiday decorations and gifts. Shop and donate through December 18th.
24 December 2011 Christmas Eve Candlelight Services
Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, Director of Religious Education Karen Lapidus
Affiliated Community Minister Rev. Renee Ruchotzke and Worship Associate Elaine Bowen along with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent Choir directed by our Music Director Hal Walker and possibly one wonderful musical group too!
6:30 pm A special family friendly service of lessons and carols to welcome the spirit of Christmas into the world.
8:30 pm A special service of lessons and carols to welcome the spirit of Christmas into the world.
We will have a special social hour between our two services with punch, coffee, and cookies. Everyone is invited to stop by Fessenden Hall between 7:30 and 8:30. There will be a fun ornament making activity that we hope children will especially enjoy. This is a special time of year when we celebrate families, express our gratitude and joy for the gift of families, both our church family and our individual families. We hope you will take a few minutes between services to have some refreshments, greet friends and share holiday greetings before going home to your own celebrations
Please note that the nursery will be open and staffed for infants and toddlers during both services.
Susan and I are doing a Remembrance Service on New Year’s Day. We will be doing a tribute to Sargent Shriver and the Peace Corps. We have a question that you might be able to help us with – other than Joanne, who else has been in the Peace Corps? We would like to talk with you about your Peace Corps experience.
Peace,
Mac Goekler
Church Office Closed for the Holidays
Please know that the Church Office will be closed Dec. 26 – Jan. 2. Rev. Melissa will be on study leave Dec. 26 through Dec. 31 and MaryBeth will be on vacation through Jan. 2. If you have a pastoral concern or emergency, Rev. Melissa may be reached by cell phone (330-554-7268) through Dec. 31.
Please note that Rev. Melissa will be on vacation Jan. 1 – 7 and during that time Christie Anderson, Commissioned Lay Leader, and Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, Affiliated Community Minister, will be available for pastoral concerns and/or emergencies. Please note that Rev. Renee is not free on Jan. 7.
The Church Office will re-open on Tuesday, Jan. 3rd. We wish everyone a joyful Christmas and happy New Year!
Denominational Affairs Meeting
On Jan. 15th after 2nd service a Denominational Affairs open meeting will take place in the Annex to solicit input for the UUA congregational certification section on social justice. We will review the list of potential new study action ideas to be voted on at the Phoenix GA and develop a response for the Commission on Social Witness on our work on Immigration Reform study action issue. Details of what we will be doing can be found using this link: http://www.uua.org/statements/
All are welcome.
Mac Goekler
The Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, January 17 at 7 pm in the home of Betty Kendrick at 175 Graham Rd. Apt. 12 in Cuyahoga Falls. This month we are reading Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah. The dying wish of a loving father ignites a family drama that brings two sisters and their acid-tongued, Russian-born mother together in a story that reaches back to WWII. In February we will be reading Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. In 1665, a young man from Martha’s Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, the author has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure. In April we will be reading the bookCutting for Stone by Abraham Verghesse. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper at[email protected].
Healthy Congregations Training
Are you interested in helping our congregation grow even healthier? We are looking for a small team of people to participate in the upcoming Healthy Congregations training in our cluster. Healthy Congregations, Inc. is an ecumenical, not for profit educational and consulting agency which focuses on providing resources for training in understanding emotional process in communities of faith, families and organizations. Initially begun as a project based on Peter Steinke’s book How Your Church Family Works, this series of six workshops has transformed congregations (including Unitarian Universalist) and synagogues all over the country by helping them understand and respond faithfully to emotional process in their communities of faith, their families and other organizations.
The program includes three core sessions and three optional focus sessions. We are hoping that each person on our team will attend the three core sessions and divide up attendance at the supplemental sessions amongst themselves. The sessions will be held from approximately 9:30 to 4 on a series of Saturdays rotating between the Unitarian Universalist congregations in Kent, Akron, Youngstown and Canton. The schedule and topics are as follows:
Three core sessions:
Jan 14 – Creating Healthy Congregations
Feb 4 – Responding to Anxiety and Change
Feb 25 – Leadership in Healthy Congregations
Three focus sessions:
Mar 17 – Relationships in Healthy Congregations
Apr 7 – Stewardship and Generosity
Apr 28 – Spirituality of Healthy Congregations
There is a nominal cost for participation in this program which our church can help cover if needed. Please speak to Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer if you are interested in participating.
“Stories of Hope”: The UU Service Committee’s Guest At Your Table Program
This holiday season we are joining Unitarian Universalists across the country in supporting the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee by our participation in their “Guest At Your Table” program. Doing so allows us to both financially support and learn about our service committee’s human-rights work and to read this year’s featured “Stories of Hope”.
All are invited to take home a donation box or, if you prefer, a donation envelope. On each side of the box there is a photograph of one of the people from a Story of Hope. Use the box as a symbol of hospitality and generosity as you “feed your guest with your donations” throughout the holiday season. Many folks like to put the box on their dining table as a reminder of our faith in action. The boxes, donation envelopes and booklet which includes the stories of hope are available in the foyer just outside the sanctuary. We will be collecting the donations for the UUSC on Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, which is January 15th.