Anti-Fracking Event!

Concerned Citizens Ohio is presenting an ordinance to establish a Community Bill of Rights and a ban on fracking to Kent City Council on Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., at Kent City Hall, 325 S. DePeyster Street.  Rev. Melissa is one of the speakers and all are invited to attend and show their support.   Questions?  Contact Paulette Thurman.

 

Sunday, April 1, 2012     Let My People Go!

Led by The Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Worship Associate Kristina Spaude –

A message of liberation is at the heart of the scriptures and stories of Passover. Freedom is a requirement for the realization of justice. How are we still struggling for freedom in our own time? How can the old story help illuminate the

struggles that greet our hands and feet today?

 

“Let Them Eat PIE!”

Well, folks, this is our last 2012 stewardship campaign “pie piece,” and with this one we want to offer everyone a tempting “piece of pie”!  There might not often be such a thing as a “free lunch,” but there IS a free piece of pie waiting for each of you this Sunday at the stewardship campaign table.  Stop in and celebrate the last day of our campaign–let’s all make sure it’s a successful one!–with us.

 

Sunday, April 1 is the official end of the 2013 Stewardship campaign.  Lots of pledges came in this week; thank you; thank you; thank you!!!  We’re still waiting for a substantial number of pledges from people, who pledged last year, and of course we’re hoping for another pledge this year.  In addition, an increase would help us to continue providing and improving those programs that change our lives, and those of our children, some of whom have pledged!!  As of Tuesday, we were at $162,438 pledged. Many thanks go to those who were able to increase their pledges. The outstanding pledges should take us to at least $200,000……If you haven’t pledged yet, we’re waiting for you. An email or call to the church office at [email protected]  is all it takes. Please…..give as generously as you are able.

 

Art in the Sanctuary

There will be a short “Spring Mood” art exhibit Apr. 1-15 with works by John Kluth with a reception from 12:30 to 2:00 on Apr. 15.  The art retrospective reception for Beth Sholtis will be Apr. 22 from 1-3 pn with that exhibit continuing through Apr. 29.  In May the exhibit will be provided by the RE department.

 

Come Help Make Room for our NEW Tables and Chairs!

April 14^th   9 am – 12 pm

Thanks to the generous memorial gifts received in honor of Gordon Vars and Robert Wood, we have the resources needed to replace our old tables and chairs.  In order to make room for our new ones, we need a community work day.  In addition, to preserve the integrity of our new shed, we are ordering patio block to create a level foundation.  We’ll need helpers to move the shed, level the ground and lay the block as well as reposition the shed.  We’ll appreciate all the help we can get with both of these tasks as “many hands make light work.”  Please let us know if you are able to assist.  [email protected]

 

Doctrine of Discovery and Immigration

An Adult Exploration class will be presented on the Doctrine of Discovery and Immigration starting on Tuesday April 3rd at 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm for six consecutive weeks.  All are encouraged to participate including our youth.  These two issues are front and center with our UU Association and will be the major components of our upcoming Justice General Assembly in Phoenix.

This doctrine came into being with the 1452 Papal Bull giving Portugal the right to exploit, subjugate and enslave the natives of West Africa. This was followed in 1493 with Spain getting the same “rights” over the “new” world.

Sadly, the former English Colonies of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and USA  codified this Doctrine into law and their native populations are still being subjugated, now in the form of structural violence. An example, the Phoenix Indian School (now gone) in its early years was a “prison school”

where native children were forced to “assimilate” – that is to give up their own tribal culture for the white man’s ways.

Much of our attitude towards immigrants has arisen from this Doctrine.

These attitudes have become part of our American culture and they are now part of the engine that drives our Euro-centric superior thinking, our continued racism, and xenophobia.  We will thoroughly explore the connections here and look seriously at what we might, we must, do about this.

Please let me or MaryBeth know if you will be attending.

Mac Goekler

 

Come Celebrate Passover!

The living tradition of Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources. This spring we will honor the Jewish tradition of Passover celebrating freedom and liberation.  Everyone in the congregation is invited to attend our family friendly Passover Seder on Friday, April 13 from 6:15 to 8:15 pm in Fessenden Hall.  During the Seder you will get to hear the ancient story of the Jewish people in the land of Egypt and to enjoy the special rituals and foods that are associated with this holiday.

Many of those foods require advance purchase and preparation.  In order to make sure that we have enough for everyone we need to know whether you plan to attend by Sunday, April 8.  There is a sign up sheet in Fessenden Hall along with a choice of roles you can play to help make our Seder a success.  If you have questions or need more information please speak to our Director of Religious Education Karen Lapidus or our minister Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer.

 

Help Keep Our Littlest Ones Safe

As we all adapt to the new ways that we are using our space, please refrain from using the west door of the nursery (formerly the door to the library) and use only the door with the window.

Our growing group of UU babies thanks you for your cooperation!

 

A new Five Below fundraiser is scheduled for April 5, 6,and 7 at the Stow store located at 4332 Kent Road.  All the items in the store are $5 or less!  It is a great opportunity to purchase spring items and Easter goodies!  10% of your purchase is donated to the church with the necessary flyer.  Click here to print flyer.

 

Egg Hunt for All Children Easter Morning

It has been a long-standing tradition of our church for the Middle School youth to host an Easter Egg Hunt for the younger children on Easter morning. On April 1st they will be busy packing eggs with candy and toys and plan to hide them around the church and in the backyard of the Annex.

Here is what all parents need to know:

• On Easter, the 11:15 service will be family-friendly and multigenerational.  Families with young and school-aged children should plan to attend then.  The 9:30 worship service will be focused toward older youth and adults. Nursery care for little ones up to age three will be provided both services.
• Immediately following the 11:15 worship service, all children grade 5 and younger should gather in the front of the sanctuary to decorate bags for collecting the eggs.  (In the meantime, the Middle School youth will hide the eggs outside…)
• Parents and guardians are encouraged to assist their children as they travel outside.
• While outside, please supervise your child to assure their safety!  The Middle School youth and a team of adults will be outside with the children, but we still need the watchful eyes of our parents.
• The youngest children will hunt for eggs in the backyard of the Annex and the older children will hunt around the periphery of the church.
• In case of rain or other inclement weather, alternate plans will be announced during the 11:15 worship service.
• Let Karen Lapidus, Director of Religious Education or any member of the RE Committee know if you have any questions or concerns.

 

The Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 pm in the home of  Kathie Slater.  Please bring a snack to share. This month we are reading the book Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghesse. Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles–and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.

 

Annual Meeting dates have been set!

Discussion Session: Thursday, May 31, 2012   7:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Voting Session: Sunday, June 3, 2012    10:30 am in the Sanctuary

 

Attention All Leaders and Committee Chairs

All Annual Reports to be included in the Annual Meeting packet are due April 30^th.  Please submit or email reports to MaryBeth at [email protected].  Thank you. Annual Meeting packets will be available to the congregation on May 13^th.

Spiritual Cinema, Tonight!  March 21^st 7:30 pm   Topic: Stereotyping

Our March Spiritual Cinema will explore the damage done by stereotyping of all kinds: racial, gender, GBLT, and other forms of mass media stereotyping.  We will show fifties sit-coms Amos n’ Andy and Car 54 Where Are You?  to illustrate the kind of biases and bigotries that still affect us all.  Each short film will be followed by discussion of the issues raised by this material.  Some snacks will be provided, but this is not a potluck affair.  All materials shown are G-rated, children are encouraged to come and share their reactions to art that has shaped the world in which they are growing up.  Please be aware that this material has been chosen precisely because it is offensive!

 

Family Movie Night, March 23^rd, 7  pm

Our March 23rd family movie is a collection of Star Trek parodies. No, we won’t show any actual Star Trek, but we will show famous take offs on Star Trek, like the legendary seventies spoof Quark, “Where no Fan has gone Before” from Futurama, plus the movie serials that inspired the t.v. show, Captain Video and Buck Rogers. All of this leads up to our main feature, the p.g. movie Galaxy Quest. If you love Star Trek, or if you just have a great sense of humor, this is the family movie night for you! This features a pot-luck supper, some food will be ready, but please bring your own favorites to share.

 

Two more Sundays for PIE!!
Prepare yourself for another sweet tooth titillation!  This Sunday is your last chance to take home one of those delicious Amish-baked pies you’ve all been eyeing these past few weeks!  In the interest of fairness, this Sunday anyone whose birthday falls in April, May, June, July, August, September, or October–these are all the months not included last week– can get one free pie raffle ticket at the stewardship table.  As usual, additional tickets can be purchased for just $1.00.

On Sunday, April 1 there will be a PIE celebration at the end of the Stewardship campaign.  Join us in Fessenden Hall during coffee hour for a tasty treat.

Have you made your pledge of financial support to our beloved church?  We’re still looking for about 60 pledges that haven’t come in yet.  At $136,500 pledged so far, we’re a little more than halfway to our goal of $220,000.  We need your help so that we can continue to provide and improve the programming that enriches the lives of us all.  Please give as generously as you are able.

Pledge cards and information will continue to be available at the Stewardship table in Fessenden Hall during coffee hour.  Bring your favorite pie recipe and turn in your pledge at the same time!

Stewardship co-chairs,   Marion Yeagler and Sandy Eaglen

 

 

CUUPs

March 24 from 2-4 PM KC will host a faery garden workshop in Fessenden Hall. Be prepared to get dirty! You will go home with a starter kit for your very own faery garden. A $3 donation is suggested to cover the materials.

If there is anything in particular about the Pagan traditions that you would like to learn more about please contact KC or Deb so we may cover these items in our workshops.

As always, feel free to call KC Pallone or Deb Biggins for more information.

 

 

INTERDENOMINATIONAL FRACKING MEETING

FACT(Faith Communities Together) will be holding a meeting on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on Saturday, March 24th, from 10 am-12:30 pm, at the Fairmount Presbyterian Church, 2757 Fairmount Boulevard, Cleveland Heights.  FACT was started in the Kirtland UU Church, and includes 15 churches of various denominations.  It spans eight Ohio counties and has 93 participating members who range from atheists to active members of religious congregations who are approaching environmental issues from a moral and/or spiritual perspective.

If you would like to attend this meeting, please contact Ted and Swanny Voneida for car pooling arrangements.

 

Anti-Fracking Event

Concerned Citizens Ohio is presenting an ordinance to establish a Community Bill of Rights and a ban on fracking to Kent City Council on Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., at Kent City Hall, 325 S. DePeyster Street.  Rev. Melissa is one of the speakers and all are invited to attend and show their support.   Questions?  Please contact Paulette Thurman.

 

Sunday, March 25, 2012    From Tolerance to Humility

Led by The Rev. Tim Temerson and Worship Associate Kristina Spaude

As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm tolerance as an important religious value. But is it enough simply to tolerate difference and diversity or can we move to a deeper, more authentic place of acceptance and celebration? Today we will explore the beauty and the challenge of difference and consider the role of another religious value – humility – in helping us to move beyond tolerance.

The Rev. Tim Temerson is the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.  He and I will be participating in the time honored tradition of a pulpit swap this morning.  With this swap, he and I are looking forward to strengthening the ties between our congregations.  

 

Surprise Friends Returns!

Stop by during coffee hour this Sunday to be anonymously paired up with a child from our congregation if you’ve not yet had an opportunity to do so.  Children who want to participate will need to fill out a short form. Beginning April 11 and continuing through the month, notes and small gifts will be secretly exchanged every Sunday leading up to the big reveal on April 29th!

 

Come Celebrate Passover!

The living tradition of Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources. This spring we will honor the Jewish tradition of Passover celebrating freedom and liberation.  Everyone in the congregation is invited to attend our family friendly Passover Seder on Friday, April 13 from 6:15 to 8:15 pm in Fessenden Hall.  During the Seder you will get to hear the ancient story of the Jewish people in the land of Egypt and to enjoy the special rituals and foods that are associated with this holiday.

Many of those foods require advance purchase and preparation.  In order to make sure that we have enough for everyone we need to know whether you plan to attend by Sunday, April 8.  There is a sign up sheet in Fessenden Hall along with a choice of roles you can play to help make our Seder a success.  If you have questions or need more information please speak to our Director of Religious Education Karen Lapidus or our minister Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer.

 

Annual Meeting dates have been set!

Discussion Session: Thursday, May 31, 2012   7:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Voting Session: Sunday, June 3, 2012    10:30 am in the Sanctuary

 

Attention All Leaders and Committee Chairs

All Annual Reports to be included in the Annual Meeting packet are due April 30^th.  Please  email reports to [email protected].  Thank you.  Annual Meeting packets will be available to the congregation on May 13^th.

 

The 4th and 5th grade RE class has started raising money to donate to people around the world through a kiva account. Kiva is a non-profit organization that helps people around the world who are trying to better their lives set up loan accounts that others can then donate money to.  The money is donated in $25 increments and the children will have the opportunity to read the people’s story and decide who they want to donate the money too. The great thing about the Kiva program is that it is a loan so as soon as the people receiving the money can pay it back the money will be returned to the 4th and 5th graders account allowing future classes to continue donating and helping to make difference in people’s lives.  More information on the Kiva program can be found at www.kiva.org.  If you would like to help out with this cause the 4th and 5th graders are making origami cranes that will be available to purchase during coffee hour or you can see one of the 4th and 5th grade RE teachers for more information or to purchase one.

 

Doctrine of Discovery and Immigration

An Adult Exploration class will be presented on the Doctrine of Discovery and Immigration starting on Tuesday April 3rd at 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm for six consecutive weeks.  All are encouraged to participate including our youth.  These two issues are front and center with our UU Association and will be the major components of our upcoming Justice General Assembly in Phoenix.

This doctrine came into being with the 1452 Papal Bull giving Portugal the right to exploit, subjugate and enslave the natives of West Africa. This was followed in 1493 with Spain getting the same “rights” over the “new” world.

Sadly, the former English Colonies of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and USA  codified this Doctrine into law and their native populations are still being subjugated, now in the form of structural violence. An example, the Phoenix Indian School (now gone) in its early years was a “prison school” where native children were forced to “assimilate” – that is to give up their own tribal culture for the white man’s ways.

Much of our attitude towards immigrants has arisen from this Doctrine.

These attitudes have become part of our American culture and they are now part of the engine that drives our Euro-centric superior thinking, our continued racism, and xenophobia.  We will thoroughly explore the connections here and look seriously at what we might, we must, do about this.

Please let me or MaryBeth know if you will be attending.

Mac Goekler

 

The financial literacy program known as $.A.F.E. (Strategies for Attaining Financial Empowerment) is hosting its third annual “Money Saving Expo” at the Kent Free Library meeting hall in downtown Kent, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday March 29, 2012.

This year we are focusing on showing communities to save money using local available resources with a theme “Go Local, Save Local and Live Local”. This expo, generously sponsored by Fortis College, Hometown Bank and Portage Community Bank, includes a variety of exhibitors and demonstrators who will be on hand to share information including Kent Community TimeBank, Habitat for Humanity of Portage County, Haymakers Farmers’ Market, Main Street Kent, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Kauffman Tire, DIY household cleaners, Couponing, and Preserving locally grown foods.

The Ohio Benefit Bank will offer free tax filing services for Ohio residents whose annual income is less than $ 60, 000. Admission and parking is free. There will be free refreshments and door prizes. Transportation is available, courtesy of PARTA, for those in need.

There will also be a presentation on “Identity Theft – What you need to know”, Insurance Importance, Investing for your future, Manage Family Finances & Create Spending Plan, and from Kent Community TimeBank. This expo is a wonderful opportunity to Portage and surrounding county residents for one-stop free financial education that encourages self-sufficiency, enjoy food, and a chance to win door prize.

 

A new Five Below fundraiser is scheduled for April 5, 6,and 7 at the Stow store located at 4332 Kent Road.  All the items in the store are $5 or less!  It is a great opportunity to purchase spring items and Easter goodies!  10% of your purchase is donated to the church with the necessary flyer.  Click here to print the flyer.

 

The Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 pm in the home of  Kathie Slater.  Please bring a snack to share. This month we are reading the book Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghesse. Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles–and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.

 

Children’s and Family Library Moves to Founders’ Lounge

All of the children’s books that had been housed in the Annex are now part of the library in Founders’ Lounge. We have a wide selection of folk tales from many corners of the world and from many ages in time.  The collection of  books with craft and game ideas are sure to keep children busy and happy for long stretches of time.  There are books to help families celebrate just about every holiday of the year.

We are especially blessed to have such a wide array of resources that affirm and support all kinds of families.  Many aspects of family life are addressed in our books on birth, death, adoption, illness, disability and the blending of families.

What we don’t have a lot of, however, are resources about Unitarian Universalism!  If you happen to be browsing the online UUA bookstore and happen upon a gem that you think would be a good addition to our collection, your donation will be gladly accepted!

Books can be signed out for 2 weeks.  Each book has a brightly colored card clipped inside.  Please put your name, the date and your contact information on the card and place the card in the basket on the table near the nursery door.  When you return books, please place them in the box on the table near the nursery (not on the shelves).  We are sharing the check-out and return system with the Adult Library.