Sunday, August 19 in Fessenden Hall
12:30 – 2:00 PM
Our Justice General Assembly in Phoenix this past June was a powerful experience. We want to share it with you! Please bring your lunch and join us for a presentation about the meaningful moments and abundant inspiration we have brought home with us. We’ll include a few video clips as well as our stories. Lee Brooker and Kristina Spaude will join Rev. Melissa in presenting.
Download – July Chalice Flame (Right-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” to save the document to your computer)
Finish Reading: July Chalice Flame
Download – August Chalice Flame (Right-click the link and choose “Save Link As…” to save the document to your computer)
Finish Reading: August Chalice Flame
Led by The Rev. Renee Ruchotzke with Worship Associate Trish McLoughlin – In response the white paper “Congregations and Beyond” by Unitarian Universalist President Peter Morales, Rev. Renee Ruchotzke will explore how Unitarian Universalism might evolve in a post-church society.
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Please join us for Spiritual Cinema on Friday, August 10 at 7:00 PM. We will watch the motion picture, “Contact” (1997) which was written by the late Dr. Carl Sagan. The movie is 150 minutes and will be followed by a short discussion of some of the topics raised by the movie. Dan Flippo has volunteered to screen the movie in his home and has room for at least 14 people. Please click his address for a map or directions: 2650 Easthaven Drive, Hudson, OH 44236. Please RSVP to Dan at [email protected].
One of the key themes in “Contact” is the conflict between science and religion. In the movie, a message discovered by radio telescope immediately causes conflict between scientists who would learn more about the message and others who find their beliefs threatened. At the conclusion I believe the protagonist realizes that even science might require an element of faith.
“How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?” Instead they say, “No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.” A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths.”
? Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
The opening and closing moments of Robert (Forrest Gump) Zemeckis’s Contact astonish viewers with the sort of breathtaking conceptual imagery one hardly ever sees in movies these days–each is an expression of the heroine’s lifelong quest (both spiritual and scientific) to explore the meaning of human existence through contact with extraterrestrial life. The movie begins by soaring far out into space, then returns dizzyingly to earth until all the stars in the heavens condense into the sparkle in one little girl’s eye. It ends with that same girl as an adult (Jodie Foster)–her search having taken her to places beyond her imagination–turning her gaze inward and seeing the universe in a handful of sand. Contact traces the journey between those two visual epiphanies. Based on Carl Sagan’s novel, Contact is exceptionally thoughtful and provocative for a big-budget Hollywood science fiction picture, with elements that recall everything from 2001 to The Right Stuff. Foster’s solid performance (and some really incredible alien hardware) keep viewers interested, even when the story skips and meanders, or when the halo around the golden locks of rising-star-of-a-different-kind Matthew McConaughey (as the pure-Hollywood-hokum love interest) reaches Milky Way-level wattage. Ambitious, ambiguous, pretentious, unpredictable–Contact is all of these things and more. Much of it remains open to speculation and interpretation, but whatever conclusions one eventually draws, Contact deserves recognition as a rare piece of big-budget studio filmmaking on a personal scale. –Jim Emerson
Sunday, July 22 at 10:30 am What is our UU DNA?
Led by The Rev. Renee Ruchotzke with Worship Associate Trish McLoughlin – In response the white paper “Congregations and Beyond” by Unitarian Universalist President Peter Morales, Rev. Renee Ruchotzke will explore how Unitarian Universalism might evolve in a post-church society.
Summer RE Fun happens at 10:30 during the month of July
Our program for this summer, is “Stories that Inspire”, an all-ages, story-based program that will happen in Fessenden Hall. Nursery care will be available. There will be no Time for All Ages during the worship services over the summer, so children should be dropped off and picked up in Fessenden Hall. This Sunday’s story will be “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs”. The session leaders will be Kathy and Alan Kerns.
Staff Summer Schedules
July 23—July 30th
The Church Office will be closed this week while MaryBeth is on vacation. The office will reopen on Tuesday, July 31st. Melissa is on study leave this week and is working from home. She will be available for pastoral concerns via cell phone and will also be monitoring her email, though less frequently than usual.
July 30 – August 5
The church office is open though Karen and Melissa are both on vacation. The Rev. Christie Anderson will be available for urgent pastoral concerns via her celll phone.
Volunteers Needed to Provide meals for OMD Youth/Adult Committee Meeting
Our church will be hosting the annual summer meeting of our district’s YAC, which is the group of youth and adults who plan and host all the wonderful district conferences that take place throughout the year. Since our facility is not large enough to host a full conference, hosting this small event (no more than 50 youth and 10+ adults) is our way of supporting the OMD youth community of which many of our own youth participate and serve in leadership roles.
I am forming a task force which will provide the meals. The more folks who volunteer, the lighter the load, so ideally, you will only be asked to help prepare one meal. Please let me know if you are interested in helping the weekend of August 17-19. Let me know at [email protected].
Please join us for Spiritual Cinema on Friday, July 20th at 7:00 PM. We will watch the independent motion picture, “Stealing Heaven”. The story is about the ill fated love affair between Peter Abelard, the best known philosopher of the early middle ages, and his brilliant student. Abelard bucked the Platonic philosophy that formed the basis of the theology of his time, and ran afoul of the Church. He also made an enemy of the uncle of his student who made sure that he would never marry his niece. The movie deals with questions of theology that are still very relevant for Unitarian-Universalists to think about. Joel Slater has volunteered to screen the movie in his home. Please RSPVP to Joel. Snacks will be provided.
From the Library
For those who donate books to the Library, the new yellow donation forms are on top of the bookcase. The committee would be grateful if you would fill out a form with the donation information so the committee can acknowledge your gift in a timely manner.
Book Reviews by Martha Kluth
The category we circulate most at the UUCK Library is “Meditation.” We have collected a number of the UUA meditation annuals. Several of special interest are mentioned below.
Been in the Storm So Long, by Rev. Mark D. Morrison-Reed, ed. by Jacqui James, (Skinner 1991.) There has been renewed interest in this title in light of the 2006 General Assembly’s responsive resolution on racism and classism. This stirring volume features more than 40 selections from the spirited voices of 29 African Americans. Contributors include David H. Eaton, Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, Rosemary Bray McNatt, Thandeka, Egbert Ethelred Brown, and more.
Morning Watch, by Rev. Barbara Pescan, (Skinner 1999.) The Rev. Pescan attended the Akron UU Church as a teen. She served as the senior minister of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Illinois with her partner, Ann Tyndall. She retired from this church in 2011. Her poems have appeared in Singing the Living Tradition, First Days Record, and the Journal of Liberal Religious Response.
Ann Waters, Library Publicity
Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Worship Associate Bonnie Harper
A couple of years ago I led a service during which I endeavored to give you my answers to some of your questions about our church, Unitarian Universalism, theology and ethics. It was such a good experience that I’d like to try that again. What have you been wondering about this church or this tradition? What questions are you considering about the meaning of life and our place in this universe? No question is too big or small. Bring them with you and together we’ll explore some worthy questions.
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Please join us for Spiritual Cinema on Friday, July 20th at 7:00 PM. We will watch the independent motion picture, “Deserting Heaven”. The story is about the ill fated love affair between Peter Abelard, the the best known philosopher of the early middle ages, and his brilliant student. Abelard bucked the Platonic philosophy that formed the basis of the theology of his time, and ran afoul of the Church. He also made an enemy of the uncle of his student who made sure that he would never marry his niece. The movie deals with questions of theology that are still very relevant for Unitarian-Universalists to think about. Joel Slater has volunteered to screen the movie in his home. Please RSPVP to Joel at 330-673-3789. Snacks will be provided.
Led by : Logan Bialik, Saul Flanner, and Kathy Walker – Whether you are attending Summer Institute or not, start your week out right with an inspiring service by our very own Logan Bialik, back from her first year at Kenyon College. With assistance from Saul Flanner and Kathy Walker, she will share her experiences with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee as she traveled to Haiti for a week in the spring. Logan will discuss the meaning of social justice in an increasingly divided world and the hope that can be drawn from the lives of everyday people.
(Help Haiti photo: Flickr user Got Phi – Allen Harper)
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It’s not too late to get a spot in this popular item from last year’s Service Auction. On Sunday, July 15 at 2 pm, bike the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail from the Botzum Trailhead to Peninsula(6.7 miles on flat terrain), shop or get an ice cream cone in Peninsula, then ride the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad back to the starting point, relax and enjoy a picnic dinner. Don’t have a bike? You don’t have to miss the fun! Rent a bike (or trailer, or kids bike or bike?a?long) from Blimp City Bike and Hike on Merriman Rd. ($8/hr) about 2 miles south of our starting point. All ages! All skill levels! Price includes train ride and picnic dinner. Tickets are $10 for adults/ $5 for kids. RSVP to Jennifer May to be a part of the fun!
Wishing everyone a great time at Summer Institute next week!
The Church Office will be closed Monday, July 9 – Friday, July 13, 2012 while Rev. Melissa is at SI and MaryBeth is on vacation.
Sunday, July 8 From the Ground Up: Working for a Just Recovery in Haiti
Led by Logan Bialik, Saul Flanner, and Kathy Walker – Whether you are attending Summer Institute or not, start your week out right with an inspiring service by our very own Logan Bialik, back from her first year at Kenyon College. With assistance from Saul Flanner and Kathy Walker, she will share her experiences with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee as she traveled to Haiti for a week in the spring. Logan will discuss the meaning of social justice in an increasingly divided world and the hope that can be drawn from the lives of everyday people.
Summer RE Fun happens at 10:30 during the month of July
Our program for this summer, is “Stories that Inspire”, an all-ages, story-based program that will happen in Fessenden Hall. Nursery care will be available.
There will be no Time for All Ages during the worship services over the summer, so children should be dropped off and picked up in Fessenden Hall.
This Sunday’s stories will be “All Kinds of Families” and “Heather Has Two Mommies”. The session leaders will be Lori McGee and Jo Fatchet.
The Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, July 17 at 7 pm in the home of Bonnie Harper. This month we are reading Unsaid by Neil Abramson. After veterinarian Helena Colden dies of breast cancer, she is unable to move on and narrates the emotional deterioration and struggle of her attorney husband David as he becomes involved in a court case to save the life of a chimpanzee. In August we will read The Paris Wife, a novel by Paula McLain, and in September we will read Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.
The Library committee has created a donation form that will make it easier for the donors to be acknowledge. It also gives the committee options in case the donated book cannot be included in the permanent collection. We would be very grateful if you would use this form to expedite our work.
Library Committee, Ann Waters, Publicity
Led by: Deb Biggins and Worship Associate Eric van Baars – Living and loving after sexual trauma can be accomplished with lots of support, counseling and love. It is one of the most difficult experiences to admit and discuss. While you may never “get over” it, you can learn to deal with it and pack it away in the deepest recesses of your mind and move forward with your life. This service will focus on the journey of finding a voice, speaking out about the trauma and learning to no longer be a victim, but a survivor.
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