Worship & Music
Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.
September 15 – Revisiting our Stories
Led by the Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer and Worship Associate Joel Slater
Several members and friends of the congregation and I have been engaging in a series exploring our spiritual autobiographies. In returning to our stories, we discover insights about who we have been and who we are now that might not have been accessible to us at the time of the original experience. It may even be that revisiting our stories can help us discover how we are called at this time in our lives.
Lay-Led Programs Solicited:
The Sunday program committee wants to hear from YOU for your ideas and/or proposals for Sunday services. If you have an idea, please consider talking to someone on the committee (Lois Weir, Christie Anderson, Liz Bright, Joe Kuemerle, Lori McGee, Andrew Rome, and Kristofer Sperry), and/or submitting a proposal (find more information and the form at //kentuu.org/ministry/sunday-program/). Contact Lois Weir with your questions or to submit a proposal. The Sunday Program Committee meets tonight, September 11th at 6:30 PM.
Following the Returning to Right Relationship Sermon
During my sermon last week I raised a series of questions for self-reflection inspired by the practices of returning, repentance and atonement kept by Jewish people who observe the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you’d like to reflect on them further, the questions follow:
SELF
How have you done this year taking care of your body? Are you satisfied with the way you are eating, with how much rest and exercise you are getting? How have you done taking care of your mind? Are you satisfied with the ways you are engaging your intellect? How have you done taking care of your spirit? Are you satisfied with your spiritual life and the way you have nurtured that part of yourself? Are you satisfied with your connection with something larger than yourself?
OTHERS
How are your relationships with the people who are closest to you – your family and your friends? Take each important relationship in turn. Is there friction or challenge anywhere and, if there is, in what ways might you be contributing? How are your relationships with your co-workers, or classmates or the people in your communities? Again you can ask yourself, if any of those relationships have friction or challenge, in what ways might you be contributing?
WIDER WORLD
How have you done this year in engaging concerns beyond your own? Are you satisfied with the ways you have responded to some of the social or political or environmental concerns of our common life today?
I took inspiration for these questions from Rabbi Michael Lerner’s High Holiday Repentance Workbook which you can find at http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/high-holiday-repentance-workbook-2013-5774
U.U.’ve Got Talent!
“We know you’ve got it, it’s time to let it out!”
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 15, 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!
SAVE THE DATE!
U.U.’ve Got Talent! “An Evening of Musical Variety”
Please SAVE THE DATE! On Saturday September 28th, the UU church of Kent Music Committee is hosting a musical fundraiser. We are hoping to raise $800 to pay for the services of an accompanist for our beloved choir. Join us at 7:30 that evening as we transform the Kent sanctuary into a venue for highlighting the remarkable talents of local UU’s and Friends! $10 is the suggested donation, but please give what you can – hope to see you there!
It takes all of us to create a welcoming environment on Sunday mornings. All the members and friends of this church are needed to extend hospitality to our visitors. On any given Sunday, some people volunteer to be a part of our hospitality efforts in particular ways. We have a large team of people who volunteer to help greet and usher on Sunday mornings, to prepare an inviting coffee hour and to donate flowers to add a focal point of beauty to our services. In order to make it easier to participate, we are using a new tool that will allow you to see what Sunday morning hospitality positions are available and to decide when and how frequently you might be able to help.
If you are a member or an active friend of this congregation, we hope you will consider finding at least one time this fall and early winter when you might be able to volunteer in one of this very easy but extremely important roles. Of course, there is no limit to the number of times you can volunteer! Also, we want you to know that children and youth are welcome to participate in any of these roles. Thank you for considering how you might be part of helping us practice the fragile art of hospitality every Sunday.
Sign up at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/904054FA9A62BA57-sunday
Lifespan Learning
Small Group Ministry: Food for Thought Groups and Chalice Groups
Deadline to register is September 22. Please complete your sign-up form and drop it in the offering plate, in the box marked Small Group Ministry located on the Adult Religious Exploration table during our Ministry Fair or you may mail it to the Church office. Thank you.
Have you ever wanted to volunteer at church but cannot make a continued or lengthy time commitment? Do you enjoy spending time with infants and toddlers? If yes, then volunteering in the nursery is right up your alley! Every Sunday we ask that 2 adults or older teens (1 for each service) assist Michelle in the nursery. We are scheduling for nursery helpers now and we NEED you! To volunteer to be placed in the potential pool of nursery helpers, please email Colleen Thoele.
The Super Brain book group will meet at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 22 in the Annex. The group will be examining the concepts of personal power, core self, happiness and self-healing. All are welcome to join in the exploration. Any questions, please call Mary Maske.
Spiritual Cinema: Contact
This year the middle school youth group will be studying “Popcorn Theology” and we are going to use our monthly Spiritual Cinema as an opportunity to watch some of the movies in their entirety. Our movie nights have always been open to people of all ages but we strongly encourage youth to attend with their parents.
For our next Spiritual Cinema on Friday, September 13 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. Previously Dan Flippo has shown this movie in his home but we will be showing the film at the church to allow more people to attend. Please RSVP to Dan.
Comments by Dan:
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.
Community Within
We hope you can join us for this special evening!
Tonight is the first of the Library’s evening gathering for viewing Bill Moyers DVD followed by refreshments and discussion. 7:30 in Fessenden Hall. We’re looking forward to seeing you.
Don’t forget to join us for the Ministries Fair this Sunday, September 15
Several of the programs and ministries will be highlighted. Following each of the services, representatives from each team and committee will be available to help you learn about their activities and explore varied opportunities to get involved. We hope you’ll find something that both interests you and helps build your faith and sense of community here at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent.
Locavore Dinner Tickets Available:
On Saturday, September 21 at 6:30 pm, Jennifer May and Lois Weir will host the 4th annual Locavore Dinner, which will be all vegetarian this year. A multi-course meal will be served that features the best produce that northeast Ohio has to offer. Lois & Jennifer source almost everything locally (including the wine, beer, and cocktails) for this unique event. Some vegan dishes will be included, and most dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Children and adults are welcome. This was a 2012 Thanks4Giving Auction offering which did not sell out; therefore, there are 3 tickets available for purchase at $80 each. Contact Lois Weir to reserve your seat(s).
UUCK Men’s Group – Join Us!
The Men’s Group, led by Max Grubb, will be meeting on September 22 in the Sanctuary. This is an opportunity for men to connect and engage each other for support concerning issues and challenges that arise from being male, husband or partner, father and friend in today’s society. All men are welcome. Please contact Max if you have any questions.
The planning task force for the church’s 150th anniversary celebration will be meeting on Sunday, September 29 at 12:45 in the Annex.
As our days are getting shorter and we have a need for lights on at the church, especially for our evening meetings, we ask that you please ensure that all lights are turned off prior to leaving the building, with the exception of the foyer lights by the front door. These are left on through the night to ensure that our front door area is illuminated. Thank you!
The Patricia Pownall UU Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, October 8 at 7 pm. We are again meeting in the home of Trish Johnson-Kwartler. Please bring a snack to share. Beverages will be provided. This month we are reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. In November we will be reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper. All are welcome.
Be the first to see the artwork for the 2013 auction! Hear the artists talk about their creations while you enjoy appetizers and beverages. Artists this year are Brad Bolton, Don Easterling, Heidrun Hultgren, Wendy Jenks, John Kluth, Claudia Miller, Georgia Quinn, Rhonda Mitchell, and Jan Noden.
Date: Friday, Oct. 18
Time: 7-9 pm
Place: Fessenden Hall
Donation: $15
Outreach and Social Justice
The Human Rights Social Justice Committee will meet on tomorrow, September 12th at 6:30 pm in the Annex. All are welcome.
Clothing Donations Needed
The network of shelters for veterans in Northeast OH has expanded with the opening of Valor Home in Akron. Valor Home has also opened a thrift shop, the proceeds of which will be used to help fund supportive housing for veterans who are moving out of a shelter. The Valor Home Thrift Shop is located in Akron in Highland Square and sells used clothing for men and women. They are especially in need of donations of women’s clothing to stock the store. Donations may be brought directly to the Valor Home Thrift Shop or to Freedom House in Kent.
Opportunities from the Hunger and Economic Justice Task Group
We have been invited by Trinity Lutheran Church in Kent to be part of augmenting the hot meals available for hungry people in our community. Currently meals are offered every day of the week save Saturdays under the auspices of Kent Social Services. Trinity Lutheran, a trusted partner of Kent Social Services, is planning to offer a hot lunch every Saturday and has invited us to help. We get to determine the frequency with which we would host and to do so we need to know how many of you would be interested in being involved. For each meal we host, we would need 10 – 12 people to cook, serve and clean up. Children are welcome to be an active part of our team so we are especially encouraging families to consider volunteering to participate together. We are thinking we might start with one Saturday every month or every other month. If you might be interested in being involved, please write to Rev. Melissa and Tanya Kahl. Let us know how frequently you would be interested in participating and whether you would be volunteering on your own or with others in your family. Once we know how many people are interested, we’ll make a more concrete plan for our congregation’s involvement.
The October Kent Community Dinner Needs our Help!
On October 19, the Kent Community Dinner will be held at the United Church of Christ in Kent. As it did two years ago, this dinner will once again focus on celebrating the GLBTQ community, though this time with particular
emphasis on one segment of that community. Two members of our congregation will be involved in the leadership of that dinner; Rev. Christie Anderson will be the moderator of the panel and Kat Holtz will be one of the presenters. We have been asked to identify 4-6 people who would support this dinner by agreeing to cook. The 4-6 cooks will receive about 20 pounds of meat or fish and asked to cook it and stretch it by making it into a meal to feed many. The cooks could work together or separately. Are you willing to help? Please let Rev. Melissa know.
Income Generation
WHAT ARE THOSE GROCERY CARDS ABOUT ANYHOW?
Every week we sell gift cards for ACME and Giant Eagle stores during coffee hour. This program raises a few thousand dollars for the church every year! There is nothing special you have to do – when you buy your grocery cards from the Church, the Church receives 5% of the card’s value. You get to spend the full value of the card; use them like a debit card at either ACME or Giant Eagle. Cards can be used for anything bought at the store: Prescriptions, other name-brand gift cards sold at the stores, and of course groceries. And there is an added bonus…you still receive the fuel rewards! For those who don’t bring cash or checks to church, you may use your credit or debit card to purchase your Acme or Giant Eagle cards, Fair Trade Coffee and the cost of fund raising events such as the pancake breakfasts. We do pay a fee per credit card transaction, so if you have cash or a check, that would be better, but if not, we’re happy to process the payment through your credit or debit card. Stop by and visit Carol Gould or Bob Erdman or one of the many who help in this effort.