Worship & Music

 

Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.

 

November 24 – Grateful Sharing of the Bread

Led by Rev. George Buchanan; Karen Lapidus, Director of Religious Education; Hal Walker, Music Director; and  Trish McLoughlin, Worship Associate

Please join us for our annual Thanksgiving Multigenerational Worship Service!  This is a bread communion service, with several different types of bread we gratefully share with one another. This expresses the importance of “moving to the middle” in our lives with family and close friends – giving and receiving with deep gratitude as we grow together and increase the common good.

 

We are looking for just a few households to volunteer to bake bread for the Nov. 24 service. Please contact MaryBeth Hannan in the church office if you are willing to bake.  In the Chalice Flame newsletter, we had asked that each household bring bread to share – our plans changed and this is no longer necessary.  So just bring your wonderful selves, and of course anyone you know in need of our open and loving community.

 

A Service of Memories and Light

Sunday, December 1, 7 p.m.

Many of us look forward to the upcoming winter holidays with heavy hearts.  We are missing loved ones who have died, and we know the holidays will bring our memories into sharper focus. On Sunday, December 1 at 7pm, we offer a Service of Memory and Light to acknowledge our sadness, and together honor the lives of those we miss so much.  Rev. Christie Anderson and Rev. George Buchanan will lead this service of loving fellowship. We’ll have music, readings and time for contemplation, with a ritual of individual remembrances.  We’ll follow the service with a dessert and snack reception. This service is open to all adult and mature teen congregants who are in need of this Service of Memories and Light.

 

Looking for your creativity and expertise with felt!

We are seeking individuals who are both creative and work well with felt!  It is our hope to offer a felt board presentation at our earliest worship service offered on Christmas Eve.  If you would are interested in assisting with this project, please contact Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, [email protected] or Karen Lapidus, [email protected].

 

Lifespan Learning

 

RadioLab and Pancakes!

Radiolab and Pancakes will meet in Fessenden Hall during second service, on Nov. 24th. This time we will take a break from Radiolab and listen to On Being with Kristina Tippet. Her guest is a young Lutheran Minister who created a church specifically for young transgender people. Seeking to avoid tradition, her church has a chocolate fountain rather than a baptismal font. The story of this inspiring church will start our monthly discussion.

 

Idea of the Week – the Great Turning

The Great Turning is the name for our turn towards a sustainable and just human society, and away from the current dominant consumer culture leading us to despair and destruction.  David Korten, Joanna Macy and other writers have made the term “Great Turning” popular.

There are signs we, the human race, are actually making this turn.  It is not clear how much will be lost before the Great Turning is complete.

Rev. George

 

Community Within

 

The Hanging of the Greens will take place after the second service on Sunday, December 8. We are soliciting volunteers for that event.  We especially can use help from individuals who were involved last  year.  Also, we need someone who is not fearful of climbing our tall ladder to reach the top of the tree!  Get in the holiday spirit by volunteering. Contact Jack Graham or Mary Ann Stephens..

 

SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL VOTING MEETING – QUORUM REQUIRED!

Please join us on Sunday, November 24 at 12:45 pm in Fessenden Hall for an information and voting meeting on the property acquisition.  Here we grow again!

 

Once again the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent will host Thanksgiving dinner at the church on Thursday, November 28 beginning at 2 pm in Fessenden Hall.  Our host, Bonny Graham Esparza, will be preparing a turkey for the feast.

Turkey will be provided so there will be no charge for anyone; however, we will take a free will offering to help cover the cost of a few supplies and some other treats.    All who attend are asked to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dinner side dish or dessert to share.   A variety of alcohol-free drinks will be provided.

If you plan to come, consider bringing your favorite game to share if you’d also like to enjoy time relaxing with others after the meal.   In order to prepare, please let us know if you are coming.  A sign-up sheet has been posted in Fessenden Hall.  Alternatively, you can email your reply to the church office.  If you do reply via email, please let us know what you will be bringing and whether you are free to help with set up or clean up.

 

HERE WE HAVE GATHERED

Who are the “WE?”  Where have we GATHERED”?

The We” is you and all of us , the congregation of free thinkers that form the Unitarian Universalists, GATHERED  together in Kent, Ohio.

The title of the booklet refers to a collection of essays written by current and former members about current and past events that have had an impact on our congregation. Included in this edition (vol.3) are a new prayer by Rev. Melissa; remembrances of May 4th and the active response of our church written by Gene Wenninger and Caroline Arnold; the Summer Institute experiences of the Slater family and Lori McGee; a recollection of his church religious education by Reid Parsons, recipes used for church activities donated by Olive Hobbs and Kathy Slater, plus many pictures of church groups and individuals. Each volume of “Here We Have Gathered,” represents the Library’s commitment to recording church activities that collectively form the history of our Kent Church.  The sale of this booklet represents the primary, yearly fundraiser for the Library. Proceeds from the sale  of this edition ($5.00/copy) will help us to purchase new books for the Library collection. We will be most grateful for you support. Copies may be purchased during coffee hour or from any committee member.

 

Holiday Family Movie Night

It is time to mark your calendars for our annual X-Mas movie night! Come to Fessenden Hall on Dec. 13 at 7:30 pm for the funniest Christmas movies and cartoons ever made. We will start with the classic film Santa Claus Fights the Devil. This is a pot luck affair, so bring your favorite holiday dishes. If you have any questions, contact Cheryl Spoehr.

 

The Patricia Pownall UU Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, December 10 at 7 pm at the home of Kay Wind. . Please bring a snack to share. This month we are reading Gone Girl by Gillia Flynn.  Flynn’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds readers at every turn. When his wife disappears on their anniversary, Nick starts having cringe-worthy daydreams and becomes oddly evasive, eschewing his golden boy past. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.   All are welcome.

 

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. We need a large team of people who volunteer to help greet and usher on Sunday mornings, to prepare an inviting coffee hour or 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.  Sign up at:  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/904054FA9A62BA57-sunday

 

Outreach and Social Justice

 

Nov. 24 Special Collection for Philippines Relief
This coming Sunday, November 24 will take a special collection to contribute to the relief efforts in the eastern Philippines. Our national Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has a long-established presence in the Philippines focused on care for those most vulnerable – women and children, and farmers and fisherfolk in rural areas .  In conjunction with the UUA, our national denomination, the UUSC has established a joint emergency fund to focus on immediate relief for these same vulnerable people.  Our donations this coming Sunday will go this joint emergency fund.

 

Holiday Toy Collection Drive to Benefit Kent Social Services

From now until DECEMBER 8th, we will be collecting new toys to donate from our congregation to the Kent Social Services Toy Drive. Please consider adding a new and unwrapped toy OR A GIFT CARD FOR A TEEN to the

collection box in Fessenden Hall to support Kent Social Services in their goal to bring joy this holiday season to the children of our community.

 

The Holidays are quickly approaching and the RE Committee has received a list of Christmas wishes from a local family at Miller Community House. The family we received is a mom, dad and 2 daughters. Our tradition of providing Christmas gifts for a family in need is a very special project for our congregation. We hope you will help!

In addition to asking for your cash donations so that we may purchase special gifts for the whole family, this year we are looking for a few bigger items to help this family enjoy their new living space. These items can be new or in good used condition. The items are: a T.V., DVD player and an iPod Touch. If you have any of these more expensive items to donate (new or used), please contact Colleen Thoele or Karen Lapidus.

There will be a table for monetary donations to purchase gifts for this family during coffee hour each Sunday until the deadline of December 8th.

 

Income Generation

 

Just a reminder that we are participating in the Acme Community Cash Back Program.  Please save your Acme register receipts and turn them in to the box located on the grocery card table in Fessenden Hall.  The Church receives 5 % of the Community Cash Back total listed at the bottom of the receipts through this fundraiser.  Thanks so much for your support, we appreciate it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worship & Music

 

Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.

 

Sunday, November 17 – Gadgets and Gods

Led by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke and Worship Associate Sophie Smith

Humanism is a core value and influence in Unitarian Universalism, yet we live in a time where our interfacing with technology is changing how our human brains function.  How can we keep the best of human nature while adapting to new ways of sharing information?

 

November 24 – Grateful Sharing of the Bread

Led by Rev. George Buchanan; Karen Lapidus, Director of Religious Education; Hal Walker, Music Director; and  Trish McLoughlin, Worship Associate

Please join us for our annual Thanksgiving Multigenerational Worship Service!  This is a bread communion service, with several different types of bread we gratefully share with one another. This expresses the importance of “moving to the middle” in our lives with family and close friends – giving and receiving with deep gratitude as we grow together and increase the common good.

 

We are looking for just a few households to volunteer to bake bread for the Nov. 24 service. Please contact MaryBeth Hannan in the church office if you are willing to bake.  In the Chalice Flame newsletter, we had asked that each household bring bread to share – our plans changed and this is no longer necessary.  So just bring your wonderful selves, and of course anyone you know in need of our open and loving community.

 

Looking for your creativity and expertise with felt!

We are seeking individuals who are both creative and work well with felt!  It is our hope to offer a felt board presentation at our earliest worship service offered on Christmas Eve.  If you would are interested in assisting with this project, please contact Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, [email protected] or Karen Lapidus, [email protected].

 

Got Prayer?

On 12/29 we will be sharing some of the ways that members and friends of our congregation engage prayer and/or other spiritual practices with their families.  Whether or not you have children at home or even at all, we invite your stories.  Do you have any regular prayer practices or other spiritual practices you keep with your family (however you define family for yourself).  If not, have you had milestone, transitional or otherwise special moments with your family life in which you have prayed or observed some other spiritual practice together that has been especially meaningful for you?  If you are willing, we would love to share your story during the service.  This will be a multimedia program, so any photos, recordings, or videos that illustrate your family’s spiritual traditions will be most welcome.   Lois Weir and Andrew Rome will be coordinating this intergenerational service.  Please contact Lois or Andrew  with your contributions.

 

Lifespan Learning

 

Idea of the Week – Becoming Our True Selves

The religious and spiritual process is about emerging as our truer, more loving selves.  Many define this in terms of improving our relationship with God or a Higher Power in some form.  And that is fine.  Others, including many Unitarian Universalists, experience emergence of their truer, more loving selves in relationship to a world without a God-image.   It’s all good.

Rev. George Buchanan

 

RadioLab and Pancakes!

Radiolab and Pancakes will meet in Fessenden Hall during second service, on Nov. 24th. This time we will take a break from Radiolab and listen to On Being with Kristina Tippet. Her guest is a young Lutheran Minister who created a church specifically for young transgender people. Seeking to avoid tradition, her church has a chocolate fountain rather than a baptismal font. The story of this inspiring church will start our monthly discussion.

 

Community Within

 

SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL VOTING MEETING – QUORUM REQUIRED!

Please join us on Sunday, November 24 at 12:45 pm in Fessenden Hall for an information and voting meeting on the property acquisition.  Here we grow again!

 

Retiree’s Lunch – Tuesday, November 19 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.

 

New UU Classes continue this coming Sunday, Nov 17!

Our New UU classes cover everything you wanted to know about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent in particular and Unitarian Universalism in general, but were afraid to ask.  Well, maybe not everything, but we try to give you an overview, a starting point.  Some history of both, some organizational details. Come join the conversation.  And, if you’re curious about membership, this is the place to be.

Part 1 was last Sunday, November 10. Part 2 will be on Sunday, November 17, from 9-11 am.  You are encouraged to attend this coming Sunday, even if you missed the first session.  Different topics are covered in each session.  We will gather at the Annex, the yellow house next to the church.

If you have any questions, contact Claudia Miller or Marion Yeagler.

 

Once again the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent will host Thanksgiving dinner at the church on Thursday, November 28 beginning at 2 pm in Fessenden Hall.  Our host, Bonny Graham Esparza, will be preparing a turkey for the feast.

Turkey will be provided so there will be no charge for anyone; however, we will take a free will offering to help cover the cost of a few supplies and some other treats.    All who attend are asked to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dinner side dish or dessert to share.   A variety of alcohol-free drinks will be provided.

If you plan to come, consider bringing your favorite game to share if you’d also like to enjoy time relaxing with others after the meal.

In order to prepare, please let us know if you are coming.  A sign-up sheet has been posted in Fessenden Hall.  Alternatively, you can email your reply to the church office.  If you do reply via email, please let us know what you will be bringing and whether you are free to help with set up or clean up.

 

The Library Committee would like to thank all who participated in Symposium 3 last night in spite of the weather. Moyers conducted a wonderful interview of Salman Rushdie (Satanic Verses), followed by plentiful and delicious refreshments and a very stimulating discussion sparked by Rushdie’s idea that morality is hard-wired into human beings. (Is it?) There were requests for another Symposium after the holidays. Stay tuned.

 

Here We Have Gathered, Volume 3 will be on sale for $5.00 during coffee hour Sunday, the 17th, and on succeeding Sundays. This is the Library’s sole fundraiser for the year (all symposiums are free), and the committee will be most grateful for your support. The money is used primarily to purchase new books for our collection.

 

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. We need a large team of people who volunteer to help greet and usher on Sunday mornings, to prepare an inviting coffee hour or 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.

Sign up at:  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/904054FA9A62BA57-sunday

 

Outreach and Social Justice

 

Many thanks to everyone who supported our November Special Offering to honor veterans on Veterans’ Day. The collection raised $977.00 which will be donated to Freedom House.

 

The UUCK Environmental Justice Task Groups Presents:  Fracking Film Series

7pm Fridays, Fessenden Hall

November 15^th, 7pm

Gasland II is a deeper look into the complexities of fracking. Director Josh Fox explores

the gas industry and its portrayal of natural gas as a safe and clean alternative to oil. This film provides a comprehensive look at fracking and its impact on individual lives, environmental devastation, and political corruption.

Gasland II will be followed by a speaker presentation and discussion with Mary Greer from Concerned Citizens Ohio.

Contact the church office for more information at (330) 673-4247.

 

UU and Interfaith Connections

Kent Community Dinner – Celebrating the Jewish Community!   November 16, 5:30 PM at the Cohn Jewish Student Center, 613 E. Summit Street, Kent, OH   There will be educational programming led by Hillel, dinner music by Guy Pernetti, help from the Boy Scouts, and special songs from Hal Walker.  For more information, call 330.678.8760.

 

Income Generation

Just a reminder that we are participating in the Acme Community Cash Back Program.  Please save your Acme register receipts and turn them in to the box located on the grocery card table in Fessenden Hall.  The Church receives 5% of the Community Cash Back total at the bottom on the register tape.  Thanks so much for your participation, we appreciate your support!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worship & Music

 

Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.

 

Sunday, November 10 – Honor Thy Veterans

Led by Deb Biggins and Worship Associate Colleen Norris – This service will honor our veterans for their service, past and present.  Also, in honor of Veteran’s Day, we will have a special offering to benefit Freedom House.  The mission of Freedom House is to support homeless veterans in our community in their efforts to achieve greater self-sufficiency and to secure and maintain permanent housing.

 

Looking for your creativity and expertise with felt!

We are seeking individuals who are both creative and work well with felt!  It is our hope to offer a felt board presentation at our earliest worship service offered on Christmas Eve.  If you would are interested in assisting, please contact Rev. Renee Ruchotzke or Karen Lapidus.

 

Lifespan Learning

 

Idea of the Week

“The Way to Do is to Be”

Often, our lives get into a state where we need to restore our balance and find our true center.  In the Daoist tradition within classical Chinese thought,  this idea is expressed as “the Way to do is to be”  If we want to DO a long walk, it is best to BE in a comfortable posture to begin.   If we begin off-balance, then the walk may well be shorter and more painful than we would like.

George

 

Community Within

 

Workshop: Options and Challenges in Maintaining Independence

How does a loved one know where the line is when someone they care for can no longer safely maintain their independence at home and how should they handle that?  What options might there be if their loved one is resistant to receiving additional assistance?  Do you have any advice for older adults when dealing with the concerns of their loved ones who are expressing worries or trying to encourage them to avail themselves of services.  What financial considerations need to be taken into account for people of various income levels?

Have you or someone you care for asked these questions?  Please join us for the answers on Sunday, November 10th at 12:45 PM in Fessenden Hall.

The workshop, Options and Challenges in Maintaining Independence, will focus on the specific challenges to independence that we face as we age and will feature professionals from Family and Community Services and the Area Agency on Aging. Both agencies will present information and take questions following their presentation.

All are welcome. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP immediately to the church office if you plan to attend.  This presentation is sponsored by our congregation’s Care Team.

 

Apartment Needed for Congregation Family

A congregation family is looking for housing within the Kent school district.   If you have an apartment you might be willing to rent, or know of someone who might, please contact Rev. George Buchanan or leave a message for him with MaryBeth Hannan at the church office.

 

New UU Class This Sunday!
Our New UU classes cover everything you wanted to know about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent in particular and Unitarian Universalism in general, but were afraid to ask.  Well, maybe not everything, but we try to give you an overview, a starting point.  Some history of both, some organizational details. Come join the conversation.  And, if you’re curious about membership, this is the place to be.  Part 1 will be on Sunday, November 10, from 9-11 am. Part 2 will be on Sunday, November 17, from 9-11 am.  You may attend one or both, although attendance at both is encouraged.  Different topics will be covered in each.  We will gather at the Annex, the yellow house next to the church.

If you have any questions, contact Claudia Miller or Marion Yeagler.

 

The Patricia Pownall UU Book Group will be meeting on Tuesday, November 12 at 7 pm in Founder’s Lounge at church.  Please bring a snack to share. This month we are reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. In December we will be reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and we are meeting at Kay Wind’s house. If you have any questions you may contact Bonnie Harper.  All are welcome.

 

Once again the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent will host Thanksgiving dinner at the church on Thursday, November 28 beginning at 2 pm in Fessenden Hall.  Our host, Bonny Graham Esparza, will be preparing a turkey for the feast.

Turkey will be provided so there will be no charge for anyone; however, we will take a free will offering to help cover the cost of a few supplies and some other treats.    All who attend are asked to bring a favorite Thanksgiving dinner side dish or dessert to share.   A variety of alcohol-free drinks will be provided.

If you plan to come, consider bringing your favorite game to share if you’d also like to enjoy time relaxing with others after the meal.

In order to prepare, please let us know if you are coming.  A sign-up sheet has been posted in Fessenden Hall.  Alternatively, you can email your reply to the church office.  If you do reply via email, please let us know what you will be bringing and whether you are free to help with set up or clean up.

 

The final Library Symposium will be held on Tuesday, November 12th at 7:00 P.M. in Fessenden Hall. We are allowing the extra half hour for a full viewing of Bill Moyer’s interview with Salman Rushdie. This promises to be an exceptional and provocative program. Refreshments will be available after the viewing, followed by a discussion. Bill Wilen, moderator, will lead the discussion. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Sunday, November 17th, Volume III of “Here We Have Gathered” will be available for purchase during coffee hour. This new collection includes essays and reminiscences about church events, both past and current, by Gene Wenninger, Joel Slater, Lori McGee, Reid Parsons, Olive Hobbs, Kathy Slater, Caroline Arnold, and Robert Fildes.

Purchase price is $5.00. This is the major fundraiser for the Library and we will be most grateful for your support.

 

Book Review              

The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands, by Margaret Regan, Boston, (Beacon Press) 2011. This publication from Beacon Press has been recommended for UU church libraries, and we have recently added it in the Social Justice category. The author has won regional and national journalism awards for her reporting for the Tucson Weekly and other publications. The book is made up of portraits of people who cross the border in hopes of a better life. This powerful report gets at the heart of America’s complicated and tragic story of immigration.

Submitted by Martha Kluth

 

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. We need a large team of people who volunteer to help greet and usher on Sunday mornings, to prepare an inviting coffee hour or 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.

Sign up at:  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/904054FA9A62BA57-sunday

 

Outreach and Social Justice

 

November Special Offering – Sunday, November 10 in support of Freedom House, to honor veterans on Veterans’ Day. The mission of Freedom House is to support homeless veterans in our community in their efforts to achieve greater self-sufficiency and to secure and maintain permanent housing.

 

Dear Friends,

 You may recall that we had a special collection at church last spring for a water project to supply much needed water to two villages in El Salvador.  This was done through COCODA (Companion Communities Development Association).  Our friend, and director of that group, Ivan Villasboa, is coming to Kent soon and has agreed to give us an update on the project.

Ivan will be giving his presentation on Sunday, November 10th, in Fessenden Hall (basement of UU Church, 228 Gougler Ave., Kent) from 4:30-6:00 pm.   Ivan will be accompanied by his wife from El Salvador and two students.  They will bring us up to date on the progress of this project, as well as the scholarship fund to assist students in El Salvador to go to college there.

It will be interesting to hear how things are going with this project; we hope you can make it.  Please call us at 330 678 8486 if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

Ted and Swanny

 

The UUCK Environmental Justice Task Groups Presents:  Fracking Film Series

7pm Fridays, Fessenden Hall

November 8^th, 7pm

Bidder 70 highlights the remarkable story of Tim DeChristopher who, on December 19, 2008 protested the leasing of thousands of acres of pristine Utah land to oil and gas companies. Registered as bidder #70, and without corporate funding, Tim outbid industry giants on land parcels adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park. Unable to pay for these public lands, Tim DeChristopher was sentenced to serve 2 years in Federal Prison. He was released April 2013 and is currently attending Harvard Divinity School studying to be a UU minister.

Movie to be followed by open discussion.

November 15^th, 7pm

Gasland II is a deeper look into the complexities of fracking. Director Josh Fox explores the gas industry and its portrayal of natural gas as a safe and clean alternative to oil. This film provides a comprehensive look at fracking and its impact on individual lives, environmental devastation, and political corruption.

Gasland II will be followed by a speaker presentation and discussion with Mary Greer from Concerned Citizens Ohio.

Contact the church office for more information at (330) 673-4247.