Sunday, April 5, 2026 Seeds of Hope

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

One Service only at 11:00 AM — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom

Led by Rev. Kristina Church, Dir. of Religious Education Colleen Thoele, and Dir. of Music Ministries Emily Hall.

As we welcome Easter, let’s remember that faith and hope are seeds that germinate and take root in darkness. How can we learn the courage of the seed, and teach our hearts to rise again, despite the fear and despair all around us?

Today’s wondering questions:

  • Is there someone who helped you find your way back to possibility when all doors felt closed? If you could thank them now, what would you say?
  • The Easter story is about finding hope when all seems lost– it reminds us that we don’t know how stories end while we are still living them. What readings, practices, or ideas help you find hope when things seem desperate?

CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.

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A Big Thank You!

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

A BIG thank you to the following volunteers–Kirt Beiling, Lee Brooker, Debbie Johnson, Tanya Kahl, Rhonda Richardson and Marion Yeagler–for preparing, serving and cleaning up for the Lord’s Lunch Congregate Meal.  Our team prepared sixty meals which we served to members of our community, many of whom who live with food insecurity.  Leftovers were then contributed to Miller House, a shelter for individuals and families who are currently homeless.  This UUCK Social Justice ministry brings us into contact with community members including Trinity Lutheran Church staff and student interns. This is a lively, busy group and we welcome you to join us!  Interested in volunteering?  Our next Lord’s Lunch dates are July 18th and November 7th.  Contact me!  With gratitude, Camille Pavlicek-Fauser  330-289-2807

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Sunday, April 12, 2026 Now Let Us Sing!

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

Let’s explore the spiritual possibilities inherent in the world of sound! With special guests, the Illuminati Ensemble of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, who use their musical gifts to create inclusive sacred space, where all humans know and feel that we’re whole, holy, and loved.

9:15 AM Service — meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)

Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.

Religious Education for Children and Youth

See the latest schedule and locations.

Facilitated Drop-In Small Reflection Groups for Adults

Location: Fessenden Hall

This Week’s Wondering Questions:

  1. Growing up, what kinds of responses to music were acceptable in your culture? Were there some kinds of musical expression or appreciation that were considered too loud, bold, or exuberant for a religious setting? Has that changed for you over time?
  2. How can we best embrace our value of Pluralism, and its inherent sense of multiple possibilities, in our music here at Kent UU?

11:00 AM Service — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom

Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Kevyn Breedon

CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.

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Come, enjoy an afternoon of song!

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

The Kent Chorus (which regularly includes members and friends of UUCK), directed by Matthew Swope, will perform American Music of the 20th & 21st centuries, including works by Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, on Sunday, March 29 in KSU Ludwig Recital Hall in the Music and Speech building (not in the Cartwright Auditorium) at 3:00 PM.

Tickets ($12 adults/under 18 yrs. are free) can be purchased here: https://kentstate.evenue.net/events/PABO-MUS

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Calling All Committees and Program Chairs — Annual Reports are due April 15.

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

It’s that time of year, again! Your report, to be included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Report is due by April 15. Submitting an annual report is an opportunity to record in the church’s history your team’s activities for this year.

Please email your reports to MaryBeth at [email protected] no later than April 15. The Annual Report will be published Friday, May 1 (thirty days prior to the annual meeting) in accordance with church bylaws.

Important Dates — Mark your calendars:

  • May 3, 2026 Information Meeting – everyone is encouraged to attend.
  • May 31, 2026 Annual Voting Meeting – Active Members, your vote matters, please plan to attend the meeting.

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Attention, would-be worship lay leaders!

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

The Worship Arts Team is taking proposals for lay-led services. If there is a topic that inspires you in your spiritual journey, the Worship Arts team will work with you to craft a wonderful service. We’d love to hear some new voices in the pulpit!

We have several dates available: June 7; July 12, 19, 26; and August 2, 9, 16, 23.

If interested, please complete the attached application, and send it to the Worship Arts Team by April 12, 2026 at [email protected].

If you have questions or want to talk through an idea, contact Rev. Kristina.

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In Your Voices (Part 2) Report: “Hopes and Dreams”

Posted on by Renee Ruchotzke

In response to the Contract-to-Call Task Force’s efforts in gathering people and data that resulted in their master work, “In Your Voices, Part 1”, we decided to call the Reverend Kristina Church to be our settled minister.


As part of the discernment process, they asked us questions (back in October) regarding the hopes and dreams of the ministry of the congregation as well, not just the leadership of the ministry, but how we are doing as a church, ministering to each other.

We on the board of trustees are excited to share the report “In Your Voices, Part 2” with you, which was sent via email to all members and friends. Learning about some of our hopes and dreams in our own voices will be useful when we start our visioning process later this year.

If you did not get a copy, contact me via email:
randyruchotzke (at) kentuu.org (Check your spam folder first, please!)

Randy Ruchotzke,
Kent UU Board of Trustees

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Book Study & Discussion Group

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

There is still time to be a part of our On Repentance & Repair book study and discussion group!

Please take a minute to fill out the form that can be found here:  https://forms.gle/vsfdPbbMgQZVWzLw8

Join us for Session 1, this Sunday, March 15th from 2-3:30 pm in Fessenden Hall! If you have a copy of the book and can read the introduction before Sunday, that’s great. Feel free to join us whether or not you’ve had a chance to read any of the book yet. All are welcome!

See you soon,  Dani & Rev. Kristina

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Sunday, March 29, 2026

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

9:15 AM Service — Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility

Led by Rev. Kristina Church and DRE Colleen Thoele meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)

Religious Education for Children and Youth

See the latest schedule and locations.

Facilitated Drop-In Small Reflection Groups for Adults

Location: Fessenden Hall

This Week’s Wondering Questions:

1. What is something about yourself that you wish people didn’t ask you about.

2. What is something about yourself that you wish people were curious about?

11:00 AM Service — Snapshots from Transylvania

Led by CLM Kathy Kerns and Worship Associate Randy Bish in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom.

The Unitarian Church emerged in Transylvania. Last summer, I (Kathy K.) visited the region with members from the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church as they made their yearly trip to Romania to connect with their partner congregation in Bagyon. Based on experiences from that trip, this service will share about our roots as a faith, the current Unitarian Church in Transylvania, and the message of resilience they exemplify.

CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.

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Celebration of Life: Martha Kluth

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

March 21, 2026 1:00 PM in the Church Sanctuary

We hope you’ll join us as honor long time UU Church member, Martha Kluth at a memorial service on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 1:00PM in our historic church sanctuary.  Inurnment will follow at Standing Rock Cemetery will be followed by a reception in Fessenden Hall at the church.

CLICK HERE to read Martha’s obituary.

There will be a Zoom options for those who are not able to attend in person. The Zoom room will open at 12:45 PM. Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/93203873965

Volunteer support to provide cookies, lemonade, coffee supplies would be appreciated. CLICK HERE to sign-up!

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“Quilted for Community” Fundraiser

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

“Quilted for Community,” the community showcase and quilt sale to support the Socially Responsible Sweatshop of Kent (SRS), is set for Saturday, March 21, at the historic Christ Episcopal Church, 118 S. Mantua St. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m.

SRS is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization of talented community members who repurpose donated landfill-destined textiles into items. The items are sold at the Kent Haymaker Market and 100 percent of the proceeds of the sales go to agencies serving food-insecure members of the community.

More than 40 quilts—most never seen in public before—will be sold on March 21, national quilt day. That same day, there will be a “Nooks and Crannies Tour” of the SRS workshop, the debut of the group’s “Spring” collection, a look at sanctuary of the historic church as well as pictures and art that chronicles its evolution, an opportunity to meet members of the agencies that help the food-insecure in the community, and lunch made by some of the best cooks in Portage County.

Admission is free and open to the public; parking is convenient.

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All Church Brunch, Sunday March 22 @12:15pm

Posted on by Renee Ruchotzke

Join us in Hobbs Hall following 2nd Service for pancakes (and more) along with a short presentation about Community Resilience and our future!

This free event is the kickoff for our program fund annual stewardship campaign!

You’ll hear about how Kent UU is making a difference in our community, what our plans and hopes are for the future, and different ways that you can help support the great work we are doing!

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March 22, 2026 Community Resilience

Posted on by MaryBeth Hannan

By living into our vision of the Beloved Community as a congregation, we are creating an “island of sanity” in a wider world that seems more and more chaotic. How can we be intentional in building that resilience as a community?

Stay after the 11:00 service for an all-church brunch that will be the official kick-off to our annual “program fund” stewardship campaign for next year’s operating budget. 

9:15 AM Service — meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)

Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.

Religious Education for Children and Youth

See the latest schedule and locations.

Facilitated Drop-In Small Reflection Groups for Adults

Location: Fessenden Hall

This Week’s Wondering Questions:

  1. With so much of our world seeming fragile and on the brink of collapse, do you still have faith that humanity will be resilient?  If saving the world seems no longer within reach, how might creating islands of sanity be a road back to hope?
  2. What if resilience is not about holding tight against the wind, but letting go and trusting the wind? What do you need in order to trust life to take you where you need to go next?

11:00 AM Service — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom

Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Rev Renee Ruchotzke

CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.

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