First gathering: March 14 at 12 PM in Fessenden Hall.
The Rug Art of Shirley VanValkenburg: Reception Saturday, April 18
Save the date for a “tea” reception on Saturday, April 18 at 3:00pm at Hobbs Hall.
UUCK Board member Claudia Miller has brought more than 30 pieces of traditional rug art to the gallery at Hobbs Hall. The unique exhibit will run from March 1 to April 30.
The rugs were hooked by Shirley VanValkenburg (1937-2025), retired Kent State University professor, Title IX activist and textile artist. Shirley entrusted Claudia with her beautiful rugs which Claudia is now sharing with her beloved community.
Rug hooking is a craft and art traditionally done by women. It has a long, practical history. When fabrics wore out, women used the worn out fabric to make rugs as a
means to keep the cold floors warm.
But Shirley’s rugs are different. Some of the rugs are whimsical, a reflection of Shirley’s humor. Others capture the mood of the day or the culture of the Midwest, where she always lived.
For Shirley and those who share her art and craft, rug hooking led to a community of friends.
Lord’s Lunch Congregate Meal
The Lord’s Lunch Congregate meal is hosted at Trinity Lutheran Church of Kent with volunteers from local churches, community organizations and families. Volunteers prepare and serve this meal to help cover the need for food on the weekends when Kent Social Services is closed. A Trinity staff member, Jenn Hedge, works closely with Kent Social Services and other local groups (e.g., Miller House) to provide food for community members living with food insecurity.
UUCK has purchased/prepared/served this meal 2-6 times/year for over fifteen years. We are always looking for volunteers to assist–we are an organized, efficient group and we have a lot of fun in the process! The dates for 2026 are March 21, July 18 and November 7. Contact Camille Pavlicek-Fauser (330) 289-2807 if you are interested in volunteering.
March 2026 Special Collection: Heal Palestine
During the month of March, our special collection will support Heal Palestine.
HEAL Palestine is working to provide every young Palestinian in Gaza a chance for a brighter future through health, education, aid, and leadership. HEAL Palestine treats injured and sick youth for free, provides mental health support for traumatized youth, sponsors volunteer medical missions to treat injured youths in Gaza, and builds up the health sector through international programs. HEAL Palestine provides urgent humanitarian aid to those who need it most, feeding thousands of children a day and providing shelter, clothing, and other basic necessities for Gaza children. Home – HEAL Palestine
Important Changes to General Assembly 2026
General Assembly is our denomination’s annual June gathering where congregation delegates do the business of the UUA and where UUs can attend workshops, lectures, and worship services. Please note that the UUA is trying a new format this year, with many changes. I will summarize a few key pieces of information here, but please go to the GA website for more information: https://www.uua.org/ga. You can also contact Kathy Kerns ([email protected]) for more information.
** the business meeting will take place 6/14 – 6/16, online only. This meeting is for congregation delegates to GA who will attend business sessions and vote on behalf of their congregation. Our church board selects our church’s delegates, please contact Moderator Randy Ruchotzke ([email protected]) if you are interested in serving as a delegate. You can opt out of the $175 registration fee or request reimbursement from our church’s Leadership Development Committee (request to [email protected]).
** the programming (workshops, worship, talks) will take place 6/19 – 6/21. You may attend online only ($350 registration before May 1; $450 after that date). There are two in person options; in addition to paying the regular registration fee, you can pay an additional $25 to attend GA at a church that is streaming content so you can watch with other attendees (as of now, there is no local option, the closest church is in Rochester, NY). Alternatively, you can attend the streamed sessions in Louisville with others ($300 registration; does not include housing). There appear to be limited sessions to attend on these dates, although as with past years there may be additional prerecorded workshops that can be accessed as part of the registration fees.
POSTPONED: Church Visioning Session — All are encouraged to participate!
Please mark your calendars, for “A Big New Thing.”
Commissioned Lay Minister, Kathy Kerns along with Rev. Kristina will be leading two all-church Visioning Sessions to work on creating a new Vision Statement for our congregation. Because . . . we have fulfilled the vision state that was created in 2008!
Now, let’s dream the future. Join us on March 8th and April 19th following the 11am service, for a time of imagining the growth, possibility, and beautiful tomorrows we can build together!
For your reference, here is the old Vision Statement: Vision: Our vitality and passion call us to restore and expand our space to equal the energy of our dreams. As we do, we are better equipped to carry on our historic legacy and embrace our potential for connection, service, programming , and outreach.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
9:15 AM Service — The Oneness of Everything
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele and Dir. of Music Emily Hall — 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:
- The Gaia theory states that every part of Earth–plants, animals, minerals, etc.– plays a part in a holistic, complex, self-regulating system that supports all life. How does this relate to our UU core value of Interdependence, and how do you see yourself as an essential part of the whole?
- Have you ever given your attention so deeply to something that you suddenly felt one with it? How did the experience change you?
11:00 AM Service — Gaia, Mother Earth and the Oneness of Everything
A worship service with musician Jim Scott meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom
Jim intersperses original songs and readings with his personal reflections on a spiritual ecological awareness. The idea of Mother Earth or “Gaia” being a living organism with the same physical attributes as humans connects us with our life support system. Our “spiritual response” is so needed now, as “the spirit of life on earth is in crisis.” Jim’s uplifting songs provide the balance to the wake up call, leaving participants with a vision and inspiration to take the healing into our own hands.
From his work with the Paul Winter Consort, where he was co-composer of their celebrated Missa Gaia/Earth Mass Jim has long been an activist for peace and the Earth with his music. Jim’s songs are in our UU Hymnbooks and he’s visited over 700 UU churches. Former Co-chair of the UU Ministry for the Earth, Jim helped create the “Green Sanctuary” program and his “Earth and Spirit Songbook,” supported by a grant from the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, has been widely acclaimed by UU congregations.
CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 The Women Christianity Forgot
For this Women’s History Month service, we’re going way back – to the women of early Christianity. We’ll find out what their lives and religion were really like, and how they might have been surprised by the way Christianity looks today. Join us – and meet Thecla, Phoebe, Lydia and other women who were erased from history!
9:15 AM Service — meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)
Led by Rev. Renee Rucotzke 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:
- The contributions of women and nonbinary leaders so often get erased, forgotten, or minimized when the “official” story gets told. What can/should we as UUs do to counteract inaccurate or incomplete cultural/historical narratives that flatten the fullness of reality?
- Has paying close attention ever led you to an encounter with the holy, however you may define it?
11:00 AM Service — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom
Led by Katie Grigg-Miller and Worship Associate Rev. Kristina Church.
CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.
Lets Fill our Church with the Flowers of Spring
Remember how beautiful our church looked at our Easter service last year? Lets do it again! Order forms to purchase tulips, lilies and daffodils will be available in Hobbs foyer on March 1 and 8. The proceeds from the sale of the flowers will go to our group of UUs who provide Saturday lunch once a quarter at the Kent Lutheran Church’s Lords Lunch program. After our Easter display, we please ask that you take your potted plant home to enjoy.
Support UUYJ as They Travel to Washington DC
This summer, from June 28 – July 4, 2026, 21 youth from our high school youth group, UUYJ (Unitarian Universalist Youth for Justice), will be embarking on a life-changing service/cultural immersion trip to Washington DC.
They will be working with the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP) that hosts programs for young adults to learn and serve side-by-side with people facing hunger and homelessness, as well as exploring short and long-term solutions with DC residents with lived experiences. During their time there, our youth will volunteer at service agencies such as hot meal programs, shelters, food banks, clothing centers. These experiences will not only bring tangible help to those in need but will also foster lasting connections, cultural understanding, and how to put faith into action.
To make this trip possible, we need your support! The youth group is holding a stock sale to help fund the journey. Stocks are $20.00 per share, but we want you to buy more than one share if you can. In past years, people bought 10 ($200), 20 ($400), or even 100 ($2,000) shares! By purchasing “stocks” you are investing in the lives of 21 youth who are ready to live out their faith through love, peace, and action. There is no better investment than that!
Join us in the hallway before and after church on February 22nd to purchase stocks and help make this trip possible (cash, check or credit card accepted). If you want to donate online, you can go to our church giving site and click “one-time gift”, then select “other” for the type of donation and type in “youth group trip” to specify the nature of the donation. You can also mail in a check written to Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent and write in the memo line “youth group trip”.
HEALING DRUM CIRCLE AND CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND BATH
SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH, 4:00PM – 5:30PM, IN HOBBS HALL.
Come explore how to elevate your feelings of calmness and security above the anxiety and stress we are all currently experiencing. We will experience sound healing through drumming, crystal bowls, breath, and humming. Bring your drum if you have one, yoga mat, and blanket. Not required to participate. A few extras will be available if you have none. For more information, please contact Randy Bish or Heidi Shaffer Bish.
Sunday, March 1, 2026 How Anti-Woke Became an Epithet
The service will explore how language like “woke”(once rooted in awareness and care) has been distorted and weaponized. Reclaiming wakefulness as a sacred act of love rather than a label or division, and what it means to be truly alive to the world around us, to refuse apathy, and to practice mutual care.
9:15 AM Service — meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)
Led by Kate Starks, Chris Hook, and Worship Associate Rev. Renee Rucotzke.
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:
Think back to a time when you felt eager to learn, share, or get involved with a certain cause or issue, but you were labeled as “too sensitive,” “too woke,” or maybe “too political.” What was that experience like for you?
- In contrast to moments when you may have felt shut down and dismissed, share a time when being “awake” and involved actually made you feel alive—a moment with a group of people that reminded you that you are meant to be right here.
- How has this overall experience changed how you show up for your friends, families, and communities now?
11:00 AM Service — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom
Led by Kate Starks, Chris Hook, and Worship Associate Rev. Renee Rutchotzke.
CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.
Board Information Session This Sunday! February 15, 2026
The KentUU Board of Trustees invites all members and friends to an information session after the second service, in person in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom.
Topics will include:
- Next year’s budget
- Upcoming stewardship campaign
- Upcoming new programs
- Updates on buildings and grounds projects
- Updates on process for renewing our vision for the future
- Time for questions
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/97464785626
Feel Something, Make Something
This program is on break until Fall!
Friday Evening Drop-In Art Group in Fessenden Hall
Join us bi-weekly on Friday evenings in Fessenden Hall where we will be using art prompts & materials to process current events, and check in on each other. We will create collaborative projects and participatory art that we can share at our local spots. A wide variety of supplies will be provided from clay, pastels, paint, fiber arts, wood burning, collage, zine making, image transfers and much more! You are also welcome to bring your own supplies. The initial session and prompts will be facilitated by Kate Starks, but members will take turns leading the sessions and sharing their favorite mediums as we work on these projects together.
First session starts on Friday, February 13th from 5-7pm through June 2026.
Upcoming Sessions:
March 13th
March 27th
April 10th
April 24th
May 8th
May 22nd
Sunday, February 22, 2026 Weathering, Surviving, and Thriving
Our dominant culture teaches “tough-it-out” maxims like what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and no pain, no gain. Yet research at the frontier of epigenetic and trauma studies is forming a very different picture of what really constitutes resilience. How do adverse experiences actually impact our bodies and minds? What’s the biological price paid for survival under terrible circumstances? And how should UUs respond to the multigenerational damage done by our society’s endemic inequality?
9:15 AM Service — meeting in the Church Sanctuary (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, worship associate Becky Haines, and Dir. of Religious Education Colleen Thoele.
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:
- What do you know about having to hide parts of yourself to survive or get by? Have you been able to invite those parts back into the world later in life?
- Our culture promotes and celebrates the path of grit and pushing through no matter the costs. Have you ever resisted that, and saved yourself by courageously quitting, walking away, or letting go?
11:00 AM Service — meeting in Hobbs Hall and on Zoom
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Becky Cline.
CLICK HERE to view or print the Order of Service.