First Unitarian Church of Cleveland 
Church E-Blast and
RE-Connect

JULY 19
2015
Take a tour on Lolly the Trolley!
Details below.

Read all about the myriad of events happening at The First Unitarian Church of Cleveland below. Take a few minutes to peruse, sign up, and learn more! Remember that any word that is underlined and in teal is a link, either to another website or to an email address. Happy reading!
Sunday Service
JULY 19
11:00 AM TO 12:00 PM 
in the Sanctuary


"What is spirituality?"
Joseph Boyd, Summer Killam Fellow


Joseph's Office Hours: 
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 
from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
 
Introducing our New Music Director

Dear members and friends of First Unitarian Church,


I am so very excited to be coming to First Church as your new music director! It is a true  honor for me to have the opportunity to continue the outstanding tradition of music at  First Church, and I recognize and am grateful for the challenge of stepping into the shoes  of Fern Jennings. Some of you know me already, as I am a lifelong UU who has served  as the music director of Olmsted UU Congregation for the past 16 years. I am also an  adjunct music instructor at Walsh University and I teach a thriving studio of private  voice and piano students. I live in Lakewood with my wife Lucy, and we have two  wonderful children, Erin and Wesley. Although I am classically trained with music  degrees from Baldwin Wallace and Kent State Universities, my musical tastes as a  performer and listener are wide-ranging and eclectic, as you will soon discover. Please  call, email or stop to say hello - I am excited to be a part of congregational life and I am  eager to meet each of you. Most of all, I am looking forward to providing avenues for  everyone - regardless of age or experience - to take part in making music at First  Church!

Mike Carney
Incoming Music Director, First Unitarian Church of Cleveland

 

Summer Sales for Heinen's Gift Cards
JULY & AUGUST

During the summer months of July, and August, cards will be available in the Church Office, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. 

In addition, cards will be sold during Coffee Hour after services the first Sunday of July and the first Sunday of August (July 5 and August 2). Please mark your calendar with these sale dates!

Gift cards come in $25 and $100 denominations, and 7% of all proceeds go to support our Church Social Justice activities. Thanks for your continuing support!

 
Mini History Available
The First Unitarian Church of Cleveland will turn 150 in 2017!!  Beginning to focus on our 150th Anniversary in 2017, Historian Virginia Dawson has prepared "A Brief Overview of the History of First Unitarian Church in Cleveland: Bond of Union" at the request of the Heritage Committee. Very interesting reading. Copies are available in the Church office or click HERE to read a digital version.
Mitzvahs
The Mitzvah is taking a few months off for some re-tooling. If you would like to be involved in the important work of the mitzvah ministry, please contact Edie Phillips at edie.phillips@gmail.com. It's a ministry with great benefits and does not require a significant time investment.

 

Spiritual Conversation

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
7:15 IN THE BAKER ROOM

Our
topic will be Spiritual Independence. As we celebrate our country's independence in July, let's reflect on what independence means to our spirit. Recommended reading: The Spiritual Meaning of Freedom http://ernestholmes.wwwhubs.com/holmes7.htm. The exploration of our spiritual nature continues this Wednesday. We will enhance our understanding of ourselves, our relationships to others and to the universe on a deeper, more profound level. Spiritual Conversations examine questions at the center of our lives: what does it mean to be human, how can we live a rich life, what deepens our appreciation of the magnitude and mystery of life? We meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month 7:15 to 9:00 pm in the Baker Room.  
Everyone is welcome! 

Questions? Please contact Katarina Cerny at katarinac@wowway.com or 216-862-2303 or Sandy Wilson at sandyw58@gmail.com or 216-785-6318.

Lolly the Trolley Tour
TUESDAY, JULY 28 AT 2:00 PM 

Instead of our annual church picnic, the M.CA.C. is sponsoring a Lolly the Trolley two hour "historic city tour" for members/friends of East View United Church of Christ and First Unitarian Church for Tuesday, July 28 at 2:00 p.m. We will leave from the Power House at the Nautical Center and need to be there about 30 minutes ahead of time. Public parking is nearby. Car pools from our church to this location will be arranged as needed. Tickets are $19 seniors (60+), $20 adults (under60) and $14 for (ages 5to12). The Trolley holds up to 38 passengers. You may make reservations and payments after church services on Sunday July 12, 19 and 26. Please see an M.C.A.C. Member at Coffee Hour if you wish to reserve a place for this fun and educational tour.

 

New Connections
SUNDAY, JULY 19
Immediately following the service

New Connections is a welcoming resource for visitors, guests and newcomers who would like to meet other new people and learn more about our church. As an opportunity to learn about our values, activities, and community, it's an easy way to get to know us and to see if we might become a good spiritual home for you. Next meeting: July 19 immediately following the service to 1:30 pm in the Baker Room (Rm, 213, second floor). We look forward to getting to know you. For more information contact Karen Grochau at kgrochau@lek.net.

The Mix
JULY 22
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm 

Join our Summer Killam Fellow, Joseph Boyd on Wednesday, July 22 from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary Chancel for our July Mix.  


 
Music: Bernard Allison - "Feels Kinda Funny" from his album Across the Water (Blue album).

Offerings in Spiritual Direction

Bethany Ward, DRE
 
As I grow in my commitment to Faith Development, I am currently in my first year in the Spiritual Direction Formation Program at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center. As part of this program, I am seeking people who would be interested in receiving Spiritual Direction. I am under strict guidelines and supervision during this time.

What Spiritual Direction is:

  • the opportunity to share and explore your spiritual experiences in an accepting, non-judgemental atmosphere.  It could be an experience in your life where you feel a transcendent presence, or an experience in your life where you are searching for deeper meaning.  As an interfaith Spiritual Director, I am a companion to you on this journey, allowing space for you, as Directee, to define Spirit in your own terms.
  • involves "holy listening." As a Spiritual Director, I encourage you to share your experience and feelings, as together we contemplate the ways God energy is present in your life.  You decide what you want to share and how much, as you allow Spirit to guide you. Anything we discuss is extremely confidential. As you become more aware of your feelings, needs and desires, you will find that your Spiritual Life moves to a deeper level.
  • the experience of greater interior freedom and a deeper relationship with Spirit, self, and others.

If you are interested in discussing the possibility of meeting for Spiritual Direction, or learning more about it, contact me at:

bethany.ward@firstunitarianclevleand.org or at 330.319.5911.

*There is no charge for this and meetings are usually held once a month for one hour.

 

In light,

Bethany Ward, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

 

RE-CONNECT BELOW

New YRE On-Line Registration Now Open!
Catch the Spirit!


Click the image to register TODAY!
Our RE Classes provide religious exploration through the lens of our liberal faith, a dedicated place to be still and reflective outside the hustle and bustle of daily life, and opportunities to celebrate the awe and wonder of the world around us.  Please take a moment now to register your child(ren) or youth for our engaging program. Be sure to review the many volunteer opportunities available to you as a parent or guardian in our RE program.
You can also purchase '1st UU' T-Shirts to benefit the Youth Religious Education program when you register on-line for the 2015-2016 RE Season! 
Contact Us

Book Discussion Group

JULY 12 at 6:00 pm
  graphic-bookstore-people.jpg
Attention THE FIRST UNITARIAN BOOK GROUP will meet on July 12 for our annual potluck picnic to select our reading list for the year beginning in September. We'll start at 6:00 pm rather than our usual 7:00 pm start time and end once we make our selections, but not later than 9:00 pm. If you cannot come to the potluck but wish to nominate a book, please contact Brian Larson at 216-371-8163 or BLarson44@Hotmail.com.

 

There is still time to sign up!
OWL Facilitator Training 
SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE
REGISTER NOW!

WHOOO Should Sign Up??
YOU, that's whooo!
Training: JULY 24-26
OWL Training will be HERE 
And by 'here', I mean 21600 Shaker Boulevard, this very building, this very summer. 
Have you registered yet?  No!?  
Click the link 

SUMMER BUILDING HOURS: 
Monday & Wednesday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday   9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Carry Alburn Library
Some Summer Reading Possibilities 

  • The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule by Michael Shermer
  • Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions by Phil Zuckerman
  • The Radical King by Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
  • The Four Things That Matter Most by Ira Byock, M.D.
  • Deep River: The Life and Music of Robert Shaw by Keith C. Burris

New Perspectives on Anne Frank and
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
7:00 PM TO 9:00 PM
IN THE BAKER ROOM 

 

A workshop for 4th to 12th grade teachers and the general public.

 

Anne and Martin were both born in 1929, an ocean apart, and both maintained utopian worldviews despite the dystopian worlds that murdered them. Using their writings, we will discover and compare their ideologies, expanding the discussion pertaining to discrimination and senseless hatred in our world.Registration fee: $35. To register contact Fern Levy at fruthlevy@gmail.com


 

TimeBank
WILLING TO SHARE YOUR TIME? 

A new group is forming to begin a "TimeBank" in Shaker Heights.  We're looking for one or two people from some of our faith communities who would be willing to help begin the process.  TimeBanking is a way of giving and receiving to build supportive networks and strong communities. TimeBanking builds on the magic of "pay it forward," one good turn leading to another and another.

 

Here is how it works: I earn a time credit by doing something for you. It doesn't matter what that "something" is. You turnaround and earn a time credit doing something for someone else in your TimeBank Community. For example, an hour of gardening equals an hour of child-care equals an hour of dentistry equals an hour of home repair equals an hour of teaching someone to play chess. The possibilities are endless.

 

Some of the core values of TimeBanking include: every human being matters, we all have something to give, we need each other, and helping works better as a two-way street.  If you'd like to help, especially by being First Unitarian's contact person for this effort, please contact Roger Osgood at 216-246-9179 or roger.hcc@sbcglobal.net for more information.

 

You can also find out more about TimeBanking at www.timebanks.org.


RE-CONNECT BELOW

Sneak Peek

A LOOK AHEAD

SUMMER PRG: July 19, July 26, Aug 2
OWL FACILITATOR TRNG: July 24-26
Join us THIS Sunday for Summer RE Programming

July 19, July 26, August 2
This summer's RE program will be a  celebration of our natural world and Henry David Thoreau's reverent relationship to it.

Session will run in room 106 on July 19, July 26, and August 2 at 11am.  We are still recruiting teaching assistants! Please direct your interest to RE Coordinator, Sarah Megenhardt at  reassistant.cle@gmail.com