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Dear Church Family,
This April, I closely followed the Artemis II mission, the nine-day lunar flyby mission that launched on April 1 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, South of San Diego on April 11. It was the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The four-member crew traveled deeper into space than any humans in history, sending us never-before-seen images of the far side of the moon. They set the record for human distance from Earth– 252,756 miles, breaking Apollo 13's record of 248,655 miles.
With Hope and Gratitude,
Pastor Joanna
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A note from our LCC Staff Team:
We want to share an update about something you may have already noticed—our website is under construction! We have been rethinking and reshaping how we communicate as a church, with the hope of creating something clearer, more accessible, and better suited to the needs of our whole community.
For several years, we have been discerning how we stay connected across generations, honoring the different ways people seek and receive information. As you can imagine, this takes time, and a little bit of trial and error, so we are grateful for your patience as we work through the details, and even more grateful for your encouragement along the way.
This Summer, you will continue to see some changes to the way we structure The Columns, weekly emails, the website, and our social media presence. Our hope is that in the Fall, it will all be more consistent and streamlined.
We also want to mention that one way our church family has been communicating is through our LCC Members and Friends Facebook Page. We recognize that not everyone is on Facebook, but we have found that it is the most accessible platform for intergenerational online community at this point in time, so we encourage you to join the page if you are able to.
Thank you for being a community that grows and adapts together!
With Grace and Peace,
Pastor Joanna, Karen, Peter, and Rachel
| | Message from the Director of Music Ministries | | |
As we wind down from a very busy Spring and prepare for summer, there’s so much to celebrate in the musical life of our church. The talent show in March was so much fun, and a huge success. Because of the generosity of everyone involved - from auction item donors, to performers, to organizers, to those who bought tickets and participated in the silent auction - we raised $9,000 for the Festival Arts Fund! That money will go toward hired instrumentalists for special services like Jazz Sunday, Mardi Gras, Easter, and more. It will also allow us to make some much needed repairs and updates to our handbell equipment. So many folks were involved in planning and executing this cherished LCC tradition (far too many to name here), and a huge thank you goes out to all of them.
Peter Hampton, Director of Music Ministries
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| | Children, Youth, and Family Ministries Information | | |
Fall 2025 Children, Youth, and Family Ministries (CYF)
Hello, Church Family~
Spring is in full swing! The youth musical was April 17, 18, & 19 and was incredible. The youth worked hard, had fun, and put on an excellent show. Many adults helped make it happen. Thank you to everyone involved. It truly is a blessing to me to be part of such a wonderful tradition of LCC.
In faith formation classes, we are having lots of fun growing in faith and friendship. I continue to feel grateful for our refreshed spaces and our committed volunteers. On April 26, we had a special lesson. Laura and Lily Germaine taught our elementary classes about their upcoming trip to Malawi and the opportunity to help people raise bees. The children’s miracle jar offering for the rest of the school year will go to help support Laura and Lily’s trip.
Rachel Burns, Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries
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Youth Music
The children and youth involved in music at LCC are collectively taking some time to recover and rest after the wonderful performance of our 2026 youth musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". So many kids and adults worked very hard to put on this musical, and it was amazing! The kids looked and sounded great on the stage and the audiences loved it. I want to thank Lindy Warren, Domenic Farinelli, Liz Spahr, Rachel Burns, Peter Hampton, and Britt Lamoureux for all the work they did towards this show being a success. And there were so many more! Congratulations, Joseph cast.
Looking ahead, we will have our young children singing as part of Music Sunday on May 3. Any graduating seniors are invited to be involved in music on Baccalaureate Sunday, May 17. Vacation bible school will be the week of July 19-23. I hope all the children of LCC have fun wrapping up their school year, and look ahead to the next year of music making together.
-Tim Hampton, Director of Children and Youth Music
| | Director of Congregational Programming | |
In late March, I met with our Faith in Action Liaison, Michael Greenland, and our Congregational Life Liaison, Andy Barlow. It was a productive conversation that helped us take a clear look at our current programs and how they serve the life of LCC. We also recognized opportunities for growth—both by strengthening existing efforts and in making sure people are aware of groups and activities already happening.
Over the past several months, we’ve welcomed many new members. We want to ensure that everyone has meaningful ways to connect and build community beyond our regular worship services. To help with that, we’ve created a Congregational Interest Survey and would value your input. Your feedback will guide us as we continue shaping opportunities for connection and involvement across LCC.
Peter Hampton, Director of Congregational Programming
| General Volunteer Sign-Ups (Click on the images below) | | |
LCC will celebrate Pride throughout the month of June. Keep your ears open at church and your eyes focused on the bulletin and website as we finalize plans for Pride events. LCC will walk as a group at Pride in the CLE on Saturday, June 6th.
Faith In Action and Congregational Life, with the support of Peter Hampton, have put together a survey to get the congregation's feedback on what our current/future direction should be. Please fill out the survey here. We're already doing a lot of great things that bring our beliefs into the world for positive results, but we know there's so much more we can do. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Laura Germaine and her daughter Lilly will be traveling this summer to Malawi on a teaching collaboration. Part of their trip will involve working with the local community to teach beekeeping, which can greatly aid the local economy. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with setting up the beekeeping operation. 100% of the funds will go directly to Honey Products Malawi. Reach out to Laura or to FIA Liason Michael Greenland for more info.
The LCC website is a great resource for all the latest upcoming events, and to check out many of the ongoing Faith In Action initiatives. Have a great summer!
Michael Greenland, Faith in Action, Liaison
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All information and updates about Pride Month (June!) at LCC can be found at LCC-Church.org/Pride
Reach out to Mad McLaughlin or Peter Hampton if you have any questions or ideas.
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Plan a conversation with Patti Komperda, if you would like to learn more about the Greater Cleveland Congregations’ (GCC) pursuit of justice within our legal system in NE Ohio. LCC is a supporting member of GCC and the “Good Trouble” it makes.
Also, if interested in learning more about GCC, attend its 15th Anniversary celebration at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church on Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 3:00-5:00pm. RSVP information can be found on the GCC website: greaterclevelandcongregations.org
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Community Meals are BACK!
The upcoming May Community meal will be our 6th meal since returning to dine in service. Looking back at half a year of work the one thing that stands out is that we couldn’t have done it without the help of our amazing volunteers! At every meal one of our guests has something great to say about the friendliness of our team and the tastiness of the food. At the April meal one of the diners said that we made it feel like “being at home”, which is what I know we’ve all been striving for. So thanks again to every volunteer who’s made LCC feel like home!
If you’d like to volunteer or attend a meal as a guest the next meals will be June 4th, July 2nd, and August 6th at 5pm in the Social Hall.
If you’d like to help out and Thursdays don’t work out for you, no worries, we’re looking for bakers to provide desserts for our 50 or so guests! All volunteer positions can be signed up with the link.
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ESL - Conversational English
Sociable discussions with immigrants who already have a basic understanding of English, but who need practice to improve employment and social prospects. Classes are small and by appointment only, usually on Monday and Thursday evenings.
If you would like to participate as a trainer:
(no training required as all we do is chat), or if you know of someone who might participate as a student, please contact Ron Petrie, 216-789-2301.
| | | LCC Meetings, Opportunities & Events Schedule | | | |
Greetings from the Congregational Care Team!
Our Team has been up and running for a few months now, and we're off to a great start. We are all still working on getting the word out about our team, and learning together about how to meet the needs of our congregation.
We thought it would be helpful to offer a short Q&A about our program, and encourage you to reach out to us if you need support for yourself, a family member, or a fellow member of LCC.
Read our Q&A Update letter here: Update from the Congregational Care Team
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Check out our LCC Art Gallery Wall!
We hope you've had a chance to see our new West Clifton Art Gallery Wall, which has featured art from church members Joanne Heinert and Liz Maugans, in addition to a display during Lent, which highlighted art from our worship series.
We welcome and encourage other artists to share their work on our gallery wall. If you are interested, please reach out to Peter Hampton.
Read about our current gallery: Springing in, by Liz Maugans
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Please join us for Second Saturday on Saturdays
May 9 | June 13 | July 11
Please join us for Second Saturday. We meet at 9am in the church parlor for an hour of discussion, reflection and prayer. All who identify as female are welcome to join this intergenerational group. It's a great chance to get to know each other better in a relaxed setting. Hope to see you there!
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ADVENTURES IN READING
CALLING ALL READERS
Come to Adventures in Reading
(LCC Book Club)
the second Wednesday of each month, , 12:30pm
Next Meetings:
May 13 | June 10 (annual luncheon)
All are welcome
Our schedule for the next four months follows:
We end our 2025-2026 season of book club with a final discussion on:
May 13 - How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. Linda Majkrzak will be the discussion leader.
We will celebrate our reading year with a noon luncheon on June 10. This will be a catered meal (Karen King - caterer) in the LCC parlor. Please bring your luncheon money to the May meeting. Book selection and discussion leaders for 2026-2027 will be finalized.
There are copies of many of the Adventures in Reading books available for borrowing by LCC members. They are located in the library/archives and can be signed out.
Thank you for another year of fellowship and good reading and fellowship - discussion begins 12:30
Please R.S.V.P. to Kathy MacDougall.
We meet the second Wednesday of the month - September - May. We gather in the LCC parlor - 12:00pm for lunch and conversation. Our discussion begins at 12:30pm. All are welcome.
There are copies of many of the Adventures in Reading books available for borrowing for LCC members.
The books are in the library/archives and can be signed out.
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Tai Chi at LCC
Just a reminder that we have been finding our Chi and experiencing Zen (and a lot of laughter) for over 15 years in our LCC Parlor and now the chapel during our weekly Tai Chi class led by Jeannie Koran. The class is for beginners right up through experienced tai chi-ers and is held in the LCC Chapel on Mondays from 5-6pm.
There is NO FEE for your first time, and then the cost is $10 per class. See Patti Komperda or Ceil Dorsch if you have any questions.
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2026 Women’s Retreat
2026 LCC WTNB’s Retreat (originally LCC Women’s Retreat), “Cozy Encounter,” will explore why 5 of the 10 Happiest Countries in the world are Nordic and what we can learn from them about self-care, comfort, social support, and trust!
Block off October 3-4, 2026, on your calendars for our next LCC WTNB’s Retreat to be held at Bellwether Farm in Wakeman, Ohio. You are encouraged to explore Bellwether Farm online to better see its accommodations, farm-to-table meals, and overall mission. Registration information will come in late June. Ask our Planning Team if you have any questions: Catherine Lawrence, Melissa Parlanti-Klein, Julie Warren, Lauren Smigelski, and Patti Komperda.
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Living Water Association and Heartland Conference
News & Events
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Chair: Emma Petrie Barcelona
Chair Elect: Kim Katzenberger
Moderator: Dave Amen
Treasurer: Michael Daso
Worship Life: Darren Toms
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Buildings and Grounds: David Spahr
Congregational Life: Andy Barlow
Faith In Action: Michael Greenland
Welcoming Ministries: Audrey Hancock
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LCC’s Membership Directory is online for you to use on the go! Or at home!
Only members whose email is in the directory can have access to the information. It is available on your computer or as an app on your phone.
Please make sure to update the office if you have any changes to your information.
Instant Church Directory
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Office Hours:
May: Monday - Friday: 9:00am-3:00pm
June/July: Tuesday - Friday, 9am-3:00pm
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