UU Church of Kent Ohio

Image by TC Perch from Pixabay Sunday, April 12, 2020 A virtual Easter service led by Rev. Steven Protzman, Colleen Thoele, and Hal Walker Rev. Sarah York says:  "Roll the stone away from in front of your hearts."  She invites us to realize that parts of ourselves may be shut away, especially in this time of fear and anxiety.  As we celebrate Easter with its many meanings and its promise that life ultimately triumphs over death, let us be open to Easter's invitation to open our hearts and live more fully.  Click here to view or download the Order of Service.

Sunday, April 5, 2020 A virtual service at 10 AM led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Heidi Emhoff Wood. Bill Gates recently wrote a reflection on what the coronavirus is teaching us about life and the need to reprioritize.  In this time when we are so aware of life's fragility and the truth that life is a precious gift, what really matters?  We'll reflect together on what this time is teaching us about living and life's invitation to consider making some radical changes in our priorities for a more just, more loving world. Click here to view or download a .pdf copy of the Order of Service.

Sunday, March 29, 2020 Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay A virtual service led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Camille Pavlicek-Fauser In this difficult time where we are physically distanced from one another and we need to stay home to help lessen the spread of the coronavirus, how do we care for one another and stay connected?  What lessons can we learn from this time that help us provide a safe haven for each other?  Using a folk tale from Africa, we will reflect on the gifts of compassion, patience, and kindness that can help us through challenging times. Click here to view or download the Order of Service.

Join us Sunday, March 22 at 10 AM for this virtual service hosted via Zoom Video Conferencing. The link to join the worship service can be found below. Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and DRE Collen Thoele, and Worship Associate Elaine Bowen The song "Rising Green" reminds us that the energy of the earth flows through us as well as through all of life and with it is the promise of a new day full of possibilities.  We will gather as a community of all ages to welcome the return of spring and celebrate the Spring equinox with stories, songs, and rituals that invite us to join in the renewal of life. Click here to download a copy of the Order of Service.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Sunday, March 8, 2020 Led by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke and Worship Associate Rev. Steven Protzman Underneath the surface of the world that many of us grew up in is another world, a world of interconnection, of beauty, and of resilience that we yearn for. How might Unitarian Universalists be partners with indigenous and other marginalized communities to live into transformed way of living that invites all of humanity to participate. Additional participants this week were Hal Walker, Colleen Norris, and Sandy Bowers, Blaine and Vanessa Vesely. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 am with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, March 1, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Heidi Wood "Add your light to mine, and together we’ll shine."  Hal Walker's words invite us to share our individual light with one another so that together we can share our light of hope and love with the world.  In order to keep this light shining brightly, it is time once again for our annual pledge campaign in which we will ask you to generously share your money, time, and energy so that together we shine. Other participants today were The Tone Chimers and Hal Walker with Saunis Parsons, Blaine Vesely, and Vanessa Vesely. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Image by John Hain from Pixabay Sunday, February 23, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Lori McGee As Unitarian Universalists, we are held together by covenant, the promises we make to each other about how we will journey together as a people of many diverse theologies and ways of making meaning of life.  But how do we actually live out our covenant?  In preparation for our Covenant of Right Relations workshop today, this service will invite us to reflect on how we can interact with each other in ways that create a community of integrity, honesty, curiosity and spiritual growth. Other participant today was the Kent Peace Choir. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Image by Marc Pascual from Pixabay Sunday, February 16, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman Christine Valters Paintner writes: "Perhaps this is life’s most exalted and exacting task, holding the hard edges against the soft wonder."  After one of life's struggles or losses, in the face of adversity and the divisive times we find ourselves living in, how do we go on?  This service will explore February's Soul Matters theme of resilience and invite us to reflect on how we not only survive life's difficult times but learn to thrive. Other participants today were Worship Associate Dani Beale, RE Director Colleen Thoele, Allison Voneida (cello), Vanessa Vesely (piano), and Shirley Kiernan (violin). Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, February 9, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele After careful research, we have discovered that there are four UU Hallows that can be used to make the world a better place.  In honor of our Kent Hogwarts program, today as a community of all ages we will gather to learn about and find the four UU Hallows and figure out we can use them together.  Be sure to bring your wands, your capes, your wisdom, compassion, and your curiosity for this interactive and adventurous service! Participants today were Rev. Steven Protzman, RE Director Colleen Thoele, Hal Walker, and UUCK children. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay Sunday , February 2, 2020 Led by Rev. Christie Anderson and Worship Associate Randy Bish “Hate cannot drive out hate, only light can do that. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only love can do that.” This proclamation by Dr. Martin Luther King calls on us to employ unconditional love when trying to build bridges with those who hold values that oppose our own strongly held beliefs. We will explore true stories of incredible transformation resulting from the bestowing of love, rather than angry words or facts. Love is more than a cliché. It is a powerful force for social change if we have the strength and skills to manifest it. Speakers today were Rev. Christie Anderson, Randy Bish, Brad Bolton, and Hal Walker. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, January 26, 2020 Topic: Building Task Force Report Led by Vivien Sandlund, speakers also included Rev. Steven Protzman and Kathie Slater. Click here to view the visioning video presented at the meeting. The Town Hall meeting was recorded for those not able to attend. Listen below.

Sunday, January 26, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Elaine Bowen Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, is the pagan festival that celebrates the coming of spring.  In the Celtic tradition, this feast belongs to Brigid, the goddess of fire, poetry, childbirth and healing, who also made the first piece of cloth in Ireland and wove healing threads into it.  As we await the return of spring, we will invoke Brigid's blessing to heal ourselves and our world and reflect on the golden threads of the web of life that connect all of us together. Today's participants were - Rev. Steven Protzman, Worship Associate Elaine Bowen, RE Director Colleen Thoele and the Celtic Clan. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, January 19, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech Martin Luther King Jr. invoked the words of the Hebrew prophet Amos: “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”  We will gather as a community of all ages to honor the memory of Dr. King, to learn about the justice work our children and youth have chosen for this year, and to reflect on how we are all called to build a world where there is justice and peace.  Worship leaders today were Rev. Steven Protzman, Worship Associate Kathy Kerns, RE Director Colleen Thoele, Raylynn Rome, and the Golden Tones.

Image by John Hain from Pixabay Sunday, January 20, 2020 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman with Worship Associate Heidi Emhoff Wood May Sarton wrote: "Now I become myself.  It’s taken time, many years and places; I have been dissolved and shaken, worn other people’s faces."  As we continue exploring January's Soul Matters theme of integrity, we'll reflect together on how seeking to live with integrity and creating greater wholeness within ourselves helps us become more fully ourselves.  Our services will also include a naming ceremony that affirms and celebrates Kevyn Breedon's journey of becoming more fully themselves. Other contributors today were Colleen Thoele, Kevyn Breedon, and Hal Walker. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, January 5, 2020 Led by Worship Associates Kathy Kerns and Elaine Bowen Rainer Maria Rilke says, "May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children."  One of the times we may feel in flow with how we want to live is when we feel we are living our life with integrity, when we feel we are acting in concert with our true selves.  We invite you to come and hear members and friends, Elaine Bowen, Andrew Rome, Randy Bish, and Krsnaa Fitch share their thoughts on living with integrity. Speakers today were Worship Associate Kathy Kerns, Worship Asociate Elaine Bowen, Colleen Thoele, Randy Bish, Elaine Bowen, Andrew Rome, Krsnaa Fitch, and Hal Walker. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Photo by Sapan Patel on Unsplash Sunday, December 29, 2019 one service at 10 AM only Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Camille Pavlicek-Fauser Rev. Kathleen McTigue writes: "We stand at a threshold, the new year something truly new, still unformed, leaving a stunning power in our hands: What shall we do with this great gift of Time, this year?" As we stand at the threshold of a new year, through music, rituals and readings we will reflect on this opportunity before us and ask what we will do with the gift of a new year with its promise and possibility. Other participant in today's service was Hal Walker. One service at 10 AM will be offered with nursery care available.

Wednesday, December 24, 2019 One Night, One Star, One Child Led by Rev. Steven Protzman with Worship Associates Elaine Bowen and Lori McGee Rev. Victoria Safford writes: “Now is the moment of magic when an Eastern star beckons…to find an ordinary baby, born at midnight… and the baby’s cry makes people wonder as they wander through their lives what human love might really look like”. On this night as we welcome Christmas once again with joy and awe, we will tell stories and sing songs about the birth of a child who taught us what love really looks like. On the podcast - Rev. Steven Protzman, Worship Associate Lori McGee, Worship Associate Elaine Bowen, Tone Chimers, Peace Choir. Nursery care will be available for the 6:30 PM service only. Services will not be offered on Christmas Day.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 10 AM only Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Lori McGee Donna Henes writes: “Lighting a light at the darkest time of the year is a pledge somehow. A promise. Such a small, symbolic gesture.” We will gather as a community of all ages to have a festival of light and rekindle the light of hope and possibility in our hearts and in our community with stories, songs and rituals that draw on some of the world’s light celebrations, including Solstice, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and Yule. Join us for this all-ages service at 10 AM only with nursery care available during the service. Podcast people: Rev. Steven Protzman, Worship Associate Elena Kline, Worship Associate Lori McGee.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Sunday, December 15, 2019 Led by DRE Colleen Thoele and Sandy Eaglen This family friendly all-ages service will celebrate the stars! Through dance, song and story, the children of our beloved community will offer tales of Christmas magic and joy.  Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Heidi Emhoff Wood Awe is the feeling we get when something vast challenges our understanding of the world. Feeling awe can be a powerful spiritual experience because as Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner say: "it imbues us with a different sense of ourselves, seeing ourselves as part of something larger." This service will invite us to reflect on awe and its power to help us grow spiritually by inspiring wonder and curiosity, reverence, kindness, and care for others and the world. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Led by Kathy Kerns and Worship Associate Camille Pavlicek-Fauser Taking care of the earth is an important and almost universally shared value.  But  taking care of the earth is also a spiritual challenge as it may require at times that we be intentional and change our behavior so that we feel our actions are in alignment with our values.  This service considers how we can consider ways of "upping our game" in environmental stewardship, especially regarding plastic pollution and the environment. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay Sunday, November 17, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Lori McGee Poet Mary Oliver once said: "Attention is the beginning of devotion." In her poem "Gratitude" Oliver poses eight questions that invite us to be fully present and to pay attention to the world around us. We will reflect on these eight questions as we explore November's theme of "Attention" and how attention is the heart of the spiritual life as well as an invitation to live more fully. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, November 10, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Elaine Bowen Poet Judyth Hill invites us to "Wage peace", to use our breath and our ears and our hands and our hearts to not only actively work for peace, but to act as if peace is already a reality. As we thank and honor our veterans for their service to our country on this Veteran's Day, we will reflect on our sixth principle, the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, November 3, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Jennifer May Commissioner Steven has turned on the Chalice Signal: calling all UU Superheroes! In honor of our Treats and Talents auction with its theme of "SUUperheroes" this year, this service will be an invitation to bring your UUnique superpower and join other “SUUperheroes”, including UU Woman and the Yellow Lantern of Justice, in the work of building community and creating justice and peace. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, October 27, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman with Worship Associate Camille Pavlicek-Fauser "So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us, as we remember them."  The words of this Reformed Jewish prayer remind us that our loved ones live on in our hearts as long as we remember them.  In keeping with the many spiritual traditions of remembrance during this time of the year, we will once again remember and honor our beloved dead with rituals and songs, love and tears.  Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday , October 20, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns Unitarian Universalists often use the phrase "Beloved Community", a concept which was coined by Josiah Royce, who spoke of a community of memory and hope, and then enlarged by Martin Luther King Jr.  How does this vision of the world challenge us as a community to respond to the fundamental human longing to belong and be loved?  Following the second service, there will be a theme discussion group of the month’s Soul Matters theme of “Belonging”. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Image by Ralf Kunze from Pixabay Sunday, October 13, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman, Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele, and Worship Associate Elena Kline The apple, a symbol of autumn, has long been associated with the body, especially healing and good health, but it also represents spiritual gifts, including abundance, love, gratitude and generosity, that help us make our life's journey more meaningful.  We will gather as a community of all ages to give thanks for life's many gifts and enjoy the taste of autumn with an apple communion.  We will also commission and bless our musicians. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

On Sunday, October 6 the UUCK Board of Trustees held a Town Hall Meeting to to review and discuss this years Congregational Goals.  Below is an audio recording of the meeting for those who were not able to attend. Click here to review the goals.

Sunday, October 6, 2019 Led by Lori McGee and Worship Associate Elaine Bowen Yom Kippur is the holiest of days for the Jewish people.  During Yom Kippur, Jews around the world will spend their days fasting, praying in atonement and repentance, and asking for forgiveness from God for wrong-doings over the past year.  What can Unitarian Universalists learn from this centuries long tradition of atonement and new beginnings?  This service will provide some insights to this high holy day and offer a ritual of atonement and beginning again in love.   Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman How often do our expectations of ourselves, our lives, and one another and society's expectations of us get in the way of living more fully and authentically?  As a community that is held together by covenant rather than creed, what can and should we honestly expect of each other?  The service will explore various aspects of the month's Soul Matters theme of Expectation.  Following the second service, there will be a theme discussion group in the sanctuary. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman Starhawk says: “We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been.”  If Unitarian Universalism is to truly be a spiritual home, we need to both give and receive radical hospitality, offering to one another what we need to become more fully human and creating a place we have never been.  During this service we will commission and bless our Religious Education teachers and leaders as we begin a new RE year. Sunday morning services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, September 8, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele What is it the water remembers?  What does water invite us to remember?  As we return from our summer adventures bringing water and stories to share, this festive all ages service of water communion and ingathering invites us to bring our lives, our struggles, our hopes and our dreams to this community and join our lives together once again.  Please bring a small amount of water for the water pouring ritual.    This Sunday we return to two services offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, September 1, 2019 Led by Lori McGee and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns Based on the spiritual practice taught in "Living by Heart," a course that I will offer this church year, this service explores how poetry can be a doorway into prayer.  Unitarian Universalists don't typically have memorized prayers as many other religions do.  When I came to UUism, I missed this practice.  "Living by Heart" offers a way to use memorized poems as a meditative and soulful substitute for traditional prayers.   This Sunday, one service at 10 AM will be offered with nursery care available during the service. On September 8 we return to two Sunday services at 9:45 and 11:30 AM.

Image by Adam Clay from Pixabay Sunday, August 25, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Camille Pavlicek-Fauser Four hundred years after the first ships carrying slaves arrived in the American colonies, we will reflect on America's long history of white supremacy culture, honor the contributions of African-Americans to our culture, and seek to find inspiration for our continued work of racial justice. During this service we will also bless backpacks and other bags to affirm that we are with you in the spirit of love and care as a new school year begins. Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, August 18, 2019 -- one service at 10 AM Led by Kathy Walker and Saul Flanner You have traveled to the UUCK in search of a new adventure. A mysterious invitation to take a road trip awaits you. Will you strike out on your own or bring along your family? How will you prepare for your journey? What will you learn about spiritual practice and family rituals along the way? Could there be other wonders to discover? You decide what happens next in this interactive service. Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, August 11, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman with Worship Associate Kathy Kerns This year at General Assembly, the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association, held in Spokane, Washington, attendees were invited to participate in the work of turning our denomination toward justice and greater inclusion. Rev. Steven will share highlights, experiences and learning from General Assembly, and invite us to lean into the work of helping our faith turn by being trim tabs, the small part of a very large ship that helps it turn. Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 10:00 AM Led by Kathy Kerns, CLM Candidate and Worship Associate Rev. Christie Anderson Our Unitarian Universalist (UU) principles advocate respecting the inherent worthy and dignity of all people and showing compassion in human relations.  Ideally, our congregations are inviting places for anyone who resonates to our principles. As a denomination, how are we doing with people who do not fit the UU stereotype?  We will examine this question through the lens of social class, and consider the critique of some UU ministers that we are not welcoming to people from working class backgrounds.   Following the service, there will be an opportunity for discussion of the sermon topic. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.  Kathy Kerns will lead a conversation in the annex (light snacks provided, feel free to bring a bag lunch). Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay Sunday, July 21, 2019 -- one service at 10 AM Led by Joe Donatone with Worship Associate Rev. Steven Protzman Seminarian Joe Donatone will share his reflections on the Pulse tragedy while examining how our Unitarian Universalist values can guide us through even the darkest of moments. Remaining liberal and religious in times of crisis can be challenging. Joe offers ways in which our values can sustain us, guide us, and inspire us to action. Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, July 14, 2019 One service at 10 AM led by Mike Hovancsek with Worship Associate Elaine Bowen. On this morning we’ll focus on seeing hope in the world by looking at the children in it. Summer services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, July 7, 2019 One service at 10 AM led by Nicole Penny and Worship Associate Lori McGee The importance of prayer is discussed among many religions, but few help with how to pray. Often reading tarot cards as a practice or having the service done for a person is perceived as a way of looking towards the future. In this service we'll seek to explore prayer and how reading tarot cards can be a means to connect to the Universe and a tool for prayer for those who ask for guidance. Summer services are offered at 10 AM on Sunday mornings with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, June 30, 2019 Led by Hal Walker, Mike Hovancsek and "Kenge Kenge" There has been a major change in our plan for this Sunday morning's service.  A wonderful group of musicians from Kenya are in town for the week and they are looking forward to joining us and leading our Sunday morning service.Please join Hal Walker, Mike Hovancsek and “Kenge Kenge” in a very special and unique worship service this Sunday morning at 10:00 am.  Kenge Kenge Orutu System isa unique Nairobi-based group whose music draws on the traditional roots of the Luo people of western Kenya, giving ancient songs new life by infusing them with the spirit of benga, Kenya's indigenous popular music form. Since its formation in 1998, Kenge Kenge (whose name means "a fusion of small, exhilarating instruments") has performed on five continents, at such venues and festivals as Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the American Folk Festival, WOMAD, WOMEX, the Rainforest World Music Festival, and NPR's "All Things Considered." The 5-member ensemble uses such instruments as the orutu (1-string fiddle), nyatiti (8-string lyre), oporo (cow horn), and asili (end-blown flute), and a variety of traditional percussion instruments, along with joyful traditional singing and dancing. Summer Sunday service is offered at 10 AM with nursery care available during the service.

Sunday, June 23, 2019 One service at 10 AM Led by Christopher Dum and Worship Associate Rev. Christie Anderson The United States incarcerates more people than any country in the world.  Our criminal justice policies have created and exacerbated deep divisions in human relations.  Because 90% of people will eventually leave prison, it is important that we recognize the inherent worth and dignity of every person returning to society.  Using the creative work of incarcerated writers and artists as the readings and sermon, this service will create connections between the incarcerated and those on the outside. Summer worship services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10 AM. Nursery care is available during all services.

Sunday, June 16, 2019 One service at 10 AM Led by Rev. Steven Protzman with Worship Associate Lori McGee Is there such a thing as the gay agenda?  Do GLBTQ people want “special rights”?  Is UUCK a “gay church” as some people have described it?  As our quest for truth continues and we celebrate Pride Sunday, the real gay agenda will be revealed and with it, Unitarian Universalism's agenda:  to promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and continue our work to create a world free from bigotry and hatred. Summer worship if offered at 10 AM on Sunday mornings. Nursery care is available during the service.

UU Church of Kent vigil in support of a woman's right to choose. Sunday, June 2, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman As Unitarian Universalists, we do not agree on the issue of abortion but our first principle calls us to affirm the right of every woman to make their own choices about their bodies and their families.  Our faith also calls us to work toward a compassionate society where children are wanted and loved, and welcomed into of a safe community where we care for their needs.  This service will examine what it means to be Pro Faith, Pro Family, Pro Choice. One service at 10 am with nursery care available.

Sunday, May 26, 2016 Led by Cal Frye and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns Memorial Day may be one of the most personal of our American holy days.  It is born out of the human need to make sense of life and death.  To make meaning out of what we have been given and what we will do with it; to remember all those sons and daughters who did their duty, regardless if they wanted to or not.  To Remember. One Sunday service at 10 AM with nursery care available.

Sunday, May 19, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Eric van Baars Once again we gather to do the work of this covenantal community through worship and our annual meeting.   Together we will reflect on who we’ve been this past year, how UUCK has been living out our mission to inspire love, seek justice, and grow in community, and dream about who we might be in the years to come, holding before us a vision of the Beloved Community. ***One service at 9:45 am followed by social hour.  Congregational Annual Meeting at 11:30 am and an all congregation potluck to follow. Nursery care will be available for both the Sunday service at 9:45 AM and the Annual Meeting which will follow.

Sunday, May 12, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Worship Associate Lisa Thiel What do the flowers have to teach us about life? As a community of all ages, we will gather for our annual celebration of flower communion. This tradition, created by Norbert Capek in Czechoslovakia in 1923, invites us to see the beauty all around us in each other and in the world and to learn from the flowers. Please bring cut flowers to share for this festive service. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, April 28, 2019 Led by Music Director Hal Walker and Worship Associate Rev. Christie Anderson In our annual Music Sunday, we will explore a variety of expressions of Peace through music. Music Director Hal Walker, worship associate Christie Anderson, the UU church of Kent Peace Choir, the Fallow Time Folk orchestra and the Tone Chimers will lead the congregation in a Sunday morning celebration of the musical pulse that is so prominent in our community and our world.  The tone chimers will debut a large work for handbells and solo violin called “Peace in our Time” by Cathy Moklebust which includes three movements, with each movement based on a quote by Mother Teresa, Mohandas Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, April 21, 2019 Rev. Steven Protzman and Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele with Worship Associate Eric van Baars The hymn "A Promise through the Ages Rings" says that: "a green shoot always, always springs, and something always, always sings", affirming life's resilience and ability to renew itself. On this Easter Sunday, we will gather as a community of all ages to welcome new members, to sing and rejoice together as we hear Easter's message of hope and possibility, and to celebrate Earth Day. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Led by Lisa Thiel and Worship Associate Cal Frye Descartes may have done humanity a disservice with his axiom, 'I think therefore I am,' keeping us all in our heads. Today we will explore living from the heart as an essential part of the path toward wholeness. Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.

Sunday, April 7, 2019 Led by Rev. Steven Protzman and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns Unitarian Universalists are proud to be labeled heretics (from the Greek word hairesis, which means "to choose").  We are a people who choose- we choose what we believe, knowing that truth and meaning are not fixed or final, but that new understanding and new revelation is always possible.  In this Auction service purchased by Carol Gould, we will explore what it means to be a people who choose.   Sunday services are offered at 9:45 and 11:30 AM with nursery care available during both services.