Email from Kent UCC

Update and Resources

December 1, 2023

"What I say to you, I say to all: stay alert!"

~Mark 13:37

First Sunday of Advent Worship at 10am

Join us in our Sanctuary for worship this first Sunday of Advent at 10am. You can also watch our live stream by clicking here. You can view services on our Kent UCC Video page at any time. Click here to print the bulletin for an order of worship for those worshiping online.

Special Advent/Christmas Messenger

Please download the special Advent/Christmas Messenger here with all of the worship services, special activities, resources, and articles for the holiday season here at Kent UCC.

"Ketchup" Sunday

This Sunday is "ketchup" Sunday where stewardship will be providing updates from this year's very blessed stewardship season. Because of YOU, we are able to give through our Abundant Life with one another. Then join our Stewardship Ministry for coffee, treats, and fellowship after service in Van Meter Hall.

Bring an Empty, Wrapped Gift to Church!

"The Gift of Being Present" is our Advent theme this year. The Worship & Arts Ministry invites the entire congregation to wrap empty boxes and bring them with you to church so we can use them to decorate for the season. Boxes can be all shapes and sizes! The more presents, the better! We want to symbolize the gift of our own presence with the visual aids of Christmas presents all around the sanctuary and narthex. Please use wrapping paper that is red, green, silver, or gold and has simple designs. We would like to avoid secular designs (such as Santa) on the wrapping paper. You are welcome to bring them to church throughout the Advent season! Just put them in the narthex as you arrive and members of the Worship & Arts Ministry will place them. Thank you in advance!

UCC Daily Advent Devotional

Once again for 2023, the Stillspeaking Writers Group and contributors offer a daily devotional to guide us through the days of Advent and Christmastide, to the celebration of Epiphany. Glow includes candle-lighting liturgies for home use and daily readings with scripture and prayer. To download a pdf version of this Advent daily devotional, click HERE.

Annual Madrigal Dinner

Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9 at 7:00 PM

Theodore Roosevelt HS Choirs are presenting their annual Madrigal Dinner at Stanton Middle School. Tickets are $30 and can be reserved by

visiting roughridermusic.ludus.com and/or calling Rachelle Roeger at 330-808-1597.

Cookie Exchange

Please join the Fellowship Team at Coffee Hour on December 10 when we host the second annual Cookie Exchange. When we decided to try this out last year, we were surprised by the positive reception and large turnout of people who participated. It was such a success that we knew it should become an annual tradition. Here’s how it works:

Bring 2 ½ dozen of your favorite, homemade Christmas cookies to church on December 10.
Drop them off in the church kitchen BEFORE church and make sure to label what they are.
The Fellowship folks will then make a table tent to display with your cookies.
Two dozen of your cookies will be on the Exchange Table, the ½ dozen will be served during coffee hour.
Each person that participates will receive a take home box to fill with 2 dozen cookies to take home.

This is a great and easy way to get some of your holiday baking accomplished. Even if you do not wish to participate in the exchange, you can still enjoy coffee, cookies and fellowship with your church friends. See you on December 10!

Children's Christmas Program

Our children's Christmas Program will be during worship on Joy Sunday, December 17, to hear again the greatest story ever told--the Christmas story according to Luke's Gospel. The children will "rehearse" the two Sundays before as well as Saturday, December 16 from 9:30-10:30am in the sanctuary. To help us tell the story, we will sing Christmas carols along the way. Our congregation will be invited to sing along! All are encouraged to participate in this retelling of the birth of Jesus.

Festive Fa-la-la Fashions

Do you have a festive holiday outfit, fun accessories, an ugly Christmas sweater, or matching family PJs? Here is a way you can spread joy this season! On Sunday, December 17, please wear your Festive

Fa-la-la Fashions to church as we celebrate Advent and light the candle of JOY! It is our hope that everyone comes dressed up in ugly sweaters, Christmas clothes and accessories. You will be given a bell when you come into the service to help us RING out THE JOY together! This is also the Childrens' Christmas Pageant Sunday which always promises to bring joy to us all!

Kent UCC Hiking Group

The next all-church hike will be on December 10 at 1:30. We're meeting at Wood Hollow Metro Park at 2121 Barlow Rd. All are welcome!

Sanctuary Open House

Our sanctuary has a special quality in Advent. Adorned in candlelight and our favorite trimmings, we've added one symbol for our theme this year (lots of presents!) that invites us to consider that the best gift we can give is the gift of our "presence" with those who need it most. We invite you to enjoy the gifts of quiet and solitude during our sanctuary open house on Wednesday, December 20 from 5 - 8pm. There will be others present, "holding space" and praying so you will not be alone. Come and relax, reflect, and rest in God's presence and peace in the midst of an otherwise busy season. You may stay as long as you like. By resting in God's presence, you come to recognize your own and become more present for those you love. Please park in the front loop and enter through the sanctuary doors. Give yourself this gift this year.

Outreach Giving Tree

Our Giving Tree this year will be dedicated to the support of the Mustard Seed organization of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, that is dedicated to improving the lives of those on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation and in the surrounding area. Our youth spent a week there this summer, and Outreach is continuing to work with UYF to improve the quality of life there. Because shopping is very limited there, we are asking for gift cards in any amount from Amazon, EBay, Visa, and/or MasterCard. These gift cards will be used for winter needs such as bedding, towels, blankets, sheets, heaters, gloves, hats, etc. There are gift card holders next to the tree. Just place your gift card(s) in the holders and hang them on the tree. An Outreach member will be collecting the gift cards right after each service on Sunday between now and December 17. If you have any questions, please see a member of Outreach or Dan Mothersbaugh. Thank you!

Longest Night of the Year Service

Our Longest Night of the Year service, or “Blue Christmas”, is an opportunity to express the grief, loneliness, and sadness that are a normal part of living and loving. It is a

worship experience when we ask God for healing, and become again, ever-so-gently, ready to face a future sustained by hope and grace. At this annual service, we gather together to look to the Light on the longest night of the year, when the darkness often seems as though it might overcome us. But we know to look for the Light of the World. All are invited to come searching for this Divine Light, the Christ-Light that we trust to pierce through our darkness. Whether you are grieving, feeling lonely and blue this holiday season, or would like to accompany a friend who may need comfort, you are wholeheartedly encouraged to join us for this beautiful and healing service, held in our sanctuary on Thursday, December 21 at 7pm.

Kent Social Services

Kent Social Services needs our help stocking its food pantry. Right now their specific needs are pasta, sauce, tuna, ramen noodles, and canned fruit.

Save the Date

SOUP’s ON- Small Group Supper

Winter Gathering on Saturday January 27th, 2024

This will be our second Small Group Supper Group date. We need people to sign up to host and to sign up to participate. Hosts will be asked to provide a meal of “UMM, UMM, GOOD Soup” and bread! Our first Supper group was a huge success with all participants wanting to do it again. Please join us this time and you will be assigned to a Supper Group to dine together at the host’s home on 1-27-24. Save the Date now and look for an official sign up sheet very soon. Direct Questions to Eileen West or Gayle Wall- from H & M Committee.

Anti-Racism Book Group

The Anti-Racism Book Group has chosen a new book, Dear White Christian. What every white Christian needs to know about what Black Christians see, think, and experience racism in America (Layton, 2017). We’ll discuss it over our next two meetings—October 23 and November 27. We’ll then take December off and begin a new book in January, continuing meeting the 4^th Monday evening of each month. We meet from 7-8:30 pm via Zoom. The book we’ll begin then is From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21^st Century, Second Edition (Darity and Mullen, 2022). We welcome new members! Please contact Barb Hanniford at bhanniford@neo.rr.com for more information and the Zoom link.

Space for Grace Prayer Group

Space for Grace is a contemplative and intercessory prayer group that meets on Zoom every Tuesday from 7:30 – 8am. All are wholeheartedly welcome to join us for prayer, scripture, silence, and to be held in the loving arms of prayer partners and our loving God. If you’ve never been a part of a prayer group, give it a try! You are welcome to come when you can. Join us for a powerful experience of encountering God. If you would like to be a part of a prayer group but the Tuesday morning time does NOT work for you, please contact Pastor Amy to indicate your interest.

ACME Cashback Program

The ACME COMMUNITY CASH BACK PROGRAM is running now through February 15, 2024. Check the bottom of your receipts to see if you have any amount earned for this program. If so, please bring your WHOLE receipt(s) to the church and place in the baskets. One basket is in the office and another one will be on the small table close to the Chapel.

In 2023 we earned $122.65 for our Women's Fellowship. Thanks to all who participated.

Worship Volunteer Opportunities

There are many opportunities for you to serve. If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

Greeter

Extend extravagant hospitality to visitors and members with a warm smile. Sign up HERE.

Liturgist

Liturgists participate in worship services by reading parts of the liturgy. You’ll get the readings in advance. Sign up HERE.

Flowers for Sunday Worship

Please check the flower schedule on the sign-up calendar in the Narthex to donate flowers for Sunday worship services. We have decided to go back to JUST the sign-up calendar and do away with the sign-up genius online. There might be a special day or celebration you want remembered and this is a wonderful way to do it. You can bring flowers in yourself or by ordering from Oregon Corners Florists in Stow. They will deliver to the church. Thank you for your help in making our services special.

Prayer List

If you would like to ask the entire congregation for prayer for yourself, someone else or for our community and world, please submit it on our new website by clicking the “Prayer Request” tab here, or by letting our church office, a Deacon, or Pastor Amy know. We will share the prayer list in our weekly updates, as you see below.

Please let us know if there are changes or if you would like to remove someone from the prayer list. Contact Leah in the church office. Thank you.

In Our Prayers

Rudy Capece, grandson of Debbie and Al Barber

Nilla Cheatwood, friend of Lawrence Prichard

Becky Dunlap's sister Alana

Ann Guffey

Jeff, friend of Harold Hight

Bev Feher, long-time friend of Barb Marken

Mary Homer's friend Bob, cousin Pat, and cousin Janet

Carol Horner

Danielle Ingersol, Sue Otterson’s niece

Billy O’Malley, nephew of Annie O’Malley

Pam, friend of Rich Ferguson

Cheryl Phillips

Lawrence Prichard

Patricia and John, friends of Lawrence Prichard

Jason, son of Laurie Riddle and Zoe Walsh

Noel Reeves

Rev. Pat Russell

Marilyn Skinner

Joanne Smerdon, Kathy Myers' mother

Donna Stefanik

Lakota Three Legs, friend of Dan Mothersbaugh and UYF

Ruth Wagner, friend of Muriel Breyley

Gladys Wells

Elliana White, family friend of Pam Quellhorst

Spiritual Care

One of the greatest joys of spiritual community is knowing others are constantly holding you in prayer and in love. Please know that you are not alone. Pastor Amy is available for spiritual care and prayer as are our lay leaders.

For confidential help and spiritual care needs, devotional materials, prayer, or just to talk this week, contact Pastor Amy, a Deacon or a Stephen Minister.
Contact Pastor Amy: pastoramy@kentucc.org or (330) 673-9534
Contact a Deacon: KUCCdeacons@icloud.com
Contact a Stephen Minister: sueotterson@gmail.com or (234) 417-2335
For financial assistance from our Congregational and Community Assistance Fund, please let Pastor Amy or the Deacons know.

Looking Ahead

This Sunday, December 3 - First Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 17 - Community Meal, 5pm; Lessons and Carols Service, 7pm
Wednesday, December 20 - Sanctuary Open House, from 5-7pm
Thursday, December 21 - Longest Night of the Year Service, 7pm
Sunday, December 24 - Fourth Sunday of Advent at 10am and Christmas Eve service at 7pm