Update and Resources

February 13, 2026

“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,

and his clothes became bright as light."

~ Matthew 17:2

Sunday Worship at 10:00 AM

Join us for worship this Transfiguration Sunday as we welcome new members! You can always worship online via our live stream or anytime on our Kent UCC Video page. Click here to print the bulletin for an order of worship for those worshiping online.

Have a Heart

Have a Heart Sunday is an annual tradition at Kent UCC, when we share our love by donating food to Kent Social Services to feed those in need. Our children have decorated bags that were available last Sunday. People may wonder if fresh fruits and potatoes should be donated: yes, they can! KSS has said they would love to have them; they would use them in the meals they make and serve. Don't forget to fill a bag or two with: 

• canned fruit and vegetables 
• canned soup
• peanut butter, jellies and jams
• canned tuna/salmon/chicken
• pasta and pasta sauce
• cereal 
• Meal-in-a-Box (Tuna or Hamburger Helper)
• boxed mac & cheese, Ramen noodles, or rice. 
• Paper products and toiletries are also welcome

Bring the bag(s) back THIS Sunday, 2/15. If you are able to do so, bring the bag up to the narthex; if not, leave by the table near the lower level entrance.  We will make sure bags get to the narthex. Thanks to all of you from the Outreach and Benevolence Ministry AND Sunday School children and families!

February Community Meal

The February Community Meal is THIS Sunday February 15th at 5pm. We will serve soup and sandwiches and Valentine's Day desserts! You are invited to donate soups and desserts. We are providing the recipes so they will be consistent. Please consider picking one of the soups to make and bring to church on 2/15 or drop off the soup around 4pm that day before the meal starts. 

Here are the soups: Broccoli Cheese, Tortellini Soup (from the church cookbook), Chicken Noodle, and White Bean Vegetable with Meatballs. If one of those grabs your attention and you want to make it please contact Gayle Wall and she will send you the recipe. You can also sign up on the sign up genius, enter which soup you are making, and Gayle will send you the recipe. We are looking for 2-3 pots of each kind of soup. 

Also in need are Valentine-themed desserts and volunteers for cooking and set up at 3:30pm, and dishes at 5pm. Any contribution you can make to help with this February Meal will be greatly appreciated! Please come and join us at the meal and see how wonderful this hands-on ministry is at our church. Click HERE to sign up on the sign up genius.

Ash Wednesday Service

February 18 at 7pm in the sanctuary

Begin your Lenten journey next Wednesday as we receive the ashes reminding us of our mortality. Join our community of faith as we all return our hearts to the God who loves us unconditionally and eternally.  

Parking

Due to the construction, questions have been raised regarding parking at the church and whether we have enough spaces for Sunday worship and other events. We want to remind everyone that parking is free on the KSU campus on the weekends. If you are unable to find a spot, please park across from the Newman Center in the KSU lot. You can also now park in the front half-circle lot by driving around the barriers.

UCC’s “Action Center”—Extend Temporary Protection Status

Did you know that our denomination has an online action center through the UCC Justice & Peace Action Network?  You can learn more about pressing issues and contact your legislators easily to share your views. The current top issue is related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions.

Over the years, Americans have welcomed newcomers, by creating systems to protect people fleeing danger, oppression or simply seeking a better life. Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are all people who may be unable to return safely to their home countries due to war, instability or targeted persecution. The administration is threatening these protections, leaving thousands of individuals vulnerable. 

TPS grants individuals the ability to lawfully live and work in the United States, protecting them from deportation. As of February 2026, citizens from the following countries are considered unsafe to return to their home countries and are therefore eligible for Temporary Protected Status: Burma (Myanmar), El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. 

However, despite unsafe conditions in all of these countries, the administration is attempting to strip these protections for vulnerable people looking for safety in the US, leaving them subject to deportation. The latest target country is Somalia, but Haiti may be next.



This is one example of a number of timely issues. Learn more and take quick action at: https://www.ucc.org/action-center/

Candygrams

Join us in spreading the love this Valentine's Day! For a $3 donation, you can fill out a candygram and send a sweet treat to your loved one. All proceeds benefit UYF's 2026 Summer service trip to Denver, CO! Members of UYF will be selling the Candygrams on Feb.15.  

Roundabout Information

Please click here for a current update on the roundabout being built near our church.

Host Coffee Hour

We need one or two volunteers each week to simply brew a pot of coffee or two, prepare some pitchers of cold water and perhaps bring a few snacks. Members of Fellowship are happy to coach you through it. Sign up here!

Kent Social Services

Volunteers Needed!

Our primary local partner, Kent Social Services, helps us provide food security to our neighbors. We are seeking volunteers on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 10am -1pm to help serve lunch. Sign up here to indicate when you can help. Thank you so much for your willingness to work in our community, share God’s love, and help those in need.

ACME Cash Back Program

It's that time of year again to submit your receipts for the ACME Community Cash Back program. Every year, participate in this special program that gives money to local non-profits. At the end of the program, we tally up the receipts we have collected, and we receive a portion of it back. Please submit your ACME receipts from August 1, 2025 through February 15, 2026. You can drop them in the baskets that are labeled around the church and in the church office. Thank you for participating!

Sign Up to Greet

Please sign up to be a Kent UCC Greeter. This is an easy but IMPORTANT job! Just come to church before the service at 9:35am, stand by the lower doors and welcome and greet people as they come in! It is so imperative to have a friendly face to welcome everyone as they come in to church. You are coming to church anyway so just come a little early and spread our Kent UCC extravagant hospitality to all who enter our doors. Click here to access the greeter sign up sheet! If you have any questions please contact Gayle Wall. 

• Sunday, February 15 – Transfiguration and Have a Heart Sunday; Special Coffee Hour Celebrating Inez Jackson's Birthday

• Wednesday, February 18 – Ash Wednesday service, 7pm in the Sanctuary 

• Wednesdays, February 25-March 25, Soup Suppers & Lent Programs, 6-8p

This Week’s Sacred Text

Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”