On your way down to Coffee Hour, take a look at the Pross Gallery exhibit of Robert Berger’s paintings, recalling travels near and far. Bob is the Berea Arts Council’s 2025 artist of the Year.
If you’ve got an interest in helping Rev. Kent and Church Council think about ways to handle public safety in various situations (whether natural or human-driven) please see Rev. Kent at Coffee Hour.
Summer Handbell Opportunity: have you wanted to try handbells, but don’t think you have what it takes? Starting July 2 at 6:30, and continuing on Wednesdays throughout the summer, the Union Church Handbell Ensemble will be having Handbell Skills Work-shops, and we are welcoming new members — or anyone who just wants to try it out (no long–term commit-ment expected)! We will focus on basic skills such as reading music and especially rhythm. Location TBD, either choir room or sanctuary.
UPDATE!! Samuel’s Kids Emergency need. Shadrach has had surgery for his hernia, and is expected to survive! Samuel sends great thanks to all who helped with money
Help determine and build the future of Union Church!
For the last several months, we’ve been holding listening sessions to imagine the future of Union Church together and determine our core values. We’ve taken that data and distilled it down into a survey for your feedback. Do you have 10 minutes that you can give to share your thoughts about the priorities and values that are important to you? Together we will determine the future of our church and we can’t do that without YOU!
The data we receive will be used to put together a Strategic Doing Workshop in late summer/early fall that will move us into action on the priorities identified. Our hope is to have small groups meeting in the fall that will work together on small projects to move us toward the future we envision. We’ve been talking about what we could do, now we want to determine what we will do to move toward the future that God is calling us to. The survey is here. Please submit your response by July 11. The survey is anonymous.
Tim Monroe’s New Podcast: “What I Really Want to Talk About” features Rev. Kent From Tim “Every single one of us has a hidden passion–something that turns us on and lights us up. On this show, I sit down with fascinating people and we talk about the things that really matter to them and to all of us. It might be surprising, it might be weighty, it might be weird…It’s What I Really Want to Talk About.” Available from Apple Podcasts.
Rev. Kent has never been much of a sports fan, but having traveled to Japan multiple times, he has developed a passion for Sumo Wrestling. We discuss the rules, the strategy and the cultural significance of this fascinating and ancient sport that has been continuously practiced for more than 1,500 years. We discover that there is a lot more to it than just two very large men crashing into each other.
Buddhist Meditation in Berea on Monday, June 23, 1-3p at the Friends Meeting House, 300 Harrison Road, Berea, with Venerable Bhanti Ransi from the Mahamevnawa Meditation Center in New Jersey. Donations welcome. RSVP if possible to jenelam@aol.com, all invited!
June 25 – Union Church Picnic/Potluck/Music Gathering Join us at Rev. Kent & Diana’s home for our annual picnic/potluck/music gathering from 6-8 pm. If you can. Bring a side dish of dessert to share. Church will provide the main course of baked and fried chicken, drinks, and table service. The address is 298 Harrison Rd., Berea. See you there!!
How did homelessness become a crime in Kentucky?? Come to the screening premiere of “Dishonor” in Berea on Sunday, June 29, at the Event Space (599 Richmond Road N., Berea.) Doors will open at 12:30 pm after church. Come for a free meal starting at 1:00 pm. Following the meal, there will be some brief remarks from those who have been working to secure homes for all, and the screening will start at 2:30.
Following the 40-minute premiere episode of “Dishonor” there will be a Q&A session. The event will close with ways that you can take action to join the movement to demand housing, not handcuffs! For more information, please reach out to the Madison County Tenants Union at madison countytenantsunion@gmail.com.
Sing-along June 30! Potluck and Music! You are cordially invited to a potluck and singalong with Peter Blood Patterson (co-author of the Rise Up Singing Songbook) on Monday, 6/30/25 from 6-8:30 at the Berea Friends Meeting House 300A Harrison Road, Berea, Ky 40403, hosted by Jennifer Elam.
Help for our neighbors in Laurel County: Here are greatest needs we know of right now: totes, tarps, tie downs, large industrial garbage bags, and large magnets. Work gloves, first aid sup-plies, cardboard boxes, and packing tape are also needed.
If you are able and interested in helping onsite, make sure you have current tetanus and Hepatitis A shots for your protection. Donations of money can be made at ky.gov.
International Students coming to Berea Soon! Community Friendship Program (CFP) This is your invitation to get to know, and be a friend to, freshman international students arriving in August to Berea College. The CFP was started by a group of individuals from local churches interested in reaching out to these students who were far from home, often for the first time. What an opportunity to learn about other cultures, and to build connections for peace!
Note: Students live on campus, NOT at your house, and the Center for International Education (CIE) on campus is there to take care of students’ needs. Questions? Contact Laura Compton 859-353-1497 or email: communityfriendshipprogram@berea.edu by July 12, pls.
Can you give an upright piano a good home at no charge? Get in touch with Paul (859-358-5499) or LaRee (859-358-2681) Jacobs.
ea, KY – Union Church is proud to announce it received a grant from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) in the amount to purchase new kitchen equipment to support the Open Table Program.
The Open Table Program serves meals and fellowship to everyone- no restrictions, no what ifs, no buts, no exclusions. Everyone has a seat at the table – figuratively and literally.
HOKC awarded $2.5 million in grants supporting 333 non-profits, impacting more than 4 million Kentuckians. Grants are made possible through donations from Kentucky Colonels from throughout the Commonwealth and around the world who choose to exercise the honor of being named a Kentucky Colonel in a meaningful way.
According to Commanding General Gary Boschert: “2024 / 2025 was a challenging year for fulfilling Grant Requests, with $5 million in total requests. We were able to distribute $2.5 million through the Good Works Program that each of you generously supports. Every dollar you contribute to the Good Works Program goes out to nonprofits in the Commonwealth. Together we helped support more than 4 million people this year.”
About Union Church
Union Church is progressive, ecumenical, multi-denominational church community. We do not have a traditional list of doctrines to which one must subscribe in order to be a member. That doesn’t mean we aren’t united in Christian practices and beliefs, but it does mean that we affirm that there are many paths, many questions, many “right ways” to be close to God. We strive to accompany each other and serve the world, following in the way of Jesus. Union Church was founded as an in intentionally ecumenical faith community in 1853, dedicated to ending slavery, and has remained faithful in the pursuit to end exclusion in all forms, fearlessly and faithfully.
About the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is a 501(c) (3) entity dedicated to supporting charitable activities throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees. The “Kentucky Colonel” commission is an honorary title granted by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Since 1951, the organization has pursued its mission through annual grants totaling $72 million to more than 1,700 nonprofits. Of those Colonels’ contributions, each grant is thoroughly vetted by the trustees and staff. Though the corporate name is The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, most know it by its long-term trademark, KENTUCKY COLONELS. Visit kycolonels.org to learn more.
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