Do you like snacks? Do you like helping your friends enjoy snacks? If so, you’re in luck. We are looking for two more people to join the Sunday Morning Hospitality Team to set up / clean up the coffee and treats in the parlor. There are openings the first and third Sunday of the month. It would be a great opportunity for a family to serve together — snacks are fun! Contact Laura Nagle for more information. (Call or text: 859-358-0106 or joyfulsunflower@gmail.com)
Worship is work we do together! You Can Help! If you can read, or carry, or welcome you are helping! If you have suggestions for names we might light the Justice Candle for, you are a gift! If you can help straighten the pews and hymnals after service, or share the names of those who need prayer, or sing with joy, you are lifting our work together to a new level. Sharing on facebook or twitter might be a good way to bring someone a little inspiration! To volunteer, or submit names for prayer or justice work, please call the office or email Rev. Kent. You can also submit these on the church website, a great place to stay connected.
Zen Meditation every weekday, 8:00 am. Join us for 20 minutes of unstructured quiet meditation in beautiful Cowan Chapel, on the Scaffold Cane Road side of the church.
Zen Teaching Mondays at 6:30 pm, Cowan Chapel. David Parks will offer Zen teaching: Meditation, Koans, Conversation, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cowan Chapel. No experience necessary, no need to call ahead, all welcome. Experience the beauty of Zen, hearts opening to life just as it is.
Come to Wednesday Nite Live (WNL)! The Union Church community gathers for a simple supper Wednesdays at 5:45 pm, September through May, in the Community Room (basement level, handicap accessible by ramp near the playground). Dinner is prepared by church members (potluck first Wednesdays of the month). After a few announcements, recognition of birthdays and prayer, it’s supper time! No need to call ahead – you, your friends, neighbors, college students, visitors to Berea, are welcome to come for food and fellowship – whether once, once in a while, or every week. Supper is followed by:
· Youth Group (grades 6-12), 6:30 pm. Want to know more? Contact Chris McKenzie, Youth Director at mckenziec@berea.edu.
· Handbell Choir rehearsal, 7 pm. Want to know more? Contact Pearl Marshall, Handbell Director at pmarshall@union-church.org.
· Occasional presentations & discussions around mission work and hot topics. Watch bulletins and email announcements for info.
Thursday Noon Bible Study. Meet with Rev. Carla in the Classroom at noon to reflect upon the Scripture for the week and issues of the day.
Thursdays — our Music Director, Bernardo Scarambone, will teach a very basic music reading class right before choir (5:45 pm). Everyone is welcome to join them — no pressure to stay for choir – but you’d be welcome!
Kentucky Council of Churches Prayer in Action Days: 9:30 a.m. in the Capital Annex. The KCC will host a 9:30 a.m. gathering at the Capitol Annex in Room 171 on the following Tuesdays during the General Assembly to pray for legislators and hear about an issue of concern. Afterwards, participants may attend committee meetings and visit legislators. Topics are:
· Feb. 5: Tax Reform
· Feb. 12: Criminal Justice
· Feb. 19: Voting Rights
· Feb. 26: Gun Violence
· March 5: Death Penalty
· March 12: Environment
You can watch live prayers in action events at the Kentucky Council of Churches Facebook page, and find out more on the KCC website www.Kycouncil ofchurches.org. To express your concerns to elected representatives, committees or officials call 800-372-7181.
Check out the new water fountain/bottle fillers in the hallways by the office and the Choir Room! If you need a Union Church water bottle you can get one in the office—$10.
Union Church is participating in Room in the Inn! Room in the Inn is:
- an opportunity to directly intervene in homelessness
- a way for churches and community groups to welcome in small groups
- a chance for both guests and hosts to change
- about serving without prejudice or pride and about accepting everyone
Union Church will participate as one of the “Inns” every Sunday night until the end of the season (likely March 10) and we are looking for volunteers who can help with things like
- cooking a meal or cleaning up afterwards;
- moving supplies from one location to another;
- doing laundry;
- spending the night at church with our guests on the nights they are here.
Whether it’s just once, once a month or once a week, we can use your help. Call Joan Moore 859-302-5582 for laundry and other tasks or Mary Lou Wiese 260-571-4959 for food and meals.
Prayer in Action Reflections from Sunday’s Worship Service
The Heavens are telling…. Read and meditate on Psalm 19, page 659 in the blue pew Bible, as you sit quietly here or later in your day. Which words are calling most to your heart? For what do you need a rock? From what do you most desire redemption? Allow your breath to be your prayer for both things.
Jesus’ Mission… Jesus picks a passage from Isaiah 61 as a public declaration of his ministry. What concrete, present-day, tangible actions suggest themselves to you that are needed for this to be a reality. As you pray, breathing in and out, hold space for the Spirit of the Lord to enter in, filling your lungs and heart and blood.
When is the last time you released a captive? We hold ideas, fears, even people captive in our thoughts. What are you holding that needs to be released? As you pray, take in the spirit of the Lord with every breath. As you exhale, consider how to unlock the cells holding you and any others in captivity. Open the door if you can.
Liberation Station:12,000 children are still detained in the US separated. Letters requesting that the Justice Department immediately comply with federal orders to reunite these captives with their parents can be written and or sent with your prayers for a more just treatment, to https://www.justice.gov/doj/webform/your-message-department-justice
Recovery of Sight: Lions Club International collects, sorts and distributes used eyeglasses to those in need. Bring your used eyeglasses to chuch to help other recover their sight. Lay your blessing for those who will receive these lenses, and pray that all of our eyes may be clear to see a new vision of how the world might be.
Mark your calendars: Union Church’s Annual Meeting will be March 10, after Worship & lunch!
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