In case you missed our lunch event in August, the Faith Development Board wants to make sure you know all the great ways you can get involved in church activities! Perhaps one of them will help you rekindle your own spirit!
For young people:
Kids Ages 0-Kindergarten: Our nursery program will now have activities during church that teach the basics of Christian life: love, sharing, and joy. This will be in our newly refurbished nursery, which includes a TV broadcasting the service quietly for parents who need the nursery but want to keep up with the worship service.
Kids Kindergarten-5th Grade: Children’s Church is for you! After the children’s moment in each Sunday worship service, join our rotating group of teachers in the chapel for an experience of Christian stories explored through movement, nature, storytelling, art, and more. See a brief intro to our curriculum, Progressive Christianity’s “A Joyful Path,” here!
Youth 6th-12th Grade: On Wednesdays, youth in middle and high school eat dinner together at Wednesday NIght Live at 5:45pm, then retreat to the 3rd floor youth rooms for games, discussion, spiritual study, and more. They also do many special trips and service projects. For more information, contact Chris McKenzie, Youth Director, at christopher_mckenzie@berea.edu.
For All Ages:
Spiritual Book Study: Join the lively discussion in the conference room every Sunday morning at 9:30 as people discuss many controversial books on hot topics in the spiritual world. Previous books have dealt with race in America, Islamic faith, death and dying, feminism, and more.
Psalm Study: first and third Tuesdays at 4pm in the 2nd floor classroom, join a group of people mining the psalms for spiritual strength. We read, pray, and sometimes sing them together.
Pastors’ Bible Study: A lively group discussion of the upcoming sermon passages takes place every Thursday at noon in the conference room. We follow the Revised Common Lectionary, which is what the pastors use to decide what scriptures to preach. Questioners and skeptics very welcome!
Musical Opportunities:
Union Church Choir: Want to meet people, have fun, and build your spirit? There’s no better way than singing with a group. They rehearse on Thursdays at 6:15pm, and again before the worship service at 9:45am. All skills levels are welcome, so come even if you don’t think you can sing!
Union Church Handbell Ensemble: Be part of a living instrument! This group meets after Wednesday Night Live supper at 6:45. Learn to work together in a whole new way to create beautiful music.
Ways to Serve:
Wednesday Night Live: Calling all the Marthas! Do you feel better in a social situation if you have a job to do? We’ve got some! We need dishwashers, servers, coffee makers, sous chefs, and more! Speak to Kevin Burke for more info at kevin_burke@windstream.net
Coffee on Sunday: If you’re particular about coffee, we have a job for you! We’re looking for folks who want to make sure our hospitality is top notch by helping brew and serve coffee on Sunday mornings. You can help by talking to Kevin Burke at kevin_burke@windstream.net.
Readers, Ushers and Communion Servers: The Worship Board is always seeking volunteers to make our worship service lively, welcoming, and smooth. You provide the hands, we provide the training! Contact Doug Hindman at hindmandouglas@gmail.com.
From the Mission & Service Board: No Bazaar this year. BUT – Union Church will be a sponsor for the Spoonbread Festival September 15-17 5-K run and will also have a booth. Volunteers will be needed to staff it and hand out literature. We have a quilt that was donated (and refurbished by Bob Boyce) which we can raffle off at the Festival. Please let members of the Board know if you would be willing to assist with fundraising events. Thank you, Sally Zimmerman and Dodie Murphy
The Kentucky Council of Churches’ Annual Assembly is October 19 & 20, in Louisville. Use the link for info (Annual Assembly), but here’s the short version:
Topics to be discussed include:
- Members of Kentucky Council of Churches’ Creation Care committee will discuss “Environmental Privilege.”
- Dr. Charisse Gillette, president of Lexington Theological Seminary, will lead the workshop “Working to Remove Systemic Privilege.”
- A workshop discussing our 2018 theme “A House Divided” will be led by representatives from the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange. They will share some of the divides they witness in our society today and ways to work to bridge those divides.
- Dr. Emily Askew, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Lexington Theological Seminary, will discuss “Immigration Privilege.”
- “The Effects of Economic Privilege on Health” will be led by Tom Walton, retired director of Population Health at KentuckyOne Health.
One Great Hour of Sharing Immersion Experience: Come and join this opportunity to be part of an immersion experience along the Arizona border with Mexico. Participation includes physical presence, personal friendship building, and strengthened systemic commitment for on-going involvement. Learn what is already happening in migration, immigration and refugee support, and the UCC’s commitment to sustainable development and ministries related to forcible displacement. October 12-17. All questions should be directed to Phyllis Richards at One Great Hour of Sharing, 216-736-3215 or oghs@ucc.org
Join the experience and conversation. To receive additional information, sign up today!
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