Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland

Pride for All Ages May 2024
2024-05-26 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Pride for All Ages, an intergenerational group for LGBTQ+ people, meets the 4th Sunday of every month. Our next meeting is May 26 at 11:30 in the Baker Room. Join us! We socialize, talk about the theme of the service, plan activities and events, and build community. All LGBTQ+ people welcome!

May 2024 UUCC Board Meeting
2024-05-28 19:00 - 21:00
UUCC is governed by an elected Board of Trustees. The Board is responsible for determining and upholding the mission and vision of our congregation, as well as for making financial and legal decisions. The Board of Trustees meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month. All Congregation Members are welcome to attend Board meetings, except when an Executive Session has been called. Members may address the Board only by prior arrangement with the President.

To attend the Board meeting, send an email to board@uucleveland.org for the Zoom link.

Coffee & Treats before Cleveland Pride!
2024-06-01 09:00 - 09:30
Come by for coffee and donuts in the UUCC parking lot starting at 9 am on Saturday, June 1. The group will head to the Rapid at 9:30 am to line up for the March at Cleveland Pride. You don’t have to march to stop by for coffee and festivities and to wish the marchers well!

UUCC 2024 Annual Meeting
2024-06-02 11:30 - 12:30
The UUCC Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2024, following the UUCC Sunday Worship Service. This service is our Flower Communion which will be held outdoors on the East Lawn, as will the annual meeting (both weather permitting).

All members are urged to attend. The membership list is posted on the Board bulletin board at the bottom of the main stairway leading to Fellowship Hall. All congregants, members or not, are welcome to attend, though only members of more than 90 days are eligible to vote at the meeting. If you are unsure of your membership status check the posted list, or email boardpresident@uucleveland.org by May 31.

If you prefer to attend via Zoom, please register via this link.

After our business is concluded, Harry’s Kitchen Crew will host a meal on the East Lawn (again, weather permitting).

All materials for the Annual Meeting are posted on the Board bulletin board outside of Fellowship Hall.

The agenda for the meeting is here. Other information related to the Annual Meeting was sent to the congregants on May 25 in an email from the Board of Trustees.

Official notice here

Congregational Picnic
2024-06-02 12:30 - 13:30
Celebrate the beginning of summer at UUCC by attending the annual picnic immediately following the UUCC Annual Meeting.

Harry’s Kitchen Crew is glad to help support and grillin’ the main Entrees for the All-Church Picnic following the Annual Meeting. HKC will grill burgers and brats for the church community and provide cold beverages.

This is will be a community effort with members of the UUCC will bring either a side dish or dessert (see below the assignment). Please drop off your dish in the Kitchen and please label your dish.

If your last name begins with the A to K…. please bring a side dish to share for eight-10 people.

If your last name begins with L to Z….please bring a dessert to share for eight-10 people.

We look forward to sharing a meal with you underneath the Sun and Shade. Please DO NOT forget your lawn chair and/or blanket.

Thank you again for the another fiscal year of fun, food and service by Harry’s Kitchen Crew. We will see again in the Fall of 2024.

Congregational Discussion with 2024 UUCC GA Delegates
2024-06-09 11:30 - 12:30
Join the 2024 UUCC GA Delegates for a discussion about General Assembly issues. This year’s General Assembly will be all-virtual.

Our Delegates are:

Laurie Albright

John Bacon

Carol Gay

Valerie McFadden

UU's Together presents: "Human Trafficking and YOU"
2024-06-10 19:00 - 20:30
Human Trafficking Is among the top 3 criminal enterprises in the World Why Should You Care?

The United States is among the world’s leading consumers of Trafficking and Ohio is among the top 4 States reporting incidents.

Learn What Human Trafficking is, Who is involved, and What YOU can do about it. UU’s Together present “Human Trafficking and YOU” via Zoom June 10, 2024,7-8:30PM

Contact: Laurie at sunnyskies2023@yahoo.com

Speaker Joan Clark is a Board Member of the Renee Jones Empowerment Center, and Volunteer at the Center for 9+ years. She has been a member of West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church Social Action Committee, Human Trafficking Focus, for over 12 years. Ms Clark has done many presentations over the years to groups both large and small, and of various ages.

FACTOhio Distinguished Speaker - Sat. June 15, 2024, 3 pm
2024-06-15 15:00 - 16:30
“What Owls Know” Author, Jennifer Ackerman, is the next FACTOhio Distinguished Speaker – Saturday, June 15, 2024, 3 pm, Zoom. Jennifer Ackerman illuminates the rich biology and natural history of owls and reveals remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. She joins scientists in the field and explores how researchers are using modern technology and tools to learn how owls communicate, hunt, court, mate, raise their young, and move about from season to season.Zoom Link Registration.

A Celebration of Allan Georgia
2024-06-16 11:30 - 13:00
It’s almost time! A celebration of Allan Georgia’s time as Director of Religious Education at UUCC will be held on June 16 following the service. All are invited. We’ll have cake, an open microphone for those who wish to share thoughts or stories about Allan, and who knows what else…

As Allan announced in February, he is preparing to leave UUCC to take up ministry work in United Methodist congregations in Parma.

You can participate in multiple ways:

We’ll have a “memory book” at a table during coffee hour following the Sunday service where you can share your best wishes and other sentiments with Allan

You can bring “finger food” (baked goods, fruit, etc.) on the 16th to share

You can make a cash donation for Allan’s Celebration gift — we’ll have a box in Fellowship Hall on Sundays after the service, you can use the Cash App, or you can drop a check in the upstairs safe or in the mail – just get it to us by June 10. Please note somewhere on your gift that it’s for Allan’s celebration.

NOTE: If you won’t be in the building during the next few weeks, you can still participate by emailing messages for Allan to Helen Gutin.

We’ll be outdoors for the Celebration of Allan, weather permitting; in case of inclement weather, we’ll be in Fellowship Hall.

Questions? Contact Helen.

Online Mindfulness Meditation Class
2024-06-18 19:00 - 20:00
Mindfulness is the practice of being present with awareness. The benefits of being in the present moment expand to cover all aspects of life. It increases one’s ability to cope with stress, to live life with ease and resilience. It improves physical and mental health. It increases joy and the sense of purpose inline.

This class will provide a discussion of the practice of insight meditation and offer a guided insight practice. All are welcome, beginning and advanced practitioners alike. It is offered through Zoom.

For information and to register contact: Cynthia Taylor at: cynthiataylor.md@gmail.com

Juneteenth: Shaker Building Closed
2024-06-19 00:00 - 23:59
The Shaker building will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 for the national Juneteenth holiday.

Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly
2024-06-20 00:00 - 2024-06-23 23:59
Information about the 2024 General Assembly from the UUA

Provide feedback to UUCC GA Delegates

UUCC Article: How Delegates Vote at GA

UUCC Article: What is the UUA?

Summer Solstice Celebration & Labyrinth Walk
2024-06-20 19:00 - 20:30
The Earth Centered Spirituality Group will be holding a Summer Solstice gathering on Thursday, June 20th at 7:00 p.m. on the west lawn of UUCC. All are welcome to celebrate the turning of the Wheel and walk the Labyrinth. Please bring something to sit on.

Pride for All Ages June 2024
2024-06-23 11:30 - 13:00
Pride for All Ages, an intergenerational group for LGBTQ+ people, meets the 4th Sunday of every month. Our next meeting is June 23 at 11:30 in the Baker Room. Join us! We socialize, talk about the theme of the service, plan activities and events, and build community. All LGBTQ+ people welcome!

June 2024 UUCC Board Meeting
2024-06-25 19:00 - 21:00

Deadline: 2023-24 Expenses Due
2024-06-30 00:00 - 23:59
Our fiscal year end is June 30. We want to make sure that expenses incurred this year get accounted for this year. Besides it being appropriate accounting – it will save your 24-25 budget from being spent before the year begins.

If you are the chair of a committee or staff member that has a budget please make sure all of your expenses incurred this year to get paid this year.

For expenses paid for by an individual that need to be reimbursed, please submit an expense reimbursement for along with all receipts by June 20. Expense reimbursements need to be approved by the committee chair or staff member with the budget the reimbursement is coming from. The expense reimbursement form is in the vertical file to the right of the mailboxes in the 2nd floor elevator alcove or a printable version can be accessed here – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cHjPrGzQ3VDev9egeoOrBRiYOFsmbv2P/view?usp=drive_link

If a bill hasn’t arrived for a good or service that will be received on or before June 30, please email our Bookkeeper, Sue Lencewicz to let her know what the expense is and how much it’s expected to be. This way an accrual can be made so that the expense lands in this fiscal year. Sue can be reached at bookkeeper@uucleveland.org

Come Walk the Labyrinth
2024-07-01 00:00 - 23:59
The Labyrinth is a form of walking meditation that is centuries old. It is used by many different faiths for spiritual centering, contemplation, and prayer. The Earth Centered Spirituality Group will be constructing a labyrinth on the west lawn of UUCC. It will be available from June 21st through June 30th. You are invited to experience this wonderful meditation.

Considering Membership Class July 2024
2024-07-21 11:45 - 13:15
Are you …… interested in learning more about UUCC?… interested in getting more involved?… feeling like UUCC might be your home?

If your answer is yes to any or all of these then please join us for the next Considering Membership Session on Sunday, July 21 at 11:45 am.

This session is designed to provide information about UUCC in general, getting involved at UUCC, roles and responsibilities of Membership, and will end with an invitation to join if you feel that is right for you. This session, or one like it, is required in order to join the Congregation.

The session will be in room 106-108 (lower hallway) at 11:45 am on Sunday, July 21. It will run 90-120 minutes. A light lunch will be served.

Childcare is available during the Considering Membership session. Please sign up by Sunday, 7/14 if you will need childcare.

Interested? Sign up via this link – https://forms.gle/gP8YB6Swkgbe5JYk6

From Awareness to Action: Countering Hate Through Education & Empowerment
2024-07-21 13:00 - 15:00
“From Awareness to Action: Countering Hate Through Education and Empowerment” An Educational Forum sponsored by the Interfaith Group Against Hate (IGAH) will be on Sunday, July 21, 2024, from 1 PM to 3 PM at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, 8712 Quincy Avenue, Cleveland.

The purpose of the Forum is to educate congregants about ways that hate manifests itself across and within society and what can be done locally across congregations and communities. The Ohio Democracy Project and members of the Education Committee will facilitate a formal presentation, followed by a Question & Answer session and facilitated small group discussions.

Each small group will develop their potential responses which will be shared with the whole group. These responses/actions can serve as topics for future educational activities, resources, and allied actions of support.

Pre-registration is required to assist with our Forum planning. Contact Rev. Randy if you are interested.

Education Forum FlyerDownload

79th Annual Cleveland Obon Festival
2024-07-21 13:00 - 16:00
79th Annual Cleveland Obon Festival

A celebration of spring featuring traditional Japanese dance, music, food trucks, and more!

Sponsored by the ShoJoJi Japanese Dancers, Cleveland Japanese AmericanFoundation, Cleveland Japanese American Citizens League

Free and Open to the PublicBring lawn chairs or blanketsIndoors if inclement weatherSunday, July 21, 20241:00 to 4:00 PM

Unitarian Universalist Church ofCleveland21600 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights

Obon_Poster_2024Download

Pride for All Ages July 2024
2024-07-28 11:30 - 13:00

FaCT Distinguished Speaker, Jake Bittle
2024-07-31 19:00 - 20:00
The Great Displacement—Climate Change and the Next American Migration“The Great Displacement is closely observed, compassionate, and far-sighted.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Under a White Sky

The untold story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities being torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future.

REGISTER: ZOOM LINK

About the Author: Jake BittleJake Bittle is a journalist based in Brooklyn who covers climate change and energy. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper’s Magazine, and a number of other publications. He is also a contributing writer for Grist.

UUs Together Gathering: Ice Cream Float Social
2024-08-18 13:00 - 15:00
Join us for the 3rd annual *UUs Together Gathering. Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church invites our sibling UUs across Greater Cleveland to be in community and share old fashioned ice cream floats.

Expand your UU circle through introductions, a brief overview of SWUU, tour of our small but mighty church and of course, the yummy sharing of our creative ice cream floats. Please bring your favorite soda. Ice cream is provided, including dairy free. We will also have a brief tribute to Joseph Schafer, co-founder of UUs Together who passed away earlier this year.

August 18th 2024 1:00-3:00 pm Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church 6320 Royalton Rd. North Royalton, Ohio 44133 *The 2022 UUs Together gathering was hosted by UUCC and the 2023 gathering by WSUU

Come and Play Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
2024-08-21 18:30 - 19:30
Wednesday, August 21, at 6:30PM, you’re invited to come and play Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast, “a slice-of-life tabletop role-playing game about a heartless witch, a peaceful house, and all the folks who have made their home inside.”

Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast uses pre-set characters, quick-play chapters, and an adaptable ruleset unlike anything else out there. It takes less than a half hour to learn how to play and get started.

After sharing some food together at our Wednesday evening supper (beginning at 6:00PM), we’ll be playing a first episode with whoever would like to join in. Practically speaking, six players will be a very full table, but it will also be OK if we have some folx who just want to observe. If you’ve never played a role-playing game before, this could be a great entry-level experience.

“No soliciting, trespassing, romancing, snooping, snitching, or unnecessary smalltalk welcome…

Room For Everyone.”

Pride for All Ages August 2024
2024-08-25 11:30 - 13:00

FaCT Distinguished Speaker Series, Brett Christophers
2024-08-25 14:00
“Standard theories of the causes of climate breakdown will not survive this book. Readers will be all the wiser.”

–Andreas Malm, author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Why the market will never solve the climate crisis.

What if our understanding of capitalism and climate is back to front? What if the problem is not that transitioning to renewables is too expensive, but that saving the planet is not sufficiently profitable?

This is Brett Christopher’s claim. The global economy is moving too slowly toward sustainability because the return on green investment is too low.

Today’s consensus is that the key to curbing climate change is to produce green electricity and electrify everything possible. The main economic barrier in that project has seemingly been removed. But while prices of solar power have tumbled, the golden era of renewables has yet to materialize.

Brett Christophers is a political economist and economic geographer, and the author of Our Lives in Their Portfolios, Rentier Capitalism and The New Enclosure, which won the Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize. Brett Christophers is based at Uppsala University in Sweden.

REGISTER: Brett Christophers

OR

August 2024 UUCC Board Meeting
2024-08-27 19:00 - 21:00

Pre-service Music at 9:45 with Moises Borges and Friends!
2024-09-08 09:45 - 10:15
Be sure to arrive early this Sunday, September 8th for special Ingathering music on the portico (or in the sanctuary in case of rain) with our guest musicians The Moises Borges Quartet!

Water Ceremony and Potluck
2024-09-08 10:15 - 13:00
Sunday, September 8, we’ll cross the threshold into a new church year with a special Water Communion and congregational potluck following the service. If you’re new to Water Ceremony, this is a special liturgical service unique to Unitarian Universalism. Each person or family brings a little water that has special symbolic meaning to them. It could be water from a meaningful place you’ve visited, or water from the kitchen faucet that symbolically represents something important to you. We combine our separate waters into a common vessel and bless the joining of all of our diverse lives and experiences into an interdependent community of faith. The water from our ceremony is then purified and used in child dedications, house blessings, and other special rituals throughout the year.

This year, our Water Communion service will be followed by a congregational potluck. Bring a favorite dish to share and plan to enjoy a meal together after worship. The Board will be presenting their strategic priorities for the year ahead as a part of this time together. When you arrive before the service with food for the potluck, head downstairs to the Fellowship Hall and locate the appropriately labeled table for whatever you’ve brought. There will be tables identified as main dishes, salads, sides, and — most importantly — desserts.

If you bring something that needs to be heated prior to serving, there will be a little time toward the end of worship to tend to those preparations. We look forward to sharing this special time together to celebrate the beginning of a new church year.

In the Most Important Election Ever: Will AI Choose Our President?
2024-09-15 09:00 - 10:00
Speakers: Anthony Perlatti, Director, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, in conversation with Youngjin Yoo, Professor (an AI authority), Department of Design & Innovation, Weatherhead School of Management.

Toxic rhetoric, misinformation and fierce competition between the political parties can worsen with mishandling of Artificial Intelligence. AI chatbots can target vital election security and infrastructure, including voter registration databases, IT infrastructure, networks and data security. Generative AI creates believable political lies via voice cloning and video creations of well-known people. While leading AI technology companies have signed an accord to limit but not ban election “deepfakes”, there is no Congressional legislation that regulates AI.

How can voters become AI aware? How can we promote confidence in November?

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom: http://bit.ly/UUCCForumsFall2024
