January 2026 2nd Sunday Meal Kitchen Crew +Potluck
2026-01-11 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Join us after service for our 2nd Sunday Meal! Each month we gather in community to share food and fellowship.

Harry’s Kitchen Crew will be preparing the main course, with a special theme! Congregants with last names A–L are asked to bring sides or salads, and M–Z to bring desserts.

Program to be determined:

This month also features a Congregational Conversation, sponsored by [sponsor], where we’ll reflect together on [topic].

OR: We’ll keep it purely social this Sunday: time to connect, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company.

Whether you bring a dish or just yourself, you are always welcome at the table. And if you’re able, please lend a hand afterward with putting away tables and chairs in Fellowship Hall—it makes a big difference!

Whether you bring a dish or just yourself, you are always welcome at the table. And if you’re able, please lend a hand afterward with putting away tables and chairs in Fellowship Hall—it makes a big difference!

The Divided States of America
2026-01-18 09:00 - 10:00
Speaker: Earl Leiken, Senior Fellow, Levin College of Public Affairs & Education,CSU and Lecturer, Siegal College of Lifetime Learning, CWRU; former Mayor,Shaker Heights

How Did We Get This Way?

Why has America become so deeply divided — politically, culturally, and interpersonally?

Drawing from a course he teaches at Siegal College, former Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken explores the psychological, cultural, and economic forces that have driven Americans apart. This program will examine insights from multiple experts and research on the full political spectrum — from progressives to MAGA supporters — to better understand the roots of polarization. And beyond diagnosis comes the harder question: Can’t we just all get along? If so, how?

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom

Property Tax Debate in Ohio
2026-02-01 09:00 - 10:00
Speaker: Zach Schiller, Research Director, Ohio Policy Matters

How Can/Should We Pay for What We Need?

Ohioans’ frustration over rising property taxes is driving a wave of legislative and constitutional proposals—ranging from limiting local levies to eliminating property taxes altogether. With inflation pushing up property values, tax burdens increase even without new levies. But if we reduce or eliminate property taxes, what happens to school funding, emergency services, and local infrastructure? What are the pros and cons of property taxation, the real-world consequences of cutting it, and potential alternative revenue sources?

In person in Fellowship Hallor via In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom

Belief and the Ballot
2026-02-15 09:00 - 10:00
Speaker: Joseph White, CWRU Political Science Professor and Director, Public Policy andGraduate Studies

How Religion Shapes U.S. Politics

Religious affiliation profoundly shapes American politics, influencing not only how people vote but also which policies they support. According to Pew Research, roughly 30% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated—a group that includes atheists, agnostics, and those who describe themselves as“nothing in particular.” Christians remain the nation’s largest religious group, while Jews account for about 2% of the population, and Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus each make up about 1%. About 20% of Republicans and 46% of Democrats report no religious affiliation, while women in both parties tend to place greater emphasis on faith. The economy often dominates election discussions, but shifting religious identities and political alignments may be quietly reshaping how Americans vote—and how candidates frame key policy debates. How might these evolving dynamics influence voter turnout, elections and thenation’s broader political landscape?

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
2026-03-01 09:00 - 10:00
Speaker: Dr. Lara Jehi, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Research Information Ofﬁcer

What We Gain, What We Risk

It is said that AI won’t replace doctors, but doctors who use AI will replace doctorswho don’t.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping modern medicine. What began with simple tools such as automated transcription of patient interviews has expanded into complex systems capable of reading mammograms, modeling protein structures, and predicting the molecular design of new antibiotics. Fromdiagnostics to drug discovery, AI’s presence in healthcare is growing — and it’s not going away. But with this transformation come critical questions: How is AI used in healthcare today? What benefits does it bring to patients, providers, and researchers — and what risks or ethical challenges accompany its rise

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom

The Disease That Steals the Self
2026-03-15 09:00 - 10:00
Speaker(s): Dr. Martha Sajatovic, CADRC Core Leader of Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement; researcher, professor, psychiatry and neurology, CWRU

Understanding Alzheimer’s and the Fight for a Cure

In the United States, one in three Americans over the age of 80 is living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Nearly two-thirds of those affected are women. The disease often begins its silent progression decades before diagnosis — starting with mild forgetfulness, such as misplacing keys or struggling to find words, and advancing to profound memory loss and cognitive decline. Over time, Alzheimer’s can erode not only memory but the very sense of self and identity.What do we truly know about this devastating disease? What causes it, and who is most at risk? How effective are current treatments, and is there real hope for prevention or a cure?

These urgent questions will be explored by leading experts from the Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (CADRC) — a collaboration formed in 2019 among the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth, and Case Western Reserve University. Find out what science has uncovered, what challenges remain, and how researchers are working to preserve memory, identity, and dignity.

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom

Community Conversation
2026-04-19 09:00 - 10:00
Moderator: TBD

Community Conversation – Your Thoughts on Today’s Headlines Join us for this conversation, when you will be the speaker and every viewpoint matters. Grab a seat and jump into a friendly chat about what’s happening in the world – one headline and one neighborly voice at a time.

In person in Fellowship Hallor via Zoom
