Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland

Politics, Policy & Economic Action
2023-03-19 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Speaker: Mark Sniderman, PhD, CWRU Weatherhead School of Management, former Executive Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates 5 times in 2022. How much more will the Fed need to raise interest rates to control inflation, and where will that rate likely settle? What are the implications for long-term interest rates and mortgage costs? Will there be another housing bubble? If there is a recession in 2023, how long and deep would it be? Did the Fed wait too long to raise interest rates? How much power does the Fed have to lower inflation given public expectations of future inflation? Was too much money injected into the economy during Covid? What will be the price rise on food, energy, housing and health care, and when can we expect the stock, bond markets and economy to stabilize?

Test Event with New Plugin
2023-05-08 14:00 - 16:30 | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland, 21600 Shaker Boulevard, Shaker Heights, 44120, United States
This is a test event. Not much to see here.

Reproductive Freedom Amendment: UUCC Action Group
2023-05-09 15:00 - 16:00
Gather by zoom with other UUCC Members and the Reproductive Justice Team who Support The Reproductive Freedom Amendment
We are working to get this petition on the ballot in November 2023 .
We are gathering signatures, attending rallies and fundraising activities. It cost a lot of money to get an amendment on the ballot.
We gather to share what we are each doing, share tips and strategies. We learn from each other as we share our experiences. We can connect you with a petition signing buddy.
Have you done a signature training yet?
if not, follow this link to Protect Choice Ohio: https://protectchoiceohio.com/signatures
Blank Petitions can be picked up at UUCC
Signed Petitions can be dropped off at UUCC in the Welcome office
Wednesday: 12 noon to 3 pm
Friday : 3 pm to 6 pm
To register for the zoom contact: UUCC Reproductive Justice Team sunnyskies2023@yahoo.com
include your name and email address and we will send you the zoom link
If you can’t come to the meeting contact us at any time and we will help you find ways to connect. We would like to help you get connected.

Check out the Protect Choice Ohio website if you want to learn about ways you can help throughout the region. https://www.mobilize.us/protectchoiceohio/

Permaculture Garden/Orchard Maintenance Help Wanted
2023-05-10 10:00 - 12:00
A good-humored group of people trims, weeds, plants, and putters from 10 AM to Noon or so on Wednesdays. We welcome your help and your company. Can’t come every week? That is OK! Come when you can. Bring yourself and your favorite tools and maybe some water.
Have questions?
Contact Tom Gibson or Dan Homans.

Book Discussion: Mistakes and Miracles
2023-05-10 11:30 - 13:30
UUCC Book Discussion
Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism
Sunday May 21, 2023
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Conference room
light lunch will be served

We will discuss the UUA Common Read

If you haven’t been able to read (or get a copy of) the whole book, you can prepare for the discussion
1. Read Chapter Two, “Common Threads,”
2. Read Suzanne Zilber’s summary below

3. listen to the panel discussion with the authors available here, https://www.uuabookstore.org/Mistakes-and-Miracles-P18521.aspx.
4. An audiobook version of Mistakes and Miracles is available through Hoopla, a library app which is available to download through Google Play or the Apple Store.

Amazon Description of the Book:

What calls Unitarian Universalists to create multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community? What do congregations need when they embark on this journey? What common threads run through their stories?
Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin—a white minister and a lay person of color—share how five diverse congregations encounter frustrations and disappointments, as well as hope and wonder, once they commit to the journey. Mistakes abound. Miracles of transformation and joy emerge too. Extensively researched and thoughtfully written—with reflection questions at the end of each chapter—Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism will guide listeners to apply these stories to their own communities, develop next steps, and renew their commitment to this hard but meaningful work.
Suzanne’s Summary:
Common Threads
Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism
by Nancy Palmer Jones and Karen Lin (2019) Skinner House Books pp 30-32
In the book Mistakes and Miracles, they ask the following questions for congregations to consider to create multicultural, anti-racist communities –
1) Who has power in the here and now and who doesn’t?
2) Who benefits and who doesn’t from hierarchical systems created long before we current strugglers were born?
“Our Common Threads include most of the shared elements from the lists in earlier resources, along with some of our own. No one congregation embodies all of these Common Threads, and congregations almost never implement them fully. The Common Threads do not constitute a step-by-step-to-do-list. Congregations can enter into this work at multiple points; they can pick up one or more of these elements at any stage in their development. We witness most of these Common Threads. In sections that follow, we look more closely at each one.
* Intentionality: congregations ground their journey in an overarching goal or sense of call, made explicit in their mission and vision.
*Relationships, Relationships, Relationships: Building and tending to healthy relationships within the congregation and beyond are central to the work.
* Leadership That’s Diverse, Committed, and Collaborative: Ministers, staff, and lay leaders are passionate champions for the multicultural, antiracist mission. Whenever possible, they represent a wide range of identities.
* Education for Multicultural Competencies and Collaboratives: Ministers staff and lay leaders are passionate champions for the multicultural, antiracist missions. Whenever possible, they represent a wide range of identities.
* Education for Multicultural Competencies and Antiracism: Through classes and trainings that speak to different generations, congregants can name the impact of white supremacy culture and other oppressive systems of power and privilege. They explore the congregation’s history and the wider community in which they dwell in order to draw on strengths and reconcile mistakes from the past.
* Institutionalized Structures That Support the Multicultural, Antiracist Mission: Congregations adapt their governance and committee structures to make them more inclusive. They work to eliminate barriers to participation in leadership.
* Multicultural is Multigenerational: Children, youth, young adults, and adults workshop, learn, and grow together, honoring their different styles and expectations of family life across racial, ethnic, and generational differences.
* Worship that Speaks to the Heart and That Centers Diverse Voices, Styles, and Cultures: Worship in these congregations touches congregants’ hearts, bodies, and spirits as well as their minds. It includes music language, and art from many cultural sources. Such inclusion is authentic and accountable because the congregation has relationships with people whose cultures are represented.
*Social Justice and Community Engagement: The congregation works in partnership and solidarity with traditionally marginalized groups at the local, state and national levels for justice and equity for all. Congregants – especially those from the dominant culture- know how to follow leaders of color as well as how to use their own power appropriately for change that benefits those at the margins.
*Adaptability and Entrepreneurship: The work of creating multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community keeps evolving. These congregations adapt their initial plans to meet changing times and contexts. They develop a gift for improvisation and joy. They are on the journey for the long haul.
* A Willingness to Take Risks and to Feel Uncomfortable: Taking risks – especially risking ‘failure’ – creates discomfort in most congregational systems. Yet in the work of building multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community, if some folks are not uncomfortable, then the congregation or community may not be moving into the areas that need the deepest change.
* Patience, Perseverance, Courage, and Humility: This work is messy, and it never ends. Well-trained and well-intentioned people will keep making mistakes. Conflict is inevitable. Patience, Perseverance, courage, and humility are prime habits of the heart in building multicultural, antiracist Beloved Community.
* A Palpable Aliveness and Love: Congregations on this journey have a sense of aliveness and enthusiasm for the work. Everyone has the chance to feel more whole and ‘seen’ in such communities. The spirit of love is palpable in the congregations that commit to this soul work.
All of these Common Threads are easier to grasp through story, example, and experimentation than through lecture and description. The following sections draw on wisdom and examples from a wide range of sources as well as on the lived experiences of the congregations we study.”

DRUMM Public Worship
2023-05-11 20:00 - 21:30
When: 11 May 2023 8:00 PM, EDTWhere: Join us via Zoom OR LivestreamMay 11th, 20238:00 PM Easternhttps://uuma.zoom.us/j/92306159821Livestream on DRUUMM YouTube:https://youtube.com/live/rwEFv1k3uZo?feature=share

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Tour: Cleveland African American Civil Rights Trail
2023-05-13 13:00 - 16:00
Tour the three stops on the new Cleveland African American Civil Rights Trail with Aaron Fountain, UUCC attendee and Cleveland Restoration Society Fellow who directed the installation. The tour, sponsored by the Racial Justice Leadership Team, will leave from the UUCC parking lot on Saturday, May 13, at 1 pm and will last about 3 hours. Reservations required at uucc.rjlt@uucleveland.org.
The award-winning Cleveland African American Civil Rights Trail is the first of its kind for a major northern American city. Through the installation of historical markers and a dynamic website, the project commemorates ten sites that shaped the civil rights movement in Cleveland. The website (clevelandcivilrightstrail.org) provides visitors with longer writeups about the sites, oral history interviews, and multimedia content. As of April 29, four markers are in the ground at their prospective locations, but we will visit three of them on May 13th:
The Carl B. Stokes marker sits outside of City Hall and recognizes Stokes’ significant election as the first African American elected as mayor of a major American city. Cory United Methodist Church, located in the Glenville neighborhood, served as a hub for grassroots organizing and hosted prominent civil rights leaders that include Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. The Ludlow Community’s marker commemorates a neighborhood that sits on the border of Cleveland and Shaker Heights and pioneered integrated housing during an error of blockbusting and redlining.
The tour will be led by Aaron G. Fountain, Jr. formerly worked as the African American Cultural Heritage Fellow at the Cleveland Restoration Society from 2022 to 2023. Last year, he completed a PhD in history at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. His research documents 1960s and 1970s high school student activism in the San Francisco Bay area. While enrolled, he published articles and op-eds in various academic journals and media outlets. Currently, he’s working on a book project related to his dissertation and works as a web content editor for the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture.
We will meet at 1:00 in the church parking lot and will arrange cars to carpool. Reservations required at uucc.rjlt@uucleveland.org by May 10. Contact Nancy King Smith or Suzanne Zilber for more information.

“Through the Roof” Celebration, May13th
2023-05-13 19:00 - 21:00
Join us in celebrating the congregants and congregations that participated in the”Through the Roof” Congregational Challenge on Monday, May 13, 7 pm., in Fellowship Hall. Learn more and see the list of participants here:

Congregational Conversation May 2023
2023-05-14 11:15 - 13:00

Food & Fellowship May 2023
2023-05-14 11:15 - 13:00

Linking Legacies concert at UUCC
2023-05-14 13:00 - 14:00
Be sure to join us at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 14th for Linking Legacies, a free musical event celebrating the music of Black Americans. Linking Legacies will be held in the Sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland (21600 Shaker Boulevard), and will feature Christopher Jenkins (viola), Khari Joyner (cello), Steven Weems (tenor), and Dianna White-Gould (piano). Linking Legacies will celebrate the legacy of African American composers who had (or have) a connection to Northeast Ohio by featuring performers who have personal connections to the institutions where those composers trained, as well as connections to the composers themselves. This program will highlight works for voice, piano, cello, and viola by Nathaniel Dett, Hale Smith, Dolores White, H. Leslie Adams, George Walker, and others. Linking Legacies is free and open to the public – don’t miss this very special musical event!

Christopher Jenkins

Khari Joyner

Dianna White-Gould

Proposals Due
2023-05-16 21:00
Details TBD

Permaculture Garden/Orchard Maintenance: help wanted
2023-05-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-31 10:00 - 11:00
A good-humored group of people trims, weeds, plants, and putters from 10 AM to Noon or so. We welcome your help and your company. Can’t come every week? That is OK! Come when you can.
Have questions?
Contact Tom Gibson or Dan Homans.
We meet every Wednesday during the garden season
Bring yourself and your favorite tools and maybe some water
we are a fun group

FDR Musical Play: Aristocats
2023-05-20 14:00 - 16:00
Disney Musical, The Aristocats
Saturday, May 20, 2 pm
FDR Academy, 800 Linn Drive, Cleveland 44108
This year FDR is performing Disney’s “Aristocats”. UUCC support this year includes some hands-on and financial help with snacks, scenery/ costumes, providing a videographer, and a cake for the cast party. Special recognition is due to our own Becky Burns, who has been serving most ably and tirelessly since last fall as the Volunteer Music Director!
This is the fourth year that FDR has been selected for a prestigious grant to perform a Disney musical, with assistance from Playhouse Square. Some of you may remember the fun in previous years of painting parties, making costumes and props, and attending performances at FDR. We know how participation in the arts can be a transformative experience, and we’re glad to participate.

Congregational Conversation: Article II & GA
2023-05-21 09:00 - 10:00
UUCC Delegates to the 2023 General Assembly will share results from the 2023 UUCC General Assembly Survey and facilitate a discussion about what has been learned. The goal is to provide guidance to the Delegates who will be voting on Article II at GA and involve the congregation more in the issue. A follow-up survey will be created based on the results and survey discussion. Topics include:

Current or Proposed UUA Purpose statement
Current Principles or proposed Values for the UUA
Current Sources or proposed Inspirations for the UUA
Current or proposed UUA Inclusion statement
Current or proposed UUA Freedom of Belief Statement
Current or Proposed Article II
General Assembly Topic Preferences

Tour Rustbelt Riders Compost Facility
2023-05-24 11:00 - 12:30
Composting Tour at Rustbelt Riders
Free Tour
Ministry for Earth is sponsoring up to 15 people for a tour of RBR’s facility on Wed, May 24th @ 11am on 2701 St Clair Ave, Cleveland.
1 hour tour + Q&A.
Please contact Dana Hercbergs
Call: 216-816-8675

GCC Delegate Assembly in Person
2023-05-25 19:00 - 20:30
After several years of being apart, Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) will gather together in person!
Thursday May 25, 2023
7 PM
Imani United Church of Christ
832 E 222nd Street
Euclid, Ohio 44123
We are excited about coming together again as a whole organization! In order to re-acquaint ourselves, or make new acquaintances, the assembly will include one-on-one gatherings along with house meetings, where groups of leaders will sit together for a guided discussion. Once again our EngageGCC tri-chairs, Marcia Levine, Susan Reis and Willie Brown, whose congregation is hosting the assembly, will lead the meeting.

All are welcome to participate and you can sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJKts_OIwNLLF-Uu6HP91DuC9KomgKapEoYanIUI0AMz1zdw/viewform?usp=sf_link

GCC Updates
Last month, leaders of the GCC Juvenile Bindover Team had an unprecedented meeting with all six of Cuyahoga County’s juvenile judges to establish a relationship and to express GCC’s deep concerns about the bindover of youth to adult court. As a result of the meeting, the judges have invited GCC leaders to sit in on their courts and individual meetings with the judges will be scheduled to continue this extremely important dialogue.

In recognition of GCC leader Donna Weinberger‘s efforts, the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board has chosen Donna and GCC to receive a Helping Hands Award for their work as longtime advocates for reforming criminal justice systems and policies to include diversion efforts and education related to mental health and substance use disorders in Cuyahoga County. Congratulations to Donna and the team!

Last month, nine GCC staff and leaders joined eight other organizations in Washington, DC to form a New Organizing Alliance and discuss how the group can work together to create change. At the meeting an interim structure was outlined, leading eventually to the formation of a member-based collective that will leverage the expertise of each organization. The new organizing alliance will have two national trainings, one this coming fall in Washington, DC and one next spring in Cleveland.

UU Taboos: Sin
2023-05-28 19:00 - 20:30
The words we use matter. But the words we don’t use matter too.
I have been hoping to find a way to talk about words and what is wrapped up in them, especially when our spirituality is at issue. Here’s my attempt at that: a set of conversations about some of the words we don’t use. And hopefully along with that, a chance to enjoy one another’s company and some beautiful Summer evenings outdoors.
Being able to ask meaningful questions of ourselves requires looking at our assumptions, biases and implicit feelings. And since we create brave space at UUCC, I invite us to do just that about some of the big picture religious ideas that sometimes rattle around when we work on big ideas.
What are these ideas that often show up as what we are trying NOT to do, and NOT to be? What are our feelings about these ideas? What can we learn about ourselves by reflecting on our feelings? And how else may we understand these ideas? How can they challenge us? What can we learn by thinking with them as well as against them?
These conversations will have a particular structure. Its going to be a casual conversation. There’s no curriculum here. Instead, the goal will be to invite those who join the conversation to express their feelings about one of our taboos. After we get those feelings out, I’ll hope to give some wider context, some other points of view that we might reflect on. After some discussion, we’ll invite one another to express some new directions they could see for these taboo ideas that hopefully lead to more discussion.
We’ll be gathering on Sunday evenings in either the garden or on the East lawn, unless weather chases us inside. I sincerely hope some fireflies join us.

Board Presentation on Proposed Changes to the Code of Regulations
2023-06-01 19:00 - 20:00
The Board of Trustees will be holding a zoom session to present and discuss the proposed changes to the Code of Regulations.
This meeting will be held on Zoom on Thursday, June 1, at 7 pm. Please register here if you would like to attend.
The proposed changes are available via the Annual Meeting Agenda.
We hope to see you there and answer all your questions!

March with Pride for All Ages
2023-06-03 09:00 - 14:00
Join UUCC’s Pride for All Ages group for the Pride Parade and Festival. We’ll meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Shaker Building and hop the Rapid to the staging area. Staging starts at 10:00, with kickoff at 11:00. If you don’t want to meet up beforehand, just look for our banner. This is a fun, family-friendly opportunity to live your UU values!

Tour of the Shaker Building
2023-06-04 11:15 - 11:45 | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland, 21600 Shaker Boulevard, Shaker Heights, 44120, United States
Please join us for a fun and informative tour of the UUCC Shaker building immediately after service.

UUCC 2023 Annual Meeting
2023-06-04 11:30 - 12:30
The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at approximately 11:30 am. The meeting follows the UUCC Sunday Worship Service. The meeting will be in person, with a Zoom option. Please pre-register for the Zoom meeting here. The Board of Trustees will host a pizza, salad and ice cream picnic immediately following the meeting.

All members are urged to attend. The list of eligible members is posted at UUCC. If you are unsure of your status please inquire to boardpresident@uucleveland.org by May 31.

Click here for the Agenda and supporting materials.

Orchard Perennial Planting and Pizza Party Saturday
2023-06-10 10:00 - 13:00
June 10, 10 AM to 1 PM
We need help getting new Plants in the ground: Come fill out the rest of the UUCC apple orchard with beautiful, pollinator-friendly perennials. We’ll have almost 500 plant plugs and full-sized plants expressly designated by Cornell University as attractive to apple orchard pollinators. Bring hand trowels marked with your names. We’re inviting UUCC neighbors, as well as members for a fun event. Pizza (both kid-friendly and veggie, plus drinks) will be provided.

UU Taboos: Dogma
2023-06-11 19:00 - 20:30

Film Screening and Discussion: “Our Common Humanity:
2023-06-15 19:00 - 20:30
Our Common Humanity: The 1858 Oberlin Wellington Rescue and the Trial of the Century
Shaker Library presents the documentary “A Common Humanity” on the 1858 Oberlin Wellington Rescue, in which the community defended the freedom of Black neighbor John Price against slavecatchers, and the resulting ‘Trial of the Century’ in Cleveland, which tested the Fugitive Slave Law in Ohio.
Filmmakers Kevin Cronin and Peter J. Manos (both SHHS class of 1976) will lead a discussion following the screening.
Produced with support of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Cosponsored by the Shaker Historical Society.
Come watch the film & meet the filmmakers at the Shaker library on June 15, 7-8:30 pm OR join the event online,
Registration link: https://events.shakerlibrary.org/event/10466989

Brush up on this amazing story:
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/oberlin-wellingtonrescue/
https://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/cms/files/File/OB-Wellington%20Rescue.pdf

Registration is required. There are 74 in-person seats available. There are 179 online seats available.

UU Taboos: Salvation
2023-06-18 19:00 - 20:30

GCC presents to Cuyahoga County Council: Pre-Trial Justice
2023-06-20 16:30
Be one of the GCC 100!
Please sign up to support Greater Cleveland Congregations at the Cuyahoga County Council meeting on Tuesday, June 20 at 4:30 pm. The GCC Pretrial Justice Team will be talking about what the Council can do now to prevent unnecessary incarceration, bring down the jail’s population, and provide public safety.
We need 100 people to show up!
E-mail or text Pat Dillard to sign up (at patdillard13@gmail.com) and we will send you complete information. Join fellow UUCCers at 4pm in the parking lot to carpool to the Cuyahoga County Council meeting. We will be gathering up with other GCC people at 4:30 outside the chambers. Wear your yellow GCC shirt (if you don’t have one, you will obtain one there). Our own Pat Dillard will be one of 4 speakers! We will leave shortly after 4pm, so please be prompt. There is free parking if you are going on your own.

Don’t forget to also sign up on the form below so the GCC folks know you are coming

Pre-Trial Justice Team to Present at the June 20th Cuyahoga County Council Meeting
GCC’s Pre-Trial Justice Team is working on reducing jail before trial in Cuyahoga County. On June 20th, it will present to the County Council its research showing that jail before trial does not increase public safety and does hurt people who are presumed innocent. The team will ask the Council to reduce the number of beds they fund (through a smaller jail or renovations) and to fund pre-trial services that will improve the safety of all.The team would like GCC leaders to join them at the meeting. Wear your GCC t-shirts and/or buttons if have them! Public comment begins at 5pm at the County Administration Building, 2079 E 9th Street. If you are attending, please be there by 4:30pm. (Parking in the County lot will be free if you ask for validation.) Questions? Contact Louise McKinney at louisewennermckinney@gmail.com.Please sign up here if you are planning to attend: https://forms.gle/5N8HAoCK9PbWpcTD9
We want to show our power to the Council!

Summer Solstice: Walk the Labyrinth
2023-06-21 19:00 - 20:30
The UUCC Earth-Centered Spirituality Group invites you to a celebration of the Summer Solstice

Join us as we celebrate the coming of summer
and walk the labyrinth
Wednesday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m.
on the west lawn at UUCC
21600 Shaker Blvd, Shaker Heights, OH
Please bring a chair or something to sit on.
For more information contact Peggy at wtchywmn9@gmail.com

Also

COME AND WALK THE LABYRINTH

From June 22nd through July 3rd
On the west lawn of
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland
21600 Shaker Blvd, Shaker Heights, OH 44122

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.
We hope you will take some time to experience
this wonderful form of meditation.
For more information contact wtchywmn9@gmail.com
