Bellringer January JANUARY SERVICES

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1 Bellringer January Monthly Newsletter of the Olmsted Unitarian Univesalist Congregation. A beacon of religious freedom in the Western Reserve for 182 years. JANUARY SERVICES Sunday, January 1: As I See It. This is our annual service during which we review the past year - personal & spiritual. Come share your thoughts and experiences from H elp needed to take down our Christmas decorations this Sunday. If you can stay after the service & potluck, Bev Schmittgen would appreciate it. Sunday, January 8: TED Talk: It's Time to Reclaim & Reinvent Religion. Led by M arianna and Jim Carney. At a moment when the world seems to be spinning out of control, religion might feel irrelevant - or like part of the problem. But Rabbi Sharon Brous believes we can reinvent religion to meet the needs of modern life. In this impassioned talk, Brous shares four principles of a revitalized religious practice and offers faith of all kinds as a hopeful counter- narrative to the numbing realities of violence, extremism and pessimism. Sunday, January 15: What Does Life Ask of Us? As we honor the legacy of M artin Luther King, Jr. and brace for a divisive presidential inauguration, we take up William Barber?s call to all America to?bring moral language into the public square for the common good.? Service led by Rev. M ary. This is a Stone Soup Sunday; Please bring something for our soup. Sunday, January 22. Don't Ever Let It Go. Led by Kay Potetz. Kay will discuss her book, "Don?t Ever Let It Go: H anging on to Your Personal Power in the Turmoil of the Twenty- first Century," which will be published in the first half of It focuses on the personal power that all of us possess, but freely give away to people and situations. Without question, the ability to set and take charge of our own agenda and manage our emotions requires the use of our 1 personal power. If not monitored, it can slip away. This presentation focuses on how to reclaim and maintain your personal power. Sunday, January 29: The Big Questions that Revolve Around the Word 'God.' A big topic to begin We identified four questions in our initial discussion: 1) When asked, "Do you believe in God?" doesn't that subconsciously say that the asker knows there may not be a God? 2) I believe in God. Which religion should I join? 3) What (who) is God? 4) Watching "Ancient Aliens" and attending Bible study, I was wondering what was God?

Religious Education About Our Religious Education Program M andie H amman, Director of Religious Education As we begin a new year, it's a good time to think about our hopes and goals for the future.

2 Religious Education About Our Religious Education Program M andie H amman, Director of Religious Education As we begin a new year, it's a good time to think about our hopes and goals for the future. In thinking about these, putting an emphasis on how we treat and see others, we really can change the world. We will examine our beliefs and our hopes with an emphasis on how they impact other people. Jan 8th. In Another's Shoes. What is empathy? When have we felt empathy? H ow does it feel when someone feels empathy towards us? To explore the experience of empathy is to understand more deeply the first UU Principle: the inherent worth and dignity of all. We will discuss empathy as a tool for recognizing and respecting multiple perspectives, and to understand any scenario can have multiple truths. Jan 15th. Courage. 'One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.' - M aya Angelou We will discuss courage as the ability to stand up for what we believe is right despite our fears. It relates to the sixth UU Principle: the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, and how we can find courage to teach this goal. 2 Jan 22nd. Justice for All. We will discuss inequality and injustice in our world, and how we can work towards justice. We will use empathy when thinking about people who are treated unfairly, discuss how we can take action when experiencing or witnessing injustice, and think about how we can be allies for people who are oppressed and treated unfairly. Jan 29th. Valentines for Veterans, Fran M ulkins will be the guest teacher, using her creative abilities to help the children make valentines that she will mail to local veterans. We hope the valentines will bring feelings of warmth and love.

MARY'S MUSINGS A LETTER/ PLEA TO THE GREAT HEART Dear Great H eart: M y human heart is heavy. Our next president trusts a white supremacist for guidance and offers our foreign policy to Big Oil.

Around me, people feel powerless, anxious, afraid, angry, in grief for democracy, asking,?what can I do? H ow do I keep faith in life, in my fellow citizens, in myself?

individual rights, respect for cultural rights, and respect for the rights of the planet.

the sea of loving kindness, God?s mercy. It needs us to dream together, plan together, resist together, organize together, stand together.

within the arc of the human story, bending ever so slowly toward justice, compassion, and peace. M ay we listen, care for ourselves and one another, and act from the heart, from You. Thank you.

3 MARY'S MUSINGS A LETTER/ PLEA TO THE GREAT HEART Dear Great H eart: M y human heart is heavy. Our next president trusts a white supremacist for guidance and offers our foreign policy to Big Oil. H e invites a climate change denier to head the agency protecting the environment. H e exposes capitalism- without values beyond the bottom line of corporations and market gamblers. Around me, people feel powerless, anxious, afraid, angry, in grief for democracy, asking,?what can I do? H ow do I keep faith in life, in my fellow citizens, in myself?? Even as I write to you, I feel your response: We have to take good care of ourselves, because for democracy to survive, it needs us to hold capitalism accountable to an ethos of respect for individual rights, respect for cultural rights, and respect for the rights of the planet. This re- quires clear- minded, open- hearted, collaborative women and men, willing to move beyond individualism, remembering who we really are and always have been: Expressions of the Great H eart, the sea of loving kindness, God?s mercy. It needs us to dream together, plan together, resist together, organize together, stand together. This is why we form congregations, why religion exists: to remember that we are inextricably part of one another; as M LK said,?part of one seamless garment of destiny,? within the arc of the human story, bending ever so slowly toward justice, compassion, and peace. M ay we listen, care for ourselves and one another, and act from the heart, from You. Thank you. I love you. CHECK IT OUT on this major improvement. Come for fun, food and camaraderie! Sunday, January 8 at noon. PLUN GE Right Into Our "Potty Party" Featuring H omer The H umorist As Emcee! For the N ew Year!! Celebrate the collaborative efforts of our M embers and Friends who made renovations of the restrooms possible, making them handicapped accessible as well as bright and beautiful! Smile and applaud the results, tour the facilities, try out themodern hand driers, and congratulate yourselves 3 Join us on Sunday, January 8th in the Lounge at 12: 45, or just after the Completed Restroom Celebration, for a one- hour OUUC Committee Workshop facilitated by H omer Farr. If you're a standing committee member or someone who's not sure how these things operate but are interested in sharing your efforts, please attend this information session!! H appy H olidays!! H omer Farr - OUUC Past President.

A MEDITATION FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT Claire B.

rush- rush, we open ourselves to new perspectives and possibilities. We give thanks for these moments and for the wisdom they afford us.

across this threshold, let this new year be a year of greater awe and gratitude, What lessons have we learned in the past year and which

Of deeper kindness and acceptance, and more courageous acts of conviction.

4 A MEDITATION FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT Claire B. Ramsay, Board President, sends the following meditation to OUUC members and friends, and wishes everyone a peaceful new year. rush- rush, we open ourselves to new perspectives and possibilities. We give thanks for these moments and for the wisdom they afford us. M ay they help bring us together in the sacred dynamics of life so that we? as individuals and as members of this community? might reach our full potential. As a N ew Year Begins Great Spirit of Life, as a new year begins, we turn inward to reflect about the state of our lives: - - As we step across this threshold, let this new year be a year of greater awe and gratitude, What lessons have we learned in the past year and which new ones now call us forward? To whom do we still owe an apology or expression of thanks? And with whom must we draw fresh boundaries? Of deeper kindness and acceptance, and more courageous acts of conviction. For a kinder, more equitable and sustainable world is not only possible, she is on her way. And in the quietness of this sacred community, we can ever hear her breathing. As we pause from our regular rhythms of rush- Amen. KUDOS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS January 1 Potluck January 8 Emily Williams Carol & John Walton January 15 Stone Soup: Fran M ulkins Kay Potetz 4 January 22 Volunteer needed Bob M ulkins January 29 Sheryl Chow Lynda Garvin

5 ADULT PROGRAMMING Stories from a South African Childhood' by Trevor N oah. All are welcome. Sundays M editation with M udras - Sunday, January 15, 12: 45-1: 45 p.m. M udras calm the mind, relax and empower the body and spirit. Facilitated by Emily Williams. All are welcome. UUnderstanding the Bible - Wednesday, January 11, 4-5 p.m. at Olmsted UU. Explore the Christian scriptures from a UU perspective, using the text by John Buehrens, "Understanding the Bible." Read the chapter 'Salvations: Paul & Rabbinic Judaism.' Bring a Bible, if you have one. Led by Rev. M ary. M editations for Dying Well - Sunday, January 15, 2-4 p.m. Exploring meditation techniques to befriend the body, cultivate peace of mind, and let go gracefully when it's time. Facilitated by Rev. M ary. Yin Yoga - Wednesday, January 11, 10: noon. at Olmsted UU. Yin uses long holds to soften aging connective tissues and restore flexibility and well- being. Led by certified yoga instructor, M ary Baird. Suggested donation, $15/ session. Tuesdays Tuesday M editation at the Oberlin Fellowship. Guided meditation to let go of stress and open to the beautiful heart; drawing on many traditions: chanting, loving kindness, embodied meditation. Led by Rev. M ary. 1-2 p.m., January 3, 17, p.m., January 10, 24 UUA Common Read: Wednesday, January 18, 7: 00-8: 30 pm at Oberlin UU. Join folks from Olmsted and Oberlin (and UUs across the country) to explore William Barber's book, 'The Third Reconstruction,' a call to a multi- faith, moral movement for racial, economic and social justice. (We'll anticipate continuing on February 1st at Olmsted UU and at Oberlin UU on February 18th). Care- Givers Support Group - Tuesday, January 10, 2: 30-3: 30 p.m. at Oberlin UU Fellowship. Do you care for a spouse, partner, parent, friend or child? Join us. Led by Rev. M ary. Thursdays Living with Grief - Tuesday, January 17, 2: 303: 30 p.m., at Oberlin UU Fellowship; a monthly support group. While we grieve differently, we heal through listening to each other and sharing. Facilitated by Rev. M ary (mary@marygrigolia.com). End- of- Life (ELF) - Thursday, January 5, 2: 003: 30 p.m. at Olmsted UU. We've read several books about end- of- life choices, but few of us have put anything in writing. This will be a journaling and sharing session, to explore physical situations where we would draw the line and choose to die. SOS - Tuesday, January 24, 7: 15-8: 30 pm at Oberlin UU. A support group for those with loved ones living with addiction and/ or mental illness. WISE Women - Thursday, January 19, 2-3: 30 p.m., at Olmsted UU. We continue with Elizabeth Lesser's book, "Broken Open." We'll explore Part 3 (The Shaman Lover) and Part 4 (Children). Facilitated by Emily Williams and Lynda Garvin. Wednesdays BOOK Gruup? Wednesday, January 4, 7-8: 30 p.m. at Olmsted UU. Discusssing 'Born a Crime: 5

6 JANUARY CALENDAR Sunday, January 1 Discussion: "As I See It." (N o R.E.) 12: 00 Potluck Lunch Tuesday, January 17 M editation at Oberlin UU* 2: 30 Living with Grief 6: 30 Board of Trustees Tuesday, January 3 M editation at Oberlin* Wednesday, January 18 7: 00 UUA Common Read at Oberlin UU* Wednesday, January 4 7: 00 Book GrUUp Thursday, January 19 M editation at West Shore UU* * 2: 00 W.I.S.E Women 4: 00 M embership Committee Thursday, January 5 M editation at West Shore UU* * 2: 00 End- of- Life (ELF) Sunday January 8 9: 30 R.E. Committee TED Talk 12: 00 N ew Bathrooms Celebration 12: 45 Workshop on Committees Sunday, January 22 Sunday Service Tuesday, January 10 2: 30 Care- Givers at Oberlin UU* 6: 00 M editation at Oberlin UU* Wednesday, January 25 N eurospirituality at West Shore* * Wednesday, January 11 10: 30 Yin Yoga 4: 00 UUnderstanding the Bible Thursday, January 26 M editation at West Shore* * Tuesday, January 24 6: 00 M editation at Oberlin* 7: 15 SOS at Oberlin* Sunday, January 29 Sunday Service Thursday, January 12 M editation at West Shore UU* * Sunday, January 15 9: 15 Sunday Services Committee Sunday Service 12: 00 Stone Soup M editation with M udras 2: 00 M editations for Dying Well Tuesday, January 31 M editation at Oberlin* * ** Oberlin UU Fellowship: 355 E. Lorain St., Oberlin West Shore UU: H illiard Blvd., Rocky River Deadline for the February issue of 'The Bellringer' is Thursday, January 19 at a.m. OLMSTED UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION Minister: Rev. Mary Grigolia Director of Religious Education: Mandie Hamman 5050 Porter Road, North Olmsted, Ohio office@olmsteduu.org 6

Bellringer July 2017 JULY PROGRAMS

Bellringer July 2017 JULY PROGRAMS Bellringer Monthly Newsletter of the Olmsted Unitarian Universalist Congregation A beacon of religious freedom in the Western Reserve for 182 years JULY PROGRAMS Sunday, July 2: TED Talk: 'The Danger of