THE COLUMNS. Please Join Us For The Richfield United Church of Christ Bicentennial Celebration Sunday, May 13, 2018 Service at 10:15 am.

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1 Newsletter of the Richfield United Church of Christ THE COLUMNS May 2018 Please Join Us For The Richfield United Church of Christ Bicentennial Celebration Sunday, May 13, 2018 Service at 10:15 am The Richfield United Church of Christ invites you to come celebrate our 200th anniversary as a community of faith. We will have a special guest speaker Rev. John C. Dorhauer, general minister and president, The United Church of Christ. There will be a reception following the service with a special exhibit in the Gathering Room of artifacts, pictures from the past, and a collection of paintings of our church through the eyes of different artists. Feed My Sheep May Collection Piano-Side vs. Organ-Side Join us for another friendly competition and see which side of the sanctuary will host a June coffee hour. The Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen has requested help in filling its

2 Will You Be Our Guest of Honor? The Bicentennial of our church is a major milestone. You ve been hearing about preparations for quite a while. But this month we really ramp up the celebration as we reach the actual date of the bicentennial. On Sunday, May 13, some very special guests will join us. Rev. John Dorhauer is the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ. He is entrusted with the leadership of the entire UCC denomination, so we are quite honored that he will be with us that day! Other special guests have also been invited to join us that day. Past ministers will return to join us. Old friends who have been out of town will come back. It promises be a wonderful celebration of a momentous occasion 200 years of living the Gospel in Richfield! The real question, however, is this: will you be our guest of honor? Our church is founded on this premise: the people are the church. Church is not a building, it is not the charter signed by the original twelve founding members. Church is, in fact, the people - the community of disciples who respond to Jesus s call to Follow me. I m thrilled to welcome the General Minister and President of the UCC. I m happy to welcome all of our past ministers to gather that day. But above all I m pleased to welcome you our guest of honor every time we gather. We welcome you, our lifelong members. We welcome you, our newest members. We welcome you, children and retirees, black and white, straight or gay, people of all abilities and disabilities. All are welcome. For we are the church, a community of disciples who choose to walk the path of Jesus. Beginning this month, you will see a display of artifacts from the early days of our congregation. These will tell some of our history. It is fascinating to see them, to read the handwritten journals, to think about the lives of those early church members and to consider how much has changed, yet how much has remained constant. Sometimes I wonder - did those early members ever think of us? Did they consider how their fidelity to the Gospel would continue to shape the lives of a community that would exist long after all of them were buried? Rev. Israel Shailor was our first resident pastor. His desk will be on display too. When I look at that desk, I picture him writing those early sermons that would shape the life of this congregation. In 1818 our church had twelve members. Rev. Shailor was very strict. In those early days, net church growth averaged less than two new members per year. By comparison, we are growing by leaps and bounds these days! As you look at Rev. Shailor s desk and the other artifacts, consider the adversities they faced, and the perseverance that got them though. Consider how much has changed, yet how much remains the same. Consider what it means to be a committed disciple of Jesus. And when we gather to celebrate our 200 years on May 13, consider the ways that you and I have benefitted from the solid foundations they laid. Above all, let us consider the ways that we will build a strong foundation for those yet unknown generations to come. - Rev. John King Sunday, May 13 Bicentennial Service at 10:15 a.m. NO 8:00 Service

3 Moderator s Moment Hello my friends, It seems as though spring has finally arrived in Northeast Ohio. Almost everyone who fled to warmer climates has returned and yard work for those of us with yards has begun in earnest. Work has begun in the youth room upstairs. Several of the youth group and the Adult Mission Group put in several hours and there is no turning back now. There is a lot more work to do, and I am confident that everyone will be happy with the results. It is no surprise that our church budget is going to be very tight this year. In April, Council decided that it would be a good idea to delay some outreach funding until later in the year. Please, consider if there is anything you can do to help us with this situation. However modest it may be, it will help. In Christ s Love, Newt Heston Our Church Garden *Plant Peace *Sprout Joy *Grow Love *Pick Kindness Work will soon begin on our church garden. Our garden manager, Karen Butera, is already planning this year s crops. Sign-up sheets for the donation of garden plants or seeds can be found on the table in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings. Watch in your Sunday bulletins for an order form for the red geraniums that will decorate the church on Pentecost Sunday and then will be planted in our church garden. Your cash donations from the harvest of our garden during the summer months help to support Carolina, our Children International-sponsored child who lives in South America. A picture of RUCC Clean-up Day The S&A Board is planning a church clean-up day on Saturday, May 5, from 10:00-noon. Weeding and leaf raking of the flower beds, pruning shrubs, cleaning gutters and window washing are a few of the items on the agenda. Youth Group Room Project Work is underway in the upstairs Youth room removing and replacing the ceiling with drywall. A sign-up sheet is in the Fellowship Hall on the We Can Make It Happen bulletin board with the Saturday job descriptions and how many adults are needed. Contact Todd Bard with questions. June Garage Sale Donations, Sneak Peek and Food Sales The Adult Mission Group is planning to participate in the Richfield community Garage sale on June 2. It is not too early to begin setting aside your too good to throw away treasures for this mission group fundraiser. More information will be coming soon as to when donations can be brought to the church or contact Betty van der Meer if you will need larger items picked up. ( ) Mark your calendars today for the popular pre-sale Sneak Peek Sale on Friday, June 1, from 7-9 pm. For a $2 admission fee, you may enjoy coffee and desserts and shop ahead of the crowd. Youth Group Food Sale Donations The Youth Group will be selling food and drinks at the Richfield Garage Sale. If you would like to help stock

4 Richfield Youth Group May Activities Sunday, 6th We are Ushers, Greeters, Maggie is our Reader Bring a dessert to share and help us serve and clean up Social Hour Sunday, May 13 4:30-6 pm Youth group gathering Decisions, Decisions! Mug Cakes and Ice Cream We are coordinating a Saturday morning work schedule with members of the Adult Mission Team, to continue with the Youth Room Makeover. The work will usually be scheduled for 2-3 hours on most Saturday mornings through May and June. Marilyn will be requesting help for any given Saturday, so please watch your box for specific information. June Mission Trip Mission trip information was presented to the youth at the meeting on Sunday, April 15. We are scheduled at the North Street Mission, which is a mission of Trinity UCC in Wooster for the week of June The week will start (Sunday) with a Rubber Ducks game in Akron on our way to Wooster. We will cook and serve breakfast every morning for hungry people in the Wooster area, and then we will be sent out into the community for a variety of service opportunities--community gardens, food pantry, Salvation Army, Wilderness Center, Boys & Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity. I am hoping to end the week with some work at Templed Hills--our Conference Camp, with May is here which means lots of upcoming events to celebrate with the Christian Education Board. But, first, I need to thank all of our wonderful volunteers who helped with our Easter Science! Lenten program. On March 11th, we spent the afternoon performing awesome science experiments that demonstrated how Christ is present in our lives through trust, salvation, forgiveness and praise. There were lots of smiles that afternoon, including my own for having so much support. Thank you to: Abbey & George Sobieraj; Maryke, Todd & Tristan Bard; Scott & Rachel Luther; Brenda Lindsey; Marianne Gnandt; Rebecca Cinadr; Anna & Maggie Gerber; Oliver & Jack Miller; Adam Dombrowski and Rev. King -- you all make it possible to keep these programs going. On Palm Sunday, the children paraded through the church singing and playing instruments. Afterwards, we gathered upstairs for an Easter Party, had an egg hunt & made a craft. Thanks to Brody Bard for being my little worker bee and Becky Monegan and Patty Ellis for help with the party. Coming up in May, we have several events that we hope you are able to join us for. May 6: Graduation Sunday & Scholarship Award May 20: Teacher Recognition Sunday May 27: Confirmation Sunday Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for Friday, June 22nd. We will be having our one-night Vacation Bible School from 6 pm until 8 pm with the theme of "The Armor of God." A sign-up sheet will soon be in the social hall.

5 Ushers for May May 6: Youth Group Chuck Ellis, Paul & Michal Swan, Larry & Amy Harsey May Lay Readers May 4: Youth Group representative, Maggie Gerber Rosemarie Sprague May Birthdays 5/2 Lucy Snow 5/2 Ann Walker 5/2 Gary Obenauer 5/3 Mark Mitchell 5/4 Chuck Ellis 5/5 Dorothy Ellis 5/8 Darrell Hiatt 5/9 Emily Luther 5/12 Rev. Thomas Kerns 5/13 David Wilmot 5/14 David Hakos 5/14 Laura Willis 5/15 Pieter van der Meer 5/16 Tristan Bard 5/16 Claira Shankland 5/18 Todd Bard 5/19 Megan Bard 5/20 Charlie Simmons 5/22 Breandan Wheeler 5/23 Ben McKay 5/23 Rachael Brown 5/24 Grace Ivy Walters 5/24 Daniel Butera 5/29 Bryce Petek 2018 Lay Readers Sign-up A monthly calendar is on the We Can Make It Happen bulletin board for volunteers to sign up to be Lay Reader at our 10:15 services. We are still looking for volunteers for the months of June, July, August, October, November and December. Boards and Council Monday, May 14 7:00 pm Church boards meet 8:15 pm Church Council meets Men s Health Group The Men s Health Group will meet on Thursday, May 10, in the Gathering Room at 10:00 am. For more information, contact Bob Ehlers or Tom Kerns. Book Club May Anniversaries 5/9 Jeffrey & Donna Treubig 5/10 Thomas & Karen Kiska 5/12 Mike & Polly Wheeler 5/18 Chuck & Patty Ellis 5/18 Richard & Kathy Bumblis RUCC 200th year T-shirts and Coffee Mugs Our bicentennial t-shirts and coffee mugs, designed by Sally Heston, are on display in the office. Coffee mugs are $7 each and t-shirts can be ordered for $10. Our first order of t-shirts have arrived and can be picked up on Sunday mornings or stop by the church office. Your payment is due when you pick up your shirt. Extra t -shirts were ordered if you did not have a chance to place an order.

6 Richfield United Church of Christ 4340 W. Streetsboro Rd. Richfield, Ohio Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 4 GATHERING OF THE CHURCH FAMILY EVERY SUNDAY EVERY WEEK WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM Early Worship Service 9:15 AM Sunday school 10:15 AM Worship Service MON 7:30 PM AA WED 8:00 PM AA SAT 8:30 PM AA 6:30 AM MEN S GROUP THURSDAY 7:00 PM BELL CHOIR PRACTICE Like us on Facebook Facebook.com/ TheRichfieldUCC May Activities May 5: Youth Room Project at 9 am / RUCC Clean-up Day 10:00-noon May 6: Communion & recognizing our RUCC graduates and scholarship recipients Youth greet, usher and host coffee hour / Confirmation class May 7: Election Board meeting in Fellowship Hall at 6:30 pm May 8: Election Day voting in the Fellowship Hall May 10: Men s Health Group at 10 am in the Gathering Room May 12: Choir rehearsal 10-noon / Fellowship Hall set-up by Bicentennial Committee at noon May 13: Our Bicentennial Celebration Sunday / One service at 10:15 am. No 8:00 service this Sunday. Richfield United Church of Christ Phone: Fax: