The Church of Christ, Union CPO 2105 Berea, KY 40404 Phone: 859-986-3725 E-mail: [email protected]Website: www.union-church.org Non-Profit Postage Paid Permit Number 169 Berea, KY 40403 Return service requested The Music Box — Calling All Singers! The Adult Choir began rehearsals on Aug. 30 at 6:15 p.m. in Room 128, Presser Hall. (the choir rehearsal room). This room is just left of the elevator on the lowest floor (parking lot level). We are currently privileged to have a wonderful core of about 16 singers who faithfully lead our musical worship. I am so grateful for their commitment and joyful participation. But, they and I strongly encourage other singers to join us so that we might be an even more effective and beautiful asset to Union’s worship services. We will offer child care for both this choir and the handbell choir (more below). Since our rehearsal time is relatively early, I hope that singers with children can join us, knowing that we are routinely finished by 7:45 p.m. I know that newcomers will be warmly welcomed and will soon find themselves embraced by a loving “congregation within the congregation.” If you have any questions about choir, please contact me (985-8669). Finally, a word of thanks to the singers and keyboard players who have so graciously assisted in worship this summer. You have added greatly to our worship experience and I have had a wonderful time working with you. Thanks so much! INSIDE THIS ISSUE: THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, UNION CONSIDER ... THE UNION CHURCH NEWSLETTER About Us... All who seek and serve the love of God are ministers of Union Church Rev. Kent Gilbert, Pastor Rev. Rachel Small Stokes, Associate Pastor Merlin Kindel, Moderator Larry Brandenburg, Director of Music Ministries Dave Kobersmith, Church Administrator Joan English, Office Administrator Youth Directors, Chris & Grace McKenzie Hope Hounshell, Woman’s Industrial Director Jennifer Shelton, Bea Chasteen, Dorie Chasteen, Childcare Erik Reinhart, Custodian Welcome, Rev. Rachel! SS & WNL to begin ............... 1 Birthdays & Anniversaries, News of the Family .......... 2 From the Pastor 3 Youth News, Our Mission ................ 4 From the Church Admin ................. 5 Memory Keepers, Back Bay ............. 6 Sept. Calendar ............. 7 Join Us Sunday Mornings! Worship, 10:30 am, Gray Auditorium SEPTEMBER 2012 Sunday School and WNL to begin! Rally Day, September 9th, 9:45 am. Meet us on the ground floor patio of Presser (where we have lemonade after church) for a continental breakfast, activities, fellowship, and information as we celebrate the beginning of our fall activities! Sunday School Begins, September 16th, 9:30 am. Join us for fun times of learning for all ages! Nursery through youth meet in Knapp Hall, adult study meets on third floor of Presser Hall. Children's Church Begins, September 16th, during church. Anna Kate is back to share her spirit and activities with our children. Welcome Back to Wednesday Nite Live! On September 12 we will gather at the Quaker Meeting House to share a Potluck dinner with our new Associate Pastor, Rev. Rachel Small Stokes and her wife Leslie. Please come at 5:30 as we begin a new church year together. Drinks and table service provided, 'course you are welcome to bring your own to save water. Youth group from 6:30—7:30! Bob Berger will resume his Minor Prophets class on Sept. 19, and look forward to his plans for the rest of the fall!! Questions? Call the church office or Kevin Burke 985-1144. Welcome to Rev. Rachel Small Stokes! We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Rev. Rachel Small Stokes as our Associate Pastor, to begin work on September 1! Rachel and wife, Leslie, will join us in worship Sept. 2, and we in the office have dubbed September 4 Rachel Day, when we will begin getting her oriented - (dis)oriented - to the office. Rev. Rachel will preach on Sept. 16. Rachel & Leslie will live at 419 Center St. Hey, what's going on around here?! If you'd like to take a tour of the building and see what's been accomplished mid-construction, meet at 1:00 pm Sunday, Sept. 9, in the church parking lot, near the construction dumpster. Rev. Kent and Dave Kobersmith will be on hand to lead you through some of the areas. Please wear closed shoes and long pants, for safety's sake. Be prepared for stair climbing, dusty areas and some messiness.
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T H E U N I O N C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R PA G E 3
From the Pastor
Well! After many years of prayer
and planning, another major vision is
living itself out in our midst. I am so
delighted to welcome the Rev.
Rachel Small Stokes as colleague and
associate pastor here, and like most
of you, find myself both anxious and
excited to see what will unfurl from
this new partnership. Welcome to
Rev. Rachel, and welcome all of us to
a time of rampant uncertainty, new
possibility, and certain grace!
For my part, I’m delighted to have
a collaboration partner, another
person whose heart and intellect is
offered to the mission of this place.
And due to her particular skill set,
we have received both “depth” and
“breadth” in our ministry. She brings
many skills I lack, and I hope that
with certain experiences of mine, I
can offer her support she, too, may
not have had before. In short, I am
excited about being part of a team
that will help us more boldly and
more creatively serve God and
God’s people in this place.
In our neighborhood meetings
we’ve been discussing how can we
serve God best? How can we be the
finest servant-leaders, and how can
encourage and sustain the best
efforts out of all who labor with us,
especially our newest pastoral
associate?
Many of the groups have
highlighted that we should take time
to come to know Rev. Rachel, and
allow her to come to know us. We’ll
do our best not to load and overload
her with tasks, but rather we’ll focus
on connections for her and Leslie.
Some remarked that we have to help
her say the hardest word in Berea:
“No,” or, “Not yet,” and be
understanding when she must.
Other’s have offered that we make
room for her gifts, and celebrate the
diversity of thought and experience
we now have on staff. She and I have
already started brainstorming how
we might do just that, and I know
she is as anxious to begin as we are
to receive her.
Given that we have no permanent
offices yet, and given that she and I
will be learning our strengths for a
time, we know that we are entering
a time of adjusted expectations.
“Elasticity” and “discovery” and
“gentle joy” should be our goal and
expectation. We’ll be trying out and
working out a lot of new ways to do
things, and your feedback will be
very important. Thank you in
advance for your
forbearance as
we work things
out.
There are no
guaranteed answers or successes in
such a process. Only a series of
nearer approximations as we refine
the vision God has called out of us to
be a vibrant, serving, risking, loving,
light-pouring family of God. What is
guaranteed, though, is that God has
been with us thus far and clearly has
much for us to discover in our
journey.
As soon as Rachel gets her boxes
unpacked, and we’ve found her a
desk to sit at and a phone to use, I
know she will be anxious to come to
know you, and to hear your stories
of faith and hope. In late September
and October we will reconvene the
neighborhood gatherings, this time
with Rev. Rachel visiting all of them
so she can meet members and
friends in smaller groups, and you
can interact with her more closely. I
hope you’ll not only come to those
yourselves, but also invite others to
join in the fellowship. It would be a
shame not to share all the good that
God is sending us!
September 2, 2012 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-2,6-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
September 9, 2012 Proverbs 1-2,8-9,22-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37
September 16, 2012 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark8:27-38
September 23, 2012 Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3,7-8a Mark 9:30-37
September 30, 2012 Esther 7:1-6,9-10,9:20-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50
Bible Reading for
September
PA G E 4 T H E U N I O N C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R
What's up with Youth?
It is once again the
season of school. In
the past few weeks, students highs and
lows have often been the same: school has
started, which means they get to see
friends they have seen in months (high) but
that school with all of its drudgery is back
again (low). It also means that they have
interesting things to fill their days with
again (high), but that they will have so
many games and practices that getting
their homework done will be a challenge
(low).
In the midst of their busy schedules, our
youth still manage to make this community
of believers a priority in their lives. They
come searching and with questions, but
they come with answers as well. They come of their own
choice; seeking fun and fellowship and trying to
understand the connections between the scripture and
their own lives, in the midst of all the challenges of being
young in this world.
With the new school year I ask you
to: remember all the stresses it
might bring as our youth rush from
one class to the next and from
soccer to WNL, pray for the highs
and lows they will experience over
the upcoming year, and maybe take
an extra moment to let them know
how awesome they are.
Youth Group begins September 12,
6:30—7:30, for Middle and High
School students.
Peace and Grace,
Christopher McKenzie
Youth Group
begins Sept. 12 at
Wednesday Nite
Live!
from 6:30—7:30.
If you are a middle
or high school
student, this is the
group for you!!
Come join!
Remember our Mission!
W e, the People of Union Church, seek to live out our discipleship to God as a community
inspired by Jesus’ transforming love. As a gathering of those seeking to boldly and
creatively embody Christ’s life and ministry, we commit ourselves to work and fellowship that
makes the radical and inclusive love of God, the beloved community proclaimed by Jesus, and the
continuing inspiration of the Holy Spirit visible and real to all. As one in body with Christ, we
commit ourselves to acts of:
Unbounded Hospitality to Build a Beloved Community of Christ
Thoughtful, Inspirational and Intentional Faith Development
Passionate Worship
Risk-Taking Mission and Service
Extravagant Generosity and Care in Our Stewardship
In keeping with Union Church’s inclusive Christian tradition and its emphasis on the dignity and worth of all people, the congregation values and embraces diversity. Employment, membership, and participation in any church activity is open to all without regard to ethnicity, race, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability or religion.
Employment decisions are based on training, education and experience related to the requirements of each position. Due to the age and construction of the buildings, not all areas are easily accessible to persons with mobility issues. Union Church will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities within these limitations.
PA G E 5 T H E U N I O N C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R
“Green” Building Practices As the construction continues on our beloved building the Design Team wants to keep the congregation
informed on the steps that are being taken to minimize the effects of the renovation on the environment. Last
month you read about the improvements to lighting in the renovations. This month is paint and finishes.
The new paints that are being used have no or very low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or aerosols that
affect the ozone and environment. This also means that there will be less “off gassing” for the health of our
congregation as we enter the newly renovated spaces. The adhesives and glues have no or very low VOCs as
well. The carpet and carpet tile that are being used have a backing that uses recycled content.
Thanks to Josh Ives of Pearson & Peters Architects for supplying this information.
From the Church Administrator
Construction Update: The
project is nearing 40% completed
and the current estimate of when
we’ll be back in the building is the
end of October.
Work continues on the heating
and cooling, sprinkler installation,
and electrical work. The framing of
walls is complete for the offices,
conference room and room 204 and
has begun in the fellowship hall. The
work in the fellowship hall has been
held up by the
plumbing work not
yet being completed,
due to change
orders that have
taken a long time to
finalize and a busy
schedule for the
plumber.
Work has also
been started on the
outdoor excavation
to provide new
drains for the
downspouts and the
window wells of the
original building and
that tied our new
sprinkler system into a water main
on Scaffold Cane Rd.
What’s a Change Order?
Change orders are the way to
make changes to the contract we
have entered into with Hawkins
Construction, which provides
construction management of the
project. Any work that changes the
cost of the project has to go through
a change order review process that
includes our architects, construction
management firm, sub-contractors
and the church’s change order
review team. Some changes are
initiated by the building inspectors
and merely
inform us of
costs we have
to incur (we
have had some
of these in
regard s to
e x i s t i n g
e l e c t r i c a l
work).
Our budget for
these change
orders is called
the contingency
for the project,
currently set at
$49,106. This
amount can
change as we
realize savings in
other parts of our
project, but this is
the dollar amount
our change order
review team is
working with now.
As of our last
meeting we have
agreed to approximately $44,000
worth of changes in the contract.
Some of the change orders dealt
with changes to the kitchen, work to
save the White Oak tree at the NW
corner of the Sanctuary, new outlets,
and a change in the routing of
sprinklers in Cowan Chapel. Other
things were mandatory - to get
approval from an inspector adjust
plumbing for the bathroom in the
vestibule of the Sanctuary and
making existing electrical system
safer.
There were some change orders
we didn’t agree to, but each item
was carefully looked at before a
decision was made.
You’ll have an opportunity to take
a tour of the church, Sept 9 at 1:00
pm. Details on p. 1 of this news-
letter. It is exciting to see the change
taking place that is bringing the
project closer to completion our
moving back church home!
Trench for downspouts, etc.
Looking into the Memorial Garden, sanctuary on the left, Chapel on the right