The Outlook

an edition of

The United Methodist Reporter

Two Sections

New Music and More | 8A

Willow School Needs YOU! | 4A

Outreach in Action | 8A

Section A 909160 Vol. 159 No. 18 August 31, 2012

chalk talk
BY DR. KENNETH W. CHALKER

Pre-Fall 2012 Financial Its Rally Day Campaign Special Event Again!
InvestImagineInspire
Jeffrey H. Day and Sean T. OReilly, CFP, have been asked by the University Circle UMC Finance Committee to present a practical and insightful two-part class on financial fundamentals. Jeff is a member of our church and an Associate/Owner of Financial Education Services. He has been in the financial services industry since 1970. Sean is a Senior Vice-PresidentInvestment Officer with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. He has been an Investment Advisor since 1996 and a Certified Financial Planner since 2006. We have arranged time immediately following our Sunday worship services on September 16 for Sean to speak on managing a stock portfolio as well as other personal investments, and on the 23rd for Jeff to speak on financial basics. There will be a light lunch provided and reservations through the church office would be appreciated. This an opportunity to ask two qualified financial advisors some of the basic questions you may have regarding your personal finances and thus become better able to invest, inspire and imagine how we as individuals and as a church family may become better equipped to face our financial future. Sunday, September 9, marks not only our return to 11:00 services in our Sanctuary, but the return of our Rally Day luncheon extravaganza, featuring those famous gourmet hot-dogs prepared and served by our super crew of MENS group chefs. Plan now to be a part of this Sundays worship service, with its mix of music, message, dance and reunion. Then stay for lunch and enjoy food and fellowship as we gather in the Great Hall for another fun Rally Day Sunday.

One of the things I find particularly interesting about boating is the names often very creativewhich people give to their boats. For instance, as we Chalkers take our boat out on the lake (which is unnamed because I cant win family support for calling it Chalk-a-Board), we will often pass the dock where Eggs-Ta-Sea is moored. Another boat we pass bears the name, Moms Gift. Conversation often results with theories as to whether the boat is a gift by someones mother, an inheritance perhaps, or a boat actually belonging to some mom that she has described as her gift or that has been given to her. Lots of possibilities. Sometimes the names on boats can reflect the grandiose. There is a little sailboat I pass along the side of the road to the marina which cannot be much larger than 16 feet in length. The boat sits on a trailer and is marked with a sign indicating that it is, For Sale. The name that has been given to the boat is Lord of the Sea. I know that, with so many things, we say that size is not important. But, this name on that boatand its not even on the lake seemswell, a bit overstated. Not far from where our boat is docked is a sail boat belonging to a friend of mine. He found the boat some years ago, stored in a barn. When he saw that boat, he could see potential. He had to see potential because, at the moment of discovery, the boat was coveredand in places literally buried with years of bird droppings and other rather unpleasant debris. The rigging had many missing pieces and was all thrown in an unruly and tangled pile. The sails were longsince torn and rotted. No matter. My friend bought the boat in the shape it was discovered. Then, in the months that followed, he and his son cleaned, restored, refitted and renamed that sailboat. Now that boat, once nearly forgotten in an old barn, is lovely to look at, both moored at its dock or making its way under westerly Continued on back page

Middle & High School Uth @ UCUMC

All youth of UCUMC are enthusiastically invited to join in the fun this year! We will be part of the whole church for worship and Rally Day on September 9, at 11am in the Sanctuary. Then, our first Youth Group meeting will happen during worship on September 16. In general, the Middle School Youth Group (grades 68) and High School Youth Group (grades 912) will attend worship on the first Sundays of the month and then meet as our Youth Group during worship on the other Sundays of the month. We will have fun times, meaningful discussions, Bible study, prayer support and outreach projects throughout the year. Please note that the Confirmation program for 8th-graders begins in January to prepare for Confirmation Sunday in May. In addition to the usual youth group meetings, please mark the following special dates on your calendars (details will follow):
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Dance, Dance
The UCUMC Liturgical Dancers conclude their Summer Dance Experience with the Last Dance of Summer on Sunday, September 2, in the Great Hall. If you have an interest in dance, consider joining the UCUMC Liturgical Dancers and explore mental and physical exercises that promote good health, Christian fellowship and opportunities for active participation in worship services. The Fall-Winter Dance Schedule begins September 16 with classesrehearsals on Sundays before worship at 9:00am or after worship at 12:30pm. Come to the class that best fits your schedule. UCUMC Liturgical Dance Classes are open to all.

September 16Pizza/Planning Party (following worship) for both Middle School and High School Youth. Youth only from 12-1pm. Parents join the discussion from 11:30pm. September 30Middle School Youth serve Neighborhood Lunch October 21Middle School & High School Youth Cedar Point Trip November 1618Middle School & High School Retreat at Camp Wanake

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Deadline for the next Outlook issue is Monday, September 17, 2012 outlook@churchinthecircle.com

If you have any questions, please contact High School Coordinators Dawn & Fred McElrath (dawnsfab3@sbcglobal.net) or Middle School/Confirmation Coordinator Sharon Seyfarth Garner (seygarner@sbcglobal.net).

C U @ UCUMC 4 Rally Day & more!

The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954500) is published weekly by UMR Communications, 1221 Profit Dr., Dallas Texas, 75247-3919. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas Texas. and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The United Methodist Reporter, P Box .O. 660275, Dallas, Texas 75266-0275.

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THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

AUGUST 31 2012

Gay-Straight Alliance Announces

Tim Downing, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Human Rights Campaign (HRC), speaks at the church on Tuesday, September 25, at 78:30pm. All persons are welcome to attend this informative session about the latest legislation in the works and an overview of the work of HRC, which envisions an America where Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) people are ensured their basic equal rights and can be open, honest and safe at home, work and in the community. Contact Joanna Li in church or at jolynn.li@gmail.com for more details.

Willow School Needs Our Help

A Cleveland Public School located near I-77 and Broadway, Willow Elementary has received assistance in many forms from our church community for more than a decade. And again this fall, they need supplies and tutoring assistance as they begin another school year. TUTORING: If you might be interested in tutoring this year, please contact our Willow School liaison, Dan Maly, at 440.235.2614 or dnmaly@yahoo.com for more information. He will be meeting with interested tutors. SCHOOL CLOTHING: Studentsboys and girls in Kindergarten through 8th grademust dress according to school code every day. New or very clean gently-used clothing will be gratefully received. Shirts: White or light blue only; collars are absolutely required Bottoms: Pants, shorts, skirts or jumpers in navy, blue or khaki Shoes: Athletic shoes are required for gym class SCHOOL SUPPLIES: If you are able to contribute items from the following list, boxes near the church office will receive your donations: Pocket folders Wide-ruled spiral notebooks,70-page 1-subject spiral notebooks Wide-ruled loose-leaf paper White Elmers glue bottles Glue sticks Childrens metal Fiskar scissors Pointed scissors Crayola crayons, boxes of 16 Crayola crayons, boxes of 24 Laddie pencils Pencils with #2 lead Pencil erasers Pencil-top erasers Covered pencil sharpeners Yellow highlighters Red pens Black or blue pens Dry-erase EXPO markers Pencil pouch Pencil box, plastic Facial tissues (Kleenex) Hand sanitizer Anti-bacterial wipes Paper towels algebraic calculators flash drives backpacks The children, their families and the staff at Willow School are truly grateful for our support.

Greetings from Hank & Evelyn Tarshis in Ecuador

It is winter now here in Ecuador . The nighttime temperatures in Cuenca can dip into the 40s, and the daytime temperatures often are in the 60s and 70s. The seasons here are the opposite of what they are in the U.S. We have settled in and are starting to make friends and entertain. We have become friends with several Ecuadorian people and several American couples. The 18-unit condo we live in has a mixture of both. We have met many taxi drivers who have lived and worked in the U.S., especially New York and New Jersey. Many of them speak English. We were told that there are about 1 million Ecuadorians in the U.S. now. Many send their earnings home to help support their families, and also to build houses here. Of course, being separated from their family for many years is very difficult. One of the biggest challenges we face here is patiently waiting for our permanent visas as the government continues to change requirements. It may be an attempt to slow the influx of foreigners, especially Americans. Although their immigration brings money into the country, it also has caused prices to escalate, both in the retail and real estate markets, making it more expensive for Ecuadorians. We have met people here who are faced with either leaving the country or staying here illegally because their tourist visas have expired before they could obtain their permanent visas. This becomes even more difficult after people have purchased furniture and appliances, and are then faced with having to leave. Another challenge Evelyn faces is trying to find ingredients for cooking and baking. One problem is trying to figure out what the Spanish equivalents are, and another is that the supermarkets just dont seem to carry everything needed. Thankfully, the higher elevation hasnt had much of an effect on baking. I have enclosed pictures of the Cajas Mountains and our neighborhood, views we see from our dining room windows. The Cajas are as high as 16,000 feet above sea level. They offer lakes, trout fishing, camping and beautiful scenery. It can get much colder at these higher elevations. When the clouds roll in, they can partially or completely cover the mountains, seemingly making them disappear from sight. On one cloudless morning recently, however, we were able to see the moon over the mountain peaks as late as 9:45AM. Its interesting to look out over the roof tops, and see the different shaped roofs, and different colored, terra cotta roof tiles. Throughout Cuenca, buildings and houses share common outside walls. We live across the street from a Cuencan restaurant that is very popular with the local business people who drive and walk here. They only serve lunch MondayFriday. A complete lunch including soup, salad, meat or chicken, juice and a small dessert is only $3.00. Also, down the street is a restaurant owned by two expats. It serves dinner Saturday evenings and sometimes Wednesdays. It is a gathering place for expats, and can serve up to 100 people in their house, the bottom floor of which they use for the restaurant. Here are some oddities I noticed here in Cuenca. Baking soda cannot be purchased in a supermarket, but only in a pharmacy. Printing paper is not sold where you purchase computer printers, but in a paper goods store. Electrical wire for stereo speakers is not sold where you purchase stereo equipment, but in a hardware store. And, watch batteries cannot be purchased where you purchase your watch or watchband, but can be purchased at a photo shop. Makes for a challenging shopping experience. Blessings from Cuenca to our Church family. Hank & Evelyn Tarshis (members and former Cleveland residents)

Saxophone quartet participating in a summer service, led by Ken Mehalko

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THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

AUGUST 31 2012

OUTREACH in ACTION
With the September 2011 hundred year floodthe second in five yearsthat devastated the Endicott, NY area of southern New York came the need for volunteer help. FEMA and other traditional support sources were slow and stingy with their help. As usual, the United Methodist Church in the form of UMCOR (United Methodist Church Committee on Relief) stepped in to assist residents rebuild their homes with volunteer help. And in December of last year, they established a Disaster Relief center just yards from the former IBM headquarters building in Endicott. Office space was transformed into bunk bed rooms, a kitchen, TV room and Disaster volunteers from our church and a Presbyterian church in New Jersey meeting room. Eight of our church family took time away from their normal lives to help prepare and rebuild three homes in the Endicott area. From leveling floors to encasing stairs to pulling nails in preparation for drywall to installing insulation and drywall, this group plowed through their July week with an attitude of Well get this done, come hell or high water. Obviously, the earlier hell was pretty evident, and the high water had already come, reaching the second floors of many homes. Our members help was greatly appreciated by the homeowners they met and by local businesses and organizations who welcomed them with open armsand hugs. When you get a chance, offer your thanks to these folks who represented the sentiment of our churchto reach out to others in time of need: Rick and project organizer Cheryl Drake, Doug Blank, Jim and Kay Hogg, Sevilla Morse AND her therapy-dog sidekick, Sunshine, and Bob and Ginny Taylor. If YOU want to make a difference in this world and in the lives of others, seriously consider being a part of our next outreach mission trip to the next unfortunate area of our country. Youll be glad you did. Rebuilding Together Cleveland was another well-attended and successful annual event in July. Much thanks to the UCUMC group of twelve volunteers who devoted a full summer Saturday to working on a home in the Kinsman neighborhood, scraping paint and dodging roofing scraps falling from the sky, as we worked to perform needed improvements. Between the less than favorable weather conditions and the delay in arrival of major supplies, it was a day full of challenges. However, our UCUMC volunteers made use of every minute by performing yard cleanup and minor landscaping prior to the arrival of supplies and the strenuous work of scraping paint from a two-story home. At the conclusion of our work, the homeowners son expressed heartfelt gratitude to our volunteers for a job well done. Our work was captured in the Plain Dealer and on Channel 5 news. We look forward to another large group of volunteers next year; please tentatively mark your calendars for the last Saturday in July, 2013, if you are interested in joining us. Hopefully, we can assemble our largest and strongest group of volunteers yet! A special Outreach Thank You is in order to all who volunteered to assist with the recent Neighborhood Basketball dinner. Neighborhood Basketball is a twice-weekly event where the UCUMC gym is opened to the neighborhood for a time of basketball and fellowship. As this is one of the fastest growing programs at UCUMC, we have looked for occasional opportunities to prepare a hot meal for our guests. Thanks to Hassan Lee, Mike & Audrey Bilovecky, Brian & Margaret Misch, Sandra Vodanoff, John Tait, Pete Smith, Diambu Smith, Tiffany Favers and Judy Sockman for supplying food and/or assisting with serving and cleanup. Many sincere words of thanks were received from our guests, and the effort by all to contribute to a growing mission of UCUMC is much appreciated.

GRACENOTES
B Y N AT H A N M O T TA
Director of Music & Arts

Were baaaaack! (not that we ever really left) Rally Day is right around the corner and with it comes Chancel Choir, Gospel Choir, Bell Choir, Liturgical Dancers and a return to the higher ground of the Sanctuary at 11am on Sundays! Weve been working the entire month of August preparing the music schedule for the coming months, and we have some great stuff planned, including l a Rally Day to remember with a bombastic return to our grand Sanctuary space l continued presentations by our Full Circle Jazz Combo led by David Kay l upbeat and inspirational anthems from our Gospel Choir directed by Michele Levy l new pieces by our Bell Choir

presentations by our Liturgical Dancers a Folk Music Sunday l a worship service built around Musical Theatre repertoire l and a beautiful presentation of carol settings on the Fourth Sunday of Advent Well also be working with the rest of the UCUMC staff in exploring The Sacred Secular; finding God and spirituality in our day-to-day lives and experiencing these things together in worship. JOIN US! Come to a rehearsal and ring or sing on our new Wednesday rehearsal nights, check in on the Gospel Choir before worship on a Sunday, talk to Edna about moving with the Liturgical Dancers, or talk to me about sharing another musical gift in worship this year! Enjoy the last days of summer, and we look forward to sharing a great Fall of worship experiences with the UCUMC family and all visitors who come through these doors.
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Prayer Breakfast for Childrens Safety

With increasing concern for keeping our children safe from violence and bullying, the Duffy Liturgical Dance Ensemble is sponsoring a Prayer Breakfast, Saturday, September 8, in the UCUMC Great Hall, from 911am. This gathering is open to residents from around our community who want to engage in activities that will create a climate in which violence and bullying cannot exist. Featured participants will include The Reverend Canon Will Mebane, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, The Reverend Dr. Valentino Lassiter, Eastview Congregational UCC, and our own Reverend Dr. Kenneth W. Chalker, along with noted violinist Obed Shelton. A tax-deductible donation of $10 to cover food expenses is requested. Please call Edna or Maureen Duffy for tickets at 216.921.0734 or go online at duffylit@ att.net.

Thanks to Our Summer Presenters

Summer worship services in the Great Hall of UCUMC have certainly offered us the relief of air conditioning, along with a variety of music, dance and fellowship. But we have also been graced with messages delivered by incredibly inspiring speakers from within our congregation and beyond. We offer our deep appreciation to each of the ministers and speakers who shared their spiritual guidance with us this summer: Rev. Jim Longsworth, Heidi Denman, Kip Reader, Rev. Sharon Seyfarth Garner, Rev. Ben Magee, Rev. Dr. V. Yvonne Conner and Jeff Day. Each, in their unique and wonderful way, has presented a message of hope and personal conviction, filled with a spiritual strength that sustains us to face the week ahead. Thank you to all of these very special people; we look forward to hearing from you again!

A Note From Hallie Christian

Dear Friends, As you know by now, I am moving to Palatine, IL, a suburb of Chicago, so I may be near my daughters. In this time of change, I want to thank so many of you for your notes, cards, phone calls and prayers. These have been so appreciatedand badly needed. I truly thank you for your thoughtfulness. But now, lets not say goodbye forever. You computer people have my email address; others my street address; and if you are ever in the Chicago area, my phone number. So lets remain in touch with each other. Id so like to know whats happening in your life and what is going on in the church. That will be a gift to me. Rev. Dr. Hallie Christian The Tamarack; 55 S. Greeley #420; Palatine, IL 60067 hchristian@me.com Again, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I love you and will remember all of you in my prayers. Love, Hallie

THE UNIVERSITY CIRCLE OUTLOOK

printed every four weeks as an edition of THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER for University Circle United Methodist Church Dr. Kenneth W. Chalker, Senior Pastor 1919 E. 107th St., Cleveland, OH 44106 www.churchinthecircle.com; 216/421-1200 Outlook Editor: Jim Hogg outlook@churchinthecircle.com Photographers: Jeff Day, David Hughes, Brian Misch Editorial Staff: K. Shamp, E. Prince, C. Day, M. Abele

chalk talk
Continued from front page

breezes out on the lake. The boat has been most appropriately named, bearing the moniker, Soars Again. It does. It occurs to me that the name my friend has given to his restored boat is a name that could be both a description and a promise for the very nature of our lives. No matter what, no matter when, even when covered by years of debris and having a sense that we are

forgotten, we can soar again. God works that way. God sees our potential even when our life experience may not have given evidence of any potential being realized. And, even when this life, however it has come to us and been lived by us, comes to its close, there is the promise of faith that, in the way of Christ, we can and do soar again. See you in church!