The Outlook

an edition of

The United Methodist Reporter

Two Sections

Pizza with the Pastor | 4A

Section A

Outreach in Action | 8A

Womens Retreat | 5A

909160 Vol. 160 No. 2 May 10, 2013

Mount Union Concert Choir Performs

chalk talk
BY DR. KENNETH W. CHALKER

Financial Update
~ Nicole Lewis, Chairperson, Finance Committee Spring Greetings from your UCUMC Finance Committee! Our committees job is to perfect and manage our churchs financial systems, so that the mission and vision of the congregation can be achieved. We conduct the fall Stewardship Campaign, prepare the annual budget and communicate with the congregation about finances. Additionally, we are working on a 5-year strategic plan to protect our financial future. Being a member of the United Methodist Church means professing faith in God and pledging to be loyal to our church and to faithfully participate in its ministries. One important way we participate in UCUMCs ministries is by supporting them financially. Indeed, the worthy endeavors of maintaining our beautiful structure and producing lifetransforming programming through worship, education and service require our financial support. Our 2013 Operating Budget is about $1 million. It costs a lot of money to keep this place running the way we need it to. So far, our income and expenses are within budget. But even if we stay on budget this year, we anticipate a shortfall of $248,000. The larger United Methodist Church wont just come in and make up the difference for us. Our Investment Fund (or Endowment) will take a big hit, over 10% of its current value. The Continued on page 5A

When I was a kid in the late 1950s, my maternal grandmothers kitchen on Sundays following church was always a fascinating place; particularly on those occasions when she was using her pressure cooker to prepare Swiss steak for dinner. In the wondrous dimension of human memory, I can still hear my grandmothers pressure cooker as its interior steam pressure was regulated and carried off by the valve that sputtered on its lid. It is always a surprise how the mind works. When the word came that the city block surrounding the finish line on Boylston Street at the Boston Marathon had become a killing field because of two pressure cookers improvised to become portable-by-backpack bombs, thoughts of my grandmothers kitchen crossed my mind. Pressure-cooker bombs exploded a memory. Suddenly, something remembered as benign and pleasant became malignant and horrific. The mental cancer, caused by the infection of religious evil, results in the terminal disease of soul-destroying, religious extremism. Every century experiences it in some way. No religion is exempt from its effect. There are radical, extremist Christians; radical, extremist Jews; radical, extremist Islamists andtragically on and on and on. They are all motivated from the same satanic source. Who else but a person apparently infected with the terminal illness of religious extremism thinks, Wow. Look at that pressure cooker. What a great encasement for an improvised bomb. I could pack that thing with explosives, a bunch of ball bearings, BBs, nails, and rig it all to a cellphone-activated detonating device. I could drop it in a crowd of families on holiday and kill infidel children with it. God will be so proud of me standing up for the One True Religion. God will be so proud of me standing tall and walking away after permanently knocking the legs out from underneath innocent people. What other mental illness and spiritual perversion than religious extremism could cause a person to believe that blowing up an 8-year-old boy is an accomplishment deserving of heavenly reward? Continued on back page

University Circle United Methodist Church offers a free performance of the University of Mount Union Concert Choir, Friday, May 17 at 7:30pm. Under the direction of Dr. Grant W. Cook III, the choir will perform works by Johann Ernst Eberlin, Andreas Hammerschmidt, Ren Clausen, Bob Chilcott, David Childs and Emma Lou Diemer, among others. In addition, the program includes traditional works from Argentina and South Africa.

The University of Mount Union Concert Choir performs annually throughout the continental United States and undertakes an international tour every four years. It is dedicated to the performance of the highest quality choral literature from the Renaissance through the 21st Century, including spirituals, gospel music, folk songs and music celebrating a global perspective. You are warmly invited to experience this free performance.

New members joining our congregation, April 28: With Dr. Chalker are (L-R) Robert and Jennifer Carter, George and Carrie Hicks, Lennie Stover and Alexis Kim, Nancy Ramsey, Bob and Kathy Strickland.

New Members Welcomed

~ Judy Sockman, Coordinator of Membership and Volunteers On Sunday, April 28, the University Circle United Methodist Church family welcomed nine new members during the worship service. They joined after two orientation events during which they learned about UCUCM, its structure and merged history, and met with some of the staff and lay leadership of the church. During these events they also met their Faith Friends who introduced them to the congregation on New Member Sunday. JENNIFER CARTER is a professor at Case Western Reserve University and recently moved to Cleveland Heights with her husband, ROBERT CARTER. Bob, an engineer with NASA, grew up in Lexington, Ohio, and attended Church of the Cross UMC there when Dr. Chalker was beginning his ministry. Dr. Joanne Ngeow is their Faith Friend. CARRIE and GEORGE HICKS live in Continued on page 4A

MENS Community Speaks Forum

Bill Denihan is welcomed as our guest for the MENS Community Speaks Forum at 9:30am on Sunday, June 2. Mr. Denihan is the CEO of the County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services. He has also held numerous positions with the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio. Mark your calendar now to be a part of this insightful event.
The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) 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, 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, Texas 75247.

Deadline for the next Outlook issue is Friday, May 24, 2013, due to Memorial Dayoutlook@churchinthecircle.com

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THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

MAY 10, 2013

~Youth News~
UCUMC Uth Update
~ Rev. Sharon Seyfarth-Garner, Coordinator of Confirmation Program Spring is a busy time for our youth. Both the Middle School and High School Youth Groups have been meeting regularly and are looking forward to their respective Spring Retreats during the weekend of May 1719.

Its a contemplative, meditative, reflective experience offered in a quiet space, away from the outside world. Its a blend of quiet music and the sounds of nature, with candlelight, quotes, scripture and shared thoughts and prayers that help create moments of calm, understanding, growth, inspiration and direction. Its called Ruach (ro-awk), and it happens in our church on the first and third Fridays of the month from 12:15 to 12:45pm and the

second and fourth Tuesdays from 7:00 to 7:50pm. This month, specifically, we meet Friday, May 17 at 12:15pm and Tuesdays, May 14 and 28 at 7pm. Ruach is a Hebrew word meaning breath or wind or spirita kind of invisible moving force. At UCUMC, it means a gathering of those who seek a non-service way to nourish their spirituality. Join Juliette Regnier at any of these times and experience a different approach to spiritual growth and fulfillment.

The youth have also enjoyed Pizza with the Pastor as Dr. Chalker has met informally with each youth group so they can get to know him better. The confirmands and their mentors continue to meet in preparation for Confirmation Sunday. Finally, on June 9th we will celebrate Confirmation during the youth-led worship service. They are busy getting ready with music, prayers and dancing in what should be a fun and meaningful worship experience for the whole congregation. As always, our youth groups meet on Sunday mornings from 1112:15pm (except for the first Sundays of the month, when youth attend worship with the rest of our faith family). All youth are invited to join us for faith-filled fun!

Sunday School Celebrates All Creatures Great and Small

~ Amy Wheatley, Director of Education The children of UCUMC love animals. A large set of plastic animals are the center of play in our block area, with children building farms, zoos and homes for them every week. During sharing time and snack time, we can count on conversation about family pets, trips to the zoo or feeding the ducks at the Wade Lagoon. It is wonderful to hear the children share stories they have written or imagined which almost always involve animals in starring roles. And, they are always eager to share facts they have learned about every kind of animal from the smallest insects to ferocious sharks and dinosaurs! Building on our childrens interest in animals, the theme of our Sunday School lessons in May and June is All Creatures Great and Small. We will celebrate Gods creation and the amazing animals in our world through stories, songs, art, cooking and games. Well learn about the work of Heifer International, an organization that helps children see themselves as part of the global community seeking to end hunger and poverty. Undertaking a small mission project, we will collect pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to purchase an animal for a family in need. Please bring a child you love to Sunday School and join in our spring celebration of All Creatures Great and Small!

Member George Forbes was honored April 19 by the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC) for his longtime support of early childhood education in Cleveland, as an audience of over 350 attended the dedication celebration of the George L. Forbes Early Learning Center in East Cleveland. This image of George inside this wonderful facility will remind children and adults alike for years to come of Georges dedication to early childhood development.

~ Baptisms ~

New Members Welcomed

Continued from front page

Rev. Tom Taylor (great-great uncle) with Kate, Greg, Nell, Greir and Kelly Taylor (4/28/13)

Avery Layla Blank, Megan and Doug, with Dr. Chalker (4/14/13)

M A R AT H O N T R A F F I C
The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon will again pass by our building on Chester Avenue, Sunday, May 19, potentially creating some delays to and from the church. East-bound Chester traffic should be maintained, with controlled crossing of the route at 105th and 107th Streets. You might consider using Carnegie or Euclid Avenue as alternatives to Chester. The race route also follows MLK Jr. Blvd. north, which will most likely be closed to traffic. Check Sunday bulletins for updated information.

Shaker Heights, have two grown sons and are transferring their membership from Church of the Redeemer UMC in Cleveland Heights. Carrie grew up on Johns Island, SC, and is a teacher in the Orange School District. George is retired from the Navy and is an attorney in Cleveland. Serving as Faith Friends for Carrie and George are Sarah and Kip Reader. ALEXIS KIM is the mother of Sabrina, age 12, and 5-year-old Calvin who have already become active in the UCUMC childrens and youth programs. She is currently a 2nd-year law student at Cleveland Marshall Law School and is joining along with LENNIE STOVER. They live in the Gordon Square neighborhood of Cleveland, and Lennie, a financial advisor, is transferring his membership from the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls. Cynthia, Marvin and Ryan Burge are Faith Friends to the Kim-Stover family. NANCY RAMSEY lives in Bay Village and

has several ties to the UCUMC church family. Her brother and sister-in-law, Don and Barb McQuilkin, are long-time members as is her daughter, Judi Sims, who is also her Faith Friend. KATHY and BOB STRICKLAND have been attending UCUMC since they moved to the Tremont neighborhood from Mentor. Kathy is retired from a financial career and is currently writing a novel. Bob is president of PCS Construction. They have three grown children and are transferring membership from Mentor UMC. The Stricklands Faith Friends are Jan and John Stahl. Comments shared by the new members about what they like about UCUMC included: the friendly, welcoming and caring environment, the sense of community, Dr. Chalkers sermons, the music, spirituality and THE PEOPLE! We are so happy these wonderful folks have chosen to join our Church in the Circle.

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THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

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WOMENS RETREAT:
Walking the Labyrinth, Nourishing the Soul
Saturday, June 1 ~ 10am3pm
Walking the labyrinth has been meaningful among Christians as a spiritual discipline or tool since around 1220 AD and has been rediscovered recently by many seeking to experience God in their lives. Walking the labyrinth can release the soul to new freedom, bring clarity and draw us closer to the presence of the Almighty. A labyrinth is not a maze, with cul de sacs and dead ends; rather, it is a single path that leads in to the center and out again. The labyrinth is a place where we can open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and spend time in Divine presence. Saturday, June 1, Coordinator of Pastoral Care Heidi Denman and University Hospitals Health Librarian Melissa OGrady will offer interested women the chance to learn more about the labyrinth as a Christian discipline, lunch together and then actually experience the labyrinth for themselves. The University Hospitals labyrinth, modeled after the one found at Chartres Cathedral in France, is set in the beautiful healing gardens near the Seidman Cancer Center, which offer a year-round setting of beauty and peace. Cost for the retreat is $5. To register, contact Heidi Denman (h.e.denman@gmail.com) or call the church office at 216-421-1200.

A Look Inside Hospice

~ Heidi Denman, MDiv, Coordinator of Pastoral Care Often, when I am visiting with people who have come from out of town or out of state for treatment at the Cleveland Clinic or another of our many fine medical facilities, I will make the comment that, if you have to get sick, Cleveland is a great place to do it. Beyond these facilities to help us get well, however, our city also has a number of other agencies whose purpose is to journey with us when perhaps healing takes a different direction from getting well in this world, or as we experience a time of extended, chronic illness, such as cancer. One such organization is the Hospice of the Western Reserve. Hospice of the Western Reserve has a number of locations; the two I spend time visiting are on East 185th in Euclid and on Crocker Road in Westlake. These two facilities provide residential hospice and palliative care, as well as many, many opportunities for the families of those who are in hospice to participate in support groups or counseling or spend time wandering their beautiful grounds. The Euclid facility opened in the 1990s and is perched on the shores of Lake Erie, in a peaceful, natural setting with a brick memorial walkway. The Westlake center just opened its doors in 2012 and is nestled in a quiet, wooded area in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the west side. In addition to treating participants, both locations offer activities such as yoga, music and art therapy, as well as a library and centers for children and teens to hang out and talk with people who know how to listen. Each month, the Hospice offers a catered dinner to families of those participating at their centers, allowing those family members to relax and enjoy a time of respite. The Hospice of the Western Reserve is not a faith-based or faith-affiliated organization. They characterize themselves as nondenominational or omni-denominational, providing people with needed comfort and services, wherever they might be on their personal spiritual journey. The staffs are committed to serving anyone who finds themselves in need of palliative or hospice care. If your definition of hospice care has been as a place where a loved one goes to die, I would invite you to see Hospice of the Western Reserve as a place where a loved one will receive the loving physical, mental, emotional and spiritual support to finish lifes journey well. Director Diane Snyder Cowans biggest concerns is that people wait too long to contact them. Gaining information before it is needed allows one to access care that will likely extend and improve the quality of life during a loved ones final chapters on this earth. Want to know more? Give me a call or send me an email. I would love to share.

Financial Update
Continued from front page
l l l

Debbie McFadden, right, with her daughter, Ruth, and her brother, Scott McFadden of Fairview Park, are the daughter, granddaughter and son of members John and Billie McFadden. Debbie and Ruth were in Cleveland visiting John and Billie the weekend following the April 15th Boston Marathon, in which another of Debbies daughters, Tatyana, won the womens wheelchair competition just minutes before the explosions. Debbie shared her moving marathon experience with our congregation during Dr. Chalkers sermon.

Finance Committee wants you to know that we are working to stabilize our financial condition, but we need your help. We have 225 active households in our congregation. To support our 2013 expenses through congregational giving alone, each household would need to give an average $88 per week. That is a lot of money and beyond reach for many. Thats why we are diligently finding other revenue streams. We do invite you to prayerfully think about what you can do, financially and otherwise, to support our work here. Financially, what can you do to help us? l Fulfill your pledge.

Give beyond your pledge. Make special gifts to thank God for the special blessings and occasions in your life. Remember UCUMC in your Estate plan for the disposition of your assets on your passing. Establish a charitable gift annuity, making a gift of assets to UCUMC and in exchange receiving fixed payments each year for life. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors about UCUMC and encourage them to join us!

God has taken care of us so far. Please consider what you can do to be the answer to our prayers.

Cathy Day (left center) and Marilou Abele (right) presented this years University Circle United Methodist Womens Recognition Award to Sue Harden (center right) and to Susan DePould (not pictured) for their dedicated work throughout the year. Kay Hogg offers her congratulations.

Musician Sam Morrison played saxophone and alto flute with member David Kay during our April 21st service. Sam played in the Miles Davis touring and recording band in the mid 1970s and has appeared with many wellknown jazz musicians around the country.

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THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

MAY 10, 2013

Outreach in Action
~ Doug Blank, Chair, Outreach Committee Walk for HungerSaturday, May 11 UCUMC Outreach is again organizing support in the Hunger Networks annual Walk for Hunger. The event is Saturday, May 11, at Burke Lakefront Airport. Last years participation was a great success, raising over $700 for the Hunger Network, a local agency that raises funds to provide food to dozens of food pantries and shelters across the region. Each dollar raised provides one day of emergency food for a hungry child. serves as a positive outlet for the youth and young adults in our neighboring communities. Several times a year, Outreach organizes a dinner for the participants. Brian Misch has organized food donors for this event, but we need folks to serve the food. Serving prep begins at 7pm. If you could donate approximately 90 minutes on Monday, May 20, to assist, we would certainly welcome the assistance. Contact Brian in person or sign up via e-mail at UCUMCOutreach@gmail.com. MedWish Donation SortingSaturday, June 22 Join the Outreach Committee in supporting a worthy, worldwide mission by sorting medical supplies at MedWish! Assisting with this mission is active, rewarding and fun. MedWish International is a non-profit organization committed to the use of unused medical supplies donated by area healthcare providers. These life-saving supplies are shipped to those providing medical care in developing countries throughout the world. If you are a member of the HandsOn network, please sign up at www.handsonneo.org. If you are NOT a member of HandsOn yet, please e-mail UCUMCOutreach@gmail.com or call Doug Blank at 216.536.1857 for details. Also Please set aside your painting clothes and save the date of Saturday, July 27, for UCUMCs annual participation in Rebuilding Together Cleveland!

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

The Walk for Hunger commences following a donated breakfast. Walk with the UCUMC team; feel free to bring your dog! Cross the finish line and enter the Family Social AfterParty in Voinovich Park with a donated lunch, live music and other exciting entertainment! Go online to http://2013walkforhunger. kintera.org to sign up to participate. Click REGISTER HERE, agree to the waiver and click Join a Team. You will find University Circle UMC on the list of teams. We look forward to walking with you! Neighborhood Basketball Dinner Monday, May 20 Under the enthusiastic leadership of Hassan Lee, Neighborhood Basketball is continuing2 nights a week. This program

Its been an exciting month at UCUMC as we continue to celebrate the Sundays following Easter. We had special guest, jazz saxophonist Sam Morrison, a few babies being baptized, new members joining our church family, and a very special Sunday service honoring the contributions of Norine Sharp. Certainly this is an important time of seeing our diverse family of faith grow into the future. Im so excited as I think about the possibilities for worship experiences downstairs in the intimacy of the Great Hall for summer services. And Im also excited about coming upstairs in the fall to a beautifully renovated chancel and all the opportunities it will offer. I invite you to refrain from taking the summer off, if that thought crossed your mind. Instead, join us in a new environment downstairs, with Music and Arts offerings that honor the closeness of that room. And then look forward to the endless possibilities for

worship in a renovated chancel where all are welcome to participate, see, hear and move in new and dynamic ways. The future is bright with so many possibilities, presented both in the spaces we worship in and in the people we worship with. My hope is that these new worship settings will help us to continue to feel more connected as a congregation, and therefore more connected to God. You can also find connection by participating in worship through Music and Arts. There is never a bad time to come sing with a choir, dance with the dancers, ring a bell or offer to play an instrument. Simply let me know by talking with me after worship, or email me at nathanielmotta@yahoo.com to let us know youre interested. There are also members from all of our ensembles who would be happy to let you know more about what we do or how you might get involved. In addition, Im happy to hear about new music and pieces you have heard that might be effective or moving for our worship experiences. Just be in touchgood things will happen.

chalk talk
Continued from front page

Prayer Within and Beyond

You are invited to participate in these opportunities for prayer: Sunday mornings following worship, the Circle of Prayer meets in the East Chapel room for fellowship and a time of prayer for one another and UCUMC. Tuesday mornings at 8:30, at Panera Bread on Tiedeman Road south of I-480, brings another opportunity for fellowship and prayer, as well as a preview of the weeks lectionary passage. Thursday mornings at 6:45 at Einstein Bagels in Lakewood (Detroit & St. Charles) allows early birds the chance to share a cup of coffee, a bagel and prayer conversation. Prayer requests can be submitted during worship using a Prayer Request card (found in the pew pockets). Place the card in the offering plate or in the wooden prayer box in the northwest corner of the Sanctuary. (Requests can be made anonymously.) These requests are then shared with church staff and members who feel called to pray. You may also submit prayer requests via email to Heidi Denman, Coordinator of Pastoral Care, at h.e.denman@gmail.com. All prayer requests are confidential.

Share Your Opinions

During Congresswoman Marcia Fudges recent MENS Forum presentation at our church, she stated that politicians equate each personal phone call, e-mail or letter to 50 votes. In addition, she stated that if a congregation were to send many personal communications in support or opposition to proposed legislation, it would blow legislators away. They wouldnt know what to do. Does your Christian faith lead you to strongly support or oppose a current issue before the state and/or federal legislatures? Dont wait to vote. Act now with a personal communication. It may have more of an impact than you can imagine. A list of area US and Ohio representatives is posted on the church bulletin board. ~ John and Marlene Harmon

Some are indicating that the Boston Marathon bombing is a game-changer; that the numbers of security cameras are going to increase exponentially in our cities and public venues. Im all for catching those twisted souls on tape or digital disc who kill and maim innocent adults and little children in the name of God, or for any reason. It is important to see what Satan looks like and make every effort to thwart evils inclinations. But in the end there will never be enough cameras. When it comes to people caught up in religious extremism and serving the interests of religion of any kind as an end unto itself, we will always desperately need voices of faith to mitigate and overcome the damage that is done by them. Voices of faith are those who, in the name of the Creator, inspire hope and enable achievement. In terrible contrast, voices of

religion, are always conspiring how better to enforce doctrine, punish initiative born of creative thought and drone endlessly on about how to keep adherents on the religious reservation. Religion in its radical, extremist form goes even further. It justifies violence and mass destruction as a religious act worthy of canonization and emulation. Voices of faith affirm, by the loving lives they lead, that evil does not win, that crosses can be carried, that obstacles can be overcome, that entombed minds can be opened and hearts frozen by hate can be warmed by love. These are not platitudes. They are the fighting words for all who confront and exorcise evil. Voices of faith are the only power on earth strong enough to confront and overcome the twisted minions of radical, extremist religion; religion that is always looking for new ways to offer up, as well as rejoice in, human sacrifice. (This article originally appeared in the April 27th issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)

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

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Nathan Motta sings with member David Kay and his jazz band, Blue Note City, as part of a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign held at NightTown, April 7. This fun event raised nearly $700 for HRC.