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The Outlook

Two Sections

Section A

909160

Vol. 159 No. 46

March 15, 2013

The United Methodist Reporter (USPS954-500) is published weekly by UMRCommunications, 1221 Profit Dr., DallasTexas, 75247-3919. Periodicals postagepaid at Dallas, Texas and additionalmailing offices. Postmaster: Send addresschanges to: The United MethodistReporter, P.O. Box 660275, Dallas, Texas75266-0275.

an edition of

The United

Methodist Reporter

Were giving Dr. Chalker a respite from hisusual task of providing an insightful andmotivating message, so he can commune withnature and redirect his energies toward hisfavorite sport of skiing. He has discovered thata few days in Steamboat Springs, CO, at the

vacation home of members Dr. Ed and DianeWhite can help realign priorities and widenperspectives. You can see him here in hiselement, ready to conquer yet another RockyMountain slope. Thanks to Ed for this photo.More Chalk Talk in the next issue.

GRACENOTES

This months column be gins with words fromJim Hoggtenor, bell ringer, combo keyboardplayer, sound man extraordinaire, comedian,Mr. Kay Hogg and all-around great guy. Hereis his plug for the Chancel Choirs LentenCantata on Sunday March 17!

Lenten Cantata Blends RequiemsWhile our churchs Chancel Choir has in thepast performed single requiems as part oftheir contribution to Lenten music, this yearscantata features favorite movements ofseveral well-known requiem massesa rathernovel approach to providing musical supportfor the Lenten season. The brainchild ofDirectors Nathan Motta and Joanna Li, thisblending of select requiem movements occursthroughout the Sunday, March 17, service, tocompliment various aspects of worship.

From the Introit and Kyrie of MauriceDurufls Requiem to the Agnus Dei and InParadisum of Gabriel Faurs Requiem, all butone of the cantata selections will be sung inLatin. Other requiem pieces include JohnRutters Sanctus, Mozarts Confutatis andLacrymosa, Brahms How Lovely Is ThyDwelling Place and the Pie Jesu by AndrewLloyd Webber.

Youre warmly invited to experience thisunique blend of celebrated requiemmovements and to invite others to join you. Itsnot often that such a mix of musicalmasterpieces can be enjoyed at once and insuch a spectacular setting. Plan now to be apart of it.

Thanks, Jim! Also, plan now to be a part ofthese impactful services:

l

The unique worship experience led byJuliette Regnier, with musical assistancefrom staff keyboardist/organist AndreaDrier.

l A Maundy Thursday ser vice, completewith Bell Ringers, Liturgical Dancersand the Chancel Choir.

l A moving Good Friday service in theblended style, offering time forcontemplation and meditationcombined with soloists and ourFullCircle Combo.

l

Easter Sunday with all of our groupscelebrating the holiday, along with ourusual Brass Quintet!

One other thing: You may have heard thatthe Chancel and Bell choirs had some goodtimes recently involving pizza, a trivia gameand much carr ying-on. Sound interesting?Come check us out!

B Y NA T H A N M OTTADirector of Music & Arts

Mardi Gras Dinner | 4ANew Ruach Service | 8A Jazz in the Heights Returns | 8A

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

chalktalkBY DR. KENNETH W. CHALKER

Add any and all of these worship and fellowship opportunities to your calendar today:

3/28 ~ Maundy Thursday, light supper with Dr. Chalker, 5:30pm, Reception Room~ Maundy Thursday service, 7pm, Chapel

3/29 ~ Good Friday service, 7pm, Sanctuary

3/31 ~ Easter Sunday~ Sunrise Service, 8:30am, South Lawn~ Pancake Breakfast, 8:3010am, Great Hall~ Easter Service, 11am, Sanctuary~ Neighborhood Lunch, 1pm, Great Hall

HOLY WEEKAND EASTEREVENTS

Chancel FundingProcess, Redesign

ApprovedLed by our District Superintendent, the Rev.Dr. Peggy Streiff, our February 24 ChurchConference approved a three-fold motion tol authorize our Board of Trustees to fund

and initiate the chancel remodeling projectdesigned by the architectural firm ofWestlake, Reed and Leskosky;

l authorize this chancel remodeling projectto be funded by philanthropic gifts orgrants and/or a commercial loan not toexceed $800,000;

l authorize the renovation project to begin inJuly, 2013, and be completed by the end ofOctober, 2013. The Board of Trustees, inconsultation with the Finance Committee,will attempt to coordinate the timing of theloan and construction with the lease and/orsale of the East 30th property.Of the 153 votes cast, 135 were in favor,

with 17 opposed and one abstention. With thisapproval, the Board of Trustees, in consultationwith the Finance Committee, will pursuecompletion of this chancel change.

Another MuseumRAP Event!Members Kermit Greeneisen and SaundyStemen, Cleveland Museum of Art docents,have joined forces to create another of ourchurchs RandomActs of

ProgrammingRAPswith theirHOLY WEEK TOUR at the Cleveland Museumof Art on Sunday, March 24.

In December, over 50 members of ourchurch family toured the museum and sawobjects relating to the birth of Christ, withKermit and Saundy as our guides.

Now, on Palm Sunday, March 24, thisdynamic duo will host another museum tour,with a focus on European paintings andsculpture from the Medieval, Renaissance and

Baroque periods (12th to 17th Centuries),depicting the events from Palm Sunday toEaster. The one-hour tour will start at 1:30 pm.A light lunch will be served immediatelyfollowing worship for those going to themuseum. Reservations are required for lunchand the tour. Please sign up in the church officein person, via email to hhoward@churchinthecircle.com or by calling 216-421-1200.

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Mardi Gras Dinner

4A MARCH 15, 2013THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER

Our April SSL happens at the Chicago Deli,9601 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. New York Cityisnt the only place to find great delis. TheChicago Deli & Restaurant is famous for itscorned beef sandwiches, PLUS you can choosefrom the menus many pasta, chicken andseafood dishes as well. Lunches cost from $9 to$15.

Directions can be found in the churchbulletin. You must RSVP to Betz Richards @440-235-9343, or email: chefbetz1@aol.com byApril 9 to be a part of this latest RAP event.

SecondSundayLunch

Lent can be a time of self-examination andspiritual growth. Like Advent, it can also be aseason during whichloss can feel especially

pronounced or justsomehowdifferent.We may beexceptionally aware asChristians that lovedones, while gone from this place, are indeedresting in the arms of the Almighty.

So, as we draw closer to Holy Week and

Resurrection Sunday, UCUMC offers a Serviceof Healing and Hope on Tuesday, March 19,

7:00pm. This serviceincludes a time of

Scripture, silence andreflection and a chanceto pray for ourselves,our community andour world. OPEN

COMMUNION is available to anyone whorequests it. Heidi Denman, Coordinator ofPastoral Care, leads this service.

* * * * *Now that we have voted to officially begin thechancel redesign, it is more important than

ever to continue to be in prayerfor University Circle UMC. It isimportant that each and all of usremain attuned to the visionGod is revealing for our churchas we step out in faith to followGods lead. In addition to keeping UCUMC inyour personal prayers, you are invited toparticipate in these other opportunities forprayer:

Sunday mornings following worship, theCircle of Prayer meets in the East Chapel room

for fellowship and a time of prayer for oneanother and UCUMC.Tuesday mornings at 8:30, at Panera

Bread on Tiedeman and south of I -480, bringsanother opportunity for fellowship and prayer,as well as a preview of the weeks lectionarypassage.

Thursday mornings at 6:45 at EinsteinBagels in Lakewood (Detroit & St. Charles)

allows early birds the chance to share a cup ofcoffee, a bagel and prayer conversation.

Prayer requests can be submitted duringworship using a Prayer Request card (found inthe pew pockets). Place the card in the offeringplate or in the wooden prayer box in thenorthwest corner of the Sanctuary. (Requestscan be made anonymously.) These requestsare then shared with church staff a ndmembers who feel called to pray. You may alsosubmit prayer requests via email to HeidiDenman, Coordinator of Pastoral Care, ath.e.denman@gmail.com. All prayer requestsare confidential.

Prayer helps us focus our vision as a churchcommunity. Prayer helps us discern a waywhere there appears to be no way. Listening inprayer helps assure that our Church in theCircle is working not just towards her ownneeds, but the needs of a greater communityand greater Church. Prayer is the one thingthatcanand doesand will make adifferencewhen it seems nothing else will.

* * * * *

Coming attractions: MarkSaturday, June 1on your calendars, ladies! We are in the planningstages of offering a Womens Retreat that day,focused on walking the labyrinth as a spiritualdiscipline. We will learn together and then walk

the labyrinth at the Seidman Cancer Centerwhile also learning about their healing gardens.Watch for more information in the weeks tocomebut for now, mark those calendars!~ Heidi Denman, Coordinator of Pastoral Care

Puzzlesby Sue Harden

Some are simpleOnly a few piecesEasy to match the designs and colors

Others are more of a challengePieces are smaller or all the same shape

No easy designOtherswell, dont give up

Even if there are no edge piecesto get us started

Even if the design is unclear,without a picture on the box lid

Even if the pieces just dont seem to fitEven if pieces from two boxes

are mixed togetherDont give uppersevere

The Master Designer knowsThe final pictureHow it will all fit together

With His helpWe will see the final patternWe will fit all the pieces togetherCreating a new,

previously unseen, design.Susan B. Harden, 2009

(Susan composed this poem just prior to our merger.It subtly speaks to the challenges we faced in combin-ing two churches and affirms that God has notbrought us this far on our journey to let us fail.)

LenT

Rev. Chez Ben and Della Magee

Mardi Gras DinnerAbout ten dozen fun-loving celebrants not only enjoyed crawfish, jambalaya, shrimp Creole andKing Cake, but got up and danced to the genuine French Quarter music of the New Orleans Jazz

Ensemble, as part of UCUMCs Second Annual Authentic New Orleans-Style Creole/Cajun MardiGras Dinner Party, held this past February 9. Our sincere thanks goes to Rev. Chez Ben andDella Magee for organizing and preparing this spectacular meal and to all of their talentedvolunteers for helping make this event such a super success.

Deadline for the nextOutlook issue

is Monday, April 1, 2013

outlook@churchinthecircle.com

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8A THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER MARCH 15, 2013

~Youth News~Pastor Spends Quality Time with Youth

Over the next few months, Dr. Chalker ismaking a concerted effort to interact with the

members of our growing youth program. Hehas already invited the youth to fill a QuestionBox with questions that they wanted to hearhim answer. For his sermon on March 3, Dr.Chalker randomly drew these questions fromthe box and answered them on the spotadaring and creative way to engage the youth inworship.

Dr. Chalker will also be attending pizzaparties with the youth after worship to spend

some informal time sharing ideas about thelife of our church family. He will meet with the

Sr. High Youth on March 10 and with theMiddle School Youth on April 21. Additionalupcoming events include May retreats for boththe Middle School & Sr. High Youth Groups,and Confirmation/Youth-led worship on June9.

Stay tuned for details on more excitingevents to come.

~ Rev. Sharon Seyfarth Garner, Coordinator ofConfirmation Program

Summer Camp Is Just Around the CornerIts hard to imagine warmth, sun and summervacation during these cold gray days of w interin Cleveland. But, its not too early to beginthinking about East Ohio Conference SummerCamps!

EOC Summer Camps providechildren, youth, even families withunique opportunities to have fun,explore their faith and make newfriends in a caring community. Fromfamily camp to horse camp, canoeing

to stargazing, sports to praise, there is outdoorfun for everyone at Camp Aldersgate, CampAsbury or Camp Wanake. A life-changingexperience is right around the corner!

For more information about summer campopportunities, go to www.eastohiocamps.orgor pick up a camp brochure in the churchoffice.

Camp scholarships are available for

UCUMC children and youth who needfinancial assistance to attend camp thissummer. Our Education Program provides thefunding. In order to receive funds for camp,

families are asked to: 1) Contact AmyWheatley, Director of Education,BEFORE APRIL 14 to request a campscholarship; 2) Register your camperBEFORE MAY 1 online atwww.EOCSummercamps.org or u sethe paper event registration form; 3)

Pay the $40 deposit/registration fee, to be sentwith the campers registration. Once campersare registered and their families have paid the$40 deposit, our church will pay the remainingcamp fees.

Start thinking about campingopportunities nowsummers closer than youthink!

~ Dr. Amy Wheatley, Director of Education

New Service FeaturesUnique ApproachThese days, a lot of people d ont go to church.Its been that way for a while now. And reports

are, its a g rowing trend.The rituals, the music, the wholetraditional worship experiencetheyve oftenbeen a disconnect for a number ofAmericans. And perhaps thats why so manypeople check the NONE box next toReligious Affiliation.

As a member of University Circle UMC,Juliette Regnier shares that she has a strongspiritual base in this church home she loves.And thats a good thing. Yet, as someone whosalways expanding her horizons and searching

for lifes truths, Juliette has developed a keeninterest in discovering if the NONEs in herlife still have some kind of belief system. So,she has done some research, taken polls andmade some interesting discoveries.

In her conversations with friends andassociates who dont attend church, Juliettehas learned that many still considerthemselvesspiritualjust notreligious. They oftenbelieve in a higher being

and/or rely on nature fortheir inspiration, manytimes through solitary,quiet, reflective momentsof meditation or bycommuning with theoutdoors.

Some used to go to church but have driftedaway for various reasons, most having to dowith unmet needs.

When Juliette asked people if they mightconsider strengthening their spirituality

through elements of meditation and nature ina group se ttingin communityon aregular, non-sporadic basis, most responded

positively...with the caveat that they wouldhave to find the experience fulfilling in orderto attend regularly.

Not long ago, Juliette shared her findingswith Dr. Chalker and staff, who expressed

strong interest and support for the creation ofan additional non-traditional service at the

church. As a result, Juliette is indeed leading avery unique and insightful service of spiritualexperiences, which began this month.

These contemplative, meditative, reflectiveservices take place in a quiet space, away fromall the outside buzz, Juliette says, on a regularbasis, in community. She anticipates drawingfrom a multitude of sources for elements ofcalm, understanding, growth, inspiration anddirection. Quiet music and the sounds ofnature can accompany passages, quotes andscripture, among others, with shared thoughts

and prayers at the conclusion; its an evolvingapproach, she adds.Juliettes additional research has revealed

the Hebrew word, Ruach (roo'-awk), whichcan mean breath or wind or spiritakind of invisible moving force. Ruach seemslike a real fit as the name for this kind ofservice, to be held in the Yoder Room on thefirst and third Fridays of the month from12:15 to 12:45pm and the second and fourthTuesdays from 7:00 to 7:50pm.

It is our church staffs belief that nothing

quite like this kind of service is currentlyavailable in the University Circle area. It isintended to address an unmet spiritual needin non-traditional ways. And while its mainfocus is not to grow our church, increasedattendance may indeed become a welcomeserendipity.

Juliettes teaching, act ing, presentation andmusical skills equip her to bring a polishedapproach to the two-fold challenge ofrekindling the spiritual strength of thosewhose faith has faded while also energizing in

new ways the healthy spirituality of NONEsand other believers in our community.Enabling spiritual understanding in others isindeed a noble mission, and we wish Julietteevery success in this exciting endeavor.

~ Jim Hogg, Editor(This articles original version appeared in the

February 21 Sunday bulletin.)

Juliette Regnier

With the super success of thefirst Jazz in the Heights forHuman Rights in the fall of2011, University Circle UnitedMethodist Church (UCUMC)announces the return of thisbenefit jazz performance,Sunday, April 7 from 69pm at Nighttown onCedar Road in Cleveland Heights.

This years entertainment will feature thesounds ofBlue Note City, with UCUMC

members Nathan Motta and David Kay andother professionals.

University Circle UMC is an activemember of the Reconciling Ministries

Network of the United Methodist Churchwhich is dedicated to teaching, organizingand supporting persons of the LGBTQcommunity and to helping the churchbecome more faithful to thedynamic love of Christ.

As part of UCUMCScommitment to and activesupport of the LGBTQcommunity, all proceeds afterexpenses will be donated to the

Human Rights Campaign. Tickets are $30 perperson; food and beverage are not included.Ticket availability will be publicized in thecoming weeks.

Jazz in the Heights Returns

MENS group leadersDave Hundertmarkand Ed Dicksonbookend Dr. Chalkerand CongresswomanMarcia Fudge, whoaddressed a largechurch audience abouther life experience ingovernment, as part ofthe groups February17 Community SpeaksForum.