Come to the table... Lent 2025 Potluck Dinners and Conversations Wednesdays through April 16
6 pm to 8 pm, Pierson Hall
All are welcome and encouraged to join us for food and fellowship on Wednesday evenings throughout the season of Lent. Bring a dish to share and your own table service; beverages will be provided. On April 2 and 9, our meal will be followed by Bible study and table conversation, designed for collaborative learning among children, youth, and adults. On April 16, we will share a presentation from the Kent Environmental Council as an opportunity to live more sustainably in relationship with our neighbors and with the goodness of God’s creation.
April 2: “Bread for Sharing”—Luke 14.7-14 April 9: “Bread for Community”—Luke 19.1-10 April 16: Presentation on sustainability (Kent Environmental Council)
This Lent, join us as we break bread together, savor the generosity of God, learn from each other, and rise to share with the world out of the abundance we have received from the bread of life.
Worship with us this coming Sunday Sunday, April 6, 2025 Fifth Sunday in Lent
8:30 am in the Chapel 9:30 am in the Palmer Gym or online 10:30 am in the Sanctuary or online
This week's readings:
Philippians 3.4b-14; John 12.1-8
Coins for Lent Giving Calendar
During the season of Lent, we are invited to consider the patterns of our lives and ways we can positively impact our neighborhoods. Each day on this calendar includes a prompt to consider the simple material blessings that are part of our lives and then to donate a coin for each as an opportunity to express our gratitude through generosity. You can decide the type of coins you want to collect or simply mark the number each day and write a check for the total at the end. Bring your total donation on Easter Sunday (this year, on April 20), and all donations will be given to support community feeding programs through Kent Social Services.
Community Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 12, 1 pm to 3 pm
On Saturday, April 12, from 1 pm to 3 pm, we will join with Kids Kare Daycare and Tree City Preschool to host our 2nd Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt on our property. All children up to age 12 are welcome and encouraged to participate. Thank you for your generous donations of candy!
Sunday Afternoon Walk
Sunday, April 13, 4 pm
Dix Park
Enjoy the beauty of God’s creation—both outdoors and in each other! Invite a friend or a neighbor and join us. All are welcome. We will meet in the parking lot of Dix Park (7318 State Route 44, Ravenna) at 4 pm and then walk some of the trails together.
Click on the flyer below to download, save, print, and share and/our Holy Week worship schedule, April 13 through April 20. Join us--and invite others to join us--as we walk together the way of Christ.
May Book Discussion
Tuesday, May 13, 7 pm
Conference Room
All are welcome to join us for our next monthly book discussion. May's book will be Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, by Martin Luther King, Jr. Written just two years after the successful completion of the boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama bus system, a young Rev. King tells the stories that informed his thinking before, during, and after the boycott--from first witnessing economic injustice as a teenager and watching his parents experience discrimination to his decision to begin working with the NAACP. Throughout, he demonstrates how activism and leadership can come from any experience at any age. Both comprehensive and intimate, Stride Toward Freedom emphasizes the collective nature of the movement and includes King's experiences learning from others, including Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin. In so doing, it provides wisdom and inspiration for our ongoing collective movements for social change as we seek together a more beloved world.
In June, our book discussion will be at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 3, and we will discuss the book, Kent State: An American Tragedy, by Brian VanDeMark, a new (2024) profile of the events leading up to, during, and following May 4, 1970 on KSU's campus and in the Kent community.
Our Sympathy and Prayers for...
the family and friends of Charlie Nichols
A memorial service for Charlie Nichols will be held at 5 pm on Friday, April 4, in our Sanctuary. Visitation will be from 4 pm to 5 pm, also in the Sanctuary. Click here for the full obituary and service details. Please pray for all the family and friends of Charlie as they prepare for this sacred time of memory and hope.
the family and friends of Peter Lorenz
The family will hold a private graveside service in Hubbard. Plans for a public service are pending. Click here for the full obituary. Please pray for Judy and for all the family and friends of Pete as they journey through grief with hope.
2025 Janus Scholarship
Apply Now!
Janus Circle now is accepting applications for its scholarship! This scholarship was established in 2014 to recognize student members of the UMC of Kent for their active involvement in our congregation and service to the community and who plan to pursue post-secondary education the following school year.
The Janus Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have demonstrated an exceptional level of service in the congregation during their teen years. The application calls for a listing of all the points of a student's involvement; however, there are no GPA requirements or essay! Additionally, any college or other education pursuit is eligible!
Applications are available from the church office, or you can click here to download one. Applications must be sent to the UMCK office (to the attention of Adam Alderson) postmarked or received in person by April 30. For more information, please contact Sally Dean or the church office.
Donations to the Janus Scholarship Endowment Fund are welcome; please mark your check or envelope, "Janus Circle Scholarship Fund."
Click on the image above to download a recent public memo from the Kent City Health Department regarding measles in Ohio, and please take steps to care for yourself and your neighbors.
