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Sunday, October 10, 9:30am – Jim Rokakis, Cuyahoga County Treasurer
Our MENS Quarterly Community Speaks Forum features County Treasurer Jim Rokakis. The Office of Treasurer collects more than $1.5 billion in taxes each year – revenue that is critical to schools, libraries, parks, municipalities, County government and a myriad of social service programs. In light of the current county corruption scandal, Mr. Rokakis' discussion should be highly interesting. All are welcome to attend this presentation in the Great Hall on the lower level.
Sunday, October 10, 11:00am – Bishop Pilla Here
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, who served as the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland from 1980 to 2006, will be our guest speaker in worship on October 10. Bishop Pilla has been Dr. Chalker's friend in ministry since our pastor's arrival in Cleveland in 1986. Having a Catholic Bishop address a Protestant congregation is a rare privilege.
Sunday, October 17, 11:00am – Reconciling Re-Affirmation
Early in discussions about the potential blending of our two urban congregations, members of the First Church faith community wanted reassurance that their church's designation as a Reconciling Ministries congregation would go "with them" to the new church. It was also understood through discussions with the leadership and members of Epworth-Euclid that although they had not completed a formal process of becoming a Reconciling Congregation, they indeed supported the concept of Christ's inclusive love. As evidence of this support at Epworth-Euclid, the statement on Charge Conference materials includes this phrase about mission,"...to be an inclusive community of people serving the changing needs of the neighborhood and world." Resulting from these discussions and understandings, in worship on Sunday, October 17, the family of University Circle United Methodist Church will celebrate and re-affirm its identity as a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN).
RMN is a movement of United Methodist individuals, congregations, campus ministries and other groups working for the full participation of all people in the United Methodist Church. Hundreds of United Methodist communities have gone through the Reconciling process and adopted a statement that specifically welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) – as part of their witness for, and commitment to, a fully inclusive church.
This explicit welcome wording is necessary because the United Methodist Church holds official policies that exclude LGBT persons from the full life of the Church. At present, full equality in membership, ordination and marriage for God's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children is not supported by the greater Church.
Wednesday Evening, October 13 from 7-8:30pm, Dr. Chalker will hold a class/dialogue at the church for all persons who would like more information about this topic. He will address what the Bible says, what Jesus says and what the Church says. All are welcome to attend, but reservations are necessary. Please complete and return the reservation form included in today's bulletin if you plan to participate.
Sunday, October 24, 9:30am – FBI Special Agent Figliuzzi
C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Cleveland Field Division, will be the guest speaker in Dr. Chalker's Sunday morning class at 9:30am. Mr. Figliuzzi was appointed an FBI special agent in August, 1987, to the FBI's Atlanta Division where he worked terrorism and foreign counterintelligence investigations. In 1992, he was promoted to the national Security Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with responsibility for oversight of economic espionage matters. He was named Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in the San Francisco division in 1995, and his office, near Silicon Valley, California, led the FBI in investigations of foreign-sponsored thefts of trade secrets. In 1997, Mr. Figliuzzi was tasked to lead one of the FBI's first squads exclusively devoted to crimes against children, including child pornography and child abductions and murders. Before coming to Cleveland, Mr. Figliuzzi also worked in the FBI's Miami Division – the agency's fifth largest in the country. He was named Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division in 2006.
Sunday, October 24 – Unification Sunday
The uniting of two significant urban churches – Epworth-Euclid United Methodist and First United Methodist Church as the new University Circle United Methodist Church – in such a short time has been a remarkable achievement. On October 24th, recognition of our unification will occur throughout worship as well as following the service when we join together for a potluck lunch in the Great Hall. During the luncheon, we will hold the first official Church Conference of our new church, and as part of this significant event a new slate of officers will be presented to you for election. Additionally, Dr. Chalker will unfold a new vision of UCUMC as we look to the future; we'll have entertainment and a FREE gift for everyone in attendance – something each of you will want to have as a commemoration of the new UCUMC! If you want to be "in the know" and you want to become even more excited about the possibilities and opportunities of our new church marching forward in unity, you will surely want to be part of this special day.
Thursday, October 28 – Dinner with the Bishop
On Thursday evening, October 28th, Bishop John Hopkins, the Episcopal leader of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the unification of our two churches, will speak to us in the Great Hall as we dine together (6-8:00pm). The Bishop wants very much to share with us his excitement about our merger and his support for the many sacrifices this unification has required of us all. In addition, we will also have a presentation of the financial realities of UCUMC, so that everyone has an opportunity to understand how the finances of two congregations have been unified and where we are headed in 2011 and beyond. This is an IMPORTANT event. The cost of the dinner has been underwritten; however, space is limited and reservations are absolutely necessary. Please complete the reservation form included in the bulletin and turn it into the church office as soon as possible.
Sunday, October 31 – Jazz Mass – New Orleans' Style
In preparation for All Saint's Sunday which occurs on Sunday, November 7 (a time for remembering all the saints of our church family who have passed from this life into God's eternal kingdom), the music on October 31st will reflect aspects of a New Orleans jazz funeral. When slaves were brought to America, the idea of providing a proper burial became a strong part of their culture and included the addition of African music during funeral processions. On the 31st we'll hear "Aina That Good News," "Come Sunday," "My Lord What a Mornin,'" "Steal Away," and a rousing rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" as our benediction.
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