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On Sunday, October 11th, the United Methodist Church of Kent will celebrate 200 years of ministry in the Kent/Franklin Township community with a Sunday service in which District Superintendent Rev. Ed Peterson preaches followed by a luncheon given by the United Methodist Women in Pierson Hall. Meeting in people’s homes in 1815, when Ohio was still a frontier state, may make the Methodist Church the Kent area’s earliest denomination. The Methodists along with other Franklin Mills settlers built a first meetinghouse in 1817, at the juncture of what is now Crain Avenue and Lake Street, where regular Sunday services and other community functions were held. A series of three church buildings followed, with the Methodists currently worshipping in a 500-seat sanctuary completed in 1973 on a 22-acre site at 1435 East Main Street within walking distance of the Kent State University campus. A congregation of approximately 1,200 members makes the United Methodist Church one of the Kent area’s largest Christian denominations. Dr. David Palmer is senior minister. The Rev. Douglas Denton is Minister of Pastoral Care and Rick Stout is director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries. The church has a strong emphasis on children’s and youth activities. There is a large Sunday School and an extensive youth program, which includes youth drama, choir, hand bells, retreats, confirmation, fellowship activities and two summer mission trips.
Kent United Methodist Church Sanctuary
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The church also sponsors a vigorous scouting program with Boy Scout Troop 252 and Cub Scout Pack 3250. Congregational life is further enhanced through numerous adult groups for fellowship, prayer, and service. There are four women’s circles, two men’s groups, plus several Bible studies, prayer and fellowship groups, and multiple mission teams. Music has been a church strength with seven choirs or ensembles, which present sacred music from classical to contemporary styles and often feature talented instrumentalists. Drama and liturgical dance are used enrich some worship services. Through the word and music in its weekly services and its youth and adult programs, the United Methodist Church of Kent, according to its senior minister, Dr. David Palmer, “proclaims the good news of God’s love and salvation through Christ.” The church maintains an active connection to the KSU campus and hosts United Christian Ministries, a multidenominational campus ministry supported by seven area churches. The church’s commitment to mission work is expressed by its strong support for a variety of local missions and mission work overseas.
See CHURCH on pg 10
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FROM A MEETING ROOM TO A 22-ACRE CAMPUS In terms of buildings, the United Methodists have come a long way since they began worshiping together in Franklin Township in 1815. In 1819, the Methodists convened in a meetinghouse at the juncture of what is now Crain Avenue and Lake Street where regular Sunday services and other community functions were held. Nine years later, in 1828, they constructed a small building across the Cuyahoga River on North Mantua Street near Stinaff Street. This is believed to have been the first church building in Franklin Township. The Methodists relocated closer to the downtown in 1840 by constructing a church on the 200 block of North Mantua Street. By 1893, church membership had swelled and the Methodists responded by building a more substantial church on West Main Street where Wild Goats restaurant now exists. It served as the church until 1965 when Methodists early during the 25-year tenure of Senior Minister Carl Pierson moved to a 22-acre campus and into a new structure that housed a fellowship hall that served for nine years as the sanctuary for worship services, an education wing, and a chapel named for the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. A 500-seat sanctuary to the west of the Education Wing was consecrated in 1974. Jim Myers, the pharmacist who has since retired from his profession, headed up a 31-person committee the oversaw the construction of the sanctuary. The committee, he said, worked with Architect William Gilfillen of Wright, Gilfillen, Keske & Associates of Columbus, “because they had designed the Education Wing and Fellowship Hall a decade earlier.” Myers said the late
North Mantua Street church building served until 1893
Merle Andregg, who was serving as music director, became heavily involved in the project, “because he wanted perfect acoustics.” The committee, he said, hired an acoustical engineer to work with Andregg on the projects The plaster around the sanctuary windows had to be differentiated Laying cornerstone for West Main Street Methodist Church to absorb and reflect sound satisfactorily. Only with the West Main Street Methodist Church go-ahead from of the acoustical engineer was padding for the church pews approved, he said. The committee, he said, also spent a good bit of time working with Willet Hauser Architectural Glass of Philadelphia on the design of the stained glass windows. “They were beautifully done,” Myers said, adding, “a church booklet, subsequently assembled, that describes the windows is well worth reading for those who want to know more.” Some on the committee wanted Sanctuary at current 22-acre campus a New England-style church, but in the end the committee realized the sanctuary would best continue the design already established with the Education Wing and Fellowship Hall. Early drawings, he said, cast the sanctuary with a sloping roof that resembled the hull of an inverted ship. “We opted for a more conservative straight-line building partly because of financial concerns,” Myers said. He mentioned the late Wayne Baumberger, a builder by profession, In 2006, a major building expansion added as knowledgeable about construction. The a gymnasium and two elevators, a ramp, a sanctuary, Myers said, “became Wayne’s portico, and rest rooms in order to make the baby. He was out there every day checking building handicapped accessible. everything from the footers up to the rooftop.” Walt Straw Strawman, he said, was also active on the committee. committee Myers My recalled most of the financing of the project pr being in place although debt financing nanc was used and paid off in 1994. In 1996, the church began an extensive series se of building renovations and updates, u including a major expansion of o the parking lot. In 2000, the congregation co renovated the sanctuary — redesigning r the chancel area to incorporate inc two large video projection JIM MYERS, The late Rev. CARL screens sc — and started a bus ministry chaired committee PIERSON, for Sunday bus transportation that oversaw Pastor from 1958 to 1983 when and for the youth ministry. A bus Methodists moved to the building of was purchased and a bus garage current East Main Street site. sanctuary constructed.
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These words from Isaiah 40:31 inspired placement of the bronze eagle which has, for the past 50 years, perched atop the cupola that graces the main entrance to Copeland Oaks Retirement Community. Operating in covenant with the United Methodist Church, Copeland Oaks is a non-profit retirement community open to people of all faiths. A dynamic retirement community, Copeland Oaks has continuously evolved over the last half-century to offer lifestyle choices for continuing personal growth of individuals seeking high value services in a compassionate, safe, Christian environment. “God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow into them,” said Phil Braisted, Copeland CEO, as he recently opened the Donald R. James Assisted Living Center, the first phase of a $4 million remodeling and renovation plan that included enhancing technology, modernizing housing and strengthening endowment on the Copeland campus. The dedication ceremony marked the completion of a new assisted living (AL) wing with 30 additional apartments, addition of two new kitchen and dining areas, and remodeling of existing assisted living apartments and staff work areas. Kenneth R. Cope, a Mahoning County businessman and attorney, shared Braisted’s philosophy in 1963 when Cope and his family donated their farm land on which to start a “community where seniors would have the opportunity to grow and thrive.” The former Cope orchard has been home over the last half-century to about 3,000 folks aged 55 and older. The completion of the James Center brings the number of AL apartments at Copeland Oaks to 113. Ranging in size from 300 to 900 square feet, Copeland created several AL apartments with enough living space according to Ohio Department of Health regulations to accommodate two people, enabling couples to remain together. One of the largest continuing care retirement communities in Ohio, living options on the Copeland campus include 137 villas which are ranch-style homes, 54 Lakeshore independent living apartments and 140 catered living apartments, besides the AL suites. The appealing villas are situated in tranquil neighborhood settings. No two homes are exactly alike since each has been custom designed. Besides the variety of floor plans with plenty of storage space, each villa has a full basement and attached garage. Featuring beautifully landscaped yards, many have 3-season sunrooms allowing residents to enjoy the natural beauty of the rural campus. Situated along the shores of 5-acre Copeland Lake, the Lakeshore apartments offer independent living with one and two-bedroom floor plans. The Lakeshore complex combines the convenience of an attached parking deck and enclosed walkway to the aquatics, entertainment and fitness center. Catered living apartments in the Beeghly complex offer the affordability of monthly rental rates including assistance with activities of daily living. Rent includes weekly housekeeping, flat linen services, a daily meal plan, security call system, weekly grocery delivery and escorted shopping trips. Crandall Medical Center, the 188-bed nursing facility meets the changing health needs of Copeland residents as they age in place. Providing rehabilitation, skilled nursing and hospice services, all rooms at Crandall Medical Center are private. “Allowing every patient a private room enables us to respect each person’s privacy, honor their dignity and accommodate personal choices,” said Mariann Mannion, RN, Crandall director of nursing.
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A specially trained and dedicated staff direct memory care services at Memory Lane, a secured unit at Crandall for people with diagnoses of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. “We simplify and enhance the activities of daily living, focusing on abilities rather than disabilities, to help preserve dignity and a sense of well-being,” noted Judy Wilkins, LPN, CMP, Memory Lane director. The vision, foresight and generosity of dedicated Methodist laymen like Atty. Kenneth Cope of Canton and Businessman Leon Beeghly of Youngstown gave birth to Copeland Oaks as one of the first continuing care retirement communities in the U.S. It is through the Oaks Foundation that many of the resources needed to enable the continued growth and evolution of the community have been provided. “As a non-profit retirement community, Copeland Oaks believes that no resident should be asked to leave for financial reasons. Through the Oaks Foundation, the Copeland Care Fund has been established to assist residents who have outlived their resources. Residents receive the same quality of care regardless of their finances as they age in place,” said Lisa Gentile, Oaks Foundation Director. “And, as a testament to what a special place Copeland Oaks is, some of our largest donations come from our residents and staff,” Gentile added. “We are most grateful for the continuing support of the United Methodist community that has enabled Copeland Oaks to provide a menu of choices that meet the physical, recreational, emotional, cognitive and spiritual needs of seniors in a safe family environment. We offer special congratulations to the United Methodist faith community in the Kent area as you celebrate two centuries of ministry and community service.” said Braisted.
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DR. DAVID PALMER Senior Pastor Dr. David A. Palmer has been senior pastor since 1995. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent.
REVEREND DOUGLAS DENTON Minister of Pastoral Care His primary responsibility is visitation of the sick and the homebound, providing spiritual support and counsel to those going through critical, life changing events.
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The Kent congregation was always a part of the Methodist movement, but the name of the denomination underwent several changes over the years. In the 19th century, Kent Methodists were part of the Methodist Episcopal Church – the word “episcopal” referred to the fact that the denomination had bishops. The issues that split the country as it lurched toward the Civil War in 1861, split most protestant denominations and the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was no exception. These divisions were eventually overcome. For the Methodists a reunion occurred in 1939. (Some denominations did not heal under after the Civil Rights movement of the
RICK STOUT Director of Christian Education & Youth Ministries Rick brings a strong background in both education and youth ministry. Rick oversees the entire ministry of Christian education for youth.
1960s) With the Methodist reunion in 1939, the church adopted the simple name, “Methodist.” In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church (known as the EUB), and the resulting denomination adopted the name, United Methodist Church. The Evangelical United Brethren church had its origin in German settlers who were very similar to the Methodists in theology and organization, but had German-speaking congregations. In the 1960’s, with the language differences having disappeared, the two denominations decided to merge. The EUB church never had a congregation in Kent, but EUBs were very active across Ohio, and the legacy of the church is strongly felt. Today the largest summer camp attended by children from the United Methodist Church of Kent is Camp Wanake, a formerly EUB camp. Many Kent Roosevelt students are familiar with Wanake, as it is also the site of the annual RHS Leadership Retreat.
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LISA DILE Tree City Preschool Director Our new Preschool Director. She has an extensive background in early childhood education and has worked in the Tree City Preschool for many years.
DR. FRANK WILEY
TOM PIERSON
MARY RAGNA YETTER
Director of Music Dr. Frank Wiley has been the Music Director for the Sanctuary Choir since 1996. His Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition was awarded by the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.
Director of Adult Handbells & Contemporary Music Ministries He has over 30 years of experience in church music and teaching music both public and private, theatre, and performance ranging from professional opera to country music.
Organist Mary has held organist and choir director positions in Memphis, El Paso, Ireland, and most recently Bartonville, IL, joining the staff in 2011. She is active as a solo recitalist on organ and harpsichord.
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Congratulations to the congregation for 200 years of service and ministry in the Kent community!
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ADAM ALDERSON Administrative Assistant Adam brings more than 15 years of experience working with the public. As a lifelong member of this church, he is proud to be assisting the church in its mission.
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SUE ROSE
MICHAEL GOFF
ANTHONY RUSSELL
MARGIE STAHL
STACI STOUT
Director of Children’s Choir Sue brings years of experience in children’s choirs and music education. Sue leads the Children’s Choir for children age four through the fifth grade, as well as the music in the annual Vacation Bible School.
Youth Music Ministry Leader, Worship Band Leader, Web Master Michael joined the staff in May of 2011 as the music ministry leader for Wednesday night Youth Group and later became the director of our youth choir “Resurrection” from 2013 - 2015.
Custodian Tony has been the church custodian for over thirty years, maintaining a large and very active facility.
Kitchen Hostess Margie has provided overall management for the very active church kitchen. She works with our United Methodist Women to prepare weekly lunches for Rotary and monthly dinners for the Kent Garden Club.
Kitchen Hostess Staci oversees the preparation of weekly lunches in the church kitchen for the Kent Lions Club, and she is the kitchen hostess for outside groups that need food for an event.
DEB SAITO (KRETOVICS) Archivist Deb assists the United Methodist Church of Kent with the church archives, while serving on the United Methodist Historical Society of Ohio executive board and Archives Commission for the Canal District. She was also an archivist and librarian in Alaska, Hawaii, California and Colorado.
BRAD BRODE Director of ZAMARingers (Youth Handbells) Brad was a Band Director in the Ohio public schools and has always enjoyed working with youth musical groups, and joined the staff in 2003.
Church Staff Congratulations to United Methodist Church of Kent on serving & growing the community for 200 years!
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The United Methodist Church understands itself as being “connectional” in nature – each congregation is not an island but is connected with the others in structure and mission. This hearkens back to the earliest days of the Christian church as described in the book of Acts. The first churches were very much connected with one another. Apostles such as Paul or Apollos moved from church to church, and the churches contributed to joint mission endeavors. The New Testament describes a collection that Paul gathered from many congregations to assist the struggling church in Jerusalem. The United Methodist Church today replicates this dynamic in its structure. Each United Methodist congregation is connected with the others on multiple levels. At the county level, United Methodist churches are joined in a District, presided over by a District Superintendent. The Kent church is part of the Canal District (named after the canal history of Akron), which includes churches in Summit, Wayne, Medina, and western Portage counties. Ten districts in northeast Ohio are joined in the East Ohio Conference, which comprises an area stretching from Tiffin in the west to the Pennsylvania and West Virginia lines in the east, and from Marietta in the south to Lake
Erie. The spiritual leader and top administrator of the Conference is the bishop, and there is an annual meeting of representatives from each church called the Annual Conference. Multiple conferences form a Jurisdiction, which is mainly responsible for electing and assigning bishops; and all the jurisdictions form the total church, where the top authority is the General Conference. Although there is a Council of Bishops and a set of national church agencies that provide ongoing leadership for the church, the only body that actually speaks for the whole church is the General Conference. The General Conference consists of delegates elected from across all the individual conferences; it meets every four years to set church policy and direction. The next meeting will be in the spring of 2016 in Portland, Oregon. Only two-thirds of the delegates come from American churches. Of the twelve million United Methodists worldwide, four million are in overseas conferences, especially in Europe, the Philippines, and, in the greatest numbers, in Africa. The connectional nature of the church is most strongly expressed in its mission – churches all contribute to a common missions budget, which supports a vast array of projects on the conference level and worldwide.
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Since its earliest days in antiquity, Christianity and the Church have employed the visual and audible arts and the artists, who create them, to help communicate the Christian message to believers and non-believers. The intricate stained glass windows installed in the sanctuary of the United Methodist Church of Kent in 1974 fall well within that context. They were designed by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass of Philadelphia to reflect the lives of people within the historical context of Christianity in Biblical and modern times. The eight windows in the nave of the sanctuary, four to a side, have a vertical reach of two stories and their height is accentuated by their narrow width. The windows consist of hundreds of brilliantly colored glass pieces, each piece one to two inches thick, arranged to create life-like images. Suggesting the Trinity, each window has three sections. The upper most section refers to an Old Testament lesson. The middle section puts the lesson in a Christian context by showing a New Testament episode from the life of Jesus. The bottom section applies the message to the Church and its people in modern times. The sanctuary windows chronicle human life beginning with the child and the responsibility to educate and train the young. The novice matures and moves on to leadership and preparation for it using the example of Moses learning before the burning bush, Jesus calling his disciples to lead, and adults studying the scriptures and their meaning in Sunday School. Themes include the importance of comforting the afflicted and the mission of healing. The sorrows that visit humanity is an especially interesting subject because the bottom panel refers to the life of Martin Luther King and the suffering that African-Americans have endured in the United States. The most hopeful message is one that Christians, Jews, and followers of Islam might do well to reflect upon. It refers to God’s promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a multitude of nations and shows the six-pointed star of Judaism, the cross of Christianity, and the star and crescent of Islam. It continues in the middle with the transfiguration in which Jesus,
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Moses, and Elijah were enveloped in a heavenly cloud. The bottom panel references the Apollo program that took humans to the moon causing the astronauts to marvel at the complexity of the solar system and at the Lord’s special gift of planet earth to mankind. Balcony windows deal with the theme of God’s love for man and man’s love for God. Worship, family, our ability to grow food, and the gift of intelligence and the ability of humans to learn are celebrated. The windows framing the narthex feature stories of Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles, martyrs, and saints. Subjects range from Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son for the Lord (God is shown reaching out to prevent this) to the Pentecost in which Peter and the apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to preach the Gospel, to St. Augustine and St. Francis. The reformation is shown with the figures of Martin Luther and John Wycliffe. The beginnings of Methodism with John Wesley, 250 years ago, and the role of the circuitriding preachers bringing Methodism to the American frontier are touched upon. Phillip Otterbein, founder of the United Brethren Church and Jacob Albright, founder of the Evangelical Church are shown as both these churches combined with the Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. The windows in the Wesley Chapel continue with these themes.
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Not every church is fortunate enough to have a pipe organ the size and quality of the one at the United Methodist Church of Kent. That’s because the organ, with its four manuals and 2,824 pipes, actually consists of two instruments. One is from the sanctuary of the church when it stood on West Main Street. It was installed in 1954. The other had belonged to M.P. Moller Organ, Inc., the Hagerstown, Maryland company that combined the two instruments in 1974 for the opening of the new Kent Methodist sanctuary on East Main Street. Casavant Frères, a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been manufacturing pipe organs since 1879, built both instruments. “It’s a top of the line pipe organ,” Mary Ragna Yetter says. She has been the organist at the United Methodist Church for five years and has a degree in organ performance from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Tex. She later did graduate work at the Royal College of Music in London, England, held performance positions in Anglican churches in England and Ireland, and obtained a Master of Music degree from the University of Memphis. Yetter calls the organ, “the king of instruments,” because, she said, a good organ contains all the notes and sounds of the instruments found in a symphony orchestra. The cost of maintenance makes pipe organs like the one at the United Methodist Church a disappearing species. “Churches,” she said, “always have building maintenance issues and these command priority because they so directly affect parishioners. Some churches have had to abandon their organs for other instruments, unfortunately.” Yetter meticulously logs a journal that she shows to the technicians who tune and do maintenance on the pipe organ twice a year. Because the church held its services in its fellowship hall from 1964, the time of the move from West Main Street to East Main Street near the University, the organ had to be mothballed and other instruments provided the music until the new sanctuary was completed in 1974. The rebuild, which combined two organs, was accomplished for $75,000, a gift from the late Fletcher Simpson.“It’s not every professional organist who has the opportunity to perform with a pipe organ,” she said. Yetter showed off rooms of hundreds of pipes, the longest exceeding 30 feet, creating the lowest notes, the shortest a few inches issuing the highest pitches. The pipes can make the sounds of reed and brass instruments, flutes, strings, and the principals, the set of nonorchestral sounds. A set of bellows is electrically controlled, although in olden times someone had to manually pump the bellows.
Frank Wiley conducting the Sanctuary Choir in rehearsal
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Yetter controls the sounds from the console, a framework that holds four keyboards of 244 black and white keys called manuals, a set of pedals that are keys for the feet to play, and three large pedals that control volume. These three expression pedals open and close large shutMary Ragna Yetter, church organist. ters that allow the sound in the pipe chambers to either be muffled (when they’re shut) or loud (when they’re opened.) The console also contains three panels of stops that are manual push-pulls that instruct the pipes to emit sounds the organist wants. Yetter makes her music selections in collaboration with five others on the music staff and senior minister Dr. David Palmer. The text and the notes, she said, must support the scripture for the day and the message that Dr. Palmer conveys in his sermons. The music, she said, must also match the Christian calendar, which has its celebratory moments, Christmas being one, as well as times of mourning and thoughtful reflection, the days leading up to the crucifixion being another. “I have an extensive library of sacred music,” she said. She has a personal library she has collected over the years since she started playing the organ as a youngster. An organist gets to exercise the most control in selecting music performed for the offertory and the prelude and postlude. The postlude at the end of the service can be a true musical moment for the organist and music lovers instead of exiting the sanctuary after the benediction can often be found seated, appreciating Yetter’s ability to create beautiful sacred organ music. In addition to its pipe organ, the United Methodist Church has a smaller electronic organ and an upright piano in its Wesley Chapel. It has a harpsichord, a Boston grand piano given by the late Eva Conard and Ken and Nancy Wertz, plus an upright piano in its sanctuary, and a grand piano in the choir room. The adult and youth hand bell choirs have grown so popular, the Church recently had to buy another octave of bells. “We’re lucky to have such a rich musical program and so many good instruments,” Yetter said. Keeping the instruments in tip-top shape is a challenge, however, and at some point soon, Yetter said, the pipe organ will likely need a major rebuild.
Music that supports the message is a key part of worship in the United Methodist Church of Kent. The church’s worship services use a wide variety of musical styles, but each worship service has a coherent theme, in which the message of the Scripture is proclaimed through both word and song. Currently, the Church has seven musical ensembles that regularly contribute to worship. They welcome those
who wish to use their talents in support of worship. According to Dr. Frank Wiley, director of the Sanctuary Choir, directors of the seven ensembles and Organist Mary Ragna Yetter collaborate in regular meetings about every six weeks with Dr. David Palmer, senior minister, in planning the music for worship services. “Textually, the selections of music should be supportive of the message of the sermons,” Wiley said. “Dave,” he said referring to senior minister SEE MUSIC, pg 9
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From their beginning in 18th century England, before they separated from the Church of England, Methodists stressed the power of the gospel to transform individual lives and society. Methodists felt a strong call to address social ills and improve the world around them. Key points of Methodist social engagement have been the following: RACIAL JUSTICE: John Wesley described slavery as “the sum of all villanies,” and many Methodists in America were involved in the abolitionist movement. This, however, did not extend into the southern states, and the Methodist denomination split over the issue of slavery in 1844, with southern conferences forming the Methodist Episcopal Church South. North and South remained separated until they reunified in 1939. Later, many Methodists were involved in the civil rights movement. WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS: Methodists in America were on the forefront Since their beginnings, Methodists have engaged in making a positive impact in the world. In the 19th century, American Methodists established schools and hospitals, and sent missionaries worldwide, particularly to Africa, with the result that today roughly a third of United Methodists are in overseas churches. Today the United Methodist Church of Kent devotes more than $150,000 each year toward mission endeavors. These include: missionary salary support for Beatrice Gbanga, a health care administrator for a network of United Methodist
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Methodists Me ethodists today practice an ethic of moderation, mo oderation, Methodists a century ago were among the strongest advocates of working to end child labor, and were strong for national prohibition. Methodist advocates of women’s suffrage. There were concern about alcohol had grown throughout women lay preachers in the Methodist movethe 19th century, as alcohol abuse had caused ment from the late 1700’s, and Methodists serious problems in American society. Methodbegan ordaining women as ministers in the ists were at the forefront of organizations such 1870’s. The first woman minister at the Kent as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union church was Rev. Barbara Houston, who served and the Anti-Saloon League. Because women as the associate pastor from 1985-88. The Rev. and children were so often the victims of male Catherine Dunlap served as an associate pastor alcohol abuse and addiction, women were from 1989-2003. frequently in leadership roles in campaigns to outlaw the sale of alcohol. GAMBLING: Methodists have consistently Today the church continues to Kent, Portage County Voted opposed all forms of gambling, because of be active on a broad range of the destructive effects of gambling in socisocial issues, with a particuThemselves Dry ety. Methodists vigorously opposed the Ohio lar emphasis on poverty and In Kent, the voice of Methodism was but one State Lottery, arguing that a lottery involves global health. In Washington, of many voices, some religious, others secular, the state in exploiting the poor, since people of D.C., the United Methodist contributing to the debate of wet versus dry. The low income are especially enticed to lose their Building, which houses the Kent community along with all of Portage County money on lottery tickets. There are no raffles, church’s General Board of voted itself dry in 1908. After Kent was granted bingo, or “casino nights” permitted in Methodist Church and Society, is the only home rule status, the city went to the polls and churches today. non-governmental building on voted to remain dry in 1915. Capitol Hill. ALCOHOL: Although the majority of United
hospitals and clinics in Sierra Leone; Africa University, a Pan-African university in Zimbabwe; United Methodist children’s homes, retirement homes, and community centers in Ohio; support for Kent Social Services, Safer Futures, the Marie Miller House, Coleman Professional Services, the Freedom House, the Hartville Migrant Mission, Townhall II, Haven of Rest, and Portage Senior Services. The Holy Cow Project: the church contributes frozen ground beef to the needy through Kent Social Services. Clothing: In 1995, the church invited
FROM MUSIC, pg 8 Dr. David Palmer, “has the sermon topics planned far in advance and that is helpful.” He said the directors of all seven ensembles get along and know the library of sacred music and feel comfortable making suggestions to one another during planning sessions with Palmer. At the 8:30 service in the chapel, the music consists of a wide variety of songs that are sung by the congregation which come out of two different hymnals – the traditional Methodist hymnal and a more recent collection called, “The Faith We Sing.” Organ music adds to and supports the service. The 10:30 service uses the same music, but expands upon it with musical offerings by multiple choirs, and the pipe organ in the sanctuary is a much grander instrument. At the 9:30 service in the gymnasium, the music is completely different, as the praise band leads the congregation in singing contemporary praise songs. Worship at all three hours is supported by video screens. Twice a year, Wiley, who teaches Composition at Kent State’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, conducts a worship service consisting entirely of music, usually a classical choral piece accompanied by the organ and guest instrumentalists. Portions from Handel’s “Messiah” have been performed in recent years at these services, he said.
other area churches to join in forming a clothing ministry. The clothing ministry was called the Kent Clothes Closet. Distributions took place once a month in Pierson Hall, the fellowship hall of the church. In the fall of 1996, the Kent Clothes Closet merged into the work of Family and Community Services; and under the leadership of Sister Jordan Haddad, the ministry became the County Clothing Center. Other projects include: Summer youth outreach: The church sends a team of about 40 youth
and adult leaders each summer to Mountain T.O.P., a United Methodist related ministry in an impoverished area of the Cumberland mountains in Tennessee. The church sends another team of about 20 older youth and adult leaders to a Native American reservation in northern Minnesota. Both involve both home repair projects and helping with a day camp. Adult missions: The church sends out two adult mission teams in the fall: one to Mountain T.O.P., to carry out a distribution of winter coats and other
Methodists on Campus The Methodist movement had its origins in a campus ministry. John and Charles Wesley started a group for students at Oxford University; the group called itself “The Holy Club” and was dedicated to living a Christian life on campus. Wesley wanted, in his own words, “to unite the two so long divided – knowledge and vital piety.” In the nineteenth century, Methodist campus work focused on founding church-related colleges. In 1913, the Methodists established The Wesley Foundation – a network of campus ministries connected to state-run schools. The Wesley Foundation at Kent State University was started in 1924. The foundation was located in a couple of different houses, most recently at 1992 Rosewood Dr., and then in 1964 the Wesley Foundation and the local church joined together to build the current United Methodist church facility on East Main St. In the later 1960s and 1970s, there was a nationwide movement for campus ministries of various denominations to join together to work as broad-
clothing and to engage in short-term repair projects: the other to Louisiana to Sager Brown, a mission supplies depot for natural disasters throughout the hemisphere. Gleaning: The church continues a ministry of gleaning sweet corn and potatoes from an area farm, gathering food which is too oddly shaped or sized for today’s supermarkets, but which is perfectly edible. The gleaning team distributes about 20,000 pounds of produce each year to food pantries and kitchens throughout Portage County.
based ecumenical ministries. In Kent in 1972, the Wesley Foundation merged with an ecumenical campus ministry called United Christian Fellowship to form United Christian Ministries. The real estate owned by the Wesley Foundation remained the property of the United Methodist Church, but the United Methodist building on East Main St. became the site that housed United Christian Ministries. UCM, as it is known, continues to operate out of the church building and continues to be very active on campus. UCM is supported not only by the United Methodist Church but by five other area churches.
Kent United Methodist Church Chapel
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From CHURCH pg 2 Three Sunday worship services are held: 1) An 8:30 Sunday morning traditional Early Service that takes place in the chapel, a unique, round building in the forward part of the facility. Worship typically lasts 45 minutes; it is similar to the 10:30 service, except that it does not include a children’s sermon or choir, and there is a more informal atmosphere due to the intimate setting. 2) A 9:30 Sunday morning Contemporary Service in the church gymnasium. In a relaxed and casual setting, a praise band leads the music in a contemporary Christian style. The sermon is the same as at 8:30 and 10:30. Child care is offered during this hour. 3) A 10:30 Sunday morning “blended” Service in the Sanctuary. The hour-long service includes a children’s sermon, after which children through the sixth grade can depart for Sunday School classes which last for the duration of the hour. There is also nursery care throughout the hour. Multiple choirs share in this worship that is a blend of traditional and contemporary styles. The United Methodist Church of Kent and its congregation welcome newcomers to its services.
What Do United Methodists Believe?
Methodist Youth Fellowship with international visitors in 1956
Within the spectrum of Christian churches, from “evangelical” to “liberal,” United Methodists are very much in the theological center. There is a good deal of diversity in perspectives within churches and between different congregations. Rather than prescribing what each member must believe, the United Methodist Church encourages its members to form their beliefs based on four sources of truth – the so-called “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” – which consists of the following: SCRIPTURE -- This is the primary source of truth, as God reveals God’s Truth to us through God’s Word in the Bible, come to supreme expression in Jesus Christ TRADITION -- We can learn from and be inspired by what Christians before us have come to understand about God EXPERIENCE – We learn directly of God through our own experience of God working in our lives and in the lives of people around us REASON -- God gave us brains to use! We need to think rationally and use the knowledge we can gain from science and various disciplines. Drawing on these sources of truth, United Methodists readily affirm a common set of core beliefs – belief in God as Creator, in Jesus as Savior, in the present working of the Holy Spirit – while at the same time allowing for diversity of opinions about various controversial issues. The church sees value in being a community of faith in which people of differing perspectives can be in spiritual fellowship together. As John Wesley put it, “Let all opinions alone on one side or the other; if your heart is as my heart – if you love God and all humanity – give me your hand.”
Sunday School in the late 1800s at the church on North Mantua Street
Dr. David Palmer takes first shovel of dirt in the Kent United Methodist Church Gymnasium construction back in 2006
WHAT IS THE “METHOD” IN METHODISM? The term “Methodist” was first attached to a student Christian fellowship that John Wesley established when he was a student at Oxford. The group called itself “The Holy Club” and consisted of students who were dedicated to living out their Christian values in a disciplined way. They gathered for prayer, Bible study, Communion, and Christian service at certain times throughout each week, and were so methodical in their approach that fellow students, in derision, dubbed them “the Methodists.” The name was later attached to the spiritual reform movement that Wesley initiated in England. For the Methodist movement, Wesley created a set of “General Rules,” which boiled down to three basic principles: do no harm (to yourself, to others, or to God’s creation), do good (engage actively in helping others and improving the world), and do things that draw you closer to God (engage in worship, prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship). This is essentially the Methodist “method” today. The basic idea is that people grow in their relationship with God not just by having an abstract belief in God but by living or doing their faith – doing no harm, doing good, and doing things that draw us closer to God.
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Sunday School, late 1940’s
Confirmation class of 1952, the Rev. Howard Wiant, far left. Merle Andregg, Dorthea Eichenlaub, Mary Alice Seaholts, and unidentified choir member, the late 1950’s
Late 1940’s: The Rev. Joseph Henderson, Methodist children at the Davey Tree picnic grounds.
State of Ohio resolution honors Dr. Deweese’s Sunday School on 25th year Staci Stout, hostess, with volunteers Jane Hornyak and Sally Ruckman Early 1950’s: Carl Meeker, left is handed new hymnal while the Rev. Joseph Henderson watches.
The Rev. David Palmer at luncheon.
Kent United Methodist Church Sanctuary Kent United Methodist Church Gymnasium
Methodists at retreat, the Rev. David Palmer, second row, far right.
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HONORING THOSE WHO HONOR GOD... Congratulations on two centuries of ministering to God’s children on their journey through life.
Retired Methodist ministers residing at Copeland Oaks Front row L-R: Paul Whipple, John Miller 2nd row L-R: Dee Winners, Jim McConnell, Faye Botten, Grace Berlo, Slyvia Rebeck , Liz Spiker, Carol Topping, John McLachlan, Virgil Herzberger. 3rd row L-R: Mark George, Donald Botten, Roy Walther, David Andrews, Larry Snodgrass, James Bloom, Bill Harvery, George Schreckengost. We prize our affiliation to the Health & Welfare Ministries Division of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and are proud that many retired clergy of all faiths have chosen to call Copeland Oaks home. Copeland Oaks offers comfortable and safe living options for all seasons of life: • Independent Living - Villas and Apartments • Catered Living Suites • Assisted Living Accommodations
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Crandall Medical Center features private rooms and provides rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and Hospice care. The Oaks Foundation Life Care Fund gives financial security for all Copeland residents.
800 S. 15th St., Sebring, Ohio 44672
330-938-6126 www.copelandoaks.com