Rev. Reneé Zimelis Ruchotzke
UUA Congregational Life Staff, Central East Region
presents a virtual sermon from the
UUA Congregational Life Sermon Series
“Freedom As Liberating Love”
Claudia Marshall, Worship Leader
Gary Smart, Accompanist
Bill and Paula Prince, Keyboard and Saxophone
The results of the November 2024 election have shown that many of our neighbors don’t share the same Vision of what kind of world we want to live in. Christian Nationalism has been on the rise, and democracy is under attack. This service explores how the recently adopted UU Shared Values can help us model a compelling alternative.
About the Speaker
Rev. Reneé Zimelis Ruchotzke (ruh-HUT-skee) has served as a UUA Congregational Life Consultant since 2010. She spends half of her time expanding the UUA Congregational Life Team’s LeaderLab, UU Leadership Institute, and other online UUA resources for leadership development, organizational development, governance (including Sociocracy), growth, conflict transformation, congregational dynamics, and other aspects of congregational life. The other half of her time is with the Central East Region. Rev. Ruchotzke serves about 30 congregations (Greater Cleveland, OH, Western NY, and the Southern Tier of NY) as UUA Primary Contact. A Meadville Lombard Theological School graduate, Reneé is in Full Fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. She was ordained in 2010 by the UU Church of Kent, Ohio, where she has been a member since 1996, and has served as minister to churches in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Before becoming a professional minister, she was a director of religious education and co-authored the “Tapestry of Faith” curriculum, “A Chorus of Faiths.” Her experience also includes community ministry, roles in various leadership committees, and General Assembly Program Development. Rev. Ruchotzke has received awards in Excellence in Social Justice from the UU Service Committee and the Commission on Social Witness sermon award. Before being called to ministry, she was a mechanical design engineer and project manager.′´
About Our Guest Musicians
Paula Prince is a graduate of the jazz studies program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In Cincinnati, she played saxophone and/or flute in various large and small bands. After relocating to Florida, she performed with various ensembles, including the First Coast Wind Symphony, the TBA Big Band, Swing and a Miss, and the North Florida Saxophone Quartet.
Bill Prince, a professor emeritus at the University of North Florida, has performed with numerous bands and orchestras, including Buddy Rich, the NORAD Band, and the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. He has performed on over 70 albums and can be heard on Buddy Rich’s, Mercy Mercy, and The Best of Buddy Rich. In recent years, Bill developed a cabaret show that he performed on cruise ships worldwide. One of his unique talents is the ability to perform professionally on several instruments. Bill produced his CD, Happy Thoughts, on which he composed, arranged, and performed all parts. He also published a book on his musical life titled Music Is My Ticket, available on Amazon.