Excerpts from the January, 2000
First Unitarian News
A View from the Board of Trustees
Board Talk
By Allen Harden, President-Elect
The Board held a regular monthly meeting on December 16. As always, our meeting opened with an inward moment--a chalice lighting and inspirational reading by Norman Hines. Norman does a wonderful job of reminding us that we are assembled in service of a purpose, and that we really do want to care and work together.
We heard reports from both ministers. Rev. Nina Grey was just barely recovering from her bout with pneumonia, and she mostly offered profound thanks to all of those around the church who covered her responsibilities so well and so graciously during her illness. Particular thanks were given to Beth Williams, who handled many extra worship and pastoral duties.
Rev. Beth Williams reported that the R.E. program continues to thrive. The Fall church school curriculum has ended, and enrollment is up to 65 children. The theme of UU Identity will be picked up again in the Spring, but they look forward to a change of pace during Winter when they will focus on Science and Religion. With the church school program operating smoothly, Beth hopes she can devote more of her time to helping out with the Junior High Coming of Age program and with the Youth Group. R.E. was busy preparing for the intergenerational play presented at the regular December 19 worship service.
We heard a proposal that a new committee be charged to coordinate our use of art in the church. The purpose would be to catalog our holdings and to select and rotate the artwork we display in our building. The committee would also coordinate the intentional use of art as an expression of our congregational life and mission. Board members reacted positively to this proposal, but felt that action should be referred to the Program Council.
We heard a report from the Y2K Committee. They have been planning for how the church might respond to potential problems brought about by Y2K or other disasters. They have contacted many individual members of the congregation to see if they felt that they would require assistance in event of disasters. They have also solicited special pledges (mostly from within the committee) to acquire a basic store of supplies for preparedness.
As we all know through our own personal attempts to live well while staying within our means, the path to fiscal responsibility can be fraught with difficult and sometimes painful choices. So it is with the financial life of our church community. During the December Board meeting, we were forced to measure our capacity to support the Religious Education program of First Church. <top>
The first RE issue involved approving a draft contract for the Minister for Religious Education, an essential step for the search process. To have our MRE opening posted for review by potential candidates, we must describe the remuneration "package" that we attach to this job position. The proposal we considered was developed by a group comprised of representatives of the MRE Search Committee, the Board, and the Treasurer. They had weighed our budget, examined UUA guidelines, and consulted with a compensation expert from the Central Midwest District. The Board approved the package--which proposes all salary, benefits, and costs at about $56,000. Our understanding is that this offer is sufficient to enable good candidates who are interested in this job to consider our position, but that it alone will not "sell" the job to qualified candidates. We as a congregation are pleased that we are extending ourselves to make such a strong commitment to Religious Education and to the future. This is a very large step for us. We must remember, though, that we must sell our dream.
The second RE issue involved a request for space. As was reported last month, the Blue Gargoyle ended its rental of space in our building. They still have contractual obligations for the remainder of the year unless a new tenant is located--but the space is already idle. The RE Council asked to use the vacant space to bring the pre-K Sunday School classes into the same part of the building with the other classes. While sympathetic to their plan, the Board felt that the loss of rental income was too substantial a cost at this time. We expect that the tension between using space to generate income and using space to support our program will continue.
The Treasurer reported that our financial position for the current annual budget is sound. Both good news and bad news were present in the minutiae of her report, but the bottom line is that we are doing OK, for now. The Board also set a calendar of some important church dates for the coming months. <top>
We also learned that Cindy Pardo has agreed to run the Talent Auction this Spring (Thanks!). Please mark the following in your personal date book now:
February 13, 2000 - Budget Requests for 2000/01 due.
-- (this applies mostly to Councils and Committees)
March 3, 2000 - Canvass Kick-Off Dinner
April 9, 2000 - Final Canvass Gathering
April 16, 2000 - Talent Auction
May 21, 2000 - Annual Meeting of Society
-- (Meeting will occur after church and luncheon)
Budgets Budgets Budgets Budget
Note in the Board Talk column the date February 13. That's when Council, Committee, and Task Force budget requests are to be delivered to the Finance Committee. If you need to know what your group has spent so far this year, get in touch with Treasurer Julie Neuman. The Finance Committee's chair is Winston Kennedy. <top>
By Rev. Beth Williams, Interim Minister for Religious Education
Rev. Ruth Gibson, my Unitarian Universalist colleague in Denver, writes that in a congregation where she has served, the religious education program created a Time Capsule to mark a significant event in the life of that in congregation. Will the arrival of the new millennium be a significant event in the life of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago? It certainly will be for the religious education program. For one thing, it will be the time when the first settled Minister for Religious Education is called to the congregation. What would we put in a time capsule of our own to mark this occasion? Perhaps tangible things, like class lists and photographs, to provide a record of who we were at this time. Perhaps thoughtful things, like letters of encouragement to our future selves and to the new MRE whom we have not yet met. Or we might focus on our larger community, by writing down our hopes and dreams for world peace and justice. And like Rev. Gibson, we might keep a map, so the time capsule could be hidden and then found by the children of the R.E. program in five or ten years hence. On Sunday, January 2, 2000, the young people of our congregation will make such a time capsule for our congregation as part of a Millennium Celebration. We will also have "millennium " snacks to eat and crafts to make. Come and make your mark on history! <top>
Meet Our R.E. Assistant:
Anthony David is the part-time Religious Education assistant to Rev. Beth Williams this year. Anthony grew up in Peace River, Alberta, Canada and then moved with his family to Palestine, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University, where he received a bachelor's and master's degree, both in philosophy. For the next eight years, Anthony taught philosophy at Blinn College in Bryan, Texas. Now he is a first-year student at Meadville/Lombard Theological School with the intention of becoming a Unitarian Universalist parish minister. Anthony's hobbies include figure skating and poetry.
Anthony and his wife Laura were married in 1990, and they have one daughter, Sophia. Laura works at the Office of Community Affairs at the University of Chicago, and she enjoys storytelling and good Star Trek novels. We also know Laura as the producer and director of our Intergenerational Christmas play. Sophia is in the third grade and is busy studying ballet.
After serving as Board President at his home church (College Station Unitarian Universalist Fellowship) Anthony realized how essential a solid and successful religious education program is for any church that wants to grow. He is excited to be in a position to add this knowledge firsthand to his studies in ministry.
Please make an effort to get to know Anthony, and thank him for helping to make our religious education program a success. <top>
Thanks! for Guests at Your Table
Thank you for taking a Guest at Your Table box and supporting UUSC. As we work together striving for social justice, we are making a difference. Around the world--in places like the Pine Ridge reservation, in refuge camps on the Thai/Burma bordered and in impoverished areas of the United States--UUSC is confronting oppression, bigotry, injustice and apathy. UUSC is changing lives, even as we are changing lives through our donations. Thank you once again for supporting our own UU organization working to change the world. Please return your completed Guest at Your Table box to church on Sunday, January 9. If you can, please write out a check for the total instead of bringing in change, and thanks again for helping to make a difference. <top>
Winter Intersession R.E. Term: Sunday, January 9 is the beginning of the Winter Intersession term for children's religious education. The Voyagers (Grades 1 & 2), Pathfinders (Grades 3 & 4), and Searchers (Grades 5 & 6) will be studying the theme of science and religion. They will focus on the "Big Bang" with customized lessons from the curriculum Celebrating Our Origins in the Universe by Gaye Gronlund and Dr. Adrian Melott. Our teachers for this term are Anne Morrill-Ploum and David Puszkiewicz teaching the Voyagers, Margie Gonwa and Steve Ploum teaching the Pathfinders, and Hank Henriques and Paul Ricker teaching the Searchers. Classes for our Discoverers (ages 3 & 4) will continue on this date with the Chalice Children curriculum and teachers Pat Curran, Jaime Moore and teaching assistant Stephen Stern, as will classes for our Adventurers (Kindergarten) with the curriculum Around the Church, Around the Year and teachers Kim Hill and Ivan Lappin. Our 7th & 8th Grade Coming of Age Group and our Senior High Youth Group will also resume on this date.
Sunday, Jan. 2:
Young People's Millennium Celebration (no R.E. today), 10:15 am,
Garden Room
Winter Term Teacher Training for Voyagers, Pathfinders, and Searchers
R.E. Teachers, 11:45 am, Voyagers Room
Friday, Jan. 7:
Adult R.E. Organizational Pot Luck Meeting, 6:30 pm, Chris Moore
Parlor
Sunday, Jan. 9:
Ingathering of Guest at Your Table boxes, 10 am, Sanctuary
Winter R.E. begins for children and youth, 10:15 am, Pennington
Center
The Nature of Racism, Adult R.E., 12:30 pm, VOV Gallery
Psychopharmacology and Society: Nicotine, Adult R.E., 3 pm, Hull
Chapel
Tuesday, Jan. 11:
Africans in America, Adult R.E., 7 pm, VOV Gallery
Fridays, Jan. 14 & 28:
Friday Parlor Lunch with Rev. Nina Grey & Bernie Frieden,
12:15-1 pm, Chris Moore Parlor
Sunday, Jan. 16:
Senior High Coming of Age Group meeting, 11:30 am, MRE Office
Psychopharmacology and Society: Caffeine, Adult R.E., 3 pm, Hull
Chapel
Friday, Jan. 21:
The Fullness of Silence: Noontime Silent Meditation, 12:15-1 pm,
Chris Moore Parlor
Saturday, Jan. 22:
First Unitarian Church Unity in Diversity Celebration, 6 pm,
Sanctuary
Sunday, Jan. 23:
Senior High Youth Group Advisors Luncheon Meeting, 12 pm, meet at MRE
Office
Psychopharmacology and Society: Alcohol, Adult R.E., 3 pm, Hull
Chapel
Thursday, Jan. 27:
R.E. Council Meeting, 7 pm, R.E. Classroom
Sunday, Jan. 30:
Senior High Coming of Age Group meeting, 11:30 am, MRE Office
Psychopharmacology and Society: Marijuana, Adult R.E., 3 pm, Hull
Chapel
by Phiefer Browne
Dianne Michaels is the Human Resources Director at Corporate Technology Communications, a public relations firm. A long-time Unitarian, she now serves on the Social Justice Council and plans to become active with the Membership Committee. She has two grown daughters, one in Chicago and one in Austin, TX. She tutors seventh-graders at Fourth Presbyterian Church and enjoys reading, watching movies, skiing, and roller blading. Now living on the Near North Side, she plans to move to Hyde Park in the spring.
Eve Emshwiller is an ethno/economic botanist at the Field Museum. She moved to Chicago in February 1999 from upstate New York. Her 12-year-old son David Mutch arrived in Chicago in August. Her husband Bill Mutch is a computer technician at Cornell University. Eve enjoys visiting the forest preserves and museums. She was a member of a UU church in Maine.
Erik King is an orthopedic surgeon at Children's Memorial Hospital. Adrienne King is a management consultant at Bain & Co. They have two sons, Jonathan, 3, and Wilson, 1. Erik enjoys biking; Adrienne relaxes by playing classical music on the piano. Erik and Adrienne became acquainted with First Church through Adrienne's parents, Rosecrain and Elizabeth Collins, also church members.
Nina Grey, our Senior Minister, moved to Hyde Park in August, entered the pulpit at the Ingathering Water Communion Services in September, and was installed in her position in November. Nina was ordained and fellowshipped in 1982 and served churches in Keene, NH, and Germantown in Philadelphia. She is now putting in place her commitment to shared ministry with the church's lay leadership and her ministerial colleagues and hopes to strengthen the church's ties with Meadville/Lombard Theological School.
Delores ("Lorie") Rosenblum is a social worker with the Oak Park Rehabilitation Center. Holder of a Ph.D. degree in English, she wrote a book on the 19th-century poet Christina Rosetti; before becoming a social worker, she enjoyed a long academic career. She still enjoys reading and writing as well as swimming and walking. Lorie is the mother of a grown, married son and daughter, who both live in New York. She is also the proud grandmother of a 4-month-old boy. Lorie was born in Canada, though she has lived in the United States for 40 years. She enjoys First Church's Great Books discussion group and is especially interested in the church's social justice programs.
Naomi King is a first-year student at Meadville/Lombard, studying for the parish ministry. She is from Yarmouth, ME, and graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 1994. Naomi has managed a restaurant and done leadership training for nonprofit organizations. She likes to relax by cooking and gardening. She is now on the Worship and Music Committee and is a worship associate; she is also on the 2YK Task Force. Naomi has an interest in survivalism from having survived the Ice Storm of 1998.
Tinessa Saunders Moss is a guidance counselor at Revere Elementary School. Devon Moss is a credit counselor with Household Finance. They have two sons, holden, 6, and Zachary, 4. They enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, especially hiking and skiing on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Tinessa is a teacher with the Coming of Age Group. <top>
So many potluck parties are being offered during January that we decided to let members self-select the one they want to attend. Beginning Sunday, December 26, and throughout most of January, look for sign-up sheets at the Welcome Table during Social Hour. You may pick the date and location that is most convenient for you until that party is filled.
If you won't be at church to sign up but want to attend, call Joan Bernstein. Friends of the church and interested visitors are also welcome. And there is still time to sign up to host a party. Rules are given out with the sign-up sheets.
Parties for New Members
The Membership Committee is planning a series of parties for recent new members to help ease their path into our church community. The first on January 16 will be for those new members who were recognized on November 7. Those who joined in the previous two years will be included in later parties. Active members of the church community will also be invited as space permits. During 1999, 23 persons joined the church.
Wanted
More persons who are willing to nurture our new members, welcome and encourage our visitors, and in general help sustain and increase our church's membership. The Membership Committee can use a few new members. We are a hardworking committee that meets at the church from 7 to 9 pm on the second Tuesday of the month. The work we do is rewarding and very important to our church life. Please call chair Joan Bernstein or speak to one of our ministers, Nina or Beth. <top>
Our Board of Trustees established a Y2K Task Force to assist our church community. The Board and the Task Force hope Y2K will pose no special difficulties, but chose to be prepared in case of need. A First Forum and an evening presentation by the Red Cross, City of Chicago, and both city and U of C police recommended commonsense precautions, told of extensive work by the city and utilities to make systems Y2K-compliant, and described plans to provide local assistance should any systems fail. Local, short-term glitches are far, far likelier than major failures of utilities or financial systems.
Basics: set aside enough food and water for a few days, have flashlights with fresh batteries on hand, and gather financial statements where you can get at them easily. Do not rely on candles or use hazardous fuels indoors. Fire is more dangerous, and far more likely, than Y2K-related troubles. Brochures clearly listing simple, effective precautions are available outside the office and at the back of the sanctuary. Y2K surveys for those requesting or offering help may still be submitted to the office. For more information, or to offer or seek help, call Joan Pederson, Finley Campbell, or the church office.
Above all: Don't panic. Things that don't work at midnight may well be working fine by dawn on New Year's Day. If they aren't, the office will open at 9 a.m. and we'll do what we can to help one another.<top>
by Cindy Pardo, Program Council Chair
The purpose of the Program Council is to encourage and facilitate the programmatic activities of the church. Any committee which is not directly related to property or finance, and excluding the Board, comes under this umbrella. This year, one of my goals is to use the Program Council as a forum where committee chairs can communicate with each other about their plans and activities. Not only does this make for stronger leadership in general, but it is already resulting in several events which make use of the talents and abilities of a variety of committees. The upcoming Unity Party, for example, involves planning and contributions from at least four church committees, and is likely to be a better event because of it.
The Program Council has met several times to talk about this issue, in addition to the more mundane topics of scheduling. The conversations we have had have looked at how we can better involve our newer members in church life, how we communicate our needs and activities to the congregation and the larger community, what directions we need to take now that our "survival mode" is no longer necessary.
The Program Council has long served as a kind of Activities Committee for the church, scheduling, arranging and organizing events. What we have now is the start of a more cohesive group, able to look at a broader picture. Committee chairs are thinking about which areas of church life might benefit from participation in social events or in coffee hour. Bobbi Lammers Campbell (Social Justice Council chair) and Mary Lee Greenlee (R.E. Council chair) have been attending our meetings and have been most enthusiastic about this kind of group cooperation. Various committees are talking with Rosemary Snow about participation in worship services. And we are all working on letting Chuck Staples and the Communications Committee know what we are planning, so they can help us advertise our events. Being reminded that we cannot afford to work in isolation has been good for us all.
We have also talked about reviving soup lunches, and the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee has agreed to sponsor one on February 6th. This particular church tradition is one we never want to let go for too long. We should be having one each month until the end of the year--and we are really good cooks!
If you have an even you would like to make happen, or any questions about how to get things done around here, please talk to me, or one of the committee chairs. We need your input if we are to continue expanding our horizons.<top>
Alert
Rev. Peri Murdock, minister of the UU Church of Stockton, IL has notified the Central Midwest District office that someone, identifying herself as Lois Rich, has been calling people in Unitarian Churches and requesting a $35 donation "for a fundraiser." The UUA has been notified.
As much as we, as UUs, want to support good causes, we, in the district office, invite each of you to be cautious and to request information be sent in the mail rather than agreeing to support a cause solicited by phone.
Carol Hosmer, District Office Manager <top>
REAL NEWCOMERS
Word comes from Kristin Faust and David Hunt in Sacramento of the arrival on Nov. 4 of Sojourner Kristin Hunt. Kristin was a member of our church until she and her husband moved to California for a new job.
Grandmother Evelyn Bomer reports with joy on the arrival of Takarka Wa/set Bomer at the home of her son John and Angie Bomer.
NEEDING OUR THOUGHTS
Warm get well wishes to Norma Poinsett, recovering from the flu.
Continuing good health wishes to Rev. Nina Grey, recently recovered from pneumonia.
Warm get well wishes to Robert Moore, recently hospitalized at Bernard Mitchell Hospital, U. of Chicago. . . .We are thinking of Roberta MacGowan in the nursing section of Montgomery Place. . . . Welcome back to Paul Ulbrich, who recently went to Cape Town, South Africa, for a World Parliament of Religions meeting.
Thanks to Anne Holcomb and Allan Lindrup for hosting a First U Christmas Dinner.
Warm get well wishes to Norman Hines, recently ill.
We are glad Margaret Matchett is moving from nursing to an apartment at Montgomery Place. Good wishes in your new home, Margaret.
Congratulations to Marilyn Ratliff and Scott Sheperd who were married December 18, 1999. Marilyn is moving with Scott to Toledo.
Greetings from Out of Town
Joan and Bill Forsythe, long-time members now living in Colorado, send holiday greetings to all. They miss us and welcome cards and calls.
From El Ceritto, California, come greetings from Jeanne Wennerstrom Loomer. She was a member many years ago.
Support for Janet Johnson
As a result of anonymous contributions, our church was able to send some financial support to our long-time member Janet Johnson, who is now studying for the UU ministry at Starr King School for the Ministry. Jan wrote: "I can't tell you how much that check meant to me. It not only met a financial need but an emotional one as well. I still feel connected to First Unitarian, and it makes me feel great to know that folks there care about me." [Your Kindly Newsletter Editor urges you to contribute to the 2000 Starr King Fund for Jan by sending a check to the church indicating that your contribution is for the Starr King Fund. We hope to be able to support her on a higher level in the new year.]
Church Cleaning/Repair Day Set for Saturday, January 8
The Property Committee has scheduled a Church building cleaning and repair day for Saturday, January 8, 2000. The time is from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. We need volunteers to help do dusting, cleaning, oiling woodwork and furniture in Hull Chapel, the Sanctuary, and other areas of the building. Other tasks include repairing light fixtures, replacing light bulbs, adding a coat hook and door stop to the accessible bathroom and many more. Help start the new millennium by sweeping out the cobwebs of the old.
See you on SATURDAY, JANUARY 8.<top>
Faculty Position
Meadville/Lombard Theological School is seeking a full-time faculty member with qualifications to teach or work in two of the following areas: Unitarian Universalist History, Religion and Economics, Director of the Department of Ministry Program.
The position begins in September 2000. Salary and rank depend on experience and credentials. Unitarian Universalist affiliation desirable.
Send resume by February 15 to:
President William R. Murry
Meadville/Lombard Theological School
5701 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637-1602
bmurry@meadville.edu <top>
Neighbor's Eve 2000
First Unitarian Church is the "Dance Palace" for Neighbor's Eve 2000, Dec. 31, 6:30 pm. Neighbor's Eve is a Southside Millennium Celebration in Hyde Park. It is a Safe-Night celebration, a smoke-free, drug-free and fun-filled event. This family night at various sites in Hyde Park ends in the Millennium Count Down at the Ramada Inn at 11 pm.
Madeira Myrieckes is our church contact person. Tee shirts and sweat shirts are for sale in the church office.
By Bobbi Lammers Campbell
The Social Justice Council First Forum November 21 discussing both the sterilization of crack addicts and a report suggesting the decline in the crime rate is due to increased abortions under Roe v. Wade raised many interesting issues. The group decided that follow-up discussion should be held. At that time we will be introducing the draft UUA statement of conscience "Economic Injustice, Poverty, and Racism: A Journey of Action and Reflection."
The above-mentioned draft can be found on a separate page in this newsletter [ED: see printed version of newsletter for this draft]. This is the second of a two-year process that may result in the draft being accepted by the UUA General Assembly in June as a "Statement of Conscience" for the entire denomination. The UUA is calling on congregations to respond with comments by March 1. We will be looking for ways to encourage as wide a discussion as possible of this draft before then.
The Criminal Justice Committee is continuing its campaign in opposition to the anti-loitering bill, which apparently will be introduced into the City Council early in January. We are working with a member of Greater Harvest Church to get cards signed by people opposed to the bill. If you have not yet signed one, please stop by the Social Justice Council table. We plan to bring these cards to alderpersons Preckwinckle and Hairston.
If you have not yet filled out the Social Justice questionnaire circulated early in the Fall, please do so and mail it to us.
Several women from First Church work with OWL (the Older Women's League), an organization for social and economic justice for midlife and older women. Joan Staples, Rosemary Snow, and Margaret Huyck would like you to join in their work, which includes writing letters about Social Security and other issues publicized by OWL. Ellie Hall does research to evaluate teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Margie Gonwa is president of the Board of Directores of SWWT (Southwest Women Working Together), a 25-year-old agency providing housing, job training and placement, sexual abuse and domestic violence counseling for women, children, and families on Chicago's entire southwest side. SWWT operates a homeless shelter for women and children in the Pullman area and will soon open a second one. She welcomes your call after 9:30 pm on weekdays or Sundays after 6. For gainful employment, Margie works for a community-based economic development and job-training agency.
Allan Lindrup chairs the UU Social Concerns Task Force against Homelessness in addition to tutoring a ninth-grader at Mercy Home for Boys and being an active member of the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council's Peace and Justice Committee. He invites anyone interested in becoming involved with other Chicago-area UUs on social justice work to contact him between 9:30 and 10:30 pm.
Stephen Stern works on housing discrimination advocacy and could use your help working on testing and advocacy between 9 and 5 Monday through Friday.
These are just a few of the impressive social justice activities engaged in by a few of our members. If the rest of you will fill out your social justice questionnaires, we will report on your work too!<top>
First Unitarian Church Unity in Diversity Celebration
Saturday, Jan. 22, 6 pm, in the Sanctuary
Plan to join the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee and the Social Action Council in a joyful Unity Party to which all of us--young and old, of every race, age, and sexual orientation--are welcome. Join us as we celebrate our diversity and unity, with good music and wonderful food.
First Unitarian's Endowments Looking Good
Preliminary calculations reveal that our church's endowment funds have grown--from about $841,000 in December 1998 to about $976,000 by December 1, 1999. We are hoping to be able to report an even higher figure by New Year's Eve.<top>
Nina Grey: Tuesdays 2-6, Wednesdays and Fridays 10-2 and other times by appointment. Mondays off. E-mail NinaGrey@aol.com.
Beth Williams: Wednesday, Friday 11 am-3 pm, other times by arrangement. Mondays off. At church most Sundays from 8 am to noon. E-mail UUBETHNW@aol.com.