by Bette Sikes, Administrative Committee

We share our church space with Affinity. This group has offices and provides programs and services to black lesbians in our Garden Room. On Oct. 27 at its annual "Puttin' on the Glitz" gala, the Howard Brown Health Center named Affinity as a 2001 Friend for Life. The award citation reads: "As the only organization dedicated to specifically addressing the needs of African American lesbians and bisexual women, Affinity serves the community as no other organization can. For the past five years, Affinity has served the Black lesbian and bisexual women's community through a combination of educational, social, and community collaboration. One of the central elements of Affinity's mission has been the creation of opportunities for visibility, empowerment, and leadership for Black lesbians."

by Bette Sikes, Administrative Committee

A great mystery in our church office is the regular and massive disappearance of ordinary ballpoint pens. I suspect that the church goes through at least a couple of dozen every month.

How about LEAVING one of your pens there.

The Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Rockefeller Chapel will take place on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22 at 11:00 a.m. We are in need of ushers for the service. Ushering during the service is simple and enjoyable! All ushers should register by calling Susan Grainger at 773-752-1911 as soon as possible! This year, the service will be dedicated to the memory of Werner Heymann, a faithful servant of the Council and devoted organizer of the Thanksgiving service. In addition, the events of the last month make it more than ever valuable and important for the community to join together. The speaker will be Rabbi Elliot Gertel of Rodfei Zedek Congregation.

We are discussing three poets and their works: William Wordsworth, Adrienne Rich, Robert Lowell. For more specific information, call Gloria Gnatz or Kennie James. The Great Books discussion will be Sunday November 11 at 11:30 a.m. in the Choir Room.

By Joan Pederson

Congregation President

This year, led by Doug Van Nostran, a consultant from the Central Midwest District of the UUA, the Board gathered for its annual retreat on September 28-29: in Hull Chapel and Chris Moore Parlor that Friday and at Beverly Unitarian Church the next day. The final accomplishment of the retreat was the establishment of eight priorities for the coming year. At this writing, three weeks later, work is underway in four of these areas with the others soon to follow. In progress:

* restructuring, growth, and development of the Membership Committee,

* start-up of the Vision-Mission-Covenant process for the congregation,

* assignment of trustees to serve as liaisons to Board committees and as ex officio members of the Religious Education and Social Justice councils, and

* delegation of the drafting of policy statements to appropriate committees.

At its October meeting the Board

* heard reports from Rev. Grey, Rev. Walker, and church administrator Rick Brown;

* congratulated Rev. Marlene Walker for receiving final fellowship as a parish minister from the UUA and changed her title from Associate Minister for Religious Education to Minister for Religious Education;

* learned that more than half of the work on the Fenn House roofs is done and that the work of retiling of Pennington Center offices and rearrangement of the outer office is complete (with special thanks to Bill Barron, Ed Jamison, Richard Pardo, and Rick Brown);

* approved a renewal of our space use agreement with Affinity, the esteemed social service agency for lesbians of color that uses the Garden Room;

* approved a revision of the personnel policy to clarify the scheduling of vacation time;

* encouraged the proposed upgrading of church computers within the limits of this year's budget;

* reviewed the financial report for the first quarter of the year, seeing that expenses are running as expected and that pledge payments are still behind but beginning to catch up;

* reviewed the task of committee liaison and established several liaison assignments, with more to come;

* reviewed the task of council member ex officio and authorized those who accept nomination to ex officio positions after the October meeting to begin work before being formally appointed in November

This month's column answers some basic questions about the Board, how it is structured, and how it works.

On the third Thursday of each month, the Board of Trustees gathers at 7:00 in one of the R.E. classrooms to finish the reading for the meeting that follows. At 7:30 the meeting is called to order, beginning with a reading and chalice lighting that help us remember the character of the institution whose interests we will work to serve during next the two hours or so. Regular attendees at board meetings include

* nine Trustees elected by the congregation to three-year terms: 1999-2002: Allen Harden, Evelyn Johnson, Joan Pederson (President); 2000-2003: Beccie Bruckner, Barbara Thomas, Paul Ulbrich; 2001-2004: Ann Collins, Cynthia Oakes (President-elect), Stephen Stern

* First Alternate Devon Moss and Second Alternate (always the chair of the Program Council) John Porterfield, both elected to one-year terms

*Treasurer Julie Neuman and Secretary Diana Gray, appointed by the Board to one-year terms

* Senior Minister Nina Grey and Minister for Religious Education Marlene Walker, and

* Church Administrator Rick Brown.

We serve on your behalf. All of us are named on the back of the order of worship each week. Feel free to ask us questions and tell us what's on your mind--knowing your needs and views helps us serve you better. Every member of the congregation is also entitled and welcome to attend any board meeting.

Board committees report to the Board of Trustees rather than to the Program, Religious Education, or Social Justice councils, but their chairs and other members usually are not trustees.

* Standing committees on Finance, Investment, Canvass, and Planned Giving address money.

* Property and Art are concerned with our physical assets.

* Membership, Congregational Participation, and Ministry encourage entry into, deeper participation in, and shared ministry within the life of the congregation.

* Administrative watches over the daily life of the institution while Executive reviews emerging issues and assigns them to the Board or an appropriate committee for action.

* Special committees address narrowly defined issues for a limited period of time.

Some of the standing committees need another member or two; some of the others could use several. Interested? Get in touch with me (773 624-5808; geogjoan@aol.com) or with President-elect Cynthia Oakes.

Interweave is the name used in local congregations throughout the UUA for groups addressing the interests, needs, and concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, their families, friends, and heterosexual allies. After meetings last spring and this fall looking for a way to revitalize First Church's five-year-old status as a Welcoming Congregation, several members agreed in October to form an Interweave group here. Its first gathering followed the Coming Out service on October 28 (after this writing).

Coming Interweave activities will include films, support groups, fun, forums, classes, and socializing. Watch for details and feel free to join in whenever you can. Interweave has its roots in the UU Gay Caucus which began in the early 1970s. One of its first chapters was here at First Church. Its time has come again--welcome!

Our warm healing thoughts are with Wallace Rusterholtz, recovering after a hospitalization.

Continuing warm get well wishes also to Robert Wissler.

Continuing warm get well wishes to Alex Coutts.

Congratulations to Karen Day on the occasion of her Ordination to the Unitarian Universalist ministry and her Installation as minister of (nb have to look this up) in North Carolina.

We continue to hold Devon Moss and his family in our hearts, as Devon has been called up to active duty in the Armed Services.

Our best wishes to Ruth Jacquot who is serving as a Ministerial Intern at the Unitarian-Universalist congregation in Bloomington, IL.

Our warm get well wishes to Madeiria Myrieckes.

A memorial service for Joan Staples' mother, Rebecca K. Hobbs, will be held in Hull Chapel on Sunday, November 11, at 3:00 p.m.

At the end of November, Nina will be away for a few days, first from November 26-28 at the Greenfield Group, her ministers' study group, and then from Nov. 30-Dec. 2, co-leading a Jubilee World Anti-Racism Weekend at The Mountain, a UU Camp and Conference Center in North Carolina.

Sunday, November 4, at 11:45 a.m. All are invited to an Orientation Gathering about Unitarian Universalism and our church. Newcomers and longer-time members and friends may come to learn a bit more about our denomination's history and theologies as well something about our congregational life and work. Leaders: Rev. Nina Grey and a member of the Membership Committee.

Sundays at 11:45, November 11 and 25. Rev. Nina Grey will facilitate these gatherings which are continuing opportunities for informal discussion of thoughts and feelings as we live with the uncertainties occasioned by the events of recent weeks, including the terrorist attacks and continuing incidents and fears of terrorism, and our nation's involvement in war. Call Nina at 773-324-4100 for more information. Registration is not necessary.

All of our church school classes have been very busy learning about World Religions. Here's what the classes have been doing.

PreSchool/Kindergaten - Celebrating Me and My World - Have been very busy making butterflies, imagining what they would say and being thankful that as children they could talk and communicate. Teachers - Adrienne King and Anne Morrill-Ploum.

1st and 2nd Grade - Haunting House - Have been exploring homes in nature by planting seeds and bulbs, creating a village of homes in their classroom and making Stone Soup - which was very tasty! Their discussion have talked about how seeds grow into plants and vegetables (and can be made into tasty soup) and houses into villages. While planting bulbs in the church yard they found worms, grubs, slugs and even a "worm brain" and it was commented that "we're planting things for the worms to munch on". Teachers - Margie Gonwa, Cathy Harth and Jaime Moore.

3rd and 4th Grade - Holidays and Holy Days - This class learned about and celebrated the Jewish Holiday of Sukkoth by building a wonderful Sukkah and sharing a meal in it. They also learned about the life of Mohammed and made prayer rugs. Teachers - Mary Bader, Allan Harden, Mary Anne Hammond and Marty Schimmell

5th and 6th Grade - Neighboring Faiths - Learned about Judaism and visited KAM Isaiah synagogue for Shabbat services. They have begun learning about Roman Catholicism and will attend Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church on October 28th. Teachers - Andrew Greenlee and Allan Lindrup

7th - 12th Grade

"Uniteen" The Sunday morning Coming of Age program has been re-named by the youth. It's new name is Uniteen. They have been busy making paper cranes, eating popcorn and playing King Frog. Ask them to teach it to you. They have been joined by new youth advisor Colleen Grogan who will also be joined by Beccie Bruckner in January.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) also began this month. Over 20 youth in grades 7-12 from First Church, Second Unitarian Church and the Park Forest Unitarian Church are registered for this exciting program on sexuality which will meet on Sunday evenings through May. Facilitators are Jen Crow, Amanda Helin, Steve Ploum, Paul and Kathleen Ricker from First Church and Sue Dunsmore from Second Unitarian.

Our annual seder dinner is set for Saturday, November 17, 2001, at 6:00 p.m. A number of years ago, our church member and Meadville/ Lombard faculty member, Rev. Jack Hayward, composed a script using the struggles for freedom of our early Americans and patterned the ceremony after the Jewish Seder service. The script has changed many times in later years to include the multi-cultural heritage that describes our congregation. There is a part to read for everyone. Families are especially welcome. Sign up at coffee hour or in the office. The meal will be catered. The cost is $12 for adults, $8 for children, with a cap of $48 per family. Volunteers are still needed for set-up and dessert cooks. Call Polly McCoo (773) 768-8535 or Madeiria Myrieckes (312) 461-9832.

A memorial service for long-time church member Jim Stevens was held at the church on Friday, October 5. Another memorial service was held at Montgomery Place on October 6. Jim, who was 86 years old, died of cancer on September 29.

Jim's five sons all spoke at the service. Also, at Jim's request, a tape of him and Joan Staples singing was played.

Jim, a third generation Hyde Parker, attended school at the University of Chicago Lab School from nursery school through high school. He received his BA from the U of C and his JD and AB degrees from the U of C Law School. In 1938 he was admitted to the bar and married his high school sweetheart, Jane Coolidge. He served in the Army during World War II and then returned to Chicago to practice law, which he continued until his death.

Jim was the son of Ernest J. Stevens, builder of the Stevens Hotel on Michigan Avenue (now the Chicago Hilton and Towers). Jim was used as a model for some of the hotel's statuary. In 1928, the Stevens was the largest hotel in the world.

Jim was a founder of the Chicago Memorial Association, a not-for-profit organization that provided inexpensive funeral services for members. He sang in our church choir. He was a voracious bridge player and was a Golden Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League. He also wrote several plays that were produced in various not-for-profit venues in Chicago. These included The Banana Man, J.W.'s Pride, and the Unitarian Fling, which he directed in a revival last year as a benefit for the organ fund.

In addition to his wife Jane and his five sons, Jim is survived by two brothers, 12 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.

This month the RE Council has been reading the article, "Outside the Box" by the Rev. Susan Archer from the Essex Conversations collection. Susan is a minister for religious education serving as RE consultant to the Metropolitan NY District. In her article she strongly urges us to think "outside the box" as we develop religious education programs for our current time. So many of us, singles, families, children and youth are juggling so many things in our busy schedules that the ways of doing RE that worked a generation ago no longer meet the needs of our families. Most of our families today have both parents often working 70 hour weeks, children in school, child care and after school programs and spend most of their time in separate places and activities. We have become highly segregated generationally. Because of these cultural shifts Susan Archer sees three areas that might help congregations provide what is so very needed by our families in a culture that does not honor and support them - intergenerational community and ministry to families, living in partnership with the world and the special needs of adolescents.

In most of our congregations, and here at First Church as well, the religious education program is still primarily modeled on the post World War II Sunday school model. Adults and young people go their separate ways upon arriving at church - adults to worship and children and youth (perhaps following a special time in worship) to school room classes grouped by age to join each other again at coffee hour following the service. This model has served well for many years. Susan asks us if it still works for families today who have spent the week apart from each other and invites us to think "outside the box" about ways that we can meet the need of families to have time together instead of apart. She is not suggesting that we "do away" with children's RE classes but that we think creatively about a variety of structures and schedules to more effectively enhance learning and growing in community. The one size fits all era is over, she says, and urges us to "free ourselves from structures that were designed for and worked well for families in earlier times".

Living in partnership with the world is about how we live together in community and, in light of the complexity of our lives, still find the roots of our commitment. It's about "growing people who put living lives of commitment at the center of their being." It's about how we can live together in creative partnership. In light of how our world has changed since September 11th this is now an even more important area for us to think creatively and "out side of the box" in.

The third area is an important one for us at First Church, I think, one that we have only begun to work on. Our youth who are growing up today need us more that ever. It is more and more important that we seriously develop ways to reverse the long-standing trend in our congregations of losing our youth once they enter high school and college. We must develop solid programs for our youth and young adults and we will have to "think outside the box" to do so. The article that the RE Council will be reading this month is specifically about youth and young adult programming and will be the focus of my reflections in the December newsletter. Join me in these exciting conversations by letting me know what you think.

Blessings,

Marlene

In November Stan the Drum Man will return for another Drum Building Workshop! The dates are November 3^rd and 4^th. The workshop will meet all day on Saturday and in the afternoon and evening on Sunday.

Cost will depend on which type of drum you decide to build and ranges from $125 for Djembes, Ashikos and Drums to $145 for tall Ashikos and Djununs. You need to register and pay a $25 deposit fee made out to Stan Secrest. For more information call and speak with Rev. Marlene.

by Finley C. Campbell

On October 7th, the Racial Justice Task Force (RJT) met to develop a proposal to be submitted to the Social Justice Council asking to become an official task force of the Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago. This was a significant step in reviving one of the most important task forces in the SJC arsenal. The members include Finley C. Campbell (chair), Joe Cherry (co-chair/secretary), Pheifer Browne, Kennie James (the former co-chair of the old RJT), and Meadville-Lombard student, Heather Januelas (along with non-members, John Porterfield (Program Council chair) and CLARC members, Richard and Veronica Jenifer). The main project which was voted on unanimously was the Richard Wagner Project, focussing on requesting the opportunity to make a six minute presentation at the Wagnerfest being sponsored by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Maestro Daniel Barenboim. As things turned out, the Maestro eventually agreed to this proposal (On October 8th at a program called "Symphony in Words" sponsored by the University of Chicago, the CSO, and the Chicago Art Institute). Unfortunately, this informal agreement was vetoed by Mr. Henry Fogel, president of the Board of Trustees, which led to a letter of protest (copy available upon request). The RJT was officially and unanimously approved as an official body of the Social Justice Council and our letter was approved for mailing to appropriate people.

Footnote: In a most unusual move, the Program Committee of the UUAGA approved my proposal for a workshop dealing with the general topic of the Nature of Racism: A Class Perspective. This has been set for the 2002 meeting in Quebec. I am hoping that members of the Racial Justice Task Force and the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee will help me prepare for this event which is, indeed, a feather in the cap for our church. For, as Joan Pederson explained to me, it is usually impossible for an individual to be allowed to present a workshop. I will also send in a proposal for a similar workshop to the Central Midwest Conference Planning Committee for the spring meeting, hopefully, with the support of the Racial Justice Task Force. So, thanks to all who encouraged me in this effort.

The Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council held a meeting on October 23, as part of its re-organization plan. The Council's new mission focusses on responding to neighborhood needs through community service, social justice, and spiritual dialogue and sharing among the different faith communities. The Hunger Programs of the Council are ongoing and need our continuing support.

Instead of the present structure of the Council, it will include 3 delegates from each member community and will meet quarterly. There will be several working committees charged with implementing the mission.

Rev. Nina Grey, Allan Lindrup and Joanne Kent attended the meetings as delegates from First Unitarian Church. Many other faith communities and seminaries participated. The meeting was held at the St. James United Methodist Church at 46th and Ellis. Rev. Richard Mosely, President of the Executive Committee of the Council, led the meeting and invited the delegates present to join a new or renewed committee. Allan Lindrup signed up for the Peace and Justice Committee. Rev. Grey and Joanne Kent signed up for a new committee on Spiritual interfaith sharing.

The next meeting of the Council will be in late January, details to be forthcoming. At that meeting, committees will report on their start-ups, and the current Executive Committee will report on continuing plans for the re-organization. It is expected that a new, smaller, Executive Committee will be elected at the Annual Meeting in June.

THE BIBLE WORKBENCH is a monthly, UU friendly, bible study program led by Rev Marlene Walker. We will meet to explore the scriptures of our Jewish and Christian heritages in an exciting format that includes contemporary literature, experiential exercises and reflections. If you have never studied the Bible or have but want to see it in a new way come join us. We will meet on the third Sunday of each month throughout the year. The group will be limited to twelve so speak with Rev. Marlene if you are interested.

First Forum, Sunday Nov. 18 at 11:45 a.m. Come hear about the struggle by Service Employees International Union Local 880 to unionize those who provide home health care. They need strength in numbers in order to win a living wage and benefits such as health care coverage from private agencies and the state of Illinois. Ways that you can help will be addressed.