Committee Meetings this Month
Rev. Nina Grey's Hours
I will be in the office as follows and by appointment: Tuesday, 1 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, 2 to 6 p.m., and Friday, 10 to 2 p.m. Thursday is my time for study and sermon preparation. Monday is my day off. I can be reached at church, at 324-4100, or at home, at 288-0348. I welcome your calls, including calls on Monday in emergencies. If I am away from these phones, I regularly check my voice mails. You may also reach me by email at ngrey@uuma.org. The office will also know how to reach me.
Get Ready for the Talent Auction
Holiday times are always busy. Keep your eye out for worthy items that can be used for the Silent Auction, which is part of our annual Talent Auction. This year this fund raiser is scheduled for March 3, 2002. Portable items should be brought to the church office. Take a photo of larger items which we can post for bidding.
If you are a talent donor, please fill out a form for this year at coffee hour or in the office. If the whole idea is new to you call P. McCoo (773) 768-8535 or Madieria Myrieckes (312) 461-9832.
Rev. Marlene's new office hours.
My office hours are on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1:00 - 5:00 pm. Monday continues as my day off and Friday is my day for reading and preparation which I mostly do at home. I am also available at other times by appointment. I am often in the office at other times as well and at church in the evenings for various meetings. I can be reached by phone either at church or at home (773-955-1607) Please feel free to call me at home even on Mondays if it is urgent. Another good way to reach me is by e-mail and my new e-mail address is mwalker@uuma.org.
An Announcement about Announcements
Committee, Task Force and Council Chairs! Got an announcement that you'd like to include in the Sunday Order of Service? Check out the new form and drop box outside the Church Office! The form has room for all the information you'll want to include, plus spaces for dates when you'd like the announcement to run. A whole sheaf of the new forms are now available outside the office door. Just fill one out and leave it in the drop box.
Don't forget: Deadline for providing Order of Service announcements to the office is now 5 PM Wednesdays. After that, we'll do our best to include your announcement, but we can't guarantee it will appear.
Christmas Flowers
A small donation is requested for Christmas flowers. Leave at church office.
Lifespan Religious Education
Rev. Marlene Walker, Minister for Religious Education
This month and next the RE Council is focusing its reading of the Essex Conversations on issues related to Youth by reading and discussing the article, "What Youth Want" by Logan Harris. Logan Harris's article identifies some key elements that are necessary if we are to build a strong Youth Program that "can be both a haven of protection and a place for growth to occur". Harris cautions us though that, "youth and adults must work together to create such a possibility. Neither group can do it alone."
There are eight elements that I identify as ones that Logan lists as being essential for a strong youth program. They are (1) Youth advisors who are trained and skilled, supportive, patient, willing to listen to what the youth want but also responsible for the well being of the group, (2) Programming that is geared for youth, that empowers them and that connects youth actively with the life of the congregation, (3) Communication with the congregation, including an active Youth Adult Committee, (4) Social Action work that is empowering of youth, that they are actively involved in choosing and planning. (5) The building of emotional bonds within the group through check-ins, trust building, confidentiality and a place to talk about the difficult issues that they face. (6) Worship and spirituality beyond the usual Sunday worship service. "Most youth feel they need to express their religion in ways other than church services." (7) A strong connection to their district and continental UUA, active participation in district youth conferences, spirituality and leadership development conferences . (8) Remembering to have fun.
We are beginning to put many of these elements in place here at First Church as we move towards building a stronger Youth Ministry program. This month our new Youth Adult Committee will begin to meet, consisting of RE Council liaison Tinessa Moss, Youth advisors, Jen Crow, Amanda Helin, Steve Ploum, Colleen Grogan, and Beccie Bruckner, and myself as an ex-officio member, as well as, most importantly, youth representatives chosen by the youth themselves, Alek Lappin, Anne Jonas, and Zarinah Ali. This committee will be key to our developing strong youth programming. We have fantastic and dedicated youth advisors but have not as yet had training for them and plans for that are now in the works - hopefully in January. This year we have begun to offer the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality program to both junior and senior high. We have more youth attending district youth conferences. This past June three of our youth attended General Assembly and participated in Youth Caucus. Last June we were all blessed with a powerful and sensitive Sunday Worship service created and presented by our youth and this month I attended the district Youth Spirituality Development Conference in Wisconsin with Anne Jonas. We do have fun. We have hosted visiting youth groups and had overnights at the church. This is all just a beginning however. We still have work to do .Our youth are still not as fully and actively connected to the overall life of the congregation as they or we would wish. We would all like to be having more activities both for fun, worship and growth, particularly in the area of social action. Our youth are our future. It is up to us as adults to empower them to become committed, faithful adults with a strong and deep connection and commitment to Unitarian Universalism, to both literally and figuratively give them roots and wings. We can't do it without them and they can't do it without us. We're in this together, for all our sakes.
RE Holiday Events
Mitten Tree
During the time For Ages on Sunday, December 2, we will be introducing the RE Mitten Tree. All members and friends are invited and encouraged to bring in new hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to place on our mitten tree on Dec 2, 9, and 16th. All these warm toasty items will be given to needy people in time for Christmas and cold weather distribution.
Holiday Crafts
The Religious Education Council invites you to join in making holiday ornaments and crafts after coffee hour on Sunday, December 2.
Tree Trimming
Trimming of the Church's Christmas Tree will take place after the coffee hour on Sunday, December 16.
Church School News
Church School has been a busy, busy place on Sundays this month. Here's what's been happening.
Nursery: Our wee ones have been lovingly tended by Nursery care providers Inga Mittendorf and Carolyn Sander with occasional help from Paulette Douglas and Gloria Perez. The nursery is growing with frequently as many as six babies on a Sunday morning.
Preschool/Kindergarten: "Celebrating Me and My World" continues to explore who they are by learning about their bodies and how they work. They have made "smelly" collages with objects gathered on a walk outside and discussed different ways of touching to find out what things are and made playdough. They also discussed the different ways that people touch, how some can make people feel and good and others can make people feel bad. Teachers - Adrienne King, Ivan Lappin and Anne Morril-Ploum.
1st and 2nd Grade: "Haunting House" have been busy, busy making and learning all kinds of houses beginning with houses in nature such as seeds and apples. Their houses are growing larger as they make them for larger and larger residents. Teachers - Margie Gonwa, Cathy Harth and Jamie Moore.
3rd and 4th Grade: "Holidays and Holy Days" - have made some wonderful birdfeeders with pinecones and milk jugs as they learned about St. Francis and his love and care of nature and animals. Teachers - Mary Bader, Allan Harden, and Marty Schimmel.
5th and 6th Grade: "Neighboring Faiths" - Has been learning about Protestant Christianity this month. They have viewed a video on Protestantism and constructed a religious tree and attended the worship service at University Church, a Disciples of Christ/United Church of Christ congregation, meeting after the service for a conversation with one of the ministers, Rev. Anne Marie Coleman. They ended the month by beginning a study of Islam. Teachers - Andrew Greenlee, Allan Lindrup and Anita Orlikoff.
7-12 Grades - The Uniteens have been busy learning about worship by attending a Sunday worship service and discussing worship with Rev Walker. They also introduced themselves to new youth advisor Colleen Grogan (Thank you Colleen!) and are becoming quite good at playing "King Frog," ask them to teach it to you. The OWL program for both grades 7-9 and 10-12 continues to meet on Sunday afternoons.
Also on the first Sunday of the month Rob Moore led a Children's Chapel service on the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. Thank you Rob.
Try Out for Emancipation Proclamation Day Activities
There will be an audition session for folks interested in participating in the Emancipation Proclamation Day Pageant on Sunday, December 2, at 1:15 p.m. The pageant will take place on Sunday, January 6 after church. Former participants and others interested in participating are invited. The 2002 version of the Pageant will be an afternoon performance, so we will be interested in having more actors in the program: if you can sing, dance, recite poetry, read dramatically, shout, or can march or run up and down aisles, this program is for you. The Pageant is co-sponsored by the Worship and Music Committee, the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee, and the Social Justice Council. For more info, call Finley C. Campbell at 773-752-4019.
Unity Party
Mark your calendars for January 19 (snow date January 26). The third annual Unity Party will be held from 6 pm to 10 pm. Bring your friends and family. Everyone is welcome! The purpose of the Unity Party is to celebrate the unity among the very diverse members and families that form First U by having a fun time with each other.
This year the party will be a fund-raiser potluck for the Social Justice Council, Charlotte Lackner Anti-racism Committee, and the Religious Education Council. Admission is $5 per person or $15 per family. Bring your favorite "comfort food" to share. There will be a dj, dancing, conversation, and activities for children.
From the Board
By Joan Pederson
Congregation President
We are entering an annual season of celebration. Despite the difficulties of these times for our world, our nation, many of our neighbors, and many of ourselves, there is much to celebrate. At this writing most of the people of Afghanistan have had music back in their lives for nearly a week after an absence of five years. Can you imagine going without music for so long? Can you imagine the joy of its return after so many years?
Lest we take music for granted, make note of the special service on December 9, rich in music of the season sung by our Chancel Choir, and of our annual Christmas Eve Vespers service on December 24, enlivened by the singing of Chicago Children's Choir and by everyone in the congregation. Work on our organ has been difficult and slow, and we may have a rented organ here for Christmas, but music we shall have.
We can celebrate the astonishing generosity of people from around the country and around the world toward those who lost so much in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania on September 11. Lest we fail to acknowledge astonishing generosity in our midst, join on December 9 in celebrating Wallace Rusterholtz's generosity to this congregation; see details elsewhere in this newsletter.
We can celebrate that those whose need springs from sources other than the attacks of September 11 are not being lost in the shuffle, at least not by us. Rev. Marlene distributed UNICEF boxes, giving us the chance to share in helping children in distant lands. Closer to home, the Criminal Justice Task Force gave us the opportunity last month of sharing the gifts of our relative prosperity with a family whose table is missing a loved one who is in prison. Whether in your work or your contributions of effort or money, many of you are easing the suffering or brightening the hopes of countless others in our wider community, nation, and world.
And, of course, your continued payment of pledges supports every aspect of the work of this congregation, including its gifts of ministry and care to those in the most trying times of life.
We can celebrate homecomings and honors and the beloved community that we share: children home on vacation from places far away, filled with tales of struggles as students and as young (or not-so-young) adults, as well-armed to face the world as loving parents could make them; long decades of work well done awarded with the honor of a prestigious appointment--to do more work! (congratulations, Norma Poinsett, on being named a member of the UUA's Distinguished Service Award Committee); the sanctuary filled again with family and friends and people rapidly ceasing to be strangers as we celebrated our annual Thanksgiving Seder last month, and the church filling week in and week out as we worship and learn together.
This space usually ends with a report of the most recent Board meeting. Last month, due to technical difficulties, the second half of last month's column preceded the first half instead of following it, so the notes of the October board meeting appeared about halfway through rather than at the end. Copies in the intended sequence are available from the church office. This month, due to a business trip and this month's tight newsletter deadline, the reports of both the November and December meetings will appear in the January newsletter. Feel free to write or call me if you need information about the November meeting sooner than January. You can reach me at GeogJoan@aol.com, (773) 624-5808, or with a note in my box in the church office.
WANTED: BAKERS AND BUYERS!
One of the goals of the Mountain Retreat Committee is to make it possible for those who would like to attend our all-church retreat to do so. In aid of that goal we are holding a bake sale just in time for your holiday needs. The date, December 16, coincides with the R.E. Tree Trimming activities, and we hope will provide you with all the goodies you need for your own holiday celebration.
Sign up on the flyers which you will be finding in your Sunday Orders of Service. Baked goods should be brought to the church on Saturday, December 15, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Call Cindy Pardo (773-667-5324) if you need pickup of your contributions. All funds collected from the sale of these goodies will go to the Mountain Retreat Scholarship Fund- a good reason to check out the bake sale on December 16.
Among Us
Our warm healing wishes to Doug Anderson.
We hold Don Scott's mother and Don in our hearts. Don's mother had a fall and is in a coma (at this writing).
We also hold Jane Stevens in our hearts.
We remembered Rebecca Hobbs, mother of Joan Staples, mother-in-law of Chuck Staples, in a Memorial Service on Sunday, Nov. 11. We hold Joan and Chuck in our hearts.
We also keep the Moss family in our hearts, as Devon is serving in active duty in Springfield.
Our healing wishes to Madeiria Myrieckes.
Our continuing healing wishes to Wallace Rusterholtz who is recovering well.
We thank Rob Moore for helping with the November Montgomery Place service.
Congratulations to the Oakes-Puszkiewicz (ck spelling) family on their move to their new home.
Thanks to the following families for helping with the Bread Sharing in the Sunday morning Thanksgiving service: Bennetts, Dodsons, Kings, and Morrill-Ploums.
Welcome to new member John Holden and his family: children, John II, Addriana, Alexandra, David and Harrison .
After her recent marriage to Bob Chaney, Ioanna Crawford, with the support of her new husband, has decided to change her last name back to Karamitsou, the original maiden name she gave up thirty years ago. [Pronounced kah-rah-MEET-sue] Therefore, she will be listed under Ioanna Karamitsou in our new church directory.
A note received from Rev. Karen Day: "To everyone at First Church. I want to thank you again for your support and encouragement in my journey to the ministry. I would not be here without you. Please keep me on the newsletter mailing list, and accept the enclosed gift with my complete gratitude." Karen's new address is 102 Pineview Dr., Greenville NC 27834.
We hold Allan Stern in our minds and hearts as he has surgery, Dec. 13 at Evanston Hospital.
Criminal Justice Task Force
By Diana Gray
Prisoners at Tamms spend 23 hours a day locked in their cells with nothing to do. Having good reading materials might offset the tedium of such conditions of confinement.
The Criminal Justice Task Force enlists your help collecting donated new or used reading materials for Tamms. We have received guidelines from the Tamms Educational Facility Administrator. Materials should not contain content centered around:
Excluding such materials listed above leaves open a world of appropriate magazines and books we could send to the facility. Starting Sunday, December 2, 2001, and each Sunday following, the Criminal Justice Task Force will place a collection box for these reading materials donations in Hull Chapel. During the week, we will lodge the box in the church office. We will also solicit donations to help offset the cost of periodically mailing the materials to Tamms.
Chicago Children's Choir
For 45 years, the Chicago Children's Choir has retained the vision provided by Rev. Christopher Moore since he started the Choir at First Church in 1956. That relationship is celebrated by the Choir's appearance at the church's annual Christmas Eve Vespers Service. We hope you can attend. Also, we hope you'll consider contributing to the Choir's Annual Fund this year. The address is 78 E Washington, 5th Floor, Chicago 60602 (checks payable to "Chicago Children's Choir," attn. Julie Kuzera). Thanks. Your representatives on the Choir Board Carrie Hedges, Richard Pardo, and Allan Stern.
Forums, lectures, adult classes in December
The Bible Workbench
Sunday, December 16, at 6:00 p.m. Facilitator: Rev. Marlene Walker. A UU friendly bible study program that explores the scriptures of our Jewish and Christian heritage 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. Enrollment limited: see Marlene.
The Nature of Racism
Sunday, December 2, at 12 noon. Dr. Finley C. Campbell, facilitator. The December session will deal with racism in literature. We will be looking at Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'n Head Wilson by Mark Twain, plus other literary examples. We will also ask the question: does TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD oppose racism or build racism? November marked the second session in this course. Nine people attended. The focus of this session was on how music related shows -- vaudeville, musicals, the recording industry, etc. -- helped to create prejudice and bigotry. There was also an analysis of how the omission of musical traditions in the black and Latin community, but especially the black community, contributed to racism in this country. Tapes and lecture notes are available for these and other sessions on request. For more info, call Finley C. Campbell at 773-752-4019.
UU's View the News
Friday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. Facilitators are Dr. Finley C. Campbell and Kennie James. Our overall theme will be the progress of the Anglo-American/Afghan war. Theoretically speaking, it should be over by then. Plus, other news of interest. The focus of this RE program is to see how our UU principles can be applied to current events. A small but lively group of First U folks and their guest met this past November to discuss key issues in the news: the call for torture as a judicial instrument, the relationship of oil to the current war in Afghanistan, the Microsoft settlement. We also had two Muslims as guests: one Afro-American woman and her husband, a black Arab from Sudan. They gave us helpful information on the differences between Sunni and Shiite traditions and the meaning of Ramadan. For more info, call Finley C. Campbell at 773-752-4019.
Living with Uncertainty
Sunday, December 16 at 11:45 a.m. This is a continuing opportunity for members and friends to gather, to be together for support and discussion, in light of the continuing developments in our nation and world. Led by Rev. Nina Grey, the group gathering does not require pre-registration. All welcome.
Current Threats to Civil Liberties
First Forum. Sunday, December 2 at 11:45 a.m. Ben Wolf, Associate Legal Director for the ACLU of Illinois, speaks on "Current threats to civil liberties from the Bush Administration." Sponsored by the Social Justice Council.
Great Books
Great Books will be discussing Toni Morrison's novel "Song of Solomon" on Sunday, December 9 at 11:30 a.m. in the choir room. Call Kennie James or Gloria Gnatz for information.
Responding to Uncertain Times
A group has formed which will consider a variety of programs for the support and education of church members and friends in these times. Members are: Paul and Kathleen Ricker, Aneesah Ali, Allan Stern, Joanne Kent, Marcie Wilcox, Pheifer Brown, Lori Rosenblum and Rev. Nina Grey. The group met on November 4 and will meet again for lunch and planning on Sunday, November 25 at 1 p.m. Preliminary planning includes areas such as worship, education, crisis support, communication, and support. The first program of the group is the ongoing Sunday Living with Uncertainty Discussion group, which meets at least once monthly at 11:45 a.m. Call Rev. Nina Grey for more information.
UU News
UUs for Social Justice
The annual meeting of UUs for Social Justice will be held on Sunday, December 2 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Location is Gayle House on Kenilworth in Oak Park, just south of Unity Temple. The meeting will begin with a program on the UUA's study- action issue, "Economic Globalization" The business meeting includes consideration of a bylaws amendment to expand Action Alert possibilities. Our own Allan Lindrup is Chair- elect of the organization.
Rev. Michelle Bentley Resigns
Word from Third Unitarian Church is that Dr. Michelle Bentley has resigned as minister, effective March 1, 2002. The board is consulting with Angela Merkert, Central Midwest District Congregational Services Director, regarding the transition.
Paul Ricker
Paul Ricker, who is speaking at our December 2 service, is a research scientist in the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Originally from Pennsylvania, Paul has attended First Unitarian Church since he came to Chicago for graduate school in 1991, with the exception of a two year stint as a postdoc at the University of Virginia in 1997-98. His research interests include clusters of galaxies and supernovae and his non-research interests cover just about everything else. Paul, who is the chairperson of the church's Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee (CLARC) is married to Kathleen Ricker, who is a member of the Worship and Music Committee. Kathleen will be the worship associate for this service.
Racial Justice Task Force
The Racial Justice Task Force will be meeting on Sunday, Dec. 2nd, at 9:00 am in VOV (tentative). All interested persons are invited to attend. We will, hopefully, analyze the results of our Wagner project, and then discuss a proposal for our next project: anti-immigrant racism. There will also be a discussion of creating a pamphlet based on our Wagner project. For more information, contact F. C. Campbell, 773-752-4019.
Wallace Rusterholtz Celebration
Join the festivities immediately after the service on December 9 when we will have a special social hour to commemorate Wallace Rusterholtz's exceptionally generous pooled income gift of a few years ago. It wasn't easy to find the right time for a public celebration of this gift, but in retrospect December 9 seems perfect, located midway between this season's holidays lifting up gratitude and generosity.
Learn more about Wallace's gift and help join in a chorus of thanks. See you there!
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee began its fall meetings on November 13 and its second fall meeting will be December 14, at 7 p.m. The Committee reviewed its history and current responsibilities and began to envision new possibilities. The Committee is responsible for: Greeters, Coffee Hour Host Planning, Visitors' Table, Letters to Visitors, Orientation, Pamphlets, and its newest program: Monthly Birthday Dinners, as well as Ingathering of New Members and New Member Dinners.
The Committee reaffirmed its mission to recruit, integrate, and sustain members of the church. The Committee stressed the importance of church members being available to greet newcomers and each other at coffee hour, and will communicate this to the Board of Trustees and Program Council. The Committee invites additional members and friends to join it.
Interweave
Come have a little fun with Interweave. On December 9, 2001 First U's newly gathered Interweave Group is going to a Holiday Concert. The baton falls at 7:00 for the Lakeside Pride Concert Band, the Mid-West's largest Gay/Lesbian (and pals) band. For more information on the band and the concert, visit http://www.lakesidepride.org. An event of merriment will follow the concert. This is the first group activity for Interweave so come along so that you can tell everybody that you were there from the very beginning! Any questions and car pool potential questions can be directed to Joe Cherry at josephmcherry@hotmail.com.