Committee Meetings this Month
Please attend the church's Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago will be held after morning services on Sunday, May 19. There will be an election of a President-elect, members of the Board of Trustees, council chairs, and other important posts, all to take office at the beginning of the church's fiscal year July 1. There will be a financial report, and reports from the various councils and committees of the congregation. See the report of the nominating committee, page 9, and biographies of the candidates, pages 11-14.
All councils, committees, task forces, and other church groups are reminded to get their reports to the office no later than May 5 for inclusion in the Annual Report.
Lifespan Religious Education
Rev. Marlene Walker, Minister for Religious Education
"Sunday School is Dead: Long Live Sunday School" This attention grabbing title of Rev. Greg Stewart's article in Essex Conversations certainly has grabbed the attention and excitement of the RE Council over the last couple of months. In his article Rev. Stewart (Greg is the MRE at Neighborhood Church in Pasadena, CA) outlines a church school model he has developed which is being used in more and more RE Programs throughout our association. It is called "Way Cool Sunday School" and the cornerstone of the model is that it brings religious education and church school out of the classroom and into the wider congregation and the community. Rather than using a traditional weekly classroom model of education, Way Cool Sunday School(WCSS) has a different focus for the Sundays of the month. The first Sunday of the month the focus is on multigenerational worship, the second and fourth Sundays are curriculum based Sundays, the third Sundays are Social Justice Outreach Sundays and the fifth Sundays are Arts Sundays. The response from RE Programs that are using this model is phenomenal. Traditional curricula and teaching methods are still used - but in new ways. It intentionally does not replicate the school classrooms that young people learn in during the week, but brings an experiential, multifaceted, spiritually focused program to our church schools. RE Council and I are very excited about this program and at its last meeting the Council voted to use the WCCS model for our church school next year.
Some of the details and specifics are still in the process of being worked out but essentially the church school program next year would look like this.
First Sundays - Multigenerational Worship in some form. Other than these Sundays the only other Multigenerational Worship services would be on Christmas, Kwanzaa and Easter.
Second & Fourth Sundays - Curriculum Sundays following a workshop rotation format based on next year's theme of UU Identity. Rather than separate classrooms for ages older than preschool activities, experiences and lessons would be offered in varying ways for all ages on the same theme using a variety of media and learning styles.
Third Sundays - Social Justice Outreach Sundays with activities in support of both local and more global based social justice projects. There will also be projects and activities related to these projects that would be directly in the community and occur at times other than Sunday AM.
Fifth Sundays - Arts Sundays with varying art activities (visual, music, drama, dance etc.) focused on our theme for the year of UU Identity
January would still be our Winter Intersession focused fully on Social Justice Outreach.
The exciting things for me in this new model are primarily the increased possibilities for integration and connections of the church school with the wider congregation. Teaching commitments will also be for a shorter time period and will be focused on particular Sundays. Teachers will no longer miss attending worship for weeks on end. Our young people who spend so much time in classrooms and highly structured activities during the week will have an experience of church school that is exciting and has choices and activities that can match their own learning styles. But most of all I am excited by the Social Justice Outreach focus of this program. Not only will our young people be learning specific facts about their growing faith, the faiths of others and begin to form themselves as religious people, they will in a very tangible way do that through our commitment to social justice as integral to who we are. There no doubt will be adaptations and modifications we will need to make as we move into this new model. We won't get it perfectly right at the beginning and we will be listening closely to responses from the congregation. If you have any questions please speak with me or a member of the RE Council. If you are interested in teaching next year, whether you have ever taught before or not - maybe especially if you have not, I would love to hear from you. We will be beginning teacher recruitment in earnest this month. Come join us - it will be exciting and a great opportunity to learn for all!
Peace blessings!
Church School Happenings
Preschool/K: Celebrating Me and My World - This month we have moved through water and mud to spring and flowers! We now have a tree growing on our wall and have been overrun by rabbits with floppy ears. Teachers are: Katari Coleman-Daniels, Anne Morril- Ploum and Adrienne King substituting for Ivan Lappin. Uniteen assistant are Zarinah Ali and Stephanie Harth.
1st and 2nd Grade: Haunting House - Now that we have experienced our births we are busy making our own houses and our own furniture and beds to sleep in. We have everything from a large Hyde Park style condo building to single person homes. Come visit us in our classroom next to Woolman Hall and see what we have created. Teachers are Colleen Grogan, Ellen LaRue and Stephen Stern. Barrett Doss and Holly Reid are Uniteen assistants.
3rd and 4th Grade: Holidays and Holy Days - We have spent this past month learning about Native American cultures, spiritualities and communities. We made name tags with Huichol Indian yarn paintings, did native American drumming with help from Lia McCoo and built our own Northwest Coast style Totem Poles. Teachers are Polly McCoo (with Lia helping out often - thank you Lia!) and Tinessa Moss. We miss Uniteen assistant Alek Lappin who has been away on weekends visiting his grandmother in Michigan!
5th and 6th Grade: Neighboring Faiths - We began the month learning more about the history of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism in particular. We visited the Hindu Temple here in Hyde Park and met with the Swami. We had two guest visitors with us who are Jains and learned a lot about this religion that is quite different than western ones and emphasizes the avoidance of violence and harm to other living beings. We also experienced a meditation that our guests led. We also are beginning to learn about fundamentalism. Teachers are Andrew Greenlee, Allan Lindrup and Anita Orlikoff.
Uniteens and OWL: OWL is now in its final weeks and is meeting at the Park Forest church each Sunday afternoon. The Uniteens continue to assist in classrooms and in other ways in the church community. This month they will also meet with Rev. Marlene to reflect on what they have learned about our congregation and about Unitarian Universalism through their service to their congregation. Advisors and OWL facilitators are Beccie Bruckner, Jen Crow, Amanda Helin, Kathleen and Paul Ricker, and Rev. Marlene Walker.
Way Cool Sunday School
Sunday May 12th: "Way Cool Sunday School" debuts!! There are no regularly scheduled church school classes this Sunday. While the worship service will not be a multigenerational service there will still be a special Time For All Ages following which all children and youth K-12th grade( and any parents who wish to join them) will experience "Way Cool Sunday School" This is the church school model we will be using next fall. Come see what it's like!!!
RE Recognition Brunch
Sunday May 19th. Not only is our Annual Congregational meeting happening after church but BEFORE church Rev. Marlene and the RE Council invite all church school teachers, RE Council members, Adult RE leaders, First Forum presenters, youth advisors and OWL facilitators to a Recognition Brunch in the Garden Room. This is also the last day of the regular Church School year.
"Taste of the First"
Let us fast forward you to next October. We've had a busy summer, we're back at church, there are lots of new people, and so much work to be done. How do we get everyone together and find out who we are and how we can work together?
Here is an idea. Let's plan a delicious gourmet supper with all the committees and councils providing one of the courses for a "progressive" adventure around the church building. We could even have continuous entertainment. This could be a way not only to introduce the many committees to our new members but also an excellent way to introduce our church to other friends and neighbors.
An energetic committee of the Program Council is planning this happening for Saturday, October 19 at 6:30. Committee chairs: please send a representative to a meeting on Sunday May 5 at 11:45 to complete our plans. For more info contact Polly McCoo, (773) 768-8535.
From the Board
By Joan Pederson
Congregation President
The Annual Meeting is nearly upon us. Committees and ministers are preparing reports. The Canvass Committee has been coaxing pledge cards from those who hadn't turned them in during the first week of the Canvass. Despite today's flakes of snow, plans are well underway for Flower Communion (June 2) and Jan Johnson's ordination (June 8). The rewiring of the restored organ may be complete by the time you read this. Children are growing, and growing up, before our very eyes. A few hours before the Annual Meeting the teachers in our RE program will receive warmly deserved recognition at a special breakfast in their honor.
Clearly spring is well underway, and, as the choir sang on Sunday, "Summer is a'comin' in."
With summer will come the start of our church year. No, not in September, in July.
The budget we will adopt on May 19 at the Annual Meeting will cover the bills and payroll from July 1 through June 30. By the end of September last year we had been through three months of the church year, but had received only two months' worth of pledges.
Please plan now:
Classes will meet, we will gather in worship where music will ring out, we will reach out into the world, those needing our care will receive it, and our church home will make room for us all and for treasured companions we have not yet met: but only with our gifts of energy, creativity, devotion, and money.
Many, many thanks for all of your generous gifts.
At its April meeting, the Board
Neighboring Faiths Field Trip
Saturday June 1st. The Neighboring Faiths classes, both Adult and 5th and 6th Grade class, plus the Rise Up and Call Her Name class are sponsoring an all day field trip to the Lake Shore Interfaith Institute in Ganges, Michigan. The Lake Shore Interfaith Institute is an interfaith community, which is made up of individuals from a variety of spiritual traditions working together for the common good of people from various faiths, religions and spiritual backgrounds. It is just down the road from the Vivekananda Society's Retreat Center which we will also be able to visit. We will meet at the church at 9AM to car pool and caravan for the 2.5 hour drive to Ganges, MI. Bring food for a picnic which we will have on arrival. We will then be welcomed by Swami Tapasanada who will introduce us to the Center and its facilities, which include a large outdoor labyrinth, a medicine wheel, an interfaith meditation trail and a beautiful interfaith worship hall. Time permitted we will end our visit with a trip to the beach for those who choose before heading back to Chicago in the evening. While the trip is especially for the participants in the three classes all are welcome to join us. For more information and to sign up speak with or leave a message for Rev. Marlene.
What Sustains or Can Sustain You As A Member?
A Potluck Gathering and Discussion
Saturday, May 4, at 6 p.m. at the home of Nancy Harlan. All are warmly invited to participate in a Potluck Gathering sponsored by the Membership Committee, to eat together and talk together about What Sustains Or Can Sustain You As A Member. Your presence and voice, ideas and feelings will give us all more inspiration for future programming.
This Potluck Gathering is part of the Membership Committee mission to "recruit, integrate and sustain members". We are grateful to Nancy Harlan for hosting us, as we explore some ways the church does and can sustain members and friends of all ages and cultures. We hope you will join us, whether you are a long time member, have been with us awhile, or are new to the church.
Please mark your calendar, May 4, at 6 p.m. Call the church office to say whether you can come, what you can bring for the potluck, and to get directions. Call Cynthia Oakes or Rev. Nina Grey for more information.
The Membership Committee: Betty Holcomb, Veronica Jenifer, Richard Jones, Ioanna Karamitsou, Paul Ricker, Patti Stark, Reesey Walton, Cynthia Oakes, Rev. Nina Grey, Rev. Marlene Walker.
First Forum: Modern Paganism
Within the spectrum of faith perspectives that make up modern Unitarian Universalism is paganism. What is modern paganism? How does paganism fit within Unitarian Universalism, in general, and what is the Covenant of U.U. Pagans (CUUPS)? To find answers to these questions and others you may have on the subject, you are invited to attend our First Forum on May 5, when Nancy Irons and Kathy Munoz of the CUUPS chapter based at the U.U. church in Park Forest, Illinois are our featured speakers.
Meetings, meetings . . .
Adult RE Committee
The church's Adult Religious Education Committee will hold its next meeting on Thursday, May 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., in the Resource Room. Major agenda items will be: 1) to review and consider the course assessment sheets received from participants in adult R.E. course that have finished this church year, and 2) to review and consider any course offering for the next church year received by that date. We ask anyone who is interested in teaching or facilitating an adult education course in the next church year to submit a proposal to us, via the Religious Education Council box in the church office, by May 30.
Janet Johnson Ordination
The ordination of Janet Johnson will take place at our church Saturday, June 8, at 4:00 p.m. A committee to prepare for the event will meet after church on Sunday May 5. Please join us for planning this event. If interested, but unable to attend the meeting, call Vivian Burns, (773) 667- 4048.
CAUUC Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Chicago Area Unitarian Universalist Council (CAUUC) will be held Saturday, May 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Countryside Church, 1025 N. Smith Rd., Palatine. Featured speaker is Rev. Alice Blair Wesley, whose topic is "Our UU Covenant of Leadership: To Help One Another." Rev. Wesley delivered the 2000-2001 Minns Lectures, which are being published by the Meadville Lombard Press. The meeting will also include a celebration of Unsung U Us from congregations all over the Chicago area. For information, contact Mshaklee@UCEvanston.org (847-328-7954)
Les Gourmets
This year a group of members formed the group, Les Gourmets. Each month we have traveled to a different restaurant and enjoyed exciting cuisines. We started by contributing to the church fund then we chose which month, September - June, we would be responsible for the planning of the event. On each month the host(ess) chose the restaurant, set the date, notified the members of the group and then collected the money to pay the bill.
We are making plans for next year. We might even need to start a second group. Please see/call Pauline McCoo (773) 768-8535 or Evelyn Johnson (773) 933-0541 and be put on the information list.
Interfaith Council Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council will be held Thursday, May 23 at Congregation Rodfei Zedek, 5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. and the program and business meeting is at 7:00 p.m. The program will be a slide show and presentation, "Art and the Religious Spirit," by Jessica Funk, art historian at Columbia College and the Art Institute. The program is free. Dinner tickets are $12 and may be purchased from Rev. Nina Grey or Allan Lindrup.
Nature of Racism
The last session of the Nature of Racism will be held in VOV, on Sunday, May 12th at 9 am. The topic is "Summary and Conclusion: The Use of Popular Culture to Transform Ideology in Prejudice -- The Wagner Syndrome". For more information, call 773-752-4019.
Racial Justice Task Force
The Racial Justice Task Force will be meeting on May 19th, at 1:05 pm in Chris Moore Parlor, after the Congregational Annual Meeting. The main focus of this discussion may be the mission statement. Also, On Sunday, May 5, Finley C. Campbell will hold an informal meeting at his home regarding the controversy over the format of the Youth and Young Adults of Color conference at Third Unitarian. [See the March church newsletter, p.11]. For more information, call (773) 752-4019.
Children's Choir & Bobby McFerrin
An evening with Bobby McFerrin and the Chicago Children's Choir May 11, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chicago Theatre, 175 North State St.The Concert Choir will be featured in concert along with Grammy-award artist Bobby McFerrin. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster.com or (312) 559-1212! Benefit tickets for $125 include a box seat ticket and a champagne reception with Bobby McFerrin, call (312) 849-8300 ext 235.
New Member Profiles
By Phiefer Browne
Welcome to the following new members:
Jane Kiser
Jane, who has a PhD in economics from the University of Massachusetts, is a professor in the Division of Labor Studies at Indiana University, Northwest, in Gary. She grew up in Bonne Terre, Missouri, spent seventeen years in Massachusetts, and returned to the Midwest in 1998. She has transferred church membership from the First UU Church in Hobart, Indiana. Jane's favorite pastimes are playing classical music, listening to music, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. She is especially interested in becoming active with the Social Justice Council.
Linn Orear
Linn is the executive director of the Illinois Labor History Society, a non-profit organization founded by her father Leslie Orear and his friends thirty years ago. She grew up in Morgan Park and graduated from Morgan Park High School. Her family was active in the Beverly UU Church. Lynn spent thirty years in Massachusetts, where she was active with the UU church in Cambridge, and moved back to Chicago a year ago. She is interested in religious education and social justice activities at the church. She enjoys reading, gardening, and walking.
Elvira Pellitteri Donner
Elvira teaches Latin and Spanish at the University of Chicago Lab School. Originally from New York, she has lived in Chicago for the past twenty- five years. She has two children, Alexander, 16, and Lucia Elena, 13. Presently she takes part in the 9-11 study group sponsored by the Social Justice Council. Her interests are literature, music, art, and the theater.
Patrick John
Patrick is an attorney with a general civil practice at the firm of Evans, Loewenstein, Shimanovsky, and Moscardini. He has two daughters, Brooke, 10, and Brittany, 15. Originally from Guyana, he grew up in New York, and has been in Chicago since 1991. Presently he is taking two acting classes at ETA and Act One.
Don Scott
Don is a physician at the U of C Hospital, practicing geriatric medicine at a clinic in South Shore. He is originally from Harrisburg, Illinois, and has lived numerous places, most recently Baltimore. He has lived in Chicago since 2000. Don will serve on the nominating committee next year and hopes to become involved in social justice activities. He volunteers at a free clinic connected to the U of C Hospital and relaxes by playing the saxophone, reading, and exercising.
Giuseppe Latino and Raffaella Pretini
Raffaella is a PhD exchange student at the University of Chicago from the University of Milan. Her area of study is ancient Greek religion. Giuseppe is working at Fermilab on a postdoctorate at the University of New Mexico. Raffaella is active with the Social Justice Council and both belong to the 9-11 discussion group. Raffaella enjoys reading fiction and seeing movies. Giuseppe enjoys listening to all kinds of music, and both enjoy roller and ice-skating and meeting new people.
Cynthia Redd
Cynthia works part-time in market research and is in training as a school bus driver. She has a certificate in litigation in real estate for paralegals from Roosevelt University and plans to attend Meadville in the fall as a student at large. Cynthia is active with the Racial Justice Task Force. She has two children, Clifford Terrell, 12, and Elmora Cynda, 11. She is a Christian with an interest in evangelical Christianity and has taken courses at Moody Bible Institute and Chicago Theological Seminary.
Joseph Harrington
Joseph is Project Director in the Department of Preventative Medicine at Rush, Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center. He is also the Project Director for an international collaboration between the University of the Transkei, the Frere College of Nursing, both in South Africa, the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and Rush Medical Center to implement a community based infrastructure development project funded by WHO. Joseph is a native Chicagoan who grew up on and still resides on the South Side.
Welcome also to new members John Holden, James Jenkins, Aneesah Ali, Jim Proctor, and Zarinah Ali.
Nominating Committee Report
The Nominating Committee has nominated the following for the positions to be elected at the Annual Meeting on May 19. Nominations may also be made from the floor. See the profiles on pp. 11- 14.
Cynthia Oakes, elected President-elect last year, will take over as President July 1.
President-elect (serves as President in 2003-2004): Grace Williams
Board of Trustees (for term ending in the year indicated): Vicki McNutt (2005), Michael Rhum (2005), Grace Williams (2005), Ann Collins (2004), Joann Kent (2003), Robert Chenoweth (2003), Richard Jenifer (First Alternate, 2003). Continuing trustees are Rebecca Bruckner (2003), Ann Collins (2004), Cynthia Oakes (2004), and Stephen Stern (2004).
Program Council Chair: Roberta Lammers Campbell
Social Justice Council Chair: Finley Campbell
Religious Education Council: Katari Coleman- Daniels (2005), Colleen Grogan (2005), Anita Orlikoff (2005), Beverly Bennett (2003). Continuing members: Phiefer Browne (2003), Mary Ann Hammond (2003), Paulette Dodson (2004), Adrienne King (2004), Anne Morrill- Ploum (2004).
Nominating Committee (for next year): Pheifer Browne, Allen Harden, Joan Pederson, Don Scott, Allan Stern.
This year's nominating committee was Finley Campbell, Pat Curran, Evelyn Johnson and Cindy Pardo.
9-11 Study Group
By Elvira Pellitteri Donner
The 9-11 Study Group met on Sunday, April 7th at the home of Elvira Pellitteri Donner for their third discussion, focusing on the international issues resulting from the events of September 11th. With the crisis in the Middle East growing more heated, and the resulting loss of Arab and Israeli lives, the discussion naturally focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Many of us voiced concern that, because we are a multi-cultural congregation sympathetic to both Muslims and Jews, we are reluctant to voice opinions that may offend either of these groups. However, it was pointed out that we should be able to approach the conflict from a political point of view, without alienating either ethnic group.
To this end, Finley Campbell gave us a brief overview of the historical background of the area since 1948, outlining the role of Great Britain, the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the politics of Israel and Palestine. He stated that Israel, while created by the left to give a homeland to displaced Jews after WWII, was supplied with money and weapons to protect U.S. interests in the area against the British, who controlled Egypt and Jordan.
The psychology of the suicide bombers was explored, with a discussion about the desperation of young people who are willing to do this, the role of cultural beliefs which encourage self-sacrifice for ones country, and the influence of such beliefs on the 9-11 terrorists. It was noted that any attempt to understand the behavior of the terrorists is considered unpatriotic by the current administration.
Finally, we discussed the idea of an international response to the current conflict and the responsibility of all nations to protect others against genocide everywhere in the world. Diana Gray mentioned a Canadian group, the Committee on Intervention in State Sovereignty, which recommends that the U.N, or another international body, take on the responsibility of protecting and intervening when necessary, with the use of military forces as a last resort. Diana will try to get copies of the document this group has published so that we can read it to formulate our own response at the June meeting.
The next meeting of the 9-11 Study Group will be on May 5th.
Among Us
We are pleased that the following have recently signed the Membership Book: James Jenkins, and the family of Aneesah Ali, Jim Proctor, and Zarinah Ali.
Our warmest get well wishes to Michael Donner, who continues to recover from surgery and is now at Montgomery Place for rehabilitation.
Our warm continuing get well wishes to Ann Collins following her surgery.
Our deepest sympathy to Betty Holcomb, her family and friends, on the recent death of Betty's father, Noah Lewis Holcomb, Sr. The funeral service was held Monday, April 22 at Holly Grove Baptist Church, Ripley, TN. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the National Public Radio in his name. Betty has been in Tennessee in support of her sister, Joann P. Holcomb, during surgery.
Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Betty Wagner on her death, April 10, 2002. Betty and her late husband Frank, who died in May, 1999, were long time active members of our congregation. Their three children, Richard, Mark and Kurt, grew up in our church and attended our church school. A Memorial Service was held at Montgomery Place on April 27 at 1 p.m. Rev. Nina Grey and Rev. Robert Petite co-officiated at the service.
Our deepest sympathy to Don Scott, his family and friends, upon the recent death of his mother who lived in Baltimore, Maryland. We hold Don in our hearts and thoughts.
We continue to hold Norman Hines and his brother in our thoughts and our hearts.
We are holding Helen and Dick Jones in our thoughts and hearts. At this time of Helen's illness, we are with them and their family.
Our warm get well wishes to Win Kennedy, recovering from a fall and a broken wrist.
Our warm get well wishes to Margaret Matchett who, at the time of this writing, is at the University of Chicago hospital.
We continue to hold Polly McCoo's son in our thoughts and hearts.
We are also keeping Harold and Shirley Moody and their daughter in our hearts and minds.
Our congratulations to Rob Moore on his upcoming Ordination, June 9, at the Countryside Church in Palatine. Rob and Jaime Moore are members of our church and Rob sings in our choir. Their children attend our church school. Rob is a recent graduate of Meadville/Lombard Theological School and in preliminary fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. He did his internship with the Palatine congregation. Revs. Nina Grey and Marlene Walker will be participating in the Service of Ordination as well as some members of the First U Choir.
Our continuing thoughts are with Devon and Tinessa Moss and their family as Devon serves in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Our warmest thoughts are with Bette Sikes, who will be undergoing knee surgery in May.
We have heard a nice note from Paul Ulbrich who is now living in California.
We are delighted to hear that Second Unitarian Church has called Jennifer Schnair to be their next minister. Jennifer is a graduate of Meadville/Lombard.
Alex Coutts gives 8th annual recital
The concert will take place on Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the East Room at Montgomery Place, 5550 South Shore Drive. This year's recital will feature Alex, bass, Joan Staples, mezzo-soprano, Ariel Magsayo, tenor, and Martha Faulhaber, piano. Selections will include arias from well-known and contemporary operas, and some musical surprises!
The Candidates
Grace Williams (President-Elect)
The First Unitarian Church of Chicago became my church home about three years after I arrived in Hyde Park, in August 1982, with my two daughters - Kedda, 2 1/2 and Tiade 6 months - to join my former husband, who was working on his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. We had traveled from England, where I had earlier spent all of my high school years, and then returned to my native Jamaica to study sociology at the University of the West Indies. After spending some three years as a news editor at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, I returned to the U.K. to study journalism at the University of Wales, Cardiff, only to return two years later - to Birmingham this time - to get married, have two children, and work for two organizations-one that tried to prevent young offenders from returning to prison, and another that counseled young people on how to responsibly manage their sexual activity.
Hyde Park truly became home, and First Church, my community, after I decided to stay put with the support system I had developed at the First Unitarian Cooperative Pre-School, and at First Church, which drew me in with the then-allied program, the Chicago Children's Choir (which both children joined) and the excellent Religious Education Program. My sense of stability was reinforced when my mother decided to live with us, and help to nurture her grandchildren. Work was located just a few blocks away on East 60th Street, at the American Planning Association, where I eventually became the Manager of Job Services, and elementary and high school for Kedda and Tiade were also in the neighborhood - at Ray, and Kenwood Academy. I credit First Church with providing me with deep and enduring friendships, community, spiritual and intellectual growth, development of social justice consciousness, and a sense of belonging.
Vicki McNutt (Trustee)
Vicki McNutt is mother of two children, Oliver and Hayley, and is married to David McNutt. Vicki has been a career individual holding positions in several small firms or foundations, as well as partner in a few small companies of her own. For the past five years she has chosen to stay home as an active mother for Oliver and Hayley. She was appointed President of Parent Council for Alcuin Montessori School, served as a board member of the school, and started and continues to lead a Girl Scout troop. She is a creative, hard working individual with strong beliefs in the value of people. A long-time Unitarian, she has been a member of First Unitarian since March 2000.
Michael Rhum (Trustee)
I was born in New York; grew up in New Jersey; went to college in Pennsylvania and graduate school in Massachusetts. Now I live in Chicago; in between I've lived in Thailand, France, and DeKalb, Illinois. I started visiting First U a few years ago looking for community. I didn't expect to find much spirituality. I'd always figured UU religiousity for a kind of bloodless humanism. I wasn't entirely wrong, either; but over time I've also discovered a kind of subtle spirituality, the Abrahamic rationalism of the beloved community. It's a mystical union of rational selves. Or is it a rational union of mystical selves? Whatever it is, it didn't come to me easily. It took some time to discover it. Really valuable things always take time.
What do I want for my church? More everyday kindness, more God-talk, no sentimentalism, and a balanced budget. I want our church to be well run. I want it to try to meet the needs of more people in more creative ways. (Which is easier said than done, but very much worth trying to do.) I want a beloved community.
Ann Collins (Trustee)
Ann and her husband have been members of First Unitarian for about three years after five years of attending as regular visitors. Their daughter was married in the church in 1993. She has served as a greeter and coffee-hour hostess, and is completing her first year as a regular, full-term member of the Board of Trustees. She retired as Teacher Programs Coordinator for the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. Before that she was an employee of the Chicago Board of Education for 32 years, serving as classroom teacher, assistant principal and citywide coordinator of staff development. While continuing to work with the Board of Education as a consultant, she spends the greater and most important portion of her time with her family.
Joanne Kent (Trustee)
Joanne came to Chicago in the Fall of 1951 from the "Heart of the Ozarks" to attend the University of Chicago. She and her husband, John, joined First Church in the early 70's during Jack Mendelsohn's tenure. She has 2 biracial sons and 7 grandchildren of varying hues. Her husband, John, is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease. She is personally and passionately involved with issues of anti-racism, and is a member of the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee, the Caring Committee, and the Social Justice Council. She also works with Everett Bernstein to arrange for ushering. She is grateful to be a member of this church and particularly grateful that Rev. Nina Grey is our Senior Minister.
Robert Chenoweth (Trustee)
Robert has attended First Unitarian on and off for over 40 years. He officially signed the book on March 31, 2000. Robert sings in the choir, and has served as a worship associate and an usher. He has degrees in both history and accounting. He has been active in telephone crisis counseling, tutoring of adult reading, and Care Committee visitations at a previous church. He has been a LEAP election judge, and is active in the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Illinois Cornish Society.
Richard Jenifer (Trustee - 1st Alternate)
I was born in Washington, D.C. and attended elementary and high schools of that city. I am also a graduate of Howard University in Washington. After graduation I moved to New York City and worked for fifteen years for the New York Times Facsimile Company. I was fortunate to receive a corporate scholarship and with the remainder of my GI bill funds, I completed my graduate education with a major in Electronic and Communication Engineering. In 1966 I was hired by the then Stewart Warner Electronics Division here in Chicago as their Manager of New Product development. In this position, I received two patents in electronic displays, (the stock quotation display and the first stadium score boards).
In 1968, I was married to Veronica and moved to Hyde Park where we joined the First Unitarian Church. While working for CNA Insurance Corporation, I rose to Assistant Vice President for Communication. Along with all of my corporate responsibilities, I was the Founder and first Chairperson of the International Centrex Users Group which now has a membership of more than 10,000 world wide. This organization recently celebrated its 15th anniversary.
My record of community service includes years on the Board of the Children's Choir and as Chair, three terms on the Board of the Hyde Park Co-op, where I served as Chair and three months as interim General Manager. During the last thirty years as a member of this church, I have served on numerous committees with three terms on the Board and one year as the Chair. Since retirement I have worked with the Executive Service Corp. with other executives as a specialist in non-profit board development. I have also built computers and sent these much needed items to some children in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The stock market has put an end to this venture. I feel privileged to have been asked to serve again on the Board of Trustees of our Society.
Finley C. Campbell (Social Justice Council Chair)
I have been involved in church work all my life, first as a Baptist Christian and now as a Unitarian Universalist Christian. I have been a member of the Social Justice Council since 1992, working with the Racial Justice Task force and, more recently, the Criminal Justice Task force, and have been a member of the church since that same time. I served for over three years as a Trustee of the church. In 1993, under the leadership of Sister Stubblefield-Tave, I reactivated the Racial Justice Task force; consequently, I bring nearly ten years of experience to the office of chair of this vital Council. Self-critically, I am not as organized as I should be and often substitute improvisation for planning. On the other hand, I have some organizational skills in running a meeting, and I have good coordination skills which allow me to work well with people with differing points of view. To conclude: if I am elected to this position, I will be both passionate about social justice activism but at the same time sensitive to the institutional needs and procedures of our church.
Bobbi Lammers-Campbell (Program Council Chair)
I am a college teacher whose main academic interests are plants and wetland ecology. I have been committed to social justice issues since I was a youth in Rockford, IL, where I was raised Lutheran. It was while participating in anti-racism activities that I met my husband Finley. I have two children and two grandchildren (aged 11 and 12) who will be camping with me this summer in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as a special treat for my sixtieth birthday.
Katari Coleman-Daniels (R.E.Council)
I am a 31-year-old wife and mother of two children, age 2 (soon to be three) and 6, who is proud to be a member of First Unitarian Church of Chicago. I signed the membership book at First Church in April of 2001, but often attended services since the late fall of 1999. I joined the religious education team this winter and I am thrilled to be working with the preschool age (3-5) children. My oldest child, Kourtney is an active participant in the religious education classes, and soon my son will be joining us on our Sunday ritual of attending First Church. My day-to-day work as a Child Intervention Specialist for Salvation Army Family Outreach Initiative, an intensive case management program that assists with the stabilization of homeless families, and my part-time venture as an adjunct child development instructor at Harold Washington Community College, give me great insight into the developmental needs of children. My life's work reveals my commitment to children and now with the principles of Unitarian Universalism I want to enlighten all ages. I would be honored to serve as a member of the Religious Education council of First Church.
Colleen Grogan (RE Council)
Colleen M. Grogan has been a resident of Hyde Park for about three years. Her family starting going to First Unitarian Church right after they moved to Chicago. She and her husband, Michael Grosse, have two girls-Adelaide (Addie) 6 and Eleanor (Ellie) 4. They were attracted to First U because they particularly liked the diversity of the congregation and the concerns about social justice issues. Because she believes a good Unitarian Church can provide an important nurturing home for children and youth, Colleen wants to be part of building that home for her own children and the greater community.
Colleen likes to be physically active: she likes to run for exercise, and when she can find the time, she loves to play tennis and soccer. She also has recently really become interested in gardening. She loves flowers and fresh vegetables. Primarily due the obsessive nature of Addie, the Grosse family has become avid Harry Potter fans.
In her professional life, she works as an associate professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Her fields of special interest include health policy and health politics, the American welfare state, comparative state-level policy and politics, and the intersection between American values and beliefs and public policy. Grogan joined the SSA faculty in 1999 after serving as assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University where she also held a joint appointment with the Institution for Social and Policy Studies.
She and a colleague are currently writing a book in which they evaluate the value of a democratic deliberative process among a wide range of representatives around the issue of Medicaid managed care. In addition, Grogan recently received a Health Policy Research Investigator Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study the political and institutional transformation of the Medicaid program from 1965 to present.
Anita Orlikoff (R.E. Council)
I have had a strong personal connection to Unitarianism and First Church for most of my 47 years. My involvement with the First Church RE program began when I attended Sunday School classes as a child. As I grew older, I joined LRY. As an adult I have joined many RE programs. Our children, Rachel age 17, and David, age 13 have also attended Sunday School at First Church. I have been team teaching the 5th and 6th grade Neighboring Faiths class this year. I have a BA in psychology, and an MA in human-environment planning. I believe in learning as a lifelong process. Some of the areas that I have focused my continued learning for the last 15-20 years include the fields of learning, education and personal growth, problem-solving, creativity, non-violent communication, gender issues(including leading a "Girl's Group" for several years), racism, and strategic planning. I have enjoyed working with Rev. Walker, and look forward to contributing my skills to the RE committee.
Beverly Bennett (R.E. Council)
Pfeifer Browne (Nominating Committee)
Pfeifer Browne has been a member of First Church for about twenty years. She is presently a member of the R. E. Council, serving on the Adult R. E. subcommittee. She has also served on the Membership Committee and the Nominating Committee. She is an assistant professor in the Department of General Education at DeVry/Chicago. She is an active participant in the church's adult R. E. classes and enjoys the First Forums.
Allan Harden (Nominating Committee)
Allen Harden has been a member of First Church for about 8 years. He is a lifelong UU, and was extremely active in UU youth activities on the east coast through high school and college. Since coming to First Church, Allen has worked in the RE program, served on the RE Council, was a member of the Ministerial Search Committee, served as President, and is now completing his term on the Board of Trustees. Allen and his wife, Pat MacClarence, were motivated to become involved with this church primarily to find a religious home for their two daughters, Kelsey (now 18) and Moira (14).
Joan Pederson (Nominating Committee)
Joan Pederson has been a member of First Church since 1971. She has served on numerous committees over the years, including the Nominating Committee during the early 1990's and will conclude her service as a Trustee and as President of the Society at the end of June.
Don Scott, M.D. (Nominating Committee)
Don is a new member of our congregation, having signed the book in February and completed orientation last year. After moving back to Chicago two years ago, he has been a friend of this congregation and, over the last 7 years, he also attended UU services in Baltimore, Maryland, and Rochester, New York. Originally from Harrisburg, Illinois, Don has lived in Hyde Park for a total of 6 years;4 years while in medical school at the University of Chicago and two years presently. He is a practicing geriatrician and faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the U of C. He hopes to become more active in the life of the church through service on the Nominating Committee. Don enjoys reading, film, biking, tennis, golf, live jazz and playing the saxophone.
Allan Stern (Nominating Committee)
Allan Stern has been a member of First Church for over 20 years. In that time he has served in many capacities, including Board Chair, Membership Committee Chair, Canvass Committee Co-Chair, Ministerial Relations Committee member. His most recent service was as Chair of the Search Committee for the Instrumental Music Director, and as a Board member.
SUMMER BOOKS AND MUSIC SPECTACULAR!
Stop! Why buy new books for the beach, that long flight, those easy evenings without committee meetings? Why travel far or spend good money on shipping to get the music you want?
The First's Annual Summer Books and Music Spectacular sale is coming up Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16. Donate all the books, CDs, tapes, and records you'd like to get rid of: books and music for children and youth especially welcome. Then come to the sale to stock up for summer. Be sure to bring along your book- and music-loving friends from beyond First Church!
Look at all these benefits:
Hold the date. Details next month. In the meantime, start filling those bags and boxes!