August, 2004
Rev. Grey's column, "Both Sides," is available here.
First Forums may be found here
In the Interim
By Rev. Millie Rochester, Interim Minister for Religious Education
The sound and fury of a summer storm are in the background as I write - dramatic crashes of thunder amid the vivid glare of lightening - not at all what I used to associate with summer vacation! Yet I am on vacation, taking a brief time out to meet the newsletter deadline. By the time this is read, in August, vacation will have transitioned to "study month." This is an important time for a minister, so I want to tell you what it means for me in practical terms.
Most of the church year is filled with the busy-ness of week-to-week activities, as you know. Rarely is there an opportunity for extended study, much less contemplation, and yet these are vital. So reading and study are among my planned activities for the month of August, in the form of Soul Work: anti-racist theologies in dialogue; Michael Durall's newest work The Almost Church; and a review of Edwin Friedman's classic Generation to Generation.
The weeks before Start-Up Sunday are also a good time to make physical preparations for the new church year - setting up classrooms, ordering books - as well as updating brochures and finalizing teacher orientation. So those activities are also planned.
And, although I will not maintain my usual office hours, I will be available to meet with many groups and individuals - including you, if you'd like! As often as I will be at the church, though, do call to make an appointment so that we can guarantee time together.
One activity in addition to this newsletter has found its way onto my agenda this vacation month. You will soon meet the newly hired (pending Board of Trustees' approval) Religious Education Assistant, Ashley Meade. I know she looks forward to meeting you, and will be glad for your warm welcome.
The days during my vacation that I have worked will be balanced by a few days in August when I will be in Oregon. I have the honor then of officiating at the wedding of a young woman whom I have known virtually her life long.
May the rest of your summer be wonder-filled.
Millie
RE News
Although it is still summertime, many of us are thinking about the church year that's on the horizon. Opportunities for your participation abound - read on to discover your niche!
There are still openings for a few good folks to fill out teams of teachers. We encourage people who are not parents of children and youth to consider joining in. Spending time with younger First Church-ers and getting to know their families is a rewarding experience. We welcome youth, young adults, and older adults of all ages, to share the joy of learning about religions of the world with our young people in the next church year. You might choose to focus on social justice, the holidays and holy days, ways of considering the sacred, or our neighboring faiths in the Chicago area. Looking ahead - all the way to January - you might want to plan now to be involved in the justice-seeking Empty Bowls Project! Whatever your preference, sign up in the RE hallway, around the corner from the Church Office in Pennington Center. Intrigued, but want more information? Call Rev. Millie or RE Council Chair Colleen Grogan.
Teacher orientation is September 11th, Teacher Dedication September 19th. Before then, we'd like to spruce up the class space and so invite you to join a work PARTY on Saturday, August 14th from 9 AM to noon. Come for an hour or for the morning. Tasks range from testing markers and organizing supplies to making library books accessible for all ages, to arranging furniture. There is plenty for everyone to do in great company - I look forward to seeing you!
Faithfully yours,
Millie
Committee Meetings this Month
Caring Comm. - Wed. Aug. 18 at 5:30 pm
Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism - Sun. Aug. 22 at 1 pm
Comm. On Ministry - Tues. Aug. 3 at 6 pm
Communications - Thursday Aug. 5 at 5:30 pm
Congregational Participation - Tuesday Aug. 3 at 6 pm
Membership - Thurs. Aug. 26 at 7 pm
Program Council - Tues. Aug. 10 at 7 pm
Property - Tues. Aug.3 at 7:30 pm
Social Justice - Thurs. Aug. 12 at 7 pm
Trustees - Thurs. Aug. 19 at 7 pm
Worship & Music - Thurs. Aug. 12 at 7 pm
Clinton Velandia Honored
On Sunday, July 18, the congregation honored Clinton Velandia for three years of service as our Instrumental Music Director. Rev. Nina Grey, Susan Scrimshaw, chair of the Worship and Music Committee, and Joan Staples, chair of the Music Sub-Committee spoke on behalf of the congregation, thanking Clinton for his musical excellence and presenting him with a gift certificate and a bouquet of roses. Clinton will be teaching and studying in Spain during the coming year.
In Memoriam:
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Jane Coolidge Stevens
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Our deepest sympathy to the Stevens Family on the death of Jane Stevens, age 90, on July 11. A long time member of the church, artist, and teacher, Jane taught Sunday School many years ago. She was married to Jim Stevens, also a long time member, who died in 2001. Jane was remembered in a Memorial Service on Sunday, July 18.
Jane was born in Chicago in 1913 and graduated with degrees in Art and Art Education from the Art Institute of Chicago. She taught art in the Chicago Public Schools and was a long-time member of the Hyde Park Art Center. She was an accomplished weaver and potter who created mixed-media wall art and pottery.
Jane is survived by five sons, who were raised in Hyde Park and were active in this church: William, Richard, John, Robert and Thomas. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
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Albert Hayes
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Our deepest sympathy to Alice Hayes and Family on the death of Albert Hayes, age 94, on July 14. Al joined our church in the early 1940s. He was involved in developing the Religious Education program, and at various times served as Board president, secretary and treasurer. He will have been remembered in a Memorial Service at Montgomery Place, Wednesday, July 28, at 2:30 p.m. The Revs. Nina Grey and Robert Petite were to officiate.
Al graduated from Dartmouth College in 1930, and received a Ph.D. from Princeton three years later. He was a member of the English Department at the University of Chicago for many years, and was a winner of the Quantrell Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. He became the U of C Registrar in 1969.
Al worked extensively with the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference in the 1950's and 1960's for the racial integration of Hyde Park. He often greeted newcomers and shared information about the community. Al was also instrumental in the creation of Harper Court, and served as its secretary, president and treasurer.
Recently Al co-authored a book with his wife Alice entitled In It Together, about his experiences living in the Montgomery Place retirement community.
Al is survived by his wife Alice, his son Knox, his daughter Judith Weir, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Among Us
Our hearts are with Betty Holcomb who lost a family home by fire at the end of June.
There was a service in memory of the late Wallace Rusterholtz at Chautaugua on July 18, 2004. Wallace had summered there for many decades, was a regular speaker at their summer worship services, and offered many stimulating lectures. Joe Cherry of our church was in attendance at the Memorial Service.
Michael Donner is back at home at 5520 Paulina St., after a hospitalization.
Bernie Frieden has been undergoing rehabiliation at Alden Princeton Rehabilitation Center.
We continue to hold Devon and Tinessa Moss, Holden and Zachary McCann and Duncan Moss in our hearts as Devon continues to serve in our armed forces.
Our healing thoughts are with Vi Stark, who is recovering at home after surgery.
Congratulations to David McNutt whose system integration company was responsible for implementing the one-of-a-kind sound system for the Pritzker Pavilion at the newly opened Millennium Park.
Board Talk
By Margaret Hellie Huyck
Congregation President
At the July 22 Board meeting we approved three important appointments:
Our new Director of Music will be Michael Thorn, as recommended by the special Search Committee appointed by the Board. (See story elsewhere in the newsletter.) We are all delighted to welcome him, and look forward to building the music program under his direction. He brings great experience, vision and energy to our church. Michael was strongly recommended by our former long-time musician Tom Weisflog.
The new Secretary of the Congregation is James H. Williams, Ph.D. LCSW, CADC. Jim is Supervisor of the Mental Health Unit of the Cook County Adult Probation Department, which provides case management to 400 mentally ill probationers who reside in the community. He received his Ph.D. in 2003 from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his Masters in Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC in 1993. He has presented his research to the Department of Justice, the Council of State Governments and the Harris School at UC. A native of Kentucky, he was active in the student movement of the 60s and spent many years as an organizer in the labor movement. Jim is a member of the Labor Task Force. He is a Life Member of the Democratic Socialists of American and of the National Rifle Association. He is married to Andrea K. Shapiro, a friend of First U and a frequent figure in RE programs.
The new Treasurer of the Congregation is Linn Orear. Linn has been working with Julianna Neumann, our long-time treasurer who is relocating to Wisconsin. While Linn is relatively new to our congregation, she was an active member at First Church, Cambridge, Mass, where she was the Finance Committee Chair. She brings over 30 years of financial experience to us, mostly working with non-profit organizations. She is currently the Executive Director of the Illinois Labor History Society. She received her BA from Antioch, nearly completed work for an MAT at the University of Chicago, and received an MBA from te Boston College School of Management.
We are very grateful to Diana Gray for her service as our Secretary, and to Julie Neuman for her long service as our Treasurer. These are both very important ministries.
We are organizing a special Retreat for Board members and other church leaders on Friday evening, September 3 and Saturday, September 4. This is our opportunity to gather for fellowship, to craft our covenants of how we promise to relate to each other as we work toward our shared goals, and to identify our primary goals for the coming church year. Ken Schug, President-elect, is organizing the event. All Board members and committee chairs are invited to the Retreat, and to a planning session on Thursday, August 19, 5:30-7:30 (with supper), before the regular Board meeting.
Ken and I have returned from the Midwest Leadership School with renewed enthusiasm for what we all can accomplish in our intentional caring community of First Church. We joined 22 other students and 9 faculty for a very intensive week at Beloit College. The experience was highly recommended by Grace Williams and Cynthia Oakes, who attended last summer. They were absolutely correct in predicting this would be a very valuable experience. From the varied experiences we bring greater appreciation of the axiom for our intentional communities: Process is an important part of the product. How we relate to each other as we discuss, disagree, make plans, and celebrate is very important. We have many resources to share – ask us! (And read the article in this newsletter!)
Report of the Social Justice Council
By Dr. Finley C. Campbell, Chair
There was no meeting of the Council during July, although we were quite active in a variety of areas which, hopefully, will be covered in the individual reports from the task forces. So, I will only give a few known highlights.
The Labor Justice Task Force will be in charge of the new tradition at First U: the Labor Day Service on September 5th. Since it was such a success last year, the SJC has decided to continue it, as the Worship and Music Committee permits. More details will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, in the wider world of labor, there was the on-going battle within the Chicago Teacher's Union, the merger of UNITE and HERE, two key unions which we have been directly and indirectly involved in, and the on-going symbolic and, I would add, doomed strike against the Congress Hotel. Overall, the power of the union movement seems to be declining and we will be having a forum in the future on the future of labor unions.
The Racial Justice Task Force met to work on a draft of a letter to Dr. Bill Cosby, attacking his public utterances on black working class people as neo-racist. This promises to be a controversial letter, since many African- Americans in the middle class, and many whites as well, agree with him. This shows the importance of a church-wide discussion on the concepts of “institutionalized racism” and “neo-racism.”
The Nine Eleven Study Group sponsored a First Forum on the book, GOOD MUSLIM/BAD MUSLIM. There was a large turnout for this event. Sister Elvira Pelleteri, the chair of this group, has expressed concern about the genocidal (neo-racist) violence in the Sudan. We are hoping to have a forum on this issue, plus a special collection. I am in touch with Mr. Souhelle, a Sudanese Arab, about helping us with this project.
The Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council had a modestly successful dinner and meeting and our own Rev. Nina Grey stepped down as president.
Ellen LaRue of the Environmental Task Force took part in a conference on the ecological situation in the Calumet River system in Indiana in July, and a forum is being planned on environmental issues for August.
Although Sister Ellie Hall is not an official member of the Council, she is sponsoring a video dealing with an issue of social concern: the impact of large corporations on our society. This will be shown as a First Forum item on August 8th.
I sponsored an impromptu movie outing with about nine members of First U to attend Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT NINE ELEVEN. A very powerful film which started off being shown at only two theaters but due to its unprecedented popularity is now being shown across the city, including the two black movie houses, Chatham and Lawndale. However, M. Moore does have a political agenda which is not as progressive as it seems. We should have a discussion about this film. I urge concerned members of the church to see it. I also recommend, without seeing them, two other movies about modern capitalism: THE CORPORATION (which deals with the origins and nature of the phenomenon) and POWER TRIP (which shows how a town in the former Georgia SSR has to move from a system where electricity was free to one where it has to be paid for).
Finally, on August 1st, there will be an experimental service dealing with the issue of Liberation Theology, as expressed in South Africa, called, Song of the Savior, sponsored by the 512 Collective, led by one Justice Whitaker. This will be followed by a First Forum on the strengths and weakness of that theology and whether or not there was a theological movement behind the South African revolution.
Michael Thorn Selected to be Our Music Director
At its meeting on July 23, the Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Michael Thorn to be our new Music Director, combining the former separate instrumental and vocal music director positions.
Michael Thorn is an experienced church musician, composer, and performer. With a Masters of Music, Theory and Composition from Roosevelt University, he has over 25 years of experience as music director of churches in the Chicago area. In addition to being a soloist, he performs with his own jazz trio. A catalogue of his many compositions and CD’s can be viewed on his website, www.michaelthornmusic.com.
This will be a homecoming for Michael, who grew up in Hyde Park and attended Bret Harte School and Hyde Park High School. He studied organ with Hyde Parker Edward Mondello, and piano with Hyde Parker Gavin Williamson. He presently lives downtown with his wife Eva and siamese cat, Princessa.
The selection committee received very positive comments from a number of people who have worked with Michael. They praised his musicianship, the breadth of his musical interests, and his ability to help develop a church music program. Among his supporters is our former organist Tom Weisflog.
Parliament of World Religions
By Rosemary Snow
I attended the Fourth Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona, Spain this summer. The theme of the Parliament, attended by about 8,000 participants, was "Pathways to Peace: the Wisdom of Listening, The Power of Commitment." The Council for a Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia and the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona sponsored the Parliament to foster mutual understanding and to provide a pathway to peace through commitments to live out the changes we want to see in the world.
The First Parliament, held in Chicago in 1893, was the beginning of the interreligious movement worldwide. The Barcelona Parliament provided inspiring music and celebrations by singer and composer Joanne Shenandoah, Shumei Taiko drummers, chanting of Buddhist monks and much more. Nobel Prize Laureate Shrin Ebadi, Sri Chinmoy, Jane Goodall and Diana Eck were some of the speakers who inspired and disturbed the participants.
I responded to the invitation to commit to a simple and profound act, to deepen understanding of world's religions in the religious education program of First Church and to encourage community support of a project to help young children from Africa who are refugees or displaced persons.
There will be chances to find out more in the coming year starting with a Post-Parliament event to be held at First Church October 12 at 6 pm. Area parliament attendees and other interested people are invited to listen, share and hear commitments.
What they were saying at First Forum . . .
July 25
The Role of Morality in U.S. Foreign Policy
By Tom Huyck
U.S. Foreign Service Officer David Mosby spoke to First Forum on July 25 about what he termed the “unique” role of U.S. foreign policy in the world. Drawing on a historical perspective, Mosby traced the interaction of traditional “realpolitik” or “national interest” foreign policy with the American urge to bring moral values to bear in formulating policy. Americans, he pointed out, believe in the inherent goodness of people and demand that morality be taken into account.
David Mosby grew up in our church, as did his mother, Evelyn Johnson. He is visiting with his wife Elodie and their infant son Malcolm André Daryl Mosby, on the way to his next posting as Secretary of the U.S. Delegation to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, which is headquartered in Paris.
Mosby traced the history of the unique role of morality in U.S. foreign policy, compared to the foreign policy of other nations. He pointed out that when this country was formed, it was weak compared to the European powers, and thus wanted decisions to be based on rules, not power. Also strong at that time in this country was a belief in reason and the notion that morality was relevant. Even if at times the U.S. appeared to act like a colonialist power, as during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, the policies had to be sold to the public by an appeal to morality.
Mosby stated that there was no precedent in history for a national leader to take the moral position that President Woodrow Wilson took after world War I in urging the formation of the League of Nations to “make the world safe for democracy.” The League of Nations failed, but after World War II the U.S. tried again by sponsoring the creation of the United Nations.
Recent examples of the role of morality in U.S. foreign policy cited by Mosby included the creation in the Carter administration of a Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which issues regular human rights reports on various countries, and the interventions in Somalia and Kosovo.
Mosby believes that a middle course has to be followed between the traditional “realpolitik,” national interest approach favored by Henry Kissinger, and the other extreme: “crusades which can result in chaos,” and “idealogues” who “strive for consistency and purity,” ignoring common sense and practicality. He stated, “absolute consistency is not possible: the fact that we can’t intervene in every case does not mean that we should never intervene.” Mosby mentioned Rwanda, where he has served as a foreign service officer, as a place where we should have intervened to prevent a massacre.
July 18
Racism-Sexism and Domestic Violence
By Dr. Finley C. Campbell
The Social Justice Council sponsored a First Forum on July 18 on the theme of Racism-Sexism and Domestic Violence: the Ideological Roots of the Oppression of Women. Margie Gonwa, the president of the board of a group called Southwest Women Working Together, substituted for the invited speaker, Judy Chapman. She did a great job of summarizing the work, outlook, and mission of this group. Her most interesting point was that originally SWWT was formed by white women, the wives of white policemen who were victims of on-going abuse by their husbands, a part of the police communities established by the old Mayor Daley. She described how brave these sisters were to form such a group when they were targets of, and these are my words, racist-sexist harassment: being victimized as white and as women.
My theory is that since they were white women, no civil rights group could be mobilized to protect them. I gave a brief presentation about the nature of racism-sexism, based on a quick book I contributed to when I was the chair of the Afro-American Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin. In a nutshell, the concept emphasizes the racist nature of sexism (the fact that women in a capitalist system are designated by race), and the sexist nature of racism (the fact that a great deal of racism is directed toward black and non-black women).
One of the ideas which we attacked at this forum was the notion of Dr. Bill Cosby that most domestic violence is committed by black working class men. Sister Gonwa pointed out that domestic violence cuts across all race and class lines, and that often middle class domestic violence is hidden by the different kinds of programs which women in that class can turn to. On the other hand, she also pointed out that statistics are hard to come by since those acts of violence which are dealt with by the police are rarely reported as such. A high point was the participation of young Ms. Zarinah Ali in the discussion, describing her own observations of emotional violence committed by boyfriends against their girlfriends and her efforts to intervene. It was a rather full discussion; again, we had a good turn out.
Environmental Task Force
By Ellen LaRue
This summer the Environmental Task Force has been adhering to the concept that the best way to do something good for the environment right now is to work on the election. So we have been doing that, mostly by voter registration - Pat Lucas at the Hyde Park Independence Day Parade, and Eve Emshwiller, Ellie Hall, and Ellen LaRue at the South Side Voter Registration Drive on July 18. All of us made a contribution, but this time Eve was outstanding in effort and results - ask her to tell the amazing story of the day!
In addition, Ellie Hall and John Porterfield will each offer a First Forum. Check out Forum listings for details.
Green Corner. This summer at the Unitarian- Universalist Association General Assembly ("GA"), the following was adopted as the study/action issue ("SAI") for the period 2004-2006: What can Unitarian- Universalists do to promote individual and collective changes in the way we live and work in order to slow and ultimately reverse global warming?
The UUA Commission on Social Witness says: "A SAI is an invitation for congregations and districts to take a topic of concern and confront it, reflect on it, learn about it, respond to it, comment on it and take action - each in their own way. A SAI is NOT a statement - it is a question...[A] statement will be developed over the next two years scheduled to be voted on at the 2006 General Assembly."
Rev. Katherine Jesch, Director of Environmental Ministry for the Seventh Principle Project says: "The selection of the threat of global warming reflects the growing awareness that environmental degradation is a moral issue that calls for a religious response."
I say: "Amen."
Nuclear Energy Commemoration
By Joanne Kent
Members of the Social Justice Council endorse the continuation of the tradition of a memorial observance taking place at the Henry Moore sculpture, "Nuclear Energy," located on the University of Chicago campus, the site of the first controlled release of nuclear energy. We will gather at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 6, 2004 to commemorate the several hundred thousand deaths of civilians in Japan that resulted from the first use of nuclear weapons, and the millions of innocents who perished in the subsequent wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and elsewhere. Musicians and speakers will join us to express and renew our continuing opposition to the mass slaughter of civilians that is the mark of modern, high-tech war. We expect media coverage and we urge all who agree with this message to participate. One of the guest speakers will be our own Finley C. Campbell.
Learning to Lead
Margaret Hellie Huyck, President
Kenneth Schug, President-Elect
From one corner comes a middle-aged woman, looking anxious and saying expectantly “me, me? Me!” From another corner comes a man with curly hair saying “me, me! Me?” Three others, each reciting the same inquiries. As they meet, they shift to saying “Credo?” and then “worship?” and “OD”… After these exchanges, the five join together and begin chanting “Us! Us! Us” with a great sigh of pleasure and energy.
What is going on? Just one of the skits illustrating the transformations that occur during the Leadership School experience organized for lay leaders. We attended on the enthusiastic recommendations of Grace Williams and Cynthia Oakes, who went last summer. As they foretold, we were informed and inspired in a variety of ways designed to increase our effectiveness as elected leaders of our community.
For 29 years there has been a Leadership School sponsored by three Midwest UU districts, including Central Midwest. We attended the first of two summer 2004 camps, housed at Beloit College in Beloit, WI. We joined 22 other participants from eight states and a 9 member staff, 6 of whom were unpaid volunteers from previous summer camps. The participants represented a wide variety of personalities and beliefs (though sadly not of skin hue) including at least one with "a personal God" and one who "never attends church services". Ages ranged from mid-twenties to about 80, predominantly female (17 to 7), with a variety of positions in their churches - committee chairs, RE directors, current or pending officers, ... A few were from very small churches (50 or fewer members) often referred to as fellowships, many from intermediate sized churches (roughly our size) and several from somewhat larger ones. Scheduled activities ran from 7 am to 11 pm with a two hour break (often used for “homework”) from 1 to 3. All participants are expected to appear at all activities.
During Plenary sessions we had getting acquainted/ energizing activities, and lectures about UU practices, UU history, UU principles, personality style preferences that may influence group interactions, principles of conflict management, and feedback from small group activities. We were assigned to three small groups, each with 4-6 members and a staff advisor/observer. We met daily with our OD/ Organizational Development and Credo groups, and for a brief intensive day with our Worship group..
In the OD (Organizational Development) group we had different assignments each day. For example, on one day each member kicked in $10 (real cash) and proposed a recipient; the group then decided which (single) recipient would get the money and arranged to deliver it. In Ken’s group suggested recipients were the Heifer Project, a food kitchen near the Ohio church of one of the members, a local (Beloit) charity “to be identified”, and “random acts of kindness” to six cafeteria workers ($10 each) at the college cafeteria where we had our meals. (The random acts of kindness won.) Other OD sessions included deciding how to deal with “Jane the Pain” (a disruptive congregation member), and preparing a skit for presentation at the final evening’s social hour that illustrated the week overall.
One of the crucial components for each of these daily meetings was the process debriefing, led by a faculty observer. The observer noted instances of positive behaviors (listening, taking turns, validating contributions of other members) and absence of negative behaviors (like talking over, interrupting, ridiculing, rushing to evaluation). Each participant had the opportunity to reflect on how they felt about the decision making process. In Margaret’s group, different organizational styles were tried and evaluated, including Robert’s Rules of Order (deemed too formal for minor decisions), leaderless (deemed too unstructured for real comfort), and facilitator working toward consensus (most comfortable for most participants).
The Credo Group was designed to help us articulate and share the beliefs that guide our decisions. We were given homework assignments at the end of each evening gathering to guide our thinking for the next day. These assignments were really a series of “questions” to be discussed within the group; e.g. to describe a profound religious experience, to share the guidelines by which you lead your life, and to select up to 8 people (preferably UUs) to a dinner party at your house. At the end of each Credo Group, a process evaluation was carried out, similar to that used in the OD group. An additional challenge for each Credo Group was to provide the refreshments for one of the evening social hours; Ken made cookies and quiche for his group, much impressing everyone!
We had worship services every evening. The staff presented the opening and closing services, which focused on moving rituals of entering and leaving this special community. For other services, 4 students were identified around 5 p.m. and challenged to present a service the following evening. The groups came up with a wonderful variety of services, all using the same space in creative ways. All involved substantial participant/ congregation participation – including the creation of a real maypole dance. Themes included loss, joy, thankfulness for daily blessings, takeaway learning from leadership school, and the obligations of gratitude. Each service was critiqued the following morning, with due attention to the processes used in creating the service, feelings of those who presented the service, and responses from the congregation.
The opportunity for our leaders to learn more about our special ministry is offered each year. This is only one of the options. We hope that our congregation will agree on the value of such training, and will make the commitment through budgeting funds for such opportunities. We should not have these wonderful offerings used only by those who can afford to finance their own way.
Chicago Children’s Choir Christopher Moore Scholarship Fund Concert
The Chicago Children’s Choir Alumni Association will be honoring Rev. Christopher Moore’s memory in a special benefit concert at First Unitarian on Saturday, September 18, at 7:30 p.m. Rev. Moore was our associate minister and founded the Chicago Children’s Choir in this church in 1956. The concert will raise money for scholarships for singers who need help in paying tuition fees for the choir. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Annual Dinner & Talent Show a Great
Success!
By Jim Proctor
On Saturday, June 19, 2004, First U celebrated the work we’ve done toward Claiming Our Future. We enjoyed a rich buffet of delicacies from around the world followed by a one-of-a-kind evening of entertainment. Our showcase featured a variety of home grown talent that included song, dance, recitation, and musical performances. My heartfelt apology goes to Polly McCoo who did not get to share her short story due to a program oversight.
Talent show participants were Lara Lappin (violin solo), Lena Maria Dubuclat (modern dance), Richard Blough (vocal, accompanied by Jane Kiser on piano, Dick Snow (vocal, accompanied by Jane Kiser on piano), Zarinah Ali (poetry), Finley Campbell (voice and piano), Patricia Stark (tap dance, accompanied by Jon Rice on trombone), Cindy and Richard Pardo (duet), and Jim Proctor (Tai Chi).
Thanks, too, to all who painstakingly planned and diligently organized this important event. Special appreciation goes to you who stayed late to help clean up. And a very, very special thanks to all who supported and attended our event. We couldn’t have done it without you!
From the Sabbatical Committee
A Letter to the Congregation Regarding Rev. Nina Grey's Sabbatical Leave.
By Madeiria Myrieckes
Rev. Nina Grey will be taking a Sabbatical leave beginning January 1, 2005 through May 31, 2005. According to Rev. Grey's contract and accepted UUA policy she has earned five months sabbatical leave (one month for each year of service) to be used to further her professional development and to enhance her ministry here at The First Unitarian Society of Chicago. There is much planning to be done to meet the needs of the congregation during this time.
The Sabbatical Committee appointed by the Board includes: Madeiria L. Myrieckes - Chairperson, Evelyn Johnson, Pat Lucas, Allan Stern, Neil Gerdes, Rev. Nina Grey, and Rev. Millie Rochester.
The charge to the team is as follows:
The team will keep the congregation appraised as to our plans in five general areas of greatest concern: Worship, Pastoral Care, Administration, Religious Education (adult), Community outreach. Special Funds have been set aside since Rev. Grey started with us five years ago to pay for the added expenses for this sabbatical. Rev. Grey will continue to receive her regular salary, housing, and benefits while on leave. Watch for continuing news and a brochure outlining our plans for handling the Sabbatical leave.