February, 2005
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Rev. Grey's column, "A Sabbatical Letter," is available here. First Forums may be found here In the InterimBy Rev. Millie Rochester Interim Minister for Religious Education As I have so many times over the year and a half we have been together, I reflect again on the title of this column. When I began, it was meant to convey the concept that my time with you is time in between ministries of religious education. And so it has been. Step by step, you as a congregation have re-told the stories of First Church as you re-considered the past; healed some old hurts as actions and events were re-visited; come to terms with the present, begun envisioning the future; and are now taking the necessary steps to begin anew. Good, important work! This work might have enveloped the meaning of the phrase for me, only last year. They no longer do, and yet the same principles apply to my current interpretation. Since my diagnosis of breast cancer and the onset of treatment, I have been in an "interim" point, so to speak, in my interim ministry with you. Not surprisingly, I am finding insight into both ministry and myself. Conversations with many of the multitude who have undergone similar experiences prepared me for some eventualities. According to some, the initial diagnosis would be hardest to accept; by others' accounts, the surgery; and still others cited chemotherapy as most difficult. Actually, none of these - directly - has proven to be as daunting as might have been, largely because of the warm embrace you, colleagues, other friends, and my family have provided. It is the implications that have been hardest for me. It's one thing to know intellectually that anything can happen to anyone, but quite another for "anything" to happen to me! It's been easy all these years to tell parishioners to take care of themselves and let go of other things - but quite another for me to do that! So this is quite an exercise for me. Luckily, the invasive tumor was very small and only one lymph node was malignant, so I will only need four chemo treatments over the course of twelve weeks, and likely no radiation therapy. Having had surgery and begun chemotherapy, a pattern is emerging which I expect to be consistent. The week of chemotherapy I am ill, and will work as I am able from home. The second week, I tire easily but feel much better, and expect to be at church two-to-three mornings a week, working from home the rest of the time. And by the third week - whooo-weee - I will feel so much better, there will be far fewer restrictions. On those second and third Sundays, I expect to happily be at church, though not in the pulpit. This interim stage will not last long, in the larger scheme of life. This phase will end. And just as you, as a congregation, are looking ahead to what's next, I am in search of settled ministry. We both continue to prepare for the future, and as we do, we continue to live in the present. I am thankful for so much in life, not least of all, you. Committee Meetings This Month
Among Our People Our hearts are with Rev. Millie Rochester, as she begins her chemotherapy treatments this week. She is expecting these treatments to last twelve weeks. Millie and Roger extend their thanks and appreciation for all of your concerns, offers to help and best wishes. Mike Donner is still at Warren-Barr (Rm. 718). Your visits are greatly appreciated. Gloria Gnatz is having foot surgery on Tuesday afternoon. We continue our concern and best wishes for Vi Stark and Polly McCoo. First Unitarian Church sends our deepest sympathy to Denyse Harris in the loss of her sister Delores, and to Douglas Anderson on the death of his sister, Doris Fraser, of Atlanta, Georgia.
RE News "Tradition" is an interesting concept. What makes a practice traditional? According to some, repeating a practice or event makes it traditional. This crossed my mind when plans for the Mystery Friends program were first discussed at a Religious Education Council meeting months ago, for in many churches, the program is a long-standing tradition. As I write, plans are already set for the grand finale of Mystery Friends at First Church, Sunday January 30th. From all accounts, the program has been a rousing success, matching younger and older people in the congregation for correspondence with one another. By this time, participants might even have learned something about the world religious figure represented by their code name (who was Confucius, anyway?)! Do remember to thank Joan Pederson of the Religious Education Council, for her commitment to making this program such a success. The celebration of Mystery Friends is not limited to those who participated in the program. Friendship is a universal value, nearly unique in that it can be shared among people who are not geographically nearby. The worship service that Sunday was designed to honor all our friendships, near and far, and even to engender new relationships. Many thanks to Susan Scrimshaw, chair of the Worship and Music Committee, who planned and led that service. Whether this program is one that continues in years to come is unknown now, and is not important now. What is important is that people who might not otherwise interact very much with one another - or even know one another - have begun that relationship. That is a tradition worth keeping! Young Adult Group Empty Bowls Sale and Soup Luncheon Great Books Sunday Stewards Ken Schug, the interim coordinator, has prepared a detailed Sunday Steward Handbook. He will recruit a permanent coordinator and a team of 5 to 6 Stewards, and will assist in Steward training. Anyone willing to help a few times in this important effort please contact Ken at kschug@msn.com. CMD Annual Assembly Board Talk We have had many warm feelings around church to ward off the outside chills! It was good to see Millie back at our January Board meeting, and to learn of her supervision with Meadville/ Lombard Modified Residency Program students and her coming work with a new M/L student intern. More good times coming – food, music, celebrations all month long! The Board made several more appointments: Allan Harden to the DRE Search Committee; and Stephan Garnett and Anita Orlikoff to the Claiming Our Future Task Force. Cindy Pardo presented a list of volunteers serving on the upcoming Canvass; all committee chairs have been asked to work with their groups to prepare a budget request that takes account of our new Mission and Vision statements. Ken Schug is serving as our first Sunday Steward, responsible for checking myriad details in the building to be ready for Sunday morning activities. Grace Williams presented the Leadership Goals & Action Plans document. The Board agreed that this should be distributed to the wider group of leaders who contributed to the evaluation and recommendation process. Jane Kiser, Chair of the Membership Committee reported on many good initiatives for welcoming visitors and integrating them into the church community. Welcome Suppers will be scheduled for the second and fourth Sunday evenings each month, with rotating hosts. We are very pleased that the Blue Gargoyle has agreed to lease Fenn House for a five-year period. Their occupancy begins officially on March 1. Following a Sunday First Forum to discuss plans for the new sound system, funded partially by a grant from the Retirement Research Foundation, the committee agreed to make some revisions to the plans. All members and friends should have a letter describing the plans, and urging contributions and pledges to enhance the sound systems. With warm wishes for our new year together,
Jazz at First U Discover more talents of our new Music Director Michael Thorn. The Michael Thorn Jazz Trio will present “Joyful! Joyful!”, jazz arrangements of favorite hymns and spirituals at First Church on Saturday night, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Tickets will be on sale ahead of time and at the door. An ad book is being produced and sponsors sought. Deadline for ads is February 1, but sponsors can contribute after that. A reception will follow the concert. Also, remember Saturday night, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. for our next special concert. The DePaul Community Chorus will again be with us. Talent Auction Sunday, March 13, 2005 12:00 Noon Keep this date open for our annual Talent Auction. This event is not only our annual fundraiser but helps many of us plan our social calendar for the year. You donate your favorite offering and then we all bid on the best First Unitarian has to offer. Your donations of arts, crafts, computer talent, dinners and guided excursions are just a few of the many offerings. Cindy Pardo, Margaret Kennedy, Polly McCoo and Madeiria Myrieckes are all available to help you plan your contribution. Your help is also needed for a few tasks before during and after the auction. Call Polly if you can help.
Before Madeiria and I could begin setting up for Nina's Bon Voyage luncheon on January 2, we spent 45 minutes washing dishes in Aki's Place kitchen. I know there was a Neighbors Eve party the night before, so some of what we washed may have been from that event...but not much. We need to do a better job of cleaning up after our own meetings and events. Certainly outside users of our space can leave unwashed dishes and uncleaned tables, and we will try to better communicate our cleanup expectations with those groups. However, we use our facilities more than outsiders. There is no maid service at this church, and the custodial staff has larger responsibilities than washing our dishes. Please remember to do the following:
Membership Committee Report New Church Member: Jordan Sickman Our newest church member, Jordan Sickman, made the decision to become a Unitarian-Universalist based on his search for a church that would provide a framework for spiritual questioning. As Jordan reached adulthood, he was not comfortable with the atheism he had learned from his parents, but as he sought spiritual sustenance in the Christian tradition, he could not “cross the Rubicon” of belief in particular church doctrines. He has come to us in order to continue his intellectual-spiritual questioning in a supportive community. Jordan is an attorney who has lived in Hyde Park for one year with his wife, Joanna and 19-month daughter, Leah. He grew up in Southern California and lived there until moving to Chicago two years ago. He and his wife enjoy now living nearer her family (who live in Ontario). Regular Welcome Dinner Schedule Our Welcome Dinners are becoming popular enough that we are returning to the bi-weekly schedule we used to follow in 2003. We will be holding dinners every second and fourth Sunday throughout the winter and spring. If you are interested in attending a dinner, look for the sign-up sheet on one of the Welcome Tables or call Jane Kiser or email at sjkiser@iun.edu. If you’ve already attended one dinner, and enjoyed getting to know folks, you don’t need to stop at only one! You are welcome to sign up for another dinner -- and we hope you will. Our regular dinner hosts - Margaret Huyck, Ken Schug, Jane Kiser
and Betty Holcomb - are also happy to include current church members
as co-hosts. If you’d like to be a part of these events and meet
newcomers, please let me know. The next dinner will be Sunday, February
13 at the home of Jane Kiser. A Pleasant Surprise My bone-chilling walk to First Church through the January 22 snowstorm to attend a celebration of the founding of a liberal religion in India in 1828 was warmly rewarded with good music, good "sermons", good food, and, best of all, good fellowship! Although I decided to attend more from a sense of obligation than inspiration, and although attendance was low, the event clearly inspired both the Brahmo Samaj and First Church members who came. An added personal bonus was to be greeted by one of the chemistry graduate students in the IIT department where I teach, who had been in my seminar class last year. Brahmo Samaj affirms principles which are very similar to ours, and its founder faced threatening opposition from many in the established religions in India. But it has survived and now has a worldwide membership of about 100,000. I have suggested that our membership committee extend a special welcome to Brahmo members within commuting distance to take part in church events. Delicious main course dishes were provided by our guests, and animated conversations at the six tables in Hull Chapel was a clear indication of the instant bond of interconnect-edness which developed. At my table I had a fascinating scientific conversation with two Ph.D. chemical engineers who had emigrated from India to Canada and now have important positions in Canadian chemical companies. CCP Report At the January meeting of the Committee on Congregational Participation, we decided our major project for the year would be to plan and present a Leadership Workshop for congregation members with the core "faculty" drawn from our own successful lay leaders, especially those who have attended UUA Leadership programs in recent years. Stay tuned for further developments.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005 We -- Ellen Larue, myself, and other activists -- gather behind the Art Institute. It is Chicago cold. By the time the two buses pull out, there are about ninety of us, about 43 or 45 to a bus. The organizers are Bill and Beth Massey and our bus captain is Jolene. Clearly veterans in the struggle against war and racism -- because of the efficiency: contact numbers, sheets of instructions, forms to fill out in case of arrests, most of all, clean, comfortable busses. We are a motley crew, mainly white, but with representation from blacks, Muslim, Hispanic, and a lot of socialists and just plain demonstrators. Turns out that Ellen and I are the only UU's on this particular bus. The bus driver is introduced, and away we go. Outside the windows of our bus, the urbscape slides by in a mix of light, casino signs, and the smoke and fire of the steel mills. Inside, we talk, chat quietly. Later we will see political videos dealing with imperialism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, etc. Thursday, January 20, 2005 And then after a night and morning of fitful sleep and, for me, aching knees, we arrive in Washington, DC. I haven't been to Washington for a demonstration since our demonstration against racial profiling several years ago. A pale-gray day, with some sunlight, cold but not Chicago cold. We join what seems to be thousands of people at a cavernous entrance. This is checkpoint for C Street. Ellen checks the time to see how long it will be to process us. We chant different slogans, one of which is "Not our war, not our president." We meet people and chat with them: an older Catholic sister from Philly, on the outs with her church because her bishop warned the laity about voting for candidates who supported freedom of choice; an old southern talking brother hailing from North Carolina, a down home Universalist Christian activist; some young people from Kentucky. Slowly we inch toward the checkpoint, and at one point chanting, open up the gates, let the people in. It takes us two hours. We are worried about what we can and cannot bring in. Finally, we are hand searched and processed through and head expectantly, we thought, to the street leading us to the big ANSWER rally, only to discover that that street was now blocked off. So, after some hesitation, we decided to stay where we are, along with other anti-war and anti-Bush delegates and hold a rally there. I pass out all my Koinonia Outreach Mission tracts and then Ellen and I together pass out the Nine/Eleven leaflet. We also have our own signs. People come up and want to get pictures. I then get up on a something and begin to read a part of the text of our leaflet. People gather around, and so I launch into a sermonette. When the Holy Spirit takes over I don't always remember exactly what I said but I do remember the following:
And then some Bushicans showed up, led by a Latino woman, who cried out Viva Bush, and led a spirited oppositional chant. I responded by comparing her cries to that of gladiators who cried out before the games, We who are about to die, O Caesar, salute you. I told this jeering knot of people that one day their jeers will turn to tears when the disasters being created by the Bush administration and the ruling class he represents are unleashed. I remember quoting a paraphrase of proverbs: It is better to be struck by a storm than to be ruled by a king who is a fool. I ended, I think, by saying that a political economic tsunami is coming, and said something about God aint dead; he keepeth watch over all his own. I was somewhat overwhelmed by the positive response which I got from people, especially some of the young people who heard me. A montage of images now: a squad of police arrest a harmless, old man, just because, it seems to us, he is wearing a T-shirt accusing Bush of being a terrorist. The delegates cry out, Let him go. And they do. Another group of Bushicans show us with ironic signs, calling themselves the protestwarriors, a group of mainly young men who came out to try and disrupt ours. We eventually drove them away with the vehemence of our chants. An old guy playing taps on and off key. Getting people to take three copies of our leaflets to pass out to their friends and to others in the crowd. This is inspired by a young man who joins us for a moment and volunteers to pass out the material. He makes an important point: that for him, the most important thing about this day, was to be among the delegates, listening, talking, being a part of the discussion. For him this was democracy in action. Then just when my back was hurting and my knees were flaring up, the Bush contingent showed up, going from the capitol to the viewing stand. What a roar that went up, from both supporters and opposers, but where we were, the opposition was the loudest, electrifying as the chants and the boos roared up as the contingent came by, "Not our president, not our war: 1234 we wont die for Texaco; five six seven eight oppose the bosses and their state." And then it was over and we, with thousands of others, opponents and neutrals, flowed back to Metro subway, to our busses, back to our homes. Racial Justice Task Force Report The Emancipation Proclamation Pageant, held on Saturday evening January 8, was once again a good presentation, but despite much greater publicity, attendance was still on the light side. The collection that evening raised $175.25 for the HPK Interfaith Council’s hunger programs. To improve attendance, next year’s pageant will be shifted to a Sunday between 12:30 and 2 p.m., which will encourage more First Unitarian Church members to attend, but still leave time for folks from other congregations to come over after their Sunday services, etc. The church should have a large advertising board on the corner devoted to advertising special events at the church. The January 9 session of the Nature of Racism course took an in-depth look at De Jure Segregation -- a most appropriate topic as we approached the King Holiday. There was a special collection for the James Reeb Memorial Fund on January 16, which raised $494. Thanks to all that contributed to this worthy memorial. The "Gates of Injustice" study (reading/discussion) group will meet at the church on Sundays January 23 and Feb 6, starting at 5 p.m. Bobbi Campbell is its facilitator. This group could help develop some of our input on the UUA’s draft Statement of Conscience on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform. A First Forum to formally gather First Church’s input will be held on Feb. 20. The task force resumes meeting, normally in one of the RE rooms, on the fourth Thursday evening of each month, beginning at 7:15 p.m., which pattern will hold each month from January through May. Environmental Task Force This year the UUA is drafting a Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming. All congregations have the opportunity to submit comments on what should be included in this statement to make it complete. On Feb. 6, the Environmental Task Force will sponsor a First Forum entitled "Global Warming: What to Expect (and what do we want to say to the UUA about it)". Allan Lindrup will present a brief overview on global warming. Attendees will have a chance to react and to contribute suggestions of what needs to be included in the statement of conscience of our denomination on this issue. Suggestions are due in to the UUA on March 1. If you can't make it to the forum, you can bring your suggestions to the Social Justice Council table or to the Environmental Task Force box in the office, or to me. Green Corner. Is global warming an important issue for UU's? Steven Rockefeller, interviewed in Fugitive Faith by Benjamin Webb (Orbis Books, 1998) said, "Our environmental problems will not be fully addressed until we come to terms with the moral and spiritual dimensions of these problems, and we will not find ourselves religiously until we fully address our environmental problems." Does that apply to UU's? Hear Ye! A New Sound System is Coming In order to make the acoustic experience when one attends First Unitarian Church as inviting as the visual and intellectual experience, we have initiated a project to replace the present sound system in the main sanctuary, Hull Chapel and a few other specific areas with a new system that uses the most modern sound technology available. The goal is to make hearing the spoken word at First Church as natural and easy a process as carrying on a conversation with friends. To help you understand what is planned, below you will find a detailed list of what will be implemented in this project. It is divided into a 'core project' which comes as a group of activities necessary to address the main worship spaces for the congregation, and a second set of optional activities that help solve other acoustic problems experienced in other meeting environments or add some additional features to the system. I. First Church Sanctuary and Hull Chapel sound system
II. Additional Optional Improvements that need specific support to be implemented. Estimated costs are in parentheses for each item.
Please consider how these additions would enhance your own experiences at First Church - and how it would make our facilities more accessible to others in the community. We have the first $25,000 from the Retirement Research Foundation Accessible Faith Program; we must match that amount, and we need more to have the desired enhancements. So - make your contribution or pledge NOW! We want to move rapidly to install these wonderful new systems! |