June, 2005
|
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 Among the many maxims credited to Benjamin Franklin, one particularly comes to my mind at this point in the church year: "One today is worth two tomorrows; what I am to be, I am now becoming." What we do today matters, it makes a difference, to what tomorrow brings. By the time this is read, the "regular" church year for the religious education program will have come to an end, and the focus for planners and professionals will be on preparing for the next church year. But the now is critical. By skipping over the present, we would do a disservice to that planning for the future. "Tomorrow" - or next year - will be, to a large degree, shaped by today's actions and values. Next year's religious education professional, Danielle Gerrior, is already looking ahead to next year, as is RE Assistant Ashley Meade. Supplies are being inventoried and re-stocked; curricula is ready, and training to provide teaching tools for volunteers will be scheduled in the next weeks. I read once that someone asked Pablo Casals, the great cellist, what he considered the most difficult thing involved in playing the cello. He is said to have replied, "Getting from one note to the next." Between now and the Sunday after Labor Day, that will be the task. As you consider what your role will be, I offer a quiz. You don't have to write down your answers, though you certainly may! Here it is: 1. Name the last five Heisman Trophy winners. I am willing to bet that, although the answers to the first three questions may elude you, a name associated with the fourth question will spring to mind, and will probably put a smile on your face. For most of us, having a ready answer to those first three questions is not as important as having an answer to the last one. We don't tend to care what someone knows, until we know that someone cares about us. On second thought, do write down the name of that teacher whose name came to mind - and contemplate what caused that association. And think about this: Your name might be the one someone answers when taking this quiz in years to come. You can help someone get "from one note to the next." Sign up to teach! Faithfully yours,
Caring Comm. - Wed. June 15 at 5:30 pm
Sign up now!! There are still a few opportunities to teach next year. Make inter-generational friendships, learn more about Unitarian Universalist identity, and have a great time while you're doing it! Sign-up sheets are available after church during Social Hour, and you can peruse curricula. Teachers work two at a time, one taking the lead and the other assisting. The more volunteers there are, the fewer Sundays each one teaches. Talk with Rev. Millie, RE Assistant Ashley Meade, or incoming-Director of Religious Education Danielle Gerrior if you have questions. Register children and youth now for the 2005-06 church school year! Forms are on the Registration Table in the Religious Education Wing (Pennington Center). Registering provides important information for the RE Council and teachers to meet the needs of our young people. “Dr. Seuss Changed My Life” is the young people's program for this summer. Through stories, arts and crafts, they will learn more about the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism. It's a fun preview of the next church year, when that will be the focus for religious education! Leaders are needed so that the program can proceed, and there is $635 in the budget earmarked for leader-compensation. If you are interested or would like more information, contact Rev. Millie. Bring a cut flower to church next Sunday if you can, for the annual Flower Communion service. Celebrating the diversity of our beloved community, each person will take home a flower other than the one they bring. This is also the Welcome Back From Sabbatical service for senior minister Rev. Nina Grey. RE News Sunday, May 15th was an occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2004-05 religious education program, and it was a joyous celebration, indeed! The morning began with breakfast for this year's church school teachers, along with distribution of tee-shirts for them and the young people in the RE program. Many thanks to RE Assistant Ashley Meade, who created the design for the shirts. Have you tested your knowledge of world religions by identifying which ones are associated with the symbols depicted on the shirts? The worship service included representations of the year's learning about world religions, justice-serving projects, and a look ahead to the 2005-06 religious education program. So many people participated as leaders: Paige Bennett, Alex Dodson, Julius Dodson, Adam Green, Claire Henriques, Jonathan King, Wilson King, Anita Orlikoff and Joan Pederson, who all contributed to the success of the Banner Procession; Addie Gross, who led her family in lighting the chalice; Claire Henriques and Danielle Gerrior who led the rest of the congregation in the antiphonal reading; singer-song leader extraordinaire Lia McCoo; Rosemary Snow, who represented the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council, accepting the proceeds from the Empty Bowls project for their Food Programs; and Kathleen Green, who served as Worship Associate, and Music Director Michael Thorn, who provided inspirational musical accompaniment throughout the service. The celebration continued after the worship service, as Social Hour and an Open House took place in the RE area. Many of the arts and crafts that young people created this year were displayed, as well as the curricula that's planned for next year. Some people took advantage of the opportunity to volunteer for leading classes in Unitarian Universalist identity - and some slots are still available. If you have questions about how you might play an active role in next year's religious education program, contact Rev. Millie, Danielle Gerrior, who will be Director of Religious Education beginning in August, or RE Assistant Ashley Meade. General Assembly is June 23-27 The annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association is being held in Fort Worth, Texas June 23-27. Over 300 workshops, worship services, lectures and meetings are on the program. Among the topics to be considered at the plenary sessions is a proposed Statement of Conscience on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform. For more information consult Ken Schug. The complete program can be viewed at www.uua.org/ga. Great Books The Great Books Discussion Group will meet Sunday June 12 at 11:30 a.m. in the Religious Education Resource Room. We will be discussing the novel Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong, in which a Vietnamese woman tells us about Vietnamese life. Newcomers are welcome. Call Gloria Gnatz or Kennie James for further information. SPRING BANQUET JUNE 18th The second annual spring banquet will be held Saturday June 18 at 5:30 pm (just three days before summer!) at the church and promises great food, superb “talent show” entertainment, and enormously fulfilling fellowship! Remember how much fun we had last year? [If you missed that one, ask someone who was there!] We will repeat last year’s wildly popular international buffet cuisine; Big Easy (Old South), Day in the Park (US picnic), Mexican Fiesta, Pacific Rim, and That’s Italian. We also are soliciting potluck contributions for the dessert table. Volunteers are still needed for Talent Show, set-up, clean-up, selling tickets, etc. Contact Jim Proctor/Zarinah Ali for Talent Show and Chair Reesey Walton or Mary Lee Greenlee to offer other ways of helping. Tickets are $25 per person with a maximum of $70 per family on sale after church service or make reservations with Walton or Greenlee and pay at the door.
By Margaret Hellie Huyck These are the matters which have involved me in the past month, and year: Transition Planning: This ends my term as your President. Because Tom and I will be traveling in Brazil during most of June, I take this occasion to Thank You all for making this such a fine experience. Bette Sikes, our President Elect-Elect will be guiding the church during June (while Ken Schug, our incoming President, is in California and at GA). I feel blessed to have had such a propitious year - no steeples crumbling, no professionals resigning, no awesome crises. We have had a most interesting, invigorating sabbatical period, and we look forward to welcoming back Rev. Nina. And, while we are sad about Rev. Millie's health challenges, I think we all dealt well with them and things look good now. I feel very confident about our new, incoming leadership, and look forward to working closely on other projects. Stewardship: I am immensely grateful for the Stewardship Leadership provided by Cindy Pardo and Ivan Lappin, for our Annonymous Challengers, and for all who have helped us meet our budget goals to carry out our programs. We passed a balanced budget that includes a full-time office assistant and modest raises for our senior minister and administrator. We have approved hiring a new Director for Religious Education (3/4 time). I am very pleased that we have moved forward on our Accessible First program with our refinished, accessible doors, and with the refurbished sound system. We have welcomed the Blue Gargoyle as our new tenant in Fenn House. Learning to Help One Another: We adopted our Vision Statement, which will guide our programs in the near future. Several of us who have attended the Midwest Leadership School in past years organized a workshop on April 30 to share perspectives on how to improve our internal committee functioning, how to work most effectively with our support staff, and how to plan for our re-entry workshop with Rev. Nina. I am grateful to Ken Schug for taking the initiative in organizing this event, and for the 30 or so members who gathered to share insights and craft action plans. Throughout this year the Management Consulting Task Force has met monthly with Rick Brown to help him coordinate the staff support function. We now have revised Personnel Policies, and clarified procedure files in the office. We are working on re-configuring the administrative space. Connecting Outward: Several of us attended a workshop of the Chicago Area Unitarian Universalist Congregations on May 7; we met at Third Church with Angela Merkert. The focus was on creating "vital congregations" -- with shared experiences from six of the eight UU groups in the city. Surveys indicate that many folks are looking for 1) a sense of community, 2) a place to explore meaning, and 3) opportunities to do good. How can we be such a place? I shall continue with you on answering these challenges.
By Ken Schug, CCP Chair *LEARN! = Leadership Enrichment And Recruitment Now! The April 30 Workshop brought 23 church members together for an intensive discussion of how we can improve the effectiveness of intra-church communications. The first part of the session was based on results of a survey on effective communication which had been broadly distributed to committee members across the church. The good news from the survey was that we welcome diverse opinions and are able to arrive at group decisions openly and amicably. The "helpful" news was that there are perceived problem areas which need attention. Suggestions for dealing with these problems will be included in a detailed report on LEARN! that will be widely distributed. We also reviewed optimal methods of interacting effectively (and efficiently) with the office staff and volunteers, including use of presently available request/report forms that provide fiscal and documentary records of our operations.
Welcome to our newest member of the church family! Eleanor Claire, born May 23, joins sister Sophie, mom Kathy Szoke, and dad Geza Gyuk. Best wishes to all! Tom Huyck's father, William Henry Huyck, died on May 25 at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife, six children, 12 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. Congratulations to Michele Moody-Adams, daughter of Harold and Shirley Moody, on her appointment as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Michele is a Professor of Philosophy at Cornell, and is the Hutchinson Professor of Ethics and Public Life and director of Cornell’s Ethics and Public Life Program. Fare Well, Friends June 30 is our Moving Day. After almost 40 years of living in the Chicago area (30 as an adult--10 years in childhood), as a north-sider, a suburbanite, and a south-sider, I will be moving to Ann Arbor with Bob, where his daughter and her family (our two grand children) live. I can't tell you how much I will miss you, this community, this neighborhood, this lake, this Chicago experience that has run through so many chapters of my life. Our new condo will (hopefully) be ready for us to move into on July 1. Our new address will be in the new issue of the 1st Church Directory, coming soon. If you're ever in the Ann Arbor vicinity, please come for a visit. Let us know if you need a place to stay. You're always welcome. Our love and best wishes for health and happiness for each of you and for this beloved community. Susan Grubb and Bob Davidow
Allan Stern will be doing the July newsletter. Please submit all materials directly to him. Board Opening for Chicago Children's Choir Because the Chicago Children's Choir was founded at First Church, the By-laws drawn up when the CCC became an independent entity specified that our church can name two persons on the Board of Trustees. Richard Pardo has served for the maximum two terms (6 years), including service as Board President. If you are interested in being a CCC Board member representing our church, please contact Bette Sikes. The appointment will be made by our Board at the June 16 meeting (which will be chaired by Bette as President-elect). Can You Hear Us Yet?? As most of you know, we have been improving the sound system with a matching grant from the Accessible Faith Program of the Retirement Research Foundation, and generous donations from our members and friends. The state-of-the art system was designed and installed by David McNutt's company (which also did the sound system for Millenium Park). The essential elements have now been installed, and the system is being adjusted to meet the realities of actual needs. All individuals using the new system will need training on how to get the best performance from the amplification and recording systems in the main Sanctuary, Hull Chapel, and the nursery. In addition, the Pardos donated a portable podium with stationery and portable mikes. Please give feedback about how the systems work for you to Richard Pardo.
By Ken Schug On May 7 about 40 members and ministers of Chicago urban UU churches
(including 7 from First U) met at Third Unitarian in the Austin Community
for a half-day workshop conducted by Angela Merkert (in her last
days as Director of the Central Midwest UUA District). A wide-ranging
discussion followed a welcome by Third U minister Brian Covell in which
he asked two questions: 1) Why are there only a total of 800 UU members
in the six Chicago congregations? and 2) How can we reach out in our
own neighborhoods? Angela expressed the hope that this meeting would
be the first step in helping us answer these questions. Although I have
yet to digest my 12 pages of notes, I was impressed by the strong interest
expressed by the attendees to share ideas and resources among our churches
to help us all better achieve our common goal of "making a difference"
based on our Unitarian principles. I'm Going to Be President of What??? By Ken Schug, President-Elect The above title is borrowed from a workshop I attended at the 2004 GA meeting in Long Beach designed to provide advice and comfort to UU members from across the nation who had agreed to accept the top lay leadership positions in their congregations. I plan to attend the workshop again this year (in Fort Worth, Texas) for a few more hours of cramming in preparation for the year ahead. But as a relative newcomer to the church, though not to its principles, I will be dependent on many others in our community, especially the soon to be Past President (Margaret Huyck) and the President-Elect (Bette Sikes) for advice and guidance. Although we have weathered some time-consuming crises in recent years, and, of course, can't be sure what unexpected surprises the future may hold, I am hopeful that as a community we can focus on building for the future, especially focusing on what changes will be needed if we are going to thrive (indeed, survive). The most commonly voiced need for our congregation is for growth, perhaps because it would appear to be somehow disloyal not to support that goal. But of course growth will result in change and it is not so clear how willing we really are to accept change. Do we want a church where it will be difficult to "know" everybody; where there are activities we are only vaguely aware of (and perhaps don't feel completely comfortable with); where, if we are "too successful" we would need two Sunday Services; where our fiscal problems might increase because our additional income turns out to be less than our increased expenses? I don't have answers to these questions and am not positive that, at a personal level, I am really ready for change; after all, I have found this congregation welcoming, comforting, and supportive in my time of need -- so why rock the boat? Yet I would not be comfortable giving personal comfort a higher priority than trying to create a community that nurtures more people and has a bigger impact on the larger community around it. I look forward to joining with all members of the congregation in the next steps of the Claiming Our Future initiative -- Community Building and Long Range Planning.
There are still about 20 members and friends who regularly participate in church life and have pledged in the past who have not turned in pledge cards. Some of them have given canvassers a pledge amount but have not returned a card. Others haven't given us a dollar amount. All have received stewardship pledge brochures with pledge cards enclosed. Most have been contacted by canvassers. Whatever the case, we need to know your pledge plans for the 2005-06 church year. Our budget was passed for the coming year at our annual meeting, but pledge income figures were based on the assumption that those who usually pledge would do so again. We really need to make certain that our figures are correct, so please send in your pledge now. If you aren't certain if you pledged, or have any other questions, contact Cindy Pardo or Ivan Lappin. For the rest of us -- thanks! So many people pledged generously, and met our "lightening challenge" as well with extra contributions. This congregation is amazing!
Our church cookbook is here! Available at coffee hour,
this great looking recipe collection costs a mere $10 - and is worth
twice the price! Several of our members have given up legendary recipes.
Many have recounted memories associated with the food. There are a great
variety of cooking traditions represented in this wonderful book, and
all the recipes look yummy! Think of these not only for your own kitchen,
but for gifts - hostess gifts, teacher gifts, "just because"
gifts. All proceeds go to the church general fund. Choir and Music Program Celebrate a Successful Year By Joan Staples As of June 1, Michael Thorn and the Choir had completed an ambitious musical year at First Church. Starting with an aggressive tuning and repair of our musical instruments, a series of Friday noon concerts (in October and May) presented a variety of musicians and types of music to the community. Two Winter concerts -- Jazz in February and Classical in March -- followed. Over $5,000 was raised for the church music program through offerings and an ad book. Michael’s talents as a composer and jazz musician were on display at the World Premiere of his Jazz Mass on May 1. Recordings made of selected concerts will be available for sale to members and friends of the church. We are looking ahead to musical inspiration in both worship service music and special events during the next church year. We welcome the interest, suggestions, and participation of the congregation in producing and enjoying music in the church. We are grateful for the help of many: Michael Thorn; members of the Choir; the Ministerial staff; Martha Swisher and the DePaul Community Chorus; Rick Brown and the office; the custodial staff; Lia McCoo; Jane Kiser and Irene Vitullo who played for Montgomery Place services; guest musicians, including Tom Weisflog, Mark Sudeith, and Robert Haigler as well as the noon concert artists. First Church welcomes new members of the Choir (talk to Michael) and the other musical talents of our members and friends, including our young people. We want new members of our Music and Worship and Music Committees. Speak with the music staff and the committees working with the music program. We have pledged to make 2005-2006 another wonderful musical year -- and to raise over $5,000 for the church and music.
A Letter from Veronica Jenifer The Southside Friends would like to invite you to their annual Subscription Party which will be held here at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago on Saturday evening June 11, 2005 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Everyone in the congregation is invited. If you have a friend who is a music lover, please bring that friend with you. We will serve refreshments and you will be treated to a musical presentation by the string quartet of the Chicago Sinfonietta. You will also have the opportunity to meet Dr. Paul Freeman, the Founding Music Director. Perhaps you wonder why there is a Chicago Sinfonietta in the city of Chicago which already has the famous Chicago Symphony. If you have attended their concerts recently, I am sure you have noticed that now there is one African American musician.. This young man is the one and only African American musician since the origin of the Chicago Symphony in 1891, to be hired as a member of the orchestra on a permanent basis. The public therefore must assume that in over one hundred years, there has been only one African American classical musician in the United States who could meet the standards for membership in the orchestra. However the performances of the Chicago Sinfonietta for over fifteen years would verify that this assumption is false. Those of you who have attended the Sinfonietta’s concerts have observed that about one third of the musicians are African American, with some Hispanics and other minorities. A number of our church members have been season subscribers for years and will testify to the variety and brilliance of each performance. The Sinfonietta is also the musical partner of the Joffrey Ballet and has received thunderous applause from ballet fans. Personally, I am involved with the Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta because I feel strongly that we must support young people of all races and ethnic backgrounds in music as well as all of the arts. Because the Chicago Symphony has hired one or two African Americans does not shut down the debate. Unitarians understand that keeping those who are not the right color out of the mainstream of opportunity, negatively affects everyone and is detrimental to the society as a whole. I encourage you to attend our Subscription Party and perhaps sign up for season tickets. However, the one concert that everyone in the church should not miss is the Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. concert at Orchestra Hall on January 16, 2006. At that concert our own Chicago Children’s Choir will perform with the Artistic Director, Josephine Lee Please join us for a summer evening of beautiful music on June 11th to encourage the beauty of diversity in the world of classical music.
The First Forum committee is going on vacation for the summer (for July and August). But if you hate to see the First Forum 'mike' go dark for these two months, you can keep it going either by volunteering yourself to speak on a topic of your choice or by recruiting your favorite speaker on a selected topic. If you want to schedule a First Forum, contact Richard Pardo to sign up for your favorite Sunday. We will make sure your presentation gets advertised, but the rest of the organization is up to you. Actually the First Forum committee is already 'hard at work' planning for the Fall series which we hope to begin on September 11. If you have some ideas for topics and/or speakers for the 2005-2006 church year, please see one of the committee members and tell us about your ideas. Richard Pardo, First Forum Chair, Eve Emschwiller, Neil Gerdes, Tom Huyck, Viola Moore, Alex Poinsett, Grace Williams.
By Ken Schug Brahmo Samaj Revisit The May 15 First Forum speaker Mrs Abir Clark, assisted by her young son on the slide projector, provided us with more detail about this Hindu splinter group that espouses many Unitarian-Universalist principles, including a fascinating account of its founder Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833) a widely traveled, highly educated activist. Roy is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Modern India" for his success in building opposition to the repressive excesses of the Hindu leaders of the day which included ritual infanticide, forced marriage of child brides, idolatry, and "suttee" (encouraging the immolation of widows). Among Roy's other achievements are conversion of a Christian minister to Brahmo Samaj, founding two newspapers (in Persian and Bengali) free of government censorship, accepting expulsion by his family for his beliefs (though later reconciling with his mother), and working against oppressive land laws of the British colonial leaders. The speaker was well informed and gave an eloquent presentation.
At the May 8 First Forum, the Social Justice Council sponsored a presentation on "Homelessness" by Pat Wilcoxen, long-time community resident and ardent activist in efforts to provide affordable housing for low income families. After describing the increasing need for housing in this population and decreasing resources (and the fact that the need is great in many suburbs) she described ACTIONS that concerned citizens can take. These included (1) Monitoring state legislation (e.g., Senate Bill #75 would provide funding from an increase in title transfer fee); (2) Opening churches for temporary housing (one night stands); and (3) Support efforts to designate vacant land in neighboring communities (Kenwood, Woodlawn) for affordable housing. She told us of Bush's proposal to move block grants for low cost housing from HUD to Commerce Dept. a move that is almost certain to reduce Federal funding in this area. She also described local interfaith efforts or potential ventures; e.g. consider Doctor's Hospital development as a possible site for affordable housing; copy Dupage County's (!) "Bridge Community" church-based initiative which has provided 40 families with temporary housing in 20 member's homes; join a home sharing program conducted by "Lawyers for Better Housing"; and help match home seekers with home providers. During the QA session she mentioned (1) that CIC runs workshops for low-income building managers, and (2) described some successful efforts of "Section 8" residents to buy their building when the original owners withdrew from this Federal subsidy program.
On Flower Communion Sunday, choir members will model the new robes and stoles that were purchased for the Choir by Carrie Hedges. The white robes will be adorned with stoles of red, blue, green, gold, or Kente African cloth, depending on the service. Choir members will choose their favorite color for Flower Communion so that we look like a variegated garden of flowers. Several years ago, the choir stopped wearing the old green robes, which dated from the 1960s or 1970s (no one remembers exactly), because they were in need of repair. We thought we might be able to salvage them for special services, such as Easter, but the hem on the one robe that was sent to the dry cleaners disintegrated. The search for robes then began on eBay. Fortunately for the choir, the E.R. Moore Robe Company here in Chicago was going out of business, so good deals were currently being posted. In fact, the entire lot of 30 robes and 30 of each color of stole was bought for about $400. We hope you like our new look, and because Carrie purchased enough for expansion, we hope that if you are interested in singing with us that you will audition next fall with Music Director Michael Thorn.
By Ellen LaRue The Environmental Task Force organized and led the worship service on Earth Sunday, April 24. We also congratulate the First Forum Committee on an excellent forum that Sunday. Howard Lerner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, talked about practical steps that we can take right now to slow global warming and reduce pollution. His presentation highlighted the dirty coal-burning power plants all around Illinois. Many of these produce asthma and other problems for Illinois and are not even owned by Illinois or Midwest companies. We are currently looking at asking Mayor Daley to sign on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, already signed by 132 mayors who have committed to bring their communities into compliance with the Kyoto Treaty. Green Corner. Do you daily receive a 2-inch stack of unwanted mail order catalogs in the mail? You can reduce this to a mere trickle of wanted catalogs. 1. Take your name off lists sold to mail order sales companies. Contact the Mail Preference Service and ask that your name be removed from their lists. Give them all permutations and weird misspellings of your name that you have seen the catalog companies use, plus your address. Their address is Mail Preference Service It will take a number of weeks for you to see the result. 2.If you do order items from a company, or fill out information on a warranty card, or give a company your name and address for any reason, always tell them, or write on the form, words like this: “Please do not rent, sell, or trade my name or address.” 3. When you get unwanted mail, do not hesitate. Immediately call the 1-800- number on the catalog and ask to be removed from the mailing list, and don’t forget to tell them not to share your name and address. These steps work. I know because I have done it. Initial action, eternal vigilance, and occasional prompt additional action are key.
By Mary Lee Greenlee To accompany our opening "Jazz at the First" entertainment event next October 18th, a special Silent Auction will be held. This will be a major fundraising event for our church. Therefore, we are soliciting auction items worth a minimum value of $25 and up. Items should be new, or in excellent condition and of significant interest to the public to draw high bids. The following are some suggested items that will be welcomed donations: * Antiques (lamps, clocks, furniture, etc.) We will open this Silent Auction to the public during the day and have it culminate at the evening "Jazz at the First" event. We want this Silent Auction to be the "best" that has happened in our neighborhood. With your help and donations, we can succeed! Please call Polly McCoo or Sadie Picardo about your auction items. Please Note: Rummage Sale or White Elephant items will not be accepted at this time. You will be notified, in the future, when such an event is scheduled. "Silent Auction" Help is Needed NOW! If you enjoy working with fellow church members, organizing silent auction events, creating luxurious baskets, soliciting gifts or just want to meet people and be a part of something you can be proud of, please call Ann Collins or Mary Lee Greenlee, Activities Committee Co-Chairs. You may also sign up for the Silent Auction Committee during Coffee Hour, at the Activities Committee Table.
Reminder to Board Members and Chairs of church groups that the Annual
Retreat will be Labor Day Weekend: Friday Sept. 2 (evening) and Saturday
Sept. 3 ((:30 to 3). Please mark your calendars and stay tuned. The Social Justice Council Journal By Finley C. Campbell The purpose of this report is to give overview of Social Justice Council activities as my last words as chair. First, there were the modest tabling activities which we carried out during this period of time, leading to the distribution of much needed information. As a part of this process was the presence of the Midwest Workers Association members who continued their quest for volunteers and funds. As our social justice service project, the MWA was the recepient of nine bags of protein-enriched food and fifty dollars in contributions as a part of their spring anti-hunger drive, thanks to the members of our church. Recently, seven of us, SJC members and non-members went to see the movie CRASH, a powerful, but ambiguous presentation about the complexity of racism. We also had a presentation on housing problems at our Third Sunday First Forum. I also made a brief presentation at the CAUUC meeting in Hinsdale on the need for our churches to become anti-imperialist congregations and passed out a pamphlet on imperialism which I have developed. So, my last words remains the same as those around the world committed to social justice: the struggle for equality continues. The SJC First Forum will be on June 26th instead of June 19th in order to accommodate the First Forum Committee. The topic will be "Patriarchy and Social Justice: Resolving the Contradiction." This will be a belated Father's Day presentation, in coordination with the Men's Group, if possible. Note: The full report of the SJC for the church year is available at our SJC table most Sundays.
Certificates Awarded at the Annual Meeting on May 22 1) Eighty-five Awardees from the past five years who we trust
will continue to nourish our congregation
By Joan Pederson Several of you took part in the All-Church Work party on Memorial Day: weeding and doing other gardening, disposing of trash from the grounds and from the Big Basement, washing blinds (too few words to name such a big job), cleaning all manner of surfaces from baseboards on up, vacuuming high and low, repairing and remounting all sorts of things that needed such attention, or simply offering accumulated wisdom of many years in this place. And we had a great time too, working together, taking breaks together, having lunch together. Thanks to all those listed here, to Merle and Rick for setting out supplies that allowed us to get directly to work, and to anyone else who came and helped (sorry for missing your name!): Richard Blough, Paulette Dodson, Alex Dodson, Julius Dodson, Diana Gray, Ellie Hall, Nancy Harlan, Margaret Huyck, Kay Mann, Madeiria Myrieckes, Cindy Pardo, Richard Pardo, Joan Pederson, Loren Santos, Ken Schug, Bette Sikes, Patti Stark, Vi Uretz, and Irene Vitullo. THIS JUST IN! We had such a good time, and there's to much left to do, that we'll have the same kind of party every three-day weekend! Next two: Monday, July 4 (the day AFTER the big fireworks show in Grant Park) and Monday, September 5 (Labor Day). This is a great way to help out, get to know one another better, and get LOTS of the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. |