February, 2006
|
Elsewhere you can find: Religious Education News By Danielle Gerrior RE Reflections Now that January is over, I want to take the opportunity to thank some of the many people who worked so hard to make sure the Empty Bowls project was a success (which it really was - we all had a great time, learned a lot, and painted many bowls). David Puszkiewicz made all of the bowl-related details seem to just take care of themselves - which we all know is very time-consuming. The supplies for the project - paint, brushes, etc. were donated, and the blank bowls were given to us at cost, by Dodi Wians, from Art 4 Soul. She is the same marvelous woman who has helped us in previous years, and we all owe her a debt of gratitude for her generosity of time, resources and energy. This year we were also blessed by the contribution of Martha Boyd who works for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Learning Center, a part of Angelic Organics, the largest CSA in Chicago. She made fascinating and interactive presentations on where food comes from, local agriculture (urban beekeeping!) and the beauty and usefulness of worms. She is looking for other ways to make connections with religious communities, and if anyone is interested in finding out more about her organization or how you might get involved, I would love to help you make that connection. I simply cannot stress enough how impressed I am with their mission and the way they are working to make it real. Lastly I want to thank all of you, members and friends of First Unitarian, for your continued support of the RE program in general and the Empty Bowls project specifically. If we are able to sell all of the bowls we have made, we may be able to donate almost a thousand dollars to the Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith Council food pantry. What an amazing lesson for our young people! Benefit for Transitional Housing Project “Cabin Fever,” the first annual dinner and silent auction to benefit the Hyde Part Transitional Housing Project, will be held Saturday, February 25, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Donation is $25 for adults, $20 for students. A dinner with music and entertainment, and a silent auction, will be featured. For further information contact the Project at hpthp@att.net.
Empty Bowls Luncheon! Please join us on Sunday, February 5, directly after the service, for our annual Empty Bowls Luncheon. Soup bowls, painted by the Religious Education Program and friends, will be sold for $17. Included in the price is a soup luncheon. Or donations will be accepted for soup without the purchase of a bowl. All proceeds go to the Hyde Park Kenwood Interfaith Council Food Pantry.
By Ellen LaRue and Bobbi Campbell In his commentary on "The Almost Church" Ken Schug criticized our denomination's practice of taking positions on large social justice issues like our most recent position against global warming. (These are called "study-action issues".) We disagree in part with Ken and want to defend this practice. In the first place, the positions the UUA has taken (against nuclear weapons, against the death penalty, against the School of the Americas for example) help define our denomination to those who wonder what we stand for. They have also been helpful to us, as Social Justice Council chairs, in helping to define which issues we should engage in, what questions we should ask of political nominees, etc. Ken questions whether the current study action-issue, global warming, is truly a social justice issue. We would argue that it is. Predicted climate change associated with global warming will most profoundly and immediately affect poor and traditional peoples, living close to the land, whose lives and livelihoods depend on established weather patterns and water sources. Even in urban cultures, the poor will be less able than the wealthy to cope with disruptions brought on by climate change. That the poor stand to be most affected by events basically caused by the rich makes this a social justice issue. As far as Ken's objection that the issues are too large for us to do anything about, we can only refer him to Margaret Mead's comment (561 in our hymnal). "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has." However we do agree with Ken in one respect. In our opinion the denomination takes on too many issues. We should not identify a new issue every year. (We actually work on each issue for two years and are working on two at the same time.) We really don't have the time we need to spend on each issue and would like to see fewer issues adopted - maybe more like one every two or three years.
By Joan Staples On Saturday April 29 there will be a forum at our church on “The Changing Nature of our Community: Can You Afford to Live Here?” An outgrowth of Win Kennedy’s presentation at a First Forum last October, with sponsorship of our Social Justice Council and Racial Justice Task Force, Hyde Park Owl, and the Interfaith Open Communities - Hyde Park Cluster, we will be able to hear from a variety of sources, including elected officials, developers, and other community activists. For those of us who want Hyde Park - Kenwood to remain multi-racial, age and economically diverse, this will be an important opportunity to meet the “players” and others concerned about this issue. For more information, see Joan Staples.
The Adult Religious Education Program will sponsor a course, “Biblical Foundations of Social Justice," beginning at the church Wednesday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. There will be ten sessions of the course, to be held the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. The course facilitator will be Rev. Viola Moore, and the readings will be from the Bible, starting with the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament. According to Rev. Moore, "The course will focus on the 'justice passages' that have inspired and sustained various human and civil rights movements such as the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S."
First Unitarian’s Great Books Discussion Group will meet Sunday February 19th, at 11:30 a.m. in the Religious Education Resource Room. The book up for discussion is New African by Andrea Lee. Contact Kennie James or Gloria Gnatz if you need more information.
Come to church on Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. to hear the Michael Thorn Jazz Trio perform great love songs by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more! Adults $10, students and seniors $7. Reception to follow. You still have bime to become a sponsor. Bring your friends and fellow jazz lovers. Sponsorships are still available from $25 to $250. Flyers are available to post and send to your friends. See Joan or Chuck Staples or the Church Office.
March 19, 2006 is Talent Auction Sunday following church service. This is not only our big fundraiser, but also a good time had by all complete with lunch served at 11:30 A.M. ($7.00). This event also helps to set our social calendar for the year. Your generosity is what makes this auction work. Items donated last year include Dinners, Theatre tickets, Sinfonettia Tickets, Book Signing, Guest Accommodations for a week end, Carpentry, Group outings, Hand crafted items. These are only a few of the many possibilities that can be auctioned off. Groups outings for families can be set at $10.00 - this means no bidding, which allows for many to participate. If you need help planning a donation, talk with Madeiria Myrieckes, Polly McCoo, Cindy Pardo or Margaret Kennedy. You will be receiving a call or note from Margaret Kennedy, or you can see Polly on Sundays to fill out a form. Looking forward to seeing you. Also babysitting can be available to 2:00 P.M.
By Phiefer Browne Rev. Nina Grey and the Adult Religious Education Committee, Phiefer Browne, Lorie Rosenblum, and Rev. Viola Moore, invite church members and friends to become members of a Chalice Circle, our church's Small Group Ministry. The Small Group Ministry within Unitarian Universalism has particular characteristics in regard to intention, size, and leadership. Its goal is to deepen the spiritual lives of its participants and by extension the spiritual life of the church itself in groups of seven to twelve members with two trained co-facilitators. It provides a setting for the growth of intimacy and community based upon a covenant group process. Readings are provided to stimulate consideration of a theme. The first series of Chalice Circles, meeting in 2005, had three groups, two at the church and one at Montgomery Place. They met twice monthly for a total of eight sessions. Their theme was the seven UU principles. This was a pilot project and now we intend to develop ongoing groups. At the present time Chalice Circle facilitators are being recruited. Training sessions will be twice monthly for one month and then, as the groups begin, monthly facilitator meetings will provide ongoing training. Rev. Grey will guide all facilitator meetings. Chalice Circles will be scheduled according to the most convenient times for those expressing interest. Persons interested in joining a Chalice Circle or requiring more information should contact Phiefer Browne or the church office, 773-324-4100.
By Cindy Pardo Our first annual Fair Trade Holiday Fair was a great success, earning about $6,000 for the three groups who supplied our wonderful crafts items. These suppliers, Ten Thousand Villages, Colores del Pueblo and Marketplace: Handmade in India, have told me that our sale was an amazing success, especially for a first time event. Many thanks to Kay Mann, co-chair for this event, for all her hard work and good advice. Marge Saphir, Gretchen Rings, Ellen LaRue, and Elvira Pelliteri also assisted with set-up and sales, and Lara Tushla stepped in at the last minute to help when staffing was a little thin. Thanks to them all. We did make a little money from this event for the church - about $700 - but it is the contribution to the livelihoods of artisans around the world which seems to me to be most important. Most of our sales on Saturday were to neighborhood visitors, many of whom said that they were glad we were doing something like this. This is also a vital component of this activity. We became the church that does the Fair Trade Fair in the minds of many of our neighbors. This is living our faith in a very positive way.
Please attend the showing of "UU Breakthrough Congregations" Friday evening Feb. 10 at the church. A Breakthrough Congregation is one that exhibits many of the following characteristics: Excellence in worship, A strong family ministry, Radically hospitable, Growth in membership and has navigated a size transition, and Fair share with UUA and the district" We will share a potluck meal at 6, show the video from 6:30 to 7:30, and then discuss the lessons from the experience of the four congregations portrayed in the video and whether could apply these lessons to our own experience at First U.
By Bette Sikes, President-Elect Since Madeiria Myrieckes and I attended Leadership School last summer, I have been thinking a great deal about the purpose of church for Unitarian Universalists. Of course, I know that for many in the city, church serves as an accepting community. It also provides a time for reflection, to hear a message, and to sing some hymns. But these things do not seem to me to be enough. Church should reenergize me for doing what I can to make the world better. It should be where I focus on the next steps I should take. It also should be where I am reassured that my community is with me in the battle. Church is also where I can try out new ways of being and thinking and reaching out to others. It is also where I can be useful in keeping things moving along. On January 22 at a fascinating forum, people spoke about whether having a core set of beliefs is important to us, whether we really have such a set of beliefs, or whether they are truly meaningful to us. This was, I hope, the beginning of deeper explorations of meaning and being in our church. By the time you read this, we will have also discussed the meaning of membership (Jan.29). Join us on February 5 to share your thoughts on stewardship (taking care of our church).
By Ellen LaRue The Social Justice Council met on Thursday, Jan. 12. At that meeting we voted to request a space to be provided for Vets for Vets meetings, thus endorsing the initiative of the 9-11 Study/Action Group. We also decided to prepare pocket cards with information about the Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council's hunger programs. We aim to have them ready by Feb. 5, as a way of saluting and supporting the RE Empty Bowls project, which will be raising funds for those hunger programs. The Midwest Workers Association is into their Winter Survival Campaign, aimed at helping members keep warm and fed. To raise funds they are about to hold their annual Tamale Benefit. They will be making 1600 tamales, which have been ordered for delivery by SuperBowl Sunday. Tamale production will occur 9AM to 9PM Feb. 1 and 2 at St. Paul & the Redeemer Church at 49th and Dorchester. The kitchen space is donated by the church, and the ingredients and materials are donated by businesses. Volunteer tamale-makers are needed - no experience needed. If you can donate a few hours, call MWA at 773-285-0485. MWA is also collecting blankets and warm clothes. If you bring them to church any Sunday, we will deliver them to MWA headquarters. The SJC will co-sponsor the affordable housing conference planned for April 29. We also decided to co-sponsor a forum of 1st Congressional District primary candidates. This will be in cooperation with Hyde Parkers for Peace and Justice, and is planned for Feb. 25 at 2PM. SJC also co-sponsored and helped out with the Unity Party. Our next meeting is set for Feb. 9. Meetings are open -- all are welcome.
By Elvira Pellitteri The 9-11 Study Group of the Social Justice Council met on Sunday, January 8th at the home of Elvira Pellitteri. After a heart-warming slide presentation by Bobbi Lammers on the trip she and Finley made to Italy at Christmas where they visited with Raffaella and Guiseppe, former members of our group, and little Federico, we proceeded to the agenda. Jim Proctor reported on the First Forum in which Ray Parrish of Veterans Against the War addressed the difficulties faced by veterans, including post-traumatic stress, suicide and lack of support by the Veterans Administration or by society in general. Our group responded by deciding to take measures to make it possible for a group of veterans to have regular meetings at the church. Also on our agenda was a proposal to present an anti-war resolution to our membership. An education program to increase awareness of imperialism and casualty numbers (both US and Iraqi) is to be planned. Finally, we discussed the first two chapters of Scott Ritter's book, Iraq Confidential. While there was some criticism of the book, we all agreed that reading it has made us more aware of the intentions of the US government during the period when WMD's were being investigated in Iraq: weapons were never the issue, but rather regime change. We will read chapters 3 & 4 for our next meeting, which will be on Sunday, February 12th.
By Allan Lindrup The 2006 Emancipation Proclamation Pageant was generally well received by an audience of about 60, mainly representing members of First Unitarian Church, students at Meadville Lombard Theological School, and youth active with the Sea Scouts. Despite substantial publicity to many media and a large variety of organizations in the mid-South side, attendance drawn by that publicity was below what we had hoped for. In future years we may choose to make the event a fund raiser for various outside organizations, such as the NAACP, Urban League, etc., providing they agree to enthusiastic publicity and encouragement of their members' attendance. This will also have the benefit of raising First Unitarian's visibility among the members of those organizations and could possibly result in some new friends or members for this church. Representative Barbara Flynn Currie met with task force Co-Chairs Allan Lindrup and Finley Campbell on January 3 and agreed to sponsor the House Joint Resolution, drafted by this task force, that would establish the first week of January as a time when Illinois schools and other organizations should learn about and celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation. Rep. Currie's staff faxed us some stylistic revisions to this task force's draft, to which we largely agreed, but suggested one revision. The resolution was introduced on January 24 by Rep. Currie as House Joint Resolution 88, with 16 co-sponsors. Our task force resumes on February 23rd, its scheduled meeting on the fourth Thursday evening of the month, in the Resource Room. New members are welcome.
By Cindy Pardo For several years Equal Exchange coffee, tea and chocolate have been available for purchase at Social Hour after services. On almost every Sunday church members are able to purchase excellent coffee, at a reasonable price, and benefit our church coffers as well as the growers who belong to the Fair Trade cooperatives which produce these products. There is no downside to this activity that I can see. Most people in our congregation use one of the products we sell, so I don't understand why our sales are so minimal. It is rare for me to sell more than six or eight bags of coffee on a Sunday. When winter comes we have a few sales of hot chocolate, but very few of us purchase the tea products we offer. Our chocolate bars are probably the best sellers, in quantity, but few of us make that purchase, either.
By Dr. Finley C. Campbell CLARC. There was some important discussion generated by the request from the national Youth group to allow a White Allies of Youth of Color meeting to use our church, while a Youth and Young Adults of Color met out in Palatine. CLARC should be the official welcoming group for the White Allies Group. While I am tolerant of a variety of affinity or ID groups, I oppose all affinity groups based solely on the color of our skins rather than the content of our characters, especially at First U. A spirited discussion was held at the CLARC meeting about these objections. The Board made a general decision that any certified UU group should be allowed to use our church facilities. However, CLARC will be drafting up a letter outlining suggested criteria for race-based use of our facilities for the Boston office, copy to the Board. I and Joanne Kent will be working on the first draft. I am making a proposal to the CLARC leadership that CLARC serve as a facilitator for the White Allies Meeting, especially in helping to guarantee that the white allies are able to get to Palatine for a proposed meeting of the two groups. Speaking of CLARC, Frieda Stillermann and I will be setting up a schedule of Dialogue Circles on Race for the members and friends of the church in order to demonstrate an alternative way to discuss this complex issue, based on a successful program we carried out last year. The White Allies/Youth of Color contradiction offers us a rare opportunity to show how multiracial based dialogues work. We are also hoping to share our insights at the UUAGA meeting in St Louis this June. Racial Justice Task Force Nature of Racism course: we had a special meeting on Martin Luther King Jr Sunday to discuss the origins of neo-racism. I laid out how neo-racism emerged as a substitute for the old racism in the late 60's and early 70's and how this ideology was transmitted in to the UUA. We had a spirited debate on whether this was a conspiracy of the ruling class or just a policy emerging out of the ongoing existence of institutionalized racism. We also discussed the major differences between being a white ally in the struggle against racism and being a comrade. I will be proposing to the Racial Justice Task Force that the course become a community-based course rather than an Adult RE course since it deals with issues "beyond these walls."
Our deepest sympathy to Lorie Rosenblum on the death of her father, David Ryback on Saturday night, January 28, 2006. Our warmest thoughts and wishes are with Robin and Jim Moir and also with Win Kennedy. We are glad to hear that Herga Taylor is doing well. Our continuing warm thoughts and wishes are with her.
|