March, 2006
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Elsewhere you can find: Religious Education News By Danielle Gerrior RE Reflections Fred Rogers once wrote, "Learning and loving go hand in hand. My grandfather was one of those people who loved to live and loved to teach. Every time I was with him, he'd show me something about the world or something about myself that I hadn't even thought of yet. He'd help me find something wonderful in the smallest of things, and ever so carefully, he helped me understand the enormous worth of every human being. My grandfather was not a professional teacher, but the way he treated me (the way he loved me) and the things he did with me, served me as well as any teacher I've ever known." I recently attended the Meadville/Lombard Winter Institute, where, among other things, I heard Julie Tallard Johnson, a psychotherapist and teen mentor, talk about the need we all have to be shown the way to adulthood by loving and mature adults. She described this guided transition as initiation. What I believe Mr. Rogers is describing in the above quote is his own initiation into adulthood, and we can see from his life and from this reflection, that this initiation was central to who he would become as an adult himself. One of the points that Johnson made about this process is that only an initiated (that is, mature, self-aware, happy, engaged) adult can initiate a child. Therefore it behooves all of us who relate to children and youth, which is every adult in our church community, to take seriously our own initiation, if there are ways in which we have personal development yet to do. In order to offer something real and valuable to the young people we care for, we must have something real and valuable in ourselves to give. At that conference I recommitted myself to being a worthy initiator, and I hope you all will do so as well. Committee Meetings this Month
Among Us Our warmest wishes to Ann Germany, recovering after a hospitalization. Cards may be sent to: Ann Germany, c/o Mary Hamill, 852 Mobile Court Naperville IL 60540-6404. Our continuing warm thoughts are with Robin and Jim Moir, Win Kennedy, Herga Taylor, the MacClarence/Harden family and Pat MacClarence's mother, and the Oakes/Puszkiewicz family and David Puszkiewicz' mother. As many of you already know, this fall Eve Emshwiller will join the faculty of the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison is only 3 hours away, and Eve hopes for plenty of visitors from Chicago. She also promises to return to give a first forum on her research, which is aimed at conserving the biodiversity of crop plants. Kay Mann will have a painting exhibited in a senior show at the South Shore Cultural Center from March 5 through 31.
BOARD ACTIONS (February 2006) By Margaret Huyck (1) Charged the Committee on Congregational Participation (Bette Sikes, chair) to work with the other CCP members (e.g. Chairs of the Program Council, Social Justice Council, and Religious Education Councils) and Madeiria Myrieckes to develop small group gatherings to discuss participation in congregational life. (2) Adopted the following policy for handling restricted funds donated to the First Unitarian Society. "The Finance Committee, in consultation with the Treasurer, will: a) ask the donor whether funds not expended during the bequest year should be continued in a special fund; and b) decide when funds not retained as designated should be shifted to the general operating budget of the Society."
By Bette Sikes, President-Elect Our church's mission adopted in May 2004 reads: "We are a diverse, intentionally inclusive, sustaining community and a beacon of liberal religion, fostering spiritual and intellectual growth as we live out our shared values in the larger world." And a part of our vision statement of September 2004 calls us to "empowering a visible, effective ministry of social change" So how can we live up to our mission and our vision? What if our church had in its operating budget a line item (say, $10,000 to start with) for Social Mission Programs - programs to "make for a better world"? What if we as a church were to support the Hyde Park Transitional Housing Program aimed at helping a low-income family toward access to affordable housing plus help with other life problems? Perhaps the church could support the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee with an annual gift in addition to what members and friends give. Or take on other efforts in the larger community. How about helping out the Blue Gargoyle? Or increasing our current modest gift to Meadville Lombard Theological School, the Unitarian Universalist seminary across the street at 57th and Woodlawn. We could increase what the church gives to the Chicago Children's Choir. We could adopt an AIDS program in the city. We could support the UUA's Whitney Young Urban Ministry Program. There is much that we could do. Of course we would need to devise a fair way for deciding what programs to support. Some churches decide with periodic votes for a variety of programs. Others set up a special committee to make the decisions or follow other models. Can we begin this next year to take on such a Social Mission program? The program would add to the special offerings taken when particular needs arise. Do you think a Social Mission program would be an effective way to live out our shared vision?
This is the first of what we hope will be a series of articles about greeting guests at our church services. (A “guest” is someone you hope will return in a regular way, whereas a “visitor” connotes someone who is merely passing through). We hope to show both the importance of greeting guests and make some suggestions about how to do it. This month we share guest Krista Berliner’s reasons for first coming in to the church. Next month’s topic will be “How do I greet someone I don’t recognize?” - Bobbi Campbell, Chair, Membership Committee From Krista and Jon Berliner: “My husband, Jon, and I were married in June of last year. Jon was raised in a Jewish home, and I grew up a strict Catholic. When Jon and I married, we decided to explore different religious options. We tried several synagogues, a Catholic church, and also a Buddhist temple. On New Years Day, we were out for a morning walk and eventually found ourselves resting and drinking coffee on the steps of 5650 South Woodlawn Avenue. As we sat there, several people passed us and entered into the church. Each one gave us a friendly "Good Morning" as they passed, and my husband suggested that we go and check out the service. I was more reluctant, dressed in sweats and tennis shoes - plus what would I do with my cup of delicious, hot coffee? We entered the building and sat down, and I remember one of the first announcements was, "free trade coffee is for sale." I turned to Jon and said this is it! Since the first of the year we have been attending First Unitarian and have chosen this congregation as the place to explore a shared spiritual journey together as a new couple. We enjoy the service, the songs, and the sermons; we support the church's principles of diversity and respect for human dignity; and we feel welcomed and at home here. We look forward to further exploring the congregation and contributing to its religious community. “
A workshop entitled “Public Witness for UUs: Inspired Faith, Effective Action” will be held Saturday April 1st at Third Unitarian Church, 301 N. Mayfield, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Speakers will be John Hurley, Director for Information and Public Witness for the UUA, and Rob Keithan, Director of the Washington Office for Advocacy of the UUA. The workshop is sponsored by the UU Chicagoland Marketing Initiative, a program of the Chicago Area UU Council (CAUUC). The purpose of the workshop is to learn “how to develop a program of effective action for social justice, then use the news media to broaden our work into public witness.” Topics to be covered range from building effective social justice work, to “developing a public witness story by choosing an issue to bring to public attention,” to the practicalities of understanding the media, how it works and what it wants. Cost of the workshop is $20, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. You can register by email to howshak@rcn.com and pay at the door, or you can send a check in advance to CAUUC, 17 W. Maple St., Hinsdale IL 60521.
March 19 is Talent Auction Sunday following the 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). 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 -- this means no bidding, which allows for many to participate.
All members and friends are invited to participate in a Town Hall Meeting on Sunday, March 12, BEFORE church, from 8:30 and 9:30. The purpose of this meeting is to get opinions on various budget issues, including the prospect of designating some of our annual budget for social mission outreach (which is a separate item from Social Justice Council activities). The budget will still be in the process of being worked out, and this is an opportunity for those who are not directly involved in that process to make their views knows, and to have some questions answered. There will be treats and play activities available for children, and a continental breakfast will be served to adults, as well. Please take this opportunity to participate in a vital aspect of church life. Annual Stewardship Pledge Campaign By Ivan Lappin Our annual Stewardship Pledge Campaign will kick off on Sunday, April 2. Plans are in the works for an "every member" campaign, with the Stewardship Team visiting members individually, though other options will be possible as well. With the budgeting process currently going on, and the Town Hall Meeting scheduled for March 12, we hope you will begin to think about the place this church has in your life - and how you can contribute to its financial well being. Some exciting options are being explored so that we can truly begin to live our mission in the larger world. We hope you will be moved to join the excitement in the most generous fashion possible. Great Books First Unitarian’s Great Books Discussion Group will meet on Sunday March 12, at 11:30 a.m. in the Religious Education Resource Room. Two works by Franz Kafka are up for discussion, “Letter to My Father,” and “The Judgment.” Contact Kennie James or Gloria Gnatz if you need more information. Music Events Our February 11 Jazz Concert was a great success! Eighty people enjoyed romantic jazz, good company, and delicious refreshments. Many thanks to those who obtained ads and sponsors for the program book (Chuck and Joan Staples, Dick Snow, Cindy Pardo, Evelyn Johnson, Mary Lee Greenlee); Patti Stark, who coordinated refreshments with Margaret Huyck, Cindy Pardo, and Lorie Rosenblum; Chuck and Richard Blough who took in and counted the money. If you wish to be a sponsor, we will have an insert for additional ads and sponsors. Michael Thorn, Ben Willis, and Rick Shandling played hard and beautifully! Sing for Joy “Sing for Joy,” a very special concert by our own church choir, will be performed Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. The concert will feature organ solos by Music Director Michael Thorn, hymn-singing with the audience, and offerings by the choir covering a wide variety of styles - a renaissance motet, classical pieces by Mozart and Brahms, spirituals and gospel, contemporary love songs, and a section of Michael Thorn’s “Jazz Mass.” A reception will follow the concert. Donation is $10, or $7 for students and seniors.
The Membership Committee will be sponsoring orientations every Sunday until mid-June (except for Talent Auction, Easter, and the Annual Meeting). Orientations will be held in the VOV Gallery at 11:30 unless otherwise announced. All guests and members seeking more information on the church or the scheduled topics are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions. (Notice there are eight topics, each repeated twice.)
THE CHARLOTTE LACKNER ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE INVITES YOU TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF RACE AND RACISM IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY IN AN OPEN AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT! These discussions will occur within a Dialogue Circle format -- a structured meeting in which different aspects of race and racism are explored in a safe, multiracial, confidential, small group. The discussions will be led by two trained facilitators, Finley Campbell and Frieda Stillerman, who have themselves participated in Dialogue Circles under the auspices of the Charlotte Lackner Anti-Racism Committee (CLARC). This series is open to members and friends of First U only! It requires a commitment by the participants to be present at all six sessions. This time commitment is an important part of the work, and is fundamental to it. Dates: February 24, March 10, March 24, April 21, May 5, May 26, Time: 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Location: The RE Resource Room at First Unitarian PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS EXCITING, VITAL SERIES OF DISCUSSIONS!
The Adult Religious Education Committee and Rev. Nina Grey are still planning the church's small group ministry or Chalice Circles. Four facilitators have been recruited for the Chalice Circles. Therefore, leadership is available for two groups of seven to twelve participants. Rev. Grey will provide the training for facilitators. The purpose of the small group ministry is to deepen the spiritual lives of participants and by extension the spiritual life of the church itself. It provides a setting for the growth of intimacy and community based upon an agreed-on covenant. Readings are provided to stimulate consideration of a theme. Chalice Circles are scheduled to begin at the end of March, according to the most convenient times for those expressing interest. Those interested in joining a Chalice Circle or requiring more information should contact Rev. Grey or Phiefer Browne.
The Affordable Housing Forum is moving right along! Remember, it will be Saturday morning, April 29, from 8:30 to noon. The panel -- Win Kennedy, Alderwomen Toni Preckwinkle and Leslie Hairston, and Pat Wilcoxen - will be followed by small group discussion and plans for action. Representatives from various housing and public interest groups are being invited. Sponsors include: Social Justice Council and Racial Justice Task Force of First Unitarian Church, Interfaith Open Communities - Hyde Park Cluster, OWL Illinois, Hyde Park OWL, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council. The title of the forum is, “The Changing Nature of Our Community: Can You Afford to Live Here?” It will be right here, in First Unitarian Church. This is your chance to have your say on this important issue. For more information, call Joan Staples.
The informational pocket cards for hungry persons in Hyde Park are now available. You can get a packet at the Social Justice Council table during social hour. Also available is a small flier produced by the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice entitled "If You or Someone You Know in Chicago Needs Help". It lists contact information for a number of services. The Midwest Workers Association Tamale Benefit has come and gone with help from two members of the SJC. MWA is still collecting blankets and warm clothes, which can be brought to church on Sundays. Work on the 1st Congressional District candidates forum, scheduled for Feb. 25, is ongoing. At the Feb. 9 SJC meeting we asked the question about how to decide if we want to continue to work with MWA as our social justice project. It was generally felt that we need to evaluate the MWA work, and should put it on the agenda for the March meeting. We invite people who have worked with or otherwise have opinions about MWA to come to the meeting or to offer email or written commentary on their experience. The next meeting will be Thursday, March 9, at 7:15 pm. Meetings are open -- all are welcome!
The adult religious education course, Biblical Foundations of Social
Justice, led by Rev. Viola Moore, has made the following changes.
Starting in March it will meet from 7:30 to 9 on the second and fourth
Mondays. On March 13 and 27, it will meet at the church in the RE Resource
Room. After the 27th, the course will be closed to new participants
and it will meet in the home of Rev. Moore. There will be ten sessions
in all. So far the course has examined justice passages in the books
of Genesis and Leviticus and the next sessions will examine the books
of the prophets. All church members and friends are welcome. Racial Justice Task Force Report The task force has assessed the 2006 Emancipation Proclamation pageant for strengths and weaknesses. We anticipate making future performances fund raisers for major organizations fighting racial injustice, providing they agree to encourage attendance by their membership. This should both help boost attendance and would serve as an outreach activity by the church. House Joint Resolution 88, to establish the first week of January as a time to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation, was modified by Rep. Currie and co-sponsors to only address the first week of 2007, so we will need to seek more permanent recognition through another vehicle, probably a regular bill, during the next General Assembly. HJR 88 is moving along in the Illinois House and lays out historical facts that help educate members of the General Assembly and others who will see the final product, facts that we would not be able to get presented in a piece of legislation. If HJR88 passes, Finley will develop a 45 to 50 minute version of the pageant, one geared toward performance by school theater groups, etc. The task force, with Alex Wolf serving as our liaison, is requesting DOC films present a 10 week film series, probably for the spring quarter, that will present films highlighting the fight against racism or which raise up multi-racial unity. Our request includes specific film titles and the information on the distributors. Next church year the Nature of Racism class will be scheduled on a weeknight and largely be marketed to the broader community. We had encouraged Joan Staples and others from First Unitarian to take to the Hyde Park Cluster of Interfaith Open Communities the initiative for a community forum on Affordable Housing in Hyde Park and surrounding communities. An ad hoc committee, representing multiple sources, came together to develop such a forum, which has been scheduled to be held at First Unitarian on Saturday, April 29, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The ad hoc committee has won the support of the Hyde Park Community Conference and our local Interfaith Council for this event, which includes breakout sessions to address various issues related to affordable housing after four panelists, including Win Kennedy, Pat Wilcoxen and Alds. Preckwinkle and Hairston address the set of pre-selected questions.
Civic Patronage Update The last question asked at the February 12 First Forum was "Michael, is the patronage level in Chicago less than at the time of the Shakman decree thirty-some years ago?" The speaker (Michael Shakman) said, "Certainly; at that time every one of the 42,000 city employees got their jobs by a hiring system controlled by the Democratic Party." He had just completed a fascinating and disturbing update on city employment patronage, including newer, often more subtle, ways to violate the intent of the decree, much of which is being published in our local newspapers. I will attempt a summary. The original patronage system operated almost exclusively through the Democratic Ward Committeemen; job openings were filled and employees dismissed based primarily on the willingness of the worker to help with election campaigns, not on anticipated or actual job performance. Interestingly, the city's legal defense has seldom been to deny the charges but to ask for dismissal of the case(s) because the plaintiffs didn't have "legal standing." Shakman said that the "culture of corruption" has not changed, simply adopted new tactics in ways that make detection more difficult. Instead of ward committeemen (who became less reliable allies and presumably provided a less secretive system), "voluntary" citizen organizations, often ethnically focused, have been created, controlled by party faithful and used to direct the political activities of city workers who were urged to join in exchange for preferential job treatment (e.g. greater access to lucrative overtime pay.). Among the current abuses are mock employee job interviews with the successful candidate selected in advance, selective city services to woo voters in wards where anti-machine or less loyal candidates for alderman challenge machine candidates, use of the CTA as a dumping ground for patronage employees, and massive fraud involving millions of dollars in such ventures as the Hired Truck initiative. He detailed several specific examples of discrimination against competent employees who would not agree to support partisan political endeavors and described several court decisions that have gone against the city in it efforts to get earlier decrees withdrawn or circumvent their intent by such ruses as hiring temporary workers not subject to the usual screening process.
A coalition of peace, civil rights, women's, environmental groups, and unions have announced a national April 29 demonstration and march in New York City to end the Iraq war. Politically, the coalition will embrace a wide range of organizations, ranging from communists to Catholics. A proposal to endorse and build for this April 29, anti-war and pro-social reforms action will be presented at the February 23rd meeting of the Racial Justice Task Force. If approved, we will focus on the racist-imperialist nature of the war and call for multiracial unity in opposing it. More information to follow. The Nature of Racism course met on February 19th as a part of the on-going lecture-discussion on the topic of anti-racist ideologies and actions in the historic fight against racism. The focus of this particular session was on the role of the Third International or Communist International (1921 - 1943) and its aftermath (1943 - 1953) in mobilizing that struggle, a movement which embraced an Eleanor Roosevelt on the one hand and a Josef Stalin (or Uncle Joe as named by President Roosevelt) on the other; encompassed black peasants in Arkansas, French intellectuals in Paris, Spanish artists in Madrid, freedom fighters in Nicaragua, Asian peasants in China. At our last Racial Justice Task Force meeting, we decided to continue the course as an in-house program but with invitations to the outside community. The 2006 - 2007 semester will be when we become a community-oriented course. I was blessed to preach at the Countryside Unitarian Universalist Church in Palatine for their Black History Month Service on February 12th, followed by a talk back after coffee hour. It was quite an experience. The high point was that when I reached my 20 minute limit and was prepared to end the sermon, they demanded that I continue. The subject of the sermon was: Building the Rainbow of Steel - the Multiracial Tradition in Black History. The First Unitarian Christian Fellowship was officially sanctioned in a meeting with Rev. Nina Grey on February 10. We will be taking part in her religious pluralism project as well as having our own identity. The group is open to all who are interested in exploring the religious side of the Christian vision. We are an intentional Christian group but with a variety of viewpoints on the reality of Jesus whether envisioned as an allegorical, divine, or historical persona and the relevance of Christian pluralism to our Unitarian Universalist denomination. Joanne Kent and I have agreed to co-chair the group. Our next meeting will be at the home of Rev. Viola Moore on Monday evening at 7:30 pm. Call Joanne for more information. A proposal to do a workshop at the April meeting of the Central Midwest District in Madison on steps for implementing the CMWD resolution calling for the building of anti-imperialist congregations in the district was ostensibly rejected. So, a proposal for a plan B will be submitted to the Nine Eleven Study Gr oup at our next meeting. The One and the Many: First Church Spiritual Pluralism Project Groups In Formation The One and the Many: Embracing Spiritual Pluralism in Congregational Life is a new project in the life of the church. A thesis project of Rev. Nina Grey, and progressing under the auspices of First Church's Adult Religious Education Committee, The One and the Many will involve creating a diversity of spirituality groups: UU Christian, UU Buddhist, UU Nature-Based, and UU Humanist. These groups will meet at least once monthly and will include study and practice in their programming. They will relate their experiences with study and practice to the principles of Unitarian Universalism, and there will be opportunities for dialogues among the groups. Rev. Grey has introduced the project idea in various church contexts, including her recent sermon, A Pluralistic World: Diversity in Nature and Spirit. A Coordinating Team to work with Rev. Grey in planning and development of the project is in place, and its current members are: Rev. Neil Gerdes, Allen Harden, Cynthia Oakes, Anita Orlikoff, and Rosemary Snow. The First Church UU Christian Group is already in formation, and its leaders are Finley Campbell and Joanne Kent. Plans are underway for the other groups to begin in March and April. Please contact Rev. Nina Grey with questions or if you are interested in joining one of the spirituality groups. Further information will be forthcoming in upcoming church orders of service announcements and next month's newsletter.
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. I would appreciate knowing what we need to do to get you to stop by the table and purchase your week's supply of your favorite beverage. The prices of our items are at least fifty cents lower per pound than neighborhood grocery stores. There is a huge range of roasts available, from French Roast to Columbian. Kids really love the hot chocolate mix. We have flavored coffees which are so delicious that one of our members regularly sends a case to her son in Paris! The majority of our coffees are organic, and all are grown with consideration for the environment. By the time you read this there will have been a tasting of a number of our varieties, including our hot chocolate and chocolate bars. I hope you will let me know how we can entice you to make your coffee, tea and chocolate purchases at First U's Coffee Table, because that purchase will benefit the church and the farmers who need our support. Soulful Sundown Soulful Sundown - "Circles of Freedom" - with musical guest Lia McCoo will take place at 6 pm Sunday, March 5th in Hull Chapel, sponsored by First Unitarian of Chicago's Young Adult and Campus Ministry. In honor of International Women's Day, the service will reflect on women's rights and how the struggle for women's equality affirms the rights of freedom for all. Edward Scott Michael is the Worship Leader. Because of Spring break at the University, there will be no YACM meeting on March 19th.
Rev. Thandeka is to address the Lyceum Series at Unity Temple in Oak Park on Saturday evening, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. Providing the inspiration for her lecture is her current book project, Resurrecting the Soul, which explores the history and meaning of the soul - and what she sees as the contemporary, imperiled state of our own souls. She will talk about “how to save our souls and, in so doing, save the world.” Thandeka is currently a distinguished lecturer at Harvard Divinity School. She is an Emmy-award winning television producer and a senior research professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School. One of the Unitarian Universalist movement’s most original and influential theologians, she is a provocative thinker about the role of race in our national consciousness and the potential of small group ministry to transform lives. Unity Temple is located at 875 Lake St. in Oak Park. For more information
contact the church office at (708) 848-6225, or lyceum@unitytemple.org.
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