May, 2006
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Elsewhere you can find: Religious Education News By Danielle Gerrior RE Reflections
Looking forward to next year, the RE council and I are beginning our
search for next year’s teachers. The theme for each class will
be our Jewish and Christian heritage, an important and juicy topic.
Knowledge about the bible or religious history is not a pre-requisite
for teachers! As always, we are looking for people who are committed
to children, have energy and patience, and feel they have something
to offer. If you have interest in teaching, please contact Catherine
Harth-Stern or me. We are also seeking a teacher and a band of volunteers
for the summer Sunday school class. As we do not have regular classes,
attendance over the summer tends to be quite small, but that also offers
the opportunity to have fun with and get to know a small group of children
of a wide range of ages. There is a stipend for the regular teacher.
Again, please see Catherine Harth-Stern or me if you are interested.
Committee Meetings this Month CLARC - Sun. May 28 at 1:00 p.m. Comm. On Ministry - Tues. May 30 at 6:00 Executive Comm. - Wed. May 3 at 5:30 p.m. Mgmt. Consulting - Tues. May 9 at 6:30 p.m. Membership - Tues. May 23 at 7:00 p.m. Pastgoral Care Assoc. - Fri. May 12 at 6:30 p.m. Program Council - Tues. May 2 at 7:00 p.m. Racial Justice TF - Thurs. May 25 at 7:15 p.m. RE Council - Thurs. May 11 at 6:30 p.m. Social Justice - Thurs. May 11 at 7:15 p.m. Trustees - Thurs. May 18 at 7:00 p.m. Worship & Music - Thurs. May 4 at 7:00 p.m.
STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CAMPAIGN Do you sense the excitement about what we are becoming? Our Stewardship Pledge Team does! The initiatives proposed for our coming fiscal year - health care and fair wages for our staff, increased funding for the care of our building, and the use of our plate offerings to fund social mission outreach - have generated generous pledging from those who have been canvassed. We expect to be able to take advantage of most of the President's Challenge Grant (up to $20,000) through increased and new pledging, and many people who have already been recipients of our "every member and friend" campaign tell us they appreciate the opportunity to discuss their concerns and hopes for our beloved community. Have you been contacted about your pledge yet? Our stewardship Pledge Team is eager to have those face to face conversations with you. If we have missed you, please let the office or Ivan Lappin know. The extent of our ability to follow through on our initiatives depends on how well they are funded. The excitement about our initiatives can spread to many areas of church life - but we must create the financial foundation to support them. We are well on our way. Won't you join us? Chalice Circles Begin Again Through the Small Group Ministry Chalice Circles, we are presenting an opportunity for in-depth conversation about the values that bind us together. In the Chalice Circles we’ll share ideas and stories about the ways we express our core values in our daily lives and in the world. We believe that the Chalice Circles will help participants grow in understanding of our values. The Chalice Circle conversations will also strengthen our ability to articulate our values. Since each Chalice Circle includes an act of service during the year, this is also an opportunity to implement our UU values. The Chalice Circle leaders have been trained and are ready to form new Chalice Circle groups. We are beginning one group in early May. There are facilitators for potentially three different groups. The Chalice Circles will be ongoing, with no pre-determined ending point, and they will meet once or twice a month for two hours. Each group will form its own covenant describing how they will be together. Sunday Afternoon Concerts Music Director Michael Thorn has organized a series of Sunday Afternoon Concerts at First Church in May. The concerts begin at 3:00 p.m., are free, and last about one hour. Mark Valenti kicked off the series on April 30 with a concert of piano works by Shubert, Chopin and Debussy. On Sunday, May 7, the series presents our own Leah McCoo, together with her singing partner Moriyah, in a program of world music. The program on Sunday, May 14, features the Chicago Music Association, an organization of African-American classical music composers. On Sunday, May 21, Michael Thorn will present a program of his own compositions for organ. “Unity and Poetry” Course Begins This Thursday In this four-week class, poetry is used to deepen our awareness and acceptance of one another. It meets for four successive Thursday evenings, beginning May 4, at 7 p.m. in the VOV Gallery. Taught by Krista Berliner, a freelance writer and poet, and Jon Berliner, a PhD candidate in American Literature at the University of Chicago. UU Christian Group The First UU Christian Group of the Spiritual Pluralism Project will continue to meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays. It will meet May 9 and 23 and June 13 and 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the RE classroom. The group is presently taking further meetings during the summer months under consideration. Anyone interested in joining this group should contact Rev. Grey.
Two New Initiatives . . . Katrina CAREvan Can you imagine what our beautiful church home would look like after it had eight feet of water in it for weeks? What if your own residence had suffered the same fate? Certainly, many of us have seen the continuing pictures and stories from New Orleans and thought about doing more than sending money to help. The Katrina CAREvan Task Force is presently organizing at least one group to go to New Orleans for a week to help with reconstruction of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. We are tentatively planning for one group to go July 8-16, and another group August 5-13, so that people will have a good opportunity to participate. Working through First Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge (the only church in the area which did not sustain some kind of damage), we envision driving with a group of 20, tools, and provisions to do whatever work needs to be done. In talking with our contacts there, we have learned that if we show up they will have work for us. The supply is endless. This will not be easy. It will be hot, muggy, buggy - as the minister we have been working with said, "You are coming to a third world country." They recommend against folks with allergies, heart problems, or any other major health issues. Youth 14 and older would be welcome, with a parent, but this is NOT an activity for younger children. We will be sleeping on air mattresses which we will need to bring. We may need to organize our own food service (or find restaurants). There will be work for folks who would like to be there but truly feel that construction work is not their forte. We are still in the process of organizing this effort, but if you might be interested in participating, we need to know. We will also be inviting area UU congregations, as well as our friends in the Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council. As we go further with this process, there will be more information about details, and plenty of opportunity to provide support if you can't physically go with us. We will be needing supplies - and funds, I'm sure. Please contact Richard or Cindy Pardo, or Ken Schug if you may be able to come with us. The work is important, and we are much needed. UU Legislative Ministry Planned I just returned from the UU Central Midwest District Assembly in Madison WI where I met three Illinois UU ministers, several lay people, and some CMwD staff to talk about my hope that a Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry (UULM) might be created here in Illinois. At our Saturday luncheon discussion, the Rev. Martin Woulfe (who some of you might remember from his Meadville student days) took the lead in suggesting an initial plan of action. Martin is the first settled minister at the Abraham Lincoln UU Church in Springfield, is very supportive of the UULM idea and is ideally located in our state capital to play a crucial role in such an endeavor. Two other UU ministers have already expressed support, Rev. John Biedler from Decatur and Rev Brian Covell from Third U Chicago. Several lay members from around the state - Chicago (New Garden & 2d U), Joliet, Oak Park, Springfield, Urbana - signed a "put me on the mailing list" sheet at my poster board display. Martin agreed to follow up with a letter to all Illinois UU ministers outlining some of the ideas we came up with (see below) and enlisting their support. I will contact Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of the California UULM (subject of Lee Barker's First Forum several months ago which got me started) who responded to my previous email by offering to advise on how to do initial planning, especially getting start up funding. If we follow the California precedent, there would eventually be a statewide coalition based in the state capitol with separate but interconnected educational and lobbying arms to advocate for (and against) state legislation which intersects with our "commonly held UU principles". One possible initial scenario would be a part time UU community minister based in Springfield who would be active there during the legislative sessions and in the "off season" would visit UU churches around the state to inform congregants of UULM's achievements and seek support (volunteers and money). For those interested the (extensive) California website address is http://www.uulmca.org/. I would like to hear from any First U folks who would be interested is assisting with this effort. [kschug@msn.com, a note in my church mail slot, or a tap on my shoulder].
Report of the Nominating Committee The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce its nominees for the elective offices of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago. Elections will take place during the Annual Meeting of the Society on Sunday, May 21, 2006. All terms begin July 1, 2006, and will continue through June 30 of the year specified for each position. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting. PRESIDENT: The President for the next year is Bette Sikes, who was elected President-elect last year and is returning for a special fourth year on the Board PRESIDENT-ELECT: Cindy Pardo (serves as President in 2007-2008) Board of Trustees (three year terms): Cindy Pardo (2009) Continuing Trustees: Diana Gray, Pat McClarence, Ken Schug (2007), Joe Cherry, Stephen Stern (2008) R.E. Council (three-year terms): Polly McCoo (2009) Continuing Members: Melissa Harris-Lacewell, David Puszkiewicz, Dolores Rosenblum (2007), Finley C. Campbell, Cheryl Wagner (2008) Program Council Chair : Joannne Kent - also 2nd alternate to the Board (2007) Social Justice Council Chair : Vacant Nominating Committee (T=past Trustee, I=incumbent) Betty Holcomb (T, I) 2007 Respectfully submitted, 2006 Nominating Committee:
NEEDED: Greeters who will stand at the front door of the church after church service to thank guests who choose not to stay for coffee hour for attending. Expect to be contacted by Polly McCoo! Gary Yasutake Longtime Hyde Park resident and First Unitarian Church member Gary Yasutake died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on March 15 after a brief illness. Gary was 84 at the time of his death. Gary moved to Hyde Park in 1944, where he met his late wife Aki, who was also a beloved member of the church. Gary and Aki raised their four children, Kristine, Kim, Karen and Kerry in our church, where they attended church school and participated in the Chicago Children's Choir. Aki served for many years as our beloved Office Assistant, and Aki’s Place is named for her. Aki was known for her warm hospitality and her artistic contributions to church life. Gary photographed all her altar arrangements and creative church signs. Gary and Aki were members of First Church for more than 40 years. For most of Gary’s work life he worked as a chemist at National Lacquer and Paint in Chicago. Gary and Aki were two of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans forced into detention during World War II by the United States government, although they did not know each other. Gary was uprooted from his home in Sacramento, Calif. by the FBI and detained for more than a year in barracks made of tarpaper and wood. No charges were ever brought against him or evidence produced to show disloyalty or espionage. When Gary was freed from the camp he looked to Chicago for a fresh start. "Hyde Park was slightly more liberal," said his daughter Kristine. "They thought they would have a chance here." Kristine said her family made her aware of what happened, but people rarely talked about their experiences in much detail. "Every Japanese American 60 and older who I have known was interned," she said. A memorial service was held in our church on April 15. Gary is survived by his four children and their spouses; two grandchildren; a sister and her spouse; a brother and his spouse; and eight nieces and nephews. Spring Banquet Committee Needs a Few
More Helping Hands!
You are invited to lend a "helping hand." Whether your hands are BIG or small, they are needed. June 18th will be approaching soon. It's not too late to get in on the planning of the third Annual Spring Banquet. A few more people are needed to help the Co-Chairs, Reesey Walton and Jim Proctor, help plan this lovely (end of the fiscal year) event. Help is needed with menu selection, publicity & flier design, selection of decorations, table set up, clean-up, light shopping or typing.
If you are new to First Church, or are an "old timer", this is a great opportunity to get involved and become an active part of "the First Church community". Big hands or small, a lot of time to spare or a little, a "take charge" person or "tell me what to do", outgoing or shy, we NEED YOU! Please contact Reesey Walton: R2LOCWalton@aol.com or Jim Proctor: jproctor@superiordigital.com. Among Us Congratulations to the Ali/Proctor family on the birth of Ethan Blaine Walker, son of Muna and Tony Walker, of Cheltenham, PA, grandson of Aneesah and Jim, and nephew of Zarinah. Ethan came into the world on Saturday, April 22, 2006, weighing 8 lbs 13 oz, and 21 inches long. Welcome, Ethan! Our continuing warm and caring wishes for healing to: Rev. David Arksey's father; and Pat MacClarence's mother. Our warm and caring healing wishes also to Gloria Gnatz; Ann Germany; Robin Moir; and Joan Staples. Our continuing deepest condolences to Ellen LaRue, her family and friends on the recent death of Ellen's mother, and the Yasutake family and their friends on the recent death of Gary Yasutake. Congratulations to Susan Scrimshaw, who received the Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois Public Health Association in Springfield on April 26. The award is for her 11 years of contributions to education, policy and leadership for the health of the people of Illinois. An unexpected bonus for those attending the Central Midwest District Assembly was the opportunity to play catch up with Julie Neuman, our long time treasurer, who moved to Wisconsin a year and a half ago and attended the assembly with two other members from her current UU Sister Bay congregation in Door County What I Learned at the District Assembly
We had a great time at the District Assembly in Madison, WI, April 21 & 22. “We” includes Rev. Nina Grey, President Ken Schug, Secretary Margaret Huyck, Property Committee Chair Joan Pederson, and Finley Campbell. We were all inspired by Rabbi Michael Lerner's keynote speech on the need for spiritual activism on the left. You will be hearing more about this. I attended two workshops. The first was on how to recruit volunteers. It was suggested that asking people to take on new tasks at church might not work too well if we say things like, "The last two people who took on this job left the church..." or "We can't even pay someone to do this work." Much, much better approaches focus on the interests and gifts of the person being asked. Counter-intuitive volunteer recruitment focuses on "We are called, gifted, challenged, equipped, and celebrated." The second workshop was about "Policy Governance." Policy governance involves rearranging the way the church or other institution is organized and kept functioning. Although I found much to think about, I still don't understand it well enough to tell anyone else about it. It is always good to be with our co-religionists.I urge you to consider planning to attend the UUA's General Assembly in St. Louis June 22-25. Report on the Midwest District Annual
Meeting I lived in Madison for five years as a chair and assistant professor in the Afro-American Studies Department. Since the CMWD event itself is covered elsewhere in our newsletter, I will only focus on my special moments. First, there was this powerful, uplifting opening address by Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of the new book, the Left Hand of God. Thanks to the efforts of Brother Mitchell Green, I was introduced to him and he invited me to join his new group and to help him with two projects: using my influence (modest as it is) to get Senator Obama to participate in a conference he is having in Washington and to use my contacts among black Baptists to get them to attend. He also suggested that I submit my resume outlining my own speaking activities. Unfortunately, I have a major political disagreement with his co-convener, Dr. Cornel West, which I need to work out before I participate in this. But it was quite an honor to at least be invited to do so.
The main reason for going to the CMWD was to participate in the anti-racism workshops -- one on assessing our churches' efforts to deal with racism and oppression, and one on being an ally -- around issues of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. Since I am in strong opposition to the UUA's official approach to dealing with racism, (i.e., people of color in one place/white allies in another when special meetings are called) both within and without the denomination, I decided to at least participate to get a better understanding of the process. It was quite educational and a lot of "stuff" came out, when we did some of the exercises. Margaret Huyck and I shared the latter workshop together and worked as a team on some of the simulations. However, the high point for me was when we came to the white ally/people of color simulation. As the only colored folk in the room, I went to the oppressed side of the room and all my white brothers and sisters to the ally side. Well, to my joy and astonishment, a young white sister came over and stood with me -- with a great deal of fear and trembling as she admitted. She also saw herself as a victim of racism. Intuitively, she grasped the fact that the racism of the capitalist elite was hurting her as well as me. That, according to my ideological outlook, we both were victims of racism. And, the beauty of it was that she did not back down from standing with me. First Forum Reports “Marching to Jerusalem” The First Forum on April 9 was a “talk back” to my sermon that morning, “Marching to Jerusalem.” Some 15 people showed up to discuss the sermon; however, the main focus was "marching to New York on the 29th." Many thoughts were shared. There was a lively discussion about whether or not marches like this accomplished anything. I referred to the fact that the marches against what I regard as the anti-immigrant/ racist Sessenbrenner bill had stopped it from being railroaded through. Alex Wolf pointed out that the marches like these had two major effects: they showed our military service people that we were not backing a war which was getting them killed, wounded, demoralized, and mentally injured -- and such marches strengthened our own social justice resolve for local actions. Social Justice Report Several members of the Social Justice Council, together with several members of the Communications Committee, attended a workshop entitled "Public Witness for UU's" at Third Unitarian Church. The workshop, very interesting and inspiring, has been described as about public relations with a social justice focus. A key point raised could be stated as - remember that when we do social justice work it is as a religious community Three new people attended the April 13 meeting of the Social Justice Council. Kate Young came to introduce her concept of education and advocacy around health issues. She has had information at the SJC table about the new organ donor law and more. We are lucky to have Kate here doing this work among us. A young man Gordon Mayer, a friend of a member of our church, also came. He was distressed by the low turnout in the primary election and wanted to start a project in his home Fourth Ward Precinct to increase interest in elections. The consensus was that the SJC was not the logical partner for this project, but he might find sympathetic individuals here. Cindy and Richard Pardo have an idea for a special service project for this summer. Cindy came to the meeting to explain how they want to organize a group or two to travel down to Louisiana to help in the cleanup and recovery. She asked for the blessing of the SJC, which she got, of course! Ken Schug will join with Richard and Cindy to form a task force. To make this idea become reality will be a huge effort, requiring much from many people working together. It will be another way to bring to life the words of our unison affirmation - "Love is the spirit of this church, service its law..." The Day of Action for Peace and Justice, April 29, 2006, is still coming up. We are hoping for the Affordable Housing Forum and the Anti-Iraq War demonstration in New York City to be wonderfully successful. Our congregation has many people involved in both. We salute our Board of Trustees for backing the Forum and the participation of the SJC in the demonstration. On Sunday, April 9, the SJC took up a special collection for the UUSC work with Darfur refugees. The congregation gave $898 for this much needed work! The next SJC meeting will be Thursday, May 11, at 7:15 p.m.. Meetings are open. All are welcome. Racial Justice Task Force Report As a form of outreach, the Racial Justice Task Force is trying to hold a community forum, in place of a task force meeting, either every other month or at least once per calendar quarter. On March 23 we hosted a community forum on Race and War. It drew a dozen participants, including three folks who were not members of the church, for a lively discussion of the role of race in America's current and prior wars. The role of other factors behind America's current wars was also discussed. For our next community form, which is expected to be held on either Thursday May 25, or Thursday June 29, we hope to have an expert speak on the racial statistics and other reflections on equal or unequal treatment in the prosecution of a wide range of crimes. There will also be time for discussion by all in attendance. Illinois House Joint Resolution 88, to establish the first week of January, 2007, as a time to learn about and celebrate the Emancipation Proclomation throughout the state, passed the Illinois House in late February. We thought, per a message from Rep. Currie, that Sen. Raoul would be sponsoring the measure in the IL Senate, but this did not happen and the measure has stalled. The task force endorsed the May 1st Chicago Rally and March for Immigrants Rights, as there has been a significant element of opposition to having too many people of color in much of the current and past opposition to liberal immigration policies. The rally gathers between 10 am and noon at Union Park , roughly 1500 W. Randolph, then marches downtown, later ending with a celebration at Haymarket Square. Several members of the task force with be participating. Meadville Lombard Commencement Commencement ceremonies for Meadville Lombard Theological School will be held at our church on June 4 at 3:00 p.m.. All are welcome to attend. The speaker will be Rev. Dr. Richard Gilbert, Minister Emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester. The One and the Many -- Spiritual Pluralism Project The one and the many, the Spiritual Pluralism Project, has begun. This small group project provides opportunities for deepening your spirituality along a chosen path. Participants are welcome with much, little or no level of experience in their chosen spirituality. Each participant is limited to joining only one group. Dialogue among the groups will be part of the project. Speak with Rev. Nina Grey for more information about any groups: the UU Buddhist (Jessica Purple Rodela, facilitator), UU Christian (Finley Campbell and Joanne Kent, co-facilitators), UU Humanist (David Breeden, facilitator), and UU Nature-Based Group (Ellen Cooper-Davis, facilitator). Talk on Death Penalty North Shore Unitarian Church presents Sister Helen Prejean speaking on "Dead Men Walking -- The Journey Continues," Thursday, May 4, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 2100 Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL. Sister Helen Prejean is a tireless opponent of the death penalty. Author of Dead Man Walking , her new book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, continues her legacy. An offering will be taken to support Sister Helen's social justice ministry, The Moratorium Campaign. Her books will be for sale and she will do a book signing after the presentation. For information, call 847-234-2460 or email www.nsuc.org. Human Rights in Our Times UUs for Social Justice, the social justice affiliate of the Chicago Area UU Council, will hold its spring quarterly meeting on Sunday, May 28, beginning at 2 p.m. The site will be Third Unitarian Church, 301 N. Mayfield (5900 west) in Chicago. The program portion of the meeting, between 2 and 3 p.m., will feature Sheila Murthy of the Center for Constitutional Rights, speaking on "Human Rights in Our Times". The UUSJ Board meeting, which is open to all, will follow the program part of the meeting. UU General Assembly The annual General Assembly of the UUA will be held June 21-25 in St. Louis, Missouri. The theme is “Toward Right Relations.” On-line registration is now available at www.uua.org/ga. You may also apply by mail. Registration forms are available in the office. GA is handicap accessible. Children’s and Youth programming is available. You may also plan to volunteer at www.uua.org/ga/ga06/Volunteer. (Volunteering lowers the cost of registration.) Please let Bobbi Campbell know if you plan to attend GA. Please let church president Ken Schug know if you would like to be a church delegate to GA. First Unitarian Christian Group The First Unitarian Christian Group is now an active part of Rev. Nina Grey's religious pluralism project, being led by Joanne Kent and myself On Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Good Friday, we had a discussion about the meaning of Maundy Thursday and the role which Judas played during that time, especially in light of the so-called Gospel of Judas. We then went to a local Episcopalian Church for their traditional service, which included taking part in the singing, various readings, etc. Joanne and I, as co-leaders of the group, have also been meeting with other members of the project under Rev. Nina's guidance. At our last Christian meeting, we decided to follow Rev. Nina's proposal to develop a covenant, and we settled on our meeting times for the rest of the church year -- the second and fourth Tuesday of May and June, with special programs in the summer. We also saw an excerpt from the film AMEN, showing the protest of Lutheran and Catholic authorities and a few of their congregations against euthanasia against non-Jewish German citizens. The rest of the movie deals with the efforts to extend that protest to oppose the anti-Jewish Holocaust. We plan to show the film in its entirely as a FUCG event. Those interested in joining our group should contact Rev. Nina Grey, our senior minister, at 773-324-4100 ext 16. One does not have to be a Christian to join our group. What they were saying at First Forum . . Chicago's Worst "Disease" In 1995, Gary Slutkin, our April 23 First Forum speaker, a physician by training, returned to Chicago from several years in a pioneering anti-AIDS effort in Africa, looking for a way to make a difference in his "home town". His decision was to use an epidemiological approach to counter Chicago's 800 pound gorilla - i.e. street violence, specifically, rampant murders of each other by predominantly "minority" teenagers and young adults. As an analogy to the perceived "illogicalness" of this approach he asked us to move back 300 years, imagine a room the size of Chris Moore parlor with people coughing, and someone telling us that the coughers were transmitting a disease to the non-coughers via something invisible to us all! With the help of Susan Scrimshaw, Dean of the UIC School of Public Health (UIC SPH), Gary found an academic base and founded the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention whose first initiative (Ceasefire) works with community-based organizations (e.g. WHO in Woodlawn has been recently added) to intervene in conflicts, or potential conflicts and promote alternatives to violence [http://www.ceasefirechicago.org]. The front line workers, now 70 in number, are ex-offenders who monitor 3000 clients (= possible violence perpetrators) with intensive intervention with 150 "most likely cases." Since most behavior is based on copying what one has observed, the focus is to help the clients accept non-violent alternatives to habitual responses, e.g revenge for the killing of a relative or comrade. In addition to work with individuals, the community is recruited to provide reinforcement of the nonviolence message by staging public demonstrations after shootings, placing signs in store windows, etc., to help create an anti-violence climate. Ceasefire has worked out amicable cooperative arrangements with the Chicago Police Department and other public agencies and have shown a dramatic 70% decrease (403 to 124) in shootings in 8 zones (covering 16 police beats) in which they have operated for between 1 and 6 years (average= 3) - without an offsetting increase in non-impacted areas. The program has expanded to suburban Maywood and Rockford, Illinois and similar approaches are being adopted in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Newark (New Jersey). Susan, who had been trying for three years to get Gary to find time for a First Forum, added the following comments: (1) the outreach workers are a courageous, inspiring, "utterly amazing" group; (2) our church was one of many faith-based and other nonprofit organizations to endorse Ceasefire when it was started in 1999; (3) supporters should do what they can to ensure continued support from public sources, e.g. city, county and state. Black Fathers The March 26 First Forum was given by Waldo E. Johnson, Jr, Associate Professor at the School of Social Service Administration and Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. Prof. Johnson took exception to the adage that "a rising tide raises all boats" as far as young adult (20-29) African American males are concerned; e.g., the unemployment rate (for all causes, including incarceration) increased from 65% in the year 2000 to 73% in 2004. Associated with this fact is that many of these males consider "swagger' more important than "employment". Prof. Johnson told us of his participation in a seven year national study evaluating low income black couples in their child rearing years in which he focused on the (often illegitimate) fathers.. Many of these fathers do not live with their "families" and have limited contact with their children for a variety of reasons, some personal (e.g. , drug abuse, violence toward mothers) and some due to public policies (e.g., DCFS and the judicial system ignore non-custodial fathers and thus fail to acknowledge that the best interests of the children should include nurturing by a male.) A new Young Fathers Initiative involves intensive interaction with 200 local black fathers (18-30 years old) and explores such areas as their aspirations that their children will "do better:" than they did (usually not supported by their interactions because of their own deprived childhoods and low interpersonal skills.) Retrospective data is obtained on the subject's past socialization, looking for significant patterns, then prospective predictions based on multiple interviews. During the discussion period he described a study subject that he had interviewed often and was pleased by the rapport he had achieved. After two months he noticed that the subject's responses were inconsistent with earlier ones When confronted, the subject admitted he had been jiving Waldo (giving expected answers) until he realized that Waldo really wanted to hear the truth. TAKING BACK OUR COUNTRY FROM THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT Talk by Rabbi Michael Lerner at Central Midwest District Annual Assembly in Madison, Wisconsin. Notes by Margaret Huyck; edited by Ken Schug Rabbi Lerner’s presentation was based on his book The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country From the Religious Right (Harper SanFrancisco, 2006) Why are middle income folks moving to the right - when their economic interests are not being served by doing that? Lerner's group has been studying that enigma for the past 29 yrs using in depth focus groups over 10 week periods. The participants talked about what is going on in their lives; most begin with world of work because they spend most of their time there. They have learned that to "succeed" they must maximize the bottom line of their employers. This attitude then gets applied to how they look at others in their non-work lives. One must look out for one's self; that's just the way it is. They view it as the "real world", incapable of change. At home, they find themselves also surrounded by people who are also looking out for themselves. When confronted with their perceptions, most acknowledged they hated this way of living. They yearned for some connection to a larger cause, a higher purpose. This often is translated into a "we want money" attitude - as a compensation for a wasted life or so we can save enough to retire early and finally do something we feel is meaningful. The Democratic party is often not responsive to this message, because it tends to dismiss many in this social strata that they consider not intellectual enough or "too spiritual". People hunger for a life of meaning but this bottom-line mentality corrodes relationships - e.g. friendships. By turning them into "exchange" transactions, as others become ill/frail/needy, friends withdraw when they can no longer return favors done. This makes people feel more alone and afraid. They perceive that friendships no longer provide solidarity. When relationships become about meeting my needs, much is changed. In dating, find same workplace mentality, leading to cynicism about all possible partners. Marriages much more insecure when surrounded by culture of competition within relationships. Rationally, either partner may find another person who seems to fill more of their needs. Those who are young, conventionally attractive, and financially secure, may not be disturbed because they assume they can compete successfully in dating market. If not, it can be terribly frightening. It is almost impossible to grow up in this society and not have internalized this perception. The alternative is a spiritual consciousness about others. This means we see others as fundamentally valuable, a representation of the sacred. The spiritual crisis in America (so-called on the basis of a study of 10,000 people) exists because people 1) are not adequately recognized except in a utilitarian way; and 2) have no opportunity to contribute to a higher meaning in the work force. The religious right has articulated the crisis based on selfishness. The social system needs transformation. Similar to the Women's Movement when they identified the problem, and assured women that they were not to blame. The religious right named the ethos of selfishness, and get credibility for that. Then they blame the collapse of community, extreme individualism on feminists (because want equal pay and jobs), gays & lesbians (not raising next generation of children, so just have sex for the fun of it instead of taking the consequences); all secular or liberal groups,, immigrants, activist judges... The irony is that the right is the primary force in the economy championing selfish interests - e.g. against living wage, health and safety standards, environmental protection. They claim that if companies are allowed to maximize their own wealth, benefits will trickle down; they thus condone the selfishness of corporations. They get away with it because liberals are not in the discourse, do not acknowledge spiritual crisis, and are bewildered by spiritual terms. Liberals indulge in what I view as scientism in their rejection of the spiritual. "Scientism" is defined as the misuse of scientific method by applying it to all domains, not just those validated by sense data. While they allow religion in the private sphere, in public sphere only science is allowed. But "scientism" is really a religion, a belief system where the fundamental assumptions cannot be tested by sense data. The left is willing to fight for redistribution of what can be measured - e.g. wealth, voting, jobs. It is important to fight for inclusion - but we are not winning because the primary crisis for many Americans is deprivation of love, recognition and meaning. Lerner and his colleagues are now creating a network of spiritual progressives to have different dialogue. (www.spiritualprogressives.org) with the following goals: 1) Challenge misuse of God and religion by the right. Hear God's voice thru two competing frameworks - the cynical selfish one of power and domination, and the view of love and hope .Remind all that we survived at the beginning of our lives only because of love. 2) Challenge the religio-phobia of many liberals. We are losing the working class because they feel demeaned and ridiculed by liberal leaders. Although we want their votes, we don't accept them as they are. They want [and need?] to have their spiritual understanding acknowledged as valuable. 3) We must insist that the new bottom line for the assessment of American institutions, corporations, legislation must be the extent to which they maximize love, generosity, and environmental preservation. We must reframe what is most important. There are many loving, caring folks but they exist in spite of institutions, not because of them. Lerner urged that we form a spiritual covenant with America, with eight points: 1) We will create a society that promotes rather than undermines loving and caring relationships and families. 2) We will take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for ethical behavior. 3) We will build Social Responsibility into the normal operations of our Economic and Political Life. 4) We will reshape our educational system to teach the values of love, caring for others (including the most vulnerable in our society), generosity, intellectual curiosity, tolerance, cooperation, non-violent communication, compassion for others (including parents), and environmental responsibility. 5) We will seek a single payer national health care plan and also broaden the understanding of health care. 6) We will be stewards of the environment. 7) We will build a safer world through a strategy of generosity and non-violence. 8) We will seek separation of Church, State and Science. The Right has inverted the Bible: instead of understanding the strength of God to empower the powerless, they gave the power of God to the ruling elite along with a rationale for dominating the powerless. Rabbi Lerner ended with a call to action - read his book (The Left Hand of God). Join the Movement (Tikkun). Speak with moral authority. Do not remain silent. Health Care Alert As part of raising health care awareness, I am writing a brief column on various health aspects. If there is a topic you would like to see addressed, please let me know. April... was National Donate Life Month. Illinois created a new First-Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry to increase the number of organs available. A person can now register and indicate that he or she wants to be an organ/tissue donor. It will be a legally binding decision, one that does not require family permission. The new law also requires anyone who has previously registered to re-register after January 1st 2006. To register or for more information visit www.lifegoeson.com, call (800) 210-2106 or visit a Secretary of State's office. May...is several things. In terms of health it is Clean Air Month, High Blood Pressure Awareness Education Month and Better Sleep Month, among other things. May is also National Stroke Awareness Month. Do you know the signs and symptoms of a stroke? They include: Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. Sudden severe headache with no known cause. Remember to ACT F.A.S.T. For more information visit www.stroke.org. FACE Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? ARMS Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? SPEECH Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly? TIME If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.
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