Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin --- March, 2000
MONTH
OF SUNDAYSMarch 5 - Becoming Who We Want To Be
What does it take to become what we want to be—as individuals and as a congregation. The service is led by the Rev. Dan Brosier.
March 12 - Music Sunday
A service devoted to enjoying the music of our members and friends. A joyful celebration through music and dance of the life we share together. The service led by the Rev. Dan Brosier.
March 19 - Love and/or Die
Love and death are two of the most powerful forces in our lives. There is a relationship between them and we shall try to understand what it is. The service led by the Rev. Dan Brosier.
March 26 - Facing The Raging Bull
There are many skills which are very useful in life. One which is often yearned for in community is knowing how to use anger in a constructive rather than destructive manner. The better we can constructively process anger the healthier will be our community. The service led by the Rev. Dan Brosier.
All Services Begin at 10:45 A.M.
We look forward to seeing you then
Markings
Every once in a while a member of the church and I will be speaking and at some point in the conversation s/he will refer to this being my church. They might say "Your church has nice energy." or "Your new building is looking good." I always have a strong reaction to such moments. I find myself needing to stop the conversation and point out that this is not "my" church but "our" church.
I imagine that s/he could be making any number of statements when they use such language, but when I hear the words "your church" from a member I assume that person is telling me that they don’t really feel a part. I suspect then that they don’t own the rights and responsibilities of the community, and that they still inhabit the fringes--watching more than engaging.
For whatever reasons this happens, this is unfortunate. A community works best when its members are engaged and feel a sense of responsibility. The higher the level of engagement (not just presence) the more viable and meaningful the community.
It is like a neighborhood—neighborhoods come to life when the inhabitants do more than live in their homes. Neighborhoods become better communities when people come out of their homes to get to know one another, to support each other, and to work together. Furthermore, the quality of such a community is dependent upon the willingness of its members to give their fair share to maintain the streets and sewers, to support good schools, to provide sufficient open space, and to create a safe/healthy environment. The greater the participation, the greater the sense of "our", the more that neighborhood will be the type of community most of us desire.
It is the same here in this religious community. The more each of us sees this as "our" community, and the more each of us invests our lives and a fair share of our financial resources, then the closer we will come to fulfilling the desires which drew us here in the first place. But for this to happen each of us must own our part in this community--each us of must take responsibility—each of us must engage. The more widespread this engagement, the richer will be our experience.
Yes, this is my church. I believe in it, I am proud of it, I invest myself in it. It is my church just as it is the church of each and every member. It is a place where "I" becomes "we", and "my" becomes "our".
Dan Brosier, Minister
Kudos
- For the hard work on the Fine Arts Program: Andrea Schmidlin, Katherine Lucas, Elise Wall, Betsy Olson, Tim King, Mary Boza/Oberhart, Laurel Hermann, Jana Mirs, Todd Underwood, and all of the RE students.
- Edythe Nagler's significant contribution to the Endowment fund.
- Carl Deitrich for staining the interior doors.
- Everyone who helped with the auction and dinner, and all who contributed and bought items.
- Jerry Lucas for working on the phone lines.
- Chris and Sarah Davis for coordinating Secret Friends.
- Jim Hermann for wrestling with the great and mighty Com Ed and getting our electrical bills reduced significantly.
From Jesus To Christ
We will be showing this series of four videos produced by the PBS Frontline show which explores, from a historical perspective, the life of Jesus and the movement he inspired. Each video will be shown after church beginning at 12:30 PM. The first video was shown in February and the final three will be shown on the following Sundays: March 5, 12 & 19. We will begin each session with a little potluck. If you are interested in participating sign up on the clipboard in the lobby or contact Dan Brosier.
Quilting Group
The quilting group will meet on March 18 at church from 9-4. Please join us to help work on this years raffle quilt.
Birthdays
March
03 Jackie Van De Warker05 Trisha Dean
05 Lars Anderson
05 Bridget Lucas
08 Robin Peterson
11 Melanie Davis
12 Dick Fields
15 Joe Cusimano
16 Mary Shelden
18 Dan Laux
19 Matthew Benson
23 Bruce Kiesewetter
23 Peter Hendry
23 Diana March
27 Jamie Kiesewetter
30 Suzanne Hanifl
30 Chuck Jeffries
30 Jim Burnidge
List Of Needed Items For Pantry Sunday
A list follows to help you decide what to buy for Pantry Sunday (March 5) donations:
jelly, dry pinto beans, bar soap, peanut butter, fruit juice, chili and tuna fish..
The All Peoples Inter-Faith Pantry people indicated that these items are needed.
Yes, as in the past, bring your donations of non-perishable food items, paper goods, toiletries or infant needs on our Pantry Sunday on March 5 for the Inter-Faith Pantry.
Again, if you happen to forget to purchase something, you have the option of donating cash. Containers for your cash donations will be by the collection baskets in the entrance areas on Sunday. (Henny DuBois).
Task Force 2000
The Task Force 2000 would like to thank everyone who contributed to the discussion on the topic "What do I need or want from this church community?" at the potluck on February 13. If you missed the first one, you'll have another chance to participate at the next potluck on March 19 at 12:30pm. Mark your calendars for some good food and interesting dialogue. See Joyce Becker, Cathy Braun, Shirley Wolin or Kathy Underwood for more info.
Book Group
You are warmly invited to join the members of the Book Group at any of their upcoming meetings,
- March 17 On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons. At the home of Jackie Van De Warker
- April 28 Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton. At the home of Joyce Becker
- June 2 Personal History by Katharine Graham. At the home of Henny DuBois.
Building Your Own Theology
"This I believe..." Many of us have difficulty articulating what we believe regarding theology, religion and spirituality. Beginning on March 15, UUCE will offer Building Your Own Theology, a workshop designed to help individuals explore their beliefs. The seven-week workshop will involve group discussion, worship, presentations, and on occasion some work between sessions.
The workshop, facilitated by Lisa Kerpoe, will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 beginning on March 15th and ending on April 26th. Enrollment will be limited to 12. The cost to each participant is $10. Please sign the enrollment list located on the first floor of the church. For more information, contact Lisa Kerpoe.
New Visitors, Friends, and Members
Have you met our new church friends? These people have attended our church for a while. They may be new to many of us. Please welcome them to our community.
- Bryce Anderson - Algonquin
- AJ and Jessica Brandstetter - Sycamore
- Sarah Browning - Chicago
- Dana Ginn - Geneva
- Bob Sandidge - Algonquin
(was member when Church was in downtown Elgin)
During February, Jim and Maureen Navadomskis joined the congregation as members with their children, Allison and Shelby. Please congratulate them and give them a warm welcome.
We have received word that Kimberley and Dave Guritz have moved to Park Forest and will not be able to join us anymore. Also, Bill Mingus and Jenna will not be attending Church any longer. We wish them well.
Jim Hermann, Membership Chair
Department of Religious Education
February was a busy month in the Religious Education program. We started with our Fine Arts Service "The Web of Life", followed by Secret Friends. Thanks to the many people who made these programs successful. We also began the spring semester this month. The teachers for this semester are:
- Nursery- Chris Davis, Laurie Kiesewetter, and Kim Cecil
- Preschool- Charles Landauer and Kevin Webster
- K-2nd- Katherine Brosier and Cheren Waller
- 3rd-5th- Elise Wall and Scott MacDuff
- 6th- Katherine Lucas, Tim Davis, and Joe Masonick
- 7th-9th- Doug Pratt and Betsy Olson
- 10th-12th- Cathy Braun Roberta Nauman, and Liz King
March is a fairly quiet month for us. All of the classes will be back to their curriculum and familiar routine. The preschool class will be learning more about themselves with lessons on listening, patience and the movement of dance. The K-2nd class will be discovering Mother Mawu, different ways to find God, and how God creates. In the 3rd-5th class, they will have fun celebrating Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and No Rus. The 6th graders will continue their study of Islam. The 7th-9th graders will be beginning a new sexuality education program by the Unitarian Universalist Association entitled "Our Whole Lives", or "OWL" for short. They will rejoin their original classes in May.
As always, if you have any questions about our program, you can ask me or a member of the RE Council.
Kathy Underwood
Director of Religious Education
Fulfilling the Promise
In recent years the Unitarian Universalist Association has encouraged its member congregations to renew their Mission and Covenant through a program called "Fulfilling the Promise." They correctly point out that re-covenanting is important to the life of any congregation and needs to be done periodically in order for the community to thrive.
Our church created a Mission/Covenant statement back in 1988 and has not revisited it since that time. It is probably time to do so. To explore that idea, a meeting of those interested in organizing a re-covenanting process will be held in March or April. If you are interested in participating in this planning process please contact Dan Brosier or Jim Hermann.
Notes on Electrical Usage
The UU Church of Elgin has been able to reduce electricity bills by about $150 per month by installing a recording meter at no charge. This saving represents about 40% of our original electricity costs.
In order for us to continue to see these savings we must keep our electrical usage low during the peak hours of 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday. For the most part that happens automatically since the building isn’t used heavily during those times but there are a couple of things the congregation is asked to be aware of. The first is that the lights in the sanctuary consume a fair amount of power. For this reason we ask that people not use the incandescent lights (those we use during Sunday morning worship) during the peak weekday hours. If people need light in the sanctuary during those times use the fluorescent lights which can be turned on by the button which is second from the top. There is a sign next to the main light panel explaining this. The second thing to avoid is using the small electrical wall space heaters in the front and back entryways and the front stairway. They are seldom used as is and it would benefit us significantly in terms of our electrical bills if we keep it that way.
For more specifics ask Jim Hermann.
Mystery Pew
The church is in possession of three pews. Two of these are slightly curved, matching, and come from the old DuPage Street building. These are cherished pieces of our heritage. The third, located in the foyer, is a bit of a mystery as we don’t know where it came from. This pew has a dark brown cushion, dark brown wood and is currently sitting in the front foyer. Before we decide what to do with it we are trying to determine where it came from. If anyone can shed some light on this mystery, please contact Dan Brosier.
A Reminder
Please note that a Wiccan group by the name of the Temple of the Four Winds rents space in the church each month—these dates are on the calendar. On the night of the auction the temple held worship on the second floor. This worked out fine except some member or friend of the church at the auction turned away several individuals coming to the temple’s worship. If you are ever faced with such a situation please check the calendar or consult with the minister before turning people away.
Bully Pulpit - March 2000
How quickly two years passes. It was two years ago that someone on the 1998 Nominating Committee approached me about running for President. As I recall, I was surprised since I had not given any thought to running for President in 1998. The rest is history, so they say.
At the direction of the Board, I approached three special people this year and asked them to serve on the Nominating Committee. They are Jim Burnidge, Suzanne Hanifl, and Alice Macy. These three members were selected by the Board of Trustees because they have a great deal of experience and knowledge about the Church and have served as President, Co-President, or Moderator. Their judgment has been sound and Board trusts that they will nominate qualified candidates for open positions.
This year, the following positions must be filled: President or Co-Presidents, two Trustees, two RE Council Members, and one Member of the Endowment Committee. The Trustees and Officers have two-year terms while the RE Council and EC members serve for three years.
I'm sure that every past President or Co-President has held opinions about who should be a candidate to fill the vacancies in the Board. There are always things that are left undone or things started that we want to see completed by people who have similar values and visions. At the same time, we want future leaders to avoid past mistakes and to change the Church for the better.
There are several people in the congregation who would make good Presidents or Co-Presidents (in my humble opinion), many more excellent leaders who could serve as Trustees, and even a larger number of talented people who could serve as RE Council or EC members. The challenge for the Nominating Committee is to identify these people and recruit them to become candidates for election. The first task is a lot easier than the second one. There are always people with opinions (like me) who will suggest candidates. Everyone is encouraged to share your opinion with the Nominating Committee. It is not a secret process, just a discreet one, ideally.
One of the barriers for recruiting good people to serve in these positions is the false perception that the job requires a huge time commitment. Whenever we observe people who donate their time and talents to the Church, it appears that they are working very hard. Many of these people are very committed to their work. However, the commitment does not need to be a huge burden, especially if we could fully staff our committees. The people who do make a huge time commitment are probably doing the work of several people or work for several committees.
As a committee member, I was (and am) usually asked to spend about four hours each month. Depending upon the group, this time might be mostly work or mostly planning. Many committees spend about two hours during their monthly meetings and each member spends about two more hours on the work of the committee. Sometimes I have found that the work is concentrated around certain times of the year. The average still runs about four hours per month.
For Committee Chairs, the time commitment increases since they have to spend time preparing an agenda, writing the meeting minutes (if they can't recruit a recording secretary), and extra work of the committee, maybe another two hours. In addition, each Committee Chair is expected to attend the Church Council meeting and present a brief report for the Council, maybe another two hours. Therefore, Committee Chairs spend about eight hours per month, some more, some less, depending upon how well they organize their committee and delegate task.
Board Trustees and RE Council members are probably somewhere in between committee members and Committee Chairs. They need to complete extra work for the Board or RE Council and don't have to attend the Church Council. Splitting the difference, they may spend about six hours per month.
|
Position |
Monthly Time |
|
Committee Member |
Four hours |
|
RE Council Member |
Six hours |
|
Board Trustee |
Six hours |
|
Committee Chair |
Eight hours |
|
Co-Presidents |
12 hours each |
|
President |
16 hours |
As President, I work about 16 hours per month, if I organize my time. During a typical month, I spend two hours dealing with the business of the Church, two hours at the Board meeting, two hours preparing the agenda and following-up with Board members, two hours working on projects for the Board, two hours working with other Church committees and events, and about two hours preparing my article for the Unichord. In addition, I come early and stay late on Sunday, usually from 10 AM to 1 PM, amounting to an extra hour per week or four hours per month.
Co-Presidents might be able to split this time between two people. However, a President does not need to attend the Church Council since the Vice-President chairs the Church Council. Both Co-Presidents must spend two hours at the Board Meeting and one Co-President must spend another six hours to chair the Church Council, like any other Chair. Co-Presidents, therefore, would probably spend about 24 hours in total, or about 12 hours each, assuming no duplication of effort. Of course, in the process, Co-Presidents only have one vote on the Board, however, whereas the President and Vice-President each have a vote.
Jim Hermann
Calendar
