I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
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It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being a human.
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It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
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I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even if it's not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from God's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver moon, "Yes!'
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It doesn't interest me where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary, bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
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It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
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It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself; and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
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The Invitation,
inspired by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Native American Elder, 1994
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 The Burning Question
Coffeehouse is ON for the summer. Please mark your calendar with the following summer coffeehouse dates: July 8, and; August 12. The July 8 show will feature musical couple Bill & Linda Brickey, who have been applying their tight vocal harmonies and Bill's skilled guitar work to everything from classic rock to jazz around the Chicago area for over ten years. The Brickeys will be joined by talented pianist/singer/songwriter Ben Johnson, and as always, a portion of the coffeehouse proceeds benefits the church. (There is also a rumor that Sarah B may unveil a new song at the July show)
. In August, we will bring the show outdoors for a bonfire/barbecue and a variety of musical and other talents. Doors open at 7:30; the show begins at 8:00. If you have questions or comments about the coffeehouse, please feel free to email BurningQuest@aol.com.
Aesthetics
 The popular Art of the Soul Service will be held the last service in August. We encourage all members to share their artwork with the congregation. All art forms are welcome. Please contact any of the committee people, Norm Wilkinson, Roberta Nauman, Suzanne Hanifl, Jim Burnidge, and Frieda Anderson. This service has been such a great success because of YOU , our talented members.
Aesthetics Committee
The Aesthetics Committee will meet on July 30th, 9-10 a.m. If you have any interest in this committee, please join us.
Kudos
To all of the people who helped with this year's rummage sale. There were many, many people who helped; hope we didn't leave anyone out:
 - Carol Schoengart, Alice Macy, Dan Brosier, Esther Hermann, Shirley Wolin, Henny DuBois, Helen Maxwell, Jackie Van De Warker, Lisa Kerpoe, Steve Ortman, Kathy Underwood, Margot Cusimano, Jim Burnidge, Mary Alice Masonick, Linda Porter, Charmaine Hamill, Bob Hamill, Lydia Larrabee, Katherine Brosier, Cheren Waller, Roberta Nauman, Scott MacDuff, Jim Porter, Tim Davis, Jim Hermann, Melanie Davis, Sarah Davis, Amy Schmidlin, Charlie Schmidlin. And
thanks to everyone for their wonderful donations!
CROP Walk
An early notice so all that plan to participate in CROP Walk this year will be aware it is coming. The CROP Walk will be in October. It is a walk to help raise money for those who are in need of food and to help less fortunate places raise food. It also helps out in the Elgin area. If you have questions, please contact Scott MacDuff or any Social Justice committee member. Look for more information to come the end of September and the beginning of October.
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Department of Religious Education
 July/August 2000
Ah, summertime! Those long, hot, lazy days where the air lies over the earth like a damp sweater trying to dry on a towel. Okay, so we haven’t had any of those days yet, despite the fact that it is June and the summer solstice is only six days away. But they’re coming!
During those summer months, we will continue a new tradition – starting the Sunday services at 9:45am instead of 10:45am. The hope is that more people will venture out earlier before the building gets unbearable. Accordingly, activities for youth and nursery care will begin at 9:45am as well.
So far, the schedule for all youth from pre-school through high school will be as follows:
 July 9th- Interpretive Walk- Dave and Donna Brooks will lead a nature walk and activities.- July 23rd- Animation in Action – Todd Underwood will teach animation techniques and videotape the results.
- August 6th- Burnidge Woods- Katherine Brosier will lead a walk at Burnidge Woods, since our Annual Hike got rained out in May.
- August 20th- Plans are still underway for this week.
Youth are encouraged to participate, but may stay in the service or the nursery (depending on their age) if they choose to do so.
Beginning in July, there will be a display for parents and prospective teachers to view the curricula that will be used next fall. Please feel free to look through the materials and ask questions. By doing this, the RE Council and I are hoping to help those interested to get a better idea of what happens in the classes. The display will remain through early fall during RE registration.
In closing, I would like to extend a heartfelt "thanks" to all of our teachers this past semester:
- Nursery- Chris Davis, Laurie Kiesewetter, and Kim Cecil
- Preschool- Charles Landauer and Kevin Webster
- K-2nd Grade- Katherine Brosier and Cheren Waller
- 3rd-5th Grade- Elise Wall and Scott Mac Duff
- 6th-8th Grade- Tim Davis, Joe Masonick, and Katherine Lucas
- 9th-12th (YRUU)- Liz King, Roberta Nauman, and Cathy Braun
- Our Whole Lives (OWL)- Betsy Olson and Doug Pratt
Have a wonderful summer-
Kathy
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July
- Mary Ann Fields
- Erik Anderson
- Kevin Webster
- Dan Riordan
- Patty Schug
- Tim Davis
- Katherine Brosier
 August
- Edythe Nagler
9. Alice Macy
- Deborah Webster
- Allison Navadomskis
- Samuel Brosier
- Steve Askins
- Marjorie Askins
- Jazlyn Halberstadt
- Kathy Underwood
27. Dan Hermann
- Benjamin Lucas
31. Arvid Molitor
Calling All UUs With Personal Websites!!
Come join the Unitarian Universalist NetHeads listing. NetHeads is a listing of UUs with personal websites. It is a way for UUs to network and share their lives and interests. You can check it out at
http://www.geocities.com/~uucafe/netheads/index.html
Book Group
You are warmly invited to join the members of the Book Group at any of their upcoming meetings, which begin at 7:00 P.M.
 July 14 Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. At the home of Laurie Kiesewetter.- August 18 The Hours: A Novel by Michael Cunningham. At the home of Alice Macy.
- September 22 The Cliff Walk by Don Snyder. At the home of Denise Benson.
- November 17 This Much I Know is True by Wally Lam. At the home of Dotty Carringi.
Publicity Committee Profile
The Publicity Committee of the Church is responsible for press releases to the area media; periodic paid ads in newspapers, written material for the web site, and outside signage.
The mission of the committee is to convey to people in the greater Elgin area that the Unitarian Universalist church is a vital element in the community and that the church can help them develop satisfying and more meaningful lives. This will help them build a better community.
The committee welcomes suggestions and ideas from the congregation. Church committee chairs are invited to submit information about activities that would be of interest to the greater community. A "Publicity" mailbox is in the office area hallway. A minimum three-week lead-time is suggested.
The committee will be meeting on the first Thursday of each month at the church starting in September. Current members include Esther Hermann, chairperson; Todd Underwood, and Phil Becker. New members of the committee are always welcome.
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 Connections
"Into this place may we come
To share,
To learn,
To speak,
To listen,
And to grow together in the spirit of peace and harmony and love."
Frances Reece Day
(from Rejoice Together: Prayers, Meditations and Other Readings for Family,
Individual and Small-Group Worship, collected by Helen R. Pickett)
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These words speak to me. They remind me of how we can and should be with each other. They suggest a simple, but not simplistic, framework for our community. Don't get me wrong - I am not so idealistic as to think that we can always be respectful, caring, empathetic and loving towards one another. We are, after all, human beings and we are not perfect.
I'm sure many of us struggle on some Sunday mornings with emotions that make us think about not coming to church. There will be times when we come together and some of us will be tired, frustrated or angry. Sometimes these emotions get the best of us, but I suspect many times we decide to come to the Sunday service because we hope it will be spiritually rewarding and uplifting, and most of the time it is. I know I have experienced coming to church on Sunday morning in a foul mood, only to leave in good spirits, thanks to Dan's words and fellowship with others in our community. This is an important and powerful part of my life. I hope that many of you have had similar experiences.
How often does this happen when we come together for committee or other "church business" meetings? When you come for a committee meeting, is there a feeling of shared ministry or are you coming primarily to "do business"? Even a spiritual community has business to take care of, but I believe that our most important "business" is the deepening of the lives of our members. I hope that we are intentional about promoting an attitude, a way of life, toward our work as ministry. My experience has been that this doesn't happen often enough. Too often, we get caught up in getting our work done...These are the times when a gentle reminder of our shared ministry is most important.
An effective tool is for committees and other groups is to use a "reconnecting focus" to start each meeting. This can take many forms; lighting a chalice, a reading (perhaps something UU in origin), a brief check-in for each member of the group to share something happening in their lives, silent mediation, sharing food, reading the group's mission statement, reading the church's mission or covenant. To some, this may seem like a waste of time. I believe strongly, however, that the benefits far outweigh the costs. We are, after all, a spiritual community and our actions should reflect that. The time we take to reconnect might mean that the group could begin in a mood of quiet reflection, patience and mutual respect. So, at your next meeting, consider how you can begin to reconnect. I think you'll be pleased with the results.
Andrea Schmidlin
Co-President
SUMMER CALENDAR
July
SA 01 7:00pm Rental - Wiccan
SA 08 3:00pm Set up for Coffee House
8:00pm Burning Question coffee House
S 09 9:45am Summer Service
11:30pm Simple Living Potluck
F 14 6:30pm EICA Potluck
7:00pm Book Group
SA 15 9:00am Quilting Group
S 16 Rental - Wiccan
SA 22 3:00pm Rental
S 23 9:45am Summer Service
12:45pm Mbr/Hosp. Comm.
F 28 5:00pm Rental - Wiccan
S 30 7:00pm Rental - Wiccan
August
SA 05 7:00pm Rental - Wiccan
S 06 9:45am Summer Service
12:15pm Sun. Services Comm.
T 15 7:00pm Church Council
7:00pm Rental - Wiccan
S 20 9:00am Social Justice Comm.
9:45am Summer Service
M 21 7:00pm Finance Committee
T 22 7:00pm Board of Trustees
T 29 7:00pm Rental - Wiccan
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Missing
A number of people in the church have expressed an interested in working on the issue of racism. Towards that end the Elgin Interracial Clergy Alliance is sponsoring a twelve-session workshop entitled Healing Racism. This program is focused on helping the participants understand the cycle of racial conditioning. The workshops will be held the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM beginning in September. The workshop will be held at our church. Tuition for all twelve sessions is $95.00. If you are interested in participating contact Dan Brosier by August 1.
Many of us have difficulty articulating what we believe regarding theology, religion and spirituality. This fall, 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.
Unfortunately many of our expenses don't take a vacation during the summer. We still need to pay our staff, utilities, etc., so please keep those pledge payments coming. You can bring them to a summer service or mail them to the church or to Alice Macy.