The Unichord
Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin July - August, 1999
NOTE: Summer services begin at 9:45AM
MONTH OF SUNDAYS*
July
11
A UU Sampler
Once again those returning from Lake Geneva Summer Assembly Unitarian Universalist will provide music, meditation, and new ideas from a UU minister you may not have heard.
25
This Little Light of Mine
A summer tradition continues: sharing the secret passions of some of our
newer members. We'll hear from Dave Brooks, Elizabeth King, and Deborah Webster.
8
What Dreams May Come
Looking at the recent movie with Robin Williams through UU eyes. (You may wish to see the video if you did not see the movie in a theater, but this is not essential.)
22
Art of the Soul
The Aesthetics Committee invites members to share music, dance, poetry, photography, painting, sculpture, and performance art. Artists of all kinds come to share their creations with us. (See the related article in this newsletter in order to arrange to share your own artistic creations.)
Markings
For the past 11 years I have followed the weather forecasts very
intensely the second week of June as our annual all-church picnic
approached. Each year I watched and I worried that the second
Sunday would arrive and it would be pouring rain. I worried
because I assumed such weather would ruin the event and the regular
church year would end on a rather gloomy note.
Well it finally came to pass. At this year's all-church picnic
the weather was truly miserable. The sky was overcast, the
ground was thoroughly soaked, water was pooling in the low spots,
and it poured and poured and poured. It was everything I had
dreaded the past 11 years. I was certain that there was no way
that we were going to have a good time under such conditions.
By all rights the event should have been canceled or postponed.
But thankfully we didn't and the event went on as planned. Much
to my surprise we had a good sized crowd. We held the service
inside the Hanifls' house. We were tight but cozy and warm, and
when we sang we sounded wonderful. After the service the children,
not realizing how miserable it was outside, decided to go swimming
The pool was heated and nearly all the youth and a good number
of the adults had a wonderful time swimming in the pouring rain.
Some of us parents kept watch from underneath umbrellas
There was something special in the air--something a little bit
magical. This became absolutely clear when a group of adults
and youth headed down to the sand volleyball court. They went
out into the rain to play on a water soaked court where at times
a player could sink up to their knees is wet sand. As the game
went on the numbers grew with everyone getting wet and dirty.
The rest of us watched from the house, smiled, shook our heads
and marveled.
It was a lousy day weather-wise, and it was a most
amazing annual all-church picnic--one that I will long remember.
Those who were there made lemonade from lemons as our spirit
of community overcame the rain and the gloom. It was, as it turned
out, a great way to end the regular church year. As I said earlier,
it was magical.
Thank you Paul and Suzanne.
Wheel of Life
We are saddened by the news of the death of Kimberley
Guritz's mother.
Congratulations to Roberta Nauman and Jim Burnidge on becoming grandparents again. Mitchel Vernon Hopp was born to Roberta's daughter Anne and her husband Kevin.
Book Group
You are warmly invited to join the members of the Book Group at
any of their upcoming meetings, which begin at 7:00p.m.
- Friday, July 16, Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, at the home of Barbara Sugden.
- Friday, August 27, The Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, at the home of Alice Macy.
Art of the Soul Sunday
August 22nd
The Aesthetics Committee again will co-ordinate our annual Art of the Soul service. We encourage anyone who is interested in speaking, performing or exhibiting their art work to contact one of the committee members. This service has been one of the best received programs because so many people have shared their passions. Please share your art with us all. Children, youth and adults are all encouraged to contribute. Bring in art work to display by Thursday, August 19. For further information, please call Frieda Anderson.
Becoming a Member
Our community warmly welcomes those who wish to join. There is nothing particularly difficult or mysterious about becoming a member of our church, in fact it is quite straight forward. After a person has visited with us a number of times and is interested in learning more about membership that individual should contact the minister to set up a meeting. When the decision to join is finally made and the individual is ready to make a commitment, they then sign our membership book. This commitment of membership includes sympathy with our covenant and principles, participation in the events and committees of the church, and financial support. If you would like to join or want more information contact Linda Porter or Dan Brosier.
Earth Wisdom Labyrinth
The Earth Wisdom Labyrinth is open to the public seven days a week during daylight hours. Groups wishing to walk the labyrinth are asked to avoid Sunday mornings. If a group is interested in using the building as well, contact the church office for rental information.
Kudos:
- Norm Wilkinson for painting the shed
- Chris Davis & Andrea Schmidlin for overseeing the rummage sale
- Paul & Suzanne Hanifl for hosting the end-of-the-year service and picnic
- Dave Phillips for underwriting the speaker from the ACLU
- Jim Burnidge for leading the nature hike at Burnidge Woods
July
07 Mary Ann Fields
12 Erik Anderson
Kevin Webster
22 Dan Riordan
23 Patty Schug
24 Tim Davis
Katherine Brosier
August
01 Linda Keel
Edythe Nagler
09 Alice Macy
11 Deborah Webster
12 Samuel Brosier
15 Alexander Moskoff
19 Steve Askins
22 Marjorie Askins
23 Jazlyn Halberstadt
25 Kathy Underwood
27 Dan Hermann
29 Benjamin Lucas
31 Arvid Molitor
Adult RE
The Adult RE Group has planned summer trips to other churches in the area:
- July 18 - McHenry County Church of Religious Science in Woodstock.
- August 1 - Fox Valley Unity Church in Batavia.
Contact Ron Williams for details 741-1723.
Labyrinth Committee
The Labyrinth committee will need help pulling weeks and spreading mulch. Official work parties are on the second Saturday of the month. All are welcome to come and help. Contact Ron Williams for details.
Prairieland Camp
August 20 -22 - Friday evening through Sunday lunch at Old Orchard Campground at Moraine View State park, Leroy, Illinois. This is a camp weekend for UUs finishing sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders. We'll have games, water sports, campfires, crafts, cooking, skits, rituals and more. The cost is $30 (scholarships available).
Right now, we are checking if there is enough interest. Call the Bloomington church (309) 828-0235 and leave a message, giving your name, address or phone, and whether you'd like to go. Then put the date on your calendar.
Annual Church Summer Picnic
Join us for the second Annual Church Summer Picnic on July 25th following the service, sponsored by the Programs and Activities Committee. The grill will be hot and the drinks will be cold! Bring food to grill and a dish to share, and we'll provide the snacks, fixin's, volleyball, balloon toss, and more. Call Kathy Underwood or Cathy Braun for more info.
1999 Quilt Raffle
The quilt tickets for this year's raffle were handed out at the
services held at the Hanifls. If you did not get your tickets
and would like a packet there are several left at the church or
you can call Frieda at 697-6557 and I will get them to you. Summer
is a great time to sell tickets to family and friends at picnics
and gatherings. The drawing is Sunday, December 5, 1999. Thanks
in advance for all the support towards this fund raiser.
The Quilt Group
Religious Education Department
Here is a little tidbit I received in my mail recently that I have been saving. You will have two months to enjoy it and think about the possibilities. It was adapted by Pat Hoertdoefer from a speech by Rev. Dr. Patrick O'Neill from the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Framingham, MA.
Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have been more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It is perhaps surprising , then, to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Masai warriors: "Kasserian Ingera," which means, "And how are the children?"
It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value that they always place on their children's well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, "All the children are well." Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail. That the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in place. That Masai society has not forgotten its reason for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. "All the children are well" means that life is good, and that the daily struggles for existence do not preclude proper caring for their young.
I wonder how it might affect our consciousness of our own children's welfare if in our culture we took to greeting each other with this daily question: "And how are the children?" I wonder if we heard that question and passed it along to each other a dozen times a day, if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared about in our own country.
I wonder if every adult among us, parent and non-parent alike, felt an equal weight for the daily care and protection of all the children in our community, in our town, in our state, in our country. I wonder if we could say without hesitation, "The children are well, yes, all the children are well."
What would it be like…if the minister began every worship
service by answering the question, "And how are the children?"
If every town leader had to answer the question at the beginning
of every meeting: "And how are the children? Are they all
well?" Wouldn't it be interesting to hear their answers?
What would it be like? I wonder…
Kathy Underwood
Kudos and Next Steps
At the annual meeting, the congregation passed changes to the
by-laws which make them more inclusive in many ways-in particular,
we've made our foundational document more welcoming of LGBT (Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) people! Good for us!. The Welcoming
Congregation Committee (WCC) members would like to thank everyone
who supported and participated in the by-laws amendment process-in
particular, we'd like to thank Jim Hermann and the Board, the
Social Justice Committee, and the Committee on the Ministry for
their co-sponsorship of these important changes.
Since the by-laws changes passed (and even before),WCC members
have heard some feedback that folks may have been confused about
the meaning of the by-laws change, and where our congregation
is now in terms of the Welcoming Congregation process overall.
We'd like to take this opportunity to clear up some confusion.
The by-laws changes, while a major milestone in the Welcoming
Congregation process, is not equivalent to becoming officially
recognized by the UUA as a Welcoming Congregation. This is something
WCC members conveyed during the luncheon discussions, at the LGBT-related
services, and in various handouts generated from these processes.
In particular, at the first luncheon discussion, Mary handed
out a sheet listing the 15 Actions and 13 Commitments outlined
by the UUA as steps to be taken by congregations in their mission
to be officially recognized by the UUA. As she indicated then,
the change in by-laws is one part of one of those suggested actions, Action 2,
which suggests that the congregation "adjust congregational
bylaws and other relevant documents to include an affirmative
nondiscrimination clause concerning membership, hiring practices,
and the calling of religious professionals." Certainly the
by-laws amendment was a very important step in the Welcoming Congregation
process, and WCC members understand why there might be confusion
about what it accomplished, but the Welcoming Congregation process
includes a much wider variety of activities, all of which the
WCC will investigate as it attempts to support the congregation
in this process.
As we move forward from here, the WCC would like to create further
opportunities for dialogue outside of the service forum, including
further discussions such as the successful dialogue recently held
with the junior and senior high RE groups. We'd also like to
see further interaction between the WCC and other committees,
as well as between the congregation and community LGBT groups.
Finally, the WCC will begin the drafting of a formal resolution
document whereby the congregation may affirm its status as a Welcoming
Congregation, and request official recognition from the UUA.
These are only a few of our future endeavors; the committee welcomes
your input as it moves forward.
Thanks for a wonderful year-and thanks to Ron Williams for his
past year's service as WCC co-chair!
Betsy Olson and Mary Shelden
Co-Chairs, Welcoming Congregation Committee
TU 6 7:00pm EICA
SU 11 9:55am Summer Service
M 12 7:00pm Finance Committee
F 16 7:00pm Book Group
SU 18 Adult R Trip to McHenry church
SU 25 9:45am Summer Service
11:30am Annual church picnic
SU 1 Adult RE
Trip to Batavia church
SU 8 9:45am Summer Service
TH 17 7:00pm Church Council
SU 22 9:45am Summer Service
11:45am Annual church picnic
M 23 7:00pm Committee on the Ministry
F 27 7:00pm Book Group
S 28 9:00am-3:30pm Board Retreat
