The Unichord
Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin - September, 1999
Markings
P art of me still operates out of the fantasy that for most issues a solution can be found which will resolve it cleanly-that if we are faced with a problem we can do something to fix it once and for all. I wish the world operated that way. Unfortunately most issues are not resolved so completely by any one action. The truth is most issues have to be worked on over time, that a variety of things need to tried in the hope of making small improvements until sufficient progress has been made.
This is true for some of the simplest of issues as well as the
complex social issues we face as a community. For instance, we
are on our fourth donation box for the labyrinth. The first three
were destroyed or stolen, so we have changed how we ask for donations.
We are not sure whether the new system will work, but we will
try it and see. If not then we will try something else.
Then there are the big issues we struggle with-racism, homophobia,
religious intolerance, and living our principles-it is absurd
to think that any one thing we do will "resolve" any
of these. What we can and must do, though, is to continue to
sincerely move step by step towards our goals. We can and must
forget about hitting the home run or throwing the knock out punch,
and instead figure out where we want to go, outline some reasonable
steps on a reasonable time-line, and then take them on. We are
limited by time, resources, fear, and ignorance-even so, we
can move ahead.
This Fall we offer a workshop on anti-racism. It isn't the solution to the problem of racism in our community, but it is a way of being intentional about it. This Fall the Welcoming Congregation Committee will resume their work on helping us become more aware about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender issues. Given the widespread prejudice, ignorance and fear that this issue there is no way it will be "resolved" in the near future, but we can make progress. This year those envisioning the restoration of our prairie will begin the transformation of some of our acreage. This will take years of patient small steps, but in the end we will have an environmental jewel outside our front doors
We can make a difference-we can effectively address the issues
we face. We have tremendous potential in our midst. To succeed,
though, we have to be passionate, committed, organized, and persistent.
We must, as well, be able to celebrate the small successes which
build our dreams.
Flaming Chalice Window Decal
If you are interested in purchasing a flaming chalice window decal for $2.00 each, see Dan Brosier.
Youth Jobs Around Church
If you are a Jr. or Sr. High Youth or a BT2K member and would like to earn some money by doing some work around the church see Dan Brosier. The work can be done after church on Sundays or during the week by arrangement. Those who put in good honest labor will receive $10.00 an hour.
Anti-Racism Workshop
We will offer a four session workshop focused on becoming an anti-racist congregation on the following Tuesday evenings: October 12, November 9 & 30, and December 14. If you are interested in participating in this workshop sign up on the designated clipboard in the lobby. The sessions will begin at 7:00 PM and will be led by Dan Brosier.
Littering and Vandalism
Last year we had several incidents of late-night partying on our property and some vandalism. This has cleared up over the summer, but if in the future any evidence of such activity is discovered please report it to Dan Brosier.
Kudos
- to Adam Sheesley for setting up the RE registration table, and to Amy Schmidlin and Kyle Underwood for their help with the balloons,
- to Frieda Anderson for coordinating the annual Art of the Soul service, and to Elise Wall and troupe, Tim King and Margot Cusimano for their contributions to the service,
- to Dinna Johnson and Adam Sheesley for pulling weeds around the playground.
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.
Pantry Sunday - October 3
Get back into the Swing! Please bring your donations for the Interfaith Pantry on Sunday, October 3, of non-perishable food items, paper goods, toiletries and infant needs and deposit them in the basket/area in the multipurpose room.
Yes, do get back into the swing! Last month's
collection was quite meager. Henny DuBois.
Religious Education Department
And how are the children? Are they well? The
first two weeks of the new church year have been exciting. The
classes all met for the first time on the 19th of September.
We had three newcomers too: Alexander and Mitch joined the nursery,
and pete met new friends in the preschool class. Welcome to them
and everyone!
As of this writing, there are 25 students enrolled,
with one week remaining for Fall Registration. If you haven't
registered yet, please do so as soon as possible.
This semester our teachers are:
- Laurie Kiesewetter and Chris Davis - Nursery
- Andrea Schmidlin - Preschool
- Todd Underwood and Deborah Webster - Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
- Tim Davis and Joe Masonick - 6th -8th Grade
- Cathy Braun, Roberta Nauman, Doug Pratt, and Liz King - YRUU
I'd like to thank Liz King for volunteering to help
with the URUU group. This is her first time teaching in the RE
program. Andrea would also like a teaching partner, so please
let us know if you'd like to help her out. Next time you see
a teacher, give him or her a big hug and thank you! Without them,
Sunday services would be quite different.
Our big even this month will be the Halloween Party. Details will be coming soon.
All the children are well.
Kathy Underwood
Director of Religious Education
October
- 06 Joyce Becker
- 08 Charlie Schmidlin
- 11 Mary Oberhart
- 12 Laurie Kiesewetter
- 15 Lynn Adema
- 16 Chris Davis
- 17 Shirley Wolin
- Jim Hermann
- Joseph Guritz
- 18 Amy Schmidlin
- 19 Betsy Thrasher
- 21 Kimberley Guritz
- 30 Emma Brosier
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.
- Oct. 29 A Widow For One Year by John Irving at the home of Denise Benson.
- Dec. 3 Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver at the home of Dotty Carringi.
- Jan. 7 The Reader by Berhard Schlink at the home of …
Circle Suppers
It's that time of the year to sign up for Circle Suppers. If you are interested in participating, either as a regular or a substitute, please sign up on the clipboard on the activities table. This has been a very popular event in the church and a great way to get to know other people that come to our church. You only host one supper. For the others you are asked to bring a dish for eight. The dinners can be as formal or informal as you wish. They are all fun. We have to get this all organized early, so if you don't want to get left out, sign up now on the clipboard in the lobby. For further information, call Shirley Wolin.
CROP Walk
This year the CROP Walk will be on Sunday, October 24. Scott MacDuff of the Social Justice Committee has agreed to chair this event again this year. It is time for the rest of us to decide in what way we will support this important fundraiser to combat hunger in the world and our own community.
Last year we had more walkers than the previous year
and this year we hope even more individuals and families will
walk. Those who cannot walk can sponsor those who do. Plan now
how you can be a part of this nationwide effort to share what
we have with those in need. Look for registration and pledge
forms in the downstairs foyer or get them from Scott.
Bully Pulpit - September
In 1995, a large number of Church Members developed our Visions for the Year 2000. In a short time, we will reach the Y2K. How have we done to work towards our Visions? How has it changed? Here were our Visions almost five years ago:
We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin, envision and work toward a church community which:
- 1. Maintains an environment that reflects the harmony between the human community and the natural world;
- 2. Promotes, welcomes and integrates diversity;
- 3. Fosters learning, dialog and creativity;
- 4. Nurtures the individual;
- 5. Encourages involvement and participation;
- 6. Sustains a supportive, caring community; and,
- 7. Expands our impact on the world.
On September 28, the Board and Council Retreat gathered the Church Leaders together. These leaders examined our past successes, determined the nature of these successes, and developed an image of our future successes. I will not try to report on this Retreat here. The Board, Councils, Committees, Minister, and DRE will report to the entire congregation in days to come. (Let alone the fact that I was supposed to have written this column before the Retreat.)
However, let me note that the Retreat members independently developed images of future success that were very similar, almost identical, to the 1995 Visions for the Year 2000. We, as an entire Congregation, have very consistent ideas of what we see as our Mission, our Visions, our Goals, our Images of Success. I believe that this validates our path to the future.
"The devil is in the details," they say. In 1995, we developed a Long-Range Plan to work towards these Visions. We have accomplished many, most, almost all, of the action items that we developed to work toward these Visions for the Year 2000. The Retreat members developed some action items for the Church Year 1999-2000 that will be accomplished this year and that will work towards the images of success for the future. However, these leaders were limited by the constraints of having only 16 great minds.
In the coming weeks, we need to obtain input from the other 130 or so great minds in our Congregation. What was left out? What other action items can we accomplish this year? You will be asked to consider these questions.
The Mission and Covenant of the UU Church of Elgin is composed of two sections. The first section is very similar to the UUA Principles, except that we include only 5 of the seven Principles. We do not include: "Acceptance of one another;" and, "The goal of world community." Our Principles do not mention "the right of conscience" and "respect for the interdependent web of all existence" (although we acknowledge it).
The second section states four Purposes that are similar to four of our seven Visions. We do not include: our Church environment (1); diversity of members (2), although we added it to our By-Laws; and, member involvement (5). We also don't include leadership development.
Do we need to reexamine the Mission and Covenant of the UU Church of Elgin? I think we do.
- Let's have a great year,
- Jim Hermann
