Wednesday April 29, 7:00pm

FREE ADMISSION

Mark Morrison-Reed will be reading from his memoir, In Between: Memoir of an Integration Baby, which gives voice to the unspoken story of those Afro-Americans who were among the first to bring racial diversity to their neighborhood, school, church or workplace, to the increasing number of partners in interracial relationships and those blessed with and yet struggling to raise multiracial children in a polarized world.

Saturday, May 16, 2009
6:30-10:30pm

Join us for an evening of fun! Bring your friends and family! We're going to get our fiesta on! There will be live music, games, food & drinks, silent auctions, a raffle, and piņatas!

$40 Adults, $45 at the door
$20 Students & Seniors, $25 at the door
$5 Children ages 10-17, $10 at the door
Children under 10 are free! - Free childcare available!
 
If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation to 2U.

Tickets can be purchased online by credit card at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/63716 or in-person by check after services.

For more information contact the church at 773-549-0260 or secondunitarian@att.net.

On Sunday, May 17, we will begin our summer worship schedule and have one worship service at 10:30 am.  Our Annual Meeting will be immediately following the service at 11:30 am.  There will be a party for the children, including games and snacks, during the annual meeting.

Narrated by Brian Dennehy
Directed by Charles Larimer (2U member)

Friday May 8, 2009 - 7:00pm
Q&A following the showing

The movie is based on the book Love and Valor - Intimate Civil War Letters Between Captain Jacob and Emeline Ritner, edited by their great great grandson, director Charles Larimer.
 
Love and Valor (the book) was featured by the Smithsonian in the month after 9/11 as a testament to the strength of the American family.
 
Jacob Ritner, a Union captain from Iowa, was a teacher, farmer and abolitionist before the war. The movie tells of Jacob and Emeline's devotion to each other, patriotism, loneliness, anguish at the death of loved ones, slavery; and Larimer's strange stories of finding their letters.

"The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen. Together, our vision widens and strength is renewed."  - Mark Morrison-Reed (Unitarian Universalist Minister)

Action Alert: Trip to Springfield Illinois to Lobby our State Representatives for Justice for All Children: Education Funding Reform.
 
I would like to thank all of you who came to the Call-to-Action: Justice for All Children: Bringing Fairness to School Funding  on April 19, 2009. 2U members were well represented, and were energized by what was discussed.  I think we all felt that we can do more together to bring about change. But do not worry for those who could not make it, there are two important ways you can help bring much needed justice to our educational system.   

We are very excited to announce the launching of a Families with Children Small Group Ministry. We get so little time to spend with our families in this fast paced, busy society. Second Unitarian Church wants to create a space for your family to be able to spend quality time together talking about what is most important to you.

In this small group, families will be taking time to talk about how they want to live in relationship with each other and the larger world around them. Through age appropriate activities for all ages we will be exploring our family values. A typical meeting will look like this: first the families will all gather together for food and fellowship, then they will have some time for conversation, next comes individual family activity time (we will be journaling, painting, making pictures and much more) and then everyone will come back together to share with the group what they feel comfortable sharing.

This is a whole family activity where the whole household must be present. Why? Because we will be talking about what you all value the most and we want the whole family to be able to be a part of learning about each other, deciding how they want to live in the world, and coming closer together.

The small group will meet for four weeks in a row on Sunday May 31, Sunday June 7, Sunday June 14, and Saturday June 20 in Loft from 12pm - 2 pm which includes lunch/fellowship time. Please note that our last meeting is on Saturday instead of Sunday like the first three sessions. If you would like more information or would like to sign up please contact Director of Faith Development, Gabrielle Parra at faithdev_2U@att.net. Space is limited. We look forward to entering into this new ministry with you and your family.

There are a growing number of sermons (http://www.secondunitarian.org/download-sermons/) available on our website in mp3 format.  The following sermons have just been added.
 

Change Your Life: Live It - November 23, 2008

Promises and Covenant: Let Your Yes be YES and Your No be NO - January 11, 2009

Promises and Covenant - January 25, 2009

Change Your World - February 1, 2009

Exodus: Hardship  - March 1, 2009

This is a great way to share our message with your friends or to hear a sermon that you missed.

by Hugh

Why should I recycle my old electronics?
Household electronic products often contain hazardous and toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and PCBs that pose environmental risks if they are put in a landfill or incinerated. When electronics are disposed of in the waste stream (for example, when they are thrown out with other garbage), these hazardous materials can contaminate the air, soil and water. When electronics are recycled, however, they are disassembled and any hazardous materials they contain are reprocessed and reused in an environmentally responsible manner. 
Recycling electronics reduces the amount of toxic and hazardous substances that may enter the environment through disposal. Recycling electronic equipment also conserves energy and raw materials and reduces pollution by allowing product components, such as metals and plastics, to be used in other products. Common household electronics include computers, televisions, VCRs, audio equipment, cellular telephones and cordless telephones. (All computers dropped off at the facility will have their hard drives wiped clean before any work is done, so that any private information is protected.)

So, take all household hazardous waste and  old electronics to the city's new permanent facility!

Accepted items, to name a few, include household chemicals, oil-based paints, solvents, cell phones, compact fluorescent light bulbs computers and related equipment. Households are welcome to bring unwanted, unused or obsolete computers, and computer peripherals and cell and cordless phones-for reuse and recycling. (Unaccepted Materials [do NOT drop off] include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, & appliances.)

Where, How & When to Drop-Off

Patrons of the facility should bring their materials through the gates and past the first one-story building, located on the west side of the street at 1150 N. North Branch. Signs are posted indicating the specific drop-off spots for specific materials (electronics, other household hazards, etc.).
The facility is open: Tuesdays (7:00 am-12:00 pm), Thursdays (2:00 pm-7:00 pm) , & the First Saturday of every month (8:00am-3:00pm)  (Closed on Holidays falling on these times)

Accepted Materials (please drop off):

• antifreeze
• unused/expired medications
• used motor oil
• old gasoline
• oil-based paints
• paint thinners
• aerosol paints and pesticides
• herbicides
• insecticides
• pesticides lawn chemicals
• solvents
• drain cleaners
• cleaning products
• pool chemicals
• hobby chemicals
• mercury
• compact Fluorescent lamp and light bulbs
• computers
• cell phones