Calendar
Sunday August 2
Worship at 10:30
Katie Norris preaches, "Truth: The Free and Responsible Search;" vocalist Scott Sisco
9:30 - Practical Care Training
Monday August 3
9:00am - 2U Employment Group
Thursday August 6
5:30pm - Night Ministry volunteering
Sunday August 9
Intergenerational Worship 10:30
Katie Norris preaches, "The Whole Truth; Nothing But the Truth?"
Monday August 10
9:00am - 2U Employment Group
Wednesday August 12
6:30pm - LFD Council Meeting
7:00pm - Board Meeting
Thursday August 13
Noon - Retiree Potluck
Saturday August 15
9:45am - Council Meeting
Sunday August 16
Worship at 10:30
Katie Norris preaches
9:00am - Hospitality Training
11:30am - Membership 101
11:30am - WIDE Community Meeting
Monday August 17
9:00am - 2U Employment Group
Wednesday August 19
7:00 pm - Pastoral Care Team Meeting
Sunday August 23
Worship at 10:30
Rev. Jennifer Owen-O'Quill preaches
Monday August 24
9:00am - 2U Employment Group
Tuesday August 25
5:30pm - Night Ministry volunteering
6:00pm - Social Justice Council Meeting
Sunday August 30
Water Communion Sunday
Intergenerational Worship 10:30
Rev. Jennifer Owen-O'Quill preaches
Monday August 31
9:00am - 2U Employment Group
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Membership 101 - Orientation to Unitarian Universalism
When? Sunday August 16, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Where? the Loft (upstairs)
Who? Anyone who wants to know more about UUism, Second Unitarian Church, or wants to meet some other good people.
What? A conversation about UU ideas and sharing our own questions and paths. Snacks and childcare are provided, so please RSVP and indicate which session you will attend. Check out the Sources of Our Faith sermon series to help you think about questions you might have. Sign up at the What's Happening table at church or contact Membership Coordinator, Lisa Todd at secondunitarian@att.net.
Why? Because you have some questions about church or faith or belonging to a community in an intentional way. Join us! |
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Church Office Information & Staff
Office Hours
Mon - Thurs, 9am - 1pm
Additional times available by appointment.
Parish Minister
Rev. Jennifer Owen-O'Quill
773-549-0260, ext. 13
minister_2u@att.net
Director of Faith Development
Gabrielle Parra
773-549-0260, ext. 12
faithdev_2u@att.net
Intern Minister
Katie Norris
773-549-0260, ext. 29
Community Minister
Rev. Rudra Dundzila
773-593-7500
rdundzila@uuma.org
Business Manager
Chris Engler
773-549-0260, ext. 10
office_2u@att.net
Membership Coordinator
Lisa Todd
773-549-0260, ext. 11
secondunitarian@att.net
Acting Music Director
Brett Rowe
773-549-0260, ext. 31
music_2u@att.net
Nursery Attendant
Noemi A. |
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Unemployed or Underemployed?
Join the 2U Employment Group! Come for
support, concrete resources, and accountability. We meet every Monday
morning in the Palmer Room from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Activities include goal setting, resume
writing and mock interviewing. For more information, contact the church at secondunitarian@att.net
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Communication Deadlines
Sunday Order of Service Mondays by noon. Please make sure that events are inclusive of all members. No additional inserts will be included in the order of service without prior approval of the church office. Send announcement requests to secondunitarian@att.net.
The Anvil - 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month. Send newsletter submissions to faithdev_2u@att.net.
Scheduling Events
All space for church activities must be scheduled in advance through the Membership Coordinator, Lisa Todd, secondunitarian@att.net. The church is open for group activities on Sundays 9am - 2pm or by appointment.
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July Collection
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The July collection was shared with our Transylvania partner church. We were able to raise $870 in support of our Transylvania partner church. Thank you for your generosity!
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Transitions - It's All Personal
 by Lisa Todd Once upon a time, a long time ago, I worked for five summers as a camp counselor. One of the things I became very familiar with was "going home behavior." The kids would start fighting (more) and be downright obnoxious the week before their month long camp-stay was going to end. In the final week we'd find graffiti in the latrines, items stolen and we'd hear all kinds of new and creative curse words for the camp counselors. It was essentially a game of make believe. If I pretend that this is all stupid and everyone around me is stupid then saying goodbye won't be so hard. Miraculously then, and usually about 48 hours before the buses arrived to pick the kids up and take them back to the city, angelic behavior, tears and endless hugs would emerge. We would spend the next two days cramming in one more canoe ride, one more hike to feed the donkeys and one more powwow fire. Everyone wanted to hang on to the memories of the summer and planned how they would take their lessons from camp and use them in New York City. (I hoped that they meant things like cooking for themselves and not so much the firebuilding, per se.) This month I feel like my camp kids. During August, Suzanne Larimer is stepping down from her staff position as Business Manager and Katie Norris will be leaving after a year of internship and a summer as our sabbatical minister. These are both wonderful, amazing women whom I will miss. In lieu of distancing behaviors and swear words, let me instead just honestly share my feelings. Suzanne is the most collaborative and supportive coworker I've ever had. She is super smart and a creative problem solver and she gives hugs for free. She knows a ton about a lot of detailed, nit-picky stuff AND she knows how to really care about people. We had an amazing ministry driven person taking care of the business of the church and that was a huge reason for our success during some challenging financial times. Katie is a sponge. That's what I said about her in the first month of her internship. There should be a picture of Katie next to the definition of internship. She took advantage of every opportunity and asked for feedback and incorporated ideas easily. By the time the summer rolled around she was the one offering support and guidance to a seasoned staff, planning the fabulous Show Tune Sunday and leading us in worship in our highest summer attendance ever. Summer is almost always a time of transition. I hope you will take some time to reflect and be honest about the transitions in your own life and find some time to share your memories and words of appreciation with Suzanne and Katie. They both plan to reorganize their personal lives to be more available for their families. I know that their care and commitment has been a gift that will stick with me for a very long time. |
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New Face in the 2U Office!
Dear
2U members and friends,
After
over two years as your office Business Manager, I am stepping down to return to
2U membership. This was a difficult decision for me and my family. However, I
have some new personal demands and commitments which I feel require my attention
and focus. We are welcoming a foreign exchange student from Chile in mid-August
who will be with us for the entire school year. So I will have a teenager and
a five year old - some say that is not too different! Also my parents are aging
and I find I need to be more available to meet any needs they might have. I
will be pondering my next career step but that is not a first priority at this
time.
I
am so grateful for this experience. Coming from corporate America, it has
been a great growth and learning opportunity to see how a church functions and
know that my skills can be used in a variety of ways. I am proud of the work I
have done for 2U and feel confident the church is in a healthy financial
position and has great potential. I especially want to thank the entire staff
and the Board of Trustees for being so supportive, patient and encouraging. I
am honored to have worked with such a talented and committed group of
people.
Also,
thank you to Rev. Owen-O'Quill for respecting my needs and using her sabbatical
time to help with a solution for my transition. Chris
Engler has been hired as my replacement and is already working with me on a
transition plan. He has prepared an introduction which follows.
In
faith and deep appreciation,
Suzanne
Larimer
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Welcome Chris Engler!
Please
allow me to introduce myself, I am Chris Engler. I will be taking over for Suzanne as the 2U
Business Manager. Recently, I worked
for an auto dealership trading new vehicles with other dealerships and
maintaining inventory. Two years ago I
moved back to Chicago from Corpus Christi, Texas where I worked as a realtor and
a volunteer musician at the UU Church of Corpus Christi. That is where I met David Owen-O'Quill who
was pastor there at that time. I
currently play music for his new congregation, Micah's Porch, on Sundays. To further redeem my reputation from being
involved in real estate sales and auto business, which have now both ruined the
economy, I worked with mentally ill young adults for a decade here in Chicago,
where I used my degree in Psychology. If
you have any questions about the building or 2U finances, I will be happy to
field them. Please be patient while I become familiar with Second
Unitarian. You can find me in the
basement during the week from 10:30a.m. to 2:30p.m. |
Money Matters
Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Update
Whew! It was a tough economic year but 2U came through! We are grateful
and proud to report that in the biggest recession in the last few decades we
ended the year with a small deficit of $4,667.42, only 1.2% of our planned
budget.
Keeping the deficit as small as it is required a huge joint commitment from
so many of you. We wish to acknowledge the following contributions:
- All the pledge commitments which were honored in part or full by so many of
you, despite your own hardship.
- Contributions to the Deficit Reduction appeal in May and June, we raised
over $2,500!
- The staff and church ministries for holding or cutting planned expenses to
keep spending in check.
- The strong end of year participation in fundraising, including our Cantina
Night, Rummage Sales and Experience Summer raffle.
- Agreement from 3 families on early payment of their entire 09-10
pledges.
A huge THANK YOU!
Furthermore, despite the deficit we were fortunate enough to have two
bequests come to us during the fiscal year totalling about $234,000. In the
next few months, the Board will be reviewing a recommendation from the staff on
how to structure and use these funds for maximum benefit and will involve the
congregation in these discussions. But needless to say the generosity has
provided us with a healthy balance sheet and some reserve to weather stormy
times.
We now turn our attention to 2009-10 fiscal year. Early fundraising,
promotion of our church as a rental venue and fulfillment of pledges is critical
to meet the plan you all approved at the May Annual Meeting. We know we can do
it - 2U has a record of coming through in hard times. If you have any questions
about the budget, financial practices or polices please do not hesitate to
contact the office at office_2u@att.net
or 773-549-0260 ext. 10.
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Faith Development News
by Alyssa, Lifespan Faith Development Council Chair
What
the kids have been doing: Last Sunday (and again this coming Sunday), 2U's children
had a chance to meet with Social Justice Chair, Curtis. They started off
strong with Dr. Seuss's Sneetches which lead into discussion.
The children talked about issues around prejudice and social inequality.
Much of the conversation next week will center on how everyone feels about
prejudice and social inequality and what they would like to do to change things
for the better.
Intergenerational
Service Workshop: Last
weekend, a group of 2Uers met to discuss how we want to continue to worship
together in our Intergenerational Services. Members shared what it meant to
them to have the entire community present during worship and how that community
presence impacted their faith life. The morning ended with a visioning session
on what they wished for Intergenerational Worship, and community life to look
like at 2U. Many thanks to all who participated!
Get
Involved.
Now is your opportunity to get involved with 2U's children's programming. If
you're interested in:
- Teaching*
- Visioning
children's faith-life development
- Welcoming
families*
- Facilitating LFD
and family events*
- Making story
baskets (we can coach you on what that means, just bring your creative
side)
- Improving
teaching spaces
We
need your help! There are many opportunities for both short and long term
commitments. Please contact Director od Faith Development Gabrielle Parra at
773-549-0260, ext. 12 or faithdev_2u@att.net and help keep our children's programming strong.
*These positions require application and screening.
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Social Justice Corner
by Curtis Children of the Incarcerated
Across the nation, children of the
incarcerated, as much as their parents, bear the consequences of a misdeed or a
mistake. They are disproportionately poor, African American and
Latino and, for many, their lives are shaped by the same cycle of recidivism
that ensnares their incarcerated parents. This cycle leaves children of the
incarcerated bound by poverty, violence, uncertainty and deprivation.
As the
number of people in our prisons increases, so too does the number of children
they leave behind. The Chicago Reporter ( www.chicagoreporter.com) estimates
that there were approximately 90,000 children with parents in prison or on parole
in Illinois in August, 2006. Since 1980, 340,000 children have had a parent in
prison, on probation or on parole.
Second Unitarian Church can begin to shape a different future
for these children. You can make a difference by joining other people of faith at the rally and
hearings for:
What: Children of
the Incarcerated Joint Legislative Hearings
When: Monday,
August 10, 2009
Where: State
of Illinois Building, James R. Thompson Center (100
W. Randolph St., Chicago)
Time: 9:00am Rally; 10am - 1pm Hearing in the
Senate Hearing Room 503, 16th Floor. ALL ARE WELCOME. Together as a congregation we can
make a difference just by being there to bear witness, to increase our
awareness, and to become advocates for change on this critical violation of our
children's basic human rights.
Please sign
up at the What's Happening Table or contact the church at secondunitarian@att.net. |
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Experience Summer Raffle
Extended until August 2!!
Buy tickets for the Experience Summer raffle. This Sunday, August 2 will be your last chance to buy raffle tickets. The drawing will take place after the service. Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20.First prize is a Giant FCR comfort bicycle - perfect for cruising the bike paths of Chicago's lakefront, riding the wilderness trails of the forest preserves, or even commuting to work. Second prize is four Ravinia Festival pavilion seats to Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company performance in September.
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