Picnic & Worship in the Park

Sunday July 17, 2011

 

Thank You!

 

It was wonderful to have the Rev. Mark Kiyimba visiting us and in our pulpit on July 3 - but his visit would not have been possible without the help of many people. Our thanks to: Paul Konkoly for organizing Rev. Kiyimba's visit; Laura McKee and Tom Denio for hosting Rev. Kiyimba during his time with us;  Arthur Mitchell for being Rev. Kiyimba's transportation; Kymberlee Ricke for documenting Rev. Kiyimba's visit in photos; and the entire group of people who offered help through the organizing task force and the Social Justice Committee for their support.

 

Thanks also to everyone who attended the events and contributed to the plate split for Rev. Kiyimba's visit. We raised $888 that will be donated to the UU Association of Uganda through the All Souls UU Congregation of Tulsa, OK.

Searching for a Settled Minister

The elected members of the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) are Hugh Visor, Susan Richter, Dawn Kirschmann, Barb Hailey, Tyler Duston, and Atena Danner-McPhaden.  Please feel free to connect with any of us to discuss the process and any questions or concerns you may have. 

 

We have created a summary of the process, and the roles and responsibilities involved.  For more details, we encourage you to read the full 2U MSC Process Outline document.  Additionally, the UUA's Settlement Handbook which guides our progress is available to the public.

 

Roles & Responsibilities in the Search for a Settled Minister

 

MSC Chair:  Dawn Kirschmann

 

MSC Packet Editor and Distributor:  Atena Danner-McPhaden

 

MSC Reference Checker:  Hugh Visor

 

MSC Secretary: Barb Hailey

 

MSC Survey coordinator:  Susan Richter

 

MSC Treasurer: To be determined...

 

2U Board of Trustees (BOT):  The BOT is available to answer questions about church issues, and help identify resources.  The BOT as a body does not direct the MSC, is not represented at its meetings, but does provide support. The BOT appoints members of the Negotiating Team, the group responsible for negotiating the expectations and compensation agreement for the newly called minister.

 

2U Congregation:  The 2U community has the critically important role of providing information that we will use to determine what the congregation wants and needs in a settled minister.  To do this we are gathering info through conversations at Cottage Meetings, a Congregational Survey, review of recent church events and documents, and revisiting congregational learning processes such as the Welcoming Congregations curriculum.  More details will become available about each of these processes as they come up.  You, the community, are the heart and soul of this process - without your participation, we might as well pick a name out of a hat.  Every one of your voices matters.

 

The Search Process

(Please note: There is a timeline for this process posted in the Palmer Room at 2U.)

 

MSC Retreat: The MSC will participate in a retreat workshop together in order to solidify our team as a trusting group who can depend on each other and successfully work together. 

 

Self Study:  The 2U community provides data through conversations, surveys and other means.  The MSC takes it all into account, to figure out who the best candidates will be, and who will meet our needs in the most ways.  The information will be compiled into a Congregational Record. 

 

Congregation-wide Preparation:  As part of Self-Study, participate in  Beyond Categorical Thinking workshops (provided by the UUA for congregations seeking  settled ministers); Revisit the congregation's feelings about being a Welcoming Congregation, and what that means for our community as we move forward.

 

Negotiating Team:  Prepares a draft ministry agreement to present to candidates.  Appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Team will include an MSC member, a BOT member, and a "Senior Statesperson" from the congregation (per the Settlement Handbook). 

 

Considering Candidates, Calling a Minister

• Consider Reverend Robersmith as an internal candidate; Congregation votes; if the call is sufficiently strong (% of votes), and is accepted, settled ministry begins;
• If an agreement is not reached with Reverend Robersmith, select multiple external candidates to exchange information with and interview;
• One of those candidates is then selected, and invited (along with any family members) for an intensive two-Sunday Candidating Week;
•  Congregation votes; if the call is sufficiently strong (% of votes), and is accepted, settled ministry begins.

Orientation to 2nd Unitarian Church

Support Diversity - 

Represent 2U in the Disability Pride Parade

2U Young Adult After Service Brunch

Grab a meal with the Young Adults!  July 31st, after services, at an area restaurant yet to be determined.  Other upcoming events include cooking for the night ministry.  Please email oya7@yahoo.com for more information on this and other Young Adult events.

Blessing of the Animals

New Members

 

Erin Edwards grew up in Sycamore, Il. After attending Augustana College, she joined Americorps in Minnesota, focusing on helping low-income high school students gain acceptance to college. Erin then returned to school, attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She received her master's degree in French and International Development in 2009. Erin's partner is studying musicology at Northwestern University. Currently Erin works for the Northside Anti-Hunger Network. In her free time, she enjoys her garden, loves eating, and travels around the midwest visiting her friends. Erin and her partner attended the UU Church in Evanston but when they moved to Lakeview decided to come to 2U and we are glad they did.

 

Laura Barnes hails from Elkart, IN. She attended Kalamazoo College where she spent time in their overseas program in Madrid, Spain before graduating with a degree in religion. With a background in sales, Laura is currently finishing her MBA at DePaul University with the goal of working in organizational development. In her free time, Laura enjoys country music, hanging out in coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family. She grew up in a Christian church and at her Unitarian father's suggestion, she found UUism. After a time away, she returned to 2U. She feels welcomed and comfortable here and may join a small group in the fall.

 

Valerie Romaine grew up in Fairfield, CO. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA where she received a degree in English literature. Valerie lived in different locations but raised a family while living in Maine. She makes her living as a technical writer (sometimes trainer) for computerized accounting systems. In her leisure time, Val enjoys cooking and entertaining, cross-country skiing, camping, and hopes to return to gardening. She found 2U on the internet after searching for trans-friendly churches. Valerie says the warmth and friendliness she found at 2U helped her decide quickly to join 2U. She is interested in hospitality and maybe eventually joining a small group at 2U.

 

Welcome Erin, Laura & Val!!!

2U Needs a Voice at the United Nations

Would you like to be that person?

By becoming an envoy for the UU-UNO you can make this possible!

2U received a letter of support from the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) - a copy is on the Palmer Room bulletin board - for our passage of the 2011 Resolution to End Capital Punishment. The resolution called for 2U Members to support organizations that work toward the abolition of the death penalty and to compel the U.S. government to vote in favor of a U.N. resolution calling for a moratorium on executions. By becoming the UU-UNO Envoy you are directly responding to that call.

Also note that your participation as the UU-UNO Envoy will support Rev. Mark Kiyimba's mission in Uganda. UU-UNO was instrumental in setting up the safe house program mentioned by Rev Mark in his sermon at 2U.

 

Since the UU-UNO was founded in 1962, UU envoys have been working to ensure that their congregation's voices are represented at the United Nations. Through their work with the UU-UNO, UU envoys have been tremendously successful at influencing UN policy to promote global justice. UU-UNO envoy, Elaine Harvey, led the faith-based coalition to establish the International Criminal Court (ICC), an important institution for holding individuals accountable for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

Today the UU-UNO continues to make a difference by: addressing gender-based violence, stopping violence and discrimination based on real or perceived Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, supporting school fees for 160 AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ghana, and MORE! It is important to the UU-UNO office that they represent all the diverse voices of our faith and that our congregation is not left out.

Both youth and adults can be envoys and hold equal authority. For more information about UU-UNO programs and what being an envoy entails, please contact Paul Konkoly (e-mail: pkonkoly@yahoo.com or cell: 312/350-0163) or visit the UU-UNO website. 

Gay Softball World Series 2011

Money Matter$

Fiscal Year 2010-11 Operating Budget Status: YTD through June 

 

Income                                                                                                         

Pledges & Collection Plate                                                                          192,081

Other Income                                                                                                    37,351

Total YTD Income                                                                                        $229,431

 

Expenses

Collection Plate Sharing                                                                                  6,843

All Other Expenses                                                                                       216,812

Total YTD Expenses                                                                                  $223,654    

Total Annual Budget                                                                                  $254,474     

Balance Sheet Snapshot - June

Total Reserves & Investments                                                                   207,903

Land & Building (2001 appraisal)                                                          2,060,000

Endowment                                                                                                        1,256

Restricted Funds                                                                                               6,949

Total Long Term Debt                                                                                $286,148

Second Unitarian Church of Chicago
656 West Barry Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60657
www.secondunitarian.org