The Anvil - March 2012, vol. 1

The Anvil comes out around the 1st & 15th of every month. The deadline is two business days before the 1st & 15th of the month. Email submissions to Gabrielle.

Board of Trustees

August Staas, Chair

Mark Sneathen, Past Chair

Berlinda Browne, Chair Elect

Laura McKee, Treasurer

Andrea LeVasseur, Secretary

Neal Shankman, Council Chair

Melanie Bienemann, Trustee

Monica Drane, Trustee

Jonathan Dunmore, Trustee

Norman Groetzinger, Trustee

Making the Dream a Reality

Two years ago, I would not have even dreamed that we would be where we are today - but with time, faith, and a lot of conversation, here we are!

Those two years told us something about what Second Unitarian dreamed of being: a congregation nurturing spiritual and religious growth with a full-time minister, strong lay leadership, and a powerful sense of fellowship and community. Now it's time to make that dream a reality.

We're on the way. We're developing new leaders, offering opportunities for spiritual growth through worship and programming for all ages, and improving our building in a way that will strengthen our fellowship. You've even got me full-time! Now we just have to keep it up.

We're entering our Stewardship Campaign for the 2012-2013 church year. Our campaign co-chairs, Karen Fort and Gregory Redfeairn, are asking us all to consider what 2U means to each of us and what we can offer to it in terms of financial support. There's no doubt that all the ways in which we contribute matter - and are greatly appreciated! The financial health of this congregation helps create the conditions for the health and strength of it, too. Maintaining our support for 2U for the rest of this year is important, of course; deciding how we can offer support in the coming year will allow us to determine how we can make the dream a reality.

I hope that you will enter this time of excitement and hope with a generous heart and a willingness to deeply consider how your support of 2U will help shape our future together!

Faithfully,

Rev. Adam

Folk Fundraiser With "We're About 9"

Friday March 2, 8:00pm

Come enjoy an evening of folk music and fellowship, and support Second Unitarian in building the Beloved Community both inside and outside our walls.

Born near Baltimore, We're About 9 brings complex three-part vocal harmonies and a poignant, outside-the-box songwriting approach to an upbeat, fun show. Whether you see them in a Unitarian church or on the main stage of a folk festival (Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Clearwater), you're likely to find you've stayed awake on a plane, made it to Albany, sang all the body parts you could spell with three letters, and learned safe (and meaningful) concatenation with We're About 9.

You can check out We're About 9's music and preview some of their live show below, or find a lot more on their site at wereabout9.com.

Tickets - Special 2U Members and Friends tickets feature priority seating and are available for $20 after Sunday services. The first 20 Members and Friends ticket orders will also come bundled with a We're About 9 CD courtesy of the band.

If you can't make it to church, or if you prefer to use a credit card, you can buy a regular $15 ticket (plus a small processing surcharge) from Brown Paper Tickets.

Save the Date - Sunday April 22, 4:00pm

Installation of the Rev. Adam Robersmith

On Sunday, April 22, Second Unitarian Church will celebrate the installation of the Rev. Adam Robersmith as 2U's seventh settled minister.

Our preacher for the Installation with be the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, minister of 4th Universalist Church in New York City. Born and raised in Chicago, Rev. McNatt has served on the boards of the UUA and Starr King School for the Ministry, and is also a widely published writer, adjunct instructor at Union Theological Seminary, and founder of the UU Trauma Ministry.

The Installation service will be on Sunday, April 22 at 4:00pm. Reception immediately after the service.

Please join in celebrating this momentous occasion in 2U's history!

Attention All Cooks

Kitchen Tour on March 11 at 1:00pm

Lew Harding will conduct a tour of the new kitchen on Sunday March 11th at 1:00 p.m. to familiarize you with the new coffee maker and appliances.

Electronics Recycling at 2U

Bring your hard to recycle stuff to 2U until March 4.

All items 100% recycled (No Landfill Recycling):

See the list of items you can bring to 2U for recycling. Items will be stored in the basement of the church until March 5th when they will be picked up by the recycler. Hard drives will be shredded.

2U Young Adult Circle Worship

Sunday, March 18 at Noon

The Young Adults will be having a Circle Worship after services on the 18th of March. All between the ages of 18 and 35 are welcome! For more information on this and other events, as well as the group in general, email mredlich21@gmail.com. Or join our facebook group, The Second Unitarian Universalist Church of Chicago's Young Adult Ministry.

Committee on Ministries

COM Chat, March 25

We will be having a COM Chat on Sunday March 25th at noon in the Sanctuary. We will be discussing:

How last year's COM Chat information was distributed
Explanation of committee liaisons/COM Chat Back Anvil feature
Your current joys, concerns, questions and suggestions

We hope to see you there.

Marilyn Hebda,Chair, Jill Althage, Jennifer Duston, John Houck,

Darrin Weatherspoon

Worship Associate Training

Rev. Adam and Gary Bondurant will conduct a training for those interested in assisting clergy and lay service presenters as Worship Associates on April 1, 2012 at noon in the Sanctuary. If you plan to attend or have questions about being a Worship Associate, please contact Rev. Adam Robersmith.

From the Nominating Committee

The 2U Nominating Committee is looking for motivated members who are willing to volunteer their time to fill the following Board and committee positions:

Board of Trustees (4 positions):

Council Chair (2-year term)
Treasurer (2-year term)
Trustee (3 -year term)
Chair-Elect (3-year term)

Endowment Committee (1 position): 3-year term
Nominating Committee (4 positions): 1-year term

Please contact any member of the the 2U Nominating Committee; Dawn Kirschmann, Chair, Michael Bulak, Dana Hill, Sally Harding, Liz Krumwiede, Ian McPhaden, Jim Simonis,as soon as possible if you are interested or have further questions.

Choir Corner

Birds are singing and so can you - join the choir! The 2U choir rehearses Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., around the piano in the sanctuary. For more information, email music director Marianne Parker or come to a rehearsal or - for an in-between option - call me, Myra Epping, at 773-338-4086.

New Members

Cass and Sam Williamson: Cass Williamson grew up in Maplewood, Iowa. She attended the University of Iowa where she received her bachelors' and master's degrees in nursing. Retired now, she worked as a nurse practitioner in mental health. Sam, who she met on a blind date in Iowa City, was born in New Haven, CT, and moved to Evanston when he was seven. He received his bachelor's, master's, and PhD in Economics from Purdue University. Sam is retired also, was an academic at the University of Iowa, Miami University, Berkeley, University of British Columbia, and in Sydney, Australia. Sam and Cass split their time between Charlevoix, Michigan and Chicago. Their two children, Jessica, 34, and Carl, 30, both live in Brooklyn, N.Y. Sam runs a website measuringworth.com and enjoys exercising (although he did not enjoy breaking his leg while skiing the day after Christmas!) Cass likes to quilt, cook, read, and exercise. Both are avid sailors. Sam and Cass have been involved in different UU congregations and have attended 2U since 2003. They have been active in a small group and help out with the Night Ministry.

Virginia Nugent hails from Melbourne, Australia. She moved to the USA (first Pittsburgh and then the twin cities) in 1999 after meeting her partner in Bangkok, Thailand. Her partner is Dr. Michelle M. Wright, an associate professor of African-American Studies at Northwestern University. Virginia, who has long been involved with theatre and show business, is the development director for the Chicago Dramatists, a playwright development center and full-producing theatre, located in West Town. In her free time, she enjoys attending classical concerts, opera, theatre, and exploring Chicago. Virginia found 2U on the internet and has been attending since the fall, after realizing she missed having a church community. At 2U, she sings in the choir and is looking forward to getting to know everyone and serving the church.

Eric Lee is originally from Des Moines, IA. He studied theatre, philosophy, and literature at the University of Evansville, IN. Eric came to Chicago to pursue an acting career. He is cast in Tom Stoppards' Arcadia in May 2012 at the New Leaf Theatre, and is looking for work in the meantime, perhaps in retail (but is open to suggestions). Eric enjoys exploring new places for brunch with his girlfriend Jen. They have a housecat named "Vamp." Eric says he formerly worked at Intelligentsia Coffee Shop and walked by 2U many times. We are glad he decided to come inside. He has been attending 2U since November, has joined the choir, and is currently enjoying the leadership class. Eric is happy he found 2U and hopes to become more involved with social justice issues.

Tammy Tamayo was born in Parana, Argentina and came to the USA when she was two years old. She has lived in several places, including Utah, Tucson, and San Francisco. Tammy holds two bachelor's degrees from UC-Davis: Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and Engineering and Material Sciences. After receiving her master's degree in Engineering and Material Sciences, she moved to Chicago into an MD-PhD program at UIC. Her goal is to be a research physician or to specialize in rehabilitation. Tammy is married to Chris and they have two children: Torin, 5 and Tula, 2. While in San Francisco, Tammy was a member of the California Peace Action. Meetings were often held in Unitarian Churches. Tammy considers herself an atheist-humanist and resonates with the seven principles of UUism. She likes the community at 2U for herself and for her children and has joined the new Knitting Group.

A shout-out to Judy Corbeille and Christine Hennessey, both of whom recently rejoined 2U. Judy officially retired ten years ago. She works for Frank Scott (former 2U member) supporting his acupuncture practice in Evanston and volunteers at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Christine Hennessey originally joined 2U in 2005 (after reading an article while on vacation in Ireland re: the growth of UUism in Ireland which made her curious per her former RC roots.) In 2007, she moved to Pennsylvania and then moved back to the Chicago area in 2010. Christine shared "Throughout my travels between 2007-to the present, I have visited 7 UU churches - 4 in western Pennsylvania and 3 in suburban Chicago. The #1 thing that has kept me connected to 2U and now brought me back are the people. When I first met this community in 2005, I was starving for my own community. The people of 2U met me where I was at spiritually and emotionally and wrapped me in compassion and acceptance. Now, after two years of trying to be practical and choose a church near where I live, I have realized my spiritual home is 2U. I have again been greeted with compassion and acceptance. I am so thankful to be back."

Welcome back to Judy and Christine!!

A warm welcome to our new members Cass, Sam, Virginia, Eric, Tammy, Torin, and Tula!!!!!!!