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!

Second Unitarian has a proud tradition! This tradition involves an open pulpit where about once a month a member or members of the laity conduct a service and preach the sermon. Over the past year we have seen the successful revival of this tradition with several wonderful lay led services.

However, coming out of the congregation in order to conduct a service and to preach a sermon is not an easy thing to do. Most people need help! Therefore the Religious Services Committee is about to revive the Lay Preachers Support Group.

When the group existed about ten years ago it played a critical role in helping to keep the lay led services fresh and vibrant. Also importantly, it helped to keep them on time in their development. The group served as a place where service ideas could be bounced around and sermon drafts could be read and receive constructive criticism. More experienced presenters could help when newer presenters ran into problems.

Also, it was a place where "patchwork" services could be developed. People can team up into groups of two or more presenters in order to present a service with different presenters on a common theme. There is a long history of these "patchwork" services at 2U.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please contact Jim Simonis at church or thru email at jsimonis@rcn.com. The group will meet once a month on a Wednesday at church at 7:00 PM. The first session will be on April 25th.

• Board of Trustees (4 positions):  
• Council Chair (2-year term) 
• Treasurer (2-year term) 
• Trustee (3 -year term) 
• Chair-Elect (3-year progressive 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.

Greet spring! Sing! 

The 2U choir rehearses around the piano in the sanctuary every Tuesday evening at 7:30. All voices are welcome - tenors! basses! sopranos! altos!

For more information,email music director Marianne Parker or just come to a rehearsal - or, if you have questions you'd like to ask over the phone, you can call me, Myra Epping, at 773-338-4086.

The Green Sanctuary will be meeting Sunday, April 15th at 12:00 to discuss and decide upon upcoming events. Please get back to me with your ideas for Green Sanctuary and I will add them to the agenda. We'll also discuss what it takes to become an accredited Green Sanctuary with the UUA. I look forward to hearing your ideas! Libby Harvey-Hill, 

threebmetaldesign@yahoo.com.

There's nothing like unseasonably hot weather to make people think global warming is real, but the American public still lacks significant knowledge about the science of climate change. As Prof Andrew Hoffman of University of Michigan wrote in a Christian Science Monitor commentary this week: "People must be educated about science and the scientific process if we are to make rational and informed decisions that affect our future. ... [But] the relative absence of academics and academic scholarship in the public discourse creates a vacuum into which uninformed, wrong, and downright destructive viewpoints get voiced and take hold." Climate scientists need to come down from their ivory towers and speak to the people in terms they can understand. The issues are too important for scientists to remain "lost in the academy."

But we can all have an impact. That's why we encourage you to learn as much as you can about the science of global warming, and work to educate your family and friends. RSVP for presentations on Climate Reality, below.

 Climate Reality presented by James Sweitzer

Chicago, IL on April 28th, 2012

 Climate Reality: Nothing but the Truth presented by James Sweitzer

Chicago, IL on May 12th, 2012

1) Monday April 2, 5:30 at St. James Cathedral (Huron & Wabash) - CROSSwalk. More than 600 of our young people have been murdered since 2008. As a faith community, we need to help do something about it. Second Unitarian Church social justice council is joining forces with churches and community organizations from the Chicago area for CROSSwalk, a four-mile procession across the heart of the city to remember children we have lost and connect participants with opportunities for action. CROSSwalk takes place on Monday, April 2, and promises to be a moving way to begin Holy Week. It will step off from St. James Cathedral, proceed through the Loop and stretch across the city to the lawn outside Stroger Hospital, with stops along the way at Daley Plaza and Old St. Patrick's Church. At each stop we will lament the loss of our young people and-- importantly--commit ourselves to efforts that protect children and mitigate violence in our communities. Please join us for all or part of the procession. Buses will be available for those who require transportation along the route. For more information or to sign up, visit www.crosswalkchicago.org.

2) Community Renewal Society (CRS) Justice Actions

Greetings fellow Chicagoland UUs. We have some important actions/events to share with you. We (Megan and Rich) serve as UU representatives to the faith-based organization Community Renewal Society (CRS). The Community Renewal Society is a progressive, faith-based organization that works to eliminate race and class barriers. The two of us find spiritual enrichment and activist satisfaction in working together with the great diverse group folks at CRS. We need people from every Chicagoland congregation to show up for these events. Please RSVP to meganselby@gmail.com or rvpokorny@comcast.net, or write us for more info. Thank you for supporting this faith coalition and our local campaigns for racial and economic justice!   

2a) Thursday April 5 - Forced Out : A Unity Forum on Immigration and Incarceration. Black and Brown families are being destroyed by mass incarceration and deportation. This teach-in/day of action creates an opportunity for conversation and strategy sharing among students, community leaders, people of faith, and especially families impacted by these policies. Thursday, April 5th - 10 AM to 2 PM at the UIC Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago. Action to follow. Buses will take us downtown to take a stand on issues of incarceration and immigration. Free and open to everyone. Join us and help find the interconnectedness of the issues of Deportation and Incarceration.See www.solidaritycity.wordpress.com/forced-out/ for more info. Contact - Megan Selby - meganselby@gmail.com (Second Unitarian)

2b) Tuesday April 24 -  Community Renewal Society Lobby Day
Buses leave from several Chicagoland locations for Springfield at 6 AM, returning at 7 PM. We will be lobbying for a felony sealing bill, to allow non-violent ex-offenders the ability to find jobs, education and housing. Other issues we will lobby for are a progressive income tax to more fairly fund public schools and affordable housing funds. Join with the Evanston UU Church, Second Unitarian, Unity Temple UU and 70 other CRS congregations in seeking justice for the least powerful in our society.
Contact - Rich Pokorny - rvpokorny@comcast.net (Unity Temple UU)

3) Sunday April 29th, 4-7pm in the Loft - For Youth Inquiry Performance. Join For Youth Inquiry (FYI) and the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) for an afternoon of art-making to raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Folks of all ages are invited to come envision new worlds of sex positivity through poetry, collage and altered-book making. The books we create will be housed in ICAH's library in the loop. Who we are: FYI has been so grateful to 2U for hosting our rehearsals this year! We are non-profit collective that brings participatory, sex-positive performances to Chicago area youth to engage them in conversations about sexual health and sexual violence. Check us out at www.foryouthinquiry.org. Suggested donation: $10

4) Friday May 4, 2012 @ Second Unitarian Church (2U) - Bill of Rights Defense Committee (UUSC Partnership). In partnership with the UUSC, BORDC is convening a coalition of leaders working on their Local Civil Rights Restoration Campaign platform to build the skills of the activists attending, strengthen the capacity of the coalitions to have a positive impact in their local communities, and build toward a strong national network of civil rights activist. This convening is scheduled for the first weekend in May, part of which will be held at 2U. Also go to www.bordc.org for information about the organization.

5) Sunday May 6th,  2-3:30pm @ St. Pauls Church -  LAC ACTION ASSEMBLY."LAC builds community around leadership, and builds power out of community." Lakeview Action Coalition is a multi-issue community organization, comprised of 49 institutional members of which 2U is a member. For almost 20 years, LAC along with many members of our congregation have fought for justice, solidarity and diversity in Lakeview and in other parts on the northside of Chicago. 2U joined LAC because of the issues that we  share and care about with the LAC community: Affordable Housing, Access to Healthcare, Economic Justice, and LGBT Homeless Youth and Police Relations What is great about LAC is that it allows its members to act on their values in public life by participating in the decision that shape our communities' future. Please join members of the 2U Social Justice Council at the LAC ACTION ASSEMBLY (Sign-up at the What's Happening Table or contact Curtis Smith at cmwright@sbcglobal.net) or go to www.lakeviewaction.org.