Another church year is coming to a close, and what a year it has been for us all! We've continued to fill up the sanctuary for Sunday worship, improve our communications and institutional structures, and solidify the work we've done into a good foundation for our next steps together. On top of that, I've been installed, Gabrielle Montgomery is moving out of being an employee of the church and returning to being a community member, and Pam Rumancik has joined us to help in our staffing transitions. Our committees are growing and changing to meet our needs, and I think we're ready to increase our presence in the world as well as expand our ability to bring people into our community once we figure out how to make enough room for them!

This is an incredibly exciting time for 2U - and it's also just the right moment for us to enjoy the summer and slow down a little so that we're ready for the fall. Our church picnic will be on Sunday, July 29th. Our weekly Vespers services will take a break for the summer, happening once a month on second Wednesdays at 6:30pm before the 2U Board meeting. I'll be travelling in early July, teaching once again at Ferry Beach (a UU summer camp in Maine), but otherwise I'll be at 2U, preaching, visiting our summer children's classroom, and enjoying the summer with you. Although it's summertime, your leadership will be working to have things in place for 2012-2013. I can't wait to see what we do together in the coming year!

Well, maybe I can wait just long enough to enjoy the summertime at 2U...I hope we'll all have a summer that is enjoyable and rejuvenating together.

Faithfully,

Rev. Adam

PS: Although June 3rd is our Flower Communion service, don't forget that services continue all summer, starting with our June 10th music service!

The Issue

Historically, domestic workers have been an isolated, vulnerable, and exploited workforce, not covered by guidelines or laws that would provide minimal protections and work standards. Compared to other workers, privately employed domestic workers are more vulnerable to verbal and physical abuse, work  longer hours for less pay, are more often terminated without  notice or severance pay, and lack paid sick or personal days and vacation time. The informality and isolation of domestic work compounds this situation, leaving domestic workers with little recourse when their rights are violated. Federal labor laws and the civil rights laws do not extend to domestic workers.

The Impact

It takes a community to make change. Starting on June 10, 2012 at 2U, we are going to discuss ways in which our faith community can bring dignity and value to the contributions domestic workers  bring to our everyday lives and across generations. Please Join Us.

The 2U choir will have its last performance of the church year on Sunday, June 10.  After June 10, all of us - choir singers, shower singers, car ride singers, sidewalk singers, furtive operatic singers - will have the WHOLE SUMMER to dream about joining the choir when it returns in the fall.  The 2U choir rehearses around the piano in the sanctuary on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. For more information, email music director Marianne Parker.

Interested in playing chamber music for one of the Sunday services at 2U? The Music Committee is looking for instrumentalists who might like to play with others in a variety of chamber ensembles during Sunday services. Please contact Music Committee member Monica Drane or 2U Music Director Marianne Parker if you are interested or have questions. 

Ann Simmons grew up in Riverside, Il. She lived in Maine for a time, and then returned to Chicago where she studied elementary education at UIC. Ann teaches sixth grade at a school in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. She has a son, Bailey, age 15. In her free time, Ann lobbies for sensible gun laws and enjoys camping. Ann was familiar with Uuism, having attended the UU Church in Oak Park. When she moved to the northside, she found 2U. In the fall, Ann is interested in joining a small group. She is glad to have found a church which aligns with her values.

David Scott Dyer hails from Detroit, MI. He attended Alma College where he studied psychology and theatre. David moved to Chicago in June of 2009 for an internship in preventive medicine at Northwestern. He is working on his master's degree in web development at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In his free time, David takes improv classes at Second City and is on the Young Adult Steering Committee for the Central Midwest District of the UUA. At 2U, David just completed a small group and is actively involved with the Young Adult Group.