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Newsletter of 2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago
September 1, 2013
In This Issue
Coming Up at 2U
 
Sunday, September 1
Service at 10:30
Guest Preacher: Aidan McCormack
Music by Gail Gallagher

Sunday, September 8
Service at 10:30
Homecoming/Gathering of the Waters
Preacher: Rev. Adam Robersmith
Music by Marianne Parker

Wednesday, September 11
Vespers Service at 6:30pm

Sunday, September 15
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Adam Robersmith
Music by Nanna Cross

Wednesday, September 18
Vespers Service at 6:30pm

Sunday, September 22
Service at 10:30
Hymn Sing
Worship Leaders: The Sunday Services Committee
Accompanist: Marianne Parker

Wednesday, September 25
Vespers Service at 6:30pm

Sunday, September 29
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Adam Robersmith
Music by the 2U Choir
______________________
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Church Office Information & Staff

Minister
773-549-0260, ext. 13
Office Hours:
Wed-Thurs 1:00-9:00 pm
 
 
Dir. of Faith Development
773-549-0260, ext. 12
Office Hours:
Wed 12:00-9:00 pm
Sun 9:00-3:00

Office Administrator
773-549-0260, ext. 10
Office Hours: 
Mon-Thurs 10:00-4:00 
 
Community Minister
773-593-7500
 
Music Director
                                  
2U Ministry Leaders

Board of Trustees

Bookstore

Building & Grounds

Committee on Ministry

Finance Committee

Green Sanctuary

Hospitality 

Lifespan Faith Dev.

Membership

Music

Newsletter

Night Ministry Outreach

Pastoral Care

Safe Congregations 

Small Group Ministry

Social Justice

Sunday Services

Sun/Moon Group

Transylvania Church

Webmaster

Young Adult Group
Erin Rusmi
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Board of Trustees 
 









                                  
Welcome to a New Church Year!
The church year begins anew with a service recognizing our sacred places and people, including church and congregation, as we share in our annual Water Communion.
 
In this year, we'll dive deeply into what it means to be a congregation grounded in covenant through Rev. Adam's sermon series, examining one phrase of the 2U covenant in a service each month. We'll keep figuring out how to do church even more effectively, wisely, and faithfully. We'll continue to be a congregation that gathers in worship, fellowship, and service, cherishing all the diversities that make us whole. Please join us for these opening services of the church year!
 
Homecoming Worship and the Gathering of the Waters: 10:30am in the Sanctuary on September 8th. Come join us for our inter-generational celebration of the start of the church year! We will celebrate our community through our ritual of water communion. Please bring water to the church from places sacred and meaningful to you, from near or far-- your home tap, a beach, winter's snows, or another beloved body of water. We look forward to beginning this new year together.

 

Weekly Vespers services resume on Wednesday, September 11th at 6:30pm with a Yom Kippur-themed service.

 

Start of Sunday School and Blessing of the Teachers: Sunday, September 15th is the start of Sunday school for 2U children and youth. During the Time for All Ages, we will be commissioning our teachers as they begin a new year of religious education. Please come to support our teachers, and start them off with blessings for a meaningful and fun year.

From the Board Chair

We should all give another round of thanks to Steve Hier for spearheading yet one more improvement to our beloved building: the repair of the sanctuary's stained glass windows so that they can be opened! Last spring, at Steve's urging, the 2U board of trustees allocated the $18,000 necessary to have the windows repaired and Steve made certain that the job was finished with care and in time for summer's rising temperatures.

 

A few folks have been making improvements to our yard. Thanks to the garden elves for their handiwork. It would be great if our space in front could look as inviting as we all know we are!

 

I'm looking forward, as I always do, to Homecoming Sunday (September 8) and the chance to reconnect with members and friends who I might have missed over the summer. Please be sure to come to church that day with water from your summer's adventures for our annual gathering of the waters ritual.

 

Board of Trustees News/Highlights: The board of trustees met on August 7 for our regular monthly session. With several board members and Adam absent, we took no votes, but had a lively discussion of the church's finances and a first look at another set of potential building repairs and improvements. I reported on the news from the Finance Committee meeting in July and reminded the members of the board that while the spring canvass produced strong results and we have some reserves, the budget that the congregation passed at our annual meeting in May is tight. I also reported on the August 4 meeting to discuss preliminarily some possible changes to the Nominating Committee; we'll be exploring the ways that the Nominating Committee might better serve the church by taking on the task of leadership development. I also confirmed that the Committee on Ministries is set for this church year: Jill Althage, Dan Ashley, Marilyn Hebda (chair), Laura McKee, Adam Robersmith, and Marva Williams. Kimberly Bares reported that the church's fall fundraiser is scheduled for November 2 and our theme is Oktoberfest (mark your calendars and please let us know if you'd like to help plan/work the event). Jen Duston announced that Christy Grant and Tom Kepler are working on the redesign of our 2U website (thanks to Christy and Tom!). We welcomed Raquel as our new Director of Faith Development.

 

No one from the congregation attended our August 11 board chat hosted by board member Melanie Bienemann. If you're interested, the next board chat will be held on Sunday, September 15 immediately following the service and it will be hosted by board member Molly Rossow.

 

If you're interested, please join us at our next board of trustees meeting on Wednesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. in the Palmer Room. Contact me if you have questions or ideas.

 

See you at church,

Monica (Drane)

Chair, Second Unitarian Church of Chicago Board of Trustees

Guest Preacher in September
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Aidan McCormack
"Home Is Where..."
 
Homelessness and poverty are huge and interconnected issues here in the US. As the gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to widen, the issue becomes more relevant, and closer to home. Thousands experience homelessness nightly throughout Chicagoland, and nearly a quarter of those people are youth, a vast number of whom are LGBTQ. How can we respond to this huge issue from a place of faith and hope? What would it mean to be a community building shelter, starting with our hearts and compassion beginning with our hands while understanding how complex compassion can be? Join Aidan McCormack as he explores the issues and the questions that arise.

Aidan McCormack is pleased to be preaching at 2U! He's a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School and a Candidate for UU Ministry. While attending Meadville he was honored with the Charles F. Billings Preaching Prize. He is the Community and Congregational Relations Coordinator at The Night Ministry, a Chicago non-profit that addresses poverty and homelessness throughout the city and an organization that 2U has supported for many years.
Welcome to Our Newest 2U Members
Rebecca Atwood was born and raised in Palatine. She attended Western Michigan University, where she studied performance theater. After returning to Chicago, she worked at a restaurant where she met her husband, Mitch Langeler, and they moved to Denver, CO. They have since moved back to Chicago and are the parents of Adrian, 7, and Tucker, 4. Rebecca is studying to be a high school math teacher at Northeastern University. She is also fund-raising chair at the CPS school her children attend. Rebecca and Mitch were looking for a church for their family, and were happy to find 2U on the internet. Both boys enjoy Sunday school, and Rebecca is already involved by assisting at the Welcome Table.

Mitch Langeler hails from Elmhurst. He studied communications at Elmhurst College, and worked in executive recruitment, marketing, restaurants, and hospitality. After working in Denver for a few years, he now works on the corporate side of the service industry, and enjoys his position as Director of Human Resources for the Four Seasons Chicago. In his free time, he enjoys sports (biking, tennis, and softball) and music, especially singing. In the future, he may be interested in joining a small group. Mitch is glad he and his family are part of the 2U community.

A warm welcome to Rebecca, Mitch, Adrian, and Tucker!
Singing Sunday
Sunday, September 22, 2013
10:30am
 
Join us for a new alternative worship- a good ol' fashioned hymn sing- on September 22. Wait, you might say, don't we always sing hymns? Yes, but not as every part of worship. It can be really fun and spiritually moving to have an entire worship service of just music. For some, music goes deeper than spoken words alone. As an old adage says:
 
musical chaliceMusic speaks what cannot be expressed
Soothes the mind and gives it rest,
 
Heals the heart and makes it whole, 
Flows from heaven to the soul.
 
We want to know, specifically, what music soothes the minds of all 2U-ers, young and old! You can help shape this service by sharing your favorite hymns. Please forward your answers to the following questions to Jill Siegel:
 
  • Your name
  • Your suggested hymn
  • This hymn moves me because...
  • Are you comfortable with your comments being shared during worship?
  • Would you be comfortable reading your own comments during worship (not required)?
Pre-Service Weeding Work Bee
Sunday, September 8, 2013
9:30am
 
On September 8th around 9:30am, please come help pull weeds in the back yard! If you can spare half an hour or more before the service, we would be very grateful for your help. We could especially use help from those of you with some gardening expertise who know which plants to pull, and which plants to leave alone.

For more information, email Don MacGregor or give him a call at (773) 517-7334.

If you're in need of inspiration, take a look at the transformation taking place in our front garden! Many thanks to everyone who has contributed so much time and effort to this dramatic improvement to our curb appeal, including Jill Althage, Gary Bondurant, Jodi Cerny, Kate Friedlob, Judy Kowal, and Sami Nordmark.
Fall Involvement Fair
Sunday, September 22, 2013
12:00pm
 
Mark your calendars for 2U's Fall Involvement Fair! The Involvement Fair is a great opportunity to learn about all of the different dimensions of the church. Interested in Social Justice? Curious about Building and Grounds? Thinking about singing in the choir? Have bold new ideas for Faith Development? Come and explore the many ways to connect and get involved with the church.

After all, as JFK said, "Ask not what your church can do for you, but rather what YOU can do for your church." (Or something like that.) If you're part of a committee or group and would like to have a table at the Involvement Fair, please contact council chair Laura Barnes.
From the Sun/Moon Group
Pagan Pride 2013

The Sun/Moon group will kick off the month of September by attending the Chicago Pagan Pride Festival in Oak Park on Sunday, September 8th. All are welcome to join us. We will be meeting in front of the church at 10:00am for departure. Please check out the Chicago Pagan Pride website for more details, or email Shauna Womeldorff

 
Autumn Equinox


The second event in September will be our Autumn Equinox celebration on Saturday, September 21st at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary. We will celebrate the balance of the season when there are equal parts light and dark. Come celebrate the transition of the earth at this harvest time. Refreshments to be served afterward.


Goddess  


Finally, please join us for the first of our three-part Film Series. On Saturday, September 28th at 7:00pm we will watch Part I: The Goddess Remembered. This is an hour-long documentary about the goddess-worshiping religions of the past. We will have refreshments and discussion afterward. In Fleishman Hall. 
Upcoming Faith Development Events!
Thank you for your support, and for making our First Annual Back to School Supply Drive a great success!
 
September 8th: General Teacher Training - 12pm in the Sanctuary
 
September 11th: Coming of Age Opening Ceremony - 7pm at First Unitarian Church of Chicago, 5650 S Woodlawn Ave
 
September 15th: Spirit Play Training - 12pm in the Sanctuary
                            Open House - 11:30am - All are welcome to visit our                             classrooms!
 
Please email Raquel Garcia with an questions or concerns!
From the Membership Committee: 2U Dinners Return
2U dinners What are 2U Dinners? 2U Dinners are planned pot-lucks held every few months in members' homes purely for social enjoyment. You may sign up to be a guest or to host a dinner, usually for 8 to 14 persons. The host provides the main dish, and "assigns" the other participants one item to bring, i.e. salad, vegetable, dessert, etc.
 
It's a fun way to get to know your fellow members, and to enjoy the 2U community. Find the sign-up sheet on the Welcome Table. The first dinners will be held on Friday, October 11th and Saturday, October 12th. Come join us!
September's Plate-Sharing Recipient:
The Chicago Japanese American Historical Society
CJAHS
The Chicago Japanese American Historical Society (CJAHS) is a grassroots, non-profit organization that aims to build and support cultural understanding through educational and social-service programs and developing teaching material and museum exhibits that feature various aspects of Japanese American history.
 

The CJAHS puts into action principles and values that Unitarians hold dear. For example:

 

To ensure the inherent worth and dignity of every person, the CJAHS works to combat racism.

 

To promote justice, equity and compassion in human relations, the CJAHS works to promote understanding and compassion through educational programs and cooperative projects with other ethnic groups.

 

To move toward the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, the CJAHS conducts regular activities in Chicago public schools, libraries, and museums.

 

For the next five Sundays, Jean Mishima, president of the CJAHS, will tell the story of how family values, cultural traditions, and perseverance helped Japanese Americans survive racial discrimination and racial profiling to share the American dream.

 

Please be a part of this learning experience.

Caregivers Support Group
helping hands Wednesday, September 11, 2013
7:00-8:30pm
 
It's estimated that one in four Americans are unpaid family caregivers. "Caregiving" ranges from full-time, hands-on care to a weekly long-distance phone call. Whatever the level of care, caregiving is a unique mix of love and worry that sits in the heart. It takes a toll: studies show that caregivers struggle with more physical, emotional, family, and financial issues than the rest of the population. We need support!
 
The Caregivers Group meets on the second Wednesday of every month from 7:00 to 8:30pm, downstairs in the 2U library. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 11th.
 
For more information, email Myra Epping or call her at (773) 338-4086.
Choir Corner
musical chalice
The 2U choir returns! Rehearsals have begun, and we're excited to welcome our new accompanist, Michael McElvain, to the team! The choir rehearses around the piano in the sanctuary on Tuesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30pm. All voices are welcome; basses and tenors are especially welcome. If you would like more information, email music director Marianne Parker, or just come to a rehearsal.
2U History at Open House Chicago
If you've ever wondered what our congregation's first building in Chicago was like, here's an opportunity to see the site and how it was rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire! Now owned by Harvest Bible Chapel, for many years after the rebuilding it was the Scottish Rite Cathedral. On October 19th from 9am to 5pm, the building at 935 N. Dearborn Street will be open to visitors as part of Open House Chicago.
 
In addition to all the other wonderful opportunities, don't miss the chance to see our old congregational home!
Multicultural Ministries Sharing Project

UUAMM logoMulticultural Ministries, the UUA team that hosts Finding Our Way Home each year, has just launched a groundbreaking project called the Multicultural Ministries Sharing Project. The project is designed to seek input from people within Unitarian Universalism who have historically marginalized races, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, and/or gender identities/expressions, with the goal of helping congregational leaders and UUA staff understand where we are now and what we need to be well-equipped to meet the ministry needs of people seeking a liberal religious home in the 21st century. There are two parts to the project: a comprehensive survey and, later, focus groups.

 

Please consider being a party of this project by taking the survey and spreading the word. All those 13 and older with a UU affiliation who are people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ, or otherwise marginalized due to gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, race, and/or ethnicity are warmly invited to participate.

 

The Sharing Project is open now, and ends October 31, 2013. Click here to take the survey.

 

For more information on the Multicultural Ministries Sharing Project, check out uua.org/sharingproject.

Money Matters
Fiscal Year 2013-14: YTD Through July

Income
Pledges & Collection Plate $      9,564
Other Income $      1,515
Total (YTD) $    11,078
Budget Projection 2013-14 $   267,150
Expenses
Collection Plate Sharing $         774
All other Expenses $     25,691
Total (YTD) $     26,465
Budget Projection 2013-14 $    274,324
Debt and Deficit
Projected Deficit 2013-14 $      7,174
Long Term Debt $   231,598


Anvil Deadlines
Have a message to put in the Anvil? Plan ahead!  Please have all submissions for the next newsletter in to Jen Duston at [email protected] by noon on Wednesday, September 11.