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Newsletter of 2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago
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From Susan Zeigler, Board Chair
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Happy fall! As we move into the latter quarter of the year, we have a lot going on in our community. We have a "Nuts and Bolts" leadership development training facilitated by the Nominating Committee that is coming up on Saturday, October 24th - if you are currently involved in committee work or have an interest in getting more involved, this is a great opportunity to learn about things like effective committee management, how to write an agenda and facilitate a meeting, strategies for getting the word out about community activities, and more!
I would like to draw your attention to the important work of the Building, Infrastructure, and Grounds (BIG) Committee. This group has put a lot of effort into assessing and prioritizing needs, and addressing those needs as they have been able. This group is now ready to share, in detail, the work ahead of us as a community. Monica Drane has written an article in this Anvil with further information. I encourage you to read it in its entirety, and to reach out to Monica with any questions. This is an important time for members of the 2U community to understand the breadth and depth of our needs - this understanding, along with our exploration of what brings us to this church community, will be an important touchpoint as we prepare for a capital campaign.
See you in church.
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Nuts and Bolts Workshop: Skills for Leadership at 2U! |
Saturday, October 24th
10:00 AM - Noon
Get involved, get excited about leadership at church! Come to the workshop to discover how we are ALL leaders. We will explore leading from a UU perspective, leadership that reflects and honors our values. Interested in making meetings more meaningful and effective? Want to make S.M.A.R.T. goals? We will share information and practical skills for leading and participating.
To sign-up or obtain more information, please email [email protected]. You may also sign-up at the "What's happening table" in the Palmer room or call Linda Marquis at 773-857-3035.
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BIG News
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The Building, Infrastructure, and Grounds (BIG) Committee of the church met on Sunday, September 20. It was the committee's first meeting in over a year and we agreed that there is not enough money in the church's annual budget or savings to pay for the many essential repairs to be made to the building. The 2U building fund, in the amount of $26,100, is for emergencies (we have aging furnaces and plumbing) and the $7,000 in this year's budget for repairs and maintenance covers only the most basic needs with not enough remaining to tackle any of the several larger projects on the church's to-do list. We've come together as a congregation on countless other occasions to maintain and improve our building (the women's bathroom renovation and the kitchen upgrade are two recent examples) and the BIG Committee hopes that this might happen again. After our staff, our building and grounds are our greatest assets.
With the funds available this fiscal year for building and grounds maintenance and repair, we expect to pay for routine checks of the furnaces and fire extinguishers, a new door or gate for the Night Ministry Outreach Program supply closet, and pest control. We've already paid for carpet cleaning, a new office chair, and locks/keys. We plan to hire a tree-care company to prune some trees and remove others on our property. Finally, we plan to reserve any remaining funds for emergencies and, if we manage to make it through the fiscal year with little or no need to draw on these funds, we hope to dedicate them toward a redesign (landscape and hardscape) of our grounds.
The list of large projects--those that fall beyond the scope of the annual maintenance and repair budget--is long. Several of these projects are pressing, and are beyond even what money we have reserved for emergencies. They include: a reworking of our grounds to improve the space around our building; painting of the exterior trim; repair of the floor and replacement of windows in the loft; repairs to the rooms in the north half of the basement; and the replacement of the air conditioning unit and furnaces. The single largest building project that must be tackled in the next two to three years is the replacement of the floor in the sanctuary, and we would also likely adjust the chancel to improve its functionality and reconfigure the ramp.
We invite you to consider the ways that we might generate additional funds for our building and grounds. We have stretched ourselves as a congregation to meet the UUA's fair compensation guidelines for our minister and staff and to make other critical improvements to our building. Like any old and beloved house, Second Unitarian Church needs ongoing attention. Let's find a way to paint and plant and tend to the many critical needs of the building and grounds so that we may continue to enjoy, and share with others, our historic space on Barry Avenue.
The BIG Committee will meet again on Sunday, November 1st immediately following the service. All are welcome to attend. Please contact Monica Drane at [email protected] if you have questions or would like more information.
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Parking Zone on Barry for 2U--An Update
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The church continues to work with Alderman Tunney's office to increase the length of the handicapped parking space for those who need special help getting into our building. We are looking to get the space close to the former three car lengths that it was before the city installed new streetlights and shrunk the parking zone. This matter first arose in July 2014 and there is still no firm plan to remedy the problem, though progress has been made. A final solution should be happen in the coming weeks--one that would allow us to both extend the size of the parking zone to the eastern edge of the west planter and to preserve the ramp, the two concrete planters, and the 24-hour handicapped parking sign. In order to comply with the ADA, it's likely that the two bike racks that sit between the two planters in the parkway will have to be moved to a clear spot further west on Barry. Please contact Monica Drane at [email protected] with questions.
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2U Yard Days!!!
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The 2U grounds need attention! Please come for all or part of either of the two 2U "yard days" on Saturday, October 17th from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and Sunday, October 18th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM!
Please contact Monica Drane at 312.550.3412 with any questions! Any and all hands are welcome!
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2U Membership Book Repaired
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2U's membership book, which has very few blank pages remaining for new members to sign, has needed repairs. About 100 years old, the membership register was produced expressly for our church, then known as Unity Church, by Chicago's Rogerson and Company, a now-defunct commercial printing company. For many years, we have used the leather-bound register to record the names of those who have joined our congregation. Individuals joining the church have signed their names and addresses and the date as the official act of becoming a member. Each new member's signature is accompanied by the signatures of two witnesses, either the minister and a member of the church's board of trustees or two members of the board of trustees. It's a special occasion, indeed, when someone joins Second Unitarian Church! Because we have used this same register and have protected it over time, we have a treasured historic document; those on the membership committee wanted to be sure to preserve it. The binding of the book needed fixing and several pages needed to be secured after having come loose. The edges of several pages were in poor condition.
Thanks to an anonymous donation, the book has been repaired. A book conservation technician in private practice, who also works for the Newberry Library, did a careful job of repairing the book. The record of the repairs includes the following description of the work performed: "reattached the loose original paper spine lining with Japanese wheat starch paste" and "repaired the torn and brittle edges with usu mino tissue and Japanese wheat starch paste." The register doesn't look significantly different, but it is now likely to survive for many more years. Those signing the book in the coming months will have to take a few special precautions when adding their signatures, but they can now turn the pages of the book--and read the hundreds of names of those who have come before them--and the pages will remain in the book. For those wondering about what will happen when this register is full, know that a small team of 2U member-volunteers is working to identify a new membership book to carry the church through the next 100 years (or so)!
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Fall Orientation |
Calling all visitors-- who want to become members!
The 2U fall orientation will conclude this Sunday, October 18 following services. The session is scheduled to begin at 11:45 AM in Fleishman Hall and will end at 1:45 PM or before. If you are interested in attending, please sign up on the Welcome Table in the Palmer Room. Child care will be available for those who request it in advance.
Please contact Membership Chair, Judy Corbeille, with any questions or for more information.
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Small Group Ministry Circles
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Dear congregants,
Small Group Ministry is getting underway next week. Based on registration, we have reduced the selection of groups. The two leading groups/times are 3rd Sundays at 2U with Hugh Visor and 2nd Tuesdays at 2U with Mark Williams. We are looking for a co-facilitator for each groups. Please visit the following form to make a new selection: http://goo.gl/forms/568WTsSSiQ (even if you selected one of the two groups, please re-enter your information). Please respond by Saturday, 10/17. We will start the selected group the week of October 18. Thank you for your patience as we get the groups going this Fall. In faith and fellowship,
Rev. Rudra Dundzila
Community Minister
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From Social Justice
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Please click here to view the latest report from Social Justice!
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Photoshop Help Needed!
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Hey 2U! We are steps away from hanging a Black Lives Matter sign in front of our home church. The only thing standing in our way is actually designing that sign. The BlackLivesMatter@2U action group is in desperate need of some image editing assistance. We have the image in our heads, but not on paper. If you or someone you know is proficient in Photoshop or another image editing software, please reach out to the group via email at [email protected] or via the 2U Social Justice Council Facebook page.
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Update on Plate-Sharing Application Deadline |
Organizations to receive plate-sharing dollars, 50% of the plate of a designated month, are selected by the Social Justice Council (SJC). Members of 2U who are active with an organization involved in social justice/social service work may secure an application form and submit it through the church office. Applicants are provided an opportunity to meet face-to-face with the SJC, which meets after services the first Sunday of each month, for approximately 20 minutes. Applications for January-March, 2016 will be DUE ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd! SJC's December 6th meeting will provide an opportunity for face-to-face meetings with the applicants. If you are considering applying, please feel free to approach Norm Groetzinger, who is coordinating the plate-sharing program on behalf of SJC. Electronic submissions are preferred, so that we can distribute them to the entire SJC in advance of the meeting. Norm can be reached at [email protected] or 773-525-4262.
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Thank You Spot!
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- Thank you to whoever made sure 2U has an ample supply of coffee cups, to give us a pleasant coffee hour every Sunday.
- Thank you to whoever made the rack for the name tags. Organizing UU's is never easy, but the name tag holder does the job.
- Thank you to whoever restocks the bathrooms - it's always nice to have soap and paper towels and toilet paper!
This space is for the many many things around 2U that we'd like to thank someone for, but we don't know who. Do you have a thank you you'd like to share? Please email it to [email protected].
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COVES: SAMHAIN
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Friday, October 30th
7:00 PM
The Covenant of Earth and Sky, Second Unitarian Church of Chicago's CUUPS Chapter, will celebrate SAMHAIN on Friday, October 30th at 7pm. 656 West Barry, Chicago, IL. The Third Harvest celebrates the Earth Mother as Crone. She is Hecate, the Dark Mother who assists with transitions. She offers protection as well as connections with the moon and magic. This is a time of honoring the dark; the veil between the worlds of the living and dead is thinnest. In this spirit, we honor the Ancestors; those who came before us and have taught us lessons of life and love. We invite all to join us in an open ritual. Bring a memento of a loved one (human or animal) who has passed on (photo, jewelry or other token) to place on the altar at this time of year in their memory. Bring a dish to share with all in the spirit of the Third Harvest. Any questions or comments, please contact Shauna at [email protected].
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Discussion in Aid and Dying
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Sunday, November 1st
1:00 PM
It's a new day in Illinois for Aid in Dying. We have been chosen by the national organization Compassion and Choices to be a banner state for advancing legislation that will enable physicians to provide assistance to terminally ill, mentally competent adults who have met the established criteria.
This is part of a worldwide movement to provide terminally ill, mentally competent adults the RIGHT TO CHOOSE physician assisted dying if they so desire. Please join us on Sunday, November 1 for a meeting co-sponsored by the Lincoln Park Village, to discuss the proposed Illinois legislation, the movement for Aid in Dying/Death with Dignity in general and the many aspects to aid in dying. The discussion will be led by Ed Gogol, President of Final Options Illinois, Bess Schenkier, Chicago coordinator of Compassion and Choices and Joan Sophie, President of the Illinois chapter of Final Exit Network. The meeting will run from 1-3PM. Look forward to seeing you there.
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#BlackLivesMatter
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Black Lives Matter signs are STILL available for $1 each--only a few left! Please join us in supporting this important movement of prophetic witness. Learn more at BlackLivesMatter.com.
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First Unitarian Hosts WomenSpirit 2016
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First Unitarian Church will host WomenSpirit 2016, the regional Women & Religion conference, on February 5 and 6, 2016. For more than 30 years, UU women of all ages have connected, renewed and found their calling through conversation, workshops, drum circles, sharing meals, and even a little shopping!
Rev. Kate Braestrup is the conference keynote speaker, and our dynamite host committee has put together a wonderful program of workshops covering diverse subjects including: how to age gracefully, singing meditation, managing your finances, creating a memory box, and more. Workshop leaders include our own Margaret Huyck, Beverly Bennett, Betty Holcomb, Jean Hester, Anita Orlikoff and Barbara Randolph, and former music director Amanda Thomas.
Opportunities to socialize include a Soup Supper fundraiser for First Unitarian on Friday night, a raffle benefitting a local women's charity, a silent auction, and growing list of vendors.
Join us in February for WomenSpirit 2016. Host committee members Cindy Pardo, Madeiria Myrieckes, Lisa Christensen Gee, Bobbi Lammers-Campbell, Barbara Randolph, Joan Pederson, Margie Gonwa, Betty Holcomb and Margaret Huyck are excited about hosting UU women from our region at this very special conference. Visit www.womenandreligion.org to register and view program and workshop details.
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Choir Corner
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The days are getting shorter and the choir is getting stronger. You, too, at 2U, can bolster your immune system with singing. The 2U choir rehearses in the sanctuary on Tuesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30. All voices are welcome! Tenors and sopranos are especially welcome! For more information, please contact our Music Director, Marianne Parker, at [email protected].
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Money Matters
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The weekly cost of running 2U is $6,321!
2U's annual budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016 is $328,672.
For the Year to Date period July 1 to September 30, 2015:
Actual Pledges + Collection Plate = |
| $64,761 | Budgeted Pledges + Collection Plate = |
| $60,153 | Surplus or (Deficit) |
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$4,608
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| Actual | Budgeted | Total Revenues Year-to-Date = | $112,731*
| $87,359 | Total Expenses Year-to-Date = | $74,902
| $77,818
| Total Surplus or (Deficit) | $37,829
| $9,541
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In September, we raised $581.58 towards the collection plate sharing recipient, ONE Northside.
*Includes $20,000 transfer from Fleishman Fund to Operating Account; will indicate transfer from Operating Account back to Fleishman Fund in near future.
Thank you so much for helping to make 2U possible!
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Stay Connected
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Did you know that the UUA and MidAmerica Region UUA have their own respective newsletters?
Click here for more information about the UUA and click here to sign up for their newsletter, UU World.
Click here for more information about the MidAmerica Region UUA and click here to sign up for their newsletter.
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Submission Deadlines
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Have a message to put in the next Anvil or Orders of Service? Plan ahead!
Please have all submissions for the next newsletter submitted by noon on Wednesday, October 28.
Please have all submissions for the Orders of Service submitted by noon on Wednesday prior to the Sunday you'd like the announcement to appear.
Second Unitarian Church of Chicago
656 West Barry Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
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