Anvil header

Newsletter of 2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago
April 2, 2016
In This Issue...
Worship at 2U

Sunday, April 3
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Adam Robersmith
Music: Carey Farrell

Sunday, April 10
Intergenerational Service at 10:30
Worship Leaders: Rev. Adam Robersmith and Raquel Garcia, DFD
Music: Albert Yan, Violin

Sunday, April 17
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Rudra Dundzila
Music: 2U Folk Ensemble

Sunday, April 24
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Adam Robersmith
Music: 2U Choir
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Children & Youth Faith Development Schedule
 
Child care for infants and toddlers is available every Sunday in the Green Caterpillar room.

Sunday, April 3
Spirit Play
UU Explorers

Sunday, April 10
Intergenerational Service

Sunday, April 17
Spirit Play
UU Explorers

Sunday, April 24
Spirit Play
UU Explorers
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Recent 2U Plate-Sharing Recipients
 
Chicago Chalice Connection





_____________________
_________________
Church Office Information & Staff

 Minister
773-549-0260, ext. 13
Office Hours:
Wed-Thurs afternoons and evenings; Sunday afternoons
Other days & times by appointment
 
Dir. of Faith Development
773-549-0260, ext. 12
Office Hours:
Sun 9:00-3:00
Other days & times by appointment

Congregational Administrator
773-549-0260, ext. 10
Office Hours: 
Mon-Thurs 10:00-4:00
Other days & times by appointment
 
Community Minister
773-593-7500
 
Community Minister
773-592-2809
 
Music Director
                                  
2U Ministry Leaders

Board of Trustees

Adult Faith Dev.

Bookstore

Buddhist Fellowship

Building & Grounds

Committee on Ministries

Covenant of Earth & Sky

Fellowship Committee

Finance Committee

Green Sanctuary

Hospitality 

Library

Lifespan Faith Dev.

Membership

Music

Newsletter

Night Ministry Outreach

Nominating Committee

Pastoral Care

Safe Congregations 

Senior Potluck Lunch

Small Group Ministry

Social Justice

Sunday Services

Transylvania Church

Webmaster

Young Adult Group
David Dyer
Stephanie Bens
_____________________
Board of Trustees 
 

 





                                  
From the Minister
Dear 2U Members and Friends,
 
When I look back at the 2015-16 church year in the future, I'm going to look back at a year of transition that I wasn't expecting when the year began. The sabbatical time was a shift for us all - one which we knew was coming - but other transitions have come and gone, too. In this Anvil, we have two more changes to share with you. Raquel Garcia, our Director of Faith Development of three years, will be leaving us at the end of June. Marianne Parker, our Music Director of six years, will be leaving us after the June 12th Music Sunday service. Both are leaving for the very best of reasons: the pursuit of exciting new projects, which you will read about below.
 
While I'm always sad to see the people that I've enjoyed working with step away from their work at 2U, I also recognize that we have opportunities to re-envision ourselves and our programming each time it happens. The Board and I are working with the Lifespan Faith Development Council and the Music Committee to determine what sort of leadership we want in these areas and whether there are new ideas or needs that we should address. If you have thoughts or ideas, you're welcome to send them to me at [email protected]. We're planning to put out job postings in the middle of April, with the goal of having new staff come on board in June and July.
 
Your ongoing support of the congregation, through the canvass and through your time and talents, will give us the best foundation we can have for bringing in new staff. I look forward to their presence and fresh enthusiasm among us come the summer.
 
And...no one is leaving yet! We still have more good work to do together, even as we look with anticipation toward this next set of transitions. Over the next couple of months, I hope you will join me in finishing out this church year with great rejoicing for the ministry Marianne and Raquel have brought to us in their time at 2U.
 
Faithfully,
Rev. Adam
Memorial Service for Jen Duston

A memorial service celebrating Jen Duston, longtime member of 2U, the 2U Choir and past church administrator, will be held at Second Unitarian at 1:30pm on Saturday, April 23, 2016. The service is open to any who wish to remember and celebrate Jen's life among the community that was so important to her. Donations to the church are welcome in lieu of flowers.

If you have specific remembrances of ways in which Jen changed, enhanced, or impacted your life, please send them to Malik Turley at [email protected]. They will be collected in a book to be presented to Jen's family.
From the Director of Faith Development
Dear Second Unitarian Church,

For the past 3 years, I have had the honor of being the Director of Faith Development and it has forever changed my life. I felt privileged to work with such wonderful people in addition to serving a kind and understanding board of trustees.

At the end of the fiscal year, I will end my employment at 2U and continue my employment as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Instituto del Progreso Latino, an amazing non-profit organization. Instituto has provided me the opportunity to lead several expansion projects, the most important being the creation of Instituto College. I am thrilled to be doing work that directly impacts and improves the lives of Latinos in my community.

As my time as DFD comes to an end, I am thrilled that I get to once again be part of the church as a member, and be able to attend services for my spiritual needs. Second Unitarian will continue to be our home, and we look forward to continuing our relationships as members.

Raquel Garcia
From the Music Director
Dear all,

It's with both excitement and sadness that I announce that I will be stepping down as Music Director as of June 13th. Our All-Music Service on June 12th will be my last day. Being the Music Director at 2U has been such a rewarding experience; believe me when I say it was a difficult decision to make. The primary reason I am stepping away from my commitment at 2U is that there are two separate performance projects I am involved in kicking off in spring/summer that will require travel and extensive planning/rehearsal time. One group is a Chicago-based sextet, and the other is a marimba-piano duo with a colleague based in New England. I will most definitely keep the congregation afloat of upcoming performances in the area! Having the opportunity to serve you as Music Director for the past six years has been a gift. I have grown so much professionally and personally during that time, thanks to your collective openness, curiosity, and compassion. 

I'm happy to talk about these new projects more in person with anyone who wishes to, and am looking forward to making my last few months at 2U count!

Very sincerely,
Marianne
Child Dedication
Each spring and fall, we at 2U share in the dedication of members' children who have come into our community. Whether babies or teenagers, we celebrate and welcome all those who have not yet come of age, and offer up our promise to be alongside them as they grow in their faith. If you and your children would like to participate in the upcoming child dedication ceremony on April 10th, please contact Director of Faith Development, Raquel Garcia, at [email protected].
Teacher Training Refresher
Join us for Teacher Training Refresher! We will be holding a training session for new and returning participants for all of our classrooms on Sunday, April 17th from 12pm - 2pm, in the Sources classroom.

We will have activities for the little ones, provided by the Family Fun Group. There will also be light snacks and refreshments! If you would like to attend, please contact Raquel Garcia at [email protected] for more information.
Fundraising Committee Meeting
Have you participated in planning fundraising activities (events, canvass) at 2U in the past? Have you had an interest in planning fundraising activities at 2U? Are you creative? Do you love to plan parties? Are you someone who is not afraid to talk about money?

We are having a fundraising meeting this Sunday, April 3 at 9:00 AM in the 2U Library to discuss fundraising plans for the remainder of the church year and create a more formalized structure for a fundraising committee. Please join us!
Upcoming Adult RE Classes
Creating Connection: A UU Exploration of Prayer        
Thursdays, April 7-21; 7-8:45pm
In three class sessions, we'll talk about what prayer is and is not, how it can be a part of a UU religious life, and ways you might begin, renew, or deepen your own prayer practice. Each session will include some lecture, some discussion, and an opportunity to practice a new form of prayer.
 
What Do UU Believe? Unitarian Universalist Theologies
Wednesdays, June 15-July 6; 7-8:45pm
In four class sessions, we'll talk about what we believe in the context of the variety of UU beliefs about how the universe works, including a look at UU Humanism, Christianity, Paganism, and Relational/Process theologies as well as international forms of Unitarianism, Universalism, and Unitarian Universalism. If there is sufficient interest, we can add a session or two to explore other UU theologies (such as UU Buddhism, Mysticism, Transcendentalism, or Judaism) more closely.
 
Making Peace with Your Religious Past
Thursdays, July 28-Aug 25; 7-8:45pm
We try to offer this class at least once a year to give members of the 2U community an opportunity to explore their own religious past and figure out their religious present and future. Whether you're a long-time UU or just recently come to UUism, whether you have a happy, difficult, or non-existent history as a member of a religious community, you are welcome to take this class. By understanding where you've been, it becomes easier to be more fully here right now!
 
If you'd like to join me and other 2Uers for any of these, please let me know via email at [email protected] or by signing up on the Welcome Table. I look forward to deepening our Unitarian Universalism together!
 
Faithfully,
Rev. Adam
ONE Northside Convention
ONE Northside's bi-annual community 
convention is taking place this year on
Sunday, April 10th. We're planning an after-service lunch gathering and have a bus pickup scheduled to take us to Lake View High School (details forthcoming). We'll be celebrating our victories and moving our current campaigns forward through obtaining commitments from elected officials. We are a multi-issue organization active in promoting economic justice, affordable housing, violence prevention, mental health consumer rights, worker rights and public education. Do plan to join us on the 10th? Jim Simonis, Gene Horcher, Curtis Smith, Norm Groetzinger, Karen Goldner and Adelaide Meyers are all active in ONE Northside issue campaigns and will be reaching out to you.
Spring Orientation
Calling all visitors who want to become members!

2U Spring Orientation will be held Sunday, April 10Sunday, April 17 and Sunday, April 24 following services. Sessions are scheduled to begin at noon in Fleishman Hall and will end at 2:00 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.

While attending any one of these three orientation sessions will meet the by-law requirements for membership, attending all three sessions will provide a greater breadth and depth of understanding for the theological roots of our community, ways to engage with the 2U community, how 2U is organized and what membership really means.

Please contact Membership Chair, Judy Corbeille, with any questions or for more information.

The Great 2U Seder!
Friday, April 29, 2016
7:00 PM

Join us on Friday, April 29 for 2U's annual celebration of Passover, one of the highlights of the Jewish sacred year and, traditionally, our church's biggest event honoring the Jewish sources of our Unitarian Universalist faith.

The seder is a worship service held around the around the dinner table, as the traditional story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt is retold. We use prayer, ritual, food, and song to celebrate our own freedoms, and to remember all those who do not. The seder also celebrates the return of spring and new growth as this part of the world awakens from the long (LONG) sleep of winter.

The matzah is ready to go, but we need ALL HANDS ON DECK to make this big, beloved event happen, so we hope you can sign up for at least one thing to bring and one thing to do, as you are able. Please contact Neal Shankman at [email protected] to sign up.
Leading Rituals with Shauna Aura Knight
COVES, 2U's CUUPS chapter, is proud to announce a special workshop with special guest, Shauna Aura Knight.

Join us to learn skills for leading and supporting rituals for deep spiritual transformation. Through discussion and exercises, this workshop explores what works and why including:
--Ritual structure and design
--Ritual logistics
--Raising energy in ritual
--Engaging participation
--Trance techniques
--Chanting, rhythm, and movement in ritual
--Mythic language and storytelling
--Charisma, presence, and authenticity

Saturday, April 30, 2016
10:00 am to 5:00 pm: Ritual Intensive Workshop
7:30 pm: Public Beltane Ritual
Together in community, we connect to the rising tide of life force. We feel the water flowing through our veins, through our tears of joy and of sorrow, through the rivers and the oceans of all the world. We feel the fire of the sun, of the heat of the fire in our bellies, the alchemical fire that shapes us and transforms us. When fire and water mix, we create community. When fire and water mix, we transform, we connect to one another, to ourselves, to our deep magic, and to the divine.
Registration:
Free! The workshop and ritual are free to the public. Please RSVP on the Facebook event page if you plan to attend.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
1:00 pm: Feedback session (optional)

About the Presenter:
Shauna Aura Knight is an artist, author, ritualist, presenter, and spiritual seeker, Shauna travels nationally offering intensive education in the transformative arts of ritual, community leadership, and personal growth. She is the author of The Leader Within, Ritual Facilitation, and Dreamwork for the Initiate's Path, and co-editor of the Pagan Leadership Anthology. Her writing is included in several blogs and Pagan magazines, and her work appears in numerous anthologies including Pagan Consent Culture, Bringing Race to the Table, Stepping in to Ourselves, and more. 

She's also the author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels including The Truth Upon Her Lips, A Fading Amaranth, A Winter Knight's Vigil, Werewolves in the Kitchen, Werewolves with Chocolate, and more. Shauna's mythic artwork and designs are used for magazine covers, book covers, and illustrations, as well as decorating many walls, shrines, and other spaces.

Shauna is passionate about creating rituals, experiences, spaces, stories, and artwork to awaken mythic imagination. Visit her website at http://www.shaunaauraknight.com/ to learn more.
Hymn Sing Sunday Returns!
Hymn Sing Sunday returns! On Sunday, May 1, the service will be all singing all the time - or at least as many hymns as we can squeeze in. The intergenerational service will be led by Myra Epping, who is taking requests. If you have a favorite hymn to nominate for the service, please put your request and any comments about it in the Hymn Sing request basket on the Welcome Table in the Palmer Room - or you can email the information to Myra at [email protected].

Myra Epping has been a Unitarian-Universalist since she joined 2U over thirty years ago. After a couple decades downstate, Myra and her husband Jim Redlich are back at 2U and glad to be in the same church as their daughter Margaret.
April Library News
The 2U Library computer is back and working well. Why do you care? Well, you can now look up a title or an author or even just use a key word to find some interesting materials. We now have 1,372 books ready for you.  More are coming. How do you do it?
Here are some easy steps:
  1. Once the computer is turned on, click on the icon called Remote Desktop Connection on the desktop.
  2. Choose the icon with the magnifying glass and RM in the background.
  3. Type your word, phrase or title.
    • For example, if you type the word "yoga", you will find a list of 10 titles.
    • You might be interested in the title, Real Men Do Yoga.
    • You'll note the call number is 613.7 EDM
    • Take it home with you, but first find the card in the back (in the pocket on or near the back cover).  Then write your name, the date, and your email or contact info. Place it in the box near the computer.
Here's a title for you to practice searching: Intimate Yoga for Couples. See if you can find where it's located. You might have to wrestle with a fellow 2U who could try to grab it first.
Receiving and Giving at 2U
When I think of our church community, I am reminded that this is a place that sometimes moves me off my comfort zone and into new areas I haven't tried before. The result is a satisfaction like when I learned to ride a bicycle. 2Uers can be like that--urging you to try something. "Come on, I know you can do it." I remember the first time I chaired the Hospitality Committee at 2U. I had no idea how I would accomplish anything, much less motivate others. But 2U folks did let me know when and how something should be done. The result was that I got that feeling of appreciation and satisfaction when we accomplished the task together. It is a phenomenon that when I have volunteered at 2U,   I've received a sense of being more than just an okay person--worthy of membership-friendship-belonging. If you are new to the community, or for some reason have not attended for a while, I urge you to come next Sunday. Enjoy a free hug or handshake. Tell us about yourself. We want to learn about you. What have you been doing? Where have you been traveling or what work is intriguing you right now? And when you can, join in on some activity-give some of your time. You can start small at first. Share the resources you would like or are able to give. Then, if your experience is anything like mine, you will feel fulfilled and want to get that high again at your next opportunity. There's always this coming Sunday. Take a chance, and let your spirit soar.

Jill Althage
Member since 1980
Money Matters
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, 2015 to February 29, 2016:
Actual Pledges + Collection Plate =
$170,524
Budgeted Pledges + Collection Plate =
$164,757
   Surplus or (Deficit) =
$5,767

ActualBudgeted
Revenues Year-to-Date =$254,613
$221,290
   + Use of Reserves (Rev. Belcher)* =$17,000
$17,000
Total Revenues Year-to-Date =$271,613$238,290
Total Expenses Year-to-Date** =$222,835
$224,694
   Total Surplus or (Deficit) =
$48,778
$13,596

*Note: The Interim Minister position was budgeted at $17,000 for the 5 months Rev. Belcher was with us and Rev. Robersmith was on sabbatical and this was being paid for out of our reserves. The $17,000 had been transferred into our Operating Account and was paid out through the end of January.

**Note: This does not include the budgeted expense of $8,946 for our fair share. The finance committee has recommended to wait until the end of the fiscal to determine final payment.

Collection Plate Sharing
In February, we raised $577.25 towards the collection plate sharing recipient, Chicago Chalice Connection.

Thank you all so much for helping to make 2U possible!
Stay Connected
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.
Submission Deadlines
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, April 13.

Please have all submissions for the Orders of Service submitted by noon on the Wednesday prior to the Sunday you'd like the announcement to appear. All announcements are subject to change at the discretion of the Congregational Administrator. Space is limited!

Second Unitarian Church of Chicago
656 West Barry Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657

Phone: (773) 549-0260