Anvil header

Newsletter of 2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago
May 15, 2016
In This Issue...
Worship at 2U

Sunday, May 22
Service at 10:30
Worship Leaders: Rev. Adam Robersmith and Stephen Starkey
Music: Gail Gallagher and Kat Kidwell

Sunday, May 29
Service at 10:30
Preacher: Rev. Elizabeth Harding
Music: Carey Farrell

Sunday, June 5
Flower Communion 
Intergen Service at 10:30
Worship Leaders: Rev. Adam Robersmith and Raquel Garcia, Director of Faith Development
Music: Audrey Shadle

Sunday, June 12
Music Sunday
Intergen Service at 10:30
Worship Leaders: Rev. Adam Robersmith and Marianne Parker, Music Director
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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, May 22
Spirit Play
UU Explorers

Sunday, May 29
Spirit Play
UU Explorers

Sunday, June 5
Integen Service: No Classes

Sunday, June 12
Intergen Service: No Classes
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Recent 2U Plate-Sharing Recipients
 



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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 Board Chair, Susan Zeigler
Thank you to all of you who attended and participated in Sunday's Annual Meeting. Your thoughtful inquiries showed that we have a truly engaged congregation. We have some challenges ahead, but I am very excited, too, about our energy as a community, and the ways in which we step up when things need to get done. I would like to highlight two areas where we need some additional help.
  
First, because we are delaying the hire of the Director of Faith Development (DFD) and Music Director, their supporting committees need some additional assistance this summer. The Lifespan Faith Development (LFD) Council needs help with planning classes for the fall, cleaning classrooms, and teacher recruitment and training, among other things. If you can lend a hand, please contact Christy Grant at [email protected]. The Music Committee will need to plan additional musicians for the summer, so if you can sing or play an instrument for a service, please contact Neal Shankman at [email protected].

Second, we have an ad hoc group that is working to look at marketing and fundraising strategies for the church. In order to thrive, we need to reach further beyond our walls to increase membership. We also want to think creatively about the most effective and efficient ways to raise funds outside of pledging. Please plan to come to our next meeting on Sunday, May 22nd at noon in Rev. Adam's office and bring your ideas!
  
Thank you again for your ongoing support, and see you in church!

Susan Zeigler
Annual Flower Communion Service
Please join us on Sunday, June 5 at 10:30 AM for our Annual Flower Communion Service!
 
The Flower Communion service was originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Rev. Norbert Capek, who founded the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia. In the ceremony, members of the congregation place their flowers in a shared vase on the altar. The flowers are blessed during the ceremony, and at the end of the service, each person brings home a flower other than the one that he or she brought.
 
Reginald Zottoli writes, "The significance of the flower communion is that no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to make. Together, the different flowers form a beautiful bouquet. Our common bouquet would not be the same without the unique addition of each individual flower, and this it is with our church community: it would not be the same without each and every one of us."
 
Come and be a part of this lovely celebration of our 2U community!
 
Please don't forget to bring a flower with you to contribute to the ceremony!
2U Night Ministry Position Open: Program Coordinator
2U Night Ministry Volunteers:

It is with mixed emotions that I need to let you know that I will be leaving my role of 2U's Night Ministry Program Outreach Director. Due to circumstances beyond my control, my current wage earning job that I have had for the last 18 years is coming to an end. This places me in a situation where I need to dedicate all of my time to identifying the specific particulars for the next chapter in my life. Unfortunately, that means that I have to let go of this position to ensure I am successful.

With this in mind I, along with Church Leadership, need to identify my replacement.  

Here are the current Roles & Responsibilities of the Program Coordinator:
  • Acts as the liaison between The Night Ministry Organization & 2U Church Leadership
  • Is the face of the 2U Night Ministry Outreach Program. Speaks to Congregation and other groups on behalf of the Program
  • Adheres to and enforces all Rules or Guidelines outlined for any of the volunteer positions for any Night Ministry Event
  • Works with Church Leadership to identify the annual fiscal budget
  • Accountable to manage, adhere to, track and speak to the program budget
  • Identifies and trains Event Coordinators
  • Recruits Program volunteers
  • Identifies, implements and provides training on the required administrative tools for the Program utilized by all Program volunteer positions
  • Coordinates the needs of the Night Ministry Organization with the Program capabilities and resources
  • Schedules use of Church rooms (including Kitchen) for Events
  • Maintains the volunteer distribution list
  • Disseminates Program & Event communications
  • Provides Program status to appropriate resources including the 2U Church Leadership and The Night Ministry Organization
  • Coordinates all other Program logistics
  • Ensures each Event is adequately staffed and supports Event Coordinator as necessary throughout the Event lifecycle
  • Acts as Event Coordinator for months not assigned to a specific Event Coordinator
This opening provides an excellent opportunity for an individual or two person team who can dedicate (on average) 4-12 hours a month, have good organizational and time management skills, enjoy working with others, and loves working/cooking in the kitchen!

Over my tenure in this position, I have documented all of the necessary steps and processes to ensure that the Program became truly "turnkey" and because of that, it can easily be transitioned to my successor.   It is my hope that we identify my replacement by June 21st and train the next coordinator by July 21st so they can take over the Program starting with the August Meal on the Street Event.

If you are interested and would like more information about this opportunity, please let me know and I can send you additional materials for your consideration.

Running the program has been a lot of fun and truly personally rewarding.  I have met and worked with a lot of wonderful people in the four years I have been supporting the 2U Night Ministry Program. It has been wonderful being part of an organization that has provided such an important community service for the last 40 years and it is my hope that I have added something special to it so that when I pass the baton - the next coordinator can do the same and the program will continue to grow and flourish! 

Kind Regards,
Kerry Marchetti-Knarr
Volunteers Needed for the Pastoral Care Team
The Pastoral Care Team at 2U provides two separate ministries, a Listening Ministry and a Practical Care Ministry. Volunteers for the listening ministry are partnered with a church member who is experiencing a stressful life transition. The Practical Care Ministry provides hands on assistance for example rides, meals, emergency baby sitting or light housekeeping.  2U has a tradition of providing meals for new parents after the birth of a child and for members recently discharged from the hospital. Other members request rides for a doctor's appointment or clinic visit or rides to church. Volunteering can be occasional or ongoing for an individual church member. The benefits of volunteering are getting to know church members on a deeper level.

DRIVERS NEEDED:
The Pastoral Care Team needs drivers to provide rides to and from church for long term member, Dick Scheiberle who lives in Rogers Park. Dick especially would like a ride to church since the PACE bus is often late for pick-ups. Contact Nanna Cross at [email protected] if you are able to provide rides to members-either only occasionally or on a regular basis.

SUMMER SIDE JOB FOR STRONG PERSON:
Norman and Linda Groetzinger need someone to mow their lawn, beginning in June. They'll pay minimum wage. Call for details: 773-484-0883.
 
LISTENING MINISTRY:
If you are interested in the Listening Ministry contact Rev. Adam Robersmith at [email protected] for more information.
Building, Infrastructure, and Grounds (BIG) News
The BIG Committee, which last met on March 20, has been busy taking care of the building and grounds at 2U. Our goals are to keep the space functioning well and looking good--for the members of our congregation and our staff, for renters, and for our neighbors. Many church groups gather at 2U each week during the week; we're in the building not just on Sunday mornings. We have come to rely more heavily than in the recent past on the income supplied by the sharing of our space. Second Unitarian is a unique, and very lovely, structure on the block and we would do well to continue to aim to have the outside of our church reflect most accurately who we are as a congregation: welcoming, justice-seeking, and compassionate. Please contact BIG facilitator Monica Drane if you would like to join the committee or volunteer to help with building and grounds projects large (such as cleaning the gutters and improving the grounds) and small (such as tending to simple items on our "to-do" list). If you have special knowledge and skill to contribute, then that's a bonus!

Handicapped parking space: after nearly two years of lobbying, the city last month moved the handicapped parking sign west to expand the space to the length it was for many years before the city installed new streetlights and shrunk it. Now, anyone can pull easily into the space, and those who need assistance may exit on the street side and use the ramp onto the sidewalk, or exit on the sidewalk side and pass between the planters onto the sidewalk. Thank you to those who managed during the time when unloading and loading was made more difficult by the small space. Thank you to Adam for working with Alderman Tunney to remedy the problem.

Lighting repairs: Thanks to Lew H for donating his time and talent once again to improve our space. Lew worked with an electrician to make key fixes to lighting problems in various parts of the building and outside. Most noticeable are the new (energy-saving) bulbs in the track lights on the ceiling in the sanctuary. We drew about $2,300 from the church's limited Building Fund to pay for the cost of the lighting project; the congregation's regular building maintenance and repair budget wasn't sufficient to cover the cost of this critical work.

Landscaping: Thanks to Sarah R for moving the landscape-redesign project along during the winter months and for closing in on the hiring of a landscape designer. The ad hoc landscaping group should soon see a design plan for the front and back yards, which once reviewed will be shared with the congregation. Our goal is to realize a plan that make the grounds very easy to maintain, welcoming to all, and serves some particular needs for our congregation (maintaining the ritual circle in the back yard and making provisions for those who have been and would like to be memorialized in our garden). In the meantime, please contact Monica if you would like to help with the yard work this summer.

Signage: A small working group may soon form to investigate the possible purchase and installation of an improved sign in front of the church in order to better communicate who we are, what we do and value, and that we share our space. Please contact Monica if you would like to participate.

Other projects: There are efforts to obtain cost estimates for two other large building projects to which we might attend as soon as we can given our limited budget: finding a way to possibly cool the sanctuary in the summer and painting the exterior trim of the building.

Thanks and the next BIG meeting: Thank you to the dedicated members of the BIG Committee, especially Lew, Steve H, and Sarah, and to Andrew Zallar, our Congregational Administrator, for their tireless efforts to maintain our church home. Please mark your calendars for the next BIG meeting: Sunday, July 17 at 11:45 a.m.!
Money Matters: Time to Spring Forward On Your Pledge!
23% of 2U households are 3 months or more behind on their pledges! As the daffodils and tulips begin to bloom, we hope you'll show 2U some spring green by catching up on your pledge if you are behind. Leave your financial winter behind and join us in the spring! Pledges are our #1 source of income by far.

The Board and Finance folks are concerned about a serious pledge shortfall in the range of $15,000 for our fiscal year ending June 30. 

PLEASE, please do your best to catch up on your pledge as we only have 1.5 months left in our budget year. As always, if your circumstances have changed and you will not be able to fulfill your pledge to the church this year, please let our Congregational Administrator, Andrew Zallar, know by e-mailing him at: [email protected].

Budget Update: 10 months ending April 30

Our fat squirrel from the winter has finally run out of acorns! We have finally have eaten away at the surplus of pledging income from the fall from early payers. With 1.5 months remaining in the year, unless those who are behind can catch up, we are set up for a disappointing shortfall that will leave 2U in a worse place financially compared to the start of the budget year.


Actual
Budget
Difference
Pledges
$190,255$191,035
($780)
Collection Plate
$11,622$15,755
($4,133)
Total Expenses
$271,497$274,815
($3,318)

On the bright side, rental income is significantly coming in better than expected, the Special Gifts campaign raised $7,137 more than budgeted, and our fundraising income is on target.

Thank you for your continued support of 2U and if you are behind on your pledge, please understand all of us are counting on you to catch up!

Collection Plate Sharing
In April, we raised $490.88 towards the collection plate sharing recipient, UU Prison Ministry of Illinois.

Thank you all so much for helping to make 2U possible!
Visitors from England
We had two visitors from England on Thursday, April 28. A couple, Hillary and Gary, stopped by while some were setting up for our annual Seder dinner. They came to gather some real life evidence of our first minister, Rev. Robert Collyer; namely to see his anvil. They are from the same town in England that the anvil actually came from and have a friend writing about Collyer. Lew Harding and Andrew Zallar gave them a tour and they took lots of pics of the bust and anvil. They left with a copy of "From Unity to 2U" and also made a donation to the church's annual fund!
We Who Defy Hate
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
1:00 to 5:00 PM
Meadville Lombard Theological School - Atherton Lounge
610 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605

Every faith tradition speaks to the idea of creating a more just and loving world. Learning how to live toward that goal, however, is hard and complicated work. We Who Defy Hate is an experiential exercise designed to support people of different faith traditions who want to find places of common ground and solidarity in the service of social justice and action. Come experience the idea-in-practice and see how to take it to your community.

Join us for this interfaith gathering to pilot We Who Defy Hate, a companion discussion series for the soon to be released PBS documentary, Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War. Participants will experience the spirit of the curriculum.

Academics, Ministers, Religious Educators, and students are invited to participate. The film will be shown as part of the afternoon's event. 

Visit the website for more information about the documentary.


We Who Defy Hate was developed by Dr. Jenice View, Social Justice Educator, at the Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation, through generous funding from Artemis Joukowsky III and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, NY.
MidWest Leadership School
MidWest Leadership School
for Youth and Adults
July 10-16, 2016
Beloit, WI

Grow, thrive and renew!

Part of the UUA's nationwide network of leadership schools, MidWest Leadership School (MWLS) is a week-long intensive program in leadership and group dynamics. Led by lay and ordained staff with a deep understanding of UU congregations, MWLS:
  • develops both youth and adults into congregational leaders
  • provides leadership tools and skills
  • deepens Unitarian Universalist identity
This is an extremely intense week of workshops, discussions, intimate small groups, worship preparation, personal theological exploration and growth.

In exchange for wholehearted commitment to a strenuous schedule, MWLS offers a life-changing and congregation-nourishing opportunity.

This year, Rev. Adam will be one of the ordained staff leading the week-long program!

To learn more information or to register, please click here.
#AmazonSmile
Do you love to shop? Do you love to support 2U? Well, now you can do both through AmazonSmile! 2U is now a supported charity on AmazonSmile. Click here to sign up and to learn more!
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, May 25.

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