Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister

April 5, 2009 – Palm Sunday

“Holy Now”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Palm Sunday for many Christians marks the beginning of Holy Week, a week of high drama and deep despair, great joy and devastating sorrow, a journey to hell and - we hope - back.  Too many deny the agony in favor of the ecstasy and fail to glimpse the holy inherent in all things.

Thursday – April 9, 2009, 7:30 p.m. – Tenebrae

“When Darkness Descends”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Tenebrae is a service honoring the shadows of life.  In the darkness, we’ll offer up the names of those who have died recently, read from the Passion narratives, and silently partake of Communion together at a table open to all.

Please gather in the Kate Wuerker Room before the 7:30 hour so we can enter the worship space together at the appointed time.

April 12, 2009 – Easter Sunday

“Beginning Anew”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The darkness recedes as new life all around signals that spring has sprung.  A tomb is no place to stay on such days as this, but putting aside the old ways and struggling into the morning light is no easy task.

April 19, 2009 – Earth Day

“A Wild Bunch”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Home gardening almost always involves more than simply planting the seed and sitting back to watch it grow.  Human community, too, requires more than a few nice words and a laissez faire attitude - but wildness will not and cannot be denied. 

This is an intergenerational service where the kids will be welcome with us all morning.

April 26, 2009

“One Day I woke up and realized I am an Atheist”

John Herndon

Traditional notions of who or what God is have been the subject of much debate over the years.  Many religious groups have their idea of what is true about God.  Is there room for yet another interpretation?  Let me fill you in on my latest thoughts about what it means to be a religious skeptic.

April    5^th – Humanist/Non-Theist Roundtable. Discussion led by John Herndon

April 12^th – TBA

April 19^th – DVD of 2008 Ware Lecture by Van Jones at the UUA General Assembly Fort Lauderdale FL. Van Jones has recently been appointed by President Obama to work with agencies and departments to advance the administration’s climate and energy initiatives, including “Green Jobs.”

April 26^th – “Peacemaking” led by Dr. Ron Glossop

Thurs., April   2 – Anna Ds at Moonlight – 11:30 am; Choir practice – 7 pm

Fri.,      April   3 – Walking, Yoga, Meditation (YWM) – 8 am

Sat.,     April   4 – Road Cleanup – 9 am to noon

Sun.,    April  5 – Fair Trade Coffee Sales; Program Council meeting at noon; Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm

Mon.,    April   6 – Training workshop at church on the Impact of Housing Discrimination – 7 pm

Thurs., April   9 – Men’s lunch – 11:30 am; Tenebrae service – 7:30 pm

Fri.,      April 10 – YWM – 8 am; Pagan Group 6 pm

Sun.,    April 12 – Growth Committee – 11:30 am; Choir practice – noon; Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm

Mon,     April 13 – Sierra Club – 7:30 pm

Tues.,    April 14 – Church Board – 7 pm

Thurs., April 16 – Care Team Leaders meeting – 6 pm; Choir practice – 7 pm

Fri.,      April 17  – YWM – 8 am; Fri. – Sun., Youth Con at Eliot Chapel

Sat.,      April 18 – Work day at church – 9 am.; Women’s Weekend Retreat @ Pallottine – all day;
Women’s Chalice Circle – 2 pm; Chili and Games night – 5:30 pm

Sun.,     April 19 – Parent’s Chalice Circle – after church;
3^rd Sunday Chalice Circle – after church;
Women’s Drum Circle – 6 pm;  Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm

Mon,     April 20 – UU&You! – 7 pm

Fri.,       April 24 – YWM – 8 am

Sat.,       April 25 – 4^th Saturday Lunch – Buffet line opens at noon

Sun.,     April 26 – Potluck lunch; Choir practice after lunch;
Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm

Mon,     April 27 – UU&You! – 7 pm

Tues.,   April 28 – Men’s Chalice Circle – 7 pm

A First Glance

Saturday, March 14^th, I drove into downtown St. Louis where the St. Patty’s Day Parade was in full swing on Market Street - lots of green-clad revelers partying with friends, cheering large floats and marching bands, right here in the middle of America, Land of Opportunity.

I didn’t go for the parade, however.  I went with my seminary class to visit Centenary United Methodist Church over near the loft district on Washington Avenue.  The congregation of Centenary has grown over the past couple of years to a dedicated 52 members.  It’s difficult in the present climate to imagine the last time the sanctuary was filled to its 1200-seat capacity - much of the population long ago moved out of the city and into the suburbs, leaving the church a broken-down urban afterthought.

I say much of the population, but not all, because Centenary still does a booming business on weekdays as it serves over three thousand meals each week - breakfast, lunch, and dinner to people who come to the church each day from the shelters around town.  The school chum of mine that is the minister of Centenary now, Pastor Kathleen, says more people are coming everyday in this economic downturn that is rapidly becoming a depression.

The Monday morning after my downtown trek, I awoke to a story on NPR about a tent city erected recently along the American River in Oregon.  The reporter spoke to one man who’d owned a home and a car and a truck but who was now living in a plastic tent surrounded by mud.  The man said he still went job-hunting seeking employment as a welder, but when he told employers that he had no address, they would give him no job.

One day around that time, my unemployed twenty-something daughter came to dinner at our house, and after listing her woes for a little while, said she had learned something that week.  “There’s always someone somewhere whose life is worse than mine,” she said.  Not the kind of thing that a parent relishes his child learning the hard way, but there it is.  A lot of our children who are attempting life on their own are going to be in similar straits, I imagine.

While I don’t want to adopt the philosophy that we should deny our own struggles and hardships (oftentimes what happens to us really is painful), it does occur to me that there are times when we are the ones who must pray for our literal daily bread.  And in those times when we are blessed with enough resources not to have to worry about what we’ll eat the next day, we ought to be answering the prayers of those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. 

The reason to do so is not so that we’ll feel better about ourselves for helping the homeless or feeding the hungry. 

The reason to do so is simply because we can.

See you in church,

Chili and Games Night

When is it?

April 18, 2009

5:30 to 9:00 pm

Bring your chili entries

Bring your dessert entries

Not a chili or dessert artist?  No worries. 
There will be sign ups for bringing drinks, crackers, cornbread, etc.

There will be games for adults and children.

All ages will be accommodated.

Did I mention prizes?  Yes, there will be prizes.

A night of fun and festivities for the whole family.

This is a FUN-raiser not a FUNDraiser.

No money will be exchanged.

 Linda Van Zandt

Check out our month by month Google calendar
for future events 
http://www.firstuualton.org/ - Church events

The Impact of Housing Discrimination –

 A Workshop To Be Held at Church

Concerned about racial discrimination?  Worried about housing for families with children or equal access for persons with disabilities?  Come to a training workshop at church on Monday, April 6^th, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm to learn about how housing discrimination impacts families all across the St. Louis region and learn about the state and national laws that protect people from discrimination in housing.   This workshop is open to the community, so invite people you think may be interested.

This training workshop will be led by a member of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council (www.ehocstl.org) and is sponsored by our church’s Social Justice Committee.  Diane Thompson is coordinating this evening’s event.

Discrimination in housing remains one of the major contributors to racial and economic injustice in the United States.  The St. Louis region has been among the country's hyper-segregated areas.  Whites and Blacks too often live in parallel worlds, with African-Americans still denied access to housing.  Housing segregation contributes to inferior public services and second-rate schools in majority African-American communities and directly undermines the ability of African-American families to build wealth.  Come learn what you can do to reverse this injustice!

Childcare will be provided and refreshments will be served.

The Pagan Group is starting a SpiralScouts Circle open to all children ages 3 to 18. They are gathering names and ages to start age-appropriate groups and are also looking for adults to be leaders.   For more information contact Kristen O’Steen

As an international organization, SpiralScouts thrives on child-directed activities based on a globally-oriented philosophy of religious tolerance and interfaith cooperation, personal responsibility, and ecological education and conservation in order to help our children learn to grow into strong, competent members of society and citizens of the world.  More information can be found at www.spiralscouts.org 

Green Sky Sangha

Time

The Buddhist Meditation Group meets at 7 pm every Sunday.

Join us for a short respite and relaxation, where you can take time out of your hectic schedule to concentrate on yourself while learning. 

Meditation

We will practice sitting meditation which will be concentrating on the breath and doing the active rhythmic motions taught by the monk. We will do walking meditation.

Teaching

There will be a teaching session.  A volunteer will give a short talk on a topic of their choice on a Buddhist teaching. 

To join us, you don't have to know anything about Buddhism.  All are welcome. Dee Evans

Come to Walking – Yoga – Meditation

This weekly gathering will be held on Friday mornings, from 8 am to 9:30 am. We will walk briskly for a half hour near the church, then do yoga for another half hour, then meditate for around 20 minutes.  We should be done by 9:30 am.  Rain or shine … dress for the weather, and bring a yoga mat if you have one. 

Paula Tarbell is the facilitator, and can be reached by email.  Let her know you are planning to come so she can contact you if for some reason a week has to be cancelled.

Anna Ds

All women in the church are invited to the April meeting of the Anna D Sparks Women’s Alliance on Thursday, April 2^nd. We will meet at 11:30 am at the Moonlight Restaurant, located at 3400 Fosterburg Road in Alton. http://www.moonlightat255.com.  This is a very convenient place for those of you working in the area to join us for lunch.  So even if you don’t usually attend Anna D lunches, if you can get away from work for an hour or so, please come. 

Audrey Wiseman is the host for this month’s meeting.   Please let her know by Monday, March 30^th if you will be coming to lunch.

Men’s Lunch Group – all the men in the church are invited to attend.

The Men’s Lunch Group will meet on Thursday, April 9^th at the St. Louis Buffet, 672 Wesley Dr., Wood River, IL.   Contact Nelson Shaner for further details.

UU Pagan Group

The Pagan Group meets on the 2^nd Friday of each month.  Join them on April 10^th from 6 – 8 pm at the church.  More news about Pagan Group plans can be found elsewhere in the newsletter.

Community Women’s Drum Circle

Sunday, April 19 ^th from 6 to 8 pm. All women in the church are invited to come.   You may bring any kind of drum (even children’s plastic drums, maracas, any percussion instrument will do.)  No experience in drumming is necessary.   For further information contact Layne Simpson.

We will be having our next workday on Saturday, April 18^th from 9 am until 3 pm. Weather permitting we will be concentrating on some outdoor work.  Hopefully we can finish cleaning out the overgrowth in the front shrubbery and adding some new plantings.  If you could donate any cuttings of tall grasses or other plants, please bring them to workday, or arrange with me to bring them earlier. If you need child care for the workday, please let me know ahead of time. Mark your calendar for a day of working together and getting to know one other better. Also, we hope to get a new coat of paint on a few doors and get some windows washed.   Indoor work will include general cleaning, repairs, and some painting.

Have you noticed the new curtains in the nursery and kitchen, the newly painted accent walls in the vestibules, or the Martha Holden artwork now hanging over the coat rack?  Thanks to Mary Johnson, Nancy Sakalauski, and Pat Moore for spending a day working on these and other projects.

We now have a new ice maker, paid for with profits from soda sales. Our dishwasher is still out of commission.  If you would be willing to donate for repairs, please let me know.  Due to unexpected roof repairs, the Building and Grounds budget is a little tight this year.

All the sinks will soon be updated with new faucets and plumbing. Thanks to Tom Sakalauski for completing this project.

We now have two dumpsters by the handicapped entrance ramp for collecting all the non-recycled garbage.  If you are cleaning up from an event where food is served, be sure to bag the garbage and put it into a dumpster before you leave.  Extra bags are kept in the janitor’s closet.  Be sure to recycle all aluminum, glass, plastic, cardboard, and clean paper in containers next to the refrigerator.

Volunteers are always needed for projects around our building.  Let me know if you can give extra time for cleaning, repairs, painting, gardening, etc.

Pat Moore

Building and Grounds Chairman

            Treasury Note

Total budgeted income for February 2009 was $9,402.34; this was 6.8% of our annual budget.

Total budgeted expenses for February 2009 were $11,928.32; this was 8.6% of our annual budget.

This month’s deficit of $2,525.98 is within acceptable limits. Our budget surplus still appears adequate to see us through the rest of the fiscal year as long as previously-made pledge commitments are met.

The collection on Heritage Day contributed $615.75 toward the Local Endowment Fund. This was less than last year.

Receipts for our big fund-raising event, Khleber Van Zandt and Friends, indicate that we made $1,234!

February’s natural gas cost us $747.15. This is about 25% less than the January natural gas bill. Hopefully, this means that we are on the downslope of this year’s winter heating season.

FAIR TRADE COFFEE PROJECT

Coffee will be available for purchase on the first Sunday of each month.  Whole bean, drip grind, regular, decaffeinated and flavored coffee will be available.  

Look for Linda Van Zandt at the Equal Exchange table in the Kate Wuerker Room.

17^th Annual Pagan Picnic in St. Louis

The area-wide Pagan Picnic with the theme “Celebration of Life” is June 13 - 14 in St. Louis http://www.paganpicnic.org/.   Our church pagan group is gathering volunteers to assist at the picnic and help with a pagan group/SpiralScout booth for the church.

For further information get in touch with Kristen O’Steen.

An Invitation to New, Recent and Long-Time Members (& Friends) to

Join the Choir!

You’ve heard us sing on Sunday ~ doesn’t it look like we’re having fun?

We’d like you to join us.  Come to a rehearsal or two and see if choir is something you’d enjoy participating in.  All voices and ages are welcome. 

Rehearsals begin at 7 pm on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursday evenings and around 12 noon on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays.

The rehearsal schedule for April is:

Thursday, April 2^nd

Sunday, April 12^th

Thursday, April 16^th      

Sunday, April 26^th

Contact Willis McCoy for further information.

RE MINDERS

Please remember to bring in your empty ink jet cartridges for recycling.  There is a bin for them in the foyer.

Donations of canned goods may be brought in and placed in the RE office for the annual Easter Canned Goods Hunt which will be held on April 12^th

CRISIS FOOD CENTER DONATIONS

Don’t forget to bring non-perishable food for the Alton Crisis Food Pantry basket.  Your generosity goes far in helping those in need get food to meet their daily needs.  People who go to the food pantry also receive flyers about our “4^th Saturday Lunch.”

Jen Politsch

CHALICE CIRCLES

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

Saturday, April 18^th at church 2 to 4 pm.

Contact Marcia Custer for more information.

Third Sunday Chalice Circle

April 19^th from 11:45 am to 1 pm at church.

This Chalice Circle is discussing the Unitarian Principles. 
We have a program that we follow. Contact Sandy Shaner for further information.
Everyone is welcome.

Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle

Sunday, April 19^th – 12:00 to 1:30 pm in Emerson Place at church.
Contact: Diane Thompson or Cheryle Tucker-Loewe.

Men's Chalice Circle

Tuesday, April 28^th – 7 pm at church.

Contact: Khleber Van Zandt.

A new Chalice Circle is being formed this spring for “Parents of Teens.”  Anyone interested please contact Beth Nalick.

To learn more about Chalice Circles, plan to attend the Adult Religious Enrichment program on May 17^th.

April 26^th

After church

Potluck Lunch

Bring a dish to share and plan to stay after church to join in food and fellowship!  If possible please bring a dish that serves at least 6 to 8 people. 

When at all possible, in an effort to be more conscious of the environment and to reduce the trash that our church might add to the ever growing area landfills, we are using the church’s china plates instead of disposable ones.

A-Mc will do Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

Everyone needs to help.  Please do your share in setting up and cleaning up.  Kitchen camaraderie helps you know someone better.

Please welcome our newest members..

Gayle Borman   [2/22/2009]

Patricia Murrell  [2/22/2009]

Donna Young    [3/15/2009]

Cindy Mayhew  [3/15/2009]

Highway Clean-Up Day

Saturday morning, April 4^th

Meet at church at 9:00 am

It’s time again to do our quarterly clean up of our four-mile stretch of Highway 67.  The more people who help, the less time it will take and the more enjoyable the work.  This is one of our community service projects.  The church’s name is on the sign approaching our stretch of the road, giving us added incentive to keep the area trash-free.  Mark Tade is the Clean-Up Coordinator and will have a sign-up sheet at church for volunteers. 

Sierra Club Computer and Electronics Recycling Drive - FREE

Saturday, April 18^th – at the Alton Square Mall lower level, Sears parking lot.

All Madison County residents, businesses, and non-profits bringing their items to the Alton event will NOT have to pay a fee!  Madison County will cover all fees that normally have to be collected for large appliances, monitors, and televisions that have Cathode Ray Tube containing lead that has to be removed at a cost. 

4^th Saturday Lunch –

A Social Justice Venture

Saturday, April 25^th is the date of our next 4^th Saturday Lunch for those in need of a hot meal.  A signup sheet will be available so you can decide what you would like to bring.

Our guests seem to have enjoyed each of our past lunches, and there are always interesting lunch conversations.  The children who come are lively and talkative, and enjoy being able to take home a free book or some fruit and cookies.

I am sincerely grateful to all of you who have taken this project to heart and “made it your own.”  Everyone’s contribution of food and time is very much appreciated.

Our entrée for April will be ham.  We will be purchasing hams through the generous financial contributions of Ruth Shaw.  We’ll need volunteers to prepare the ham though, and as usual provide the remainder of the meal.

Our lunch buffet line opens at 12 noon.  We ask that if you are bringing food that you arrive at least by 11:45 am.  Set-up help is welcome anytime after 10:30 am and cleanup help is always needed after lunch is over.

Donations of magazines and books are also gladly accepted. 

If you have questions contact Mary Johnson.

http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/actioncenter/128311.shtml

UUs are invited to engage in environmental justice – recognizing the disproportionate impact that both environmental problems and proposed “solutions” have had on women, low-income families and communities of color both in the U.S. and around the world.

Most people enjoy getting a card or email or phone call on their birthday.  Below is the list we have of church members and friends celebrating birthdays this month.  If you don’t think the church office has your birthday on file, please contact Becky Green (church@firstuualton.org) and give her that information.

  4 April – Maggie McCarthy (2000)

  5 April – David Wiseman

  6 April – Cathy Tade

  7 April – Martha Arnold

  8 April – Ted Loucks

10 April – Corinne Hawkins

10 April – Don Allen

12 April – Lily Tarbell

12 April – Deanna Stacy

13 April – Dylan Stacy (2000)

14 April – Brynda McCoy

16 April – Dennie Lightle, Jr. (1998)

20 April – Ian Herndon (1995)

23 April – Gayle Borman

27 April – Ginger McCall

When?

Sunday, April 5^th, 2009

12:30 to 3:30 pm

Where?

First Unitarian Church of Alton

Who?

Aidan Dunn is a member, musician, and lay preacher at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco.  He has been involved in LGBT, intersex and transgender education and advocacy for the past ten years.

A Little Monkey Business with the Tades in Thailand

(Photo by Cathy Tade)

“Don’t pet the monkeys!”   That was the directive from the U. S. Navy after a sailor was bitten by a street show monkey in Pattaya, Thailand, and had to undergo the painful series of rabies shots.  But what to do when the monkey is intent on petting you?  Such was my predicament during my and Cathy’s recent visit to Pattaya’s Elephant Village.  Taking a break from my Navy duties, a few of us visited the Village where we could ride elephants, race on ox carts, observe silk making and see traditional Thai dancing.  After dismounting our elephants for a short hike through the woods to the ox carts, we were introduced to Tony, an adolescent monkey.  Our guide warned us that Tony would accompany us on our hike, and he preferred to ride rather than walk.  At the time, I failed to appreciate that Tony was eyeing me in much the same way I had looked upon my elephant a few minutes before – a convenient mode of transportation.  Three steps into our trek, it hit me.  More precisely, Tony hit me.  Swooping down from the branches above, Tony abruptly perched himself on my shoulder, wrapped his arm around my head and hung on tight for our ten minute hike.  As the senior officer in our group, I knew I must set the example by strict observation of the “no monkey petting” rule, but I didn’t want to upset my passenger.  My dilemma was resolved when I recognized who was petting whom. 

Mark Tade

[If you’d like to share with our newsletter readers an adventure from your travels please contact the newsletter editor]

Monthly International Lunch Group
Starting Again.
Interested?
Contact Cathy Tade

Community

Outreach Offering

General Information:  One-half of the cash collection and one-half of any undesignated checks put in the collection on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays are given away to charitable causes.  The entire amount of checks designated for a specific cause is donated to that cause.  The money donated does not include pledge checks or money otherwise earmarked by the giver.   In January, $287.50 was given to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) for their peace and justice work.

April’s Outreach Offering:

As part of the Alton Area Cluster of United Congregations of Metro-East, we are working on a decade of racial reconciliation in Alton.  One of the most pernicious and pervasive forms of racial discrimination remains housing discrimination.  Stories abound of families told subtly or not so subtly that they would not be welcome in a neighborhood, based on the color of their skin.  Such discrimination scars the individuals and perpetuates racial and economic injustice more widely throughout the society.

Since 1994, the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council has been working to end discrimination in housing throughout the St. Louis metropolitan region.  EHOC investigates complaints from individuals who believe they have been discriminated against as well as providing education to members of the public interested in learning more about discrimination.  EHOC is the only private agency working in this area to address discrimination in housing.  Every year, it handles hundreds of complaints from families who were denied an opportunity to rent or buy a home because of the color of their skin, the presence of children in the family, or the disability of a member of the family.  On April 6th, EHOC will be giving us a free training, open to the community, on fair housing law, to help us all understand and identify the ways in which discrimination in housing occurs.

In celebration of Fair Housing Month, and in the interest of advancing racial justice, we are giving our Community Outreach Offering to EHOC.

RE NEWS

Dear Parents and Friends,

“Inviting close friends over to share a meal with candlelight and wine at your table could be a form of religious experience to some people.  To me it’s a form of sacrament.”  Sally Quinn

As many of you know in January the RE department hosted a vegetarian lunch as a fundraiser.  The money raised was then given to a Hindu charity as our social action project for that month.  This was a very successful event, both socially and fiscally, and it would be great if similar events could be done more frequently.  While our church kitchen is very well-equipped to serve such a meal, it is ill-equipped for the actual cooking of such a meal. 

In order to do any cooking in our kitchen the cooks must import their own equipment.  Please consider this kitchen wish list if you have items that you would be willing to donate to make our kitchen more user friendly.

• Cookie Sheets
• Baking Pans
• Pots and Pans
• Cutting Boards
• Cooking Utensils (Wooden Spoons, Spatulas, etc.)
• Food Processor/Chopper
• Quality Knives

If you have items that you are willing to donate to the church kitchen, please see Beth Nalick or me to talk about specifics before you bring anything.

Thank you, Jamie Gross

United Congregations of Metro-East (UCM)

Individual Donor Campaign

UCM is a peace and justice organization made up of over 25 faith communities, including ours.  They are having their annual fundraising drive.  If you are interested in becoming a UCM “sustainer” by making a donation or making a monthly, quarterly or yearly pledge, please contact the UCM office – 618-451-1458 and ask for a donation form.