Thursday, April 1^st – 7:30 pm

Tenebrae Service

“Living Memory”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Tenebrae is a service acknowledging the shadows of life.  In the darkness of a candlelight worship service, we’ll read from the Passion narratives, recite the names of those who have died recently, and partake of Communion in our tradition: bread and wine shared in silence at a table open to all. – Please gather in the Kate Wuerker Room before the 7:30 hour and we’ll enter the worship space together at the appropriate time.

April 4^th – EASTER  –  9:30 and 11:00 am 

“Too Long in the Tomb”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Winter is but a memory, with spring around the corner and new life beginning to show itself in our part of the world.  It’s time to shake off the funerary wraps, step out of the darkness, and welcome the warmth of the sun.

– These will be intergenerational services where the kids will be welcome to worship with us the whole hour.

April 11^th – 9:30 and 11 am

“Our Daily Bread”

Wayne Politsch

 What’s for dinner?  To address this question we will explore the dynamic links between food, family, farm, and faith.  Can Unitarian Universalist Principles guide us through the moral ramifications of our food decisions?

April 18^th – EARTH DAY – 9:30 and 11:00 am  “The Zen of Lifeboat Maintenance”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Our kids learn the 7^th Principle of the Unitarian Universalist Association this way:  “We care for Earth’s lifeboat.”  In adult-speak, our congregations “covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”  An interdependent web requires maintenance, as do lifeboats.

April 25^th – 9:30 and 11:00 am

“Good News!”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The mission of the church is three-fold:  to care for and nurture people on their journeys, to build a just faith community, and to effect a saving message of hope and justice in the world.  If this is our Good News, how do we get the word out?

CHALICE CIRCLES

Newcomers’ Chalice Circle

SUNDAY, April 11^th at church  – 12 noon.
This will be the last meeting of this particular Chalice Circle.
Contact Kathryn Chapman.

Belleville Chalice Circle

THURSDAY, April 15^th  – 7 pm at the home of Jan and Don Allen in Belleville.

Contact Don or Jan.

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

SATURDAY, April 17^th at church  – 2 to 4 pm.

Contact Marcia Custer.

Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle

SUNDAY, April 18^th  – 12:00 to 1:30 pm in Emerson Place at church.
Contact: Diane Thompson or Sayer Johnson.

A First Glance

It seemed like a long winter, the grey skies more oppressive, the cold more debilitating than I recall in years past.  The weight of the world, for whatever reason, impresses itself stunningly during such a season, making it difficult to keep one’s bearings.

Then, on a mid-March morning, I am blessed to watch the sun come up bright and clear.  And as I go searching for something completely different, I happen upon a ragged copy of Howard Thurman’s Jesus and the Disinherited that opens to this:

When I was a very small boy, Halley’s Comet visited our solar system.  For a long time I did not see the giant in the sky because I was not permitted to remain up after sundown.  My chums had seen it and had told me perfectly amazing things about it.  Also I had heard of what were called “comet pills.”  The theory was that if the pills were taken according to directions, then when the tail of the comet struck the earth one would not be consumed.  One night I was awakened by my mother, who told me to dress quickly and come with her out into the backyard to see the comet.  I shall never forget it if I live forever.  My mother stood with me, her hand resting on my shoulder, while I, in utter, speechless awe, beheld the great spectacle with its fan of light spreading across the heavens.  The silence was like that of absolute motion.  Finally, after what seemed to me an interminable time interval, I found my speech.  With bated breath I said, “What will happen to us if that comet falls out of the sky?”

My mother’s silence was so long that I looked from the comet to her face, and there I beheld something in her countenance that I had seen only once before, when I came into her room and found her in prayer.  When she spoke, she said, “Nothing will happen to us, Howard; God will take care of us.”  O simplehearted mother of mine, in one glorious moment you put your heart on the ultimate affirmation of the human spirit!  Many things have I seen since that night.  Times without number I have learned that life is hard, as hard as crucible steel;  but as the years have unfolded, the majestic power of my mother’s glowing words has come back again and again, beating out its rhythmic chant in my own spirit.  Here are the faith and the awareness that overcome fear and transform it into the power to strive, to achieve, and not to yield.

As the seasons change and our Great Mother awakens and the glory of Spring arrives in our little part of the world, I hope you’ll be ready for ultimate affirmation of your spirit.  And then may you bask for a moment in the warmth of a sunny morning, may you stumble upon an unexpected connection between your own and another’s heart, and may you nurture a faith that overcomes fear and transforms it into the power not to yield.

See you in church,

Saturday, April 3^rd – 6:30 pm.

YOUNG @ HEART

(PG / 2007 / 108 minutes)

"April is the cruelest month."  T.S. Eliot UU Film night's answer to Mr. Eliot is "Get ready to rock out with the most entertaining 'golden oldies' you will ever meet, a senior citizen's choir as they prepare for a show in their hometown that is only a few weeks away.  They must learn songs ranging from James Brown to Coldplay, requiring a tireless musical director leading them through a series of hilariously chaotic rehearsals."

“Their triumphant performance is supposed to leave us cheering as their inspiring story celebrates the unbreakable bonds of friendship and the life-affirming power of music."  

Snacks optional.  Child care will be arranged if request is made to Linda Van Zandt with a few days notice, please.

Janice Joiner

Church Committee Meetings in April

Program Council Meeting –

Sunday, April 11 at 12:15 pm.

Pastoral Care Team – Thursday, April 22 at 6 pm.

If you plan a Committee Meeting PLEASE make sure to inform Becky in the church office so that your meeting gets on the calendar … and PLEASE send a note to the newsletter editor with the same information.  If you have a regularly scheduled meeting (weekly, monthly, etc.) please let us both know so we can make sure that the information gets out to everyone.

“When can we do this again?,” my five-year-old asked as her few remaining friends chased each other in big circles around the house.  It was just after 9:00 pm and it seemed that our pledge dessert had been a big success in many ways. 

The desserts were unbelievably delicious, the discussion was great, the kids had all survived without injury, and I got to spend Friday night with some of my favorite people.  And, the anxiety of having guests inside my “kid friendly” (a.k.a., “disastrous”) house had passed.

Near the end of our evening, one of our friends commented that this had been totally different than he expected.  He thought we were going to ask him for money.  And, well, we did.  Eventually. 

What was great about the whole night was that it wasn’t just about money and how much are you going to give us.  We talked about what the church meant to us and what our vision for the future was.  It gave us a chance to put some real thought into our pledges.  And I walked away feeling like whatever my pledge was, it was good. 

I didn’t feel leaned on, or pressured.  I felt good.  I rarely feel good when people are asking me for money. I hope others shared my experience.  And I hope you’re jealous if you didn’t get to attend one of the desserts.

I keep coming back to my daughter’s question, and thinking, “Yes, when can we do this again?”  Every time I get a chance to know a member of our congregation a little better, I always walk away thinking “Wow, we have some great people in our church.”  I’m not sure why I’m only spending Sunday morning with them.  Personally, I hope we can do this again, and soon.

Jennifer Herndon

Another NEW …

Announcement about

Announcements in Church

To make sure that people attending either of our two Sunday services will hear all the announcements about upcoming church events, we are asking that if you have an announcement that you can prepare ahead of time, please email it to announcements@firstuualton.org.  These will be compiled and given to the liturgist to read from the pulpit.  If you do not have email please telephone the church office with your announcement.

Announcements need to be sent in by Friday of each week.  Late breaking announcements may still be given during services.  Joys, Milestones and Concerns will continue to be given in person at each service.

Worship Committee

4^th Saturday Lunch

April 24, 2010

for those in need of a hot meal

Watch for a signup sheet at church and emails requesting volunteers to provide food and help.

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.

You are also welcome, and encouraged, to stay and have lunch with our guests.

If you are interested in helping to plan and organizing one of these monthly lunches please contact our Saturday Lunch Coordinator, Kathryn Chapman.

GLBT PotLuck

The Kate Wuerker Fellowship Hall at the First Unitarian Church of Alton, IL has been reserved for our 1st area-wide, Unitarian Universalist GBLT potluck.  The date for this event is Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 6 pm.  We are inviting GBLT folks from the three other area Unitarian-Universalist congregations to come join us for food, drink, and conversation.  

RSVP to Layne Simpson by Saturday, April 3 if you will be attending.  Children welcomed but will also provide childcare services if needed. 

Layne A. Simpson 

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 at church@firstuualton.org) and give her that information.

  2 April – Michelle Bryant

  4 April - Margaret 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 (1994)

12 April – Deanna Stacy

12 April – Sarah Walters (1993)

13 April – Dylan Stacy (2000)

14 April – Brynda McCoy

16 April – Dennie Lightle Jr. (1998)

20 April – Ian Herndon (1995)

20 April – John Morgan

23 April – Gayle Borman

27 April – Ginger McCall

27 April – Lucas Koch (2004)

Potluck Lunch ~ April 25th

Lunch will begin shortly after 12 noon following our 2^nd service.  Everyone is invited to stay for fellowship, conversation, and a good lunch!  Please bring a dish to serve 8 to 10.   Please note where your name falls in the tasks below and plan to help.

A-Mc will do Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

Mark Tade has scheduled a highway cleanup on Saturday morning, April 3^rd.  Our church has a 4+ mile (2+ miles on the north bound and 2+ miles of the southbound) stretch of Highway 67 connecting Alton to Missouri. 

This is one of our community service projects that has been ongoing for some years.

Meet at the church between 8:45 and 9 am to get your trash bags, orange safety vests, poles, etc.  Water will be delivered to periodically as you work along the road.  We usually work until around noon.  On other highway cleanup days we’ve filled 50+ bags … there’s a lot of trash out there and the more people who come out, the easier the cleanup task will be!  There will be a signup sheet at church.  Please signup so Mark can get in touché with you in case of a change in the schedule due to the weather forecast.

The Chalice Lighter Program Makes a Difference

The First Unitarian Church of Wausau, Wisconsin dedicated their remodeled historic building with a new Religious Education wing in September, 2007.  Much of their ambitious project, which brought accessibility to the beautiful old building, had been completed when they applied for a Chalice Lighters grant to complete work on the new RE wing to serve their diverse community.  Chalice Lighters provided the funds to further their vision.

Chalice Lighters is a way to put your faith in Unitarian Universalism into action.  By volunteering to give a designated amount to a specific Central Midwest District congregation for a specific growth project just three (3) times a year, you demonstrate your commitment to your faith, values, and way of life.

As a Chalice Lighter you support accessibility.  You reach out to those who need Unitarian Universalism but can’t find it because there is no Yellow Pages ad, or they have never heard of it.  You turn visitors into members.  You encourage gays, lesbians, and transgender people to be a part of our church family.  You make a difference.

Contact Don Allen to join the Chalice Lighters program so you can put your faith in Unitarian Universalism in action across the Central Midwest District.

Please Welcome our Newest Members and add them to your Church Directory.

We do not print addresses and phone numbers online.   Check the printed newsletter at church for this information.

Adams, Neil* & Nan* [3/14/2010]

nan2adams@att.net

Berkley, Robyn* [2/17/2010]

robynberkley@yahoo.com

Bryant, Michelle* [2/28/2010]

dhyana_lady@yahoo.com

Carpenter, John* [3/14/2010]

eztennisswing@yahoo.com

Crone-Willis, Kelley* & Juliette* [3/14/2010]

jrcronewillis@gmail.com

Koch, Matt* & Tracey* Howe-Koch [3/21/2010]

plaidshoes@sbcglobal.net

May Church Work Day

Saturday, May 15^th

9 am – 3 pm

We will be doing some water proofing, painting, cleaning, drywall repair and landscaping.

SO – if you like to sling mud, slap paint, or just wanna’ chat … come to church on the 15^th.  There will be snacks and drinks available.

Johnny and Annie Morgan

March Church Work Day Accomplishments

A BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers – adults and children – who came out for the March 13^th Work Day.

The following is a list of tasks completed.  Watch for the announcement of the next work day, and come out to help maintain and beautify our building and grounds.

Tree branches and brush cleaned up and hauled away.
New EXIT sign installed above Kate Wuerker door.
New light switches in KW room for KW lights, instead of using circuit breakers as switches.

Kitchen cabinets and pantry completely emptied, cleaned and straightened.
KW room storage closet reorganized.
Janitor closet emptied, cleaned and reorganized.
Wall scraped in youth room and painting started there.
Wall scraped in girl's bathroom on the lower level.
Carpets steam cleaned in kitchen/bathroom hallway, Emerson Place and Sanctuary.
Windows in the KW room and Sanctuary cleaned on the outside.
Brick walkway ramp repaired outside by the street.
Storage cabinet cleaned out downstairs.
Furnace filter changed.
Choir risers painted.
KW room vacuumed.

Interest Group Gatherings

Green Sky Sangha

The Green Sky Sangha meets every Sunday at 9:30 am in Room 5 on the lower level in the RE wing and invites anyone interested in meditation to join them. No prior knowledge of meditation is necessary.  The group practices various forms of meditation and discusses ideas related to Buddhism.   

Dee Evans

All church women are invited to the

Anna D Sparks Women’s Alliance

monthly lunch

The Anna Ds will have their monthly lunch meeting on Thursday, April 1^st at 11:30 am at Taylor Made Treats and Tea Room.   The Tea Room is located in the historical Mineral Springs Mall in downtown Alton – 301 E. Broadway.   RSVP by Monday, March 29^th to Audrey Wiseman.

In addition, the Anna Ds have been invited to have lunch with the Women’s Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis on Tuesday, April 27^th.  Carpooling will be available and details worked out at the April 1^st meeting.

Spiral Scouts 

The next Spiral Scouts meeting will be on Sunday, April 4^th at 1 pm at the church.

The Spiral Scouts is an all-inclusive scouting experience for children and parents of all genders.   The program begins with ages 3 - 8 with Fireflies and continues to Spiral Scouts ages 9 – 13 or contact Sayer Johnson or Jason Dothager .

Men’s

 Lunch Group

The Men’s Lunch Group will meet on Thursday, April 8^th at the St. Louis Buffet, 672 Wesley Dr., Wood River, IL. Contact Nelson Shaner for further details.   All men in the church are invited.

Pagan Group Meeting

Friday, April 9^th at 6 pm at church.

For further information contact Kristen O’Steen or Jimmy Christodoulou.

Kids Night Out Weekly (KNOW)

Our first Kids Night Out Weekly (KNOW) evening attracted seven children currently living at the Stratford Hotel.  The Hotel is serving as a single-room-occupancy (SRO) dwelling for families without permanent homes.

The kids enjoyed a supper of spaghetti and meatballs and happily participated with their volunteer mentors in activities coordinated by Sherry Droste.

KNOW will happen every Tuesday, from 5:30 to 8 pm and it’s not too late for you to volunteer to come one or two Tuesday evenings each month to help make a difference in the lives of these children.   If you are interested in learning more, contact Mary Johnson.

Outreach Offering

The Community Outreach Committee decided that April’s Offering should go towards our own new Kids Night Out Weekly (KNOW) program.  Funding is needed to purchase food for weekly suppers for the children and volunteers, plus books, pencils, crayons, paper supplies, etc.

Treasurer’s Note

Total budgeted income for February 2010 was $8,026.59; this was 5.8% of our annual budget.  Total budgeted expenses for February 2010 were $10,124.02; this was 7.4% of our annual budget.

At the 66.67% of the way through our fiscal year, our expenses were at 67.23% of the total budgeted amount, which is pretty good. Our income was at 71.9%. Hopefully, this will enable us to get through the fiscal year without a deficit.

Our fiscal year runs from July 1^st to June 30^th of the next year.  We count our pledges for the same period. After the Pledge Drive is over, we can count up the money we are supposed to receive and make up a budget for the new fiscal year.  If you made your pledge after January 1^st but before the Pledge Drive started, we have probably counted your pledge as being for the current fiscal year, not for the next fiscal year. This means that your pledge is over as of June 30^th, and to continue contributing to the church you should submit a new pledge card during the Pledge Drive.  In this way your pledge is aligned with the fiscal year, and we will know that we can count on your support for the coming year when we make out the budget for that year.

Jerry Johnson, Treasurer

Another Way to Serve

The therapy dog group in Alton, Touched By A Canine, is in desperate need of some new people and dogs to help with our visits to nursing homes, schools, hospitals and such.  Our greatest need is for people who could make visits on weekdays, during the day.  Those visits are mainly to nursing homes, and those people have lost so much that visits from the dogs mean a great deal to them.  They lost their home, their Independence, their mobility, their pets, and so much more that they just light up when the dogs come to visit them.  The dogs enjoy this as much as the patients, and so do we.  Unfortunately, we have lost so many people and dogs from our group in the past couple years that we now have to cancel some of those visits, and it is painful to have to do that to those people.

We each have our own dogs, and they need to have a good temperament, like people, and be under control.  They have to pass a test for Therapy Dog International to certify them and their handler, and LCCC in Godfrey has a class that includes the Canine Good Citizen test which is required, and prepares them for the T.D.I. test.  It starts Tuesday, April 7^th at 7:00 p.m.  For more information please speak with Marcie Nagle or Patrick Murphy at church. 

                                                Patrick Murphy

April RE Program News & Notes

April’s RE Theme:  Value the Earth.

April’s UU Principle:  #7  We care for Earth's lifeboat.

We continue our year-long focus on the seven Unitarian Universalist Principles, with an additional emphasis on stewardship of our environment:

April 4 — Our religious education program consists of an intergenerational service — kids remain in the sanctuary for the whole service.

Whitewashing the Fence

“Hello, old chap, you got to teach, hey?”

I wheeled suddenly and said:

“Why, it's you.  I warn't noticing.”

“Say—I'm going in a-swimming, I am.  Don't you wish you could?  But of course you'd druther work—wouldn't you?  Course you would!”

So I contemplated my interlocutor a bit, and said:

“What do you call work?”

“Why, teaching—ain't that work?”

So, I resumed my teaching, and answered carelessly:

“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain't.  All I know, is, it suits me.”

“Oh come, now, you don't mean to let on that you like it?”

“Like it?  Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to like it.  Does a body get a chance to teach like this every day?”

That put the thing in a new light.

“Say, Steven, let me teach a little.”

“No—no—I reckon it wouldn't hardly do.  You see, Aunt Cheryle she’s awful particular about our kids.  Iffen it was just your own kids I wouldn't mind and she wouldn't.  But, she's awful particular about our kids; it's got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain't one body in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it's got to be done.”

“No—is that so?  Oh come, now—lemme just try.  Only just a little—I'd let you, if you was me, Steven.”

“Well.  OK.  Deal.”  Maybe it’s not such a hollow world after all.

With due apologies to Samuel Clemens.  Everybody wins when you whitewash the fence.  Consider teaching RE this fall—we’ll start recruiting this month.  It pays well and won’t cost you much, except maybe “a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through.”  So, ya’ll sign up and we’ll “whitewash the fence” together and this special place will be the better for it.

Steven Mead, Temporary RE Administrator

CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Because there will be a Tenebrae Service (see front page) on the first Thursday evening in April, the choir will not rehearse that evening, but instead will have rehearsals on April 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd from 7 to 8:30 pm.    We always welcome new voices!  Come to a rehearsal to see what it’s like.   For more information contact Willis McCoy.

Eliot Chapel Women’s Weekend – April 17-18

“Dawn of a New You”

Eliot Chapel has been organizing a Women’s Weekend for many years.  The last three years it has been held at the Pallottine Renewal Center in Florissant MO – not a far drive from Alton.  You have a choice to stay overnight or just come for Saturday.  It’s a great time to relax, participate in exciting workshops, and find community among other women.  The cost for just attending on Saturday is $50, and includes three meals.  The cost for Saturday overnight is $90 for a double or $100 for a single.   All meals through Sunday breakfast are included.

Registration deadline is April 5, 2010

More information is found on the website:   http://www.EliotWomensWeekend.com

or email Carolyn Burke at womensweekend@eliotchapel.org.

Note from Abigel Kiss

Some years ago, Ruth Shaw, and other members of our church, financially helped a young Unitarian woman from the Transylvania area in Romania to attend Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri.  Abigel’s father is a Unitarian minister in Transylvania.  After completing her two years at Cottey, Abigel moved back east to complete her undergraduate degree and then pursued graduate studies.  She married and she and her husband now have a 2-year-old boy named Ryan.  She calls Ruth “G’ma” and keeps Ruth up to date as to her activities.   Ruth asked that information from part of Abigel’s recent email be included in the newsletter for those who knew her.

Abigel and Ryan will be flying to Transylvania in May to spend six weeks with her mother and father, although she’s concerned about making the long flight with a 2 year old.  Abigel has not been back to Transylvania for five years and wants her parents to get to know their grandson.  Ryan is learning words in both English and Hungarian (the language spoken by Unitarians in Transylvania). 

Racial Reconciliation Worship Service

sponsored by

United Congregations of Metro East (UCM)

            Everyone is invited to the Alton area’s third annual Racial Reconciliation Worship Service.  It will be held the Sunday after Easter, April 11, at 5:00 pm at Lead the Way Christian Church located at 1145 College Avenue.  This service commemorates the anniversary (4/4/68) of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

            Participants will have the opportunity to ask God for forgiveness, make gestures of reconciliation to each other, and dedicate themselves to a decade of racial reconciliation in the Alton area.  Keynote speakers, Diane Thompson, lawyer, and Judge Duane Bailey, will present a tandem message of challenge and inspiration.  Voices will be raised in the reading of scripture, prayer and joyous song.  The Delta Regiment Drum Corps will lead the way to a meaningful worship experience for all in attendance followed by refreshments and fellowship.

            Please come, bring a friend and put your faith in action

Thank You Note from the Church Office

I would like to thank all the people who responded with their completed Data Information Request Forms for the new church database system.  If you haven’t returned your forms, please send them by email or postal mail for those without email.  These forms can be printed and mailed back to the office or filled out, saved and returned as attachments.  If you have any questions or didn’t receive a form to fill out, please contact me.

There is one form for the household and one form for each individual in the family. 

Some of the optional questions are for statistical purposes and would never be public knowledge.  The information collected from these forms would help the church grow in the interest of the congregation. 

Becky Green