Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister

August 5^th

“It’s a Beautiful Day in this Neighborhood:

The Theology of Fred Rogers”

John M. Herndon

Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was a regular fixture of children’s television for over thirty years, and countless generations have grown-up with the comforting, gentle manner of Fred Rogers. Fred was also an ordained minister whose commitment to children was grounded by his faith. We will explore the many facets of Fred Rogers theology and see how his values are universal to people of all faiths.

As a sort of ‘greatest hits’ series this August, especially for those who will be visiting with us, Rev. Van Zandt will reprise three sermons of the past year.

August 12^th

 “Our Puritan Ethic”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Our puritan forebears bequeathed to us the beginnings of the democracy we’re still trying to perfect.  They were also religious reformers who excluded dissenters from their communities.  How do we carry on their legacy?  Do we want to?

August 19^th

“The Power of the Word”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The words we use have in many cases formed and transformed the world we live in.  In ordinary words, there can be extraordinary power and possibility.  As retired Unitarian Universalist minister Bucky McKeeman says, even in our ordinariness, any one can be a herald of life and love, of compassion and joy.

August 26^th

 “On Being Turned Back”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Unitarians and Universalists worked at opening doors during the Civil Rights struggles of the mid-twentieth century, and some lost their lives doing so. 

August 5^th – Committee Sunday – 9:00 a.m.

As we begin our new church year committees will gather to plan for upcoming programming.  Committee Sunday is scheduled the first Sunday of every other month to allow time for discussion and planning.  If you are not currently serving on a committee please consider joining one.  Your ideas and talents are needed.  Below is the list of committee chairs for the year.  If you are interested in working with a specific committee please contact the chairperson.

Adult Religious Education: John Crawford

Building & Grounds:          Pat Moore

Finance:                           Sandy Shaner

Growth:                            To be announced

Member:                           Marcia Custer

Religious Education:           Lisa Alton

Social Justice:                    Mary Johnson

Stewardship:                     Ted Loucks

Worship:                           John Herndon / Cheryle Tucker-Loewe

                                         (co-chairs)

August 12^th – 9:30 a.m. – A discussion on the environment.  

This is a prologue to a series on Environmental Economics that will begin in September.  Discussion moderator – John Crawford.

August 19^th –  9:30 a.m.  – To be announced.

August 26^th – 9:30 a.m. – “In Search of the Historical Jesus” – This is the final program in the series.  Facilitator – Beth Nalick.

A First Glance

As members of a church community, we covenant together to behave in certain ways toward each other.  Therefore, there is always anxiety among us somewhere.  It’s the nature of the beast:  getting along with each other means working out our real differences in real time in the real world with real people. 

We can never rid ourselves of all anxieties, but we can sometimes minimize stress by making sure the things we’re anxious about are real and true.  For example, I’ve heard more than one comment recently about the possibility of choosing to leave our cherished hundred-year-old building in downtown Alton and moving to someplace new out in the ‘burbs' - like maybe Edwardsville, for instance.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear:  I don’t think we’re going anywhere.  And I don’t think we should.

Sure, Edwardsville is a nice place.  The university is full of caring people, some of whom would love to have a church home right down the street from them.  Sure, a lot of us now drive a long way to get to Alton, and a few of us would have a shorter drive to a new church in Edwardsville.  Sure, there’s land aplenty over there at highway intersections with great visibility for a towering new church sign featuring a huge chalice with a perpetual flame.

But this is First Church of Alton.  We’ve been here for 170 years.  Our people have been involved in every major progressive social change in Alton during all that time.  Our ministers have fought to clean up the streets and to rid the city of organized crime.  Our members have laid out the roads and parks, started the public schools in one century and integrated them the next, built the library, founded the symphony.  In fact, there isn’t much good that’s happened around here that people from this congregation weren’t involved in.

Of course, look around Alton today and you see many problems.  Businesses have left, factories have closed, many people live on the edge of economic disaster.  As in other troubled communities, too many turn to prostitution, crime rates are too high, drugs affect the lives of young people.  But if you think that’s a compelling reason to leave, think again.

This city is finally on its way back, and as in previous centuries, this church has a part to play in the resurgence.  We should be building relationships with folks in neighborhoods, we should be speaking out on the courthouse steps, we should be working with other churches and civic organizations to change people’s lives for the better.  That’s what this church has done in the past, it’s what we should be doing in the present, and what we should plan to do in the future.  If by doing all this, we grow too big for our building, great!  We can always send a few pioneering souls over to Edwardsville or elsewhere to start a new congregation. Let’s do the work it takes to stay here in Alton. 

See you in church,

CHALICE CIRCLES

Alton UU Pagans Chalice Circle

Contact: Stacey Wolff at kartoffel@piasanet.com

UU LGBT Chalice/Covenant Group

Contact: Layne A. Simpson Layne3030@hotmail.com

Second Sunday Chalice Circle meets the 2^nd Sunday of each month.

Sunday, August 12^th – 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Emerson Place

The Second Sunday Afternoon chalice group welcomes new members. We meet from noon to 2 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month in Emerson Place and have been focusing on getting to know each other, deciding on a service project to benefit the Church, and various themes to deepen our individual spiritual growth. We would welcome anyone to the group who would like to join us. Our next meeting will be at noon on August 12^th. 

Contact:  Sandy Shaner

sarapolarbear@hotmail.com

Women’s Chalice Circle meets the 3^rd Saturday of each month.

August 18^th – 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Kate Wuerker Room.

Contact:  Marcia Custer mcuster@siue.edu

Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle meets the 3^rd Sunday of each month.  

Sunday, August 19^th – 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Emerson Place.   Childcare is provided.

Contact: Cheryle Tucker-Loewe chtucke@siue.edu

or Diane Thompson dianeelizabeththompson@gmail.com

Men's Chalice Circle meets the 4^th Tuesday of each month.

August 28^th – 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Contact:  Khleber Van Zandt kvanzandt@uuma.org

CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

The Choir’s rehearsal new schedule will hopefully better accommodate various needs and more people will now be able to attend rehearsals.  Rehearsals will be at 7 p.m. on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays of each month and at 12 noon (or there abouts) on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of each month.

August’s rehearsals will be:

Thursday, August 2^nd and 16^th and Sunday, August 12^th and 26^th

Contact Willis McCoy for further information.

wbmccoy@charter.net

Our next Building and Grounds WORKDAY at church will be on Saturday, August 25^th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Even if you can only give a couple hours come out and lend a hand.

Pat Moore, B&G Chair

Crisis Food Center

Mark YourCalendars

Thurs., Aug.   2 – Choir rehearsal – 7 p.m.

Sun.,    Aug. 12 – 2^nd Sunday Chalice Circle – 11:45 a.m.

Sun.,    Aug. 12 – Choir rehearsal – 12 noon.

Tues.,  Aug. 14 – Board meeting – 7 p.m.

Thurs., Aug. 16 – Choir rehearsal – 7 p.m.

Sat.,     Aug. 18 – Women’s Chalice Circle – 3 p.m.

Sun.,    Aug. 19 – Parent’s Chalice Circle– 12 noon.

Sat.,     Aug. 25 – Work Day – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sun.,    Aug. 26 – Pot Luck Lunch – 11:45 a.m.

Sun.,    Aug. 26 – Choir rehearsal following lunch.

Tues.,  Aug. 28 – Men’s Chalice Circle – 7 p.m.

4^th Sunday

Pot Luck Lunch

August 26^th

Bring a dish to share and plan to stay after church to join in food and fellowship!

– PLEASE PLAN TO HELP –

A-Mc will do Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

Everyone will be responsible for setting food out on the buffet table.

Church Members and Friends Participate
in the St. Louis Gay Pride Parade

On June 24^th, twelve members and friends from our church carried our new banner as they marched in the Gay Pride Parade down Grand Avenue near Tower Grove Park.  The banner has subsequently been hung on the railing in front of the church.

Photos by Bing Gibbs

You may go to the Church Website at

www.firstuualton.org

to view the current newsletter anytime.

IN OUR CHURCH FAMILY

The Sympathy of the Congregation goes out to two families who lost loved ones in the last few weeks.

Samuel R. Herndon, the father of John Herndon, father-in-law of Diane, and grandfather to Erin and Ian, died on Saturday, June 23 at the age of 82.  Memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church in Rosewood Heights or to the Herndon Scholarship Fund through the Roxanna Schools Foundation.

Richard “Kurly” McGowan, the son of Mary McGowan, brother of Nancy Brunner, and uncle to Britney and Bailey died July 3 at the age of 55.  Memorials may be made to the American Liver Foundation.

Congratulations to Mark and Alla Johnson who were married in our church on June 30^th.  Mark is the son of Mary and Jerry Johnson. Alla’s family lives in Russia and in the Ukraine and were unable to attend the ceremony.  However, Kevin McCarthy set up a live internet webcam so Alla’s family gathered together in Belgorod, Russia and watched the service in real time on their computer screen.

Community

Outreach Offering

At a meeting last spring the church board approved the donating of the Sunday collection two times each month for charitable causes.  The money donated will not include pledge checks or monies otherwise earmarked by the giver.  It will only include “cash offerings” or checks indicating that they are to be included in the donated funds.  The Board appointed John Herndon, Khleber Van Zandt, and Mary Johnson as a Task Force to implement this giving program.  The new UU congregation in Mt. Vernon Illinois has already been the recipient of three donated collections.

The Task Force met on July 10 and came up with a priority list of organizations: 1. Local service and outreach organization; 2. National UUA-related groups; 3. UU start-up congregations; 4. International disaster relief efforts.

It was decided that starting in August, the offerings on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays would be given to one organization each month.  We were reminded of the children’s song written in 1955 by Malvina Reynolds, the Unitarian songwriter and activist, that says, “Love is something if you give it away … you end up having more.  It’s just like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won’t have any, lend it, spend it, and you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor.”

The collection from Aug. 12 and Aug. 26 will be given to the Alton Crisis Food Center.  In addition, your ongoing monthly donation of canned foods is vital.  Also, if anyone is interested in volunteering at the Crisis Food Center you might want to call the Executive Director David Blackburn to see when volunteers might be needed.  His number is 618-462-8201.

Board Approves Policy Regarding Disruptive Behavior

After much discussion and research, the Board of Trustees approved a Policy Regarding Disruptive Behavior during the July board meeting.  The idea for such a policy comes not from any incident experienced at First Church, but from the wealth of experience learned from other congregations in a variety of denominations.  It has simply become responsible “good practice” for church governing boards to develop such a policy to safeguard the emotional and physical well-being of the congregation.

The introduction of this document provides a clear statement regarding the intent and benefit of this policy.  It reads, “First Unitarian Church of Alton strives to be an inclusive community, affirming our differences in beliefs, opinions, and life experiences.  However, concern for the safety and well-being of the congregation as a whole must be given priority over the privileges and inclusion of the individual.  To the degree that the disruptive behavior of an individual compromises the health of this congregation, our actions as a people of faith must respond in order to maintain the safety and health of our church community.”

Our policy was developed in large part from documents provided by West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River, Ohio, and it outlines specific responses to inappropriate behavior and guidelines for determining appropriate action.  Anyone who serves in a leadership capacity at church, including those who facilitate meetings or activities within the building, as well as other interested persons should review this document.  It is posted on the kiosk in the Kate Wuerker Room, and it can also be found in the church Policy Handbook.  If you would like more information, please contact a member of the Board of Trustees.

Cheryle Tucker-Loewe

Below are the names of church members and friends who are celebrating birthdays this month. We have many new members and friends whose names possibly didn’t get on the birthday list. If this is ‘your month’ and your name didn’t get included, we’re sorry.   For future months please let Mary Johnson ( mejohnson@mindspring.com) know the day and month of your birth.

  1 August – Atticus Rebmann (2005)

  4 August – Jim Elliott

  4 August – Rosemary Mullikin

  5 August – Emily Loucks (1995)

  7 August – Jack McCall

10 August – Lorna McElhone

10 August – Bev Carter

13 August – Ginny Allred

14 August – Lily Tade (1995)

23 August – Paul Hebert

24 August – Amelia McCarthy (1996)

NEWSLETTER MAILING UPDATE

As the cost of postage goes up and the need to become more “green” environmentally becomes apparent, we hope to reduce the number of newsletters that are mailed out.  Starting with this issue, newsletters will be mailed only to those who do not have email or to those who have expressly requested to receive the newsletter by mail. 

Additional copies of the newsletter and church calendar will be available at church and an email message will be sent out monthly to let people know when the current issue of the newsletter is up on the website from which you may print your own copy or simply go to the website http://www.firstuualton.org and refer to the newsletter as needed. 

Social Justice Committee

The intended goal of the Social Justice Committee (Mary Johnson, Chairperson), is to promote action by individual church members and friends, as well as by groups within the church, on area, regional, national and international issues of social, environmental and economic concern through educational programs, service projects, and advocacy.

If these kinds of issues interest you, please consider joining the Social Justice Committee where we will be brainstorming and planning ways to meet the intended goal and also attend the related Adult Religious Education programs that will be offered this fall. 

Environmental Justice is a big piece of Social Justice and the United Congregations of Metro East – Alton Cluster (of which our church is a member) has taken on promoting individual and congregational awareness of issues of environmental concern, including global warming.  Here are a few steps individuals can take at home to fight Global Warming.  John Crawford, Wayne Politsch, and Mary Johnson are on the Alton Cluster’s Environmental Task Force.

 1.    Run your dishwasher only with a full load.  

 2.    Wash clothes in warm or cold water, not hot.

 3.    Monitor the temperature in your home, adjusting it lower in winter and higher in summer.

 4.    Clean or replace air filters as recommended.

 5.    Wrap your water heater (if it is 6 years or older) in an insulating jacket.

 6.    Caulk and weather strip around doors and windows.

 7.    Ask your utility company for an energy audit.

 8.    Whenever possible walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit.

 9.    Buy minimally packaged goods; choose reusable products over disposable ones.

10.  Insulate your walls and ceilings.

11.  Recycle, recycle, and recycle.

12.  Buy energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.

RE NEWS

Dear Parents and Friends,

Over the past few months, I have been giving virtual tours of what our classrooms will look like for the children in the fall.  Our middle school youth will be able to have an experience that is called Way Cool Sunday School.

They will start out each month with a worship experience that will set the theme for the month.  On those Sundays, after chapel, they will be doing team building and bonding experiences as a group.  This should help to form a cohesive group of young people that can work together to help each other live out our UU values.

The next week will consist of a classroom session that will help them to explore the month’s topic in depth.  They will learn the relevant history and the importance of the topic at hand through many different educational methods.  They have the option of discussion, lecture, video, and recently internet in the classrooms to help them explore their curriculum fully.

The next two weeks of the schedule will change in order depending on the month and topic.  We will have a fine arts week.  This is where the children will be able to explore the month’s topic in an artistic way.  This could be poetry, dance, sculpture, art, or any number of other things that they can think of.  There will always be a fine art option presented to them, but they are also free to move as they feel called to do.

The last component of this schedule is a social action project.  Each month the children will do a project that fits into the theme of the month.  This will give them a wonderful opportunity to not only learn about UU values, but to put them into practice in what can be a very real way every month.

It is my hope that this new method of classroom instruction will help keep our young people interested and engaged in what is going on in our church.  I also hope that this will help prepare them for the YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) group that they will be able to be a part of when they reach high school. 

If this or any of the other classrooms that I have described in my past few columns interests you, please feel free to come and speak with me about them.  The only way that they can become a reality is through volunteer support.

Thank you, Jamie Gross 

FALL SPLENDOR WEEKEND

The leaves will be changing color; the days will be warm and the nights cool.  Come to the Wisconsin Northwoods, the land of beautiful woods and water; come see the loons and the eagles!  The Northwoods UU Fellowship in Woodruff Wisconsin (www.nuuf.com) invites you to join us the weekend of September 28-30, 2007 to experience the most glorious time of year.  You will stay with a UU family for two nights; enjoy breakfasts and Friday dinner with your hosts and join the congregation for a special dinner with entertainment on Saturday night.  On Saturday, you can participate in any of our planned activities, such as hiking, fishing, birding, antiquing and more, or you can go exploring on your own.  On Sunday, join us for our worship service before you head home. 

The cost of $300 per couple (singles and families are welcome at special rates, as well!) will help support the new expansion of our building.  For more information or to make reservations, contact Joan Hauer at hauerj@verizon.net.

UPDATE Your CHURCH DIRECTORY

CORRECTIONS:

GIBBS, BING*

Email:   bing@vintage88.com