August 2013

August 18 – Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

“Laborers in the Vineyard”

Each of us brings a certain amount of time, talent, and treasure to our communal life. In our life together, it matters less what you bring or when you show up than the fact that you do show up and that you do give of yourself.

August 25 – Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

"Beyond iChurch"

Honoring the individuality of all who come to us is one of the strengths of our way of doing church.  This strength becomes a weakness if we slide into individualism and begin to exalt the individual at the expense of the Beloved Community we’re trying to build together.

September 1 – TBA

Adult Religious Education

11:15 am

RARES – Rogue Adult Religious Education for Summer.  We plan to meet for approximately 45 minutes on every Sunday.  After the 10:00 service ends, chat and enjoy Coffee Communion for 10 minutes or so ... then meet us in Emerson Place.  Please join us any Sunday ... a rag tag group of random conversationalists! This activity will be lay-led.  Future topics: articles in the current UU World magazine, drawing topics from an "Idea Jar" ... and anything that piques our interests .....

A First Glance

Khleber is on vacation.  However, please contact him in case of emergencies.

4^th Saturday Lunch

for those in Need

August 24 – 11:30 am

There will be details about this month’s lunch on UU Friends, in announcements at church, and through “This Week at Church” sent from the church office.

Plan to help with this major social action program of our church.

Church Potluck Lunch

August 25

Our monthly lunches are held on the 4^th Sunday. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share.  This is an all-church event so we all participate in setting up and cleaning up.

Board Summit

August 10

There will be a Board Summit on August 10.

Agenda items will include:

Congregational Meeting action items including year-end pledge report and pledge history over time

Thank you letters to the other UU churches for their contribution to our FY13-14 budget

Rebuilding the committee structure

Building policies/procedures including any needs that Lee Suarez foresees

Chalice Circles

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

Every 3^rd Saturday.

Saturday, August 17 from noon to 2 pm at church.

Contact the facilitator Dee Evans for further information.

Other Activities

UU Family Campfest

at Pere Marquette

Campfest III was an amazing experience. A special thank you to all the Crew who made it happen Juliette Crone-Willis, Kelly Crone-Willis, Pat Moore, Debby Elliott Lovell, Erin Vigneau Dimick, Espirala Blanton, Robyn Berkley, Mickey Gould-Oldt and Rachel Lappin.

This was a cooperative experience thanks to everyone who participated from singing at meals, working your kitchen shift, participating in a chalice circle, making a craft, to helping us schlep stuff home.

I believe it is our church community at our best working together and making intentional time for each other. Much love!

 Sayer Johnson

Fifty-Plus (50+) Forum

First SATURDAY of every month

August 3, 2013  10:30 – noon at church

We invite anyone who is over 50 or even getting near that milestone to join us. We have a lot in common: long work lives, preparation for or entry into retirement, a vast array of interests … and we love sharing all of it.

The ROMEOS – Retired Old Men Eating Out – will meet on Thursday, August 8 at 11:30 am at the Best Buffet at 615 Wesley, Drive in Wood River IL.   Coordinator:   Jim Moore.   All men in our church are invited – you needn’t be “old” or retired!

Your ATTENTION is Needed to

Maintain the Church Building & Grounds

If you notice something in the church building that needs attention or repair, please contact our Building Co-Chair, Lee Suarez.

If you notice something around the church grounds that needs attention or repair, please contact our Grounds Co-Chair, Bob Larson.

In Memoriam

Ruth Shaw, a member of our church since Christmas Eve of 1962, died on July 20, 2013 at the age of 93.  She was introduced to our church by her husband-to-be, Dr. William Shaw, SIUE Professor of Physics.  After his death in the late 1970s, Ruth helped establish the SIUE Shaw Lecture, which became a time for an annual Shaw family reunion with her several stepchildren and their growing families.

Professionally, Ruth had a graduate degree in Home Economics and was the Director of School Food Services for the Collinsville School District when she retired.  Her interest in meal planning and familiarity with the mission of our church’s food ministry caused her to generously fund our 4^th Saturday lunch on an ongoing basis.

Ruth was admired by all, and played an integral role in our church over the decades.   When one thinks of Ruth, the image that comes to mind is that of Ms. Unitarian Universalist.  When the RE wing was added in 1969, it was Ruth who designed the kitchen that served us well for over 40 years.  When a ministerial search committee was formed in 1978 to call a minister after ten years of lay-led services, it was Ruth who chaired that committee and brought us the Rev. Sylvia Falconer, the first woman minister to serve a church in Alton.  Ruth was only the 2^nd woman to serve as president of our congregation.   She planned church Circle Suppers, chaired the Annual Pledge Drive, and served several terms as President of the Anna Ds, organizing many of their salad luncheon fundraisers.   If there was something that needed to be done, one could count on Ruth. She continued to come to the monthly Anna Ds gatherings even as her loss of hearing discouraged her from attending worship services.

For many years she was the Central Midwest District representative for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, managing the District’s UUSC fund drive.  She was a UUA General Assembly “junkie” – attending these annual meetings almost every year until very recently.  She traveled internationally representing UUs at the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) and at the triennial meetings of the International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW) within IARF.  She served as the U.S. Treasurer for the IALRW for a number of years.  She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council and traveled to Transylvania several times, visiting Unitarian villages and churches there.  She also helped raised tuition funds to allow Abigel Kiss, the daughter of a Transylvanian Unitarian minister, to attend and graduate from Cottey College in Nevada MO.

Ruth loved her two cats as well as enjoyed watching the birds that came to the birdfeeders outside her kitchen window.

Ruth will remain in our thoughts and memories.

(Some of the details in this text came from the entry written by Rose Hoshiko about Ruth for the 2001Wall of Fame presentation.)

Summer RE Program News & Notes

Teaching Children.   Raising People.   Growing Souls.

Summer RE Program Activities

Throughout the summer we have one service at 10 am.  There are no planned activities for children and youth this summer — children and youth are invited stay in the sanctuary during summer services.  Join us as we return at In-Gathering Sep 8; formal religious education classroom activities resume Sept. 15, 2013.

Below is the list of members of the Caring Ministries Committee.  You may always contact one of them in time of illness, loss, crisis, or other need.  Keep this list of contact people available in case you or your family is in need of pastoral support.

The Caring Ministries Committee is ready to welcome several more members! If you are interested in engaging in conversations with other church friends and getting to know them on a deeper level, please consider joining our group! Please contact Marcia Custer for more information.

AUGUST

Birthdays

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

Aug 03    Nan Adams

Aug 03    Akilah Hudson, (11)

Aug 04    Jim Elliott

Aug 05    Erin Vigneau Dimick

Aug 06    Lisa Strangeman

Aug 07    Zoe Monroe Christodoulou, (12)

Aug 07    Jack McCall

Aug 10    Lorna McElhone

Aug 11    Robbie Reiheld, (9)

Aug 13    Edward Navarre

Aug 15    Isis Payne, (9)

Aug 18    Madison Adams, (9)

Aug 18    Peyton Adams, (7)

Aug 18    Matt Koch

Aug 23    Paul Hebert

Aug 23    Kingston Sellitto-Brehm, (5)

Aug 24    Amelia McCarthy, (17)

Aug 24    Ethel Potts

Aug 24    Jonathan Strangeman, (4)

Aug 25    John Barbeau

Aug 28    Tara Kinder

Aug 29    Eliot Bailey, (9)

Requests from the Church Office

Please be very clear on the memo line of your donation checks.  Examples:

• 2012-2013 pledge (to complete your pledge)
• 2013-2014 pledge
• Over and Above (to help the budget shortfall)
• Capital Campaign
• Restricted Donation and what it is for
• For a split donation, please show the amounts for each.

Thank you, Becky