Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister

September 6, 2009 – Labor Day Weekend

TITLE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Dee Evans

Check the church website or church announcements for an update.

September 13, 2009 - Ingathering Sunday

- an Intergenerational Worship Service -

“God Before, During, and After”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Some children ask, “Where was I before I started growing in Mom’s tummy?”  Some older people ask, “Where will I go when I die?”  The answer to these important questions, if there is one, probably lies in the margins between “nowhere” and “everywhere.” Herewith, a sermon for children and adults on the nature of God – if there is one.

September 20, 2009

“Gates Left Open”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The media circus in the aftermath of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., at his home in Cambridge, MA, points out the need for a serious and ongoing discussion of race in America, especially here in our area during our Decade of Racial Reconciliation in Alton.

September 27, 2009

“Shaped by the Word”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Science has shown that the idiosyncrasies of the language one speaks help shape the way one perceives the world.  If it’s not simply a case of ‘I say tom-a’-to and you say tom-ah’-to,” we’d best be careful about the words we use, especially with each other.

Sept. 6^th – Illinois Civil Unions Bill – What can we do, and what do we do next?  A discussion about strategy for those interested in helping to try and get this bill finalized in the Illinois legislature.

Sept. 13^th – Peacemaking with Ron Glossop.  The Peacemaking Statement of Conscience from the last UUA General Assembly has been continued, and so our discussions will continue.  Come join the discussion with our very own Peace studies expert, Dr. Ron Glossop.

Sept. 20^th – Non-Theist/Humanist Discussion Group led by John Herndon.

Sept. 27^th – Meditation for busy Pragmatists! Sound interesting? Come find out!

Mark Your Calendars:

Wed.,   Sept.   2 – Green Sky Sangha – 7pm.

Thurs., Sept.   3 – Anna Ds – 11:30 am at church;   Choir rehearsal – 7 pm.

Sun.,    Sept.    6 – Fair Trade Coffee sales.

Wed.,   Sept.   9 – Board meeting – 7 pm.

Wed.,   Sept.   9 – Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Thurs., Sept. 10 – Men’s lunch group – 11:30 am;   Choir rehearsal – 7 pm.

Fri.,      Sept. 11 – Pagan Chalice Circle – 6 pm.

Sun.,     Sept. 13 – Member committee – 9:15 am;   Picnic after church.

Mon.,   Sept. 14 – UU&You! – 7 pm.

Wed.,   Sept. 16 – Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Thurs., Sept. 17 – Care Team Meeting – 6 pm;   Choir rehearsal – 7 pm.

Sat.,     Sept. 19 – Mississippi Earthtones Festival 11-7 on riverfront;
  Renegade Women – 2 pm; UU Coffeehouse – 7 pm.

Sun.,    Sept. 20 – Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle – 12 noon;
  Women’s drum circle – 6 pm.

Mon.,   Sept. 21 – UU&You! – 7 pm.

Tues.,   Sept. 22 – Men’s Chalice Circle – 7 pm.

Wed.,    Sept. 23 – Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Sat.,      Sept. 26 – 4^th Saturday Lunch – noon;
  NAMI walk at Troy IL – walk begins at 10 am.

Sun.,     Sept. 27 – Potluck lunch; Social Justice Committee – during lunch.

Mon.,    Sept. 28 – UU&You! – 7 pm.

Wed.,    Sept. 30 – Green Sky Sangha – 7pm.

Church Committee Meetings This Month

Member Committee – Sunday, September 13^th – 9:15 am – Church office.

Pastoral Care Team Leaders – Thursday, September 17^th
                                                – 6 pm – Minister’s office.

Social Justice Committee – Sunday, September 27^th – during potluck – Emerson Place.

A First Glance

I have very much enjoyed my summertime visits with family this year, not because everything is peachy with them or because we always get along so well, but because I think it might have given me some new perspective on living together in community. 

July began with Linda and me hosting our three- and five-year-old grandboys for two weeks – sans parents for the first time ever.  Linda and I got to play different roles than we were used to, going beyond the always-kindly grandma and grandpa to include a touch of the disciplinarian as well.  It was a wonderful time to get to know the little guys in ways that we don’t get to experience in our usual Sunday-afternoon computer-monitor videophone calls with them.

In August, we drove all over Texas to visit with family.  Given the 100-degree-plus temperatures, we spent a large amount of time indoors just sitting around tables and talking – not a bad way to get to know each other, sharing hot meals and cool drinks and the events of our lives.

No, we didn’t always get along easily.  Our family is made up of people we love and are related to, but sometimes we have trouble finding things we have in common with them.  Sometimes it’s a lot easier to find the places where we rub each other the wrong way. 

No, all the talk was not of happy things and no problem and, gee, ain’t life grand.  There were medical issues to explain, lost jobs to discuss, family rifts to hash over yet one more time.  Love holds us together, but life threatens to rip us apart.

And now we’re back home getting ready for a new church year.  From all I can tell, the summer went pretty well at church.  Reports are that the lay-led worship services were very well received, that we had a large number of visitors, and that energy and attendance remained high. 

Not everything is happy and no problem and gee, ain’t life grand.  Many of us are dealing with medical issues, have suffered economic setbacks, or have experienced losses of various kinds.  And we don’t always get along so well, either, sometimes finding it easier to expose the places where we rub each other the wrong way than to work at lifting up our commonalities.

You’ve probably heard the story about Noah’s Ark and how Noah’s tiny family spent forty rainy days and nights crammed together with pairs of animals of all varieties.  You may not have imagined how smelly and crowded it must have been inside their little boat as they waited for the sun to come out again.  But the people on the boat, in the words of Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove, “knew it was better to be on board than not.  The same thing goes for living together in the church.  Traveling together isn’t always easy, but the ark saves us from drowning … and gives us a space where we can learn to live together.”

See you in church,

Picnic in the Park

When: September 13, 2009 immediately following church services.

Where: On the lovely grounds next to the church.

What to bring: A side-dish/dessert to share.

Games & Prizes - Family event for all ages.

Soda, bottled water, grilled hot dogs & hamburgers available

for small donation.

NAMI WALK FOR

 MENTAL HEALTH

Saturday, September 26^th

This will be the 3^rd year members of our congregation have participated in the NAMI of Madison County’s “Walk for Mental Health.”  This annual event is held at the Tri-Township Park in Troy IL. 

The walk is “To raise both money and awareness regarding the need for treatment and through public awareness to rid the stigma that goes with brain disorders.”

Check-in at Park Pavilion #1 is from 9 am on.  The walk begins at 10 am and follows a 2 mile trail.   You might even get to lead a llama!

A free lunch and a tee shirt will be provided to everyone who registers.  The registration deadline to receive the shirt is September 15^th.  Walk registration / donation forms will be available in the Kate Wuerker Room at church. 

Contact Ruth Maskow for further information.

Green Sky Sangha

The Green Sky Sangha meets every Wednesday at 7 pm and invites anyone interested in meditation to join them. No prior knowledge of meditation is required.  The group practices various forms of meditation and discusses ideas related to Buddhism.   

Dee Evans

UU COFFEE HOUSE

Mark your calendars:  UU Coffee House Inauguration:  Saturday, September 19^th from 7 to ??   Planning in progress:  details to follow.  Auditions underway for poets, essayists, musicians, dancers, conversationalists, d.j.s and audience :))

Questions:  see Dick Blanton or Janice Joiner.

Spiral Scouts – No meeting September 6^th

For information contact Sayer Johnson or Jason Dothager.

Anna Ds will meet on Sept. 3^rd

The Anna Ds Women’s Alliance will have its first gathering of the season at church on Thursday, September 3^rd It will be a “bring your own brown bag” lunch with dessert and beverages provided by Mary Weber.

We will also have a program about “Vintage Postcards” given by Sue Gorline.    Sue has been collecting postcards for many years and belongs to the Gateway Postcard Club. She says that “Postcards represent lost America … things that aren’t there anymore.  Part of the fun in collecting old postcards comes from trying to piece together the history of each card and learning who sent the cards.”

All women in the church are invited to attend Anna D meetings which are held on the first Thursday of each month from September through June.  Meeting locations vary from the church, to restaurants, to members’ homes. 

Annual dues are $10 and payable in September.  Pat Moore is the Anna Ds Treasurer.

Community Women’s Drum Circle …

will meet on Sunday, September 20^th at 6 pm at church.

Contact Layne Simpson for details. 

Men’s Lunch Group –

All the men in the church are invited to attend.

The Men’s Lunch Group will meet on Thursday, September 10^th at the St. Louis Buffet, 672 Wesley Dr., Wood River, IL.   Contact Nelson Shaner for further details.

Please contact your Team Leader if you have any questions.    Also, if you or someone you know has not been assigned to a team, please contact Cheryle Tucker-Loewe.

Fall Retreat – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

November 6^th  - 8^th

Theme:  “It is what it is … healing in hard times.”

Keynote address:  The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Armstrong

  “Living the golden years – without the gold.”

More information coming later.  Check it out at http://www.uuwomensconnection.org/.

http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/

Standing on the Side of Love is a public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association, promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Standing on the Side of Love will confront exclusion, oppression and violence based on identity.  Based in the aspiration to create beloved community, the campaign will pursue social change through advocacy, public witness and speaking out in solidarity with those whose lives are publicly demeaned. All people, not just Unitarian Universalists, are invited to stand, speak, worship, march, roll, and live on the side of the love.

Support our Kid Craft Booth at the Mississippi Earthtones Festival

Come celebrate our great river at the Mississippi Earthtones Festival Saturday, Sept. 19^th, Alton Riverfront.  Park and Amphitheater from 11am - 7 pm.  Live folk and bluegrass music, food and nature-craft vendors, and bike rides on the levee. This is a solar and wind-powered event. We, the First Unitarian of Alton, are sponsoring a kid craft booth!   

Volunteers are needed to work 1 hour shifts from 11 am - 4 pm.  Sign-up in the Kate Wuerker Room or contact Cathy Tade.  Hope to see you at the festival!

Total budgeted income for July 2009 was $6,469.23; this was 4.7% of our annual budget. Total budgeted expenses for July 2009 were $14,320.18; this was 10.4% of our annual budget.

Part of the large expenditure amount was due to the annual insurance premium payment and to the payment on the repairs to the air-conditioner for the R.E. wing.

Last month we paid down our deficit to $1,347.49. This deficit refers to a situation two years ago in which we had to borrow from our restricted funds in order to meet payments for that fiscal year. We were able to reduce the deficit by applying the surplus from last fiscal year to the residual deficit.

This year we do not have as many pledges paid early as in previous years. This means that we do not have as large a pledge surplus as in the past and thus we are more on a pay-as-you-go basis. It would be helpful, if more people could pay their pledges on a monthly basis — or at least on a regular schedule.

As instructed by the Board, I will work up a poster to display at church showing our monthly income vs. our expenses to help people remain aware of how we are doing financially.

Jerry Johnson, Treasurer

Potluck Lunch

September 27^th 

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

M-Z will do Clean  Up

PLEASE PLAN TO DO YOUR SHARE IN SETTING UP AND CLEANING UP.  DON’T LEAVE THE TASKS FOR A FEW PEOPLE TO DO.

CHALICE CIRCLES

UU Pagan Chalice Circle

Friday, September 11^th at church – 6 to 8 pm.

Contact Kristen O’Steen.

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

Saturday, September 19^th at church – 2 to 4 pm.

Contact Marcia Custer.

Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle

Sunday, September 20^th – 12:00 to 1:30 pm in Emerson Place at church.

Contact: Diane Thompson or Cheryle Tucker-Loewe.

Men's Chalice Circle

Tuesday, September 22^nd – 7 pm at church.

Contact: Khleber Van Zandt.

Musicians Wanted!

We are looking for individual and group musicians to perform on Sundays when the choir does not sing.   Anyone interested in sharing their musical talents with the congregation, or who has a suggestion of someone outside our church community who would be willing to play “pro bono” please contact Willis McCoy.

Continuing Conversations

Sometimes you might come to a worship service and everything that’s said washes right over you and keeps going.  Other times you might hear something that you can’t wait to talk more about.  This new series of Continuing Conversations is for those Sundays when you’re left with burning questions and need to explore the topic of the day more deeply.

We’ll meet on the second and fourth Sundays, after church, in the Kate Wuerker Room near the fireplace.

Khleber

4^th Saturday Lunch –

A Social Justice Venture

Saturday, September 26^th is the date of our next 4^th Saturday Lunch for those in need of a meal.  A signup sheet will be available so you can decide what you would like to bring. 

The lunch attendance over that last few months has varied from 15 to 38 guests.  We are also seeing more children coming.  If you have books or small toys you’d like to give to our young guests, please bring these items to church.

There are also openings for YOU to volunteer to coordinate one of these monthly lunches.  If this sounds like something you would like to get some friends together to do, or would like more information about what all is involved, get in touch with Mary Johnson.

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.

THANKS to all who have participated in any way in our lunches since we started the program last October.

Irene Mondhink has informed us of the death of Sara Carlisle Holzman in Portland, Oregon. Mrs. Holzman was an active member of the church in the 1960s and an influential voice in the building of the RE wing.

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.

September

  1 September – Bill Fischer

  1 September – David Birchmier

  1 September – Dee Evans

  3 September – Jim Moore

  4 September – Elizabeth Leavell

10 September – Denise Maxwell

10 September – Mary Lu McManus

10 September – Roger Thorogood

13 September – Phil Finley

13 September – Betty Yakubian

14 September – Mona Hebert

14 September – Teri Brickey

14 September – Jackson Smithe (2004)

16 September – Janice Joiner

19 September – Jen Politsch

20 September – David Kraus

20 September – David Stacy

23 September – Matt Hallett

26 September – Jennifer Nolan O’dell

Liz Rogers and Melanie Hill-Rogers joined the church on August 16.

Please introduce yourselves to them and make them feel welcome. 

Add their names and contact information to your church directory.  Check the print copy of the newsletter for address and phone.

Liz:           destined2bcop@aol.com

Melanie:   aspiringemt4liz@aol.com

CHOIR CHANGES REHEARSAL  SCHEDULE

 The choir will rehearse on the first three Thursdays of each month from 7 to 8:30 pm.    There will be no Sunday rehearsals after church anymore.  The choir is hoping to be able to participate in the service twice a month.

September’s rehearsals are on September 3^rd, 10^th, and 17^th.

There are openings for sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, basses … and any voices in-between.

For more info. contact Willis McCoy or show up for a rehearsal.

ALTON CRISIS FOOD CENTER DONATIONS

As children head back to school, please remember that good nutrition is important for good learning.  Your contributions to the Alton Crisis Food Center help families provide balanced meals for their children.

Jen Politsch

Wedding Bells

We have received word that the Rev. Sylvia Falconer, minister of this church from 1979 to 1983 will be married to Jerry Mangan on September 12^th in Greeley Colorado.  Sylvia visited here last February as part of our Heritage Day Celebration.

Community

Outreach Offering

In September our community outreach collection will take an INTERNATIONAL focus.  Many Unitarian families around the world live on less than $1.00 per day.   Education is one long-term strategy to break out of the cycle of extreme poverty, but going to school often means boarding away from home, buying uniforms, supplies, and often paying tuition.   This is beyond the reach of many families.

The Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council has joined together with U*U organizations in the Philippines, India and Transylvania to identify potential students whose education can be supported through scholarship money provided by UU churches here in the U.S.   Students receiving scholarships are expected to pay back to the UUPCC scholarship fund 20% of the total received once they have a job.

When we commit to support a student it will be a three to five year funding commitment, depending on the educational level selected.   We will also keep in contact with the student during the years. The C.O.O. committee has decided to support a Unitarian student from the Khasi Hills in India and the level will depend on the amount you donate during the month of September.   In India, high school means a 5-year period following secondary school and includes college.

1. Secondary student (grades 8, 9 & 10) – 3 years for $126 per year.
2. High school student in Honors Science Program – 5 years for $445 per year.
3. High school student in General Science Program – 5 years for $352 per year.
4. High school student in Honors Arts Program – 5 years for $302 per year.
5. High school student in General Arts Program – 5 years for $257 per year.

To learn more about the student sponsorship program go to http://www.uupcc.org/studentsponsors.

To learn more about Unitarianism in the Khasi Hills go to http://hhmohrmen.blogspot.com/2009/06/unitarian-in-khasi-jaintia-hills.html .