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Congregation established 1836 |
Newsletter of the First
Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois
www.firstuualton.org
Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister |
FIRST UNITARIAN FOCUS
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Congregation established 1836 |
Newsletter of the First
Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois
www.firstuualton.org
Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister |
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October 5th “Beyond Reformation” Rev. Khleber Van Zandt The
history of our religious movement has a thread that runs through the
Reformation of the Christian Church in 16th Century October 12TH – Association Sunday “Creative Tension” Rev. Khleber Van Zandt With
our strong traditions of individualism and congregational polity, there are
many tensions between us and the Unitarian Universalist Association in October 19th
To Be Announced |
October 26th
– Samhain, All Soul’s, Halloween “Grappling with a Luminous Doom” Rev. Khleber Van Zandt Samhain,
the Celtic New Year, traditionally marks the beginning of the ‘dark half’ of
the year, and the curtain thins between this world and Hamlet’s “undiscover’d
country.” Newsletter
Deadline Send Newsletter items by 15th of the month to the Editor AND
to the Church office. Email: church@firstuualton.org Editor: Mary Johnson |
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Adult Religious
Enrichment (ARE) Sunday mornings
@ 9:30 am in Childcare is
available. October 5th – Non Theist/Humanist Roundtable. October 12th
– Speaking About Faith – We will
listen and discuss a re-broadcast of Public Radio’s “Speaking of Faith” program
Presence in the Wild. It is the story of Rev. Kate Braestrup, a
Unitarian Universalist chaplain to game wardens and search and rescue workers
in the October 19th
– From Jesus to October 26th – Peacemaking. Led by Dr. Ron Glossop.
Pastoral Care Teams The church is a story. It is the story
of lives that are interwoven, brought together in this place and this time for
the simple purpose of caring for one another, and helping one another along the
arduous path from birth to death. –Victoria
Weinstein In an effort to encourage all of us at 1.
To check on one another if someone is not at church
for an extended period of time. 2.
To provide cards, calls, food, etc. in times of
serious illness or life crisis. 3.
To provide all members someone to call in addition
to the minister when they experience illness, loss, or crisis. Your Pastoral Care Team Leader will contact
you soon in order to help the members of your team connect with one another. There will be a list of all the teams and
their members on the kiosk in the Kate Wuerker Room.
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.
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On
the paths I usually take from home to church and back, I pass over two of the
world’s great rivers: the Missouri,
almost 2500 miles long and draining over half a million square miles, and the
Mississippi, nearly equal in length to the Missouri and draining that much area
again. As I drive over them, I try to be
aware of their magnificence, but I am so often adrift in my own thoughts. As I
look up and down the On
another portion of my path, I drive alongside the churning water south of the
confluence of the two rivers, and there, it’s only the birds that take
advantage of the life-giving flow. Earlier
in the summer, the rivers flooded, closing the Great River Road going west out
of Alton and inundating some homes and businesses in the towns up- and
downriver from church. As time went on,
the floodwaters subsided and the levels dropped precipitously, more and more of
the brown sandy banks and their piles of beached, water-worn trees coming into
view. As the rains return and autumn
appears around the bend, the rivers look like they’re back up to normal now. The
summer has been, in the non-committal words of therapists everywhere,
“interesting.” War breaking out on the
Georgian/Russian border, our continuing struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
price of oil spiking and taking gasoline prices with it, all of the above
rippling through the economy and swelling unemployment to record levels. And now our friends on the Besides
all that, in this congregation we’ve had a couple of deaths, some illness and
injury, and our own local economic downturn to contend with. Lots of people call the church everyday looking
for help with housing, food, healthcare, and utilities. For
sure, anxiety all around. And
still there are beautiful days – temperatures are moderating, leaves beginning
to turn, lots of outdoor activities to catch up on. And on Sunday mornings, new programs coming
along and new groups forming at church, the kids back in regular RE classes,
Adult RE tackling new subjects. As Leon Burke sang to us in church this August: “Dat
Ol' Man River, he jus’ keeps rollin’ along.” May your river of
life just keep rolling along.
See you in church,
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A Quick Guide to this Month’s Happenings Wed., Oct. 1 – Buddhist Group – 7 pm Thurs., Oct. 2 – Anna Ds – 11:30 am; Choir – 7 pm Sun., Oct. 5 – Program Council – noon Mon., Oct. 6 – Voluntary Simplicity – 7 pm Wed., Oct. 8 – Buddhist Group – 7 pm Thurs., Oct. 9 – Men’s Lunch Group – 11:30 am Sat., Oct. 11 – Cool City Treasures Sale – at St. Patrick’s School – 9 am to 3 pm Sat.,
Oct. 11 – Alton city-wide litter pickup 9 am – noon.
Mon., Oct. 13 – Sierra Club – 7:30 pm Tues., Oct. 14 – Church Board – 7 pm Wed., Oct. 15 – Buddhist Group – 7 pm Thurs., Oct. 16 – Pastoral Care Team Leaders meeting – 6 pm; Choir – 7 pm Sat., Oct. 18 – Renegade Women – 2 pm Sun., Oct. Mon., Oct. 20 – Voluntary Simplicity class – 7
pm; Wed., Oct. 22 – Buddhist Group – 7 pm Sun., Oct. 26 – Potluck lunch; Choir
– after church; Mon., Oct. 27 – Teaching Non-Violence series – 7 pm Tues., Oct. 28 – Men’s Wed., Oct. 29 – Buddhist Group – 7pm Thurs., Oct. 30 – UCM public action
meeting – 7 pm –
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Sunday, October 26th 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. Drum whatever comes through you, carefree, easy going. For further information contact Layne Simpson. Social Justice Opportunity “Project
Homeless Connect” You can put your UU principles into action on Wed., Dec. 3rd by volunteering to spend around 6 hours helping individuals who are homeless link up with needed services with a one-stop-shopping approach. The “Continuum of Care” agencies of Madison County Community Development are planning their first Project Homeless Connect (a national initiative) by transporting homeless individuals from shelters, agencies and the streets to a gym in Maryville Illinois where stations will be set up so individuals (and families) will be able to get medical/mental health/dental screening, legal assistance, select clothing, have a meal, get a bag of food, get a haircut, and an array of other services. They are hoping to attract between 75 – 100 people who are currently homeless to this event. VOLUNTEERS are needed to work as “buddies” – escorting the clients from station to station, or serving meals, or working in the children’s carnival area, or in the clothing room, or in other capacities. Contact Mary Johnson to say you’ll help. |
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United Congregations of
Metro-East
Faith & Democracy Our church is one of the 26 members of UCM. As a member of the First Unitarian Church of Alton, you are encouraged to attend this annual public action meeting to learn more about the social justice activities sponsored or supported by UCM. “Justice is what love sounds like when it
speaks in public,” (Michael Eric Dyson). United Congregations of
Metro-East (UCM) calls friends, allies, and the public to assemble with elected
officials to present solutions to injustices in our communities and to ask for
commitments of their support. The issues being addressed are jobs & training for low-income workers,
minorities and women, affordable & quality healthcare for all, diversity in
O’Fallon school district staff and city officials, the impact on global warming
by our cities (led by Thursday, October 30, 2008, 7:00 – 8:30 pm New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church For more information, please call the UCM office at (618) 451-1458 |
UU Leadership ONLINE
Workshops http://www.psduua.org/Workshops/OnlineSeriesFall2008 At the link above you can learn
more about the new online workshops available through the The interactive workshops are 1 ¼ hours long with presentations and discussions. You will need a computer with high speed internet access and a separate phone line. All workshops will begin at 7 pm. There is no cost to participate but you must register ahead of time at the above link. The next two workshops offered are: 10 Good Ideas about Multigenerational Worship – offered on Wed., Oct. 1 and again on Tuesday, Oct. 14. 10 Good Ideas about Adding a Service – offered on Thurs., Nov. 13 and again Tues., Nov. 18. Cheryle Tucker-Loewe |
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ATTENTION: ALL 1ST UU-ALTON PEACEMAKERS UUA Peacemaking is the topic at the 9:30 am Forum led by Ron Glossop on the fourth (last) Sunday of each month. As noted in the Fall 2008 UU WORLD, it is time for UU congregations, including our own, to let others know our views on what kind of Statement of Conscience the UUA should adopt on the issue of war, violence, and pacifism.
The Study/Action Issue (SAI) adopted at the 2006 General Assembly started with the question: "... should the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) reject the use of any and all kinds of violence and war ... and adopt a principle of seeking just peace through nonviolent means."
Although some interpreted this as a call for debate between just war and pacifist perspectives, the UUA's Core Team on Peacemaking believes that the heart of peacemaking is seeking to find solutions that encompass all viewpoints on the issue of war and violence rather than creating a competitive battle between two positions.
Therefore, the UUA Core Team is following the spirit of the rest of the text of the SAI in inviting congregations to engage in a full exploration of violence and peacemaking on all levels. Physical, psychological, and institutionalized violence permeate many aspects of our lives. The process of disengaging from all forms of violence is no simple matter. Both just war advocates and pacifists would agree that we need to work with all possible speed to reduce violence and war throughout the world. A draft Statement of Conscience (SOC) on Peacemaking will be posted at the UUA Commission on Social Witness website www.uua.org/csw before November 15, 2008. Individuals and congregations should register their comments about it before February 1, 2009. You'll find the comment form at the same website.
After that, a revised draft SOC will be put on the Final Agenda of GA 2009. There it will be debated, and a Peacemaking Statement of Conscience will be voted on for adoption by the UUA at that General Assembly. To learn more come to our UU
Peacemakers 9:30 forums and visit the website at www.uua.org/peacemaking. |
Buddhist
Group Begins at Church The
newly formed Buddhist group will meet every Wednesday at 7 pm. No
prior knowledge of Buddhism or meditation is required. Everyone is welcome to come and learn with
us. Most people in the group are not
Buddhist, but want to learn about Buddhist concepts and practices. The group decided to start with the book
Kum Nye: Tibetan Yoga by Tarthang Tulka, published by Dharma Publishers. It is not necessary for you to buy the book,
but if you want to buy it, it is available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and
Dharma Publishers websites. So,
Please JOIN us! Dee Evans RE-Minders Please stop by the RE Book Hutch for all your Beacon Press
and Skinner House shopping needs. these in the foyer. |
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Coming Soon! In the works for over a year, our Members Only website link will be fully functional within the next couple of months. Purposes: · To provide a constantly current congregational directory. · To enable us to include more personal information in the newsletter than we would wish to provide for public access. · To facilitate the use of family photographs in the Directory. · Other uses to be determined. Other Information: Access will be a link from the Church Website through use of a family password (more information later). Family Photographs will be taken by our own
Alan Korte, who is a professional photographer. Sitting dates will be after church Sundays
on October 5th and 19th with a makeup date TBA.
A Sign-up sheet will be available in the Wuerker Room as of September 14th. An option for obtaining copies of photographs will be available. We could use a couple of volunteers to work with Alan on the two “shooting” dates.
Marcia Custer |
Dear Parents and
Friends, We have begun our fall term RE classes, and as we do at the beginning of each fall term, we have cooperatively formed a Behavioral Covenant. The 1st Children’s Chapel of the year was used for this process. This is what we came up with. Behavioral Covenant Religious Education Department 2008-2009 The following are ways we have agreed to be together with each other this year and in the safe space of our church: No Bossy/Bullying behavior. We are quiet when others are speaking. We are respectful of others. No picking up or touching others without permission. We are responsible for our actions. They must be safe for everyone around us. Fire safety is very important. Never leave candles burning or play with matches. Remember that younger children can be more fragile than we are and be careful around them. Follow all safety signs that are posted in the building. No running. Keep doors closed that need to be closed. Attend church service and classes respectfully. Please be quiet in the sanctuary. Treat the Sanctuary, the Church, and all church property with respect. Do not touch things that are not yours. Use furniture appropriately. Stay where you should be. There is a time for being upstairs and a time for being downstairs. Violence does not belong in church. Follow the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. Try to have fun and learn something. Please work with us throughout the year in helping all of us to remember to live out this covenant that we have made together. If you see someone in violation of this covenant, a gentle reminder never hurts. It also never hurts if the adults of the congregation act as role models and try to live by this covenant as well. Thank you, Jamie Gross |
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“Meatless Mondays” and asks if you’re interested in joining her in
participating in this ongoing health campaign. Meatless
Monday is a public health awareness campaign promoting meatless, low-fat meals once a week as part of a goal to reduce the
saturated fat in American diets by 15% by the year 2010. Meatless Monday is coordinated by the Meatless
Monday Campaign, Inc., a non-profit working in conjunction with the Center for
a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and is
supported by 27 other schools of public health throughout the U.S. The program
follows nutrition guidelines of the United States
Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of
Agriculture, and the American Heart Association. Diets
high in saturated fat, found mainly in meat and high-fat dairy products,
increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, and may increase the
risk of certain types of cancer. As these are so-called "lifestyle
diseases," deaths are often preventable by making changes in diet or
activity. Meatless
Monday believes the best way to reduce the intake of saturated fat is to cut
back on meat intake. Going one day a week without eating meat reduces fat
intake roughly 15%. Research has shown that adding a time factor to a campaign
when to start eating healthy helps people to change their behavior. Monday is
already selected by public health advocates as a day to focus on personal health
improvement. It was
also suggested at the Fundraising Brainstorming meeting held at church on 9/14
that folks could contribute to the church the money they would have spent for
the meat they would have served each Monday. |
Thurs., Oct. 2 – Sun., Oct 12 – Thurs., Oct. 16 – Sun., Oct. 26. Contact Willis McCoy for further information.
Total budgeted income for August 2008 was $6,899.30; this was 5.0% of our annual budget. Total budgeted expenses for August 2008 were $9,571.04; this was 6.9% of our annual budget. We still have a substantial ‘surplus’ of prepaid pledges. If we can keep our monthly income within $2,500 of our monthly expenses, this ‘surplus’ should be sufficient to see us through the fiscal year.
I would like to draw the attention of members and friends to an ongoing fundraising activity that our church has been participating in. It is called "eScrip" and it works in conjunction with Schnuck's Markets and Macy's. If you sometimes shop for groceries at Schnuck's, all you have to do is pick up a free eScrip card at the customer service counter. Then you must register the card – either online or by calling the phone number in the instructions. Our church's ID no. is 164501344. Whenever you shop at Schnuck's, just hand the card to the check-out clerk before you pay for your groceries. eScrip will then donate 1% of your monthly grocery expenses to our church (a higher percentage, if you spend more than $300 a month). For the last few months, we have been receiving almost $50 a month. I am sure that that number could increase, if we had more participation. In order to receive donations based on Macy's purchases, I believe that you just have to register your Macy's credit card with eScrip after you are in their system, i.e., register your eScrip card for Schnuck's. Jerry Johnson,
Treasurer |
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The congregation extends its
sympathy to Tom and Nancy Sakalauski
on learning of the death of Tom’s father in August. Audrey
Wiseman’s
brother, Fred Paris, died on September 12th. Our sympathies to Audrey, David and their
family.
Some Cool “Treasures?” Come to the This is a benefit sponsored by the When/Where: Oct. 11 – 9 am to 3
pm at Old St. Patrick’s School – 5th and Central in We are celebrating
October 26th 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. 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 helps put food out. |
Renegade Saturday, Oct. 18th
– 2 to 4 pm. Contact Marcia Custer for more information. Third Sunday October 19th
– 11:45 am to 1 pm at church. Contact Sandy Shaner. This is a “general” chalice circle welcoming all. Parents Seeking Sunday, October 19th – 12:00 to 1:30 pm in Contact: Diane Thompson or Cheryle Tucker-Loewe. Men's Tuesday, October, 28th –
7 pm at church. Contact: Khleber Van Zandt.
CRISIS FOOD CENTER DONATIONS Jen
Politsch
REMINDER – PHOTOS TAKEN IN OCTOBER Family photographs will be taken by our own
Alan Korte, who is a professional photographer. Sitting dates will be after church Sundays
on October 5th and 19th with a makeup date TBA. |
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CARE AND CONCERN Please contact your Pastoral Care Team Leader or Rev. Khleber Van Zandt if there are concerns
that need to be brought to their attention.
If you do not know if you are connected with a Pastoral Care Team,
please contact
Marcia Custer
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Outreach Offering
One-half of
the collection on the 2nd and 4th Sundays is given away
to charitable causes. The money donated does
not include pledge checks or money otherwise earmarked by the
giver. The Outreach Offering only
includes “cash offerings” or checks indicating that they are to be included in
the donated funds. October’s
collection will go to the Unitarian Universalist Association for Association
Sunday. This UUA fundraising project will raise funds to support
projects focused on deepening our Shared Ministry. The theme is Growing Our
Spirit. The following specific initiatives were chosen based on a survey of
Unitarian Universalist leaders
50% of the funds raised for Association Sunday 2008 will support Lay Theological Education programs:
50% of the funds raised for Association
Sunday 2008 will be divided equally among the following Excellence in Ministry
programs: · The Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association new initiatives for continuing education programs for ordained leaders through their CENTER programs.
For more details about Association Sunday go to:
http://www.uua.org/giving/associationsunday/index.shtml
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The October meeting of the Anna D. Sparks Women’s Alliance will be held at 11:30 am on Thursday, October 2nd at the home of Joan Hashimi, in Edwardsville. Nancy Sakalauski will be co-hosting.
All women of the church are invited. For directions see the print
version of the newsletter or contact Joan. Membership in Anna Ds is
open to all women of the church. Dues of
$10 per year will be collected at the October meeting. Hosting schedule from Nov. – June: Nov. 6 – Corinne Hawkins at
home Dec. 4 – Lorli Nelson at restaurant Jan. 8 – (2nd Thursday) Lucy McAneny at Methodist Village Feb. 5 – Ginger McCall – To
be decided later March 5 – Pat Moore at
restaurant April 2 – Audrey Wiseman –
To be decided later May 7 – Brynda McCoy – at
restaurant June 4 – Lorna McElhone – To
be decided later. |
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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. 6 October – Freya Wolff 8 October – Nancee Magilson 11 October – Becky Green 17 October – Laura Southcombe 18 October – Johnny Tade 24 October – Ken Hoeft 24 October – Roland (Kit) Schoenborn 28 October – Pat Moore 30 October – Peg Flach
Save the Dates! Three Consecutive Monday evenings October 20th and 27th, and November 3rd 7 to 9 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Alton, corner of Third and Alby Streets Creative Peacemaking: Implementing the Decade of Racial Reconciliation in Alton a time of reflection, discussion, and fellowship led by Rev. Bill Veith Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Alton Topics to be covered: 1st Century Peacemaker: Jesus of Nazareth 20th Century Peacemaker: Martin Luther King, Jr. 21st Century Peacemakers: Us? All are welcome! |
While it took courage to change a tradition as sacred as our coffee hour, the increasing attendance requires a more “host friendly” approach. Starting October 1st, simple refreshments will be provided by the Church instead of the Hosts. After all, coffee hour is about fellowship, not lunch. However, since the budget for this “fellowship event” has been severely cut this year, we will welcome donations of cookies, pretzels, animal crackers, etc. that can be left on the kitchen chopping block. Alternatively monetary donations can be placed in the green basket usually found on the side table where non-coffee beverages can be found. We continue to use Fair Trade coffee that becomes pricey when we make 50 cups at a time. Other items of note: ·
We are no
longer perking decaffeinated coffee since demand has decreased dramatically.
Instant Decaf is available to add to hot water. · We have a NEW 50 cup coffee pot whose purchase will be compensated via the donation basket. ·
It is
hoped that all able church members will participate in hosting coffee sometime
during the year. · The sign-up sheet is on the small desk that sits against the Sanctuary wall.
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If you have ideas or suggestions about expediting or enhancing the Sunday Fellowship
Hour please contact
Mary Weber who will be the new Coffee Hour Coordinator as of Nov. 1st Marcia Custer Coffee Hour Basic Directions are found elsewhere in this newsletter.
The Men’s Group will meet on
Thursday, October 9th
at the St. Louis Buffet,
What you'd say when you're
going from the sixth floor to the lobby and somebody asks you, 'What's
Unitarian Universalism? Acceptance of people searching for their truth. |
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Our Sept. 13 workday was a big success, thanks to these 18 folks who came out to help with a variety of projects: Marcia Custer and Gerry Gilman; John Herndon; Mary & Jerry Johnson; Chad Keller; Kevin, Amelia, and Margaret McCarthy and Diane Thompson; Brynda and Willis McCoy; Pat Moore; Nancy and Tom Sakalauski; Mary Weber; and Linda and Khleber VanZandt. Jobs completed include cleaning of the window wells, washing of garbage cans, cutting of weeds in front landscaping, cleaning of grass from sidewalks, tree trimming, cleaning of janitor’s closet, cleaning of kitchen, washing of marks on walls, cleaning of rugs, washing mold off basement walls, rerouting of some gutters, painting of some trim, replacement of light bulbs, outdoor faucet repair, washing of windows, installation of three new towel racks, installation of new pulls on the sanctuary sliding doors, more work on repainting the front doors, and more. Fortunately the rains from hurricane Ike held off for the day so that we could get things done outdoors.
Soon we will have new faucets installed in the nursery, handicapped restroom, and children’s restrooms, thanks to Bing Gibbs.
Paula Tarbell continues to spend time each week helping with projects at the church.
Our nursery has now been completely repainted. Take a look at our rainbow, the idea of Jamie Gross.
Here are some things that I could use some volunteers for. Volunteer to purchase and restock soda in the refrigerator Trimming and weeding outdoors Painting projects inside and out Electrical repairs Kitchen maintenance Let me know what YOU would like to do. Pat Moore, Chairman |
Habitat for Humanity – Golf Fundraiser The Piasa and Wood River Chapters of Habitat for Humanity will be having a benefit golf tournament at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Godfrey on Saturday, Oct. 11 to help raise funds to continue their work in building decent affordable housing for people in need. Habitat selects homeowner families according to criteria that doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, creed or ethnic background. All homeowners contribute “sweat equity,” working with the local Habitat chapter volunteers in building the home. The homes are sold to families with no profit or interest added. House payments are used for construction or renovation of additional affordable housing. We hope to have
volunteers from our church working on the next Habitat “build” in the Registration for the golf tournament is $300 per team of 4 ($75 per person) – or you can just make a donation to the local Habitat chapter. A brochure and flyer will be posted at church. Workshops
of Interest “Amazons
Awakening Womyn’s Retreat.”
October 17 – 19 at This workshop is geared towards women who are lesbians or bi-sexual and
supportive friends. Retreat organized by
Spirals in Motion. Scholarships are
available through the UU Women’s Connection. Registration form
available at www.UUWomensConnection.org Questions – contact Deb Gaines. “Peace
of Cake: Food for Women’s Souls” November 7 -9, 2008 sponsored by The UU
Women’s Connection of the CMwD. Registration
Deadline: Oct. 5. This will be the 50th
year for this Fall Retreat. For more information
and/or a registration form go to: http://www.uuwomensconnection.org/ or email Diana DeWeese. |
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This is also posted above the sink at church 1. You will find labeled Fair Trade coffee in the white refrigerator or freezer. In the upper cupboard opposite the white refrigerator there are other supplies for making cold drinks. Also look in the refrigerators for left-over large bottles of soda. 2. Use the large aluminum coffeepot to make up to 50 cups of regular-coffee, for a Sunday service. Use the gold pot (30 cups) for smaller groups. If more is needed, use a Mr. Coffee type pot for 12 more cups & add to larger pot. Place pot on the buffet table and clip the “Regular” tag over the top handle. Plug it into the buffet outlet. It takes 35 minutes to perk so plug it in just before going into the Worship Service. There is an extension cord you can use to make it easier to plug it at the back of the buffet table. 3. Lately we have had little call for Decaf coffee, so make a pot of hot water in one of the Mr. Coffee type pots on the side table near the kitchen door, and set out a jar of Decaf instant coffee. In the green metal mesh baskets, also put out a variety of tea bags and packets of hot chocolate mix (in cooler weather). 4. Have pitchers of other beverages available (especially for children), such as juice, lemonade, cider and iced tea in warmer weather. There is an insulated container around that can be filled with ice available in the cream colored refrigerator freezer. Place beverages and ice bucket on far end of the table to the left of the kitchen door exit. 5. Put out 2 sets of sugar, creamer, sweetener, stirrers or glasses containing spoons for stirring. Put one set on the main buffet table next to the regular coffee pot and the other on the table next to the decaf and water. 6. Put out trays with about 40-50 coffee cups (combination of large and smaller sizes) on several trays, plus a tray of glasses and smaller plastic colored cups by the cold beverages. Put the coffee cup trays on the buffet table and on the table by the decaf/hot water. |
PLEASE KEEP AS A REFERENCE
Hosting Sunday Coffee
Dishwasher Usually the dishwasher will be full of clean dishes needing to be put away. But, you get to leave your dirty dishes behind after starting the dishwasher. Beverages Fair Trade Coffee is in the non-soda refrigerator in a red Folgers container. If empty find more in the under-counter turntable beneath the large microwave, or in freezer. Use the 50 Cup coffee urn: Fill basket with Regular Fair Trade Coffee using directions posted over main sink. Clip on the red “Regular” sign. This urn takes 35 minutes to perk, so plug it in just before going into the Worship Service. The 30 cup gold-colored urn is useful for smaller amounts. In warm weather make less coffee and provide more cold drinks. There is little call for Decaf, so just put the jar of instant Decaf on the side table next to the hot water carafe that is also used for tea, hot chocolate, or other hot drinks. Make cold drinks – iced tea when it’s warm, and/or lemonade etc. (especially for the children). See what’s left over in the refrigerator, and there are sugar-free soft drink powders and instant tea in the cupboard over the gas stove. Use glasses found in the cabinets and smaller colored juice glasses. Set large coffee urn on main buffet table, and trays with sugar, creamer, stirrers, etc., on each table. Set other trays with a combination of small and large cups on both tables. Snacks Simple snacks are provided by the church and they can be found in containers in the pantry, on the chopping block, or in the freezer of the refrigerator where coffee is kept. Also use any food donations left by church members. On the side table put out the basket for coffee hour donations. Questions? Suggestions? Contact Marcia Custer |
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RE NEWS
INFORMATION FOR COFFEE HOUR HOSTS.
PLEASE KEEP AS A REFERENCE