Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister

October 4^th, 2009

“Hindu Nation”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

“America is not a Christian nation,” writes Newsweek’s Lisa Miller.  We are rather, she says, a people prone to pick from the deli counter of religious choices – very much in the spirit of Hinduism.  How does this compare to your experience?  And your religion?

October 11^th, 2009 – Association Sunday

“Unitarian Universalists Are Good for Nothing”

Rev. Dr. Daniel O’Connell

Orthodox faith insists the fear of eternal damnation and the promise of heaven are the only motivations to turn inveterate sinners into good people.  Unitarian Universalists have a different take.

Rev. Dr. O’Connell is the Lead Minister at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri

October 18^th, 2009

“The Virtue of Ritual”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

In the art of the Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest of gestures can come to mean the grandest of things.  So also the liturgy and hymnody we use in worship as well as the patterns of our own personal spiritual practices.

October 25^th, 2009

“Five Wishes”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

As Halloween and Samhain approach and the curtain thins between the world of the living and the dead, we face our impermanence and consider the necessity of preparing for the inevitable.  Living wills and advance directives can save our families and friends undue heartache when the time comes.

Oct. 4^th  Non-Theist/Humanist Roundtable.

Oct. 11^th  UUA World Magazine Discussion.

Oct. 18^th Peacemaking with Dr. Ron Glossop.

Oct. 25^th What Moves Us: Unitarian Universalist Theology, the first session of a brand new “Tapestry of Faith” series from the UUA. This is an exciting new Adult education series from the UUA written by the UUA theologian Thandeka. The series will begin this Sunday and last into the summer of 2010.

Mark Your Calendars:

Thurs., Oct.   1 – Anna Ds – 11:30;   Choir – 7 pm; UU&You! – 7

Fri.,      Oct.   2 – Pagan Chalice Circle – 6 pm.

Sat.,      Oct.   3 – “Economy, Ecology and Spirituality” Conference – 9 am - 2 pm
at L&C College;  LGBT film series – 6:30 pm.

Sun.,     Oct.   4 – Program Council after church;  Fair Trade coffee sales;
Spiral Scouts meet at Pere Marquette – 1 pm.

Wed.,     Oct.   7 – Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Thurs., Oct.   8 – Men’s Lunch – 11:30 am;   Choir – 7 pm;   UU&You! – 7 pm.

Sat.,        Oct. 10 – LGBT film series – 6:30 pm

Mon.,     Oct. 12 – Sierra Club – 7:30 pm.

Wed.,     Oct. 14 – Church Board – 7 pm;   Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Thurs., Oct. 15 – Choir – 7 pm; UU&You! – 7 pm.

Sat.,        Oct. 17 – Renegade Women Chalice Circle – 2 pm;    LGBT film series – 6:30 pm.

Sun.,    Oct. 18 – Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle – 12 noon.

Wed.,     Oct. 21 – Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Thurs., Oct. 22 – Pastoral Care Team – 6 pm.

Sat.,        Oct. 24 – 4^th Saturday Lunch – 11:30.

Sun.,     Oct. 25 – Potluck lunch.

Tues.,     Oct. 27 – Men’s Chalice Circle – 7 pm.

Wed.,     Oct. 28 – RE Committee – 7 pm;   Green Sky Sangha – 7 pm.

Sat.,        Oct. 31 – LGBT film series – 6:30 pm.

Church Committee Meetings This Month

Program Council – Sunday, October 4^th – immediately after church in Emerson Place. This is for all Committee Chairs.

Pastoral Care Team Leaders – Thursday, October 22^nd – 6 pm – Minister’s office.

Religious Education (RE) Committee – Wednesday, October 28^th – 7 pm.

A First Glance

First, the good news.  This September’s Ingathering Sunday was by all accounts a whopping success, with an hour of Adult RE, a bit more than an hour of worship, and then a fabulous picnic in the park that lasted well into the afternoon.  For the intergenerational worship service that morning, there were 114 adults, youth, and children packed into the sanctuary, with another 13 little ones in the nursery.  The excitement was palpable, made more so with a moving piece by the choir, a ritual blessing of our RE teachers, and a skit for the kids put on by the RE Committee.

That much energy and that many people!  And, still, off the top of my head I thought of several people who couldn’t be there.  What would have happened if everybody had come?

Which brings me to the other news.  After a couple of years of pushing at the limits of seating in our sanctuary, after a summer of wonderful presentations from the pulpit by members of our church when attendance remained high, after an Ingathering where we had to arrange folding chairs in the open areas around the pews, we’re on the cusp of needing to do something serious:  we’re on the cusp of needing to offer two services on Sunday mornings. 

This is truly a blessing. But to some, it may feel like a curse.

Church professionals who study such things say that when attendance at worship is 80% of seating capacity, people begin to be driven away by space issues.  Yes, it’s exciting once in awhile to have to look for a seat, but when you have to do so every week, you can begin to get the message that there’s not room for you or your family or your friends.  Surely we don’t want that to happen.

To offer two services will require some adjustments, of course.  At its core, moving to two services raises the specter of that most dreaded of challenges:  change.

I know from personal experience that intense emotional reactions can accompany the change from one service to two.  It can feel like the congregation is breaking apart or like you’ll lose some of your closest friends.  Or it can seem like we’re too focused on growth and need to just stay the same size we are.  My response is that when we stay focused on growing the depth of the inner lives of our members and the breadth of our communal commitment to social justice, we can’t help but grow in numbers.

When we get stuck in personal reactions to change, we too easily forget the real mission of the church, which is to be “a welcoming and inclusive faith community committed to nurturing lifelong spiritual growth and to inspiring lives of love and service which strive toward justice and compassion for our community, our neighbors, and our world.”  We must be a church for the many, not for the few, but opening up to change can be a hard process.

However – and here’s my main point -  if we can further extend the welcoming mat to those in the larger community who need this church and who need to hear our saving message of hope, then we should. 

See you in church,

Interest Group Gatherings

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

Anna D Sparks Women’s Alliance (Anna Ds)

The Anna Ds will have their monthly meeting on Thursday, October 1^st at the home of Corinne Hawkins, 2302 Fairview Drive, in Alton.  Corinne will be preparing the lunch so she needs a response by Monday, September 28^th from those who plan to attend.  All women in the church are welcome.

Spiral Scouts  

The next Spiral Scouts meeting will be on Sunday October 4^th at 1 pm. The group will meet at the Visitors Center at Pierre Marquette State Park. The meeting will be 2 hours long.  We will hike and explore the visitors center. 

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. We will all meet together and split in to age appropriate groups.

For more information go to the Spiral Scouts website http://www.spiralscouts.org/ or

contact Sayer Johnson or Jason Dothager.

Men’s Lunch Group

All the men in the church are invited to attend.

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

LGBT FILM SERIES - Free

FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ALTON, SATURDAYS @ 6:30 pm

(Childcare provided if requested by the Tuesday before the showing.)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

TransAmerica (2005) (103 minutes)

(Rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and drug use).

Bree, a pre-operative, male-to-female transsexual, holds down two jobs and saves every penny so that she can pay for one last operation that will make her a woman at last. One day, however, she receives a strange phone call. It appears that on the other side is Toby, apparently her son.  Bree's psychiatrist won't approve the surgery until Bree deals with this relationship

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Brokeback Mountain (2005) (134 minutes)

(Rated R for sexuality, nudity, language and some violence).

Based on the 'E. Annie Proulx' story about a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years.

Saturday, October 17 

Desert Hearts (1985) (96 minutes) (Not rated)

It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage, and feels out of place at the ranch she stays on, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivers, an open and self-assured lesbian, and the ranchowner's daughter.

NO FILM THE WEEK OF October 24th

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Philadelphia (1993) (125 minutes)

(Rated PG-13 for some graphic language and thematic material)

When a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Torch Song Trilogy (1988) (120 minutes)

(Rated R)

TORCH SONG TRILOGY chronicles a New Yorker's search for love, respect and tradition in a world that seems not especially made for him.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Everything Relative (1996) (110 minutes)

(Rated R for a sequence of strong sexuality, and for language).

The lesbian “Big Chill.” A group of college friends reunite for a weekend of fun, laughter, tears and love.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Boys Don’t Cry (1999) (118 minutes)

(Rated R for violence including an intense brutal rape scene, sexuality, language and drug use)

The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Steam (2007) (120 minutes)

(Not rated)

Three very different women find comfort and wisdom in a weekly retreat to the steam room. Doris (Ruby Dee), recently widowed, discovers a deep connection with a charming neighbor, while Laurie (Ally Sheedy), a divorced single mother, begins dating her son's younger soccer coach, and Elizabeth (Kate Siegal) a beautiful college student, develops a relationship with Naila, a sexy bisexual.

Treasury Note

Total budgeted income for August 2009 was $11,169.72; this was 8.1% of our annual budget.

Total budgeted expenses for August 2009 were $15,710.46; this was 11.4% of our annual budget.

Part of the large expense amount was due to one-time expenditures. The woes with our heating/cooling system continue to haunt us. During the Newcomers’ Party on Friday, August 28^th, I could not get the air-conditioner in the Wuerker Room to come on. During the Board Retreat the following day, I tried unsuccessfully to get the furnace fan to work. This led me to suspect that the problem was with the furnace fan, not the A/C unit. I asked Becky to call Barrett Heating & Cooling on Monday, and they confirmed that the fan motor had shorted out. The repair bill came to $415.75.

As of August 31^st we were about even concerning income and expenses for the year. Hopefully, we will catch up in September.  I would like to remind those who might tend to be forgetful about how much they have paid on their pledge, that we have an option to automatically deduct a monthly amount from your checking account. See me at church about it or email me.

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 (Oct. 11^th and 25^th), after church, in the Kate Wuerker Room near the fireplace.

Khleber

CHALICE CIRCLES

UU Pagan Chalice Circle

Friday, October 2^nd at church – 6 to 8 pm.

Contact Kristen O’Steen. 

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

Saturday, October 17^th at church – 2 to 4 pm.

Contact Marcia Custer.

Parents Seeking Peace Chalice Circle

Sunday, October 18^th – 12:00 to 1:30 pm

in Emerson Place at church.   Contact: Diane Thompson.

Men's Chalice Circle

Tuesday, October 27^th – 7 pm at church.

Contact: Khleber Van Zandt.

Potluck Lunch

October 25^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 Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

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

 “Three Cups of Tea” author to appear in Alton on October 9^th

Mountain climber Greg Mortenson has built more than 90 schools for children (particularly girls) in Pakistan.  His book chronicling his experiences in these ventures “Three Cups of Tea” has been on the NY Times Best Seller list since 2003. 

On Friday, Oct. 9^th Mr. Mortenson will speak at 2 pm at the Alton Amphitheatre and at 8 pm than evening at Principia College.  Check the Principia College website for the availability of tickets for the evening’s presentation. 

Prior to that, there will be a discussion of his book on Sunday, October 4^th at 2 pm at the Jacoby Art Center.  Mr. Mortenson’s appearance is being planned as a community-wide event, with the goal of challenging citizens of Alton to make a difference in their own community.  Alton’s mayor will be asking people to participate in a call for volunteerism by signing a “caring contract” in which people will commit to participating in a year-long project of their choice.

Perhaps we all could be thinking of ways we as a church community could get involved in Alton’s “Three Cups of Caring: Promise … Pledge … Participate” program.

In our Church Family

Our thoughts are with Lorna McElhone and her husband, Roger Thorogood.  Roger has been in Barnes hospital for several weeks with very serious medical issues. 

Sandy Shaner has returned home after successful knee surgery and will be house bound for five weeks.

Paul and Mona Hebert’s eldest daughter, Karen, was married in our church on September 6^th.  Congratulations to Karen and her husband Tim.

CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

 The choir will rehearse on the first three Thursdays of each month from 7 to 8:30 pm.    October’s rehearsals are on October 1^st, October 8^th, and October 15^th.

If you enjoy singing, come to a rehearsal and see what fun it is.   For more info. contact Willis McCoy.

4^th Saturday Lunch –

A Social Justice Venture

Our 4^th Saturday lunch program started in October, 2008.  At that first lunch we had 12 guests.  In August of this year we had 43 guests – 12 of whom were children.  From last October through this August we served meals to 247 guests.

Our guests learn about our lunches through flyers we distribute at area food pantries and shelters.

This lunch program needs whole church participation.  If you haven’t contributed to one of our Saturday lunches, this would be a good month to start.  It can be as simple as providing a gallon of milk or fresh fruit or making a casserole.  We try to serve a balanced lunch with meat, green vegetables, potatoes, rice, etc., salad, dessert and “take home” cookies and fruit.

Joining our guests for lunch is one of the highlights of the day.  All of us have stories to share with each other, and our guests are no exception.

A signup sheet for the October 24^th lunch will be available in the Kate Wuerker Room.

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.

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 (2000)

  8 October – Nancee Magilson

  9 October – Melissa Prado

11 October – Becky Green

17 October – Laura Southcombe

17 October – Noah Hudson (2000)

18 October – Johnny Tade (1999)

22 October – Julian Hudson (1999)

24 October – Ken Hoeft

24 October – Roland (Kit) Schoenborn

28 October – Pat Moore

30 October – Peg Flach

ALTON CRISIS FOOD CENTER DONATIONS

The recession has driven, on average, 30% more people to request food assistance in Illinois during the past year. 

The Alton Food Center needs our support.  Please buy something non-perishable for the food pantry each week as you do your own grocery shopping and put your donation in the basket in the RE wing entrance foyer.

Jen Politsch

Community

Outreach Offering

In August our community outreach collection of $283.63 was donated to Oasis Women’s Center in Alton.

October’s Community Outreach Offering will go to support the Unitarian Universalist Association’s “Association Sunday.”  The theme for this year’s Association Sunday is Growing Our Diversity.  The money collected from UU churches throughout the country this month –

• will help expand the new “Building the World We Dream About” curriculum through associated resources and training;
• support congregations that are working to create a Unitarian Universalism that is racially, culturally and economically diverse;
• enable UU congregations and districts to minister effectively to youth and young adults who identify as people of color or multiracial, and to their families, in the areas of spiritual development, racial/cultural identity development, and leadership development.

Coming of Age Program

First Unitarian Church of Alton is excited to be offering a Coming of Age Program for our middle school and early high school youth starting in October. All young people in grades 6th -10th are invited to attend. The program will be running from October through March. For more information, contact Jason Dothager or Sarah Drury-Dothager

New Opportunity to Join a

Chalice Circle

There is a Chalice Circle called "Covenant Group" that meets at the home of Jan and Don Allen in Belleville.  They meet every 3rd Thursday at 7 pm. The group has been meeting for over three years and was started by members of the First Unitarian Church in St. Louis.   It now has  members from the First Unitarian Church of Alton as well as from the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis.   The Covenant Group is always open to new members.  For more information, those interested may contact Jan or Don.