Sunday May 5th

Theme:   “For Such a Time as This”

Sunday May 5th is Stewardship Sunday at First Unitarian Church.  Please come with your love to pledge your financial support to this Sacred Place.  Please make plans to stay for lunch provided by your Board of Directors.

If you need assistance with trying to determine your total pledge for 2019-2020, please see The Suggested Fair-Share Contribution Guide provided by the UUA, attached to the back of this month’s newsletter.

Campaign Chair

Char McAllister

Sunday May 12^th

On Sunday, May 12 (Mother’s Day), we will be having our annual “flower communion” as part of the worship service.

The Flower communion service was created by the Rev. Dr. Norbert Capek (1870-1942), who founded the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia.  He introduced this special service to that church on June 4, 1923.  For some time he had felt the need for some symbolic ritual that would bind people more closely together.   He turned to the native beauty of the countryside for elements of a communion which would be genuine to his congregation.  It was such a success that it was held yearly just before the summer recess of the church.  The flower communion was brought to the United States and introduced to the members of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, church by Dr. Capek's wife, the Rev. Maja V. Capek during her tour of the United States in 1940.  Over the years this ceremony has spread to, and adapted by, many UU churches.

Please bring a few flowers to place in the vases or baskets which will be provided.  In Dr. Capek’s church the gathering together of all the flowers was a symbol of the united church fellowship and that as no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to make in forming a beautiful bouquet.

Worship Associates Meeting

Tuesday, May 7^th

7:00 pm

David Wiseman

1933-2019

David Wiseman died at his home on Tuesday evening, April 9, 2019.  His health had been declining for several years.  He was born in 1933 to Mae and Meyer Wiseman in Alton.  In 1954 he married the love of his life, Audrey Paris.  They were married for 63 years.

David taught biology at East Alton-Wood River High School and later was a guidance counselor there.  After he retired, he went to work at Lewis and Clark Community College as a career counselor.  He very much enjoyed working with people to equip themselves to find employment that would be satisfying and successful for them.

Early in his career he worked summers as the insect and pond life instructor at Audubon Camp in northern Wisconsin.  The four summers he and his family spent there shaped the rest of their lives.  Living in a log cabin in the north woods, hearing the evening call of the loon, working with adult campers who also wanted to increase their knowledge of the natural world set David and Audrey on their nature loving life path.  They joined the local Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and Nature Institute, going birdwatching and hiking with friends.  They spent summers camping with their kids.

David also had a thespian streak that put him on the stage, behind scenes, and doing fundraisers for Alton Little Theater.  He joined Toastmasters to improve his public speaking.  He was a guest columnist for the Telegraph.  He wrote personal essays and stories for his family, stories of growing up Jewish in Alton, of being an explorer scout, and what boyhood was like in the thirties and forties for a movie-loving kid who worked in his dad’s store.

Audrey and her family gave David the genealogy bug in the 1970s.  They researched their families when the resources to do so were far fewer than they are now.  He watched the Jewish community in Alton dwindle as folks retired and moved to Florida.  Eventually, even Temple Israel closed, and he realized he might be the only person left in Alton to tell the stories, so he kept them coming.

As a member of the Unitarian Church, David sometimes supplied summer sermons, which he liked to do, and fully participated in the small congregation.  The church was a place of intellectual stimulation and yet more interesting friends, a congregation both close-knit and moderately contentious.  A discussion group led by the minister was meeting one day when a small earthquake occurred.  The minister said, “Just stay put.  It will pass.” With rare accord they all left the building.

David will be remembered for his gentle, kind natured spirit.  He loved Sherlock Holmes mysteries, music, old classic movies and radio, and photography.  He would like to thank all of the terrific people in all of the groups he joined.

They were fun and enlightening.  He also thanks the dedicated nursing staffs at the hospitals he spent time in.  They were unfailingly caring and competent.  Several times they saved his life.

David is survived by his three children: Sarah Wiseman; Laura St. Gemme and son-in-law Robert St. Gemme of Charleston, Illinois; and Eric Wiseman and daughter-in-law Lori Baer of Lakewood, Colorado, and by his grandson Nick Freund of Wausau, Wisconsin.  Audrey preceded him in death.

Funeral services were held Monday, April 22, 2019 at Elias, Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home in Alton, Illinois.  Online condolences and guestbook may be found at eliaskallalandschaaf.com

We count on each other to be thoughtful and fair in all our interactions – that also includes seeing to it that our church home is keep clean and dishes washed up and put away.  If you enjoy a cup of coffee, a plate of snacks, or a full meal, please take your turn to help with cleaning-up.

June Newsletter

Submissions due Friday,

May 24^th

Extension Groups

The Glen Carbon/Edwardsville Extension Group will meet on Saturday, May 11th at A Holistic Approach located at 88 South Main Street in Glen Carbon.

The North County Extension Group will meet on Saturday, May 18th in the chapel of Village North Retirement Center.  The center is a little bit west of Christian Hospital at 11160 Village North Drive, off Dunn Road.

Watch the “Church This Week” e-mail for any notifications or updates.

4^th Saturday Personal Care Distribution

Saturday May 25th at 10:00am

Every month, an average of 60 individuals – plus their family members - depend on our church to help them stretch their budget and make their lives a little bit easier.

All the products distributed are provided by church members and friends – or are purchased using funds donated by church members or friends.  Leaders of this program are actively seeking partnerships with other organizations to increase the good we can do, but for the past many years, the 4th Saturday Program has been wholly dependent on our church members.  Thank You for YOUR participation in this important community service efforts.

Items always needed: Reusable bags, toilet paper, laundry detergent (some free and clear), body wash, shampoo, baby wipes, diapers, dish detergent, deodorant, lotion, sanitary products.  Other items are listed in “Church This Week” and on UU Friends.

In thinking about what to report about the Board’s April 3, 2019 meeting, it occurred to me that hardly anything I can write here will be news to you by the time you read this newsletter.  And that’s a good thing, I think.  Whether or not you associate information about the Church with the decisions of the Board is unimportant.  What’s important is that you know what’s going on in your Church.

So, by now, you probably know that we’re celebrating Stewardship Sunday on May 5, that we’re scheduling the annual Congregational Meeting for June 2, that John Herndon hosted other Illinois congregational leaders meeting at our Church before attending the Midwest Regional Assembly.  And you can be proud that the tile floor in the basement boys’ bathroom has been replaced, pride that is reflected in an abundance of volunteers to do a bit of spring painting in June to refresh that bathroom and one or more classrooms.

And you may know that Robin Crane, having had some unexpected medical issues, has resigned as Treasurer.  What you may not know is how grateful the Board is for the unbelievable amount of work, all of the highest quality, that she accomplished for us.  I hope you’ve been with us for the last few years as Robin explained how much money came in, how it was spent and how much will be needed in the next few years.  Robin was able to translate what could easily have been thick jargon into easily understood concepts and facts.  She helped us all to conquer some of our fear of spreadsheets full of dollar signs and categories, and we owe her our deeply-felt gratitude.  She may not know how much we appreciate her, but maybe she’ll read this in the newsletter and know.

Sandy Shaner, Board Secretary

Church Board Meeting

will be Wednesday,

May 8^th at 7 pm.

Anna Ds

We're scheduled:

Castelli's

3400 Fosterburg Rd.

Alton, IL 62002

618-462-4620

And here's a link to their menu:

https://www.castellis255.com/Menu

All you need to do is respond to this email or leave a message on my landline to let me know you're coming.  Please respond by Friday, April 26.

Just a bit of business: in December we created a list of the restaurants we like enough for return visits.  To recap, they were:

Taj Indian - Edwardsville

Queen's Cuisine - Edwardsville

Castelli's - Alton

United Methodist Village - Alton

Meridien Village - Edwardsville

Maryville Winery - Maryville

Bella Milano - Edwardsville

Fazzi's Greek - Collinsville -- We also liked Fazzi's, but Mary Weber learned that they have another standing group for first Thursdays so it's unlikely we can visit there on our normal schedule.

Hofbrauhaus - Belleville -- Most of us enjoyed the visit there, but few thought the food offset the long trek to get there.

Madison's Tea Room - Wood River -- We had a good experience at Madison's last year but, since that time, another group has been there twice and been seriously disappointed with the quality of the food.  As a result, I'm not making them a priority for the near future.

So, let's just work through the ones we liked best.  I'm thinking Taj Indian in Edwardsville for June.  (I'd like to save Bella Milano for a few months until Joan Hashimi has her eye surgery and is available to join us.

That's where we stand for now.

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!!

The men’s lunch bunch (Retired old Men Eating Out) meets on the second Thursday of each month.  Join us at the Best Buffet at 615 Wesley Dr. in Wood River.  All men in our church are invited (retired or working, old, or not).  For further information contact Paul Hebert.

Board of Trustees

President

Chris Strangeman

Co-Presidents Elect

Lee Suarez and Char McAllister

Past President

Michael Schmidt

Treasurer

Vacant

Secretary

Sandy Shaner

Members at Large

Phil Embree and Tracy Howe-Koch

Committee/Team Leads

Transitions Committee

Vacant

Social Events

Vacant

Interfaith and UU

Vacant

Social Justice

Dee Evans

Fundraising

Dee Evans and Peg Flach

Pastoral Associates

Sandy Shaner

Mary Weber

Ruth Maskow

Religious Education Council Chairperson

Joy Hoeft

RE Coordinator

Zipporah Lee

Stewardship Committee

Building and Grounds

Phil Embree

Canvass 2019

Vacant

Endowment Fund

Jerry Johnson, Ron Glossop,

            and Tracy Howe-Koch

Finance

Matt Koch

Membership

Mary Weber

Sunday Support Ministries

Vacant

Worship Associates

Mary Johnson

Robin Crane

Joy Hoeft

Robert Kokenyesi

Michael Tarabulski

Ruth Maskow

Sabrina Trupia

Peg Flach

John Herndon

Robyn Berkley