FIRST UNITARIAN FOCUS
|
|
|
Sunday Worship @ 10:00 am
July 2019 Theme: “Wonder”
|
Worship Schedule Sunday, July 7th -Monthly Potluck Luncheon Sermon: Pastor Amy Brooks Worship Associate: Robert Kokenyesi Sunday, July 14th Sermon: Pastor Amy Brooks Worship Associate: Joy Hoeft Sunday, July 21st - UUSC Justice Sunday Sermon: Pat Moore Worship Associate: Mary Johnson Sunday, July 28th Sermon: Robyn Berkley Worship Associate: Michael Tarabulski |
|
|
|
|
|
Joan Kay Hashimi 1932-2019 Joan Kay Hashimi, 86, of Edwardsville, IL, passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at 10:58 A.M. at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, IL. Joan was born July 6, 1932, in Racine, WI to Berthel and Laura (Green) Olsen. She married Rasool Mohammed Hussein Hashimi on February 14, 1954; he preceded her in death on February 20, 2007. She was also preceded in death by her parents; sister, Carole Olsen; and brother-in-law, William Gatz. Joan is survived by her three children, Jamil (Deanna Bradshaw) Hashimi of Hermosa Beach, CA, Suzanne Kay Hashimi of Atlanta, GA, and Ali Abu Radhi (Jen Thompson) Hashimi of Naperville, IL; granddaughter, Maya Ming Hashimi; grandsons, Maxwell Frederick, Luke Thomas and Ross Martin; one sister, Audrey Gatz of East Troy, WI; and her many nieces, nephews and cousins. Joan was a 1950 graduate of Racine High School in Wisconsin. She served in the U.S. Navy as a cryptographer. She attended the University of Wisconsin earning her Bachelor's degree at Michigan State University. She went on to earn her Masters Degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia and then obtained her PhD in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joan joined the faculty of the University of Missouri in St. Louis in 1975 as a founding faculty member of the UMSL social work program where she was instrumental in launching the BSW and MSW programs. |
She also served as chair of the School of Social Work with a specialty in geriatric social work before she retired in 2001. Joan took to heart social causes that were dear to her. In the words of one of her professional associates, Joan was a tremendous colleague and loved by those of us who had the privilege of working with her. She attended the First Unitarian Church in Alton, Illinois. Memorial services for Joan were held at First Unitarian Church of Alton on Saturday June 8, 2019. Memorial donations may be made to the Norman Flax and the Joan Hashimi Master’s Scholarship in Social Work at https://giving.umsl.edu/hashimi.
Social Justice Sunday Sunday July 21st Our Sunday service led by our current UUSC congregation rep Pat Moore) will be devoted to learning about our UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee). History of the UUSC Areas of Work of the Committee Focus on Current Issues Membership and Benefits Recognition levels for our church |
|
|
|
|
Cleanup Day(s)
August the 8th and the 9th (if needed)
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (come for an hour or for the day) Do you like to see order come out of chaos? Do you have clothes you don’t mind getting a bit dirty? Do you have work gloves? Do you enjoy the comradery of working with others at church? Well then, we have a project for you! Plans are in the works to clean out and straighten up the furnace room, the hall next to it, and one of the nearby classrooms. These areas have become dumping grounds for things that no one knows what else to do with – old cans of paint, worn out Christmas decoration, a live-animal trap, a power washer, yard tools, and other miscellaneous items. We want to do this clean up in part to encourage additional ‘ghost tours’ to come through as fund raisers, and while the area needs to be a bit spooky, it also needs to be safe. So, more reminders will be forthcoming, but we’d like you to mark your calendars now and consider how you can help. If you have questions ask Peg, Mary J., Char or Lee. |
Would you like a “free” way to support the Church? From Sandy Shaner Following Mary Johnson’s successful efforts to obtain a federal 501(c)(3) designation for the Church, Phillip Harris (our Office Administrator) successfully registered the Church as an Amazon Smile charity. This means that anyone who designates the Church as their preferred charity will generate 0.5% of the purchase price from their eligible AmazonSmile purchases.
Here are some excerpts from the Amazon Smile web site about this program. |
|
|
|
|
What is AmazonSmile? AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time youshop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from over one million organizations to support.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile? To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.
Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations? Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile? Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.
How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile? On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation. |
Here’s how to find and select the Church. If you walk through the last paragraph of information, you can search for the Church as First Unitarian Church of Alton. When it pops up, just select it. (For now, under the Church portion of their database, we had to pick a type so we’re shown as “Christian”. Knowing that many of us as well as others who might be interested in us find that adjective too restrictive, Phillip will be checking to see if there’s an “other” category available.)
I may be unusual in my use of Amazon (dating back to the time when shopping was extremely difficult before both knees were replaced), but Amazon says that as of May 22, 2019 they’ve contributed $66.40 to my charity (primarily a different one before I switched to the Church option).
Starting Monday July 1st,
Due to the Independence Day holiday,
|
|
|
|
|
A big THANK YOU to Phil Embree, Char McAllister,
After a two-year hiatus, Mary Johnson will resume the position of Newsletter Editor with the September 2019 issue.
The deadline for getting newsletter items to Mary will be the 20 |
August Newsletter Submissions
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.
Extension Groups
The Extension Groups will not be meeting during the summer months. When they resume in the fall, ... The Glen Carbon/Edwardsville Extension Group will meet at A Holistic Approach located at 88 South Main Street in Glen Carbon. The North County Extension Group will meet 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. |
|
|
|
|
4th Saturday Personal Care Distribution Saturday July 27th at 10:00 am
Please Help the 4th Saturday Personal Care Distribution Program.
We need your regular and
ongoing financial support and product donations to continue serving those in our community who are struggling.
If giving cash, please use the envelopes at church and indicate that the donation
is for the 4 If donating products, please bring them to church as early in the month as possible so we can do a shelf inventory the week before the 4th Saturday and only purchase the items still needed after your product donations have been counted.
|
Since the June 13 Board meeting followed right on the heels of the June 9 Congregational Meeting, much of our discussion centered on following up on both action and discussion topics, especially the approved Budget. Our first action was to approve the Minutes of the Congregational Meeting. (Our process is for the Board to review/approve annual and semi-annual Congregational Meeting minutes immediately after the meetings. In this way we can focus on follow-up items and provide copies to any members who want to follow the Board’s activities in detail.) In keeping with our pledge of transparency, we will post the Congregational Minutes along with regular Board meeting Minutes on one of the bulletin boards in the Wuerker Room. Anyone who would like their own copy can contact me and I can provide what they desire. We also noted Congregational conversations and the need to review/amend several policies at future Board meetings, and those discussions will be reflected in future Minutes. |
|
|
|
|
We rejoiced in some volunteer changes. Phil Embree, who has one year remaining on his current Board term, agreed to move to the Treasurer position for FY19-20. In keeping with Article VI of our Bylaws (“Vacancies that occur between congregational meetings shall be filled by the Board of Trustees until the next congregational meeting.”) we approved the change formally by a motion and vote. And, at the meeting, Lee announced that Tom Cochran and Michael Tarabulski have agreed to take up Phil’s most recent tasks as Building Co-Chairs.
Lee also reported on a pleasant and productive meeting with Michael Slaughter, Principal of Marquette High School, which centered on ways in which both organizations can be good neighbors. We have had some discussions about the need to focus on security and even stage “intruder drills” and were thrilled that Mr. Slaughter offered his staff resources to help us improve our security provisions. Since Marquette has a strong safety program, we look forward to learning from them. He also noted that he had directed his staff not to park on the Easton Street at all on Sunday mornings so that we can use all the available parking for Church members. We discussed some topics for the Board’s Summer Retreat agenda which is scheduled for July 27. As we breathed a sigh of relief at the successful conclusion of the Congregational Meeting, it was quickly followed by a deep breath as we begin the work of the FY19-20 fiscal year. More later……………. Sandy Shaner, Board Secretary
Church Board Meeting
July 11th at 7pm.
|
Anna Ds Due to the July 4th Holiday, this month’s meeting will be scheduled for Thursday, July 11th at 11:00am Fazzis Restaurant 1813 Vandalia Street Collinsville, IL 62234 Phone 618-344-5440
Thursday, July 11th @11:30am
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 Lee Suarez
Co-Presidents Elect Char McAllister
Past President Chris Strangeman
Treasurer Phil Embree
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
Stewardship Committee Building and Grounds Tom Cochran Michael Tarabulski
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 Joy Hoeft Robert Kokenyesi Michael Tarabulski Ruth Maskow Peg Flach John Herndon Robyn Berkley |
Return to First Unitarian Church of Alton - Newsletter Archive Page
>
