| |
|
Monthly News & Updates for UUs
|
|
Sunday, October 2
Unitarian Universalist History in 16 minutes!
Rev. Joanne will preach. Children’s Choir will sing.
Children begin in service.
Sunday, October 9
A service in honor of the Jewish High Holy Days
Adult Choir will sing. Rev. Joanne will preach.
Sunday, October 16
Rev. Joanne will preach.
Sunday, October 23
Searching for the best fit in a minister, with special guests, Joann Dale and Michael Takada
Adult Choir and Children’s Choir will sing.
Children begin in service.
12:00 - 3:00 All congregation workshop: Beyond Categorical Thinking.
Sunday, October 30
Halloween, Samhain, All Souls
Rev. Joanne will preach. Adult Choir will sing.
|
|
|
IN THE INTERIM
Rev. Joanne Giannino, Interim Minister
|
|
What a pleasure it has been to begin our time together as interim minister and congregation. I have enjoyed talking with many of you and I look forward to meeting and talking with those of you I have not yet met.
Sometimes a congregation imagines that an interim minister will have little time for the traditional tasks of ministry since they are so busy with the interim work. It is true that the interim tasks are important. We are getting you ready to call your next settled minister. But interim ministry is also holistic and includes what always matters in church: worship, pastoral care, learning together, making friends, and more! Something especially important for me is to support and encourage all that you do as members and friends to create the ministry of the church. And so one of my tasks is to get to know you so that I can understand the heart of this community – your spiritual home.
In that spirit I would like to offer you this list of possible times that you might like to call or email me:
When you haven't met me yet, but would like to.
When you have problems you'd like to discuss, concerning your children, your job, your marriage, or anything else where a sympathetic ear – in confidence – might be of help.
When you or a friend want to know more about Unitarian Universalism.
When you're going in the hospital or know someone else in the congregation who is.
When someone close to you has died or is critically ill.
When you want to plan a rite of passage: baby dedication, marriage, memorial, coming of age ritual, divorce, or some other life passage that you would like to mark in a special way.
When you have an important decision to make.
When you've had good news and want to share it. When you've had bad news.
When you have concerns about the church.
When you're considering joining the congregation.
When you'd like help with committee work or with other congregational activities.
When there are community issues you'd like to discuss.
When you have suggestions to make about programs for the church.
When you have suggestions for a sermon.
When you'd like to talk parenting with me - as a parent, or as a child.
When you want to tell me your history with the church.
When you want to spend more time with the children and youth, or with the elders.
When you've heard a moving story and want to share it.
When you’d simply like to share with me how it is with your spirit.
I look forward to hearing from you.
In faith, Rev. Joanne
|
|
|
IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Cindy Wakeland, Director of Religious Education
|
|
Change, change, change everywhere I look I see change. It is not the old yes, the season is now fall, or the children are bigger, or my husband’s leg is finally healing, or time to lose a little bit of those summer pounds. Life is changing a little more each day in new ways.
The two-year Racial Justice Initiative is changing me. I was so very excited about it because I believed so in its cause. I wrote a four - course workshop for the children while attending a Curriculum Renaissance Module last summer. I knew changes would have to be made to the curriculum. Yet after talking with the Racial Justice Initiative team (who liked my idea) and some of the teachers noticed I was overlooking the NOW. Instead of beginning the story in the 1700’s why not begin with today? Changes must be made. As I watched the TV news the other night there were more shootings, leading to more riots. There was another bombing that to me seemed to almost go unnoticed. Are changes being made to stop these kinds of incidents? I am now asking how do I share racial justice with the children?
As a child I just lived through it, maybe not really noticing. My family stood up for the above issues and fought for justice. Our church like UUCUC marched and protested. I had friends of all different nationalities. Was it just not talked about? Was it just a part of who I was?
With all this in mind I am going to try and make a change here at our church. I believe children can understand the differences of each other and the world on a very concrete level. I believe they see what is going on in the world and wonder about it. We should not shelter them. Let’s keep them in the NOW. I want to gather with the Racial Justice Initiative committee and others to plan some activities to share with the children in the coming year.
These efforts will begin with a series of stories introducing racial/social Justice issues. The first was presented Sunday, September 25th during worship. I hope you and your children can be a part of the CHANGE and the NOW.
OF SPECIAL NOTE:
|
|
|
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Sherry Bohlen, Membership Coordinator
|
|
PATHWAY TO MEMBERSHIP CLASS!
Sunday, October 2
12 Noon - 2 pm in Children's Chapel
Light lunch will be provided.
Child care available.
Click Here to let us know you’ll be joining us!
Please join us to learn more about the history and philosophy of the Unitarian Universalist Church. You'll also learn about the individual governance of UUCUC, activities and opportunities available to our church community, religious education offerings for adults and for children, and about the role you'll be asked to play as a steward of our church.
At the completion of this class, you'll be invited to become a member.
This will be an excellent opportunity for you to meet and get to know our new Interim Minister, Rev Joanne Giannino!
For additional information, email Membership Coordinator,
Sherry Bohlen.
|
|
|
MONA'S MOMENT
Mona Shannon, Board Chair
|
|
Members and friends, young and old, gathered in the Sanctuary to celebrate our Ingathering. Folks waited in a long line, eager to shake the hand of our new Interim Minister. As Fellowship Hall filled up with people, volunteers served food and staffed the Hub and Social Action table. Soon people were regaling their friends with summer adventures while others warmly greeted visitors and church shoppers. Children darted around the busy room, trying to sneak back to the snack table before their parents noticed. Who would leave this delightful space to return to the hot, muggy Sanctuary? How many families could postpone their afternoon plans to attend a boring meeting? Would there be a quorum and how long would it take?
And then it happened!
You showed up. You asked the questions that needed to be asked and then you voted. The votes were unanimous. You approved the Solar Project and amended our Constitution, as recommended by the UUA. You affirmed our 5th principle, the use of the democratic process, as sweat dripped into your eyes. You showed up. And, not just on that hot, muggy Sunday. You showed up at Pride Parade and in Springfield for Moral Declaration Day. You showed up to cottage meetings and completed your survey to help us call a Minister. You attended committee meetings too numerous to mention, taught RE in bustling classrooms, meditated and sang together, gathered in chalice circles and book groups, and so much more. Thank you for letting me join you.
|
|
|
HOSPITALITY NEWS
Peggy Patten, Membership Chair
|
Be the Face of Sunday Morning: Join a Hospitality Team!
Hospitality Teams are in charge of Sunday morning hospitality (e.g. announcing, welcoming, ushering, providing decorations and refreshments) for two months during the year. Hospitality Teams are a great way to meet people and serve our congregation in a fun and important way. All members and friends are encouraged to join a Hospitality Team. Each Team has 25-30 members so you do not need to help on every Sunday assigned to your Team.
Click here to sign up for a Hospitality Team, or stop by the Hub table on Sunday mornings to sign up for a Hospitality Team (or to find out if you are already assigned to a Team.) Questions? Contact
Peggy Patten, chair, Membership Committee.
Thanks to Sandy Hannum and Cindy Ingold, Hospitality Team Leaders for the month of September. Thanks to all the Hospitality Team volunteers who assisted Sandy and Cindy each Sunday during the month. September Hospitality Team volunteers will be acknowledged in the E news in early October.
|
|
|
OCTOBER SHARED OFFERING:
THE IMMIGRATION PROJECT
Immigration Project is a nonprofit organization providing low-cost immigration legal assistance to the 100,000 immigrants residing in Central and Southern Illinois.
Topics include citizenship; assistance for victims of crimes, including domestic violence; family reunification; removal defense; and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The Immigration Project’s attorneys and immigration specialists travel to meet with clients in seven regional locations. The organization is based in Normal, IL with an office in Champaign.
The Immigration Project came to UUCUC’s attention when we sponsored a program here titled Children at the Border: What can we in Champaign-Urbana Do? Attorney Rebecca Niblock has worked with those children and their cases are proceeding in Immigration Court in Chicago. UUCUC has also hosted informational workshops for immigrants prior to the establishment of the Champaign office for The Immigration Project.
Without the programs of The Immigration Project, low-income immigrants in the region would struggle to obtain access to professional immigration assistance.
2017 SHARED OFFERING NOMINATIONS now being accepted!
Do you know of a nonprofit organization (local, state, national, or international) that deserves a financial contribution from the church?
The Social Action Committee (SAC) is now soliciting nominations for the SHARED OFFERING recipients for 2017 to be chosen by our church community. The chosen organizations will receive half of the cash collection from each Sunday service for one month, as well as any designated checks.
Submissions are due by Sunday November 6, and all nominees will be discussed and voted upon at the November 15 meeting of the SAC. Please attend the meeting to put in a good word for your organization and to vote!
Get involved and help your organization of choice. Thanks for taking the time to make a nomination for our Shared Offering in 2017!
2017 SHARED OFFERING Click Here
and use this survey form to submit your nomination
|
|
|
On August 28th this congregation approved a solar project to install a new flat white roof and solar panels. Our solar panels will provide 70% of the electrical energy our building uses throughout the year. They will be a symbol of our commitment to the earth and a wonderful example of how we put our faith into action. We want everyone to get the chance to participate. To contribute, send a check to the office or drop it into the plate at church. Just write the check to "UUCUC" and add "Solar Project" in the memo line. To give online, go to
uucuc.org/give
. Select "Online Donation and Payment Form" and follow the instructions to give to the "Solar Project." Make your donation today. We will soon be celebrating our success!
|
|
|
|
B
runch is Better with the PCC! (Partner Church Committee) Sunday, October 9
Everyone is cordially invited to a “Palatscinka,” our Partner Church Brunch, to be held on Sunday, October 9 in Fellowship Hall at the conclusion of the 10:15 service. The Transylvanian influenced menu includes cherry soup, strata (an egg casserole), Palatscinken (sweet or savory filled crepes), fruit, cheese, and sandwiches.
This is a fundraiser for our Partner Churches in Szekelykal, Romania and Nongtalang, India. We are doing it a little differently this year (brunch instead of dinner) and not selling tickets. Donations appreciated. We hope to see you there!
Save the Date: Sunday, October 23, 2016 from noon to 3:00 p.m
.
|
|
|
Workshop on the Ministerial Search: "Beyond Categorical Thinking"
Sunday, October 23, Noon - 3 p.m.
After the Sunday Service on October 23rd, the Ministerial Search Committee is hosting a workshop called ‘Beyond Categorical Thinking.’ It explores issues relating to the kind of person we might call as a minister. Will the minister be of my same gender? Will they be of a different race/ethnicity? Might we hire someone from the lgbt community? What about someone with a disability?
Our UU congregations are very accepting of the diversity present in our members and friends, but sometimes not quite so much in who we might call to minister to us. Please join us for a workshop that explores these and many other facets of the ministerial search process. It's highly interactive and will help us explore individual and collective attitudes about what a minister should be like. The workshop will run from Noon to 3pm. We will provide a light lunch just after the worship service ends in order to get started by noon.
The workshop will be led by two specially trained facilitators from the categories listed above- Michael Takada from a UU church in the Chicago area, and Joann Dale from Indiana. Michael and Joann will be providing that morning’s worship service as well- sharing their own powerful stories relating to this topic. Please plan to attend both the morning worship experience and the afternoon workshop.
|
|
|
LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!! COFFEEHOUSE IS COMING!!
|
|
SAVE THE DATE: UU COFFEEHOUSE:
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5, 7 pm.
Calling all singers, dancers, instrumentalists, actors, poets, etc! Start planning YOUR act for our fall coffeehouse. Look for sign-up sheets in Fellowship Hall after the service."
|
|
|
MOMS DEMAND ACTION
Lauren Quinn
|
|
Get Involved In Gun Violence Prevention In CU!
When the new UUCUC Social Action Book Club chose to discuss "Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People" by Dennis Henigan, they invited me to share my insights as the leader of the CU chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Because the book club seeks to translate its discussions into actions, I was happy to provide a means for the participants to act on gun violence.
Moms Demand Action was founded just over three years ago – the day after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Over the past three years, we have fought bills backed by the gun lobby that would put our communities in danger and have pushed for common sense gun laws at the state and federal level. Our efforts have helped pass stronger background check laws in six states, and we are fighting to increase that number in the upcoming election. With the news of horrific mass shootings happening nearly every week and with 91 Americans being killed by guns every day in America, we are only growing stronger and louder.
We now have over three million members and chapters in every state. Our local chapter was established one year ago by me and UUCUC member Sophie Meyn. We now have a number of members and volunteer leaders from the UUCUC community. In the year we have existed, we have mobilized local members to call Congress, the White House, and write letters to the editor. We have marched in parades, held well-attended public rallies, and have convinced the mayors of both Champaign and Urbana to officially declare June 2 Gun Violence Awareness Day in our cities. There's still so much more to do, and with your help, we can continue our fight to end gun violence.
We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. here at UUCUC, and we’d love for you to join us. Please contact me, Lauren Quinn
, or church member Jen Straub
for more information
http://momsdemandaction.org
|
|
|
Name | Company | Phone | Fax | Email | Website
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
