Did you attend the annual music service last Sunday? Wasn't it wonderfully engaging? There was such a marvelous sense of belonging in singing together. Our community is indeed expressed in the music we make together. And I am looking forward to the inspired silliness of this week's no-rehearsal Christmas pageant!

A few years ago I knew a working playwright. One day I saw him looking particularly thoughtful, and I greeted him jokingly with the words, "Are you waiting for your muse, Evan?" He looked up at me and replied, "I don't wait for my muse, I hunt him down." Those words have stayed with me for over twenty years.

I took two lessons from that conversation. First, inspiration is not optional. Especially in times such as these, we cannot afford to live uninspired lives. We cannot afford to simply muddle through in boredom, numbness, distraction, complaints, or even grit. There are so many forces in our world that conspire to keep us living hunkered down in survival mode - especially this past year. Yet I believe we are called to live inspired lives, celebrating and expressing our gifts - and enriching the worlds we live in. 

Secondly, I take the lesson that I'm responsible to provide myself with regular inspiration. 

But isn't inspiration something we usually experience as a bolt from the blue, a lucky circumstance that just happens? You can't just turn it on like a switch. It's a mysterious thing over which we have no control, right? How can I take responsibility for that?

Indeed. There is a serendipitous quality to those moments of feeling inspired - like something reaching in and touching our hearts, dissolving our fears, and opening our minds to a new sense of possibility. And yet we can place ourselves in inspiration's path. We can attune ourselves to what opens our hearts. Cultivate what lights our fire. Become detectives of joy. Open ourselves to the spirit's invitation. I once heard a speech by Steve Jobs in which he said, expose yourself to the greatest things human beings have created, and try to bring some of that in whatever you do. That is placing yourself in inspiration's path. Like providing healthy nourishment for ourselves, we must become hunter-gatherer's of the spirit.

Which brings me back to 2U. 

A photography teacher of mine once said, if you're the product of your environment, then choose the environment you want to be a product of. I choose 2U. I come to 2U to find connection, community, service, and to place myself in the path of inspiration. In our worship services. In our religious education classes. In our music. In service and in fellowship In joys, sorrows, and sometimes silliness. I invite you to cultivate an inspired life with all of us at 2U. We're in this thing together.

Happy holidays!

Dan Lewis

Second Unitarian Church Board Chair

It is with both sadness and joy that I announce our Congregational Administrator Andrew Zallar will be leaving 2U to take another position. His last day with us will be December 21. 

Many 2Uers are richly aware of the enormous contributions Andrew has made to the church in his three years with us. He has provided for us a reliable, responsive, smooth-running "back office" that truly supports and empowers our ministries and programs. To read Andrew's monthly board reports of his activities is truly impressive. I particularly want to mention Andrew's prodigious command of the church's financials, his diligent efforts in working with various contractors in the ongoing upkeep of the building, and the extra funds he has raised through space rentals. Andrew has been a joy to work with, and we as a board deeply appreciate all he has provided for 2U.

We will hold an after-service reception this Sunday to acknowledge Andrew before he leaves. Please thank Andrew personally for his service as you have opportunity.

There is joy in this announcement as well.  Andrew is taking an administrative position with the MidAmerica Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association, our own region. So he will serve a broader scope of UUs - and us as well. We wish Andrew every success in his new endeavors. Reverend Jennie and the Board are initiating a candidate search to find and hire a new Congregational Administrator as quickly as possible.

Yours in service,

Dan Lewis

Chair, 2U Board of Trustees

Covenant of Earth and Sky (CUUPS Chapter) invites all to join us for our annual YULE ritual, also known as WINTER SOLSTICE on Wednesday, December 20th at 7pm in the Sanctuary. 

However, we need volunteers for the following areas: Event-Co-Lead, cooks, set-up and clean-up. We also encourage you to contribute your favorite breakfast dish. Volunteers will need to be at the church on Sunday early to help setup. We'll have sign-up sheets in the Palmer Room for Volunteers and Attendees. If you have any questions please contact Darrin Weatherspoon at [email protected].  Thank you for your participation!

Sunday, January 7th  - "Our Burning Bowl Service" [Worship Leaders: Margaret Redlich and Susan Richter] What are some things you'd like to acknowledge and let go of in this transition time from the old year into the New Year? In this service, we will have the opportunity to reverently release our old anxieties or regrets. And we will reflect on "letting go" as a spiritual practice. [Choir Sunday]

Sunday, January 14th - "Martin Luther King Jr., Sunday" [Rev. Jennie preaching]

Sunday, January 21st  - "Meditations on Winter" [Rev. Jennie preaching] Let us not let winter get the best of us! Winter can bring out the best in us. This intergenerational, family-friendly service will include reading, reflections, and special music on the theme of winter. Please join us to reconnect with the delight and joy of this blustery season! [Choir Sunday]

Sunday, January 28th - "Teachings and Practice from Buddhism, and Ways we can put them to Good Use" [Worship Leaders: Stephen Starkey, Laura McKee, and Rev. Jennie]

The stock market has sure had a great year. If you would like to make a donation of common stock or mutual fund shares to Second Unitarian prior to year end, please contact Jackie Dienstag, Chair of Finance,  ( [email protected] ) or Board member Tom Denio ( [email protected] ) on how to achieve your generous intentions by working with the UUA! For investments held over one year, such a donation will save your capital gains taxes. Do ask how now since it takes a number of days to transfer such assets.

Calling all visitors who want to become members!

2U's Winter Orientation is coming soon and will be held on Sundays, January 21, January 28 and February 4 following the morning service. Sessions are scheduled to begin at 11:45 AM in Fleishman Hall. If you are interested in attending, please sign up on the Welcome Table in the Palmer Room.

While attending any one of these three orientation session swill meet the by-law requirements for membership, attending all three sessions will provide a greater breadth and depth of understanding for the theological roots of our community, ways to engage with the 2U community, how 2U is organized and what membership really means.

Please contact  Karen Fort or  Judy Corbeille with any questions or for more information.

Want to get to know people at 2U? Please join us for our evening of 2U Dinners on  Saturday, February 3 . These are small dinners in people's homes. The host provides the main course and menu, and lets the guests know what to bring. For a twist, we will also be having a dinner at 2U as well, to make sure that we have an easily accessible option for all our members and friends.

Hosts are needed! If you would like to host, either at your home or at the church, please contact  Karen Fort or  Judy Corbeille.

Michelle (Shelly) Kurzynski  found 2U online, and thought we sounded like an inclusive, welcoming community that she wanted to be part of. She also wanted a place to bring her 5-year-old daughter to develop a strong moral foundation accepting of differences and focused on doing good in the world. After attending several services over the summer, she decided to join. Shelly has lived in Chicago for 18 years; prior to that she lived in Madison, WI; New York City; and Madrid, Spain. She has worked in editing, design, web development and multimedia production in the publishing industry for many years. This fall she began graduate school at Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design, working toward a Master of Design Methods degree. Her hobbies include singing and playing guitar in rock bands, as well as designing and making clothing and shoes (though these are mostly on hold during grad school!). She would like to contribute to bake sales and other 2U events as her schedule allows.

Office hours will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, by Bart D. Ehrman, Harper Collins, 2005. Bart Ehrman, a biblical scholar found a multitude of mistakes as he began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages. There were also intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. His study of the Greek manuscripts caused him to abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible. Call #225.4EHR