Every month has its transitions; none more than this July. This month we are saying farewell to our beloved minister of seven years, Reverend Adam. 

I'm a proponent of acknowledgement as a spiritual practice - recognizing and naming the highest and best we see in others, especially at time of parting. I'd like to take this opportunity  to acknowledge and express appreciation to Reverent Adam for his open heart, listening ear, and steadiness of hand. 

Adam, I have especially appreciated your pastoral presence at times of joy and times of sorrow. You performed the ceremony to unite Rosalind and me in marriage four years ago - perhaps the most joyous day of my life. Adam, your blessing, presence, and sense of humor graced that day immeasurably. Especially when my new mother-in-law began yelling, "Kiss her! Seal it with a kiss!" halfway through the service! You were also present with us in grief at the time of Rosalind's mother passing. You brought a sense of peace and completion to those difficult days. And I am also grateful to you for the special service you conducted the day after last year's elections - when so many of us were filled with confusion, anger, sorrow, doubt, and fear. You held a space for us all in your great big arms for us to weep, express ourselves, and find connection with our larger hopes and with one another. I have many other appreciative memories, but these especially stand out.

I know each of us have our own special memories and words of appreciation for Reverend Adam. Especially those of you who experienced the healing Adam brought to 2U at the beginning of his time with us. If you'd like to write a letter of memory and appreciation to Adam, you can email it to [email protected] or give a hand-written letter to myself or Tom Denio. These will be collected for Adam. We are also taking photos of congregants on the chancel after Sunday services for the next two Sundays. These photos will be collected in a photo book for Adam. (And a copy will be given to Reverend Jenny Batterson to assist her in getting to know us.) Finally, Reverend Adam will be present at our outdoor service on July 30.

What I'm reading: This month I'm reading "The Art of Possibility" by Rosalind Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (a married family therapist and orchestra conductor). It's a wonderful book of inspiring stories and practices to move beyond the merely probable (based on past experience) to embrace wider possibility. Here's a passage from the introduction:

Our premise is that many of the circumstances that seem to block us in our daily lives may only appear to do so based on a framework of assumptions we carry with us. Draw a difference frame around the same set of circumstances and new pathways come into view. Find the right framework and extraordinary accomplishment become an everyday experience.

In the realm of possibility, we gain our knowledge by invention. We decide that the essence of a child is joy, and joy she is. The action in a universe of possibility may be characterized as generative, or giving, in all senses of that word--producing new life, creating new ideas, consciously endowing with meaning, contributing, yielding to the power of contexts. The relationship between people and environments is highlighted, not the people and things themselves. Emotions that are often relegated to the special category of spirituality are abundant here: joy, grace, awe, wholeness, passion, and compassion.

Yours in service,

Dan Lewis

Chair of the 2U Board of Trustees

As a result of your generosity , we were able to provide meals to the homeless via the Night Ministry ($2,036); and support community organizations such as the Lake View Pantry, RefugeeOne, Sit Stay Read, CAIR, Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF), Alexian Brothers Housing and Health Alliance, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, etc. with $8,355. In addition, we contributed $4,807 to the UUA and Mid America Region; and $1,000 in dues to 3 community organizations: ONE Northside, Community Renewal Society and the Chicago Council of Welcoming Churches. The Board and Rev. Robersmith allocated $500 to Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism ("BLUU") at our May board meeting. Donations to the Minister's Discretionary Fund (to help members & friends in need) were $2,323. It should be noted that our support for the UUA is well below the recommended Fair Share amount and for the year just ended we paid only 29% of Fair Share.

The July 11 board meeting allocated up to $8,405 of the surplus towards our Interim Minister's moving expenses which are in our contract with Rev. Jennie Barrington. We also allocated the full 20% of rental income from January 1 ($3,089) to the Building Fund. The Finance Committee and Board also discussed the expected need to use an extra $400 - 1,000 for the Beloved Conversations program this fall vs the $1,000 we had expected. And, we have been advised that search expenses for a settled minister will likely range between $10,000 and $15,000 over the next two years. So, there is no shortage of uses for additional funds.

We would also like to point out that our June installation of air conditioning in the sanctuary and Palmer Room was made possible thanks in large part to an anonymous donor who generously gave $24,000 for the project. A second anonymous donor also contributed $4,500 and directed the gift to a number of uses. Many thanks!

We continue to maintain satisfactory reserves in our bank account and are above the minimum level desired of 6 weeks of budgeted expenses. Let's keep up the good work - there is much to be done!