July 2, 2020
a whole-hearted community,
feeding body, mind & spirit

Theme for June: Good & Evil
Sunday, July 5
10:45am: Click HERE for Virtual Service

Tuesday, July 7
3:00pm: Conversations with our Wise Elders , click HERE

Thursday, July 9
8:30am: Breakfast Group , contact Pat Miller
1:00am: Women's Alliance, click HERE
Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!
Summer Church Office Hours
Your dedicated staff will continuing to work from their office and home.
You can reach us at our regular email addresses:
Worship
We will be offering Virtual Worship Service at 10:45 am
Beginning Sunday June 14th,
Services will be simple Gatherings with inspiration and conversation.

Click Here to Join by Zoom on Sunday at 10:45 am
Meeting ID: 814 6907 2886 Password 253821
Sunday, July 5 - Dave Lloyd
Click HERE for the Order of Service

Sunday, July 12 - UCH Moth Stories
Please join us next Sunday for the UCH Moth Stories. The theme will be Chance Encounters and
five members of our congregation will tell their stories of unexpected meetings. Anita Jencks will lead
the service, followed by Pat Miller, Kathi and Gary Noll, John Cooperrider and Anita. After the Service, at Virtual Coffee Hour, feel free to share your own Chance Encounters. Click HERE for the Order of Service
See you on Zoom!
OR
COMMUNITY
Caring Corner
The ripples of our lives touch those around us. We keep in mind all of our members and friends including...

  • All those who are sick, lonely, worried about loved ones, angry and scared. Our hearts are with you.

Please let us know of folks we should add to our list and share with our Caring Circle Coordinators. If you would like to be part of our caring tree and check up on fellow church members during this challenging time, please let Pam Fodor or Mary Getty know.
 
*You will find the Caring Circle list of Area Coordinators at the end of the Touchstone found on our website at http://www.hinsdaleunitarian.org/new/the-touchstone/
SOCIAL JUSTICE
What is Fair Tax in IL?
   July 14, 2020 @ 7 pm    via ZOOM

Presentation on IL Fair Tax referendum with
Ralph Martire; Executive Director of the
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability ("CTBA")
A bipartisan 501(c)(3) think tank. Bring your hard questions!
Co-Sponsored: UUANI & LaGrange Area League of Women Voters



This short video shows how the Fair Tax amendment will fix Illinois’ broken tax system, ensuring that 97% of Illinoisans—those who make $250,000 a year or less—get a tax cut or pay no more than they do now. Working people need relief now more than ever, and that’s exactly what Fair Tax reform will provide.


SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY!
Thank you to all who attended last week's service, "Letters from inside our prison walls"
Letters were read from four people who are incarcerated. Now, it's our turn to take action by writing some letters. Here are the specific Letter Writing action steps to take and you are all invited to do what you can. 
 
1. Write the Governor - This would be helpful to do in the next two weeks . He has many Emergency Clemency Petitions on his desk and the ultimate power to commute someone's sentence to time served. The emergency petitions are being filed because of Covid-19. He gets push back particularly if he should grant clemency to someone who committed a violent crime. In addition to the fact they are at high risk because of Covid-19 in the Illinois Prison, they are asking for clemency are making the case that they have served long sentences, they are rehabilitated, they are no threat to society, and they want to be restored to useful citizens ( as mentioned in the Illinois Constitution). 
 
The point of the letter is to say you support Governor Pritzker using clemency to reduce the number of people in our prisons and that it is important to do at this time with Covid-19. You could compliment him on what he did to keep us safe the last few months etc. This, too, is part for our safety because if Covid-19 is in our prisons, it is in the communities. Governor Pritzker has said he wants Criminal Justice Reform, and said it as recently as last week so this could be part of your letter.
 
Here is the info: Springfield Office of the Governor 207 State House Springfield, IL 62706 Office of the Governor James R. Thompson Center 100 W. Randolph, 16-100 Chicago, IL 60601 
 
The group Restore Justice is organizing an email campaign to send the same message. Click  Send Governor Pritzker an email to send your message.
2. Write a pen pal - This is a once a month commitment. You may want to write more often, but the group asks you write monthly. You can sign up for a pen pal who is incarcerated through this link http://www.uupmi.org/penpals.html . They have training that you take on line which is very helpful. We will have a pen pal meeting at UCH via zoom in early fall, but you can begin writing before then. 
3. Letters to the Editor - You can send to your local papers as well as the Chicago Tribun e and Sun TImes . We are looking for these letters to be supportive of releasing those in prison during Covid-19 and because it is a racist system. 
4. Write your state legislators about House Bill 5256 and Senate Bill 2114  In early fall, support a bill for parole for older adults will be in early fall by contacting your legislators. Click Here for the information. 
If you can work on organizing this effort, please contact social justice@hinsdaleunitarian.org .
Racial Equity Team Weekly Links:


Check out our Race Resources page with articles, videos & book suggestions to learn more. You can also subscribe to  Race/Related , a newsletter focused on race, identity and culture by the New York Times. It is published on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and edited by Lauretta Charlton.
and More.......
Emergency Exit Map
Please note that in the back of every Singing the Living Tradition hymnal there is an emergency exit route map. In case of an emergency, refer to this guide and please assist others who do not have a map.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Check Us Out and “Like" the UCH Facebook Page!
In addition to News and Notes and The Touchstone, we will be using our Facebook page to keep the congregation and the community informed about upcoming events and initiatives. Share our posts with your family and friends. Just click on the logo above and search for “Unitarian Church of Hinsdale” in the search bar.
You can also find us on Twitter at @UUHinsdale .