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a whole-hearted community,
feeding body, mind & spirit
Theme for April:
God / Divine
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Here are some things to keep us connected since all meeting and events
have been cancelled until further notice.
Keep Checking our
Website
& News & Notes for updates!
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Monday, April 6
Call an elderly church member
.
Tuesday, April 7
Call someone that serves on a committee with you.
Wednesday, April 8
Check in on a neighbor.
Thursday, April 9
Call a family with children.
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Friday, April 10
Call someone you miss seeing at church.
Saturday, April 11
Send a good thought for healing out into the universe.
Sunday, April 12 @ 10:45am
Join us for virtual church service.
see below
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Church Office Closed...
but your dedicated staff is continuing to work from home.
You can reach us at our regular email addresses:
We will continue checking voice messages remotely but email is a quicker and more assured way of reaching us. In mid-April we will reassess according to recommendations of Health authorities and decide our path forward.
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We will be offering Virtual Worship Service at
10:45 am
on Sunday - note new time!!!
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April 5: Cultivating Joy in Difficult Times
- Rev Darrick Jackson
The Rev. Darrick Jackson is the Director of Education of UU Ministers Association and an Affiliated Community Minister with Second Unitarian Church. He is one of the authors in the book “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity and Power in Ministry.” Darrick is active in DRUUMM (the UU ministry for people of color). He is also the treasurer and Workshop Leader for Healing Moments (a ministry for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s). In his free time, Darrick likes to knit and to be involved in theatre. He is married to James Olson, a United Church of Christ minister and lives with their two cats, Merlin and Morgana.
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You also can simply click this link to watch the service.
Last week, there was not enough band-width to allow uploading the service as it was recorded. We have taken steps to mitigate that issue, but it is possible it may happen again. If there is no live feed at 10:45 am, check back later in the afternoon. We will upload the recorded service and get it up after 4:00pm.
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Second Sunday Collection
Animal Ministry has chosen Best Friends Animal Society to receive the April Second Sunday Collection, The mission of Best Friends is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. They do this by helping end the killing in America's animal shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation. They believe that by working together we can Save Them All. Please send your donation to UCH, 17 W Maple, Hinsdale, 60521 with Best Friends written on the envelope or check. You can also donate online
here
but make sure to note Special Animal Ministry collection. Thank you very much for your care and generosity!
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Next Week:
April 12: Renewal & Rebirth - Alleluia!
The earth is a tremendous teacher, if we but stop and pay attention to her lessons. Each passing season is both the same as last year, and uniquely its own experience. Can we welcome this time of renewal even as we look for the new and unrepeatable gifts which are offered. The earth sings alleluia and we remember stories which speak deeply to the human heart. Happy Easter! ~Rev Pam Rumancik
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Caring Corner
The ripples of our lives touch those around us. We keep in mind all of our members and friends including...
- Pat Miller who's beloved niece took her own life several weeks ago. All family members are struggling with this reality. Ashley was 28 years old..
- All those who are sick or unable to work.
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.
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"Virtual Meetings" Information
Virtual Meetings are now on our church calendar. If you receive an email saying you are invited to join a virtual meeting, it will have an "address" or link for you to click on and join at the given time. If it does notor you would like information about an event you see on our calendar, you'll have to contact the Host of that meeting. We are working on a better way to include everyone virtually in a safe and secure way. If you have any questions about the meetings, please contact the the person that has sent you the invitation or the host.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this uncertain time.
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Lunch with the Minister (virtually!)
Fridays from 12:00pm - 1:00pm Click
Zoom Link
to begin
Drop in to Rev Pam's virtual zoom chat room to say hello and share what's on your mind. While you are welcome and encouraged to check in with Rev Pam at any time, Friday lunch time will be open to anyone wanting to say hello by computer and let her know how you're doing.
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Bust Your Stash!
Sally Burke is making fabric medical masks to assist professionals dealing with COV-19. Many people say that these masks are better than nothing in this medical shortage. If anyone would like to donate any fabric that is 100% cotton Sally would greatly appreciate it. Please contact her at
sallyburke72@gmail.com
and she will arrange to pick up the fabric.
And Also...
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Face Mask Match Up
We are now being told to wear masks when going out but they should be homemade so as not to use the medical supplies.
if you need a mask, or if you can make masks for this effort to keep our UCH community safe, please sign up at
This is the
mask pattern we will likely be using. If you can make it yourself, it would save many people time and money.
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From Deb and the Fair Trade Table
In order to help make up for the lost revenue the fair trade table generates for the church, Debbi is offering to send 100% of the profits from any books folks would like to order from her to UCH. She will cover the shipping as part of her donation, so you pay only the price you see on her website plus tax. Her online book sales site is through the new Bookshop.org alternative to Amazon, and you can look up books there (there are over 7.5 million titles available - they probably have anything you are looking for) and Debbi can have them shipped directly to your home from the distributor. Once you decide which books you want, email Deb at
fairisleshop@gmail.com or give her a call or text on her cell phone (630 272-6760) with the titles. She'll work out check or credit card payment with you then and keep track of donations for the church. (If you order directly on the website Deb won't know and the church can't benefit.) The link to the site is:
https://bookshop.org/shop/fairislebooks We are also hoping to host a pre-mother's day sale where folks can look online at a new website Debbi is developing for fair trade items (can you say Stay at Home order...) and potentially get volunteers to drop off items at your doorstep. More on that later in the month. Happy book reading everyone - it's good for your mental health!
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Bored? Going Stir-Crazy?
Want to Help Out in Some Way?
Contact the office about leading a small group check-in during the week. Linda is keeping a calendar of meetings and is updating the online calendar. She can share the church's Zoom link & password.
Choose a time that works for you and send out an open invite - or invite some of your friends from church to chat about your experiences during this unusual time. Or simply check in to see what groups are meeting when and join one in progress.
We have to make up new ways to be community while we are all responsibly social distancing - but it doesn't have to be all bad.
Let's have some fun people!
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Hello Dear Members and Friends, March 18, 2020
First – thank you so very much for those of you who have already sent in your pledge for the coming 2020-2021 church year! Our new year starts July 1, 2020 and we are grateful for those who have been able to increase your pledge to help ease the challenges of this time; grateful to those who are willing to commit even in this current time of uncertainty and grateful for your response, even if it is not as much as you wish it could be.
Next - for those of you who have been understandably distracted by events in the world, we ask that you reach out and connect to the church with your pledge as soon as possible. We are in the process of assembling our budget for next year and it is important that we have realistic pledge numbers in order to prepare our church as well as possible for the future. Our church is entering a time of transition and it is more important than ever that we be on solid financial ground.
You can send an email with your pledge amount to
Office@hinsdaleunitarian.org – or reach out to a
board member or
myself if you have information to share about your situation. Remember we are all in this together and will make it through.
Love and blessings as spring inexorably makes her way toward us~
Rev Pam & Liz Reyes, Board of Trustees President
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Care Packages of Food
If you find yourself quarantined and you are not able to get to the
store for food and supplies please contact the church. We have made up
emergency care packages that we are willing to deliver to your door.
Please reach out if you are need of any kind of assistance. Be well!
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Pillars Community Health
continues to closely monitor updates from the CDC and The Department of Public Health. While the Community Shop on Calendar Court in La Grange is closed, Pillars’ programs and services are still available for emergency services, as well as online, virtual and phone assistance for those needing non-emergency help of any kind.
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Help Keep UCH Afloat!
Because we are gathering virtually, our normal offertory collections will not be held. If you are in a position to do so, please donate electronically online. You can do it during the service if that feels more authentic and comfortable, or
click to connect to our website and donate there. You can always continue sending in your checks to the church office.
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Non-Fiction Book Group
A note from Ron & Norma Solberg
Bookies,
We're postponing the March discussion and moving
WILL IN THE WORLD TO Tuesday, April 28. We're hoping we can meet face-to-face then -- if not, we may try and reintroduce the teleconference. The upcoming books will be discussed as follows: May 26,
BRING THE WAR HOME, June 23,
THE COLOR OF LAW. Then we'll resume the book discussions in Sept. with
THE WOMAN'S HOUR. Hope this works out for you all
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Conversations with Tracey Olson
T
opic: Conversation with our Wise Elders
Time: Tuesday, Apr 7, 2020 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Tue, until May 19, 2020, 7 occurrence(s)
This conversation is for Older Adults (our wise elders) to share their experience of sheltering in place, to offer coping strategies to one another, and to voice any needs. Hosted by Tracey Olson
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 624 767 099
One tap mobile
+13126266799
************************************************
Topic: Conversation with Caregivers
Time: Apr 7, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Tue, until May 19, 2020, 7 occurrence(s)
For care givers who are caring for their parents or another older adult during this pandemic. Discuss if you are allowed to visit your loved one. The purpose is to share your experience and offer one another advice and support .Hosted by Tracey Olson
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 861 621 705
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799
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DuPage PADS
We will not staff the PADS shelter at Redeemer Lutheran in May as we had planned because all temporary sites are closed. As you can imagine the organization is facing huge cost increases as it attempts to replace church sites and volunteer-supplied food. They have established an
Emergency Response Fund to maintain shelter, food, and essential services to their clients. To learn more, or to donate now, please visit:
https://fundraise.dupagepads.org/campaign/covid-19/c277612
This message was sent to all temporary sites:
Dear DuPagePads Community,
Due to the Coronavirus outbreak and our concern for the health and safety of our volunteers and congregations, all of our overnight shelter sites are now closed.
This decision to close is not taken lightly. We have taken these deliberate measures in accordance with directives of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the DuPage County Health Department.
We are working to navigate our current clients to alternative stable housing options indefinitely. Elderly clients with chronic health conditions, who are most at risk with serious health problems, are being assisted to stay at motels/hotels. Our staff is keeping in touch with these people daily to make sure they have food and basic needs.
For other clients, we are working tirelessly to ensure every client has a temporary housing plan in place though our respite/recuperation program, family reunification and other services available in our area.
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From the Chicago Public Health Department
Guidance for Community- and Faith-based Organizations
Updated information from the
Chicago Public Health Department concerning the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To read the letter please click
HERE
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Join us for a Prison Update This Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. via
Zoom
You've been hearing about our prisons on the news. Please check in with our zoom call so we can share what is going on in the Illinois prisons in response to Covid-19 from reports
on the inside.
We will also share the status of the Older Adult Parole Bill and what you can do to keep that going. We might even have an expert advocate on the line. Tune in to find out.
Even though we're all sheltering in place, this is a time we can be actively advocating for those who are incarcerated who do not have a voice. We'll brainstorm ways to do that and what we can do going forward.
This call is for
EVERYONE
. You don't need to have a pen pal or have been involved in this work before. If you are an Illinois taxpayer, that's good enough reason to join in the call.
Please let us know if you would like to be on the call. Forward to anyone you want to invite.
Cathy Blanford
Tracey Olson
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Based on this year’s 2020 census, new legislative maps will be drawn in 2021. Illinois needs a commission independent of the legislature to draw those maps, allowing the voters of Illinois to have fair representation of their vote. A Constitutional Amendment to mandate an independent commission needs to pass both houses of the IL General Assembly by May 3 to appear on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot.
TAKE ACTION
to send your legislators a HEADSUP! to pass the resolution (virtually) for a Fair Maps Constitutional Amendment (HJRCA41/SJRCA18) by May 3, in time to make the ballot November 3. You might leave a voice message with House Speaker Madigan (217-782-5350) and Senate President Harmon (217-782-8176) to take leadership.
We deserve competitive elections and fair representation. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. It’s time for an independent citizens’ commission to draw legislative maps in Illinois.
Partnered with Change Illinois and the League of Women Voters of Illinois
UUANI is supported by contributions from Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations in Illinois, and by grants from the Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the Chicago Area Unitarian Universalist Council, and the Illinois Environmental Council. We are grateful for each of these forms of support!
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Racial Equity Team Weekly Link:
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.
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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.
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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
.
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Unitarian Church of Hinsdale | 630-323-2885 office@hinsdaleunitarian.org www.hinsdaleunitarian.org
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