June 26, 2020
a whole-hearted community,
feeding body, mind & spirit

Theme for June: Good & Evil
Sunday, June 21
10:45am: Click HERE for Virtual Service and Annual Meeting

Tuesday, June 23
3:00pm: Conversations with our Wise Elders , click HERE

Thursday, June 25
8:30am: Breakfast Group , contact Pat Miller
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
Password: 814 6907 2886 .
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OR
COMMUNITY
Caring Corner
The ripples of our lives touch those around us. We keep in mind all of our members and friends including...

  • Former UCH member Ray Masterson died last weekend in Palm Springs, CA. Condolences can be sent to his husband Fred Bloss at 533 Jade Lane, Palm Springs, CA 92264
  • 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/
This year’s Annual Meeting will be conducted with the
Zoom video conferencing tool. 
 
If you have never used Zoom before, you might find it helpful to review this tutorial on the AARP website beforehand:    https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2020/how-to-use-zoom.html
 . 

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2020 UCH Annual Meeting

Dear Congregation,
We will be holding our annual meeting virtually this year on June 28, 2020. We need your participation; at least 20% of our membership must attend this required annual meeting. We will be voting on three items:

1.         2020/2021 budget
2.        Election of new church leaders
3.        Proposed bylaw change

The meeting will be held via Zoom on June 28, 2020, immediately after a shortened service, which will start at 10:45. We anticipate starting the annual meeting at 11:00 am. You will be able to join the service and the meeting by clicking on the Zoom Meeting link provided below or calling into the meeting using the phone number provided below.
  
Because this is our first-ever virtual annual congregational meeting, we are providing detailed guidance below, ABCs...etc. , to help each of you take part. We have multiple members, working with our Board of Trustees, to help make the meeting run as smoothly as possible. We appreciate everyone’s patience, support, and good humor as we work together to hold this important annual event for our community.
 
Hard copies of materials regarding the three items that will require a congregational vote will be mailed out to every member on June 19, 2020. If you have not received the materials in the mail by June 25, please contact Pam Fodor, who will work with the Board to ensure you get a copy of the materials.    We hope having these materials in hand will help everyone be informed about the votes that will take place.    
 
Thank you all for your continued support and investment in our Church community,
 
Liz Reyes, President of the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale, on behalf of the Board of Trustees

Unitarian Church of Hinsdale is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Annual Meeting and Worship
Time: Jun 28, 2020 10:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 886 8750 7875
Password: 071735
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Meeting ID: 886 8750 7875
Password: 071735
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kAg778y02

Summer is Almost Here
The end of the church fiscal year, June 30, is coming up fast. UCH is grateful for the unending support, work, and cooperation through this trying time. We would like to be able to close our books before the annual meeting, so if you still have an outstanding balance or any questions about pledge, please contact Lily Fields at finance@hinsdaleunitarian.org. Thank you all very much and have a great, healthy and safe summer!
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 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.
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 .