October Forum: Society's Need for Retribution

While it is clear that the corrections industry is a source of tremendous profits for some, that alone doesn’t explain the billions spent each year on policies and practices that are for the most part abject failures. Grace Bauer, interim Executive Director for Justice for Families, will argue that Americans support this industry with our appetite for harsh retribution and punishment.

This event was held at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October. 31st in Room 404 of the Illini Union.

Membership Coordinator Announcement

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign is seeking an organized, friendly, and professional membership coordinator to serve 20 hours a week for our busy congregation.  

This individual will be responsible for coordinating volunteer activities and communications, and developing volunteer management and support programs and tools.  Candidates must have excellent interpersonal, communications and organizational skills.  Computer skills required include word processing, database management, website editing, and social media.  Must be able to work independently and as part of a team, and to maintain confidentiality. 

A minimum of 1 year volunteer management experience is preferred.  Please e-mail cover letter, resume, and three references to membership-coordinator-search@uucuc.org, or mail to 309 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, Attention: Membership Coordinator Search Committee.  

Applications are being accepted until position is filled.

Orientation to Unitarian Universalism

Are you new to this church? Have you recently signed the membership book, or are you considering joining? Would you like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism? Axel Gehrmann and the Membership Committee will offer a three-part orientation at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, November 6^th, 13^th, and 20^th.

The sessions will focus on individuals’ religious journeys, discuss UU history, beliefs, and polity, as well as explore the various groups and activities of this particular church. If you are interested, please sign up on the sheet on the Minister’s Office door, call the church office, or e-mail Axel at minister@uucuc.org. 

“No More Deaths” Speaking Tour

The Social Action Committee is proud to host desert aid workers Kate Morgan-Olsen (a Champaign-Urbana native) and Ricky Cheney from No More Deaths, a ministry of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, Arizona.

This presentation, titled “Our View From the Border,” will offer firsthand accounts of trends in migration; human rights abuse documentation in Nogales, Sonora; migrant support in the Sonoran desert; and allied movement-building in communities throughout Arizona.

This examination of the Southern border was held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 31^st in Fellowship Hall.

Winter Weather Will Come Again

At some point in the coming months, snowfall will coincide with a busy day or a Sunday morning here at church. How will you know whether to dig out your car or snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of cocoa?

v      First and foremost, use your own good judgment.  No matter what is happening at church, if you are nervous about road conditions, choose the cup of cocoa every time.  If it is at all dangerous for you to be out, stay home! But if you are wondering whether to come over, here's how things will be decided and communicated:

v      Sunday services will be held if at all possible.  Any decision to close would be listed on the local media.

v      For committee meetings or groups/chalice circles, the group leader or chair of the committee should determines whether or not to hold the meeting.  You may call that person or the church office.  Committee chairs should make every effort to contact the church office so that the correct message can be given.

v      Stay safe! Each person in this community is precious and we want all of you to come to church when the weather clears.

Habitat for Humanity Update

On a beautiful autumn morning, October 5^th to be exact, a number of fellow UUs gathered in North Champaign for the second and final Habitat UU volunteer work day  for 2013 (a third one was cancelled). Christine Cahill, Elaine Gehrmann, Elaine Harrington, Lynn Kelly, Jared Lofrano, Sarah McDougal, Michael Peirson, Andy Robinson, Sue Searing, Dave Sutton, Steve Troyer, and Lynn Wiley worked at the Mary Belford home to continue the work of many before them. This home is almost finished, so we got to see some great handiwork and envision the lovely home that this will be for Mary and her family.

Mary was there, of course, to help as were a number of UI students and other Habitat staff and volunteers. We painted, installed small fixtures, hung doors, cleaned, and planted a lot of shrubs, fall flowers and ornamentals, as well as raked away gravel, hauled rocks, and washed windows. We also got to know each other and swapped life stories, as well as tips on home repair and work on other projects.

UU volunteers have helped with many homes in the past and hopefully will help with many more in the future. Kim, the site coordinator, talked about the homes being framed now and new grants that recently came in to support more work. At our church, we are fortunate to have Jim and Sandy Hannum, who have both done a lot to get us started on these rewarding projects, along with Nancy Dietrich, who is now helping to coordinate that work with Habitat. 

If ever you have any questions about the work, please contact someone in the Social Action Committee or even any volunteer, especially if you’d like to help with some of the background work. These homes make a great difference to the lives of their new owners but there’s always more to do. The work is not too complicated and many hands make it easy and fun.

Social Action Committee Seeks Shared Offering Nominations

SAC is now soliciting nominations of non-profit organizations for the Shared Offerings for 2014 to be chosen by YOU — members and friends of the church at the November 18^th SAC meeting. Those organizations that are chosen for a Shared Offering will receive half of the cash collection and designated checks from each Sunday service for one month in 2014.

Nomination forms are available at the Social Action table in the Fellowship Hall after every Sunday service, or you can e-mail your suggestion (please include a short description of how it fits with UU Principles) to Nancy Dietrich at nancydietrich01@gmail.com. 

October Shared Offering: The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF)

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FtRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect — and individuals to access — information. The FtRF is also one of the sponsors of Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. This year Banned Books Week was September 22-28.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees all individuals the right to express their ideas without governmental interference, and to read and listen to the ideas of others. The Freedom to Read Foundation was established to promote and defend this right; to foster libraries as institutions wherein every individual's First Amendment freedoms are fulfilled; and to support the right of libraries to include in their collections and make available any work which they may legally acquire.

The Freedom to Read Foundation was the American Library Association's response to its members' interest in providing legal assistance and support to defend librarians whose positions are jeopardized because of their resistance to abridgments of the First Amendment; and to set legal precedent for the freedom to read on behalf of all the people.

The Freedom to Read Foundation was incorporated in November of 1969. Its charter lists four purposes:

• Promoting and protecting the freedom of speech and of the press;
• Protecting the public's right of access to information and materials stored in the nation's libraries;
• Safeguarding libraries' right to disseminate all materials contained in their collections; and
• Supporting libraries and librarians in their defense of First Amendment rights by supplying them with legal counsel or the means to secure it.

The Foundation's work has been divided into three primary activities:

• The allocation and disbursement of grants to individuals and groups for the purpose of aiding them in litigation or otherwise furthering FTRF's goals.
• Direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press.
• Education about the importance of libraries and the First Amendment to our democratic institutions. 

The Foundation is devoted to the principle that the solution to offensive speech is more speech, and the suppression of speech on the grounds that it gives offense to some infringes on the rights of all to a free, open and robust marketplace of ideas.