Call for Next Two-Year Initiative Proposals

In fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13, the church took on a congregation-wide social action initiative to address the issue Hunger in our Community. A huge percentage of the congregation became involved in various facets of the project. Energizing the congregation to work together on a particular social action theme turned out to be extremely powerful and gratifying, and a great deal of good work was done.

When it ended, many in the congregation expressed a desire to take on another initiative. Since the Hunger Initiative was our first attempt, we did not yet have a procedure in place to make this an ongoing mission. The Social Action Committee has proposed a procedure, to be repeated every two years, so we can move smoothly from one initiative to the next. The Board of Trustees has approved the procedure.

The Social Action Committee (SAC) is now soliciting proposals for the next two-year initiative using a simple one-page form. A link to the form can be found on the homepage of the church web site under Quick Links or by clicking here. Two versions are available for use: A Word doc, which you can edit on the computer then submit electronically, and a PDF, which you can print to write in responses then drop off in person. 

The SAC will vet the proposals for feasibility, relevance, and accordance with UU principles and church goals. The proposals that pass the vetting process will be communicated to the congregation through The Uniter, E-News, Social Action table handouts, and other means, to ensure everyone has a chance to read them. Finally, a congregational vote will be taken at the annual meeting to select one topic for our initiative.

After the initiative has been chosen, SAC will work with the DRE, RE Committee, Minister, and Membership Coordinator to appoint a task force, separate from the SAC, to implement the two-year initiative. Work on the initiative will begin in September 2014 and end in May 2016.

In the interim, SAC is supporting a project of the Anti-Racism Chalice Circle on the issue of Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice. This project will be supported for the first half of 2014. The Anti-Racism group has submitted a well thought-out proposal which could be extended into a two-year initiative as well. 

Stewardship with Thom Thomas

Every one of us in our church contributes in one way or another to our annual stewardship campaign.  Most fundamentally, we pledge and provide our financial support to the church for the next year.  On the other side are the many people who coordinate, plan, and do the many things that make our stewardship campaign a success.

You can help.  The Stewardship Leadership Team is seeking a number of people to serve as visiting stewards, and a few to host a meeting.  We need about forty – that’s 40! – volunteers.  Many hands make for light work. 

And, wanting you to be comfortable in your roles, the Leadership Team is bringing our UUA consultant, Thom Thomas, back to lead a Stewardship Workshop on Saturday, February 8^th.  We will spend the morning, from 9 a.m. to noon, learning about what visiting stewards do – share experiences and thoughts about our church – AND what we won’t do – talk about the specifics of a member’s pledge (i.e. ask for money!).

So, plan to attend Thom’s Stewardship Workshop on February 8^th.  Come because you have already signed up to help, or come to find out if you do want to help.  Either way, you’ll leave feeling that your morning was well spent.

Concealed Carry Signs at Entrances?

The Board of Trustees is considering whether to post signs that forbid carrying a concealed weapon at the entrances to the church (doors and parking lot sign). A sample of the sign is posted in the Fellowship Hall.

BOT would like your perspectives on this, including whether to post signs, and whether to take other actions that relate to the issue of concealed carry. If you desire, please talk to or e-mail one of the BOT members. Written comments are especially helpful. My e-mail is dmsharpe@siu.edu.  BOT will discuss this issue at its February 11^th business meeting.

From Our New Membership Coordinator

Greetings, Cordial Congregants!

It is with great excitement and appreciation that I join the staff of this wonderful church as your brand new Membership Coordinator. As a longtime volunteer and advocate for social justice, it is profoundly gratifying that I now have the opportunity to facilitate the needs of this church community. I look forward to helping current members who may be searching for outlets to express their gifts and values, while seeking new ways to make our community open to those who may be searching for a new spiritual home.

I hope to meet you all at Sunday services, and I invite members to visit me in the church office between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday. Together, we can build the connections that will strengthen this church’s community and amplify its values.

– Sam Shore

Announcing the 2014 Stewardship Team

Listed below are the members of our 2014 Church Stewardship Team. Please contact one of us if you wish to participate on the team or have ideas and suggestions for us.

Kathleen Holden (217-721-1144, kholden@illinois.edu) and Kathleen Robbins (217-497-5762, krobbins513@hotmail.com): Chairs

Claudia Gross (claudiag44@aol.com), David Gross (DLGgeology@aol.com), Axel Gehrmann (minister@uucuc.org), Barbara Hudgings (hudginba2003@yahoo.com), Karla Peterson (karla.peterson129@gmail.com), Dave Sharpe (dmsharpe@siu.edu): Co-Chairs

Mona Shannon (mona4shannon@gmail.com), Valerie Deichman (bobnvald@sbcglobal.net), Jeff Unger (jsunger@gmail.com), Karen Folk (foxfolk@aol.com), and Lynn Kelly (lynn.kelly52@yahoo.com): Team Members

CIVICS 101: How Many UUs Does it Take…?

The short answer is “All of us!” But that’s not my point here. Our UU church is “congregational,” meaning ultimate decision-making authority rests with the voting members of the church. The congregation delegates some of its authority to members who are elected to represent us in various governance functions, and for specific terms. It’s those people I want to focus on.

So, the answer is 23! Nearly ten percent of our congregation is serving in elected positions, from the Board of Trustees to Trustees of the UU Trust

Fund, from the Mediation Committee to the Nominating Committee, whose task is to provide the congregation with nominees for all these positions. Some are elected for two-year terms (the Clerk, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, and Moderator), some for three years (BOT Trustees, Mediation Committee), and the Trust Fund Trustees serve for four years.  Almost all can serve for two consecutive terms, and it helps the church run smoothly for them to do so, but the nine Board Trustees serve for one term only – or rather, one term at a time.

The Nominating Committee will be seeking nine more members to be elected by the congregation at its May meeting: three BOT Trustees, the Treasurer, Moderator, three members of the Nominating Committee (the other three are the 3^rd year BOT members), and one Trust Fund Trustee. 

Think about it – would you consider putting your experience in this church to use in one of these elected positions? Your Nominating committee would be delighted to talk with you about the opportunities and what they entail. Just ask Lynn Wileya, Bill, Dave B., Tanja Hodges, Sara or Dave Sharpe (who wrote this piece).

Update on the Children's Choir

From Co-Directors Dana Antonelli and Michael Loui

In the fall, the regular singers in the Children’s Choir were Bianca Banning, Celia Barbieri, Allison Locke, Haley Hsu Miller, David Negromo-Osagie, T. J. Negromo-Osagie, Ivy Santeler, Ella Simons, Jordan Simons, Lumina Tami, Rowan Trilling-Hansen, and Aiden Woolbright. We thank Karen Hsu for helping at rehearsals, Karen Ruhleder for playing the recorder with the choir on December 8^th, and Jeremy Loui for serving as the guest conductor on Christmas Eve. We are also grateful for the support of Nicole and Lumina Tami, who sponsored the performance of “We Belong” on November 10^th, after submitting the winning bid at last year’s service auction.

For more information about the Children's Choir, call Michael Loui at 344-9151. We welcome new singers at any time.

Board Game Group Fun

Join our UUCUC board game group this Saturday, January 11^th, in Fellowship Hall for fun and potluck. We're a “drop in as you can” group, any time between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. 

Whether you are new to games or have played forever, you will have a good time with us. We enjoy a welcoming, laid back gaming environment… Because playing games with old friends and new friends is always fun :)

Office Closure: Monday, January 6th

Due to the Winter Storm Warning, the church office will be closed tomorrow, Monday, January 6th. Normal office hours are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, January 7th. 

Please accept the staff's apology for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding. On behalf of the church staff... Stay safe and warm!

January Shared Offering: Wesley Food Pantry

The Wesley Evening Food Pantry began as a response to a community need for a food pantry with evening hours. Since November 2006, the Wesley Evening Food Pantry has provided groceries, health, education, and human services for area residences on the third Thursday of each month.

Over the last year, the pantry has served approximately 1100 persons per month. Approximately 100 volunteers spend two days in preparation for the one evening of service each month. As patrons wait for their randomly-selected number to be called, they can visit with representatives from local social services agencies. Many volunteers have been trained in Spanish to assist area residents with the process. Among the goals of the Pantry are: to provide a week’s worth of food to assist people through the end of the month when pay checks and Food Stamps may be low; to schedule the food pantry in the evening to accommodate work and school responsibilities; to respect self-determination as participants select their own food items to match their family’s needs; and to provide regular resource centers of information, referral, and health consultation.

Recently, responding to awareness that students are a part of the food-insecure community, Wesley Pantry has initiated a monthly pantry at Parkland College.

Next Two-Year Initiative: Call for Proposals

In fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13, the church took on a congregation-wide social action initiative to address the issue Hunger in our Community. A huge percentage of the congregation became involved in various facets of the project. Indeed, many continue to work with the groups they joined during the initiative. Energizing the congregation to work together on a particular social action theme turned out to be extremely powerful and gratifying, and a great deal of good work was done.

When it ended, many in the congregation expressed a desire to take on another initiative. Since the Hunger Initiative was our first attempt, we did not yet have a procedure in place to make this an ongoing mission. The Social Action Committee has proposed a procedure, to be repeated every two years, so we can move smoothly from one initiative to the next. The Board of Trustees has approved the procedure.

The Social Action Committee (SAC) is now soliciting proposals for the next two-year initiative from church committees, groups, and individual members, using a simple one-page form. A link to the form can be found on the homepage of the church web site under Quick Links. Two versions are available for use: A Word doc, which you can edit on the computer then submit electronically, and a PDF, which you can print to write in responses then drop off in person. 

The SAC will vet the proposals for feasibility, relevance, and accordance with UU principles and church goals. We plan to involve our new Membership Coordinator, Samuel Shore, in the process to the extent that he is available. The proposals that pass the vetting process will be communicated to the congregation through The Uniter, E-News, Social Action table handouts, and other means, to ensure everyone has a chance to read them. Finally, a congregational vote will be taken at the annual meeting to select one topic for our initiative.

After the initiative has been chosen, SAC will work with the DRE, RE Committee, Minister, and Membership Coordinator to appoint a task force, separate from the SAC, to implement the two-year initiative. Work on the initiative will begin in September 2014 and end in May 2016.

In the interim, SAC is supporting a project of the Anti-Racism Chalice Circle on the issue of Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice. This project will be supported for the first half of 2014 with funds that SAC had allocated for work on such initiatives. The Anti-Racism group has submitted a well thought-out proposal which could be extended into a two-year initiative as well. This means we already have one proposal submitted for consideration for the two-year initiative.

We look forward to reading about all of your ideas!