Religious Education's New Year Renewal

It is time to RENUUW! That’s right… It’s time for the Religious Education New Unitarian Universalist Way. The RE Program is going to RENUUW itself and we need your help. Our first NEED is for teachers of our Second-Third Grade and Fourth-Fifth Grade classes. Please let us know if you can help! We will ease you into a team, share the curriculum, give you a teacher packet, calendarize to find your best teaching dates, and find out what you like teaching best.

Our first GOAL for the New Year is to write a new mission statement. It will be a new beginning. We hope you can step on board with us. Come help us teach or serve on the Committee with Sophie Meyn, Elly Peirson, Libby Tyler, John Milano, Julie Laut, Anine Singh-de Grood, and Cindy Wakeland.

December's Shared Offering: UU Partner Churches

The mission and objectives of the Partner Church Committee are to develop long term, mutually supportive relationships with our fellow UUs in Transylvania, Romania, and in the Khasi Hills of India. To this end, we promote an exchange of people and ideas, as well as provide funds and other forms of assistance to help our partner churches in Szekelykal (Transylvania) and Nongtalang (Khasi Hills, India) and their respective communities to improve the quality of life for all the inhabitants and to foster economic development through enhanced educational opportunities.

Our two Partner Churches are quite different, although they share an economy based on farming. In Szekelykal, Transylvania, the economy is mixed agriculture, while in Nongtalang, Khasi Hills, the primary crop is beetle nut. In Szekelykal, the church building is dated from before the Reformation, during which the Church became Unitarian. The Church in the Khasi Hills is 125 years old and needs renovations.

The Transylvania church has heated homes and electricity. In the Khasi Hills, the level of income is frequently below the global poverty level of a dollar a day, although they do have electricity off and on.

If you wish to help support this ongoing effort to benefit those churches, please note that collections throughout the month of December are designated to that end. You may write a check addressed to the UU Church, with a note in the memo that your donation is for Partner Churches.

If you would like to join our congregation’s Partner Church Committee, please contact the chair, Brigitte Pieke, at brigittepieke@hotmail.com. 

Be a Buddy: Bring a Backpack

Our church is participating in the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen backpack project, as we have done for the last few years. The Soup Kitchen celebrates the holidays by giving filled backpacks to the men and women who are guests at lunch. This year, they will not be giving backpacks to children, since the Champaign-Urbana community is very generous to children at Christmastime through such projects as Shop with a Cop, Salvation Army Toy Store, toy drives, etc. However, the men and women who attend the Soup Kitchen daily are rarely remembered. For many, these backpacks will be their only presents.

Backpacks should be stuffed with hats, gloves, scarves, socks, thermal underwear, sweatshirts or pants, and toiletries such as deodorant, hand lotion for hands chapped by the cold, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, and shaving cream. Other appreciated items include hand warmers, cough drops, books, decks of cards, small fleece blankets, candy, gum, and food items. We are asking that backpacks and included items be new. All backpacks should be labelled with the gender and size of recipient (from S to XXXL). We found last year that most of our guests requested at least a size large, and many preferred XL, or XXL.

We will collect backpacks at the church on Sundays, December 6 and 13. When dropping off a pack, please sign your name to the list at the Social Action table so that your gift can be acknowledged. Tax forms will also be available.

Backpacks will be given away at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen on Friday, December 18 beginning at 10:00 a.m.

If you have questions about this project, please contact Sandy Hannum at smhannum@gmail.com. 

Listen to Our Podcast!

Each week, we record our service. The service recordings are edited into 35-50 minute “podcast episodes,” which are published online in the early afternoon.

You can choose to listen to the latest podcast episode, or listen to past episodes to catch up with services you may have missed. Or perhaps you heard a great sermon you want to revisit, or share with a friend?

Each podcast includes inspiring musical performances, thoughtful readings, and a sermon by our Interim Minister, the Reverend Doctor Janet Newman, a guest minister, or the Worship Committee.

Podcasting lets you download episodes for later playback when you are without internet access – maybe when you are walking the dog, or traveling by car/bus/train/plane.

There are many ways to listen! Podcasts are featured on the church Facebook page, and also on this website. But the easiest and most convenient way to subscribe and to listen is with a “podcasting application.”

On your desktop or laptop computer, you can subscribe to our feed with Apple iTunes. In iTunes, click on Podcasts, and search for “UUCUC” to find our feed.

On your Apple mobile device (iPad or iPhone), use the built-in Podcasts App.

On an Android smartphone or tablet, we recommend two apps:

• OneCast: This is free, but very limited in features.
• PocketCasts: This one costs a few dollars, but it is the absolute best podcasting app you will find.

In either of these or any other apps, just search for UUCUC and you will find our feed. Alternatively you can enter our feed URL manually: http://uucuc.libsyn.com/rss.

You may want to configure your podcasting app to only download episodes while on a WIFI network, so you don’t have to pay mobile data charges. More questions? Please contact us at podcasts@uucuc.org.

The First Step Into the Unknown

Our guest minister next Sunday, November 15 is the Rev. Emmy Lou Belcher. Emmy Lou will lead the morning’s service, titled “Into the Unknown,” followed by a Question and Answer session to address your questions and concerns about the ministerial search process and timing.

Emmy Lou is the Ministerial Settlement Representative for UU congregations in search within Illinois. As such, she visits congregations and their Ministerial Search Committees in order to keep them informed and on target. This is her first visit with UUCUC and, after the Q and A session, she will meet with the Board.

The Q and A session will convene in the Sanctuary at approximately 15 minutes after the end of the service, around 11:30 a.m., so you will have time to pick up a snack and a drink. Childcare will be provided for those who give advance notice to our Director of Religious Education Cindy Wakeland at re-director@uucuc.org.

We hope to see you there!

We Want to C-U Healthy!

Your Social Action Committee and Immigration Justice Task Force, as part of your elected two-year initiative, is co-sponsoring the Champaign-Urbana (C-U) Immigration Forum’s Immigrant-Friendly Health Fair and Forum this Tuesday, November 10 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at UUCUC! This fair will help immigrant communities to find affordable healthcare options, receive health screenings, learn about possible future coverage options, and help us continue the conversation on immigrant-friendly access to healthcare and to other important community resources.

This event is free and open to the public. Free childcare will be provided for all eventgoers in the Nursery downstairs. Refreshments will be provided for all eventgoers in Fellowship Hall.

More information will be available at the Social Action Committee (SAC) table after service on Sunday.

Donations of snacks (such as juices, fruits, cookies, etc.) by members of UUCUC would be most welcome. You can leave these items in the Kitchen on Sunday with a note or bring them in person to the event itself. All are welcome!

November's Shared Offering: CCHCC

Founded in 1977, Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is a grassroots citizen action organization which believes that health care is a basic human right; as such, it is dedicated to the mission of working for quality affordable health care for all. CCHCC organizes individuals and communities to have a voice in the health care system and to affect social change. CCHCC carries out its mission through consumer education, advocacy, and community organizing. Its current issue campaigns include: Access to Care for those with low income, those with significant medical debt, and those for whom English is not their primary language; Environmental Health campaigns, focusing on the Fifth and Hill toxic manufactured gas plant site as well as working to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from toxic waste being dumped at the Clinton Landfill; organizing to address harmful medical billing and collection practices by local health care institutions; and organizing the Medicare Task Force to protect, strengthen, and improve Medicare and other vital programs like Medicaid and Social Security.

In addition, CCHCC provides services directly to clients through programs like the ACA Enrollment Program, the Consumer Health Hotline (a free resource for Champaign County residents who need help navigating the health care system) that receives hundreds of calls a month, the Dental Referral Program, and the Medicare 100/Plus Discount Program (which offers eligible Medicare beneficiaries free and discounted care at area providers).

CCHCC could not sustain their current efforts without the active involvement of volunteers for many of their campaigns, as well as volunteers for the Consumer Health Hotline. Most of CCHCC’s community organizing campaigns grow out of calls to the Hotline, as affected consumers are brought together to work to create system change.

For more information about CCHCC, their numerous victories and community campaigns, as well as volunteer opportunities, check out their website at www.healthcareconsumers.org.

Holiday Pageant Volunteers Needed

We need a few kind folks to help with costumes and scene painting in preparation for our annual Holiday Pageant, to be held on December 13. We have plenty of costumes, but they need sorted and assigned to students. Some costumes are also in need of light mending and sizing adjustments. We even have materials and a potential scene constructed; however, we need hands for painting and energy for preparation! If you are able and willing to lend a few hours of your time in this season of giving, please contact Director of Religious Education Cindy Wakeland at re-director@uucuc.org. 

A Conversation About Kids, Guns, And Safety

The Religious Education Committee is proud to sponsor and invite you all to a special presentation and potluck gathering on Saturday, November 14 in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. titled Keeping Children/Youth Gun Safe. The Be SMART campaign was created to bring together all responsible adults to reduce the number of unintentional shootings that occur when children and teens get ahold of an unsecured firearm. We will discuss how we, as a community, can keep our children safe. Church member Sophie Meyn will be our leader, and childcare will be available.

Kid's Klub Activities

The year of 2015 is the year of… CHANGE! From new staff to newsletters, this is an exciting time of transition you don’t want to miss. And now, the changes bring new adventure for our children as well with the introduction of Kids Klub! This program will bring many new activities to UUCUC.

Parents and guardians of children and youth of all ages are invited to join us at the Arthur Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Children's participation fees will be covered, but adults should plan to pay for themselves.

Parents of fourth and fifth graders, please save the date: Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. marks our first ever visit to Prairie Fire Glass, a professional glassworking studio and gallery in Monticello, IL. Be sure to sign up at the RE Table in Fellowship Hall so you can create your own ornament using a unique new skill set.

If you’d like to reserve a spot for any of these activities, please register at the Religious Education (RE) bulletin board in Fellowship Hall or contact Cindy Wakeland, our RE director, at re-director@uucuc.org. Hope to see you and the entire family soon!

Sweet Treats and Happy Halloween Coffeehouse

Calling all performers for our Halloween weekend coffeehouse! Bring your songs, dances, instruments, rock bands, and poems to Fellowship Hall at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30! Performers of every age are invited. Signups begin after service today and continue for the next several weeks. Sign up now to perform, make goodies, or help with set-up/tear down. Alternatively, contact Sarah Wisseman (suwissem@gmail.com) directly. And of course… Feel free to wear your favorite costume!

October's Shared Offering: Cunningham Children's Home

Founded in 1895, today the Cunningham Children’s Home offers residential treatment, specialized foster care, transitional living, independent living, vocational education, and therapeutic special education to children and adolescents ages 5-21.

Cunningham Children’s Home is a safe place where children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral disabilities can heal, learn, and grow.

The words of a former resident drive home how Cunningham changes lives: “I know that if I had not gone to Cunningham, that my life would have went all wrong. I could finally see a future and stop looking back at all the bad. Everyone at Cunningham – the cook, teachers, counselors, church ladies, house parents, everyone – guided me gently to the really good and caring person that I am today.”

In October, half of our cash collection, as well as designated checks, will support their mission and thereby make the world a brighter, happier place. For more information, please visit their website. 

Facebook Group Helps UUs Connect!

From the church office to your inbox, consider this a gentle reminder there’s something useful about Facebook… It lets us connect and share with each other!

It’s our UUCUC – Members and Friends Group on Facebook! And you’re invited to participate in it.

In our group, created for members and friends allowed to join only upon approval from modifiers, we share poignant moments, events, thoughts, and much more with each other. For instance: We can ask our friends if they’d like to go kayaking at Kickapoo or gather for dinner some night. The benefits? This kind of communication is much quicker than either the E-News or the eUniter.

So, how do you join our group? Well, if you are already a member of Facebook, you just need to find us. Search for UUCUC – Members and Friends and then request to join the group.

If you’re feeling like you could use a little help in setting up a Facebook account or joining the group, please feel free to connect Erich Adickes, our Membership Coordinator, after service on a Sunday or at membershipcoordinator@uucuc.org. 

Second Sunday Potlucks Take a Hiatus

What other opportunities are there for “breaking bread” with your fellow UUs while the Second Sunday Potlucks take a break this year? Enjoy our expanded refreshment offerings on Sunday mornings after worship services courtesy of our Hospitality Team members.

Attend the monthly Circle Suppers that take place in one another’s homes the second Saturday of each month. Sign up at the Hub, online, or contact Circle Supper coordinators Cindy Loui and Carol Osgood at circle-supper@uucuc.org.

Finally, consider joining one of the Gastro potluck dinners in members’ homes or at area restaurants. Contact Gastro leader Terry England at englandba@comcast.net.

Letter to Parents: Children’s Choir Invitation

I am pleased to invite your children to participate in the church’s Children’s Choir in 2015-16. Choir members need not read music, but they should be able to read words. New singers may join the choir at any time.

I have been the director of the Children’s Choir for the past year, along with being co-director before that. This year Marina Terkouafi will be our accompanist.

We are planning an exciting year for the choir, with a variety of music. As part of the Religious Education program, our primary goal is to help children become familiar with songs that are part of our cultural heritage and that express important values.

We will practice in Room 1, downstairs, on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:05 a.m., starting September 13. We plan to sing in the 10:15 a.m. services at which children are present for the first fifteen or twenty minutes, every two to three weeks. This fall we are singing on September 20, October 4, October 18, November 8, November 22, and December 13.

I welcome your participation and support. You can help us by ensuring that your child arrives at practices on time, as we will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. If your child will miss a Sunday, please tell me by email at dana.antonelli@gmail.com or by telephone at 630-388-9642, because sometimes specific children will have special roles.

Let me know if you play a musical instrument. We sometimes need pianists and guitarists.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

September Shared Offering: Compassion & Choices

During the month of September, we will share half of the cash collected during our offertory (and all designated checks) with the organization Compassion & Choices. This organization works with individuals to plan for their end of life. As such, they advocate for having Advanced Directives completed, speaking with family about end-of-life wishes, and ending unwanted medical treatment; they also work with those who wish to implement physician-aid-in-dying laws.

From their website:

“Compassion & Choices is the leading nonprofit organization committed to helping everyone have the best death possible. We offer free consultation, planning resources, referrals and guidance, and across the nation we work to protect and expand options at the end of life.

For over thirty years we have reduced people’s suffering and given them some control in their final days – even when injury or illness takes their voice. We are experts in what it takes to die well.

Compassion & Choices works with individuals and allied organizations throughout America to:

• Make aid in dying an open, legitimate option recognized throughout the medical field and permitted in more states.
• Increase patient control and reduce unwanted interventions at the end of life.
• Pass additional laws ensuring full information and access to all end-of-life care options.
• Normalize accurate, unbiased language throughout the end-of-life choice discussion (“aid in dying” instead of “assisted suicide”).
• Establish aid in dying as a prime motivator in voter decision-making.
• Support the expansion of the end-of-life choice movement and exert a leadership role in it.”

After the service on September 13, starting at noon and lasting no later than 2:00 p.m. in the Children’s Chapel, Jana Edge – President of the Bloomington-Normal Chapter of Compassion & Choices – will make a presentation about end-of-life issues, with time for discussion afterward. Please plan to attend.

Because of the timing – right after church – it would be nice to have a light lunch; if you can bring something to share, please let Karen Retzer (karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com) know.  If childcare is needed, contact Karen by Wednesday, September 9.

A Kid Can Change the World

The UUCUC 2015 Summer Camp "Animal Crackers" was an especially fun time for all students and teaching assistants involved. Not only was every day full of arts and crafts with visits from live animals and two field trips, it was a life changing experience with global impact as campers raised $200 to donate a goat and honeybees to those in need. Learn more about the good deeds our children accomplished by viewing our feature story on Heifer's own site.

Ready, Set, "Go Set a Watchman" Discussion

Join Cindy Wakeland, your DRE, for discussion of Harper Lee’s new book, Go Set a Watchman. Cindy purchased the book because To Kill a Mockingbird was for her (like many others) a favorite read. With all that is going on in the world today and right here in the cities where we grew up, she thought the tale might make a good discussion.  Everyone who has read the book – and even those who haven’t – are invited to join her for coffee and discussion before worship on Sunday, August 16 at 9:00 a.m. She'll even provide questions to initiate conversation. Hope to see your there!

Why I Want You to Teach My Kids: Seeking Meaningful Intergenerational Connections

I was lucky enough to grow up living next door to my mom’s parents. I attribute my early embrace of feminism to my grandmother’s lifelong commitment to educating herself. And my interest in history definitely came from hearing all of my grandpa’s stories about growing up in the Dust Bowl. My close relationship with my grandparents connected me to a generational and familial past while giving me confidence to dream about my own future. But like many of my peers, my life path has led me far from my family of origin. 

Julian and Celia only see their grandparents two or three times per year. To make up for that loss of family, I have worked hard to build a support network of friends who can provide my kids with the deep connections all children need to thrive. And my quest to find positive intergenerational influences for Julian and Celia is a primary motivator behind my commitment to UUCUC. I bring them to Green Street each week in part so they can meet and know other adults who live deliberately ethical lives. 

But one of my greatest frustrations at UUCUC has been the divide between “upstairs” and “downstairs” – there simply isn’t enough intergenerational interaction to fulfill my wish for my kids to truly know people outside their and my generations. I have spent the last two years teaching RE and know firsthand the joys of teaching the children of my peers. I’m writing to ask you to do the same in the coming year. Give of your time and yourself, and you will make a real difference the lives of our youth.                                                           – Julie Laut

If you'd like to sign up to teach Religious Education (RE) to our UU youth during 2015-2016, please contact our RE Director Cindy Wakeland at re-director@uucuc.org by Thursday, August 13.

August's Shared Offering: New Sanctuary Movement

The New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) is a growing movement of faith and immigrant communities doing what Congress and the administration refuse to do: protect and stand with immigrants facing deportation. Members of the NSM pledge to protect immigrant families who face workplace discrimination or unjust deportation.

Approximately 20 UUA congregations and organizations have pledged to support the work of the Movement.

First Unitarian Society of Denver (fusden.org) and First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin (austinuu.org) are the two UU congregations actively housing refugees from Mexico and Central America.

First Unitarian of Denver provides sanctuary for Arturo Armando Hernández Garcia, a small businessman who has lived in the United States for more than 15 years. He is the father of two daughters, one an American citizen, and they need him at home.

Austin UU is providing sanctuary for Sulma Franco, a woman from Guatemala who had been a leader in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights activism. She fled her country and fears going back because LGBT persons in Guatemala are routinely murdered or physically abused. The Guatemalan government does nothing to protect them, implicitly supporting these abuses. 

Costs incurred by sanctuary host may include renovating and maintaining a living space in the church building, feeding and housing a sanctuary seeker, pastoral care visits, utilities, security, legal fees, training, events, and more.

Our August Shared Offering will be split and shared with these two congregations providing Sanctuary as both a safe-haven for victims of injustice and as witness against larger systemic injustices.

July’s Shared Offering Recipient: SPLC

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. Using litigation, education and other forms of advocacy, the center works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality. The center employs three strategies against racial and social injustice:

• Tracking the activities of hate groups and domestic terrorists across America, and filing lawsuits that seek to destroy networks of radical extremists.
• Using the courts and other forms of advocacy to win systemic reforms on behalf of victims of bigotry and discrimination.
• Providing educators with free resources that teach schoolchildren to reject hate, embrace diversity, and respect differences.

SPLC’s Current Priorities:

Children at Risk

Thousands of vulnerable children – disproportionately black and often suffering from learning disabilities – are being needlessly pushed out of schools and into the juvenile justice system.

Hate and Extremism

The SPLC monitors hate groups and extremists throughout the U.S. and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media, and the public. The center has crippled some of the country’s most notorious hate groups by suing them for murders and other violent acts committed by their members.

Immigrant Justice

Immigrants perform some of the hardest, most dangerous jobs in our economy – for the least amount of pay. But they are routinely cheated out of their wages and denied basic protections in the workplace. They face bigotry and discrimination in their communities and are vulnerable to hate crimes.

LGBT Rights

The SPLC is dedicated to defending the rights of the LGBT community. Its current work has a national reach but is primarily focused on the Southeast where relatively few organizations advocate for this community.

Teaching Tolerance

The center’s Teaching Tolerance program reduces prejudice, improves intergroup relations, and supports equitable school experiences for the nation’s children. The center provides free anti-bias resources to teachers.

Save Water, Stones from Your Summer Steps

On Sunday, August 30, we will have our traditional Ingathering Service, which will include a Water and Stone Communion. Please remember to collect a small vial of water, or a stone, from your summer travels and activities, which you can share in the service.

Thank UUs; The Cakes You Baked Made Our Days

We'd like to thank all the folks who provided birthday cakes for our 2014-1015 church year: Mona Shannon, Marcy Joncich, Amber and Mike Higgins, Ann Odom, Cindy Loui, Anne Sharp, Virginia Brubaker, Gail Schiesser, Karla Peterson, and Jenna Zeidler. Thanks also to Lavanya Neelapa, who has volunteered to bring a cake for the first Sunday in August.

Now it’s your turn! Please consider providing a cake for the first Sunday of some month between July 2015 and June 2016. So far, August 2015 is the only date that is filled. You can get more information if you need it, or simply sign up, by contacting Virginia Brubaker at brubaker@nlpchicago.com.

From the Center from Global Studies: Host a Visiting Teacher

The Center for Global Studies (CGS) at the University of Illinois is proud to have been selected by the U.S. Department of State to host a five-week Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) for 20 teachers from around the world. This will be the third consecutive summer that CGS has hosted this program and we are excited to introduce a new group of international educators to our wonderful community. In past years, community members have enjoyed spending time with the SUSI teachers and helping them learn about our community. If you’d like to volunteer your time with this program, please visit our blog for the full announcement.

This summer's group hails from Belarus, Chad, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Japan, Malawi, Mozambique, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, and Uganda, Uzbekistan. To learn more about the participants and the program, please click here.

We would like our visitors to have opportunities to meet local residents for conversation and learn more about the rhythm of life in the American Midwest. We are seeking individuals and families to host international secondary school teachers for activities, such as a home-cooked meal, sporting event, worship service, Fourth of July picnic, etc. during their stay in the Champaign-Urbana community from June 21 to July 27.

In addition to helping to arrange informal opportunities for interaction with the SUSI international teachers, there are three specific activities that CGS has planned for host families and program participants:

The Fourth of July is an important holiday in American society. The SUSI international teachers will have the opportunity to spend a few hours or all day with a local family. In the past, families have hosted small groups of international teachers by inviting them to backyard barbecues, the parade, a pool party, and/or fireworks. Community members are encouraged to include the teachers in whatever activity your family does to celebrate Independence Day. 

July 17-19 is “Faith in America” weekend for the SUSI Program. We are looking for community members willing to take one to three international teachers to a religious service sometime during this weekend. We are looking for host families from a variety of faith traditions to show the diverse religious communities in our area and the United States. At the end of the weekend, the international teachers will reconvene to share their experiences and discuss the role of religion in American society.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Center for Global Studies Outreach Coordinator Jeremie Smith at smith193@illinois.edu or call our office at 217-244-9352.

Gehrmanns Called to Carmel

Dear Friends,
As you hopefully heard a few weeks ago, Elaine and I spent the last days of May visiting the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula (UUCMP) in Carmel, California, meeting members and friends, and exploring the area. Last Sunday, the congregation voted to call us as their new co-ministers, and we accepted. This means Elaine and I will indeed be leaving Urbana-Champaign this summer, after nineteen remarkable years with you.

My last Sunday in the pulpit will be June 21st. The next day Elaine and I will head off to the UU General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, and after that I will enter my summer period of study leave and vacation, which – this year – will be spent packing up our possessions and, hopefully, selling our house in Urbana. My official last day as your minister is August 15th. August 15th also marks the arrival of your new interim minister, the Rev. Janet Newman.

In the Uniter and the E-News, you can find additional information about the upcoming transition, as well as events planned to celebrate the many good years we have shared.

The upcoming weeks will be busy, and I look upon them with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the changes and possibilities that lie ahead are exciting. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine leaving this community and all our friends after many happy and rewarding years here. In the midst of it all, I feel a growing sense of gratitude for countless blessings, both past and future.

Please know that, despite the busyness, I am available to talk, to listen, and to answer questions you might have.

Deeply gratefully yours,
Axel

Reverend Roasting Revelries

Save the Date! On Saturday, June 13th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., we’ll honor Axel and Elaine Gehrmann with a Roast and Toast Coffeehouse celebration. Please come and, if you can, sign up to contribute an appetizer or dessert – or even perform an act for the show. Beverages will be provided.

Relish the Chance to Ketchup at Picnic in the Park

Sunday, June 14 will be our last worship service with both Axel and Elaine Gehrmann. (Elaine cannot attend Axel's last service on June 21.) So come, celebrate the Gehrmanns as we worship, eat, and play at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. There will be no worship service at church that day. The service will begin at 10:15 a.m. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket for worship. Also, bring your favorite picnic food to share – along with beverages, plates, napkins, knives, forks, and spoons for your crew.

Crystal Lake Park is located north of West Park Street, west of North Broadway Avenue. We will meet at the Large Pavilion, which is located near the parking lot off of North Central Avenue. There is a volleyball net and children’s playground nearby. You may want to add some picnic games and toys to your basket of goodies. Hope to see you there!

June Shared Offering: SCI

June's shared offering is the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, also known as SCI. In 2002, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave 20 million pounds (SCI is based in the United Kingdom) to establish SCI at Imperial College London. The award has been directed to delivering treatment for schistosomiasis and intestinal worms to millions of sub-Saharan Africans at high risk for serious disease. It now works to treat seven neglected tropical diseases. In 2013, SCI distributed its 100 millionth treatment for schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis has been mentioned a few times now, and it would be helpful to explain what it is. Sparing the most unpleasant details, it is a disease, also known as bilharzia or snail fever, which is caused by several species of parasitic worms that live and breed in the blood vessels of humans. The worms cause malnutrition, anemia, infertility, and long-term problems in the bladder and liver. It is also the most deadly neglected tropical disease, with an overall impact second only to malaria. It is estimated to extinguish the lives of between 12,000 and 200,000 people every year. To bring those numbers home, that’s somewhere between the population of Rantoul and the whole of Champaign County dying every year. Every year; and it debilitates far more.

There are many charities and nonprofits that work to manage diseases, so why does SCI stand apart from these other admirable organizations? SCI has developed a very efficient and cost-effective delivery system for five drugs used to treat seven separate neglected tropical diseases. Doses are deployed in school-based settings, where communities already congregate. Givewell, a stellar charity research and rating agency that thoroughly investigates charities, estimates it costs approximately $1.23 to administer a one treatment... or to put it a different way, parking on campus for just under an hour and 14 minutes.

Today and for the rest of this month you have a tremendous power. You could fund a life-saving treatment for a human being with your pocket change. Please give generously.

Membership Matters: Parking Lot Hospitality

Please reserve the church’s parking lot for our members with limited mobility and for our visitors on Sunday mornings. There are two lots within a block of our church that we have permission to use on Sunday mornings: the lot behind Timothy John Salon on the northwest corner of Green and Birch, and the lots used by Urbana Library patrons (which are city lots) on the south and west side of the Urbana Library on Cedar and Green Streets. In addition to these lots, there is street parking on Birch, Green, and High Streets on Sunday morning. For a visual representation of Sunday morning parking options, see the graphic here.

Thanks for your cooperation. Questions or comments? Contact Membership Committee Co-Chairs Peggy Patten, m-patten@sbcglobal.net, or Karen Retzer, karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com. Alternatively, stop by the Connections Hub table in Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings.

CROP Hunger Walk 2015 Final Results

This photo, taken by Erich Adickes, shows a few of the UU Walkers getting ready to start out on the CROP Hunger Walk 2015 on April 19th. It was a rainy Sunday, but precipitation stayed mostly in the form of a fine mist and never became an all-out storm. The UU Walkers had 16 “units” signed up to gather donations and walk – some individuals and some families. A few had to drop out because of illness or injury, but an impressively high percentage actually went out and walked in the rain. I was most proud of Bianca Banning, eight years old, who walked the entire course!

As you may recall, 75% of the funds raised are designated for overseas projects. This year, most of that funding is going to Nepal to help earthquake victims. The other 25% of the funds will be used locally for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, the Wesley Evening Soup Kitchen, and the TIMES (Transitional Initiatives and Men’s Empowerment Services) Center. It is gratifying to be able to contribute to a variety of great causes through this one community-wide event. This year, the whole community raised a total of $29,726. Our church raised a total of $3,490, which is the highest of all the participating groups. Way to go UU Walkers!

The other part of our efforts took place in the church, where our stellar building hosts and snack providers made everyone feel at home. We heard many favorable comments about the food! Once again, I was reminded of why I love this church. What a generous and welcoming community this is. Thank you everyone.

Food and Water Watch Champions Fair Trade

Grow your brain and have fun learning about fair trade in game! This PowerPoint presentation and simulation game event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 6:00 p.m. this Tuesday, May 26th in Fellowship Hall. It is hosted by the local Food and Water Watch chapter and co-sponsored by the Green UUs and Social Action Committees. For more information, contact Green UUs Chair Andy Robinson at andrew.robinson.1980@gmail.com.

This event begins with a brief Powerpoint presentation led by Lois Kain on Fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). These are very pressing and immediate issues for Food and Water Watch. We are trying to get the word out to our local communities about just how devastating previous “fair trade “ agreements have been by giving so much power to corporations to rule over every aspect of our lives, from jobs to our health to our environment. These trade agreements are a race to the bottom and we have to let our lawmakers know that Americans do not want a corporate takeover of our country.

Afterward, participate in a Trade Simulation Game led by creator Gina Chamberlain. Have you ever wondered how we apply our principles of justice and peace to the ways that trade agreements work? Does the topic seem too big, too far away and too complicated?  The Trade Simulation Game is designed to bring these issues to life through stories from our global partners.  Participants assume a character in four trade stories loosely based on real scenarios.  The characters share their realities with others and work together to understand the role of trade agreements and the people impacted by these agreements. Discussion focuses on how we can respond on behalf of the poor and the environment. The game – which requires about two hours to complete – is an interactive, fun way to learn about this important issue.

Have Your Say with Summer Service Survey

It’s time to plan our eight lay-led services that will be held this summer during July and August. Included in this week’s Order of Service is a slip you may use to have a say in the planning process. Please fill out the slip and return it to the basket on the Connections Hub table in Fellowship Hall. The questionnaire is available online from the Members and Friends page of the church website under Current Initiatives (here). If you do not like filling out questionnaires, please feel free to contact Assistant for Services Beth Cobb directly at bethac54@comcast.net. 

Paint as the Spirit Moves You

Tempera paint, finger paint, watercolors, Monet, Van Gogh, sunsets, portraits… in my style, your style, Picasso style! However the Spirit moves us is how we are going to paint this summer. Come join us and be free – be you as a child, as an adult, as a free spirit. You can also just help the child or guide them in their thoughts and not paint at all. Assistants are needed beginning June 21st through August 16th. Afterward, parents and assistants are needed to help plan a worship service around the children’s art work. Contact Cindy Wakeland at re-director@uucuc.org or sign up at the Religious Education table in Fellowship Hall.

Animal Crackers Fly the Summer Camp Coop

Summer Camp is fast approaching… June 15th is only a month away! Adults are needed to help with driving to field trips and even arts and crafts. You do not have to plan a thing; just come and have fun with us! The theme this year is Animal Crackers. We will be learning all about animals! We will be talking about the Heifer Project (the giving of animals to those in need as well as teaching those families both how to care for them so the animals produce food for years to come and how to raise more) and how we in Champaign-Urbana can help. We also will be seeing a lot of animals. 

The Decatur Scovill Mobile Zoo will be here opening day on Monday, June 15th. Tuesday, we’ll be invaded by rabbits, a puppet maker and storyteller, as well as Gus the hamster. There will be a field trip to the Prairie Fruit Farms on Wednesday to visit with the goats. On Thursday, our animal of interest is sheep and we hope to have a visit from a sheep farmer. Finally, on Friday, we will visit the cows at Prairie Farms. Of course, there will more than just animals. The registration deadline is June 5th, so call Cindy Wakeland at 791-2787. Alternatively, complete a registrations form from the Religious Education table in Fellowship Hall.

Join the Nepal Earthquake Relief Effort

Donate to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) fund to help the Nepal earthquake victims.

The Social Action Committee urges members of our church to contribute to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund established by the UUSC. You can donate online via credit card.

Alternately, bring a check made out to our church with "Earthquake Relief Fund" on the memo line. We will collect these checks and then mail a summary check to UUSC.

Information will be available at the Social Action table after church this Sunday, May 3rd.

Hot Off the Press And Too Hot to Handle

The 2014-2015 Annual Report is now ready for your pick-up! Find a copy at the Literature Table in Fellowship Hall today or download an electronic copy from the church website. To do so, just click here!

Single Service Format Here to Stay

At its business meeting on April 14th, the Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation of the ReVisioning Task Force (RTF) and voted to keep the one service format going forward. The vote was taken after much discussion in addition to a review of the survey and focus group results. The Board would like to thank the RTF and especially Tanja Hodges for their hard work on evaluating the effects of the single service on our worship experience.

Going, Going... Get Your Bids in Now!

Thank you to everyone who was at the UU Service Auction last Saturday night! Everyone in attendance helped to contribute to a record-setting evening… over $25,000 dollars was raised! But if you couldn't come, there are still spots open at lots of great events. Just check out the list of unsold items, available here. If you find something that interests you, simply email auction@uucuc.org or catch Jared Lofrano or Jody Hanger at church and we'll get you hooked up!

Year in Review: Get Your 2014 Annual Report

The Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Annual Report is now available. Pick up a hard copy from the Literature Table in Fellowship Hall after service on Sunday or just click here to download a copy now if you can’t wait. Thank you to all who submitted a report, and thank you everyone for reading.

One Service FAQ from the ReVisioning Task Force

Thanks for your helpful responses to our recent survey on UUCUC Service Changes. As of March 22nd, 109 of you have completed the survey. Although a majority of survey respondents have indicated a preference for one Sunday service, several raised good questions about the challenges encountered during our trial. We have compiled an FAQ that attempts to respond to those questions. Keep your questions and suggestions coming! Many of the ideas offered in this FAQ came from suggestions we received during our trial with one service. Contact information for each member of the ReVisioning Task Force is included in the FAQ.

Gather Round with Circle Suppers

Circle Suppers are small group potlucks held in homes, hosted and attended by UUs. They are casual, friendly evenings for the whole family. Whether you’re new to our church or have been around forever, this is a great way to get better acquainted with the wonderful people of our congregation.

Circle Suppers are held on the first Saturday of each month and you can sign up to host or to attend. The host provides the place and drinks while the guests share in bringing the potluck dinner. Each supper will be a unique mixture of people and food. Attend every month or just occasionally.

To save your place in an upcoming supper, please sign up by the 15th of each month for the following month. Signups are available at the Hub Table in Fellowship Hall after Sunday service or by contacting Cindy Loui (cloui@comcast.net) and Carol Osgood (carolosgood@yahoo.com).

Make Like a Tree and Get Out to the UU Auction

This year’s UU Service Auction is Saturday, April 11^th, so please plan to attend the church’s biggest party and fundraiser of the year! Tickets ($10/adult, $5/child, $30/family) are available after each service through April 5^th. There will be a children’s meal and activities provided, so bring the whole family! Don’t forget to pick up a donation form, too. YOU can help make the auction a success with your donations of craft, skill, and time. New this year: You can submit your donation form online – simply click here.

Recycle Reading on Book Exchange Sunday

Join us this Sunday on March 22nd four our second Book Exchange Sunday (BES), an opportunity for our members – young and old – to bring a book (or two) to church and/or take home a book (or two). Here’s how it works:

On the fourth Sunday of the month, you are invited to bring in one or two books in good condition to donate. Table space and staff limits dictate this book limit. Set out books on the designated table in Fellowship Hall. Books can be for children, young adults, or older adults. You are also invited to take home a book or two that interests you.

At the end of the morning, any remaining books on the BES table will be donated to Books for Prisoners or the Urbana Free Library. BES will be repeated the fourth Sundays in April and May. Todd Kinney will staff the BES table in Fellowship Hall during these months.

You may donate books without taking any home and vice versa. Questions? Contact Peggy Patten at m-patten@sbcglobal.net.

From Your ReVisioning Task Force

Part of our Strategic Plan calls on us to “explore, experiment, and evaluate new and innovative worship services.” We are several weeks into the experimental single service format each Sunday morning, and the ReVisioning Task Force would like your opinion on how it is going. Please take a moment to complete this survey and share your experiences with us.

The survey will be available until midnight Wednesday, March 11^th.

Thank you for your feedback.

Spring Blooms at UU Coffeehouse

Want to celebrate the Ides of March or Saint Patrick's Day early? Get your songs, poems, dances, etc. ready for our next Coffeehouse beginning at 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 14th, in Fellowship Hall! Signup sheets for performers, helpers, and desserts are available after service on Sundays. All ages are welcome. 

Performers, we ask you to time your act so it runs five minutes or less to allow the maximum number of participants and keep the Coffeehouse length at two hours. 

Questions? Contact Sarah Wisseman at suwissem@gmail.com.

Photo Directories are Here!

The photo directories have arrived and are available for pick up in Fellowship Hall after Sunday service.

If your photo is in the directory, if you are a voting member of the church, or if you have made a recent pledge, come and pick up a directory! We have enough directories for each household to have one copy; if more copies are desired, they can be purchased for $10.

Please note that directories will be reserved for you until mid-April. At that point, all unclaimed copies will become part of the holdings for future new members. So, come pick up your directory as soon as possible! 

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Retzer at karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com.

Open Bidding: Join the AUUction Committee!

The AUUction Committee will hold an organizational meeting on Sunday, January 25th after the service in Children’s Chapel. We will discuss many aspects of the auction and assign preliminary roles. The auction is our largest fundraising activity of the year and is a lot of fun to work on. If you are interested in helping, there are many opportunities both large and small for you to participate.

Please email the committee chair, Bill Childers, at wchilder57@gmail.com to be included on the listserv for the committee for this year and/or to RSVP to attend this month’s meeting.

Setting the Stewardship Table

Save the date for the Annual Stewardship Campaign Kickoff: Sunday, February 15th, immediately following our worship service at 11:15 a.m. We'll have brunch, fellowship, activities, and information to share as we prepare for our future together. Stay tuned for more information! 

Welcome to our New Accompanist

We bid a fond farewell to Gonzalo Farias, who has served as our Interim Accompanist since September, and we plan to welcome Matthew Gladden as our new Accompanist.

Currently a DMA candidate in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying at the U of I, Matthew has served as a pianist/organist for the First United Methodist Church of Urbana, he currently accompanies The Singing Men of WGNN, and he has also been an accompanying assistant at the U of I. In addition, he owns Gladden Music LLC (www.methodbooks.com), which sells instructional books to piano teachers. Prior to moving to Champaign in 2009, Matthew served as a pianist in various churches in Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, and he was the winner of a number of musical awards.

Many thanks to members of the Accompanist Search Committee: Marsha Clinard, Axel Gehrmann, Tanja Hodges, Frank Knowles, and Matt Sheppard.

-- Millie Davis, Chair

Monthly Shared Offering: The Public i

January’s Shared Offering will help support The Public i, the longest-lived alternative paper in Champaign-Urbana (C/U). Affiliated with the Independent Media Center for all of its 12 years, the Public i is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We are all volunteers to “a collectively-run, community-oriented publication,” and invite anyone from the community who wants to attend editorial committee meetings and contribute a story. Providing a forum “for topics underreported and voices underrepresented,” we are local authors writing about local, national, and international issues, plus people originally from C/U who continue to contribute or let us reprint their stuff (Mark Weisbrot, Robert Naiman, Dave Roediger, Sarah Lazare). Every article promotes social justice by valuing diversity, fighting injustice, and promoting equality. Pieces range from “A Day at Stateville,” performed at UU church last May, and Pete Seeger's 1958 visit to UIUC, to the Northwestern Football Player Union, to Russia, Ukraine, and Hungary, and from local healthcare and local prison and police reform (not building a new jail, returning the MRAP, not employing tasers) to the environment and environmental justice (Mahomet aquifer, Homer Bulldog mine). For these and other stories, visit our website at http://publici.ucimc.org/.

We operate on a shoestring budget. In addition to an online edition, we publish an eight page print edition that works out to 10 issues/year. We distribute our ca. 3000 print run in numerous cubbies located throughout C/U. The poor quality, old-timey newsprint vs the better-looking online version means you have to wash the ink off your hands when you're done reading.

Money from UUCUC Shared Offering will go entirely towards publication costs, approximately $300/issue. The Public i does not run ads and all labor (editing, distributing) is volunteer-donated.