Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt, Minister

April 1^st - Palm Sunday

“After the Jubilation”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The stories about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem say it was a time of celebration and jubilation.   But after the crowds turned away, things got ugly fast.   How often does the excitement of a big moment entice us away from the real work of life?

April 5^th - Tenebrae

Thursday evening, 7:30 p.m.

“Communion of the Saints”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

In this evening candlelight worship service we’ll read from the Passion narratives, recite the names of those who have died recently, and partake of Communion in our tradition: bread and wine shared in silence at a table open to all.

Please gather in the Kate Wuerker Room before the 7:30 hour
and we’ll enter the worship space together at the appropriate time .

April 8^th - Easter Sunday

“Morning Glory”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

John Shelby Spong says, “What Easter did was to open the eyes of the disciples so they could see into the heart of God.”   Easter may be problematic for many of us UU’s because of the improbability of physical resurrection, but perhaps it can open a doorway into the spring season.

Today is also the deadline to turn in your Pledge Card
for our Annual Canvass.

April 15^th

"Expanding Horizons"

Dr. Ronald Glossop

Professor Emeritus, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

As time passes both individuals and human communities expand their horizons.   The child's world expands from self to family to neighborhood.   Human communities expand from tribe to city to nation.   The horizons of individuals expand rapidly from childhood to adulthood, and similarly the horizons of humanity are expanding rapidly as we move from internationalism to globalism. These changes are important for our notions of identity and loyalty, for our ethical obligations, and for the kind of religion we need.

April 22^nd

“A Tree Grows in Alton ”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

In Annie Dillard’s words, “we are here to abet creation and to witness to it … so that creation need not play to an empty house.”   On this Earth Day, we discuss our difficult role as witness-bearers and “Keepers of the Garden.”

April 29^th

“To Welcome or Not to Welcome”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

The Welcoming Congregation group has been meeting for over a year sharing information about lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender issues and it’s time to decide as a congregation whether we are going to be open and welcoming or not.   I say, “Yes!”   Come hear why.

April 1^{st –} 9:00 a.m. – Committee Sunday.   Committee chairs and committee members meet for program review, planning, and evaluation.   Everyone is encouraged to participate.   The Worship Committee is in charge of refreshments for the 9:00 a.m. gathering.

April 8^th – 9:00 a.m. – Welcoming Congregation.   This ongoing workshop is open to everyone and you need not have attended previous sessions to start attending now.   This program is designed to help congregations develop individual and institutional strategies in order to become more welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their families.

April 15^th – 9:30 a.m. – Forum Topic – "Will Good Prevail in the End?"  One of the main issues in the theology of Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, & Islam) is "The Problem of Evil."   If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there any evil in the world?   One common response is to deny that God is all-powerful; such a view allows for our conduct to really matter with regard to the fate of the world but it also undermines the confidence that good will prevail in the end. Is the belief that good will prevail in the end crucial to religious faith?   How is Easter and the fact of death related to these issues?   Ron Glossop will be the discussion leader

April 22^nd – 9:30 a.m. – Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World.   Using the book by A. Parks Daloz we will examine the landmark study that reveals how we can become committed to the common good and sustain such commitments in a changing world. This is a continuing monthly series recommended for all UU's who are interested in social justice. Facilitated by Beth Nalick.

April 29^th – 9:30 a.m. – “In Search of the Historical Jesus” – Facilitator: Beth Nalick.

A First Glance

The donkey stood in the dust, head hanging low, the ever-present rope - and the tree to which it was tied - easy to overlook most of the time.   There wasn’t much to do in this sleepy backwater town anyway except to stand and wait, sometimes to dream.

At present the dreams were about horses running loose across open fields, prancing and shaking their well-groomed manes in the wind.   “Oh, to run with the horses,” thought the little donkey.

And another dream came, as dreams will, of doves ascending from their cages into the bright sunlight, their white feathers shimmering as their strong wings lifted them higher and higher in a chaotic swirl of freedom.   “Oh, to fly with the doves,” thought the little donkey.

When two strangers came and untied the donkey, it was no surprise, really.   But when they started to walk further and further beyond the streets and fields where the donkey was used to being led, the donkey did begin to wonder if something special was in store this day.

When they stopped on the outskirts of a much larger town, another man bent down and looked the donkey in the eye, and the donkey could see that this man was tired, maybe scared, and had a deep sense of resignation on his face.   It was no bother when the man climbed up on the donkey’s back - he was as light a load as the donkey had ever been asked to carry.   And so gentle!   None of the lashings rougher men administered just to show who was boss.

As the donkey entered the town, the lanes were lined with throngs of people waving and calling out.   What was this strange ritual?   Where were they going?   How would all this end up?

So many questions.   Still, the donkey walked on, putting one foot in front of the other, wondering, hopeful, proud to have been chosen for this exceptional duty.

In the spirit of springtime and Easter, may you run with the horses and fly with the doves by putting one foot in front of the other in wonder and hope.

See you in church,

Chalice Circle Gathering

There will be a Chalice Circle gathering after church on April 1^st.  Following a “brown bag” lunch participants will read and discuss the poetry of Jelalludin Rumi, a Persian poet born in 1207 c.e.  

“ If thou wilt be observant and vigilant, thou wilt see at every moment the response to thy action. Be observant if thou wouldst have a pure heart, for something is born to thee in consequence of every action .”

To learn more about Rumi, his life and his poetry, go to http://www.khamush.com/

Questions about this Chalice Circle :   Contact Jackie McDonough jmcdonough2019@aol.com

News from the Welcoming Congregation Workshop

For the past few years the leadership of our congregation has discussed the need for more intentional inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.   Fortunately support for this ministry has been made available to UU congregations from the UUA Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns.   This Office provides guidelines and action steps for congregations who wish to become more inclusive through the Welcoming Congregation Program.

In August of 2006 a Welcoming Congregation Committee was formed to begin the process of providing workshops for members of our congregation who wish to explore their thoughts and feelings about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues.   These workshops have been available once a month since September and will continue through May.   Many of the people who have been participants in these workshops are now looking for ways in which we can share our new insights with the congregation as a whole.

We thought we would start with this article, and also include something about what it means to be recognized as a Welcoming Congregation in the weekly Orders of Service.   Our congregation has already taken several of the Action Steps recommended by the UUA in order to become officially recognized as a Welcoming Congregation.   We have changed our bylaws to include an affirmative non-discrimination clause.   We provide worship space and ministerial services for GLBT rites of passage.   We use the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education program.   These are just a few of the important actions we have taken to help people know that our congregation is a safe, supportive, and welcoming community.  

To be recognized by the UUA as a Welcoming Congregation, the members of that congregation must vote in order to have a formal record of congregational support.  The participants of the most recent workshop decided to ask for this vote at the Annual Meeting this year.   While we recognize that the most important work of this process is internal, emotional, spiritual, and in other ways quite personal, we also know that it is important to have external validation of the work this congregation has done.   That validation can serve as a stepping stone toward the work we must continue to do.

Cheryle Tucker-Loewe

More Hymnals Are Needed

As the number of people coming on Sunday increases and the choir gets larger we find ourselves in need of additional hymnals.   If you would like to donate a hymnal to the church in honor of someone, or in memory of someone, or as a personal donation, please make out a check for $28.00 payable to the First Unitarian Church and indicate that it is for a hymnal. Include a note with the information you would like printed on the book plate in the hymnal (i.e., “In memory of ….“,   “In honor of …“,   etc.). You may mail this to the Treasurer’s attention or put it in the collection plate at church.  

Grocery Shop and Make Money for the Church

If you shop at Schnucks and haven’t yet picked up an eScrip Community card, please take a minute to do so next time you are shopping.   Follow the instructions to activate your card, indicating the First Unitarian Church of Alton with our zip code 62002 as the organization you want to support.   Then just show your eScrip to the cashier when checking out at any Schnucks store.  

To date only 24 people from our church are using the card.   There must be others that shop at Schnucks and since it doesn’t cost anything and helps generate money for the church it seems like something anyone who shops at Schnucks would be happy to do.   Every month Schnucks automatically donates 1% to 3% of your purchases to the church.   If you have questions, contact our church treasurer, Jerry Johnson, at jerrygjohnson@mindspring.com.

WOMEN'S WEEKEND

April 28^th - 29^th

You may register for just Saturday or the entire weekend.   This annual weekend is sponsored by Eliot UU Chapel. The Women's Weekend features a wonderful variety of workshops, a swimming pool, Saturday evening entertainment, a White Elephant Sale and Worship Service on Sunday morning.   There is always time for relaxation and socializing. On-line registration is now available.   All UU Women and their friends are invited.   For more information - check out the website.

http://www.eliotchapel.org/WW/

Pallottine Renewal Center - April 28-29, 2007

(A mile north of Lindbergh on Old Halls Ferry Road in North County , MO. )

http://www.geocities.com/pallottinerenewal/

[Note – if you register to attend the Women’s Weekend please let Mary Johnson (mejohnson@mindspring.com

know as she will coordinate carpooling.]

Notes from Jamie –

Director of Religious Education

·          Bring in your empty ink jet printer cartridges for recycling.   The basket is in the foyer.

• Stop by the RE book hutch in the Kate Wuerker Room to shop for books offered by Beacon Press and Skinner House.
• The next session of Our Whole Lives will be held on Saturday, April 21^st from 1 – 6 p.m.

Streaming Audio of Sermons

now online

Do you want to hear a Sunday sermon that you missed, or want to hear a sermon again?    Thanks to Kevin McCarthy, it’s now easy.   The sermons are available via streaming audio on the church’s website.   Just go to http://www.firstuualton.org and click on the box that says “Hear Recent Sermons via Streaming Audio.”  

Anna D. Sparks Women’s Alliance

Thursday, April 5^th at

Jackie McDonough’s

11:30 a.m.

Jackie is one of the newest members of the Anna Ds and will provide the April lunch at her home in Alton .   Her email is jmcdonough2019@aol.com.   Please let Jackie know by Friday, March 30^th if you will be able to attend.

Meet Diane, Kevin, Amelia and Maggie

Diane Thompson and Kevin McCarthy and their two daughters, Amelia and Maggie, live on the old family farm overlooking the Mississippi , in the house Diane’s mother grew up in, and next door to Diane’s 91 year old grandfather, who lives in the house he grew up in.   Diane’s grandfather, Erwin Thompson, calls occasional square dances at the church — which he also often provides live music for on his fiddle.

Diane grew up in Pittsburgh , where she was raised a mixture of Unitarian and fundamentalist born-again Christian.   Diane believes she decided in favor of the Unitarians when an evangelical minister explained at Bible camp that anyone who believed in evolution was going to hell.   Diane has been a legal services lawyer working in East St. Louis for the last 12 ½ years, where she has mostly worked with homeowners to help them keep their homes from the ravages of predatory lenders, greedy mortgage brokers, and fly-by-night contractors.   

Kevin grew up in Connecticut , and considered becoming a Catholic priest.   He studied film in college and then moved into being a video engineer in order to continue eating.   When he moved out here from New York City to be with Diane, he worked as a television and radio engineer for Channel 30, and then quit to teach computer programming to six to 12 year olds and work freelance as a computer consultant.  

The McCarthy-Thompson household has a dog, two cats, one recently dead fish (hopefully replaced by the time you read this), and innumerable brine shrimp.   Amelia would like to add birds and a horse; Maggie thinks we should go for sheep, goats, chickens, and a cow.   Diane and Kevin are just hoping to sleep.

Every Member and Friend Canvass Party Saturday, April 21 – 6:30 p.m.

It says a lot about a church when it has been together since 1836.   It must mean we are “here for good.”   There have been times, when it seems nothing short of magic has helped our church family on this long journey.   So why not come to the 2007 Canvass Event Wrap-Up Party and see a little magic?   There will be something for everyone.   Childcare will be provided, along with food and drinks, too.   It just doesn’t get any better than that.   After all, you deserve it.

Highway Clean-Up Day

Saturday morning, April 14^th

(Rain date April 28^th)

Meet at church at 9:00 a.m.

It’s time again to do our quarterly clean up of our 4-mile stretch of Highway 67.   The more people who help, the less time it will take and the more enjoyable the project.   This is a Community Service project and the church’s name is on the sign approaching our stretch of the road, giving us added incentive to keep the area trash-free.   Mark Tade is the Clean-Up Coordinator and will have a sign-up sheet at church for volunteers.  

Here are the names of church members and friends who are celebrating birthdays this month.   If this is ‘your month’ and your name didn’t get included, we’re sorry.   For future months please let Mary Johnson ( mejohnson@mindspring.com ) know the day and month of your birth.

  3 April – Curtis Meyenburg

  4 April –Maggie McCarthy (2000)

  5 April – David Wiseman

  6 April – Cathy Tade

  8 April – Ted Loucks

10 April – Corinne Hawkins

12 April – Deanna Stacy

13 April – Dylan Stacy (2000)

14 April – Brynda McCoy

20 April – Ian Herndon (1995)

27 April – Ginger McCall

4^th Sunday

Sunday Pot Luck Lunch

April 22^nd

Bring a dish to share and plan to stay after church to join in food and fellowship!

Everyone will be responsible for setting food out on the buffet table.

A-Mc will do Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

(Note: when doing clean up please do not fold up all the long tables.   We want two left up with chairs around them.)

CHOIR NEWS

The Choir is now having weekly rehearsals.   Everyone is invited to come to rehearsals as their schedules allow.

CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 5^th – NO REHEARSAL – TENEBRAE SERVICE @ 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 12^th @ 7:00 p.m.

Thursday April 19^th @ 7:00 p.m.

Thursday April 26^th @ 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 22^nd following potluck.

Contact Willis McCoy for further information.

wbmccoy@charter.net

“Singing creates a habit of moving inner feelings to accessibility; to a place where other people can share them.”   From Quiet Minds by David Kundtz.

RE NEWS

Dear Parents and Friends,

As I write this our canvass is just beginning.   As you are reading it, we are about at the half-way mark.   During this time Khleber has been asking you to think about what you get from this church, and what it means to you.   Essentially, you are this church, and what you get out of it depends a lot on what you put into it.   This is your church.

All of this talk about whose church this is reminds me of a new member blessing recently.   I don't remember who exactly we were welcoming or when it was, but I do remember my daughter's response to it.   She asked when she got to go up front and do that.   I explained that she could do that when she became a member of this church.   She was shocked to learn that she wasn't a member already.   After all, this is her church too.   She was annoyed to learn that she would have to wait so long before she could join.  

What does this tell us as members of this church?   I want my daughters to become adult UUs.   I want all of "our" children to become adult UUs, but not only that.   I want them to become active and engaged adult UUs.   How do we accomplish this?   By having them be active and engaged UU children.   I am asking all of you to find out what would help make "our" children more active and engaged.   This is the time of year that we are asking the adults, and now I am asking the adults to ask the children.   Ask your children, grandchildren, or someone else's children what this church means to them.   I think that you may be surprised at how their answers are similar to your own, and let me know what you find out.   I'll be asking too.

The best way to ensure that we are growing life-long UUs is to get them in the door as often as possible, and the best way to do that is to offer programming that they will be engaged in and want to come to week after week.  

Thank you, Jamie Gross

Welcome to Our Newest Members

We’re Glad You Joined! We’re Glad You Joined!

Our Journey to New Iberia Parish, Louisiana

Last fall Diane Thompson attended a conference in Louisiana and discovered first hand how much work was still needed in restoring hope and homes to people ravaged by the storms Katrina and Rita.   She searched for an organization that was helping people in the rural areas of the south and found the Southern Mutual Self-Help Association      “… partners with families to help rebuild their homes and their lives.”   Then, together with her husband Kevin McCarthy, she got church members involved in plans to go to New Iberia Parish (150 miles southwest of New Orleans ).   In February, seventeen people from church – adults, youth, and children – spent a week living in dormitory-like housing provided by the local United Methodist church in New Iberia .   We drove 30 miles away each day to work on two homes in other communities.

Initially surprised by the seemingly normal appearance of the communities, we soon saw below the façade and recognized the true long-lasting effects of these storms.   We saw boarded up gasoline stations with per-gallon prices posted at pre-Katrina rates.   We saw homes jacked up on high pilings.   We learned that under new regulations, unless homes were more than 13 feet above sea level they were not eligible for flood insurance.   However, since it costs between $10,000 and $30,000 to have houses raised, many people were gambling that there wouldn’t be other storms as bad as the ones in 2005, and left their homes on the original concrete slabs . Other homes were raised a couple of feet on precarious pilings, which made it look as if any strong breeze could topple the house off the foundation.  We saw brackish-looking rice and crawfish ponds more than 10 miles from the coast, but full of seawater.   We saw tired looking farm animals, skinny from not having enough pasture , because grass couldn’t grow in saline saturated fields. Even deeper scars are found on the souls of the people, many who had lived in the same location and done the same work for generations and now despair of their lives ever being the same again.   Many have already been forced to leave the area and culture where they have had such deep roots .

We visited with the people on whose homes we had come to work.   At Pop’s frame farm home outside of Erath, the rising water had moved the house 30 feet away from its concrete front porch steps, and reaching the ceiling inside, left white curtains splotched brown, paper and trash glued to the floor in a crazy-quilt pattern and mapped warped furniture with water lines.   Pop told of cows moving into the house in search of shelter as the water receded and of snakes making homes in the kitchen drawers.   He and his wife Mo were currently living in a FEMA trailer, but the trailer was due to be taken back by the government within the next few months.

Pop’s main concern now is to get the house we were working on for his son and young family fixed up so they would have a sense of stability in their lives. Pop is preparing a one room apartment in his machine shop out back where he and Mo will live when their trailer is taken back. We did sanding and painting of boards and cutting them to make window and door frames and baseboards for Pop’s son’s home. By the end of the week the windows at Pop’s place were framed and the bathroom had walls and a tub installed.

When we arrived, Calvin’s four bedroom brick home in the small town of Abbeyville had no interior walls.   We walked ghost-like between the wooden frames of each room.   He initially despaired of ever getting back into his home.   He was a minister with his own church and had been spending all his time, money and energy working to help members of his congregation and community get resettled and he had no opportunity to work on his own home. The work we did there included installing insulation and putting up dry-wall. By the end of our week’s work, Calvin’s home had walls defining each room.

We also enjoyed experiencing different foods, celebrations and Cajun music.   The young people with us tried foods new to some of them – crawfish, alligator, and frog legs.   It was also Mardi Gras, and we were told to take off work to absorb something of the culture.   We found ourselves standing in a happy Fat Tuesday crowd at the Lafayette King’s Parade, excited by marching bands and floats and clamoring for the hundreds of colorful strings of beads thrown towards us.   

The rebuilding work done by our small group of volunteers, and by the hundreds of volunteers who continue to come weekly to areas affected by Katrina and Rita, give those who live in the storm damaged communities a chance to actualize the promise of new beginnings as walls and windows create the frame of a new life.   As Calvin said at the end of the week when he walked back into his home, “It’s beginning to look like it used to, like we could move back in.”  

Those of us who went also want to thank the members and friends of the church who donated $930 for this cause.   Some of the money was used by some of the participants to cover gasoline and tools purchased, and the remainder was given directly to the Southern Mutual Self-Help Association to further their work.  

Those who went to New Iberia were:   Diane Thompson, Kevin McCarthy, Dave Kraus, Maggie & Amelia McCarthy; Diane Herndon, Ian Herndon, Ruth Maskow, Pat Moore; MaryLu McManus and her friend Pat Ackman; Khleber Van Zandt; Mona & Paul Hebert, Alex Hoeft, Jerry & Mary Johnson.