Religious Education Wing built 1969;

New windows and façade 2014   

May 2014

May 4, 2014

“From ‘swerve’ to ‘slurry’ ”

Irene Gulovsen

The sermon will consider the influence of Greek philosophy, not just on modern scientific thought, but possibly on certain books of the Hebrew Bible as well.  (I was very taken with Khleber's sermon in January which used Greenblatt's book The Swerve as his text.)   Irene has preached at our church several times in the past.  She has a Masters in Theological Studies (MTS) from Eden Seminary, and since 2011 has served two local UCC churches as a short term interim.

May 11, 2014 - Mothers’ Day-Flower Communion

“Thanks, Mom”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Parenting can be thankless, as can teaching, tutoring, mentoring, or counseling.  Those of us who’ve had such people in our lives must sometimes struggle to find ways of expressing gratitude, especially if the person filling those roles for us wasn’t perfect. -  Please consider bringing a few flowers to share during Flower Communion this Sunday.

“What’s Right with Us?”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Herewith, an assessment of the ministries of the church in preparation for the Annual Meeting.  Our Annual Congregational Meeting begins at 12:15 in the Sanctuary.

May 25, 2014

“Transforming Congregations”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

Many people go to church to be affirmed in their already-acquired systems of belief.  Fewer attend church intending to be transformed, to actually be changed in some fundamental way.

June 1, 2014

“Beginning with Goodbye”

Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

We live like the bodhisattvas, one foot on earth and one foot in eternity.  This is more difficult than it might sound, because there’s always a goodbye hidden within each hello.  We were traveling when we found this special place, and we’ll be traveling again by and by.

A First Glance

We were sitting in a booth in a fast-food joint surrounded by other afternoon customers.  My companion, a church member, was sharing her feelings about my recent resignation and imminent departure, and was saying that she didn't know whether she could continue coming to church when I was no longer the minister.  But then came a realization.  “No, I guess I can't leave them,” she said, “I love them too much.”

I felt a stab somewhere between my heart and gut, and I blurted out, “No, that’s not true.  I know that you CAN leave people you love, because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

And I cried hard for the first time since saying ‘yes’ to the UU Congregation of Venice, Florida.

I can make no secret of my mixed emotions as I plan to leave First Church of Alton.  Yes, it’s exciting to think of beginning anew in an area as unknown to me as the west coast of Florida.  Yes, Linda and I will have a great time playing in the water and on the beach.  Yes, the people I’ve met there are good and delightful and committed to doing the work of the church.  And yes, I believe I have a lot to give to the community down there.

But I am incredibly sad to think of all the people I’ll be leaving behind here in this great church.  Alas, as I’ve often said, we are all ‘interims’:  we are all here only temporarily and we must all leave sometime, one way or another, like it or not.

In many ways, I’m glad to be leaving this congregation when there is so much good here.  I know there is determination here because I’ve seen it among the leaders who are planning to hire an interim minister immediately and then to call the next settled minister in about two years.  I know there is hope here because you express it openly among yourselves.  I know there is love here because you have shown it to me personally and because I have seen it in your eyes whenever you are together.

A great deal has been accomplished among you over the last ten years or so:  a strategic plan, capital campaign, and building project;  more outreach to neighbors;  better visibility in the broader community of the presence and power of this church.  And Marriage Equality is now the law in the state of Illinois.

It's a different world now.  But it’s not different enough that this congregation can hang up its cleats or rest on its laurels.

There’s still plenty to do:  neighbors on the margins, kids to nurture and teach, families to support, and individuals who need a level playing field on which to pursue their dreams and visions.

Yes, it must be possible to leave people and places one loves deeply, because we all must leave by and by.

But the leaving is made easier when one is certain that the love will continue in one’s absence. 

And I thank each of you for that gift.

See you in church,

SUMMER SPEARKER SCHEDULE FOR WORSHIP SERVICES

10 am

June 8 – Robyn Berkley

June 15 – Eric Johnson

June 22 – Rev. Susan Maginn

June 29 – Dee Evans

July 6 – Paul Fischer

July 13 – Sabrina Trupia

July 20 – Jeremy Colton

July 27 – Michelle Bryant-Barbeau

August 3 – Sayer Johnson

August 10 – Ron Glossop

August 17 – TBA

August 24 – TBA

August 31 – TBA

Upcoming Interim Minister Search

The board will be pursuing an interim minister through the UUA.  This position will hopefully last 2 years and help prepare us for a settled minister search.  If you would like to know more about Interim Ministry and the success other churches have had with it, here are a few informational links:

• UUA Main Interim Ministry Page
• Informational video on Interim Ministry
• UUA Fair Compensation Page

ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (ARE)

Nursery childcare available

May 4 – Bible study cancelled for May. 

Tracey Howe-Koch

May 11 – Dr. Ronald Glossop – Philosophy

Our 9th philosophy class will deal with the free-will problem.  The question is: "Can humans ever make free choices for which they can be held responsible?"  Hard determinists say "No" because people are totally determined like robots.  Indeterminists say some choices are unpredictable (but does that mean they are "free" in a meaningful way?).  Soft determinists say that behavior is "freer" to the extent that it is caused in the right way.

May 18 – Michelle Bryant Barbeau – Meditation

May 25 – Church service begins at 10 am

                 There will be no 9:30 ARE

May – All Sundays

Cheryle Tucker, Coordinator – Discussions based on the writings of Rebecca Parker and John Buehrens.

CHURCH BOOK DISCUSSION

We will meet 7-9 pm every Tuesday in May (6, 13, 20, 27) to discuss "Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint” by Nadia Bolz-Weber. No prerequisites necessary to come and discuss.  The signup sheet is in the Wuerker Room.  For more information, email Sabrina or look for the announcement on UU Friends.

Sabrina Trupia

Thank You . . .

to Bob Larson and Lola Maddox who spent a day beautifying the front garden at church.

Fourth Saturday Lunch & Personal Care Items

for those in need

May 24

11:30 am

Information about what is needed for May’s lunch will be available at church, via email from the Church Office, on UU Friends, and on the First Unitarian Church of Alton’s Facebook page.  Questions – contact Robyn Berkley.

Our distribution of personal care items has become very popular – as many of these needed items cannot be purchased through the government’s “Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program” (SNAP - formerly known as food stamps). 

If you can contribute any of the following items, your donation would be very welcome.  Toilet paper – feminine hygiene products – shampoo – laundry detergent – bleach – baby wipes – diapers/pull-ups – Afro-American hair products – cleaning supplies – toothpaste - soap.  Questions – contact Sabrina Trupia.

Save the Date!   The Garden Ministry is hosting a 100 Mile Dinner Party on August 23 to support the UUSC 100 Garden Project. This project sponsors gardens in Haiti to help in their reconstruction efforts after the devastating earthquake in 2010.  This fun, family friendly get together will highlight the best food within 100 miles of our congregation. More information will be forthcoming, so stay tuned!  Questions? Contact Tracey Howe-Koch or Mary Johnson.

Report from the Board -

Sandy Shaner, Secretary

We hope everyone knows by now that Khleber is transitioning to a new congregation in Venice, Florida at the end of June, and that our congregation is working with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to select an interim minister who should arrive by fall. The interim minister will then be in the pulpit as well as helping us to identify exactly what we need in the search for a new, settled minister. Given the importance of this process, it is and will be a major focus of the Board until completion. You will be receiving frequent updates as part of the Announcement section of each Sunday service as well as in the Church This Week e-mails. With this and any other topic related to the church, please feel free to speak with any Board member.

Sunday May 11 @ 12 noon

Mother's Day Plant sale and Bingo party!  Join us after the 11:00 am service for our annual plant sale, followed by a Bingo game for all ages!  $1 cards.  All proceeds will benefit Campfest.  Great prizes and snacks! Plant donations gladly accepted.  Please see Sayer or Juliette.

UNITY CIRCLE

The Unity Circle, facilitated by Sharon Johnson, will meet on Sunday, May 4 from 12:15 to 1:30 pm.  In forthcoming months the Circle will meet on the 2^nd Sunday.

Everyone is welcome.  Participants should join if they are able to commit to joining us monthly for 6-12 months, as this Unity Circle is intended for relationship building.

This Unity Circle is intended for deep listening, and not feedback or advice.

The first six topics are:

1. Living Simply

2. Beauty

3. Forgiveness

4. Manifesting Your Dreams

5. Talents

6. Change

Church PotluckLunch

May 4, 2014

1^st Sunday of each Month

We hold our potluck lunches on the 1^st Sunday of each month.  Bring a dish to share on May 4and stay after the 2^nd service to join with friends and newcomers in an enjoyable tradition.  Volunteers are needed to help set the tables and help clean up, so please enjoy both the food and the sharing of the tasks.

Worship Team Associates

Monday, May 19

7 to 8:30 pm

Have you wanted to share in bringing new perspectives to Sunday morning worship?  Would you would enjoy a deeper study of what happens (emotionally, spiritually, intellectually) during worship, and how to make those experiences more meaningful to yourself and the congregation?If so, please plan to attend the Worship Team Associates meeting.

Contact:   Khleber Van Zandt

Donations to the Alton Crisis Food Center

Please continue to bring your donations of non-perishable food for The Crisis Food Center.  The Center is in need of canned green beans, corn and other vegetables; tuna; canned meat; peanut butter; boxes of mac ‘n cheese; and basic food staples.  The food collection box is in the RE foyer.

Personal care items should be put on the shelves in Emerson Place.

OUTreach Ministry wants you to mark your calendars for

May 31!

Our OUTreach ministry is involved in several activities, including the update of our church’s website.  As head of this arm of our congregation, I have also been meeting with the social justice chairs and others from the other UU congregations in the St. Louis area.  This group helped plan and orchestrate the joint participation in last year’s LGBT Pride parade.  This year, the focus has been on racial justice and equality in our region.  

            Donald Jeffries, from First Unitarian Church in St. Louis, has had a relationship with M-SLICE (Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equity) and we have come together with that group to see what we could do as a denomination to further some of our social justice goals alongside theirs.  Since its inception, M-SLICE’s work has focused on the Northside of St. Louis to address disparities of environmental justice, the unbanked and underbanked, Community Reinvestment Act, civic engagement, and equitable community and economic development practices.  As our congregation in particular draws from so many parts of the Metro area, we see the disparities in the community in a way that some others may not.

            The Metro UU Social Justice group (Did you know we existed?  Here we are!) had been brainstorming ways to get involved in different ways when Ramona Williams of M-SLICE suggested that we all partner in a cleanup day in the Kensington Redevelopment / Academy Neighborhood north of Delmar.  This area is very near First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, but might as well be worlds away.  Our group fleshed out an idea for a cleanup day, focusing on getting rid of branches, debris, and overgrowth in some of the empty lots.  The other focus of the day is on building community within our denomination and our region.  This is intended to be a family friendly event with a social gathering (BBQ?  Why not?) afterward.

            May 31^st is our target date for this activity.  I hope you can plan to come together and meet UUs from the other congregations as well as neighbors who are striving to make their neighborhood a better place to live.

            More information will be available soon, but feel free to contact me with questions!  

Sarah Lazarz

MORE ITEMS NEEDED!

RUMMAGE SALE

@ Church

May 9 & 10

8:00 am to 1:00 pm

Char and Lee are once again “hosting” a rummage sale at church!  Start your spring-cleaning soon and set aside those treasures that you thought you could never part with … but have now decided they are just collecting dust … and you really don’t like to dust.

A great variety of items will be needed – almost anything sells if the price is right.  Last years’ sale was very successful, and we’d like to top that this year.  So start searching closets, basements, attics, spare rooms, cabinets for what you’d like to donate to the sale.

Accepting Donations:

Monday, May 5^th from 10 am to 1pm

Tuesday, May 6^th from 4 to 7:30 pm

Wednesday, May 7^th from 10 am to 1pm

Thursday, May 8^th from 10 am to 6:30 pm

Welcome to Membership in the First Unitarian Church of Alton

THOMAS COCHRAN is new to our church, but he’s not a stranger to Unitarian Universalism.  He was a UU as a child on Cape Cod where his father was a teacher and scout leader.  He also has unusual connections to Ralph Waldo Emerson, or RWE as he’s known in the Cochran family.  Two of Thomas’s aunts were sisters who married RWE’s direct descendants.  When one of the sons died, his widow married a third brother, so Thomas now has double first cousins who are the great great grandsons of RWE. [Editor’s note:  Our church was founded by Dr. William Samuel Emerson – 2^nd cousin of RWE.]

Thomas is married.  He met wife Sheela while serving in India with the Peace Corps.  He first came to St. Louis as an architecture student at Washington University, liked St. Louis and decided to stay.  He still does some architectural work part time, and owns The Huckleberry Finn Youth hostel in Soulard and The Outermost Hostel in Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA.  While Thomas currently enjoys living in Soulard (except for Mardi Gras), he is currently looking for a fixer-upper in the Alton area.

Welcome the following new members, who you’ll learn more about in upcoming newsletters.

Lola* Maddox – joined 3/30/2014

lolapearl1949@gmail.com

Kayci* Combs Lueker& Randy Lueker

(C: Gruvis James & Eunice) – joined 4/13/14

kcintheam@gmail.com

Jean* Kirts& Josephine Costarella – joined 4/13/14

7jeanjo@sbcglobal.net

John* & Christine Jeffrey – joined 4/13/14

johnjeffrey48@yahoo.com

James*& Kathleen*McKeever – joined 4/20/14

(C; Laura & Mary Rose)

mckeeverjim@sbcglobal.net

Phillip* Waits & Lauren* Waters - joined 4/20/14

pwguitars@yahoo.com

ren.waters@yahoo.com

Directory Updates

Paul and Joyce Berney

relocated to California - new phone number

Heather & Mandan Kirk

new address

Interest Groups

The May meeting (Thursday, May 1) of the Anna Ds is being hosted by Mary Weber at the Golden Corral in Collinsville, right off the I-55/IL40 intersection with I-255. The official address is 1079 Collinsville Crossing, 62234, and the phone number for the restaurant is 618-343-0309.

Mary is still working on securing a speaker from SWIC for the meeting, and their folks won't stray far from the Belleville area, thus the location a bit farther south than we normally travel. (And remember, we decided we were getting a bit bored with our restaurant selection and would willingly travel farther in order to visit different ones.) This location is easily reachable with lots of nearby parking. Mary has arranged a private room for us, just to the right of the entrance. The lunch buffet is $8.49 and $7.89 for seniors with drinks available for $2.19.

RSVP to Mary so she knows how many to expect. Thanks!

    Fifty-Plus (50+) Forum

First SATURDAYof every month

May 3, 2014

10:30 am to noon at church

We invite anyone who is over 50 or even getting near that milestone to join us. We have a lot in common: long work lives, preparation for or entry into retirement, a vast array of interests … and we love sharing all of it.

Men’s Monthly Lunch

May 8, 2014 @ 11:30

The Men’s lunch bunch meets the second Thursday of each month.   Join us on Thursday, May 8 at 11:30 am at the Best Buffet at 615 Wesley, Drive in Wood River, IL.
Coordinator:  Jim Moore .   All men in our church are invited.

Renegade Women - topical discussions

1 pm to 3 pm every 3^rd Saturday.

May 17, 2014

For information for the topic of this month’s discussion, contact Dee Evans.

First Unitarian of Alton Campfest

Campfest dates open to the congregation are Monday June 30^th through Friday July 4^th.  Core planning members will be on site from Sunday June 29 till Saturday July 5.  Talk to Sayer Johnson for more information.

A Course in Esperanto

  At 12:30 pm on Sunday, May 11, 2014 the eighth and last meeting of the Esperanto class this year will take place in the Emerson Place.  All are welcome even if you never attended before.

May Birthdays

Most people enjoy getting a card, email, or phone call on their birthday.  Below is the list we have of church members and friends celebrating birthdays this month.  If you do not think the church office has your birthday on file, please contact Becky Green at church@firstuualton.org and give her that information.

5/03       Makala Lappin, (8)

5/05       Mickey Gould-Oldt

5/08       Hannah McMurray, (7)

5/11       Tracey Howe-Koch

5/11       Diane Thompson

5/13       Mark Tade

5/14       Khleber Van Zandt

5/16       Sharon Johnson

5/21       Lola Maddox

5/22       Jacob McMurray, (8)

5/26       River Johnson, (12)

5/26       Audrey Wiseman

5/28       Mark Antieau

5/28       Brigham Dimick

5/28       Willis McCoy

Below is the list of members of the Caring Ministries Team.

Marcia Custer is the Coordinator. You may always contact a Team member in time of illness, loss, crisis, or other need.  Keep this list of contact people available in case you or your family is in need of pastoral support.

The Caring Ministries Committee is ready to welcome several more members! If you are interested in engaging in conversations with other church friends and getting to know them on a deeper level, please consider joining our group! Please contact Marcia Custer for more information.