July 2013

Welcome to Summer Sundays!  From July 7 through August 4 join us at 10 am for worship services as congregational members share their unique messages and personal insights into spiritual and religious thought.

Khleber will be back in the pulpit August 11 through August 25.  September 1 will be another lay-led service, with our ingathering service starting on September 8, with Khleber in the pulpit.

Summer Worship Speakers

July 7 – Michelle Bryant-Barbeau

July 14 – Tracey Howe-Koch

“Jesus, What is He Good For?

I plan to discuss our UU history with Jesus and why, whether or not you believe he died for his sins, it is important to understand the example he set and the positive influences he had.

July 21 – Sabrina Trupia

July 28 – Cheryle Tucker

“Finding Light on Our Journeys”

August 4 – Group presentation

August 11 – Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

“Hello my name is …”

August 18 – Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

“Laborers in the Vineyard”

August 25 – Rev. Khleber Van Zandt

“Beyond iChurch”

September 4 – TBA

Adult Religious Education

11:15 am

RARES – Rogue Adult Religious Education for Summer.  We plan to meet for approximately 45 minutes on every Sunday.  After the 10:00 service ends, chat and enjoy Coffee Communion for 10 minutes or so ... then meet us in Emerson Place.  Please join us any Sunday ... a rag tag group of random conversationalists! This activity will be lay-led.  Future topics: articles in the current UU World magazine, drawing topics from an "Idea Jar" ... and anything that piques our interests .....

A First Glance

As this newsletter is being written, Khleber is at the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly (GA) in Louisville, and then will be on vacation in July. 

However, please contact him in case of emergencies.

In Our Church Family

Our sympathy is extended to Pat and Jim Moore on the death on June 12 of Pat’s father, Ronald Crum.  Mr. Crump was 95 when he passed on, and he and Pat’s mom Gladys had been married for 72 years.  The service celebrating Mr. Crump’s life was held at Irwin Chapel in Granite City with the Crump’s pastor from Cedarview General Baptist Church officiating, and Khleber participating in the service with guitar and song.  

4^th Saturday Lunch

for those in Need

July 27 – 11:30 am

Paula Moore will be coordinating July’s lunch.

There will be details about this month’s lunch on UU Friends, in announcements at church, and through “This Week at Church” sent from the church office.

Plan to help with this major social action program of our church.

Church Potluck Lunch

July 28

Our monthly lunches are held on the 4^th Sunday. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share.  This is an all-church event so we all participate in setting up and cleaning up.

Mona Hebert’s Medical Mission to Guatemala

Mona will be traveling to eastern Guatemala in early August with the St Joseph Mission Outreach volunteers.  They will be providing free medical and dental care to the very poor in remote rural villages.  Mona is seeking donations of bars of soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, as they would like to give each person cared for a gift of personal hygiene items.  These can usually be picked up at Dollar Tree stores. You can purchase 3-5 toothbrushes in a package for $1 and 2-4 bars of soap for $1. Please buy the toothbrushes and bars of soap that are individually wrapped or packaged.

This year they will also be spending a day providing free medical and dental care at CASA GUATEMALA, which is an orphanage.  They would like to be able to collect about 300 pairs of children’s new underwear and about 600 new or gently used (clean) children’s t-shirts. The children at the orphanage range in age from about 4 – 12.

If you are able to donate these personal hygiene items, or children’s clothing please bring them to church by Sunday July 14.  Cash donations or check made out to St Joseph Catholic Church will also be accepted. 

Thank you! 

Chalice Circles

Renegade Women’s Chalice Circle

Every 3^rd Saturday.

Saturday, July 20 from noon to 2 pm at church.

Contact the facilitator Dee Evans for further information.

Other Activities

UU Family Campfest

at Pere Marquette

Please join us for an all-inclusive inter-generational camping event from July 5 to 11.  The cost is $12 per person per day (children 3 and under free) this includes a rustic cabin to sleep in, hot showers, 3 meals and drinks per day. 

Activities include private pool and fellowship.  Come for the day or the whole time.  We will hold a special outdoor service on Sunday July 7 at 11 am. 

Online registration will be available or contact Juliette Crone Willis or Sayer Johnson

Fifty-Plus (50+) Forum

First SATURDAY of every month

July 6, 2013  10:30 – 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.

We will continue to discuss basic Q&A about our histories, having spent June talking about children and we are planning to talk about parents in July.

The ROMEOS – Retired Old Men Eating Out – will meet on Thursday, July 11 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 – you needn’t be “old” or retired!

Capital Campaign Report

As of June 18, 2013 we've received $195,775.  This is 78% of our promised pledges.  This leaves a little over $55,000 more to come in to meet the campaign goal.   From our Capital Campaign contributions, we've spent $134,400 on congregation-approved projects, leaving $61,375 in the capital campaign bank account.  This will be the starting point for the next project - new energy efficient windows in the RE Wing.  Any of you who would like to pay off your Capital Campaign pledge early are welcome to do so.  Since we are only doing projects when we have the cash on hand to complete them, the sooner we get funding, the sooner we can move forward.

Your ATTENTION is Needed to

Maintain the Church Building & Grounds

If you notice something in the church building that needs attention or repair, please contact our Building Co-Chair, Lee Suarez.

LEE SUAREZ RECEIVES

HALL OF FAME RECOGNITION

In St.Louis on Tuesday, May 21^st, Lee Suarez was inducted into the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Division 3 NCAA Hall of Fame.

Lee was associated with Principia College athletics for 36 years, and with the SLIAC from its birth in 1989 until her retirement in 2008.  During her career coaching volleyball, track and field, women's basketball and men's golf, she was selected Coach of the Year three times -. twice in volleyball and once for men's golf, to go along with over 300 wins during her 28 years of volleyball coaching career.  But it may be as an administrator that she left her biggest mark on Principia and the Conference.

During her eight years as Director of Athletics, she oversaw the construction of the Athletic training center, the renovation of Hay Field House, and developed the Blue and Gold Hall of Fame, being the first female ethnic minority to hold that role at Principia.  She was part of the group that chartered the SLIA Conference in 1989, served on the executive committee of the Administrative Council for four years, and led the development of the Operating Manual that incorporated principles and philosophies of all the institutions involved.

Lee is grateful to her colleagues and friends for their support through the years.  Lee retired from Principia College as a Professor Emerita.

Below is the list of members of the Caring Ministries Committee.  You may always contact one of them 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 Sabrina Trupia until June 30.

JULY 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.

7/01  Stacey Wolff

7/06  Joan Hashimi

7/08  Chris Bechtol, (12)

7/08  Kassia Wright

7/09  Jonah Koch, (12)

7/09  Sabrina Trupia

7/15  Paul Berney

7/16  Neil Hershey

7/16  Claire Grippi (6)

7/18  Staci Bratten

7/19  Heather Kirk

7/20  Kevin McCarthy

7/21  Paula Moore

7/23  Dan Conniff

7/23  Catherine Oldt, (17)

7/23  Ronnie Schoenborn

7/24  Midge Hallett

7/25  Angie Payne

7/26  Lyric Johnson (6)

7/26  Cheryle Tucker

7/28  Michael Andrews (9)

7/28  Erkin Baker

7/28  Patricia Fischer

7/29  Grace Madison

7/30  Alex Hoeft

Watch the Fireworks from the Church Lawn on July 3

We will be welcoming our Alton neighbors to the church and selling refreshments as a fundraiser on Wednesday, July 3^rd.

All donations welcome!  See Paula Moore for more details. Please consider bringing a chair or blanket and joining us for Alton's Firework display.

Fireworks usually begin around 9 pm, but come early and enjoy the summer evening with friends.

July RE Program News & Notes

Teaching Children.  Raising People.  Growing Souls.

Summer RE Program Activities

Throughout the summer we have one service at 10 am.  There are no planned activities for children and youth this summer—children and youth are invited stay in the sanctuary during summer services.  Join us as we return at In-Gathering Sep 8; formal religious education classroom activities resume Sept. 15, 2013.

Farewell from Steven Mead

Your love and support called me into being as a religious education leader.  I came for a year and stayed many more—and for the best of reasons:  what a Special Place First Unitarian is!  So, it is with deep regret I bid farewell to you.  I have accepted an interim Director of Religious Education position at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, Pennsylvania.  My new ministry begins August 1st and continues for one or maybe two years.  Know unequivocally that I will hold you all in my heart when I am far away.

Our shared ministry has brought many blessings to me, and I hope to you and our families.  That shared ministry will continue to thrive because of the energy and dedication the whole congregation places on religious education and more importantly, on its children and youth.  To quote Ralph Abernathy, “I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”

To the children and youth of First Unitarian I would extend a particular farewell and thank you.  Thank you for the story times, and the plays, and the dog biscuits, and the songs, and the downward dogs, and the laughter, your thoughtful insights, and deep compassion, and, and, and.  I wish I could be there to see you grow up and help you tell your own story.  Whatever that story is, I am sure it will be awesome.  So, have fun and learn something.  And save the world.

All my best, Steven Mead