Congregation established 1836

Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Church, Alton, Illinois

www.firstuualton.org

October 2^nd

“The Stages of Life”

Dr. Ronald Glossop

Dr. Glossop will discuss the stages or phases through which each individual grows with special attention to the responsibilities one has in each stage. Then he will note how humanity as a whole also goes through somewhat parallel stages.

October 9^th

A Man Had Two Sons"

Khleber M. Van Zandt

The parable known as the Prodigal Son is an old tale where the meanings we were handed may not be the ones we need today.  We'll take another look at all three of the characters within the story. Special music by Tim Gardner.

October 16^th

“A Work in Progress”

Margret A. O'Neall

Fundamentally, life is a work in progress. Insights from physics and biology tell us that the expanding universe and all within it is a perpetual unfolding of patterns in change.  As humans, we are no different; we are ongoing creations of our own lives, individually and in the families and organizations and nations - and even the churches - that we create. As minister poet Richard Gilbert suggests, “Let us celebrate the power of the incomplete, for life is always unfinished business.”

Margret A. O'Neall has been a member of First Unitarian Church of St. Louis since 1986.  She is active in the church, co-chairing the Canvass Committee this year and coordinating the Small Group Ministry (covenant group) process.   When she is not at church, Margret works as a faculty member in the School of Public Health at Saint Louis University.  She is entering her second year of study

October 23^rd

“Behind the Culture Clash in American Churches”

Rev. Richard Haynes

Unitarians have long known that theological disagreements often mask conflicting political values and goals. Nationalism and Social Welfare have been the two most important political ideas in the modern history of Western nation-states. How do these two ideas play themselves out in the theology of various American churches? What are the practical implications of claiming “God’s Side”?

Rev. Haynes is a 1995 graduate of Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, Mo. He is a Unitarian Universalist community minister who works in association with Eliot Chapel in Kirkwood. He was the first non-Catholic Chaplain hired by St. Joseph’s hospital in Kirkwood in 1996 and is currently employed at that institution. He also performs weddings and does marriage and grief counseling in the St. Louis area.

October 30^th

"The Salvation of All Souls"

Khleber M. Van Zandt

Early worshippers celebrated Samhain and All Hallow's Eve, and our Universalist ancestors refined religious doctrines about who would be saved.  We've gathered these things into a quintessential UU holiday, All Souls' Day, when it's not just the saints that go marchin' in.

The children will trick-or-treat for UNICEF

during Coffee Hour.

October 2^nd - COMMITTEE SUNDAY

9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

The first Sunday of every other month (starting with October) has been designated Committee Sunday. This time is set aside for committees to meet and plan their activities. No other church programming is scheduled during this time slot. Please volunteer your time, ideas and talents to one (or more) of the committees listed below. It is hoped that everyone - church member or church friend - will become involved. The Committees are: Members, Growth, Worship, Religious Education/Enrichment, Finance, Building and Grounds, Personnel, and Stewardship. More information about each Committee and its activities can be found on the Committee Bulletin Board in the Wuerker Room, along with the names of each Committee Chair.

Adult Religious Enrichment Programs

9:30 a.m.

October 9^th -

• “Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work For Racial Justice.” This is the second in a four-part series that will be continued on the 2^nd Sunday of each month. The moderator for this series is Beth Nalick.

• “Our American Roots.” This is an on-going weekly program about the history of Unitarian Universalism. Khleber Van Zandt will be coordinating this program.

October 16^th -

• “Understanding the Bible” is a monthly class led by Gerry Gilman. The class is based on was written by the Rev. John Buehrens, former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

• “Our American Roots.” This is an on-going weekly program about the history of Unitarian Universalism. Khleber Van Zandt will be coordinating this program.

October 23^rd

• “Our American Roots.” This is an on-going weekly program about the history of Unitarian Universalism. The Rev. Richard Haynes will facilitate today's program.

October 30^th

• “Our American Roots.” This is an on-going weekly program about the history of Unitarian Universalism. Khleber Van Zandt will be coordinating this program.

A First Glance

As I was driving to church one morning, I heard a segment of “This I Believe” on the local NPR station. It was a reflection by journalist Ted Gup who ruminated on his lack of certainty about the issues of the day. While everyone else seemed to know exactly which opinion to hold or which tack to take, Mr. Gup said he found himself in a no-man’s land, pulled in different directions, able to see the merit in different sides, but unable to make a decision one way or the other.

He credited a prospective employer - one who turned him down initially - for finally letting him know “it was okay to be perplexed, to be torn by issues, to look at the world and not feel inadequate because it would not sort itself out cleanly.” After years of struggle, Mr. Gup “came to recognize that I had my on compass and my own convictions and if, at times, they took me in circles, at least they expanded outward.”

“Sorting itself out cleanly” is not the way the world generally works. Things that appear on the surface to be God-sends often have unintended ire consequences; many catastrophes offer hope of a silver lining. The death and destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the Gold Coast cannot be called anything but a horrible catastrophe. If there is a slight silver lining, it would be this: having seen the descent into chaos here in our own country, many are pledging to fight to change the status quo brought on by the blight of racism. And that is a good thing to attempt, because we can do nothing else, and because doing nothing is not an option.

We should be wary of coming to conclusions too quickly or too definitely. It is those who are too sure who too often overlook unintended consequences and carry themselves and others down blind alleys.

We must follow our own compasses and convictions, using our hearts and the feed back of those we trust to make sure our circles do indeed expand every outward.

See you in church,

To Contact Khleber Van Zandt

Email: kvanzandt@uuma.org

Cell Phone:

Missouri - 314-223-0551

Illinois - 618-520-0567

CHOIR Rehearsals

Upcoming Choir practices will be from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday evenings -

October 13^th, October 27^th, November 10^th

Childcare will be provided.

EVERYONE is WELCOME and ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE.

Please get in touch with Cheryle Tucker-Loewe if you have questions about the Choir.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

Members, friends, and visitors gave generously on Sunday, September 11^th in support of the UUA-UUSC Gulf Shore Relief Fund. The September 11^th Sunday offering of $1,147.00 was sent to the fund set up by the Unitarian Universalist Association and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The church is also identifying local needs that we can assist in meeting.

As of September 16^th, the President of the UUA, the Rev. William Sinkford wrote, “I am humbled and grateful to announce that the UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund (http://www.uua.org/news/2005/050831_katrina/donate.html) has received gifts in excess of one million dollars. The pride and awe I feel at reaching this milestone is an experience that I know you all will share. This outpouring of generosity from Unitarian Universalists and friends has both moved and heartened me. As we struggle to make sense of the profound natural destruction and the crushing social failures we have witnessed, it is important that we shine a light on inspiring acts of faith such as these. Please know that each of your gifts matter and that your continued generosity will help to restore many lives. And know that we are healing ourselves as we do our small part to help to heal others. Thank you, friends, for your ongoing acts of faith and generosity.

The UU World Online

To get updates from the UU World magazine, and to read new online articles go to http://www.uuworld.org . You can access the e-journal and also sign up to receive a weekly email newsletter.

AN INVITATION FOR YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM

UU and You!

An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism

This adult education course will be led by our minister, Khleber Van Zandt.

Here you will be introduced to the ideas, history, and people that make up the First Unitarian Church of Alton, and the Free Church Tradition of which Unitarianism and Universalism are a part. Learning about the church and its traditions is a first step towards involvement in a community of faith dedicated to the preservation of religious freedom and the uplifting of the human spirit.

We will explore together the difference between the orthodox and the liberal ways in religion, as well as a brief history of the Western church. You will learn about our approach to religion and the core ideas of Unitarianism and Universalism. You will also learn something of the rich and enduring history of the First Unitarian Church of Alton.

Hopefully you will also learn something about yourself and the things you value and the things you believe, as well as meet and learn about other newcomers who are on the same pilgrimage of self-discovery.

DATES & TIMES for UU and You!

Sunday, October 2^nd - noon to 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 9^th - noon to 2:00 p.m.

Lunch will be provided so we need to know how many people will be attending. RSVP to the church office (618) 462-2462 or church@firstuualton.org .

If you have additional questions about the content of
UU and You! please contact Khleber at kvanzandt@uuma.org or (314) 223-0551 or
(618) 520-0567.

Childcare will be available.

Anna D Sparks Alliance Meeting

The Anna Ds will meet on Thursday, October 6^th at noon at Audrey Wiseman’s.

BOOK DISCUSSION PLANNING MEETING

The first book discussion group planning meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23^rd during potluck. We will discuss:

1.) Lunch plans (bring your own, something to share, local restaurants, carry-out, delivery, etc. and ideally form a consensus of those present for future meetings)

2.) Possible titles, genres, topics for first official book discussion and optimal dates and times. Hopefully, we can accomplish these 2 tasks in 30-45 minutes and go from there.

Questions/comments: please e-mail Janice Joiner at jjoin1776@charter.net

Thumbnail Sketch of Upcoming Events

Read details in other parts of the newsletter.

Sun., Oct. 2^nd - UU and You! - 12 noon.

Thurs., Oct. 6^th - Anna Ds at Audrey Wiseman’s - 12 noon.

Sun., Oct. 9^th - UU and You! - 12 noon.

Tues., Oct. 11^th - Men’s Lunch Group - 11:30 a.m.

Tues., Oct. 11^th - Board Meeting - 7:00 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 13^th - Choir Practice - 7:00 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 15^th - Road Cleanup - meet at church - 9:30 a.m.

Sat., Oct. 22^nd - Board and Committee Chair Retreat -

to be held at First Unitarian Church, St. Louis - 9:00 a.m. to

4:30 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 23^rd - Potluck Lunch following services.

Sun., Oct. 23^rd - Book Discussion Planning meeting - during potluck.

Thurs., Oct. 27^th - Choir Practice - 7:00 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 29^th - Halloween Party - at the Brunner’s home in North County - 7:00 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 30^th - Kids trick-or-treat for UNICEF during coffee hour.

Sun., November 13^th - Khleber Van Zandt’s Ordination and Installation - at the church - 7:00 p.m.

RE NEWS

Dear Parents and Friends,

I wanted to let you all know how our summer read-a-thon to benefit Heifer International ended. $390 was raised. This is about twice as much as was raised on this project last year. The children have decided to use this money to purchase many different animals. They have decided on a water buffalo, a flock of chickens, a flock of ducks and geese, a hive of bees, and a trio of rabbits. Because of your generosity in giving, the children were able to assist 5 different families or communities in need worldwide.

On October 30 the children will be invited to come to church in costume in celebration of Halloween. The only costume request that I make is that there be no overt weaponry please. During coffee hour on this day the children will be invited to trick-or-treat for UNICEF. We did this last year and raised $140 during coffee hour. I am hoping that we can beat that total this year. I would ask you to all begin saving your spare change now and bring it in on that day.

Starting in November you will be able to bring in things for the Children's Holiday Gift Shop. This is the event where the children are able to shop for their families and get everything wrapped at the church during RE time on December 4. We ask that the children shopping give a donation that will later be given to the charitable organization of their choice. We also ask that the gifts that are brought in be of good quality and something that would be suitable for a child to give to a family member as a present.

Also in November, we will have an intergenerational bread service to celebrate Thanksgiving. The date for this service will be November 20. Crayons and coloring books will be available at the back of the sanctuary if you need them for your young children. Please ask an usher, and they will be happy to help you.

Please, if you have not done so already, return to me the registration forms and signed behavioral covenants for your family. These are important for me to have as they provide necessary information to help me keep your children safe.

Thank you, Jamie Gross

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 know your birth month and day. (mejohnson@mindspring.com)

6 October - Freya Wolff (2000)

11 October - Becky Green

15 October - Chloe and Mariah Huelsmann (1994)

18 October - Ana Harris

24 October - Ken Hoeft

24 October - Julia Sutton

27 October - Cliff Ott

28 October - Pat Moore

30 October - Peg Flach

Happy Birthday to Our Church

Everyone is Invited to

the Church’s Birthday Party

October 16^th

Our church building will turn 100 years young this month! The party will take place on Sunday, October 16^th, right after the service. It isn’t too late to contribute your photos and/or memorabilia to help the celebration come together. Place them in the box labeled “Church Memories” on the table in the Wuerker Room. Or you can send your thoughts via email to the church or to: nancybrunner@hotmail.com

The timeline still has many un-chosen years, so please select a slip or two from the “Gathering History” box. Find something in history that happened during the year/years you chose and return it to the “Timeline” box which is also located on the table in the Wuerker Room.

Don’t forget to look at the photo display. You’ll be surprised by the number lf “Kodak Moments” our church family has shared.

“Fair Trade” Coffee

In the interest of Social Justice we will now be serving “Fair Trade” coffee during coffee hour.

Over 500 UU congregations around the country participate in various “Fair Trade” coffee programs. Since the 1970s many coffee plantations and estates in coffee growing countries have cleared more forests and started aggressively cultivating high-yield coffee varieties under the open sun. These hybrid coffee trees require more chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The deforestation and resulting loss of biodiversity pose a significant threat to the survival of migratory wildlife, and has also led to devastating landslides and flooding. Plus, the use of more chemicals is bad for the health of farm workers and pollutes local water systems.

In contrast, Fair Trade coffee is grown on small-scale farms where land is used efficiently and the diverse tropical forest systems are maintained. Fewer agrochemicals are used. Fair Trade helps small farmers become organic certified and facilitates technical assistance for sustainable farming. Fair Trade programs buy coffee, tea, and cocoa directly from farmer cooperatives, assuring a fair price to the farmers.

Our providing Fair Trade coffee will benefit both the small grower and the environment. Besides serving Fair Trade coffee during coffee hour we also hope to be able to sell it by the pound at church to those who share these justice concerns.

Church Board and Committee Chairs Retreat

What: A day-long gathering for the Members of the

Church Board and the Chairs of all Committees .

When: Saturday, October 22, 2005

Where: In the Clark Room at the First Unitarian Church

of St. Louis, 5007 Waterman Blvd. in the Central

West End.

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

RSVP: To the church office: church@firstuualton.org

Men’s Lunch Group

The Men’s Lunch Group will meet at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11^th at the Chinese Buffet at 2610 Homer Adams Parkway in Alton. This lunch meeting is planned as a regular event on the 2^nd Tuesday of each month.

REPORT ABOUT MY VISIT TO UNITARIANS IN TRANSYLVANIA (Part 1)

Ronald J. Glossop

(Editor’s note: Due to the length of Ron’s report, it has been divided into two sections. Part 2 will be in the November newsletter.)

During August I had the opportunity to visit some Unitarians and their churches in Transylvania, Romania after attending Esperanto meetings in Lithuania for a couple of weeks. I stayed four days with Unitarian pastor Alpar Kiss (pronounced "Kish") and his family in the small town of Barot (close to the center of Romania) and then four days with Esperantist-Unitarian Julia Sigmond in the city of Cluj-Napoca (in the northwest part of Romania, a city called "Kolozsvar" in Hungarian).

The cities and towns in much of Romania have three names-a Romanian name, a Hungarian name, and a German name. Each small village is usually inhabited mainly by a single ethnic group, but the villages of different ethnic groups are interspersed among each other. The main religious groups are the Roman Catholics, the Reformed Church of John Calvin, the Lutherans, and the Unitarians. The different religious groups are generally intermixed within the individual towns and villages, but there was one village we visited where Alpar noted that 90% of the inhabitants are Unitarians. People's religion is generally a matter of family tradition going back hundreds of years. Because of this, the Communist Party in Romania was not able to undermine the churches even when it expropriated their properties (much of which is now gradually being returned to the churches but often not in very good condition). Almost all the Unitarians in Transylvania speak Hungarian, but several of their ministers, having been educated in the United States or Britain, also speak English.

This region of Transylvania belonged to Austria-Hungary until the end of World War I when it was given to Romania because that country had fought against Germany while Austria-Hungary had been allied with the Germans. In World War II many of the Hungarians again were sympathetic to the Germans, so their situation was not improved after that war. The result is that there is a large geographical area (maybe a fourth of Romania) inhabited by Hungarians (also called "Magyars" or "Sjeklers") who identify more with their ethnic group than with the government of Romania.

On Saturday August 13 I attended a large international Unitarian festival (maybe 3000 attendees) at Szejkefürdo, a kind of camp ground in the center of Transylvania that seems to be owned by the Unitarians. It was a celebration not only of the 450-year-old free religious tradition of Unitarianism but also of Hungarian culture. There were men in uniform, horses, flags, sermons and speeches, and ethnic music and dancing as well as booths selling food, drinks, and toys for children. The other side of this situation in Transylvania is that the government of Romania seems not eager to use its scarce resources to do much to build up the infrastructure in this region inhabited by Hungarians, as is

evident from the many huge pot-holes in the roads, especially in the rural areas. Nevertheless there was an official representative of the Romanian government at that Hungarian-language Unitarian festival, and the present desire of the government to become part of the European Union has greatly helped the human rights situation in Romania.

As many of you know, Ruth Shaw has been friends with the Kiss family since 22 years ago when Alpar was a student at Meadville Unitarian Theological Seminary in Chicago and once came to Alton to preach. Five years ago Ruth arranged that Abigel, the daughter of Alpar, would be able to study in a college in the U.S.A. Because I went with Ruth to see Abigel, I became acquainted with her. A year ago Abigel graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia and got married one week later. I had a chance to meet her parents when they came to attend those events. When I told them that I intended to visit Romania, they invited me to be a guest with them. The Kiss family hosted me for four days (Abigel was there visiting too), and Alpar drove me around to visit several Unitarian pastors and churches in the near-by villages. (Continued next month)

See a related column elsewhere in this newsletter regarding flood relief efforts to assist Unitarians in Transylvania

Sunday Pot Luck Lunch

October 23rd - the 4^th Sunday

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

A-L will do Clean Up

M-Z will do Table Set Up

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

After Church Events for Lovers of Live Theater and Afternoon Performances

The Rep has a wonderful season planned (an easy 30-45 minute drive from church, Sunday matinees available. The Alton Little Theater also has a good season planned: season tickets still available for $55.00 for all five productions. Hayner Library has some Sunday presentations, some history, some music, and some combinations thereof. Please e-mail Janice Joiner jjoin1776@charter.net if you are interested in getting together to attend any of these events.

Halloween Party

Do you ever think about changing your identity? Well, here’s your chance. Assume the character of another and join the Brunner family at their home in North County on Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. Bring the children, and a covered dish. Soft drinks will be provided. Contact Nancy Brunner if you need directions.

Come one and all for a frightfully good time.

Daylight Savings Time ends! Don’t forget to set your clocks!

ROAD CLEANUP

Saturday, October 15^th

Meet at church at 9:30 a.m.

The Church is responsible for picking up trash on a 4 mile area of Highway 67. This includes both the southbound and northbound lanes leading out of and into Alton, from the Mississippi River Bridge to the Highway 94 crossroad. It is expected that organizations that ‘adopt’ a highway clean up their road at least four times each year. We have tried to do this, but never seem to have enough people to completely clean up the 4 mile area at one cleanup. If 12 people signed up to help we could clean the entire section within two hours. There will be a signup sheet at church, or email Mary Johnson mejohnson@mindspring.com if you will help. We will meet at 9:30 at the church to distribute trash bags and vests.

Volunteers Needed Every Sunday

Ushering … Greeting …

Bringing refreshments … Making coffee

Cleaning up …

Please sign up to take your turn.

Flooding in Transylvania

Tuesday night August 23, the area of the Nyiko Valley of Transylvania was hit with an 8-foot wall of water in a flash flood that swept through the Unitarian villages of Simenfalva, Kobatfalva and Kadacs (located today in Romania. Rev. Lajos Lorinczi reports that every household in Simenfalva, a village of 1000, was impacted. Two women died in Simenfalva and three more in Kadacs as the waters rushed through taking livestock, crops, food and wood stockpiles, utensils, furniture, and in some cases entire houses and barns.

UU John Dale who was there when it happened emailed us that; "There were torrential rains Tuesday night which sent walls of water down many of the minor streams in and around Szekelyudvarhely." The estimate of the damage in Szekelyudvarhely alone is in the many millions of dollars.

The Rev. Lajos Lorinczi and the Rev. Jozsef Sombatfalvi are helping to lead relief and clean-up crews with Unitarians from as far away as Kolozsvar and Sepsiszentgyorgy coming to help. However, the Unitarian village families hardest hit will need our help over the long haul. "We have the immediate relief that we need," said Rev. Lorinczi. "But we don't know how we will help the people rebuild their homes and their lives."

The UUA and the UU Partner Church Council (UUPCC) are asking for your help because no one else is going to help our Transylvanian Unitarian community to start their lives anew, to create new hope in a time of despair. The Unitarians are an ethnic minority in their own land. The government will not help them to rebuild their lives. They need us now, and we can do this.

The UUA and UUPCC are committed to helping these Unitarians rebuild their lives, their houses, their barns and their herds of goats and cows. They need to replace all of these plus feed for stock, seed for new crops, and firewood and food to get through the winter. To give an idea of replacement costs, a young pig is $75, a cow $250, rebuilding a house is between $10,000 - $25,000.

For further information check the UUPCC website at http://www.uupcc.org. If you would like to make a donation whether individual or from a church, please send checks to UUPCC P.O. Box 88 Bedford, MA 01730-0088 Memo: Transylvania Flood Relief. If you are making a credit card donation, please make it via the UUA website.  UUPCC does not (yet) have the capacity to accept credit card payments.

A Celebration of Ordination and Installation

Sunday evening

November 13^th

Ordination is the act by which a person becomes a minister and is formally entitled to be called “The Reverend . . .” Ordination recognizes that one has chosen to make ministry his or her life’s work and profession. An Installation service is the recognition that a minister is settled in a particular church. The Installation highlights and reaffirms the bond between the minister and the church.

In Memoriam

Long time church member, Frank Henry Vozak, Jr. died in Oak Park, IL on Sept. 13, 2005, two days shy of his 89^th birthday. Funeral services were held on September 16^th, at the Gent Funeral Home in Alton, with our minister, Khleber Van Zandt officiating.

Frank grew up in Alton and was drafted into the Army in 1941. He served in England, North Africa and Italy. He returned to Alton in 1945 and began his 37 year career at Shell Oil Company. He married Margarita Redin in 1947, and they had one son, Frank Redin Vozak, III.

Frank always had a love of music, and played the violin in the Alton Symphony Orchestra and served on the Symphony Board as a member, and later as its president. He was also passionate about social justice. He served in the 1950s and 1960s as a member and then chair of the Alton Human Relations Council. He was an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Alton for 54 years.

Bette Elmore, a former member of the Alton church died on Saturday, September 17^th. She is survived by her husband Bill, son James and daughter Cynthia. Bette and Bill joined Emerson Unitarian Chapel in the 1980s. Bette was a member of Florissant Valley Quilters, and made some of the lovely wall hangings that grace the walls of Emerson Chapel.

Request from the newsletter editor

If possible, when you send in an article for the newsletter, please format it as a Times New Roman document in font size 11 and email it as an attachment. Thank you.