GROWING FOR GOOD

What are the signs of a thriving congregation? Every faith community is unique, yet there are some commonalities among those who are making a real difference for their members and the wider community.  Among them:

Good congregations have visitors attending every Sunday.  Three is a buzz among non-aligned seekers that something positive is happening and they are welcome to come and see.  Visitors are welcomed every Sunday, and church members seek them out at coffee hour.  Some members will sit with visitors in the sanctuary, especially if they are sitting alone.  Visitors will stay and eventually become church members if they make a friend or two during their early days at the Unitarian Church of Evanston.

Good congregations have an outward focus.  People come to be refreshed and refueled through the church’s ministries and then are a force for justice wherever life takes them.  Work in the wider community develops a reputation that Unitarian Universalists are on the frontlines of social change.  The congregation’s justice efforts themselves becomes a draw to curious seekers who want to put hands and feet on their spiritual principles and purposes.  Millennials in particular are looking for spiritual communities that walk their talk and don’t get caught up in inward facing congregational drama.

Good congregations stand for something.  Far from being an outpost only for theological misfits, members can articulate what they do believe, as opposed to what they do not believe.  They embody the congregation’s mission and vision on days other than Sunday, in the communities where they live, in their social circles, and with the general public.  Their churches are known in the community for what they do more than by what they believe.  They believe they have many friends and neighbors who are Unitarian Universalists but don’t know it yet.  These congregations tend to do fewer things with greater expertise.

Good congregations exemplify a generous spirit.  Money is talked about freely and openly but is only one of several indicators.  Congregants eagerly volunteer their time and enthusiastically share their talents as well.  There is a desire to do the work of the church in the world and a realization that this can take big bucks.  Members are willing to give sacrificially because they’re congregation gives so much to them.  They insist on building a culture of generosity with their walls and understand that being generous is a spiritual gift and a character builder.  And when times are tough, they know their church family has their backs.

Sound familiar?  It does to me, thanks to you.

The joy continues,

Greg

Donate your treasures and saleable items of all sorts.  ASK YOUR FRIENDS. We have gotten wonderful things in the past from non-church members, just ask and remind them to shop at the sale.

Bring donations Sunday, April 28 from 2 to 8 p.m., Monday, April 29 or Tuesday, April 30 from 9 a.m.to 8 p.m.  NO Donations can be accepted after Tuesday evening

Wear “grubby clothes” to church on Sunday, April 28 so you can help set up for the sale.  We need to move a little furniture, stack the chairs we have been sitting on and set up many tables to accept donations. The plan is to be ready to receive donations by 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

This is a wonderful community building enterprise – full of surprises, you never know what you will find when you open a box. Join us this year – rummage is really fun.  Our shoppers often tell us ours is their favorite sale and comment that we are very organized and have the nicest people. The church has gotten a number of new members and lots of good will from these contacts.

Many volunteers are needed to pull this off. Please sign up on the board in the lobby to let us know you can help or contact Barbra Versino at bversino@comcast.net.

Extra volunteers are needed during set up  – Monday, April 29 though Wednesday, May 1.  If you haven’t committed to a particular department,  just show up – we will be glad to see you and accept your help between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. all 3 days.

The sale takes place Friday, May 3 from 9a.m.to 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.  Of course, many hands are needed to sell. Hope you will join us!

ICIRR HB2040

HB 2040 Call Script (002)

ORDINARY RESSURECTIONS

We find ourselves in the midst of spring, perhaps the one time of year when the word “resurrection” is used in public discourse.  Coming back to life from the dead doesn’t happen every day, you know.  It may not happen at all.  Think about it: how would you use “resurrection” in a sentence?

There’s virtually no word from this word all year until the thump-thump-thumping of the Easter Bunny beats a b-line to my door.  Only then do graves fly open and spirits soar.  But it doesn’t have to be that way; we can look for new life rising from old corpses any day of the week, every day of the year.  We can experience ordinary resurrections.

I think of the CASA worker who stayed the course with a difficult child and witnessed his hard heart soften, his tired eyes sparkle, and his trust slowly build.  Today he is preparing for adoption and will soon meet his “forever family.”  The young man literally rose up beyond his circumstances and will forever live in new and meaningful ways.

I think of the yoga teacher who cautiously entered the prison system with a mat and a smile, intending to help inmates alleviate stress and connect with their inner spirits.  It was rough going at first, lots of taunts and jabs, but our yogini kept her fear at bay long enough to know the inmates as individuals.  That’s when everything changed.  No longer a “nuisance,” prisoners began sharing with their teacher future hopes they simply could not envision for themselves previously.  Now living makes sense.

I think of the executive who was laid off far too long to believe he would ever work again.  Money was tight, time was running out, and nerves were frayed when a better job finally landed on his lap.  Or the teacher who could not get hired in the public schools and was ready to give up the ghost of teaching until he scored a position—in Saudi Arabia.  This resurrection was never on his radar, a gift from the Universe, but now he tells me he has found his purpose in life.

With these examples, all of whom are members of churches I’ve served, we can use the word “resurrection” freely and accurately.  Life arises out of death each time we proclaim our liberal religious “Yes!” even when circumstances shout No.  Expect a resurrection: Just as long as I have breath, I must answer, “Yes,” to life, says the hymn.  That’s music to my resurrected ears.

The joy continues,

Greg

seeds-of-care-2019

We learn, we connect, and we heal through music.

It’s a way we live our mission:  nurturing the human spirit for a world made whole. 

It’s Pledge time and Julie Milner asked me to write a newsletter article on this week’s Pledge focus:

the UCE Music Program.   Of course, the music making at UCE could not take place without your generous donations!  Thank you for your financial commitment to UCE!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how our UCE Music Program aligns with our “Who Do We Want to Be in this World” End Statements, and I thought it might be nice to share this with you.

Spiritually Aware

We perform pieces that have music and/or texts that have been chosen to fit the services and have been influenced by many different beliefs.  Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Humanism, Hinduism, and Pantheism, to name just a few.  Also, when time allows, at choir rehearsals, we discuss the deeper meanings of the pieces.  And often people are lifted to a new place when singing or listening to the music.

Intellectually Excited

The process of music making very much involves the intellect. Counting rhythms, learning intervals, hearing the harmonies, learning the nuances involved in using one’s body as an instrument, and learning what’s involved in blending one’s instrument (voice or other) with other instruments are all ways to excite the intellect.  Add to that the chance that musicians get to explore and discuss the background and history of the piece, the composers, and the meanings of the texts and poems and it becomes a very rich experience for the intellect.

Community Builders

Choir is small group ministry.  Singing in a choir is the epitome of community.  It is the vocal version of a team sport where all strive to work together.   And music, whether solo or ensemble, performed in front of others is collaborative as all are experiencing that music together as it’s being performed.

We build community through (to name a few) . . .

• Hard work, laughter and communication during rehearsals
• Choristers working together as music is learned and, when learned, phrasing and blending together
• Singing Happy Birthday to choristers and sending cards to choristers who are sick or grieving
• Socializing after rehearsals while enjoying treats brought by choristers
• Collaborating with Gregory through the rehearsal process and when the piece is performed
• Collaborating with solo singers and instrumentalists
• Collaborating with other communities (2U Choir this weekend, Evanston’s Children’s Choir last year)
• Collaborating with the congregation – hymn singing and joining in on the occasional choir piece
• Collaborating with other groups within UCE – youth, Sing Thing, Dances of Universal Peace
• Collaborating with volunteers who have read in pieces that have narration
• Collaborating with volunteers and staff who have helped with the projected lyrics
• Collaborating with AV
• Collaborating with the Ministers in so many ways including working to make the music selections fit the themes of the services
• Choirs can be, and have been, a strong source of community support following tragic events such as the 9/11 attacks. Singing at such times is both healing for the individual and builds community.

Diverse in belief

As with any group of UU’s, the choir is made up of individuals from a variety of backgrounds
and with a variety of beliefs.

Acting for justice

The choir, Gregory, and guest musicians often perform pieces that deal with justice
(“Never Turning Back” and “Make Them Hear You” to name just two).

I’m so grateful to have such committed and wonderful staff, choristers and other volunteers, and guest musicians to work with.  As we each think about how much we’d like to Pledge to UCE, I want you to know that I am grateful for the gifts given by members and friends of the church that help us continue to provide music for UCE!   Your generosity helps us to buy sheet music, helps us pay composers and arrangers for new pieces, helps us to buy instruments and keep the instruments maintained, helps us hire guest musicians, and helps ensure that we continue to have great staff (I love my colleagues!)!

Thank you to Julie Milner for the work you are doing for the UCE Pledge Drive.

Thanks to all who are involved in our music program and thanks to all who help to support the music making!  Your contributions – whether they be a kind word said about the music, “sweat equity,” or financial donations – are all very much appreciated!

With Gratitude,

Vickie Hellyer, UCE Director of Music

We’ve got a lot of work to do if we are going to honor our call as Unitarian Universalists in Evanston, Chicago, and the North Shore, in the year 2019.  It’s not like someone else is going to pick up the baton if we hang up our running shoes and take a break.  Our good news is unique, our timing is perfect, and our abundance is evident.  On your mark, get set, go!

The culture wars call for nothing less than radical hospitality in response to the intense polarization that seeks to eliminate non-conformists like us.  When we explain that our differences unite us, we speak treason.  When we put our faith in humankind, we blaspheme.  When we stand with the oppressed and refuse to back down, we beg for buckshot.  On your mark . . .

We now find our society in the midst of a new economic reality.  The so-called American Dream of two or more cars, home ownership, a steady job with a single employer, and out-of-state or overseas vacations is no longer a given for most middle-class Americans.  In fact, some are already mourning at the tombstone for this stratum of society as wealth trickles up to the rich.  When dreams are deferred or denied we can expect more religious seekers to cross UCE’s threshold than even our visionary founders ever dreamed.  Get set . . .

We can no longer expect to impact our world or welcome the wanderer on a shoestring budget.  I am not hesitant to ask for money.  Raise your pledge, make one if you haven’t, encourage others to so do if you cannot.  Talk is cheap but being a powerhouse of worship and transformation is not.  Now is the time, our pledge drive is in full force, and the future can be one of abundance or scarcity; it’s up to you.  Go!

My prayer is that we will amaze ourselves with the kind of generosity that sacrifices personal accumulation for a more equal distribution of wealth.  Too radical for you?  I think not, compared to the cost of moderation in matters religious.  No, there is no turning back.

The joy continues,

Greg