April 2003 Newsletter

Anniversary Celebration!
It’s almost time to celebrate! All the good work everyone’s done to make the UUFD 50th Anniversary Service a time to remember is about to pay off.

Just a few weeks from now, on Saturday, May 3, we’ll be welcoming our distinguished leader from Boston, the Rev. William Sinkford, to town. He will deliver the sermon at a special 1 p.m. service in the Sanctuary. We’ll also be honoring him at a brunch that morning and community reception right after the service.

As you may know, Rev. Sinkford has been an outspoken advocate for achieving a peaceful, diplomatic method to disarm Saddam Hussein, for protecting civil liberties during a war on terrorism, and for defending worker rights. He has strived to keep the liberal faith of Unitarian Universalism alive and before the public in the first year and a half of his presidency.

Invitations have been made to the new Decatur mayor and leaders of local religious groups. In addition, ministers and members of several UU congregations from Central and Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area have been invited. We’re looking forward to as many as 100 people being at the service.

There are likely to be one or two surprise activities wrapped into the May 3 service, so you won’t want to miss it! Many from the Fellowship have been so gracious in volunteering their time, talents and donations. As just one example, renowned violinist Leo Pondelick called up one Sunday and said he was so enthused with the idea behind the Anniversary Celebration that he would offer his services!

So, many good things are coming together to make this a memorable day -- and the day will be here before you know it, so jot it on your calendar!

How You Can Help
The volunteering and contributions many have made for our Anniversary Celebration are fantastic -- but there’s more that needs to be done. It’d be great to have people lined up in advance to give the Fellowship Hall a quick cleaning in the week leading up to May 3. Having people available to set up chairs is going to be crucial. Being available to greet and usher will be vital to keeping events going smoothly. Giving Jeanne Robertson a hand in setting up the food and drink for the reception will be a great help.

We’re hoping we can come up with donations for all the food and drink for the reception. Wine already has been pledged, so we’d love to have people come up with cookies, cheeses and crackers and cut vegetables for our guests.

And since the Fellowship doesn’t have a specific spot in the budget to cover this event, some financial support will be necessary. For instance, we’ll always be grateful for Mr. Pondelick’s offer – but covering the discounted fees for the remainder of his fine string quartet will cost $270. The commemorative booklet/order of service we will prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration will come to something like $160. Sally VanNatta, professional photographer and friend of the congregation, is donating her time for photographing the service and reception, but the film and developing costs may run to $50. Rental of chairs to supplement the 72 we have may cost $100. The honorarium we will offer to Rev. Sinkford will be $250 (although the Unitarian Universalist Association is paying for his travel and lodging expenses!) And an expanded newspaper advertisement in the week leading up to the service, to convey some of UUFD’s accomplishments and features, will cost $230.

So, please consider underwriting all or part of one of these categories. If you can, make your check payable to UUFD and note "Anniversary Event" in the memo section. Please forward them to the church by Sunday, April 20. Our plea wouldn’t go out if we weren’t convinced this is such an important event for the Fellowship. Rest assured your generosity will be noted, and you’ll have the satisfaction of having been an even more substantial factor in what is likely to be UUFD’s finest hour!

The final planning meeting for the Anniversary will be noon on Sunday, April 27. Please join us to see how things are coming together!

Time needed cleaning ushering food serving

Funds needed Music, $270 Chairs, $100 Film, $50 Booklet, $160 Honorarium, $250 Newspaper ad, $230

Food needed

• Tray of fresh vegetables (2 persons contributing per tray)
• Tray of fresh fruit (2 persons contributing per tray)
• Cookies and other small sweets (bars, tarts, etc)
• and money for Hospitality Committee to make purchases of additional items such as cheeses, dip, bread, crackers, nuts, mints, napkins, etc.

Sunday Sermons in April

All services begin at 10:15 a.m. There is religious education for children and child care for babies and toddlers.

The accepted "justification" for war can be theoretical or historical. The theoretical aspect is concerned with ethically justifying war and certain forms of warfare. The historical aspect deals with the body of rules or agreements that have existed in wars across the ages. It is the role of ethics to examine these institutional agreements for their philosophical coherence and possible need for change.

Though Easter embodies many pre-Christian traditions, the origin of its name is unknown. Scholars believe it probably comes from Castre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her Easter festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored eggs, painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring.

By bringing a flower to share with others this Easter Sunday, you will participate in a tradition created by Norbert Capek, founder of the Unitarian Church of Czechoslovakia. Dr. Capek died in 1942 in a Nazi concentration camp. He introduced this special service to his church in 1923 to create a ritual that would unite people but not alienate any who had forsaken other religious traditions. The Flower Communion Ceremony is followed the world over in UU congregations.

Dr. Wehrle, professor emeritus in economics at the University of Illinois-Springfield, will discuss recent U.S. foreign policy decisions and business practices. Dr. Wehrle served on President Kennedy's Council of Economic Advisors and the staffs of Gov. Richard Ogilvie and Lt. Gov. Paul Simon before becoming chair of the Economics Department at UIS in 1972. He is the founder of the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois.

Other Important Dates
Wednesdays at 11 am -- Decatur area peace group, to which Pastor Biedler belongs, meets at the Dove offices, 788 E. Clay St.

Wednesdays at 1 pm -- The Men’s Lunch Group, “We’re Only UU Men”, Red Lobster. All men are welcome!

April 2 at 2-4 pm -- Wednesday Covenant Group. The topic is Tai Chi as an aid to meditation.

April 3 at 1 pm -- Women’s Lunch Group. The Round Table on Oakland near Pershing. RSVP with Cynthia Dare, 420-4797 or dareco@webtv.net.

April 6 at 1:30 - 3:00 pm -- Covenant Group Leadership Training.

April 9 at 6 pm -- UUFD Women’s Book Group, at Kathy Kline’s, 2480 W. Main St. The book is The Blind Assassins by Margaret Atwood. Bring a dish to share. RSVP with Kathy at 428-1807 or kkline@uufd.org. The May book is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

April 10 at 1 pm -- Women’s Lunch Group. Marcia’s Waterfront in Nelson Park. RSVP with Cynthia Dare.

April 13 -- Palm Sunday.

April 13 at noon -- UUFD Board meeting. All UUFD members are welcome to attend.

April 16 at 2-4 pm -- Wednesday Covenant Group.

April 17 -- First Day of Passover.

April 17 at 7 pm -- UU Buddhist Group. Members and friends are welcome.

April 18 -- Good Friday.

April 20 -- Easter.

April 22 -- Earth Day.

April 27 at 12 noon -- Anniversary Committee.

Bring out your pledge
If you were present Pledge Sunday, March 16, and turned in your pledge for the 2003-2004 budget year or if you have mailed in your pledge to Treasurer Julie Pajer or if you have brought the pledge to the treasurer's box in the UUFD office, THANKS VERY, VERY MUCH!!!

If you have not, please get your pledge in right away. The Board will be meeting in early April to assess our financial situation and to plan accordingly. We need to hear from all UUFD members and friends.

Minister’s Office Hours
April 2, 9, 23 and 30, at 2-5 pm. Call in advance (since John could be
called out of the office): cell phone: 433-0250. UUFD office: 875-5442.

In John's Words
The following "letter to the editor" appeared in a newspaper in Great Britain recently. It illustrates the dilemma we often find in attending church services each week.

"Dear Sir: I notice that ministers seem to set a great deal of importance on their sermons and spend much of their time preparing them.
I have been attending services quite regularly for the past 30 years, and during that time, if I estimate correctly, I have listened to no less than 3,000 sermons. But to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitably spent on something else.
Sincerely, (Anonymous)"

That letter triggered an avalanche of upset responses to the editor for weeks. Sermons and services were castigated by lay members and clergy alike, others were defended with equal conviction. But, eventually, a single letter closed the debate:

"My Dear Sir: Regarding sermons: I have been married over 30 years. During that time I have eaten approximately 32,850 meals -- mostly of my wife's cooking. Suddenly, I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of one single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago.
Sincerely, (another "anonymous")"

I don't want to make any excuses for the impact of bad preaching, but isn't it true that most of us go to church on Sunday morning, not primarily for the content of the service but simply because the church, the congregation and the minister are there?

Thus, a fine building, the gathering of people we know, and the experience of feeling welcomed and wanted -- all these make it worth our investment of time and effort to attend each Sunday, whatever the content.

Consider how sermons are themselves "transforming words." First, I mean "transforming" as a verb to describe what preachers do when they take words up into a sermon, transforming them from the vernacular into the service of the holy. If a sermon is in any way an art unto itself, then the self-same works, when spoken in sermonic context in the larger body of a service, take on a meaning and a texture different from their pronouncement anywhere else.

Secondly, I mean "transforming" as an adjective to describe what makes them richer, words that change the speaker, the hearer and the very world itself.

Though you may not recall what last Sunday's service was about, I hope like Anonymous above, you gain some nourishment.

Warmly,
John

Easter Potluck
2 - 4 pm April 20 at the home of Dave and Elizabeth Snoeyenbos
(2634 Burns Lane). Hosted by John and Gwen Biedler -- call John or Gwen for more information at 433-0250 or email jbiedler@uufd.org.

Rummage around, please
With spring cleaning looming or in progress, remember to box up items for the June rummage sale and either bring them to UUFD or call Vern Thistlethwaite, 429-5923, or vthistle@insightbb.com for a pickup. Remind neighbors, friends and relatives that "one person's trash is another's treasure", and donations to UUFD are welcomed. If there's a garage, basement or spare room to be cleared out, let Vern know.

Working for peace
Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out at the Peace Vigil on March 5 at the Fellowship. About 30 people attended and appeared to be lifted by the serene atmosphere the sanctuary, Sue Donovan’s beautiful dove Peace banner, and the lovely music.

Also, Chelso, John Hays, and Kathy Kline attended the Global Vigil for Peace on March 16 at Carle Park in Champaign-Urbana.

UUs by the numbers
The most recent count shows about 222,000 UUs in 1,055 congregations worldwide. Illinois is Number Four in the U.S. for UUs: our 8,460 puts us behind only Massachusetts, California and New York.

UUs on the issues
At each General Assembly, Unitarian Universalists from across the country vote on the issue they want our denomination to focus on for two years. Protection of Civil Liberties is the current such Study/Action Issue.

In June delegates will be voting at the G.A. in Boston on the next issue. You can help decide which issues will be considered at Boston. You can read the tentative agenda online (requires Adobe Acrobat).

After reading the proposals, send your choices to be discussed to Dick Zaker at secretary@uufd.org by Friday, April 11. He will tally the “votes” and send the congregation’s consensus to the UUA.

Following UU dreams
Dream with me and let our dreams point the way. Dream of a UU in the center of the conversations in the public square. Dream with me of a faith where religious education is a lifelong endeavor offered to thousands who are yearning for what we have found here; of a UUA that knows it must combine spiritual development for individuals with a life of service for justice. Dream with me of becoming an antiracist, multicultural community. Dream of the young children who will be able to say: I am proud this is my church.
-- Rev. William Sinkford

Bits n Pieces
Cut the cake: Here are our UUFDear friends' birthdays for April:
Ken Robertson, April 6; Shana Zaker, April 6; Adrian Kirchner will be 3 on April 7; and Kathy Sorensen, April 21.

Seen around town: Say, wasn't that Darwin Shroyer's name we saw emblazoned on the marquee of the Lincoln Theater? Seems he had a birthday on March 15 that someone wanted the world to know about.

Our own web crawler: Chelso Frescura got on WAND when he played Spider-man in the St. Patrick’s Day parade!

Femme fatale for the well-read: Who IS that mysterious woman, her face all but hidden under the wide-brimmed red hat?

None other than our own Linda Shroyer, model extraordinaire!
The spring 2003 edition of the Limited Edition publication features Linda with hat and flaming red boa to match on the cover. The picture represents the Red Hat Societies, groups of women who may be over 50, but not over the idea of having fun in life.

Intrepid adventurer: Keeping flipping through that Limited Edition and you’ll see an article and photos by UUFD President Mark Sorensen. Mark wrote about his trip to Africa.

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