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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
PAGE 1
UNIFIRE From Music & Worship
Dear UUCJ Members and Friends:
During this church year, the Music and Worship Committee has the task of filling the
pulpit each Sunday plus Christmas Eve. To do that, we have enlisted the help of fellow
UU churches in Beverly and Park Forest. Both churches have been quite helpful, and so
we are pleased to report that all but a few dates this calendar year are booked, and we
even have some dates in 2016 booked as well.
We have the good fortune of having members of our own congregation, who either have
or will be, stepping up to lead services. Coming up will be speakers like Dennis Fisher,
Angela Salvaggione, Mike Gorcowski, Warren Thom, and Jean Batson-Turner. In
addition, we have some exciting new speakers lined up as well. In September, we will
have February Sky, a singing group in the folk tradition that uses their music for entire
services. They will be here on September 20th, so don’t miss out on seeing this unique
service. We have a UU minister with a heavy RE background coming to do our
Ingathering/Water Communion service on September 13th. During the rest of this
calendar year, we will have a mix of lay and ordained speakers. Next year, we have
Jennifer Cottrill from the Beverly UU Church doing a service on January 31st called
“Groundhog Spirituality,” a service that also celebrates Imbolc, the Pagan holiday.
Overall, we have a lineup of very interesting speakers, and we can tell you now that
there will be plenty of variety to stimulate your minds and contribute to your spirituality.
Down the road a bit, there may even be a sermon connecting Star Trek to UU principles.
Stay tuned for more information.
Finally, a word about music: Angela Salvaggione and Janet Adams, along with Denise
Curry, have been working on some new original music for our congregation. In the
months ahead, you can look forward to more musical variety than we have had in the
past.
If you would like to do a sermon (with our help if you need us), contact any member of
the Music and Worship Committee: Peggy Teeter (Chair), Denise Curry, Paul Brumbaugh,
Janet Adams, Angela Salvaggione, and Chuck Teeter (Board Liaison).
This is a good time to be coming to UUCJ. Don’t miss any Sunday if you can!
—Music and Worship Committee
At UUCJ, our mission is
to be an inclusive
ministry, encouraging
the educational and
spiritual growth
of its members and the
greater community.
We Are Proud to Be an
Official Welcoming
Congregation!
We celebrate the
presence and
participation of
everyone, be they
bi-sexual, gay,
lesbian, straight and/or
transgender people.
UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF JOLIET
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
PAGE 2
Upcoming Sunday Worship Presenters
Here are the presenters coming up over the next weeks:
August 30, 2015
Angela Salvaggione & Danielle Beckman
September 6, 2015
Warren Thom
September 13, 2015
Water Communion
Reverend Elizabeth Harding
September 20, 2015
February Sky (Phil Cooper & Susan Urban)
September 27, 2015
Jonathan Boehle
About February Sky’s
Upcoming Service
In Sweet Fields Of Autumn - A Fall Celebration
Presenters: February Sky (Susan Urban & Phil Cooper). We will
celebrate Harvest Home, saying a fond goodbye to Summer and
reflecting on the Winter to come.
Bring an Autumn Harvest fruit, food or decoration to church
(e.g. apples, corn, wheat, squash, acorns, Autumn leaves, pine
cones, etc.).
February Sky (www.februarysky.com) is a professional folk
duo, and are also UU Circuit riders, presenting music-based
services as we travel with our music. They have been on the
UU circuit riding path since 1998. Their services are all music-
based, but they are nonetheless services, not concerts. They
present services for many UU churches, and we present on a
regular basis for Marquette (MI) UU, Park Forest (IL) UU and on
an occasional basis for many others.
First Wednesday Film Screenings
The First Wednesday Film series will resume on Sept. 2 at
7:00pm. This screening will be a mix of topics, We will feature
a series of three short films on these topics: Racism is Real,
White Riots, and Film The Police. In view of the many alarming
recent incidents involving one or more of these areas, the films
seem most timely.
After these short films, we will focus on a feature film called
“Footprints In The Sand” by Bullfrog Films. This film reveals the
devastating impact of human activity on the ocean, focusing on
the Mediterranean's contentious Bluefin tuna fishery and the Gulf
of Mexico's massive de-oxygenated dead zones. It also celebrates
our successes with sustainable practices, like "no take" conserva-
tion projects managed by locals in Zanzibar, as well as the ex-
traordinary turnaround in New Zealand's coral reefs.
Down the road we’re looking at films on fracking (we’ve seen one,
but this is important), one on Tim Christopher, and others of in-
terest. On Sept. 2, we should also discuss the kinds of issues you
would like to see covered by a First Film series
video. Also, there have been requests to see Inequality for All,
a film that many of us have already seen, so we can discuss
showing it this year. I hope more of you can free up one
Wednesday to join us for this thought-provoking series.
Happy Birthday!!
We would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to those who have
had, or will have, birthdays in August and September!
July 3—Paul Cox
4—Steven Milsk
6—Mike Gorcowski & Kerry Daimid
9—Katie Kaye & Jan Susner
20—Brenda Gray
22—Sally Patterson
23—Amy Mayer
August 7—Sandy Costa & Margaret Juraco
8—Peggy Teeter
10—Lois Pedersen
12—Max Gorcowski
15—Caitlin Rodeghero
22—Ben Trouvais
25—Hannah Droogan
28—Melanie Sprengel
29—Knoah Droogan
September 4—Andrew Milsk
5—Warren Thom
8—Emily Mills
9—Frederick Dallmeyer
12—Gary Magruder
16—Paul Brumbaugh
20—Linda Kramper
22—“Pete” Pedersen
23—Autumn Dallmeyer
24—Susan Sternickle
26—Katherine Faith Hope
28—Rose Dombrow
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
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Celebration of Life Service for Jim Droogan
As many of you know, Charlotte Droogan's son, Jimmy, passed away on August 7th. There
will be a Celebration of Life service on Saturday, September 26th. The service will be held
here at UUCJ (3401 W Jefferson St, Joliet 60431). Visitation will begin at 2:00pm, Service at
3:00pm, and refreshments from 4-5:30pm.
Welcome To The Table—A Celebration of Community
This coming church year, UUCJ will celebrate our community with a monthly potluck
dinner after Sunday services. We invite you to bring a dish to pass on the second Sunday of
each month beginning on September 13th.
To keep it simple, please also bring your own table service to avoid the need for
dishwashing or adding paper goods to the landfill. Table service will be available for guests or
others who forget their own.
The work of setting up the tables and chairs will take place following the service, as we are
accustomed to doing for Thanksgiving and other events. The serving table will be decorated
and organized by Dorothy Brown Brumbaugh, Laurie Garland, and Roberto Rodriguez Ham-
mond. The menu will include favorite dishes prepared by each of you who come to share.
Sunday Childcare & Safe Congregation Guidelines
On Sunday mornings we provide licensed childcare during worship service. You can find our
provider, Nora Parkman, in the nursery room, just past the R.E. room. Occasionally, we may
not have childcare available. During those times, we ask parents to please stay with your
children and little ones during the worship service. Due to our Safe
Congregation Guidelines, children may not be left unattended or supervised by
unauthorized persons. If you have any questions, any member of the Board of Trustees
would be happy to help. Thank you for keeping our munchkins safe! ☺
Red Tent
Our next Red Tent meeting will be Tuesday, September 1st at 7 P.M. in the church
sanctuary. All women of the church are invited to attend. Bring an interested friend if you
want. Our topic of discussion for the meeting will be, "What do you know for sure?" This can
be answered at a personal level or for all humankind. Bring you own beverage and if you
wish a snack to share. See you then.
Commit2Respond
On the first day of the UUA Commit2Respond, they made this statement:
"Our current crisis requires transformation. It’s less about changing a few individual
behaviors and more about imagining radical new ways of living.
Our current paradigm assumes the expendability of some people and species in service to the
dominant culture. In it, we willingly forgo human health and even human and non-human life
on this planet as long as we can live in comfort and convenience today. In this paradigm, we
willingly sacrifice the people on the margins of society—generally people of color, immigrants,
and people who live with great financial instability—to maintain the industrial growth econo-
my. This economic system assumes ecosystems, communities, cultures, and non-human be-
ings are all externalities that are expendable in the pursuit of maximizing profit.
Important Notes
Please note the following
dates and times...
Caitlin Rodeghero's Office Hours
are Tuesdays and Thursdays from
9am to 4:30pm. As always, she
may be out of the office (bank,
post office, etc.) so please call
ahead to reserve time with her if
at all possible.
Announcements
Have some news to include in the
weekly announcement sheet?
Please have it emailed or delivered
to the Church Office by noon on
Tuesday each week so that it can
be included. Thanks to everyone
for their support of our
congregation and our good works.
Unifire
UUCJ Affiliates, please have all
Unifire articles submitted to the
office by noon on the following
dates for inclusion in the Unifire:
September 15th, 2015
If you have any questions or need
assistance, please let the office
know at 815.744.9020 or
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
PAGE 4
Today, Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith and con-
science begin to think deeply together about altering social norms
and creating climate justice. Climate justice is a global fight to dis-
mantle the paradigm that disadvantages marginalized people and
approaches Earth as supply source and sewer rather than a system
of interdependent life, a single, beloved community. Climate justice
pays deep
attention to those most affected by climate change to find
transformative solutions grounded in profound connections with
Earth and each other. Today, we begin to shift the way we
understand and approach the world."
Since then, many UU congregations have signed on and made the
commitment to fight climate change. Clearly, climate change is the
single most critical issue facing the planet. While there are those
who deny climate change, who try to argue against the reality,
seem to place money over everything.
Money is important; I think we can all agree on that. But is it more
important than the viability of the planet? Is it more
important than life?
People tend to reject ideas that show that their current mode of life
is wrong, but that won't matter if they're dead. Pope Francis has
recognized the truth of that and has named dealing with climate
change as the single greatest moral imperative in the world. We
can't experience a day like Monday, August 24, and say, "What
warming? Look how nice it is." Instead, look at how things have
changed: horrible drought in California, fiercer storms, huge wild-
fires, rising sea levels, increases in asthma and other respiratory
problems, loss of sea life, increased extinction of various species,
extreme glacier melt, water shortages, and the list goes on.
The people who are being hurt the worst are those who
contribute least to the problem: indigenous people, small coastal
villages, people who see their lands given away to promote
mining or drilling, or to put it another way, those who are least able
to fight the problem. Even in the United States, it is those least
able to do anything. When Hurricane Katrina struck ten years ago,
it was the people of color in the ninth ward who got hit the hard-
est. Out west it's the poor Hispanic people and
Native Americans who suffer the most. Eventually it will be all of us
unless we do something now.
As UU's we cannot afford to be complacent. We need to care less
about ourselves and more about our kids and grandkids. If you
have not already done so, join the movement at UUA.org. Consider
also investigating and joining groups that are organized to reduce
the amount of carbon in the air, come to the First Wednesday Film
Series here at UUCJ, where we show documentaries about climate
change and other topics. Doing nothing should not be an op-
tion. Make the commitment
today!!! Join Commit2Respond now!
—Chuck Teeter
Rodeo Roundup… RE will be revving up soon…
If you are interested in helping out, we need teachers!!!
The Religious Education Program will be starting its 2015-2016 year.
We will be operating on a different schedule this year. Due to the
number of our children and teachers, we will provide
Sunday School on the First and Third Sundays of each month. On re-
maining Sundays, there will be RE related activities for the
children set at the student tables at the back of the Sanctuary during
the Service.
The classes will begin the third Sunday of September (Sept. 20), as
the September 13th service is an Intergenerational Water
Communion Service in which the children and youth are asked to par-
ticipate… Sunday School meets at 10:30am to 11;30am those first
and third Sundays…. Nursery/Daycare is provided by Nora Parkman, a
licensed Daycare provider from 10:00am until noon each Sunday un-
less otherwise noted.
Again, we will utilize the curriculum from the UUA, “The Tapestry of
Faith”. If we do not get enough volunteers to have two levels, the
Middle School/Jr. High youth will have activities to work on at the
youth tables each Sunday.
Please volunteer your time… If we have enough volunteers, we can
rotate everyone into lessons so that no one misses more than one
service a month or even a quarter…. Wouldn’t that be ideal…. See
Barb Purdy, if interested.
She will be establishing a planning date soon…
Barb Purdy,
RE Facilitator
Social Hour
Coffee Hour is now Social Hour: catch up with friends and meet new
people. Social Hour takes place after Sunday service.
Beverages will be provided.
Clara Barton
Our next meeting will be Thursday, September 10th. Lunch will start
at noon, with the business meeting to follow. Some of us will come in
at 10:00am that day for working on individual craft
projects. Feel free to join us!
The Seven Principles
Starting in September, we will be looking at our seven principles in a
new way. We are asking you to take pictures. Each month we will
post pictures for that months principle that you find in your every day
life! Continued on next page...
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
PAGE 5
Example: September we will explore “the inherent worth and
dignity of every person”. It is also the month we celebrate
“ingathering” and our water ceremony. What have you seen or
done over the summer that shows this in your daily life? Sub-
mit your photos to the office by September 30.
October will be “justice, equity and compassion in human rela-
tions”. How do you express this? What do you see to help
define this principle?
Please join our church community in exploring an integral part
of our spiritual journey. Any questions, ask a board member or
Caitlin. If you need tech information, please see Cathy or Cait-
lin...it’s fast and easy to do.
Printed photos are also accepted. Please remember that you
need to have a photo release form signed to be able to use a
person’s picture. Please see Caitlin for copies of the form. We
can only print pictures for which we have a release. Thank you!
Come be part of the fun.
Church Goals
August 8th was our Church Direction & Calendaring meeting.
There were 24 in attendance and the Board would like to thank
those who were able to come, and worked so hard to set this
year’s church goals.
Of the many issues covered, not all could be set as goals for
the year. The top three were set as specific goals and are
outlined below:
1. Music & Worship
2. Pastoral Care
3. Curb Appeal
There will be more information over the next few weeks and
months as we work toward our goals. Please continue to check
your announcement sheets on Sunday and read the “Board
Briefs” in the Unifire. Something new that was added at this
meeting was a list of things that also need to be addressed and
need possible further attention. These issues have been
documented and there will be further discussion and/or action
taken as we move through this new church year.
Linda Kremsner,
President – UUCJ Board of Trustees
Board Briefs
The Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Thursday,
August 20, 2015. This is the summary of that meeting.
Minutes - The minutes of the regular July Business Meeting were
approved.
Treasurer’s Report - Was reviewed and placed on file.
Agenda Items – Susan Sternickle has offered to take over the
responsibility for scheduling Coffee Hour volunteers. Dorothy
Brown Brumbaugh, Laurie Garland and Roberto Hammond are
coordinating a monthly potluck lunch on the second Sunday of
each month.
Business Items
Finance – We continue to look for a chair for the Finance
Committee.
R.E. Chair – This position is still available. Barb Purdy has of-
fered to remain as the R.E. Administrator, setting up lessons and
activities, until such time as someone moves into the
position. Jean Batson Turner has agreed to become the liaison to
this group.
Silent Vigil – Jesse Hammond updated the Board on this project.
He will have more information at the September meeting.
Split-the-Plate – For October the recipient will be Guardian
Angel Services, for November possibly a clergy program that
benefits Great Lakes servicemen – Chuck Teeter is getting more
information and for December the Spanish Community Center in
Joliet.
R.E. Program for 2015-16 – Our R.E. program is struggling.
We feel that this is an essential part of what UUCJ has to offer to
our community. Through the end of 2015, R.E. will be offered on
the 1st and 3rd Sundays beginning with the 3rd Sunday in Sep-
tember and having the R.E. Holiday Program on the 3rd Sunday of
December.
Pastoral Care – This remains a priority for UUCJ. We have been
advised that there is a webinar on developing Pastoral Care
available through the UUA. The members of the Board will view
this webinar.
Board Goals – The Board reviewed the goals that were set by
the congregation at the recent Church Direction & Calendaring
meeting. The 2015-16 Board Goal will be “To develop and
implement strategies to support the Congregational Goals”.
Upcoming Dates
The upcoming Board meeting dates are as follows:
ADJOURNMENT - The Board duly adjourned at 9:20pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Coss
Board Secretary
September 17th
October 15th
November 19th
December 17th
January 21st
February 18th
March 17th
April 21st
May 19th
June 16th
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 UNIFIRE
PAGE 6
UUCJ CHURCH ADDRESS
3401 W. Jefferson Street,
Joliet, Illinois 60431
815.744.9020 | uujoliet.org
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:00am—4:30pm.
Office hours are for members and friends only.
All others please call and make an appointment.
UUCJ Office Administrator
Caitlin Rodeghero
UUCJ Lay Community Minister
Charlotte Droogan
UUCJ Church Musician
Angela Salvaggione
UUCJ Treasurer
Margaret Juraco
UUCJ Board of Trustees
President: Linda Kremsner—2016
Vice-President: Jesse Rodriguez-Hammond—2017
Board Secretary: Cathy Coss — 2018
Trustee: Chuck Teeter — 2016
Trustee: Mike Smith — 2016
Trustee: Mark Daimid—2018
Trustee: Jean Batson-Turner—2016
CHURCH CALENDAR
The UUCJ church calendar is online and gets updated weekly by our Office Administrator.
The calendar can be viewed via our website at www.uujoliet.org. Simply go to the website, click on “More” and then on
“Upcoming Events”. It’s fun, easy and informative. You can move forward and back month by month with a click of your
mouse. You can even click on any given event for additional information about that event. Please let the office know as
soon as possible if your event or meeting changes as others may be hoping for availability.
If you wish to be removed from our mailing list contact the church office at [email protected]
