The St. Louis Unitarian August 2015 Vol. 46 No. 2

Worship, RE and Nursery 10:00 a.m.

AUGUST 2015 WORSHIP INFORMATION

August 2 Groundlessness and Being a UU

Norma Vogelweid UUs are asked: ―So what do you believe?‖ – in other words, what do you grasp onto for security in the darkness? For Norma Vogelweid, this isn’t a key question because there is a groundlessness in UU due to being non-creedal and dedicated to freedom of belief. Rather the question is how to gain more ease in groundlessness and not grasping.

August 9 "You Matter More Than a Sparrow" Rev. Thomas Perchlik

This weekend marks the first anniversary of the Ferguson uprising. It will be a busy few days. On Sunday we will consider the meaning of the past year's events, hear beautiful music, and wonder if each and every person matters more than a bright chirping sparrow.

August 16 -"Cultural Texts and the Power of Our Religious Roots"

Laurel Koepf Taylor Unitarian Universalists, like other progressive religious traditions, have deep roots in ancient texts and traditions. The contexts and structures that formed these texts and traditions can make them seem irrelevant and problematic. However, if we abdicate this heritage, we not only lose the opportunity to learn from our history but also the chance to harness the power of cultural texts that shape and inform our culture. This week's sermon explores how UUs can claim and embrace their religious roots while retaining liberal religious values.

August 23 - “Beyond Marriage Equality” George Grimm-Howell

We have achieved the magical milestone of "marriage equality" as of June 26, 2015. But conservatives cling to the slippery-slope implications of that decision.... what's next, marrying your pet or your sibling? We will examine the reasons we choose either to give or withhold the legal imprimatur of marriage, and whether marriage must necessarily be linked with sexuality. From the liberal religious perspective, does the advent of marriage equality do enough to embrace the worth and dignity of alternative forms of loving relationships?

~ Continued on pg 11 ~

FAIR TRADE COFFEE SALES

AUGUST 2

& 16

Wonderful Wednesday

August 9

Town Hall News pg. 4

Partner Church News

pg. 5

NEW STAFF

POSITION SEE PAGE 14

2

CHURCH PRESIDENT

It‘s difficult to write a column with a dog on your

computer. This month‘s President‘s Column is at

the top of my to-do list and there always seems to

be at least one dachshund between me and my

to-do list. It‘s a challenge, especially when I‘m

working on something important and time-

sensitive. When I have the available time and

energy, my dogs are my joy, my humor, my

therapy and my sounding board, but when I have

―other stuff‖ to do, they can feel like a distraction

- which feels bad to acknowledge, and certainly

isn‘t how I truly feel about them. My mother

always said that when it seems as if you have

nothing but obstacles in your way, it’s time to

reevaluate the way you’re looking at things.

With that in mind, I‘ve decided to use this

month‘s column to share some life lessons from

my furry trio.

Oscar is the oldest - at ten he‘s the bratwurst in

charge. He‘s been with me since he was 15

months old, and together we‘ve gone through

quite a bit. He loves food and walks and sleeping

in - when I put it that way, he‘s actually the

closest thing I have to a ―healthy living‖ coach -

diet, exercise and plenty of rest. Oscar is my

reminder that sometimes, the best things in life

are not the ones you go looking for; rather,

they’re the ones that walk into your life and

refuse to leave. It‘s the task that you are

―voluntold‖ for at work that turns into a great

learning experience or the detour in your carefully

-constructed plan for the future that forces you

step off the path and do a little off-trail bush-

whacking, ultimately leading to the best spot from

which to watch the sunset.

Bernie, my ―middle child,‖ is my hot dog in both

the standard dachshund terminology and in the

fact that he‘s a show-off. At almost eight, Bernie

likes to be the life of the party and he is the

epitome of persistence. Digging is a dachshund

trait that goes along with short legs and other

badger-hunting qualities, and Bernie is an expert

excavator. I learned early on that it was easier to

provide him with a ―sandbox‖ in which to dig than

it was to try to untrain years of instinct. Whether

the ground is soft and muddy after a spring

downpour or hard and cracked in the summer sun,

Bernie is determined to dig a tunnel to the other

side of the world, and he reminds me that if I am

going to take on a task, I should commit to it

wholeheartedly and with gusto, while keeping in

minds the boundaries of my role.

Last, but certainly not least (as he reminds me by

resting his head on my wrist while I type), there is

Rocco, my Little Smokie. Rocco is the baby of the

group - he turns four this October - and he is my

shadow wherever I go. Rocco has the benefit of

relying on his older brothers to help him figure out

what things are fun (barking at the mailman) and

what things aren‘t (trips to the vet). In spite of

that, he‘s not afraid to try things for himself - this

is how we discovered that he‘s the only one at the

house who likes to eat strawberry tops. He‘s the

one that drags his brothers into playtime and who

is not afraid to tell me when ―work time‖ is over.

Rocco reminds me that life is meant to be fun,

and that we should take advantage of the wis-

dom of others, but not to the exclusion of our

own experiences.

There you have it - my personal philosophy as told

by wiener dogs. For those who made it this far, I

hope it provides some insight into who I am.

Having volunteered to serve as Policy Board

President, I think it‘s important that you know me,

and I want to know you. My number one “broad

stroke” goal for this year is to encourage

communication and transparency throughout

our church. I‘ve already heard a number of great

ideas about how we do this, and I‘m looking

forward to continuing the conversation with

anyone who‘d like to talk. For now though, I have

to go - the sun is going down, the temperature out-

side is getting bearable, and it‘s time for a game of

fetch.

—Tiffany Sewell

3

FROM THE CHAIR’S CHAIR

About two weeks ago, the Church Council had our

first meeting. Karen Siegrist and Scot Boulton

continue to serve on the Council for one more year

and we welcome Brittany Hagedorn and Charlie

Kindleberger, along with me, as our new members.

At our first meeting, in addition to the usual cluster

report outs, each member spoke about their goals

for the upcoming year. Among the goals discussed

were:

1. Realize a more secure financial footing for the

church in which we do not rely on a few

generous donors.

2. Capitalize on our current non-financial re-

sources.

3. Coordinate and communicate what we are

doing.

4. Build a sense of community.

5. Improve the sound system.

6. Be transparent in our work.

7. Develop talent.

From time to time, I will talk about these goals and

where we stand with them. Today, I want to talk

about number 3. When I first thought about taking

on the role of Chair of the Church Council, I had to

stop for a bit and think about the Church Council.

Honestly, I still had some lingering confusion about

the difference between the Policy Board and the

Church Council. I was not sure what the role and

function of each is. In talking to others, I don‘t

think that I am the only one with that confusion.

Moving to the new governance structure about 2

years ago, like any transition to a new process, led

to some confusion and uncertainty. We had had the

old structure for a number of years, and while it

was not a good structure for our current status, it

was a comfortable one…sort of like an old pair of

slippers that are falling apart. You don‘t want to

throw them out because you are used to them, but

those holes are awfully hard to ignore.

So here is how I envision the difference between

the two groups. Simply put, the Policy Board,

headed by Tiffany, is focused on the big picture.

They look more to the future and don‘t concern

themselves with as much of the day to day

operations of the church. On the other hand, the

incredibly cool Church Council is in the weeds.

We are focused on the details and on how we can

help coordinate the various committees that are

planning for the upcoming year. Now obviously

there will be some overlap between the Policy

Board and the Church Council, but if you want a

broad generalization, think Policy Board has Big

Picture versus the Church Council which sweats the

details.

One thing that both governance groups and their

leadership share is a commitment to communicate

in an open manner and to attempt to be as

transparent as possible. While there may be times

when we have to respect the privacy of an

individual or process, we will do our best to share

information—both good and bad—with you. To

that end, we are talking about various ways that we

can improve the communication and be more

available to folks. As an example, for the next

newsletter, I am planning on talking about the

clusters and how they function in order to help

clarify.

After reading Tiffany‘s article for the newsletter, I

wanted to close with just a few words about me.

My last name, which is universally pronounced

incorrectly, rhymes with the word ―nuns‖. This

year I will celebrate my 15th anniversary with Janet.

Our kids, Helen and Vincent, have grown up in

First UU and they are awesome. I love history,

particularly the Civil War, and the Cardinals. I

have fun playing the banjo and singing, either with

Janet or with the AcUUstics. If I had more time, I

would spend it Shape Note singing. I have been a

RN for 16 years, currently at Mercy St. Louis in the

GI Lab, and I just earned my certification in GI

nursing. And all of this leads me to my final point,

which also speaks to the difference between the

Policy Board and the Church Council. In her arti-

cle, Tiffany spoke about her dogs. I, however, am a

cat person.

Shh, don‘t tell.

—Mark Bruns

4

Toward Justice News One of the goals of the Toward Justice group is to

advocate for meaningful anti-racism reforms. The

group recently signed a petition calling for the

Attorney General of the State of Missouri to call

for a statewide summit on Fair and Impartial

Policing. This action is being led by Empower

Missouri (http://empowermissouri.org/) and the

summit is being called for in light of the Attorney

General‘s recent release of information outlining

racial profiling traffic stops. (https://

www.ago.mo.gov/home/vehicle-stops-report).

In addition, we are hosting a Town Hall On

Anti-bias Police Reform to discuss the ―Fair and

Impartial Policing Act of 2016.‖ Members of the

community will be sharing their stories and

experiences with the police. Learn about how you

can help promote this important piece of anti-bias

police legislation and join the movement.

August 27, 2015, 6:30-8:30PM, First Unitarian

Church (sponsored by the Don‘t Shoot Coalition).

This event is free and open to the public. Contact

Lynn Hunt, Religious Educator, for more infor-

mation about this event or the other efforts of the

Toward Justice group.

As we approach the 1 year anniversary of Mike

Brown's death, Unitarian Universalist leadership

in St. Louis joins the local Action Council, Don‘t

Shoot Coalition and Movement community in a

call for people of faith and conscience to join us

here for the weekend of August 7-10, 2015. We

are calling for UUs to ‗Show Up‘ for Ferguson.

Already UUs from all over the country are regis-

tering to take part in these events. If you are able

to provide home hospitality for this weekend, we

need you. Please contact Rev. Julie Taylor right

away if you think you might be able to

help WokeUUp@gmail.com.

As UUs local to the St. Louis metro area, we have

been at the epicenter of this national Movement

for almost a year. UUs from around the nation

recognize and have been inspired by the work our

congregations are doing in support of #Black

Lives Matter. Plan to take part in the events taking

place in UU space and outside. If you are planning

to participate in any part of the weekend, please

register here https://www.midamericauua.org/

events/showingup. Even though you may be local

and don't need travel or lodging info, we need you

to register to stay in contact with everyone who

plans to participate.

The weekend will kick off Friday evening with a

UU rally at Eliot Unitarian Chapel. This rally will

include orientation for the weekend's events and

all who plan to participate must attend. Satur-

day we will join the ―I Am Mike Brown‖ march,

dressed in white t-shirts, khakis and baseball caps.

The local organizers are calling for all who attend

to dress as Mike Brown was dressed when he was

killed, we will humbly comply. Sunday will be a

day for worship and additional opportunities to

support the local Movement community (yellow

Standing on the Side of Love shirts would be

appropriate for these events). Monday is direct

action day. There will be specific requests about

how we show up for this from our community

partners, so please be sure to stay tuned for these

instructions.

We will be releasing information through Standing

on the Side of Love, the Mid America Re-

gion, UUMA Connect and the St. Louis Standing

on the Side of Love Facebook page https://

www.facebook.com/stlstandingonthesideoflove?

ref=ts&fref=ts.

If you have questions about the weekend,

Rev. Julie Taylor is the local contact, and can be

reached at WokeUUp@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

In service,

Rev. Julie Taylor

UU Community Minister

Email: WokeUUp@gmail.com

Twitter: @UnrulyRev

5

Partner Church News

Lorant Tokes, minister of our partner church

in Csokfalva, Romania, recently shared the

following about the summer season in their

small village. With the end of the school-

year, families are making their plans for the

summer. Church activities are at a low ebb,

since many families are busy with farming or

summer trips and it is also the off-season for

church events and ceremonies. This provides

an opportunity to continue needed

maintenance and repairs to the church

parsonage (which First U. is helping to pay

for).

In addition to our church (First U.)

continuing our normal, high-school student

scholarships, Lorant is seeking financial help

for one of his graduating high school

students, Etelka Szombatfalvi, who is

planning on entering the Unitarian Seminary

to become a minister. (This would be pend-

ing her admission to that program, of course.)

An item of great personal excitement to the

Tokes family is the exam that his wife, Csilla,

is taking this month. Pending the results, it

will help her get a job close to Csokfalva,

which will ease their personal financial

situation, since long-distance commuting is

very expensive.

A final note from Lorant was that they will

be organizing, for the second time, a

Unitarian church camp at nearby Bozod.

Activities at the camp include ―prayers, study

of religious songs, folk songs, folk dance and

handicrafts.‖ One-hundred ten children at-

tended the camp last year.

Regarding our local partner church activities,

the Transylvanian travel plans are now

finalized! This objective being realized is due

1.

1.

to the hard work of our travel coordinators,

Gwenne Hickman and Laura Zacher. Thanks

to you both!

Registration instructions are as follows. As

you can see, there is still time for more

people to join our contingent:

The 1st Unitarian Pilgrimage to Transylvania

+ optional Bucharest extension is now built in

the UUPCC database and open for

registration. Per your request - registration is

set to close March 31, 2016.

To register for the tour follow these

instructions: Go to the UUPCC website at

www.uupcc.org . Click on "Pilgrimages" and

select "Group Pilgrimages" from the

drop-down menu. Scroll to the bottom of the

page and enter 3066229 in the field entitled

"Register code". Click on the "register"

button and you will be taken to a webpage

specifically designed for the St. Louis tour.

If this is your first visit to the website you

will need to create a login id and password

before you can register for the tour. You will

also be asked to accept a "cookie" so that the

website remembers you when you return.

Please note that if two adults register for the

tour from the same computer the first

registrant must log-out and the 2nd registrant

must create a unique login id and password.

Complete your personal information. Be sure

to inform us of any physical limitations,

allergies, and dietary restrictions/preferences.

If you wish to have your own room please

select the single supplement. If you know the

name of your preferred roommate please

provide that to us in the appropriate field. If

you plan to room with another traveler, but

don't know who that will be, you may leave

the field blank.

~continued on page 9~

6

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

DESIGNATED COLLECTIONS: As a way

of putting our faith into action, we as a

church periodically dedicate one of our

collections to a worthy non-profit or church

program. August's designated collections are

the Interfaith Partnership (August 9th) and

Gateway Greening (August 23rd).

The Interfaith's Partnership

is an organization of St. Lou-

is congregations of many

faiths that meet for interfaith

discussion and service in the

goal of creating understand-

ing and peace in the Saint

Louis area. Their mission

statement reads: "As com-

munities of faith, we agree to differ, promise

to love, and unite to serve." As a result of

our congregation we not only support their

good work, but also are able to send two rep-

resentatives to their annual

dinner. Please contact Rev. Perchlik if you

are interested in attending the 2015

Interfaith Partnership Annual Dinner.

Gateway Greening educates and empowers

people to improve their communities through

gardening and urban agriculture. Their City

Seeds Urban Farm is an urban agriculture

initiative providing job training and

therapeutic horticulture to homeless and

underserved individuals. First Church's

Green Sanctuary Greenleaf Garden is one of

200 community gardens supported by

Gateway Greening. Refer to their website

http://www.gatewaygreening.org for more

information. This

recipient was nomi-

nated by church

member Connie

Goss.

—Susan Kelley

IT Task Force Through technology, First Church has the

opportunity to

increase our outreach, share our faith, make

service more accessible, and maximize our

limited church resources. The Information

Technology Task Force is entrusted with

finding ways to improve IT resources for

church administration, increase our social

media presence, and use technology to better

connect us to the interdependent web (not

just the world wide web). If you have

experience or interest in any of these topics,

join us! Please contact

Eric Turcotte at luminary@gmail.com or

618-581-9505.

—Eric Toucotte

LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE?

Take the First UU Talents and Interests

survey to share a bit about yourself: your

talents, your interests and how involved you

wish to become. Your answers will be used

to identify service opportunities that match

your skills and preferences. Take the survey

7

PAPER OR PLASTIC??

Normally the ―green‖ choice

would be paper but not this time.

Green Sanctuary has purchased

blue melamine dinner plates to

compliment the small white

melamine plates and reduce our

use of paper products at Church.

Please look for the plates in

Fellowship Hall (if you can‘t find

them, ask Lynn or Yvette) when

your group needs plates and

doesn‘t want to use china.

Although the purchase of the

plates is not less expensive than

paper products, use of reusable

unbreakable plates is better for the

environment over time. Please

note these are NOT

MICROWAVEABLE

but they can GO IN THE

STERILIZER.

Thanks for your support for a

Greener Sanctuary. Also, you may

have noticed there are no

servants or robots to clean up after

us so we will still be cleaning up

after ourselves.

—Connie Goss

Green Sanctuary

Want to be a Reading Partner to make a difference in the life of a child!

Reading Buddies Training Program.

Sunday, August 2, 11:30-1:00pm

Central Reform Congregation (CRC)

5020 Waterman Ave.

Come learn what it takes to be a Reading Buddy for a child at

an elementary school in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS)

convenient to you.

This program has over 100 volunteers from First U, CRC,

Sigma Aldrich, Anheuser Busch, and the St. Louis

Metropolitan Police Department. It requires a commitment of

~45 minutes a week if you do it alone, or ~45 minutes every

other week if you do it with a partner. If you want to do it

every other week and don‘t have a partner, we can help you

find one. These sessions with the students will be held during

school hours at a time convenient to you.

If you‘re not sure you want to do this, you‘re welcome to

come listen and consider. There are so many children in the

SLPS who need you! We hope you will consider being a

Reading Buddy to just one child. Or two if you want. There‘s

little of more importance to our city and our region than the

education of our children.

Members of First Unitarian and CRC are joining together in

continuing this innovative program for the 2015-16 school

year.

Please RSVP to karenkalish@gmail.com, if you are planning

on attend, so that we can have enough chairs, and prepare a

training packet for you.

Come learn (more) about how we can work together to

support children, who are performing below grade level,

to catch up and succeed!

—Rev. Thomas Perchlik

8

BOARD POLICY UPDATE

As announced the week of July 6-12th, the

Policy Board meeting held on 07/14/2015

included a vote to appoint Tiffany Sewell as

President of the board, contingent on the Board

choosing to waive the 3-year membership

requirement for this position.

Seven of the eight current sitting Board

Members participated in Tuesday's

vote. Those present reviewed the bylaw

requirements pertaining to filling the open

position, as well as the candidate's

qualifications and experience, then had an open

discussion about the matter. A unanimous vote

of those present fulfilled all requirements set

forth in the bylaws to confirm Tiffany's

appointment at this time, and a congregational

vote will occur at our Mid-Winter meeting in

accordance with the bylaws.

New to First U Group Anyone new to our church in the last year or so

is welcome to join the New to First U covenant

group. The new covenant group will give

newcomers the opportunity to become

connected with one another and the church

community and to share topics of meaning and

spirituality. The structure of a covenant group

fosters a Deep Listening with care and respect

for each person. The group of 6 –10 members

will meet on the 1st Sunday of the month after

the 10:00 service, from 11:15 – 12:30. Kathy

McVoy will facilitate. A sign up sheet is in

Fellowship Hall on the Covenant Group table.

—Kathy McVoy

YOU MUST SEE IT:

The Shark That Terrified Us All

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH -

9:00 AM -

CHASE HOTEL

CINEMA

The movie discussion groups are hosting a summer

film fest showing of "Jaws" followed by a pool

party at the Fathman's house. This is the 40th

anniversary of the classic, pre-computer graphics

action thriller and we have reserved a theater at the

Chase for a showing. We have seating for 90, so get

your reservation in early.

Reservations are necessary because of the seating

limitations and will allow us to plan for the after

movie pool party (hotdogs, slaw, drinks, cookies,

etc.) with swimming for the kids or those inclined.

We suggest you park at the church and walk to the

Chase, allowing about 15 minutes. The Fathman

house (4967 Pershing Place) is between the church

and the Chase.

We are doing this as a church fundraiser, so all

donations from viewers will go to the church.

Suggested donations are $10/adult and $5/child, but

if you want to give more, please do.

Reservations can be made by contacting the church

office at www.firstuustlouis.org or calling

314-361-0595. Payment (cash or checks payable to

the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis with "Jaws

Movie Event" on the memo line) may be made in

Fellowship Hall on August 9 or at the theatre the

day of the event.

See you on the 15th.

Help...Shark!!!

9

~Continued from page 5 - Partner Church~

The registration fee of $150 is due at the

conclusion of the registration process. You

can either provide us with your credit card

information (Visa & Mastercard only) or print

out a form and mail that to the UUPCC office

along with your check. Should you decide to

mail a check please write "St. Louis" in the

memo line to insure that your payment is

properly credited.

Once registration closes on March 31, the

UUPCC office will mail out travel packets to

all those who have signed up. The packet will

include our "UU Travel Guide to Romania", a

meditation guide, personal journal, UUPCC

luggage tags, and an invoice for the balance of

your trip fee. Trip fees are due by July 3rd,

2016 and are payable by check or credit card.

If you wish to pay by credit card you will

need to call the UUPCC office at

781-275-1710, M-F, between 10am and 2pm

ET, to provide your credit card details.

Please read our cancellation policy carefully.

We strongly encourage you to consider

purchasing trip insurance.

Should you have questions about the

registration process or encounter difficulties

when you attempt to sign-up please call the

UUPCC office at the above number.

Your "UU Travel Guide to Romania" will

answer most of your logistical and practical

questions about traveling in Central & Eastern

Europe. Should you have specific questions

about your own personal circumstances please

feel free to contact me directly at

jdaleuupcc@yahoo.com.

—Tom Crouch

Involvement News

Our church has been given a rare opportunity, a

challenge to expand the UU presence in

Saint Louis, and you can help. We have

received a grant to fund a part-time membership

involvement coordinator. The grant will last for

three years. If we use it well the new staff

position will last for decades.

The purpose of the coordinator is to create

programs and training for this church to

integrate new friends and members, and to keep

those who are here. Applicants are asked to

send a resume and cover-letter to the

Membership Committee. E-applications can be

sent to office@firstuustlouis.org and paper

applications to 5007 Waterman Boulevard,

STL. MO, 63108. Applicants must have a

college degree and be a member of a UU

congregation. For more information see the

first Unitarian church website

http://firstuustlouis.org.

Applications will be received until the end of

August. These will be reviewed during the first

part of September, interviews will be during the

middle of that month, and the new coordinator

will be on board by the end of September.

We need four more people to be on the search

committee. Most of the work of that group will

be done in a four-week period. If you would

like to be involved, please inform

Rev. Thomas.

10

LIFESPAN FAITH DEVELOPMENT LYNN HUNT, CREDENTIALED RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR Faith Development

Summer Religious Education continues

with weekly visits to tend the RE gardens.

Some of us enjoyed a delicious cucumber

(cucumbers from the Bible Lands Garden)

and the corn in the Native American Three

Sisters Garden is getting quite high! The

flowers in the Rainbow Garden are brilliant.

Plan to join the classes at 10:00am every Sun-

day and be sure to go outside and enjoy the

gardens yourself.

Plans are now being made for the Fall Adult,

Youth and Children's Religious Education

classes and programs. Teachers are still

needed for the Sunday morning children's

classes. This is a great opportunity to further

your understanding of Unitarian Universalism

and to get to know the families of the church.

Please sign-up in Fellowship Hall or contact

Lynn Hunt if you are interested.

Registration Materials for Fall Children's &

Youth Religious Education classes will be

mailed at the end of August. If you do not

receive materials by August 31st please

contact the office.

RE Dates

Saturday, August 23rd – Teacher

Orientation (11:30 – 1:30 – lunch provid-

ed)

Sunday, August 30th – Last Session of

Summer RE

Sunday, September 6th – Child Care Only

Sunday, September 13th – Ingathering,

Water Ceremony, RE Classes begin,

Pancake Breakfast sponsored by the

Boston Trip Group

Adult & Family Faith

Development in August

August 9th – 6:00pm till 8:30pm Plan to join our once-a-month mid-week

gathering for fun, connection and learning.

Schedule for the evening:

6:00-6:450 – Bring your own meal (please

note – food is no longer being offered –

everyone is encouraged and invited to

bring their own meal and eat together

before the evening’s activities)

7:00 – 7:20 – Vesper Service of readings,

music and contemplation.

7:30 – 8:30 – Programming Options:

Ask a Judge – Is there something you have

always wanted to ask a judge? How do you

become a judge? What if the judge does not

agree with a jury decision? Etc. Now is your

chance. Member Catherine Perry is the

Chief Judge, United States District Court

for the Eastern District of Missouri and

will be here to talk about her job and answer

your questions.

11

Jewish Iraqis – Member Noah Durham

recently returned to St. Louis after a two year

assignment in Washington DC, where he

assisted in the preservation of the Iraqi Jewish

Archives; a collection of materials recovered

from the flooded and bombed out basement of

the Iraqi secret police headquarters during the

Gulf war. These materials include community

records, religious texts and personal items that

once belonged to the Jewish Iraqi community

that flourished in Baghdad up until the first

half of the twentieth century when they became

a persecuted minority. Come find out about

this important preservation work. (Noah

Durham is a Preservation Specialist for the

National Archives Record Administra-

tion. NARA is the U.S. government agency

responsible for preserving governmental and

historical records which comprise the National

Archives)

Covenant Groups In Covenant Groups people come together in a

circle of trust, in covenant, to be in right

relation with one another with respect and care.

We cultivate deep listening as each person

takes a turn in a kind of sacred space to express

what stirs in them about the topic of the

session. The careful listening enriches the

lively back and forth interchange that follows.

Some groups have specific themes and others

are general in nature. This is a wonderful way

to further your connections with others in the

congregation. If you would like more infor-

mation about joining a group you can: sign up

in Fellowship Hall, contact William Allen,

Covenant Group Coordinator, at covenant-

groups@firstuustlouis.org or call the Faith

Development Office (314-361-0595 ext 25).

Great Books Discussion Group The Great Books Foundation is a nonprofit

educational organization whose mission is to

advance the critical, reflective thinking and

social and civic engagement of readers of all

ages through Shared Inquiry™ discussion of

works and ideas of enduring value.

Our Great Books discussion group meets on

the 4th Sunday of the month from 1-3pm at the

Café Ventana (3919 West Pine – intersection

of West Pine and Vandeventer). Currently

they use the collection Introduction to Great

Books, First Series, which can be ordered

through the Great Books Foundation Site

(http://www.greatbooks.org Discussions are

facilitated by Margaret Weck and Mike No-

lan. Sign-up in Fellowship Hall for more in-

formation or call Religious Educator Lynn

Hunt (314-361-0595 ext. 25).

~ continued from cover page-

Worship Information ~

August 30 - “Sharing Our Gifts‖

(Hope Chapel) Leaders: Chris & Diane Fawcett

This is First UU’s 5th annual Sharing Our Gifts service-in-the-round ceremony. We’ll come together and celebrate our lives of generosity and community, receiving the gifts of others—-friendship, music, teaching, freethinking, inspi-ration—-and sharing of our own gifts: our time, our talents, our treasure. Whether you are a first-time visitor or long-time member, we all have gifts that we share with the church, and we all receive benefits from those gifts. Come, help celebrate what you give to the church and what this church gives to you.

12

RECYCLING

Don‘t

forget....the

church

belongs to a

recycling

program with Quill, our

office supply company.

The church receives rebates

for recycling inkjet

cartridges. So far this fiscal

year the church has

received over $240.00 in

―Quill Cash‖ to use towards

the purchase of office

supplies.

Recycle bins are found in

the copy area of the church

office.

DON’T FORGET

TO LIKE US, FOLLOW US

AND CHECK-IN ON

FACEBOOK

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FITNESS: BODY, MIND AND SOUL....

QIGONG OFFERED AT FIRST UU Qigong combines mindful, gentle,

physical postures and movements

with meditation, breath-work,

sounds (mantras) and self-massage

techniques to revitalize your Vital

Life Force energies and to

enhance physical, emotional,

mental, and spiritual healing.

Qigong techniques help to dissolve

accumulated stress and fatigue,

increase energy, and strengthen the immune system.

Accumulated daily practice of Qigong movements and

meditation build up a storehouse of Qi energy and also lead to

enhanced concentration, improved mental focus, and greater

intuitive functioning.

Hour long Qigong classes on Tuesdays

at 2pm in Hope Chapel.

These are pay-as-you-can classes.

TOASTMASTERS CLUB Join us each first and third Sunday at 7 p.m.

in the Clark Room. For information contact

Stan Veyhl at (314) 863-3229 or

sveyhl@earthlink.net.

13

DO YOU SHOP ON-LINE? When making your on-line purchases be

sure to log on to GoodSearch.com. Search

for your items through Good Search, each

search earns money for First Unitarian

Church. So far this Fiscal Year, the church

has earned $42.35. The potential is SO

MUCH higher...cost to you...ZERO!

Simply go to the GoodSearch

website, log-on and input ―First Unitarian

Church of St. Louis‖ into the field that asks

for what group you want to support. It‘s

that easy.

It‘s a free and easy way to raise money for

our church and get some of your shopping

finished.

Each month, GoodSearch sends the church a

check!

Don‘t forget to use your eScrip card when

shopping at Schnucks. The church receives

a percentage each time you shop. Don‘t

have an eScrip Card? Stop by the sign-up

table in Fellowship Hall and pick up one

this Sunday. Simply register on-line and

you are ready to earn money for First

Unitarian Church.

ROAD TO MEMBERSHIP

Anyone who wishes to join our

congregation as a member

may sign the

membership book on the last

Sunday of each month

shortly after the service.

The minister or a board officer

(President, Church Council Chair,

Secretary or Treasurer)

will meet you on the

Sanctuary chancel.

We welcome you to our religious

community

14

MEMORIALS AND SPECIAL GIFTS TO THE CHURCH

THANK YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL DONATIONS:

Memorial gifts were received in memory

of Jack Carpenter .

A total of $155.00 was donated to our

Designated Collections on June 28 for

Nurses for Newborns and a total of $122

was donated to our Designated Collection

on July 12 for Places for People Inc.

JOYS AND CONCERNS FROM JUNE 2015

Let us keep in our minds all in our church who

live and struggle to heal from illness and surgery,

and let us remember all who have family

members who are ill or who have died.

—Wedding wishes to

our church custodian,

Elliott Smith and

Brandy Lax who

were married Satur-

day, July 18, 2015.

Open Job Announcement

First Unitarian of Saint Louis is seeking a

person to be our new Involvement-

Membership Coordinator. Applicants are

asked to send a resume and cover-letter to the

Membership Committee. E-applications can

be sent to office@firstuustlouis.org and

paper applications to 5007 Waterman

Boulevard, STL. MO, 80631. Applicants

must have a college degree and be a member

of a UU congregation. For more information

see the first Unitarian church website http://

firstuustlouis.org

ENVELOPES NEEDED

Does your place of business

have envelopes that are out-dated, unusable

or unwanted? The church office is in need

of envelopes. #9 or #10 would be best, but

we will take any size or any color. We use

these envelopes for inter-office

correspondence and deposits into our safe,

so envelopes with company logos or return

addresses are great. If your place of

business is set to recycle old envelopes,

please bring them to the church office. We

would rather reuse them and THEN recycle

them.

15

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

Please keep in mind that the calendar is updated daily

and does not show outside rentals. Refer to the Web

Site calendar for up-to-date information.

Sunday, August 2 Fair Trade Coffee 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service (S) 11:30 a.m. - Covenant Group (C7) 11:30 a.m. - Writing Group 7:00 p.m. - Toastmasters (CLK) Tuesday, August 4 2:00 p.m. - Qigong Class (CH) 7:00 p.m. - First UU of St. Louis Buddhist (CH) Wednesday, August 5 IT Task Force (Time: TBA) Sunday, August 9 Newsletter Deadline Designated Collection: Interfaith Partnership 9:00 a.m. - Sandwich Making for the Homeless 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service (S) 11:30 a.m. - Covenant Group (C7) Tuesday, August 11 2:00 p.m. - Qigong Class (CH) Sunday, August 16 Fair Trade Coffee 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service (S) 11:30 a.m. - Covenant Group (C8) 7:00 p.m. - Toastmasters (CLK) Tuesday, August 18 9:30 a.m. - Newsletter Folding (C1) 2:00 p.m. - Qigong Class (CH) 6:30 p.m. - Library Committee Wednesday, August 19 6:00 p.m. - Wonderful Wednesday Thursday, August 20 6:30 p.m. - Policing Town Hall Training (CLK)

Sunday, August 23 Designated Collection: Gateway Greening 9:00 a.m. - Sandwich Making for the Homeless 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service (S) 11:30 a.m. - Teacher Orientation (CLK) Tuesday, August 25 2:00 p.m. - Qigong Class (CH) Wednesday, August 26 6:00 p.m. - Long Range Planning Committee (C1) Thursday, August 27 Don’t Shoot Town Hall (Time: TBA) Sunday, August 30 10:00 a.m. - Worship Service (S) For updates to the church calendar visit firstuustlouis.org

16

www.UUSTL.org

Member, Unitarian Universalist Association

The St. Louis Unitarian Volume 46, Number 2

August 2015 August newsletter deadline: August 9

Fold: August 18 @ 9:30 a.m. Submit news to office@firstuustlouis.org

(314) 361-0595/96 • fax: (314) 361-0712

Minister

Rev. Thomas Perchlik

ext. 22

tperchlik@firstuustlouis.org

Ministerial Intern

Brian Mason

ext. 24

bmason@firstuustlouis.org

Religious Education Team

Lynn Hunt, Credentialed Religious Educator

ext. 25

lhunt@firstuustlouis.org

Rhonda Buergler, Sunday Assistant

Augustine Underwood, Childcare, RE Asst. &

Administrative Assistant

Music Team

Joel Knapp, Choir/Music Director

music.director@firstuustlouis.org

Earl Naylor, Organist/Accompanist

Administrative Team

Yvette Clemons, Church Administrator

ext. 23

yclemons@firstuustlouis.org

ext. 21

Mary Thompson, Sunday Sexton

Elliott Smith, Custodian

Donald Jeffries, Newsletter Proofreader

Office Hours Mon — Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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