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^/ PROSPECTUS OF THE CHURCH SCHOOL

FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Leslie T. Pennington, Minister Eleanor E. Lewis, Director of Religious Education

"Wisdom is not one word, and then another, 'Til words are like dry leaves under a tree; Wisdom is like a dawn that comes up slowly Out of an unknown ocean. "

Edwin Arlington Robinson

TO THE CHURCH THE CHILD WILL COME 2.

Religious experience is not something which begins when a child is enrolled in the Church School. It be­ gins in his earliest days. Appreciation for him as a person, a chance to develop a sense of his own worth and abilities, and the subtle but pervading influence of the values which are most important to the family into which he comes will be the bases on which he develops his own religious feelings, as he grows and develops.

The smallest members of the church family learn that the church is a good and friendly place where they, too, are welcome, while their families come to the church on Sunday mornings. Friendly and competent people try to make their experience a comfortable and a happy one, with things to see, songs to sing, finger play, playthings, and stories.

So that they may be able to help their children at home, parents of pre-schoolers may get books and materials in the church school library, and are encouraged to attend a discussion group for parents of young children, where they can exchange their ideas, problems, and ex­ periences with others, and with members of the church school staff.

PRE SCHOOL TO BE INTRODUCED TO HIS PLACE IN THE CHURCH FAMILY Five-year-olds are enrolled as members of the Church School in the Kindergarten Class.

Stories of the simple experiences of children in their world, as they experience the rhythm of the seasons, and come to know the great forces of nature, - rain, snow, sunshine, and winds, — beginning discoveries of the difference between animate and inanimate things, ex­ periences with shadows, dreams, and fancies, and a chance to become acquainted with baby animals and with human babies, ~ all these hold within them the seeds of the new and the wonderful from which later religious ex­ periences will grow.

Boys and girls in this class will have a chance to explore the developing life of baby animals, and of human babie^ and through the story of their own birth, and how it came to be, will begin an understanding of the bond that links all living things.

Go K„ Chesterton says that all of us should cultivate the; "power of seeing plain things in a kind of sunlight of sur­ prise", and calls this art of wonder "the beginning of the praise of God, "

Worship for the kindergartener is the wonder of his wid­ ening world, a part in the celebrations and the drama of the festivals around the year, and a chance to share these experiences with others.

KINDERGARTEN: To Consider How He Himself Came To Be 4.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders are enrolled in the Lower School, and attend the full session of the Church School, beginning at 10:00 A.M. First-graders will investigate the natural world around them, as they move through the seasons of the year, each with its particular celebrations. TREES, STARS, SNOW-CRYSTALS, SEEDS, PLANTS and FLOWERS will be studied in some detail. They will now learn by working and talking together how to sees listen, notice, and ask questions, how to see small things in a larger framework. With GOLDFISH and TURTLES they will see how small living things live in varied environments, and they will look closely at their own HANDS, and the hands of others, to see how the human hand, a mechanism mir­ aculously perfect, allows a person to express himself in a variety of ways.

In their own short period of worship, they will begin to learn to use a "quiet time" for the thinkings sharing, and putting together of experiences. Here, with songs, poems, stories, and thinking together, they will begin to explore the orderliness of relationships between things, to sense their own place in the patterns of life, and to share their wonderings and their questionings together

FIRST GRADE: To Look About Him With Wonder, Curiosity, and Surprise 5, By the time a child is in second grade, he has made an adjustment to a new world of school and neighborhood outside his own family, and is ready to expand his hori­ zons. Much of his concerns will be centered around his relationships with other people, and with understanding more fully his place in his own family.

In his church school class, he will look into the lives of children in other lands, to see how they live, and what are their national and family customs. He will hear some of the stories told to them, and will have a chance to look at some of their varied religious beliefs and practices. He will learn that all people are different, and that all people are very much alike, and to come to some terms with this paradox.

In stories of China, he will become acquainted with the wise Confucius; in stories from India, he will read of the good Buddha, and his efforts to lead men to abetter way of life. Through songs, films and stories, he will meet children from Italy, and from Japan, and he will visit Palestine, and hear stories of the birth and the teachings of Jesus, the great man honored in our own Judeo-Christian tradition. He will have a chance to compare the three birth stories of Buddha, Confucius and Jesus, and to enj oy the stories of wonder and mag­ ic that have been added to each.

Through an acquaintance with people of both long ago and far away9 he will learn to enjoy the varieties of custom and environment, to appreciate the bonds of common needs, thoughts and feelings which join us all in one great family, and to take from each, those things of real value which may become a part of his own life.

SECOND GRADE; To Widen His Concerns To People Long Ago And Far Away 6.

Eight-year olds have a developing interest in heros and hero tales, in legend and in fancy, and relationships with their own friends are of growing importance to them, as well as relationships in their own families.

A chance to read of hero-tales and legends from many sources, including hero tales from the Bible, will be­ gin the work this year. They will go on to explore in some detail the story of Joseph., which is for boys and girls of this age one of the most interesting of the Bible stories9 with its dramatic incidents, itc concerns with problems of love and hate, of jealousy and forgiveness within a family.

They will learn of David, and of the life of a shepherd both long agos and in this day$ and will have a chance not only to see David as a growing boy, and as a hero3 but to share in his wanderings as they become acquain­ ted with some of his songs and hymns.

In their services of worship, they will continue to de­ velop the discipline and capacity for quiet times of thoughtfully sharing with others a consideration of those things which really matter most. Here they will continue to learn some of the songs and responses which are part of worship in a liberal church. They will have a chance to think about the place of heroes in the lives of men, and of why men have always needed to build stories of greatness, strength and heroism beyond their own reach. They will also begin to have a speaking ac­ quaintance with some of the men in the stories of the Hebrews, with their weakness and strengths, and their concerns for the great problems of good and evil, of justice and forgiveness in the world in which they live.

THIRD GRADE To Learn Of Legends And Of Heroes And To Stretch To Their Measure 7,

Fourth-graders will be concerned with stories which primitive people have told and retold to try to explain the beginning of things, and legends from many cultures about the creation of the world. The Biblical account of the Hebrew creation story will take its place among others. They will learn something of the medieval Chris­ tian's concept of a central and immovable earth, sur­ rounded by revolving spheres, and will explore the new ways of thinking which led to the modern scientist's hy­ potheses of the earth's beginning.

Beginnings of life and death, and stories from many peoples of how life came to be, as well as their specu­ lations on the end of life, will be considered. They will spend some time on the thinking and questionings of bi­ ologists, as they search for probable answers to the question of how man came to be on the earth. The year will include a unit on human reproduction and on the functioning of the human body, of how we become aware of the world around us, and of other people, and how we try to communicate to them our ideas our thoughts, pur feelings, hopes and dreams.

It is hoped that from this year's study will come an un­ derstanding of how all people, in various times and places, have felt a great need to answer the why and the wherefore of life, — to think about man's beginning, and what will be his end. From the earliest beginnings, man has been concerned not only with his physical being and its survival, but with the great problems of what is good and what is evil, the recognition of those values of primary importance to him, and of his relationship to those values. Each culture has created answers which would give a man's life direction and meaning, and from his own rising curiosity and questioning, the child will undertake for himself the beginning of his own quest.

4th Graders enter the Upper School, and share in its services of worship in Hull Chapel at 10:00 A. M., with the other classes of the Upper School. FOURTH GRADE: To Explore The Meanings Of Beginnings And Endines 8. Fifth graders will continue the story of man's search for the meaning of things. They will learn something of the culture and beliefs of primitive people in the world today withastudy of Africans, Eskimos, and Zuni Indi­ ans, to see the bases on which primitive societies are established, and to trace the development of religious ideas.

They will learn something of the way the story of man's past has been discovered, and something of the process­ es by which archeologists unearth that story, and lay be­ fore us the history of the ancient v/orld. Of particular interest will be the cultures of people around the Medi­ terranean, which directly influenced the growth of their own Judeo-Christian heritage.

Fifth graders will continue the story of man's search for the meaning of things, and will use material which will provide as well a background for the more intensive study of our own Judeo-Christian heritage in the years to come,

They will learn of life and belief in ancient Egypt, and of what happens in a culture where life after death is of such importance, and the preservation of the body so central in men's thinking that the living actually work for the dead; they will read of a Pharoah, Akhenaten, whose social and ethical ideas were greatly in advance of his time, and who tried to revolutionize the religious life of his people so that they would believe in one God, a God of warmth and beneficence who is everywhere, Tlieywill consider why this religion failed, yet influenced the world long before its story was discovered or known. The class will begin the study of Moses, a man who grew up in a king's palace in Egypt, but left behind the life of a prince to lead his people from slavery into freedom, and a sense of their own national life.

Boys and girls will be encouraged to explore their own wonderings, as they discover something of the greatness of men who lived long, long ago, — of their compassion, their courage, their persistence, and of their part in q man 'along quest to Joiow God. (FIFTH GRADE) in • The work of the 6th grade" will center around the Old Tes­ tament, - its background, its stories, its history, and an account of the developing religious life so that they may begin to be reUgiously literate in the traditions of their own heritage as citizens of the western world. They will learn something of the earliest beginnings of Judaism in the story of Abraham, and will trace the drama of ancient Israel, with its wars, victories, struggles and defeats. Some of the present-day conflicts asd concerns of Israel and its neighbors will be investigated. A more detailed study of the law of Moses will be part of the classwork, as the boys and girls look at the ten com­ mandments both in relation to the time at which they were formulated, and to their relevance for a code for today; they will consider the place of law in society, and how it develops and changes; they will be encouraged to think a- bout good and bad laws, and the reasons, good and bad, for the breaking of traditional codes. They wiU set up their own code of laws for the regulation of life on a new planet. In Men of Prophetic Fire, they wiU read of the prophets who arose from time to time to cry social wrong, and to work for social and religious reform among their people. The efforts of other men in other times to bring change where change is needed, and to draw people back to cen­ tral concerns will be considered and discussed. Something of the compositions of the Old Testament, and the many kinds of writing which compose it will be stud­ ied, and the dramatic narrative of the old story of salva­ tion will be traced, and ways to interpret it explored. From this year, boys and girls will begin their acquain­ tance with backgrounds of the Judeo-Christian heritage. Boys and girls of this age have a strong and growing con­ cern for justice and injustice, for rules and their relation­ ship to rules, and will see that their concerns have been shared by other men in other times, who bear witness to the fact that men have always lifted their eyes from what they are to what they may become. They will learn that right and wrong are not rules of black and white to be blindly accepted and foUowed, but that the most searching and sensitive discriminations are needed, and that their search for answers and for standards is a search that will go on to the ends of their lives. 6th GRADE To Become Religiously Literate in the Back- Grounds of their Own Heritage. 10.

7th Graders will continue to explore the background of the Judeo-Christian heritage with a year of study of the life of Jesus, of the New Testament, and of the develop­ ment of the early church.

They will read of Jesus as a person who introduced new ideas and new attitudes into the accepted standards of his day, and of his ideas and convictions. It is hoped that the study will awaken fresh interest in the man Jesus, and that he will emerge as a convincing and a real per­ son, - growing, learning, struggling, deciding, not know­ ing the future, committed to the last to a faith stronger than the threat of death, and death itself.

They will learn of the world at the time Jesus lived, so that the events of New Testament times can be seen clear­ ly in relation to the political and social life of the times.

The stories of the Gospels will be compared, so that the differend emphases and the differences of narrative can be seen as the same story is told by different people.

Of real concern will be a study of what happened to the simple religion of Jesus, as it was modified and organ­ ized by Paul and the early leaders of the church. Other popular religions of the time will be studied, and the contirbution of the competing mystery religions to grow­ ing Christian dogmas will be explored and discussed.

The class will also spend some time on the ideas and culture of Greece, particularly the ways in which Greek thought influenced the life and thinking of the men who formed the early Christian church. The class will follow the story to the formal organiza­ tion of the Christian Church, and the controversy at that time over the humanity of the divinity of Jesus, with the dramatic story of the council at which the vote was cast which so long ago set the Christian Church on one road, and those who might be considered the first Unitarians on another. SEVENTH GRADE: To Learn of the Life of Jesus and to Explore Christian Beginnings 11. Boys and girls of Junior High age are intimately assoc­ iated with children of other religious faiths, and are cur­ ious about many religious attitudes and practices which may differ from their own.

They will study present-day Judaism, and will investi­ gate the beliefs of the Catholic Church, looking back to the spiritual monarchy which was established under the Holy Roman empire, and will see how that one church was divided, at last, into many separate bodies, each having some special reason for feeling different from the others. Theological issues which have divided the churches will be presented in a straightforward way, and will be shown to be the outgrowth of the religious experiences of certain daring and original men and wo­ men. A chance will be provided for the group to visit as many as possible of the religious services of chur­ ches they study.

It is hoped that the study of this year will not only in­ crease the knowledge about many faiths which people hdd today, and a generosity and tolerance for differing relig­ ious beliefs, but a genuine appreciation for their values which will make it possible for our boys and girls to be more understanding friends and better citizens. It is hoped that it will also make possible a richer apprec­ iation for our own. church, and also the security of in­ formation and understanding needed to criticize it con­ structively. Through some acquaintance with the varie­ ties of religious observances dramatizing the central religious concerns of people, — the rites of birth, death, marriage, and of assuming adult responsibilities, young people will come to see the universal needs for a part in a religious community. They will be encouraged to ex­ plore how much it matters, in the life of an individual and of a society, just what that man, or group of men believe, and how these beliefs alter and affect the life of those who hold them.

Certain basic concepts of the nature of man, and of his 12. place in the scheme of things will be considered in re­ lation to the liberal heritage, and some time will be spent in the second half of the year on the development of the liberal religious tradition, and the growth of Uni­ tarian and Universalist churches.

Recognition will be made that, as they finish 8th grade, young people growing up in the liberal church have a background for a growing knowledge of the faith which we affirm, and which they may, in a measure, con­ firm. They will have a chance to meet with the minister, and with others, to explore and discuss their own re­ ligious questions and concerns, and will be recognized at a church service, at the end of the year, as having completed the formal religious education of the church school.

From this milestone, it is our hope that they will go on to seek for themselves that which is to them of ultimate worth, and to commit themselves to it. 13.

HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMEN (9th Grade) i

High school freshmen have their own discussion group, and choose material which seems to them in­ teresting and important.

They will have a chance to pick up some of the pieces which they may have missed either in information, or emphasis, throughout the curriculum, and to further explore their own ideas, and their own religious con­ cerns and commitments.

Play readings, stories, discussions, text material, films and dramatics will all be a part of their group's work.

They will develop a program of social activities, and will share with the Senior L.R. Y„ group in local and regional conferences and meetings with other liberal young people.

LIBERAL RELIGIOUS YOUTH, boys and girls in senior high school, have a program of discussion, study, ran and fellowship under the leadership of the Youth Activities Committee of the church. The loc­ al group also joins with liberal young people in Chicago, and in the mid-west region for conferen­ ces, meetings and social events.

PARENTS' ORIENTATION - Parents who enroll their children in the church school for the first time, and parents who are new to the liberal church are asked to attend a series of orientation classes in the goals and methods of the church school

The philosophy and goals of liberal religious educa­ tion something of the background and history of Uni- tariariism, curriculum in the pre-school, Lower School and the Upper School, a discussion of the cel­ ebrations of holidays and festivals in the liberal church, and of the services of worship in the church school will be included in the series. There will be 14. ample time provided for questions aid for the exchange of experiences and of ideas. Dates for the series, in the fall, and in the spring, will be published in the Church Calendar,,

Parents are also asked to attend FAMILY SERVICES with their children, and to take part in PARENT- TEACHER MEETINGS for the classes in which their own children are enrolled once each term,

PARENTS' ORIENTATION - LRY 15,

Boys and Girls may be enrolled in the church school from Kindergarten through the 8th grade. A materials fee of $5, 00 per year is requested for every child 1st grade and above at the time of enrollment. This fee will cover special materials, books, leaflets, films, and will provide for special occasions. The fee can be paid in two installments in October, and in January, and a limited number of scholarships will be available through the Church School office, No materials fees will be re­ funded in the event of withdrawal,

The expenses of the church school are borne by the Church as a part of its total budget, and parents con­ tribute to the church school by a regular pledge to the church. All regular expenses of the church school, in­ cluding equipment, staff and all creative materials are included in the budgeted expenses. The church budgets about $50.00 for each child enrolled in the church school each year,,

TIME SCHEDULES* Junior Kindergarten: (3 and 4-year olds) 10:45 to 12:15 Kindergarten, 10,45 - 12,15

ALL OTHER CLASSES MEET FROM 10:00 to 12:15 Boys and girls are expected to attend the full sess­ ion .

CHILD CARE. Infants and pre-school children are cared for while their parents attend the morning program at the church, from 9:30 A.M. to 1:00 in the church parlors. Kindergarteners whose parents wish to attend the Adult Discussion Group may be cared for with pre-schoolers until their class meets at 10:45. 16.

THE JUNIOR CHOIR

Boys and girls enrolled in the Upper School (4th grade and above) are eligible for the Junior Choir, under the direction of Mr. Christopher Moore, Admission to the group is by try-out, and membership limited to boys and girls who are in regular attendance and in good standing in their classes in the Upper School. The Jun­ ior Choir sings regularly each Sunday morning at the worship service of the Upper School, in special church services throughout the year, and in concerts. It is for those who take part an exciting and valuable experience in music.

PARENTS CAN HELP GREATLY TO MAKE THE EX­ PERIENCE OF THEIR CHILDREN MORE MEANINGFUL IF THEY WILL: See that he comes for the WHOLE SESSION, that he comes REGULARLY and that he comes ON TIME, COME WITH HIM TO THE FAMILY SERVICES OF THE CHURCH, Help the teaching staff to work out any problems which may arise. TAKE TIME TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN HIS CLASS,

Parents are invited to discuss the program of the Church School, its curriculum services, and policies fully and freely with the members of the R. E» Com­ mittee, the members of the staff, and with the Director of Religious Education.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION and TIME SCHEDULES 17

THE GOALS OF THE LIBERAL CHURCH SCHOOL are to cultivate the faith and values of the liberal church: 1. To develop the will and capacity to seek truth in freedom, 2. To recognize the supreme value of each individual person. 3. To provide opportunities for meaningful and effective participation in group life, 4. To achieve a strong, purposeful, cre­ ative personal faith which will provide a dynamic motivation in life. 5. To find a total life orientation which will allow an individual to see life clearly and to see it whole, and to relate him­ self creatively to that totality, Obviously, the process by which we try to promote these goals in the religious education program will dif­ fer greatly when we are working with a three-year-olds or a ten-year~olds or a teen-ager. The curriculum of the liberal church will of necessity use the experience and material of the whole of life, and will therefore, also of necessity, overlap at times the material and the experience of life outside the walls of the church or the hours of church school classes.

We will, however, be primarily concerned, not only to provide the opportamty for meaningful experiences, but to interpret them, and to help the child to interpret them. We will teach meanings above and beyond events and facts. We will be concerned with the relationships between individual experience and pieces of knowledge, and will be concerned particularly with that heritage of man which is uniquely religious.

Above all, we shall want to help him develop for him­ self and together with others, experiences of worship. The worship experience in the church school provides a focus for the ultimate values of life, and is central to the function of the church, and of the church school. It is the one place in the complicated and hectic patterns of life in which we pause to affirm, alone, and together, that we need to be better people, and in which we join hands in celebration and in festival, and in consideration of those things which really matter most.

A child, no less than an adult, needs to have a sense of identification with and of commitment to, the deep values of his life. He needs to feel that1 his life has direction and meaning, that those values in which he places his deep trust have roots in the past and meaning for the future, and are part of his common humanity.

He will want to explore with thoughtful people the function of symbols in his life. Through music, readings, poetry and stories, he will become acquainted with the ways ir. which people have expressed their feelings and concerns, their wonderings about the unknowable, their sense of the realities of things immaterial and unseen, Here he will see new relationships between varied parts of his exper­ ience, and will come to new conclusions and make new evaluations. Here he will try to come to some terms with the great paradoxes of life: that all men are alike, and that all are different; that we are bound in by a thousand limits, yet are free to choose, that an individ­ ual life is less than a grain of sand in the immensities of time and space, and yet that it is of unique and in­ finite value; that we are bound together in a body with all mankind and yet in ways that are final and absolute, we are alone. Here in the company of others bound on the same quest, he will explore his own feelings and begin to build his own faith, to take courage from the fact that he can join hands with the dead and the yet unborn in his concern to become aware of, to relate himself to, and to act upon those values which he believes to be of ulti­ mate worth. 19,

The liberal faith is not a faith of easy answers, of rules to follow, and final truths to be learned and accepted; It requires of those who seek its far horizons all they can bring to it of knowledge, awareness, and evaluation. But though the child must develop his own religious faith for himself, he cannot be expected to do it by him­ self, and all of us who believe deeply in the values of liberal religious education are working continuously to develop methods and techniques, and to provide for re­ lationships and experiences which will help him grow through all the days and years of his life.

Eleanor E. Lewis, Director of Religious Education c Of-Zo6>^ 4

CHRISTMAS VESPER SERVICE

December 24, 1966 7:30 P.M.

FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH Chicago, Illinois Cover design by John W. Haines Services of worship are not something that we go to, or that we watch others do, they are services of celebration which we create together as we all take part.

Everyone is invited to the Caroling Party in the Garden Room following the service. Christopher Moore will take those caroling who wish to go, others will stay and enjoy wassail and wait for the carolers to return,

When you return to your respective homes following this service we hope each family will hold a special candlelighting service of its own, perhaps with your friends and loved ones around your Christmas table remembering our hope for peace and goodwill among all the peoples of the earth.

The gifts from the children will be given to Abraham Lincoln Centre. During the choir singing of "In The Lonely Midnight" the church lights will be extinguished.

After the sentences for the candlelighting ceremony the congregation seated is asked to sing "0 Come All Ye Faithful" while the choir candlelighting takes place. Congregational candles will be lighted during the Hodie Recessional.

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AS YOU ENTERED THE CHURCH, EVERYONE OF HIGH SCHOOL AGE AND ABOVE RECEIVED A CANDLE. AT THE TIME OF THE CANDLELIGHTING CEREMONY THE CHOIR WILL TAKE THEIR LIGHTS FROM THE CANDLES ON THE ALTAR. AS THEY MOVE OUT INTO THE CON­ GREGATION, THOSE SITTING ON THE AISLE WILL LIGHT THEIR CANDLES BY TIPPING THEM INTO THE FLAMES THE SINGERS ARE HOLDING.

LIGHTED CANDLES SHOULD THEN ALWAYS BE HELD UPRIGHT.

LET YOUR NEIGHBOR TIP HIS UNLIT CANDLE INTO YOUR FLAME, AND IN TURN, HOLD HIS CANDLE UPRIGHT.

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ALL CHILDREN WILL RECEIVE UNLIGHTED CANDLES AS THEY LEAVE THE CHURCH. CHRISTMAS PRELUDES Margaret Murata

THE RINGING OF THE BELL

THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES

CHOIR PROCESSIONAL Come All Ye Shepherds Slovak Carol

OPENING SENTENCES Mr. Kent

CONGREGATIONAL CAROL The Congregation Standing

294 Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing through the night, And the mountains in reply Echoing their brave delight. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer? What great brightness did you see? What glad tidings did you hear? Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Come to Bethleham and see. Him whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the new born King. Gloria in excelsis Deo. THE CHRISTMAS STORY SPOKEN AND SUNG

Luke: 2:1-7

CAROL: Behold That Star Spiritual

Luke: 2: 8-12

CAROL: Whence 0 Shepherd Maiden Canadian Carol

Luke: 2: 13-20

CAROL: Schlaf wohl German Carol

FANFARE: English Round

THE DEDICATION OF CHILDREN Mr. Kent

The children come And so they have been coming Always the same way they come Born of the seed of man and woman. I No angels herald their beginnings. * No prophets predict their future courses. ,| No wise men see a star to show where to find the babe that will save mankind. Yet each night a child is born is a holy night. Fathers and mothers - Sitting beside their children's cribs - Feel glory in the sight of a new life beginning. They ask, Where and how will this new life end? Or will it ever end? Each night a child is born is a holy night - A time for singing - A time for wondering - A time for worshipping.

Sophia Lyon Fahs TO THE CONGREGATION: Do you, as a congregation, assume the responsibility to acquaint these children with their human heritage and knowledge of their duties and obligations to mankind? (WE DO)

TO THE PARENTS: As parents of these children, do you solemnly promise and engage that to the best of your ability you will instruct and train them in the principles of right living?

Do you promise that you will help them to be fear­ less, impartial and reverent seekers after Truth, Beauty and Goodness? (WE DO)

Will you endeavor to be for them an example which they may safely follow: (WE WILL)

What name has been given to this child?

I welcome you into the fellowship of all good souls and dedicate you to the fulfillment of your own creative spirit which is the living God.

PRAYER: 0 thou Eternal Spirit of Life, as we dedicate these children to the fulfillment of their own creative spirits may mankind come to know that their lives will be strong in service and radiant with hope.

CAROL 0 Men from the Fields Arnold Cooke text by Padriac Colum THE GIFTS PROCESSIONAL

The Children in the Church and Chapel will now move down the center aisle, place their presents under the tree and return to their places with their parents.

CAROLS

Personent Hodie (arr. Hoist) Piae Cantiones Masters in this Hall French Carol

CONGREGATIONAL CAROL The Congregation Standing

287 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old; From angels bending near the earth, To touch their harps of gold; Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, From heaven's all gracious King, The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come, With peaceful wings unfurled; And: still, their heavenly music floats Above its sad and lowly plains They bend on hovering wirig; And ever o'er its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long; Beneath the angel strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not The love song which they bring. 0 hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing. For lo! the days are hastening on By propher bards foretold, When with the ever-circling years Comes round the age of gold; When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors fling, And the whole world give back the song, Which now the angels sing.

THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS Mr. Kent

CAROL Frohlich Soil Mein Herzen Springen Chorale

PRAYER Mr. Kent

CAROL 292 In the Lonely Midnight

In the lonely midnight, On the wintry hill, Shepherds heard the angels singing, "Peace, good will." Listen 0 ye weary, To the angels' song, Unto you the tidings Of great joy belong.

Though in David's city Angels sing no more, Love makes angel music On earth's darkest shore; Though no heavenly glory Meet your wondering eyes, Love can make your dwelling Bright as paradise.

Though the child of Mary, Heralded on high, In his manger cradle May no longer lie, Love is king forever, Though the proud world scorn; If ye truly seek him, Christ for you is born. THE CANDLELIGHTING CEREMONY Sentences Mr. Kent CONGREGATIONAL CAROL (While the Congregation sings the Choir candles will be lighted). 288 0 Come, All Ye Faithful 0 come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, 0 come ye, 0 come ye to Bethleham; Come and behold him, Born the King of angels: 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Lo, humble shepherds, Hasting to his cradle, Leaving their flocks in the fields, draw near. We, too, with gladness, Thither bend our foot steps: 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above: "Glory to God In the highest": 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him, 0 come, let us adore him Christ the Lord. CANDLE PROCESSIONAL Hodie Flainchant Plainchant is the oldest form of music for the church. The Hodie is the Latin Christmas pro­ clamation - today Christ is born. Alleluia! (The choir will light Congregational candles during the procession) BENEDICTION RESPONSE Heilige Nacht Reinhardt POSTLUDES ftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftft

Those seated in Hull Chapel are asked to remain in place until the Children's Choir has passed through the Chapel.

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USHERS

Members of LRY

CANDLE COMMITTEE

Members of 8th Grade Class

CANDLE WATCHERS

Everett Bernstein Robert Edsel Moore David Flight Harold Moody Howard Vogel George Reed

. JL J>~ JL J* ftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftJU J.

Jack A. Kent, Minister Jeanne T. Kuch, Program Coordinator Gloria Hunt, Executive Secretary Virginia Rose, Director of Religious Education Christopher Moore, Minister of Music to Children Hans Wurman, Director of Music Janet Underhill, Director of Junior Choir Margaret Murata, Church School Organist Fl UNITARIAN CHURCH Chicago, Illinois

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UILDING FUND id BUDGET CANVASS November & ecember — I960 WE MUST ACT NOW ...

To meet our present needs

To prepare for the future

OUR CANVASS PLAN . . .

WHO will be solicited?

Organized canvassing will be limited to member families, parents of children in the church school, and any other persons and fami­ lies who consider themselves affiliated with or use our church but who, technically, are not members.

HOW will we be solicited?

Individual face-to-face solicitations only-will be made. A large volunteer team of men of our church has been enlisted, organized, and trained as canvassers to visit each family of the church indi­ vidually and privately in the home. There will be no group can­ vassing in meetings, nor will any canvassing be conducted by mail.

WHEN will we be solicited?

In order to reach our canvass goal we will conduct an organized and intensive, individual solicitation in the homes between December 1st and December 18th. The pledge payments are to begin January 1, 1961.

WHAT will we be solicited for?

In this canvass we will be solicited for: first, Building Fund Pledges, to run for 150 weeks, and second, Budget Pledges "Until Further Notice" to provide the necessary income to support the current budget needs and to provide denominational support. OUR NEED . . . Space

To continue our dynamic program

Since January of 1958 we have planned and prepared for the next great step in our program of pro­ gress, so that we might improve and expand our service to the community and our people. We have become painfully aware that portions of our plant, design­ ed for the needs of a past genera­ tion, have long since become in­ adequate. Our membership and attendance have grown steadily year after year, and our program of activities must keep pace or fall short of the standards we have set for First Church. In our church school, especially, this situation is acute. Our ad­ ministrative and office space severely hinders the efforts of our expanded staff. We have a crying need for storage of Ma­ chines, Furniture, Records and Supplies. The pictures in this booklet show only too well our needs.

WE MEET IN THE BASEMENT OF FENN HOUSE, IN MEAD- VILLE HOUSE, MEADVILLE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL AND EVEN TRANSFER OUR GROUP ACTIVITIES TO THE BAPTIST CHURCH. OUR PROPOSED NEW BUILDING BUILDING LOCATION

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THE DESIGN OF THE NEW BUILDING lif

The proposed new building for the First Unitarian Church The main entrance to the new building will face Wood- will be a modern fireproof structure of two stories with a lawn Avenue, and will be approached by a gently sloping usable basement, which will be built north of the present sidewalk without steps, so that baby buggies and strollers church building, and will provide direct connection between can be wheeled right up to the door. Beside this sidewalk, the present Parish House and Fenn House, as well as ac­ and right in the center of the present lawn, will be a sunken y cess to the north transept. garden so that class rooms in the basement will have ade­ i:>Si quate light and a pleasant outlook. mm^^-m^^M^ * It will contain fifteen much needed classrooms and new office space for the Minister, Assistant Minister, Director Many of the classrooms will be separated by folding par­ of Religious Education, and office staff, thus releasing titions, so that two or more may be thrown together when necessary. Ample storage facilities for classroom mater­ J&tl* ; :. . -- 5.:;;»: some of the space in the present Parish House for School ll l ials will be provided, and there will be a service entrance use. facing the alley, with access to an elevator for either The first and second floors of the new building will be freight or passengers. on the same level as the same floors in the present Parish The roof of the new building has been designed to serve House. As these levels are nearly the same as the corres­ as a playground, and can be reached either from the present ponding floor levels in Fenn House, it will be possible to Parish House or Fenn House. There will be an outdoor fire­ move from one building to the others without climbing place on the roof. stairs. This will be accomplished by removing and re­ Although strictly modern in design, of skeleton construc­ arranging the rear stairs of the Parish House, and by the tion with glass and metal and curtain walls, the proportions use of a slight slope in the floor where Fenn House con­ and the materials of the new building have been designed nects with the new building. to harmonize with the present church building. OUR GOAL . . . $150,000

in ISO Week Building Fund Pledges

On July 21, I960, a special congregational meeting was held to consider the program we are now undertaking. Authority was given at that time to the Board of Trustees to authorize an addition to the church structure and to conduct a building fund and budget canvass.

The tentative plans as shown on the previous page will provide for our immediate needs. The architect, Mr. B. Denison Hull, esti­ mates the cost of such a building to be about $200,000 including the cost of alterations to the existing buildings. With furnishings, landscaping and other requirements, the entire building program should not exceed $300,000. This total figure was approved by the congregation.

We feel that this canvass should provide for the first half of the estimated cost, or $150,000. The balance of the program will be financed in a manner thought to be most prudent at the time, by the Board, when all costs are known and when the economic conditions can be advantageously predicted.

We must also provide funds as a result of this canvass for our current expense and denominational needs. We hope and expect every family to support both programs.

We feel our planning and study to be sound. We feel this program is best suited to our needs and resources. The canvass goal is a sincere attempt to provide the funds to begin construction of our long awaited building. A Message From Our Minister . . .

In the midst of this great university community our church rises in soaring lines of faith and aspiration.

It has become a church of all peoples, of open membership, of open dialogue amid the great variety of the sincere religious beliefs of men and women and of the great historic faiths of mankind so fittingly presented in its symbols.

It has become a family church, in which we cherish together those creative forces which make for wholesome family life, a church in which our children and young people are as much at home as in their own families, in which they learn what it means to belong to larger groups of their peers in the joy of work and recreation, to explore the meaning and wonder of life and of faith to fulfill it.

It has become a church known for its creative participation in the life of the community as a whole, in one of the most signi­ ficant projects of urban renewal in America, in the attainment of what is perhaps the first genuinely inter-racial community of high standards in Chicago, judged by experts to be one of the most promising in America. Members of our church and staff contribute generously of their time and of our church DR. LESLIE T. PENNINGTON facilities to a great variety of community-building projects and enterprises for the good of the whole community, ranging from the practical details of urban renewal to youth welfare services and group activities in music, drama, dancing and the arts.

The growing membership and the proliferating program of our church — particularly in the fields of religious education and youth work, and the community-building activities which we are contributing to the community as a whole, have long since outgrown the facilities of our Parish House and of Fenn House. These are our stake in the future of both church and community. Their development has been made possible by the loyal partici­ pation of all of you, and we believe that you share our faith that their development must continue.

We have never before been asked to contribute to a building fund in this church. We are the heirs of one of the loveliest church buildings in Chicago, and the heirs of Fenn House. The time has now come when we are privileged and challenged to build truly and soundly upon the foundations laid by the generations before us — for the still greater future of our church and commu­ nity which opens with such promise before us now. OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Your part will, of necessity, be governed by your ability to give.

The answer to the question, "how much should I give?" can be

determined only by you and your family. Our canvass leaders

have found it helpful to consider $1.00 per week for every $1,000

of annual income. We realize this giving goal cannot be reached

by everyone. The important question to ask ourselves, is "are

we doing our fair share to finance this church program?"

When you are called upon to make your pledge you are asked to consider your contribution in the framework of the "Guide to Giving". It is based on long experience. It outlines a table of weekly installment amounts, projected over 150 weeks. The value of a gift thus given is often far greater than many of us believed we could afford. Look over this table in the quiet of an evening at home, and think about it seriously and selflessly as a major item in your family budget. Do not make your decision immediately, but wait for your caller and have a frank discussion with him of how you may contribute, in terms of a weekly pledge, the most generous sum you can command to advance the church you believe in.

GUIDE TO GIVING

WEEKLY FOR TOTAL FOR WEEKLY FOR TOTAL FOR 150 WEEKS 150 WEEKS 150 WEEKS 150 WEEKS

$100.00 $15,000 $20.00 $3,000 75.00 11,250 15.00 2,250 50.00 7,500 10.00 1,500 35.00 5,250 8.00 1,200 30.00 4,500 5.00 750 25.00 3,750 3.00 450

(Keep tax savings in m'rnd as you consider your pledge. Federal income tax laws permit you to take as deduction all amounts up to 30% of your adjusted gross income, given to church purposes. Other savings are possible in gifts of stock or real property. Please give careful consideration to your pledge.)

' A HISTORY OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF CHICAGO

A Sermon preached by Rev, Jack A, Kent

September 19, 1963 I A HISTORY OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF CHICAGO

On Sunday afternoon, June 26, I836, the Reverend Dr. Charles Follen preached the first Unitarian sermon in the city of Chicago. On only two hours notice a small group of people were gathered together, and they met in the dining room of the unfinished Lake House on the north bank of the Chicago river. Mrs. Follen was at the meeting and she described it in these words: i "When we were at Chicago where we passed some A^s amon£ its hospitable inhabitants, he (Dr. Follen) was asiwd by some friends to address them on the Sabbath. The Unitarians had no church, but I they were desirous of forming a religious society. They assembled in an unfinished room in a hotel, that was partly built, and at their request, Dr. Follen addressed them. He spoke to them without any preparation, but most eloquently, upon the reality of unseen things; upon the religious nature of man; upon his tendency to the infinite in all he did, and thought, and felt; and upon the proof we find, from these facts, that he was made for immortality. The people were so much interested and affected by his preaching, that they immediately had a meeting, and . . .land or money was sub­ scribed on the spot, towards erecting a church, and he was urged to > • stay or return and preach to them." I Miss Harriet Martineau, an English Unitarian and author, was also J present. She wrote: "The preacher stood behind a rough pine table on which a Bible was placed. I was never present at a more interesting service I and I know that there were others who felt with me."

Dr. Follen's sermon must have been inspiring because only three days later, on Wednesday evening, June 29, I836, they met for the purpose of organ­ izing a Unitarian society. At that first meeting the following resolution I was adopted: "Whereas it is the birthright and privilege of every American 1 . ' Citizen to worship God according to the dictates of his con- 1 s.cience, as well as the sacred duty of every freeman and Christian assembled, setting aside all human creeds as fallible ; • and taking the Bible only for our guide: and whereas the doctrine of the unity and indivisibility of God (among other things) appears to us to be founded in Scripture and on reason: ' therefore, resolved that it is expedient to organize a religious society in this place to be called The -First Unitarian Society ' of Chicago." Even though the society was organized in I836 few steps were taken to develop a congregation. Under the leadership of the trustees Josiah Goodhue,* Henry Moore, and Horatio Loomis every effort was made to secure a full time minister but this was almost impossible. As a consequence the society met irregularly; at the irregular meetings they heard ministers who came to Chicago at the request of the society. The records indicate that they heard five supoly preachers. They were the Reverends James Thompson, Crawford Nightingale, George Hosmer, Samuel Banett, and a Mr. Huntoon. In October of 1839 Joseph Harrington, Jr. came to Chicago as a mission­ ary minister, and he became the first full time minister.

Mr. Harrington was an excellent choice for the new church. Under his "leadership the society prospered and new people were attracted to the meetings which were held in the Saloon Building Hall* I must be quick to point out however, that the Saloon Building was a quit© respeetabl® hotel.

By the spring of I84.O the society decided to ask Mr. Harrington to continue as their regular minister and at the April 8, I84.O annual meeting they passed the following resolution:

"Resolved: That the Rev. Mr. Harrington be, and he is hereby called to the permanent pastoral charge of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago, and that we earnestly solicit his accept­ ance of this call. Resolved: That the Rev. Mr. Harrington be and he is hereby authorized and requested to procure contributions in the Eastern States for the purpose of erecting a church for the use of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago."

With the authorization of this resolution Mr. Harrington went East where he raised $2,888.4-6.

Upon his return the society had raised $1,369.99.

With these two sums $4-»258.4.5, the society erected its first building on the north side of Washington Street between Clark and Dearborn Streets. (At the present time the entire block is the site for the new Chicago Civic Center.) The new church was dedicated on May 3, 1841. The belfry was added to the original building three years later in 1844-.

In the history of Chicago compiled by John Moses and Joseph Kirkland we find this note about our old church bell.

"In"those days church bells were few in Chicago, and that which pealed from the spire of the Unitarian Church Building was among the earliest. It was the largest in its day, and was utilized vas the fire bell until 1855 > when a larger one was hung in the steeple of the First Baptist Church, at the corner of Clark and Washington Streets, which, because of it superior size, sounded the alarm."

Until outdone by the Baptists in 18555 our bell was the fire bell.

The first church building, erected by the Unitarian Society, was destroyed by fire on May 22, 1863.

An interesting account of the fire appeared in the daily paper.

"The minister's gown, choir and church books, cushions, and stoves, were alone saved. In less than a half hour*s time the building burned to the ground, except the base shell of the front wall, and a portion

r.™w«TOi- of the bell tower which clung to it . . . This church was one of the old landmarks of Chicago, and was the handsomest church structure of the time."

The building had been used for 22 years.

During these twenty-two years the congregation was served by six ministers. In general, the ministries were of short duration; their average length was only 3 years. Also it is important to know that the interval between ministries was, on occasion, rather long and this always discouraged the membership. The society had many trying times and it survived only through the loyal and sustained dedication of its central core of members.

Perhaps we should make a brief statement about each minister. Reverend Joseph Harrington Jr. helped build the first church building and he attracted a large congregation. From 184-6-184-8 Rev. William Adam continued to attract large audiences. Under Rev. Rush R. Shippen, from 184.9-1857, the church became well-known in the city, and the old building was expanded three times. At the time the First Church divided itself into three churches. Rev. George F. Noyes, from 1857-1859, continued the good work of Mr. Shippen, but he added the ministry-at-large. The ministry- at-large was a ministry to the poor and needy in the city.

The ministry-at-large was under the guidance of Rev. William Hadley and Rev. Robert Collyer. Mr. Collyer became one of the nation's great ministers.

Rev. Charles B. Thomas was the minister from I86I-I864.. He served the congregation at the time of the first fire and under his leadership they built their second church home.

The society's second church was re-named The First Church of the Messiah and it was built on the south west corner of Hubbard Court and Wabash streets. As far as I can tell Hubbard Court is now named Balbo W. and the corner of Balbo and Wabash is presently occupied by Williams Restaurant.

The new church building at this location was dedicated in April, 1866. At the ~time of the dedication Rev. Robert Laird Collier was installed as minister. Esther Hornor described Mr. Collier in these words:

"He came to Chicago at a crucial time in the life of the First Unitarian Society and brought with him those particular gifts of personality which quickened the church to unprecendented strength."

From 1866 to October 8, 1871 the church had unprecendented growth but this was suddenly interrupted by the great fire on October 8, 1871. Although the church was not burned all of the homes in the immediate area were lost. Mr. Collier opened the church as a disaster center and he served the people of Chicago in every possible way through emergency relief.

Once again the membership decided to sell the church and move to a new location. This was promptly done. The building was sold and The Second

.»'!nj». m»»•."' r*.•:. ""*- 'mit•">•'" w<"i Church of the Messiah was built on the south east corner of Michigan Avenue at 23rd Street. (That old site is now occupied by the City Auto Sales.) The Second Church of the Messiah was dedicated on November 16, 1873.

Dr. Charles Lyttle, our Unitarian historian,gives great credit to Rev. Robert Collier. He was the first minister in our*church to attract many of the outstanding leaders in the city, and his influence has been deeply written into the history of Chicago through the laymen who heard him preach at the Second Church of the Messiah. Mr. Collier resigned in the summer of 1874-.

The remaining thirty-five years of history at the Second Church of the Messiah may be telescoped into a few lines. Following the ministries of Mr. Collier, Mr. Herford, and Mr. Utter, the Churchyof the Messiah began to decline because it was in a changing neighborhood. Neither minister nor layman could maintain the congregation; consequently, the property was sold in 1909.

,''.''*-.."".• •- The Reverend Mr. William Wallace Fenn became the minister of the old Church of the Messiah and he soon realized that the location of the Church of the Messiah forbade the expectation of the "sure growth and extended influence" which would insure the future of the organization. He therefore recommended in his report of January, 1895> the purchase of a lot of land large enough for a future - church edifice, upon which an inexpensive chapel might be constructed for immediate use near the newly opened University of Chicago in the suburb of Hyde Park."

After Mr. Fenn had made this suggestion he received the full support of Morton B. Hull who had served the church many years as treasurer and trustee. A few months later both Mr. & Mrs. Hull died.

In 1896 at the Annual Meeting Mr. Shorey, Chairman of the Trustees, said:

"If we would hold in due honor the memory of those who have passed from our fellowship into their rest, the good work begun here sixty years ago, in the infancy of the city, must be continued and increased to the measure of our incomparably ' greater opportunities. If the Church, hitherto, had been un­ equal to this trust, let reproaches be silenced now and hence­ forth in a generous effort to recover prestige lost, opportunities neglected, and the position which our friends east and west rightfully demand that the First Church fill. The time is now ripe for the effort. Conditions more favorable than ever before invite us to change our apathy into enthusiasms, and to recover ' the ground not yet wholly lost."

A few days later Morton Denison Hull offered to' erect in Hyde Park a chapel as a memorial to their parents Mr. & Mrs. Morton B. Hull. This offer f was accepted by the society. , . Work was immediately begun.and on June 6, 18.97, Hull Memorial Chapel was dedicated with song "to faith, to hope, to love, and to the church of God." Of course, Hull Memorial Chapel is immediately on my right. | Under the guidance of Mr. Fenn the society began to prosper again. A Sunday School was organized and soon had an enrollment of 50 children. The women of the parish organized a society and formed a literary club. The Fenn Guild, was a young peoples' group which encouraged discussion and entertainment for the students of the neighborhood. Undoubtably, the work of Mr. Fenn was of great benefit to the society. The church has mounted a marble tablet on the wall and named the house next to the church in his memory.

Mr. Fenn was followed by The Reverend Mr. William Hanson Pulsford in 1901. Much of the good work which began under the leadership of Mr. Fenn was dropoed under Mr. Pulsford and the society declined under his leadership. Mr. Pulsford was an able scholar and lecturer but he did not endeavor to extend his influence as a minister. He resigned in 1923 after having served the society for 22 years.

The Rev. Mr. Von Ogden Vogt became the minister in 1925. Most of you know Mr. Vogt and from this point on the history becomes much easier.

This present building was a gift of the Honorable Morton Denison Hull, and the architect was his son Denison B. Hull. The cornerstone was laid on October 15, 1929, and it was dedicated on February 1, 1931.

Mr. Vogt added to the history of the church through his devotion to this society and his untiring efforts to strengthen the form and content of the worship service. Mr. Vogt resigned in 1944-•

The Rev. Dr. Leslie T. Pennington followed Mr. Vogt and through the influence of Mr. Pennington the church was strengthened. He was devoted to the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference; he urged the purchase of Fenn House and the construction of our new Religious Education Building. Under his leadership the society, once again, extended its influence into the life of JSK the community.

.. These are the major points' of our history from 18.36 to 1963.

As I have read the history there have been a few highlights which have made a great impression upon me and I want to share them with you.

vAs you can easily tell our society has had years when its influence was widely felt and then through a fire, the loss of a minister, or the general neglect of everyone the society would experience a sharp decline. Through it all, however, there has always been a few men and women who have had vision and courage and the society would recover and move on to new levels of influence and excellence.

It is also interesting to .note that the society has always had financial problems of one kind or another. Seldom has the general membership met the current budget of the society. At the beginning the society was financed through the rental of pews but this was gradually replaced by the open pew with free will offerings. Down through the years the budget deficit at the end of the year was usually made up by a generous number who would assume the financial obli­ gation. This was a typical Unitarian pattern in the 19th Century.

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When Samuel A. Eliot and Frederick May Eliot were presidents of the American Unitarian Association, we began a more democratic approach to church finances. This was the every member canvass with the hope that' each person would give to the support of the church through an annual pledge.

Currently, then, the auooeaa of our budget la dependent upon every person's making an intelligent and dedicated annual pledge or contribution to the society.

From the very beginning in 1836 the members of our society have been deeply involved in community life. I will mention only one person. Sometime, however, a thorough study should be made of the wide influence of our church members.

Daniel L. Shorey was a long time supporter of this church. He was chairman of our board during the ministry of Mr. Fenn.

Mr. Shorey was also a member of the first Board of Trustees of the new University of Chicago and was a collaborator with President Harper'. It was Mr. Shorey who was instrumental in securing for the University, from the first Marshall Field, the segment of the present campus lying along the Midway. President Harper wrote:

"He exhibited a devotion to /the University's/ interests which may .. y^..;'; not be described in words . . ."

•t' . President Harper was indebted to Mr. Shorey.

-r'- ' We should never forget the founding of the ministry-at-large. In -1857 the church began a major project of social work to the poor and needy ;people in Chicago. John Moses & Joseph Kirkland wrote in their History of Chicago as follows: •

"Mr. Niyes was chiefly instrumental in the organization of one of Chicago's noblest charities, known as the ministry-at-large.

The ministry-at-large supported a Sabbath School of two hundred pupils, an evening school, a sewing school, an employment agency, a bureau which found homes for destitute children and old persons.

Mr. Collyer expanded the ministry-at-large, but following the fire in 1863 the ministry fell into decline.

Perhaps this aspect of the ministry-at-large was recaptured through the work of Dr. Pennington.

When I think back to that small group .of people who gathered to hear Mr. Follen on Sunday afternoon, June 26, 1836, at the Lake House on the North side of the Ghicago River I can do nothing but admire their vision and their courage. / At the same time I am also reminded of a small meeting which I attended in a large modern hotel just a few blocks from that same spot in May of this year—almost 127 years after their meeting.

As your ninlater 1 attended a small gathering of miniatera who represented twenty of the most influential Unitarian and Universalist societies in the United States. Your society was so judged by the president of our association.

Our future will not be any easier than the past because our challenges are of a different kind, but with vision, hope, and courage we will continue to make our contribution to the history of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago.

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MINUTES OF CHINCH COUNCIL, Ifaroh 2P 1085

Frank Wagner presiding ^pawaaawaa—i^^p Presents Jo&n Bernstein Josephine Etevson. Imy Volt Dtek Fireman Ray Perry Fr&noea Wood J^ek 2©nt Dorothy Sehoad Batty ragner Jon ViUeer Bette Sifces A Correction Batty Uagasr said that the Board of Trustees did cat actually apjawti Ray Rudy's report on the problems of fund raising, but merely Indlnatad that it would give further oaneideration to the Question of using iptolal rr^nts for fend raising«,

Mrs* Bagnor reported that a good time was had by all ^hv- attended the lflardl Gr&s evening on February ZB^ Tharo was a profit of about $90*00 ©a tfca diim&T (whiah T9 paraona attended) and about $60«Q0 on the oooktail parties (few were bald),

Flnanoe —i »••••! HI I Ray tarry raportad that new pledge envelopes will be Mailed very SOOBO An attempt is being made to assign pledges the same number as last year* Wto Bwrry pointed out soaa of the problems of a. partial eanwase« Bo said that it Is difficult to got the .same level of enthusiasm for a partial eaxrraas as eas be generated for an every ^member canvass0 Ho also said that* in a ahuroh with tranaiant membership such as k eura, a thraa«yaejr p!®dge period may fess^ & too longa ability and/or willlngnasa to pay often ohangea over sueh a pariodo

Fellowship Dinners

Jo newson reported that the ojnastionnaira regarding fellowship dlmmr® had a fes& fairly good respo&so0 The CnaaalHos plans to follow up can tha responses and get mora dinaara organised0 CHURCH COUNCIL MEEIIH&, March 2, IS6S Bag^ 2

Religious Education

Frances Wood reported on various trips and projects being carried out In the Church School o She said that all classes ara not? preparing for Easter* MTBO Hurlal Bayward has suggested that Seder b© hold for the older children in the Church Sohoolo On Easter Sunday two services will be hsld»»one at 10 o9clock especially for children and parents& and one at 11 o*elock0 There will be no Chureh Sohoolo Kiss Wood also reported briefly on the projected trip of the Children's Choir to Tulsa^ Ste Louis9 and points westo Detailed plans for the trip are not fim0 Sho stated that it is difficult to got enough teachers for the Church Sohoolo The School nm eperateds on a three«»sexfc©ster plan9 and waxty teachers &re only willing to teach one semester ©

Liberal Religious Youth ,.;' *V. • -/ '•; l\ '*i

Frank Wagper reported that the LEY will n&od at least on# new adviser nerb year0 and perhaps twot>

In an attempt to learn what we woujd like to f?_nd out about the eongre^ gntion# we engaged ia sosas gonaral diseussion of the projected sw^rec/ to b^ made by Jon Miller and other Graduate Research Fellows of tfce Haticmal Opinion Research Center (lIORC)o The survey has tec partes (1) 4 eard on which respondents indicate occupation and special skills or interests| this card would list the respondent** ntir^Bf> address, and pfeone ^trabar and woulA be k^pt On file in the Church Office far reference.. (2) A leader; anonymous fi questionnaire*designed to explore th^ state of m congregation in a variety of ateaSa (to fulfil the fields cf tfift researchers at W0E3 the questionnaire will oontain nmm questions of general value for research in groups and will elicit general demographic information*,) The surrey will be sent to all adults m the mailing llst0 A nusaber of question areas w^re suggested, Eosong them the following! Preferred times for meetings General religious feelings Desire for family^iype events Preferred type of ohureh service Attitude torord present service How the ^sinister $an best serve needs Attitude toward various activities Whether people read the calendar and what do they expect from it Jon Miller plans to find out what the Board of Trustees would like to knoir and he also hopes to talk to each eonsr&ttee ohairaiano During the discussion the subject of what this recorder calls nt£h® Friendly Tixne in Sunraer Services*1 (FTSS) ^as brought up apd discussed vigors mxsly0 The FTSS is that brief period in iHA middle of the church serric* when the minister asks ea&h somber of the-congregation to say a few words of greeting to too person sitting next to hisio At least two jseiabers of the

1^^,^^^ ^C/L CHURCH COUNCIL HBKIHB, Maroh Z& 1955 Fag© S

Council expressed jfirm opposition to th/ts practice as being an interruption of worshipo It wai suggested that the 3TSS be postponed to the and of tha aarvioao There was sosai discussion of bast methods to use for information re*» trlev&l in regard to the talent part of the eurveyo Mr» Miller aaijd that he hopes to have the survey completed by about June lo

State of the Church

W9 Kent reported briefly on the program for the coming months Ea also stated that there are a number of areas of programing that m*& policy de* olslongg for example, do ^re -want a college program, and If so how should it bo run and supported? should we hare more adult programing? a Festival of the Arts? loot urea relevant to the church? Osrer-all, Mr. Kent asked* what kind of programing Is really tz wanted*

It being a soldi -wet, raiser able Q dreary, rainy night, tha Council adjourned to its g& galoshes and/slushed hone. The faithful few n Q 0

Respectfully submitted,

Bet to Slices , esorotcry naHMUMHaw

•• 4 . i f Vw**>* - or- *SCOL i

CM ten COUA/C/U / -;• y March 31, 1965

TOJ The Church Council

FRCMi Robert McKersie

ThcJApril meeting of the Church Council will be on Monday, Aptl 5 from 8:30 to 10:15 P.M. in C103.

The choice of Monday was dictated by my teaching schedule thia Quarter and the choice of hour by Reverend Kent's avalability since he teaches the Personal Religious Philosophy clais on Monday nights.,

A pirtial Agenda for the meeting follows:

1. Discussion of social action, particularly the demonstration planned for Good Friday by C. CaO. against Willis and for better schools. This direct action program has been endorsed by the Social Responsibility Committee of the Chicago Area Council of Liberal Churches.

2. Discussion of how we prepare for next year*s programs recruitment of new members to committees, scheduling of June retreat, etc.

V Consideration of the Art Committee's proposal for a mural on the Garden Room wall. CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING, APRIL 5S 1965, 810O P.M., Room C103

Robert M, MeKersis presiding

PRESENT 1 Helen Anderson Jack Kent Betty ITagner Dick Fireman Josephine New son Frank Wagner Frances Hess Dorothy Sehaad Frances V/ood Bette Sikes Denominational Affairs

Frances Hess reported that Dialogue, publication of the Central Midwest District, would soon go to the ehuroh mailing list. The current Dialogue announces the Annual Meeting (May 15) of the Chicago Area Couneil^^F^Soeral Churches (CACLC)0 CACLC is also holding its annual dinner on April 23 at the Sheraton-Chicago Hotel© The theme, "Spotlight on Action," will focus on social action and how it is carried out by various churches in the area0

The denomination's General Assembly ("Hay Meetings") will be held May 22«29 in 8oston0 Five or six delegates from our church may attend0 .As of now, the JQ B© Allins, Mrs. Sehaad, Hiss Wood, and Jack Kent plan to go0

For the "Benefit" ©f Us All

Ur&e Sehaad announced that a benefit will be held April 11 for the Clarence Darrow Community Center at the Harper Theatre0 Tickets (for "The Knack") are $10,00, $50UG0, and flOO„GGe Darrow Center is sponsored by our denomination^

The Service Committee Benefit Concert on April Z was a success both musically and financially,

Joyoug April Religious Education

All Church School children who arc 3 years old and older arc being fed a delicious breakfast at the ehuroh on Easter morning at 9 o'clock* About 250 children are expocted to attend* Chris I'oore will load singinjL and games may be playedo IMY members will decorate the rooms to bo used. for*fche breakfast© Parents will have a coffee hour during the breakfast. Then all but the three- and four-year-olds will attend the 10 o'clock service, $ki£i (The excepted group will be entertained during the service by a movie, "Red FTing Blackbird," and an Easter egg hunte)

The Children's Choir will join the Adult Choir in singing at both services

Plans for the Children's Choir Tour the last week in April are now well long., Thirty-one children and several hardy adults will travel to Davenport, Iowa City, Tulsa, and St„ Louis to perform in churches in those cities« The children will also take part in various educational activities along the way. The concerts will pay part of the expenses. Several children in the group are drawn from the Urban Gateways Program0

May 30 will be the last day of Church School0 Church Council, April 5, 1965 page 2

Dinner Committee

Helen Anderson reported that Joan Bernstein has volunteered to help with next year's dinners• The dinner this month will be held on April 90

Social Action Action Action

The Social Action Committee urges church members to participate in the Good Friday-Passover Pilgrimage for Better Schools, a demonstration being thara-** sponsored by the CCCO and a olergy committee. The Social Action Committee urges that participation emphasise positive needs for a wall•qualified superintendent and for high-quality education for all0 yaaiTI The Committee is also considering action on the question of the reoon<» firmation of Charles Gray, head of the state FEPC« It is felt that reconfirma­ tion of Gray is important to support of the total FEPC program0

Firs. Hess asked whether the Committee would be willing to discuss the resolutions to be presented at Kay Meetings, She said that delegates are not usually instructed how to vote but that discussions of the resolutions is helpful in guiding the delegates0

Panel Discussion on Epilepsy

Dick Fireman suggested that a panel discussion on the medical, social, legal^ and economics aspects of epilepsy might be helda Ray Davenport, of the Illinois Epilepsy league, would help provide resources—both personnel and rjaterials—for such a panelo There was some discussion of best ways to hold such a program0

Art on the Garden IVall

The Arts Committee is planning to prepare a mural for the wall facing the Garden Room0 The mural will use paintings by Church School Children* Approval of & final working drawing will be secured from the minister, the Board cf Trustees, and the House & Grounds Committee0 The actual work on the mural will be carried out by the Arts Committee and LRY«

Retreat—and Advance iMWMl •Ilii • i •—» llllUPWilllWilllWlHII iMilCMTH Tinirii T There was soma discussion of the best time to hold the annual Church Council Retreat o It was tentatively decided to hold two all-day meetings—one la Juna for summing up and looking ahead in a general, inspirational way, and another early in September for concrete program planning0 The June Retreat is tentatively scheduled for June 19 at Josephine Ilewson*s cottage in Indiana, The September all-day meeting would be held at the church©

Policy and Planning for Frogram

Mr* Kent stated that both policy and planning for program should and must be decided in the Church Council0 The Council needs to explore more thoroughly the kind of adult program wanted and needed and take fins action toward Imple­ mentation o

iar« KcKersie pointed out that it is often difficult to find people both willing and able to carry out programs.

Join tha faithful gem? -at Church Council Church Council, April 5, 19G5 page 3

Mr, Sent said that the Board of ?ruetees is considering the possibility of hiring an associate or assistant minister* !£?* Kent sees this position as one involving administration and supervision of the churches activities. There was seme diacussion,

Chaimen<*»Finding4 Council or Committee on Ccwimittess? «#-•*->-•.••*»-*•*. MMSBBMi Board Chairman Douglas And.erson has suggested that the Council tackle the problem of finding nssr committee chairmen whore needed. The Committee on Committees does not yet have a chairman.

Mi's, Bess suggested that a currant chairman can sometimes find someone within his ecaeaittac itho is competent to handle the ahairnaii8hip« After very brief discussion the Meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted

Bette Slkss, secretory

did tbat shicken cross tha s:*GCid? «$r, ta get to ihureh ffic: .• saarasl 8«00 ?&<

Robert acKeraie y^.

Douglas Be \ Karolyn Horst Diok Fireman Charles Howe Lucy 7elt Edith Ganford Jack Kent Betty Wagner Leon Gaaford Josephine Hewsen Frank Wag Frances Hess Ray Parry Frances Wood

Church Council Retreat

lfr« McKersi© reviewed the 1964 Retreat briefly. Plans for the 1965 Retreat are vaguely under way© The Rei Jewson's delightful sunnsr place-in'T...... Jo bhose .driving. The church office will handle travel arra: a is being set up to handle the meals« Sidney Head is bed - , The general sessions will he ' g about general plans for the ecmi

Religious Education

Frances Wood repor- at the C jful o Thirty* four children, Chris Moore, and Han successful, and the children were also able to engage in a variety eduoati c activities* Mies Wood also reported that the Curriculu COi ed plans for next year8 s curriculum, and about hi i the ,! 1 sen r sd, The Sunday morning high-school gro he as - - rsie and Leon Gaaford, has he&n fasting regula :?•: interest in social action, as has also the lEYo lfr9 1 visited Sullivan House (formerly the heme of ar . . recently started settlement house at 46th and Lake Pc ae has interested fourteen or fifteen teen-age boys in sifts ard now hopes to be able to interest younger members of Lies* The building is greatly in need of repair, for which there is y {a boa ^ass caps* cert far Sullivan House will be held at the c i ject stmh as Sullivan House offers an opportunity for ser • ;*ty cf waye0 The high~school group is interested , son . .. tha.t they do have time©

Social Action

The Social Action Committee (SAC) is now at ere but can report no complete success, Edith Ganford asked whether •he Lnue it is present program or consider other possibilities, The present• *a» consists largely in sifting through matters that might be of concern and choosing those to present to the congregation for individual or group action* However, the . has been having some difficulty in getting enough members present at E gs for a quorua* There was considerable discussion of reasons for continuing the SAC as it is now0 Douglas Anderson commended the SAC and its chairman fc rvelcus job* Among the arguments given for continuing the SAC as it now i. the SAC has per« formed an important educative function in both its publications and in the after-church sessions on various social issues2 (2) the committers Lbutea to eity-eride

^Jkejct outtL CL& • CHURCH COUNCIL, page 2

and nation-wide success ... only bo effective when they are supported by a _.sj (3) persons eon- • aidering membership in the church : • of the SAC© Brief discussion followed of ths possibility of use cf the ohurch»achool build­ ing aa a preschool center© A plan is being presenl I of Trustees on May 11 to make possible such use of the building for a "he t;t program this summero Such a progress might lead to school-year utilissatio shoe! educa­ tion. Mrso Hess pointed to physical difficulties in auch a progrsoa, but the feeling generally was that it is better to u&9 the building i\ purpose than to leave it idle©

Finance Committee layl^rry reported that a dinner would be held soon t sw members with the church's program and that canvassing would f the Pi-asce t?oaanittee> will follow up on new Church Sohool parents In the fa!I0 Denominational Affairs Ine ^bll'ow^cg'sieffibers of the church will attend tJ - stings in Boston? Mr© & Mrs© J, Bo Allind Douglas Bo Anderson, Dorothy Hola • z E*ntp Dorothy Sehaad, Malcolm Sutherland, Robert Tapp, Frayn Utley, :--l« Six will be delegate© and three alternates© The Social Action Committee has discus sec!, the resolui > be presented at May Meetings, but it is too late to send in the list of .. ^Lutionso The Chicago Area Council of Liberal Chur aual Meeting May 150 Membership Xarolyn Herat reported that -twelve persons joj.net ;he most recent intaMng© An extreiaely fruitful pre-saei&bership sneetin : Lelpasts felt free to ask questions anc meal what was ox ed a real concern with oosr^itmeirfeo lat the reason -ere that it was a smaller groupj fgr some timei the usual descriptive reports participants felt free to aak about religion (the qu .y)c.

Brldgman ^FnoHdate- of the Bridgpan weefcencl in still in Liir^o, but as hinted that we might have Labor Day Weekend© Dougls on repoi is been suggested that there be no Sunday s« . . ar Day Weekend, thus making the Bridgpsan Weekend more convenier. » .less - >tion of the regular schedule* Regular church services would resume or. Sept . ! 2© Frank Wagner suggested that a Summer Services Coass; to see that ushering,, bell«*ringing, and money-counting, and such t ire of©

Budget Each chairman is to submit a budget by Hay 18, Budget ftes will meet to consider the annual budget(?)«

Committee Structure and the Committee on Committees Emily 'SmT^KHITl^airman oTTETe Committee on Sommltte i Karolyn Horst suggested that a Hospitality Committee ffee is greatly needed$ to which all agreed, Betty Wagner commented that ccsanlttees can. serve a fellowship function* She later said that a committee needs to feel that it is worthwhile and it needs to have a good time® Cosmittees need to be more social so that people can get to know one anothero CHURCH COUNCIL, MAY 10, IS J\

Mr» 3 Me&ersle said 1 raid like to t Ltteee in operations (1) Festival of the arts, (2) U adult program, including a college ;n© lith Ganford asked r;T. he possibility of setting up a e ;ee for legal advice, Mr. ie said that Ji?^ Stevens lias obv. .s id®& beasuse it ie so hard to tell when the professional is making a >ia eox*» tributlcn ®zv& ^Zmi he is being t&ken advantage of© . Jack lent said that bs feels that commit iructure i& b ha basnet had time to do anything about it„ The Bo sea at their nest meeting will consider the mi^d. for an esociat© minii ho would be able to give some attention and cc agner ecmiBsated that a pr ! onal staff ma^or e Le aad would be able to spot potential Xeetlers- @>etimes bog down and need a 3 r dissuasion followedo It being 10iC

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ILJn \» First Unitarian Church 5>6$0 Woodlawn Church Council

At the October Church Council r^eting (to be held Wednesday, October 7 from 9*00 to 10:30) we need to rekindle the spirit that existed at the June retreat and to set our sights on the year ahead.

The early part of the evening (7O0 to 9:00} is reserved for individual committee meetings and I hope all of you can be present for the Church Council Meeting which will start at 9s00 in the church parlor,

A tentative agenda follows:

(1) Review of the uighspots of the June retreat

(2) Minister's report on the "State of the Society."

(3) Discussion of organizational matters,,

ik) Report and discussion of the wort: of Membership and Orientation (Karolyn Herat) Issues Should these areas be again combined?

(5) Report end Discussion of the work of the Finance Committee (Raymond Perry)

(6) First Church - University relations* Discussion of this subject with particular reference to the Graduate Student Fellowship - Jon Miller reporting*

(7) Other reports and discussion topics,

Robert McKersie MINUTJ S Arthur J PRESENT: Ja Bill d

Arti CommI;;tee__ 01 reported thai \e Committee w5 I bit c ie art ob$9 out church* Also the Con havir ; one for use in services . • hi] orial services; and 1 .t. The Cor 3siticns in the near I e*

Review of th city campaign planned i . The • wed the app] administrative ; . rd of Trusteeso The Council al^o di and made suggestions for 1m

Miseelie Calendar•—-J ould " the Calendar tell Usherj co-chairman. Fenr^ will now he held only 4, Hide ' 11 bring nu . =*r ai er folding, and To Committee :, Tru . s* etc*

The C Council will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, March 1, in the Church Parlor at 8:00 P.M.

We request that all committee cha (or reasonable facsimile) plan to atte £>ive a brief report of what's going on with their committees• (If nothing is going on, we want tc know about that, too*) The coraraittees are:

Adult Discus; up Altar Decora Calendar Coffee Hov Crypt Finance Friendship ise &n& Grounds Literature JjRY Advisory LRT Music Publicirfcj Social Functions UUSC Concert UUSC education Ushering Women's Alliance Graduate Student Group Channing CI Religious Education

Come, let us counsel tog< with one her (just this once)0 XuL> ^*dukg«: Bette Sikes, secretary to the Council CHURCH C( age 2

The State of the Sqcieuj Mr» Kent said t There is still . those who sign the guest nr a Sunday to know more about our church. The Bos that church members might I persons. Mr, Kent also .said that ,. 3ed a desire for more Personal Religious Philosopl He suggested that we might enlist some of the oth agation for such activi; Betty Wagner asked . valu with the Ministe ficult to get to know p Lug to them individually,,

Finance Committe Pledge Sunday, and it- is ho time* More pressure will be make a pledge*

The next; meeting will be held on .

be there I 8

Respectful ibmitt

•tts S *tary MINUTES OF THE CHURCH COUNCIL, March 1, 1966 Lonesome Sikes presiding

Present: Frances Jood% Dorothy Holabird^ Jo Newson* Jack Kent Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee Mrs* Holabird reported that the UUSC benefit concert will be held April 22* The Committee hopes to enclose a mailer about UUSC with the initial publicity for the concert, and to give out further information about the UUSC with the concert program0 Mrs* Holabird suggested that it might be of value to put human- interest material about the Service Committee in the Calendaro told us about some UUSC work now in progress* Fenn Jo Newson reported that attendance at Fenn Nights was low in November and December* so the Committee decided to hold Fenn Nights only once a month* She told of some of the programs projected for the next few months* Mr* Kent reported on the Arlington Street (Boston) Church's Coffee House* which is open every Friday night from 7 to 12, Held in an appropriately decorated room, the Coffee House is staffed by volunteers; coffee is about 25> cents* Sometimes there is guitar playing and/or poetry reading* Fifty to sixty persons attend weeklyo Mr* Kent suggested that Jean Kuch might make a trip to find out what programs other churches have tried that are x successful* Religious Education Frances Wood reported that there have been a variety of speakers at the worship services during the middle term* The children plan a bake sale for March 13 to raise money for the Service Committee and CARE. Also plans are going forward for Easter. There will again be a display table in the North Aisle on Easter Sunday. A Sunday-School picnic will be held on the first good Sunday after May le Mr* David Flight has given a good series on sex education for the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade classes*

General fellowship and conversation followed, which was then followed by an early adjournment*

Respectfully submitted,

Secretary Church Council Retreat 1st Unitarian Church, Chicago September 24, 1966

AGENDA

900 Coffe and doughnuts 10:00 General introduction Discussion of Council function 10:55 "What's the Problem?'1 11:15 Jack Kent - "Keynote Address" 11:55 Jeanne Kuch - "What Am I Doing Here?" ^7 JUvMh. iLLo'&W 12:50 Luncheon 1:30 Reconvene "Problem Solving" / 4:00 Adjournment

J Church Council Meeting, October 7, 19&k 9:00 P,M,

"Present. Robert HcKersie, Chairman Helen Anderson Richard Fireman Allen Gorman Paul Hanehett Xarolyn Horst David Kaufman Jack Kemt Betty Kohut Jon Miller Viola Moore Raymond Perry Iola Poebal Rudy Foebel Alex Poinsett Dorothy Sehaad Bette S&kes Lucy Veit Betty Wagner Frank Wagner Frances Wbod

The meeting was called to order by Chairman McKersie* who asked those present to introduce themselves and teH their area of responsibility* The chairman listed the topics he hoped could be covered furing the nesting. He then asked Mr, Kent to report briefly on the Stat© of the Society, Mr* Kent on the State of the Society* Mr. Kent is still concerned about the effectiveness of All-cConn&ttee Night, He suggested that we find out which committees need a regular ssonthly meeting0 He al3o asked that Mr. McKersie keep in touch with corodttec chairmen to see that they function well, (At the end of Mr, Kent's report, there was some discussion of the value of All-Committee Night; it was decided that it be re-evaluated later,) Mr> Kent pointed out that no one has yet been found to prepare the Church Directoryo (In later discussion several nane3 were suggested ae possibilities,) Mr, Kent also reported that he is the Midwestern representative for distribution of Unitarian Universlist Service Ccmndtttee Christmas cards*» With the help of Mre, John Holabird he is setting up a volunteer committee to help with the mailing, Mr, Kent briefly reported on physical iisqprovesjDnts now almost completed. He aleo said that Church School classes are filling u$f that a pood higb-schcol class seems to be developing; and that there was a good turnout for the Graduate Student Fellowship on October ho Highlights of the Retreats Chairman McKersie briefly suraaariised the topics discussed at the Church Council Retreat in June, On one of the topics, §&rts and the Church,n Mr. Kent reported that he has recently discussed with Clarence Hawking various possibilities for i&plementing an arts program. 3r« Kent said that an arts cos&dttee may be needed to evaluate art works and to decide on ways and places of displaying them, Announcement from Viola Moora: MMMBMNaaMmi Mrs, Robert Moore reports that a Freedom dub is being set up at 600 § East l*9th Street, This Freedom Club will not only offer citizenship and legal education for adults but also a literacy program for adults. Teachers are urgently needed to teach reading and writing one to ten hours a week. Those who are interedted are urged to call Father white at the Church of the Redeemer,

Chairman McKersie suggested that the Freedom Club program be brought to the attention of the Social Action Committee •

Report on Ifembership~Qrientaiion Ccmsrittee by Xarolyn Horst:

Miss Horst reported that the Committee bas gathered a Calling Committee consisting of twenty-seven calling units, Mr, Kent will screen persons who have indicated interest in the church and give the names to be called on to Hiss Horst„ Callers wiU arrange to go to homes of interested persons to explain UnitarianistE* Training sessions have been held for the calling units, and the callingprogram will begin in the very near future,

Pre-membership meetings are now set for November 6, December k9 February 5, March £ and April 23, Ingathering of new members will be held the following Sundays, Pre-membership meetings are designed to acquaint potentlla cambers with the church ant! to give them a chance to sign the membership book0

The Membership and Orientation Committees were merged a year ago on the theory that the functions overlapped, and that one committee could more easily carry out the work than twoo In the iserger, however, the orientation function has been neglected. Miss Horst feels that Membership and Orientation should be separate committees.

General discussion followed Miss Horst*s report. Chairman McKersie asked if any plan had been made to nbig brother" new mesbers. This led to discussion of the use of the special interest and talents new members indicate at the time they join the church, which led to questions about ways to find out and utilise the special interests and talents of persons already members. It was suggested that this subject be submitted to the Committee on Committees for further consideration*

Report on Finance Coag&ttee by Haynond Perry:

Mr. Perry reported that the Finance Committee plans to break up into several sub­ committees. They have discussed the proper functions of a Flnar&se Committee and found that there are three chief functions plus one other, (1) Membership canvassing* including approaching now mos&ers for pledges and reviewing the status of non-pledging neabero and Church School parents; (2) Follow-up on delinquent pledgesj (3) Creation of a Committee on Financial Policies and Planning, which will (a) prepare written financial policy statements and publicize the policies and (b) reconsider the method of preparation of the annual tradget. The fourth function would be to set up a committee separate and apart from the Finance Covrr-dttee, to review requests for funds* The recommendations of this committee wov&d be considered by the complete Finance Committee and perhaps by the Church Council before the final budget is submitted to the congregation for approval.

Presentation of ^Resolution of Birth Control by ^uey Volt:

Mrs. Veit stated that the First Unitarian Church has never taken a position on the various facets of birth control. She else reminded us that the Social Action Goasdttee cannot communicate with any person or institution not on the; church mailing list without the express permission of the Board of Trustees or the Congreagation. She then moved that the Church Council concur with the Social Action Committee in recommending that the Board adopt a resolution * affirming strong support for the provision of birth control to all mothers who want it and directing the Social Action Committee to coaasonlcate publicly on the subject©

A brief discussion of the meaning of such action on the Council's part followed, A majority of the Council voted in favor of the motion, with 1 opposed and 2 not voting*

Report CP Graduate Student Fellowship by Jon Millerz

Mr. Miller reported that graduate - undergraduate student group Tias fenced last spring as a result of a letter sent out to graduate students*

The first saeeting of the Fall Quarter was held Sunday evening, October !*„ The meeting

*&n action already tinanimously approved by the Social Action Committee, A copy of the resolution is attached. «• 3 - was attended by those persons who heard about it at tha University's Activities Night (which is held every fall at the beginning of the quarter.) As a University related organisation the Graduate Student Fellowship will be able to get the names and campus addresses of all Universal 1st and Unitarian students and can send them publicity en future meetings,

The group thus far seems to prefer an informal,discuss! on and social set up, with emphasis on philosophical and religious topics, Teh second taeeting (Oct H) will begin a discussion of the nautre of Unitarianism.

What about the future? It is felt that adequate provisions are now being made for a small discussion-type meeting. However, if the group grows and becomes more organized, perhpas it might need more help from the Church,

Mrs. Sehaad pointed out that in the past, 3ome funds for student work have come from the American Unitarian Association, Support for the Ohanning Lectures also came from outside the local church „

Women* a Alliance

Lucy Veit asked that the Alliance8s Church Dinner in January be rcoved from the second to the third Friday of January. This change of date is to be cleared with the Church Office,

W With the night growing late but with stout hearts shewing the Council stayed for an "extra* •» a discussion of the new Graduate Student Fellowship. Jon Killer reported on developments and was given a vote of appreciation for his leadership in bringing student program back to life.

Because of the elections the? next meeting of the Council will be held on Thursday, November 5>, from 8;00 to 10:00 P,M, Please engrave the date on your hearts anT°mindsi.

Respectfully submitted,

Bette Sikes, Secretary Motion by Lucy Veit, chairman, birth control sub-conraittee, Social Action Committee First Unitarian Church of Chicago, at Committee meeting on Sunday, October h$ 196fes« MOTION SECONDED AND CARP.IED UNANIMOUSLY) s

I move that the Social Action Committee request the Board of Trustees to adopt the following resolution at its meeting on Wednesday, October lu:

WHERS&Sj, among many otbar organizations, the fol3.owi»jg have already gone on record as affirming that birth control information and services are an integral part of complete maternal medical cares

Chicago Medical Society Chicago Gynecological Society Church Federation of Greater Chicago Board of the Chicago Area Council of Liberal Churches (Unitarian-Universalis t) Board of Abraham Lincoln Centre (Unitarian settlensnt house vbich has a Planned Parenthood Association branch clinic) and WHEREAS, women who cannot afford to pay a private physician are totally dependent upon publicly financed maternal medical oare$ and WHES&AS, we believe that it is compassionate and realistic to supply birth control information and services through tax-supported public health facilities, and by the use of federal, state, and local tax. funds, and WHEKE&3, we are primarily concerned with the physical, social and oraotional welfare of all children, regardless of the marital status of the mothers to -uhsm they may be born,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of First Unitarian Church of Chicago affirms its strong support of the use of federal, state and local public health facilities and funds to provide birth control information and services - openly and generally n to "omen who &re already mothers, regardless of their laarital statics, according to their own religious convictions and personal choice;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, this Board directs the Social Action Coaaittee to make such yjublie communications, In the nsne of this Board and of the First Unitarian Church, as will farther these objectives0 MIHtfEES OF CHURCH COUBCILj SOVE&aER 6fl 1964, FRAKE WAGNER HiESXDISG Present g Helen Anderson Robert Kratovil Diok Fireman Jon Miller Clarence Hsssrkii Raymond Psrry Hr, & Mrs, Rs .1 Hilton Rudy Peebel Karolyn Horst Lucy Veit 4aek Kent Ifro & Mrs, Frank Wagner

ChBsroh^University Relation

Jon Miller reported that the Student Fellowship group is predcmi« naatly undergraduate and that about 15 to 20 stasdants attend e&ah wssko The present group is most interested in disoussionj there SGSE?S to be no need for a formal organisatlon0 Mr, Miller pointed out that many students have left their childhood churches and now have no ehuroh affiliation,* It should be possible to interest thorn in Unltarlonism if there were someone to approach them with the Wordo However, the college student does not have time for such activity0 Use of a Meadvllle *ttt» dent to help reach students was suggested^ There was sc®s& discussion of pay*. Also it was suggested that an Advisory Conmlttee be formed^ ifiTo Kent is to work on forming an Advisory Ccmmiitee for this group o

Church Directoryt

Betty Wagner has volunteered to carry out the research end gather the materials for the Directory0 Rosalia Isaacs is handling the organ!® satlon of the materials and the final production, including printingo Mrso Wagner stated that she was ssrare of the great value of the Directory to members of the Churchy but also she was surprised at the cost of pro«* duetion0 Relatively few copies were sold last yesr0 However, the fault may lie in the method of distribution© It was felt that this year a professional typist should prepare the final oopyi isuoh a typist has been hired© The estimated final oost, including printing, is |4?5o00o Several alternatives to the present method of providing a Qomp?ehen<* sive directory of members of the ©hwroh family were discussed0 It was proposed that a Direct cry Committee be set up to handle the problem In cooing years o However, since the Directory is now well V&&QT tray and also is greatly oeedadd It was decided to continue with the present suggested plan and t© postpone the exploration of alternatives0 » Memberships

Karolyn Horst reported on the progress of membership calls 0 The phone calls are up to date, and the grcup desiring to be called falls Into several categories! (1) those seavehlng for information but not wanting to be called c»| (2) those to be oalled by Mr© Kentt (3) those to be ealled on by the Calling Committee* (4,) those who have decided to join the Church and who want to know how0

Chureh Dinnerst

The questions was raised of how beat to inform people of the monthly dinners and how to get reservations in sooner* It tr&s pointed oat that some people may only wart to hear the speakere Plans for December were discusseds but no conclusions were drawn0 2

Committee on Arts

Clarence Hacking, chairman of this eonaaittee, rep ed that com* mittee members had produced many enthusiastic ideaso eh person on the committee wrote down his ideas of the purpose of the c tteso Mr© Hawking presented the tentative results of this survey Proposals for an art program for the Church were presented; an all-Church art showi a group show by semi-professional to whom art is a major oonoemt individual shows a establishment of a collection of paintings for the Churchj the commission of a work of /art % presentations by competent outsiders on art} sponsorship of tours to exhibitsQ The committee plans to meet every for a month or so until a more specifl o program is decided onQ Probably the first activity will be an exhibit at which the work of anyone who asks will be *hown<, sponsoring a work of art and developing a collection of art works will eoti*e about more slowlyo

Social Action Committees / fcacy Veit reported that the Board of Trustees passed the resolu» tion regarding birth control,, [The Church Council discussed this resolution at its meeting of October 7, 196£f and a copy of the re*o» lution was included with the minutes mailed to all Council members*] The Social Action Committee has already begun to act in the name of the Church by writing letters favoring the dissemination of birth control informationo

[Minutes taken by Karolyn Horst]

Respectfully submitted. ~MtttL^l&JuJ Bette sikes9 Secretary THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF CHICAGO Treasurer's Report to Board of Trustees and Members Receipts and Expenditures as Compared with Budget First Four Months of Fiscal year - July 1, 1964 thru October 31, 1964

Maintenance and Operation of Budget Actual Church Plant Annual Pro rated Four Months Budget Four Months to 10-31-64 Receipts: Endowment Interest and Dividends $23,160.00 $ 7,720.00 $ 7,720.00 Expenditures: Janitors' Salaries $ 7,880.00 $ 2,626.67 $ 2,614.14 Janitorial Supplies 850.00 283.33 311.95 Repairs and Maintenance 5,500.00 1,833.33 1,477.99 Fuel and Heating 3,920.00 1,306.67 261.25 Gas and Electricity 2,000.00 666.67 916.39 Hazard Insurance 2, 160.00 720.00 10.00 Laundry and Cleaning 350.00 116.67 313.25 Organ Maintenance 500.00 166.67 75.00 Total $ 23, 160.00 $ 7,720.00 $ 5,979.97 Expenditures Under Budget $ 1,740.03

/ / / /

II Program Income - Pledges $ 58,000.00 $ 19,333.33 $ 11,736.60 Rentals, General Collections, Fees Special Contributions and Gifts 10,400.00 3,466.67 5,494.23 Endowment Interest and Dividends 5,720.00 1,906.67 181.60 Special Programs 3,480.00 1, 160.00 Total $ 77,600.00 $ 25,866.67 $ 17,412.43 Income Under Budget $ 8,454,24

Expenditures - Salary, Minister $ 12,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 Administrative Salaries utv-e*. ***** -11, 100.00 3,700.00 3,627.32 Program Salaries -Staff -fig. w„^ ^12,300.00 4, 100.00 4,000.24 Program Salaries - Choir 3,300.00 1, 100.00 444.75 Program Salaries - Church School 7, 180.00 2,393.33 585.04 Pulpit Supply & Summer Service 1, 100.00 366.67 692.80 Minister's Allowance for Utilities, Pension, etc. 1,800.00 600.00 468.78 Church Directory 250.00 83.33 45.00 Office Supplies, Printing & Stationery 1,800.00 600.00 691.47 Postage 1,900.00 633.33 747.76 Telephone and Telegraph 1,450.00 483.33 302.19 Advertising and Promotion 2,400.00 800.00 245.95 F.I.C.A. Tax on Employer 1,000.00 333.33 339.61 Minister's Expense Account 600.00 200.00 Dues and Donations - Denominational 7, 150.00 2,383.33 2,000.00 Carried Forward to Page 2 $ 65,330.00 $ 21,776.65 $ 18,190.91 Page 2 THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF CHICAGO - TREASURERS REPORT First Four Months of Fiscal year - July 1, 1964 thru October 31, 1964

Budget Ac tual Annual Pro rated Four Months Program Expenditures Continued : Budget Four Months to 10 -31-64

Dues and Donations, Non-denominational $ 350.00 $ 116.67 $ 80.00 Unitarian Universalist Service Committee 1,000.00 333.33 - Donations, Theological Schools 1,000.00 333.33 - Pension - Mack Evans 460.00 153.33 - Minister's Discretionary Fund 100.00 33.33 15.00 Frances Woods Pension Fund Expense 520.00 173.33 510. 13 Alter Committee Expense 75.00 25.00 2.50 Finance Committee Expense 800.00 266.67 .45 Membership &: Orientation Committee Exp>.. 130.00 43.33 Dinner Committee Expense L.R.Y. Committee Expense 1,050.00 350.00 200.00 Denominational Affairs Committee Expense 300.00 100.00 Adult Program Committee Expense 10.00 3.33 Social Action Committee Expense 60.00 20.00 Channing Club & Student Work Committee Expense 150.00 50.00 2.00 Music Supplies 400.00 133.33 300.10 Children's Choir Expense 725.00 241.67 470.50 Church School Expense 1,625.00 541.67 618.84 Coffee Hour Expense 15.00 5.00 Auditor's Fee 500.00 166.67 I.,225.0 0 Fees, Securities Custodian L, 000. 00 333.33 - Fees, Investment Counselling 2,000.00 666.67 1., 152.03 Total $ 77,600.00 $ 25;,866.6 7 $ 22;,767.4 6 Expenses Under Budget $ 3; ,099.21 Net Deficit (Income Under in Excess of Expen:ms se s Under) $ 5, ,355.03

=^=s==

III Capital Receipts and Expenditures Receipts - Capital Gains and Realization from Sale of Securities $ 97,160.00 $ 32,386.67 $ 33,749.46 Expenditures - Installment Due on Bank Loan for for Construction of New Building (1) 50,000.00 $ 16,666.67 Interest on Bank Loan 7, 160.00 2,386.67 2,350.00 Major Church Rehabilitation (2) 15, 000.00 5,000.00 18,663.84 New Organ, Down Payment 25,000.00 8,333.33 Total $ 97,160.00 $ 32,386.67 $ 21,013.84 Note: (1) Payment on Bank Loan due in December, 1964 (2) Major Rehabilitation substantially Completed -.AiC ^sjt_i._, Indicate interest in any of the following church activities % Adult Discussion Group Church Directory Church Dinners Chu3 Bazaar Crypt "•Coffee Hour ~3oy Scouts-Cub Scouts Finance "Host & Hostess ~Camp Fire Girls-Bluebirds House & Grounds Office Help __Channing Club (College Literature "Repairing Equipm- "Church School Membership "Student Hospitality Day Alliance Music "Telephoning Evening Alliance Orientation "Transportation Mian School, Group Publicity "Unitarian Service ents° Dissussion Group Religious Education "United Unitirian Appeal ""Sunday Eveninq Fellowship Soci a1 Res po ns i bi1ity "Ushering Altar Decoratiofl Worship Calendar Youth Lvities you would like to see started?

ire UseJ ,

Home Phone upation __^ __^ Business Phon« Lai skills or nobbiest Please list

be willing to use these In Program? >e ihurcl organizations in which you participate

st hear of Unitarianism and about First Unitarian CI

i Niati cupatio Names and B: vmms OF mi mmm oomoih

*tt;iaas*«»Msr

Presents Robert McKersie, Cfaaiman Jack lent Fred Swanaon Richard Firemen Charlotte Lessraan .Sresk Vagnar Frances 'fleas Bay Perry Batty Wagner Karolyn Horst Bet^f Slices Frances Wood

Frances Hess reported that Mr« Kant and sir. members of our church attended the

District meeting in Jolietr lovember 2?/e99d 28 <> 0o» of the chief speakers was Senator Pawl Douglas* Hrs« Hess reported that the Tfnitariaa and Universslist women have now forrasd a united crganlzatloa m the district level»

Frances Wood cheerfully reported that 340 children are now enrollod in the church

school (through 8th grade }v 50 to 60 young people involved in XSXt and 3© faculty members serve the church school* Avaraga attendance ia Kovember was 255 o

A good parents6 aseetin^ was bald November 30, with 80 parents attending* Mas Wood stated that some new tonchara irould be needed after the first of the year*

The Christmas fespers will be fcsld Sunday. December 30, at 7*30 P.SU

Ifr* Kez?.t reported that he and several gmbera of the Koala Coppsittee visited the Allen Grgon Company in Allentotm, BennsylTrsais. on Kcveahar JO* Jfaey tea a most interesting trip and lanraad a great deal* Ho feels tbat the Runic t'c-aslttee ie iiearly ready for a decision bat^e^n electronic nventional pipe organs*

Miss Gloria Hunt is now Bsoacuti^a Secretary? £nn Oolemma is Church. 01er&f sleo the Board has authorised the hiring of a part-time secretary for the office* A number of changes in bookkeeping procedure cj?e now being instituted, and ft professional bo^eper Is handling the t-ajor part of the boo&hssepiKg work* Also a treasurer's report to the Board and the congregation will be *?iada every four months• One change which is of great importance to Church Council numbers is that no money for committee expenses will be disbursed without approval (written) of the Committee 'Chairman* Church Council Kiisutes 12/1/64 - Page 2

Ray Perry reported that the ccouittse la nor following up on pledges delinquent at the end of October* The committee* pa&*:s to carry out a regular bimonthly eurvsgr of pledgee in arrears* He said that u-asae pledges leave town (there's an out&ll) and that it may sometimes be necessary to irafca ad.justments in amounts pledgee The ecnmlttee has asked our becfrkeopar tc analyse delinquent pledges *

Ail new msB&ers who liave not pledged sirs being invited to a dtosr Decs&ber 15 at which the financial situation of the church will b© presented la a program similar to, but briefer than, that usually presented at the /41«"Church Stewardship Dinners * After December 15 new membsrs mil be called on and naked to make pledges •,

Gathering Information about the Cmumesm^mi. Two kinds of information seem to bs naaAxls (l) the indlvldnali8 special skill or

knowledge that might be of use to the eta.»chf (2) how the individual s&&\$ best fit into the or&snlaatlonal structure of the ohureh (itmi ere his interests? What would he like to contribute la tfce nay of talent, skill, etc*?) Th® informs tion could be ®t use to the minister, ttet Board* s$a& the Committee on Committees, as wall as to ceaaittees in m&i of more members or of sgsclnl help* Fred Swanaon discussed the jarcfcleeis of quisstlonasirs-typs surveys* Ha pointed out that data gathered by such mstiodti may not indicate a persons real skill, or interests There was mam discussion of vz$& to get IzuTonsatlon* ife* Swansea feels that tbe best method is through coisversfetlcn* It' tras suggested that an Bvery-Wember €azsvsss of Intareata end Skills slmllEQ? tc the fanasiciol Bvery^-KacBber Canvass be carried, out* Charlotte Leesman pointed to ttie 'r&lue cf ^2-oIsircli affairs, such m hesaars;, ; in helping people to gat to know one ancthar*

Chairman fSe&erale is forcing a su'&eoaBdttso to explore posslbllimi for getting Information about the eengreg&felon* Tan subooBslttaa will fceas on the kind of information needed and ways to get it*

frank Wagner reported that the 1RZ program is doing well* Fifteen 1ST*era attended the regional meeting in Baoria recently« Church Council Minutes 12/1/64 - Page 3

Dick Fireman reported that the Young Adult group is on its last legs. Be asked for suggestions for revival*

Some interest has been expressed in reviving the Yemen's Evening Alliance<, Charlotte Lessman said that she would be willing to \?ask on It if she had some certitude of success« wllHHIMMt

The next meeting of the Church Council mill be held Tuesday, January 5* 1965,? at 8s00 in the Church Parlor*

Respectfully Submitted Bstt0Sikes ^^ Secretary MINUTES OF THE CHURCH COOICft, • 5fl 1965

• Robert McKersie presiding

Presents Helen Anderson Karolyn Horst Nell Shadle Ron Engel Jack Sent Bette Sikea Dick Fireman Josephine IJewsoc Betty Wagner * - v.*" Leon Ganford Raymcnd Perry Frank Wagner Paul Hanohett Rudy Poebel Frances Wood Frances Bess Dorothy Sehaad

Mr® Kent«a Report

Mr© Kent presented the five<-*oonth financial report He reported that a new janitor& hired to replace Peter Ostrowaki0 will be on duty d&iHy from 1 to 10 P„M« Both he and l£r« Shepul will be on duty Saturdays and Sundays o

On the high-school problem, Mr. Kent stated that there is need for a conference to find out what is really needede Ralph XJcr-0 of SISCO Is also Interested in such a conference„ Mr* Kent feels that existing eonesunlty organisations set up to deal with such issues should be mobilized to act© MrsQ Hess suggested setting up a conference through the Hyde P&rk^Keawood Community Conference0 Mre McKersie pointed out that the hlgh«sohool problem needs to be considered outside the local community, Since it affects all of Southeast Chicago * Mrs0 Anderson asked if the University of Chicago would be Interested in organising a conference to examine the hlgh*eohcol question0 Wo Wagner suggested that people would trust eoanunlty organisations more then they would the university0

Mr* Kent said that the community need the help of competent authorities in exploring possibilities and in getting firmly in mend what it really wants in the way of educationo

January Church Dinner : - • • .

The January 15 dinner is sponsored by the Women*a AlHancCo Alex Poinsett la the speaker of the evening0

Organ Committee

The Music Committee will go to St0 Paul, Minnesota, on January 17 to hear the new tracker organ being dedicated at Unity Churcho

Deficit Financing through All'aChuroh Fun Night?

Mr Co iVagner has been appointed by the Board of Trustees to organise an All«Churoh Fun Night in February* She reported that it was hoped that this evening oould be used to raise the $3*400 deficit in the budget0 The plan was to have three social events on Sunday evening9 February 281 (1) cocktail ? parties at homes of patrons with a charge of |lo00 a drinks ( -) a dinner at the church at $5a00 a person$ (5) an hour or so of entertainment in the sanctuary with an admission charge of $3»00 a person0

Wo Perry pointed out the dangers in this method of fund raisingQ Ha said that It was likely to cause people to reduce or not increase their pledges, especially if there is any compulsory element in the social event designed to raise moneyo There was some discussion of the advantages and disadvantages Minutes of Church Council, January 5g 1966 page Z of raising funds through special eventa* ISrso \7agner\is to ask the Beard of Trustees to reconsider this type of event as a method W fund raising* Mra0 Heas auggeated that regular church dinner a might bette^ be uaed to raise fund»0 Finance Committee About twenty new members attended the Finance Committee®a December IS 1 dinner for new members 0 Of the new members twenty-six hfcve pledged0 Can * vaasing of those who have not pledged is new under way0 The Subcommittee on Brca/1 Financial Policies is preparing a draft on broad financial policieso The UUA fund-raising department is holding a seminar at the Hinsdale church which Mr© Perry plans to attend0 / Exploring Resources in the Congregation / asjswamsssaB> Mr* McKereie reported that Jon Millar is interested in utilising our need for information about church members in a research project, he wants to carry oute He hopes to send out a questionnaire vo irembers of the eongrega« tlon0 Mr0 McKersie said that a questionnaire is Reeded, but in order to get people really Involved personal contact is also needed0 Mr* McKersie will ask the Board of Trustees to appoint a new chairman for the Committee on Committees so that work on finding new chairmen,.'where needed, can proceedo Role of the Urban Church | ——— — —— Neil Shadle and Ron Engel& reeent graduates of llaadville Theological Schools are taking part in a project sponsoi*ed % Meadville on "Exploring the Urban Ministry©" The project la located In the1 Lonooln Park Area© Mr© Shadle sold that they share the vissw of Robert J© Havighurat that the urban society is the ©oming thing and that the city is characterised by forces for fragmentation but also forces for richnessi of life* The church f&oss & considerable breakdown in effectiveness just when urbanisation is at its heighto Shadle and Engel are suspending their traditional views of the nature of the ministry and of the ehuroh and are seeking to know urban life and Its needs o They are now engaged in becoming familiar with a neighborhood that la interracial 9 interethnie^ and of low sooioeecnojnio status * There are asi^ vejfy few church®a In the oosamanityo Mr« Shadle and Mr, Engel are trying to gala access to the local power structures to what shapes the oointunlty© They hope to establish a center to bring together persons in the cojasiunity to examine issues and to seek ways of action* Mr© Shadle stated that the city is divided into homogeneous ghettos of self-interest9 The residents of the ghettos do not see themselves in the context of the larger whole* The ohttroh adds to this ghottoism0 He said that there Is a need for a heterogeneous churcho

• Karolyn Horst reported on her experiences with the Cleveland West Sid© Christian Perisho This Protestant group u&$d siumloj, unsophisticated buildings and traditional religion in an effort to bring new x:se$^ religious meaning to the community in which it worked0 Mr* Shadle said that the church as a whole must have something unique t© offer8 a unique perspective on the way things ar«« Minutes of Church Council, January 5, 1965 page 3

Mr© Ganford asked what distinction is made in the project8s thinking between social action and social servioe, Mr* Shadle replied that at present the church in general does not participate in the shaping of social poJtoy© He feels that, rather th&n try to fill gaps in the present ways of providing social services, the church should seek ways of participating in the shaping of aocial policy© i

Mrso Hess asked whether the people who have been reached have shown any interest outside their own concerns* Mr* Engel said that those they had met are immersed In the concrete, whereaa "we[as theological associates] are de» lighted with ab8tr&ctions, with ideaa of the mind," Ee said that those involved formally with theology need more contact with people9 s onvolvement In the concrete matters of everyday living© He said that nwe lose sight of the w sacramental qualities of the concrete0* At the same time we can give them acme peek into the abstract worlda*

Mr0 McKersie aaked what Mr* Engel meant by" abstract ions" and what needs of the people in the community they could meet© Mr© Engel said that perhaps they could give some understanding of the interdependence of urban society3 Many of the people in the community have difficulty in adapting to cultural and economic changea* Mr© Engel and Mr* Shadle hope to be able to help In this area o Mr* Engel stated that the project is concerned with the whole Christian ehuroh rather than just with Unitarianism© The project lias been much irflu™ enced by what other groups have done (for,example, the Seat Harlem Protestant Pariah In New York Citya the 7/esrt Side Christian Parish in Chicago)©

Mr0 McKersie asked what special needs the ehuroh could meet, or 1© it merely a parallel mechanism doing what other organisations also can dot

Mr* Shadle reported that 60,000 of the 90^000 residents of Lincoln Park have no church affiliation© Tksre are only about 45000 Protestants© The churches in the area seem to bo mostly sustained by older people*, The chinches have, however, formed the North Side Cooperative Ministry which-participates In a tutoring program and has opened a coffee shop in the Old Town sreso

MTs* Anderson asked why the North Side was chosen for the project © Mr0 shadle reported that they wanted to get out of the shadow of the University of Chicago* The Lincoln Park area is heterogeneous**-* racial, ethnic, and economic cross section© Also no other similar group is working in the area© The Engels and the Shadles live in the Sheffield section of Lincoln Parke Although this la a poor area economically, it includes within its boundaries MoCormiok Theological Seminary and DePaul University0 The Shadles and the Engela are busy right now becoming part ef the community© They participated extensively in the 1964 political campaign©

Mr„ Kent aaked how the project functions * Mr* Engel said they try to meet people any way they can««through community organisations or groups Interested in the schools, eto© Mr© Shadle said that the best tactic seems to be listening and taking others seriously © Minutes of the Church Council, January 5, 1966 page 4

Mrs a Hea© asked about the feasibility of using]something like a wood® working shop to attract people• Mr* Engel said thai there is a carpenter la the neighborhood who allows young people to gather in his shop© Mr* McKersie pointed out that a ooeaaon activity often forms the basis for developing a relationship© Mr« Engel said that the center they hope to open might pre*» vide a place to bring people together to discuss sooial issues© Mr* Shadle said that making contacts is no problem bpfe capitalising on the contacts is©

Mrs, Uagner asked if Mr* Engel and Mr* Shadle would be available to serve as ministers in the community. Mr, Ganf ord asked if zsccfcxy religion was really needed© Th©r® was sens general discussion of the reasons for >: U; -/l having an organised ©hureh© Mr. Shadle said that one cannot always have community in a church merely by seeking it. It is in involvement in this world that wo can begin to knost what are the real issi^as of life0 He stated that the church may be the spokesman for its members, but it is highly suspect if all members of the group are of the sssm economic or social group© He asked what can be learned about the nature of urban interdependence and of the value of diversity0 -• t\ ^r ,". <:- It being 10 P,Me the meeting was adjoined. Respectfully submitted,

Bette Sikese secretary

•'•.•. .•• . •••• . • • ... • . .

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•

• January 28, 1963

Dear Church Council Members;

Arise! You have nothing to lose except the comfort of your winter homes* For all fellow gophers the next meetiog of the

Church Council will be held on February 2, be Bar known as

Ground Hog Day,

The main item for the agenda is a report and discussion of the talent and interest survey. It would help if you would jet down the kind of information end opinions (from your committee8a view­ point) irfiich wmild be helpful to secure from the congregation.

The meeting will take place from 8:00 - 10:00 in the Church Parlor.

Robert B, McKersie /*&* — ih^jt^L./

Church Council Meeting, February 2, 1965, 8;00PoM, l/l?l<2^rv\ Robert McKersie presiding L^J^ Present: Dick, Fireman (Frances Hess Bette Sikes yy**A*'ms~$i Ganf ord /Jack -Kent Betty V^ner Leon Ganf ord Jon Miller /bufff*. Frank Wagner Josephine Newson Frances Wood

Amid freezing winter night, the&e few gatkaxsai huddled together to discuss affairs of the church*,

Mardi Oras

Betty Wagner reported plans for the Mardi Gras fun night were proceeding apace, f—^ km HHrrpf***"•• *"*l •*•ifuiiiJi^«>mHikiia*•••• The primary purpose now is fun and fellowship, with fund-raising «. secondary^considera-

"oion. The evening includes cocktail parties, a marvelous dinner, and ridiculous entertainment,

Mrs. Wagner reported that the Board of Trustees supported ^ay perry*s view about the dangers of using special events for fund-raising©

State of the Church

Mr. Kent presented the E±a c$/aendar for February. Among the important events are the intaking sf new members ef February 7, the Service of Song (by the adult choir) on February 14, and the Youth Sunday Service on February 280

Social Action

Edith Ganford reported that several matters are being considered by M the committee. The committee XKxfcpa^sed a non-unanimous resolution asking the Board to send a letter te the Board of Education asking for a new superintendent. Mrs. Ganford reported that the members of the

Board of Education feel under pressure and may resistQthat pressure*} rather than accede to k*=*

There was some disucssion of what is be

Seminary, cu~

Mr. McKersie asked about the poaoibility of using the church1s

facilities fJDC with/support ||ove rnmentj f or pre-school education

for £i£P culturally deprived children. The difficulties in such use

seem to lie in the stringent requirements of the j>ity Code for

nursery schools.

Religious Education

Frances Wood reported that one-third—grade class is studying a new science

unit on microorganisms • Children are fascinated,, and some parents have been t 4 atendinh g too, Qfite* first-grade group is studying growth by observing & measuring a *iee?*eall baby every three or four weeks,. UppeUppervschoor vschool worship ii s most exciting.

For the last several weeks the speaker for the service has been a distinguished

members of the s-httdh.

Arts Committee

Clarence Hawking sent ijt- a report that the committed has received a

piece of sculpture, which will be mounted and presented to the congre­

gation, Mr. Kent reports that the committee plans to use the "North Aisle

to displayvaft objects they obtain.

Survey of Resources of the Congregation one^oT^everal^j fellows *fLrt , Jon Miller, who ic aTlTurvey research sc&scBEisc&H at ^National Opinion

Rese(ra)oh Center, has suggested that the Fellows undertake the survey

as their project0 The survey would probably consist of a basic %elnt-

inventory and a separate opinion and demographic questionnaire.

He suggested some ways of finding out what areas the church would like to

have covered. Somo aroao in whioh we would like information seem to be

^paoglo^ attitudoo toward the Social Action Oouimittee, ohm oh dinuaruy

The important %thing things s se^e£=tad3S3^€t£Ma»aeeafcdbpgtspMwj^B^s- swha i t we really want to know

about the congreation,

Betty Wagner asked why there sometimes seems to fe;e a great demand for ^

an activity until the demand is met. Then interest often seems to dissolve, K<2u£i%W'

Then we all put on seventeen layers of wraps and went home. COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AND CHURCH COUNCIL I966-I967

Chairman of the Church Council Mrs* George Reed(Lee) 483-9361 MU 4-6100 xt* 5201 Secretary of the Church Council Committee on Committees Mrs. Randall Hilton(Oladya) AT 5-3769 Mrs. Robert WisalerCBetty) DO 3-5833 Adult Programs Miss Clara Berghoefer 684-3791 Altar Decorations Mrs. Robert Harvey(JoAnne) CH 6-2805 Art Mr* Robert Borja 493-0665 Bridgman 1967 * Calendar Mrs. John Smith(Emily) 324-9021 Coffee Hour Mrs. Lillian Carson HU 3-3220 Crypt Dr. Paul Hanchett DO 3-6869 Denominational Affairs Mr. Howard Harris NO 7-6?l4 Pledge-Canvass Dr* Robert Wissler DO 3-5833 Dr. Albert M. Hayes PL 2-6996 Fellowship Suppers Miss Josephine Newson DO 3-3731 Historian Mr, Wallace Rusterholtz PL 2-5675 Hospitality House and Grounds Mr. Rudolph Pcebel MI 3-1684 Literature Miss Marianne Kempnich 221-6840 LRY Advisory Mrs. Jack Kent(Dorothy) 363-7919 X> Mr. George Reed 483-9861 y LRY President Mark Reed 483-9861 College Students Mrs. Leon Ganford(Edith) PL 2-3077 Membership Mrs. Odin Anderson(Helen) Music Dr. John Hayward ES 5-2821 MI 3-O8OO xt. 3198 Orientation Mrs. Carl Sehaad(Dorothy) MI 3-8694 FA 4-5311 Publicity Mrs. Fritz Veit(Lucy) \D0 3^2197 Religious Education Mrs. Everett Bernstein(Joan) Ml 3-6874 Social Action Mr. Tinnier Black DR 3-0362 Social Functions Mr. Richard Neff, Convener 363-3459 Dinners Programs

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee v Concert' Miss Charlotte Lessman PL 2-4036 Mrs. John Holabird(Dorothy) 348-9072 Ushering Mr. William Shepherd TR 3-7985 Women's Alliance Mrs. Cleo MacPherson(Ida)> 363-7748 Unitarian Student JeTlewehip Mr. Jack Kent Dr. Albert M, Hayee PL 2-6996 < Mr. Henry Wierahoff Liaison with Cooperative Nursery Mr. Howard Vogel MU 4-2649 X Delegates to Hyde Park-Kenwood Council of Churches & Synagogues Mr. J. Bryan Allin FA 4-3108 Mr. George Sikes 643-4259 Convener of Editorial Bd. of i.e. Mrs. Charles Staples(Joan) 288-8196

/f

V .-(

f Possible Arrangements for committee meetings.

The following four groups of committees could meet on 4 different nights each month. (Possibly on four successive Monday evenings.)

Group One: Those committees primarily concerned with some phase of education, such as Adult Programs Denominational Affairs Literature Religious Education Social Action UUSC Group Two: Those committees primarily concerned with fine arts as related to the Sunday morning service, such as Art Altar Decorations Music Group Three: Those committees primarily concerned with fellowship and membership, such as: Coffee Hour Fellowship Suppers Membership Hospitality Social Functions Orientation Ushering Group Four: Those committees primarily concerned with church property, such as House & Grounds Crypt And those concerned with activities of organized groups, such as LRY Advisory Committee College Advisory Committee Unitarian Cooperative Nursery School Advisory Committee

Chairmen not represented in the above lists are: Committee on Committees Bridgeman 1967 Pledge-Canvass Historian Calendar Publicity, Women's Alliance HP-Ken Council of Churches & Synagogues delegates COMMITTEE CHAIRMIN AND CHURCH COUNCIL 1966-1967

Chairman of the Church Council Mrs. George Reed(Lee) 483-9861 MU 4-6100 xt. 5201

Secretary of the Church Council

Committee on Committees hrrrH Wic**fefc Adult Programs

Altar Decorations -. Robert Harvey(JoAnne) CK 6-2805

Art Clarence Hawking 219-T1 403645

3ridgeman 196?

Calendar Mrs. John Smlth(woily) 334-9021

Coffee Hour Mrs. Lillian Carson HU 3-3220

Crypt Dr. Paul Hanchett DO 3-6869

Denominational Affairs Mr. Howard Harris SO ?-6?l4

Pledge-Canvass Dr. Hohert Wiseler DO 3-5833

Fellowship Suppers -* Miss Josephine Newson DC 3-3731

Historian Mr. Wallace 3ueterholtz PL 2-5675

Hospitality

House and Grounds

Literature *ianne Kempnich 221-6S40

LRY %XXM AdteLsory Mrs. Jack Kent (Dorothy) 36>7919 Mr* George Seed 48>986l

LRY President Mark Reed 4$>986l

Membership Mrs. Odin Anderson(Helen) 643-3345

Music Dr* John flayward SS 5-2821 MI 3-0000 xt.3198

Orientation Mrs. Carl Sehaad(Dorothy) HI 3-8694 FA 4-5311 Publicity Mrs. Fritz Veit(Lucy) DC 3-2197 Religious Education Mrs* Everett Bernstein(Joan) MI 3-6874 Social Action Mr. Usual Black W >03o2 Church Council 66-67 Cont*

Social Functions Dinners Programs

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Concert Miss Charlotte Lessman PL 2-fik 4036 Education Hrs. John Holabird(Dorothy) 348-9072

Ushering Mr. William Shepherd TR '5-798$ Women's Alliance Mrs. Cleo MmcPhereon(Ida) 363-7748 unitarian Student Fellowship Mr. Jack Kent Dr. Albert M. Hayes PL 2-6996 Mr. Henry Wiemhoff Hyda Park-Kenwood Council of Churches & Synagogues-Delegates Mr. J* Bryan Allin FA 4-3108

.-.--* vr; ;• ;• Church Council Retreat September 24, 1966 ^fj

AGENDA ^ equipment needed 9:30 Coffee and doughnuts ft ~~Z$^ nametags 10:00 convene hand out portfolios ^(j£j| portfolios:Mtg date 0 .introduction of members k calendar council list __y 10:15 discussion of function of the council • marking pencil, A ( i large sheets (S-^AJ^ /04 of paper, board 10:55 listing of program needs "\_ #JK &

12:30 Lunch I^L^JC1^, ,•:•••' 1:30 reconvene, break into 3 or 4 groups to consider solutions for program needs given priority in morning sessions.

3=00 meet together in total group to hear reports fro* 7^LT . C * ) £$\ each group and have discussion of them, hopefully AJ. C-6-H /( U /^uU> listing next stepsc 4:00 ad j our nment

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4 5 6 7 0 9 10 Labor Day Adult Choir 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Trustees Adult Choir 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Council Adult Choir 25 Ch. Sch* 26 27 28 29 30 Regis* Adult Choir :-. • OCTOBER, 1966 P Ch* Sch* 3 4 5 6 7 1 v^ reopens Adult Choir ^^ uuri i '9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Adult Choir '16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Fellowship Trustees Adult Choir Supper * "23 24 23 26 '27 28 29

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__-___-__«_-___ 1NOVEMBER , 1966 1 2 3 4 5

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•'• • Adult Choir •. t 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Trustees Adult Choir i 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 I Thanksgiving> j • i 27 28 29 30

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1 •• 1 .,._ . DECEMBER, I966 " """"" 1 2 3 4dult Choir 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Adult Choir 11 12 13 ' 14 15 16 17

Adult Choir 18 19 20 , 21 22 23 24 / Trustees Adult Choir 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Christmas 1 Meeting of the Church Council First Unitarian Church, Chicago September 24, 1966

Those who have indicated they plan to attend:

J. B. Allin Helen Anderson #Lillian Carson Edith Ganford (may need transportation) JoAnne Harvey Clarence and Lorraine Hawking Jack Hayward Gladys Hilton Gloria HuntI Marianne Kempnich Jack Kent Jeanne Kuch Chris and Judy Moore Jo Newson Alex Poinsett Mark Reed Lee Reed #Dorothy Sehaad #William Shepherd #George Sikes Emily Smith ^Elizabeth Tileston #Henry Weimhoff Betty and Bob Wissler # needs a ride.

Those who are as yet undecided:

Joan Bernstein Dorothy Holabird Ida MacPherson

Those who cannot come: Joe DuCanto faul Hanchett Al Hayes Doruony xvent George Reed Lucy Veit CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING October 16, 1967 -"'

The meeting was called to order at 8:15 P. M. Those present were Albert Hayes, William Shepherd, Carol Saphir, Dorothy Sehaad, Kenneth Gibson, Frank Wagner, Jean Williams, Lee Reed, Gloria Runt, Glen Johnson, Judy Moore, Lucy Veit, Richard Neff, Jack and Dorothy Kent, Charlotte Lessman, Michael Donner, and Jo Newson.

Our chairman, Lee Reed, asked for opinions on the operation of the new schedule.

COFFEE HOUR Richard Neff thought there was an improvement in the fellowship; new people were being drawn there and talking to one another more. Albert Hayes felt that there was too much confusion and bottleneck because of the small doors of Hull Chapel.

It was suggested that coffee also be served in the Church Parlor to the discussion group. This would mean less people would be in the Bell Tower and Hull Chapel. Mrs. Williams thought thin unwise, for the adult discussion group would not be mingling with the rest. Mr. Gibson thought that Hull Chapel was too small* and would like to have coffee served in John Wollman Hall. A rearrange­ ment of the chairs in the chapel was suggested to create more room.

DISCUSSION GROUP Kenneth Gibson said he thought*the sermon talk-backs had been good. Jack Kent remarked he was trying to get people to talk to one another at the talk- backs, and he was in it just enough to hold it together.

Albert Hayes suggested we have a variety of discussions end coffee places. Why not move the Wollman Hall classes to Fenn House and have discussions in Wollman Hall? Jean Williams said that on the 29th a film "The Magician" x^ould be shown for adults and children. We might break into discussion groups after that. Mr. Kent thought we had better work on the present pattern for now. Later we can break out into other patterns as we see what people want,

Lee Reed said she thought everybody likes what is happening and that the mechanical difficulties can be overcome. She suggested that we might have a diagram of the rooms of the church mimeographed and distributed to help the new people.

LITERATURE Lee reported that Marianne Kempnich is looking for a supply house where she can get discounts on books. She has only about 15 minutes for selling books and needs an assistant". Glenn Johnson was asked to try and find one. People have asked for a pamphlet on the church symbols. Perhaps something can be supplied,

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Richard Neff said his Committee is giving away to new people a free packet of sermons and pamphlets. He would like to see the guest table and guest book for signing put in front of the pulpit. His Committee is planning an ingathering for every month, preceded by a premembership meeting. Committee chairmen are invited to attend these meetings. In the spring they -gill have a special ingathering for all the new members of the year. - *

i -2-

STUDENT RELIGIOUS LEAGUE Glenn Johnson reported that 75 to 80 students came to hear Staughton Lynd, who gave a fine talk on civil disobedience. Glenn thinks these meetings will serve a community need.

PUBLICITY Glenn Johnson spoke of our running an advertisement in the local papers, telling of our church and its work. Richard Neff said the Layman's League had done this nationally, but had met with some hostility. Many in the denomina­ tion were opposed to this proselyting. Mike Donner suggested posters. Lucy Veit said this had been tried and dropped. People did not like to have them in their stores. Albert Hayes said posters could be put on the University bulletin boards if they are approved. If they say "sponsored by students" they can go up. He would not like to see any statistics of the Goals Report publicized. Other suggestions were that the tree at Woodworth's and the Hyde Park Shop­ ping Center could be used as a place for posters. We could put a pad of sheets on our own trees and let people tear them off. We could have a fly sheet printed once a year for distribution.

Lucy Veit asked that she be given more help for her work. Frank Wagner said he would try to find an assistant who would get facts, write them up, and deliver them to the newspapers at the right time. These would be on stories such as the Pennington affair. If anyone has suggestions on this, please contact Frank.

EMERGENCY BLACK POWER CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK Lee Reed reported. She, Douglas Anderson, and Bill Sikeo attended, A Black group from California wanted the Negroes to have a black caucus. People were not really prepared to enter fully into the meeting. About 98 % of the Negroes did participate in the caucus. It was necessary to get people to look in depth at the problems of the day. A member from the Universalist Church and one from the Park Forest Church attended. People tried to analyze the riots of last summer.What can be done?

CHILDREN'S CHOIR Chris Moore is back from Expo. The Children's Choir had an excellent write- up in a Buffalo paper. There will be an article about the Choir in the Chicago Tribune in December,

H. R. 12080 This bill was discussed in the talk-back. We should send letters and tele­ grams to our senators and congressmen, strongly urging that the Welfare Section contained in Title II be deleted. Lucy Veit read a letter she had written (signed by Jack Kent) which she will send to the editors of various papers and magazines. This will cause the editors to become aware of the feeling of protest, and will give the church a little publi­ city. Jack Kent sent a wire to Nathan Wright, Jr., and also one to Father Groppi in Milwaukee, asking him to discuss this when he is speaking in Chicago Thursday night. Lucy said letters to senators would be much more effective than postal cards or signatures on petitions.

USHERS Bill Shepherd asked whether he might solicit women ushers, since he is having trouble getting men. Albert Hayes said that since women do a great deal of church -3-

work, he is in favor of having men ushers. He commended Bill on the good work he has already done. Jack Kent said he would make a plea from the pulpit for men ushers.

CHICAGO AREA COUNCIL OF LIBERAL CHURCHES Judy Moore announced that she is now a member of the Board. The Board is discussing what they shall do.

PROGRAMING FOR THE YEAR George Sikes's Committee has met and formed three subcommittees. They will have a report for the November meeting.

GENEVA CONFERENCE, June 30 to July 6, 1968. Dorothy Kent said the Council should start pushing now for attendance at this meeting. She is on the Board and Jack is to speak. The theme will be "Violence and Conflict".

CHURCH DINNER PROGRAMS Mike Donner said he was going to a film show soon. He will look around for films that might be appropriate for showing at some of our dinners.

Meeting adjourned at 10:10 P. M.

Respectfully submitted,

Josephine Newson, Secretary To: Church Council Members ^nd Church Staff

Pro i: George 3ikes_

^nii iocf * Th*»7*>f Cos.:•-•5 f t-*--•*•• T?eport

In May, 1957, the Church CounciJ of The First Unitarian Church of Chicago appointed an ad hoc committee to develop a basic theme around which various programs in the church could be fecussed.

The cormittee met for the first time on Oct. 3, 1967. Ke.ubors present ware:

•"' - -. -, • "-?•'--,- f r>, .• »-+ , •. "v, ~ i ~, • >>,• V--. vi ••-.>-. ;>--*• r>,'! --. ° rr\-, - • ..- v T,i?.' "rooks (Ch ir «r. Adult Fro rnm^) John :•' >ht'na (Chair'..an, Adult Dineas sion 3roup) Glenn Johnson (Program Coordinator) Hob'-, rt --'core

U : • l I ... 1 > 5. J, J Richard Neff (Chairman, Membership Committee) I.ee !i&od (Council Chairman) Joan Staple-

concern i ~- there* Cut of this vni'icty, three centra.] themes appear'-ie'

?! TUj, fl„ T J T i V--. rj M "Ci:3 ture or Violence" "T).?aj ?'" •- with Yours elf"

Another subject, "Police Methods,1' although included under the genera] theme o" "rThat's Jt Like?" ras deemed important enough for separate consideration.

The co •-.'''-'. •-- then appointed sub-commit i eos with the responsibility of discussing each of the ;r»a"'or themes ^nd su "^cstiar concrete program ideas. The four sub-committees met individually and then the committee reconvened en Oct. 23. This report is a consolidation of the suggestions presented at that meeting. r« *?»T ••.<*"> A T

1, The committee developed its theme under the assumption that First Unitarian Churc^ aerohers are already engaged in co munit; •>•,-.p o.^t-? church pole was seen as a focussing role ;.: long those see ibers, .s'sc ting i : C religious, ethical and moral II

S e .',. M X-.i< ^t i.L> a' church program, aimed at involving church

forces" to accomplish specific actions. One of the main purposes of this program is to get a? many c- ! -P + H IS church members involved as possible, not jiuit the "hard core" -.i p committee volunteers.

Kf\ry * of the concrete program suggestions s e **aed to fa!1

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>T<»_ r, ' * -. -• v * i •; ; - pn», ;•', I !- ' ••-•"•' - •••- - he re .; o UK -'. I -J. O I • - .* t • JL \J i i U A . • . 2 ... ..:. X A

estions The sco aert i anc euantixy oi concrete rrogr oo indicate thet the theme must have several * /-i p. -p c* f\ y p n •"'' -"; l c f .'• n ,, Q V- i continuous follow-through to he at all effective

>ed that the theme should be carried-through in such mber nould have to make a conscious effort to avoid

-•- b o • - — '• IvJ . • 7 I .:',{ 'x i. '• i^X . • . ._j u jl, 1 ^. .i. J ^ J. U -. O j entertainment purposes -rill he developed, M lasx ee mam ramsi

nM o6 ^e four areas discussed pointed to one central theme: Vh'-r' hh::^". This theme covers the various Lispecta of urbai and national violence as a cultural phenomenon; poverty and the ghetto; the maintenance of order versus individual freedom; Black Ffus"«r and the V/hite Pesponse; and personal development within an urban setting thai; allows dialog without undue personal threat,

7. The theme should he programmed into all ereas of church activit; {ncludino' t)>>* church school T1"'" r'.r~>r \rlu1t Prnn-rpraQ !TTT

8. None of the iiisCj>w; J _, .* oss in tnis report snouid be d fisn] or inclusiv :?. Rather, they serv; to set a direction ... •'tone" for further cos 'jitt^e disci's^i^n JLJ ilfivuii US: u1 J liiirj r\*L. '. :•. 1 <£

^»-»r»-i• ,i («>v> i ».T t i».'i->.',r,(ii r V" . j 1 * u *"* L-iVJ > i ;i l '.':••. ~.. .' I \ -.. -- --> .*. i. .-J ,'JlJt /

Thzrv* is s positive and a negative sido to being a Black American. m : .yhat»s It Like?" attempts to examine both s: d.>s0

^ne positive side is an exploration of Slack American history and culture It is also the forward thrust of the Black Power movement and the dialog of the ".hit:-; Aosposso, Cs*ms to >so0res suggestions included! 1. Organization of Study Groups (evenings or Sunday mornings) discussing Aright5o Vp seh ^os :-r and pArbss U-rvst end Carmichael's Black rower.

2, Forum dialog on the Alack Po »r !Avs-e*A . •

3. T\2 curriculum of Black American history and the Arts,

4, Scheduling of Blacks Jazz* and !Ao!h concerts at the church.

3« Adult Program trips to the Sooth Sidj Center of the Performing \rts, Blackstone danger productions, etc,

Go Establishment oA a Black Art exhibit in the VTA Gallery, with costs J but ions Pros !>7egro area artists,

7 * v> -*• i r> T «. -i r>*flm^ o>-> -f- •» • r> -i r» -i • . AJ biCJ. v- - , .!•"- --:- -a j <''- l s *• '- -•

'J.iii.iWi: UA :iCCv?'i L'iUXiOgJ clpiij cl L DOOa DvOI C >-:. JLJlCrnc Tabl

i -,'.-. sid. or Black \morica wi !.h i ghetto poverty, welfare, agencies for hoop and law enforcement. Concrete program suggestions ere:

1» Forum dialog on the Chicago Housing Authority.

Ac Forum dialog on welfare realities in Chicago.

Ac Speakers on "The Middle-Class Liberalfs Experience in the Inner City" (Engel, Shadle, Hilton, etc.).

4* Forum d ialog on la-'- enforcement sad police methods (DesPres,

"* 1 I. : "•• The i n o

'J. lij.*3 "r'j *X - -> j ii.'.C 2 LiclJ c *it 3XUll\ [1, C»tlij( J. '.1 -i...'.w.i I Cd| and other presentation and discussion programs.

7, Photo f>^tn ::^y It Is in Oakland - One Mile \wa< Xti..ji-i^j \s\j!.tiirij i X ;ji JAJOJ lAvl O

V''..; s V.A'J j. .J ~ «... .-.i.- U v., IOX V '••••-• - . • v'i" » J Ui.^*ji\ \j\a)

The "American •fay" is sometimes a violent way. Violencej competition, "sinning", "success," and "the Great Men." are inbred so deeply into our culture that we she are in the middle of it sometimes fail to see all ef its ramifications0 This sub-theme will search for a perspective that siloes us to "see ourselves as we erec" Concrete program suggestions ares

Tors a • •. ';- - - • J.

Forum on "Canada and the USA - Two Att Towards Violenc»"

s0 continuing reports Ire - the University or Michigan's ess 'or Research on Conflict Resolution,

4, VOV exhibit and i.e. feature on "The Prevalence of Viols

5. Continuing program -r speakers o^, the subjects of violence, non-violence, un-violence and pacifism (Meyer, Lyttl_e, Gregory, V*»1 V •-, ' QA++ HA in •- Vta&k- «f« ^ lw » i CH.I/

O • Ar3 Gm X »nf.f*AE V hDIi D J xo.'jrapn"' i/"v% r\ "Trryiyy-~*-r'\ T>T:I r-» i-\*-,m J?J *

Many of the problems of as urban citizen are compounded by the multiplicity of potential problem areas around him. Pis own inner turmoil ana anxieties eo^posne' the problem further. As a result, many of us cose to the discussion table with "lance drawn," unable to hear the other man's dr.1;: because of imaginary threats that tight c ist only in our minds0 St must k.no;\ o\ rselves before we

theme suggests the following a icretc program ideas:

1. Directed creativity sessions, with someone like Dr. Eiigeno Gendlin, (Psychology 'h-^Ao, University of Chicago) 1 aping us explore o\'r anxieties.

2. Group discussions, conducted As the General Semantics Institute, on "Listening and Learning."

PA Organization of a 'Tials Grour on liayakiawa's I. s; ;ai;- im Tn ught and Action or ''/endelJ Johnson's People ii 'A v1 r ies.

i M 4. Adult discussion grasp on "The Violence oi

ams on 'snowing i emi sej ., , CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING February 19, 1968

The meeting was called to order at 7:45 by Lee Reed, Chairman. Those present: Lee Reed, Lucy Veit, Emily Smith, Bill Stevens, Richard and Joan Neff, John Robinson, William Shepherd, Jack Kent, Catherine Noll, Frank Wagner, William Forsythe, Carol Saphir, Joan Bernstein, F. J. Pepper, Richard Fireman, Bette Sikes, Barbara Murray, Judy Moore, Michael Donner, Joan Staples, Celeste Johnson, H. C. Harlan, J. B. Allin, Jean Williams, Dorothy Sehaad, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harvey, and Jo Newson, and John Keohane.

Lee Reed read a letter from Lucy Veit concerning "The First Church News". (See attached sheet). Richard Neff denied that this newsletter was an organ of the Encounter Group. Members cannot make statements without the unanimous consent of this group. Barbara Murray also stated that this publication was not from the Encounter Group.

Richard Fireman said he thought the newsletter was a contribution to the Church, for in a democratic organization news should be known. When asked who was assisting him, Mr. Fireman refused to reveal names. When asked whether he intended to report what went on at the present meeting, Mr. Fireman replied "yes" Thereupon Mr. J. B. Allin left the meeting. When asked that he call his publication "Dick Fireman's News Letter", the editor refused.

Dr. Pepper said he had given Dick a contribution, thinking that exchange of views x^as worthwhile. Now,, however, he feels that this is Dick's personal paper and that he wants to hurt people. Jack Kent expressed concern lest the reporting of what went on in the Council would stop discussion, and that members would withdraw. Jack and Lucy Veit both said they did not want what they said here quoted in the newsletter. When Dick re­ fused to agree to this they both threatened to leave the meeting. However, they re­ mained. Bill Stevens said that Dick was stealing the Church's name and that the Church could legally stop this with a court order.

There was considerable further discussion concerning the newsletter. Some people said they would like to see more communication in the church and perhaps more news in the Calendar. Joan Staples said that i.. e. was not dead. John Keohane said we need a Committee to investigate the newsletter. Joan Staples said she was against the Council's censuring Dick at the present time. Dr. Pepper moved we recommend that the Calendar make clear that the true status of the so-called "First Church News" is (1) That it is a purely personal effort, not a sanctioned publication of First Church. (2) That the consensus of the Council opinion is strong that the publication of "First Church News" should be delayed until such time as the whole problem can be studied by a subcommittee appointed by the Council Chairman. (The editor announced his decision not to do this.) (3) That many individuals felt they had been misquoted. (4) That there was a feeling that some had been misrepresented. (5) That some felt that the newsletter was divisive and destructive. The motion was carried.

The Committee appointed was: John Keohane, Chairman, Bill Stevens, F. Jay Pepper, Carol Saphir, Dick Fireman, and Joan Staples (as a consultant). John Keohane asked that the Committee meet in this room this evening follow­ ing the present meeting. -2-

Non-functioning Committees John Keohane proposed that any commitee that does not have a function or cannot get going should be abolished. He asked that people telephone him and give their opinions on this.

Social Responsibility. Bill Stevens said he had talked with Jack on the telephone and had planned to disucss Social Responsibility. But the presence of Mr. Fireman made him think that his remarks would not be reported accurately. So he refrained from discussion.

Coffee Hour John Robinson suggested that coffee be served in the Art Gallery as well as the Bell Tower room.

Finance Committee Carol Saphir distributed the prospectus for a series of meetings after church service, explaining the church programs. The. Council expressed approval of the series and thought it was well worked out.

Budget Committee Mr. Harvey would like to have the. Council notify the Chairmen of the Committees let him know soon their needs for the coming year. Each one please submit a budget.

Neighborhood Commons Corporation. Lucy Veit circulated information about the NCC and a motion that the Council explore the possibility of investing $15,000 (our revolving fund) in Neil Shadle's work. It was suggested that the Council appoint a Committee to do this. The Board or the Congregation might vote on the recommendations of the Committee. Those sug­ gested were: Dorothy Sehaad, Gladys Hilton, Charles Beckett, H. C. Harlan, Chairman pro tern, R.oberta Ray, Dorothy Holabird, and Lucy Veit, Chairman pro tem, In addition: one or 2 people recommended by the Black Caucus one member of the Board in addition to Mrs. Holabird Jack Kent, ex-officio.

Jay Pepper wished to have in depth inserted after "explore", for he is not in favor of easily passed motions. The motion was seconded and carried.

Music Committee Bette Sikes said that this committee has been revived and will meet next week.

Worship Committee They have met. They will have a special service for the congregation on the Sunday after Easter.

Caring Committee Jack Kent reported that this committee is getting organized. They want to get 4 people who are willing to be called in case of an emergency situation. They will know to whom the distressed can apply for help.

Social Action Committee A committee has been appointed by the Board. Lucy Veit invites any interested member of the Council to an informal meeting at her home. Anyone attending must keep the proceedings as completely confidential. Nothing may be reported without the unanimous consent of those who were present. -3-

Church Dinners Mike Donner said that the Picasso show may be associated with the March dinner, The LRY will have charge of the April Dinner. It was suggested that Jay Pepper show his pictures of Vietnam at the May dinner. Polly Sehaad said the General Assembly would be held in Cleveland from May 23 to 30. Could some program be planned for this? Joan Bernstein advanced the possibility that a second church dinner could be held in April, followed by discussion of the General Assembly.

Respectfully submitted, !s}A'~Aa,^--v Josephine Newson, Secretary February 19, 1968

Mrs. George Reed, 'chairman Church Council First Unitarian Church of Chicago

Dear Lee, In emulation of the Quakers, I am moved by the. spirit (or something) to bring a concern before the Church Council. Several people in the church have expressed great distress about the effect of FIRST CHURCH NEWS on free and open discussion, in committee and otherwise. They feel uncertain from week to week whether they or their friends will appear in those pages. Such appearance, they feel, might be" by direct quotation (or misquotation) of their own words, or by quotation (or misquotation) of the comments of others about them, I hope that in our collective wisdom we can Work out some compromise between the editor's freedom to express himself and the freedom of the rest of us not to be discussed in print in ways we find painful. Could we talk it over tonight, especially in terms of our obligation as a church not to cause needless unhappiness or anxiety? My own suggestions to the editor would be: (1) To call his publication something else - almost anything else - than FIRST CHURCH NEWS, This name strongly implies organizational sponsorship which does not in fact exist. (2) To print in each issue the names and identifying informa­ tion (chairmanship, if any, etc.) of all the "individual members" referred to as co-responsible for its publication. It would help to know whether their contribution is financial, advisory, etc. - and the list should include those who assume responsibility by distributing it. (3) To consider carefully what are the rights of church members and staff who may feel it is inappropriate for them to respond in this publication, ana who are there­ fore without recourse against what they feel are accu­ sation or misrepresentation in its pages. § > ,. asms-,.. With considerable ex^speration^ but still, I believe, with love, Y '*\ I -i

LUCY VEIT Publicity Chairmai March 3, 1968

To THE CHURCH COUNCIL FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH, CHICAGO:

From THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATION AND THE FIREMAN NEWSLETTER:

This report Is concurred in by four of the five members of that committee, all of whom met together on the evening of February 25• Also at that meet" ing was Mike Donner, chairman of the Art Committee and a member of the editorial board of i, e.

Part I, Communication in General

^ It was recognized that our church contains quite a variety of^people and that communication among individuals and groups is not as it. should be. Our conversation focused upon 'the written word, and written communication among the membership was seen in four categories:

(1) Bread and Butter news such as is already in the news-ls-tetor (such as that this group is meeting at a particular time and place)

(2) Expanded news c«j*wj&r- (such as is sometimes in the rnews-l-et-ter, delving into what this or that group or committee is doing)

(3) Views (such as signed statements)

(4) Creative sphere (such as the articles and illustrations in i. e.)

It was agreed that of these four functions, the first three are necess sities, although the calendar now provides generally for only the first.

Accordingly, we propose a supplement to the church calendar. We propose that such supplement have an editor, probably not the calendar editor, who would be chosen by the church council with the ap­ proval of the boardk and who would serve at the pleasure of himself and the church council, being recallable always by the church council. We propose that such supplement be at least once a month and pre­ ferably oftener. u&u.M 5*«-©Adl *« -•*7 a—propose-that such supplement .-.help to fulfill at least the *first- -three functions listed above. » (page 2—Spec. Comrn, on Comm, and Fireman Newsletter report)

We propose that the church council itself be the editorial board of this supplement. VJe leave the format and length open, suggesting that the first edi­ tor formulate and propose format ground rules, subject to the approval of the church council.

VJe also propose that church council minutes and board minutes be (1) posted on one or more bulletin boards and (2) be made available for distribution. Vie propose that this be done promptly after the approval of their minutes by thesis respective body,

l>- vW. oJL-4» v'i(.ev.-'i:.': \\* Uen\t\.,« of VJ.\ cav^,(v,\csl!a^ Part II, Fireman Newsletter (1) VJe want it made more clear in any .future issues il that it is Dick Firemen's First Church News. (2) VJe emphasize that if people are to be quoted they should be quoted correctly, both as to actual words and as to the context of those words. (3) VJe acknowledge that Dick Fireman has stimulated important dis­ cussion of communication in the church,

Part III, Philosophical statement

VJe would encourage an attitude of promoting free exchange of in­ formation, believing that the activities^: and decisions of the church are the business of the members of the church and should be communicated,

Signed, /~"~ ;i Xm K^^s3 s^s:^, f. :,Sh>- phn Keohane v-—F. J, Pepper^ (chairman)

Bill Stevens""*""^ Carol Saphir

Abstension from this report:

Richard Fireman Minutes Social Action Committee First Unitarian Church April 26, 1964

Those present included Nancy Harlan* Margaret Matchett, Thyra Vickery, Jon Miller, Betty Locser, Jack Noble, Lycia Sowers, Lee Reed, Tim Black, Edith Ganford, Ruby Black, Lucy Veit, David Street, Jack Kent and Bob Wissler. iiuMu 3)olCc

The meeting opened with a report by Jon Miller on the response from the various University Presidents who had been sent our letter regarding school board appointments and school policy• Replies were received from the presidents of Loyola, Illinois and the University of Chicago* All expressed appreciation for calling these items to their attention*.

Tim Black pointed out that Mrs* Gr@en is still being considered seriously for a second term on the school board and is falsely being said to be backed by a number of civil rights organisations. He urged that we ask Rev0 Kent to send a telegram to Dr, Oldberg with copies to Mayor Daley, Mr. Hauser, Professor Chase and Mr* Pitcher indicating our opposition to Mrs& Green and our support of Mr<. Hauser as well as a renewal of our pre­ vious support of Mr* Clement0xMsixxgS&$&&i(MrSo Preston and Mr* Banks• This was passed unanimously.

There was further discussion of the Civil Rights Conference being organised by the CCCO nest Saturday »t the Center for Continuing Education, under the heading of "Finding the Common Path". Hyatt Walkers Martin Luther King's assistant^ will speak at the luncheon, So far, from our church at least 10 are going as official representatives and several more will be going to represent other organizations.

Next, our committee'1s responsibility to orgsniie and initiate the all church dinner on May 6 was discussed. Betty Loeser, Nancy Harlan and Lee Reed are to serve as an organising committee and Thyra Vieker, Margaret Matchett, Ly>cisi Sowers and others offered to help* The following ideas were expressed*

a) Have the 10-year anniversary of.the Supreme Court's school integration decision as a theme. b) Include a brief report of each tub-committee of the S„A, Committee in the program. . c) Include an "integration" entertainer of the Danny Kaye type on ...'." the program (name could not be recalled). d) Invite Prathia Hall as a speaker, e) Include special telephone invitations to new members ^nd particularly to those who have expressed interest in our committee f) Have the dinner and program announced at next Sunday's service. g) Have a table for reservations at the back of the church next Sun, h) Have ample newspaper publicity for the program*

Tim Black called attention to the mass rally on civil rights being planned for the Grant Park Concert area on June 21 at 3 p8m«. It is being sponsored by the Church Federation. Martin Luther King will be the main speaker and Mahalia Jackson will singe The prime purpose of the rally is to encourage better understanding and a spirit of working together among all civil rights groups.

A motion was made and cirried for the secretary to write the Church Federation for information regarding the rally and how we can help, and to bring this information to the Board of Trustees so we can plan to participate as a church* Tim Black then gave a brief report1 on the u©U* conference on Religion and Race which he attended on behalf of our church in T/ashlngtcn on Har© 20-22© He was greatly stimulated by the confere:;cd and several of the speeches including Charles Morgan, the lawyer from Btxgg Birmingham who spoke up oo courageously after the bombing© There was a great deal of belief that we as liberals must got deeply involved in this struggle or there will be even more ±±ksl^ likelihood of things jgsJdbi getting worse before tney get better* It is evident that Unitarians and Universalists are natural leaders in this struggle but that somehow we have allowed almost every other religion to get ahead of us in helping the movement© workshops that were particularly stimulating-were those on a) descrimination in Job advancement and opportunities for management* b) need for increasing opportunities for Negroes in church life (those with the education and the desire for participation in liberal religious activities don*t know about Unitarlan-Universalist movemeniy. c) Need to change the image and ac«* centuate the positive image of the Negro in the mass media of communication© d) Medicine and the Negro is characterized hy many problems ouch as the very high mortality and especially inf/oant mortality, the finding of qualified Negro medical students, etc© Five principles which are important in any individual approach to civil rights are as follows j — 1) Rid ourselves of prejudice* 2) evaluate the status of the civil rights in our community* 3) Choose specific problem which is manageable* 4J Relate to others in solving this ppecific problem* 5) Learn to question the civil rights policies and. practices of institutions in our community (those which are conscious as well as those which are unconscious; those easily corrected and those which are difficult) St the bn& of the meeting there was a motion to ask Mr, Kent to contact the American civil Liberties union to find out the status of a test case challenging the recently approved shared time experiment in the sch ools of Chicago© This ^as seconded and passed unanimously©

This report will be prepared in a more complete written form by Tim Black to that if will be available for further study and ciUtilation by the Social Action Committee*

R. ifissler Dear Madam Chairman: Enclosed afe the Church Council minutes for 1964-65 and a few from 1965-66. I fell down on my job during the 1965-66 year and never got the rest of the minutes done. (all part of the general malaise of last year as far as the Council was concerned)

There are also a few of the notices sent out to Committee Chairmen by McKersie.

If you plan to send out notices of meetings (it!s a good idea) be sure to tell the church office that the following should receive the notice: Committee Chairmen, Trustees, staff members, the secretary (if any).

Do not take McKersie1s year as an absolute model. I^fwas a good year, but they don't all need to be alike. Sometimes we have just sat around telling each other what is going on, an activity that certainly has some place At least those of us who were there knew what was going on. However, the McKersie style opened new vistas -ttfr all that jazz, which needs doing too. fondly, **/&#£ JJie^ MINUTES, CHURCH COUNCIL RETREAT, June 20, 1964 '' CbztL

Robert McKersie presiding v

The following persons were present:

Betty Kohut, Jack A. Kent, Joan Bernstein, Howard Vogel, Dick Fireman, Roberta MacGowan, Nancy Harlan, Karolyn Horst, William and Evelyn Goldsborough, Robert E. and Petrina Moore, Barbara Snoke, Bob McKersie, Bob Matteson, Frances Hess, Frank and Betty Waqner, Emily Smith, Edith Ganford, Lucy Veit, Frances Wood, Bette Sikes, William and Lucille Shepherd, Josephine Newson, Paul and Louise Hanchett, Charles and Josephine Beckett

After introductory remarks by Mr. McKersie, Mr. Kent spoke to the group about problems that have arisen during the year and made suggestions about new ways of approching the activities of the church.

Finances.—Our income is now divided into three parts: income from the endowment (about~$30,0"00) is used for physical maintenance, with a small portion being used to support the program? capital gains is now used for special capital improvements? pledges and miscellaneous income is now used to support the program of the church. There is still a deficit of $3,480; the council should look for ways of raising income to cover the deficit. Mr. Kent pointed out that we are fortunate to be able to maintain the physical plant out of endowment funds.

Renewal of physical facilities.—Because of neglect of maintenance in the past, a great deal of work was needed on the plant this last year. Most of it has been com­ pleted; the two remaining projects are the renovation of Hull Chape and repair or re­ placement of the organ.

Our religious, or common, life.—There have been some experiments with the Sunday service. The Meadville student-conducted service has been reinstated, and one service of worship through such series music was held. The two sermon series were well received, and will be tried agin next year. Sermon series tend to expand the membership.

Mr. Kent has been asked why he does not use Ordinaries of Worship No. I and V. He states that these two service are difficult for him to use and that they present problems of communication with persons who are not theologically conservative. He is willing to revise these two services but is not willing to use them as they stand.

Mr. Kent reported that the religious education program is doing very well. He raised the question whether the music program is too demanding of the children.

Other phases of the church program.— The LRY program is thrilling. Although there had been no college program at the beginning of the year, a graduate level program has been initiated by Jon Miller. We need to rethink our commitment to college students. There is a core group of university students; perhaps something can be started next year.

Because of other commitments Mr. Kent has not been able to paticipate in the Adult Discussion Group. He has had good reports of its activities, however. The two Per­ sonal Religious Philosophy Classes have been of great values. The second group has lasted longer and has arrived at the point where individuals are relating to one an­ other outside the group.

The work of the Social Action Committee has been good. The Friday-night dinners also have been good; attendance has been best when the program was stimulating.

Need for a quality of fellowship.—Mr. Kent said that we need enrichment of our personal relationships. He suggested that we consider making a special family cele­ bration incorporating traditional materials. He presented a plan for a Thanksgiving service. It is hoped that Professor John F. Hayward will write the service for home use. The service would be enlarged from the traditional Thanksqiving content to be­ come a celebration of religious freedom.

Mr. Kent suggested that followup is needed on those who. indicate interest in the church. He suggests an extended membership committee consisting of "calling committee" of 40 couples. The callers should be trained to present and explain our church. This activity creates by its nature a personal relationship which forms a basis for bring­ ing new membership.

Mr. Kent raised the problem of what to do about people in crisis situations. How can the church help take the place of the "extended family?" He suggested that machinery be set up to see that needs are taken care of.

Finally, Mr. Kent asked how we might cultivate the erts in our church. He sug­ gested using art throughout the building in a variety of ways.

After Mr. Kent's talk Mr. McKersie asked what the Council should discuss first. (Each member had been provided with a list of possible topics.) The group decided to discuss first the question of the use of Ordinaries I & V and the minister's right to choose freely the materials of worship. The consensus was that the minister is free to use the materials that he wants and is not constrained to use any that he does not want, although it was recognized that the minister wants t' regard the religious needs of the congregation. For this reason he is considering the revision of Ordinaries I & V and the development of several new services.

The second general topic discussed was: What can the church do to support re­ ligious activity in the home. There was favorable response to the projected Thanks­ giving home service in general. However, Betty Wagner motioned that often there is some discomfort on the part of participants when a new idea like this is tried. Also some objections were raised to the idea of contrived ritual. Frances Wood said that some will accept such an idea and other will reject it. Howard Vogel suggested that a simple grace be prepared for use at home or at church dinners.

After each member had introduced himself the group broke for lunch. After a delightful lunch we reconvened.

The first topic after lunch was the religious education program. Betty Kohut re- pcrted that the high-school age group has not responded to the graded program. She said that one group is being planned for next year, but a teacher has not been found. She reports that the RE Committee has questions about the best kind of program for teenagers.

Someone asked whether the L.R.Y. could help. However, it was stated that LRYers are very busy and often want to sleep on Sunday morning. Betty Kohut reported that there are several teenagers who do not live in the neighborhood who want to have a church school class, but even they do not attend regularly. Frances Wood suggested that we might have to have a class for the out-of-towners separate and apart from LRY.

The Beacon curriculum is designed to go through the high-school years and the solid religious background material is found in the curriculum for high school. If we do not have a high-school age group, should the curriculum be revised to include this material earlier?

The group discussed how to involve the church school parents in the church. Of 167 church school parents, 63 are not involved in the church. Petrina Moore suggested giving parents more apportunities to get together to discuss matters relating to children's acquisition of religious meaning. She also suggested more - 3 -

activities for the children with each other outside of church school. Betty Wagner suggested that family-type events on a small scale (2 or 3 grades) might be held.

Howard Vogel asked whether member families were given any priority over non- member families in enrolment. Betty Kohut said that the registration fee for non- member families would be considerably higher. There was general discussion of this question. Another suggestion was holding a concentrated series for high school age of four or six sessions each during the quarters, timed not to conflict with heavy school schedules if possible.

The subject of fellowship was next discussed. We discussed whether the church should have a standinq committee on resources to help persons in crisis. Also discussed were ways of achievinq personal closeness in the church. It was pointed out that such activities as the Personal Religious Philosophy Classes, the Adult Discussion Group, which really involve people, help with fellowship.

Mr. Kent said that the Personal Religious Philosophy Classes would continue. He hopes to increase the leadership so that more groups could be formed.

Other methods suggested were: "profiles" in the church calendar and more personal news in the calendar.

The idea of a "calling committee" was discussed. It was endorsed and it was noted that such an arrangement would help new members settle into Church life.

Joan Bernstein raised a question about reqistration fees for Bridgman. the present fee is too small to cover costs. She asked if everyone's fee should be raised or should only those with children be charged more, as a large part of this fee goes for child care. The group felt that all should share equally in the cost.

Mr. Beckett reported on finances. He says we need to justify some of our expenditures—perhaps we should have volunteer church school teachers and adult choir members.

Representatives from the RE Committee and the Music Committee reported that pay offers some incentive to better performance. Also it is easier to fire a paid person.

Lucy Veit raised the question of luxury in the midst of need. She asked whether it is right to continue such a luxurious program when there are so many pressing problems that our money could help solve.

Paul Hanchett suggested that teachers and choristers be given the opportunity to choose not to be paid, to pledge part of pay to the church, or to take full pay.

Frances Wood reported that many Unitarian churchs pay church school staff (probably $2 to $4 a Sunday). She says that pay definitely helps. She suggests if change to no-pay policy is made that it be gradual.

After a break to stretch and row boats the group reconvened. Edith Ganford reported that the Social Action Committee plans to continue its work. Next year the Committee hopes to join with the Disciples and the Baptist Social Action Committees to hold a meeting with gubernatorial candidates.

Bob McKersie asked if there were not some direct services the church could perform; for example, provide a nursery school for the culturally deprived or a tutorial program. Evelyn Goldsborough suggested that something might be done with the parents of the culturally deprived. There was general discussion of possibilities for direct service. • -4- As Publicity Chairman Lucy Veit asked whether we should continue to list the church service in the daily newspapers. She would rather use the money for space advertising in the Hyde Park Herald and the Chicaqo Maroon (and occasionally in the Defender). The group voted in general to support her plan.

Mr. Kent reported that the All-Committee Night has not worked out too well. However, the group felt that the system has some advantage, and most prefer to keep it. It was suggested that a preliminary agenda going out might help Council Meetings. Also the outline for today's discussion could be used for another session later on in the year.

In a brief discussion of possibilities for cultivation of the arts Betty Wagner suggests getting people who have special abilities to come to Council meetings when a topic in their field is discussed.

Howard Vogel suggested that we might make up our budget deficit by getting pledges from new members. However, no regular program of soliciting pledqes from new members has been followed. It was pointed out that new members coming in do not pledge at the same level as the older members who move away. The need for information about the fund drive and the financial situation was streesed.

Betty Wagner suggested having the Finance Committee in operation all year to inform and to be informed about our financial situation. With a strong ongoing finance committee, budget questions cnuid be referred to them also.

On the subject of the Children's Choir, there was qeneral approval. It was aqreed that much is demanded of the children, but most felt that this is not necessarily bad.

The Younq Adult Group reported that they had a less successful proqram this year than last.

After a refreshinq and tasty dinner, the qroup reconvened to hear Mr. Kent speak of his hopes for the future.

Bette Sikes Recorder First Church News An Independent Publication

April 28, 1968

PETITION JACK TO STAY

Members of the Congregation have been circulating a petition calling on Jack Kent to reconsider his resignation.

The "Draft Jack Campaign" grew out of one of the Sense-of-Church meetings. Participants were discussing what they wanted in a minister and talking about the things they liked in Jack's style of leadership.

Members of the group reportedly felt they hadn't given Jack enough support. "We've heard criticism of Jack," one said. "But we're not hearing from the large mass of people who support him."

There were inquiries at the Congregational Meeting of April 18 regarding the possibility of persuading Jack to reconsider his decision, but he replied that a contract had already been signed.

There were more than 180 signatures on the Draft Jack petition at last count

IE ON WAY

The third issue of the church magazine, IE, is now being prepared for the printer, according to Editorial Board Chairman Joan Staples. The cover design is finished, the copy is being proofed, photographs are being assembled and artwork completed.

The new issue will be between 30 and 40 pages. It will include an essay by Delbert Venerable, inspired in part by a letter from Psychologist Kenneth Clark, and a review by Alex Poinsett of the Carmichael-Hamilton book, "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America." There will be poems by Mamie Gibson and Thyra Vickery and photographs by Mike Donner.

New also in this issue will be a section containing biographical sketches of the authors.

IE's future seemed somewhat in doubt earlier this year following the resignation of several staff members. The Editorial Board has sidestepped problems of organization and format in order to get out the current issue. Bette Sikes is acting as Editor and Delbert Venerable is doing much of the work of Art Editor.

"Actually," Joan says, "We're all working together on this."

Joan feels that, in many ways, this is an improvement. She points out that a number of new people are now involved in the publication and expresses the hope that IE will become a medium of creative expression for many members of the Congregation instead of remaining the work of a small group. "That was our purpose in the first place," she says. STEPHEN SHEPUL—A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

We tried to get Stephen Shepul to tell us about himself the other day. He was reluctant, describing himself as "only a janitor."

We did learn that he speaks four languages and understands nine, that he writes music, that he is a lay preacher in the Russian Baptist Church, a Bible scholar and a philosopher.

He and his wife, Arvida, live high above the clamor of meetings and confer­ ences on the third floor of Fenn House. They have three daughters, all of whom are married. Stephen has been with us, as near as anyone can remember, about 23 years.

Stephen is a man of many interests. But for publication he would speak only of his efforts to keep First Church surrounded by greenery and flowers. He knows everything that has grown in front of the Garden Room since Pennington Center first replaced the lawn between Fenn House and the Church.

The first year, he recalls, we had salvia from July 15 till the first frost. "It looked like a red carpet," he says. Then tulip bulbs were planted for the following spring.

The second year we had petunias, in alternating rows of red, white and blue.

Last spring, tulips again, followed by red lantana, from Decoration Day till first frost.

There won't be any tulips this spring; Stephen is letting the soil rest. But geraniums will be planted about May 15 and the office staff will be asked to decide whether they want red, white or blue.

In addition to the garden, there are eight kinds of shrubs to be tended around the church, and a lilac tree, which is now in bloom. And of course, there is the remaining lawn—that beautiful green that Stephen tends with such loving care and the rest of us trod across so unfeelingly.

Stephen is proud of his Russian background. We are told that he still has the Russian costume he was wearing when he arrived in America. The Russian language still colors his speech.

It is not really possible to convey the flavor of Stephen Shepul's personality in writing. He is a man of many and unexpected talents. A friend describes Stephen and his wife as "two of the most beautiful people" — calls Stephen "a truly humble man."

• ECONOMY MEASURE

It has been suggested that we save money by combining the sump pump with the new organ. This would enable us to bail out the basement and make music at the same time.

"It is important that we acknowledge our disagreements and bring them out in the open. It is some­ times said that free democratic discussion divides the nation, but our history tells otherwise, that only through the processes of democracy can differences be successfully resolved." — J. William Fulbright AFTER SEVEN ISSUES

We are grateful for the contributions, of both time and money, which have made it possible to publish FIRST CHURCH NEWS these past twelve weeks. They show that First Churchers are willing to support something they believe in.

However, a newsletter can be an expensive business. FIRST CHURCH NEWS has expanded from two pages to eight since its first issue. Contributions have not kept up with this expansion and we are now operating in the red.

We would like to broaden our financial and creative base and place FIRST CHURCH NEWS on a more secure footing. Suggestions, contributions of work and ideas — and of course, money—are cordially invited.

-D.Fc

URGE MORE "SOUL" IN RELIGIOUS SERVICE

The Chairman of the Black Caucus says Unitarians need more "soul" in their religious services.

"There is a certain kind of pallor, a certain sterility, a barrenness, in our services," says Alex Poinsett. "There's very little passion there, and I think it's unfortunate."

Alex says he was very impressed by the service conducted at the national Black Caucus meeting back in February, a service written by Meadville Student Renford Gaines. In addition to dramatic readings, "there was a good bit of gospel singing and hand clapping and a kind of going back home, in religious terms," Alex says. "Most of the people I talked with seemed quite pleased, quite uplifted and inspired."

Alex says he doesn't know whether the experience will have any enduring effect on those who were there. It certainly isn't the kind of thing that takes place in the churches they are in now, he says, "but some of them may be in­ spired to encourage their church to incorporate the same kind of religiosity- black religiosity—into their own liturgy from time to time."

Alex underscores "religiosity" rather than "black."

"I wouldn't hold out just for black passion," he says. "That's part of it; but there are all kinds of passionate religious expressions that we, for the most part, have ignored."

Composers like Handel and Bach can be very "cerebral" in their religious music, Alex says. "But there's an awful lot of passion in their music, too, and you don't have to listen very hard to hear it. There's a lot of what we would call 'soul.' The tragedy is that soul is for the most part lacking in the Unitarian services that I've been exposed to."

"How you can get that passion back into the service, I don't know," he says. "Maybe black music is one way of doing it. There must be other ways as well. But it seems to me that we are obliged to start at least—experimenting and trying to do what we can."

Alex concedes that not everyone was completely happy with the religious service at the conventionc One member, while admitting that he felt the need for black people to return to their cultural roots, added that he "wasn't so sure he wanted to go back by way of the Baptist Church." WHAT IS A "WHITE CAUCUS"?

Members of First Church have agreed to form an action group to mobilize white Unitarians in the fight for black freedom. Now they are trying to figure out just what it is they have agreed to.

The proposal, submitted by Joan Staples at the last Congregational Meeting and approved without amendment, was "that a planning session to deal with the continuing crisis in our relations with our black brothers be held as soon as practicable." According to the proposal, the session "would be a source of specific, immediate action, long-range soul searching and a clearing house for individual and group effort."

In an accompanying statement, Joan explained that the proposal stemmed in part from the formation of the Black Caucus and in part from recent events. "During the present year," she said, "black members of the church have sought to understand themselves and mobilize for creative action in the church and in the total society. White church members and friends have recognized a corre­ sponding need to define their attitudes and their activities. The events of the past two weeks have shocked us into the realization that the time is now."

Joan emphasized that the white group was intended to support the Black Caucus, not to oppose it. She said she had no intention of creating further division in the church.

What would the new group do?

It would facilitate action, Joan said. It might serve as a clearing house for things that are already being done. It would be a place to exchange ideas. But the emphasis would be on action rather than talk.

Some action might be taken by individuals, she said, acting independently or through other organizations. Perhaps some action would need to be taken by the church. However, no action would be taken in the name of the church without approval by the Congregation.

It appears from preliminary discussion that the main thrust of the group would be to help white Unitarians define their attitudes and organize their activities in support of the black rebellion. Implied, at least, is the accep­ tance by whites of their own responsibility for the present crisis and their obligation to change, first of all, themselves.

However, the group would not be limited to whites. Joan has emphatically stated that black participation would also be welcome. This has led some to question the need for a white action group in the first place, saying it would be better for all members of the Congregation to work together on the problem.

A clear statement of the purpose and program of a white action group remains to be formulated. A planning session will probably be held early in May,

NEW TREE

We are informed that Dr. Robert Wissler has offered to replace the tree which had to be removed from the south side of the church last year. According to present plans, the new tree will be a locust. A Caff for War

by Bette Sikes

I bring here today a call for war—for war against injustice and racism in America.

I call for war against national leaders who spoke long and loud in praise of Martin Luther King but who now say, "We cannot afford any more programs for poor people. We have roads and bridges to build and wars to fight."

I call for war against political leaders who order the police to shoot to kill suspected black arsonists but do not lift a finger to make sure that slum­ lords fix up their buildings;

I call for war against politicians—national and local—who see only humor in the presence of rats in the streets and buildings of our cities;

I call for war against the quisling politicians who have sold out their people for a few paltry political plums;

I call for war against law enforcement officers who daily show, through word and deed, their contempt for and distrust of those they are paid to protect;

I call for war against politicians and businessmen who profit by tearing down the homes of the poor and replacing them with homes for others richer and more socially acceptable;

I call for war against slumlords and against the city workers who, for gain, close their eyes to bad housing conditions;

I call for war against property owners and real estate dealers who will not rent or sell to some because of religion or skin color;

I call for war against businessmen who sell inferior merchandise at superior prices in the ghettoes and who inveigle the ignorant into signing purchase agreements worthy of a Shylock;

I call for war against grocers who sell bad meat and tired vegetables to welfare recipients for prices much higher than are charged for good meat and fresh vegetables in middle-class neighborhoods;

I call for war against businessmen who do not hire—or hire only in menial ill- paying positions--people from the neighborhood where they make their profits;

I call for war against a welfare system that in some states forces a father to leave home so that his children will not starve;

I call for war against a welfare system that encourages its workers to deny to recipients the benefits they are legally entitled to;

I call for war against leaders who cry for the preservation of the neighborhood school when what they really want is to keep the colored out;

I call for war against the white families who let their schools decay and then flee to the suburbs because "They" have moved in and have ruined the schools;

(OVER) (Continued from previous page)

I call for war against good liberals who plan to buy a $60,000 pipe organ for their church, when within a mile the infant mortality rate approaches that of the poorest oriental countries;

I call for war against the good people who condemn violence and disorder and use their righteous indignation to avoid looking at the way in which they participate in the racism that permeates our society;

I call for war against the good souls who say "What can I do?" when they really mean "What can I do that won't cost very much?"

I call for war against good liberals who mistake tokenism for integration;

I call for war against those who ask black people to better themselves but who cross an Operation Breadbasket picket line;

I call for war against good liberals who keep their money in banks which do essentially nothing positive in the ghetto and which invest large sums in enterprises of an openly racist nation;

I call for war against those who under the guise of liberalism salve their consciences by projects of service to the less fortunate, leaving the more difficult work of correcting white institutions to others.

There is a war to be fought—a war in which words must be the chief weapons but in which we must also be willing to sacrifice our bodies and our money. We must mobilize all our resources to bring about a society in which every man has a chance for peace.

GLORIA HUNT OFFERS IDEAS FOR "WHITE COUNCIL"

In a separate statement, Gloria Hunt submitted to the Congregational Meeting some suggestions for action by the new white group, which she calls a "White Affairs Council."

The purpose of WAC, according to Gloria, would be "1) to support programs which the Black Caucus has determined to be most crucial to the betterment of the black community, and 2) to develop independently, as whites, programs within the white community of Chicago which would most effectively work to minimize the virulent quality of white racism in our city."

She suggests four areas for consideration by the group: 1) fund raising for the ghettos, 2) combatting the abuse of civil liberties by police in the black community, 3) increasing publicity and support for Operation Breadbasket, and 4) establishing study groups to help members of the Congregation become experts in such areas as housing, education, etc.

She proposes a number of specific projects for consideration.

NORMA FOR ALEX

At the request of Alex Poinsett, the Congregation agreed at the April 18 meeting to send his wife, Norma, to the May Meetings in his place. Alex is working on an article about "Black Revolts in White Denominations" for EBONY and expects to be pretty busy in Cleveland collecting data for his story. DISAGREE OVER CONGREGATIONAL RIGHTS

John Keohane and Board Chairman Douglas Anderson clashed at the Congrega­ tional Meeting of April 18 over the question of who has the right to appoint a Pulpit Committee.

Anderson said the church bylaws gave the Board of Trustees the right to appoint all committees, but that "this year we thought it would be a good idea to let the Congregation participate to the extent of approving what the Board has recommended."

Keohane interrupted with a point of order. "I don't believe that's correct," he said. "The bylaws state that the Board of Trustees shall have the power to appoint other committees from time to time at its discretion and such committees shall make reports to the Board, but I think the Pulpit Committee is something different."

Keohane said he didn't think the Board's power to' appoint committees applied in this case because the Pulpit Committee does not report to the Board.

"Well, we went over this whole thing," Doug replied, "and the bylaws provide only for Congregational participation in the appointment of the members of the Board of Trustees." This has been the practice in our church, Doug said, "for years and years and years."

(EDITOR'S NOTE—In its booklet, "Recommended Procedures for Churches Seeking a Minister," the UUA Department of the Ministry says, "Under our congregational polity the appointment of this Committee is the function of the congregation.")

THE WEARIN' OF THE GREEN

The Adult Choir burst upon the Congregation April 14 in dazzling new robes of emerald green. Reaction has been mixed.

Ten-year-old Luther Snow says the Choir members look like "old women" in their handsome new attire.

His mother, Rosemary, disagrees. "I like the new robes," she says. "The old ones had holes in them."

"I think they were ill-chosen," declares Bette Sikes. Bette says the green doesn't go well with the red robes worn by the Children's Choir. With the two colors together, she says, "it's always Christmas!"

Bette hasn't seen anything yet. Those beautiful white collars, we are told, conceal an even more spectacular effect. On their other side, if our informa­ tion is correct, they are a gleaming gold.

The new robes were selected by the Choir from samples displayed by repre­ sentatives of three choir robe companies who were invited to come and show their wares. The Art Committee was also asked to make a recommendation, but its suggestion was not adopted.

The choir robe companies claim that their robes will increase both our attendance and our choir membership, according to Rosemary Snow, and the Choir has already had at least one new applicant since it turned green.

If you sing and want to wear a green robe with a gold collar, see Hans Wurman. Aett&u

To the Editor:

Martin Luther King is dead, and we weep. We weep not only for him and his family, but for the condition of man, and what seems to be the pervasive and growing sickness of our society.

It is seemingly ironic that Dr. King, who espoused the value of nonviolence, should die so violently. But it is not surprising if one pauses to examine the prevailing values in America today.

Dr. King has literally been done in by those values which Americans, and especially the American male, hold most dear, namely power, and the resolution of problems by violent means. The way of life extolled in America is violence. Masculinity is defined as toughness, aggressiveness, expediency, brute strength, status, non-sentimentality, the absence of feeling, and being a good warrior. The meaning of strength has been perverted to suggest that use of the gun represents the highest expression of manliness. The gun has truly been deified in the history of America, to the point where the possession of firearms is regarded as sacrosanct.

And the terrible tragedy in all this is that the genuine values, the highest of human values, namely love, sensitivity, caring for people, reverence for life, tenderness and concern, for the worth and dignity of every human being, have been crushed into insignificance.

All one need do to observe this twisting of national values is to look at the movie ad pages, so often loaded with glib blurbs of adulation for gun- packing men, or spend an evening with television in which people are constantly portrayed in non-relating to their fellow men. Or reading the daily dehumanized statistics on war deaths, strategy and bomb loads dumped on an "enemy" we do not know. Americans are becoming terribly brutalized, in that a tremendous insensi- tivity to the meaning of destroying life is becoming paramount. With guns and bombs, we can kill by remote control, isolating ourselves from all feeling that we should have. Every life taken is a major tragedy which involves indescribable suffering and loss. Until we face up to this painful reality, I hold out little hope for the future of our country, or for the world.

Love and caring must be brought back into human affairs, otherwise we shall all surely die, violently and very soon.

- Charles G. Staples

CORRECTION

The Adult Choir performance of Mendelsohn's oratorio, "Elijah," will be May 19 at 3 PM in the Sanctuary—not May 26, as reported in our last issue. Also, there will not be a small orchestra, as previously reported.

Baritone Henri Noel will sing the part of Elijah.

FIRST CHURCH NEWS is published by individual members of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago as a medium for the free exchange of news and opinion.

ADDRESS: 5134 South Kenwood • PHONE: Ml 3-5734 • EDITED BY DICK FIREMAN This is an invitational meeting.' It is open to those who are interested in participating in such a group.

Notices are being sent to churches in the area and to persons who have been involved in social action of a similar nature.

Would you pass this information on to those whom you feel would be interested?

Thank you.'

Joan Staples for First Unitarian Church ANNOUNCING:

mC€l€

§••> n f'S' 'UR$dL.V&S W &» *>^ o^r4 m•

WHEN: Sunday, June 30, 1968 WHERE: First Unitarian Church, $c$0 S. Woodlawn, Chicago Fenn House Living Room

WHAT TIME: 3O0 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Come to an organizing meeting to plan ways in which area-wide U-U's can combat white racism within their communitiesi

We can:

...cooperate with and provide support for Black Caucus projects

...take a hard look at our own churches and neighborhoods

...learn how to deal with prejudice and bigotry

...gather information on which to base action

...act as a clearing house and catalyst for specific projects

BRIM G YOUR :

WKkS

CONCERNS

and

APPETITES

Small Donation for Supper Any Questions????

Call Joan Staples BUtterfiel.d 8-81.96 (Chicago)

or *tl ©o Church Office: FAirfai M$3££ THE FIRST 0 UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF CHICAGO A BRIEF HISTORY by Wallace P. Rusterholtz Cover design by Robert Borja Cover drawing by Tom Boldenweck

Published by The First Unitarian Church of Chicago 5650 South Woodlawn Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637

December 1979 Preface

This history is in a sense a continuation of Esther Hornor's earlier history of our Society published in 1936 for our centennial. This may be a kind of volume two.

However, since her history is out of print and in order at least to sketch the entire span of our history, E briefly summarize our first ninety years in my first chapter. For this, I of course depend mainly on Hornor's history and also on theses by Herman Newman and Donald Thompson. See my bibliography. My history really begins with Von Ogden Vogt's pasto­ rate where Hornor's history tapers off to a conclusion. Regarding Vogt and the design and building of our main edifice, I am grateful to Frederick Swanson for his most helpful unpublished paper on these. For the quarter-century following the Society's cen­ tennial, I rely on my own unpublished Cbut dittoed) paper which I prepared in 1962 for the ceremony of laying the cornerstone of Pennington Center.

For the last twenty years, I culled the Minutes of the Board of Trustees and congregational meetings, as well as other church records and publications. I also submitted working copies of this history to a dozen longtime members of the church for their criti­ cism, corrections, and additions. I want to express my thanks and acknowledgement for their help and contribu­ tions to Robert W. Wadsworth, Joan and Charles Staples, the Rev. Dorothy Hopkins Sehaad, the Rev. Dr. Randall Hilton, and Norma and Alex Poinsett. Wallace P. Rusterholtz, Ph.D. Church Historian Retired professor of history Chicago City Colleges The First Ninety Years I

One of the oldest congregations in Chicago, the First Unitarian Society was founded in 1836. This was only three years after the city itself was officially founded around the already established Fort Dearborn.

This occurred when a youthful group took impromptu advantage of a visiting Unitarian minister to hold a ser­ vice in a hotel and quickly decided to start a church (June 29, 1836). They subscribed $20,000 in land and money, but in the nation-wide Panic of 1837 this was wip­ ed out. So no building was built for several years. In this founding group were the Clarke brothers for whom an important street was named.

The budding congregation had only itinerant minis­ ters and missionaries until 1839 when it called its first pastor, the Rev. Joseph Harrington, Jr. He was thirty years old, a Harvard graduate, a teacher and theology stu­ dent, but not yet ordained or experienced in the ministry. Nevertheless, he was successful, attracting young people, some Jews, and Universalists who already had tried to start their own church.

A fund-raising drive for a building was successful in 1840 when the congregation raised $1,340 and Harring­ ton went back east and raised around $2,500. The Society acquired a lot on Washington Street on the site of the Picasso statue in the Civic Plaza. The building alone cost $3,758, and was dedicated on May 31, 1841. It was completely paid for that year.

But the Society was remiss in paying Harrington's salary, although $300 of the $1,040 was contributed by the missionary agency of the American Unitarian Associa­ tion. Moreover, as an Easterner he never felt at home in pioneer Chicago. So he departed suddenly in 1844, leaving the new building for which he single-handedly had collect­ ed so much money. For two years, the Society had no minister until the Rev. William Adam arrived in 1846. He was a Scotsman, age fifty, and had been a Baptist missionary in India for twenty years before his conversion to Unitarianism. After his first year, the Society thanked the American Unitarian Association and its missionary Society for Propagating the Gospel for their financial help, and reported that it could now be self-supporting. The congregation filled the church, although some members were dissatisfied, as usual. When financial difficulties returned, Adam departed our Eden in 1849. The next minister, the Rev. Rush Rhees Shippen, age twenty-one, soon arrived. He was a graduate of Allegheny College in his native Meadville, Pennsylvania, and the first student to enroll in the new Unitarian Meadville Theological School there. His salary was to be $700 per year and as much more as the Society could raise. By the end of his eight-year ministry, his salary was $2,000. The church's main sources of income had been voluntary contributions, as it is nowadays. But these no longer suf­ ficed. So a system of pew rent, as in many other churches, was started. A proof of the church's vigor was that in 1851 the price of pews was increased 500 percent to a range of from $50 to $275. The Sewing Society provided a pipe organ in 1850 costing $700. A sexton and a church treas­ urer were employed on a salary, and the Music Committee spent $1,000 in 1855. The church building was enlarged twice during the 1850's, and still it was filled for most services. Thanks to the rapid growth of the city and Shippen's outstanding ministry, the Society voted in 1857 to divide into three geographically scattered congregations. But only one of these, Second Unitarian Church, materialized. Ship- pen resigned in what he termed the best interest of himself and the parish in 1857. The historian would like to know more. The Society quickly called and ordained the Rev. George F. Noyes. The church continued to thrive, and Noyes needed help with the social services which the Society had begun to offer the community. So he quickly established a Minis- try-at-Large which, according to Esther Hornor in her Centen­ nial history of the church, was "a social agency for the dispensation of general benevolence, founded, supported, and controlled by the Society." It was "the only private agency for general relief in the city at that time." Its first director was the Rev. William F. Hadley, and he was assisted by volunteers from the congregation. He was fol­ lowed two years later, in 1859, by Robert Collyer, who was outstanding in this complex job. He was an English black­ smith living in Pennsylvania, a Methodist lay preacher who had been refused a preaching license because of his hereti­ cal Unitarian and Abolitionist views. Under Collyer's inspired leadership, this agency set up an outside Sunday School "distinctively for the poor" which had 200 pupils, an evening school for all ages with an enrollment of 180, sewing classes, an employment service which found 150 jobs for the unemployed, a bureau for the placement of children and the elderly in foster home. (We should note the -segregation of the poor in an outside Sun­ day school instead of their integration into the regular one. These poor were white, not black. Segregation then was a class, not racial, matter.) Collyer graphically described his work in a letter published in John Haynes Holmes' biography of him: "The Ministry-at-Large is devoted to the poor—to their help in every possible way.... All the publicans and harlots are members of my parish Lthe Ministry-at-LargeH—when all the churches turn them out and they are lost to society, I am here to help them to themselves and to God. I visit pris­ ons and get the deserving, or those that desire to do well, into good places when they come out, or if it is better, get them out. No doubt, I am busy—just as I sit down to write this I have been out (nine at night) to get a poor woman an extension on two pawn tickets—to read and pray with a young man in consumption...and to buy meat, bread, and sugar for a woman quite sick and destitute, with a drunken husband. I am kept going by the Unitarian Church .... I need not be other than a Methodist to be their Min- ister-at-Large, but I am from conviction on the liberal side."

Eventually, Collyer was called away occasionally for other projects such as the U.S. Sanitary Commission in the Civil War, started by Unitarians to care for the Northern armies. It was the precursor of the American Red Cross, Also, Collyer was drafted by the new Second Unitarian Church to be their first minister. So the Ministry-at-Large grad­ ually faded away. However, it was probably one of the Chi­ cago social agencies which helped to inspire Jane Addams to establish Hull House in 1889. Meanwhile, Noyes suddenly resigned his pulpit in 1859, after only two years of impressive ministry. He wrote to the congregation that he was resigning because he felt that he did not have "a free church, wherein I should be entirely untrammeled by the usual conditions of society-organization and enabled to follow, without reserve, the guidance of my own convictions of truth and duty." What were the pressures which he felt limited his freedom? We would like to know more about this disquieting event, but the record states only that the Society accepted his resignation with regret and appreciation for his pastorate. Without a minister for a couple of years, the congre­ gation declined sharply, Only two or three persons were present at some services. When the Rev. Charles B. Thomas, an Abolitionist and opponent of Southern secession from the Union, moved in 1861 from New Orleans to Chicago, the Society called him to be its minister. He took the lead in planning a new and larger church building which was built in 1863 in a new location on South Wabash Avenue near or at Balbo. The old church burned only two months before the new one was completed. To pay for the new building, the Trustees borrowed $10,000 to add to the $15,000 received from the sale of the site of the old church. The architect of the impressive stone Romanesque structure was T. V. Wadskier. The building had a tower which promptly leaned and sank two feet, so it was taken down. They named the new edifice the Church of the Messiah, although the Society retained its original legal name. They adopted a "Statement of Faith" which at least was con­ sistent with the surprising name of the building: "We be­ lieve that the Scriptures contain...the rule of God to man, that God is a spirit,...and is strictly one, ...that Jesus of Nazareth is...less than the Father, ...fulfilling the work of prophecy which has taught man to look for a Mes­ siah...." This statement, according to Esther Hornor, was "almost a literal transcription" of a sermon by William Ellery Channing, the early Unitarian leader. Fortunately, this creed eventually was forgotten. Construction costs and tower difficulties greatly in­ creased expenses, and the congregation found itself in fi­ nancial trouble with an unfinished building. The Trustees had to borrow an additional $10,000. The building and land cost over $60,000, and in 1866 the Building Committee re­ ported that the Society was "destitute" and "almost in a state of collapse." Meanwhile, adding to their troubles, Thomas suddenly departed in 1864. He was dismissed for "having violated the laws of God and society and thereby become unworthy of the name of a Christian man." Again, as in the case of Noyes' departure, we wonder what happened behind the scenes. When the new building was completed in 1866, the Rev. Robert Laird Collier accepted its pastorate. This minister must not be confused with Robert Collyer. Unlike him, this Collier had succeeded in becoming a Methodist minister be­ fore turning Unitarian. According to Esther Hornor, he was "warm-hearted, enthusiastic in his work,.., and gifted with an unusual talent for organization." He "quickened the church to unprecedented strength." He came to our Society from New Brunswick, New Jersey. When Collier began his pastorate, the congregation had one hundred "communicants." A gift of an Italian mar­ ble baptismal font was made in 1867 by Augustus H. Burley of Second Unitarian Church; this font continues to grace the present home of the Society. Under Collier's leadership, the church again flour­ ished. In 1868 its income was $39,000, and the congrega­ tion filled the building. The Society contributed $1,000 to the American Unitarian Association. It joined with Second Unitarian Church on the North Side and the new Third Unitarian Church to set up a mission "south of 22nd Street," which became Fourth Church in 1870. The great fire of 1871 merely scorched the Church of the Messiah, and as if in gratitude for being saved from hell-fire despite its supposed heresy, it opened its doors as a refuge for the homeless. Pews were converted into beds, and food was served in the basement Lecture Room. Collier already was the active head of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society. English Unitarians most generously came to the aid of Chicago Unitarians in the fire, sending nearly $12,000. When it was not needed, the donors asked that a Chicago committee be formed "to make such distributions of the fund as seemed best on the field of the calamity." When we Amer­ icans feel that we always are the givers in international transactions, let us remember the astonishing generous Eng­ lish of 1871. Collier urged the Society to move farther south with the expanding city. So the congregation sold its building in late 1871 for $80,000 and bought a lot on the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and 23rd Street. It built an impressive Victorian Gothic edifice of stone with a tower and spire. The main auditorium seated a thousand, the chapel several hundred. The Society owed $20,000 on its completion in 1873. The following year Collier resigned on advice of his physician. Collier recommended the Rev. Brooke Herford of Man­ chester, England, as his successor, and after a trial period he became the ^hurch's pastor in 1876. Herford was an extraordinarily eloquent and popular speaker, and father of nine children. In accepting the Society's call, he requested that pew rental be ended and freewill offerings made the congregation's basic income. This was done, and it worked well. A new development of importance was the establishment in 1881 of a-free kindergarten by the Ladies Congregation­ al Society of the church. Esther Hornor called it "one of the first schools of its kind in Chicago and perhaps the first Cfree one]." It continued until 1895. Herford resigned in 1881 and moved to the historic Arlington Street Church in Boston. He wanted to work at a more leisurely pace and be nearer his native England. The Society expressed great regret, and Morton B. Hull, senior trustee, was its spokesman. Another outstanding layman and trustee for many years also deserves mention: Daniel L. Shorey, who also was a member of the original board of trustees of the new University of Chicago. He worked closely with its eminent first president, William Rainey Harper, who said of him, "He exhibited a devotion ...which may not be described in words." His service to our church was also noteworthy. On Herford's recommendation, but after an interval, the Rev. David N. Utter became minister in 1883. He was born in North Vernon, Indiana, in 1844. He had been a Disciples of Christ minister since the age of 21 until he happened to see the Christ-van Register, the Unitarian mag­ azine, and was converted. He then graduated from Harvard Divinity School and became a missionary in Puget Sound for the American Unitarian Association. He came to us from Kansas City. During his ministry with us, the church women built and opened a building for the kindergarten at 406 (East?) 22nd Street. Utter's ministry became less effective in its last years when he allegedly became lazy. Moreover, he was drawn to the West, not the East like his predecessors. So he resigned in 1891, and went to the church in Salt Lake City. A new minister was found promptly—the Rev. William Wallace Fenn. He came to us from Pittsfield, Massachu­ setts, and found our Society in "chaotic condition." He saw the neighborhood of the church rapidly declining from fashionable to rooming-house and commercial use. Prompted by Judge Shorey, church trustee and Hyde Parker, and William R. Harper, founding president of the University of Chicago, Fenn recommended in 1895 that a chapel be built close to the new University of Chicago in Hyde Park. There, the Society could sponsor a kind of mission to the University community into which it would eventually move. Already the previous year a Fellowship, as we would now call it, had begun to meet in Masonic Hall on East 57th Street, and this would be a nucleus. The following year, Fenn's recommendation inspired Morton Denison Hull and his sister, children of the late treasurer and trustee of the Society, to offer to build a chapel in Hyde Park as a memorial to their parents. This was gratefully accepted, and the Hull Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1897. This is the present chapel of our church, but the building was much larger then. Part was removed later to make way for the main church. With the chapel originally was a two-story portion with a social room and kitchen on the street level. Immediately the chapel was filled at Sunday services; Fenn preached here as well as in the old church. The Sun­ day school soon had fifty children in it, the same number which we have today (1979). Other parish organizations al­ so developed. A Young People's society attracted many, in­ cluding college students for whom it was intended. This group was most important to Fenn, and he secured the coop­ eration of President Harper for a project in which the Uni­ versity's Divinity School students did "clinical work" under his direction. This, although that school was a Baptist seminary! Thus, Fenn really served two churches, besides being active in other ways and in the denomination as a whole. The downtown church continued to decay with its neighbor­ hood, and expenses were large and growing. So it is not surprising that in 1901, after ten years as pastor, he re­ signed to accept the Busey professorship of theology in the Harvard Divinity School. Later, he became a distin­ guished dean of that school. He was succeeded quickly by the Rev„ William Hanson Pulsford, who was, according to Esther Hornor, "a philoso­ pher with the temperament of the sage." A Scotsman, he had studied in Glasgow and Oxford Universities. A scholar, he enjoyed not only the pulpit but lecturing on various subjects on weekdays and evenings to the men's and women's organizations in the parish. He was a charismatic speak­ er and held his audiences. But he was not an organizer or promoter, and his influence did not spread. Nor did the church expand. The downtown church continued to deteriorate with its neighborhood, and in 1909 it was sold for $125,000. The Society moved to Hull Chapel and was out of debt0 Pulsford continued as pastor until 1923. His minis­ try of twenty-two years was the longest in the church's history. The Vogt Pastorate 2

After an interval of two years, the Society in 1925 called the Rev. Dr. Von Ogden Vogt, a Congregational minis­ ter on the North Side of Chicago whom Morton Denison Hull, a trustee and son of Morton B. Hull, already knew and admired. Vogt was born in Illinois, educated at Hyde Park High School, then only a block from Hull Chapel, and graduated from Beloit College and Yale Divinity School. He also studied at Harvard under Dean Fenn. When called to our church, he had written a book entitled Art and Religion (Yale University Press, 1921)t which dealt with "the ex­ pression of the religious experience through the arts." This book he revised in 1958 for republication in 1960 by Beacon Press. While our minister, he also wrote Modern Worship (Yale University Press, 1927) and Cult and Culture. (Macmillan, 1951). Later, he wrote The Primaoy of Worship (Starr King Press, Boston, 1958). These books showed the development of Vogt's relig­ ious thinking and practice. He combined aesthetics and sociology, rather than theology, in an extraordinary re­ ligious synthesis. He was greatly influenced by Emile Durkheim and the distinguished group of sociologists then at the University of Chicago. He envisioned the church, and his parish church in particular, as the community center for worship and ethical idealism, using the arts as much as possible. He was anxious to surmount the tra­ ditional Puritan hostility to art in worship and the church. So he developed the role of music, stately lit­ urgy of literary excellence, and even the dance in worship. Vogt's first book was hailed as "the classical ex­ pression of the philosophy behind the rebirth of the church arts in America." He was consulted in the planning of oth­ er churches, gave the famous Lowell Lectures in Boston, and taught in the University of Chicago and the neighboring Chicago Theological Seminary while our minister.

One who still remembers Vogt well wrote recently of him, "Temperamentally he was a High Churchman. He wore black suits and clerical collars, and he made apprecia­ tive use of candles, incense, and similar aids to devo­ tion. The church was kept open during the week—with a flickering light in a stand at the altar—for rest, medi­ tation, and prayer." With Vogt's arrival, the congregation took a new lease on life. Moreover, the Unitarian seminary in Mead­ ville, Pennsylvania, moved to Chicago in 1926 in order to affiliate informally with the University of Chicago. It built across the street from the church. Thus, the Society and Meadville Theological School became mutually suppor­ tive, although relations often were not as close as would be expected. The great event during Vogt's ministry was the design and construction of the new church adjacent to Hull Cha­ pel. Morton Denison Hull had promised Vogt a new and larger building when the congregation called him, and it was understood that Hull's son, Denison Bingham Hull, a young architect, would work closely with Vogt in planning and designing it. Denison Hull brilliantly integrated the older chapel into the total design as a transept of the new building. The resulting structure, completed in 1931, cost the elder Hull nearly a million dollars, and after fifty years it remains the pride and joy of the Society. It is pure English Perpendicular Gothic of split-faced limestone with a 200-foot tower and spire. The interior is of sawed stone, with inset designs of various colored marbles. A rose window by Ralph Connick of Boston glows high above the marble mosaic reredos and altar in the sanctuary. The building has a large marble crypt for cinerary urns for ashes of the dead, a perhaps unique feature for an Ameri­ can church. This crypt contains the remains of some dis­ tinguished people, including the Rev. Dr. Shailer Matthews, Dean of the Divinty School of the University of Chicago and president of the American Baptist Association. This edifice which he helped to design reflects Vogt's theories of worship and religion. He did not want the church or himself as minister to be directly involved in social action, but he encouraged his parishioners to join such organizations and be personally involved. He cen­ tered his religion in the church rather than in the com­ munity, but he had a very insistent and broad concept of the church as a cultural and civic center for the commun­ ity. According to Denison Hull, Vogt wanted his church to be a ""collegiate church" in the sense that it would be ecumenical, inviting other "denominations to worship with- 10 -in the same building, perhaps using separate chapels, but sharing the same nave and sanctuary. This im­ pressed my father, who promised that„..he would build him a building in which he could try to create a collegiate atmosphere. The nearest he came to his goal was to have the Quakers use the assembly room on the second floor," which was named John Woolman Hall in honor of the dis­ tinguished Quaker and pioneer Abolitionist. Morton D. Hull remained a long-time president of the Trustees of the church and of Meadville Theological School until his death in 1937. In his will he left over $200,000 to the Society as an endowment for the upkeep of the building. In addition to his long, devoted, and unequalled service to our Society, Morton Hull had a distinguished career in finance and in public life. Inheriting a fortune from his father which he greatly augmented, he graduated from Harvard and its Law School in 1892. He practiced law briefly before becoming interested in politics as a Republican. He was elected to the state Legislature in 1906, where he served with distinction as a liberal in both House and Senate until 1920. Meanwhile, he ran for governor in 1916 and was narrowly defeated by Frank O. Lowden. He was elected to Congress in 1923 with strong support from Blacks, and served for ten years. After his first term, the Democrats did not even run a candidate against him. He was liberal both as a Republican and as a philanthropist, and not to the church alone. Of him, Julius Rosenwald, himself one of the greatest of philan­ thropists, said, "Whenever I find a first-rate cause, I almost invariably find Morton Hull ahead of me." Vogt, as we pointed out, was greatly concerned with church music as one of the arts in religion. So the new building included a fine Ernest M. Skinner pipe organ built in Boston, Massachusetts, in the English cathedral tradi­ tion. It was designed by our organist at that time, Walter Blodgett, who was in Meadville Theological School and some­ times performed in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel of the Uni­ versity and Fourth Presbyterian Church. The organ has three manuals, thirty-four ranks, and 2220 pipes. It orig­ inally was connected with the organ in Hull Chapel, so that the organist could play either or both instruments from the Skinner console. Robert L. Sanders followed Blodgett as organist and choirmaster from 1930 to 1938. He was a composer of dis­ tinction, winning the Prix de Rome and conducting the New York Philarmonic in one of his own compositions. While with us, he joined the music faculty of the University of Chicago. He went from our church to strengthen the dis- 11 tinguished School of Music at Indiana University at Bloomington. He served with Vogt on the national Unitar­ ian Commission on Hymns and Services, and contributed three original hymn tunes to the new Hymns of the Spirit in 1938. Much later, he served on the Unitarian Univer- salist Hymhbook Commission which prepared Hymns for the Celebration of Life (1964). He was followed in 1939 by Gilman Chase, a gifted young graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, Chase remained five years, and returned to his native Cleveland where he died young. While with us, Vogt and he collabo­ rated to provide what another organist termed "just about the subtlest service playing I've ever heard!" His gift for composition and improvisation fitted him perfectly for this extraordinary collaboration. Vogt announced his retirement in 1944 after nearly twenty years as our minister. The Trustees regretfully accepted his resignation, named him minister emeritus, and thanked him for his "long period of distinguished ministry." Hull left him a large bequest in his will, and Vogt lived in Vero Beach, Florida, until his death in 1964. The Pennington Pastorate i

The Rev. Dr. Leslie T. Pennington was called in Oct­ ober 1944 to succeed Vogt. He was born in 1899 in Indiana of Quaker parentage. He graduated from Earlham College and Harvard Divinity School, and was ordained in the Unitar­ ian ministry in 1926. He served churches in Lincoln and Braintree, Massachusetts, Ithaca, New York, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, before coming to Chicago. He was a Trus­ tee of the Church Peace Union (later the Council of Re­ ligion and International Affairs) endowed by Andrew Car­ negie to promote peace through the churches. In the course of his eighteen-year pastorate with us, Pennington served on the boards of both the Western Uni­ tarian Conference and the American Unitarian Association. He was chairman of the Unitarian Commission on Church Union, and then a member of the Universalist-Unitarian Commission. The latter initiated the process of uniting the Unitarian and Universalist churches in America, com­ pleted in 1961. He was president of the Hyde Park/Ken­ wood Council of Churches and Synagogues and founding pres­ ident of both the Hyde Park/Kenwood Community Conference, of which more later, and of HOME. HOME (Housing Oppor­ tunities Made Equal), established in 1957, is a non-profit organization with the objective of aiding racial integra­ tion by bringing together white people willing to sell their homes to Blacks and Blacks willing to buy, especi­ ally in the suburbs. He was a Trustee of both the South East Chicago Commission and of Marlboro College in Ver­ mont. With a new minister, the church service inevitably underwent liturgical change. Though reluctant to meddle in a matter he regarded as the business of the congrega­ tion, Pennington had begun his pastorate feeling somewhat ill at ease in our High Church worship, for which neither his Quaker background nor his experience in New England churches had prepared him. His sermons, with their strong emphasis on moral and social issues, attracted new members who pressed for greater latitude in worship, and their in­ fluence was strengthened by the Meadville constituency. Pennington soon found himself in the awkward position of

12 13 defending the "medieval" liturgy he had inherited. New ordinaries of worship were written, some by Pennington, others by a lay committee, in an effort to put fresh con­ tent into our forms. The increasing influence of laymen —few of them familiar with or sympathetic to liturgical worship, and many of them hostile to any suggestion of orthodoxy—steadily moved our worship practice toward in­ formality and elasticity. This tendency has persisted to the present day—powerfully reinforced by currents in the denomination as a whole. Meanwhile, Richard Vikstrom, trained at the Univer­ sity of Chicago, followed Gilman Chase and Thyra Pliske as music director in 1946. He conducted the first Midwest performance of the Baroque version of Handel's Messiah in our church. It was performed by a choir of sixteen voices, four soloists, and sixteen members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. We were sorry to lose him to Rockefeller Chapel in 1949. By a strange turn of fortune, Vikstrom*s successor in our church was the best known of his predecessors at Rockefeller Chapel. Mack Evans, after resigning his posi­ tion at the end of a highly successful career at the Uni­ versity, had roved through a number of short-term positions —in Biarritz at the end of World War II; in Boys Town, Nebraska; and as an arranger of music in the Fred Waring organization—and was ready to return to steady church work. Under his direction the work of our choir reached its highest level of perfection and finish; and his methods and his instruction attracted many gifted singers and as­ sisting organists to our church. Drawing upon his experi­ ence in Episcopal churches, Evans developed special serv­ ices of great beauty for Epiphany and Holy Week. These achievements came to a dramatic end on a Sunday morning in 1963 when Evans collapsed and sank into a con­ dition of helplessness from which he never emerged during the remaining eight years of his life. Upon his retire­ ment his choir and other friends gave a special concert in his honor; and after his death a public memorial serv­ ice was held in the church that was attended by admiring musicians from the area. Many new and important developments occurred during Pennington's pastorate of eighteen years. Statistically, church membership more than doubled, rising from 195 to 434. The Church School grew from 25 to 300. The endow­ ment given by Morton Denison Hull increased from a quart­ er of a million to one million dollars in 1961. It was controlled by the Board of Trustees, but in 1943 it was placed under the brilliant management of the Society's long-time investment counselor, Harlan Allen and his Growth Research, Inc. 14 The church purchased the vacant lot on the north side of its premises and the house north of that. The latter, a handsome Georgian mansion, cost the Society a total of $64,000, including remodelling, in 1952. The congregation named this Fenn House in honor of its dis­ tinguished former minister. It was needed for both a Parish House and the Church School. Pennington placed "a major emphasis on the religi­ ous education of children." When he arrived, the Church School had just acquired a part-time director, Addison Steeves, a student in Meadville Theological School. He was followed by Miss Sally Storey, Dr. Edna Acheson, and Mrs. G. Richard Kuch. For the rapidly growing school, its first full-time director, Mrs. Eleanor Lewis, was hired in 1955. When she resigned in 1961 to move to San Francisco, the school had outgrown all available facili­ ties. She was followed by Miss Frances Wood, former field director of the Department of Religious Education of the American Unitarian Association. Wood served not only the church but also Meadville Theological School as lecturer in Religious Education and supervisor of its ministerial students who practice teaching in our Church School.

To accommodate its large Church School, the Society built another building in 1961, soon named the Pennington Center. This was designed by the church's architect, Denison B. Hull, and cost $320,000. It connects the church proper and Fenn House, providing space for 500 children.

Meanwhile, an annual financial drive was started around 1951. Previously, the membership's financial sup­ port had been inadequate and unsystematic. With this pledge campaign, support increased fourfold, although the budget continued to exceed total income. Annual deficits, long covered by Morton D. Hull, now drew upon our endow­ ment given by Hull. Fortunately, the rising stock market for many years gave us capital gains larger than our with­ drawals from capital. But this good fortune spoiled us, encouraging the Society to spend beyond its current in­ come.

Three annual fund-raising events aroused special interest in the early '50's. These were shows called "extravaganzas", written and presented by members of the congregation. The first, "Prepare for Saints", was par­ ticularly lively and long remembered. J. Bryan Allin and other lay leaders of the Society were said to have sparkled in these.

Other developments included the start of a weekly 15 church bulletin mailed to all members and friends of the Society; semi-annual Orientation Series to present Uni- tarianism to interested people in the community and pro­ spective members; the social coffee hour after Sunday ser­ vices in John Woolman Hall, to draw together the member­ ship and help new members and friends to feel at home; and the Church Council, consisting of chairmen of parish organizations and committees, to coordinate church acti­ vities .

Along with the large growth of the church member­ ship, school, and physical plant, too other big develop­ ments occurred during Pennington's pastorate.

The first was the racial integration of the Society and then of the community. Blacks had begun to move east­ ward into Hyde Park from the vast Black ghetto on Chicago's South Side. There was the probability that whites would flee, as usual, making this area simply a part of this ghetto. With such a prospect, the minister and congre­ gation decided, first, that they must integrate the So­ ciety. Blacks occasionally attended services during Vogt's as well as Pennington's pastorate. A Black theo­ logical student had served as director of student work in the parish. But only one Black had joined the church by the end of 1948, and only one more in 1949, although there was no formal bar to this.

To make its position unmistakable, the Society de­ cided to place itself on official record as welcoming Black members. At a congregational meeting in January, 1948, the members present voted, "Be it resolved that we, the members of the First Unitarian Society, do take it upon ourselves to invite our friends of other races and colors who are interested in Unitarianism to join our church and to participate in all its activities, pledging ourselves to seek to become one with them even as we ask them to become one with us."

Publicity concerning this resolution announced, "It is important to bear in mind that this resolution is in no sense a change of policy. It simply makes articulate in this field the basic principles of our free faith on which the policy of our free church has been based for many years." Yet there was "considerable opposition on the part of a small minority," wrote Pennington in his brief memoir of his pastorate with us. Two former Trus­ tees of the Society, among others, left the church. But only three or four Blacks had joined before 1955. In 1962, the Black membership was estimated at ten percent of the total, and this has doubled or more since then. Among these are numerous Trustees, including three chair- 16 persons, as well as committee chairmen, and members of the church staff. Wrote Pennington, "We now count among our membership persons of Japanese, Hindu, and Islamic background [as well as Blacks]. It is our purpose to become a church of all races and religious backgrounds, each respected in its own right. For this is the role of America in the new world before us, and of the free church in this land of freedom." Having set its own house in order first, the minis­ ter and congregation were psychologically ready to help to try to achieve sound racial integration in the community so that whites and Blacks could live together in good will and without property and cultural deterioration. Previously, wrote Pennington in his unpublished mem­ oir, "Through a survey of the interests of the church mem­ bers in 1945 he EPenningtonU found a large portion of the members interested in a creative program of race rela­ tions and community action. He was instrumental in form­ ing the Hyde Park Community Council in the spring of 1945 and served as its first president. This became the larg­ est and most representative organization of religious, social, educational, business, and welfare organizations concerned with the health, welfare, conservation, and de­ velopment of the community. When this organization was blocked by its more conservative forces in carrying out the will of a majority to reckon openly and constructive­ ly with the race issue...he [Pennington] was among the forty concerned citizens of all races and creeds that met Ton the initiative of members of the American Veterans Committee and the 57th Street Meeting of Friends (Quakers)"] in our parish house in November, 1949, to form a new peo­ ple's organization which became known as the Hyde Park-Ken­ wood Community Conference. Its purpose was reckoning di­ rectly with the issues of racial integration, community conservation and renewal, and the development here of a genuinely interracial community of high standards. He CPenningtonD became the founding chairman of this organi­ zation."

The author has heard the story told, though not by Pennington, that around this time he and Rabbi Jacob Weinstein of K.A.M. Temple went to see Chancellor Robert M. Hutchins of the University of Chicago regarding their efforts to save the University community from becoming another slum. No sooner had they stated their concern, according to this story, than Dr. Hutchins rose and said, "Gentlemen, you have come to the wrong place. You should see a realtor." Fortunately, the next head of the Uni­ versity was far more concerned with the plight of the com­ munity. 17 In another unpublished article, Pennington continued this story. "In this capacity, I served during the first three formative years, somewhat at the expense of the time and energy of my own ministry to my church, although with the wholehearted backing of my congregation, and strength­ ened in this work by the realization that my church had already been forthright and clean in its witness against racial discrimination and its practice of interracial brotherhood." The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference developed well under Pennington's leadership. It raised money nec­ essary to hire an outstanding director, Mrs. Julia Abraham- son, who has published her own account of this. The church provided office space until the Conference could afford its own. Pennington concluded his account of his role in the Conference: "The rest is history, largely revolving about the inspired leadership of Julia Abrahamson. By the end of those three years of my chairmanship, the Conference membership was 2,000 strong, with a central office, and executive staff, a budget of $12,500, and block organiza­ tions in fifty of some 120 blocks of the area. By that time, the Conference was recognized as one of the new and prophetic interracial movements in America, had general city-wide, national and international recognition, and had become the pattern followed by several other Chicago com­ munities and other cities in America." For these achievements, the Society and its minister were repeatedly honored. In 1956 the Commission on Human Relations, City of Chicago, gave an award to "The First Unitarian Church of Chicago which, under the leadership of its minister, Dr. Leslie Pennington, has played a decisive part in the effort to prepare the way for genuine inter­ racial living and worship in Hyde Park-Kenwood." Pennington in 1962 received one of the first Daniel H. Burnham Awards presented by Roosevelt University. This was for his leadership in founding and developing the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. Previously, he re­ ceived the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities from both Rollins and Marlboro colleges and the Doctorate of Divinity from Meadville Theological School„ The second big development of the Society's role in the community during Pennington's pastorate was the largest and most impressive project ever undertaken by our church. It began when the Rev. Christopher Moore, who came to us as assistant minister in 1955, founded in 1956 what soon be­ came known as the Chicago Children's Choir. He began it as our parish children's choir, and it still participates in some of our services. However, he soon opened it to all 17 In another unpublished article, Pennington continued this story. "In this capacity, I served during the first three formative years, somewhat at the expense of the time and energy of my own ministry to my church, although with the wholehearted backing of my congregation, and strength­ ened in this work by the realization that my church had already been forthright and clean in its witness against racial discrimination and its practice of interracial brotherhood." The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference developed well under Pennington's leadership. It raised money nec­ essary to hire an outstanding director, Mrs. Julia Abraham- son, who has published her own account of this. The church provided office space until the Conference could afford its own. Pennington concluded his account of his role in the Conference: "The rest is history, largely revolving about the inspired leadership of Julia Abrahamson. By the end of those three years of my chairmanship, the Conference membership was 2,000 strong, with a central office, and executive staff, a budget of $12,500, and block organiza­ tions in fifty of some 120 blocks of the area. By that time, the Conference was recognized as one of the new and prophetic interracial movements in America, had general city-wide, national and international recognition, and had become the pattern followed by several other Chicago com­ munities and other cities in America." For these achievements, the Society and its minister were repeatedly honored. In 1956 the Commission on Human Relations, City of Chicago, gave an award to "The First Unitarian Church of Chicago which, under the leadership of its minister, Dr. Leslie Pennington, has played a decisive part in the effort to prepare the way for genuine inter­ racial living and worship in Hyde Park-Kenwood." Pennington in 1962 received one of the first Daniel H. Burnham Awards presented by Roosevelt University. This was for his leadership in founding and developing the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. Previously, he re­ ceived the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities from both Rollins and Marlboro colleges and the Doctorate of Divinity from Meadville Theological School„ The second big development of the Society's role in the community during Pennington's pastorate was the largest and most impressive project ever undertaken by our church. It began when the Rev. Christopher Moore, who came to us as assistant minister in 1955, founded in 1956 what soon be­ came known as the Chicago Children's Choir. He began it as our parish children's choir, and it still participates in some of our services. However, he soon opened it to all 18 children in the area, solicited and received federal fi­ nancial support through Urban Gateways, and rapidly devel­ oped it into one of the largest and leading musical organ­ izations for children in this country. After a few years, around 450 children were involved in it at any one time. These included, and still include (1979), many from numerous different religious, racial, and ethnic groups and various social and economic levels, including slums and ghettos. The choir actually became several choirs for different ages and levels of perform­ ance. The music the choir sings is as varied as the chil­ dren who sing it, including 16th century motets, Hebrew liturgical numbers, Mozart masses, Purcell anthems, Negro spirituals, and folksongs in half a dozen languages. Thus this institution has become a large nonsectarian community agency of our Society which continues to provide it with a home as well as to contribute substantially to the salaries of its considerable staff. For the Choir has introduced thousands of youngsters, hundreds of them from the slums, to the world of music and culture. Moreover, it has enabled them through their music performance to minis­ ter in turn to thousands of others in their concerts in schools and churches in the city and suburbs, on public ceremonial occasions, over radio and television, and even on tours through the Midwest, East, and South, It has ap­ peared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Robert Joffrey Ballet in its Chicago per- performances. It even toured Europe in 1970, for which the Chicago Tribune raised over $25,000 in a public appeal. However, the Society could not fully fund such a large organization, although it tried to do so. It even has drawn heavily on its endowment for this as well as other purposes. Fortunately, Christopher Moore and his choir associates gradually found much financial support from church members, choir parents, and other organized as Friends of the Chicago Children's Choir, Inc., from Urban Gateways for a while, foundations, businesses, the Illinois Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, University of Chicago, and the Choir's earnings from concerts and re­ cordings. The Choir's annual budget at the time of this writing (1979) is $180,000. Moore, the Choir's continuing director for 23 years at this writing, also has remained our de facto assistant min­ ister all this time, although his title has varied. Senior ministers come and go, but Chris, as everyone calls him, abides with us as a pillar of continuity, dependability, and devotion. He was educated in Highland Park, Michigan, pub­ lic grade and high schools, and at Harvard, Meadville Theo- The Kent Pastorate 4

After an extended search for a new minister, the congregation called the Rev. Jack Kent in 1963. His total remuneration was set at $16,500. Kent was born in Oklahoma in 1921 and studied in the University of Chicago until going into military service in World War II for three years. After the war, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and Starr King School of the Ministry in 1950. He served Unitarian churches in Massachusetts and California before his posi­ tion in New York as associate executive secretary of the Middle Atlantic Council of Unitarian Churches, from which he came to us. He was a founder of the African Student Fund, and while our minister he was on the board of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. During the Kent ministry, many activities developed and issues were faced, building on Pennington's social ac­ tivism. The church itself took positions on social issues, and this alienated some members, who left the Society. At practically the same time that Mr. Kent began his ministry with us, Hans Wurman became our organist and choir­ master. He was a fine musician and organist, interested in new ideas, and he became involved in the development of the Moog synthesizer and electronic music. He remained with us for six years, before moving elsewhere. Mr. Wurman soon tried to convince the Society that we should sell our Skinner organ and buy a new one which the Music Committee thought should be placed in the back of the church on a balcony to be constructed for that purpose. The Music Committee took seriously Wurman's urging and made an extended study of organs. In 1965, they recom­ mended to the Trustees and the Trustees recommended to the congregation that it buy a tracker organ built by the Schlicker Company of Buffalo for $75,000. The Society voted to buy this and a much smaller organ for Hull Chapel. The church architect, Denison B. Hull and his associates, drew

19 20

plans for a gallery to be built in the rear of the nave for the organ and choir at a costs of $25,000 or more.

The small organ was installed in Hull Chapel at a cost of nearly $15,000. But as time passed, more members of the Society came to agree with an original minority that the Skinner organ basically was a splendid instru­ ment which should be repaired rather than sold, and that its replacement in a new location was far too expensive. So finally in 1969 the membership voted to cancel its con­ tract for the large organ at a cost of over $20,000 in a forfeited down payment and architect's fees.

During this period, the choir, by vote of its mem­ bers, gave up its salaried status and permanently became a group of volunteers.

Meanwhile, the Church School made good use of its new building. The enrollment reached 345 in 1963 under Frances Wood's continuing direction. She resigned in 1966, and Mrs. Jean Starr Williams succeeded her the fol­ lowing year.

With this new building, many felt that the Society had an obligation to use its greatly expanded plant more than one day per week. m the spring of 1964, the Trios- tees assigned to a special committee a proposal to es­ tablish a nursery school to care for the children of working mothers as a service to the community. In Sep­ tember, the Kenwood-Ellis Nursery School, operated by the Hyde Park Co-operative Society, wanted to rent space, and there was continued talk of setting up a Unitarian nursery school.

The Trustees investigated the cost of physical changes necessary for such a school, and concluded that no im­ mediate decision was advisable. In June of 1965, the Trustees agreed that the Kenwood-Ellis Nursery School could rent space, and soon it directed that it be re­ name the Hyde Park Unitarian Cooperative Nursery School. Its lease was extended in 1967 for two years. Near the end of that time, it was given eighteen months notice to vacate because of financial problems. But later this was re-considered.

Early in 1965, Kent's ministry was evaluated by the Board of Trustees. "Great approval and satisfaction [was] espressed," according to its minutes. The question was raised of hiring an assistant or "administrative" minister at a salary of not over $12,000. This was con­ sidered for months. Finally the Trustees decided to hire Mrs. Jean Kuch as "program coordinator" in 1966. 21 The Chicago Children's Choir continued to develop under Moore's able direction, as described previously, and Chris himself continued to provide many and varied pastoral services to the congregation.

An important development began in 1967, following a Unitarian Universalist Racial Justice meeting in New York. At that meeting, dominated by Whites, Blacks walked out because they felt themselves treated as guests rather than participants. Yet the meeting had been called to decide what the Unitarian Universalist response should be to "Black Empowerment" which was in the national headlines. The Blacks caucused, returned to the meeting, and announced that they would go home and start Black Caucuses in their congregations. These Caucuses would define the problems of racism and urge Black Empowerment within the church, community, and nation.

Our Society's representative at that meeting, Mrs. Selina Reed, as chairman of Church Council, on her re­ turn home convened a meeting of forty Unitarian Uni­ versalist Blacks in our Fenn House. Half were from our church, including Alex Poinsett who was elected the first chairperson of the Chicago Area Black Caucus (CABUUC). Jack Kent and others welcomed the Caucus, but numerous Blacks and Whites opposed it as divisive, racist, and militant.

To help church members understand the meaning of Black Empowerment, the Caucus sponsored an all-day work­ shop attended by one hundred twenty church members. This convinced more Whites of the need for the Caucus, and thus cleared the air. Thereafter, more Blacks joined our Society, and at the next election a Black was elect­ ed chairperson of the Trustees. Numerous positions of leadership have since been held by Blacks.

The Chicago Area Caucus, led by some of our members, hosted the first national Unitarian Universalist Black CaUcus convention in 1968. It organized the Unitarian Universalist Black Affairs Council (BAC), and set up a National Steering Committee of which Alex Poinsett was a member. The Rev. Jack Mendelsohn, then of Boston, was one of three ministerial advisors to BAC. This national organization no longer functions, but the Black Caucus is still a viable force in our Society.

Other developments during Kent's ministry included: --The Trustees voted that spring to join with three pother Hyde Park churches and Rockefeller Chapel in 22 holding services together there during August. This be­ came a regular summer project thereafter. --Reflecting the national agitation over the civil rights issue, the Trustees and congregation voted to take $8,600 from the church's endowment to give to the civil rights movement headed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

—The library of Fenn House was made available as headquarters for the Illinois Committee for the Medi­ cal Control of Abortion, headed by Dr. Lonny Meyers.

—A Head Start Program, rim by the Unitarian- sponsored Abraham Lincoln Centre, was housed in Penning­ ton Center during the summers of 1967 and 1968.

—On the recommendation of the Social Responsi­ bility Committee, the Society lent $15,000 from its en­ dowment to the Freedom Development Corporation which purchased older buildings for rehabilitation as coopera­ tive apartments for the poor. A few months later, the church requested the return of its loan because F.H»A. financing had become possible. A melodramatic incident occurred on March 24, 1968, when Kent was arrested in the Museum of Science and Indus­ try. He reported it in the next Church Calendar: "I was... charged with interfering with an officer who was making an arrest. I was taken to the Police Station at 75th and Maryland where I was released on $1,000 bail.... The cir­ cumstances were as follows: When I arrived at the Museum, I saw four white policemen carrying a ten-year-old Negro boy into the Museum. The boy was hysterical, so I asked why he was being taken into the Museum and what he had done. The officers told me to get out of their way, which I did, but I also informed them that I wanted to be a wit­ ness to this event. After the boy was locked up in a room, I persisted in asking questions, and it was then that I was arrested and charged." Kent was tried on April 11, convicted, and fined $100. Several lawyers advised him to appeal, but he was soon to leave Chicago for a new pastorate. Kent wrote: "This incident is quite small, but it is a symbol.... The major issue is this: Do you, as a citi­ zen, have the right to ask any questions Cof the police]? Do you have the right to be able to witness what is hap­ pening? At the present time, these questions have not been answered by the courts..., Perhaps this is the point at which we determine whether we have any rights in rela­ tionship to the conduct of our Police Department." 23 This incident turned out to be a minute preview of the so-called "police riot" in Chicago four months later during the Democratic National Convention when numerous by-standers were hauled into jail along with student dem­ onstrators. Our interim minister, the Rev. John Robinson, was one of the many who were manhandled by the police dur­ ing this event. These incidents help to set the stage for a serious concern of the Society during the Mendelsohn pastorate. Kent resigned our pastorate in the spring of 1968, de­ spite the Society's expressed regret and a petition begging him to reconsidero He moved west to a new ministry in Van­ couver, British Columbia. At the same time, John Robinson, a Meadville Theologi­ cal School student, was hired as a part-time interim min­ ister. Mrs. Jean Kuch resigned to marry, and was followed as church manager by Mrs. Dorothy Hopkins Sehaad, long-time secretary of the Western Unitarian Conference. Mrs. Sehaad was a graduate of Meadville and was ordained to the ministry by our Society in 1973. She served as church manager with exceptional devotion and ability until she chose to retire in 1975 and continues to serve as a member of our ministerial staff. During the year which elapsed between pastorates, the nation's agitation over the Vietnam War and the role of what President Eisenhower had termed the "military- industrial complex" caused the Trustees to appoint a committee to make a moral audit of the Society's invest­ ment portfolio. The congregation wished to divest itself of holdings in war industries, following similar action in Boston by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

There is the first mention of a xerox machine in the church office. It was rented, but ten years later (1978) the Society bought an advanced model for $15,000 on the assumption, based on its past experience, that its use by related and outside agencies would pay for it.

A little magazine entitled i.e. was published brief­ ly. It contained articles and graphics by church members. Also, a news sheet, First Church News, was published inde­ pendently for a while in 1969 by Richard Fireman. But in time the congregation was unwilling to finance it in addi­ tion to or as part of the Church Calendar. The Mendelsohn Pastorate 5

We called the Rev. Jack Mendelsohn to be our minis­ ter in April, 1969. He began his pastorate in September with a salary package of $24,455. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1918, graduated from Boston University and Harvard Divinity School. He received an honorary doctorate of divinity from Meadville Theological School while our minister. Be­ fore he came to us he had published four books: Why I Am a Unitarian, God, Allah and Juju (regarding changing re­ ligious patterns in new African states), The Forest Calls Back (on Dr. Theodor Binder's pioneering work among Indians in Peru), and The Martyrs (about those who died in the civ­ il rights struggle in the South). While he was our pastor he completed and published his biography of Channing: The Reluctant Radical. He also wrote the nationally distribu­ ted pamphlet Meet the Unitarians and Universalists and articles in several magazines.

Earlier in his career, he was a friend and advisor on religious questions to Adlai E. Stevenson, and served churches in Rockford, Illinois, Indianapolis, and histor­ ic Arlington Street Church in Boston. During his ten-year ministry in the latter, he presided with some misgivings at the famous draft card burning ceremony in his church. Also participating were William Sloan Coffin, then chap­ lain at Yale University, and Dr. Benjamin Spock, the noted author and doctor.

In Boston also he was president of the Urban League and of the Foundation for Housing Innovations, organized to provide funds for low-income housing projects. He was chairman of the board of Beacon Press, our Unitarian Universalist publishing house, and of the Binder-Schweit­ zer Amazonian Hospital Foundation. He served on the board of the Black Affairs Council (BAC) of our denomi­ nation.

24 25

Discussion began early in Mendelsohn's pastorate regarding a new full-day nursery school to be started by the director and staff of Religious Education. This would be in addition to the half-day Hyde Park Unitarian Co­ operative Nursery School which would continue to rent space. Our Religious Education Board hired Miss Marian Herreid, a church member long experienced in early child­ hood education, to set up this Unitarian Preschool Center in 1970.

The Center began by providing a morning program for three and four-year-olds, gradually expanding in re­ sponse to requests for care for both younger and older children. Within two years, the Center had begun to provide full day care. In 1973, it was licensed by the city and state as a "day care center" with fifty-two children. When Herreid resigned in 1974 to head the Early Childhood program at Mundelein College, the Board hired Judith Kolb Morris, a church member and long-time teacher of young children.

The Center could not become self-supporting, how­ ever, and we justified it as a public service for work­ ing parents. As the church endowment continued to shrink during the '70's, the Society grew worried about this and other drains on its resources. At the end of 1972, for instance, Mendelsohn reported'to the Trustees that the Center's finances were in "a state of emergency/ with no relief in sight." In 1977, the Trustees were in­ formed that the Center probably cost the church $10,000 or more per year. In early 1979, its debt was nearly $8,000. We engaged Mrs. Carole Browning to head the Center in 1978, and she struggled admirably with the Center's financial and other problems. But finances remained precarious. Nevertheless, the Society voted on April 1, 1979, at the pleading of parents, to continue the Center another year and review its status early in 1980. However, when Browning resigned to accept another po­ sition in July 1979, the Society voted "to terminate with extreme regret the Unitarian Preschool program on August 31, 1979, but to invite the parents of preschoolers who wish to organize a program themselves to negotiate a landlord/tenant agreement with First Church for use of whatever space and equipment would be needed for a pro­ gram for which they could be fully responsible." The parents proceeded to do this.

The Chicago Children's Choir meanwhile continued its development and accompanying financial problems under Christopher Moore's brilliant musical leadership. 26

His salary was $3,500 in arrears in 1976 and 1977. But in 1978 he was able to promise to increase the Choir's pay­ ment to the church to $8,000 for space and services provid­ ed for it by the Society. The Trustees estimated that the Choir cost the Society at least three times that amount. Chris Moore eloquently expressed his own and most of the congregation's feeling about the Choir in 1975: "I have been deeply concerned about this country and the world in which we live. My way of attempting to help change it has been working with children and youth in and through music to assist them to a deeper understanding of the whole proc­ ess of building and maintaining a culture that nourishes and ministers to its people. When dozens upon dozens of youngsters across the usual generation gaps and in ever changing groups come to take responsibility for themselves, each other and their teams, and when that process includes the sons and daughters of...Cthe^] fortunate side by side with street kids and those of every imaginable background and circumstance, and nothing is of importance but the per­ sons themselves and what they are about together, I begin to feel that there may be some substance to the American Dream of the open society that we have so often preferred to mouth rather than to accept to live." This is why Chris in particular and the congregation in general have put so much time, effort, and money into this extraordinary relig­ ious enterprise.

A new major undertaking of the Society began when some of our members saw the need in early 1970 for a counselling service for runaway youth. Leon Webber, a ministerial can­ didate at Meadville Theological School with experience in family therapy, organized a group of volunteers in the church to work with them. It began with the Society's teen­ age organization, Liberal Religious Youth (LRY), and its outreach developed fast. Psychologist Len Unterberger soon assisted Webber and a volunteer staff housed in Fenn House with the blessing of the church. They called themselves The Depot.

It provided neutral ground where adolescents and their families could work together with the staff on family problems, including such difficulties as truancy, poor school performance, uncontrollable behavior, rape, and murder. It used an approach adapted from Dr. Robert MacGregor's Team-Family method by which interdisciplinary teams work with troubled families. Often included in these teams are probation or parole officers, teachers, and representatives of referring agencies.

In only two years, the Depot expanded its staff to provide full-time service. It has worked with an average of 400 families per year, many of which are referred by 27 school, juvenile court, police, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, clergy, and forty other agencies. The Depot developed training programs for social workers and a unique Clinical Pastoral Education Program for clergy. It was the only program in this country de­ signed primarily to teach chaplains and other clergymen how to work with families on their problems. It met the requirements of the International Association for Clini­ cal Pastoral Education, Inc., which accredited The Depot in 1973. Several hundred clergy and social workers have used these programs. Leon Webber went west in 1974 and was succeeded by Dr. Mildred Buck for more than a year until the Rev. Eu­ gene Robinson followed her in late 1975. He is a gradu­ ate of Paine College of Augusta, Georgia, has Master's de­ grees from the Inter-denominational Theological Center of Atlanta and Columbia Theological Seminary, and graduated as a certified therapist from the Family Institute of Chicago/Northwestern University. He is an ordained Bap­ tist minister and one of the ministers on our church staff. Besides heading The Depot, he is a visiting instructor in Clinical Pastoral Education in both Meadville Theological School and McCormick (Presbyterian) Theological Seminary. Robinson inherited serious financial and other prob­ lems, and the former continued to plague both the Society and him. For example, The Depot's balance sheet for Oc­ tober 1972 showed a deficit of $10,000. Two months later, it had grown to nearly $19,000. But Robinson gradually procured grants, donations, and contracts from govern­ ment agencies, foundations, and individuals, including the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The Depot's budget for 1975 was nearly $300,000. State pay­ ments alwasy were slow, and The Depot always had to de­ pend on the Society for its cash flow as well as for help with its deficits. For example, in mid-1978 it reported a deficit of $10,000. The Society hired its second Minister-at-Large, the first one being Robert Collyer immediately before the Civil War, when it ordained George Sikes for that position in 1971. He served on a part-time basis until 1978 and as a volunteer after that. His duties included working on be­ half of the church with the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH and the Alliance to End Repression, as well as with various church groups and in supervising church mainte­ nance and repairs. When Mendelsohn was interviewed early in 1971 by Roy Larson, Religion Editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, he took the opportunity to present his idea of what a modern church 28 should be and of our Society in particular. He stressed the highly desirable heterogeneity of our congregation, with perhaps one-third of it Black, ten percent Jewish, and some Orientals. He termed the Society's program "multifac- eted," explaining: "In this church we attempt to interweave many styles, many themes—the rational tradition of Unitar- ianism and modern forms of responsible anti-rationalism; straight, established culture and counter-culture; mysti­ cism and social action; the culture of Western civilization and the cultures of the East and the Third World." Mendelsohn pointed out to Larson that we welcome a va­ riety of speakers ranging from Hans J. Morgenthau, who was Albert A. Michelson Distinguished Service Professor of Po­ litical Science and History at the University of Chicago, to Saul Alinsky, the noted community organizer, to Eqbal Ahmad, an Arab activist at the Adlai E. Stevenson Institute of International Affairs. He mentioned our variety of Sun­ day morning services, including the use of ethnic and Black liturgical dances. He said that our "multifaceted style" is the church's "survival style for the future."

Larson asked if there are dangers in trying "to be all things to all people", and Mendelsohn replied, "Here, you are not trying to be all things to all people. You are yourself living in relationship with others who are being themselves. In a setting like this, the possibili­ ties for true self-realization are enhanced."

Meanwhile, the Church School showed a marked de­ cline in enrollment to 200 students in the fall of 1969, despite the continuing highly professional leadership of the Rev. Jean Starr Williams as Religious Education Director. This decline was typical of churches through­ out the country, but it was particularly painful to our congregation with our fine new building. Mrs. Williams resigned in 1976 to become Director of Education and Social Concern for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Bruce C'Kit") Randall followed her for two years, and then Vivian Dickson was hired in 1978.

Following the departure of Hans Wurman as organist and choirmaster in 1969, Ivy Beard joined us. He came from the First Baptist Church by way of the Chicago Children's Choir staff, and joined us in membership as well as professionally. He was a handsome young Black, an outstanding musician and organist, and those of us who heard him play either the organ or piano will not forget him. He became an assistant conductor of Lyric Opera while remaining with us, and a leading colleague rated him, after his tragic death in 1978, as one of the two best organists in Chicago. 29 Beard asked in 1972, because of his heavy schedule, to be relieved of directing the choir. So we hired Thomas Peck as choirmaster to work with Beard. The two made a distinguished team. Peck was a prominent conduc­ tor, being founder and director of the Grant Park Symphony Chorus and an assistant conductor of Lyric Opera. He was an outstanding vocal teacher, and brought some of his gifted students into our choir. He held a number of cho­ ral concerts of high quality in the church. Unfortunately, for economy, we had to let Peck go in 1977. Christopher Moore took over the choir.

Following Beard's death, we hired Thomas Weisflog who holds degrees from the Universities of Rochester and Chicago, is instructor in organ in Roosevelt University, and is organist of Lyric Opera. He also is completing his studies for a doctorate in physical chemistry in the University of Chicago.

Mendelsohn and the congregation became increasingly concerned about civil rights, especially as these are vi­ olated by law enforcement agencies during and since the so-called "police riot" at the Democratic National Con­ vention here in 1968. So the Social Action Committee proposed and the Trustees recommended that the Society join the Alliance to End Repression, a coalition of orga­ nizations protesting and contesting in the courts the erosion of civil liberties in Chicago by the police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and other agencies of government. The Alliance especially objects to police snooping and spying on vol­ untary organizations and protest demonstrations.

The Society joined the Alliance, contributed to it substantially, and Mendelsohn eventually became its president. As if to demonstrate the validity of the Alliance's protests, the Chicago Police placed him and our congregation under surveillance for several years at a cost of many thousands of dollars to the taxpayers with no results beyond harassment. In the fall of 1974, Mendelsohn reported to the church Trustees that the Alliance was bringing a civil suit to check the illegal activities of the Chicago Police's so-called Red Squad. Five years later, this suit remains in the courts.

In connection with this commitment to the Alliance, the Trustees voted to set up a bail bond loan fund of $1,000 for members and friends of the church who were arrested for any reason. It was expected that such alleged offenses would be related to civil rights demon­ strations. 30

Another social action was the Society's guarantee of a loan of $10,000 to Neighborhood Commons, a project led by Unitarians to help the p&or to buy and rehabili­ tate the old buildings in which they lived and which otherwise would be razed, leaving them homeless. These guarantees eventually totalled $50,000, and in late 1972 the Amalgamated Bank asked the Society to take responsi­ bility for this amount when Neighborhood Commons de­ faulted. This worried the congregation for years until finally liquidated at a loss to the Society. Meanwhile, the church's endowment dropped to $750,000 at the end of 1969 and $601,000 at the close of 1970.

It was timely that in late 1972, according to the Trustee's minutes, Mendelsohn "reviewed the various out­ standing financial commitments contracted by the church," including the above as well as $15,000 for the Freedom Development Corporation, of which $1,000 has been repaid and the remainder can be regarded as uncollectible", and $8,000 as guarantee of a loan to the Chicago Children's Choir. "After running through the list, Mendelsohn com­ mented that if the church is to remain vital and pro­ ductive it must resist additional encroachments on its endowment. It must not cripple itself by taking on ad­ ditional financial responsibilities; it must discontinue outright subsidies; and it would do well to build up en­ dowment resources to provide for the rising costs of the future."

Fund-raising, apart from the Pledge campaign, reach­ ed an all-time high in 1974 when the Oktoberfest raised $1,145, the Mardi Gras ball $500, and the Bazaar $6,2 38. The last figure included the sale of the old church seats for around $3,000, and the Bazaar thus paid for the 200 handsome new and more maneuverable church seats.

The Trustees decided, on the recommendation of the Investment Committee, to change investment counselors in 1973 because of Harland Allen's distance from Chicago. The Society expressed gratitude to him for his distin­ guished service for over thirty years, during the first part of which the endowment had vastly increased despite heavy withdrawals of capital. Other investment counselors followed, but the Society was not satisfied. In 1977, Drexel Burnham Lambert Investment Group, Inc. was engaged, and results improved dramatically.

A new Permanent Endowment Fund was proposed and launched in 1978 in order to try to assure the financial security of the Society and its fine buildings. It was set up to be legally iron-clad so that neither its capi­ tal nor capital-gains, but only its income, ever could 31 be used. Two substantial gifts soon were received for it.

Other concerns of the congregation: When the Vietnam War aroused great opposition after the bombing of Cambodia in 1972, the Society voted to withhold payment of the federal excise tax on telephone bills as a protest against the war. No action was taken against the Society for this, and this tax remains un­ collected (1979). The congregation voted two years later to resume payment, since this country was "no longer an active, open participant in the various Indochinese con­ flicts."

A Gay Caucus of homosexuals was organized in the church in 1973, and it was authorized to conduct a Sunday morning service as a way of educating the congregation re­ garding Gays and their rights. The Society voted in its annual meeting that year to encourage the establishment in the denomination's headquarters of an Office of Gay Affairs.

The church responded to a request to provide a com­ mittee of seven to make monthly visits to prisoners in Stateville Prison, and the Rev. George Sikes was active in this as well as other social action for the Society.

The active social conscience demonstrated by the congregation and Mendelsohn troubled some of our members, somewhat as racial integration of the Society had troubled some others more than twenty years earlier. At a Trustee's meeting early in 1970, Mendelsohn took note of this and was quoted as raising a question regarding the church: "Does it exist to recharge spiritual batteries, or does it function as an instrument of social change?" The minutes reported that "he doesn't see it as an either/or situation. First Unitarian Church seems large enough to handle both situations. A discussion followed, and it was generally agreed that [[the Society] could handle both attitudes." The Trustees no doubt reflected the attitude of most of the congregation. In line with this was the church's impressive role as a community center. Mendelsohn reported to the Trus- 'tees a year later, "The seven-day-a-week use of this in­ stitution involves the pre-school children and families, the alternate school and families, Children's Choir(which touches 500 inner-city children), our own L.R.Y. and church school, plus all the community meetings held here."

The attitude and mood of the congregation, two-thirds of which live within or adjacent to Hyde Park, was well 32 described by Christopher Moore when, in 1975, he wrote of his own feelings regarding our church and community: "Our family is on the line, living in the heart of a large city, and we intend to stay. We often wish that we could move Chicago to the Rockies, the West Coast or the Alps, but we have no wish to migrate... to the suburbs because we have a feeling that the cities are where our civilization stands or falls, and that the real frontiers of our times are not in the wilderness but in the heart of our inner cities. As a high school-age visitor, I once vowed that Chicago was the last place [where] I wanted to live, so where did I land? I have been here all but three years _ of the time since college, but I remain excited by what needs doing and what can be done in this setting, and I have few if any regrets."

Mendelsohn announced in 1976 his candidacy for the presidency of the Unitarian Universalist Association the following year, and the ensuing period was a difficult one for both the congregation and him. He travelled much during his long campaign, and wore himself out with his candidacy in addition to his pastorate. He lost the election to the late Rev. Dr. Paul Carnes in a close race.

The congregation was astounded when Mendelsohn pre­ sented his resignation in the spring of 1978, effective December 31. Many begged him to reconsider, but he re­ fused. At the annual congregational meeting in June, the Society unanimously passed a resolution stating that be­ cause of his "outstanding leadership and pastoral care during the nine years of his ministry, ...this Society expresses its great sense of loss in regretfully accept­ ing his resignation." We also regretted losing his good wife, Joan Silverstone Hall Mendelsohn, who was a devot­ ed church worker while having a responsible position in Billings Hospital.

As Mendelsohn's ministry drew to a close, the So­ ciety prepared for the interval between senior ministers by electing an Interim Committee to secure an interim minister and a Search Committee to seek out and recommend to the Society a new senior minister. Upon Mendelsohn's departure, the Trustees appointed Mrs. Dorothy Boroush as part-time intern minister. She was a Unitarian student in the Chicago Theological Seminary (United Church of Christ) and served us admirably during the first half of 1979.

Soon the Interim Committee chose the Rev. Dr. Harry Scholefield, retired minister of the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco, to be minister-in-residence for the 33 second quarter of 1979. We tried unsuccessfully to keep him longer. He served us well, and we became fond of him.

The Interim Committee then secured the Rev. James Brewer as interim minister for ten months starting in September 1979. Brewer had served for ten years as gene­ ral secretary-treasurer of the U.S.-South African Leader Exchange Program, a private international organization concerned with exchanges of business and professional leaders, development of leadership for Black South Afri­ cans, and multiracial conferences and symposia involving executives of multinational corporations doing business in South Africa. Previously, he had been minister of churches in the East, after graduating from the University of Toledo and Harvard Divinity School.

The Trustees promoted Mrs. Homer C. (Nancy) Harlan to church manager. She was an active member of the church, and had been on the church staff for three years. Other devoted staff members are Mrs. Gary (Aki) Yasutake, also a church member, Ms. Shirley Williams, and Jon Rice, who became custodian in January 1979 after several years of part-time work.

The church budget for the fiscal year 1979-1980 was $170,000, ahout the same as for several previous years. The Chicago Children's Choir budget was $180,000 and The Depot budget $217,000. All these totalled over $550,000, not including major maintenance items such as a new roof on Fenn House costing $13,000. Meanwhile, as part of the elaborate process of se­ curing a new senior minister, the Search Committee, head­ ed by Bette Sikes, one of our most devoted and active church members in recent years, canvassed the congrega­ tion with three elaborate questionnaires. The first of these brought over 300 responses; 74% were from members. This procedure developed a remarkably full profile of our membership. According to this survey, in 1979 we have around 500 members, but leps than 400 are estimated to be at all active. Perhaps 20% are black. Most members are in their middle years, with 18% over age 65. Some 80% have been to college, and over 62% have done graduate work. A few have as many as four university degrees. Only 64% are currently married, and 8% widowed. Around two-thirds have been members 6 years or more, and over 20% for more than 20 years. Only 11% were born into Unitarian or Universa­ list families. More than two-thirds of the members and over half of the friends of the church live within two miles of the building. 34

The income range of our members is wide: 17% have family incomes under $10,000, while over 36% have $30,000 or more. The most common occupation is teaching, followed by other professions. Politically, most members vote as independents in local elections, half do so in state contests, but two- thirds vote Democratic in national elections. Among so­ cial issues, we consider most important our civil liber­ ties, racism, peace, hunger and poverty. Theologically, four-fifths of us do not believe in immortality. We view prayer as being meditation, com­ munion with our inner selves, or communion with God. The two most favored concepts of God are "some natural pro­ cesses within the universe" and "the ground of all being, real but not adequately describable."

We presume that ideologically we are a rather typi­ cal Unitarian congregation, but we like to believe that in some ways we are unique. 35 BIBLIOGRAPHY Abrahamson, Julia, A Neighborhood Finds Itself (Harper, 1959) First Unitarian Society of Chicago, Board of Trustees, "Minutes" Congregational Meetings, "Minutes" Holmes, John Haynes, The Life and Letters of Robert Collyer, 1823 to 1912 (Dodd, 1917) Hornor, Esther, History of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago, 1836-1936. Published by the Society; undated Kent, Jack A., "A History of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago," mimeographed sermon, Sept. 19, 1963 Larson, Roy, "Hyde Park's First Unitarian: A Mixed-up Con­ gregation—Proudly," Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 13, 1971 Lyttle, Charles H., Freedom Moves West: A History of the Western Unitarian Conference, 1852-1952 (Beacon Press, 1952) Newman, Herman, "A History of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago, 1836-1933," unpublished S.T.M. thesis in Meadville Theological School, 1933 Rusterholtz, Wallace P., "Our Last Quarter-Century: A Sup­ plement to the Centennial History," dittoed paper, 1962 Swanson, Frederick, "The Celebration of Life: The Story of the Building of . . . the First Unitarian Church of Chicago," Xerographic typescript, Nov, 1978 Thompson, Donald Alexander, "The First Unitarian Society of Chicago: Its Relation to a Changing Community," unpub­ lished S.T.M. thesis in Meadville Theological School, 1933 Vogt, Von Ogden, "The Public Servant Morton Denison Hull, 1867-1937," memorial address, May 11, 1941, First Uni­ tarian Church of Chicago. First Unitarians

our long-time members

The First Unitarian Society of Chicago 5650 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637-1691 (773) 324-4100 Recognizing Our Long-Time Members of 40 to 56 Years Sunday, May 31,1998 The First Unitarian Society of Chicago

This whole affair got started when Pauline (Polly) McCoo informed the membership committee that she had joined the First Unitarian Society of Chicago 50 years ago and expected a celebration! Co-chair Joan Bernstein started looking up membership records and discovered there were others who had joined 50 or more years ago, who also should be recog­ nized. And there were others who joined in the 50's we felt should be honored too. Julie Neuman (congregation president), Cindy Carroll (president-elect), and Joan Staples (program council co-chair) took up the idea with enthusiasm. Soon Madeiria Myrieckes volunteered to plan the luncheon. Our list kept growing; so we decided to stop with 1958 and make it a celebra­ tion of all members of 40 years or longer. This could be the start of a new tradi­ tion. Perhaps we might honor our members by the decade or even every five years! Also, by interviewing them and eliciting their memories, we are contributing to the history of our church. If any of the names or events mentioned in these recollections are unfamiliar to the reader, why not go directly to these venerable sources for further information? Interviews were conducted by the membership committee, including Joan Bernstein, Phiefer L. Browne, Betty Holcomb, Kay Mann, Barbara Thomas, and Jennifer Williams, and written primarily by Joan Bernstein. Olivia Nichols prepared the publication.

Page 2 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Jane and R. James Stevens (1942) Jim and Jane Stevens were married at First Unitarian 60 years ago by Von Ogden Vogt. Vogt's son Ogden, one of Jim's best friends and a one-time boyfriend of Jane, was their best man. Four years later the Stevens joined the church. They were present when the church passed the 1947 resolution to actively welcome black members. They were present when minister Leslie Pennington, together with Rabbi Jacob Weinstein, helped organize the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference which, combined with the effort of the University of Chicago, helped preserve this community as one of the first successfully integrated communities in the United States. Jim, an attorney, represented the church in the purchase of Fenn House. He also helped organize the Chicago Memorial Associa­ tion, another spin-off from our church. The parents of five sons, Jim taught eight years in the church school, and Jane, an artist, served as church school art teacher for several years. Jim also has been president of the congregation and chair of the investment committee. He also helped organize square dances and a poetry seminar and wrote The Unitarian Fling.

Nancy Harlan (1945) Nancy came to First Unitarian in the mid-40's, when her husband was attend­ ing the University of Chicago. The church's Channing lecture series, aimed at U of C students, got them interested in Unitarianism. Leslie Pennington was highly respected in the pulpit and the community, and the church seemed like a good place for their three children. And when Chris Moore arrived about 1955 to set up a chil­ dren's choir, there was a strong reason to stay involved. As their children reached high school, the Liberal Religious Youth (LRY) program was attracting dozens and dozens of teenagers. Nancy and her late husband "Duke" helped the LRY and the children's choir develop. A trained home economist and local nursery school teacher, Nancy has been a staunch contributor to all the hospitality aspects of church life, particularly the dinner committee (monthly church dinners were once the norm), the Seder dinners, and coffee hour. She originated the Sunday soup luncheons. Out of the recipes for these she compiled the popular Simply Soup cookbook as a church fundraiser. She was also church manager for a few years.

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 3 Corinne and Robert Borja (1947) When she was 16, Connie often walked by First Unitarian Church. One day she went inside. She found the architecture so inspiring, she often came in to sit quietly and think. She introduced Bob to the church when they started going together. She met Bob at the American Academy of Art while both were students. Native Chicagoans, coming from Lutheran (Bob) and Catholic (Connie) backgrounds, they were married by Leslie Pennington in 1947 and joined the church. Connie has been a fashion designer and a children's book illustrator, and is a ceramic sculptor. Bob is a graphics designer, specializing in book design, but now concentrates full-time on calligraphy. Bob has served on the board, the worship, interiors, and pulpit search commit­ tees, and chaired the art committee for five years. Connie was on the worship and art committees, and chaired the interiors and the renewal committees. The renewal committee was formed after the dismissal of minister Duke Gray, and worked to heal the membership during the 18-month interim of Peter Samson. But mostly what Bob and Connie gave the church were their own very unique talents. All the signs, plaques, and directional maps, inside and outside the buildings, were done by Bob in his beautiful calligraphy. The orders of service, the newsletter, the church stationery (different for each minister) were designed by him. One of his paintings hangs over the crypt altar. Connie arranged the Christopher Moore parlor, donating some of the chairs, tables, and lamps. She turned the VOV room into a gallery and mounted exhibits for five years. She created the designs for the chancel hangings and the crypt chapel, and designed seasonal antependia, and donated the Javan batik which has hung in the sanctuary. She designed and made the chalice which we light before every service. Bob and Connie have traveled widely, visiting more than 40 countries. After negotiating with China for four years, Bob was able in 1978 to persuade Chinese officials to allow the first group of designers to enter China for a month-long tour.

Albert Hayes (1947) Al Hayes thought of himself as a Unitarian long before he became one. But circumstances conspired to keep him a Presbyterian for many years: a Presbyterian father; a mother remarried in the Presbyterian church; friendship with a Presbyte­ rian minister; and marrying the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. It was when he came to Chicago in 1943 to teach humanities in the University of Chicago college, and he was looking about Hyde Park for a home for his family,

Page 4 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members that he discovered the Unitarian Church on Woodlawn Avenue. The solo music for the Sunday service was George Gershwin's "Summertime." Al was impressed; he decided that he liked that kind of church. First Unitarian had no Sunday school at the time. When Leslie Pennington became minister, in 1944, he enlisted Al to help him set up a church school, and Al became chair of the first religious education committee. The new school shared an R.E. director, Sally Story, with Chicago Theological School. We used every room we could find, he recalls: Meadville, Robie House; religious services were held at Thorndike Hilton Chapel. The Charming Club was started for the university students. Al loved Dr. Pennington dearly. He remembers that sometimes Leslie wouldn't have quite finished his sermon, so he had to speak extemporaneously for the last five or ten minutes—Al liked this even better. As the church school continued to grow, the church decided it needed more space. Al helped negotiate the purchase of the house at 5638 South Woodlawn. It was named Fenn House in honor of William Wallace Fenn, dean of the Harvard Divinity School and a former First Unitarian minister. Al's religious education activities continued into the 50's, when he became president of the congregation. In the early 60's, he chaired the committee to plan the construction of Pennington Center, as the church school continued to expand. When Leslie Pennington left in 1962, the church did not need to hire an interim minister as there were so many ministers in the congregation: Jack Hayward, John Godbey, and other Meadville faculty; Chris Moore; Randall Hilton, dean of Abraham Lincoln Center; and Ellsworth Smith, later district director of the new UU Central Midwest District. All of them took turns at Sunday services. Also in the early 60's, Al served on the board and as treasurer of the Unitarian Western Conference at the time when the Unitarian and Universalist denominations were merging. In 1981 he and Alice Judson Ryerson were married. Since then, they spend their winters in Hyde Park and their summers in Lake Forest. Incidentally, Alice's grandfather Shaw was the architect of Fenn House, Quaker House, the Quadrangle Club, and the Church of the Disciples.

Pauline McCoo (1948) Pauline (Polly) McCoo's involvement with First Unitarian reaches far back into our history to the 1940s. A native Chicagoan, she was born into a Congregational family in west Woodlawn, not too far from First Unitarian. Her parents were

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 5 actively involved in church matters. At age 18 at a summer camp, Polly first heard of Unitarianism and was asked to be substitute kindergarten teacher at First Unitar­ ian that fall, 1946. Parents of her pupils encouraged her to join First Unitarian, and she did so the following spring. Thus began 20 years of service in our Sunday school, where she taught, provided music, and was content. (She learned much later that her joining had been the subject of hot disagreement and argument at a board meeting about interracial membership. If you want a candid history of First Unitarian's struggle to become interracial, see Polly. She has tales to tell.) In the late 60's Polly became a member of the Chicago Area Black Unitarian Universalist Caucus, which gathered black members together to share insights and help create better understanding of the concerns of the black community. She has been a member of our board three times and chair of the religious education and program councils several times. And if there's a celebration, installation, special service, potluck, or luncheon—any special occasion or feast of any kind—Polly will be there, inspiring, directing, helping, and making sure that things go right. Polly was married in our church to Arthur McCoo in 1951 by the Reverend Leslie Pennington, Mack Evans providing the music. The McCoos designed their own wedding service. Polly's two children grew up in our church program. Her son Paul lives in Lakewood, Colorado, with his wife and children. Her daughter lia lives in Chicago and performs music for four congregations. After 40 years of teach­ ing in Chicago's public schools, Polly retired five years ago. Polly's health problems have been taking their toll recently, obliging her to cut back on her activities; but she is still full of plans for the future. [Much of the above article by Mary Sidney was excerpted from the church newsletter.]

Betty and Frank Wagner (1948) Both from Milwaukee, Frank and Betty Wagner were looking for a church school for their nursery school-age son and a church for themselves. Frank had studied physics at the University of Chicago and knew Hyde Park was the place where he wanted to live. He had fallen away from Catholicism, and Betty came from a Congregational background. They found what they were looking for at First Unitarian. Shortly after they joined, Frank signed up for the building committee (now the property committee) and soon became chair. Betty helped out with the kinder­ garten class. Their church activities often reflected the growth of their three sons. Frank became scoutmaster of the new Boy Scout troop. He chaired the committee

Page 6 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members that formed the Liberal Religious Youth (LRY) group. Our church became the center of youth activities in the community. Later Frank chaired the search committee that produced Jack Mendelsohn. He worked on the Seder dinner committee. And for years and years ("it seems forever"), he headed the church canvass. In the meantime, Betty headed the membership committee and, with Leslie Pennington's help, started the twice-yearly orientation series aimed at introducing potential members to Unitarianism and First Unitarian Church. Later she chaired the landscaping committee, which suc­ ceeded in obtaining church funding to hire professionals to cut the shrubs and prune the trees. "The grounds have looked much better after that." The culmination of their church activities was Jazz at the First. Three jazz lovers: Duke Gray, then minister; Gene Reeves, then head of Meadville/Lombard; and member Gordon McClendon, conceived of the idea of holding Friday night jazz sessions in the Garden Room. Jazz was not popular at the time and good musicians were willing to work for modest fees. Duke, Gene, and Gordon engaged the musi­ cians. Frank attended to organizational matters, and Betty made the tablecloths and aprons for the servers, and washed them afterwards. For nine years the once- a-month sessions took place—until jazz again became popular, there were other venues, the musicians increased their fees, and the audiences dwindled. The Wagners were among the first Unitarians to retire to Montgomery Place. Betty is feeling fine after last year's surgery, and is having a wonderful time working in the garden.

Linnea Anderson (1950) Three Andersons joined the church at the same time, Linnea, Douglas B. (now deceased), and their 16-year-old son Douglas C. Their religious odyssey had taken them from the Methodist church (Doug was an ordained minister) through Doug's growing interest in humanism and his involvement beginning during the Depression in the labor movement. It was Doug's selection as the assistant to Illinois Senator Paul Douglas that brought them to Hyde Park and First Unitarian. A long talk with Carl Wennerstrom, an active Unitarian at the time, contributed to their decision. Soon Linnea became Polly McCoo's piano-playing assistant in the church school. She also played organ and piano for the church as needed, and was the first organist for the Chicago Children's Choir. She also chaired the crypt committee for many years. She is most known in the community as the outstanding education director for the Hyde Park Cooperative Society.

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 7 Douglas C. Anderson (1950) Doug remembers helping music director Mack Evans tune the church organ in his teens. After college he was an advisor for the LRY, an assistant scoutmaster (under Frank Wagner), and later scoutmaster for the church's Boy Scout troop. He also accompanied early children's-choir concerts on his violin. His active church attendance was cut short by his becoming a Sunday morning docent at Lincoln Park Zoo in 1972, which still continues. A social worker, Doug worked for 37 years as a probation officer for the Cook County Juvenile Court. Since his 1995 retirement, he has been a full-time tour guide for the Chicago Archi­ tectural Foundation. For 25 years he has conducted bird walks at the Wooded Island. His popular Bird Walk with Birder's Breakfast has been offered through the church's talent auction for many years. Margaret Walters (1950) Margaret was the daughter of a Congregational minister. Though his theology was liberal, she recalls a rigid upbringing: "Everything was a sin." She ended up in the Unitarian Church because she couldn't "get any further to the left." After only eight years of marriage, Margaret was widowed by World War II machine guns. She still grieves that she never received her husband's body; but in the First Unitarian crypt there is a compartment reserved for "Wife and Clarence Walters." A psychiatric social worker, her special interest is the American Ortho- Psychiatric Association. Heart and hip problems pretty much confine her to her apartment in Montgomery Place.

Elizabeth and Robert Wissler (1951) We regret that Betty and Bob both have been ill lately and did not feel up to being interviewed.

Winston Kennedy (1952) Win and his first wife chose Unitarianism because, coming from different reli­ gious backgrounds (Methodist and Catholicism), they both found this an acceptable compromise. They tried First Unitarian and looked no further. Win found it intel-

Page 8 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members lectually stimulating. He liked the liturgy and Leslie Pennington's sermons, and he was attracted to the "openness of the search for truth." In 1955 he was president of the congregation. Win worked in public housing then. The department had rented to a black family in the all-white Trumbull Park Homes, without, Win says, proper preparation, and the community was very tense. Win was reassigned to it as on-site manager. Though he speaks deprecatingly of his role, others credit him with successfully defusing the situation and achieving an orderly transition. Through his work, Win and his wife became friends with Mr. and Mrs. David Cole, and in 1956 transferred their membership to the Universalist Church at 83rd and Ingleside, where Cole was minister. In the 60's Win became very active in the denomination, a trustee for the new Unitarian Universalist Association, on the UU Service Committee, and on the board of Starr King Theological School. In 1967 he founded his own real estate firm, which he recently sold to spare himself the administrative duties. He and wife Margaret will continue to sell real estate. In 1988 he rejoined First Unitarian and serves on the property committee, handling real estate transactions for the church.

Eleanor P. Petersen (1953) She was raised a Methodist, but her husband Carl, a musician, fell in love with the Unitarian church choir under Mack Evans, and so they joined First Unitarian. Mack, Eleanor recalls, used to make great broccoli omelets for the choir. Some of her memories: Danny Pennington, Leslie Pennington's wife, felt she (Danny) couldn't sing, and so she would sit at the back of the church and whistle through the hymns ... One Easter ("which is always a problem for Unitarians"), the church school children, including Eleanor's three little boys, were taken to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the chicken eggs being hatched! Under Pennington the church was a real leader in the community's struggles for integration. In the 50's very few people in Hyde Park-Kenwood were able to obtain mortgages from existing banking institutions. Eleanor, the late Paul Berger (then also a First Unitarian member), and two others were instrumental in setting up the Hyde Park Federal Savings and Loan. She counts George Reed and his late wife Selina as special friends from those days.

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 9 Charles Staples (1954) Except for a few Sundays driving a cab while he was in school, Charles Staples has faithfully and continuously attended Sunday services. If he is in town, he is at our church. Charles was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, and sent to a Chris­ tian Scientist Church school by his mother. His father was a "nominal" Unitarian. After attending Marlboro College in Vermont (Leslie Pennington was a board mem­ ber), he came to Chicago to enroll in the Art Institute and found a room in Hyde Park. He began attending First Unitarian in the fall of 1951 and joined the church in 1954. He has many fond memories of the range of talents and admirable skills that Dr. Pennington offered. While working for the Chicago welfare department, Charles was able to avail himself of employee scholarships and trained to become a professional social worker. For 27 years he was a public school social worker, retiring in 1993. He married Joan Hobbs in 1963. The Reverend Jack Hayward performed the ceremony. Charles can well remember how in the 50's, real estate brokers were encour­ aging white flight, and he credits Dr. Pennington, the local Quakers, and Rabbi Weinstein with "saving Hyde Park" as a viable neighborhood. In 1957 he made the bus trip to Washington D.C. to join 30,000 civil rights demonstrators in the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. Charles has participated in the annual pledge drive for most of his years in the church. He and Joan travel extensively, and he loves to share their travel adventures with friends through his excellent color photographs.

Harriet Swanson (1954) Harriet comes from a long Unitarian tradition. Her grandparents were mem­ bers of the first Unitarian church in Chicago in the late 1800s. It was located in the downtown vicinity and it was still customary at that time to purchase your pew. Her grandmother had a tea to which she invited both African-American and white ladies to discuss how race relations in the city could be improved. Her parents regularly attended First Unitarian on Woodlawn and as a child she was introduced to Unitarian principles and beliefs. Von Ogden Vogt was the minis­ ter then, and as she grew older and could absorb his sermons, they are among her special memories. She especially remembers how charming Mrs. Vogt was and how cordial she was to everyone. Very important to her are the friendships she has made over the years at First Unitarian.

Page 10 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Born and raised in Chicago, it was during her studies at the University of Chicago that she met Fred Swanson, whom she married in 1946. They were married by the Reverend Wallace Robbins, then president of Meadville/Lombard Theological School. They raised two children: Abigail lives in Iowa and has three children; and Daniel, a writer, lives in New York. Husband Fred, who died 14 years ago, was an enthusiastic Unitarian and rarely missed a Sunday service. Harriet taught church school for five years during Jack Kent's ministry. Over the years she has been a church member known to be a will­ ing helper where needed on parties, luncheons, bazaars and flea markets, and pro­ viding transportation to and from church. She currently assists the membership committee at the welcoming table once a month. Harriet was a library teacher in the Chicago public schools for 20 years. At this point in life her interests are going to plays and concerts, travel, and attending university lectures on a variety of subjects. Roberta MacGowan (1955) Roberta grew up near Brookfield Zoo hearing "the elephants trumpet and the lions roar." A member of the Hinsdale Unitarian Church, she worked for the League of Women Voters for some time. Then she and a girlfriend quit their jobs and trav­ eled all around Europe for three months. When she got back, Carol Saphir of our church, whom she knew through the League, called to tell her that First Unitarian was looking for a church manager. Pennington and the board hired her and she moved to Hyde Park. Jack Kent fired her in 1963—"probably he didn't want ties to the past." Rather understandably, Roberta disappeared from the church. She came back in Duke Gray's time. In the meantime she helped an anthropological association prepare high school curricula; then assisted U of C anthropologist Sol Tax organize the International Anthropological Ethnological Conference in Chicago. Until her fairly recent retirement, she was an administrative assistant in the university's social science collegiate division. Wallace Rusterholtz (1955) Wallace had his first experience at First Unitarian as a 1934 visitor to the Chicago World's Fair. He walked into the famous new Unitarian "cathedral" and was astounded by the odor of incense, which Von Ogden Vogt, a "high church" Unitarian, incorporated into his services. Had he walked into an Episcopal church by mistake?

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 11 A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Wallace grew up in the Presbyterian church, but in 1933—now "an unreconstructed humanist and logical positivist"—he became a Unitarian. His second visit, which has lasted to the present, was in 1955, when he came to Hyde Park to pursue a library science degree at the University of Chicago. He and his late wife found people very friendly, and Ella Mae Jones ("Mrs. Unitarian") "latched onto us right away." The Rusterholtzes soon signed the membership book. Mainly an adult education teacher of social studies at a Chicago City College, Wallace has spoken from many UU pulpits, including our own, and in 1996 pub­ lished My Not So Gay Life—a fascinating account that includes his career struggles during the Depression, his World War II experiences in (then) Persia, his life as a bisexual, and how he lives out his humanist rationalist principles in the real world. He also has written a history of First Unitarian, and has served on the board and on the search committees that brought us Duke Gray and Tom Chulak. For years he has spent his summers at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York, where he helped organize the UU Fellowship. Bette Hanna Sikes (1955) The daughter of a Presbyterian minister, Bette was born in the Shenandoah Valley in rural Virginia, where she spent the years of her early childhood. Later she lived in Louisville, Kentucky. How did she come to Chicago? She laughs. Two of her college friends had moved here and they invited her to join them, with the promise to find her a place to live. She did; and (more laughter) soon they all found boyfriends! Bette joined the Channing Club and started attending church; she found herself preaching one of the sermons for the Youth Day service. A young adult's group developed from the Channing Club (Charles Staples was also a member), and there she met George Sikes. Leslie Pennington married them in June 1956; her father also officiated. Bette and George were caught up in the civil rights struggles of the 60's and 70's. During the summer of 1966, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Chicago, various church members participated in some of the marches King led. Betty and George went on every single weekend march. In 1969, just before he came to First Unitarian, Jack Mendelsohn led a walkout at the UU General Assembly, in support of black empowerment. Soon George became actively involved. Bette gave him her support. She sees her role as one of making it possible for others to do things. Being treasurer of the church falls into that category, she says. She was treasurer from 1970-77, and again from 1991 on.

Page 12 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members She also has chaired the program council twice, taught in the religious educa­ tion program, sung in the choir, and preached from time to time. Since the 60's she also has been active in denominational affairs and currently is treasurer of the UU Central Midwest District. She is self-employed in the production and editing of scholarly journals. Timuel Black (1956) Timuel Black came to First Unitarian in 1953 to help answer his young daugh­ ter's question: "Where's God?" Because there was no church school at the nearby church of his parents, Timuel and his two children, Ermetra born in 1947, and the late Timuel Kerrigan born in 1953, became members of First Unitarian in 1956. His daughter was probably the first child of color to join the Chicago Children's Choir, an activity in which his son continued. Both children attended our church throughout high school, along with their father, who taught in the Gary, Indiana, and Chicago public schools while studying in the University of Chicago doctoral program. Of particular significance to Timuel are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Chicago visit during Leslie Pennington's tenure, and the Kenwood-Oakland community organizing, which probably led to the first use of the phrase "plantation politics." Although he was born in Birmingham, Alabama, Chicago has been Timuel's home since he was a few months old. The Burke Elementary School across from Washington Park, along with Englewood, Phillips, and DuSable high schools, have produced this "so-called retired" consultant to education and community develop­ ment. Currently, Timuel is writing a book using the working title, Bridges of Memory: Three Generations of African Americans in Chicago.

Greta and John Godbey (1956) When John returned to the United States, with his new wife Greta, he was turning more and more to Unitarianism. He was raised a Methodist, but she said no to that. They tried out the First Unitarian Church. Greta thought it was "very, very nice." The two met in Casablanca in Morocco. John was part of a civilian construc­ tion company building a United States air base; Greta was working for a French dry cleaning firm. Greta grew up on a plantation in Indonesia. During World War II the Dutch, including Greta's whole family, were interned in Java under Japanese occu­ pation. When she returned to Holland after the war, she found it "too narrow, too Dutch Reform Christian." She tried England, then France. Wanting to learn French,

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 13 she answered an ad for an au pair girl for a family (who spoke impeccable French) who were going to Morocco. John and Greta married in 1954; in August 1955 they came to the United States, specifically to Hyde Park where John had enrolled at the University of Chicago Divinity School for a Ph.D. in church history. He also planned to get a Unitarian ministerial degree in case he couldn't get a teaching position; he was hired by Meadville/Lombard Theological School as soon as he received his degree. John has served on the board and the nominating committee; he has con­ ducted weddings and memorial services, led adult education classes, and preached sermons. Greta has taught various church school classes, been on the board twice, on the nominating committee and other committees. She sang in the choir from 1974 until recently, "when her throat gave out." A high school and college math teacher, she recently retired. John is a member of the International Association for Religious Freedom and has made a special study of liberal churches in Eastern Europe. Together they have participated in fundraising affairs for the UU Central Midwest District. Greta has written several plays performed in church sanctuaries, and is famous for her Indonesian Rijstaffel dinners, offered through the church talent auction. Margaret Matchett (1956) Margaret grew up in Indianapolis "more or less a Unitarian." She and her late husband Gerald came to Chicago when he took an economist position at the Illinois Institute of Technology. They lived in Woodlawn and Hyde Park for four years before they joined First Unitarian, motivated by the desire to give their children, Andrew and Susan, a Unitarian education. Both children grew up to be active Unitarians. Hyde Park-Kenwood was a ferment of activity in those years and our church played a leading role. It was a new idea to create an interracial community, Margaret points out, and she reveres Leslie Pennington for his work in the commu­ nity. "He really brought his beliefs to life." In the hour before church began, when the children were in church school, a group of us used to sit in the church office and talk, Margaret recalls. She particularly remembers Selina and George Reed. Margaret retired as a Lab School teacher a few years ago, but she remains an active church and community participant. Harold Moody (1957) Harold Moody had a religious awakening after college; traditional religion no longer satisfied him. He wanted the freedom to form his own beliefs. While he was

Page 14 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members a Ray School teacher, the quality of the music and Pennington's sermons attracted him to First Unitarian. He is proudest of his daughter Michelle who attended Hyde Park schools, our church school, Wellesley College, and Oxford and Harvard universities. Now retired, Harold was principal of Dineen Grade School for 19 years, served on Tom Chulak's search committee, and is a passionate motorcyclist and amateur photographer. Norma and Alex Poinsett (1958) When the Poinsetts visited our church for the first time, Leslie Pennington was preaching on Alfred North Whitehead. This was almost too much for Alex; Whitehead is one of his favorite philosophers! Alex had been attracted to Unitarianism as a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Illinois at Champaign. He and Norma, also a graduate student, had attended the Unitarian church there a few times and found it much more thoughtful than the "holy roller" approach to spirituality of Alex's Baptist back­ ground. He and Norma joined First Unitarian a few weeks later. Alex served on the board in the 60's and Norma in the 70's. Norma also taught in the church school. Their two children attended the church school and sang in the Chicago Children's Choir. Daughter Pierette, a California pediatrician, is now a Buddhist, but son Pierre is a member of our church. Both parents became seriously involved in the struggles for racial justice. Norma vividly remembers the church's all-day workshop in the early 70's orga­ nized by Jack Mendelsohn, and led by university psychologist Eugene Gendlin. Most black members of the church wanted to form a Black Caucus and most white members were dismayed by their wish to draw apart—until then an integrated church had been seen as the common goal. Ella May Jones, the oldest member of the church and a greatly respected retired school teacher, had come in opposition. All day long people explored and expressed their feelings and concerns about racial issues. At the end of the day, right about when the sun was setting, Ella May stood up and announced, as Norma recalls it, "I came this morning against the idea of a Black Caucus meeting in our church, because I thought it was wrong and not neces­ sary. Now I realize I was wrong and I want it to be here." With that bestowal of her blessing, the whole tone of the meeting changed, and the vote was in favor. Alex tells how, about 1973, the Chicago chapter of the Black Caucus pressed the UUA board for funding to help black programs grow. The board promised one million dollars, to be paid in four installments; but only the first $250,000 was paid.

First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members Page 15 The board said they did not have the money; but the Black Caucus regarded them as reneging on their promise. In anger, many blacks dropped out of their churches. Alex was one of them. He says he will always be grateful for Jack Mendelsohn's support of the Black Caucus, and believes that support cost Mendelsohn the election as president of the UUA. Norma stayed. She transferred her efforts primarily to the denominational level, serving from the 70's on in various capacities: work on the racial justice cur­ riculum for church schools, as a UUA board member, as a liaison with the UU Ser­ vice Committee, and on the UUA committee on committees. Most importantly she helped originate the UU black concerns committee, now the Jubilee World, which conducts racial justice workshops in UU churches around the country. These work­ shops, Norma says, are what feeds her. Alex came back to First Unitarian about 1990. He chaired the Decisions for Growth workshop and drafted a three-year program for future church development. He was president of the congregation in 1996-97. A writer, Alex has contributed to Ebony magazine for 30 years and written five books. The most recent came out last year and is entitled Walking with the Presi­ dents: Louis Martin and the Rise of Political Power. Mary Sidney (1958) Mary's husband had just received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago when he died suddenly from a heart ailment. Married only nine years, with a five- month-old daughter, and knowing only her husband's colleagues, Mary had to make a beginning somewhere. A non-practicing Jew (she was an atheist), her husband had remarked that the Unitarian church would be good for their daughter, and so she came to First Unitarian. She was "scooped up" by J. B. Allin, and the Dorlaques and Eisendraths. Jim Stevens invited her to join the adult discussion group and a local book club. Soon her whole social life opened up. Mary liked Jack Kent very much; he was "a very personable, warm, thoughtful man." At a time when she was hospitalized for pneumonia and very nearly broke, he quietly paid some of her hospital expenses from his discretionary fund. Some years of "backsliding" followed. She returned in earnest when Tom Chulak asked her to edit the church newsletter. A University of Illinois English instructor for 33 years, Mary is now retired, a bird watcher and a bookworm. She remembers with nostalgia the all-church week­ ends in Michigan and Wisconsin and her week spent at the Mountain UU camp in North Carolina.

Page 16 First Unitarians celebrate our long-time members