August 2018

First Chronicles
The Newsletter of the First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC

Did You Know? • The roof of the Church House was replaced.
Rather than a money manager, I like to think of a • A new drain was added to prevent flooding in our
steward as a curator—one who oversees a valuable neighbors’ property.
collection. Museum curators not only keep track of • The Chiaravalle entrance door was refurbished for
what is on display but also of what is in storage. They security and aesthetics.
know the background of the artists and their times The Trustees plan ahead for major expenses, but sometimes
as well as the media used to create what is exhibited. safety and health concerns cause unexpected expenses.
Curators are historians, bookkeepers, evaluators, artists, You are a steward—a curator—of your time, talent,
and decision makers—and so are stewards. and treasure. In what area are you called to contribute?
We are soon embarking on the celebration of As a historian, an evaluator, a philanthropist, an artist?
150 years as a community of Christians in Evanston. This church family is a place to explore all of these
This will provide an opportunity to reflect on our possibilities.
history, assess our finances, evaluate our effectiveness Blessings,
in ministry, think artistically about communicating Rev. Ann
the Good News, and make decisions about our future.
It is an opportu­nity to reflect on what it means to
be a steward of the valuable asset that we are to the
wider community.
The members of our church’s Board of Trustees are Church Office
the elected stewards of the assets of this congregation— Summer Hours
income, endowment, buildings, staff—and as such they Monday–Thursday,
serve as our church’s curators. 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Did you know… Friday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
• It costs about $1,000 a day to run the church.
• 58 percent of our budget goes to staff salaries.
• We spend more than we bring in every month.
The Trustees wrestle every month with how much money
needs to be taken from the endowment.
Did you know… Upcoming Events
• Congregation members volunteer in all three
Interfaith Action of Evanston programs (lunch, Sundays, August 5, 12, and 19
warming center, and overnight shelter). Art making for children with Rhonda Storm
• We house the Family Promise Day Center 365 days during Summer Spirit (see page 2)
a year.
• The Vineyard Food Pantry serves 200 to 250 families Sunday, August 12
every week. 5 p.m., Bonfire and Picnic, Lighthouse Beach,
• Hilda’s Place is now open for people who are homeless Evanston
regardless of their situation.
While our mission activity has increased, our mission Sunday, September 9
giving has stayed the same. 10 a.m., Rally Day, Picnic, and “Imagine This”
Did you know… Children’s Art Show Opening
• The kitchen and small dining room were recently
repaired and restored.
This Month’s Offertory Music “Imagine This” Children’s Art Show
Rally Day (September 9) is a Sunday of celebration, of
August 5 optimism for the upcoming activities and accomplish-
Beth Babbitt, vocal solo ments of the church year to follow, and of reunions with
our church family as we return and tell of our summer
August 12 adventures. This year another dimension will be added
Chris Petersen, piano solo to the mix as we introduce our children through their
art. A special show of children’s art, “Imagine This,” will
August 19 open in the Narthex Gallery on Rally Day.
Cindy Senneke, vocal solo The first three Sundays in August are art Sundays
for the kids. Instead of going to the park, we will meet
August 26 in the Church House Sunday School room to make art.
Aspasia Apostolakis, Sheran Fiedler, and Janet Raciti, The first project will serve to introduce the children to
vocal trio the congregation. Plain rag-doll figures are the canvas for
children’s self portraits, a biblical character, or a fanciful
News and Notes character from the imagination. Each child will choose
a stuffed plain figure to be painted, clothed, covered in
If It’s Broken—Let’s Fix It! yarn, and ornamented with small objects.
As staff, members, or The second art-workshop project involves working
friends of the church, we with a shadow box to create a story box. The assignment
are all responsible for the will be to add objects and embellishments to tell about
upkeep of our beautiful favorite things from the summer, make a beautiful place,
buildings. If you see some- or show family members or pets—or even to add draw-
thing broken or missing, ings and cutouts to the box to create a theater-like set.
please contact Melia Pappas at 847-864-8332, ext. 22, The art workshop’s third week is a catch-up week.
or mpappas@firstchurchevanston.org. Be as specific as The kids will work to finish their projects or repeat a
possible. Let’s all collaborate in being good stewards of project that they especially enjoyed. The goal of the three
our space. art weeks is to give all of the kids a chance to show their
work in the gallery. Beyond the work completed in the
Chancel Flowers workshops, we are putting out a call for any other work
Donating chancel flowers is a wonderful way to honor that the children would like to show. All work needs to
someone special in your life, to commemorate a special be ready for hanging or display. We can help with that
occasion (perhaps a birthday or anniversary), to say thank but need a heads-up before the show opens on Rally Day.
you, or to honor the memory of a friend or family mem- You can help to make this project an even bigger
ber. The flowers cost $35. Donations are acknowledged success. If you have materials to donate, that would be
in the Sunday bulletin. For more information or to make terrific. Things we need are fabric scraps, fiberfill, beads,
a donation, contact Melia in the church office at 847- ribbon, colored paper, felt, old jewelry, and natural
864-8332, ext. 22. objects to use as embellishments. All of the art work in
the show will be awarded ribbons and prizes. If you have
new art materials, sketchbooks, or other art-inspiring
materials to donate for a prize, please let us know.
Things could get messy! We need big shirts for the
kids to wear as smocks. If you feel like volunteering at
any time with the project, please step up. We need two
to three adults to help with setting up, cleaning up, and
working with the kids. Finally, the best of all the very
best kept secrets is that this will be very, very fun! I am
so excited to have a chance to “Imagine This” great art
with your kids! Thank you. —Rhonda Storm
To RSVP for the workshops, sign up in the narthex or email
spetersen@firstchurchevanston.org.
2
Living in August Together
As August begins, I’m still dedicated to savoring the
warm weather and breezier schedule of summer even
as I spy back-to-school supplies creeping onto store
shelves. The summer season offers our children essential
free play and friendship formation during time outside
at Summer Spirit in Raymond Park during worship.
Our wonderful adult volunteers throughout the summer
give the gift of their time and in return create deeper
connections with the energy and laughter of our young-
est congregants.
This August we’ll plunge into our creativity and
weave connections across generations with a not-to-be-
missed youth art workshop series led by Rhonda Storm.
See page 2 in this newsletter to learn more about this
opportunity for our youth to make self-portrait dolls and
summer shadow boxes to introduce themselves to our
congregation through their art.
Our annual bonfire—on Sunday, August 12, from
5 to 8 p.m.—is a church summer highlight for me. Ev-
ery year I leave feeling filled up (and not just with turkey
dogs, watermelon,
and s’mores!). There’s
something about
people of all ages
gathering around the
fire together—shar-
ing songs, sharing
food, sharing the summer evening—that fills me with
the Spirit that’s so alive in our community. I love how
the kids, so comfortable with one another after just a
few moments or a whole summer together, run off to the
dunes in a pack, with the oldest ones shepherding the
younger ones—all of us (parents included) enjoying a
In Memoriam: James Alexander Corrigan
James Corrigan died in Evanston on Monday,
June 18, at age 94. Born in Asheville, North
Carolina, in 1924, he was raised in High Point
and attended Davidson College until entering
the US Air Force in 1943. After the war, he
completed his undergraduate degree at Amherst
College and his MBA at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. His
seven-decade career in finance took him to the
University of Chicago and later the Educational
Testing Service, where he retired at age 84.
A private family gravesite service was held on
June 27 in High Point.
bit of summer freedom. I love singing camp songs
from my childhood and then discovering they were a
part of our elders’ childhoods too, and watching as they
become the songs of my own children’s earliest memo-
ries. This connection through time, relationship, music,
and love is the presence of the Spirit here in our com-
munity.
As much as I love our summer season together, I am
a four-season person and value the rhythms of the full
year of life in the Midwest. As summer comes to a close
at the end of this month and the adventure of a new
school year begins, I return to Seasons of the Spirit, the
Sunday School curriculum that will carry us through
the next three seasons. I recently read a quote by Susan
Burt, the Seasons of the Spirit coordinating editor, that
describes the curriculum’s mission and sums up why our
Board of Christian Education continues to choose it:
“Seasons’ vision is for an authentic Christianity lived in
our culturally diverse and religiously pluralistic world; to
be signs of God’s liberating, compassionate, and inclu-
sive love, and to grow in our relationship with God.
Seasons continues to nurture faith through liturgy, ritual,
and imagination, and to encourage Christian growth
through worshipping, learning, and serving together.
Our true curriculum is how we live our lives together.”
We work to foster a sense of imagination, curiosity,
creativity, generosity, and community in our time
together all year. Yes, there is important learning to be
had in books, curricula, and activities throughout the
school year. We greatly value these resources and look
forward to using them this fall! We also welcome the
essential learning and nurturing of the Spirit that hap-
pens in climbing a tree, making a new friend, crafting art
with bits of fabric and yarn, learning a song from some-
one’s else’s childhood, and watching sunsets over the lake
together. This is how we live our lives together in the
Spirit in this community—especially this August.
In the Spirit,
Sarah Petersen, Director of Learning and Outreach
Happy Birthday to everyone
cele­brating a birthday in August!
Joel Bauer Phoebe Metz
Andrew Day Isabella Ogbolumani
Laima Day Janet Raciti
Phyllis Donnan James Robertson
Jennifer French Rhonda Storm
Ian Janicki Danny Todd
Vosse R. Lewis Larissa Tripp