North Shore Unitarian Church

Worship Services are at 9:15 and 11:15 AM

Service Topics and Biographical Information

October 5: Justice and Forgiveness: The Miracle of Atonement
Rev. Gary James
We will celebrate our traditional Yom Kippur Service with prayers of confession and forgiveness, so as to turn and be restored in faith,
renewed in spirit.

October 12: Renewing the Revolution That Is America
Rev. Gary James
Democracy is fast becoming a lost art and our political system is in
disorder. Subversions of our liberties are being institutionalized. It is
time for ordinary citizens with courage and vigilance to reclaim their
liberty and restore our nation.

October 19: Awakening a Sense of Wonder
Deb Singleton and Ann Nick
Awakening a sense of wonder in ourselves and in our children is most
certainly good for the Earth. We conserve only what we cherish, we cherish
only those with whom we have a wondrous and fulfilling relationship, and
we nurture relationships only by being awake and aware of them. So if we
are to foster stewardship of the Earth and all her beings, it is vital to
awaken in ourselves and others a sense of wonder. NSUC members Deb
Singleton and Ann Nick offer this spiritual grounding for our 7th Principle Project

October 26: March of the Goblins and All Souls Sunday
Intergenerational Service An intergenerational service addressing the season of loss and the fear of the unknown.

September 7 (9:15 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.): Welcoming Sunday
Rev. Gary James
Come and celebrate as a church family, adults and children together, the incredible power each of us possesses and the multiplication of that power when we come together to sing from our hymnbook of hope and follow the path of the heartfelt community.There is a growing spirit of responsibility for the planet and the people who inhabit it and we are going to be a part of it.On Welcoming Sunday, we will water the fragile, precious seeds of hope, from which everything we love grows.

September 14 (9:15 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.): A Sacred Voice Is Calling
Rev. Gary James
How do we distinguish between an authentic calling and the competing counterfeit voices in our culture? How can we balance the inward listening to our hearts and listening with our hearts to the needs of our world?

September 21: Unitarian Yom Kippur or Grudge Management
Laura Emerson
How do you deal with transgressions committed either by you or against you? What memories do you recall with sorrow or pain, when you consider the word "forgiveness?" In this service, we will consider the teachings of the five world's major religions, and apply them to some real world examples of transgressions and forgiveness, including, in the silence of your heart, your own.
Laura Emerson was a religion and classics major at Duke University and holds two masters degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a frequent guest speaker at liberal churches throughout the country, and has been a member of Emerson Unitarian Church since 1988. She is an investment banker and business writer.

September 28: Praising the God of Many Names
Rev. Gary James
The choir of NSUC will be joined by the choir from the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette to celebrate our shared spiritual vision of the essential unity of all peoples as part of one divine reality. Unitarian Universalism and the Baha'i faith believe there is a basic wholeness among all religious people irrespective of the various sects and creeds present in their religious traditions. We will sing and celebrate our shared vision.

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August 3: Sounds of Music, Gregg Rodriguez

Inspiration comes from many sources, and we're pleased to have Gregg Rodriguez join us for a morning of musical inspiration. Gregg, who sings bass in our professional quartet, will play a variety of musical instruments as well as share different musical sounds that indeed cross cultural borders and evoke a variety of musical moods. Words make us think; music makes us feel. Please come next Sunday to rejoice, celebrate, enjoy and be spiritually moved through music.

August 10: Choosing Between Two Worlds: The Probable and the Possible, Neal Rogin
Every day, more and more of us are realizing that the long-held worldview that allows humans to carve out a safe haven in a hostile wilderness cannot be the same worldview that takes us into the future. We need a transition from one way of living and seeing the world to another-- a change from a worldview in which humans dominate and conquer nature to one that recognizes our integral place within the sacred web of life on Earth.

Neal Rogin is an Emmy winning, Oscar-nominated writer, filmmaker and social observer whose work has impacted millions of people around the world. His latest film, "The Awakening Universe", explores how the New Cosmology is changing the very definition of what it means to be a person. He is a member of the board of directors of The Pachamama Alliance, a non-profit partnership between people from the modern world and indigenous people in the Amazon region of Ecuador. He is also part of the development team that has created the "Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium," the purpose of which is to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet as the guiding principle of our time.

August 17: Islam and Everyday Acts of Submission, Jamie Boyce
In this service, our NSUC Membership Coordinator, Jamie Boyce, will explore everyday acts of Islamic reverence and what we might learn from listening more deeply to a Muslim sensibility of the sacred.

August 24: Our Authority - The Living Truth, by Rev. Gary James
The issue of authority may be the essential religious question. Is
authority to be vested in the institution and its teachings, as in the
Roman catholic Church? Or is authority to be found in a book, as Martin
Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation believed? By what authority do we order our lives? I would answer: "The authority of the living truth is our guiding light!" Whereas Lutherans and Catholics may claim an "authorized" truth by way of creed and tradition for all of its believers, our way in religion is by way of the living truth which leads the
individual-liberated from what is artificial and unauthentic within themselves - ever deeper into the mystery of all life.

August 31: Our Ground of Faith: the Divine Reality, by Rev. Gary James
In the free church there is little open agreement on the subject of the
Ground of Faith. There are theists, and atheists, agnostics and naturalists, earth-centered spiritualists and humanists and each of has devised their own theology, a work in progress, from their own experience. But deep down they are seeking the Divine Reality, known by many names, where our differences dissolve in a mutual quest.

March 9, 2008

What Do We Tell the Children?

Rev. John Tolley

Associate Professor of Ministry and the Arts, Meadville-Lombard Theological School, Chicago.

We are living in a world our forbearers could never have conceived. While we rush to stifle our fears under consumerism’s lure, the children continue to ask the questions we would avoid. Am I safe? Who is my neighbor? Will everything be all right? We need new insight for these new times. Where do we find that today?

Rev. Tolley teaches arts of ministry in religious art and aesthetics at the school. Prior to his work at Meadville-Lombard, he served congregations for twenty-two years in Indiana, Tennessee, New Jersey and Connecticut. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University and has taught in that discipline at other universities. His portfolio includes over seventy dramatic productions and publications on topics of religious education, religious art and gay/lesbian issues. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Lifeline Theatre in Rogers Park.

January 20, 2008 Service: We will be honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a service of music and readings relating to him. Music by African American composers will be performed by guest artist, Cornelius Johnson, tenor, the NSUC Choir and Junior Choir. It will include spirituals, gospel and classical selectionsSpecial music will be presented by guest tenor, Cornelius Johnson, along with the NSUC Choir

January 27, 2008

Living With Fear, Responding With Hope
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

At a time when fear seems to pervade our political, civic, commercial, and religious institutions, how can we respond with hope? What are some spiritual resources we can draw on as Unitarian Universalists to counter cynicism and despair and embrace life in its fullness? Come explore these questions with our guest minister, Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh.

A 5th generation UU, Rev. Millspaugh is the Adult Programs Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association where she is in charge of developing resources for adults’ spiritual growth. She is also a community minister affiliated with Tapestry, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Mission Viejo (Orange County), California.

February 17, 2008

Stories of the Indian Kamadeva: Desire as a Spiritual Path
Professor Cathy Benton

Kamadeva is the handsome and charming god of desire who wields his sugarcane bow and flower arrows to evoke sentiments of desire and passion in all creatures. A meddling fellow, he is responsible for the secret longings, driving ambitions, and deep wishes that propel our lives in conflicting directions. An important figure in Hindu and Buddhist literature, Kamadeva also represents a difficult but effective spiritual path for human beings whose desires are usually much more attractive than disciplined spiritual practice. This Sunday we will explore the spiritual path of desire as laid out in ancient Hindu texts, but which is still relevant for 21st century humans.

Cathy Benton is in her 21st year on the faculty of Lake Forest College where she teaches courses that explore the worldview of Asian religious traditions and literatures. She has conducted research in Maharashtra, India, focused on the religious rituals and music of Hindu and Muslim communities, and on South Asian Hindu and Buddhist religious story literature. Her 2006 book, God of Desire: Tales of Kamadeva in Sanskrit Story Literature, examines stories of the Indian god of desire.

Oct 28, 2007 "Halloween Unmasked" Rev. Ana Levy-Lyons

In our American society, the only mainstream holiday that addresses the mysterious line between life and death is Halloween -- the time when ghoulish characters pop out of fake coffins on front lawns and kids splattered in ketchup blood prowl the streets. Humor and gore are the defining features of this celebration; they are our attempt to make light of the impending darkness and inoculate ourselves against our fear of death. Is there a more wholesome way to explore the mysteries of death and unknowable spirits? Together, we will discuss the subtexts of Halloween and explore ways that we can bring life's darker mysteries out into the light.

Ana Levy-Lyons is a newly-minted minister, having just been ordained to the UU ministry on September 30th. She currently serves two congregations --Unity Temple in Oak Park as Assistant Minister and the UU Community Church in Park Forest as Consulting Minister.

She received her Master of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School in June, 2006. Before her stint in grad school, she was a pop singer-songwriter living in San Francisco where she made a living working in internet advertising, riding the dot com wave until it crashed on the shore of reality.

October 28 is our Halloween Intergenerational Service. Children are invited to come in costume and process into the service with Choir members. The Junior Choir will sing at the 11:15 AM service only. All families are encouraged to attend to worship together.

October 7, 2007 The (In) Complete Life, Rev. Dr. Lee Barker

Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, a lifelong UU, is President of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Before coming to Meadville in 2003, he had served in other UU pulpits for 25 years, each ministry marked by institutional growth, a renewed commitment to social justice and the adoption of a far ranging religious and spiritual vision. Rev. Barker says, "Association Sunday offers an opportunity to name a path to spiritual and religious fulfillment. During our time together I will make my attempt to draw the connection".

October 14, 2007: Protest That Endures, Charlie Clements

The environmentalist and author Wendell Barry has said, “Protest that endures is moved by a hope far more modest than that of public success: namely, the hope of preserving qualities in one’s own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence.” Dr. Clements will speak about ‘protest that endures’ and about how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has created a moral fabric that is having an impact in every corner of the world today.

Dr. Charlie Clements, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), is a human rights and public health advocate, renowned for his courageous leadership on a range of domestic and international human rights and humanitarian issues.

Charlie describes three moral decisions that have shaped the arc of his life. The first was as a young distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy, he refused to fly further missions in Vietnam which were in support of the invasion of Cambodia. The second decision occurred a decade later, when having become a Quaker and a physician, he volunteered to ‘bear witness’ in El Salvador and ended up working in a rural area that was bombed, rocketed, or strafed daily by some of the aircraft in which he had once trained. Finally, Charlie was so outraged by the deception leading up to the war in Iraq and by the suffering he encountered from a decade of sanctions while on an emergency human rights mission that he decided to return to full-time human rights work. It was that last decision that would ultimately lead Charlie back to the UUSC where he had served as director of human rights education from 1986-1988.

You can read a more complete biography of Dr. Clements (and learn more about the UUSC) at www.uusc.org.

October 21, 2007: Growing Spiritual Redwoods , Rev Emmy Lou Belcher

Too many UUs feel that ours will always be a cluster of small churches that only appeal to a segment of Americans, often hidden in the woods – a sort of club, a beleaguered minority. But I have another vision – a vision of a vital home for people’s spiritual journeys and for transformation of the world. This service will provide an opportunity for you to see the possibilities for Unitarian Universalist churches as towering redwoods in the forest of our culture.

Rev. Emmy Lou Belcher grew up in a mixed religious home – liberal Methodist and Unitarian. From her junior high school years she has been an active member of UU churches, serving on local and District committees, then becoming the Director of Religious Education at the UU Church in Detroit. While studying for the ministry, she served congregations in Ohio and Michigan, then went to Traverse City Michigan as their first full-time minister in 1989. The congregation had 77 adults and 12 children in 1989. When she left in 2004, there were 300 adults and 100 children – and – they had built their own church.

Today she is the minister at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church in Naperville where the congregation is engaged in a building program to double the size of their space. Rev. Belcher has raised two children and is now enjoying the next generation in her family.

September 9, 2007: Crossing the Borders of Difference, Rev. James A. Hobart

This sermon addresses some ways that our differences can enrich us all, rather than divide us. It seems to me that this appreciative attitude lies at the heart of our liberal religious tradition and message.

Rev. Hobart, son of a Unitarian minister and graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School, has served several UU churches including 18 years at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church in Denver, the final ten of which as co-minister with his wife, Nan.

He has just taken up a new ministry as the interim half-time Director of Field Education at Meadville Lombard where he is also an ongoing adjunct faculty member specializing in teaching UU Congregational Polity.

Jim's service to the Unitarian Universalist Association has included two terms on the Board of Trustees, the Commission on Appraisal, the Ministerial Fellowship Committee and the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee. He is currently active in Allies for Racial Equality (ARE).

In the communities where he has lived, Jim's involvements have included ecumenical and interfaith work, civil rights and anti-racism, peace, urban issues concerning youth, housing, and education.

September 16: The Always Already, Rev. Clare Butterfield

Clare writes that this sermon message is about how there is a divine presence in the universe that always already exists in goodness and insures that nothing of value is ever really lost.

Rev. Butterfield is currently executive director of Faith in Place (www.faithinplace.org) whose mission is to "help people of faith understand that issues of ecology and economy - of care for Creation - are at the forefront of social justice." Clare served her ministerial internship at NSUC from 1997-1999. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2000 and is currently working toward her Doctor of Ministry at Chicago Theological Seminary. She is the community minister for Unity Temple in Oak Park.

September 23: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

Rev. Kennedy is Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a congregation he has served since 1986. During his 21 years, the church has grown from 269 to over 700 members.

In Milwaukee, Rev. Kennedy is active in denominational and community affairs, serving on various boards and committees that have advocated for such things as gay rights, women's reproductive freedom, nuclear disarmament, mental health, assisted suicide, separation of church and state, and economic justice. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, ABC World News Report, and WTMJ television and radio. His letters and opinion pieces are often printed in the Milwaukee newspapers. Twice arrested for civil disobedience, he was most recently arrested in January 2003 in a planned protest against the anticipated war in Iraq.

Rev. Kennedy earned his BA in philosophy from the University of Michigan and his Master and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Meadville Lombard Theological School.

September 30: UU Evangelism - Shout It Out!, Valerie Holton

Valerie Holton, a lifelong Unitarian and member of NSUC since 1998, is currently Marketing Outreach Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Valerie's message will be about UU evangelism(both institutional and personal) and our moral obligation to share our faith with the world.

June 1 Worship Service- "Loyalty", and Congregational Meeting

The Tender Threads of Loyalty and Love

The free church is a precious and fragile vessel, because more than any other kind of church it is built upon the character of the people who constitute it. It is almost totally an expression of who we are and our tender threads of loyalty and love woven together.

Congregational Meeting

This year's Annual Meeting of members of North Shore Unitarian Church will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. There will be a single worship service that morning at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be conducted immediately after the worship service.

June 15: The Enduring Quality, Joseph Sheridan
This presentation will focus on humankind's search for meaning in life. Specifically, Joseph Sheridan will discuss three primary points: life is a struggle, freedom is a necessity, and responsibility is the goal of life.

Joseph Sheridan holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary. His radio Weblog, "The Liberal Perspective," appears on the internet magazine, Salon.com. His book, Jesus was a Liberal: A Blogger's Bold Opinions on Politics and Religion, was published in 2006. He has two additional books in process. Joseph Sheridan has been married to Rita Johnson since 1955 and they have two grown children and eight grandchildren. They reside in Barrington, Illinois and in the Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida area during winter. They are active in the local, state and national organizations of the Democratic Party.

June 22: Confronting God, Rev. Nan Hobart
In this service, Rev. Hobart will address what happens to our liberal faith when we are confronted with evil and what our response should be.

Nan Hobart is the Chaplain and Director of Student Life at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Nan is a native Chicagoan with immigrant roots, who was raised German Lutheran. She came to Unitarian Universalism as a young mother. She was an active layperson and a religious educator at First Unitarian, Chicago, before entering the ministry at mid-life. She has served as minister of Unitarian congregations in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, the latter of which she served as co-minister with her husband, James Hobart. Nan and Jim have been married for almost twenty-five years. Between them they have five children from their first marriages, and one grandchild.

June 29: The Empty Frame, Eric Zorn

Eric Zorn will discuss one of his favorite topics: how we can and should find morality without looking to God. Eric Zorn is a columnist and blogger for the Chicago Tribune where he has been employed since his 1980 graduation from the University of Michigan. At the U of M he was a senior editor of the Michigan Daily. He has served as a metro news writer, a feature writer and columnist for the Tempo Section of the Chicago Tribune where his work is seen every Tuesday and Thursday.

July 6: After Ecstasy, the Laundry, Rev. Dr. William F. Schultz

Drawing upon his experience as a past President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (1985-93) and past Executive Director of Amnesty International (1994-2006), Bill Schultz will explore why Unitarian Universalist values are so critical to today's world. Bill is currently designing human rights policy for the next US administration and will be teaching a course in preaching at Meadville Lombard Theological School this summer. He is also the Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress.

July 13: The Cultural Catholic, Aidan McCormack
Before becoming Unitarian Universalists, many of us left other faith traditions for various and often understandable reasons. Meadville Lombard seminarian, Aidan McCormack, offers some personal, pastoral, and theological reflections on his own journey from Roman Catholicism to Unitarian Universalism, and what this personal journey has to say about all our spiritual journeys and searches.

Aidan McCormack has just finished his third year at Meadville Lombard Theological School, and is currently taking time off before engaging in his parish internship next year. Aidan hails from Cleveland Ohio, where he was a member of Westshore Unitarian Universalist Church. He worked as a case manager for adults with mental illnesses for several years before beginning seminary. Aidan has a strong interest in pursuing hospital chaplaincy as a ministry, but is also excited about the possibilities of congregational work. Other than ministerial studies and goals, Aidan is a classical singer and poet.

July 20: Bread of Life, Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield
This service will set your mind to thinking, or thinking twice, when it's time to pack your picnic basket this summer. Rev. Clare Butterfield joins us once again, and will speak about modern food production, the ethics of eating, and better ways for religious people to connect to the food supply.

Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield is the Director of Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental ministry in Chicago that gives religious people tools to become better stewards of Creation. Faith in Place congregations work together to support renewable energy, conserve energy, build markets for local sustainable agriculture and fair trade products, and train the next generation of stewards of the earth through urban agriculture with youth. Rev. Dr. Butterfield is an ordained Unitarian Universalist community minister. She earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary with a focus on faith and the environment.

July 27: Religious Themes in the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Lenny Xavier

Lenny Xavier will introduce us to Gerard Manley Hopkins, who wrote some of the best religious poetry of the Victorian era. Hopkins' unique literary voice expresses his lifelong struggle to reconcile his religious beliefs to the natural world around him. The service coincides with the 162nd anniversary of Hopkins' birth on July 28th.

Lenny Xavier, a member of NSUC since 2001, holds a Bachelors degree in English Literature and a Masters degree in Management. He has published children's poetry in textbooks such as Language Roundup, and religious poetry in the magazine St. Anthony Messenger. He has been enjoying the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins since 1974.