Dear Central Midwest Chalice Lighter,
We are very pleased to announce our Winter Chalice Lighter Call! Your donations for the Winter Call will go to a consortium of Chicago area congregations for continuation of “Food for the Soul,” a radio program featuring Chicago Unitarian Universalist ministers, recorded services and discussions on social justice issues. Rev. Brian Covell of Third Unitarian Church, Rev. Alan Taylor of Unity Temple, Oak Park and Rev. Emmy Lou Belcher, Dupage UU Church in Naperville, are working together to bring these programs to Chicago Progressive Radio.
They started a six-month pilot run of the program last March and it has resulted in almost 2,000 “hits” on the Facebook page during each of the past few months, in addition to an increasing number of listeners to the broadcast. There have also been a growing number of visitors to the three participating congregations for Sunday services who cite the broadcast as how they heard about Unitarian Universalism and the congregations.
The group sponsoring this is asking for $12,000 to cover half the cost of the broadcasts for the next year. Fourteen other Chicago congregations are planning to contribute, so the Chalice Lighter grant will keep the broadcasts going until the annual program is fully funded. For more information, visit either the radio website: www.chicagoprogressivetalk.com (under “programs” link) or their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FoodfortheSoul.UURadio.

Our CMwD Chalice Lighter program funds growth programs in UU congregations across our five-state district. These programs include outreach/publicity, hiring new staff and increasing/improving facilities. Your donation of $20 or more ($10 minimum per Call to be a Chalice Lighter) to each of the three Calls throughout the year strengthens Unitarian Universalism in the Midwest. There are several options to donate – online or by check mailed to the District office, 1555 Sherman Ave Suite 345, Evanston, IL 60201. And, you may donate one amount per year that we will split equally among the three Calls.
Donations to this Winter Call to fund the radio Outreach program for Chicago area congregations will be accepted from now until March 15.
We thank you for your generosity!
Sincerely,
The Chalice Lighter Committee: Matthew Brenner (Evanston, IL), Nicolas Cable (Divinity School student), Rev. Lori Hlaban (Brookfield, WI), Karen McMillin (Oak Park, IL), Kimberly Perry (St. Louis, MO), Rev. Martin Woulfe (Springfield, IL) and Dori Thexton, Central Midwest District Staff liaison

BEVERLY UNITARIAN CHURCH
A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Serving Southwest Chicagoland
10244 S. Longwood Dr.
Chicago, IL 60643-2035
773-233-7080
www.beverlyunitarian.org

December 19, 2011

Ms. Dori Davenport-Thexton
Central Midwest District
1555 Sherman Avenue, Suite 345
Evanston, IL 60201

Dear Dori,

The Chalice Lighter Grant, which we are so very grateful to receive, will enable our church
to provide a safe place in the community to address critical and controversial issues
through a series of four public forums. We see the forums as a way to outreach to the
larger community, to bear witness to our belief in educating people for democratic
citizenship, to promote more adequate solutions to critical public issues, and to identify our
congregation and our prominent building as a center in this part of the Chicago area for
attention to the public good.

Several productive and engaging planning meetings have suggested these as possible
topics:

• The relationship between poverty, race, education and incarceration
• Environmental justice from a local and global perspective
• Can we have a stable, solid economy without growth?
• How can our educational system work better for children?

In addition to discussing controversial issues, we also plan to experiment with differing
formats, such listening circles. We feel that forum participants are more apt to be open to
differing viewpoints if everyone who attends has the opportunity to speak. The listening
circles will be led by trained facilitators. We plan to hold the first forum at the end of
February, and have the subsequent three in the next three months following. The attendant
publicity will help inform our larger community what Unitarian Universalists are about –
ideas, thoughtful responses, and action. Thank you for believing in us!

Very sincerely yours,

Beth

Beth O’Grady, Chair, Board of Trustees