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The DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church exists as a beacon of liberal religious thought and practice. Amid the challenges and changes of a chaotic world, we aspire to proclaim and embody the possibilities of meaning in human life, of freedom in human thought, and of peace and justice in human community.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

DUUC 25 YEARS AGO

This was presented February 10th, 2013

Good morning. I’m Jack Pace. Ginny and I just received our pins for 25 years of membership in DUUC. Here’s what we remember from 1988, the year we joined.

As former UUs, we visited the nearest UU church and didn’t shop around for other church options. DUUC was friendly, had a great minister in Kendyl Gibbons, and had just launched an expansion program to build what is now Kreves Hall. I don’t think we had a mission statement back then , but the church soon adopted the motto A Growing Church for Growing Times.

The staff consisted of minister, part-time DRE and part-time secretary, all sharing space in what is now the Clara Barton room upstairs. Bonnie was pianist, but the choir was directed by a series of volunteers. Child care was provided by parents taking turns.

The social action committee was a forum for lively discussions, but our only community involvement was collecting food for Peoples Resource Center. Since then, our social action program has grown to include PADS, Bridge Communities, Green Sanctuary, and Statements of Conscience, as well as a Public Ministry Committee to advance social witness in the name of the church.

The church had no Endowment Fund, but established one soon after we arrived.

The Service Auction brought in hundreds of dollars. It has grown into an event that nets tens of thousands.

Kendyl was only the church’s 4th minister. She suggested that DUUC become more open to the LGBT community, but it wasn’t until Lois White interned with us that we embarked on the Welcoming Congregation program.

Since that era, our religious education curriculum has grown to include the Chalice Lighter, Coming of Age and TAG programs.

Altho we had only one service in 1988, we soon added a second service to accommodate growth in church attendance.

Ginny and I felt that this church would be the right one for us. That anything that needed to be fixed, we could help fix. As the church and its members have grown in wisdom, strength and community service, so have we. We are proud and happy to be a part of this growing church community. We are proud to support it.

Jack and Ginny Pace

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