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.
Picnics, watermelon, bike rides, swimming, flip-flops, BBQs, and popsicles. We all look forward to different things in the summer! Here at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church (DUUC) we celebrate summer with our sermons, adventures together, activities on-site, and a change in our service schedule. Starting this Sunday, June 15th, we will have one regular service at 10:00am. Please mark your calendars for service: SUNDAYS AT 10:00am We just kicked off the summer with our annual BBQ, a pancake breakfast (see Chef Michael on our Facebook page) and have lots more fun planned! Please join us this summer and add DUUC as one of your summertime pleasures! Dates to remember as follows:
Sunday 6/15: Sunday Service and Youth Religious Education @ 10:00am Saturday 6/21: Summer Solstice Celebration @ 4:00pm Sunday 6/22: June 22nd, 2014: Sunday Service and Youth Religious Education @ 10:00am Sunday 6/29: Chicago Gay Pride Parade (a group from DUUC will walk together in support of the LGBT community meeting at DUUC at 9:00am to carpool) Sunday 6/29: Sunday Service and Youth Religious Education @ 10:00am Sunday 7/6: Sunday Service and Youth Religious Education @ 10:00am For more details on our service topics, or contact information for the above mentioned events, please check our our church newsletter HERE!
Last week, my children and I spread out our project: a giant mural -- one representing the state of Illinois. For weeks, we have focused a portion of our learning time to understanding the roots and history of Illinois, along with the requisite state flower, tree, animal, and various sports teams. The three of us sat side by side, exchanging colored pencils as we worked to complete what felt like an endless task: six feet of paper waiting to be filled in with color and given life.
On November 20th 2013, pen and paper were used to give new life and color to the state of Illinois. At 3:30pm, Illinois State Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 10 -- the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. With the swipe of his pen, Governor Quinn put into law the marriage equality many congregants of the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church and our allies have been fighting for. In our 2005 Statement of Conscience (our public position statement), we proclaimed that civil marriage between any two consenting adults is a civil right. Since that time (and even before), we have worked as individuals, as a church, and as a community to strive for justice and equality for our LGBTQ family.
You can read about some of our journey here: and here.
You can view the signing and read more about the movement here: equality.illinois.gov.
We are the 16th state to recognize marriage equality. A celebration is in order -- but there is more work to be done. The mural of our country still needs us, side by side working together to make the picture complete.
To join us as we move forward, please feel free to visit our congregation any Sunday at
Today my children and I will work to finish our Illinois state mural. We will add one new image to our mural and celebrate a new chapter in Illinois history.
Peace, love, and happy coloring!
Shelly -- congregant at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church
.... or how painting social media red has shown America's support for marriage equality.
"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...."The Impressive Clergyman, Princess Bride
Seeing RED
this one's mine
percentage of Facebook Marriage Equality profile pict
Take a look around any social media site and you will see pink and red Equality symbols everywhere. It is a newly created version of the Human Rights Campaign symbol, which is a blue square with yellow equal sign. The new logo, initially created by Anastasia Khoo, takes that symbol and changes the colours to Redand Pink for love. People got really creative with the concept, George Takei picked it up, and then it went Viral.
some of the creative marriage equality symbols
While the Supreme Court deliberates on Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Prop 8, millions (approximately 2.7million on Facebook alone) of people are showing their support for marriage equality. At last count, there were 13 Members of Congress that have gone red in the fight for marriage equality, including Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, and Representative Dan Kildee of Michigan.
The Tide has Already Turned "A recent survey by the Pew Research Center shows that nearly half of all Americans now support the legalization of same-sex marriage. The 47% approval rate is a 26-point increase than just a decade ago, and an 8-point increase in the last four years alone. While the new Millenial voters account for some of the change, opposition to gay marriage has declined in every age group surveyed, including those over 65 years of age. Among those older participants specifically, opposition has fallen by 18 points.
Americans under 30, who were nearly evenly divided on the issue in 2004 now approve of it by a two-to-one ratio. There are no divisions when it comes to religion either – Protestants, Catholics, and the unaffiliated alike are also opposed to the idea in decreasing numbers." - Augusta Christensen for Lawsonary
Elected politicians who once pledged to "protect tradition" have lined up eager to announce their support of marriage equality. Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said he changed his mind after learning that his son is gay. Red-state Democrats Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jon Tester of Montana, also switched, as did Virginia’s Mark Warner. Dick Cheney became vocal about his support of marriage equality for his lesbian daughter, Mary after he was out of the White House. They joined Hillary Clinton and her husband, the former President Bill Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law during his 1996 re-election bid but is now calling on the Supreme Court to undo his mistake.
Add Clint Eastwood to this growing list of Republicans who support gay marriage, although I don't see him adopting a red and pink equality symbol. He told GQ in 2011 that he "doesn’t “give a f*** about who wants to get married to anybody else” and that instead of “all this bulls*** about ‘sanctity,’” we should “just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.” How very Dirty, Harry.
Anne Hathaway, whose older brother Michael is gay, received an award from the HRC in 2008, in her speech she states, “There are people who have said that I'm being brave for being openly supportive of gay marriage, gay adoption, basically of gay rights but with all due respect I humbly dissent, I’m not being brave, I’m being a decent human being....My family and I will help the good fight continue until that long awaited moment arrives, when our rights are equal and when the political limits on love have been smashed.” More recently she donated a portion of the proceeds from her wedding photos to to non-profits advocating for marriage for same-sex couples.
I couldn't write this blog without including the song that inspired it. Rapper Macklemore and Ryan Lewis'"Same Love". The lyrics and video are both powerful and beautiful, painful and joyous. The video starts with the birth of a child, shows his childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age, all woven within the notions of love, intolerance, acceptance and equality. He is born to mixed race parents, a concept that reflects how similar the fight for racial equality is to the fight for marriage equality.
The tide has turned,
and what seemed impossible only few years ago, is now inevitable.
Today an old friend called me and we arranged the time to get together for a long overdue coffee. She suggested we meet in her church's coffee shop because she would rather give them her business than a coffee chain, fair enough.
On Sunday our service was about being a GLBTQI (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex) Ally. It was very inspiring, and I realized the many ways I had become more of a quiet and supportive bystander than an actual ally. I thought about the ways in which my silence could be seen as approval.
So, I looked up the church. It was not a Welcoming Congregation. It followed a more literal interpretation of the Bible. Then I sat for a moment and thought about all the tiny ways, often without thinking, that we support attitudes and beliefs that can be hurtful to the GLBTQI community. I thought about my friend, a lovely, open, warm woman with whom I have much in common, like being white, straight women with teenage sons. Like being artists, dog lovers and gardeners. Like living and supporting each other through some colossally crappy times together, and I thought if I can't be honest with her, then I really need to examine myself. So I said, respectfully and with compassion, that being an Ally was something that was important to me and I would prefer if we met somewhere other than her church. This actually opened a conversation that we had never had, about the difference between 'welcoming everyone' and a 'welcoming congregation', and while we did not dwell on it, it started a new dialogue between us.
I think it is important to have these conversations. I think it is equally important to remain compassionate and respectful while having them. I did not convert my friend over coffee, that was not my intent, but I did plant a small seed of thought for her do with as she liked, and I practiced compassionately communicating about an issue that is important to me and my GLBTQI friends.
She explains brilliantly, and with great humour and wit, some of the ways to be an ally. She talks about the difference between tolerance and acceptance. She has great visuals. She wrote it in response to a "that's so gay" comment she had overheard. She didn't have a conversation with that person that day, but her talk was in front of 850 people and the youtube video has been seen by tens of thousands. You may not be able to speak up every time, but that doesn't mean you don't have a voice, it doesn't mean that you can't speak up with actions, with writing, with music. We all have a voice, and we will be heard when we use it. To quote Ash, "It takes a Village, people"
Be An ALLY! @ 9:30am & 11:15am DUUC LGBTQ Welcoming CongregationIn 1999 DUUC achieved "Welcoming Congregation" status within the UUA; completing 2 years of study, self-assessment and a congregational vote on our commitment to making DUUC a safe spiritual haven for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) people. Recently, under the assistance of last year's ministerial intern, Charlotte Lehmann, DUUC members were invited to learn about, reflect and act on our Welcoming Congregation status. The newly formed group will lead the service, inviting the congregation to renew our commitment for LGBTQ equality; to be an ALLY at home, school, church and at work. An ALLY can be someone who is supportive and accepting or someone who actively advocates for equal rights and fair treatment. This service is dedicated to honoring DUUC's commitment and will include thoughts, stories, guided imagery and music to celebrate our LGBTQ friends and family.
