Interested in learning about new opportunities to help others? You can volunteer for an ongoing effort or get a taste of trying something new.
September
“Dine Out (or In) For Hunger” throughout September. September is Hunger Action Month. All month, Beyond Hunger, one of First United’s Mission Partners, is teaming up with local restaurants to help raise awareness about hunger and raise funds at the same time. Participating restaurants include Lou Malnati’s, Cucina Paradiso, Big Guys Sausage Stand, and One Lake Brewing. Some participating restaurants will have a donation box with some Beyond Hunger material on display. Donation jars will be at Buzz Cafe, Mulata Kitchen and Coffee, Jimmy’s Place, and One Lake Brewing. To learn more about the details of each restaurant’s involvement, visit this link. Or check out Beyond Hunger’s Facebook page for the latest updates.
Housing Forward’s Feast for Good throughout September. Spread out your dining dollars this month to help both of these mission partners of First United! Instead of having its usual progressive dinner, Housing Forward is partnering with local restaurants to raise money. Different area restaurants throughout Oak Park and surrounding towns have deals throughout the month to benefit Housing Forward. Participating restaurants include Billy Brick’s Wood Fired Pizza, Kettlestrings, Connie’s Family Restaurant, Jimmy’s Place, Big Guys Sausage Stand, Cucina Paradiso, and more. To learn more about the details of each restaurant’s involvement, visit this link. Or check out Housing Forward’s Facebook page for the latest updates.
One Earth Film Festival virtual screenings, Sept. 16-28. The One Earth Film Festival is offering four films dealing with environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, and habitat conservation in September. The films will offer online discussion after the screenings. Films are Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, which looks at Chicago’s killer heat wave of 1995; Sustainable, 6-8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18, which features an Illinois farmer challenging industrial agricultural methods; A Most Beautiful Thing, 6:30-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, which tells the story of the first Black high school rowing team in the U.S., many of whom were once Chicago rival gang members; and The Guardians, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, which chronicles the iconic monarch butterfly migration to an indigenous community destination in Mexico. To learn more details and to register for the showings, visit this link.
Virtual Race Against Gun Violence, Sept. 19-26. Instead of the annual run to fight gun violence, this year’s race is holding the same event — virtually — for individuals from Sept. 19-26. The race raises awareness and funds for community organizations working for a more peaceful Chicago where all can thrive, free from the fear of gun violence. Runners will do their own running or walking in their own neighborhood anytime during the week from Sept. 19-26. Even if you don’t run, you can help support people and groups taking part in the run, such as BUILD, one of Chicago’s leading gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organizations and one of First United’s Mission Partners. To learn more, to register for the virtual walk, or to show financial support, visit this link.
Pedal for Peace in Austin, Sept. 19. BUILD also is organizing an Austin Peace Ride to promote an end to gun violence on Chicago’s West Side. Participants are invited to bring their bicycles to the BUILD campus, 5100 W. Harrison St., Chicago, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19; the ride begins at 10 a.m. Water and light snacks will be provided, as well as information on community resources, voter registration, and the U.S. Census. Interested riders can register at this link.
Syria Lebanon Partnership Network Annual Meeting, Sept. 22. This year’s annual meeting will be online via Zoom. There will be two separate sessions, both on Tuesday, Sept. 22: from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central time and from 3-5 p.m. Central time. Featured speakers include the Rev. Joseph Kassab, general secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon; the Rev. Najla Kassab, president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches; and George Ziadeh, director of a new NGO that provides services to those in need. For more information, visit the group’s website. You can register for and get more details about the meeting at this link.
Virtual town hall on Illinois Fair Tax Amendment, Sept. 26. A question on the Nov. 3 Illinois ballot asks voters to remove the requirement that the state tax all income levels at the same flat rate. Removing the flat tax, which requires a change in the Illinois Constitution, would allow lawmakers to raise taxes on the wealthiest residents while leaving tax rates for those in lower income brackets the same or lower. A YouTube virtual town hall to explain the proposal will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. The town hall will be hosted by Unity Temple and is co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois, the Faith in Place Action Fund, the Illinois League of Women Voters, the Poor People’s Campaign of Illinois, and Vote Yes for Fair Tax. You can learn more and register for the virtual town hall at this link.
Panel on immigration, Sept. 26. Explore the experiences of current-day immigration with a panel of people who work with the Chicago Religious Leaders Network on Latin America. The panel, sponsored by Pilgrim Congregational Church, will discuss the immigration and refugee process and offer practical ideas on how people can support immigrants and refugees. The panel will be offered at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. RSVP to office@pilgrimoakpark.org. You can attend the meeting via Zoom at this link.
Fourth Sunday Offering, Sept. 27. Each month, all undesignated money in the offering plate goes to a specific beneficiary supported by First United, often one of our mission partners. This month’s Fourth Sunday Offering on Sept. 27 will benefit the Inclusive Collective, a group on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus that offers Christian ministry to all through worship, dinners, community groups, and more, and welcomes all LGBTQ+ people. You can learn more about the Inclusive Collective at the group’s website.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, church is being streamed at 11 a.m. Sundays instead of being held in the Sanctuary. Giving online and marking the donation for the Fourth Sunday Offering, texting FIRSTUNITED to 73256, or mailing checks to First United can take the place of the in-person Fourth Sunday Offering, at least for now.
October
“Groceries Doing Good” will help fight domestic violence in October. October is National Domestic Violence Action Month. Sarah’s Inn, whose mission is to improve the lives of those affected by domestic violence and to break the cycle of violence for future generations, is raising funds with a partnership with Carnival Grocery, 824 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. Through the end of October, any Carnival shopper who mentions “Sarah’s Inn Account 2021” (in honor of the agency’s 40th anniversary) will have 20 percent of their total grocery bill donated to Sarah’s Inn, which is based in Forest Park and is one of the largest and most comprehensive domestic violence agencies serving Chicago and 22 surrounding West Cook County suburban communities.
Virtual concert to benefit refugees, Oct. 3. An online concert to help immigrants and refugees will be held 6:45-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. The concert is sponsored by Centro Romero, a community-based organization that serves the refugee immigrant population on Chicago’s northeast side; the Chicago Religious Leadership Network; and Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ. More information on the organizations and registration directions are available at this link or on this YouTube video.
Seraj Library Project online benefit, Oct. 4-8. Spend a week of virtual visits to Seraj Palestine to learn about how this project is opening libraries, acquiring books, and making plans for a new storytelling center. The Seraj Library Project is hosting an online benefit Sunday-Thursday, Oct. 4-8. Each day, supporters will receive an email with a new video that profiles an aspect of the Library Project, gives an update on receipts, and encourages participation. More information about the project and details about the online benefit are available at this link.
Fourth Sunday Offering, Oct. 25. Each month, all undesignated money in the offering plate goes to a specific beneficiary supported by First United. This month’s Fourth Sunday Offering on Oct 25 will benefit Housing Forward, one of the church’s mission partners that offers homeless clients a path to temporary and permanent housing. The agency usually holds PADS Emergency Overnight Shelters during cold weather months, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, clients were housed first in motels and then moved into permanent apartments. More information about Housing Forward is available on the group’s website.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, church is being streamed at 11 a.m. Sundays instead of being held in the Sanctuary. Giving online and marking the donation for the Fourth Sunday Offering, texting FIRSTUNITED to 73256, or mailing checks to First United can take the place of the in-person Fourth Sunday Offering, at least for now.
