Toni Preckwinkle - “Can We Afford to Care For Those Who Most Need Government?”

“We have no money” seems to be a mantra from all levels of government, city, county, state and national. As public budgets get tighter and money more scarce, decisions are being made on who and what will be funded by government and from whom money will be taken away. The work of social service agencies, jails, health care facilities, subsidized housing, job training, drug rehabilitation, and education appear to be the immediate victims.
 
Yet are not they, and those who serve their human needs, the ones who should be the recipients of the government? Why does it seem that they are the last being served properly and the first to have services taken away? Why does it appear that the poor among us continue to be the least of all?
 
The President of the Cook County Board, Toni Preckwinkle, is in a position to see this dilemma on a daily basis. Her office has responsibility for Cook County jail, the Cook County Hospital, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, to name but a few.
 
She was elected President of the Cook County Board in December 2010. Since then she has had to rebuild the credibility of County Government. She faced a deficit of $1.4 billion. She cut $465 million in expenditures while focusing on County services that help the least among us.
 
The First Friday Club was honored to have President Toni Preckwinkle speak to us on Friday, May 6, 2016.

Rev. Shannon Kershner - "Resurrection Moments In A Time Of Lent"

The First Friday Club of Chicago welcomes the Reverend Shannon Kershner, pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church, as our March speaker.

"Resurrection Moments In A Time Of Lent"

When the Christian Church calls us again this Lent to participate in a 40 period of prayer, fasting and generosity, it seems that fewer people are listening to that call. Church attendance continues to decline and the influence of Churches seems to be waning.

To many it appears that the Good Friday experience of suffering and death trumps the hope and fullness of life proclaimed at Easter.

Reverend Shannon Kerschner, pastor of one of the most significant Churches in Chicago, Fourth Church, will reveal to us in the middle of Lent 2016 the “resurrection moments” she perceives in the Christian community today. Those “resurrection moments” are to be incorporated in each one of our lives.

The Reverend Shannon Johnson Kershner is Pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, a vibrant and diverse worshiping community of more than 5,000 members. A presence in the city of Chicago since 1871, this downtown congregation is committed to serving the needs of the community, both locally and globally, a commitment that can be seen in its many well-regarded outreach programs, most notably its nonprofit organization, Chicago Lights.

She was called as Pastor of Fourth Church in 2014, after having previously served as Head of Staff at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She has also served congregations in Texas and Georgia. Reverend Kershner also serves on the Board of Trustees at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia and as a member of the strategy team of the NEXT Church movement in the PCUSA.

Her sermons have been published in the Journal for Preachers and Lectionary Homiletics, and she has been a preacher and worship leader at various worship and preaching conferences.

Fr. Michael Pfleger - “A City in Turmoil - News to Some – Just Another Day to Others”

Fr. Michael Pfleger became pastor of St Sabina Catholic Community at the age of 31. He has spent over 1/2 of his life pastoring that community. He has transformed St. Sabina into one of the largest African-American Catholic Churches in the United States. The parish school is one of the largest and most successful Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese. Fr. Pfleger and the people of St. Sabina have accomplished both of these without accepting any money from the Archdiocese.

However, Fr. Pfleger's reputation reaches far beyond the boundaries of St. Sabina. As a champion for issues of civil rights, justice and equality, he has no boundaries. Any where there is injustice, Fr. Pfleger leads his people. His own foster son, Jarvis, became a victim of gang crossfire in 1998.

Most recently Fr. Pfleger is embroiled in the turmoil confronting the City of Chicago, its Police Department, its Public Schools, its gang violence, and the murder of our children.

We are asking Fr. Michael Pfleger to share his wisdom with us, and give us some insights into reversing the course of the deep-seated racism which might be the root of all this turmoil.

David Anderson - "When a Real Good Idea Becomes a Real Big Problem: Student Loans"

What a great idea – make money available for more young people to attend college, earn their degree, enter the work force, earn a living and begin making their mark in the business community and the entire American society. Today that great idea is also becoming an albatross around the necks of young people and their families that it was designed to help succeed. How many people are leaving school with a student loan debt greater than a mortgage and paying interest on those loans twice the current mortgage rate?

And the current student loan situation goes far beyond the students themselves. It is affecting the finances of their parents, who need to add their assistance with loan payments. It is affecting the make-up of the culture with more “graduates” unable to afford their own housing. A significant number continue to live at home for an indefinite period of time. It is affecting the buying power of so many people. Too many college graduates are under-employed yet need to keep paying down those student loans. If a person defaults on a student loan, it will affect their employment opportunities in the future.

Perhaps this situation is best summed up in a now famous sentence: “Houston, we have a problem.”

Mr. David Anderson will address the “student loan problem” on Friday, January 8, 2016. Mr. Anderson is a graduate with honors of Chicago State University in the field of Finance and Economics. In 2009 he wasa part of the Diversity and Explorations Program at Harvard University. He worked as an Analyst for both  J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Goldman Sachs. During 2011 Mr. Anderson worked in the Executive Office of the President in the White House.

Student Loan 411, the organization which he co-founded, offers student loan consultative and advisory services to individuals and institutions in the following areas: medical student loans, student loans forgiveness, repayment options, loan consolidation, and parent plus loans.