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The Joy of Gender February 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person Rev. Bowie Kling-Garcia
Gender is a topic as complex as humans are, with there being so many gender expressions and experiences. Join us this Sunday as we look to transgender authors, poets, and ministers to celebrate the transformation that comes when with gender. Whether you are transgender, cisgender, or not sure about gender – join us to celebrate the transformation that comes with self-reflection and discovery!
Rev. Bowie Kling-Garcia (they/them) currently serves as the Spiritual Care Supervisor and Palliative Care Chaplain at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital in Madison, WI. As a chaplain, Rev. Bowie’s theology is one which emphasizes relationships and storytelling with their patients. When not in the hospital, you can find Rev. Bowie enjoying a good movie or video game with their husband Logan and energetic cat Yen.
We will share the plate with Eliminate Racism 815
Vision
Rockford is a community where everyone feels valued and has control of their own destiny.
Mission
To eliminate individual and systemic racism and injustice in Rockford and the surrounding area.
Volunteers for Sunday, February 16 Thank you to the Caring team for volunteering this Sunday!
Happy Birthday to: Jim Dehler (Feb 11), Sharon Lundquist (Feb 13), Wally Oswald (Feb 13), Emma Bruce (Feb 15), Dori Smith (Feb 17), & Kathy Killackey (Feb 18)!
Kairos Submission Guidelines
Our goal is to keep our members and friends updated on the latest news and upcoming events.
Each submission needs to include only the most important information describing the event and the action you want people to take. Following these guidelines will make it easier to inform and inspire participation.
Each submission needs a graphic
Title, date, time and place
2 – 3 sentences describing the event and what impact it will have on participants.
Contact information of leaders
*Kairos submissions are due by 5pm on Monday. Send your notices to our Office Manager, Autumn Powell at uurockford@gmail.com.
Thank you for following these guidelines,
Rev. Joyce
UU Who’s Who?
featuring Renee Mealey (current Nominating Panel and Change Team member)
Question 1: What do you enjoy about being a member of the Nominating Panel?
Answer: Being a fairly new member of the church, I am still exploring as to where I fit best within the functioning of UU Rockford. By remaining open to new opportunities I have been a part of some really interesting experiences: Leadership Training, the Liberation and Transformation workshop with Julica Hermann de la Fuente, being a member of the Change Team and now participating in the Nominating Committee.
Question 2: What is a benefit of being on the Change team and Nominating Panel?
Answer: The benefit of working on a variety of teams has allowed for a deeper connection with fellow congregants, and has shown what a diverse and dynamic group we have at UU Rockford
Scam Emails
It has come to our attention that people are pretending to be Rev. Matthew and Rev. Joyce. These are attempts to get your information. Please do not respond. No staff member would ask for your assistance, ask you to purchase gift cards for them, or ask you for the church directory. Please report these as phishing and block the email.
WCCC
Dear UU Church Members,
Winnebago County Citizens for Choice would like to thank you all for your contributions to our cause through share the plate. Your generosity will help us to continue to fight for women’s rights to reproductive health care and support our local pro choice candidates.
Gratefully,
The WCCC Board
JIGSAWPUZZLE EXCHANGE
We are going to start a jigsaw puzzle exchange at the church! Puzzles around 1000 pieces seem to be the most popular. Put your first name on the back and the date you complete the puzzle. Please bring it back when you are done and exchange it for another. It will be fun to see all the names. Look for the puzzle table in Deale Hall.
Submitted by Kim Lowman Vollmer
Parents’ Night Out
February 13th 5:30 – 8:00
Bring your children to church for snacks, playing
and fun while you have some time to yourselves.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. The film “Sordid Lives” a queer comedy will be presented in the church library, by the LIAM Foundation Elders Group. Admission is free.
Wonderful Wednesday Event – Welcome With Dignity 815
February 19, 2025, 6:00 PM
Come hear stories of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from the Rockford region. “Welcome With Dignity 815” respects the dignity and human rights of immigrants and asylum seekers in the 815 Rockford IL area and dispels myths.
Welcome With Dignity 815 is a new coalition of advocates, friends, and neighbors working to:
Confront and correct lies about immigration
Proactively share true immigration information
Bring together a group of Rockford residents who care about the damaging, racism against immigrants and want to make a positive change
Create space for stories to be shared
Why:
We love all of our neighbors
The hate coming toward the immigrant community affects all of us
Rockford is on the cusp of revitalization, and that cannot be done without including all segments of our population
When the immigrant community thrives, the whole community thrives
To strengthen our whole city and bring people together
Our next in-person meeting for the ACLU of Illinois in Rockford will be Thursday, February 20 at 6:30pm. We will be on the third floor at the Rockford Public Library main branch. A speaker from the ACLU of Illinois will provide a Know Your Rights presentation.
Getting to Know UU Path to Membership Sunday, February 23, 12:30 – 2:30
For Newcomers interested in membership.
All 3 sessions in one day!
Pen Pal Workshop Sunday, February 23rd after service UU Prison Ministry of Illinois Pen Pal Program leaders are hosting a workshop after service, with the hope of recruiting more pen pals for 30+ Illinois incarcerated individuals who wish to be matched. Grab a snack in Deale Hall and come to the Church Office meeting room for a 45-minute workshop. Rev. Allison is leading this group.
UU COMMON READ: Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families. Join the Sex & Gender Justice Team in reading and discussing this beautiful and positive book. Last chance to purchase the book during coffee hour this Sunday 26th. Or you can buy it online through the UU Bookstore or Amazon. It’s also available on Kindle. We will have our book discussion on Sunday, February 23, from 1 – 3 pm
Wesley Willows Group
The Wesley Willows group will meet the following days and times this coming year in the reflection room at the Town Center.
April 23, Wednesday, at 10 am
WINNEBAGO COUNTY RESOURCES
List of resources that may be helpful to you or someone you know.
VICTIM/SURVIVOR SERVICES
Family Peace Center – 1-779-348-7600
Remedies Renewing Lives – 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-815-962-6102
OLDER ADULT SERVICES
Catholic Charities Long Term Care Ombudsman Program – 1-815-316-0040 or 1-800-369-0895
Mercyhealth at Home/Older Adult Services – 1-815-971-3502
Lifescape Community Services – 1-815-963-1609 or 1-800-779-1189
SERVICES/ADVOCACY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Center for Sight and Hearing – 1-815-332-6800 P
RAMP – 1-815-968-7467
The ARC – 1-815-965-3455
Immigrants are front and center in our politics today, and their protection is a key human rights issue of our congregation. It’s amazing that the concert planned by Rockford Symphony a year ago is so timely.
The March 8th concert at the Coronado incorporates history from Midway Village Museum, stories of Rockford immigrants, and performances by actors from AET, Artists’ Ensemble Theater, in a night of orchestral music.
The featured work, Ellis Island: Dream of America, by Peter Boyer combines music with excerpts of diaries of Americans who arrived through Ellis Island.
The RSO is inviting its audience to submit personal immigration stories, some of which will be selected and acted by Carolyn Cadigan, Stephen F. Vrtol, Marissa Nosi Swanson, Gary Wingert, Betsy Baker, David A. Gingerich and Margaret Raether, all professional actors with AET.
Our Vision: A loving congregation that connects with ourselves, one another, and the larger community.
Our Mission: We care for ourselves, each other, and our neighbors while taking risks acting for justice. We are continuously building an inclusive, empowered, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, multicultural congregation. Our connections foster radical love for ourselves and others.
The Board of Trustees:
President: Matt Menze
Clerk: Kim Lowman Vollmer
Vice-President: Wendy Bennett
Treasurer: Bob Spelman Trustees: Clark Logemann, Rebecca Beneditz, Neita Webster
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
