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Attending to the Inner Teacher
March 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person
Dr. Mary Sheldon For this service, we’ll spend some time thinking about what Parker Palmer and others have called our Inner Teacher. Where does it come from? How do we come to pay attention to it and, ultimately, to trust its guidance? Once we do, how do we encourage its regular appearance in our lives and put its lessons into practice? A guided meditation will be part of our worship experience.
Dr. Mary Lamb Shelden is a lifelong, second-generation UU, a writer and writing teacher, a skilled facilitator and consultant, a certified religious educator, and a credentialed and commissioned spiritual director in private practice.
~ AFTER-CHURCH WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY ~ I’m happy to welcome Dr. Mary Shelden to our pulpit this week. She and I served the Unitarian Church of Evanston together several years ago, and I’m delighted to be working with her again!
Dr. Shelden, a credentialed Spiritual Director, will speak about the practice of Spiritual Direction, a practice which, for the past two years, I happen to be studying through Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. Spiritual direction is a unique practice where a “director” explores with another person (or group) the spiritual aspects of being human. According to Spiritual Directors International, a multi-faith organization of which both of us are members: “Meeting with a spiritual director or spiritual companion can be a meaningful step to help you find wholeness and balance in life, not to mention connect with God, Allah, the Universe, or however one names the ground of all being.”
After the service, for those interested in experiencing this form of spiritual companionship, Dr. Shelden and I will lead a one-hour workshop of song, silence, and sharing designed to give you a taste of this powerful practice.
We will Share the Plate with Natural Land Institute
For 67 years, the Natural Land Institute has helped residents of northern Illinois conserve the land they cherish, protect land and water resources, wildlife habitat, and our way of life. We are one of the oldest private conservation groups in the Midwest.
We are a member supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving land and natural diversity for future generations. Since 1958, NLI has protected, managed, and restored nearly 19,000 acres throughout Illinois and southern Wisconsin. These include prairies, forests, wetlands, and river corridors. Click Here to Donate
Happy Birthday to: Doug Rix (Mar 17), Kathleen Mattison (Mar 19), Jodell Gabriel (Mar 21), Katie Kerr (Mar 21), Ashley Baert (Mar 22), Shelby Leick (Mar 22), Warren Urbik (Mar 22), Angelique Bodine (Mar 23), Barbara Oehlke (Mar 23), Mary Diamond (Mar 23), & Ophelia Perry (Mar 24)!
WCCC
Join us for our last WCCC meeting before the March 17th primary! We will be discussing City of Rockford’s vote for a new contract with FLOCK which has a history of violating Illinois State law and, in one instance, allowed a sheriff’s office in Texas to illegally access data collected in Illinois to search for a woman believed to be seeking abortion care in Illinois. See link to article below. As the criminalization of people seeking reproductive care, we must do what we can to safeguard privacy rights in Illinois. Hope you will join us in this important work.
Join members and friends of Stateline Indivisible and Ogle County in Singing Resistance gatherings as we lift our voices in songs of love, hope, peace, and justice. This is a simple, spirited way to build solidarity and get ready for the No Kings March on 3/28. No singing experience needed, just a willingness to show up and sing together.
If you’d like to be part of the group, we’re meeting Wednesdays from 6-8pm at the UU Church.
Submitted by Rev Joyce and Donna Ducharme
Starting Point Last Session Thursday, March 19th at 6 pm
Starting Point is four rich sessions of connection, exploration, and learning that continue from our Getting to Know UU sessions. The sessions won’t just talk about Unitarian Universalism, we’ll experience it! Sessions are ideal for newcomers, members, and friends who would like to learn more and go deeper into Unitarian Universalism.
Eco Justice All Ages Spring Equinox Celebration
Thursday, March 19 at 5:30pm in Deale Hall
Join us for an all-ages Spring Equinox celebration with snacks, music, a Story for All Ages, seed ritual, and more! We will remind ourselves to pay attention to the changes in nature and to trust that no matter how much uncertainty we find in our world, spring will always come and hope remains. Attendees are invited to bring a small nature treasure to help decorate our altar during the celebration (items will be returned at the end of the event). If you have any questions, reach out to Rebecca Beneditz or Dawn Nimmo. We hope you will join us!
The Sex & Gender Justice Team will meet this Sunday, March 22, at 11:30 in the Youth Room.
Fifth Sunday Safety
The Building Emergency and Safety Plan Team will present short informational sessions related to safety for members and friends after worship on fifth Sundays throughout the year.
First informational session: Sunday, March 29 after worship
Topic: Fire extinguisher safety
We hope you will join us!
Sunday Morning Meditation 9:15 am
We meet on Sunday morning to meditate and center ourselves for the day. You are welcome to join us each Sunday morning.
Community Events
Action of the Week:
Submit these witness Slips before 5:00 pm March 18
Our friends at Restore Justice are calling on us to file witness slips for these three bills before Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. HB 1428 would create the Nelson Mandela Act to limit the use of solitary confinement in Illinois correctional facilities. You can find more information on this bill here. HB 4235would help keep people who are incarcerated and their loved ones connected by ensuring communication remains affordable.You can find more information on this bill here. HB 5287 would offer day-for-day credit for good behavior and access to sentence credits for all incarcerated people in IDOC who are not serving a natural life sentence. You can find more information on this bill here.
Identification: Fill out the form with your information. If you are not designated and authorized to represent a group in an official capacity, please enter “NA” for “Firm/Business or Agency” and “Title.”
Representation: If you are not designated and authorized to represent a group in an official capacity, write “SELF.” Organizations designate only one person to fill out the slip on behalf of the organization.
Position: On the “Add Legislation” drop-down menu, select “ORIGINAL BILL.” To indicate your support for the bill, please click “PROPONENT” on the “Position” drop-down menu. To complete this step, click the “ADD POSITION” button.
For testimony, choose “RECORD OF APPEARANCE ONLY.”
Check the ILGA Terms of Agreement. box.
Check the Capcha box
To submit, click “SUBMIT WITNESS SLIP.”
For submitting additional slips, you can click “CREATE ANOTHER WITNESS SLIP,” scroll to find the next bill number, and click on the box with the + sign. Or click “I AM FINISHED,” then click the next link above.
Did you know? Witness slips are only valid on the hearing date they were submitted for and don’t carry over if a hearing is rescheduled. You may be asked to submit new slips if that happens.
UU Stockton church
Join Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois leaders and friends for this virtual workshop series! Register here.
Vision:
A loving, spiritual congregation that lives our values through belonging, reason, and action.
Mission:
Like the nature that surrounds us, we evolve as a habitat for spiritual development.
Our deep roots connect us to a wealth of resources that nourish our growth as a beacon for justice, inclusion, and liberation, especially anti-racism and gender and sexuality justice.
Our listening cultivates diverse and multicultural relationships that bridge divisions, strengthen our communities, heal hearts, and foster safety for all.
Our awareness of our interdependence inspires us to protect the shared environment and natural world in which we live.
The Board of Trustees:
President: Wendy Bennett
Vice President: Diane Kuehl
Clerk: Scott Garwick
Treasurer: Bob Spelman
Trustees: Kendra Asbury, Clark Logemann, Neita Webster
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
