Friday Update March 17, 2023








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Friday Update


Farmers Feed
March 19, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person 

What we eat, how we grow it, and how the people who grow it live are central questions of justice and care.  Hear from three of our farmers — Allyson Rosemore, Kathy Spataro McGinty, and Andy Larson — about the state of farming and farmers today. 

Order of Service


We will Share the Plate with Severson Dells
Our mission is to link people to nature through education and research in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area. We promote awareness of the natural world, fostering respect, enjoyment and preservation now and in the future.
Click Here to Donate


Volunteers for Sunday, March 19

Ushers: Dick Lake & Myrna Lake
Greeters: We Need 2 Volunteers
Guest Table: Gloria Perez & Rev. Joyce Palmer
Coffee Hosts: We Need 2 Volunteers
Please note that if you volunteer for coffee host you will need to clean up afterward and run the cups through the sanitizer. Spitty and others are happy to help you become familiar with how to handle this easy job.
Sign Up Here


CHURCH ACTIVITY FAIR

Sunday, March 19
After service

Are you wondering how to get involved at church?
Come learn about classes, groups, events and volunteer 
opportunities at the church. Come make a difference!

Spring Break!
It’s spring break next week which means some of our staff will be on vacation and others will have kids out of school. Please call or email ahead of time to make sure a staff person is at the building. 

NOTICE of Special Congregational Meeting April 2nd, 11am

The Board has called a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, April 2nd, immediately following worship.  One item is on the agenda: to approve a contract with M. Spinello and Son Locksmith to change our office doors from a keyed system to a keycard system.  This bid, for $11,186.50, is very close to the 2% threshold of our operating budget that requires a special meeting, so the Board would like your approval.  The funds come from our Capital Maintenance Reserve fund, so no special fundraising is required.
 
More than 100 physical keys are currently out to church members, renters, and others – an unacceptable situation.  A modern keycard system allows us to turn off a keycard after authorized use and keep our building secure.  The bid also includes a switch for Autumn, our office manager, to unlock the Office doors from her desk instead of coming all the way around to let in a member, visitor, or delivery person.  The bid includes door hardware, electronics, wiring, and labor to install this cloud-based system. 
 
If you have detailed questions about this project, please ask Dave Schubert, building and grounds chair.  Please plan to stay after worship on the 2nd for a few minutes for us to call the meeting to order and then to vote.  We do not anticipate a long conversation about the project at the meeting, so please get your questions, if any, answered in advance. 

Help Wanted
A one time limited opportunity to help the church. Sometime this summer, we hope to have a all church party and auction fund raiser. But, we need volunteers to:

  1. Plan a church event. A show, a wine tasting, a picnic, an art exhibition. Who knows. Run with an idea.
  2. Organize an auction. Recruit donors. Organize the bidding action. The auction software makes it a doable task.

Sure it is a fund raiser. But, it is much more than that. More than 100 members will participate in social events with other members. Members will get a chance to share their artistic efforts. Members will offer to help other members with some assistance.
 
If you want to help, or even to ask about what it might mean, call Steve Lewis 815-979-5901


Our Unitarian Universalist Seder:  6 pm April 7th

 
Our Passover Seder has been celebrated for over 40 years!  Rev. David Weissbard, whose father was Jewish, began the tradition and wrote the first UU Seder Haggadah, the ritual story of the Passsover, which has been used by UU congregations across the country.  Our Haggadah was revised by Rev. Matthew.  We celebrate the story, the rituals, the foods, and the community of this Jewish holiday each year.
 
The Seder is a family ritual in which children play a critical role.  Your children may ask one of the four questions during the ritual, and all children participate in the hunt for the Afikoman at the end of the meal.  No babysitter required for this event!
 
Included in the ritual is a 5-course meal, including several Jewish foods: matzah (unleavened bread), matzah balls in chicken soup, gefilte fish, Kosher wine, charoses, and macaroons.  We offer either baked chicken or a vegetarian/vegan main dish.
 
The cost includes several Kosher foods, purchased in a Chicago suburb:
 
Adults                      $ 12   
Children over 10       $   6
Children over 5         $   3
Family Maximum      $ 30
 
While all the food is provided, we need lots of volunteers to staff the event.  Each family commits to one of these tasks:
 

  • set up (arrive at 5:15)
  • serve food
  • clean-up (stay later)

 
Reservations are required; we need to buy the special foods in advance.  Sign up with me on Sunday or email Autumn at office@uurockford.org
 
Please join us, especially if this celebration is new to your experience.
 
Submitted by Teresa Wilmot


We will be hosting our traditional Easter Egg Hunt for families on Sunday, April 9.  Please email Lindsay Trank, Director of Religious Education, at reuurockford@gmail.com if you are able to volunteer to help make the event possible.  We need help assembling gift bags prior to that Sunday as well as help with setting up before and cleaning up after the event.  Set up begins around 8:30 am – donuts provided!


Past Sunday Services

Did you know you can watch past Sunday services anytime? We have them on our website under past worship services so you never have to miss a Sunday! Click here to find a service that you haven’t seen yet! You can also always go to our Facebook and YouTube pages.

The Board of Trustees: 
President: Judy Gustafson   
Clerk: Bob Spelman
Vice-President: Spitty Tata
Treasurer: Steve Blomgren
Trustees: Sarah Greer, Jami Edmonds, Rebecca Beneditz

The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL  |   4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107   |   815-398-6322    |   uurockford.org  |



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