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Empathy and Rage, part 1 August 21, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person
Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson We live in a time when empathy seems in short supply, and rage is over-abundant. In part one of this two-part series, I’ll explore how rage and empathy are shaping the world we live in together, and how we can find ways to counteract this alarming trend. Part 2, on August 28th, will look inside to our own heart to see how this shows up in our own lives.
Happy Birthday to: Doris Heibner (08/16), Regina Brenmark-French (08/17), Rob Tapfield (08/18), Mychalena Magoon (08/18), Kevin Cole (08/20), Beverly Baxter (08/22), Marcy Davis (08/22), & Robert Spelman (08/23)!
Volunteers for Sunday, August 21
Ushers: Myrna Lake & Dick Lake
Greeters: Neita Webster & 1 More Volunteer
Guest Table: We Need 2 Volunteers
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.
Yesterday, August 15th marks the official beginning of my 15th year as. your minister. I began my service to you on August 15th, 2008. The fourteen years that have passed since have seen enormous changes for me, you, and the world we share. Some of those changes have been great and some have been difficult, to say the least. We have lost some we loved and made new connections that enriched our community and our lives.
In celebration of my 15th year with you, I’m going to preach on “10 big ideas” that I’ve learned since I came to serve you. These new ideas have shaped me and my ministry with you, and I think they can be helpful to us all. I’ll do 1 big idea each month, from September through May. I’m really excited about this series, because bringing ideas into our everyday lives is one my passions.
I’ve lined up these 10 big ideas with the 10 themes for the coming church year. And as a treat for those of you who actually read the newsletter, here they are:
September – Belonging – Big Idea: Attachment Theory.
October – Courage – Big Idea: They/them.
November – Change – Big Idea: Emergence.
December – Wonder – Big Idea: Panpsychism.
January – Finding Our Center – Big Idea: Plasticity.
February – Love – Big Idea: Love Languages.
March – Vulnerability – Big Idea: Intercultural Development
April – Resistance – Big Idea: Adaptive Leadership
May – Creativity – Big Idea: The Tarot
June – Delight – Big Idea: Happiness Studies
The common thread, if you will, that runs through many of these big ideas is what some call “multi-agency.” This is a fancy way of saying that we exist among a community of actors, of which we are one. Those actors include non-human life, natural laws, sub-atomic and cosmic forces, and mysteries we do not grasp in fullness.
The other, related, idea is that we keep learning. I did not learn all I needed to know about life in Seminary, or even in kindergarten. One of the great privileges and responsibilities of this work is to keep learning. Through my study group, other professional networks, recommendations from colleagues or you, things I notice on Twitter or Facebook, or the bibliography of what I’m already reading I get ideas for future study and exploration. This is one of my favorite parts of this work. Thanks for letting me do it with you for so long.
In faith,
Matthew
Please note Autumn will be on vacation from August 29th – September 5th. Kairos submissions are due Saturday, August 27th by 8:00 p.m. If you need anything during that week please contact Rev. Joyce Palmer or Rev. Matthew Johnson.
Memorial Patio Update
As part of the work to rebuild the Memorial Patio we would like to encourage members who want to order a memorial brick for a loved one who has died to submit a form with the information needed for inscription. We realize that there have been a number of deaths since bricks were last ordered and we would like to catch up as much as we can during this rebuilding phase. Please note that there is no need to do new forms for anyone who already has a brick in the current patio.
Forms are available from the church office or you may click the button below to print out the form at home. They should be submitted to the office. Our current policy is that bricks are engraved at no cost for members of the church. The engraving fee is $50/brick for non-member children, parents, spouses and life partners of members and $130 for former members and friends of the church. Payment should be made to the office.
If you have any questions about the orders or the patio please contact Pat Lewis at pryanlewis@gmail.com.
UUA Common Read Members of the Racial and Economic Justice Team invite you to join us in reading (and later discussing) the book Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment by Zach Norris (Beacon Press 2021). The cover price is $16.00. Our bulk discount allows us to offer the book to you for only $15.00, including sales taxes and shipping to UU Rockford. Reserve your copy with an email to Li M Blacker:BlackLiM@gmail.com; please put “UUA Rockford – Defund Fear” in the subject line. If you are able and willing, consider paying $16; the extra funds we collect will go toward a copy (or more) for our library, for those who aren’t in a position to purchase the book. Discussion date to be determined.
Some years ago, we established a scholarship fund, through Rockford Promise, with a gift from the estate of Martha Williams. Each year, Rockford Promise identifies one of their Rock Valley College-bound students to receive this scholarship. The 2022 Martha Daniels/Unitarian Universalist Church Scholar at Rock Valley College is Juan Pina. (Photo attached.)
Juan is a first-generation bilingual college student planning on studying Aviation Maintenance Technology at RVC. This is a 2 year FAA-approved degree. He is a dynamic, amiable and resilient young man who has completed much of his high school education with his family far away in Mexico. We cannot wait for you to meet him in person.
Thanks to Steve Hall who has agreed to be Juan’s mentor.
Film Discussion
Friday August 12, 2022
6-8:30 p.m.
I Am Not Your Negro: Based on James Baldwin’s uncompleted manuscript of his personal account of the lives & assassination of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and MLK & connects the past to the present of Black Lives Matter.
Join Zoom Meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81211275487
The film discussions are presented in partnership with The Baha’i Community of the Rockford Area and Rockford Public Library.
Thursday August 25, 2022 6:00 p.m.
Book Discussion
Thursday August 25, 2022 6:00pm
Join us by zoom for a discussion of Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching About Race and Racism to People Who Don’t Want to Know by Tema Okum who speaks from extensive experience teaching about race and racism in classroom and community settings and from theory and practice of a wide range of educators, activists, and researchers committed to social justice.
Please read the book on your own and we will discuss it.
Book discussions are presented in partnership with Rockford Public Library.
Community Events
The Board of Trustees:
President: Judy Gustafson
Clerk: Bob Spelman
Vice-President: Spitty Tata
Treasurer: Steve Blomgren
Trustees: Shoko Chien, Sarah Greer, Jami Edmonds
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
