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Music Sunday: Holding Out Hope in Darkness Solstice Trilogy, text by Jan Elicker and music by Clif Hardin
December 7, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person
The Unicantors and Guest Musicians
It can be easy to wish winter away. We long for days filled with less cold and more light. We feel less like leaving our homes except when we must, which isolates us not only from the cold and dark, but from each other as well. Solstice Trilogy, a new composition by UU composer Clif Hardin based on texts by UU lyricist Jan Elicker, invites us to embrace winter as a time for rejuvenation, a time of peace and rest in full expectation of the light to come at the turning of the seasons. We hope this work will inspire us all to use this time of year for reflection and restoration, all the while keeping hope in warmth and light alive in our hearts.
We will Share the Plate with the Minister’s Discretionary Fund
The Minister’s Discretionary Fund is to help members in times of need and to help with leadership development. Click Here to Donate
Happy Birthday to: Louisa Standiford (Dec 02), Oscar McClellan (Dec 02), Hillary Laskonis (Dec 05), Vivienne Pinker (Dec 05), William Sanden (Dec 05), Aida Rosemore (Dec 07), Felix Stewart Rigsby (Dec 07), & Renee Ekedahl (Dec 09)!
Music Sunday: Solstice Trilogy
I’ve known Clif Hardin and his wife, Jan Elicker, for a long time. They are dear UU music friends, and I was happy to see them this summer at the AUUMM conference in Atlanta. One of the repertoire sessions at the conference is regularly dedicated specifically to works by UU composers. It was at that session that I first heard one of the movements of Solstice Trilogy, a new work by Clif and Jan. The piece instantly caught my attention because I had already decided to choose a work for the December Music Sunday featuring winter solstice themes, but my search for a suitable piece had up to that point been a miserable failure. Enter Clif and Jan.
As you would imagine, Solstice Trilogy has three movements. The first movement is called “In Tenebras.” It incorporates the Latin phrase Imus in tenebras – “We go into the darkness or shadows.” The music has a certain Celtic flair and almost a sense of invitation to enter the darkness. This invitation becomes explicit in the middle part of the movement: “Draw closer to the fire, my friends, the time to welcome rest is here. The night enfolds and comforts us, in this, the turning of the year. Come.”
“Solstice Eve” is the second movement. The music reflects the softness and peacefulness awaiting those who accept the invitation to enter the darkness. This was the movement that I heard last summer, and after hearing all of us assembled UU music folks sing it together, I knew that I wanted to share it with you. The text offers reassurance: “Now quiet settles on the night. The moon pulls its light across the sky. All souls find rest as dawn is drawing near, and peace. Here inside, all is well tonight.”
Dawn arrives in the third movement, “Daybreak.” Here, the invitation is to turn to greet the sun and the light of the New Year it brings to all. As you would expect, the music is joyous and again has a bit of a Celtic feel to it. We are also invited to gather with others in celebrating the arrival of Aurora: “Open wide the door. Loved ones come in. Turn to the East. Dance, sing, hope is reborn today with the sun. Arise!”
I am so looking forward to Sunday when the choir (and some of our musical friends) will get the opportunity to share this wonderful piece with you all. I hope you will be able to join us. Even more, I hope the words and music will speak to us all as we face the winter that is already upon us.
Dr. Tim Anderson
Adopt-an-Angel Thank you!
Our Adopt-an-Angel gifts are ready to spread holiday cheer! Thank you to everyone who gave with open hearts to bring joy to children in foster care.
Caring Team Holiday Cookies Sunday, December 14 After service
Help us share holiday warmth with members in need of extra cheer!
Bring cookies to share
Join us for packing on Sunday, Dec. 14
Volunteer drivers are needed for delivery
All are welcome to help spread some holiday cheer!
Submitted by Rev. Joyce Palmer
UU Christmas Eve Service
We will be having a Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, December 24, at 5:00 p.m.
MELD Donation Collection
We will be holding our annual holiday collection to support Rockford MELD again this year. You are invited to choose an ornament from the tree with an item requested by a family listed on the back of it. You may choose more than one ornament. Once you have purchased the items listed on the ornament, place them in the bin in the narthex designated for MELD donations. Please do not wrap the items that you donate. Contact Lindsay with any questions reuurockford@gmail.com.
Donations will be collected through Sunday, December 14.
Carpenters Place Sack Lunch Making Sunday, December 14 after service
Let’s use the season of giving to give back to those that need it most in our community. Meet after service in the lower level of the church to help pack lunches!
Rockford Icehogs vs. Chicago Wolves Saturday, January 18 at 4pm
Let’s all go cheer on the Icehogs together at the BMO Center! Tickets are available now and are $19.90 per person. Click on this link to purchase:
https://www.gofevo.com/event/UUChurch If you would like to attend but the cost is prohibitive, please contact Rev. Joyce about financial assistance.
UU2030 Young Adults
Sunday, December 14th
After Service
We’re building a welcoming faith community where young adults can explore spirituality, share experiences, and support one another on life’s journey. Whether you’re new to UU faith or have been part of it for years, you’ll find a space to belong.
Come meet new friends, deepen your connections, and help shape what UU2030 can become together!
Hey there RRR friends and riders!
Sue and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the Christmas season. We’ve been helping with the Constance Lane Elementary School Bike Bus Program to help boost student attendance — and it’s working! In the Blackhawk Courts Housing Project, absenteeism has dropped from 75% to 30%!
Next year, we’ll also be helping Lewis Lemon Elementary and Lincoln Middle School launch their own Bike Bus Programs, and we’ll need some extra help to sustain all three. If you’re interested in being part of this effort or want to learn more, please reach out to either of us.
Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season!
Scott and Sue Garwick
Non-violent Communication Practice Group
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, our next meeting will be on December 17 at 6:00 pm.
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
Rockford Urban Ministries The community is invited to this annual event, remembering those who lost their lives to opioid overdose, as we honor their memory by committing to harm reduction advocacy.
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 |
