Shine Your Light
February 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.OnlineOnly Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson
I love that question, “if you were a superhero, what would be your power?” Yet, we do have power — we are just often afraid of it. What does it mean to claim your power? To shine your light into the world? To live fully? As we enter this month focused on the theme of power, we’ll explore this question.
Happy Birthday to: Martha Zinn (02/02) Andrew Larson (02/03), Ruth Little (02/04), Robert Francis (02/05), Susan Barnes (02/06), & Autumn Powell (02/06)!
We will Share the Plate with Rockford Urban Ministries
Founded in 1962, RUM (as Rockford Urban Ministries is affectionately known) is the outreach of more than twenty faith communities working together on social justice ministries. In its nearly years RUM has had four clergy directors. Since 1985, lay director Stanley Campbell has had the pleasure of doing the work. Click Here to Donate
Board Update
The board had a very full meeting. We celebrated Woodsong getting its permit from DCFS. We worked on the ends and strategies around faith in action. We discussed COVID realties related to religious education and discussed the Hospitality section of the Widening the Circle of Concern Report. We previewed a possible ministerial internship and talked about our limits and hopes for our renewal of the Spectrum lease.
Being An Anti-Racist Church
The Board and leaders of the church are moving towards articulating that being on a continuous journey toward being an “anti-racist and multicultural church” is important to us. What does that mean? Let’s figure that out.
To get us together in this work, we want every member of the congregation to attend one of the four sessions we are offering on “being an anti-racist church.”
The next sessions are: Wednesday, Feb. 9th, 7pm, on zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82720790087.
Sunday, Feb 20th, 11:30am, in Deale Hall – masks required. (watch for any change to location).
Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color are welcome to attend any of these sessions AND/OR to attend a session for BIPOC folks ONLY on Wednesday, Jan 19th, at 5:30pm at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82720790087. co-led by Rev. Matthew and Rev. Joyce.
The other sessions will be led by Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson. All the sessions are identical in content, choose one.
The sessions will be 1 hour. This is a high-level overview. We will work through a list of the characteristics of an anti-racist and multicultural congregation. Please plan to attend one of these sessions.
What is relational organizing, and how do we do it? Even more importantly, why do it? Join Scott Aaseng for an interactive session on how we can grow connections in our congregation, show up powerfully and accountably in our community, and strengthen the movement for justice – by building relationships.
Rev. Scott Aaseng serves as Executive Co-Director of the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI), our statewide UU faith in action network. Scott has served UU congregations around the state, including a brief stint as UU Rockford’s Social Justice Ministry Consultant in 2017-2018. Originally from Minnesota, he has lived on Chicago’s West Side for 25 years.
Our congregation’s Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry, AIM Team is meeting on Thursday, February 10th at 6:00pm.
The AIM Team strives to welcome individuals with disabilities and their families into the congregation. The main purpose of the team is to keep track of the big picture of the congregation’s welcome and accessibility, address issues of concern and possibly develop strategies to address these concerns.
AIM team meetings will be held quarterly, February, May, September, and November. Each meeting will last about an hour and a half. We may organize workshops, or guest speakers at other times of the year.
Consider being part of the AIM Team at UU Church Rockford. If you have questions, please give me a call. We will meet via Zoom on Thursday, February 10th at 6:00pm.
If you plan to join us, please let me know. There is a report and other information to review prior to the meeting.
Wonderful Wednesday February 17th at 7 pm
Rockford’s Pending CDFI’s
On January 10, 2022, Rockford’s City Council unanimously passed a long-term loan agreement financing a CDFI in partnership with Northern Illinois Community Development Corporation (NICDC), the Rockford Local Development Corporation (RLDC), and local financial institutions (banks.)
What is a CDFI anyway? Whom in Rockford will be affected by this new entity? How will they be affected? What can individuals do to support this CDFI?
A second CDFI is also in planning, but not through the city.
These two institutions are not in competition; Rockford could use even more CDFI’s. Each has a unique niche, but both serve low-income neighborhoods in our community, and they include a lot of people. As these neighborhoods improve economically, Rockford will be a stronger, more equitable city, which benefits all of us.
Join me on Wednesday, 2/17 to learn more about this federal designation.
Thank you to the colleagues who have signed onto our faith leader support letter that defends pretrial fairness and supports criminal justice reforms made last year with the passage of the Safe-T Act. We are in a political climate where legislators -who supported pretrial fairness and ending money bond- are backpedaling due to bad information, fear-mongering, and racist rhetoric in the midst of a really wonky, short session with elections coming up. Just last week Republican legislators introduced a bill to repeal the entirety of the Safe-T Act, which includes the Pretrial Fairness Act. We don’t think this will go through, but this is one of dozens that are entering the hopper.
We have only around 40 clergy signed onto this letter that not only supports the pretrial fairness act but also says we support criminal justice reforms. We need at least 100 clergy signed on.
So far we only have 15 people signed up to attend the faith-based teach-in. With your help, we can have a robust group of people of faith building new relationships together while learning about decarceration through pretrial fairness.
THE TWO-PRONGED ASK:
1) You can share the content and graphics below in your newsletters to help us educate UUs about pretrial fairness and how we really are at the 50-yard line, still working for a touchdown.
Faith Based Pretrial Fairness Act Teach-In: Join us on February 15th at 6pm for “On Faith and Freedom,” a virtual interfaith teach-in for clergy and people of faith on the Pretrial Fairness Act and the movement for pretrial freedom.
Many thanks for your continued dedication in a time where your demands are many. Your moral voice matters to us at UUPMI and as part of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice.
Blessings,
Allison
Defend the Pretrial Fairness Act and Stop Bills Promoting Mass Incarceration
One year ago, Illinois legislators passed the Pretrial Fairness Act as a section of the SAFE-T Act, a large criminal justice reform package. Next year, the Pretrial Fairness Act will go into full effect, ending our state’s use of money bond and transforming our pretrial legal system by ensuring people will no longer be locked up before being convicted of anything simply because they cannot pay for their freedom.
But, the fight isn’t over. Law enforcement and other political conservatives are already trying to convince legislators to dismantle the Pretrial Fairness Act before it is implemented. We must demand our legislators–elected officials who work for us!–say NO to mass incarceration and YES to pretrial freedom and the presumption of innocence. You can do two things:
Writing to Legislators: Reactionary racist backlash is threatening to not only undo the changes we’ve set in motion, but also to push for regressive policies fueling mass incarceration. We are calling on people across Illinois to come together and let our legislators know that real community safety comes from ensuring that our neighbors have the resources they need to thrive, not through punishment. Simply use this form to contact your legislators.
Attend our Faith Based Pretrial Fairness Act Teach-In: Join us on February 15th at 6pm for “On Faith and Freedom,” a virtual teach-in for clergy and people of faith on the Pretrial Fairness Act and the movement for pretrial freedom. Presenters from the Network will share how faith calls us to defend the historic progress made through this legislation and there will be space for attendees to engage in community conversation on these themes. Register here.
To make sure the law is fully and faithfully implemented, we have to make our voices heard to defend it against this dehumanizing backlash!
Community Events
Wondering about where to get a special gift for a dear one or to shop at a place where you support local artists and the magic that happens when people connect around shared values?! Do join us at Inscape Collective in the former Just Goods space on Saturday, February 12 between 2 & 7 PM!
Get Your Free COVID Testing Kits!
The government website to order FREE Covid test kits is now open.
You get 4 kits per order and 1 order per residential address.
Go to: covidtests.gov to place your order online (very easy) and then spread the word.
These tests will likely go very quickly.
Trip to Collette Ireland
Lee County Council on Aging are organizing a trip to Ireland from October 5-12 of this year. The trip is a guided tour through Collette. For more information click here gateway.gocollette.com/link/1083188 Questions please contact April Reed lccoabookkeeper@comcast.net815-288-9236
The Board of Trustees:
President: Amanda Tapfield
Clerk: Bob Spelman
Vice-President: Judy Gustafson
Treasurer: Teresa Wilmot
Trustees: Khanh Oehlke, Sarah Greer, Jami Edmonds
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
