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Farmers Feed
March 19, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.Onlineand 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, Jon McGinty, and Andy Larson — about the state of farming and farmers today.
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
Happy Birthday to: Pam Lonsway (03/14), Lerryn Gough (03/14), Randy Locke (03/15), Matthew Johnson (03/15), Heather Gunnell (03/16), Doug Rix (03/17), Kathleen Mattison (03/19), & Katie Kerr (03/21)!
Volunteers for Sunday, March 19
Ushers: We Need 2 Volunteers
Greeters: We Need 2 Volunteers
Guest Table: Gloria Perez & We Need 1 More Volunteer
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
Matthew’s Memo
March 14, 2023
On April 1st, we will hold our stewardship celebration. With the theme of “Come and Be Fed!” we are celebrating how we feed each other and how the church feeds us. You are invited to bring a dish you love to share.
You may wonder about the financial state of the church and what our goals for the coming fiscal year, which begins on July 1st, are.
The church is in good shape, thanks to your generosity and support. Between pledge income, legacy funds, rentals, and the Woodsong Nature School, we have a variety of income sources, which has helped us. We are fair-share to the Unitarian Universalist Association, we carry no debt, and we have strong legacy funds and decent reserves.
Yet we know that we need to increase our pay for the staff. Inflation over the last year has been high, as you know. Social Security calculated its cost-of-living-adjustment at 8.7%. Maybe people have seen wage increases at 4% or more, which doesn’t even really keep pace with inflation in the cost of goods. We need to keep up.
The Unitarian Universalist Association did an analysis of staff salaries across the country, and released new recommendations. These recommendations are adjusted for the typical rates for each community – Rockford falls in “Geo-Index 3” out of 7. There are recommended ranges for each type of position, based on the persons authority and responsibility and special skills; you place each person in the range based on their experience and effort. We did an analysis of our folks using this new system. We found that while we “only” need to do normal cost-of-living increases for most of our folks, some of our people are substantially underpaid. We need to get them to the right level – it’s the right thing to do, and we don’t want someone else to poach them!
So that’s our stewardship goal – keep funding the rest of our operations, and pay our people correctly. That’s going to require a 5% or more increase in our budget, so we hope that you can think about at least a 5% increase in your giving – and more, if you can, to balance those who cannot. Thank you in advance!
In faith
Matthew
There will be no Sermon Discission group this Sunday after service.
Photo of the Week
Congratulations on 5 years of Woodsong Lindsay & Lauren!
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:
Plan a church event. A show, a wine tasting, a picnic, an art exhibition. Who knows. Run with an idea.
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
Wonderful Wednesday March 15 at 6 pm in the Library
Kim Lowman Vollmer will share tips, techniques,
and resources for introducing native plants to your
landscape.
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!
Thinking of spring cleaning? Think of Woodsong! We are on the lookout for some items to add to our playground materials. If you are in a position to donate any gently used items on the following list, please mark them WOODSONG and leave them near the mailboxes across from the elevators. Thank you so much for thinking of us!
-small wooden bowls (up to 6 inch diameter)
-metal muffin tins/small cake pans/cake pans in interesting shapes (star, heart, flower, etc.)
-melamine dishes (cups, saucers, small plates, bowls)
-measuring cups (metal or plastic), scoops, small sand shovels
-plastic farm animals
-toy trucks/cars (bigger than a Hot Wheel/Matchbox vehicle – no ride-on toys, please)
-small playground balls (no basketballs, footballs, baseballs, please)
-Duplo building blocks (the larger type of Lego)
And, of course, we are always in need of birdseed.
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!
WINNEBAGO COUNTY RESOURCES
List of resources that may be helpful to you or someone you know.
VICTIM/SURVIVOR SERVICES
Family Peace Center – 1-779-348-7600
Remedies Renewing Lives – 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-815-962-6102
OLDER ADULT SERVICES
Catholic Charities Long Term Care Ombudsman Program – 1-815-316-0040 or 1-800-369-0895
Mercyhealth at Home/Older Adult Services – 1-815-971-3502
Lifescape Community Services – 1-815-963-1609 or 1-800-779-1189
SERVICES/ADVOCACY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Center for Sight and Hearing – 1-815-332-6800 P
RAMP – 1-815-968-7467
The ARC – 1-815-965-3455
WCCC
Winnebago County Citizens for Choice’s March meeting is this Tuesday, 3/14, at 6:30PM at the UU. Join us to learn the latest about how “pregnancy crises” centers work to deceive pregnant people about their reproductive options and what we can do about it. One of those centers is operating around the corner from one of our own local abortion clinics.
Eliminate Racism 815
Book Discussion
Thursday March 30, 2023 6:00 p.m.
Join us by zoom for a discussion of Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown. The book redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection and introduces 4 practices of true belonging that challenges everything we believe about ourselves and each other. NY Times Bestseller.
Please read the book on your own and we will discuss it.
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 |
