Notice of Special Meeting of the Society March 23, 2025

 
It’s time to care for the building we love so much!

Please plan to attend a special congregational meeting immediately following our worship service on March 23, 2025.  The last two editions of Kairos have included articles about the deteriorating siding on our church building and what will be involved and the cost of replacing it.  Before the Board can authorize such an expense, it must be approved by a vote of the Society. 

Remote proxy votes accepted. Email Autumn at office@uurockford.org by Friday, March 21

Please review the Summary by clicking the button below. We also have printed copies of Part 2 of the project summary available at church.

Questions? See Dave Schubert, Clark Logemann, Steve Lewis, Bob Spelman or Matt Menze.

Eco-Justice Wonderful Wednesday: All Ages Spring Equinox Celebration!

Wednesday, March 19 at 5:30 pm in Deale Hall

Join us for an all-ages Spring Equinox celebration with snacks, music, a Story for All Ages, seed ritual, and more! We will remind ourselves that no matter how much uncertainty we find in our world, we trust that spring will always come and hope remains. Attendees are invited to bring a small nature treasure to help decorate our altar during the celebration. If you have any questions, reach out to Rebecca Beneditz or Dawn Nimmo. We hope you will join us!

The Sex & Gender Justice team will meet Sunday, March 30, instead of March 23, due to the Special Meeting of the Society.

Readings from Sunday, March 16 Order of Service
“You will be in positions that matter. Positions in which you can decide the
nature and quality of other people’s lives. Your errors may be irrevocable.
So when you enter those places of trust, or power, dream a little before you
think, so your thoughts, your solutions, your directions, your choices about
who lives and who doesn’t, about who flourishes and who doesn’t will be
worth the very sacred life you have chosen to live. You are not helpless.
You are not heartless. And you have time.”
― Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations

“Sometimes I think the conditions of daily life, of everyday oppressions, of survival, not to mention the temporary pleasures accessible to most of us, render much of our imagination inert. We are constantly putting out fires, responding to emergencies, finding temporary refuge, all of which make it difficult to see anything other than the present. As the great poet Keorapetse Kgositsile put it, “When the clouds clear / We shall know the color of the sky.” When movements have been unable to clear the clouds, it has been the poets—no matter the medium—who have succeeded in imagining the color of the sky, in rendering the kinds of dreams and futures social movements are capable of producing. Knowing the color of the sky is far more important than counting clouds. Or to put it another way, the most radical art is not protest art but works that take us to another place, envision a different way of seeing, perhaps a different way of feeling.”
–Robin DG Kelly, Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

Laughter Yoga Wonderful Wednesday April 2, 6 pm

Who couldn’t use a good laugh nowadays? Join us on Wonderful Wednesday, April 2nd for Laughter Yoga.  It’s called Laughter Yoga because it combines laughter with yoga breathing.  You will learn where this originated, about the health benefits and come away with more energy.  All you need to do is tap into your childlike playfulness and have fun!!!
Led by Peggy M, Certified Laughter Yoga Leader

Getting to Know UU
Sunday, April 27th 12:00

Join church staff and other newcomers to learn about
our story, living our faith, and how to get connected.
Questions, email revjoycepalmer@yahoo.com

Lead Like Lasso
Wednesday, April 30th
6pm

Apple TV’s Ted Lasso is funny and uplifting
as he coaches a team in a sport and in a country
he knows nothing about.

Using Brene Brown’s work, we will see how
Coach Lasso successfully manages to be a
vulnerable and courageous leader.

Led by Kendra A., a professional development trainer. 

UU Who’s Who?
                    featuring Sue Molyneaux (Past Board member)

Question 1: What did you enjoy about being a member of the Board?
Answer: I enjoyed being on the Board for three years, first joining the Board as secretary, then after a few months moving to fill the vacated Treasurer’s position, to which I was afterwards elected to a full term.   I enjoyed learning more about the workings of the church, getting to know the other Board members, and being part of a team working to help deliver the church’s mission.

Question 2: How did you get your position?
Answer:  I was already on the Board when I was asked to fill the unexpired Treasurer’s term since I was already on the Finance Committee (of which I am still a member), so I had a head start on understanding church finances.

Question 3: What was the first position you volunteered for at the church?
Answer:  I first volunteered to help with Trash and Treasure and then co-led the toys/games room for about five or six years through Trash and Treasure’s swan-song year.   Over the years I have been on a number of committees and participated in many church activities.

Please nominate someone to help serve the church at: nominating@uurockford.org
Feel free to reach out with any questions, taking nominations until March 15th. Surveys need to be completed by nominees by March 30.

Wesley Willows Group
The Wesley Willows group will meet the following days and times this coming year in the reflection room at the Town Center.

April 23, Wednesday, at 10 am

Our Vision: A loving congregation that connects with ourselves, one another, and the larger community.  

Our Mission: We care for ourselves, each other, and our neighbors while taking risks acting for justice. We are continuously building an inclusive, empowered, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, multicultural congregation. Our connections foster radical love for ourselves and others.

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