When Balance Betrays
March 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.Online and in-person Rev. Linda Slabon The idea and practice of life balance feels right, good, measured, and well…soothing. And yet I have come to believe that balance betrays when we:
confuse balance with order and control;
presume balance does not include anger or rage;
regard balance as the answer so that we might ignore or minimize grief, fear, or pain;
use balance as a bludgeon to shame those who are exuberant, too much, or passionate;
choose balance as safety rather than take risks for love and justice.I’ll explore how our misconceptions of balance limits our growth and wounds our spirit.
Reverend Linda Slabon, M.Div., MSW, M.A., LCSW, served 26 years as the minister of the UU Fellowship of DeKalb. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker she worked at Family Service Agency, DeKalb County Hospice, and maintains a small private practice. She is grateful each day for the 33 year relationship with her wife Toni, and being Nana to their 6 year old grand-daughter in their bi-racial, bi-cultural family.
Happy Birthday to: Barbara Oehlke (03/23), Angelique Bodine (03/23), Mary Diamond (03/23), Jessica Hodierne (03/25), & Allen Penticoff (03/26)!
Volunteers for Sunday, March 27
Ushers: Alice Enichen & we need 1 more
Greeters: Sue Garwick & Kathy Scarpaci
Guest Table: Rev. Joyce Palmer & Linda Johnson
Coffee Hosts: We Need 2
Please note that if you volunteer for coffee host you will need to clean up afterward and run the cups through the sanitizer.
This week is spring break! Most of our staff have children on break and may be working from home. Please call ahead of time to see if someone is at the building or email the person you are trying to reach.
Thank you!
Board Update
The Board discussed the Religious Professionals chapter of the Widening the Circle of Concern report, the upcoming stewardship campaign, and a few building and finance matters.
Sermon Discussion
The Justice For All Team is reinstating the Sermon Discussion every third Sunday in the Library. So, after the service, grab your coffee and join us to share your thoughts. (Wearing your name tag is always helpful.)
UU Passover Seder April 15th
Do you wonder what Passover is in the Jewish tradition? UU’s are famous for celebrating traditions of multiple faiths. Our celebration of Passover Seder focuses on freedom. As long as any people are persecuted, whether Jews or Ukrainians, we are not truly free.
However, our celebration includes the traditional Jewish observance. Our children ask the 4 questions. Our Passover plate includes the traditional foods. Our Haggadah, the booklet from which the ceremony is read, tells the story of the Hebrew people’s escape from Egypt and its Pharaoh.
Did you know that a Passover Seder may have been Maundy Thursday’s last supper in the Christian Easter calendar? Especially if you have never attended a Passover Seder, add this date, Friday, April 15th, to your calendar. Join us in person for this child-friendly celebration and 5-course Seder meal with UU flavor. Vegan food will be included.
Path to Membership Class!
Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford is pleased to announce the 2022 PATH to Membership Class will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 9:30 – 2:00 at UU Church, Rockford. Library. Rev. Matthew, Rev. Joyce, and members of the Membership Team will provide an overview of the church and ways to connect. Come out and meet other newcomers and get your questions answered.
Details
When: April 9, 9:30 – 2:00
Where: UU Church Rockford Library
Who: Anyone interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism, membership, and meeting other exciting newcomers
FREE Pickleball lessons for beginners! Join us for pickleball on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00. In cooler weather we play at Sports Factory; in warmer weather we play at Sinnissippi. Contact anyone you recognize or leave your email with Autumn office@uurockford.org.
Book Discussion
Thursday March 31, 2022 6:00 p.m.
Join us by zoom for a discussion of Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert. Rembert grew up in Georgia & joined the Civil Rights Movement as a teen-ager and was arrested after fleeing a demonstration. At age of fifty-one Rembert started drawing & painting scenes from his youth of Civil Rights Movement & chain gangs using leather tooling skills he learned in prison.
Please read the book on your own and we will discuss it.
Book discussions are presented in partnership with Rockford Public Library.
Community Events
Good Afternoon Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity Partners,
While it feels like the year has only just begun, we are already gearing up for our 2022 construction season which kicks off this May. In 2021 we built homes for six families and that is thanks to our volunteers and community partners like yourself. This year we are doing it all again and adding one additional home to the count, bringing us to building home for seven amazing families. Yes, SEVEN! We can’t believe it either. Rockford has shown us year after year that you are willing to support us and adding an additional home to the roster is only possible because of you. We have said it many times in the past and will continue to remind you that we are beyond grateful and blessed to have the community supporting us, so together, we can continue to build hope one home at a time.
This year we are looking for even more community support to fill roughly 80 build days. While that may sound intimidating, we know it is a request our community will fill. So, what exactly am I asking of you today? Sign up NOW for your 2022 build day. Come swing a hammer with us starting THIS May with your business, family, church, club or as a friend group. No experience, no problem! We have a group of talented house leaders to lead you through the day. All you need is a willingness to learn, work, have fun, and likely shed a little sweat.
CLICK HERE to take a look at our building schedule and read a bit more about what exactly a build day looks like. Have questions or concerns about volunteering? Reach out to me and we can discuss more.
We are counting down the days until we kick-off this year’s construction season and we cannot wait to do it alongside our community,
Greta Sanders, Volunteer Manager
Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity
5183 Harlem Rd. Suite 3 | Loves Park, Il 61111
Office: 815-636-4573
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 |
