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Easter
April 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person
Rev. Bret Lortie & Rev. Joyce Palmer Easter can be complicated for UUs. As an amagam of ancient Earth-centered and Christian practices celebrating rebirth, resurrection, and renewal, it was designed to be a mash-up by the expanding Holy Roman church as it encountered non-Christian cultures. Add in some of the personal and collective religious trauma many of us carry, and it’s … complicated. Yet, as our Soul Matters theme of the month invites, what “possibilities” might Easter still hold for us? Let us explore together through a participatory worship experience that includes a traditional communion, an Earth-centered blessing, or something that just lets you encounter the mystery through silence.
We will share the plate with Welcome with Dignity
The #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign brings together organizations, activists, asylum-seekers, advocates, and our community to transform the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee their homes to ensure they are treated humanely and fairly. To build a more just and truly humanitarian system we must reject the xenophobia and racism that motivated dangerous policies in the past. Click Here to Donate
Happy Birthday to: Dianne Stenerson (Mar 31), Ayo Carter (Apr 01), Dan Wilkins (Apr 02), Ginger Tzemopoulos (Apr 03), Juliette Kula (Apr 04), Eleni Mussared Varga (Apr 05), & Lisa Schultz Volkman (Apr 07)!
Aisha Shaw is collecting candle wax. There will be a box in Deale Hall where you can drop off your old candles.
Fifth Sunday Safety
Many thanks to all who attended our first Fifth Sunday Safety presentation on March 29 after worship. We were thrilled to have 35 safety enthusiasts join us to learn more about fire extinguishers and how and when to use them. In case you weren’t able to join us, here is a link to the short informational video we showed during the presentation. We hope you will watch it. We also hope you will take time to walk around the building to see where our fire extinguishers and fire blankets are located in case you should ever need one.
Our next Fifth Sunday Safety presentation will be after worship on Sunday, May 31. Watch the Kairos for more information closer to the date!
If you’d like to join our team, see Teresa Palmeno, our chair.
Join us at the UU Church for our Community Passover Seder & Potluck on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00 p.m. This will be an all-ages evening with food, story, and song. Newcomers are welcome, and families are especially encouraged to attend.
Why Passover in a UU congregation? Our congregation has celebrated Passover for many years.We gather in solidarity with our Jewish community and to honor a powerful story that has shaped generations: the Passover story of people moving from oppression to freedom. At a time when antisemitism is visible and many communities are feeling vulnerable, sharing this tradition is one small way we can practice allyship, deepen relationships, and recommit ourselves to compassion and justice.
Potluck details and cost:
$10 Adults | $5 Youth | Free for children 12 and under
Sign up with Teresa W. on Sunday so we can plan food and seating
Bring a dish to share if you’re able, bring your curiosity, and bring the whole family. We hope you’ll join us for a warm, meaningful evening together.
Sign-up with Teresa W. on Sunday.
Guess what? It’s March. As sure as the tulips come up, it is Stewardship Season. You can imagine that the church will start talking about money. The spring season is the time when we start to build our budget for the coming church year, and ask you to fund our ministry, our building, our youth, our reach into the community, and the world.
It’s simple, really, just as we gather together in community on Sunday, just as we gather together in smaller groups for reflection, just as our kids gather together. Just as we gather together on the streets with yellow shirts. ……..We must gather together to make gifts to fund the church. That is how we support our building, our ministers, our programs.
This year, as we move into Year Two of transition, Imagination will be a common theme. You will be asked to imagine how the church might change (or not). Imagine who should minister to us. Imagine how our program might take shape. Imagine how we might impact the world we live in, our work for justice and diversity.
So, each spring, we ask you to make a pledge. A pledge to tell us what you intend to donate to the church for the coming year. So that we can continue the planning for the coming year.
Please imagine how you can support our church financially. It is your own decision. Everyone has a different answer. Everyone’s financial abilities differ.
More simply, use our website. At the very top is a link to a simple online form to fill out. Or, you can scan the QR code below.
If you are of a certain age and must withdraw from your IRA, you can make a tax-free donation. If you need help with this call, Steve Lewis (815-979-5901).
If you just want to verbally make a pledge, please call Autumn (815-398-6322)
Social Change Now — Pizza + Conversation (UUA Common Read)
Join us on Saturday, April 11 at 5:00 pm for pizza and discussion of Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer. Older youth and adults are invited, and you are welcome to come whether you’ve read the book or not.
Guided reading questions are available at the Welcome Table.
RSVP to Rev Joyce by April 9th so we can order enough pizza.
20/30s Group Meeting
Young adults in their 20s and 30s are invited to gather after worship on April 19th in the Youth Room for conversation and connection.
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
Action of the Week:
Support Community Healing!
Submit a witness slip before 1:00 pm April 1st
We know that when violence occurs, entire communities are affected, not just the individuals who are directly involved. Community Healing Resource Centers bring trauma-informed support, mental health services, and resources directly to communities impacted by violence. Every community deserves access to support and healing resources. By investing in healing, we help build stronger, safer neighborhoods.
Our partners at Live Free Illinois are asking us to support the Community Healing Resource Centers Bill (SB3532) by filing a witness slip, or showing up in person at the committee hearing. The hearing is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Wednesday April 1st in the Bilandic building located at 160 N. Lasalle St. Chicago, IL Room C-600.
Fill in your information. For the next sections, we are asking you to fill out your witness slip differently this time. Our partners have asked that you use their name Live Free Illinois, in the “Firm/Agency” section and to enter NA for “Title”. We are also asking that you list UUANI in the “Representation” section. By doing this, we help build power and demonstrate our alignment with our partner. If this would be a barrier to your participation, please use NA for “Firm/Agency” and “Title” and Self for “Representation.”
Position: On the “Add Legislation” drop-down menu, select SB3532 To indicate your support for the bill, please click “PROPONENT” on the “Position” drop-down menu. To complete this step, click the “ADD POSITION” button
For testimony, choose “RECORD OF APPEARANCE ONLY.”
Check the ILGA Terms of Agreement. box.
Check the Capcha box
To submit, click “SUBMIT WITNESS SLIP.”
Thank you for taking the time to support our partner in this important and life changing work!
Rockford Urban Ministries invites you to the annual Good Friday Walk for Justice, beginning at 9am on Friday, April 3rd at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 412 N. Church Street in downtown Rockford.
People of faith from many different Rockford area congregations walk together to 14 locations, also known as stations of the cross, where prayers are read and songs are sung to lift up issues of social justice. The walk lasts approximately 75 minutes and takes place rain or shine. We welcome your participation in person or in spirit!
Join Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois leaders and friends for this virtual workshop series! Register here.
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 |
