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Apocalyptic Imagination
May 11, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Online and in-person
Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson We dream a new world – and the end of the old one. Yet these dreams and fantasies can sometimes be dangerous, or defeating. How do we hold imagination and reality at once? What do we make of ends and beginnings? We’ll also honor Mother’s Day and all those who help the new come to life.
We will Share the Plate with Natural Land Institute
For 67 years, the Natural Land Institute has helped residents of northern Illinois conserve the land they cherish, protect land and water resources, wildlife habitat, and our way of life. We are one of the oldest private conservation groups in the Midwest.
We are a member supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving land and natural diversity for future generations. Since 1958, NLI has protected, managed, and restored nearly 19,000 acres throughout Illinois and southern Wisconsin. These include prairies, forests, wetlands, and river corridors.
Volunteers for Sunday, May 11
Thank you to the Racial and Economic Justice Committee for volunteering for hospitality this Sunday!
Coffee hosts: Phil Hjemboe & Spitty Tata
Happy Birthday to: Carol Fox (May 09), Christe Lunsford (May 09), Erika Villalobos-Miller (May 11), Marigold Smith (May 11), Colleen Smitherman (May 12), Janet Wasson (May 12), Molly Soper (May 12), & Sandra Locke (May 13)!
Matthew’s Memo
May 7, 2025
One of my projects this week is to work on a draft of the strategic plan for the Board to review at its May meeting in a few weeks. Throughout this year, you have engaged in workshops and conversations, led mostly by Rev. Allison Farnum while I was on sabbatical, about our mission, vision, and ends (or goals). The Board has revised and discussed what came out of the workshops and refined the words. A few weeks ago, we sent out a survey to get more feedback about the proposed language, which the board will consider in making revisions. Then, the whole package will come to you at the annual meeting on June 8th, after church, for your review. The board will ask you to approve the mission and vision, and to give your “thumbs up” to the strategic plan.
The vision is a simple, clear, and short tagline that says “who we are.”
The mission is a longer statement that says “what we do.”
The ends are a set of statements that express how things will be when we do our work well. They’re future-tense, and indicate the difference we make.
Under each end are strategies, which indicate our focus and what we will seek to accomplish. Within the strategies are tactics – these delineate particular tasks, with who will be responsible, when it will happen, and how much it will cost.
Strategic plans are living documents, and we will adjust as we learn and go. If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that we must plan lightly and be prepared for change.
As of now, we have three proposed ends I’m working to flesh out.
First is that “our members grow in belonging by embodying our values and connecting with our spiritual lives.” Under this would come strategies of faith formation for all ages; caring and membership; diversity, inclusion, anti-oppression, and belonging; and generosity.
Second is that “our members widen the circle of belonging and advance justice and equity by practicing right relationship with our neighbors.” Under this would come accountable and effective coalition partners and showing up as UUs.
Third is that “our members and transformed by our interdependent relationship with our planet, the universe, the web of life; the sacred as we understand it.” Under this would be collective care for our planet; being good stewards of the earth as people; and cultivating awe, wonder, and an ethic of care.
I’ve got ideas and best practices for tactics, including things folks suggested in the workshops. But if you have a thought, now is the time to share it!
Make a May Day Basket
Wonderful Wednesday
May 7, 6 pm
Join us to make colorful, bright May Day Baskets in celebration of Spring.
We will provide craft items to make a basket or two for a special friend, neighbor, or for yourself. You can also bring your own decorative items.
Questions? See Rebecca B. and Rev. Joyce
Swap & Trade Barter Market – Check out the Catalog! Wednesday, May 21, 6-7:30pm in Deale Hall Let’s imagine a world where money doesn’t exist and we participate in a mutual aid community, offering up what we can to trade so we all get what we need. Join the Eco Justice Team to bring this idea to life for an evening! Need inspiration? Click the blue “Check out the Catalog” link above to see what people are bringing, or look for print versions in Deale Hall. Please note that registration is required and you can sign up here: Register for the Swap & Trade Barter Market If you have any questions, reach out to Dawn Nimmo or Rebecca Beneditz.
Calling All Fellow Knitters, Crocheters, Needleworkers
Community means so much right now and I crave the company of like-souls who enjoy creating everything and anything from yarn, thread, and fabric. Let’s gather and share ideas to benefit our own community, the community at large, and ourselves. Interested? Call and leave me (Libby Parker) a msg. at 425-736-1859 or email at singer1504@gmail.com.
Who Makes a Difference in Our Community?
The Social Justice Team is seeking nominees for the Connolly Community Service Awards for 2024. A bit of history of the awards and the nomination procedures follow. If you know someone – or a group of people — you think should receive one of these awards, please turn in nominations to the church office.
History: In 1993 the church initiated a community service award to recognize a member of the congregation for significant contributions to the community. The award was named for Dr. Charles Parker Connolly, minister of our congregation from 1913 to 1942, and a recognized community leader.
To date the award has been presented to the following individuals: Walt Lewis, Mary Caskey, Martha Logemann, Pat Tollefsrud, Sandra Locke, David Weissbard, Lynn Liston, Pat Lewis, Jon McGinty, JoAnn Shaheen, Leigh Lakey, Roger Oehlke, Lola Gustafson, Allen Penticoff, Colleen McDonald, Jackie Dehler, Bob Arevalo, Dave Black, Myrna Lake, Dave Lantz, Barb Giolitto, Duane Wilke, Ellyn Ahmer, Dale Dunnigan, Nikki Ticknor, Bob Babcock, Shiraz Tata, Allyson Rosemore & Rebecca Beneditz, Gloria Perez, & Kathie Mattison.
More recently an award was established to recognize a young person, 8th grade through high school, for service to the church and community. Recipients to date are Emma Stocker, Katie Whitworth, Sandra Hill, Jackie Whitworth, Emily Pfleiderer, Max Freund, and Ari Almonaci.
The Social Justice Council has decided to have a “group” award. This award will be for a group of people, formally or informally organized, who have done the work of justice in our community. Two years ago the award went to the Cornucopia Group.
The awards are presented at the annual meeting of the congregation.
The nominations should include:
A detailed description of volunteer and/or professional involvement and accomplishments, tasks, performed and issues addressed impact on others, and other relevant information.
A signed statement that the nominee is willing to be nominated.
A nomination should include the name of the nominator and is due in the office (Send to Autumn uurockford@gmail.com) by June 3rd. The nominations will be reviewed and a selection made by the Social Justice Team before the annual meeting.
If you wish to borrow a t-shirt for the event, contact Lia Gima or the church office.
Garden Planting Day at the Church Grounds! Saturday, May 17 at 10am
The mulch has been spread and the Spectrum/UU gardens on the church grounds are cleaned up and ready to be planted! Spend the morning outside as we plant our warm weather plants and get ready for the growing season. If you would like to continue to help maintain the gardens over the summer (watering, weeding, harvesting, etc.), please fill out this form: Garden Volunteer Survey. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rebecca Beneditz. I hope to see you there!
Sunday Morning Meditation Meets this first and third Sundays
Enjoy group meditation from 9:15 – 9:45
Yogic meditation helps strengthen and integrate body, mind and soul while bringing calmness and well-being.
We meet in the Library
We are delighted to introduce you to the Martha Daniels 2025 Scholar, Evelyn Palacios!
Evelyn is a senior at Auburn High School, and is pursuing a degree in psychology at RVC. She is the oldest of 4 siblings, and has had limited participation in extracurriculars due to having to help raise her 3 younger brothers and working part time. When asked about her interests, Evelyn says: “I love listening to people’s experiences, and I absolutely love to paint and draw.”
Meeting Recap: The Board reviewed the upcoming siding project, the status of the generosity campaign, and the work of the nominating panel. We also discussed the draft “ends” for the mission/vision work, which will be going to the congregation for feedback. We thanked Teresa Wilmot, Dave Schubert and Steve Lewis for their work on the Seder and the Siding projects respectively.
Our UU Library has added these books to our collection: Who Wrote the Bible by Richard Elliott Friedman The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
Wesley Willows Group
The Wesley Willows group will return again in the fall.
Peasant Revolt Farm is a small scale organic-practice produce farm in Cherry Valley, Illinois. We are very excited to offer weekly or bi-weekly Produce Subscription Boxes (sometimes called “CSA”) throughout the summer season. We’ll have a pickup location at the Edgebrook Farmers Market (Wednesdays 9a-1p) and also offer a home delivery option. We will make any spot with at least 10 full-season subscriptions a pickup spot (UU church, for example!). For more information, please visit our website: peasant-revolt.com/subscription-boxes.html
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 Board of Trustees:
President: Matt Menze
Clerk: Kim Lowman Vollmer
Vice-President: Wendy Bennett
Treasurer: Bob Spelman Trustees: Clark Logemann, Rebecca Beneditz, Neita Webster
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
