Interpretations of Grace October 18, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (Online Only at facebook.com/uurockford)
Rev. Dr. Mitra Rahnema
Grace might be a description, a characteristic, a name, a divine gift, or an extension of love and trust we can offer one another. Today we examine the many ways we come to know grace and how it can help us expand our emotional intelligence.
Happy Birthday to: Kevin McAllister (10/16), Kathy Jones (10/18), James Rentz (10/18), &Tom Walsh (10/18)!
The flowers you saw during service this past Sunday were from Duane and Sue Wilke in celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary!
Share the Plate with Al Otro Lado
They are a bi-national, social justice legal services organization serving indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. Their mission is to provide legal services and to uplift our immigrant communities by defending the rights of migrants against systemic injustices in the legal system. Their comprehensive cross-border programming and litigation work integrate trauma-informed practices. They engage vital partnerships and thousands of volunteers to provide essential legal services to migrants at the Southern Border in Tijuana and throughout Southern California. Al Otro Lado’s work is also centered in fighting for all families that have been torn apart by unjust immigration laws. Click here to donate.
Wonderful Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Linda will discuss her work with asylum seekers. She has been to the border on five separate occasions over the last two years and has continued to work with asylum seekers and organizations helping asylum seekers remotely. Linda will give an update on what is happening to asylum seekers during these challenging times.
Linda will share stories that she promised many asylum seekers she would share of their journeys and the many obstacles placed in their way as they fled for their lives and the lives of their children.
Last year Linda wrote a play about her work with asylum seekers and submitted it to Rockford’s, The West Side Showroom. Her play, Rainbow Warriors, was one of the ones selected to be featured during the 2019 New Play Festival. Linda will be reading her play as it describes what so many asylum seekers have been forced to endure. Zoom: 337-267-3668
*ZOOM Church Calendar*
Most “all church” events will be 337-267-3668. This is the Personal Meeting
ID for “Thomas Kerr,” our online identity (and the minister from 1870-1900,
who used all the new technology of his time to reach those he
served). Generally, there will be a waiting room and the host will need to
admit you.
– Coffee Hour on Sunday. 337-267-3668. 11:10 am. Chris will
be host.
– Touchstones: contact your touchstones group facilitator for the time
and meeting ID, if you don’t already have it.
– Caring Team Meeting – The first Tuesday of each month at 6 pm. ID 337-267-3668
Want to have a group – a book group, a parent group, a “circle supper”, or
whatever you like? You can create a free Zoom account (40-minute limit,
though often waived by zoom at minute 35). Or, you can use “Thomas Kerr’s”
– just email Autumn atoffice@uurockford.organd she can give you the login
and password.
Sanctuary Fall Art
The fall scene currently hanging in the front of the Sanctuary is the work of a local artist: Margo Shryack-Pagh. (The upper left-hand corner of your remote view.)
The medium is batik. The artist characterizes the creation as a “Trickster Triptych.” Triptych refers to the three panels. The “trickster” is a coyote that is not depicted but is the cause of the one panel being fertile and the other barren.
The artwork is a gift from the Eliseo family in memory of Delores Eliseo.
In Memoriam: Elandria Williams, UUA co-moderator, 1979 – 2020
Elandria Williams was a leader in the UUA for years, becoming Co-Moderator in 2017 with Rev. Mr. Barb Greve. Moderator is one of the three elective officers in the denomination, a volunteer position, which serves as the Chief Governing Officer. Elandria and Barb were the first co-moderators of the UUA during the emotional upheaval of 2017. Their term ended this June after the 2020 General Assembly.
Elandria was a long-time member of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN. They (Elandria used they/them/their pronouns) were elected to the UUA Board of Trustees in 2016. They were a youth leader of Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU). As time went on, they led the Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network (C*UUYAN) and Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM). Elandria was a founding member of the Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) Organizing Collective in 2015. They were instrumental in the campaign to make the UUA a multicultural, Beloved Community.
As a regular attendee of UU General Assemblies, I am very familiar with Elandria and their upbeat presence at the podium. We miss their voice and leadership.
For most of our congregation, Elandria is a stranger. I invite you to spend 3 minutes viewing this video tribute: Remembering Elandria: We Are Worthy.
August 4th was the 10th anniversary of the shooting deaths of 2 members at the TVUUC Church.
Submitted by Teresa Wilmot
Donating to NPR
Do you count on Northern Public Radio as a trusted source of news, music, and entertainment? If so, you probably know that the annual pledge drive for the local stations – 89.5 WNIJ/NPR and Classical WNIU 90.5/105.7) – is underway. But did you realize you can contribute to Public Radio and benefit our church at the same time? Here’s how it goes:
Working together, we can pool our tax-deductible donations and enable the church to air underwriting messages (Public Radio’s version of ads) informing the community about our church, its programs, and events. Once you decide on the amount of your gift, write the check to Unitarian Universalist Church, with “NPR” in the memo line. The office will send one big check to Northern Public Radio, and soon listeners throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin will start hearing about Rockford’s UU Church on their favorite radio programs.
The result? Much-needed revenue for the stations and valuable publicity for our church. Questions? Contact the church office.
• This photo of a young Native American man and the same man after going to the white man’s school. Includes a brief article.
• Lab[u]or, by Amperket, a poem about the victims of colonialism. Salient line: “as if we can pack our plates when there’s no money for food this week
and steal breadcrumbs from a police state” https://allpoetry.com/poem/15384074-Labo-u-r-by-Amperket
• The short story “Tony’s Story” by Leslie Marmon Silko. Silko is a critically acclaimed Native American author.A Laguna Pueblo Indian woman, she is one of the key figures in the First Wave of what literary critic Kenneth Lincoln has called theNative American Renaissance. The story opens with Tony and Leon, two Native American men, celebrating San Lorenzo’s Day. A white cop comes over to them. This is a narrative which depicts the clash of cultures and systemic racism. http://americanlit215.weebly.com/uploads/8/4/0/1/8401456/tonys_story.pdf
You are invited at attend a Virtual Open House Tuesday, October 13, 2020 @ 6:00 pm
Topic: Eliminate Racism 815 OPEN HOUSE
Time: Oct 13, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89269446279
We will be updating everyone on everything going on and also give an overview of the actions of the Action Teams. We are hoping some of you will want to get more involved. We have a lot going on but could be doing more if we had more people willing to be busy!
If you are new to Eliminate Racism 815 and haven’t yet signed up for a specific Action Team, this will be an opportunity to learn more about what each of the Action Teams (Criminal Justice, Economic Opportunities, Education and Relationship Building) is working on right now.
The Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL | 4848 Turner St., Rockford, IL 61107 | 815-398-6322 | uurockford.org |
