a whole-hearted community,

feeding body, mind & spirit

Theme for April: God / Divine

Church Office Closed...

but your dedicated staff is continuing to work from home.

You can reach us at our regular email addresses:

We will continue checking voice messages remotely but email is a quicker and more assured way of reaching us. We will continue to heed recommendations of the Governor and remain working from home until the end of May.

Worship

We will be offering Virtual Worship Service at 10:45 am

on Sunday - note new time!!!

April 26: I Am: the face of God The word God carries with it so much baggage that many folks have discarded it entirely. And yet, many of us feel connected to something much larger than our own small selves. If you were going to describe God, what words would you use? Do you have a better word for your relationship with the great "I Am"? How does not having shared language prevent us from having deep and meaningful conversations around that sacred otherness of life? In preparation for the service, look around for 'God' in the world around you. Share a picture, or poem, or brief paragraph. Share it on Facebook or send in to the office . What is the face of God today? ~Rev Pam Rumancik

Click Here to Join by Zoom on Sunday at 10:45 am

Password: 997782 if needed

You will need to set your computer up ahead of time and download a small program. You can try it out now by clicking the link and following the directions on your screen. This is a one-time set up, after that you can simply click the provided link and access the Zoom channel. For more information you click here for a tutorial by the Foothills UU Church in Colorado. https://foothillsuu.org/resource/zoom-resources/ . Password: 997782

* To avoid unappreciated Zoom interruptions, please do not share this link through social media. If you would like to share our service with someone, please direct them to the YouTube link. Thanks!

OR

Click H ere to View on Youtube on Sunday at 10:45

You also can simply click this link to watch the service.

Last week, there was not enough band-width to allow uploading the service as it was recorded. We have taken steps to mitigate that issue, but it is possible it may happen again. If there is no live feed at 10:45 am, check back later in the afternoon. We will upload the recorded service and get it up after 4:00pm.

Next Week:

May 3: Celebrating Coming of Age

Our youth have been working with their mentors all year long, learning about Unitarian Universalist theology and exploring their own understanding of what it means to be religiously human in this time in their lives. We celebrate the important work they've done and honor the realizations and insights they've found. ~Pam Fodor, Coming of Age Youth & Rev Pam Rumancik

OR

Our April Special Collection to benefit Best Friends Animal Society raised $195. Thank you for your support and generosity especially during these trying times.

Caring Corner

The ripples of our lives touch those around us. We keep in mind all of our members and friends including...

Please let us know of folks we should add to our list and share with our Caring Circle Coordinators. If you would like to be part of our caring tree and check up on fellow church members during this challenging time, please let Pam Fodor or Mary Getty know.

 

*You will find the Caring Circle list of Area Coordinators at the end of the Touchstone found on our website at http://www.hinsdaleunitarian.org/new/the-touchstone/

Non-Fiction Book Group

 Book Lovers,  

Please join our book groupon Tuesday evening, April 28 to discuss Will in the World . Just click HERE to join us You'll see that Zoom has us beginning at 7 p.m . rather than 7:30. If the earlier time is inconvenient for you, do join us a bit later, anyway. We'll still be here for you. In order to avoid talking over one another, I'll probably call on you when you "raise your hand" (Zoom has a button at the bottom that of the screen for doing that) or if you actually physically raise your hand. Initially, I may just go around, asking you what most interested you about the book. If you have any questions about Zoom, please contact me at solbergeasycom@aol.com -Ron

Plant Sale - Order Now!!

Sale Is Extended Until April 30th.

All Plants Are $5.00.

We are all going to be motivated to plant this Spring even if it's in a few containers on your deck or patio.

 

To help make this happen, the Senior Youth Group is again going to be offering Heirloom plants from Contrary Mary's in Minooka. Below is a list of the plants we will be selling and you can go to Contrary Mary's Plants.com for description. 

  

To place an order, email the names and quantities of the plants you want to sejutjanice@comcast.net . PLEASE HAVE ORDERS IN BY APRIL 30TH. You can pay for the plants when you pick them up. All plants are grown n organic soil in 4 inch pots. Pick up will be in mid-May and details will be in News and Notes.

 

We will also have plants for sale that we have growing in the RE building.

Thank you for your support of the Senior Youth Group!

Picture Yourself!!

Are you wearing a mask lovingly made by someone from UCH? Take a picture of yourself or others wearing these masks and post it on our Facebook page HERE. Let them know you're wearing it IN good health and FOR good health!!

Care Packages of Food

If you find yourself quarantined and you are not able to get to the

store for food and supplies please contact the church. We have made up

emergency care packages that we are willing to deliver to your door.

Please reach out if you are need of any kind of assistance. Be well!

From Deb and the Fair Trade Table

In order to help make up for the lost revenue the fair trade table generates for the church, Debbi is offering to send 100% of the profits from any books folks would like to order from her to UCH. She will cover the shipping as part of her donation, so you pay only the price you see on her website plus tax. Her online book sales site is through the new Bookshop.org alternative to Amazon, and you can look up books there (there are over 7.5 million titles available - they probably have anything you are looking for) and Debbi can have them shipped directly to your home from the distributor. Once you decide which books you want, email Deb at fairisleshop@gmail.com or give her a call or text on her cell phone (630 272-6760) with the titles. She'll work out check or credit card payment with you then and keep track of donations for the church. (If you order directly on the website Deb won't know and the church can't benefit.) The link to the site is:  https://bookshop.org/shop/fairislebooks  We are also hoping to host a pre-mother's day sale where folks can look online at a new website Debbi is developing for fair trade items. In our first week we sold over $150 in books and raised over $60 for the church. Order for yourself or brighten someone's day with a gift - there are even puzzles available (both jigsaw and book form) so take a look!

Happy book reading everyone - it's good for your mental health!

Pillars Community Health continues to closely monitor updates from the CDC and The Department of Public Health. While the Community Shop on Calendar Court in La Grange is closed, Pillars’ programs and services are still available for emergency services, as well as online, virtual and phone assistance for those needing non-emergency help of any kind.  

A list of available services is on the Pillars website: https://pillarscommunityhealth.org/coronavirus/

  Helping Those Who Can't Help Themselves

SUBJ: Masks in Prisons

From UUPMI Director: Rev Allison Farnum

These days of social distancing, it can be hard to know how to show up for people who are most vulnerable to the pandemic.  Prisons are the pandemic. Prisons are not safe for humans. At the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois , our focus is to #FreeThemAll, and, for now, masks are a way to reduce harm caused to our people inside. While we should not have to do this and prisons should provide supplies to keep our people healthy and safe, people inside are also getting sick fast. We have 3 deaths in Chicago's Cook County Jail already, and 146 confirmed cases in IL Prisons. We will lose many if we don't act and as fast as we can. Please help Love & Protect and Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration and send masks to people inside for their safety.

Here is the google doc with all the info , patterns and tracking for sending masks inside (via Love & Protect). Logan, Cook County, Decatur, and Fox Valley prisons have all agreed to receive masks. 

We ask that anyone who donates masks  input their names and the quantity they sent in the boxes for that location , so that the number needed will be updated as other people send them. If you don't know how to update the Google Sheet, or need reimbursement for supplies, please email the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry at  uupmi.info@gmail.com  and we will help!

Racial Equity Team Weekly Link:

Check out our Race Resources page with articles, videos & book suggestions to learn more. You can also subscribe to  Race/Related , a newsletter focused on race, identity and culture by the New York Times. It is published on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and edited by Lauretta Charlton.

Emergency Exit Map

Please note that in the back of every Singing the Living Tradition hymnal there is an emergency exit route map. In case of an emergency, refer to this guide and please assist others who do not have a map.