Sunday October 13
9:00am Chalice Circle
9:15am Coffee with Questions
10:45am Service
12:15pm Religious Education Meeting
Monday October 7
7:00pm Board Meeting
7:30pm Mindfulness
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Wednesday October 16
1:00pm Chalice Circle
7:00pm Social Justice
7:15pm Stewardship - off site
7:30pm McHenry County Odyssey
Thursday October 17
1:30pm Mindfulness
7:00pm McHenry County Pride
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Eighteen Things to Say to Belong
Sunday, October 13, 2019 10:45am
Guest Speaker, Rabbi Maralee Gordon
Eighteen utterances to say to ourselves and to others to deepen our sense of belonging in our communities. (Eighteen is the numerical value of the Hebrew word, Chai=life). Our Second Sunday offering will be taken for Re-member and Pine Ridge Reservation. See the article at the end of our newsletter or the article from Social Justice for more information about Re-member.
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The Times They Are a Changing
Sunday, October 20, 2019 10:45am
Guest Speaker, Lou Ness
The Wendall Berry Poem, “Peace of the Wild Thing,” gives is a pathway to finding hope and peace in times of great turmoil and yes, even in times when the stakes are not high. Join me for a conversation on being true to self when the world pushes in on you.
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Congregational Events and News
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Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
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Now that we have your attention! This year's
Fall FUUNDRAISER Auction
will be on
Friday, November 8, from 6-10 pm
. It will feature silent and live auctions, a 50-50 raffle, a wine raffle, food, drinks and entertainment. It is always an enjoyable evening but we can't do it without you. Starting this Sunday in the Social Room we will have sign-up lists which we would love to see filled. You can help set up or take down, bring appetizers or desserts, contribute to our gift card tree (or trees - last year we had so much support from you that we were able to auction off 2 trees!) It is our biggest fundraiser for the year providing for any shortfalls in our budget. The Dream Team is very excited to be hosting again but this is not just about us - it's about ALL of us. We really need you to attend. Last year we had over 80 people. We would love to top that number this year.
This year 10% of our profits will be donated to Pioneer Center, earmarked for the permanent homeless shelter in McHenry. They were hoping to have the PADS shelter up and running this fall but now it is looking like it will not be ready until at least January. The more people we have attend and participate, the more we can donate to this worthy cause. Please keep this date open and plan on joining us on Friday, November 8, from 6-10 pm. Thanks so much!
We need YOU to help make it a success. If you are interested in donating an item/service or hosting a party/event,
click on this link
which will take you to the 2019 Sponsor Donation Form. Simply print out the form, fill it out and return it ASAP to the box on the Auction Table (across from the treat/coffee table). OR, if you don't have a printer, pick up a blank form on that same table and fill it out right here at church.
Submission deadline is Friday, October 25.
Let's make this year's auction the best yet.
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The Music Committee invites you to enjoy coffee and local talent at Tree of Life’s Open Mic on
November 2, 2019, 7-10 pm
. Our program will feature an entertaining group of musicians, storytellers, poets, and comedians. Bring your friends for a fun night out and light refreshments. Please be advised that some of the entertainment might contain “adult content”. There is no cover charge, but a free will donation is accepted.
If you would like to perform, or have questions, contact Jane Richards at
rubatotime@aol.com
, by October 27. There are limited 10 minute time slots, so get yours soon!
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Buy your TOLUUC shopping bags at the card station to get ready for January 1, 2020. On that date stores in Woodstock and perhaps others will begin charging 10 cents for each plastic bag. Help the Earth and the church!
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Please help us complete the puzzle in the Clock Room this month as we ponder what it means to be a people of Belonging.
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You have the opportunity to have a loved one’s name on a stone in the Memorial Garden. You can pick the stone, and have your loved one’s name put on the stone with a $100 donation. The $100 goes into the general funds for the church. Please contact the office to arrange for a stone.
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Save the Date for Turkey Bingo
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November 16, 2019 noon-3pm
Live music from Northwest Highway, Silent Auction, Lots of Food, Activities for the kids. Benefits Jail Brakers - a Tree of Life ministry benefiting families impacted by incarceration.
https://treeoflifeuu.org/serve/jail-brakers/
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It is time to create our yearly directory. Please confirm we have the correct contact information for you. We would like to include updated photos of everybody also. Please send a jpeg photo of you and your family that you would like included to
office@treeoflifeuu.org
by October 16th.
We include members and regularly attending friends in the directory. If you are in the directory, you will be given a copy. Please let the office know your preference for being in the directory.
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There will be no Inquirers this Sunday. But we return Sunday, October 20th with Faith Development for Children & Adults. The following is the Inquirers Series schedule for upcoming months:
10/20/2019 Faith Development for Children and Adults
10/27/2019 Worship & Liturgical Year
11/3/2019 Social Justice & Community Service
11/10/2019 Pastoral Care & Small Group Ministry
11/17/2019 Small Group Connections
11/24/2019 Campus Tour & Orientation
12/1/2019 Membership 101 & Congregational Life
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Are you looking to meet new people or getting to know the people you do know better? Circle Dinners are a great way to do so! Dinners are scheduled adult gatherings at members' homes and have been described as “great food and lively conversation with a fascinating group of people”.
This year, dinners will be on the third Saturdays of November, January, March, and May. You can sign up at church on Sunday mornings or with Janet Burns by phone or text at 847-542-7678 or email at
janetrugi@yahoo.com
.
Once you are signed up, please consider approaching someone from church and asking them to join too. The more the merrier.
Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions, I will be happy to shoot you more info.
Janet Burns
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Our worship services would not be nearly so wonderful if nobody could hear our speakers and musicians. Use the link below to get information on how you can be trained to run the sound board and sign up to help.
https://treeoflifeuu.org/soundboard-sign-up/
We especially need people who do not sing in the choir to sign up.
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Women's Book Club Friday Nov. 1 7pm
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Suite française
is the title of a planned sequence of five novels by
Irène Némirovsky
, a French writer of
Ukrainian-Jewish
origin. In July 1942, having just completed the first two of the series, Némirovsky was arrested as a Jew and detained at
Pithiviers
and then
Auschwitz
, where she was murdered, a victim of the
Holocaust
. The notebook containing the two novels was preserved by her daughters but not examined until 1998. They were published in a single volume entitled
Suite française
in 2004. Women's book club will meet at the home of Paula Yensen 971 Brittany Bend, Lake in the Hills, IL .
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He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In! -Edwin Markham
There will be no Religious Education
classes Sunday, October 13. I challenge our students to talk to their families about what it means to belong in a culture that celebrates Columbus Day. Who belongs and who doesn’t? How can we draw a circle to “take him/her in”?
Nursery Care is available
during regular Worship Services for
children birth-4.
Step out Area:
We invite children of all ages to use
our Quiet Work Area under the supervision of their families during worship services. You will find it tucked away outside the sanctuary in the Clock Room.
We need you!
Religious Education is looking for Soul Matters teachers (4-8th grades). You can volunteer in many ways! Do you have
one Sunday per month you can volunteer? Yes, you can help! Do only have one month to offer? Yes, you can help! Do you only have ONE Sunday available? Yes, you can help. Please consider lending a hand in this important class as we
journey as a family!
The
activity group for LGBTQ teens
meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month, 7-9p
m, in the downstairs youth room.
The time of the meeting coincides with the meeting of McHenry PTI (Parents of Transgender Individuals).
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Social justice committee
continues to meet on the 3
rd
Wednesday of the month.
Our second Sunday collection
recipient this month is: Re-Member: a nonprofit organization, which works with the Oglala Lakota Nation on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.
Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota is the poorest county in the United States. The
average life expectancy
on Pine Ridge is 66.81 years, the
lowest
in the United States.
An 89% unemployment rate was identified in a 2005 Department of the Interior report. The school drop-out rate is over 70%.
Infant mortality: 300% higher
than America as a whole.
Teen suicide: 150% higher
than America as a whole
Mark your calendars for Turkey Bingo November 16
th
from 12-3. Buy tickets to attend or help by donating items for the silent auction. This is a Fundraiser to benefit Jail Brakers, a ministry to provide support to families affected by incarceration. See the flyer at church or in the happenings. For more information contact Cheryl Niemo at
jailbrakers@gmail.com
Coming soon:
-Actions to protest gun violence
-Expungement workshops training members to assist those impacted by marijuana convictions
-Renewal of our UUA Welcoming Congregation Status
Our next meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 16
th
in the Sanctuary.
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R. Brian Stanfield in his book, "The Courage to Lead: Transform Self, Transform Society," posits that in order to lead, a person must must be involved in history, i.e. he must understand the past, recognize the present and have a vision of the future. The past is often a problem, as one tends to interpret it according to one's position in the present and what and how one chooses to remember the past. In order to achieve ones vision of the future, one must often let go of the past...or at least one's understanding of the past.
And letting go of the past in the present, if it is as Michael Igantieff writes "a continuous amalgamated mass of fantasies, distortions, myths and lies" is difficult.
Is Igantieff's description of the past/present correct? How do we view our personal past? That of the UU Church? The USA? The world? Are our views pure and unadulterated? What might cause us to change our views? What are some examples? Does what we do as individuals matter? What are some examples? Are we as individuals up to the challenge of understanding the past?
For another lively discussion, join us this Sunday, October 13, morning at 9:15 in the upstairs religious education room. There'll be coffee and food for body and soul.
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Please join Judith Stettner at the Regal Theater in Crystal Lake this Saturday, Oct 12 at 11:55 AM for the Met opera Torandot. Tickets are $22 for seniors. Contact Judy at 779-220-4253 for more info.
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Joys and Concerns shared during the service will be printed in the Happenings and Bulletin unless there is a request made to the office or community care committee to withhold.
Don Metivier
recently found out that
Stan Liszka
passed away September 12th. Stan was a good friend of
Bob Coleman
.
Whit Sears
is pursuing consultation on the possibility of a knee replacement.
Patrick Murfin
attended an annual singing party in Chicago. Patrick shared "Will the Circle be Unbroken" when it was his turn.
Sue Rekenthaler
is thrilled that the veteran she has been working with, Miguel Perez, won his case and went straight from ICE to citizenship. Many of us watched this unfold on Chicago TV.
Dylan
Barber
is helping a friend get out of an abusive relationship. They are seeking healing thoughts and strength for her
.
Jennie Dincecco
has a new home.
21840 West Lake Cook Road, Apt. 4208
Deer Park, IL 60010
815-307-4890
Happy Birthday to
Terry Kappel
(10/11) and
Jane Richard
(10/16)!
Happy Anniversary to
Sue McCowin and Randy Rapp
(10/20)!
Drivers to and from Sunday services needed!
Do you drive through Crystal Lake on your way to services in Sunday? We try to keep the commitment to once per month and can be creative!
The Member Care Team can be reached at the same email address or by calling Karen Meyer if you are in need of support from the congregation.
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You don't have to make coffee - the brew crew takes care of that. You just need to plate and put out your treats and cart them away after the social time.
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MidAmerica Regional News
In the newsletter you will find a mention of Rev. Kevin DeBeck under ministerial transitions, find information about the next regional assembly (close by in Rockford this year!), and the Common Read Book for this year along with so much more.
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Honoring our Indigenous Neighbors
Fundraiser for Re-member at Pine Ridge Reservation Register for the Banquet at C.L. Holiday Inn on Oct 12, honoring Indigenous People! The ticket is $75 in advance or $85 at the door, and all purchasers will receipt a tax deductible donation (receipt) for $40. In addition to reuniting with staff, Board, volunteers and supporters of Re-Member, there will be a silent auction and a review of the seasons work and the state of things out there. The new garden projects at Feather II are a source of great excitement!
If you want to do something hands on and life changing, consider spending a week next year volunteering at Pine Ridge. If you are interested in going as a Tree of Life group, please let the office know. Here is testimonial from Cassandra Vohs-Demann.
I
had the opportunity to do service for the RE-MEMBER organization on Pine Ridge Reservation in 2012. It was an incredibly life changing experience that I will keep with me forever. The week was educational, inspiring, heart breaking and physically exhausting. It fed my soul in ways that at the time, I deeply needed. It would be wonderful to return with a group from Tree of Life someday. Please consider supporting or attending these events. Love and Peace, Cassandra Vohs-Demann – TOL Director of Music
Photo: I’m the one with the blonde ponytail and the gray shirt. Shortly after this photo was taken, I was instructed to get under the trailer to add skirting to keep it warmer in the winter. I was in the dirt and grease hunched over using power tools for about 8 hours! It was one of the hardest and most empowering days of my life and totally worth it to help the family who lived there be warm in the bitter cold months.
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Judy Stettner
Office Administrator
Heather Madaus
Interim Director of Religious Education
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Cassandra Vohs-Demann
Director of Music
Billy Seger
Accompanist
Carrie MacDonald
Board President
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Office Hours:
Monday 10-2
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10-2
Thursday 10-2
Friday 10-2
Others by appointment
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Our Board Members:
Carrie MacDonald - President
President Elect - Leah Mikkelson
Randy Meyer - Treasurer
Mike Bissett - Secretary
Steve Lyons - Trustee
Marcia Johnson- Trustee
Patrick Kerin- Trustee
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Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation
5603 Bull Valley Road
McHenry, IL 60050
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