All activities will be offered using Zoom
No activities will take place at the church.
Friday January 22
7:00pm Women's Circle
Sunday January 24
9:00am Chalice Circle
9:00am Coffee with Questions
10:45am Service: Moral Imagination
11:45am Religious Education
12:15pm Inquirers
Monday January 18
7:00pm Dream Team/Stewardship
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Tuesday January 26
7:30pm Mindfulness
Wednesday January 27
7:00pm Social Justice
7:00pm Membership Development
Thursday January 28
8:00am Men's Breakfast
7:00pm UU Theology
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Moral Imagination
Sunday, January 24, 2020
10:45am
Rev Jenn Gracen
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What is a moral imagination? How does it call us to behave in the future?
- Speaker: Rev. Jenn Gracen
- Worship Leader: Carol Alfus
- Chalice Lighter: Leah Mikkelson
- Hymns: Billy Seger
After the service we will have breakout rooms for coffee hour, Religious Education, and Inquirers for newcomers.
Problems with Zoom? You are in Zoom but can’t hear anything? You can hear but you can’t see? You can’t open the chat to get help? During Sunday services, you can call or text 815-669-0403 and a member of the tech team will try to help.Meeting ID: 914 978 219Passcode: 105215
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For Want of a Word; How Unitarian Universalism Almost Wasn't
Sunday, January 31, 2021
10:45am
Rev Jenn Gracen
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When the Unitarians and the Universalists met to decide if they would be one the answer was nearly no. It was dedication and one person’s imagination that made who we are today possible.
- Speaker: Rev. Jenn Gracen
- Worship Leader: George “Kaz” Kazlusky
- Chalice Lighter: Don Metivier
After the service we will have Religious Education classes, breakout rooms for coffee hour and Inquirers for newcomers.
Problems with Zoom? You are in Zoom but can’t hear anything? You can hear but you can’t see? You can’t open the chat to get help? During Sunday services, you can call or text 815-669-0403 and a member of the tech team will try to help.Meeting ID: 914 978 219Passcode: 105215
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Did you miss last week's service? |
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Congregational Events and News |
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Mission and Vision
This is a time of transition, in so many ways! Reflecting as a congregation on who we are and where we want to go from here can greatly help us on our journey forward. We want to know your thoughts about our mission and vision. In the weeks and months to come, we’ll be visiting and revisiting this topic in many different ways. For now, we invite you to share your ideas on our Padlet virtual bulletin board. We ask that you consider and respond to any or all of the following three questions:
1. What you are looking for in this congregation?
2. What you want our church to be?
3. What three words might you use to describe who we are?
You can post your thoughts on our Mission and Vision Padlet by clicking on this link:
For clarity, please line up your posts under the question you’re responding to.
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Continuing Our Anti-Racism Work
The board's anti-racism subcommittee invites all members and friends to our next anti-racism discussion on Wednesday February 3 at 7pm. We will be discussing the book, White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo. We hope that many of you will join us.
Following White Fragility, we will undertake focused work guided by the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. This book requires each individual to do 28 days of reading, reflecting and journaling on a chapter a day (about 5-10 pages each). Each day there are journal prompts to aid your personal discovery of your own white supremacy.
The author has requested that book circles use the Circle Way Model. This model has many similarities to our Chalice Circles. Each participant has the opportunity to share without discussion, questions or judgement and to practice deep listening.
We recognize this will require an intense level of commitment. Therefore, we ask that those who are interested look at the book, Me and White Supremacy in the next month to decide if you are able to commit to the process and the work. We will start with an orientation meeting sometime in February or March and each week meet in a virtual circle to share our discoveries. This will be a 5 week commitment, 4 weeks requiring individual daily work. We would ask that individuals commit to attend each of the 5 White Supremacy and Me meetings (barring an emergency), and to engage with the material each of the 28 days.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss further, you can contact Rev. Jenn, Janet Burns, Ivy Sitkoski or Irene Raven. We believe that this will be challenging work but the reward will be in line with our UU values. Please contact us if you are interested in committing to this work.
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Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My! It's Gracen Baby Shower Time!
Rev. Jenn and Virginia's baby is due on March 29, 2021. We are all so excited. The Board and Program Council are hosting a virtual Zoom shower for the Gracens on Saturday February 20th from 2pm to 4pm. Everyone is welcome. The theme for Baby Gracen's room is...Animals!! The Gracens are registered on Babylist.com. If you are ordering gifts please have them delivered directly to the Gracen's home. Their address is in Breeze. If not, we encourage contact free delivery. Rev. Jenn also has a baby pool you can enter. A small reward will go to the winner! Go to https://www.babyhunch.com/pool/P011176GB1EN and enter your guesses.
Keep watch. More details to come in the following weeks as well as the Zoom link.
Leah Mikkelson wants to make a special surprise for the expected Gracen baby. She is collecting funny stories and warm sentiments/hopes/wishes for baby from the congregation to incorporate into the surprise. Congregants are asked to submit their contributions via email to office@treeoflifeuu.org . Here are some ideas to get started:
Wishes for baby:
I hope you learn...
I hope you cherish..
I hope you laugh...
I hope you love...
I hope you never forget...
I hope you find...
I hope you become...
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We Welcome New Members
Membership can be an important step in your spiritual journey. If you have been attending Tree of Life and feel now is the time to join us in full fellowship, we welcome you. Contact Judy Stettner (office@treeoflifeuu.org or 256-682-1119) to arrange to sign our book. You can learn more about Tree of Life membership here
On Sunday, February 14th we will hold a welcoming ceremony for our new members during the church service.
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Get to know us with Inquirers
Faith Forward Inquirers is a weekly program to welcome new attendees and introduce them to Unitarian Universalism and Tree of Life. We will meet online Sundays from 12:15-1:15pm using the same link as the Sunday service. These sessions are the main path to membership.
January 24th- Membership 101 & Congregational Life
February 7th- Q&A with the Minister
February 14th - UU History, Principles & Sources
February 21st- Campus Tour & Orientation
February 28th- Faith Development for Children & Adults
March 7th- Worship & Liturgical Year
March 14th - Social Action & Community Service
March 21st - Pastoral Care & Small Group Ministry
March 28th- Small Group Connections
These sessions will repeat throughout the year and can be taken in any order. Questions? Contact Judy at office@treeoflifeuu.org
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We invite members of all ages to join in family-friendly Worship on Sundays, beginning January 10, followed
by Religious Education classes:
Birth to 5th grade: noon
6th grade-12th grade: 11:45am
Classroom link for all classes:
Volunteer opportunities
Classroom assistants:
We are in need of classroom assistants.
These VIPs would be responsible being present in our virtual classrooms from noon-12:45. This role requires no weekly preparation, but is vital to making sure RE can happen safely. The timing of our classes should allow you to enjoy coffee “hour” before signing in.
Calling young musicians
Our Music program is better with YOU!
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TOL Women's Book Group February Selection
We will be discussing Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist on Friday February 5th at 7:00 PM. Please join us using this Zoom Link:
Meeting ID 521-385-171
Meeting Password
730531
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Chalice Circles - Soul Matters at Tree of Life |
Our UU faith is a theology of connection and through the Soul Matters themes we explore those connections – reflecting on our lives, our gifts, and the needs of the world around us. We practice deep listening to receive the stories of each other and we learn to hear our own voice as well – growing the confidence to speak our truth wherever we are.. Everyone is welcome to join. We currently have 4 circles meeting: 2nd Sunday 9 am, 3rd Wed. 2:30 pm, and 4th Sunday 9 am and 7 pm. New circles are a possibility. For more information: https://treeoflifeuu.org/tree-of-life-rooted-in-love-extending-that-love-to-all-of-humanity/ For questions: Contact M. E. (Emi) Tanabe m.e.tanabe@comcast.net or Janet Burns, janetrugi@yahoo.com
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Thursday mornings at 8:00am men of Tree of Life are invited to gather online to shoot the breeze. No agenda or particular topic- just men in community. You can join us online with this link Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96545523207 Meeting ID: 965 4552 3207
One tap mobile +13126266799,,96545523207# US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 965 4552 3207
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Always new and improving….some assembly recommended
Mindfulness Practice invites you to drop by any time during the practice sessions —it’s easy to quietly slip in or out and take part in as much or as little group practice as is helpful for you. We sample different exercises for bringing mindfulness to our daily lives and for exploring our connection to each other and to all Life.
Whether you join us not, please consider taking time to gift yourself with occasional periods of stillness and gratitude. Such a gift to yourself is always a gift to others... and ultimately, to all life.
This is a drop-in program. No sign up or commitment required. For questions, contact M. E. (Emi) Tanabe m.e.tanabe@comcast.net
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American Democracy Threatened and Affirmed—I think we all breathed a sigh of relief this week and a rebirth of hope. Much of that hope was reaffirmed on President Biden’s first afternoon in quick spasms of executive orders and declarations that reversed many of the atrocities of the last four years and affirmed values we hold as Unitarian Universalists. More are expected over the coming days and months. Making even more change requires the cooperation of Congress. Many struggles lie ahead. We still have work to do!
Compassion for Campers—We are making adjustments to our Compassion for Campers schedule of distributions over the remainder of the cold weather season—February, March, and April. Details are being worked out but we will probably conduct all distributions at Warp Corps in Woodstock which is centrally located and where our hosts already have an established relationship with both the homeless community and social service agencies that serve them. Confirmation of that venue and dates will be announced in the next Happenings. Thank you for your continued support.
Second Sunday Collections—On January 10 Family Health Partnership Clinic was our recipient. In February we will support the Home of the Sparrow.
UU Prison Ministry—The first session of two Prison Industrial Complex 101 educational programs was held last Saturday. The second session will be this Saturday, January 23 at 11:30 am. Registration for these sessions has closed but we hope other members will be able to join Cheryl Niemo of our Jail Brakers ministry and Irene Raven for this important event. The training sessions cover the prison industry complex, solidarity circles and more led by UU Prison Ministry of Illinois steering committee member Megan Selby.
On Sunday March 7 from 3pm-4:30pm there will be training on Solidarity Circles to support individuals emerging from the prison system.
McHenry County Jail Immigrant Detention Contract—We continue to offer support to Standing Up Against Racism-Woodstock, Elgin Black Lives Matter, and Latino community organizations in their campaign to convince the new McHenry County Board to cancel the ICE contract with the county jail. There have been recent vigils at the facility. We are asked to support by writing comments to be read at board meetings and letters to the editor. Keep posted on the campaign at Standing Up Against Racism-Woodstock’s Facebook Group , Ask to join.
Social Justice Team Meeting—The Social Justice Team that usually is scheduled on the third Wednesday of the month was postponed this week in light of the Presidential Inaugural coverage. We will meet by Zoom on Wednesday January 27 at 8 pm—note the change of time Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 898 5274 9848
Passcode: 605840
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For another lively discussion, join us via Zoom this Sunday morning, January 24, 2021 at 9 a.m. Grab your favorite beverage in the comfort of your home and prepare for some food for the soul. Feel free to bring in elements of our legacy conversation from last week!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 837 0697 3849
Passcode: 2021
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Thanks to Rev. Jenn, Lisa and Till Messinger, Billy Seger, Worship Arts, and the Tech Team for last Sunday's service.
Baby Gracen is doing well and is either praising or protesting the playing of jazz. To be determined!
Sue Kaz is recuperating from surgery to place a plate into her broken arm if all went as scheduled Thursday, January 21.
Judy Mullen had to return to the hospital but is doing better now and will transfer to a rehab facility soon. She would love to hear from her TOL family by text or phone. Our best wishes to Judy for a continued return to health.
Dan Laux has been recovering at Hearthstone since December 14 following surgery. He is expected to return home this week with home health care a few days a week. Chris and Dan love to hear from TOL family. Dan enjoys funny cards!
Lisa Campagnolo thanks her Chalice Circle and church friends for encouraging and supporting her self-care. She shared a story about a deserted mansion in Elgin and the family that has adopted it. Peace and light to all!
"Hearts are weary, tired, breaking......"
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"Pause, rest, but never give up."
Happy January Birthdays to:
Deb Glaubke, January 26th
Katie Mikkelson, January 27th
Ross Relic, January 28th
Mary Robinson, January 28th
Happy February Birthdays to:
Camden Sears, February 2nd
Hadley Wadlington, February 2nd
Kerry Julian, February 5th
Mariana Colon, February 5th
Rocco Mrozek, February 8th
Joanne LaRussa, February 21st
Janet Burns, February 27th
Otto Mrozek, February 28th
If you are in need of assistance or know somebody in the congregation that does, our care committee can be reached at care@treeoflifeuu.org
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MCDH requests Phase 1B and 1C residents enroll for their vaccine
Vaccine enrollment will help MCDH determine vaccine needs for eligible groups
Post Date: 01/11/2021 7:58 PM
The McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) is encouraging those identified in Phase 1B and Phase 1C complete a COVID-19 vaccine enrollment form.
Vaccine enrollment will be used by MCDH to determine the vaccine needs for those identified in the Phase 1B and Phase 1C groups. After completing the enrollment form and once a clinic becomes available to each group, additional information on how to schedule an appointment will be directly emailed to those who complete the form.
MCDH continues to vaccinate individuals who are in the priority Phase 1A group but is preparing for future COVID-19 clinics for those identified in Phase 1B and Phase 1C. If you are in the Phase 1A group and have not yet enrolled yourself or your staff, please complete and submit the form found at https://redcap.link/hcpvaccine.
For Phase 1B and Phase 1C enrollment, a point of contact from each organization, an independent contractor not affiliated with an organization, anyone 65 years or older or anyone with a high-risk condition is encouraged to enroll by completing and submitting the enrollment form found at https://redcap.link/mcdh_phase_1b_1c_vaccine_enrollment.
Phase 1B includes the following industries and individuals:
- Anyone 65 years of age or older
- First Responders - 911, fire, law enforcement, security personnel, school officers
- Education - teachers, principals, student support, student aids, day care workers
- Food and Agriculture - processing, plants, veterinary health, livestock services, animal care
- Manufacturing - industrial production of goods for distribution to retail, wholesale or other manufactures
- Corrections Workers and Inmates - prison/jail officers, juvenile facility staff, workers providing in-person support, inmates
- Unites States Postal Services workers
- Public Transit Workers - flight crews, bus drivers, train conductors, taxi drivers, in-person support, ride sharing services
- Grocery Store Workers
- Shelters/Adult Day Care - homeless shelters, adult day/drop-in program, sheltered workshop,
Phase 1C includes the following industries and individuals:
- Persons aged 16 to 59 years old with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 (conditions include obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart condition including hypertension, kidney disease, cancer, immunocompromised, sickle cell and pregnancy)
- Transportation and logistics
- Water and wastewater
- Food service
- Shelter and housing (e.g., construction)
- Finance (e.g., bank tellers)
- Information technology and communications
- Energy
- Legal
- Media
- Public safety (e.g., engineers)
- Public health workers
Anyone who does not have access to a computer or the internet is encouraged to watch local media outlets to find out when their group is eligible to schedule their vaccine appointment by phone.
Those receiving their vaccine at an MCDH clinic will need to bring current identification and proof of their employment (employment badge, paycheck stub, state licensure or certificate) if applicable. If proof of employment is not provided at the time of your appointment, MCDH reserves the right to deny you the vaccine.
MCDH will only see those who arrive at the time of their scheduled appointment and provide verification of their scheduled appointment that will be provided by the electronic registration system upon successful scheduling of your appointment.
There is a 15 minute observation period after receiving the vaccine. This is common practice to ensure no adverse reaction after introducing a new vaccine into the body.
“Our team has been busy vaccinating, and we are close to moving on to Phase 1B,” said MCDH Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson. “We will need to further prioritize within the Phase 1B group, but we will make sure everyone who is interested in receiving the vaccine will have the opportunity to do so before moving on. Please be patient and enroll to ensure that you are getting the information you need to schedule an appointment for yourself or those in your organization.”
For more information about COVID-19 vaccine distribution in McHenry County and for links to Phase 1B and Phase 1C vaccine enrollment, please visit https://bit.ly/MCDHCovidVaccine.
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Beloved Conversations
Spring semester of Beloved Conversations beginning soon!
Beloved Conversations, the signature offering of The Fahs Collaborative at Meadville Lombard Theological School—is a program for Unitarian Universalists seeking to embody racial justice as a spiritual practice.
Registration: February 1-26th, 2021
Spring Term Begins: March 16th, 2021 and ends the beginning of June, 2021
Program Details: As with the entire Within Phase, the courses, gatherings, and materials will be different for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and white folks. Our Lessons, Pods, and Meaning Making Sessions will still be done in race-based caucuses.
Gathering Ourselves, for BIPOC: Folks who have completed Fall Term will continue on with new material in the Spring Term. Those who will be new to the program in the Spring Term will begin with the older material. The two groups will come together for Meaning Making Sessions.
Un/Learning for Liberation, for the white folks: Material will be all new and accessible to people who are just beginning or those of us continuing on from the Fall. Folks will all be together in one cohort for Meaning Making Sessions and combined into Learning Pods that will mix both newer folks and folks who have completed the Fall Term.
Learning Pod Details: For those of you who choose to continue in Beloved Conversations: Virtual in the Spring term, we will be encouraging risk-taking and knowledge- and relationship-building by suggesting that Learning Pods allow themselves to be shuffled and any members of your Pod who continue the program in the Spring be assigned to a new Pod.
Cost: $250 USD per person (lay folks and religious professionals). White folks and anyone with economic privileges/ample professional expenses will be encouraged to pay more. Full and partial scholarships will be generous and easily accessible.
Congregational Groups: We will be accepting payment from congregations/communities/other entities for groups of 20 people or more. If congregation/community/group members choose to pod together, the pod assignments will be the responsibility of the congregational/community/group organizers. We will no longer be offering group discounts.
For More Information: You will be able to access more information about the Spring Term soon, on our website at meadville.edu/beloved including dates for all of the Spring Meaning Making Sessions.
As you consider joining us in the spring, we want to remind you that, unlike “school,” these learning terms are guided experiences, not hierarchical “semesters” that are accomplished once, and never revisited again. In fact, unlearning a lifetime of enculturation that is unhelpful and sometimes harmful, and reconnecting to self and community takes more than a semester or a year. We hope that Beloved Conversations: Virtual will continue to be part of your ongoing learning, both individually and community, as we ground ourselves in practices that lead us all towards collective liberation.
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Register for General Assembly Now
If you’ve ever hosted a dinner party, company meeting or life celebration, then you know how beneficial the guest count is to ensuring a successful experience. General Assembly is the same. The sooner we know how many UUs will attend, the sooner we can finalize decisions about what and how much to invest in production technology, speakers, programming, accessibility services, music, worship services, and financial support for attendees and volunteers. Moreover, the benefit of time means we can be more thorough in recruiting, onboarding, and training our volunteer teams. Help us serve our community by registering early. If need be, make a deposit using our payment plan. It’s one way to let us know you plan to attend even as you take more time to prepare due to the pandemic, political climate, and/or personal concerns. Let’s top the attendance charts this year!
Registered attendees are among the first to hear program announcements, including featured speakers and the Ware Lecturer and only registered attendees will have access to the new GA app (coming soon!) So, register early to join online discussions, familiarize yourself with the GA schedule, and find your tribe in our community of communities.
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Seminary for a Day
Your members and friends are cordially invited to join us for our VIRTUAL Seminary for a Day on Saturday, January 30, at First Unitarian Portland. This year’s spiritual theme is entitled, Success, Failure, and Everything In Between.
Our keynote speaker is the Rev. Meg Riley, co-moderator of the UUA, the highest volunteer office of our movement. Rev. Riley spent 37 years as a UU religious professional, including stints as the UUA’s Director of (then) LBG Concerns, Director of the UUA Washington Office, and Head of the Advocacy and Witness Staff Group.
At Seminary for a Day Rev. Riley is eager to share what she has learned and reflect on how our faith’s past weaknesses, successes and failures can help us now in our pursuits of equality and justice. She will explore the topic through the lens of our work in welcoming LGBTQ+ people and the lessons that have come from that work.
Details: Saturday, January 30, 2021
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time
11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Registration is open until 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 29th. You will receive a Zoom link via email before the event.
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Judy Stettner
Congregational Administrator
Heather Madaus
Interim Director of Religious Education
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Cassandra Vohs-Demann
Director of Music
Billy Seger
Accompanist
Leah Mikkelson
Board President
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Office Hours: Hours will vary from below while our staff practices social distancing to flatten the curve
Monday 10-2
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10-2
Thursday 10-2
Friday 10-2
Others by appointment
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Our Board Members:
Leah Mikkelson - President
President Elect -Sue McCowin
Janet Burns - Treasurer
Irene Raven- Secretary
Steve Lyons - Trustee
Ivy Sitkoski- Trustee
Mike Bissett- Trustee
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Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation
5603 Bull Valley Road
McHenry, IL 60050
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