The UU Church-Rockford, IL

The Climate Crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it.  It impacts human thriving, equity, and our natural world.  It is about how we live now and how we will live in the centuries to come.  It requires a faithful response, and the very fact of it should make us think deeply about our faith.  In our commitments to reason and science and justice, how do we respond to the climate crisis?

Forgiveness is Not ForgettingMarch 1, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThe first in a three-part series one what forgiveness is, and what it isn’t. Can we forgive what has happened, but still learn from it? Does forgiveness mean we have to trust one who has hurt us? What’s the relationship between forgiveness, memory, justice, and peace?

The Case for ReparationsFebruary 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThe question of generosity has led us to think about economic justice. During Black History Month, we are all invited to reconsider the myth of American history and lay it aside in favor of the truth. These two themes connect when we consider what is owed to those who, without freedom or compensation, built this country, and what might be, now, owed to their descendants.

Toxic (and non-Toxic) CharityFebruary 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonRecently, leaders in the non-profit world have wondered more clearly about the “charity industry” and how to make sure that charity actually makes the world better, instead of repeating patterns that are unhelpful.  Two local leaders who have worked on this question will share their learnings with us.  Linda Sandquist is a lifelong Rockfordian and has made her career in the human service sector for the last 15 years. She currently serves as the Vice President of United Way.  She has two “do-gooder” daughters, one a hospice social worker and one a kindergarten teacher. She is the proud grandma of 10 month old granddaughter, Joanna, and to 4 year old granddog, June.  Brab Roos, also a lifelong Rockfordian, is a volunteer consultant with the Northern Illinois Center for Non-Profit Excellence.  He was executive director of Zion Development for twenty years, helping lead the revitalization of Midtown, before his retirement in 2014.  He and his wife Susan have three adult sons.

Go BeyondJune 2, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThere are moments when we transcend our day-to-day realities, and touch the divine mystery. These moments can produce wonder, “fear and trembling,” and transformation. How do we seek out these moments, and what do we do when they happen to us?  This is part one of a two-part series; the second part, on how we recognize the sacred in the day-to-day, will be on June 16th.

Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, ThiefFebruary 9, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonLast week, we explored Luke 15.  This week will be Luke 16: stories about greed, generosity, loyalty, and the great chasm that can open between love and fear.  Jesus has something to say about economic inequality!

A Generous InterpretationFebruary 2, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonSunday begins a two-sermon series on Luke 15 (this week) and Luke 16 (next week).  These two chapters tell some of the most vivid stories in the Christian scripture, including The Prodigal Son.  They are stories about generosity, greed, and hope. This week, we’ll explore what it means to “give the benefit of the doubt” and to believe the best of others, even if we might be disappointed.

Authority SongJanuary 26, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonHow it come it so often feels like when we fight authority, authority wins?  Are we always fighting their battle on their terms?  Is there another way?  What should our relationship to authority be?  Special guest musician Ron Holm will join us.  Bring a friend!

T’Challa, Rey, and Clark KentJanuary 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonWhat do these superheroes, each reluctant leaders, have to teach us about leadership and authority? We’ll explore the metaphors of Vibranium, the Force, and Kryptonite, think about the meanings of “Wakanda Forever” and “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” and wonder about what it means to claim your superhero name.

Like Cooking A Small FishJanuary 5, 2020Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonLao-Tzu says that “governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.”  Why might that be?  What are the spiritual qualities of leadership and authority?

Celebrating the Spirit of KwanzaaDecember 29, 2019Rev. Joyce PalmerKwanzaa is a holiday designed to honor and celebrate African American culture, values, and community. During the Kwanzaa celebration, everyone pledges to work together to improve themselves and to make their community a better place to live. This is a celebration that all are welcome to join. Joyce Palmer served as the Assistant Minister at Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, WI. She received her Master of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She served as Director of Membership and Lay Ministry at All Souls Church UU, in Washington, DC. Joyce is the lead on the Marjorie Bowens Wheatley Scholarship Committee through the UU Women’s Federation. Joyce and her family recently moved back to Rockford, IL to live closer to family. Joyce currently works at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois as a Child Welfare Specialist Supervisor. She is also a Community Minister at the UU Church of Rockford. She enjoys reading, teaching Nia dance classes, spending time with her husband Tim and sons Dorien and Antonio, and walking her terrier mix, Rosey.

Compassion and Loving KindnessDecember 22, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.As we reflect on the theme of compassion, we’ll draw on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn to consider the place of compassion in managing anger, making justice, and achieving peace. What is The Great Compassion, and how might we cultivate it?  How can we learn to love from a place of authenticity and care for self and others?

Weaving and Quilting Love and JusticeDecember 1, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonSince 1988, December 1st of each year has been marked as World AIDS Day.  When it began, in the midst of a deadly and stigmatized pandemic, it sought to move people from judgement to compassion, and from compassion to justice.  As we begin our month on the theme of Compassion, we’ll reflect why World AIDS Day continues to matter, the work we are all called to now, and why compassion is the foundation of faithful justice-making.  (If someone you know has died of AIDS, and you have a photo of a quilt in their honor, or of the person, I invite you to bring it before the service and place it on the altar.)

Thanks-visionNovember 24, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Michelle LattanzioSpiritual practices of gratitude can help us discern and keep to our mission and vision.  How do we cultivate the spirit of thanks-vision?  Michelle is currently serving as a Hospice Chaplain in Skokie, IL. Michelle is in Preliminary Fellowship with the UUA and a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School, and will be ordained here in Rockford next April. She holds a PhD in English from the University of South Florida and taught undergraduate classes at USF. She likes spending time with her dog Axel, creating art, reading, writing, dancing and rooting for her favorite roller derby teams.

A Fool's ErrandNovember 17, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonWhat is the role of the holy fool, the trickster god, the jester and the clown, in the mission of building a better world? How can comics and troublemakers help us get past our ideologies and illusions, and be agents for justice and truth?

One Wild and Precious LifeNovember 3, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonWhat is the purpose and meaning of your life? What’s your personal mission and vision? And how do you know if that purpose if faithful, worthy, and just? Reflections on deciding, and living, the meaning of your life.

Engaging Our Neighbors: Building Democracy in PracticeOctober 13, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Scott AasengCrises like the ones we’re facing call for radical action. Not necessarily more extreme action, but radical in the sense of addressing the roots of these crises. One of the most radical actions we can take is to talk – and listen – to our neighbors.

394 Days To GoOctober 6, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonOn Nov. 2nd, 2020 – in 394 days – many Americans will vote for a new President, as well as for other federal and local offices.  (Some, because of disenfranchisement, can not.) How might we navigate the time between now and then? How do we hold to our values – and not get lost in the fight of the day? As we begin our month on the theme of “democracy,” thoughts about the 394 days to come.

Maw-waidge. (Marriage).  September 22, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonOne of the archetypal examples of covenant is the covenant of marriage.  Marriage – whether we’re in one or not at the moment – shapes all of our lives and our society.  What is this covenant about?  When is it worthy of tending and when not, and how do you know? What can all of us learn about healthy marriages that might make our lives, regardless of our status, richer and more full?