Posts from October 2022
Unfinished Business by Rev. Karen G. Johnston from Braver/Wiser: A Weekly Message of Courage and Compassion
“Don’t fear your mortality, because it is this very mortality that gives meaning and depth and poignancy to all the days that will be granted to you.”–Paul Tsongas How much notice would I want ahead of time before I die? Is it six minutes? Six days? Six months? There are wise ones who say not to waste your time and energies on things we cannot know or change. Yet this set of hypothetical questions has been an evocative way for…
Ethnic Eating November Restaurant Choice
Ethnic Eating is a UUCE social group open to all UUCE members and friends. The program is designed to promote food and fellowship to build community among its participants. Each month, a different country’s cuisine is sampled in an area restaurant. To the greatest extent possible, dining reservations are set for weekend times to maximize the number of folks’ convenience to attend. The program is coordinated by Dan Hislip. Participation is available by expressing interest to dwhislip@gmail.com at least 10 dates prior to the…
From the Worship Team
After an amazing year of being part of the worship team, I wanted to take some time to acknowledge my unexpected love for our lay led congregation. While I know many of us are used to having a permanent minister, I for one am so grateful to get the unique chance of experiencing the creative diversity a lay lead church has to offer! Since returning to UUCE, one of my favorite things has been to hear so many different perspectives,…
Part of the Mystery by Laura Shay from Braver/Wiser: A Weekly Message of Courage and Compassion
“I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.”―Wendell Berry, “The Peace of Wild Things” When my spouse decided to raise Monarch Butterflies, I thought she had gone a bit overboard in her search for meaningful retirement activities. Although I have to admit, the plump, striped caterpillar she named Slinky quickly piqued my interest. I checked on Slinky daily waiting to see what would happen next. Each day was an unknown.…
Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck
November 19, 2022 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Before the craziness of the holidays begin, we came together for a low-key community potluck. There were no rules about who should bring what – everyone just brought whatever they wanted to. Lots of fellowship was had by all.
From the Revitalization Team
Hello Friends, Earlier in the year, the Revitalization Team, Board of Trustees, and Executive Team joined forces for a Joint Leadership Task Force. The main activity of this task force was to look at how the church was functioning as a lay-led congregation. We came up with a long list of activities that a minister normally leads or is involved in and discussed where we thought we had gaps and what priorities we should work on. One of the things…
Ethnic Eating Update
This month, nine intrepid explorers (see below) celebrated the cuisine of Angola/West Africa by dining at Vee Vee’s African restaurant on the 15th. It was a little bit of a drive for a lot of new tastes – think plantains, yams, goat. It was well worth the effort. In November not so much will be expected since we’ll be in Schaumberg celebrating the foods of the Caribbean island of Anguilla. on the 13th at 1 pm. I hope you can…
From your Church Administrator
You might have noticed there’s been a lot of work taking place on the church’s exterior. When I first started back in the Admin. job two years ago, I noticed the building siding and trim was in much need of care. So, I made a proposal to the Executive Team and the Finance Committee that we start a four-year building maintenance plan which included repairing, replacing (where needed) and staining the cedar siding and trim of our beautiful Prairie Cathedral.…
PADS Needs
Hello Friends, This week PADS needs are toilet paper, cups, cereal, powdered coffee creamer, and individually wrapped snacks. Please contact me if you have questions. And thank you for your support. Dotty CarringiUUCE PADS Coordinator847-502-4835 “Homeless Doesn’t Have To Mean Hopeless” — Elgin PADS
4th Sunday Styrofoam Collection
Sunday, October 23, from 11:30am – 12pm Please separate your CLEAN food grade Styrofoam from your packaging Styrofoam and bag as needed. Styrofoam peanuts are NOT accepted (take to UPS store). Place your Styrofoam in the Prius with the open hatch in the church parking lot. Joe Masonick will be doing the collecting. We’ll drive it to Dart Container Corporation in North Aurora (open 24/7). Please try to avoid using Styrofoam because its use is not sustainable. Many people manage to avoid…
Hello from your friendly neighborhood Secretary of the UUCE Board!
It’s an exciting time to be part of the board. As we come out of the pandemic, we’re looking ahead toward growing our congregation and finding ways to engage more with the surrounding community. A few ideas have been floated around (parades are fun!), but we are always open to more suggestions that we can look at and share with everyone here. We are also looking at the possibility of bringing the Service Auction back and what that might look…
We Are Called to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Ian
UU World Magazine STAFF WRITER 9/30/2022 Hurricane Ian was over southwest Florida for only a matter of hours, but the recovery will take days, weeks, months, and maybe longer. Because of climate change, disasters have been impacting our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. AP News reported: From trees getting ripped out of the ground to signs being ripped apart, traffic lights crashing onto roadways and some buildings simply being destroyed, the impact was everywhere and almost nothing was spared. The…
- 1
- 2