For the past three years, I have used most of these posts to introduce our Soul Matters themes, the words and phrases that bring us together as Unitarian Universalists with a shared focus for the month. The months of July and August do not have a theme. Instead, congregations are entrusted with finding their own direction for … Continue reading A Final Word from Rev Jenn Gracen
June is the final month of our church year. And as with any turn of a calendar cycle, it’s a perfect time to take stock of what matters most to us. Our Soul Matters theme this month is “Delight.” In the Hebrew scriptures, the word delight most often appears in two contexts: First is delight … Continue reading The Minister’s Delightful Mind
Beloved community, We talk often at Tree of Life about how much we value the community we build here. But we are also part of the wider Unitarian Universalist world, one that shares our core values of spiritual growth, nurturing a diverse community, and acting to create a more just world. I believe that being … Continue reading From our Board President
As I sat down to write this month’s reflection, I was handed a pickle. It’s not a real pickle. It’s a red wooden peg from my daughter’s toy hammering set. But for today, my daughter has declared it is a pickle and it is “yummy in my tummy.” I love seeing how inventive Addy can … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Creativity
A Woman Called Harriet: Seven Who Slayed the Dragon of SlaveryA presentation by Gloria Van Hof, researcher, author and educator Saturday April 29th – 11:00 amA hybrid event – online via Zoom – click here to registerOr In person at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road, McHenry(please RSVP to info@mcccprochoice.org if attending in … Continue reading A Woman Called Harriet
Addy just turned 2, and she is fully exploring the power of the word “No.” I have been particularly amused by the times when she is offered something and responds with an immediate, adamant “NO!” only to turn around two seconds later and say “YES!” But I can’t judge this behavior or even blame it entirely on … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Resistance
Religion, Politics, Sex, and Money. –the topics many of us were taught to avoid in polite company. As I mentioned recently in a sermon, we Unitarian Universalists are working to get more comfortable talking with one another about our religious experiences. And most of us are quite comfortable discussing politics with one another, at least when it … Continue reading Can We Talk About This?
Dear friends, You may be wondering, “What’s going on with the minister search?” I’m excited to tell you that it’s going quite well. Our search team put together a wonderful profile of our congregation that has been posted on the UUA Minister Search Jobs Board, and the Prairie Circle team has done the same. Our … Continue reading News from Board President
The Path of Love In my family of origin, it is tradition to end every phone call with “I love you.” It took my wife a little time to get used to this. While she comes from a loving family, they don’t say “I love you” nearly as often as my family does. But Virginia’s … Continue reading The Path of Love
As temperatures plummet here in McHenry County, IL, the homeless and unhoused are still sleeping outside, in cars, or in unheated spaces like storage lockers, garages, and vacant buildings. Compassion for Campers, a ministry of Tree of Life, will once again be distributing critical survival equipment at the Community Resource Day at Willow Crystal Lake, … Continue reading Faithify for Compassion for Campers
