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
Greetings! The Board, Music Search Team (Ron Relic, Jesse Bowen, Sheryl Bass, and Jane Richards), and Rev. Jenn are delighted to announce we have hired a new part-time Music Director for Tree of Life!! Please join us in welcoming our returning Music Director, Lilith Ransburg, who has been a part of our life in the … Continue reading Announcing our New Music Director
In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus – an astronomer and mathematician who worked for the Catholic Church – developed a model of the universe that placed the sun at its center. His ideas ran contrary to what those around him believed. They could clearly see with their own eyes that the sun and other heavenly bodies moved … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Finding Our Center
Tonight, I am baking a loaf of homemade bread. It’s the start of the Advent season, and I got my wife one of those Advent calendars with little jars of jams and honeys. Of course, while it was a gift for her, I’m counting on her willingness to share with me each morning! I’ve baked … Continue reading Our Minister’s Musings on Wonder
“We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s OK, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.” This is a quote from a season-ending episode of Doctor Who. It was the final episode of … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Change
Compassion for Campers, our program to support the homeless and housing insecure, is struggling to keep up with the need. You can help with a direct donation of the following items: High protein canned goods, with pop open tops. Men and women’s deodorant Larger body wipes Hair brushes Coffee creamer Instant coffee Coloring books and … Continue reading What Compassion for Campers need most now
A recording of this program is now available along with the chat file and a poster that was mentioned by an attendee. Pre Trial Fairness Presentation We will host an on-line forum to discuss the truth about the controversial Illinois Safe-T Act and Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act an end to automatic cash bail this Saturday, … Continue reading Forum on Facts Not Fiction About Illinois Safe-T Act and Bail Reform
Our Soul Matters theme for the month of October is “Courage,” and I’m excited to see where our shared exploration of this theme will take us! At this time of year, we see people from different cultures honoring their ancestors, drawing courage from their stories. And at the same time, we have playful displays and costumes … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Courage
