On December 14th, taking the place of our regular service at 10:45, The Tree Of Life Religious Education program will be presenting our annual Pageant. This year’s pageant “A Child Is Born” will have the children and youth presenting the miracle birth stories of Buddha and Confucius, along with the familiar story about the birth … Continue reading A Child is Born
Our theme for the month of December is Wonder. My hope for each of you reading this is glimpses of wonder throughout what is often a month of busyness and overwhelm. In that spirit, I offer you again this year a “calendar of care” to help remind you to take a moment or two each … Continue reading Minister’s Mind–Wonder
November 5, 2014 Dear Friends, Every organization, be it religious, educational, civic or business, needs to step back every now and then and ask, “How are we doing? Are we headed in the right direction?” It has been some time since the church has engaged in such a process. A full assessment of the life … Continue reading A Letter from the President
On Friday, November 7, from 7 – 10 pm, Haystack’s Coffee House will present another Open Mic & Jam Night. The evening will feature local performers showing their skills as folk, R&R, jazz, classical musicians, comedians and poets. All are invited to attend. Bring your friends!! Please contact Tom Steffens at Tom92109@gmail.com for information or to make … Continue reading Haystacks Coffee House Open Mic & Jam Night
The popular song “All About That Bass” has been stuck in my head for weeks now, but with slightly different lyrics. I keep hearing: All about that grace, ’bout that grace, no trouble! All about that grace,’bout that grace… Maybe it’s because “grace” is our Soul Matters theme for November and it’s been on my … Continue reading Minister’s Mind–Grace
On this Sunday after Thanksgiving, we will break bread together in our annual Bread Ceremony. You are invited to bring bread–whatever kind expresses something about you–to share.
Sometimes we fall for the lie that we have to do it all and do it all ourselves. The concept of grace helps us remember that so many times, what we most need is community. Rev. Sean explores grace as a communal idea.
Lou Ness serves as director of Rockford’s Shelter Care Ministries and is also an Episcopal Deacon. She spent two months walking the 930+ miles from Rockford to our nation’s capital to deliver a message of compassion for the poor and homeless. “I know that the impoverished families we serve need a voice. When one of … Continue reading Lessons from the March–November 16, 2014
We are very excited to present our second Service Sunday on November 9. Service Sunday starts at the usual worship time of 10:45. We will have a short, 30 minute service and then fan out into the community to provide service for about 2 1/2 hours. We will then reconvene at the church for a … Continue reading Service Sunday–November 9, 2014
The Day of the Dead and the Christian holy days of this time (All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days) are meant to be a way for relationships and connections to be renewed, even across the barrier of death. In this All-ages service we recall our beloved dead and renew our commitment to life and to … Continue reading Dancing With Memories–November 2, 2014
