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
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
