The UU Church-Rockford, IL The Unitarian Universalist Church

We celebrate the beginning of the new church and school year, and reflect on the power of community.  We’ll consider what it means to be about repairing our lives and our shared world, and how we can be reasonable agents of love and healing in these days we are given.  Join Rev. Matthew, Rev. Joyce, and Tim in-person or online for this special service. 

The Climate Crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it.  It impacts human thriving, equity, and our natural world.  It is about how we live now and how we will live in the centuries to come.  It requires a faithful response, and the very fact of it should make us think deeply about our faith.  In our commitments to reason and science and justice, how do we respond to the climate crisis? 

Forgiveness is Not ForgettingMarch 1, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThe first in a three-part series one what forgiveness is, and what it isn’t. Can we forgive what has happened, but still learn from it? Does forgiveness mean we have to trust one who has hurt us? What’s the relationship between forgiveness, memory, justice, and peace?

The Case for ReparationsFebruary 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThe question of generosity has led us to think about economic justice. During Black History Month, we are all invited to reconsider the myth of American history and lay it aside in favor of the truth. These two themes connect when we consider what is owed to those who, without freedom or compensation, built this country, and what might be, now, owed to their descendants. 

Toxic (and non-Toxic) CharityFebruary 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonRecently, leaders in the non-profit world have wondered more clearly about the “charity industry” and how to make sure that charity actually makes the world better, instead of repeating patterns that are unhelpful.  Two local leaders who have worked on this question will share their learnings with us.  Linda Sandquist is a lifelong Rockfordian and has made her career in the human service sector for the last 15 years. She currently serves as the Vice President of United Way.  She has two “do-gooder” daughters, one a hospice social worker and one a kindergarten teacher. She is the proud grandma of 10 month old granddaughter, Joanna, and to 4 year old granddog, June.  Brab Roos, also a lifelong Rockfordian, is a volunteer consultant with the Northern Illinois Center for Non-Profit Excellence.  He was executive director of Zion Development for twenty years, helping lead the revitalization of Midtown, before his retirement in 2014.  He and his wife Susan have three adult sons. 

Go BeyondJune 2, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.Rev. Dr. Matthew JohnsonThere are moments when we transcend our day-to-day realities, and touch the divine mystery. These moments can produce wonder, “fear and trembling,” and transformation. How do we seek out these moments, and what do we do when they happen to us?  This is part one of a two-part series; the second part, on how we recognize the sacred in the day-to-day, will be on June 16th.