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Sunday February 4
9:00am Choir
9:00am OWL
9:15am Coffee with Questions
10:30am Coming of Age
10:45 Life As We Know It
3:00pm Offsite Choir Concert
5:30pm Offsite Superbowl Party
Monday February 5
7:30pm Mindfulness
Tuesday February 6 7:00pm Poetry Group
Wednesday Feb. 7 7:00pm Program Council
Thursday February 8
1:30pm Mindfulness
7:00pm McHenry County Pride
Friday February 9
7:00pm Women's Book Club - offsite
All Committee Meetings are open and you are welcome to attend.
Monday 10-2
Wednesday 10-2
Thursday 10-2
Friday 10-2
Others by appointment
Click
here for Website Calendar Link
Click Here to see the latest Board Minutes
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This Week in Religious Education
It's Sunday! Let's Go to Church!
All levels of R.E are in full swing, attendance is amazingly awesome, thanks to families who have made Religious Education a priority. The Spirit Play class will continue learning from stories from various religions. The World Religions class completed Buddhism and will be moving on to Judaism. The 11th and 12 grade O.W.L class will continue every Sunday from 9:00 -12:00 as scheduled, any changes will be communicated to parents in advance directly from the facilitators. The Coming Of Age students are preparing for a Retreat to Green Lake this upcoming weekend with the facilitators.
Youth Group will NOT meet this Sunday due to Superbowl conflicts. There is a Youth Conference at DuPage UU church on March 9th-11th, completed registration forms need to be in the Director
's office by February 11th, due to available funds in the Youth Group account, there will be no charge to the families to attend this CONference!
We are looking for church members who would be willing to be in the Youth Group classroom with Mariela (most Sundays from 6:00-8:00), until we can find another solution. If this is something you could do, or share with others, please contact Sam Jones. 815 382-5571
An activity group for LGBTQ teens meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month, 7-9PM, in the downstairs youth room. The time of the meeting coincides with the meeting of McHenry PTI (Parents of Transgender Individuals). Led by Raina Hodgson, the mother of a trans teen, the group provides a safe space for teens to be together for conversation, games, and fun activities. Raina will be assisted by Laura Michaels, a school psychologist in the Rockford area and mother of a gender non-
conforming teen.
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Feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends using the Forward to a Friend button on the left hand side of the newsletter.
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Sunday, February 4, 2018, 10:45 am 
Life as We Know It
M.E. Tanabe
It's always an inspiration to see the life of a flower take root and blossom in pavement cracks and on rocky slopes. We could view this display as the outcome of tremendous struggle - a survival against great odds - but from another perspective, this is also a joyful illustration of Life and the flower doing what they were made to do.
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Sunday, February 11, 2018, 10:45 am 
I Persisted- Or Did I?
Lou Ness
Sometimes I can be like a terrier, once I sink my teeth into something, I never give up. Given the struggle to retain that part of ourselves that best reflect our better nature, do I persist or insist and is there a difference? When does persistence become rigidity, or the inability to be organic? More importantly when can this perseverance contribute to building relationships and what am I willing to surrender in order to choose a more inclusive path?
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Sunday, February 18, 2018, 10:45 am 
Celebrating Life and Community Through Music: Eastern Europe and Japan
Hanauta Duo
Join us for Worship Art's program for creating a worship experience through music. Olya Prohorova from Moldova and Erina Koyasu have joined together to create a wonderful sound combination of flute and violin.
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This is a wonderful opportunity to invite neighbors and friends to participate in a worship service that is both innovative and a celebration of the sacred within us - we come together to share beauty and the joy that it inspires.
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 Mindfulness Workshop
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 Women's Book Club
Our next gathering will be on February 9th at 7:00pm, location TBD(to be determined). We are reading and discussing the dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood titled The Handmaid's Tale (1985, AnchorBooks, paperback is 311 pages). Description: "
Set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian, Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government. The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid, Offred. Her name derives from the possessive form 'of Fred;' handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must echo the male, or master, for whom they serve. The Handmaid's Tale explores themes of women in subjugation to misogyny in a patriarchal society and the various means by which these women gain individualism and independence. The novel's title echoes the component parts of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which is a series of connected stories."
There are many copies listed for the local libraries in regular and large print books, eBook, and audio book formats. However, due to the resurgent popularity of the work because of the T.V. show on Hulu, you may need to purchase a copy. Book retailers list copies for around $10 if you need/wish to purchase it. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me, Therese Hart, via email ([email protected]) or in the Women's Circle group on Facebook, thanks!
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 February Women's Circle
Attention Women! Let's have a Chocolate and Cheese night!
Please join us for our next Chill Out with Friends: Friday, February 16 at 7pm.
We extend a special invitation to all women who marched on January 20th. We'll talk about what we are planting in 2018. What sustains us? What allows us the perseverance to continue moving forward? Come share your vision with us, and bring some chocolate or cheese to share! Contact Heather Madaus for more information: 815-509-7862
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 Come Hear the Women Sing
Sunday February 4, 2018 3pm
End the the Groundhog Day's festivities with a free concert by the Woodstock Community Choir at the Woodstock Opera House. Tree of Life choir members Cassandra, Alli, Annette, Beth, Carrie, Judy, Karen, and Sue would love to see you there. The concert will end in plenty of time for you to see the Superbowl kickoff!
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Community Care Committee
The following
JOYS
and CONCERNS were shared with the Care Committee.
Marc Stettner really enjoyed the Italian dinner that he purchased at the Service Auction. The Ciccotostos hosted this event. Thank you!
Bob Jackson attended the Interfaith Task Force for Criminal Justice in Chicago. It was a privilege to be a part of this event.
Jane Colby was happy to be a part of the Women's March with her daughters. She hopes we are turning a tide. We welcome Jane as a visitor to our congregation.
Please hold Patrick Murfin's family in your heart as his daughter, Carolyn, undergoes open heart surgery in Madison, Monday the 5th.
Joys and Concerns shared during the service will be printed in the Happenings and Bulletin unless there is a request made to the office or community care committee to withhold.
Happy Birthday to
Hadley Wadlington (2/2) and
Kerry Julian(2/4)!
Happy Anniversary to
Lisa and Tom Jacobsen (2/14)!
Please note that this committee can be reached at [email protected]
If you are looking for a ride to church, please contact Pat Costigan, our Transportation Coordinator, who is matching people in need of rides with others who are willing to provide them.
Drivers to and from Sunday services needed! Do you drive through Crystal Lake on your way to services in Sunday? Let Pat Costigan know. We try to keep the commitment to once per month and can be creative! Please email:
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Sharing Your Gifts
Do you love the light streaming in through all the windows and skylights during the service on Sundays? Do you feel relief knowing your children are receiving well thought out, inspiring lessons in the church school? Do you have fun at our musical services? If any of these questions bring a yes to your lips, then you should check out the Stewardship Committee. Stewardship helps ensure that our building and programs are funded through the pledge drive, fundraisers, and inspired generosity. We need idea people, get-dirty-in-the-trenches people, communicator people, details people, and people that know how to have fun. We are meeting Wednesday, February 21, 2018 7pm in the sanctuary. Contact Judy Stettner with any questions. [email protected]
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Coffee with Questions
Topic: Love and Honor Your Father and Mother
Presenter: Russ Marks
Time: Sunday, February 4, 2018 @ 9:15
Location: TREE OF LIFE
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
5603 W. Bull Valley Road
McHenry, Illinois 60050
Phone (815) 322-2464
CHILDCARE AVAILABLE ON EMAIL REQUEST TO SAM JONES
We will share stories about loving and honoring our father and mother.
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Chalice Sparx Family Camp & Retreat 
Hiking the trails, singing by the campfire, playing games ... all childhood camp fun. But this camp and retreat is not just for kids - it's for people of all ages. Make connections, build friendships and experience nature together as a family - with other families, youth and adults - in an environment where diverse religious, spiritual and theological perspectives are welcomed and celebrated. With programs for children drawing upon the natural environment, workshops for adults and youth on spiritual practices, multigenerational worship, and fun group activities such as canoeing, archery, s'mores around a campfire and popcorn popped in a kettle over an open fire -- all with a variety of accommodations from to dormitory-style lodging or hotel-like rooms in the Retreat Center. Tent and RV camping is also available at nearby Amigo Park.
Chalice Sparx Family Camp & Retreat
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UU Leadership Institute
Online Learning for Committed Lay Leaders and Religious Professionals
Healthy boundaries, communication, conflict navigation, covenant, mission, stewardship, building trust, adapting to change... are these concepts that you would like to bring more intentionally into your daily practice of Unitarian Universalism? The UU Leadership Institute offers a way there, with online courses designed for Lay Leaders and Religious Professionals to learn and grow in faith together. Team up with a few friends, board members, or colleagues for the learning to have the most impact.
We offer four Core Courses in Leadership Development (http://www.uuinstitute.org/corecourses/). Complete the lessons at your convenience and hold conversations with your teammates as you advance through the course. This semester we're also offering five courses in specialized topics: compassionate communication, faith formation, safer congregations, and spiritual companioning (http://www.uuinstitute.org/spring2018/). Each course has 8 lessons and costs $30.
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MidWest Leadership School Announces Summer  2018 Dates
Jack Round, Lay Staff Member
MidWest Leadership School (MWLS) will be held from July 15 - 21 on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
Please mark your calendars and spread the word!
This will be our second year at Luther, and participants said they appreciated the scenic beauty of the location.
There is an Adult School and a Youth School, and we are unique among UU leadership schools in that the schools are designed to do several activities together and safely interact.
MWLS creates opportunities to learn about the history of Unitarian Universalism, about yourself as an individual, and your role as a member of a congregation in a larger movement grounded in liberal theology.
MWLS attendees come away from the experience with a better understanding of healthy organizational practices.
Is MWLS for you or someone you know?
Anyone wishing to increase their leadership skills in a church context are encouraged to talk to us. Many incoming board members and presidents find this to be an excellent preparation for their service. Many youth enjoy being with like-minded peers, and the supportive environment enables them to help discern and activate their leadership passions.
Read more about MidWest Leadership School at www.mwls.org and follow us on Facebook for updates at https://www.facebook.com/mwls.org
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Contacts
Judy Stettner
Office Administrator
Sam Jones
Director of Religious Education
Forrest Ransburg
Director of Music
Barb Fleming
Board President
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