October 17, 2025

2025 Annual Celebration & TPIRC Summit

For Such a Time as This: Faith in a Time of Upheaval

October 30 - November 1, 2025

Registration for in-person attendance is now closed. However, virtual registration is still open! If you can't attend in person, certain parts of the event will be hybrid - including the business sessions on Friday and Saturday. The worship services will be livestreamed to our Conference YouTube channel and Facebook page. There is no cost to attend the event virtually. 

Register here for virtual attendance only

Click here to learn more about the Annual Celebration, including training and workshop descriptions and schedule.

Bring the Pro-Democracy Movement to Your Church

UCC Environmental Justice



• Protests, marches, and rallies are vitally needed in democratic societies, but what happens the day after these public events and then the next day?
• What’s the long-term strategy for everyday people to exercise their power to influence their government?

Your church can learn about the pro-democracy movement in a couple of ways.

1. Invite Sam Daley-Harris, the author of Reclaiming Our Democracy, to give a Zoom presentation for members of your church. Daley-Harris is coaching UCC leaders to start Climate Hope Affiliates that are actively engaged in developing ongoing relationships with members of Congress as part of a broader pro-democracy movement to defend government institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Request a presentation from a member of the Climate Hope Affiliate Leadership Team. As people of faith, we have the opportunity to help defend and promote the common good in our society.

UCC Insurance Board's

Link to the Active Shooter Webinar Plus Other Resources

The Insurance Board offers several resources to equip ministries to respond effectively in an emergency. In the aftermath of these events, church leaders struggle to find answers regarding church security.

Chad Cunningham, Director of Loss Control, hosted a 45-minute webinar on October 14, 2025 that 'sold out' immediately. He has shared this link so that you can view it now:

 Safeguard Your Congregation: Active Shooter Training

Insurance Board Resources

The Convergence Music Project: New Progressive Congregational Music

UCC Musicians

Saturday, October 25 at 1 pm CT

Andra Moran, singer/songwriter, worship leader, and co-founder of the Convergence Music Project (CMP), talks with Board member Amanda Udis-Kessler about CMP and its resources.

She shares her observations about what is happening in progressive worship music these days. Andra will also share two of her songs with us. 

Register here

Creation Care and Climate Justice Survey wants your answers!

A small team of clergy and lay leaders from the Illinois Conference is at work, seeking to strengthen and grow our capacity to create the change needed to sustain the richness of God's creation and bring about environmental justice.

You are invited to join us! Your answers to this survey will inform and guide our efforts. Please complete this brief survey and share it with others. If you have questions or a direct conversation, please contact Rev. David Russell at rddrr1774@gmail.com.

OWL Facilitator Training at

Grades 7-9 / 10-12 Levels

November 7-9, 2025

Tower Hill Camp

Registration closes TODAY - October 17

Become approved Our Whole Lives Facilitators at the Grades 7-9 / Grades 10-12 levels.

Attend the training for adults, 21 and older, who want to offer Our Whole Lives for Grades 7-9 and/or Grades 10-12 at their church and in their communities.

Learn more about Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12, and how to integrate worship, prayer, and discussion of faith values and principles into OWL for each age group. Trainers, Christina Fairman and Craig VanKempen, will send information two weeks ahead of the training.

Learn more and register online

Clergy Praycations...

https://www.towerhillcamp.org/

https://www.pilgrimparkcamp.org/

Tower Hill and Pilgrim Park are once again offering Praycations - a time of rest and recreation for our clergy. 

Clergy and their families are invited to register for a three- day, two-night stay at either Camp. Registration fee is only $60. Our Clergy Praycations are made possible through a generous grant from the Brown Endowment/United Church Funds.

This is a time, not to learn something new or acquire another skill, but to take a deep breath. We invite you to step away to renew and refresh, to play and to laugh! We offer this time so our clergy are able to continue to serve our congregations and communities with integrity and vitality, and to respond to the call of God with courage and compassion.

Please contact Tower Hill at 269-426-3881 or Pilgrim Park at 815-447-2390 to schedule.

Attention All Crafters

Pilgrim Park Camp Crafter's Retreat

December 4 -7, 2025

Would you like to see what the CRAFTER'S RETREAT is like? Now is your chance. Only one room left!

• Three double beds with a private bathroom (tub/shower combo).
• This gives you a choice to bring 1 or 2 people along with you!

Included: 3 nights lodging, bedding, and towels, 8 meals, and lots of time to craft, relax, make new friends, and recharge.

Click on Pilgrim Park Camp Crafter's Retreat for details.

People of all ages who attended camp have expressed that it deepened their spiritual awareness!

Tower Hill & Pilgrim Park Camps

Participating in camp provides a life-changing opportunity to fully engage with nature and delve into the exploration of personal identity and sense of belonging. You can explore and discover that your time at camp serves as a catalyst for nurturing positive attributes, ultimately contributing to the development of a compassionate and responsible future.

We provide a diverse range of camping experiences, retreats, and special events suitable for individuals of all ages. For further details, please contact Tower Hill at 269-426-3881 or Pilgrim Park at 815-447-2390. Additionally, consider contributing to our ministry at: https://outdoorministries.campbraingiving.com for those in need of financial assistance.

3rd Annual Freedom Concert - Boots on the Ground and Fire in Our Hearts: A Daily Practice of Joyful Rebellion

A Just Harvest

Sunday, November 2, 2025 @ 1 pm

Willye B. White Park, 1610 W. Howard Street, Chicago 60626

The Freedom Concert is more than music—it’s a movement. Each year, we gather as one community: our neighbors in Rogers Park and North of Howard, along with surrounding neighborhoods who stand with A Just Harvest in the fight for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

This concert features a special performance by Rev. Ozzie Smith, Jr., one of our retired UCC clergy!

This free and open-to-all event invites neighbors of every age to come together for an afternoon of community, connection, and celebration. Funds raised through the 2025 Freedom Concert will directly support our work to feed the hungry, fight for equity, and build pathways toward economic opportunity.

RSVP today for free admission and get a complimentary raffle ticket for our Freedom Concert Holiday Giveaway. Reserve your free ticket here

Computer Ministry

First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn

The mission of this ministry takes in old PC’s from church members or anyone else who would like to donate a PC. The ministry will then refurbish and deploy the PC to people who can use these computers by helping them find employment, learning some basic computer skills, and learning how to use the Internet.

For more information, contact Mike DeFlorio at mikedeflorio@outlook.com or 630-913-2694.

New! 2025 Wellness Ministries Toolkit

UCC Wellness Ministries

2025 Wellness Ministries Toolkit - Flash Drive

The 2025 Wellness Ministries Toolkit, compiled into a comprehensive 220-page book, is a valuable resource filled with clear and easy-to-understand information.

When you’re looking for more detailed insights or specific tools for your Wellness Ministries programs, click on the embedded hyperlinks. We chose this format to make it simple for you to find exactly what you need—whether understanding the Who?, What?, and Why? of Wellness Ministries within the UCC, learning from colleagues about how to start or grow your programs in your Wellness Ministries, or gaining inspiration from the examples shared by others.  

Order now!

Any questions can be answered by contacting us at WellnessMinistries@UCC.org.

UCC Toolkit For Faithful Advocacy



The UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy is excited to share our new Advocacy Toolkit—a free resource designed to equip individuals and congregations with the tools to build a just world for all.

Download the toolkit today and take the next faithful step in speaking truth to power.

Made for These Times

Five-day Free Summit

Convergence 

October 20-24, 2025 1 pm CT

This is not just a conference. It’s a call to faithful leadership for a world in crisis—and an invitation to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Political extremism. Climate collapse. Cultural fragmentation. People of faith are asking: "How do we lead with clarity, courage, and compassion in a time like this?"

• Five Days of Curated Conversations with prophetic voices, theologians, activists, and organizers
• Daily Live Zoom Debriefs at 1 pm CT to connect with fellow participants and explore practical applications
• Downloadable Tools & Spiritual Practices to ground your leadership in resilience and wisdom - including a downloadable workbook that you can use throughout the year.
• Access to the Convergence Circle—an ongoing online community for post-summit collaboration, strategy, and support

Day 1 – Monday, Oct 20/Naming the Moment

Day 2 – Tuesday, Oct 21/Spiritual Resilience for the Long Haul

Day 3 – Wednesday, Oct 22/Congregations as Islands of Coherence

Day 4 – Thursday, Oct 23/New Stories, New Possibilities

Day 5 – Friday, Oct 24/Organizing for the Future

Register now for free  

Reimagining What Comes Next

Convergence 

October 23 & 30, 2025

November 13 & 20, 2025

6 pm CT - 90-minute sessions via Zoom

We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth.

As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of the climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now?

Each 90-minute gathering will explore what it means to search for a new story—one rooted in interconnection, courage, sacred imagination, and collective renewal. Together we will explore the spiritual, social, and cosmological terrain of transformation. This is not about easy answers or quick fixes. It’s an invitation into the deep work of reimagining—together—what comes next.

October 23, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CT - Matthew Fox and Caroline Myss

October 30, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CT - Matthew Fox and Diana Butler Bass

November 13, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CT - Matthew Fox and Luther Smith

November 20, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CT- Matthew Fox and Ilia Delio

Register Now $135 - Individual Registration with Lifetime Access to Recordings

Holding Hope in a Hurting World

Advocate Health Care

Thursday, October 30, 2025, 9 am to 3:30 pm

Catholic Theological Union Conference Center

5416 S. Cornell Ave. Chicago, IL 60615

Come together with friends and colleagues from the Chicagoland Trauma Informed Congregations Network to explore how grief and hope connect and how our faith, spiritual resources and inner strength can help us mobilize love, peace, and justice. Download the program here

We'll tell our stories of hope and resilience, share our wisdom, foster community, and generate ideas for addressing the grief that is so present in our communities today.

Tickets are $30. Space is limited. Free parking is available on site. Register here or download the flyer and scan the QR code. For more information about this event, contact Darlena at darlena@courage2love.org.

Wednesday Gatherings

Chicago Theological Seminary

First Wednesday of the month. 5:00 pm (CT)

Join Us Virtually!

November 5 | 5:00 pm CT

A Community Conversation about Immigration

A conversation with Cindy Eigler at Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health, Rev. Dr. Kenneth Phelps, Pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist Church, and Fasika Alem, Program Director at United African Organization.  

December 3 | 5:00 pm CT

A Not So Minor Holiday: Hanukkah and the Changing Nature of Judaism

A conversation with Rabbi Steven Philp from Mishkan Chicago about how Hanukkah reflects evolving traditions and the changing nature of Judaism.

January 7, 2026 | 5:00 pm CT

Dismantling Christian Hegemony in Higher Education

A conversation with CTS alum and Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, Vanessa Gomez Brake, on confronting Christian hegemony and reshaping religious life in higher education.

Join a Healing Centered Learning Cohort

Advocate Health Care & Courage2Love

Journey with other leaders to learn practical skills for trauma-informed and healing-centered spiritual care. Advocate Health Care is partnering with several other organizations to offer in-depth learning opportunities for faith leaders who want to build trauma-informed and healing-centered congregations or organizations. Our unique approach is rooted in the wisdom of the Restorative Justice and relationship-based social transformation movements.

Journey to a Healing Centered Organization: November 13 and 14. This 2-day training equips faith and organizational leaders to employ a unique, relationship-based approach to understanding trauma and developing skills for healing-centered leadership.

Time & Location: Nov 13, 9 am – Nov 14, 4 pm, 2700 W Wilcox St, Chicago, IL 60612

For more information, contact Darlena at darlena@courage2love.org.

Because this program is supported by a grant from the Chicago Department of

Public Health Office for Violence Prevention, applications from faith communities and organizations located in or serving the city of Chicago will be prioritized.

Find more information here.

Ordinations, Installations, and Ecclesiastical Councils.

Nov 8: Service of Installation for Rev. Kim Whisler-Vasko. 3:00 pm at Burr Ridge Community Church. Fox Valley Association.

Nov 9: Service of Installation for Rev. Mary Herbig. 3:00 pm at First Congregational Church of Wilmette. Chicago Metropolitan Association.

Meetings

Oct 18: Western Association Fall Meeting. 9:30 am at First Congregational UCC in Canton.

Oct 20: EA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 11:00 am via Zoom.

Oct 21: FAB Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.

Oct 21: WA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:30 am at First Congregational UCC in Canton.

Oct 21: CMA Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Oct 23: Annual Celebration Planning Committee Meeting. 5:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Oct 27: FVA Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Oct 31-Nov 1: Annual Celebration and TPIRC Education Summit at First Congregational UCC in DeKalb.

Nov 6: PA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.

Nov 8: Conference Council Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.

Nov 10: Stewardship Committee Meeting. 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Nov 11: LEEAP Committee Meeting. 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. 

Nov 12: Outdoor Ministries Committee Meeting. 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. 

Nov 13: FVA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.

Nov 13: CMA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 12:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Nov 16: WA Council Meeting, 3:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Please let us know if you have a job opening you would like to share,

and also update us once the position is filled. Contact Sarah Lohrbach.

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 Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)

This NEWSLETTER is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Dr. Terrill Murff, Interim Conference Minister; the Rev. Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: sarahlohrbach@ilucc.org.