What does the Path of WONDER mean? Click HERE to find out.
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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
I remember how magical Christmas was when I was a child. Singing Christmas carols, the festive lights and decorations - EVERYWHERE!, the wrapped presents, and most of all, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
One of my most favorite memories, tinged with sadness, is also one of my most earliest memories. I was five years old. We had just returned from a festive filled Christmas Eve party at my paternal grandparents house; though, it was most certainly more subdued than most years. At that point my mother had been dealing with brain cancer for almost three years and the outcome didn’t look great. It was late and dark but all the Christmas lights were on - the tree and the greens on the fireplace mantle. I sat on the sofa with only the gentle stirrings of my parents preparing my sister for bed in the background. The image of that magical tree lit up in the dark - not just the unlit dark but the heaviness and gloom of illness, felt so promising and filled with hope.
In my teen years, I tried to replicate this feeling: timing a perfectly lit tree in the late night darkness with just the murmurings and rustlings of family noise. I never could do it. The magic always seemed to elude me. Most certainly, I was not the same person. The foreboding of things to come had been held at bay that one night so long ago, but no longer.
Some years are like this, I think. Especially as we get older. It is hard to return to that child wonder of joy and anticipation with so much in the world and even in our lives not so hopeful. In this time of emerging from pandemic, it is especially difficult since connection is still a difficult thing to create and so many of us are finding our lives and priorities reorganized in new ways.
Yet, the lights remain. As an adult, I have found that my most favorite of the winter holidays has become the Winter Solstice. On this darkest night we are reminded that winter’s grip and the long nights mean rest and renewal not despair. That the sun’s return beckons warmth and possibility. The Solstice firelight reclaims just a bit of that magic so long ago, reminding me that even in the midst of sorrow and grief, I can embrace warmth and love.
May you find glimpses of warmth and love in this holiday season!
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Please bring new or gently used mittens, gloves, hats and scarves to put on the Mitten Tree during the service for donation. |
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Sunday, December 18, 2022 @ 10:30am
The Wonder and Awe of the Nativity: an Unrehearsed Pageant
By Steve Cooper, Director of Religious Education, and rev. mandi huizenga
Unique and inclusive, as pageant actors are chosen on the spot! Only a few roles are cast in advance of the service, the rest of the at least 45 participants (including shepherds, stars, wise people, and animals) volunteer to be in the pageant during the service. Everyone (including guests) is invited to participate. At the end of the service, when children and adults are in their costumes gazing down at a baby from our congregation in the “manger,” we all experience this familiar story in a new, more meaningful, and moving way and we are reminded that each night a child is born is a holy night.
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Meet with the Board for conversation and questions on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 11:40am. Join us in-person in the Founders Room or via Zoom.
The Zoom link is:
Or dial +1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 910 2998 3070
Passcode: 272229
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Special Offering December 2022
The Special Offering for December will benefit the UUA Disaster Relief Fund. Disasters
impact our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. From natural
disasters like wildfires that scorch everything in their path and hurricanes that bring
destruction through winds and water, to human caused disasters like the collapsing
infrastructure that we’ve seen in Flint, our congregations, our people, and our
communities sustain the impact. Your donation to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund allows
the UUA to respond flexibly on your behalf to tragedies that overtake us.
With your donations, we are able to provide assistance to congregations, their
members, and their communities. Some of the expenses Disaster Relief Fund grants
can be used for are:
- Damage to congregations’ buildings, and relocation to temporary locations
- Damage to members/friends’ homes, and relocation expenses
- Donations to local partner organizations that serve the community at large particularly those who would not be eligible for other funding
For more information visit the web site at
$1,690.40 was collected for Community Access Naperville during October. Thank
you for your continued generosity.
To make a donation, please click HERE.
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Looking festive and helping others
for the holidays!
Thanks to the DUU-gooders chalice circle for decorating the church! The DUU-gooders also are offering an opportunity to provide for those less fortunate during the holiday season. Beginning Sunday, December 4, you will find tags on the tree between Kreves Hall and the Sanctuary noting non-perishable food items. Please grab a tag and place the items under the tree by Sunday, December 18, for distribution to a local food bank.
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Jewish Heritage Group Chanukah Party, IN PERSON
on Monday, December 26
Let's light up the room again with all our menorahs and candles brightly shining! The DUUC Jewish Heritage Group celebrates the meaning of Jewish Heritage in a Unitarian Universalist context. Most participants grew up in a Jewish home or have a partner who was raised in a Jewish family. Other members developed a practice of celebrating Jewish holidays as adults. We welcome anyone who wishes to participate in traditional Jewish celebrations or other Jewish oriented activities.
The annual Chanukah Party will be IN PERSON this year on Monday, December 26 at 6:30PM in the Learning Center. Contact Bev Becker (Phone: 630 886-5622 or Email: tovah04@yahoo.com) to reserve a spot at the party. Traditional Jewish dessert snacks and beverages will be provided along with candle lighting ceremony, Chanukah stories and songs and dreidel, dreidel, dreidel! |
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Board Meeting
The next Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 14 at 6:30pm.
The general session of all monthly Board meetings is open to all who would like to listen in. Current agenda will be posted soon before each meeting on the Here's What's Happening page on the church website.
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Auction 2022
Events and parties information
Keep track of events and parties you purchased or events and parties you are hosting! The information is on the Auction page via a link at the bottom of the Here's What's Happening page on the church website, where it will reside all year.
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Congregational Conversations 2022:
A huge "Thanks!"
Thank you to all who participated and helped facilitate the Congregational Conversations held by the Board in November. The Board is eager to review and discuss the responses with Staff and Committees at a meeting this month. The formal summary with links to the video presentation and response highlights will be available for all in January. We are coming together to build community!
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Join rev. mandi and Neil Lichtman, chair of Denominational Affairs, on Sunday, December 11th at 12 pm for a conversation on the draft of the proposed new Unitarian Universalist principles. This draft will be up for adoption at the June 2023 General Assembly in Pittsburgh, PA. Please reach out with questions to revmandi@dupageuuchurch.org
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Membership Class
Sunday, January 22, 2023
12:30pm - 4:30pm
Want to learn more about Unitarian Universalism? Thinking about becoming a member of DuPage UU Church? Already a member but want a refresher?
rev. mandi invites you to join her in learning more about our faith and our religious community. This class will be held in person at DuPage UU Church.
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New Resource in DuPage County Call 211, a health and social services resource call line and website, was recently launched in DuPage County. According to their website, DuPage residents may call 211 or use the website “to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services and childcare and family services.” For more information, check out the Call 211 of DuPage website.
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The DUUC Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry Team strives to increase awareness of issues surrounding disability and disability rights and to help make all church programs and spaces as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you have questions about AIM at DUUC, have accessibility or inclusion questions, suggestions, or concerns at church, and/or would like to join the DUUC AIM Team, please email us at aim@dupageuuchurch.org.
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Joys and Concerns
Share a joy or concern with our DuPage UU Church community during regular Sunday services by sending a note to our minister. You can also let us know what is happening in your life through The Joys and Concerns Facebook Page which is available to members. This is a private page that has been successful in providing instant response from our community. You can post your joy or worry, or you can show your support to others. To join the private page, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/DUUCJoysConcerns on Facebook and request access. PMA and our Minister serve as administrators of the page.
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Mindfulness Meditation
Mondays 7:00pm - 8:45pm
This mindfulness meditation group is open to anyone who has interest in meditation from beginners to more advanced. Our time together consists of sitting meditation, walking meditation (when we meet in person), a short teaching and responsive group sharing.
For more information, go to our website:
As of September, 2022, meeting Hybrid, at DUUC Learning Center and on
Zoom.
Meeting ID: 885 7102 1238
Passcode: 512058
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Sunday, December 4, 2022, Noon
Climate Progress...But, Is it Enough?
Guest Speaker, Mike Zanillo from Citizens' Climate Lobby
Climate Change is a daily news item nowadays. While predicted for decades, we now see more extreme weather events and wonder what’s causing them, and what can we do about them. Even faster than a changing climate, the policy and legislative landscape is evolving rapidly as well.
Come & Learn:
- Key causes of climate change
- How much will the climate change
- Key aspects of recently passed legislation
- How much will emissions be reduced
- Is more needed to be done
- Can we afford the cost of climate change
Everyone has a role in the fight against climate change. Most importantly, citizens need to have their voices heard by their elected officials who make public policy happen.
It all starts by learning about the topic and talking to your neighbors about it. And to do that, you must have knowledge!
Sunday, December 18, 2022, Noon
Cosmic Ornaments 2022
In this year's version of "Scientific Holiday Ornaments" Scott Thompson will talk to us about some of the scientific discoveries and the wonderful pictures produced so-far by the new James Webb Space Teslecope (JWST). Our survey of the recent findings will include pictures of nearby planets and to the most distant infant galaxies, and including stellar nurseries and distant planets around other stars. Please join us in-person if you are able, to talk about this year's sampling of some of the most beautiful and recently photographed cosmic ornaments.
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Humanists group
On Wednesday, December 14th, at 7:30 PM, the Prairie State Humanists group will have their winter holiday celebration, called Human Light. This year, we will meet in the Learning Center and partake in a pot-luck. Please bring a dish or dessert to share. Pulled pork sandwiches will be available for all, to accompany whatever you bring. During the celebration, we will have a "favorite books" book white-elephant type exchange. Please bring a book you like to give away, wrapped in a festive style to conceal the title and author. Humanists tend to really enjoy non-fiction books, but the choice is yours. We will also have a version of the "quote game" wherein you select a quote from quote-cards scattered about. During dinner, you'll have the opportunity to tell your gathered friends what you like about your selected quote.
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The deadline for submissions for the JANUARY newsletter is TUESDAY, January 3, 2023 @ 9am. Please email your submissions to Sheri at office@dupageuuchurch.org. |
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The church office will be closed December 16th thru January 2nd. The office will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
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Sunday Flowers Needed
Celebrate a person or event by providing flowers for a Sunday service. Flowers are needed throughout the church year. You may request to have Sunday Flowers order a $35 standard arrangement for you from Phillip’s Flowers. Or, if you are planning to attend the service in person, you may choose to bring in your own arrangement from your garden or favorite flower shop. The arrangement should be brought to the sanctuary by 10:20 a.m. Your dedication will be printed in the email with the link to the on-line version of the Order of Service as well as in the printed Order of Service. The flowers are yours to take home after the service. If you are not attending service, you may pick up your flowers either on Sunday 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., or contact Sheri, office@dupageuuchurch.org or (630) 505-9408, to make arrangements for a contactless pick-up during office hours. Remember, masks are required to enter the church. Payment may be made by sending a check made out to DUUC for $35 to the church office (write “flowers” on the memo line), through the DUUC Payment Portal (select “other” under donation, and write in “flowers”), or VANCO (select “flowers fund”). Contact Kristen Tang at flowers@dupageuuchurch.org or (630) 305-7771 for more information and/or to request a date. Thank you!
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Oral Care Product Recycling Collection Day
in Early 2023
According to some estimates, “the average American will throw away 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime!” Yes, we reuse our old toothbrushes to clean those hard-to-reach corners in the house, but then what? And what about those toothpaste tubes, floss containers, and floss picks? The plastic waste from toothbrushes, and other oral care products, cannot be processed through our curbside recycling programs. What can we do? Reduce-reuse-recycle. We can reduce by choosing zero-waste tooth care products, like bamboo toothbrushes, floss packaged in cardboard containers, and many other newly available products (see links below). And, now, we can recycle! The Green Sanctuary committee will be collecting plastic waste from oral care products on one of our Styrofoam collection days in early 2023. Oral-B sponsors a “RECYCLE ON US” program for consumers to “send in used oral care products including toothbrushes, brush heads, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash containers, floss containers, floss string, and floss picks.”
Here are the guidelines for our collection on date TBD in early 2023:
1. package items from your household in a sealed plastic bag
2. remove leftover toothpaste or mouthwash from tubes and bottles
3. items do not need to be cleaned, but must be dry for UPS shipping
4. bring used oral care products, any brand, including:
- toothbrushes and toothbrush heads
- toothpaste tubes
- mouthwash containers
- floss containers, floss string, and floss picks
- electric toothbrushes are not accepted through this program!
zero-waste links:
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Please consider making a donation to support
DuPage UU Church and all of its programs ~
thank you!
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Find out what's happening at DuPage UU Church! |
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In the Wider Unitarian Universalist World |
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Unitarian Men's Retreat
Friday, January 27 to Sunday, January 29, 2023
Join other UU men to explore Turning Points In Our Lives. Cabrini Retreat Center, 9430 Golf Road, Des Plaines 60016.
Cost of $200 includes private room for two nights, three meals Saturday and breakfast Sunday, plus pizza party on Friday night.
Scholarships available. We welcome all who identify as male. Our goal is to encourage each other to share, learn and support each other in looking into the meaning of our lives. Men from Unity Temple, UU Church of Evanston, and Countryside UU are already participating.
Click HERE for the flyer, signup sheet and more information.
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General Assembly is the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists, where we conduct business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles. Please join us Wednesday, June 21 through Sunday, June 25, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and/or online for this 5-day immersive experience where we participate in inspirational worship services and informative workshops, reconvene with friends and colleagues, and explore our bustling exhibit hall. GA is an unforgettable experience for the thousands of UUs who attend. Meet us online or in Pittsburgh and you’ll leave with renewed energy and innovative ideas to share with your congregation and community-at-large!
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