Celebrating 160 Years!

This Sunday, October 25, at 9:30, in the Sanctuary

Celebrating 160 years at Union Church!

In 1862, William Robbins bought 800 acres of land with the intention of building the town we now know as Hinsdale.

Three years later, in 1865, a group of early Hinsdaleans began gathering for non-denominational Sunday worship in the only building large enough to accommodate everyone, the Railroad Depot (or what we now know as the train station).

Then, on October 16, 1866, thanks to the efforts of Rev. Clarendon Mussey Sanders, that church was officially recognized as the Congregational Union Church of Hinsdale.

Hinsdale wasn’t even incorporated until 1873, which makes us the oldest permanent organization formed in Hinsdale, with descendants of Robbins still members to this day!

Join us this Sunday for one service at 9:30 am as we celebrate our 160^th birthday in worship, followed by a special brunch!

And if you can’t make it in person, remember you can always catch the service live or after the fact online.

October 16, 1866, the church was officially recognized as the Congregational Union Church of Hinsdale.

The rest is "history" and YOU are part of it!

Join in the Celebration of Union Church's 

160 Years!

Sunday, October 25

9:30 Worship

Special time to combine 9:00 and 10:00 Services

10:30 to 12:00 All Church, All Generation Celebration Brunch

Activities for All Ages!

Nursery Care Available

Be part of the brunch team!

 Saturday prep, serve, provide pastries, fruit, clean-up

Click the button below to volunteer!

UCH Celebrations and Memories

This is where we have grown our faith, raised our children, found meaningful volunteer roles, developed real friendships, celebrated our daughter's wedding, and continue to try to be the people God wants us to be.

David and Pat Hess

Celebrate the Ministry of Robb Knuepfer

Sunday, December 6, 10:00 a.m. Worship - Reception to Follow in Rowell Hall

After decades of leadership at Union Church and 10 years of pastoral ministry, the Rev. Dr. Robert C. Knuepfer, Jr., is concluding his pastoral service to the congregation. Robb and Nancy will continue to call Union Church their church home as members of the congregation.

Robb’s ministry has touched Union Church in countless ways, often through quiet, unrecognized moments that have made a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and families. His legacy will continue in the faith, relationships, and ministries he has helped nurture over the years.

Please join us on Sunday, December 6, at 10 a.m. as we celebrate Robb’s ministry and give thanks for his years of service. A reception will follow worship.

All are welcome.

The Power of Generosity



God gives, we receive, we give, God multiplies and lives are changed! You have the power to make this happen! The link to our weekly video shows how those words are lived out in our congregation.

Emails and letters were sent out last week asking for your annual pledge/contribution. Please thoughtfully consider how you can help us continue to live out these words.

Christmas Pageant Registration Now Open

Our Christmas Pageant is one of the sweetest traditions at Union Church. Children ages 4 through 5th grade each play a role in telling the Christmas story by learning a few short lines and traditional songs. Middle school youths narrate. We have four weekday rehearsals beginning on November 18 and a dress rehearsal before sharing our pageant with the congregation on Sunday, December 20. If you can't make all of the rehearsals, that's ok!

Email Penny Johnson with any questions.

The Sparrow Coffee Story

Sunday, November 22, 11:15 to 12:30 p.m., in Rowell Hall

Lets celebrate the opening of Sparrow Coffee in Clarendon HIlls. Join church members and Sparrow owners, Chris (Suresh) and Liz Chacko as they share their story of starting Sparrow and opening its newest cafe, right here in Clarendon Hills.

In November our sermons focus on Attention & Gratitude and living unfiltered, finding contentment in the unshared moments. The story of Sparrow finding its way to a place that the Chacko family is proud to call home certainly touches on this theme and we can’t wait to learn more.

Monthly Beginner's Mahjong

Thursday, November 5, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., in Rowell Hall

Come to play with a beginner’s group. While this is not a lesson, it is a group of fairly new players still getting familiar with the game.

Current Events 'Hang in There' Group

Sunday, November 8, 11:15 to 12:30 p.m. in the Kitchen Classroom (room 302)

Feeling the need to connect with others as we all navigate our way through what can be disorienting current events? This group began coming together in February to do just that. We will meet monthly on the first Sunday. Feel free to join us anytime!

Advent Book Club

Want to get a head start on our Advent Book Club and weekly discussion? Grab a copy of the book Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan at your favorite independent bookstore or the library. We also have copies in the church office for $7. It's a manageable size read at just 116 pages. We will be discussing this book on Sunday evenings via Zoom during Advent.

Eleanor's Christmas Stockings

Stuffing of Eleanor’s Christmas stockings will take place this year on Sunday, December 6th after the 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. services. Everyone, and especially families with young children, are welcome! The filled stockings will go to needy children.

• Please save your wrapped left-over Halloween candy and bring it to church.
• Our Amazon wish list for the stockings is available by clicking the button below. All items should be sent directly to the church.
• If you would rather purchase items on your own, we need small (no bigger than the size of your hand), new/clean stuffed animals. We love beanie babies, but any brand is great.
• Please ask your dentist for donations of individually wrapped children’s toothbrushes and travel size toothpaste.

Donation boxes will be in the Gathering Space by November 1^st. If you would like to help or have any questions, please contact Jane Grimm.

Socks and Skivvies Drive for The Boulevard

MFC is sponsoring a drive for NEW SOCKS AND SKIVVIES during November. The Boulevard of Chicago provides high-quality cost-effective medical respite care, holistic support and housing services to help ill and injured and homeless adults break the cycle of homelessness, restore their health and rebuild their lives. Union Church has supported The Boulevard since its founding in 1994 by Nancy Hanson, a Union Church member, and others.

We are collecting NEW WHITE SOCKS AND SKIVVIES in men’s sizes XL, XXL, and 3XL and women’s sizes M, L, XL, and XXL. Some smaller men’s sizes, M and L, are also needed. Men are 75% of the population, so we need more men’s sizes. Please place the new socks and skivvies in the bin in the Gathering Place. 

For questions email Dan Woodle dewisu73@sbcglobal.net. Ordering from Amazon with delivery to Union Church is found here.

Celebrate! Whether you’re getting a head start on holiday cards, making birth or moving announcements or personalized stationary, this is a fundraiser that works for you….and for the school! 🙌

Order your cards through Minted using the code “FUNDRAISEUCHINSDALE” and you’ll save 20% while 10% goes back to the UCECP. Scan QR code to shop or see link in bio.

That’s a win-win for all the fun events, announcements and well wishes we share with the ones we love! 🤍

The Hinsdale Music Club

Wednesday, October 28 at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary

The Hinsdale Music Club invites members of the Union Church congregation to our meeting on Wednesday, October 28. The program is “Leonard Bernstein: Broadway and Beyond”. Performing music of Leonard Bernstein will be: Jane Lauritsen, soprano; Roseanne Rosenthal, clarinetist; Reed Pence, tenor; Michael Molloy, tenor; and Diane Marelli and Patricia Gill, pianists. An overview of Bernstein’s life and accomplishments will be shared. Please join us!

Senior Minister Search Update

The Senior Minister Search Committee is excited to share that we are in the final phase of the search. If all goes well, we expect to conclude our work in the very short-term. That is not a guarantee, but we believe we stand in a very good position right now after evaluating many candidates and having multiple deep conversations with those we thought to be the best fit. Especially now in this delicate part of the process, please continue to keep the entire committee and candidates in your prayers.

What? No Chapel Piano?

Our chapel piano will be receiving some much-needed TLC and maintenance, beginning on September 17. While you will see the piano itself remaining in place, for roughly 4 weeks the actual black-and-white keyboard will be gone while our technician gives it the love and attention it deserves! Thank you for supporting our music ministry at Union and understanding how important it is to maintain our beautiful instruments!

Access to Building Calendar

To see a list of building events, please visit our web site, under the events tab, or click this link to take you there directly. To view the full building calendar, go to the resources tab and click building calendar, or follow this link to take you there directly.

Need a Meeting Space?

Union Church is bustling, and we LOVE IT! With that being said, rooms are not as readily available as they once were. If a committee, ministry, or group needs to use one of our rooms please contact Adriana Kieffer to book a space for a specific date and time.

Need Something Announced in the Midweek Email or Online?

Send any requests to disseminate information to the Union Church congregation to communications@uchinsdale.org. The deadline for newsletter submissions is Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. anything received after the deadline will be placed in the e-blast the following week. This allows the email to be distributed to everyone involved in getting the word out. Please put "Email Blast" in the subject line. Thanks!