Newsletter

March 2024

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Dear Members and Friends of DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church,

I really want to brag about our staff team at DUUC. Vera, Amanda, Sheri, Tina, and Steve are such a fabulous group to work with!

Our staff are experts in their fields. They know their jobs and are able to speak to not only their areas of expertise, but to their own strengths as people. That does not mean that they are not still learning. Each of our staff are members of their UU professional organizations. They are still learning, especially in an age of transition with new technologies and pandemic learnings. They attend their professional days and are in communication with others in their fields to find best practices and new ideas.

Our staff works collaboratively. While each of our staff members are experts in their own areas of knowledge, they also know that being in congregational life is never something one does alone. What we do in worship impacts religious education and membership engagement. Bringing in newcomers means having clear communication about the learning opportunities that we offer. Our staff holds good boundaries around their individual responsibilities but also seek out brainstorming ideas, creative thinking, and knowledge from each other to better enhance the ways that we can live into DUUC’s mission and vision. To better serve you.

Together our staff puts in time and effort to bring you engagement opportunities, offerings to help you grow in character, mind, and spirit, and care for you, our building, and our finances. 

Each week, I meet with or correspond with each member of our team…checking to support them and to plan for worship, programming, or address administrative needs. Twice a month, our full-time staff (Steve, Tina, and Sheri) meet with me to consider long term goals and strategies, engage in learning opportunities together, and consider how we can better collaborate. This year, we are reading The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. 

I am so blessed to have a staff team that supports and cares for one another. We are so blessed as a church to have a team that is passionate about helping you all live into your dreams and visions for the future!

To help better serve you, below is a guide about what our staff members do and links to their job descriptions. I am hoping that this might be a tool for us to serve you better!

And when you get a chance, thank our staff - they truly are remarkable!

In service,

rev. mandi

rev. mandi huizenga, Minister 

Contact about: worship services, pastoral care, social justice, policy-based governance, staffing needs, right relations, leadership development, denominational affairs, other music needs

Tina Lewis, Director of Membership and Engagement

Contact about: welcoming and newcomer services, hospitality including coffee hour, volunteer recruitment, membership engagement, affinity groups (young adult group, elder circle, women’s group, etc.), Facebook/social media

Steve Cooper, Director of Religious Education

Contact about: Adult religious education, children’s and youth religious education, chalice circles, covenant circles, chalice lighter program

Sheri Regalado, Office Administrator

Contact about: pledge, finances, buildings and grounds, communications, anything not on this list - Sheri will direct you to the best contact!

Amanda Thomas, Interim Choir Director

Contact about: adult choir

Vera Pelin, Pianist

Contact about: Sunday morning music

Sunday Service

In-person and Online

Our first principle is a simple and complex formula for living our lives. In a time when gender-expansive can be life threatening, what does our first principle have to say about being allies?

-rev. mandi huizenga

10:15 am Education and Social Hour

Community Hour

This week we are hosting a special social hour with treats for all!

Science Sunday (Learning Center)

Mike Winter will introduce you to some of the precursors to Darwin and intellectual contributors to his theory of evolution through natural selection. Come meet Abraham Trembley who stirred discussions and debates across Europe concerning Life, Death, the Soul, God, Atheism, and Purpose by his studies of minute water organisms. He influenced the scholars and professors that later came to Paris to study at what used to be called the Jardin du Rois, the Royal Garden. Renamed after the French Revolution it became the headquarters for Scientific study and is still there today. Meet Comte de Buffon, Cuvier, LaMarck, Hilaire, and others. What contributions did they make at the Jardin des Plantes to understanding our place in the Epic of Life?  

Our Unitarian Universalist faith is a living tradition. We believe that we are ever growing and learning both as individuals and as a community. After a vote to further explore Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association Bylaws, which hold the Seven Principles and Six Sources of our faith, we will be voting to adopt the final proposal at the 2024 UUA General Assembly in June. Join us as we explore the new articulation of our faith principles.

-rev. mandi huizenga

10:15 am Education and Social Hour

Meet & Greet (Learning Center)

Would you like to get to know more people in the congregation? Meet & Greet is a great way for new members, visitors, and established members to get to know one another in a small group setting. Walk-ins are welcome, though registration is helpful for set-up.

Contact Tina Lewis at tlewis@dupageuuchurch.org to register.

Keys to Flourishing and Loving: An Emerging Way – Part 1 (Sanctuary)

An experiential workshop facilitated by Randy Schenkat

Looking at Forces of Destruction that are limiting our collective thriving especially around the unequal use of power. Seeing the traps of our common ways of viewing how the world works. Hearing stories of a new breed of organizations – for profit and non profits that are bringing forth new operating systems which catalyze growth and flourishing of co-workers while being very financially successful. Imagining new possibilities in social justice and vibrant democracy and considering what this might mean for our DUUC voice. Creating structures and practices that enable human flourishing and deepen capacities for a loving world.

Randy worked with Winona(MN) Council for Quality for 25+ years

www.winonaworks.com. He has BBA and Special Ed Administration Licensure from UW-Madison and has practiced as a school psychologist, special education teacher and administrator, college professor, and public school and higher education change agent before the Quality Council role.

Constructive theologian and DUUC’s Community Minister, Rev. Dr. Myriam Renaud, will explore religious naturalism, a set of beliefs and attitudes that affirm some happenings in the world and in our experiences can be considered religious. She will illustrate this theological approach in the work of Unitarian Universalist philosophers, Jerome Stone and Karl Peters, and in hymns from the Unitarian Universalist tradition.

- Rev. Dr. Myriam Renaud

10:15 am Education and Social Hour

Science Sunday (Learning Center)

Dave Clark will talk about salt. Where does it come from? What makes it special? Why does it come in different colors? What does it have to do with Boone's Lick Missouri? Why do we need it in our diets?

Last month we learned about water. This month we explore some of the science concerning another simple and ubiquitous material.

Religious Naturalism (Sanctuary)

This workshop led by Rev. Dr. Myriam Renaud, DUUC’s Affiliated Community Minister, will focus on Religious Naturalism of the Unitarian Universalist philosopher and theologian, the Rev. Dr. Jerome Stone. Myriam is leading each of the morning’s services on March 17th, during which she will briefly introduce the Rev. Dr. Jerome Stone’s theology. The workshop is an opportunity for a deeper dive into Stone’s ideas.

We often think about renewal in a passive way, is if it is something that happens to us. Renewal, though, is something we must do intentionally. It is different from bodily rest or relaxation. Let’s explore how renewal becomes a verb.

-rev. mandi huizenga

10:15 am Education and Social Hour

Covenant of Right Relations III (Learning Center)

facilitated by the Committee on Shared Ministry (COSM)

The third of three sessions to hear about the revised Covenant of Right Relations. The Covenant of Right Relations is our shared agreement on how we communicate and behave with each other.

Keys to Flourishing and Loving: An Emerging Way – Part 2 (Sanctuary)

An experiential workshop facilitated by Randy Schenkat

Looking at Forces of Destruction that are limiting our collective thriving especially around the unequal use of power. Seeing the traps of our common ways of viewing how the world works. Hearing stories of a new breed of organizations – for profit and non profits that are bringing forth new operating systems which catalyze growth and flourishing of co-workers while being very financially successful. Imagining new possibilities in social justice and vibrant democracy and considering what this might mean for our DUUC voice. Creating structures and practices that enable human flourishing and deepen capacities for a loving world.

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Single Worship Service

@ 10:00 AM - All ages

On this Easter Sunday, let’s examine the lessons of cross-bearing and what it means for us today.

-rev. mandi huizenga

Single service (Easter) 

No education hour 

Upcoming Workshop Series

Graceful Preparation

A series of four workshops for Elders, Caregivers, and those who wish to be prepared.

I've Died, Now What? Info & Registration

Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 9:00am

Celebrating Life Info & Registration

Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 9:00am

Elder Law Info & Registration

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 9:00am

Elder Care Info & Registration

Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 9:00am

TRANSGENDER INCLUSION IN CONGREGATIONS

Over six sessions, either in-person only or online only, you will deeply explore the intersection of trans identity, spirituality, and faith community, and gain the grounding, context, and skills to transform yourself and your congregation.

Each session includes a 45- to 55-minute lecture by Rev. Mykal Slack and Zr. Alex Kapitan. The lectures are pre-recorded so that you can view them at any time that is convenient to you. Reflection questions and resources that take the conversation deeper will be shared during our weekly one hour discussion session.

Info & Register for In person – Sundays 1:30 – 2:30pm March 10, 17, 24, April 7, 14 & 21

Info & Register for On Zoom – Mondays 7:00 – 8:00pm March 11, 18, 25, April 8, 15 & 22

Sunday Morning Adult Learning Schedule

Adult Learning Programs Outside of Sunday Morning

Click here for our Lenten series of Journeying Towards Liberation.

Riverwalk Adult Day Services formerly Ecumenical Adult Care, was founded in 1983 by a group of 15 religious institutions who recognized the desire and benefits for adults to age in place at home, but who could not be left at home alone. Riverwalk Adult Day Services has provided over 700,000 hours of service to participants, allowing their caregivers the peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are being cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. Their mission is to Provide a Safe, Social, Stimulating Environment for Adults in need of daytime care. Please click here for more information.

$2992.92 was collected for SMILE during January. Thank you for giving generously.

Delegate? Attendee? Join us!

This year's UUA MidAmerica Region and General Assembly events are coming soon. We'd love to have you participate as an attendee or as a business meeting delegate! More information will be communicated in the coming weeks for both assemblies.

The UUA MidAmerica Region will hold its first-ever multi-platform assembly April 19-20, with an online option and in-person activities in nearby Madison, WI. Keynote speakers Rev. Dr. Sophia Betancourt (UUA President) and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson (United Church of Christ President) will present on Friday evening; Saturday will offer a day of workshops, in-person and online.

• Apply to be a MidAmerica business meeting delegate  (selected by the Board in early April) for DuPage UU Church. The business meeting portion of the assembly will be streamed at 3:00pm on Saturday, April 20.
• Register to attend the MidAmerica regional assembly, in person or online. Registration fees are on a sliding scale.

The UUA General Assembly has moved to a rotating multi-platform / virtual schedule. This summer, General Assembly will be virtual, with events scheduled June 20-23. 

• Apply to be a General Assembly business meeting delegate  for DuPage UU Church. (This will be an exciting year with discussion and voting on our Principles' Article II revision!) 
• Register for General Assembly  online activities (with a stated fee) or as a delegate selected by the Board in April (donation-only option). 

Questions about the assemblies or registration? Please contact rev. mandi or Board President Ann Arellano.

Nominations for 2024-25

Special Collections are Open

Each year our Community Outreach team solicits, reviews, and chooses nominees for a yearly lineup of not-for-profit organizations as monthly special collection recipients. These nominations come from our own Church members and often represent organizations that have been founded by or at which our members have volunteered for many years. They may be organizations that have impacted the life of your family. From mental health to senior support, immigrant literacy to prison ministry, our action provides a lifeline to organizations without deep pockets but providing essential services to so many living in our surrounding communities.

We are now beginning the process for 2024-2025. We currently have a number of standing recipients: the Tom Galloway scholarship at College of DuPage, Riverwalk Adult Day Services, ALIVE Center, Youth Outlook, and UU Prison Ministry. It is now time to think about organizations that you volunteer with, use their services, or just know they do good works. You can find information on the criteria we use to make decisions on our Nomination form. 

We are asking that you fill out and submit the Nomination form (also find the link on the Here's What's Happening page on the website). Or pick up a form from the Special Offerings mail slot in the office, fill it out and scan/email the completed form to specialofferings@dupageuuchurch.org (or drop off the form in the Special Offerings mail slot). The deadline for submissions is March 31. We look forward to learning about the organizations you think deserve our support.

Making Better Choices

Are you the launderer in your house? Under the heading of Making Better Choices, this is an area ripe for improving your environmental footprint.

Laundry Tips

1. Wash clothes less often. Wear them multiple times if not soiled.
2. Use more cold water washing.
3. Wash full loads.
4. High spin when possible.
5. Air dry when possible.

In general, these suggestions reduce energy consumption, reduce environmental micro plastics and make clothes last longer. If you’d like to read more details, check out one of these websites:

The Washington Post 

CNN 

National Geographic 

From your friends at Green Sanctuary

Adopt a DUUC Garden Bed

We could use your help in maintaining the garden bed that is up against the southeast corner of our building. Edged by a limestone wall, there are a few bushes, some native perennials and ground cover. This area welcomes all to our backyard, entering from the parking lot. It needs some love and attention, perhaps from 1 or 2 people, twice per month during the growing season. If you can provide weeding, watering and caring hands, this area needs you. Contact Susan, from the Facilities Committee, for more information, or to volunteer. sfc1939@comcast.net.

Auction Event High Season!

A reminder to Auction event throwers and goers from your Auction team!

Party and event donors, please be sure to contact your guests in a timely manner as your event date nears. Party and event purchasers, please be sure to mark your calendars. If you are unable to attend as a date nears, let your host know. Your host, with assistance from Tina as requested, can offer your spot to someone else.

• Winners: Silent Auction parties and events 
• Winners: Live Auction parties and events 
• Winners: Silent Tours and Services

The host/attendee information can be found at dupageuuchurch.org/auction-2023/ and a link to this information also is on the Here's What's Happening page on the church website. Donor and winner phone/email contact information is available in the Church Directory. Access the up-to-date directory via REALM. Questions? Contact auction@dupageuuchurch.org.

Sunday Flowers Needed 

Celebrate a person or event by providing flowers for a Sunday service. Flowers are needed for various dates throughout the summer months. 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 8:50 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 second service. If you are not attending service that day, you may contact Sheri office@dupageuuchurch.org or (630) 505-9408 to make arrangements for pick-up during office hours. 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

flowers@dupageuuchurch.org or (630) 305-7771 for more information and/or to request a date. Thank you!

Do you need to contact a staff member?

Please consider making a donation to support DuPage UU Church and all of its programs.

Text "DUUC" to 73256 using your mobile device OR click here.

Thank you!

In the Wider Unitarian Universalist World

Image description: UPLIFT Access logo with a green border that includes the disability pride flag colors of red, yellow, white, blue, and green that overlay a black background on the left. The right side has a black UUA chalice logo next to the words UPLIFT Access, Uplifting Accessibility in and beyond Unitarian Universalism.

Resources for People with Disabilities and their Allies

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has a blog and newsletter called Uplift Access dedicated to accessibility for people of all abilities in and beyond Unitarian Universalism. You can sign up for the newsletter on the UUA website or look up archived blog posts on the Uplift Access Blog page.

Uplift Access also hosts a monthly resource webinar. From the Uplift Access’ January blog, “Lay leaders, religious professionals, and allies are invited to join us for our monthly lunchtime webinars where you can learn how to be more accessible and inclusive of your congregation’s disabled members and visitors.” The webinars take place via Zoom 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT. on the fourth Thursday of each month. Webinars are currently scheduled for March 28th, April 25th and May 23rd. Sign up for the Uplift Access Resource Webinar at UPLIFT Access Monthly Webinar Registration.

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.

Click here for more information.