Union Church began supporting Sueños y Esperanzas 4 years ago by sponsoring 2 students in their after-school program.  Since then, we have seen the program blossom into a full-scale support system for both students and their parents.  It is a true community center at the heart of the town of San Juan Laguna in the mountains of the beautiful country of Guatemala.  With our support, they began the Abejita’s program because many children in the community were malnourished. They wanted

One of the great things about Union Church is our Simple Supper group program. These are monthly meetings of about 12 people who share a meal, share about their lives, and share in good discussion about the Christian faith and/or the Bible. All the groups are led by members of the church, but often Rev. Mike prepares the material the groups use for discussion. For May's topic, Mike prepared material on the topic of sacrifice, in the religious/Biblical sense. The

We are very happy to announce that the Executive Council, through Moderator Mary Sue Honigschmidt, has established an Associate Minister Search Committee to find the person who will serve as our next Associate Minister for Mission and Youth. The Search Committee is made up of people from our HR team, those most actively engaged in our mission and youth work, as well as parents of the current and future youth of the church. We are grateful to all for agreeing

This time of staff transition has been a good time to think creatively about our overall staff configuration and responsibilities. In consultation with other staff, HR, and Executive Council, I (Rev. Mike) have given Grant Glowiak a new portfolio of responsibilities for his ministry with us. Grant will now be transitioning his main focus to work with families with young children at home, as well as new members and membership growth. This means that Grant will now be our "point

At the heart of this series was the idea that, even if we are not very good at talking about it, each of us has a personal reason to continue in this odd journey called “Christian faith.” We hope that by hearing several people from the congregation talk about their “why?” you have found points of connection to your own “why?” and that you have been inspired in knowing that you are not alone in this journey of faith. Furthermore,

By Stephen: It was an honor to share my why on Sunday and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this community that allows voices like mine and Kevin’s to be heard so openly and with such support.  I spoke about my upbringing in an environment where the judgement of God seems to override the love of God.  Please do not misinterpret all of that, as there was so much emphasis on God’s love.  I have always felt a profound connection

In the face of the horrendous loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, theology matters: not abstract, academic theology, but the deep, personal theology that shapes how we personally and spiritually process such suffering, and ultimately how we act in the world. This type of event can trouble our spirits, not just from compassion, but from doubt. And given that this is one disaster in a long and constant stream of terrible things

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” That verse is the backbone of our high school youth group. Every week we gather and share our ‘highs and lows’ from the past week, both the adults and the youth. We as the adult leaders model what it means to be honest and vulnerable, as we all together practice our story-telling skills. It doesn’t necessarily ‘look’ all that ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual,’ but the highs and lows we talk

With the Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization changing the legal framework of abortion in this country, many have been thinking again about abortion. Intentionally being a gathering of disciples of Jesus with a variety of views of faith and life, Union Church, of course, does not have one set, official view on abortion or the many complex issues that surround it. However, I (Mike) also believe that contributing to consideration of important issues is

A rabbi, a pastor, and an imam walk into a bar, and the bartender says, "What is this, a joke?” On April 20, I attended the annual interfaith iftar at the MECCA Center in Willowbrook. Along with Rabbi Jessie Wainer (Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard) and Imam Hassan Aly (MECCA Center), I gave a short talk and participated in a Q and A session. So, it wasn’t actually a bar, and it wasn’t a joke – although it was a really