Subscribe here.

Thanks for taking a moment to check out these events in our shared life & the wider world.

If you’d like something included in an upcoming newsletter, please let the office know! Reach out to office@waucc.org or 773-935-0642 (text or call).

A new weekly offering to keep our hearts, minds, and actions aligned with the people of Palestine.

For the first time in two years, the Christmas tree was lit up in Bethlehem. Many Palestinians gathered to watch the lighting. Bethlehem mayor Maher Canawati said the lighting of the Christmas tree in Bethlehem was a message of hope for Palestinians, to Gaza and to the world. The mayor also shared a message sent to Bethlehem by Pope Leo XIV, who said he “carries Bethlehem in his heart and prayers and is working for an end to Palestinian suffering”, urging people in Gaza “not to give in to despair.”

Holy God, as we witness the lighting of the Christmas tree in the place of your birth, we meditate on the mystery, revolution, and hope of the Christmas story that proclaims liberation for the oppressed. In the face of overwhelming death today, teach us how to faithfully hold onto your promise of liberation and life.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.
From the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center

I hope you all managed to embody PEACE this week, even without a mid-week check in from your pastor! (Alas, I was down with the stomach flu for many days!) I look forward to seeing you tomorrow as we welcome JOY, but in the meantime – take a moment with the video below to center yourself in breathing in peace, and breathing out love.

Debbie Southorn’s great collaborative work on the press release (below) led to Chicago Block Club running a story about our gift! You can read it HERE!

Small church gives big gift to free immigrants from detention this holiday season.

Since September of this year, federal agents from ICE and CBP preyed on Chicago’s neighborhoods, kidnapping over 3,000 parents, grandparents, teens, daycare workers, gardeners and roofers, day laborers, factory workers, and more – all beloved members of communities and taking them to detention centers across the Midwest. 
 
According to the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund’s ‘Midway Freedom’ initiative, over 475 immigrants in detention in the Midwest are likely to become bond eligible, depending on the coming court ruling around the Castañon Nava lawsuit.  But at $1500 per person to purchase their release, that’s a steep cost that many families are unable to pay on their own. (Illinois abolished cash bail for people convicted of criminal offenses in 2023, arguing that it’s an immoral and unjust practice to hold people for ransom and not release them if they are poor. However, that policy does not apply to federal immigration cases.)

Additionally, since immigrant detention has been banned in Illinois since 2021, those detained are sent to detention centers in Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, and beyond – where they’ll have to cover not only bond but their own transportation costs to get home. 
 
“At Wellington, immigrant justice is part of our DNA as a congregation. Donating $22,500 to cover the costs of bond, so that 15 detained individuals can regain their freedom ahead of the holidays felt obvious.  We voted unanimously at our congregational meeting to set these funds aside, but we know that money alone is not enough,” shared Sara Wohlleb, the chair of the church’s Immigrant Justice Taskforce.  
 
Wellington United Church of Christ is a small church, with an average of twenty-five to thirty people attending Sunday services in person and/or virtually.  But that doesn’t stop them from having an outside impact on immigrant and social justice in Chicago. 
 
The Sanctuary Working Group, a solidarity organization of over 30 local groups, operates as a program of the church. Since 2020, the Sanctuary Working Group has accompanied hundreds of vulnerable migrants on their journey towards sustainable independence, providing emergency housing, cash assistance, court support, and more.
 
Wellington’s work supporting immigrant communities goes all the way back to the original Sanctuary movement of the 1980’s, when the church was the second in the nation to declare itself a public sanctuary, housing vulnerable immigrants from Central America within the church itself and organizing other churches to do the same, despite threats of criminal prosecution. “Jesus himself was a refugee,” says Pastor Ann-Louise Haak, “and we take seriously the exhortation of our holy texts to proclaim liberty to those held captive, recovery of sight to those who are blind, and to release those in prison.” Today, as the Trump administration has made clear that even churches are not off limits for his agents, it’s more imperative than ever that we work to free people from detention.  
 
“This donation has the potential to allow 15 deeply missed and beloved people to go home to their loved ones, and we hope that additional religious communities will be moved by their actions,” said Alejandra Oliva from the Midwest Immigrant Bond Fund.  “We are so grateful to Wellington UCC for their generous support, particularly during this advent season, grounded in our shared mission of compassion, justice, and liberation.”

Join us on Christmas Eve at 7pm for an hour of readings, songs, and contemplative warmth to welcome the Christ child.

This service will be held exclusively in the Zoom sanctuary, so you can join us from wherever you are!

If you’d like to help with the readings – let Ann-Louise know by clicking the button below.

---

On Christmas Day, we will gather once again in person at Elaine Klemen’s home. After a brief worship service with Communion – and plenty of singing – we’ll enjoy a potluck brunch.

Join us at 10:30am – and RSVP with the button below!

Featuring etchings by our very own Brenda Friedman!

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s remember Palestine and all the oppressed people of the world. Join us as we sing carols for freedom, justice and liberation. All are welcome!

---

Join The People’s Lobby on Thursday, December 18 at 6:30pm at their office for an interactive, hands-on experience that explores how corporate power shapes our daily struggles.
RSVP HERE!

In this 3rd week of ADVENT,
May we find JOY to sustain us in these two songs.

My Soul in Stillness Waits
by Marty Haugen

&

Sometimes you just need a document!

Click below if you’re looking for:

• This Sunday’s BULLETIN
• The latest version of the CHURCH DIRECTORY
• The approved CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES (Nov mtg)
• Buying something for church? Remember that it’s tax-exempt! CLICK HERE for a copy of the form.
• Need to be reimbursed for a church expense? Download a Wellington REIMBURSEMENT FORM and submit it to the Church Office!

Copyright © 2025 Wellington UCC, All rights reserved.