WORSHIP

 

Worship begins at 9:00am on Sunday mornings.

 

While we have returned to in-person worship, a livestream option is also available at  www.facebook.com/streamwoodiucc. 

Videos remain on our page afterwards to watch at your convenience as well.

You DO NOT need a Facebook account to access livestream or recorded worship.

 

Here at IUCC, we offer a traditional, yet casual mixture of scripture, preaching, music, and prayer, as well as an interactive time for all ages called Engaging the Word. We provide bulletins for each week's order of service, and also project this information onto large screens at the front of the sanctuary.

 

Communion is offered on the first Sunday of the month. We celebrate an open table, where all are welcome to take communion. Bread and gluten-free crackers, as well as wine and grape juice, are available.

 

Children are welcome to attend the services. Childcare is also available for infants through preschool age children during worship. The fourth Sunday of every month is also Family Sunday and the youth of IUCC are especially invited to attend and help lead worship.

 

There is no dress code at IUCC, so come as you are. Our member's attire ranges from suits and dresses to t-shirts and jeans.

 

The best way to get to know IUCC is to join us for coffee and fellowship after Sunday worship. We look forward to meeting and getting to know you better.

 

All are welcome here!

 

WORSHIP

 

ADVENT

Our Advent theme this year is “How Does a Weary World Rejoice?” from A Sanctified Art, sanctifiedart.org. Together we will seek joy in a season of doubt while hearing the stories of the people behind the Christmas Miracle. As we move through this series, we hope to create space for acknowledging the weariness of our world while celebrating God’s closeness with great joy. 

 

 

December 3 - First Sunday of Advent

We Acknowledge our Weariness

As Advent begins, we start by acknowledging the weariness, grief, rage, and hopelessness we carry--and we also affirm that we are made for joy.

 

December 10 - Second Sunday of Advent

We Find Joy in Connection

In community our joy expands. When we can't rejoice, we can carry each other's joy.

 

December 17 - Third Sunday of Advent

We Allow Ourselves to be Amazed

Wonder is all around us--can we recognize it? As we learn to rejoice in a weary world, can we live in a way that allows amazement and wonder to surprise us often?

 

December 24 - Fourth Sunday of Advent - 9:00am

We Sing Stories of Hope

As we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth, may we also sing stories of hope, justice, and joy.

 

December 24 - Christmas Eve - 7:00pm

We Make Room

This Christmas, let us also make room--for strangers and neighbors alike. For this is good news of great joy for all people.

 

December 31 - First Sunday after Christmas - New Year's Eve

We Root Ourselves in Ritual

Rituals mark sacred turning points in our lives. They can help us make meaning of celebrations, losses, and transitions. How do our sacred rituals root us and help us live into new chapters with courage?

 

January 7 - Baptism of the Lord

We Trust our Belovedness

Ultimately, our joy is rooted in the fact that we belong to God. When we trust in our belovedness, we live and give fully--we are compelled to treat all of creation with tenderness and care. When we trust our belovedness, we have endless reasons to rejoice.

 

.BLUE CHRISTMAS

 

IUCC's Blue Christmas or Longest Night Service is a quiet, contemplative service for those who may be struggling to navigate the holidays. On Wednesday, December 20, at 7:00pm in the sanctuary we will gather for a brief time of worship and reflection, followed by cookies and coffee in Volkening Hall for any who would like to talk further.

 

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES

 

There will be two worship services at IUCC on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24. At  9:00am will be our Fourth Sunday of Advent service in our "How Does a Weary World Rejoice" series. At 7:00pm  will be a candlelight service as we welcome the long-awaited Messiah into our lives and into the world. We hope you will be able to join us to celebrate this most holy and blessed day.