Columnists/Michael J. Murschel


The Religion of the Garden



Spring. Mother's Day. A Sunday afternoon. All great times to work in your yard. It takes a lot of faith to put those fragile plants in the ground, rely on nature, and your memory of when things last were watered, getting the soil just right, and ultimately remembering what is a weed and what is not.

It can be one of those moments when a lot of religion is lost in the effort.

Well, here is a simple way of keeping faith, religion, spirituality in your garden. There is an entire realm of legend and lore in which many plants are firmly rooted. Simply plant them, and every time you see them, recall the mystery blossoming all around them. These plants speak to us in open and frank ways.

Very soon, you will have a veritable living storybook of parables, saints, and the goodness of God. For example, one of the most intriguing, and probably least known, story tells of Eve sitting outside the Garden of Eden after the Fall. Ever since Adam and Eve had been banished from the Garden, no flowers had bloomed, snow fell ceaselessly, and Eve wept inconsolably. An angel was… Full Story

A new era dawns for Elgin congregation

Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin, 39W830 Highland Ave.This weekend has been filled with a host of environmental consciousness raising events in our area, such as the Elgin Green Expo. But it doesn’t have to stop there. You can cap off the weekend by seeing a real-world example of “greenness” in full swing by heading out to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin (UUCE), situated at 39W830 Highland Ave., three miles west of Randall Road. As you approach it on Highland Avenue from the east, the newest addition is readily apparent: fully 40 photovoltaic panels are arrayed across the southeast side of the hip roof. Surprising? Not really. The UUCE can trace its Elgin roots back to either 1846, or 1866, depending on which denominational track you use. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), it relocated to its present location in 1995 and brought with it all the pent up environmental energy and awareness it simply could not express at any of its prior sites. And it has literally blossomed here. The grounds are well-appointed with garden spaces, native prairie plantings, and the massive Chartres-style Earth Wisdom Labyrinth. The annual Prairie Fest is legend, and the social… Full Story

Here's the answers to some of life's questions (in Elgin at least)

By Michael J Murschel

Last week I put together a list of site-related questions asking what and where these religious places were in Elgin, Illinois. Hopefully, you got the opportunity to look for at least some of them. Of course, once you know where they are, they become pretty obvious. Lets see how you did with it.

1
QUESTION:
Which church has three large, really large, crosses on its property?
ANSWER:
St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 215 Thomas More Drive, southeast corner of Highland Avenue and Thomas More Drive.

2
QUESTION:
Which church has an exterior front wall with water cascading down it during the warm weather months?
ANSWER:
West Ridge Community Church, Route 20 and Encounter Lane.

3
QUESTION:
Which church has a huge labyrinth on its grounds?
ANSWER:
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin, 39W830 Highland Avenue, three miles west of Randall Road.

4
QUESTION:
Which church has two towers of unequal height?
ANSWER:
St. Johns Lutheran Church, 101 North Spring Street..

5
QUESTION:
Figuring a center point at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Spring Street, how many Catholic congregations are within a half-mile circle of downtown Elgin?
ANSWER:
Three:
St.… Full Story







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