April 2, 2024

A note from Mark and Tracy

Hello, Members and Friends of the Union Church,

This morning, at the end of our Annual Congregational Meeting, I shared

the news that Tracy and I are planning to end our time at the church in

June of 2025. By that time, I will have been here for 30 years and Tracy

will have been here for 20. Across all that time, people have come and

gone. We have faced different challenges. We have held babies in our

arms and then, decades later, presided at their weddings. And, of course,

we have sat together and grieved the loss of so many wonderful members

and friends. What has never changed is our love for you all. In fact, that

love has just grown deeper over the years.

Because we love you all and love the Union Church, our goal is to do

everything that we can to help the church put together a self-study and

search process that leads to the next wonderful chapter in the church’s

life. A great deal of that work for us will be helping the process to get

going and then staying out of the way of that work. You all need to clarify

what is essential about the church’s identity and then ask, in a really open

way, how the church might grow into an exciting future. It is possible that

we may even bring in some folks to help the church work through that

process.

In the meantime, all the things that we’ve grown to love will continue

between now and June 2025: worship, “Think Again,” Church Ladies, the

men’s group, youth group, Sunday school. Work Trip 2024 will be our last

work trip, though. As my track coach used to tell me, “Run past the tape!”

Rest assured, we will.

The Union Church of Lake Bluff is an amazing place full of really great

people. I believe there are compelling candidates out there looking for a

church like this. Let’s do the work together so that the church is ready

when you meet those candidates.