Sunday, July 3, 10:00am
“On the Side of Love”
Love is challenged by hate, and hope is challenged by fear, over and over again. How do we keep moving toward the side of love and hope? Rev. Connie Grant speaking.
Sunday, June 26, 10:00am
“Postmodernism and the Legacy of the Enlightenment”
In many ways contemporary culture is caught between a dedication to science and the use of rationality on the one hand and a skepticism about the human ability to be rational combined with moral relativism on the other. The tension between these two outlooks is present within UU circles. One way of looking at these issues is to see them as a struggle between Postmodernism and the continuing influence of the Enlightenment. This sermon will try to shed some light on these questions. Our Affiliated Community Minister, Rev. Dr. Jerome Stone speaking.
June 26, 2016 – “Postmodernism and the Legacy of the Enlightenment – Rev. Dr. Jerome Stone
Sunday, June 19, 10:00am
“Where Do We Go From Here?”
Ministerial Intern Kevin DeBeck will speak on gun violence, and Rev. Bret Lortie will speak on how to move ahead in difficult times such as these. Join us at 10am for a time dedicated to being together and sharing our grief, disappointment, and lamentation.
Rev. Bret Lortie – June 19, 2016 – “Where Do We Go From Here” – Rev. Bret Lortie
Kevin DeBeck – June 19, 2016 – “How Did We Get Here” – Kevin DeBeck
Welcoming Congregation
UCE has followed the UUA program and has been granted the status of “Welcoming Congregation.” UCE has audited its practices of welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people and has worked toward increasing understanding and acceptance among people of different sexual orientations.
As the UUA states, “Our vision goes beyond the Welcoming Congregation Program. By taking this first step, we hope to explore more issues such as sexism, racism, ablesim, and others. Being a Welcoming Congregation can act as a catalyst to learning more about ourselves and to ending exclusion. Only when we are truly open to the wealth of diversity in our world will the inherent worth and dignity of every person be affirmed with a large voice.”
Why do we have Black Lives Matter yard signs at UCE?
March 2015
After both services, as we celebrate Selma Sunday this week, Peace and Justice Committee members will be at a table in the back of the sanctuary with “Black Lives Matter” yard signs. You may wonder why the signs affirm that Black Lives Matter, why they don’t read “All Lives Matter,” or how this issue affects our church members. Don’t worry — you’re not alone! Most UCE members have not found ourselves in the center of the Black Lives Matter movement. We may not be close to anyone who risks violence simply because of the color of their skin. We sincerely may not understand why youth continue public protests as the cold Chicago weather goes on, or why it matters to Unitarian Universalists.
A national group of UUs addressing racial justice, Are UU Awake, asked churches nationwide to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by displaying banners and signs. It means a great deal to them that UU churches show our neighbors, and especially the African American community, that we care about what’s happening.
Of course all lives matter, but Black youth are losing their lives to police and vigilante violence at a stunning rate. The Department of Justice report this week sheds light on the racial disparities of Ferguson’s court system, and the blatant racism in local law enforcement emails. The deaths of Black youth and the systemic lack of accountability for these killings will not change unless people who are not directly affected care, and speak out for change.
Our UCE mission, “Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole”, and our UU principles, call us to care about the lives of people whose circumstances are vastly different from our own. Check out the UU World March 2015 for a great article by Kenny Wiley on efforts to raise awareness in Denver. Read UU Minister Daniel Schatz’s response to a community member’s demand that he change his church banner to say “All Lives Matter.” Take a moment to consider this New York Times Op-Ed, What’s Wrong with Black Lives Matter? Ultimately the conversation, as difficult as it is, helps us move closer to a world of less hatred and mistrust, greater solidarity and justice.
We have sold 44 yard signs so far. If you would like to purchase one for $5 for your yard or your window, we welcome you to check with us at the back of the sanctuary after either service on March 8. We expect to take some criticism from neighbors, family, and friends. These conversations are well worth having, and richly reward us in building understanding, compassion, and justice in our community.
REPARATIONS STUDY TOWN HALL
Submitted by Tom Hempfling, April 2016
In January 2016, a petition was initiated at UCE to express support for Rep. John Conyers’ House Bill HR 40. This bill will conduct a study of proposals for reparations to the descendants of slaves in America, and it includes studying the effects of slavery and its later manifestations in our society today. A key purpose of HR40 and of making reparations to the African American community is reconciliation – to help make one
America from this divided nation.
Among other areas of inquiry, HR 40 would:
• study the economic deprivation and physical and emotional suffering of the descendants of slaves, including deprivation that occurred because of U.S. Government policies
• seek to expand educational efforts to help Americans move toward a “common memory,” and thus a greater sense of true community in our nation.
If reparations are enacted, the form they could take has yet to be defined, but an example could be public works that include racial justice in their mission.
Our proposal and its rationale was described in an article in the Jan 8, 2016 UCE newsletter and was discussed at a Crackerbarrel session on January 24. On Feb 17 we presented 77 signatures to the Board of Trustees, well in excess of the number needed to bring the proposal to the congregation. A discussion is scheduled for the May 1 Town Hall Meeting, and the proposal is on the agenda for the May 15 congregational meeting.
If it is approved, we will inform elected representatives and others at a later date of its approval and submit a Proposed Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) to the UUA prior to its next deadline of October 1, 2016, for consideration and eventual adoption as a Statement of Conscience by the UUA, or for incorporation into the existing CSAI in progress on “Escalating Inequality.”
NEWS FROM GREEN SANCTUARY – FEBRUARY 2016 A TALKING FARM UPDATE SUBMITTED BY: JEANNE KERL
The Talking Farm (TTF) is a group of folks primarily from Evanston, Chicago, and Skokie who work on sustainable urban farming projects. UCE’s shared plate proceeds have funded TTF in the past, so we thought we’d update you on what TTF has been doing the past few years.
Here’s an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Huff Post recently:
“The Talking Farm (TTF) advocates sustainable agriculture and organic growing practices and runs the Edible Acre and Howard Street Farm projects. The organization was founded in 2006 out of the efforts of the Evanston Food Council.
The Howard Street Farm has been in existence since 2010, after the village of Skokie offered TFF, a 20 year lease on a 2 acre parcel of land right on the Roger’s Park/Skokie border. However, obtaining the land was only the beginning of getting the farm up and running. Over the next few years, The Talking Farm went through the long process of making it legal to have an urban farm in Skokie and sell the produce, which was the first of its kind in the area…
In 2015, TFF sponsored intern programs at their Howard Street Farm in Skokie, provided 285 hours of school instruction to Evanston Township High School, Y.O.U. (Youth Opportunity United) and the TOT Learning Center, 2498 hours of volunteer time were donated to help the Howard Street Farm operate. They now sell their produce from the Howard Street Farm to Local Foods in Chicago and several area restaurants including Farmhouse and Boltwood in Evanston. The farm continues to grow and flourish amidst the bleak industrial landscape surrounding it. Every September, they hold their annual Hullabaloo, which is a celebration of the farm and sustainable farming.”
The Green Sanctuary folks are hoping to organize a UCE work day this spring or early summer combined with tours of the Howard Street Farm. Stay tuned. We also want to celebrate the amazing work done by this local organization with the support of UCE.
NEWS FROM GREEN SANCTUARY SUBMITTED BY: MICHAEL DRENNAN
When Bret mentioned his sermon on simplicity, I agreed it made a fine
theme. Simplicity acts as a promise, one compelling action. The increasing
volatility of our weather, adverse impacts on shipping, farming, real
estate and public safety hint at the need to live more simply. We can use
less fuel; we can buy less stuff, and so generate less waste. We can
consider closely our wants and needs. Look and look again at what we
really need – bottled water, individual serving sizes, another shopping
bag, another shirt, another exotic vacation, another house, a bigger
house.
Simplicity it seems starts with simple questions, simple choices, simple
words. Do I need to drive to work; turn up the thermostat for comfort;
keep a closet full of Alcohol Ethoxylate, Perchlorethylene or Nitrobenzene
just to clean the house? Simple alternatives are usually at hand. Whether
it be taking the train once a week or recognizing the cleaning power of
oil, vinegar and baking soda – simple words for simple cleaning –
opportunities to live simply are always on hand.
Not all simple choices are made simply of course. Living comfortably
without turning up the thermostat in winter means pajamas, robes and
slippers – or better insulating your home. The latter choice isn’t simple
in execution of course. It means contractors, estimates, quotes,
financing rebates scheduling etc etc. Catching a train or bus means
tracking its schedule, awaiting its arrival. Having made enough simple
goals you may notice the big projects they sometimes hide. Perhaps you’re
suspicious of them. Home improvement isn’t synonymous with fun after all.
Simplicity is a noun. Like a promise it can hang there, mid-air, between
two people, hang lonely in a crowd, remain stranded somewhere between now
and then, sometimes for years. Like a promise simplicity can also steer,
give a clear sense of the end product of the ensuing choices. Polish your
wood with olive oil and orange juice; try it sometime. The smell is
delicious, and your bare hands will love you for it. Sit on the train and
read, or don’t read; look out the window, wonder at the all the funny hats
people wear to keep warm, just sit. Stand in your kitchen as the coffee
brews and sun rises and enjoy warm feet.
Paul in writing the Corinthians would say that to speak as men or angels
without love is to sound like a cheap brass band. Springtime abounds with
new promises, strewn about yards and throughout our conversation. These
often wither or are replaced by June. The King James derives love in
Paul’s letter from the same archaic Greek signifying charity, and indeed
there’s no small similarity. To love; to cherish, or give in this time of
rebirth is to hold dear a million blossoms and countless score warm
raindrops to clean the streets and the air, our minds and hearts. To
cherish a longer day, the mercy of playing tag in the yard without your
coats.
And so for Earth Month make simple choices. Cherish their making, hold
dear the simple moments that follow. Apply and repeat as often as needed.
Love is never far, but it usually starts with you. Start today.