Sunday, October 2, 2016
“Called to Love, Justice, Vitality”
This is a defining moment. The challenges we face for humanity and the planet are great. Yet, this is also a moment of opportunity. How is our faith calling us to respond to this moment? What skills do we need? How can we be a vital voice for love and justice for this time? Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray speaking.
From the Board of Trustees
Name Change Circles will be held for 14 days starting October 2 through October 15. The Circles will be facilitated by the UCE Board of Trustees. The Circles will give our Beloved Community members an opportunity to share their thoughts/feelings on a name change, an opportunity to express empathy for those who think/feel differently about a name change, and an opportunity to propose a name. The Circles will be conducted similar to a Covenant Group. Deep Listening is an integral component of the process. After the closing words of a Circle members will be asked to fill out a form that shares the member’s circle answers in written form. The forms will add options for next steps. For those that cannot make it to a circle we will offer other opportunities to fill out a form. We want to hear from as many members who choose to have their voice heard. We will accept forms until October 31.
The purpose of the Circles and the written forms is both to give our Beloved Community an opportunity to be heard on the issue of a possible name change and to give the Board of Trustees data to make a recommendation on whether to further explore a name change. We will make a recommendation shortly after the October 31 deadline.
The Circle times are, Saturday and Sundays at 12:30, Weeknights (except Thursdays) at 7:00, and Thursdays at 7:30. The room numbers vary. The Circles will vary in length. The opportunities to speak will be time limited. The opportunity to share your thoughts and feeling will be two minutes long, the empathy piece will be one minute long,the name proposal will be a few seconds to propose a name. We are not looking for a discussion of specific names at this point. If there are 30 people the Circle will probably last about 1:45. If there are four people the Circle will probably last around 18 minutes.
Please contact us with any questions.
Submitted by: Brian Meister
News from CRS, UUANI and UU Prison Ministry
Another month of putting UU values into action!
The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois invites you to a workshop on radical hospitality on October 1 at Countryside Church UU in Palatine, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. This is particularly important for people who would like to make congregations more welcoming and helpful to people returning from prison. More information is in the events section of the UUPMI Facebook page. To register, email uupmi.info@gmail.com with your name and congregation.
CRS (Community Renewal Society) is in advocating for our police accountability proposal, called FAIR COPS. It establishes an independent police auditor. Chicago City Council will vote soon.
UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) took part in the National Moral Day of Action on September 12 in Springfield and 29 other state capitols to be religious voices for moral stances on many related issues of poverty, racial justice, imprisonment, health, and the environment. We were 7 people from UCE with over 70 UU’s statewide of a group of 120 people from various faiths. See pictures and this short TV news clip on the event showing some of your fellow UCE members! http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/capitol-news/rally-calls-for-change
For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants. DaleCGriffin@comcast.net
Bike the Ridge
Summer may be ending, but UCE members can look forward to Evanston’s fall event: Bike the Ridge.This Sunday, September 25 from 9:00-1:00pm, Ridge Avenue between Howard and Church will be closed to vehicular traffic for “Bike the Ridge.”
This event is an excellent community building opportunity for UCE. Hundreds of people will be biking by UCE’s doorstep; let’s give them a UCE welcome! We will have a tent set up on Ridge. Here UCE members can greet bikers, supply them with water and cookies, and provide information about the church. We need lots of friendly faces on Ridge to represent UCE!
Please consider biking to church that day. There will be a monitored bike corral in the grassy area behind the sanctuary. Having Ridge closed to vehicular traffic is an excellent opportunity to support environmental sustainability by biking to church.
For both our community members and UCE members, there will be bike decorating on the church lawn. Anyone who stops by can decorate their bikes with streamers, pipe cleaners, or ribbons.
With us again this year will be members of The Recyclery Collective. The Recyclery will also be the Shared Plate Recipient that day. The Recylery is an educational bike shop that provides a space for empowerment through education, transportation, and community building. The shop offers Open Hours, Volunteer Hours, Spanish Open Hours, and Youth Programming. There is an “Earn a Bike” program where youth can log volunteer hours to earn a reconditioned bike. Reconditioned bikes can be purchased through the shop and a number of bikes are designated for those who cannot afford them. Please stop by and meet our friends from The Recyclery.
Please volunteer for this community-building event! We need the following: 1) volunteers to help decorate bikes, 2) volunteers to organize and monitor members’ bikes in our bike corral, 3) volunteers to greet bikers, distribute water and information about the church on Ridge or 4) contributions of materials—streamers, pipe cleaners, old playing cards, scotch tape, water, etc.
Please contact Jessica Tomell-Presto to volunteer or with any questions: prestomgk@comcast.net.
From the Syrian Refugee Family Team
Khalaf Family
The Syrian refugee family we are sponsoring are getting settled in. They are delightful: friendly, outgoing, eager to learn English, and to get settled in America. We have taken them shopping for clothing essentials, but we still need many specific items. If you can help, please bring your donations to the box under the coat rack at UCE. Thank you!
Clothing for the Khalaf Family
We need the following specific items for our family. Everything should be good quality and in excellent condition –
Women
Winter coat—long, black, xlarge
Winter gloves—black/grey, large
Leggings—black, sm/med
Boots—black, 7.5/8 and 9
Shirts/turtlenecks—muted colors, sm/med, xlarge
Men
Jeans—49 waist/23 long
Jeans—28 waist/28 long
Jeans—31 waist/28 long
Pants—khakis/dress pants, 49 waist/23 long
Shirts—pullover/polo, muted colors, medium, xlarge
Hoodies—muted colors, medium
Sweaters—muted colors, xlarge
Shoes—muted colors, 8, 9.5, 12
Boots—black, 8, 9.5, 12
Winter gloves—black/grey, large
Winter hats—black, knitted
Winter coats—medium and xlarge
We also need a large, deep cooking pot with lid.
Note: We can shorten men’s pants if needed.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
“Living our Covenant of Engagement”
When our congregation was developing our Covenant of Engagement in 2011, some said that the only covenant we really need is the historic one we read together every Sunday. This “newer” one provides detailed guidance on they ways we have decided to live in covenant with one another. How do we live our Covenant of Engagement, with help from our Congregational Relations Team? Rev. Connie Grant speaking
Sunday, September 18, 2016
“All We Pilgrim Souls”
The idea of creating covenantal, rather than creedal, community comes from our Pilgrim roots. With covenant comes responsibility: to help each other grow spiritually, to live into our promises, and to care deeply for that which has been entrusted to us. Our own church covenant is grounded in both Biblical and humanist understandings of what it means to be “promise makers and promise breakers” — and from our humanity help to form the Beloved Community. Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.