December 2, 2018
Come experience/participate with – the UCE Choir, Guest Soloists, and a Full Jazz Combo (including Gregory Shifrin and UCE member, Karl Montzka) as we lift our voices in singing a Jazzy Little Christmas at 11:00am in the sanctuary. We’ll share a Christmas Carol Sing-a-long at 9:15am in Rm 3.
From The Executive Operations Director
On the eve of Thanksgiving I am focusing on the many projects on my desk and all that is happening around me. Tomorrow I will stop, enjoy the day, and experience gratitude for my life, my loved ones, friends, this congregation, and for the privileges and blessings I enjoy. I will be out of the office beginning tomorrow Thanksgiving Day until Tuesday, December 4.
It is hard to know where to begin with my updates to you on buildings and grounds, administration and rentals.
Building and Grounds
Parking Light Lights: The preliminary news on the parking lot lights is not good. For weeks I have been trying to get these repaired. It seemed it was electrical, then it was suggested it was the bulbs. I had the bulbs replaced, yet the lights continue to fail. Today Mike Corrigan and team were out to do further exploration. There is no power going to the poles. It will be a costly and timely project to go under the parking lot to replace potentially rusted pipes that carry electricity to the poles. Mike is continuing to look into the matter and will send recommendations to me Friday or early next week. It is possible that we may need to install temporary lighting along the building where there is electricity, shining light on the lot. We will also explore whether it is possible to attach solar powered or battery powered lights on the existing poles as a temporary measure.
Roof: Replacement of the wing roof is now complete.
Automatic Doors: Installation of automatic doors at the main west entrance will take place at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28. Julia Takarada, project coordinator and I will be present for this installation. The following day the security system will be put into place. Lobby staff will continue to be in place throughout the remainder of the fiscal year.
Entry cards will replace keys. More information will follow to help us navigate through this new process. Ultimately, it will be a great improvement for accessibility to our church.
Tree Trimming: A few weeks ago several trees on the southeast lawn were trimmed away from the building, the roof and throughout the area. Dead bushes and volunteer trees were removed. This was necessary for the health of the trees and to prevent damage to our sanctuary and wing.
Snow Removal: A contract has been let for the winter snow season. I interviewed a second company in Evanston but the proposal came in at more than three times the current provider proposal. The contract calls for Zero tolerance. During the season when it rains and freezes, the southernmost section of the parking lot will be closed off to parking to prevent falls on black ice. Water tends to collect around the drains, freeze and when covered with snow can be hazardous. The sewers are planned for repair and restoration during the upcoming Capital Campaign.
Capital Campaign – A town hall meeting on the Capital Campaign will be held in Room 3 after the service on Sunday, December 9. At that time congregants will see sketches and learn more information, including costs of proposed projects.
Accessibility and Inclusion: A monthly meeting of the A & I team is held. I, as lead of the Buildings and Grounds Team attend each meeting. This month Rev. Greg Stewart joined us. Robb Geiger joins the team now as he has replaced Dick Whitaker as co-lead on Buildings and Grounds Team. A current project being undertaken by the A&I team is the installation of grab bars in one of two stalls in each the boys and girls bathrooms in the lower level. Vickie Doeble is project coordinator for this item. She and I met yesterday to take measurements and discuss on installation and design. Vickie is doing more research on this product.
Administration
Staffing: Religious Education Assistant Margaret O’Connell will be embarking on her student teaching semester and will be leaving UCE. We have known this for some time, but now the time is near. Elizabeth Edelen, our Sunday morning lobby staff is leaving in December as well. Elizabeth has begun to work more hours working with special needs individuals and it is taking her away from us on Sunday mornings. We send these two individuals off with a warm thank you and our best wishes on their new endeavors. We celebrate them.
Database: Our new REALM database continues to be under construction headed by Brian and Carol Nielsen. Melanie Kitchner has worked hours with Brian and Carol to transfer the data, scrub the data and prepare the database system for eventual launch. Razvan Sofronie is currently working to send member donations and pledge information to REALM by uploading files from Quickbooks. More information will follow from the REALM Team as they get closer to making the software available for congregant individual input and participation.
VOIP Phone System: Carol Nielsen has done extensive research on a new phone system which was intended for the Capital Campaign. Because the costs are so reasonable and phones are included, staff has decided to move forward as it is less than we are currently paying for our multiple land lines. There are many new exciting features, including an app that will allow staff to answer calls remotely as well as a more efficient method for answering and transferring calls internally. This system includes a conference and video calling feature. We will maintain a land line for our emergency phones in the LULA and Lift to the balcony.
Integrated Stewardship Council: ISC met during October and November. Current updates on Endowment and Capital Campaign, as well as the financial health of UCE is discussed. All minutes are shared with the Board of Trustees and can be found in my report on the bulletin board outside Room 2. This is a strong, thoughtful team of people including Susan Comstock, Treasurer; Amy Dooley, Endowment Chair; Ann Peterson, Capital Campaign Chair; Tom Ticknor, Member At Large; Marianne Griebler, Member at Large; Susan Carlton, Secretary and Martha Holman and Jeanne Kerl as alternating Board Liaisons. I am Staff Lead for ISC.
Denominational Affairs:
Large Church Gathering: On the Thursday, November 8, UCE was host to the Regional Midwest District Large Church Gathering. This group is comprised of Sr. Ministers, Assistant/Associate Ministers, Executive Directors/Administrators, Religious Education Directors, Music Directors, Membership Directors and Social Action Directors. We gathered at 8:30 a.m. for coffee, bagels and mingling. At 9:00 a.m. we shared information about the day and then broke into affinity groups according to our positions. These sessions provide an opportunity for each of our staff to share information, to review guide questions and gain a better understanding of each other and our work.
After lunch we regrouped in the sanctuary for a program on racial justice. Two presenters hired by the district provided a presentation by Pastor Givens and Reverend Horan on how to plan for and create inclusive, multi-racial/multi-ethnic staff teams with productive relationships. The program concluded at 4 p.m. Leadership of the Midwest Region were exceptionally grateful for UCE hosting this important day of fellowship and learning.
Denominational Support: a new formula for calculating congregational dues will be in place for the upcoming fiscal year. The Annual Pledge Fund of the UUA and Region will no longer be based on the congregation’s membership number, but rather certified operating expenditures. Eileen and I sat at a table with a representative of the UUA APF staff. We have received preliminary information on what our dues will be. Eileen and I are seeking additional information on the calculation of our amount. This topic will be shared at many levels, including and especially the Integrated Stewardship Council. Decisions will need to be made to determine our level of support as it relates to our Budget Working Group process starting in December.
Rentals: On Sunday, November 11 Chicago Area Peace Action Council held their annual fundraiser in our Sanctuary. On the day after Thanksgiving CARE Fair sets up for their annual fundraiser on Saturday, November 24th. This group has rented from UCE for more than 15 years now. On Thursday December 6 thru Saturday, December 8 Udumbara will hold their Rohatsu Sesshin in room 2. On Saturday, December 1 a local resident memorial will be held in our sanctuary.
November 25, 2018
A Family Portrait in Black and White; This one’s personal: I’ll tell the story of how one band of social misfits became a “forever family.” About my children, I am always quick to point out that Stillman and I didn’t save them. Instead they saved us—from a life of meaninglessness and purposelessness. Another thing I always say: “Don’t try this at home.” Come and find out why. Way Cool Worship (downstairs). Service led by Rev. Gregory Stewart.
Wages of Empire
Spoils is an interesting term of art. As a plural noun (as opposed to a conjugated verb),
its synonyms 
resonate – plunder, loot, swag, haul, pickings, booty, reward. The last, reward, is particularly revealing, as it shows a vested relationship hidden by the other terms – a payor and a payee, an employer and employee – as does another synonym: wages. On whose behalf am I seeking spoils? An admiral? A pirate ship captain? A king? Who is my wage-payor? And what’s my cut?
I’ve been mulling on this parcel of terms lately as indicative of the state of things in an important story about my ancestry. In many textbook stories about the Mayflower settlement at Plymouth, it’s related that in early excursions into their new environment, the colonists “found corn.” What is apparently often left out is that they found caches of dried corn buried in the ground. That is, they found stores of the harvested corn of the Wampanoag people who lived there. They found it and took it. They were doubtless hungry, their stores diminished after three months at sea, and they needed to figure out how to survive, short-term and longer-term. Even so, they found what belonged to others, and they took it for themselves. Spoils. Loot. Wages.
Not particularly surprising, really, given the whole state of things for these immigrants. They were coming to a land widely understood by Europeans to be theirs for the taking. England was relatively new to “New World” colonization – France and Portugal and, especially, Spain had been in it for longer. What all of these European cultures had in common before coming to the Americas, though, was an understanding of advancing “civilization” through empire – that is, of the expansion of culture across territory, generally through violence or the threat of it. This was, and remains, part of the Old World paradigm. Take control of what isn’t yours and use it for your own ends. Plant your flag.
It doesn’t take much study of the mapping of “civilization” to realize that part of what is meant by “civilization” is the conquering of other people and the expansion of territory. Disheartening, but there it is. Fundamental to my existence here in Illinois in the 21st Century is a cultural mandate to take property and expand territory. Draw lines, hold turf, keep us in and others out. I am reminded that in his Ted Talk — https://www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey — photojournalist Aaron Huey explains that the Lakota word for a person of European ancestry translates to “he who takes the best meat.” Thinking about suburban life in this context very much helps me to understand it. We are inheritors of this terrible, largely unspoken expectation – that we are the rightful possessors of whatever we can get. That other people’s land and labor somehow belong to us, if we can take it.
This month, as we consider together the theme of Memory, as the Sankofa bird asks us to “go back and get it,” as we share our plate with the UU Service Committee, our young people have studied some disparate cultures – Haitian, African-American, Honduran emigrant. The UUSC does its important work in many places throughout the world – but what most of them share is a history of being at the effect of European colonization. No matter what we may say, or even truly aspire to, historically and fundamentally, white folks don’t really believe in a level playing field. If we did, schools in the U.S., for example, would be consistently strong, regardless of location. We may complain bitterly about local property taxes, but we tolerate them, because they help keep our wealth local and largely white, and they preserve educational advantage for our own children. To name one of myriad examples of this cultural mindset. Or consider the legal understanding of corporations as persons. Or the planting of the American flag on the moon. Or the systematic destruction of unions. Or the endless series of voter suppression tactics. Illustrations are truly everywhere, once we are woke enough to look.
Still, it continues to surprise us when those most at the effect of these imperial cultural mandates complain, or resist, or even try to flee. This is how a Black Lives Matter protest or a Honduran caravan traveling through Mexico become news stories. This is how there is conflict around the rights of these people to self-actualize, to plea for asylum or for their right to life. Their truths should be self-evident – but our imperial paradigm blinds us to the righteousness of their causes. Even those of us who feel in our bones the call to justice on their behalf are too often stymied by barriers set in place – some by others long ago, some of our own making and choosing.
As we launch Guest At Your Table this Sunday, and begin to prepare our feasts of Thanksgiving for all that we have, as we enter the season of giving, let us remember – especially those of us of European ancestry, but, truly, all of us – to resist the imperial mandate, to loosen our hold on the wages of empire. Colonization is our common heritage, but it need not be our destiny. Consumption is not itself a good. Keeping this little box on our table can help us to become mindful of our complicity in systems of oppression, yes – and yes, this can be uncomfortable. But if we are mindful of the harms these systems bring to us, as well as to others, it may help us to remember what we have lost and bring us back into the wealth of keeping our wants few, and the abundant love of right relationship. May it be so. May we make it so.
November 18, 2018
Breaking Bread Together
All Ages Worship – Bread Communion and Child Dedications. We break bread together to call forth the Beloved Community we long for and to joyfully commit ourselves, in covenant, to our youngest ones. Through this annual ritual, we express gratitude for the nourishment of body and soul we receive by bringing our whole selves to the table. Please bring a loaf of bread representing your family heritage and whatever additions you like – spreads, cheese, fruit, lox…. – to share in a bread feast. People of all ages will be together in the sanctuary this Sunday for both services. Service Led by Rev. Eileen Wiviott.
Seeking UCE Congregational Leaders
Do you know how we choose congregational leaders at UCE? Do you think the leadership selection process should be more equitable and more transparent? Do you have opinions about who our future leaders should be? Do you want to join the UCE board or one of the UCE leadership committees yourself? Read on to understand our leadership selection process, and to make your voice heard about how it works or who our leaders should be.
Per the UCE bylaws, our congregational leaders are elected at each Annual Meeting in May, when the voting membership selects a third of each of the Board of Trustees, the Endowment Committee, and the Nominating and Recruiting Committee. Trustees and committee members each serve a 3-year term, starting and ending a third at a time, on a staggered basis, so that a third of each group has their terms expire and their replacements elected each year. (Members often drop off for personal reasons before their 3-year term ends, resulting in more than 1/3 turnover most years.)
The Nominating & Recruiting (N&R) Committee identifies and nominates qualified candidates from the congregation to serve on each of these committees. Through a process that starts each fall, the N&R team conducts one-on-one conversations across the congregation to find members who are interested in and whose skill sets match the needs of the positions opening in the spring.
The N&R team recruits broadly and aspires to find diverse, previously unidentified candidates. This article is penned by the N&R team to spread the word about recruiting, in hopes of finding leadership candidates who may not be known to N&R, or who may not be aware of UCE leadership opportunities.
What can you do to help shape our future UCE leadership? You can:
- Talk with any of the 2018-2019 N&R team: John LaPlante (co-chair), Shirley Adams (co-chair), Vicki Doebele, Alice Swan, Sarah Iles, Ruth Orme-Johnson, Woody Haynes, Beth Thompson and Maggie Wilson.
- Help recruit your fellow UCE members as volunteers, especially people the N&R team may not know.
- Share your thoughts with N&R through the feedback forms we will have set up at bulletin boards, or look for us at the back of the sanctuary on first Sundays of each month.
- Email the N&R co-chairs with questions, thoughts and feedback: shirley@comeoutdancing.com, johnlaplante73@gmail.com.
- Suggest a UCE member as a potential leadership candidate.
- Let us know that you’re interested in being considered for leadership!
Stay tuned for a follow up article about the current N&R team’s aspirations for 2018-2019.