November 3, 2019
REMINDER: Daylight Saving Time Ends this Sunday. Don’t forget to set your clocks back by 1 hr so you are on time to Sunday services.
“Let Love Be Our Legacy”
We celebrate All Souls Day, honoring loved ones and those who have left us precious gifts. Please bring photos or items of remembrance for a loved one to place on our altar. We will also install our new Tree of Life Chalice and explore the legacy of this treasured Unitarian Universalist symbol. Rev. Eileen Wiviott will be preaching and Martha Holman is our Worship Associate.
Sermon
Capital Campaign Presentation
History of Our Chalice and Chalice Dedication
October Updates from the Executive Operations Director
As the leaves change and I witness autumn colors like an artist’s palette beyond my window, I feel gratitude for the healthy process of letting go and opening up to all that surrounds me. I am grateful for the process of change at UCE that will allow us to rediscover our purpose and path.
Our work as a staff has been enlightened by our Interim Minister Karen Gufstafson. New staff members are making a difference in our ability to expand our capabilities. Thank you to Jessica Meis, Adam Gough, Vickie Doebele, as well as long time staff members Liz Kennedy and Steven Eason. Mary Jean Brandt is now filling our Sunday lobby staff position. Each of you are doing a great job and are so appreciated.
Among many other tasks, Adam Gough, Congregational Life Assistant and AV Tech, has been dedicated to making our new phone system work with the automatic doors, which is no small task. Once this is accomplished we will transfer over to our VOIP phone system.
Jessica Meis is adjusting her hours and the UCE office hours. Please note her announcement in this newsletter. This schedule accommodates Jessica’s long commute and continues to provide good coverage for the UCE office.
Next week Robb Geiger, Doug Erickson, Dale Griffin and a fourth volunteer will be installing new light bulbs in our sanctuary. This is no small task. Thank you to Robb, Doug and Dale for your skills, courage, and generosity of time. Serendipity Auction will be all the better as a result of your good work. Auction goers will be able to see the bid sheets for signing up for great items on Saturday, November 19.
Painters are scheduled to paint the lobby bathrooms and repair the walls in the wing hallway in two weeks.
I am working with a floor vendor to replace the tiles in the lower level elevator exit area and stairs leading to the lobby. This area is shabby due to age, wear and tear, as well as damage from the old chair lift removal.
Tom Carlton, our invaluable data volunteer and REALM Project Manager, will meet with staff soon to get us closer to our goal of launching REALM. Staff will do a deep dive soon into training once Tom feels all details are in order.
Thank you to our Capital Campaign team for your hard work and dedication toward reaching our goal. These many projects will enhance our worship space and provide a safe, clean, updated and beautiful place for us to be together. Martha Holman, Gillian Lawrence, and Dan Lawrence, you have provided excellent leadership and inspiration.
Why I Gave: Eileen Wiviott
I made my gift to the UCE Capital Campaign because I think Unitarian Universalism makes the world a better place, and I want more people to discover our liberal religion. I will be forever grateful for the way my life has been transformed and enriched by my time among you. Here at UCE I discovered myself as a leader, an activist, and a person of faith.
And I want more people to have the chance to be part of a community like ours, where we support each other in our commitment to creating a more just and equitable world. I want UCE to be even more accessible, more inclusive, and more empowered to give back to our neighbors and the world.
I hope you’ll join me in doing what you can to ensure that this spirit of love and justice will thrive for many years to come. Please make a gift on behalf of the future of our faith and our congregation. Thank you!
October 27, 2019
“The Power of Song: Prayer, Story, and Resistance”
The Building a Vocal Community Workshop with Dr. Ysaÿe Barnwell concludes with our Sunday morning worship services open to all. We will be worshiping in the round, singing and learning together the power of the African American spiritual as an instrument of resistance and documentation. The 9:15am and 11:00am service will be led by Rev. Eileen Wiviott with our guest Dr. Ysaÿe Barnwell.
Kathy Newsletter October 18, 2019
Last month, I was privileged to spend time with some of our high school youth at their lock-in. Rev. Eileen joined us for a taco bar, and led a discussion on how we can include the youth more in the life of the congregation. At first, the room was pretty quiet, but once they got started, they had some wonderful ideas to share! A few of the outcomes from this conversation were:
- They want to be included in worship – this means that they will be in the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes like the younger kids, and that they will be more involved in elements of the worship service such as lighting the chalice, telling a story or doing a reading, greeting families, etc.
- Connected to this, they want to take ownership of the Young UU section in the sanctuary. This is an area in the front and left side of the sanctuary where the “lily pads” are. They are planning to make a sign to make it a bit more visible. They will also keep an eye on younger kids during worship, for those parents who would like a little reprieve.
- Several of the youth had fond memories of chalice circles/children’s chapel in room 3, and so they have agreed to work with me in bringing that back a bit later this year.
The youth are busy making final plans for the hosting of their youth conference, CON Artist, November 1-3. This weekend is the last weekend to register, so please do so! Forms can be found here.
The Adult Program Team and I are firming up the schedule going into winter and spring, so be sure to keep an eye out for more information soon. In the meantime, we have two ongoing programs, and a new program beginning in November:
- Planning for What Matters Most (end of life issues) continues on October 9, 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This series, led by Cathy Deamant, Carol Nielsen, and Bob Mesle, has been designed to encourage participants to take proactive steps for life planning.
- The Witnessing Whiteness program continues as well on October 23, and 30 from 7-9p in room 3. This program is sponsored by the Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team, and will be facilitated by Dr. Gina Logan and Beth McDonald.
- Transgender Inclusion in Congregations: Nov 5, 12, 19, 26; Dec 3, 10 at 7p in room 3. This is a 6-part series created by the Transforming Hearts Collective and offered by Rev. Eileen and Christine Peters. This course is for anyone who wants to take their knowledge and skills to the next level in terms of gender diversity and trans identity and learn how to create congregations that are fully inclusive and actively affirming.
If you’re looking for a small way to help in the program, we need a few more folks to be substitutes for when someone can’t be here on a Sunday morning. And if you have a creative streak that needs expressing, I can always use that for little projects! Email me at kunderwood@ucevanston.org if you are interested.
In Faith,
Kathy
October 20, 2019
“Do I Belong if I Believe…?” – Rev. Karen Gustafson, Interim Minister
Unitarian Universalism claims to be a “pluralistic faith tradition” where people with many and varied beliefs that might guide us to live lives of principle and integrity. We claim an “open canon” that includes many sources of wisdom that inform our understanding of the complexities of existence. And yet there are some folks among us, drawn by our promise of inclusion and tolerance and acceptance, who have reason to feel that they might not belong if they shared some of the beliefs and practices that inform their lives. How might such concerns be creating unspoken divides among us? How might these concerns be limiting the desire for safety of expression and authentic engagement? What should we tell the new minister?