July 2020 - Page 2 of 3

From Susan Frances: July 17, 2020

Dear UCE:

I am delighted to be reconnecting you with this August.

On August 2nd, I will be ordained in an online ceremony. You are invited to attend and the Zoom link is embedded in the invitation in the UCE e-newsletter this week. During my ordination, please feel free to join in with one or more of these items:

Bring a candle. I am inviting everyone to light a chalice in their home during the chalice lighting.
Wear complimentary colors. I’m inviting folks to wear orange, purple, black, and white for the ceremony.
Take a photo. Since I love photo albums and we will be in our respective homes, I’m inviting everyone to take a photo at some point during the ceremony and email it to me after the service. My email address is sfrances@ucevanston.org.

I am thrilled to say that on August 3rd I will be rejoining your congregation as your Director of Congregational Life. I know Rev. Karen Mooney has done an excellent job of shaping this position and I look forward to continuing this ministry. I am impressed by how you have shaped a community during this pandemic that has attracted new members while also supporting current friends and members. I know there is anxiety as we figure out how to keep connected when we will not be gathering together en masse for many months to come. I hope to be a touchstone for you as we collectively find new and creative ways to connect with each other.

I also know from my conversations with Rev. Karen Mooney, Rev. Eileen, and Rev. Karen Gustafson that you are enmeshed in the hard work of decentering whiteness in our predominately white congregation. I’m proud that UCE has already started this work from the Black Lives Matter sign to the investment in UU The Vote for the upcoming elections. It is my hope to support you, challenge you, and be there for you in this hard and complicated work.

In faith,
Susan Frances

From Susan Frances: July 17, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-16T20:03:12+00:00

July 19, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 19th at 11:15 am.

“The Failure Confessions” – Rev. Allison Farnum
This Sunday your guest preacher the Rev. Allison Farnum will let you in on a little secret. You ain’t perfect, and neither is she! Join us this Sunday as we put the fun in failure. Our faith tells us life is not a test, instead a process where the Spirit of Love lures us to learning over being learned. Lay the burden of perfection down! Hallelujah! Bring a sharpie and two 8.5” x 11” (ish) pieces of blank paper.

The Rev. Allison Farnum serves as Director of the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois. She recently returned to the Chicago area from over a decade serving her first call as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, FL. A graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School, she has also served as an Adjunct Consultant for our UUA’s MidAmerica Region. She credits Second Unitarian Church of Chicago for her call to ministry and now serves Rev. Jason Lydon’s ministry as an affiliated community minister. Allison loves all things culinary and is a proud mother of two, and wife to her beloved Andy.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 19, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-15T20:23:37+00:00

July 10, 2020

Click here to read this week’s newsletter.

July 10, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-10T19:23:35+00:00

UCE Mitten Tree Needs You

MITTEN TREE 2023!

Mitten Tree gift sign-up is up and running (HERE). Gifts are due back at UCE for sorting and wrapping by SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, so don’t delay in signing up! Don’t want to shop? You can donate money and the mitten tree elves will shop for you–you may Zelle or Venmo Sheila Holder, skholder8@gmail.com or 224-235-1621, or write a check to UCE with Mitten Tree in the memo.

Sign up to help with organizing/shopping/wrapping HERE.

This longstanding tradition is a beautiful snapshot of our community’s shared values and a privilege to help organize. Read on below about where your gifts will go this year, AND MAY WHAT YOU GIVE BRING YOU JOY!

Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, located in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, works to restore human dignity through hospitality, hope, and healing. Their work includes: building relationships among youth and families impacted by violence and/or conflict; creating safe spaces where people can experience radical hospitality, hope, and healing; and promoting a restorative justice approach to resolve conflict and build a sense of community.

Mitten tree gifts will go to members of the monthly mothers’ circles, which support women healing from trauma and striving to move forward. By coming together in circle, they create a safe space to share stories of loved ones, laugh and cry, and journey together toward healing. This is not a path that should be walked alone; participants find strength being in relationship with one another. To learn more about this amazing work, ask Alice Swan!

Lydia Home (formerly Rice Child & Family Center) is located just down Ridge from UCE and is a safe home with wrap-around services for children with post-traumatic behavioral dysregulation making traditional foster care inaccessible to them. The facility includes a medical clinic, group therapy classrooms, special education facilities, art therapy and maintains a goal of helping children return to a loving family environment. UCE has supported residents of the center for a number of years as our own Mitten Tree founder, Carol Nielsen is a long-committed volunteer.

Connections for the Homeless is an organization near and dear to our UCE community. Whether through shared plate, Mitten Trees past, Our Giving House donations, or supporting affordable housing programs, Connections has and will continue to be a meaningful partnership for us. Connections supports more than 1500 people a year – preventing homelessness, sheltering those in crisis, providing advocacy services, and fostering development of job and educational skills.

Building Peaceful Bridges is a local nonprofit organization supporting people of all faiths whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of refugees into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing refugee populations through their stories. They carry out their mission by assisting legal refugees to integrate into American culture by financial and non-cash donations, sponsoring and mentoring families, and partnering with other organizations. They also work to educate communities on the challenges refugees face during resettlement and foster multicultural relationships that provide the foundation for a deeper understanding, acceptance, and support. https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/

UCE Mitten Tree Needs YouUCE UCE2023-11-15T20:45:07+00:00

Brain Health & Wellness Series: Aging, Memory, and Care

The Pastoral Care Committee invites all to take part in their new Brain Health and Wellness Series: Aging, Memory, and Care in partnership with the Great Lakes Clinic Trials. This 4-part series will begin August 1 and held via Zoom, featuring various speakers each week. You do not have to attend each part of the series, but registration is required.

August 1 at 10-11 am: Acti-V8 Your Brain: Brain Wellness
presenters:

Steve Satek, President & Founder, Great Lakes Clinical Trials
Cheryl Butterbach, Registered Dietician, Great Lakes Clinical Trials

August 8 at 10-11 am: Introduction to Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Signs and explanation of the disease
presenters:

Steve Satek, President & Founder, Great Lakes Clinical Trials
Dr. Concetta Forchetti, Neurologist, AMITA Alexian Brothers Medical Center

Wednesday, August 19 at 7-8 pm: New treatments and clinical trials underway for Alzheimer’s
presenters:

Amber Holst, Director Clinical Operations, Great Lakes Clinical Trials
Ida Manning, Alzheimer’s (prevention study) clinical trial volunteer

Wednesday, August 26 at 7-8 pm: Pointing to Resources, Help and Information for Caregivers
presenters:

Susan Scatchell, CDP, Gentle Home Services and board member of the Memory Care Coalition of Chicago

Register Today

Brain Health & Wellness Series: Aging, Memory, and CareUCE UCE2020-07-09T15:45:46+00:00

A History of 8 Years of Shared Offering at UCE

The Social Action Council recently reminded us that it is time to submit the shared offering nominations for next year. Submit your nomination today! We have been a generous congregation in our contributions. This report covers the past eight years of donations.

The report shows that we have contributed to 56 organizations. Some organizations have garnered sustaining support because of our long-term relationships with them. Organizations such as Interfaith Action of Evanston, The Community Renewal Society UUANI, the UU Prison Ministry, and the Mitten Tree have received consistent support. Other organizations have been nominated only once or twice and thus have received less funding.

This information is offered to spur congregants into some deep thinking about how we want out money to be shared with the world. The Social Justice Council has set criteria for funding organizations though the shared plate that address systemic racism and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color and the poor.

Think deeply and creatively and submit your nominations by the July 31^st deadline.

View the Report

A History of 8 Years of Shared Offering at UCEUCE UCE2020-07-09T02:33:34+00:00

Capital Campaign Building Transformations: July 10, 2020

Your Investment at Work

Building improvements are continuing due to your investing in UCE’s Capital Campaign (more pictures at the link below). If you drive by the parking lot, you’ll see piles of asphalt and dirt, as well as cement squares covering the new storm drains that will prevent flooding. AND you’ll see our beautiful new sidewalk that will keep walkers from having to pass through the parking lot to get to our front door. The sidewalk cement was just poured this week. Lighting and landscaping will come later, as well as bike racks and planters. By late July our parking lot and lawn will be lovely and accessible.

Lobby and “Wing” Updates

The new Lobby floor has been laid and looks wonderful. The flooring in the “Wing” (Rooms 1,2 and 3 and hallway) is being demolished and tiles will be coming soon. Also coming soon will be new lighting in the lobby area, new ceiling tiles above the lobby furniture and new shades will be installed in the Wing. By investing in our building we’re investing in our future facility to live our mission.

Capital Campaign Building Transformations: July 10, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-09T02:06:50+00:00

From DLRE: July 10, 2020

In our policy governance, we have Ends Statements to guide our work within and beyond UCE. For lifespan religious education, our Ends are:

We foster intellectual excitement, lifelong learning, truth seeking, and respect for our traditions of reason and faith
We are a people of diverse beliefs united in covenant. We develop relationships that open us to the lives of people in our congregation, community, and world

How would you answer these thought-provoking questions?

What would it look like for us to incorporate these ends, to practice striving toward them in our daily lives? 
How can our End statements serve the purposes of the church in this new reality?

Some of you participated in a recent All-Church Wednesday gathering to ponder these questions. There was much lively conversation! Revs. Eileen and Karen G. and I have been thinking about and sharing our thoughts on these questions as well. It is our intention to engage as many people into thinking and expressing their thoughts as UCE continues to mold and solidify its mission during this last year of interim work and in anticipation of calling our next Senior Minister. We encourage you to mull these over and share within your families, with life partners, as well as in groups and committees you gather in.

On another note, communication is crucial and can be a challenge especially in larger communities and groups. This week, I had a challenge present itself. Without going into the minute details, it showed me two things: first, that in order to effectively communicate, you need to know who it is that needs the information; and second, that people need to know where and how to find that communication.

The newsletter is a huge part of the communication channel at UCE, as well as email, phone calls, and social media. What arose from the challenge this week was the realization that people categorize things differently, and therefore don’t always know where to find the information they need.

Specifically, there is confusion on what falls under Lifespan Religious Education. (Actually, there also appears to be confusion on the word “lifespan”, but I won’t digress here.) Let us consider the non-fiction book group here – is it considered religious education, or does it fall under programs and groups? Since it is non-fiction, one could argue the former, and since it is an interest group, one could argue for the latter. The next question is, what label should information about this be categorized under for our website and in the newsletter?

I have been including programs and events that connect to religious education and lifelong learning in my communications, even if they are not directly under my umbrella. You may have noticed that in the newsletter religious education has a purple banner, social justice has a green banner, and general UCE info has a yellow one. I also try to put things within RE in chronological order, with the upcoming programs first.

As we move forward in the interim process during this period of virtual UCE, communication will be even more crucial. What mechanisms are best in gathering and disseminating information about the process and decisions being made? How do we coordinate these efforts and allow time and space for as many to participate as possible?

We must also acknowledge that there is a responsibility on the receiver’s end to seek the information needed and then actually read it. Too often I hear, “I didn’t know that xyz event was happening!” And when I ask if they read the newsletter the reply is often along the lines of “no, I didn’t have time”. Another reply given is, “it’s too long to read all of it.” While I would agree with this, I also believe that it is still our responsibility to keep as informed as possible and take some ownership of the communication process. Jessica does a great job compiling all of the information sent to her every week – and we sure have a lot of awesome things going on to write about! And that is the best problem to have!

In Faith,
Kathy

From DLRE: July 10, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-09T01:57:48+00:00

July 3, 2020

Click here to read this week’s newsletter.

July 3, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-06T16:02:36+00:00

July 12, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 12th at 11:15 am.

“Yes, And” – Rev. Darrick Jackson
Improvisation is more than a source of entertainment. It can be a way of being in the world, a practice of living mindfully. This service will explore ways to embody an improv spirituality.

The Rev. Darrick Jackson is the Director of Ministries for Lifelong Learning of UU Ministers Association and an Affiliated Community Minister with Second Unitarian Church. He is one of the authors in the book “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity and Power in Ministry.” Darrick is active in DRUUMM (the UU ministry for people of color). He is also the treasurer and Workshop Leader for Healing Moments (a ministry for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s). In his free time, Darrick likes to knit and to be involved in theatre. He is married to James Olson, a United Church of Christ minister and lives with their two cats, Merlin and Morgana.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 12, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-02T21:19:33+00:00