September 6, 2020
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 6th at 11:15 am.
“Breakfast, Legos, and Reinforced Concrete” – Rev. David Schwartz
How do we stay solidly grounded as people when the world feels volatile and uncertain? A service to tend to our foundations — paying attention to and strengthening the spiritual grounding of our living.
Since 2013, the Rev. David Schwartz has served The First Unitarian Society of Chicago with his wife and co-minister Rev. Teri Schwartz. For the past three years, he has also served as minister for the Beverly Unitarian Church. Rev. David grew up outside Boston, did his BA at Tufts University, and did his theological degree at Harvard Divinity School. Before full-time ministry, Rev. David spent a decade in corporate learning and development. He lives in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood with Teri, their two elementary-age kids, their four cats, and one extremely large dog.
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 Shorefront Legacy Center.
From Rev. Eileen Wiviott: August 28, 2020
I am running out of ways to say my heart is broken. I have no more words to express the outrage I feel about the merciless, cowardly and hateful violence inflicted on black bodies. The shooting of Jacob Blake III, in front of his three children on Sunday night, is only the most recent example. I don’t have the words to express how deeply sad and angry I am for the pain and loss I imagine his family is feeling and the trauma his children have experienced. I pray that they find a way to heal from that horrific experience.
At the rally in Evanston on Tuesday night, Alderman Cicely Fleming spoke of the collective trauma of racism and violence. Each new violent example of the destructive and vile white supremacy that rules our nation, unchecked by our criminal injustice system, adds to our collective and compounded trauma. Our world, our community, and each one of us is in need of collective healing and repair from this physical, mental and spiritual trauma.
This week, I learned of the history of solidarity between the Unitarian Church of Evanston and Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston. I knew that our former minister, Charles Eddis, marched for open housing in Evanston in the 1960’s. I didn’t realize until this week that it was Jacob Blake’s grandfather, Rev. Jacob Blake Sr., who led those marches and championed affordable housing especially for senior citizens. I am regretful that a close collegial relationship hasn’t continued between our congregations over the years. I’ve reached out to Rev. Deborah Scott to offer my support, in whatever way it might be needed or wanted. I will attend the outdoor service of lament on Sunday at 2pm at 1800 Maple Ave. I hope you will join me if you are able, even though I know it will not be enough. I will weep for the victims of corrosive and destructive white supremacy, so flagrantly on display through the weak and the pitiless. My tears will accomplish nothing.
My prayer of lament is that our tears fuel our rage, and that our rage empowers us to act in solidarity with those whose lives have been and continue to be torn apart by racism and criminalization which dehumanizes and devalues black and brown lives over and over again. We must say enough is enough and speak out against the false narratives of white supremacy. The REAL team, with your ministers and leaders are continuously working to offer meaningful actions you can take. Keep an eye on the newsletter and the home page of the website. For now, one meaningful action you can take is to sign up to support the Breathe Act.
Please join me in sending prayers for the well–being of Jacob Blake III, his family, his children, his faith community and for those who died protesting in the streets. Do not believe the lies that Jacob Blake was somehow at fault. Do not fall for the false narrative that rioting and looting are the reason two people were killed on Wednesday night. Those deaths were the result of white supremacy valuing property over people, pure and simple. And we cannot rest until it is abolished. May we not rest until every black and brown life, is held as precious and loved, safe and whole, in the same way that white lives are.
And I share this letter from the African Methodist Episcopal Church:
White Supremacy Terrorism, African Methodism and The Struggle To Redeem The Soul of America
The servant leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church watched the video of the shooting of Mr. Jacob Blake III, 29 years old, and watched in unholy horror as we heard at least seven shots. Now the family is confirming that Jacob has at least 9 bullets in his body and at this time is paralyzed from the waist down.
Sadly, we watched white supremacist police terrorism strike and now must write another “call to action” to remind the nation and the world, that because “Black Lives Matter” this systemic violence against men and women of color must stop immediately.
The shooting of Jacob Blake, in the back several times, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in a car filled with his family including three children, ages 3, 7, and 8, has the nation in an uproar. The inhumane treatment of another person of color, in the shadow of the assassinations of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the recent shooting death by police of Trayford Pellerin in Lafayette, Louisiana, are just more examples of the political tyranny and insensitivity inflicted on people of color in this nation. We raise the same question found in a recent newspaper headline: “WHY ARE POLICE STILL USING UNWARRANTED FORCE ON BLACK PEOPLE?”
When Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and a group of Blacks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed the Free African Society leaders in 1787, it laid the foundation for the organization, growth, and development of the global AME Church in 1816.
Brother Jacob Blake, III is one of the fruits of the AME Church tree of faith, freedom, and family. The Blake family has served as ministers for four generations in pulpits around the country. His grandfather, Rev. Jacob Blake, Sr. was the Pastor of Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston, Illinois, and leader in protests that created fair housing policies in Evanston. Today, Brother Jacob Blake’s cousin Rev. Robert Blake led in uncovering the Flint, MI water contamination in 2014 and now serves as the pastor of Greater Quinn AME Church in Detroit, Michigan.
From Denmark Vesey’s planned slave revolt organized in what is now called Mother Emmanuel AME Church to the assassination of the Emmanuel 9 on June 17th, 2015, to the shooting in the back of Jacob Blake, III in front of his three young children on August 23, 2020, the AME Church has resisted and fought back against the institutional violence perpetrated against Black people.
Today, we call for our friends, ecumenical partners, and people of all faiths to join the African Methodist Episcopal Church in resisting and overcoming white rage and terrorism and continue to pray for the spiritual, physical, and emotional healing of Jacob Blake, III and his family and using up this Sunday’s services to denounce police brutality.
Bishop Michael L. Mitchell, President of the Council of Bishops
Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Senior Bishop
Bishop Wilfred J. Messiah, President of the General Board
Bishop Frank Madison Reid III, Chair of the Social Action Commission
Mrs. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Director/Consultation, Social Action Commission
Beloved Conversations Virtual 2020: August 27, 2020
The REAL Team is thrilled to announce that Beloved Conversations is resuming this fall with a virtual format. Beloved Conversations is a great introduction for members of UCE who have not previously done substantial personal work on understanding equity and inclusion, on race and on other forms of oppression.
Beloved Conversations: Virtual is designed and offered for the 2020-2021 church year with a new curriculum organized in three “phases” that resonate with earlier versions but have vastly new features and a three-pronged program of Within, Among, and Beyond. Click here for more information on the program. The price for a lay UU Individual is $150. Additional information on pricing can be found by clicking the button below.
The REAL Team along with the UCE Anti-Oppression Task Force urge you to consider enrolling! It is vital to our work as a faith community that we all partake in learning and self-reflection on the racist world in which we live, preparing us to act for justice.
Will you join in the learning along with other UCE folks? We will get a 10% group discount for groups of 10-19, and a 20% discount for groups of 20 or more. Please contact Martha Holman holman.martha@gmail.com if you wish to register or lean more about the program. Group registration deadline with REAL Team is September 12th. (Online individual registration deadline is September 20th.)
Additional info on pricing:
Reparations Note: White participants are encouraged to consider paying an additional $50 (for a total of $200 per person), in recognition of the historic legacy of racist economic policies and the ways in which generational wealth and greater access to economic opportunity have privileged white people as a group for hundreds of years. We will use these extra funds to provide scholarships to those who need it to participate in this program.
Equity Note: Regardless of your racial identity, sliding scale pricing and full scholarships are available to those who need them.
Interdependence Note: Regardless of your racial identity, if your class privilege allows you to pay more so that others may pay less, please consider adding an additional contribution to your total.
UCE and Evanston’s Climate Action Resilience Plan
August 28, 2020
Recently the Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution calling UCE to adopt the goals and principles of Evanston’s Climate Action Resilience Plan. The plan sets targets for reducing carbon emissions and waste, and managing the canopy of and stormwater for the city and wider community. “This resolution articulates our shared values of environmental sustainability, accountability and justice” says Eileen Wiviott, acting Senior Minister at UCE. “Though the specifics of how we move toward the aspirations of this resolution will be unfolding, the staff, board, and leadership of UCE are committing to work together toward this important aim.”
The plan guides policy formation and decision making through principles like cost-effectiveness, measurable outcomes and a focus on equity. “Adopting the plan doesn’t prescribe UCE to specific policies or procedures. Rather it makes plain our aspirations to do our part for the environment, and respect the web of life” said Shirley Adams of the UCE Green Team. Board members agreed a plan would provide future board members a compass for setting priorities and decision making. “Setting a goal to reduce energy use 30% by 2035 gives the board and management real latitude for setting objectives and determining policy” says Michael Drennan, the Green Team member proposing the resolution. “The values identified also keep board and management accountable to the wider congregation.”
Next steps include the adoption of frameworks and standards to further inform policy making, outreach to the congregation, and networking between different church teams and outside non-profit agencies like Elevate Energy. The Green Team looks forward to providing substantive guidance on these points, and thanks the current board for demonstrating climate leadership.
UCE Ministerial Search Congregational Survey: Have your voice heard!
An important part of the Search Committee’s work is hearing from you and including your opinions and experience in discerning the next settled minister.
We want to hear about your experiences at UCE. What inspires you about our congregation and what keeps you involved? How do you envision our church’s future? What skills and experiences would be helpful in a settled minister?
We encourage you to take our anonymous survey and let us know your thoughts. Your answers will inform the information we share with potential ministers about the congregation and help us discern what our community is looking for in a settled minister. After the survey is complete and the results have been aggregated, we will share the results with the entire congregation.
We ask that people complete their surveys between now and September 20.
And if having your opinions heard wasn’t reason enough to take the survey, you can also win a prize for doing so! Every Sunday while the survey is open, there will be a weekly drawing for a variety of prizes. Look for instructions on how to enter at the end of the survey. And be sure to complete your survey early to have the most opportunities to win.
Need help with your survey? Please contact Jordan Streuber at jordan.strueber@gmail.com or Sandy McNabb at smcnabb89@gmail.com with technological questions. A member of the search committee is also happy to provide paper copies upon request.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
UCE’s Ministerial Search Committee
Susan Carlton
Emily Eckwahl-Sanna
Tom Hempfling
Sandy McNabb
Steve Serikaku
Jordan Streuber
Alice Swan
From BOT: August 28, 2020
The Board of Trustees is asking all members to assist the Ministerial Search Committee in its work. In order for us to have the best match possible for our settled minister, we need to all participate in the process.
The committee needs to complete a Congregational Record, which will become available for prospective ministers who are looking for a congregation. There are three important ways we, the congregation, can help in its creation. The Board of Trustees is asking everyone to take advantage of these opportunities to participate. Our success in finding a good match depends on our doing so.
One key ingredient is the Congregational Survey which is now available for us to complete. UUA believes that the best matches are found when 75 % or more of the congregation completes the survey. That means that we need about 300 of our 400 members to participate in the survey.
In addition to the survey, the committee will also hold cottage meetings and focus groups to help them understand and represent our needs and hopes. These steps will help the Search Committee discern the skills, characteristics and experience needed in our next settled minister.
Full participation by the congregation in all aspects is essential to a successful search process.
To encourage us, everyone who completes the survey will have their name entered in a raffle for the opportunity to win prizes. The sooner you complete the survey, the more opportunities you will have to win.
Here is the schedule for gathering information from congregants:
- Congregational Survey distribution begins August 28.
- The survey period closes September 20.
- Cottage Meetings: Each meeting will be 1 ½ hours via Zoom, registration required.
- Wednesday September 30, at 5:30, (replacing our regular all-church meeting),
- Friday, October 9 at 10:30 am,
- Sunday, October 11th at 9:30 am as Forum agenda,
- Sunday, October 25th at 12:30 pm, (replacing our regular coffee hour).
In advance, we thank you for your efforts.
From EOD: August 28, 2020
I will be away from September 3 through September 14 If there is an urgent message for me, please contact Jessica Meis at admin@ucevanston.org or call the general number at UCE 847-864-1330.
This is an exciting week for UCE as we plan for the parking lot blessing scheduled for next Wednesday. Please see information in this newsletter. Greg Grabowski, Janelle Brittain and I have been busy working on punch lists, sharing ideas on landscaping, hiring our grounds care person to lay mulch, trim trees, and install sod. Liz and Steven have diligently watered new sod. Greg and I are currently orchestrating the installation of our new planters which will serve as protection for those who are making their way from our sidewalk to the accessibility ramp. These planters will also provide a spark of color to the entrance our church. Our parking lot and entrance to our beloved space is forever changed in a lovely way. In the fall we will resume planning for an accessible and inclusive bathroom in the lower level, as well as the Intergenerational Playscape east of the wing and the accessibility ramp from the southwest sanctuary door. Please visit the Capital Campaign page to follow updates on Capital Campaign projects as we continue to move forward.
Greg Grabowski and I are working on a team with Andy Schlickman and Michael Drennan of the Green Team to explore sanctuary cooling options for our sanctuary. We have been meeting at 9 a.m. every Monday morning for several weeks and will continue to do so until our research, the consultant’s work is complete, and we make a final decision on the appropriate system for our sanctuary. Once complete the consultant will prepare drawings and send RFPs to HVAC companies to obtain competitive bids for the work. I will keep you apprised in future newsletters, as will Janelle Brittain, CCIC Chair, in her monthly reports and newsletter articles.
Meanwhile, work continues on the wing and lobby as Johna VanDyke coordinates new lighting above the furniture and near the washrooms. Projects for the fall include new furniture for the lobby and room 2 as well as a streamline kiosk with a computer for the lobby where visitors can sign in and REALM, our database, can be accessed.
During this period of working at home we are all busy keeping programs at UCE running. On the administrative end of things Eileen and I have been reviewing and updating UCE Guidelines, Personnel Guidelines and Compensation Guidelines. Board policies call for 3-5 year reviews on each of these items. We are taking this time to ensure we are staying up-to-date.
I attended our annual board retreat last weekend. The meeting was facilitated by our Interim
Minister Karen Gufstafson and Board Chair Jessica Tomell-Presto. Friday evening was an
Opportunity for each of us to lean into the process, break out into small groups and get to know one another on a deeper level as we prepared for the work of the day on Saturday. We delved deeply into the discussion around Widening the Circle and sharing meaningful exchanges about white supremacy, anti-racism, and the work ahead of us as a church, board, staff and congregation.
After a couple of false starts I will be taking vacation starting Thursday, September 3 and returning Tuesday, September 15. On September 15 I have the honor of joining UU Regional
Executive Directors and Senior Administrators on a first-ever zoom gathering. It will be inspiring to share ideas on how our work has changed as we transitioned to working at home,
holding zoom meetings, and conducting essential fundraisers. Earlier this summer I attended AUUA days as part of General Assembly this year. We had a record-breaking 160 participants on a two day zoom event. These opportunities to share with colleagues is important during this time of COVID-19 church closures.
As you know, UCE’s rental program has suffered due to the COVID-19 closure of our building. We are now offering meeting space for groups of 10 or smaller, as well as outside space for groups of 25 or smaller, as long as they meet our safety criteria and adhere to our UCE COVID Phase 4 guidelines compiled by our UCE COVID Task Force (Executive Staff, UCE Attorney, and member physicians). If you know of not-for-profits or individuals who need a place to gather during these times, please let me know. Ask them to email me at srobinson@ucevanston.org.
Last but not least, we are almost ready to rollout REALM, our new membership database. Tom Carlton, Project Manager, Adam Gough and Jessica Meis will inform congregants about this exciting launch and how you can participate in upcoming newsletters.
Sandra Robinson, Executive Operations Director
August 30, 2020
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 30th at 11:15 am.
“So, What’s Next?” – Rev. Karen Gustafson
There is an old saying that goes something like, “People plan. God laughs”. Not so much for me a theological statement as a reminder to be nimble in my planning in the face of the impossible to plan for. And so it is that we pick up the work of moving UCE in the direction of forming a new covenant with a settled minister in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of a renewed commitment on the part of our whole religious movement to address systemic racism and white supremacy culture. The next phase of the Ministerial process will involve your input through a survey and cottage meetings to commence and complete by the end of October. And the work of the Interim continues. What will that look like? Why does it matter?
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 Brennan Center for Justice.