From Rev. Karen Gustafson: October 16, 2020
For as long as I can remember, I have had a curiosity about the complexity of things. Not just exotic things like works of art or airplanes or chocolate eclair and bone china, but ordinary, everyday things like screws and pencils and traffic signs. When my children were just into their double digit ages, we used to play a game in the car on road trips. We would pick something, like the knobs on the car radio (this was in the days of knobs – look it up) and we would try to name everything that went into the creation and production of that particular object. It started with a perceived need. Cars need radios. There needs to be a way to turn them on, etc. Then we might turn to that particular knob and all of the processes and decisions, designers and workers and decision makers that went into making it and getting it into our particular car. A designer, a design; decisions about color and size and materials and how it fit into the dashboard design. Someone designed and made a machine that would produce that very knob and install it in a factory where workers were employed etc., etc., etc.
I think about that game whenever I hear someone say something akin to, “I HATE the radio knobs on my car dash…” Where, I wonder, did the piece of the process that made that knob become the source of someone’s dissatisfaction? How is it that the outcome of a process so complex and in some way so miraculous become the object of judgment and critical reaction? What complex process has led any of us to the impression that our judgments and our dissatisfaction should somehow become the rallying point for how something is understood?
My interest in such things extends into how I understand my ministry at UCE. For the past year, I have been engaged in looking at the complex and often miraculous processes by which the staff, the elected leadership, the lay leadership and all of the other kinds of stake holders at UCE engage in the process of “making church”. Unlike the production of a radio knob, there is no concrete and single outcome. The moving parts are not, in fact, made of metal and plastic but of hopes and dreams and mission and hundreds and hundreds of human connections and isolated and shared decisions. My job has been to look with you at the ways you organize those parts to fill the needs for which they were intended; to hold up a mirror and to provide and encourage constructive feedback that might make the systems more accessible and inviting and the perceived outcomes more understandable.
In a few weeks, I will be meeting with the Ministerial Search Committee to share my observations. By next week, there will be an updated interim report available on the UCE website detailing the “progress” we have made together in addressing some of the observed challenges and the Interim Tasks and what we will be inviting you to do in the coming months.
In the meantime, I would invite you into the “car game” as you consider your dissatisfactions and judgments as well as your joys and appreciations of anything you perceive as an outcome at UCE…the time of the service, the color of the new tile in the foyer or the choice of hymns or the budget or the process for selection of your next settled minister. If you have not been a designer or a machinist or a line worker in these decisions, try to follow the process back and engage in some real curiosity about the complexity and the miracle of this dynamic and life giving entity that is UCE. Consider the hours and hours of meetings and research and the daily choices, large and small. Miracle, indeed.
I would love to hear from you!
In love and gratitude,
Karen
VirtUUal RE: October 16, 2020
This week in the Soulful Home packet we focus on the segments From the Mailbox and On the Porch. Check out this week’s video for a short synopsis.
Registration Time
Although we might not be having in-person RE on Sunday mornings yet, it is important to know who wants to connect – whether virtual or not. By registering, we can ensure that you get information on all programs and events for all ages this year. Sign up here!
Many Ways to Connect
All Families:
Fellowship – Sunday after worship – Join the virtual coffee hour zoom where parents and families can meet and greet in their own breakout room!
Halloween Campfire (weather permitting) – October 24 at 5:30-7:30 pm. Wear your costume, enjoy some s’mores, and maybe share a scary story or two! Sign up here.
Parents on the Porch – Pre-Election Support – October 25 at 8:30-9 pm – Grab your favorite beverage and join other parents on the porch – virtually – to share concerns and thoughts on the upcoming election and our monthly theme of Deep Listening. Sign up here.
Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers)! October’s materials are available here. The password is YouGotThis2020 (case sensitive.) This UU-based program is to be used all month long. Do whatever fits your family’s schedule. We’ll have a parent’s virtual gathering on October 26 at 8 pm to share our experiences. Sign up at here. Zoom info will be sent via email closer to the event.
1st-5th Kids and Families – Thursday, October 15 at 4-4:45 pm. Sign up here.
6th-8th Families – Popcorn Theology – Sunday, October 25 at 12-1 pm. Sign up by this Sunday here.
UU Kids Connect – A free virtual gathering of UU kids K-8 from around the country and Canada! This program started as a summer camp and was such a success that they are continuing with monthly virtual gatherings. Click here for more info.
High School Youth – Sunday at 6-7 pm – Look for emails with details!
For Adults
UCE Forum – Sunday, October 18th at 10 am
Of, By, and For the People: UU’s 5th Principle
Leader: Jim Kepler
The UUA is not a religious denomination. It is an association of autonomous congregations that are democratically governed, and mutually committed to principles derived from a variety of belief sources. We’ll discuss members’ democratic rights and obligations. Click here for more info.
Click here to join the Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 983 5136 0044 Passcode: 789218
One tap mobile +13126266799,,98351360044#,,,,,,0#,,789218# US (Chicago)
Visions of God
Tuesdays at 7-9 pm via Zoom
Facilitated by UCE members Bob Mesle and Dan Solomon.
This class aims to help people explore a range of important visions embracing or rejecting “God,” and to share personal journeys with each other. We hope class members will learn some new ideas, clarify familiar ones, make new connections, and enrich in their own thinking.
The question, “Do you believe in God?” is not productive unless we can get some clarity about what a person mean by “God.” But for us, the question certainly raises interwoven questions of both REALITY and VALUES. It asks about what exists and how the universe works. Talk of “God” also raises important questions about what values “God” stands for and what feelings are invoked. Geneticist and religious naturalist, Ursula Goodenough, notes that religion is about both “What is, and what matters.” –i.e., truth and ethics. Religions, including atheistic secularism, propose visions of reality coupled with claims about how we should treat each other given those beliefs. This class will explore how some concepts of “God” engage us in those reflections.
Click here to join the Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 828 7766 5260, Passcode: 934455. One tap mobile +13126266799,,82877665260#,,,,,,0#,,934455# US (Chicago)
For more information, See the Adult RE page on the UCE Website, or email dan.solomon.45@gmail.com.
Christ for UU’s
Tuesdays, Nov. 10, 17; Dec. 1, 8, 15; 7:30-8:45 PM,
All sessions will be via Zoom.
Facilitated by UCE member Amy Pooley.
- What can we as Unitarian Universalists learn from reading the New Testament?
- Who was Jesus and why does he matter?
- How can getting in touch with our Unitarian and our Universalist roots help us rethink the Christian message and even understand it in a new way?
Join us in discussing these questions and more on five Tuesdays in November and December. The course will be based on readings from the New Testament and the recent Beacon Press release “Christ for Unitarian Universalists.” We welcome you to purchase a copy of the book here to follow the course’s reading schedule, but the discussion will also be accessible for those who have not done the reading and would simply like to show up to share and listen.
Amy Pooley has been a UU for over a decade and a Christian for just a few years. She has a love for our faith’s Unitarian and Universalist roots. She is a graduate student in Counseling and she and her wife Ruth are the moms of a toddler.
If you’re interested in attending, please click here to RSVP.
Contact Amy Pooley at amycpooley@gmail.com if you have questions.
Auction Update: October 16, 2020
Never heard of the Serendipity Auction before?
Here is something old and something new to learn
The Serendipity Auction is a social highlight of the church calendar and one of our major fundraising events. Although we cannot be together for an evening of bidding, food and entertainment, we can still have fun bidding and gathering virtually for connection and entertainment.
The Serendipity Auction website is still being built, but you can start viewing the catalog on the new auction platform without logging in. Click here to visit the NEW Serendipity Auction site. The catalog is a work in progress, and we are still finalizing details. Yet, we wanted you to see some of the great things that are being offered. For those who have already made donations—thank you! Ready to add your donation to the catalog? Click here to donate.
Many donations will be familiar to you (delicious desserts, artwork, crafts, children’s toys). We are also offering virtual group events (virtual concerts and play reading) for creative ways to be together.
Wondering how this online auction process will work? Stay tuned! We will have some “How To” sessions and a “Frequently Asked Questions” page on the website.
Have an item to drop-off at the church? Click here to sign-up for drop-off time.
We still need volunteers to help with our committee, as well as donations and party planning. It is not time intensive. Click here to sign up to volunteer.
Mark your calendar: November 14 from 7:00-8:00 pm for Closing Celebration Party.
Have ideas or questions? Contact us at: auction@ucevanston.org
Visions of God: Sept-Oct, 2020
For more information, or to sign up, email dan.solomon.45@gmail.com.
FACILITATORS
Bob Mesle is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy & Religion at Graceland University, where he taught for 36 years. His books on process relational philosophy and theology have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Japanese. He has been a keynote speaker at conferences at many leading Chinese Universities, and has taught the summer Process Philosophy Academy in China on several occasions.
Dan Solomon is coordinator for Adult Religious Education at UCE. A retired software engineer, and a lifelong student of religion, history, and philosophy, he has led classes on religious history and philosophy at UCE and other congregations. He is secretary of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS).
GOAL OF THE CLASS
This class aims to help people explore a range of important visions embracing or rejecting “God,” and to share personal journeys with each other. We hope class members will learn some new ideas, clarify familiar ones, make new connections, and enrich in their own thinking.
The question, “Do you believe in God?” is not productive unless we can get some clarity about what a person mean by “God.” But for us, the question certainly raises interwoven questions of both REALITY and VALUES. It asks about what exists and how the universe works. Talk of “God” also raises important questions about what values “God” stands for and what feelings are invoked. Geneticist and religious naturalist, Ursula Goodenough, notes that religion is about both “What is, and what matters.” –i.e., truth and ethics. Religions, including atheistic secularism, propose visions of reality coupled with claims about how we should treat each other given those beliefs. This class will explore how some concepts of “God” engage us in those reflections.
CLASS OUTLINE
- September 15: INTRODUCTION & DISCUSSION: WHAT DOES “GOD” MEAN TO YOU/US? – What does the word “God” mean for us, in this class? To what vision are you, personally, saying yes or no? Looking ahead: Some preliminary questions, categories, and vocabulary. Leaders: Bob & Dan
- September 22: GOD: TRUTH AND VALUES: If cattle, sheep, and fish had gods… – Good thinkers have long recognized that we “create God in our own image.” But since humans and our communities are filled with diverse and often conflicting values, it should not surprise us to find people’s gods expressing equally complex and conflicting values, like compassionate love and xenophobia. Leaders: Bob & Dan
- September 29: RELIGIOUS NATURALISM – Leaders: Jerry Stone
- October 6: CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION – What is worthy of our Ultimate Commitment in a naturalistic framework? H.N. WIEMAN (UUA Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Liberal Religion, 1975.) Leader: Bob Mesle
- October 13: SPINOZA, PANTHEISM – Leader: Dan Solomon
- October 20: EXISTENTIALISM: BUBER, TILLICH, et al. – Leader: Dan Solomon.
- October 27: GODS: A HINDU PERSPECTIVE – V.V. RAMAN, Guest Speaker
October 18, 2020
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, October 18th at 11:15 am
“Claiming the Story: Racism at UCE in Real Time” – Rev. Karen Gustafson
“We cannot change what we do not see.”
We are all aware of the power of story. The story of the very public murder of George Floyd in May of this year was a story that galvanized the world. It was not a new story. Black men in America have been brutally murdered by white men for centuries. Power came because it was recognized as part of a larger story: the story of systemic racism that is embedded in white supremacy culture. The extreme violence and injustice and harm portrayed here are easy to identify as acts of oppression that must be addressed. This tragic event became, for the world, a teachable moment. The less evident pieces of the larger story are the countless often unnoticed stories in the lives of people of color and others that do not become opportunities for any kind of growth or learning. As you strive to embody “the beloved community” at UCE, we offer a story that became a teachable moment in the work of the Ministerial Search process at UCE. I will be joined in this service by Shannon Lang, Lisa Presley, Susan Carlton, and the UCE Search Committee.
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 Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.
Upcoming Cottage Meetings: September 25, 2020
So you’ve completed the ministerial search survey, entered the raffle prize, and shared your thoughts about our congregation. (Thank you!) What comes next?
The next step to the search process is a series of cottage meetings—group conversations where members of the congregation come together to share their thoughts about our congregation, our future, and how a minister can help us get there. Each cottage meeting will be held over Zoom and will last for 90 minutes. We’re interested in hearing about why you’re proud of our congregation, who’s lives we touch, and the skills you look for in a minister.
There will be four cottage meetings in the next six weeks. If you’re interested in attending, please click on one of the links below to RSVP.
- Wednesday, September 30 at 5:30 p.m. (during the All Church Meeting)
- Friday, October 9 at 10:30 a.m.
- Sunday, October 11 at 9:30 a.m.
- Sunday, October 25 at approx. 12pm immediately following the 10 am service (during coffee hour)
We hope to see you there!
VirtUUal RE: October 9, 2020
Welcome to the October theme of Deep Listening
This week in the Soulful Home packet we focus on the segments Around the Neighborhood and At Play. Check out this week’s video for a short synopsis.
If you haven’t received your Soul Kit yet, look in your mailbox this weekend.
UU Kids Connect
A free virtual gathering of UU kids K-8 from around the country and Canada! This program started as a summer camp and was such a success that they are continuing with monthly virtual gatherings. Click here to register.
Registration Time
Although we might not be having in-person RE on Sunday mornings yet, it is important to know who wants to connect – whether virtual or not. By registering, we can ensure that you get information on all programs and events for all ages this year. Sign up here!
Many Ways to Connect
All Families:
Fellowship – Sunday after worship – Join the virtual coffee hour zoom where parents and families can meet and greet in their own breakout room!
Halloween Campfire (weather permitting) – October 24 at 5:30-7:30 pm. Wear your costume, enjoy some s’mores, and maybe share a scary story or two! Sign up here.
Parents on the Porch – Pre-Election Support – October 25 at 8:30-9 pm – Grab your favorite beverage and join other parents on the porch – virtually – to share concerns and thoughts on the upcoming election and our monthly theme of Deep Listening. Sign up here.
Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers)! October’s materials are available here. The password is YouGotThis2020 (case sensitive.) This UU-based program is to be used all month long. Do whatever fits your family’s schedule. We’ll have a parent’s virtual gathering on October 26 at 8 pm to share our experiences. Sign up at here. Zoom info will be sent via email closer to the event.
1st-5th Kids and Families – Thursdays, October 15 at 4-4:45 pm – Sign up here.
6th-8th Families – Popcorn Theology Online – Sunday, October 11 at 9:30-10:30 am – Sign up here.
High School Youth – TBD – Look for emails with details!
For Adults
UCE Forum – Sunday, October 18th at 10 am
Of, By, and For the People: UU’s 5th Principle
Leader: Jim Kepler
The UUA is not a religious denomination. It is an association of autonomous congregations that are democratically governed, and mutually committed to principles derived from a variety of belief sources. We’ll discuss members’ democratic rights and obligations.
Click here to join the Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 983 5136 0044 Passcode: 789218
One tap mobile +13126266799,,98351360044#,,,,,,0#,,789218# US (Chicago)
Visions of God
Tuesdays at 7-9 pm via Zoom
Facilitated by UCE members Bob Mesle and Dan Solomon.
This class aims to help people explore a range of important visions embracing or rejecting “God,” and to share personal journeys with each other. We hope class members will learn some new ideas, clarify familiar ones, make new connections, and enrich in their own thinking.
The question, “Do you believe in God?” is not productive unless we can get some clarity about what a person mean by “God.” But for us, the question certainly raises interwoven questions of both REALITY and VALUES. It asks about what exists and how the universe works. Talk of “God” also raises important questions about what values “God” stands for and what feelings are invoked. Geneticist and religious naturalist, Ursula Goodenough, notes that religion is about both “What is, and what matters.” –i.e., truth and ethics. Religions, including atheistic secularism, propose visions of reality coupled with claims about how we should treat each other given those beliefs. This class will explore how some concepts of “God” engage us in those reflections.
Click here to join the Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 828 7766 5260, Passcode: 934455. One tap mobile +13126266799,,82877665260#,,,,,,0#,,934455# US (Chicago)
For more information, See the Adult RE page on the UCE Website, or email dan.solomon.45@gmail.com.
Christ for UU’s
Tuesdays, Nov. 10, 17; Dec. 1, 8, 15; 7:30-8:45 PM,
All sessions will be via Zoom.
Facilitated by UCE member Amy Pooley.
- What can we as Unitarian Universalists learn from reading the New Testament?
- Who was Jesus and why does he matter?
- How can getting in touch with our Unitarian and our Universalist roots help us rethink the Christian message and even understand it in a new way?
Join us in discussing these questions and more on five Tuesdays in November and December. The course will be based on readings from the New Testament and the recent Beacon Press release “Christ for Unitarian Universalists.” We welcome you to purchase a copy of the book here to follow the course’s reading schedule, but the discussion will also be accessible for those who have not done the reading and would simply like to show up to share and listen.
Amy Pooley has been a UU for over a decade and a Christian for just a few years. She has a love for our faith’s Unitarian and Universalist roots. She is a graduate student in Counseling and she and her wife Ruth are the moms of a toddler.
If you’re interested in attending, please click here to RSVP.
Contact Amy Pooley at amycpooley@gmail.com if you have questions.
2020-2021 Shared Offering Recipients
September: Shorefront Legacy Center
October: Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago
November: The Brennan Center
December: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
January: Community Renewal Society
February: Interfaith Action of Evanston
March: Poor People’s Campaign
April: Restore Justice
May: UU Prison Ministry of Illinois
June: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
July: Assata’s Daughters
August: Black Lives of UU
Fifth Sundays: Deborah’s Place
Shorefront Legacy Center
Shorefront Legacy Center is an archive of the history of Black people in Evanston, compiled and interpreted through the eyes of the Black community. It serves as a valuable resource to those who need documentation of the real story of Black Evanston and the harms that have been caused by institutional racism in Evanston. They are providing a report to support the work of the Reparations Subcommittee of the Evanston City Council, and important piece of anti-racism work. Learn more here.
Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago
Crossroads Fund supports community organizations working on issues of racial, social and economic justice in the Chicago area. Although it is a non-profit, 501(c)3 public foundation, it pools together resources of individuals, foundations, businesses and other entities to provide grants to numerous grassroots organizations for social change that do not themselves have tax-deductible status (as well as some that do). Their Executive Director told me that they will direct the funds we provide them to an organization we identify, such as Black Lives Matter Chicago, without charging their usual adminstrative fee for that service. Thus I am providing info both about Crossroads and BLMChicago, which otherwise meets the criteria for a Shared Fund recipient. Learn more about Crossroads Fund. Learn more about Black Lives Matter Chicago.
Brennan Center
The Brennan Center for Justice is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to defend democracy, reform justice, and protect the US Constitution. The Brennan Center is dedicated to protecting the rule of law and the values of Constitutional democracy, with many of its initiatives focused on racial justice. The Brennan Center is at the center of the fight to preserve and expand the right to vote for every eligible US citizen. Through practical policy proposals, litigation, advocacy, and communications, it drives for equal justice, campaign finance reform, ending mass incarceration, and preserving civil liberties.
Some of the Brennan Center’s key initiatives include:
- working with volunteer lawyers across the country to fight for justice for all, with a focus on reducing mass incarceration and promoting racial justice.
- restoring voting rights to people with past convictions.
- supporting fair and impartial courts and the rule of law, including by promoting a diverse bench and guarding against special interest influence.
- seeking effective national security policies that respect constitutional values and protect civil liberties, without religious or ethnic profiling.
- leading the fight against an unfair system of money in politics, by seeking campaign finance solutions and driving to overturn the Citizens United decision and related cases.
- pushing for an end to gerrymandering, and for transformation of the redistricting process to ensure fair representation for all voters.
For more information on the Brennan Center for Justice, visit brennancenter.org.
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
UUSC focuses on Central American Migrant Justice, Climate-Forced Displacement, and Human Rights for Royhingya suffering from ethnic cleansing in Burma. Whenever possible, it partners with groups led by Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, and collaborates in as horizontal a way as possible, using an anti-racist framework.
With COVID-19’s, UUSC works to provide basic survival necessities, like food and cleaning supplies for tragically underserved migrants stuck in temporary shelters at the U.S-Mexico border and in Bangladesh, virtually all of whom are people of color.
It also lobbies Congress, works on releasing of migrants from detention centers, and has launched a new campaign focused on protecting the Right to Resist in response to the criminalization of protest, which disproportionately impacts BIPOC activists. Learn more here.
Community Renewal Society
Members of CRS churches and CRS staff meet with and lobby state and local officials to persuade them to develop, push for and then implement government policies that move to eliminate race and class barriers, and provide for minorities and the poor more equal access to education, jobs and good housing. CRS also fights to end racial oppression and other abuses by police against minorities. CRS sponsors, attends and leads social justice activities, working with local communities and other social justice organizations. Learn more here.
Interfaith Action of Evanston
IAE brings people together to serve hungry and homeless people, pursue Interfaith dialogue, and engage in advocacy that promotes social justice for those we serve. Learn more here.
Poor People’s Campaign
The Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up the unfinished work of Martin Luther King’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. From Alaska to Arkansas, the Bronx to the border, people are coming together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. We understand that as a nation we are at a critical juncture — that we need a movement that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people. Learn more here.
Restore Justice
Restore Justice advocates for fairness, humanity, and compassion throughout the Illinois criminal legal system, with a primary focus on those affected by extreme sentences imposed on our youth. We create and support policies that allow those who are rehabilitated to go home, and that ensure those incarcerated, their families, and victim families have opportunities for healing and justice. We engage currently and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, victims and their families, communities, and concerned Illinoisans in advocacy and service within the criminal justice system.
COVID-19 fundamentally changed the nature of our work in early March, 2020. Our work to advocate for a fair criminal sentencing policy transformed into a life-or-death mission to move the state mitigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and to adhere to public health guidance rather than base instincts. Learn more here.
UU Prison Ministry of Illinois
UUPMI “Equips UU’s in Illinois to transform institutions and support people harmed by the prison industrial complex.” Its work includes systems change advocacy, education, congregational outreach, and ministries to people inside and upon release.
Illinois prisoners are 55% Black, compared with 15% of Illinois’ population. The Department of Corrections has not released enough people to reduce the spread of Covid-19, and people released were disproportionately white. UUPMI advocates for release and provides direct support to people inside when commissaries close, cutting off cleaning supplies and safe food. UUPMI is a lifeline for LGBTQ people inside. Learn more here.
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
ICIRR, created in 1986, is a state-wide coalition of more than 100 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social and political life of a diverse society. ICIRR is an inclusive entity that organizes, educates and demonstrates in matters concerning healthcare access, public benefits access, civic engagement, and citizenship. Their work is designed to promote the welfare and rights of all immigrants and refugees regardless of ethnic origin. Learn more here.
Assata’s Daughters
Assata’s Daughters (AD) is a Black woman-led, young person-focused collective, organizing young Black people primarily on Chicago’s south side. AD uses a popular education model designed to escalate, deepen and sustain the movement for Black liberation. They help young people and their families to meet survival needs through mutual aid, and have greatly increased those efforts to address the economic impact of Covid-19. They provide political education, leadership development, and teach sustainable forward-looking skills, such as curriculum writing, conflict resolution and self-protection. Learn more about Assata’s Daughters.
Black Lives of UU
Formed in the wake of several conversations among Black UUs at the July 2015 Movement for Black Lives Convening in Cleveland, OH – the BLUU Organizing Collective is committed to to:
- Expanding the power & capacity of Black UUs within our faith
- Providing support, information & resources for Black Unitarian Universalists.
- Justice-making and liberation through our faith
We share the newly created Vision for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism with you proudly. Developed at the Organizing Collective Board Meeting in December 2018, this vision is centered in our love for Black people and our belief in our UU faith:
BLUU harnesses love’s power to combat oppression and foster healing as a spiritual and political imperative. We know the power of love to be life changing, inclusive, relational, uncomfortable, unconditional and without end. Learn more here. Visit the Black Lives UU Facebook page.
Deborah’s Place
Deborah’s Place opens doors of opportunity for women who are homeless in Chicago. Founded in 1985 to help single women who are homeless, we have helped more than 4,000 women heal and move on from the traumatic experience of homelessness. With housing options and supportive services tailored to individual needs, every women we serve is offered opportunities to meet their goals.
Deborah’s Place was born out of the passion and commitment of a small group of volunteers who felt a responsibility to do something for women living rough on the streets of downtown Chicago. Our programs have grown from an emergency overnight shelter in 1985 to 144 units of permanent supportive housing, 115 units of scattered site community-based housing and a 10-bed interim housing program today. We serve more than 400 women per year.
Our work is meeting each woman as she begins her journey out of the chaos of homelessness. We work together with women to help them develop their own goal plans. We connect them to services that help them achieve their goals, including crisis and case management, healthcare coordination, securing income and access to education. Through this, women move on from the experience of homelessness to a stable future and better quality of life.
We could not continue this important work without the support of generous donors like you. We are proud to say that 83 center of every dollar goes directly to our programs. Learn more here.