VirtUUal Faith Formation: April 9, 2021

What’s Happening in Faith Formation?

Welcome as we continue our theme of Becoming! This week we focus on the segments In the Neighborhood and At Play. Check out this week’s video here. You can access the Soulful Home packet here at your own leisure.

Many Ways to Connect

8th and 12th Grade Bridging – We will meet on the lawn at UCE at 4 pm on April 25 to record your bridging ceremony – our UU recognition of your next stage of life. All young adults and high school youth are welcome to participate! If you haven’t received an email about this yet, please email Kathy Underwood.

RE Sunday – May 2 – Featuring YOU! We’re taking submissions from families, kids, and youth to contribute to this special worship service. Here are some ways to do so:

Send pictures of your family or kids doing an activity from the Soul Kits or Soulful Home packet.
Make a short (1-2 minutes) video of your family about any of the following:
How you have felt and stayed connected to UCE this past year
How you have lived out your UU values as a family or individually
Playing a musical interlude or singing your favorite UU song
Showing artwork or reading a poem that relates to our UU Principles and values – including the proposed 8th Principle
Your family lighting a chalice at home

You can put your picture or video in this Google folder by April 18. Feel free to email Kathy with any questions!

Popcorn Theology Online for 6th-8th Grade Youth – Sunday, April 11 at 1 pm.

Taking Flight Sex Ed Program for 7th-9th Youth – Sunday at 1 pm. Youth must be registered to attend. See the email with Zoom info.

Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers) – April’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.

High School Youth – Outdoor meet-up. Look for an email with details.

Current and Upcoming Adult Religious Education

Facing Climate Change – Tuesdays, April 13 at 7 pm – Dan Solomon will present on how Religious Naturalism can provide a framework for facing Climate Change.

Learn More & Register

Join the Session!

UCE Forum Discussion – Sunday, April 18 at 10 am – Please join Shirley Adams and Michael Drennan for an Earth Day discussion that calls us to act: “Personal Steps Toward a Better Environment” How you can contribute as an individual, a family, a congregation, a community.

VirtUUal Faith Formation: April 9, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-09T20:13:45+00:00

April 9, 2021

Click here to read this week’s newsletter.

April 9, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-09T19:40:57+00:00

8th Principle Adoption Process: April 9, 2021

Learn about the 8th Principle at the next 8th Principle Town Hall gathering on Sunday, April 11 at 1:15 pm. It will be the same Zoom link as the virtual coffee hour. ALL ARE INVITED!

The final congregation-wide meeting about the 8th Principle will be a Board chat. Please attend the Board Special Edition: Consider the 8th Principle on Friday, April 23, 2021 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. The Board will create space to hear the pros and cons from church members before the congregational meeting regarding the idea of adopting the 8th Principle.

If you have not yet been part of a group conversation about the 8th Principle and would like to talk with someone from Team 8th one-on-one or if you would like your small group to discuss it in order to understand more about the 8th Principle, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

Q&A from the Town Hall meetings: Why isn’t it (the 7 Principles, the BLM sign, all the work I have done or am doing) enough?

A core question I keep hearing in the conversations happening at UCE around the 8th Principle is:

Why isn’t “it” enough?

“It” has referred to the existing 7 Principles.
“It” has referred to our large Black Lives Matter sign on Ridge.
“It” has referred to the hard work UCE congregants did during the civil rights era and the ensuing decades.
“It” has referred to the hard work being done by members right now through FAST and REAL and the Organizing Team and the Peace & Justice Team and the Accessibility & Inclusion Team and the Endowment Committee and others.

I hear you. You should be proud of the work you have done, of the BLM sign, of the work you continue to do. AND I hear Black, white, indigenous, and members of color saying we aren’t done yet. I hear the endorsement of the 8th Principle by BLUU and by DRUUMM. For all the hard work and sound Principles, inequities still exist and micro-aggressions still occur. The 7 Principles have been in their current form since 1995 and they have not been enough to create systemic change, dismantle racism, or build a more inclusive congregation or association. As a spiritual home, as a place where we strive to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole, we want to acknowledge these ongoing personal injustices and find new ways to make our congregation a safe place, a radically welcoming space, for all. The 8th Principle is one of these ways.

When the question is framed as “Isn’t x enough?” there is only room for a yes/no answer. There is no room for a yes/and conversation. YES, we have been and are currently reflecting on and planning and creating and doing important anti-racism and anti-oppression work, AND the 8th Principle is one more of these things that we need to reflect on, plan to adopt, create a culture around its concepts, and then live out this principle in our congregation and the world. YES, the 8th Principle is an extension of what UCE has done and is doing, AND after we adopt the 8th Principle, we will have to continue to listen to each other, believe each other, forgive each other, and move forward together in relationship as we actively live into the values of the 8th Principle.

We are on a life-long journey, my friends. And I am glad to be on this journey with you. The longevity is one of the reasons why we need to lean into our covenantal community. Why we have to be willing to talk to each other when our feelings are hurt or we have cause to be offended. Why we have to be willing to listen and believe each other. Why we have to be willing to forgive and move forward, still connected to each other. Being on this life-long journey is also why we have to continue to bring joy and hope into our anti-racism and anti-oppression work. I envision the adoption of the 8th Principle will be one of these moments of celebration, fueling our hope and commitment to continue on this journey together.

Yours in building our multicultural Beloved Community,

Rev. Susan

8th Principle Adoption Process: April 9, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-09T00:18:15+00:00

Endowment Fund: Application Deadline May 31, 2021

The final deadline for submitting Endowment Fund grant applications during the current church year will be May 31. There is about $10,000-$15,000 available for disbursement from the 2020-21 distribution amount.

Endowment Funds are a significant resource for our community because they can used to support special initiatives that further the mission and work of UCE. For additional information, read What Can Endowment Funds be Used for? at UCE Endowment Fund: Frequently Asked Questions.

The Endowment Fund has supported several special projects this year: Endowment Fund Grants for 2020-2021.

If you have an idea for a grant application or want to find out more, including help filling out the application, contact: Jane Kenamore, jkenamore@ameritech.net, Margaret Schatz, mesharbor@gmail.com or Trudi Davis, Trudi Davis trudiannedavis@gmail.com, Endowment Trustees.

Endowment Fund: Application Deadline May 31, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-08T18:07:13+00:00

Walk at Harms Woods: April 21, 2021

The Green Team invites you to nourish your spirit on the trails at Harms Woods on Wednesday, April 21. Gather in the parking lot of the Blue Star Memorial Woods, on E. Lake Ave. at 1pm.

Bring your bike and bike on the paved trail or put on your walking shoes and walk on the dirt paths. We will wander on the trails alongside the North Branch Chicago River. After some time in nature, you can head back home or proceed around the corner to share some food at Hackney’s on Harms Road. Contact Shirley Adams or Judy Holman with questions. All are welcome. All ages.

Walk at Harms Woods: April 21, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-08T16:38:23+00:00

April Reflections with the Board: April 11, 2021

It is our goal as the Board of Trustees to maintain connections with you. To that end, we are hosting a program entitled, “Reflections with the Board.” We host these sessions via zoom once a month (the second Sunday of the month) at 10 am before the service. Our next session will be held on April 11th at 10 am. For this session, the Board would like to spend some time talking with you about Widening the Circle of Concern. This month we will begin discussing Chapter Four, Hospitality and Inclusion. You did not have to attend any of our previous sessions to join us.

Questions from Study Guide for WTC chapter, Hospitality and Inclusion

Who is responsible for greeting and welcoming in our congregation?
What kind of education or dialogue is held with them?

Now invite the group to imagine a first encounter with the congregation, either physically or virtually. What might people notice or experience? Collect impressions from the group. Ask:

Based on this, who would feel most welcomed? Why?
Who might question their welcome? Why?

Next, form two- or three-person small groups and invite them to undertake a mini-audit of how your congregation presents itself to newcomers and visitors. Ask each group to appoint a note- taker. Instruct groups to examine the congregation’s newsletter, website, and recent sermons:

Look for words like “we,” “everyone,” “our” and consider both who is meant and how a reader might understand who is meant. Who is the “we”?
Look for words like “others” and phrases like “surrounding community” that make a distinction between this faith community and someone else. Who is the someone else?
Beyond noticing words and phrases, give careful thought to their meanings and messages.
Bring the groups back together. Invite each group to report one observation that struck them.

Now lead a discussion on these questions:

What can we say now about how language can intentionally or unintentionally include or exclude?
What harm can happen because of it?
How hard was it to look at our congregation in this new way?
What would it take for this new mindfulness to become the intentional practice of our community? Together, answer these questions:
In the congregation, how do people learn about affinity group opportunities for BIPOC across the broader Unitarian Universalist movement, such as Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) and Diverse and Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM)?
Is there a congregational or local UU cluster BIPOC affinity group? If so, how do people of color in the community learn of its existence?

Which of these questions would you like to discuss? What have you been learning as you have been reading Widening the Circle? Please join us on Sunday. Thank you.

Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 862 4288 7134
Passcode: 220807
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,86242887134#,,,,,,0#,,220807# US (Chicago)

April Reflections with the Board: April 11, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-06T21:42:18+00:00

From Kathy Underwood, DLRE: April 9, 2021

May the Force Be with Us – the Power of Becoming

Okay, maybe it’s not quite Star Wars day yet, but we DO have a force among us – the Faith Formation Force!

If you haven’t heard about this yet, it is a group of ten who are exploring with curiosity what faith formation can look and feel like at UCE as one goes through the stages of life. How do we support and encourage each other to “yearn to learn” about our faith as Unitarian Universalist and human beings? What do we need along the way? What are the best and most engaging ways to do this?

The Faith Formation Force is looking at worship and faith formation/religious education, and how we can transform how this looks and feels, how it engages and welcomes people in, the ways people connect with each other and the world, and how we renew our spirit to help create a world made whole. This is a huge undertaking, and the group has taken it on enthusiastically!

In the REvisioning conversations that happened this past year, the theme that recurred over and over was the desire to be truly multigenerational. A faith community that builds and supports relationships across the ages. A community that envelopes our youngest members into the entire fabric of congregational life. A community that welcomes and supports each other through all stages of life.

And so the Faith Formation Force has been exploring models of worship and faith formation that support the need and desire to be an intentionally multigenerational community. At the moment, we have divided into two sub-groups: one is researching other congregations who have such a multigenerational model, and the other is looking at ways to get your feedback as we explore the models that fit our goal to become more multigenerational. When we begin to seek your input, please do participate in that process. After all, our fifth principle says that we have a voice in the things that matter to us.

Our Faith Formation Force members are Ann Gadzikowski, Ben Kornfeld, Carolyn Leman, Cheryl Mounts, Karena Nelson, Margaret Shaklee, Dan Solomon, Carla Williams, Rev. Eileen, and myself.

Springtime is such a wondrous time of the year – the possibilities of becoming are everywhere!

In Faith,

Kathy

From Kathy Underwood, DLRE: April 9, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-09T18:07:03+00:00

April 11, 2021

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

What Will Become of Us
Becoming is a name for a certain kind of change. Can we change and not notice? What is the cost to the human spirit of unclaimed change?

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 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 Restore Justice.

April 11, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-05T16:58:18+00:00

April 2, 2021

Click here to read this week’s newsletter.

April 2, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-02T18:04:23+00:00

VirtUUal Faith Formation: April 2, 2021

What’s Happening in Faith Formation?

Welcome to our new theme of Becoming! This week we focus on the segments Welcome, At the Table and On the Message Board. Check out this week’s video here. You can access the Soulful Home packet here at your own leisure.

Many Ways to Connect

Easter Egg Hunt – once again this year we will be participating in a virtual egg hunt with 77 UU congregations around the country and Canada! You can play anytime after 9 am Saturday: Easy version: https://www.uuco.org/community Difficult: www.uumontclair.org

8th and 12th Grade Bridging – We will meet on the lawn at UCE at 4 pm on April 25 to record your bridging ceremony – our UU recognition of your next stage of life. All young adults and high school youth are welcome to participate! If you haven’t received an email about this yet, please email Kathy Underwood.

Taking Flight Sex Ed Program for 7th-9th Youth – Sunday at 1 pm. Youth must be registered to attend. See the email with Zoom info.

Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers) – April’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.

High School Youth – Outdoor meet-up. Look for an email with details.

Looking Ahead
Popcorn Theology Online for 6th-8th Grade Youth – Sunday, April 11 at 1 pm.

This Sunday’s Forum Discussion

Forum meets this Sunday, April 4 at 10 am. Come join us for continuation of our discussion of the proposed 8th principle. In late February we talked about the history of the 8th principle, the process toward adoption, and Beloved Community. This time we will look at how some other congregations are approaching adoption, news on dates and the UCE voting process, and what it means to act accountably. What does that mean individually and within UCE? Part of our time together will be spent imagining action steps we could take after the adoption of the 8th principle. There will also be a short video of a UU minister speaking about their congregation and the 8th principle.

Read “My Experience with the 8th Principle”

Current and Upcoming Adult Religious Education

Facing Climate Change – Tuesdays, April 6 and 13 – Andy Fisher will talk about the critical problem of climate change, based on materials from “The Climate Reality Project” founded by former Vice President Al Gore. Dan Solomon will follow up with a presentation on how Religious Naturalism can provide a framework for facing Climate Change.

Learn More and Register

Join the Zoom Meeting

VirtUUal Faith Formation: April 2, 2021UCE UCE2021-04-09T20:08:02+00:00