October 3, 2021
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, October 3rd at 10:15 am.
The Blessing of the Animals
Animals bless our lives in many ways, whether we keep them as pets or enjoy watching them scamper or fly past our windows, we are connected to and benefit from the contributions of animals. In this annual tradition, we honor and express gratitude for the life-giving diversity of animal life. Send in your photos of animal friends (past and present) with the names of you and your animals to ewiviott@ucevanston.org by Wednesday, the 29th. Rev. Eileen Wiviott leads the service with Betty Walker as Worship Associate.
A few important notes about participating in-person:
- Everyone over 2 in and around the UCE building will need to be masked.
- We will maintain physical distance, which means, chairs will be spaced apart and seating is limited in the sanctuary to 120. We will have overflow seating in room 3 (25) and room 6 (20), to participate in the service through the livestream. Beyond this, there will be seating outside the sanctuary on the south lawn.
- Please review our UCE Guidelines for Building Use before Sunday.
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 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 NAACP Evanston North Shore Branch.
From DLRE: September 24, 2021
When I was first hired just 6 months before the pandemic, I had heard about UCE’s desire to create a more multigenerational community. When Rev. Karen Gustafson came as our interim minister, this was reiterated many times. Knowing this gave me such hopes and dreams as a religious educator!
And so this past year, the Faith Formation Force has been working hard to find a creative way to make this happen, and we’re about to launch this new idea of all-ages worship and faith formation and see it come to fruition! Or are we? Will the continued challenge of the pandemic force us to veer our course?
We have a volunteer challenge. The reality is that many people are not comfortable working with our young people for many reasons, partly due to vaccination issues. What this means for our young people is that we cannot have age-specific programs at this point, even with only having these programs twice monthly.
The past 18 months have been challenging for parents and families. They need our support. If we are striving for a shared ministry, then it is not the responsibility of parents solely to fill the role of guiding our young people and youth. Rather, it is our collective responsibility – whether we personally do this or not. I also acknowledge that working with young people is not everyone’s cup of tea. We want people who genuinely care and want to be with our young people. And so I ask those of you who do, volunteer to be a helper one Sunday this year – just one! I promise that you will be amazed by our young people, learn about UUism, and have fun! What more could one ask for these days?
One thing the past 18 months has told us is to be flexible and forgiving. With this approach, we will go forth with this vision of a shared, multigenerational faith formation experience, and learn and grow along the way.
In Faith,
Kathy
Keeping in Touch with Springfield Reps: September 24, 2021
Are you interested in state politics? Have you followed the state’s budget, prison reform and environmental bills? You might want to join the legislative action teams we’re forming to meet periodically with our state representatives and state senators.
We’ll be encouraging our local reps to follow a progressive agenda as they vote in Springfield. Separate teams are being formed in each legislative district. We’ll be letting our representatives know our concerns and highlighting the bills endorsed by UU Action Network of Illinois (UUANI) and Community Renewal Society (CRS).
Our current priority is to contact our representatives prior to the veto session which starts October 19. If you’d like to join us, contact Jane Bannor at jbannor@sbcglobal.net .
We hope to forge meaningful bonds with the legislators who represent us. Separate teams are being formed for each Evanston-adjacent legislative district. If you live far from Evanston, we’ll try to connect you with interested UUs in your area.
Summary of Sept BOT Meeting: September 16, 2021
The Board spent considerable time in lively discussion regarding whether it is possible to increase the share of Sunday collection loose plate donated to outside racial and social justice organizations without reaching conclusion. While tempting in principle, next year will be a very tight budget year, so there is a conflict between being responsible stewards or our resources and expanding our generosity and commitment to Anti-Racism.
Fitting the current external justice environment, our new called minister, and our ability to come back to meeting in person, we approved new UCE annual goals, which will be presented soon in greater detail.
The Board began planning for the upcoming pledge drive. Planning will include a careful look at our budget challenges and priorities, in concert with the ISC, and continued communication with you, the congregation, to be sure we are keeping our financial commitments, and board priorities consistent with those of the UCE membership.
The Treasurer reported that we are tracking closely to our annual budget and that 21/22 financial goals are in reach thanks in large part to US SBA forgiveness of the 2020 PPP loan.
Update – Syrian Refugee Family: September 24, 2021
Thank you UCE! We have raised $4,845 so far of our $5000 goal.
Over the past month we’ve told you about the Syrian refugee family—the Bakirs, who we are trying to help. They arrived in the U.S. in early September and are living in Skokie. The kids are very excited to start school in October. The family includes: Ghufran Bakir and her three children Ryaan, 13; Hatty, 12; and Talib, 8. Ghufran was widowed in the war. They have spent the last eight years in a refugee camp/temporary housing in Turkey. They are delighted to be reunited with their relatives from the Haj Khalaf family (a refugee family that UCE sponsored in 2016).
The Immigrant Solidarity Team asks you to contribute to our fund for the family’s rent and school clothes. We want to pay their rent for 3 months ($1300/month) and we are buying some school clothes now.
To donate to the refugee family:
If you are interested in volunteering to help the family, please contact Jane Kenamore (jkenamore@ameritech.net) or Jeanne Kerl (figkerl@gmail.com). In the past volunteers helped the refugee family by providing rides to appointments, tutoring family members, or helping in other ways. We will keep you updated about their needs.
Thank you in advance for your generosity. May it bring joy to you.
Towards an Understanding of Toni Morrison’s A Mercy: November 2021
Tuesdays, Nov. 23, 30; 7:00-8:45 pm
Sessions available online via Zoom
Facilitated by UCE member Barbara Mesle
Whether you’re new to Toni Morrison or an experienced reader of her novels, it’s always better to have friends to discuss with. A MERCY is s h o r t (for Toni)–only 167 pages. We’ll tackle the novel in two halves to make it easier yet. This novel is set in pre-colonial America. Ms. Morrison always addresses issues from multiple points of view and with multiple narrators. Her self-proclaimed project to write the stories for African-American girls and women back into the mainframe of American history. I love the complex characters and plot of A Mercy. I hope you will too. Please come and bring your experience and voice to the conversation about the Nobel prize winning author who wrote ten novels about why Black Lives Matter.
Who is Barbara Hiles Mesle?
As a college professor of literature, (MA University of Chicago, Ph.D the University of Kansas), I taught a seminar in the novels of Toni Morrison for more than a decade. Ms. Morrison, in my opinion, may be considered the Shakespeare of the 21st century. I have a lot of experience making her novels more accessible and seeing connections within her impressive body of work. I think of Toni as a friend of my heart and mind (though I never met her in person).
I loved my job as an English teacher for more 40 years, most of them at a small university. But I was often reluctant to tell strangers that I was a professor of literature and writing. Why? Because sometimes this pall would come over their face, as if I was silently correcting their grammar, undangling their participles, and looking for “hidden meaning.” I promise you that is not me! After a lifetime of discussing literary texts, I have developed great respect for the insights of readers. You have things to teach me too! Let’s work together to begin to unpack this lovely novel.
Reparations in Evanston Workshop Update: September 24, 2021
The second session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely on-line. Register today to attend.
Our first session last week, which focused on the history of Reparations, was very well-received. We heard from both Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church and Woullard Lett, a leader with N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) and New England UUA Regional lead.
There were also several opportunities during last week’s session for workshop participants to reflect on the issue and share their views. Next week we’ll focus on the history of race relations in Evanston and the ways our faith traditions call us to be involved. We’ll be joined by Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center, as well as by a panel of local religious leaders. Evanston Reparations founder Robin Rue Simmons will join us for week #3.
Each session will offer participants a chance to exchange ideas, ask questions, and get involved. We’ll also give you updates on the Evanston Reparations project and on various related funding efforts. Before each session, you can enhance your learning by reading and reflecting on selected articles and videos.
Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop this faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We will explore what “reparations” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.
To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here.
This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.
With many different faith traditions involved in our sessions, we’ll have the chance to exchange ideas and learn about the experiences of residents throughout the community. Working with church archivists and religious leaders from throughout Evanston, we plan to focus on how local faith communities have responded to racial discrimination in the past and what we can do to level the playing field moving forward.
September 26, 2021
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, September 26th at 10:15 am.
The Possibility of Connection is Everywhere
We’re living in a multiplatform pandemic world with some of us in-person and some of us virtual for worship services, family gatherings, work meetings, and more. We are having to maneuver the circumstances under which we visit with family, friends, and colleagues. It can be exhausting. This week you are invited to take a pause from all the planning and think about each of these moments, in-person or virtual, as a moment of connection. You are invited to think of connection as love. How might we pause to recognize the love expressed through our connections with each other whether it is in-person, online, or a combination of both? How might we pause to really connect with that which is larger than ourselves: with nature, with community, with the divine?
A few important notes about participating in-person:
- Everyone over 2 in and around the UCE building will need to be masked.
- We will maintain physical distance, which means, chairs will be spaced apart and seating is limited in the sanctuary to 120. We will have overflow seating in room 3 (25) and room 6 (20), to participate in the service through the livestream. Beyond this, there will be seating outside the sanctuary on the south lawn.
- Please review our UCE Guidelines for Building Use before Sunday.
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 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 Deborah’s Place.
VirtUUal Faith Formation: September 17, 2021
What’s Happening in Faith Formation?
Nursery Help Needed – We need one adult or teen to help Julia in the nursery each Sunday from 10 am-12:30 pm. You can help just once or as many Sundays as you want. Our littlest members are a joy to be with! Contact Kathy if you can help.
Volunteer Orientation Saturday at 10-11:30 am – All who are interested in volunteering for our new faith formation hour are invited to learn more at this virtual gathering. Click here to join the meeting.
Outdoor Game Days: If you enjoy being outside and playing games such as Sharks and Minnows (tag), Bum Volleyball, and Popcorn, then we need you! You don’t know those games? That’s okay! Looking for fun adults to help play games on October 3 and 17 with a group of young people from 10:45 am-12:15 pm. Contact Kathy if you can help.
Playscape Steppingstone Event – September 25 and October 2 – Families are invited to help make steppingstones. For more details and to register, click here.
Registration for Faith Formation begins! This year more than ever, it is important that parents register their young people, so that we can plan according to current guidelines. Please complete the form here for all young people, 0-18 years old.
A New Church Year, A New Theme – Embracing Possibility! Check out the new Soulful Home packet here! The packet is designed for families to explore the monthly theme at their own pace and interest.
Looking Ahead…Wednesday on the Lawn returns! October 27 at 5:30 pm – 7 pm. More details soon!
College-bound youth and young adults! A network to connect with UUs wherever you are! Join Rev. Byron Tyler Coles & Rev. Stevie K Carmody Eama for an information session about the recently launched Bridging Youth Hospitality Network! Next gathering is Thursday, October 7th, 6pm CST.
Check the links below for Zoom registration and more information. Spread the survey to recently bridged youth and the communities that want to welcome them!
Forum Discussion Group – This Sunday, September 19
Join the Forum Discussion this Sunday, September 19 at 11:30 am during Faith Formation Hour in Room 3: “What is meant by Defund the Police?” Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and a representative from the UU Prison Ministry Team will present ideas from the City of Evanston, the UUA, and Defund CPD. Each speaker will present on the subject, then we will open up the floor for questions. Members can attend in person or virtually. This will be an exchange of ideas, not a debate. Among the topics we will explore are the role of police and whose safety is protected.
UCE Book Groups
UCE Fiction Book Group is reading My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Book 1, a graphic novel by Emil Ferris. Discussion meeting September 17, 7-8:30 pm via Zoom.
Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazine iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge.
The nonfiction book group will meet via Zoom at 2 pm on Sunday, September 26th to discuss How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America.
The author, Heather Cox Richardson, writes about how the South was the ideological victor of the Civil War as expansion of the Western frontier allowed the hierarchies of the South to proliferate. The book has been called “a thought-provoking study of the centuries-spanning battle between oligarchy and equality in America.”