February 2022 - Page 3 of 3

Seeking Your Input: February 13, 2022

Seeking your input by February 13th for the Shared Plate Program Criteria Review

The Social Justice Council will be reviewing the criteria used to select recipients of the Shared Plate Program at its next meeting on February 16, 2022, at 7:00 pm. You are invited to participate in this review. If you would like to attend the Council meeting, please email Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org for the Zoom link. Otherwise, you may email your input to Rev. Susan and she will convey it to the Council.

The list of criteria that we have used for determining the recipients of the Shared Plate Program for the past two years is located on our website and listed here:

Must be a 501(c)(3) organization or have a fiscal sponsor.
Must be nominated by a UCE member or staff person.
Organization addresses systemic racism and/or the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color and the poor.
Must meet at least 3 of the 8 criteria (1-8) listed below:
1. Organization focuses on systemic, structural change or, if social service provider, also engages in significant advocacy/policy work.
2. There is evidence that the organization is effective in meeting its goals and efficient in use of its funding; this can be through an independent non-profit vetting service, information the organization furnishes other funders, or other non-subjective source of information.
3. Organization is rooted in its community, and provides valuable services or leadership important to that community.
4. Organization has a UU identity (ex: BLUU, UUSC, UUANI).
5. Organization is small and not well funded (our help would be significant) but evidences staying power (has existed at least 3 years).
6. UCE members are or have been active with the organization as volunteers, staff or board members, or as beneficiaries of services.
7. Organization operates collaboratively with other social justice organizations and/or exhibits understanding of intersectionality among peoples and issues.
8. Organization provides UCE members opportunities for engagement with people who are subject to racial oppression and/or the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 or the issues that arise from these realities.

I look forward to your input.

In faith,

Rev. Susan Frances

Seeking Your Input: February 13, 2022UCE UCE2022-02-03T02:24:56+00:00

WTCC Discussion: February 20, 2022

Widening the Circle of Concern
Reading 2 Chapters for February 20, 2022 Faith Formation Hour

6th Chapter – Religious Professionals and 7th Chapter – Educating for Liberation

Want to learn what our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is recommending as ways to dismantle white supremacy culture within our Faith Formation structures? Congregants are encouraged to participate in small group discussions of the Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, Widening the Circle of Concern. This report is a guiding document for UCE’s Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression work.

For our discussion in February, we will be reading 2 chapters. You are encouraged to read the chapter on Religious Professionals and the chapter on Educating for Liberation before February 20th so you are prepared for the conversation. You do not need to have participated in previous conversations to join this one!

If you would like to take part on Zoom, here is the link for February 20th at 11:30 am, join here.  

These conversations will be taking place in-person as well as on Zoom. If you hold a marginalized identity and would want an identity-based caucus space to discuss Widening the Circle of Concern, please contact Rev. Eileen Wiviott or Rev. Susan Frances by February 13th so we can arrange that space.

The UUA Commission on Institutional Change (COIC) was commissioned by the 2017 General Assembly to conduct an audit of the power structures within the UUA and analyze systemic racism and white supremacy culture within our movement. This report, issued in June 2020, is the result of three years of labor by the COIC, gathering painful stories and doing the difficult emotional labor of identifying the ways systemic racism exists within Unitarian Universalism. The purpose and goals of the report include, to “identify the aspects of [white supremacy] culture that must be dismantled to transform us into a faith for our times.” 

As the Board of Trustees, staff, and a few members have engaged with this report over the past year, we are clear that dismantling systemic racism within our institution is a shared responsibility and requires all of us to take part. Please join us in these vital conversations the 3rd Sunday of each month during the Faith Formation Hour through June 2022 (except April will be the 2nd Sunday). 

~ Rev. Eileen Wiviott and Rev. Susan Frances

WTCC Discussion: February 20, 2022UCE UCE2022-02-18T16:26:55+00:00

Article II Study Commission Interested in Your Thoughts: February 4, 2022

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has commissioned a study of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. Article II is comprised of our Principles and Purposes and is the foundation for the work of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) movement. It encompasses the covenant to which all of our UU congregations and UU covenanted communities pledge themselves when they become members of our UUA.

The Article II Study Commission is hosting monthly public conversations with a panel of speakers. Those in attendance are provided a survey link to provide the Study Commission with their thoughts.

Thursday, February 24, 2022, 7:00 pm: A Conversation on Inspiration

What are our founts of inspiration? Where have we drawn them from, how have they developed in our history as a faith, and which ones speak to us now? Complete this Zoom Registration in advance to attend the panel on inspirations.

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 7:00pm: A Conversation on Purpose

What is our mission as Unitarian Universalists? What are called to do in the world? How do we, as individuals and as an organization, answer that call? Complete this Zoom Registration in advance to attend the panel on purpose.

Friday, April 15, 2022, 7:00pm: A Conversation on Values

What shared values do we have as a faith? What common dreams need to be reflected in a new Article II? Complete this Zoom Registration in advance to attend the panel on values.

Background Information:

Our current Principles and Purposes as listed in Article II of the UUA Bylaws were last revised in 1987. At General Assembly (GA) 2017, there was discussion of amending the Principles to add the 8th Principle, addressing racism, and an amended 1st Principle, addressing non-human life. The 5th Principle was the subject of a report in 2009, which dealt with the ways in which GA and other UU gatherings do and don’t embody an inclusive democratic process. The 7th Principle has also been the subject of discussions about possible amendments. In response to those discussions, in 2020 the UUA Board established an Article II Study Commission to conduct a review and consider revisions to Article II of the UUA Bylaws.

Article II Study Commission Interested in Your Thoughts: February 4, 2022UCE UCE2022-02-03T01:56:44+00:00

From Director of Faith Formation: February 4, 2022

And so the rollercoaster called Covid continues! Case numbers go up, then down, then back up. We close our doors, then open them, then close them, now opening them again. As much as I love rollercoasters, this one is wearing on me. And I’m not alone. We may never totally get off this ride.

There has been a recent thread on one of the Facebook pages for religious educators on the lack of motivation everywhere. Families are facing it, parents are facing it, congregations are facing it, and religious educators are facing it in all these places as well as in their own homes and families. I am seeing more posts about leaving the profession, which saddens me. I can’t blame them for tapping out. And yet it brings me to ask, “How does one stay engage and connected during hard times – especially when related to the trauma of a pandemic?”

I can’t begin to count the number of people I have seen leave their congregation over the years. Sometimes, it was simply because they moved away. But too often, it was due to not wanting to stay engaged – whether over a disagreement, being offended by another’s words or actions, or from microaggressions. As Rev. Eileen said more eloquently than this in her sermon last week, all who enter have the choice to stay or go. What helps to keep us here is our Covenant of Engagement, which in part says, “We covenant to speak and listen with open hearts and minds, be kind and gracious, and practice resilience and perseverance.”

Doing this as we continue to navigate through this pandemic has its challenges, of course. How do we stay in covenant and be engaged considering all we are dealing with in our daily lives? In my experience, keeping in touch with one or two people helps immensely. Sharing our experiences, thoughts, and feelings validates us and ensures a feeling of connection that we need. Self-care goes a long way too, which may seem obvious. The connection between self-care and self-compassion though is not as obvious. Research from the University of Washington showed that there are three symptoms of burnout, one of which is exhaustion (physical or mental), and the most effective way to recover from burnout was by re-energizing acts of self-care and self-compassion. They also found that compassion is like a muscle and can be trained through practices such as meditation, yoga, appreciation exercises, and movement practices. These things can re-wire the neural systems in the brain.

Isn’t it wonderful that we have opportunities at UCE to learn about and practice some of these things that can help us? We are so blessed to have people in our congregation who are willing to share their talents and knowledge! My wish and endeavor is for all of us to stay connected and engaged in some way – with a friend or a group, by doing a spiritual practice or social justice work – and hang on to one another until the rollercoaster ride comes to an exhilarating stop.

In Faith,

Kathy Underwood

From Director of Faith Formation: February 4, 2022UCE UCE2022-02-03T01:44:46+00:00

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