August 14, 2022
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, August 14th at 10:15 am.
Social Transformation Through the Arts – Drama
Social movements for change have always been empowered and expressed through the arts. We draw on this power and inspiration to build solidarity and strength for the journey toward a more just and whole society. We continue our exploration with drama. How has theater shaped social transformation in this country and how can we use its power today?
We are grateful for the shared wisdom and experience of Dr. D. Soyini Madison, professor emeritus in the Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern. She focuses on ethnography and performance and the intersections of local activism, the political economy of human rights, and indigenous performance tactics. Sarah Vanderwicken and Rev. Eileen Wiviott are worship participants as well.
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 the Interfaith Action of Evanston.
Knowing Your Rights for Reproductive Justice
Illinois is a state with strong legislative protections for people who are pregnant, including providing legal access to abortion care. The ACLU of Illinois provides information about Illinois laws and protections and knowing your rights to abortion access. Our Unitarian Universalist faith supports Reproductive Justice and affirms that our bodies are sacred, that we are each endowed with the twin gifts of agency and conscience, and that each of us should have the power to decide what does and doesn’t happen to our bodies at every moment of our lives because consent and self-determination are holy.
Here are some of the many ways to live into our UU values and support Reproductive Justice:
VOTE! If you want to get involved with UUtheVote, please contact Shirley Adams through Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.
Get involved in conversations with your legislators! If you want to work with our Legislative Action Team, please contact Jane Bannor through Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.
Donate to one of the organizations helping people who are pregnant have abortion access as an option:
- Healthcare providers with abortion access:
- Abortion funds, which remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access:
- Direct service providers (help with travel coordination and costs, lodging, food, medicine, and emotional support):
- Educating medical providers on a wide range of comprehensive reproductive health care topics that improve access:
Volunteer with an organization providing abortion access:
Finally, one of the best ways is to talk with others about your values and your support of self-determination, abortion access, and privacy rights! At UCE, we have formed a Reproductive Justice Ad Hoc Group. If you would like to be engaged with this group, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org. Knowing this is a long-haul issue, we are already partnering with our sister congregations through the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois, our local interfaith colleagues, and abortion access providers in the Midwest to determine how we, as a congregation, can support Reproductive Justice for all.
The Anti-Oppression Task Force Needs You!
As you may recall, the Board of Trustees commissioned an Anti-Oppression Task Force (AOTF) at UCE in response to a call from the congregation, Evanston Interfaith leaders, the UUA through the Commission on Institutional Change, and Black Lives of UU “to engage in the struggle to dismantle white supremacy as it collectively exists” and “to become more inclusive, equitable, and diverse while… work[ing]…to be accountable to those most affected by injustice.” The purpose of the UCE Anti-Oppression Task Force is to determine the ways in which we might answer this call, making justice a reality both in our congregation and beyond.
For the last year, the Anti-Oppression Task Force has been working with our consultants at the YWCA Equity Institute. The AOTF has pinpointed three goals for its work:
- expanding the congregation’s ownership of anti-racism, anti-oppression work;
- increasing power sharing at UCE; and
- encouraging radical inclusion and hospitality.
With the assistance of the YWCA, the Anti-Oppression Task Force has determined that the first step in realizing these goals is to communicate with the congregation. We need to understand and discern where we are and what we might do as a congregation to continue our anti-racism, anti-oppression journey and to build our Beloved Community.
For this reason, the Anti-Oppression Task Force has created three similar, but not identical surveys: one that has been given to members of the Board of Trustees, one that will be given to the Staff, and one that will be given to the congregation. These surveys are the result of months of discussion among task force members. The information from the surveys will be collected and summarized by the YWCA Equity Institute. All of the surveys will be done individually and anonymously.
Board members are completing their surveys now and will be discussing next steps in collaboration with the YWCA at the Board retreat in August. The Staff will be working through their survey at their annual retreat in September. The congregation can expect to see the survey in their email boxes in August. After the survey is released to the congregation, members of the Anti-Oppression Task Force will also be available after the service on Sunday mornings to assist in completing the survey and to answer questions. We need you, all of you, to complete the survey!
The Anti-Oppression Task Force is an important part of our congregation’s anti-racism, anti-oppression efforts and an integral part of our Eighth Principle work. The survey is the next step in diving deeply into this work. We appreciate your willingness to join us on this journey! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rev. Eileen Wiviott at ewiviott@ucevanston.org or Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.
August 7, 2022
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, August 7th at 10:15 am.
Social Transformation Through Music
Music has tremendous power to heal and connect, to transform our brains and shift our moods. Music has also long been a source of power in social movements. We begin our exploration of the transformative power of the arts with music. How has it shaped social movements in this country and how can we use its power to restore ourselves?
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 the Interfaith Action of Evanston.
