Spring is that time of the year when I feel a bit of a panic because there is so much to do in the two or so months remaining in the church year. It is a time to celebrate what we have shared and created together, and a time to reflect on the processes that got us to where we are, and then how to build upon it in the year to come. A need to look in the past in order to move forward. Sankofa.

In looking at the recent past, we have had some things to celebrate: we started a Parents’ Circle that meets monthly to share the joys and challenges of parenting; we also started Family Friday to bring families with children and youth together; and we had a social action project and made 50 lunches for Connections for the Homeless. All of this in addition to our growing faith formation program for our young people and welcoming so many new families to UCE! We have much to be grateful for.

As we look ahead, we have even more to celebrate! We have major holidays all happening in the coming weeks, with our worship service on April 9 focused on the joy of Passover and Easter and then Earth Day later in the month. And one of my biggest joys of the church year happens on April 30, which is Youth Sunday! This year, our youth have been learning about neurodivergence and creating a worship service for us to experience and learn from. Our youth are so compassionate, intelligent, and creative!

April also marks the last two retreats for the OWL (Our Whole Lives) youth. They have met monthly all year long to learn about sexuality and how our UU values connect and help shape our relationships, especially as we explore intimate relationships in our teen years. Here is where I will put in a plug for the OWL program for all ages – yes, there is even a program for young adults, adults, and older adults! My fantasy (maybe not the best choice of words here) is to have all levels of OWL throughout the lifespan offered at UCE in the near future. If this is something that you’d like to learn more about, I would be happy to tell you more!

Speaking of adults, we have a series of programs in April to exercise your brains and get you thinking about science, philosophy, and religion facilitated by Robb Geiger: A Scientific Thought Experiment on the Birth of Meaning: How the Universe Gave Us Our Mojo to explore how the emergence of life gives birth to information, intentionality, purpose, and meaning. Register HERE for this wonderful series.

In Faith,

Kathy

Our hats are off to Andy Schlickman, Marilyn Wroblewski, Sheila Holder, Carol Nielsen, Michelle Novak, Karen Courtright, Christine Peters, Jeanne Kerl, Ellie Feddersen, Steve Serikaku, Jane Bannor, and Lee Bannor for their support of two families:

** Ghufran and her children, Rayyan, Hadi, and Taleb, who are refugees from Syria; and

** Sayeda, her toddler daughter, Asra, and her nephew, Akram, who are asylum seekers from Afghanistan.

Thank you for providing transportation to and from appointments with medical providers and state agencies, helping Ghufran and Sayeda navigate the local school district and learn English, and connecting the families with their local community through getting library cards and providing transportation for after school programming.

In addition to the support needed as Ghufran, Sayeda, and their families settle into living in a new country and culture, Carol has spent over 400 hours from June 2022 through February 2023 helping Ghufran through the process of hip replacement surgery and physical therapy; and Andy, Marilyn, and Sheila have spent similar hours since January 2022 assisting Sayeda with the legal process as an asylum seeker.

We are grateful for our entire community, who has come together to support these two families, including the efforts of the Mitten Tree donors and organizer, Bridget Wild, in December 2022 and all the individual financial donations. Right now, if you know of a reasonably priced two-bedroom rental unit, please contact Sheila Holder via Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.

Thank you, Andy, Marilyn, Sheila, Carol, Michelle, Karen, Christine, Jeanne, Ellie, Steve, Jane, and Lee for your compassionate care!

Dr. Gloria McDaniel-Hall is an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership Department at National Louis University in Chicago. She is a special guest at Kristin Lems’ Friday upcoming night concert at UCE, an auction donation about the 8th Principle. 

She has been a school principal, director of school quality and curriculum and instruction specialist and classroom teacher, with a tenure of nearly 40 years as an educator.  She presents and publishes in many venues and co-leads the racial justice task force in National College of Education.

Dr. McDaniel-Hall believes education is the human rights issue of our time and has devoted her life to equity for all members of the school community.

She has written two children’s books. The first, Gloria Finds her Voice, is about her own journey as one of the first children to integrate a school in Galveston, Texas. The second, Payton Finds a Friend, recounts a first grader’s first days in a new school.

She has made solo pilgrimages to the important sites of the modern civil rights movement and the sites where enslaved ancestors suffered and endured the shameful history of slavery in the US.  She is that rare combination of a brilliant, hungry mind and an ebullient nature and Kristin is enormously grateful that she will be gracing us this Friday!

Dear beloved Unitarian Universalists,

I am so delighted to be serving in sabbatical ministry with you!  At the end of February I was honored to receive a stole from Rev. Eileen that I wear every Sunday with you. The stole is a reminder of the privilege of ministry. This particular stole is a product of the Rev. Eileen’s installation, woven with the materials that went from hand to hand in the sanctuary and infused with love from people attending online, reminding us of the tapestry of community we weave together. She gifted it to me for the time I am with you, and I have felt so welcomed by you all!  Getting to know your staff and meeting you on Sundays, holding your joys and sorrows in my heart, is such a gift.  The warmth of this congregation is palpable.  You extend it inward to yourselves as a caring congregation, as well as taking that care and concern into showing up “outside the walls.”

At our staff meeting I heard that near twenty members came to the screening and discussion of Who We Are hosted by one of our neighboring congregations, Second Baptist Church.  UCE REAL and prison ministry team members hosted the E.A.T. Reparations for the War on Drugs event as a way to learn and also show solidarity for this outstanding black-led organization that is organizing statewide to develop partnerships in reparations.  Members attended the play We Own This Now as well as celebrated Beth Emet’s 20-Year Anniversary Celebration of the Soup Kitchen.  And, we care for our inner lives and our people: Adult Faith Formation faithfuls explore meaning in Nature, our place in the cosmos, and interconnectedness. As Trans Day of Visibility approaches, our youth will be focusing on lifting up our trans siblings in love (which may, of course, include them holding themselves in love and care!).

All the while, spring is officially here. We can ground ourselves in the faith that the greening will be upon us soon. Tender and strong, new shoots will spring up, reminding us to tend what is greening and rising in us. I feel the blessing of being woven into this special time with you good, caring people. Happy Spring!

With gratitude,

Rev. Allison

Greetings from your Executive Operations Director

Pledge Drive Update: A letter is going out to the congregation about our recent pledge drive. We are still over $68,000 short of our goal. We hope you will open the letter and read what the Board has to say about the need for those who have not pledged to do so, and for those who have pledged to consider giving a bit more. To everyone who has pledged your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Our Building and Grounds: Spring is showing signs of hope as the trees bud outside my office window. This week, for the first time in a few years, the deciduous trees on the UCE property were trimmed. This was important for the health of the trees, as well as the potential damage to the building and roof line. Sunrise Tree Care provided a reasonable quote and came highly recommended by Nature’s Perspective who did our Southwest Garden and Intergenerational Playscape Garden plantings. Ahead will be a beautiful season for playing and meeting in and among our gardens at UCE this spring and summer.

Two windows in the lobby were replaced in February. One was due to damage and the other a broken seal. The damage occurred on the evening of the 19th or in the early hours of the 20th and was found as I entered the building on Monday, morning February 20. We have no reason to believe it was an act of hate. The impact was not strong enough to penetrate both panes of glass. The lobby windows provide an expansive view of our north gardens. It will be lovely to see our pollinator garden and new plantings that were done last summer as part of the sanctuary cooling project. It will take some time for the gardens to fill in, but they had a terrific a great start with adequate watering and weeding. Kudos to the donors of our Capital Campaign, the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee, the UCE Garden Team, Barbara Butz and all volunteers who worked tirelessly to plan, plant and care for these gardens.

Rummage Sale 2023 is well underway. Our team has had three planning meetings, most department leads are in place, and we have even revised the floor plan to make it an even better sale than last year, if that is possible. Start saving your items for donation. A revised “Tips Sheet” is underway and will be distributed to the congregation shortly. Soon you will see boxes of hangers in the lobby hallway by the bathrooms awaiting your taking them home for your clothing donations. We need someone to run the Durable Goods Department. Woody Haynes will help us with bicycles this year, but we need someone to run the department. If you like Rummage Sale, spending time with congregants and talking with people at the sale, give some thought to leading that department. Durable goods include camping gear, sporting goods, bikes, and related items. Set up begins Sunday, May 7 after the service until 8 p.m. through Thursday, May 11. The sale is Friday May 12, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 13, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. We will accept donations from Sunday May 7, 1 -8 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday May 8 and 9, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Upcoming Concert: Peter Mayer returns to UCE on Friday, May 19. Many of you will remember that we had an extraordinary party on Saturday before we closed on Tuesday due to the pandemic. It was a memorable concert and we have invited him back to share a great night of music with us. Peter’s song “Blue Boat Home” is in our UU teal hymnal. Tickets will go on sale through Eventbrite in April. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Capital Campaign Projects Update Please look at and try out the sanctuary chair samples at the back of the sanctuary. The Sanctuary Chairs Team of the Capital Campaign are researching replacement chairs. A form will be provided so that you can review the chairs and let us know your thoughts.

The lower-level bathroom construction continues. Colors for the partitions, walls and tile for the floors are being selected. Lighting is being upgraded. As I write, an automatic push plate and equipment are being installed so that anyone in a wheelchair or using a walker will have greater east entering the accessible bathroom.