July 30th, 2023
A place to be yourself. To relax. To know you belong and are welcome. These describe the best kinds of home. As UU’s we aspire to make our congregations warm and welcoming, to create a sense of coming home for those entering our doors. But, there’s always a catch. What if our own sense of home makes someone else feel left out? Rev Pam will open a conversation around what we can do personally and as a congregation to widen the circle and make that space of home for all seekers on the journey. Using stories from Sci-Fi genre – she’ll invite us to widen our imaginations and see ourselves and others with new eyes. Rev. Pamela Rumancik is our guest preacher this morning and Bob Mesle is the worship associate.
The Rev Pamela Rumancik is poet, native plant enthusiast and spiritual seeker retired from serving the Unitarian Church in Hinsdale who now works as a hospice chaplain. Her spiritual roots reach back to Catholicism, and she is an initiate into the Sufi tradition. These deep liturgical origins inform her love of the arts as a vehicle for experiencing the Holy. Pam’s deepest commitments are to remembering the divine in each being and finding ways to open conversation with folks who see the world differently. Originally from Lorain, Ohio and she is the mother of three grown children and the wife of Rev Karen Mooney. Pam and Karen live in Bull Valley, Il, share their home with goldendoodles Parker & Ruthie and spend a lot of time out in the garden.
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, July 30th at 10:30 am.
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 Community Renewal Society.
Endowment 2023-2024
Endowment Grants 2023-2024
Spotlight on Dan Baer
Most likely, you already know Dan as the first welcoming face you see upon entering our building each Sunday. His willingness to bring his best self and be a supportive part of our beloved community really comes through. Here’s a bit more about him…
Dan has been our Lobby Staff member since February, 2012. Doing things we might take for granted, he opens & closes the building on Sundays and ensures the lights and temperature controls and air purifiers are on in all our rooms. His main task is to greet people and answer questions our members or visitors might have. Dan says he truly enjoys greeting and connecting with people and he readily communicates that with his positive attitude and quick smile. Dan would like our congregants to know that since he’s been part of the church for so long, he really enjoys and values the feeling of being a closely intertwined member of our treasured church community.
Outside of UCE, Dan enjoys sailing sailboats and catamarans at the Northwestern sailing beach. He also enjoys attending concerts, with his musical taste being quite expansive, from blues to electronic. He has a passion for travel and just returned from an incredible Alaskan cruise with his family, where he was able to observe wildlife that included at least 20 humpback whales and many brown bears and eagles. He has also explored Scandinavia, Iceland, Caribbean, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and England, and his next trip is already in the works – to Mexico City in late October for Día de los Muertos – quite a list for a guy just into his 30’s! Dan loves Evanston and closed on his second condo here earlier this year.
In addition to supporting us at UCE, Dan also works full-time for the Wilmette Park District.
Thanks, Dan, for so generously being a consistent presence and a welcoming face in support of all `the work that happens within our doors!
July 23rd, 2023
Magic and Miracles
Contemporary American culture is steeped in capitalist notions of productivity and “earning” our worth. Commitments to flourishing and to honoring our inherent worthiness are radical acts that our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to do. Let’s explore lessons from Disney’s Encanto that illustrate how we can be the magic and miracle for each other. Our Guest preacher is Rev. Beth Monhollen and Ann McCallister is our Worship Associate.
Rev. Beth Monhollen is originally from southeastern Kentucky and she has called Milwaukee, WI home since her teen years. She stumbled upon Unitarian Universalism while engaging in reproductive rights activism more than 25 years ago and joined her home church the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee in 2013, where she discerned a call to UU ministry. Earlier this summer, she completed a two-year ministerial internship in eastern Pennsylvania and graduated with her MDiv from Meadville Lombard Theological School. She’s excited to be reunited with her spouse and their three rescue pets as they prepare for a move to Champaign, Illinois where she has accepted the call to serve the UU Church of Urbana-Champaign.
Rev. Beth’s grounds her theology on experiencing the divine through our interconnections and interdependence with all life and in fostering mutuality in all our relationships.
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, July 16th at 10:30 am.
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 Building Peaceful Bridges.
UUs Rolling on the River – Inspiration and Energy in Pittsburgh
“I found myself in a river reverie. The rolling Allegheny echoed through the halls at GA. Rumbling over the nearby bridge, the constant freight trains hauled away the products of the land. Each speaker introduced themself by citing the indigenous peoples whose lands they now occupied. Together we sang, ‘Shall We Gather at the River’”. UCE delegate Elaine Siegel.
The flurry of activity that was the 2023 Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) General Assembly (GA) has subsided but the excitement rolls on. Held June 21-25 in Pittsburgh UUs gathered to conduct business, elect and install new leaders, debate revisions to our Bylaws and proposed Actions of Immediate Witness, learn together, network and create experiences, celebrate and worship together, and participate in numerous other events. 1,319 delegates attended in-person and 827 delegates attended virtually. (More than 4,000 attended all together – not everyone served as a delegate).UCE had 8 total Delegates, two of whom attended in-person.
UUA’s Highlights from GA
- Unitarian Universalism revisits identity, values at 2023 gathering
- Unitarian Universalists elect first woman of color, openly queer president
The UCE Denominational Affairs Committee strongly encourages you to attend this worthwhile meeting. The 2024 UUA GA will be held virtually only. And the 2025 meeting will be multi-platform in Baltimore, Maryland. Be a part of this important event to be inspired like delegate Melanie Kitchner who attended virtually. “Attending GA gives insight to the leadership of the UUA and provides workshops on many topics about our faith. The workshops are available on-line through Sept. 15 to watch as attendees have time over the summer. There are also lots of networking opportunities, even on-line, to get to know UUs from all over the country. In my case, this year, I solidified my focus on reparations and how I can help. I tease that I am now ‘a born again reparationist!” Or as noted by in-person delegate Shirley Adams, “Being onsite: surrounded by 2K UU’s of all shapes, sizes, costumes, spirits, was energizing. I love GA in person.” Either way prepare to be energized!
- Videos of GA events (General Sessions and Major Worships)
- Summary of business from this year’s General Assembly.
July 16th, 2023
Practicing Peace in Anxious Times
Our minds and bodies have evolved anxiety to respond to real threats. Given the threats we face today, issues that we can’t respond to with the same kind of immediacy, how do we manage the anxiety our minds and bodies still carry which does not serve us? We’ll practice together some ways of building our capacity to hold the inevitable anxiety and cultivate more happiness and inner peace. Rev. Eileen leads this service with Worship Associate Elaine Seigel.
We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, July 16th at 10:30 am.
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 Building Peaceful Bridges.