November 2024 - UC Evanston

December 1, 2024

Being Present in Anxious Times

The task of this moment is to both stay present in our bodies and to each other, while we are imagining the world we long for. Creative solutions to the challenges we face can only come from our presence, and so we must tend to our fears, anxieties, as well as our hopes and dreams. Rev. Eileen leads this service with Kiley Korey as our Worship Associate, and Kathy Underwood, our Director of Lifespan Faith Formation. Gregory Shifrin offers his musical gifts on the piano.

Throughout the month of December, our offering will be shared with Restore Justice Foundation, whose mission is: to make Illinois a safer and more compassionate state by replacing the ineffective, extreme sentencing policies of the past with evidence-based laws that allow families and communities to heal.

Here are the worship service topics for the next 3 weeks:

December 8th – Bodhi Day – Rev. Susan Frances

December 15th – Music Sunday: Peace Where It May Be Found – Vickie Hellyer and the UCE Choir

December 22th – Annual Christmas Pageant

December 1, 2024adminuce2024-11-24T19:25:15+00:00

From Rev. Susan Frances 11/22/2024

Dear Friends,

This is my last newsletter column before I leave for a three-month sabbatical. I will be away from UCE from December 10, 2024 through March 10, 2025. I am grateful to be able to take this sabbatical time. I will be spending part of my sabbatical learning about meditation in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian traditions and look forward to sharing my experiences with you in the spring.

This past week, I’ve talked with several of you who were not able to attend one of our post-election gatherings on Wednesday, November 6th, and know many of you are still processing an array of feelings, including sadness, anger, fear, and disbelief, at the outcome of the national election. You are not alone. You are not alone in how you feel. You are not alone in being able to face what will come after the inauguration in January. We will continue to be a community that centers love and relationship in all that we do, from welcoming visitors on Sunday mornings to showing up when needed to protect and expand our civil liberties.

If you are in need of talking with someone, please contact Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org or Rev. Elizabeth at eharding@ucevanston.org. If you or someone you know are feeling an intense sense of despair, please call 988 for the national suicide and mental health lifeline or call 800-322-8400 for the Trilogy Crisis Response in Evanston. Now is the time to care for ourselves and support each other.

Now is also the time for us to deepen our relationships with people and communities who share our values. That is not to say that we need to cut off people in our lives who have prioritized other values in how they voted, but it is to say that to move forward with shaping our society in a way that reflects our values that we will need to lean into our relationships with people and organizations that share and prioritize our values.

I was at a Post-Election Town Hall put on by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU-IL) on November 13th and one thing that Collen Connell, the Executive Director, said that brought me some comfort was essentially that the ACLU will not be responding to every announcement made by the next presidential administration. They will be responding when action is needed. And it gave me great comfort to know that an organization with a brilliant staff dedicated to preserving our democratic civil liberties will help me navigate whatever comes from the next federal administration. UCE already has great community partners, such as the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI), Community Renewal Society (CRS), Faith in Place (FIP), and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), who will help us know when and what action to take.

Part of being ready and able to act when called upon by our community partners is making sure that we are taking time away from the news cycle and the constant barrage of announcements for

our lives – our inner lives and our personal relationships. On the day of the election, my stepdad sent me an article published in The New York Times on November 3rd that has helped me through the past few weeks. The article, titled Free Your Mind. The Election Will Follow., by Oliver Burkeman, reminded me that “the total colonization of inner life by politics is a traditional hallmark of totalitarianism. … the attempt to care about everything impedes taking concrete action on anything. The admonishment that if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention belongs to an era when attention was abundant. What our current era demands, by contrast, is often a willingness to withhold attention, even from some causes and stories that matter, and to be willing to pick battles. Doing so will make you more effective as a volunteer, activist or donor in whatever battles you do pick while retaining your ability to assert primacy over your own mind.”

I invite you in the weeks ahead to make time to care for yourself, so that you have the energy and interest in being engaged when we are called upon to join our community partners in action. If you are wanting to know how to be engaged through UCE in the months ahead, here are a few suggestions:

· Keep reading this weekly newsletter.

· Connect with our Legislative Action Team

· To be informed of more time sensitive matters, sign up for our Local Response Network, which is designed to send out communications about actions, demonstrations, city council meetings, etc. when folks are needed to show up. Sign up by clicking here.

We are on this journey together. I look forward to rejoining you in March to live out our values in the world for years to come.

Yours always,

Rev. Susan

From Rev. Susan Frances 11/22/2024adminuce2024-11-21T20:10:00+00:00

November 24, 2024

Bringing Our Broken Hearts to the Altar of Community

At this time rife with discouragement and uncertainty about our society’s future, we gather to offer and receive nourishment for our bodies and spirits. As we enter the holiday season, let us fortify ourselves with mutual care so that we might cultivate gratitude, honor our pain, imagine new possibilities, and carry on.

Rev. Eileen leads the service with Rev. Susan, Kathy Underwood, Mary McDonald, and Dr. Emma Farrell. The UCE Choir led by Music Director Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by Gregory Shifrin on piano provide the music for this service.

Throughout the month of November, our Shared Offering Program partner is the Chicago Abortion Fund who will receive half of all donations designated for the Shared Offering or undesignated.

Here are the worship service topics for the next 4 weeks:

December 1st – Being Present in Anxious Times – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

December 8th – Bodhi Day – Rev. Susan Frances

December 15th – Music Sunday: Peace Where It May Be Found – Vickie Hellyer and the UCE Choir

December 22th – Annual Christmas Pageant

November 24, 2024adminuce2024-11-19T17:45:46+00:00

From Kathy Underwood 11-14-2024

DLFF Newsletter – November 2024

Despite the many feelings we may be having since the election, there is still much joy to be had. We have this beloved community where we can bring our whole selves to be nourished intellectually and spiritually. We have friends to share our experiences, hopes, and dreams with. We have ways to make the world a better place through social action and justice and by simply being present.

One of my joys is how we are expanding our connections with other faith communities this year through our program, Meeting Our Interfaith Neighbors. Last week, we welcomed Rabbi Andrea London to UCE to share some history, theology, and practices of Judaism. Then last Friday, a group of us attended the shabbat service at Beth Emet to experience it on a personal level. Next, we will gather at UCE on the 19th to reflect on and share our thoughts on our visit.

We will be exploring Buddhism beginning January 7, and invite you to join us. If you weren’t able to attend the orientation sessions last month, you can watch the first session here using Passcode: .w6N$k$U, session 2 here with Passcode: W7.v4yRH, and for session 3 here with Passcode: &nQscB22.

You can register here to be included on future emails including the link to session 3.

Another joy is that our Young Adult group continues to engage members and newcomers with Kiley Korey and Kevin Barrow taking the lead. They are meeting on the third Friday evenings of the month, and they are also meeting this Saturday at 2p at the National Museum of Mexican Art to see the Día de los Muertos exhibit.

And then there’s OWL – Our Whole Lives Sexuality Program – We have 19 young people in grades 4-6, 14 from UCE, participating on Sunday afternoons in this important program. It has been a joy to work with Kendall Matias and Christine Peters as well as the parents and young people. We are aware of so many societal challenges when it comes to healthy sexuality education and we UUs are leaders in this endeavor.

And the joy will continue on into December! Cocoa, Carols, and Community on December 6, 6-8p – Our Family Friday event this month will be to help wrap gifts for the mitten tree and then enjoy some hot cocoa and sing carols. Those who wish can bring a snack to share at 6p and we will start gift-wrapping at 6:30.

Ornament Sunday on December 8 during Kinship Time – a fun gathering where you can make an assortment of ornaments to hang on the UCE Christmas tree or at home. Do you have a simple craft to share, or are you willing to help little ones at a table. Or maybe you’d like to help but need a raft idea? If so, we can suggest some! Either way, you can sign up here. (Insert link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044BABAB2EA4F85-53052241-ornament )

Christmas Pageant – December 22 during worship – all ages are invited to help re-create the story of Jesus’ birth. If you would like to claim a specific role and costume, sign up here. Or you can pick one up before worship. (insert link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044BABAB2EA4F85-45793877-christmas )

We will also have our traditional Christmas Eve worship with candles and carols, a definite joy!

I hope you can come to some of these gatherings and events. My wish for you all is to find a little joy in the coming month.

In Faith,

Kathy

From Kathy Underwood 11-14-2024adminuce2024-11-14T16:34:32+00:00

11-17-2024

Finding my Spiritual Home

Karen Courtright shares her spiritual journey, and we will be welcoming our newest members.

Worship leaders this week are Rev. Eileen Wivioitt, Senior Minister, Rev. Susan Frances, Assistant Minister, Karen Courtright, Worship Associate. Our musicians are Charles M. Anderson, Steve Courtright, and Gregory Shifrin.

Throughout the month of November, our Shared Offering Program partner is the Chicago Abortion Fund who will receive half of all donations designated for the Shared Offering or undesignated.

Here are the worship service topics for the next 4 weeks:

November 24th – Bread Communion – In gratitude we share – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

December 1st – Being Present in Anxious Times – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

December 8th – Bodhi Day – Rev. Susan Frances

December 15th – Music Sunday: Peace Where It May Be Found – Vickie Hellyer and the UCE Choir

11-17-2024adminuce2024-11-12T22:25:48+00:00

Mitten Tree 2024

MITTEN TREE 2024!

Mitten Tree gift sign-up is up and running (HERE). It may seem too early to be thinking about the holidays, but gifts are due back at UCE for sorting and wrapping by SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, so don’t delay in signing up!

Don’t want to shop? You can donate money and the mitten tree elves will shop for you–you may Zelle or Venmo Alice Swan, aeswan at yahoo dot com or 612-202-3985, or write a check to UCE with Mitten Tree in the memo.

Sign up to help with organizing/shopping/wrapping HERE.

This longstanding tradition is a beautiful snapshot of our community’s shared values and a privilege to help organize. Read on below about where your gifts will go this year, AND MAY WHAT YOU GIVE BRING YOU JOY!

Read on for more information about the four organizations we are partnering with this year.

Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, located in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, works to restore human dignity through hospitality, hope, and healing. Their work includes: building relationships among youth and families impacted by violence and/or conflict; creating safe spaces where people can experience radical hospitality, hope, and healing; and promoting a restorative justice approach to resolve conflict and build a sense of community.

Mitten tree gifts will go to members of the monthly mothers’ circles, which support women healing from trauma and striving to move forward. By coming together in circle, they create a safe space to share stories of loved ones, laugh and cry, and journey together toward healing. This is not a path that should be walked alone; participants find strength being in relationship with one another. To learn more about this amazing work, ask Alice Swan!

Lydia Home (formerly Rice Child & Family Center) is located just down Ridge from UCE and is a safe home with wrap-around services for children with post-traumatic behavioral dysregulation making traditional foster care inaccessible to them. The facility includes a medical clinic, group therapy classrooms, special education facilities, art therapy and maintains a goal of helping children return to a loving family environment. UCE has supported residents of the center for a number of years as our own Mitten Tree founder, Carol Nielsen is a long-committed volunteer.

Connections for the Homeless is an organization near and dear to our UCE community. Whether through shared plate, Mitten Trees past, Our Giving House donations, or supporting affordable housing programs, Connections has and will continue to be a meaningful partnership for us. Connections supports more than 1500 people a year – preventing homelessness, sheltering those in crisis, providing advocacy services, and fostering development of job and educational skills.

Brave Space Alliance Brave Space Alliance (BSA) is the first Black trans-led LGBTQ Center in Chicago. A small, brave group of individuals founded BSA in 2017 to fill the significant gap in advocacy, programs, services, and spaces of care and connection centering and led by trans and gender expansive people. They provide affirming, culturally competent, for-us-by-us resources. https://www.bravespacealliance.org/

Mitten Tree 2024adminuce2024-11-07T17:02:42+00:00

November 10, 2024

What’s Next?

We’ve been holding our breath for so long. Knowing what we know now, where do we go from here? One thing is certain, regardless of the outcome of this year’s election, we have work to do to repair and rebuild what has been broken, and to restore our faith in ourselves, each other, and relationships.

Rev. Eileen leads this service with Annette Wallace as Worship Associate. The UCE Choir, Directed by Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by Gregory Shifrin provide our music.

Throughout the month of November, our Shared Offering Program partner is the Chicago Abortion Fund who will receive half of all donations designated for the Shared Offering or undesignated.

Here are the worship service topics for the next 4 weeks:

November 17th – Karen Courtright shares her Spiritual Journey

November 24th – Bread Communion – In gratitude we share – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

December 1st – Being Present in Anxious Times – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

December 8th – Bodhi Day – Rev. Susan Frances

November 10, 2024adminuce2024-11-03T21:00:30+00:00

From Board Member Kera Beskin 11-1-2024

Hello Fellow Unitarian Universalists,

My name is Kera Beskin, and I am on the Unitarian Church of Evanston Board of Trustees. I have been a member since 2017 but started attending services around 2012. My 2024 new year’s resolution was to get more involved in UCE and to give back to this wonderful community. Being on the board of trustees was a great opportunity to fulfill this resolution. The UCE Board of Trustees’ job is to promote the mission of the congregation by establishing policies for the administration and activities of the congregation. The Board of Trustees work closely with the wonderful UCE Executive Team – our ministers. The Board is tasked with listening and learning about key aspirations and challenges within the congregation. That means that everyone should feel free to share hopes, visions, goals, and dreams with not just UCE staff but also with the board.

You can find the Board of Trustees’ photos on the wall near the office and room two or online here. The current president is Elaine Siegel, vice president is Hòa Voscott, and Joe Romeo, Allyson Hunter, Sally Parsons, Forest Marie Peters Linsell, Melanie Kitchner, Peggy Boccard, and myself are the Board members. The Board secretary is Dana Deane and the Board treasurer is CJ Presto.

We are so blessed in this congregation to have amazing staff and great volunteers who donate their time to plan events, music, readings, social justice work, community organizing and so much more. If you are interested in running for the Board in the future, please see this page detailing the duties and qualifications. The Nominating Committee is always seeking great volunteers interested in elected leadership positions! The Congregational Connections Team and the Leadership Team are able to help you get connected into many other roles, leadership and otherwise, within our congregation.

—

Kera Beskin

Pronouns: She/her/hers

From Board Member Kera Beskin 11-1-2024adminuce2024-11-01T18:19:09+00:00