Friday, June 27, 2025
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6/27/2025 UPDATE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES written by Joe Romeo
After more than eight years on the UCE Board, on June 12, I attended my last Board meeting. Here are some of the important things that I remember having happened in that time, beginning a little before my arrival in 2016. Perhaps they will bring back some good memories, or maybe you might learn of something in our recent past, before you joined us.
2015-2018: After Bret Lortie, our minister at the time, had encouraged the Board to adopt Policy Governance, the Board studied how to properly do that and worked on its proper and complete implementation.
2018: We approved a revision of our policies and by-laws (including term limits for Board Members).
2018: Bret left to become a minister in the Air Force, prompting UCE to enter an interim ministry – with Rev. Greg who left in May of 2019. At that time Eileen was asked to become Acting Senior Minister and Rev. Karen Gustafson came to lead the interim work with us for nearly two years, until June of 2021.
2019-2021: Rev. Karen led us through an important period of interim work, during which we examined our values and determined what we would most value in our senior minister.
2020: Covid 19 brought us to an abrupt reconfiguration of how we interact with the community and celebrate our spirituality. Zoom became ubiquitous, and Adam became invaluable. YouTube services allowed us to enjoy many of our favorite aspects of services and Zoom allowed us to continue to conduct social justice efforts and personal and spiritual support activities.
2020: Susan Frances was hired and has provided considerable guidance and assistance, especially with Social Justice activities.
January 2021: After serious and extensive considerations and thorough our interim work, the Ministerial Search Committee led the congregation through the process of calling Rev. Eileen to be our Settled Senior Minister. The decision was nearly unanimous.
2020 – 2021: The Board commissioned the Endowment Task Force. Following an eighteen month process the congregation adopted its recommendations for allocating funds. The fund now has assets totaling nearly $2 million and allows us to do a lot of valuable work each year.
2020 – 25: The Board commissioned the Anti-Oppression Task Force which has helped the congregation understand itself better, commit further to the necessary work of dismantling racism within, among, and beyond our congregation, and form more genuine and meaningful relationships with diverse community partners.
2016 – 2025: We have considered the name “Unitarian Church of Evanston” and whether that name is helpful or accurate. This has led the Board to recommend the formation of a Task Force to propose a new name to be presented to the congregation for its consideration.
2019 – 25: Kathy Underwood has overseen the development of an increasingly vibrant Lifespan Faith Formation program.
It is my observation that UCE has grown tremendously over the last eight years, and we are a more effective, happier, and more welcoming community.
I hope that you get a chance to take a minute to talk to someone who has been a part of UCE for a while about how things have changed in their time.
And we have been led by the presidents listed below:
Barbara Ghoshal, Janelle Brittain, Martha Holman, Jessica Tommelle-Presto, Joe Romeo, Carla Williams (2 terms!), Elaine Siegel, Hoa Voscott (incoming)
Joe Romeo
Sunday, June 29, 2025: Exploring AI Part 1: Navigating Change with Courage and Compassion
Throughout history, technological leaps have sparked fear and uncertainty, prompting questions about what it means to be human. Now, as artificial intelligence reshapes our world, similar fears arise. Join us as we explore how to hold our anxieties with gentleness and approach AI with mindfulness, guided by our shared UU values. Together, we’ll consider how our tradition’s wisdom can help us embrace the unknown with open hearts and grounded spirits.
Today’s offering will be shared with Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network Illinois, known as UUANI. UUANI empowers Unitarian Universalists across Illinois to work for spiritually grounded, relationally accountable, and strategically effective action in solidarity with those most impacted by injustice.
July 6 – World Refugee Day – Rev. Eileen with Immigrant Solidarity Team
July 13 – On Humility – Rev. Eileen
July 20 – Exploring AI (Pt. 2) – Dr. Emma
Friday, June 20, 2025
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Friday, June 20, 2025
Hi Friends,
I had a wonderful time at the UCE campout on June 6-8. Over 50 UCE folks from preschoolers to elders participated, some staying in a tent at the campground and some staying at the hotel adjacent to the state park. There were group activities as well as free time. You can see in the photo that I’m enjoying some free time in the hammock that Mickey and I set up at our campsite. The flag over the hammock was made by a friend to mark the entry to the outdoor chapel for our wedding many years ago. On the Saturday afternoon of the campout, Rev. Eileen and I drove back into the city for a Serendipity Auction event, the Ministers’ Progressive Lunch. As we progressed through the lunch, folks at two of the three tables asked me about my call, so that is something I have been thinking about the last two weeks, in addition to the national and world events unfolding around us.
During seminary, I spent time purposefully reflecting on my call. I am able to trace my call back to a moment I experienced at the age of 16 around a campfire at a Methodist summer camp. It is a moment that committed me to a life of creating sacred space. I understand sacred space to be a setting in which one is able to connect with that which is larger than us. Each of us experiences “that which is larger than us” differently, it may be love, a deity, the cosmos, community, or something one cannot express in words. My call is a call to create sacred space.
I believe many of us have a call in the sense that we have something that we lean toward and cannot get away from even when we are not experiencing it. For some, our vocation goes hand in hand with our call, such as being a writer/artist or working with children/elders or being a first responder/heath care provider. I write this understanding that not everyone in such jobs would claim their employment as their vocation or their work as their call. For some our job or volunteering provides a way for us to live out our call in an unlikely setting. For many years, my job as an attorney provided me opportunities to create sacred space for couples and families experiencing adoption, estate planning, or divorce that allowed them to grapple with the existential questions embedded in such experiences. This did not happen all the time, but I was often able to live out my call in the secular world. A call does not have to be something that only happens in the sphere of religion and theology. What would it look like to acknowledge that thing in your life that gives you purpose as your call?
I know many of us are overwhelmed right now and making time to think about one’s purpose or one’s call or a vision of the future is daunting. When you are feeling overwhelmed by what is happening in your life or in the news, please make time to take care of yourself. If you need some support, please fill out a Request for Care form or email me, Rev. Eileen, or Rev. Elizabeth. What is happening in our country needs our attention. And our attention is more focused and more effective when we are rested, when we know ourselves, and when we are able to support each other.
After being introduced to Unitarian Universalism, I chose to attend seminary and embrace a vocation that allows me to live out my call in more explicit ways, such as through Sunday morning worship and pastoral care conversations. And my version of sacred space might not look like yours, and what I experience in a moment might be different than what you experience. It is for each of us to know ourselves and claim or label our call as we experience it.
One way I am living out my call to sacred space right now is through the community space I am creating with others on the corner of Dempster & Ridge every Thursday. In the first two weeks, these Beacons of Light gatherings have allowed our neighbors to join us and drivers to honk their support for a positive vision of our country’s future. I have had really good conversations with folks from the neighborhood and, when appropriate, shared with them about UCE. I invite you to join us. We will gather every Thursday from 7:00-7:30 pm through August. If Dempster & Ridge is not near your home, please feel free to join the folks gathering at the same time weekly at Chicago & Main or Central & Lincolnwood.
Yours in our shared future,
Rev. Susan
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Carved by Grief, Carried by Love
On this Memorial Day weekend, we gather not only to remember the ones we’ve lost, but to honor the grief that lives in us still. Too often, we’re asked to pretend we’re ok. Whether your heart carries sorrow from long ago or grief that is fresh and raw, this service invites you to bring it with you. Together, we’ll honor the ways grief reshapes us, and explore how it can deepen our compassion, widen our hearts, and carry us toward transformative healing.
Today’s offering will be shared with the Sunrise Movement. The Youth Group selected the Sunrise Movement as this month’s shared offering recipient because they are a group that is organized by youth and is working toward a world in which everyone has access to clear air and water, full pantries of food, affordable housing, free public transportation, good and meaningful jobs, vibrant community centers, and lives filled with joy.
Upcoming Services
June 1 – Flower Communion
June 8 – Pride Service – Rainbow Alliance and Dr. Emma
June 15 – The Truth about Freedom – Rev. Eileen
Sunday, June 22, 2025
2025 UUA General Assembly Livestreamed Sunday Worship Service
Embrace the electrifying spirit of the year’s largest UU gathering, where we come together in unity for an awe-inspiring Sunday worship celebration like no other! Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk will lead this vibrant, communal worship experience that promises to uplift your soul and ignite your passion. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary gathering of hearts and minds!
Join Rev. Susan Frances and the UCE Denominational Affairs Team at UCE from 10-11:30 am (note time change) to watch the livestream of this worship service. This Sunday we will be creating community space inclusive of our immunocompromised members & friends by requiring all attendees to be masked on the main floor from 10 am – 1 pm.
Click here to join the 2025 General Assembly Livestreamed Sunday Worship Service.
Upcoming Services
June 29 – Exploring AI (Pt. 1) – Dr. Emma
July 6 – World Refugee Day – Rev. Eileen with Immigrant Solidarity Team
July 13 – On Humility – Rev. Eileen
July 20 – Exploring AI (Pt. 2) – Dr. Emma
June 22, 2025
2025 UUA General Assembly Livestreamed Sunday Worship Service
Embrace the electrifying spirit of the year’s largest UU gathering, where we come together in unity for an awe-inspiring Sunday worship celebration like no other! Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk will lead this vibrant, communal worship experience that promises to uplift your soul and ignite your passion. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary gathering of hearts and minds!
Join Rev. Susan Frances and the UCE Denominational Affairs Team at UCE from 10-11:30 am (note time change) to watch the livestream of this worship service. This Sunday we will be creating community space inclusive of our immunocompromised members & friends by requiring all attendees to be masked on the main floor from 10 am – 1 pm. Please take your Kinship Time food and beverages onto the South Lawn to enjoy unmasked. Gatherings in the Lower Level rooms may be unmasked.
Join the Services Livestream button in the newsletter and the Worship Livestream button on the Home page will connect directly to this General Assembly Livestreamed Sunday Worship Service.
Today’s offering will be shared with the Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU), which is committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within Unitarian Universalism.
Upcoming Services:
June 29 – Exploring AI (Pt. 1) – Dr. Emma
July 6 – World Refugee Day – Rev. Eileen with Immigrant Solidarity Team
July 13 – On Humility – Rev. Eileen
July 20 – Exploring AI (Pt. 2) – Dr. Emma
Friday, June 13, 2025
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TIME CHANGE for Sunday Worship on June 22, 2025
UCE will join attendees at the UUA General Assembly in Baltimore via livestream for a powerful and communal experience – the largest annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists in worship. Plan to attend in-person or via live-stream for Sunday Worship from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CT. Please note the time change and that Masks are required for this service.
Embrace the electrifying spirit of the year’s largest UU gathering, where we come together in unity for an awe-inspiring Sunday worship celebration like no other! It’s a vibrant, communal worship experience that promises to uplift your soul and ignite your passion. Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk will lead the service. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary gathering of hearts and minds!
Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk (she/her) is the Rev. Dr. J. Frank and Alice Schulman Chair of Unitarian Universalist History at Meadville Lombard Theological School and a historian of American religious history. She has served UU congregations in Ohio and New Jersey and is currently the Program Minister (part-time) at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She joined the Meadville Lombard faculty in 2012 after serving eight years in the parish and earning her Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include religion, business, mobility, and material culture in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dr. Kirk’s publications include Wanamaker’s Temple: The Business of Religion in an Iconic Department Store (New York University Press, 2018, 2023) and chapters in several edited volumes.
Dr. Kirk enjoys advising students and assisting them on their formational path(s). Over the years, she has met and worked with many of Meadville Lombard’s international partners in the Czech Republic, Japan, and Transylvania. In 2023, the Religious Society of Czech Unitarians gave Dr. Kirk the Award for Supporting Czech Unitarianism.