45th Annual Serendipity Auction

Auction Bidding Closes Saturday At 11am!

It is a big change, so we are saying this a lot – bidding for the Serendipity Auction closes Saturday 11/18 at 11am, BEFORE the Celebration Event that evening, when we will have so much to celebrate. Come for an amazing meal from Soul & Smoke, tickets are still available. We will have a Chocolate Lottery, a Wine Pull and selected auction items will be available to purchase at a fixed price. Get your raffle tickets before the winner is selected at 7pm that evening. And stay for a spectacular dance thoughtfully designed for every ability, every age and every body. Don’t forget to pick up your auction items before you leave that evening, they will also be available after service Sunday morning.

Do some bidding! 106 items have already sold as a Buy-It-Now, but 62 items are a great value since they are still without an opening bid. We’ve made some changes to a few items – there is a new vacation getaway to the Adirondacks for 5 nights. Alicia Hempfling’s Blues Band could play for your event that you host at UCE, but also any location you plan to host an event, as long as there is space for the band and their equipment. The UCE Nominating Committee has changed up their basket a bit – and added a separate listing for a flex pass to the Theo Ubique Theatre, also a great value since it currently has no bids. And what about a Michael Skilton’s customizable copper medallions – what a special gift that could be. A family crest, a photo of a special moment with friends or family, or a portrait of someone special that you hold in your heart or perhaps a mantra or touchstone you would like to keep with you in your pocket. Tory Bassani and Karen Courtright both have spectacular handmade quilts – what could be a better holiday gift? Rev. Eileen is offering a custom portrait. Wouldn’t a portrait of a pet or your own beloved home be a heart-warming gift, especially knowing Rev. Eileen made it? We hope that supporting UCE through this fundraiser gives you a deeper connection to UCE – thank you for your support.

Auction Catalog Preview is Available! And, Announcing a Big Change in the Auction.

The auction catalog is open for preview now! Mark your calendars – bidding opens 9am Wednesday 11/8, the deadline for donating an item is Monday 11/6. And now for the Big Change – we will close the auction Saturday 11/18 at 11am. That’s right – the auction will close before the evening Celebration Event. We know this is a big change. We’ve had to acknowledge that online bidding requires a much stronger Wi-Fi signal than UCE needs otherwise. We hope you will attend the Preview Party planned for Saturday 11/11 to view auction items and do some bidding. We invite you to lean into all the possibilities that an online auction offers since anyone anywhere can bid and support this fundraiser – send the link to friends and family so they can get some amazing one a kind hand-made items. Tell them what to get you as a holiday gift. Do your holiday shopping at the auction. It is the gift that gives twice since it helps to support this beloved community.

We hope you will plan to come to the Celebration Event Saturday 11/18 to have an amazing Soul & Smoke dinner, pick-up the auction items you won, enjoy kinship without the distraction of outbid notifications, celebrate the success of the fundraiser, and DANCE. There is a spectacular dance planned with music your body can’t help but move to, new easy-to-learn dances, some group dances and all with the goal of engaging every body, every ability and every age.

Questions about any of this or need help thinking through the details on a donation? Email the team at auction@ucevanston.org. You can go to www.fundraiser.bid/uce for more information about all the details of the Auction and Celebration Event.

Get Your UCE T-Shirts!

Many of us only know about UCE t-shirts through legend. As far as anyone can remember, we got the last set of UCE t-shirts so that we could have a unified look while marching in Evanston’s 4^th of July parade sometime in the mid to late 2000’s. Some are lucky enough to have the rare version that said, “Nuturing” instead of “Nurturing the Human Spirit”. The other piece retold in the lore of UCE t-shirts is what a mess it was to manage the inventory and financial transactions. We decided that pre-orders paid for through the auction website would solve those problems, so as part of the fall Serendipity Auction fundraiser, we are selling UCE t-shirts and accepting pre-orders through the auction website. The white t-shirt has a really lovely redesign of the UCE chalice with our mission statement on the back. Our thanks to Sydney Francolino for sharing her design talents for that shirt. (She also designed the UCE Heart pin you can get for $15). The blue shirt features our sanctuary windows and was designed by Chris Allender. T-shirts are $35, sizes 2T-3X, and the pre-order deadline is Sunday 11/5. We hope you will get one of each, maybe to wear to Public Square events or maybe just to wear to the grocery because it makes you feel warm and connected to UCE and all of its beloved people. Thank you for supporting UCE and the fall fundraiser with your t-shirt purchase!

Soul & Smoke at the Serendipity Auction Celebration Dinner

If you haven’t yet, you owe it to yourself to make your way over to 1601 Payne St., back behind the Walgreens on Green Bay Rd, to Soul & Smoke for the best BBQ in Chicagoland. We are fortunate to have them cater the Serendipity Auction Celebration Dinner 11/18. If you pre-order your dinner tickets (https://bit.ly/SoulSmoke) before 11/9, you will get the early-bird pricing of $18 for an adult meal, $10 for a child’s portion. There are vegan and gluten free options. Soul & Smoke is a woman-owned, minority-owned small business in Evanston and knowing that makes it feel good to support them. But amazing taste is also an excellent reason to visit them. Be ready for what the Chicago Tribune calls, “Absurdly juicy, with a delicate smokiness that floats around the edges. This barbecue is worth savoring.” If you prefer their vegetarian sides or vegan sliders, you are in for a treat. The Signature Mac + Cheese is decadent, the Corn Bread Muffin indulgent and the Apple Slaw is a perfect blend of creamy crunchy sweetness. Most items on the menu are gluten free. They source from regional farms, compost their waste, pay a fair wage of $20+ per hour and host a community fridge that supplies meals, free of charge, to anyone in need. Lots of reasons to feel good about making Soul & Smoke one of your go-tos and not to wait to order your Celebration Dinner tickets.

That time of year is here – brisk air, anticipating when the trees will burst into color, pumpkin flavored everything, and making sure the Serendipity Auction is on your calendar. The 45th annual Serendipity Auction is Saturday, November 18th from 4:30-8:30. We are trying some new things this year. UCE t-shirts and pins are for sale. The raffle is live now and includes a $2K resort package, dinner at Oceanique and the chance to choose one of Rev. Eileen’s sermon topics. Watch your email inbox and UCE’s Member to Member Facebook page for some fun items being raffled off for free leading up to the big event. Saturday 11/11 we will have an Auction Preview Party, where we will demystify using QR codes and bidding from your phone over wine and cheese. Dinner is being catered by Evanston’s Soul & Smoke – amazing food made by people who share our values of sustainability and building community. And a DANCE! After the auction closes at 7pm, there will be dancing and music from different eras, group dances, a chance to learn a new dance and all with a focus on including every body, age and ability.

Some things that have remained the same – loading up your calendar with so many great group events won at the auction. Meeting new people and catching up with old friends at the Celebration Event. Seeing all the amazing hand-made items made by members. Getting those warm feelings each time you see that item around your house for years to come. And of course, raising money to support the amazing work this faith community does to nourish each of us and transform our world. We hope you will come to the big event, donate something to the auction and sign up to volunteer. Go to fundraiser.bid/UCE or email auction@ucevanston.org for more information.

September 14th Post

It’s time to get ready for the 45^th annual Serendipity Auction! Join us Saturday, November 18^th from 4:30 – 8:30 for our largest community event and fundraiser. You‘ll find so many opportunities for connection, for sharing creativity and having a whole lot of fun. We will have dinner catered by Soul & Smoke. The Serendipity Dance begins at 7pm. There is a Kids FUNtime Activity and Childcare in Room 3. Our online auction opens for bidding 9am Wednesday, November 8^th and closes at 7pm November 18^th during the celebration event. Please donate an item or event to the auction! The deadline to donate is Monday November 6th. We have some helpful donation ideas and feel free to reach out to the Auction Committee at auction@ucevanston.org or call Chris at 773-368-1203 for help finessing an idea. Please volunteer! There are lots of opportunities to join in the excitement of putting together this grand event. Our deepest hope is that this open and inclusive celebratory event expands our covenantal community, and if you are just getting to know us, you will feel a sense of warmth and kinship. We are so excited to get to spend this time together in community to raise money to support all the good work UCE does to nourish and transform the world.