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Sunday, September 21, 2025

 Belonging Without Othering

Drawing insights from the book by this title by john a. powell and Stephen Menendian, we explore the ways of building belonging within that is ever expansive beyond the borders of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Rev. Eileen leads this service with Kiley Korey as our Worship Associate. The UCE Choir, led by Music Director, Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by Gregory Shifrin on piano, inspire us with music.

Today’s offering will be shared with Building Peaceful Bridges, whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of newcomers into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing newcomer populations through their stories.

Upcoming Services

9/28/2025 The Biochemistry of Belonging – Dr. Emma Farrell

10/5/2025  Pet Blessing – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

10/12/2025 Fierce Compassion – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

10/19/2025 – Self-Compassion – Dr. Emma Farrell

 

Sunday, September 21, 20252025-09-14T15:58:58+00:00

September 21, 2025

Belonging Without Othering

 Drawing insights from the book by this title by john a. powell and Stephen Menendian, we explore the ways of building belonging within that is ever expansive beyond the borders of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Rev. Eileen leads this service with Kiley Korey as our Worship Associate. The UCE Choir, led by Music Director, Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by Gregory Shifrin on piano, inspire us with music.

Today’s offering will be shared with Building Peaceful Bridges, whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of newcomers into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing newcomer populations through their stories.

Upcoming Services

9/28/2025 The Biochemistry of Belonging – Dr. Emma Farrell

10/5/2025  Pet Blessing – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

10/12/2025 Fierce Compassion – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

10/19/2025 – Self-Compassion – Dr. Emma Farrell

September 21, 20252025-09-12T16:37:28+00:00

Update from Rev. Susan, 9/12/2025

Hi Friends,

Strength in community. That is where our present and future lies.

I know the uncertainty of potential national guard troops being deployed in Chicago and the ongoing appearances of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Chicago, Evanston, and other suburbs is weighing on us. I know the increase in invitations to show up to protest against troop deployment and ICE raids and to rally for our democracy is overwhelming. Please try to remember that the infliction of stress, fear, and the feelings of being overwhelmed are part of the tactics of an authoritarian government to seek cooperation and compliance.

It is with a view toward the coming weeks and months, that I sincerely ask you to make time to do things that calm your nervous system – purposeful breathing or exercise, warm baths and enough sleep, listening to calming music or gathering with friends and family who delight you.

This is also a time be measured in how we are engaging with each other. This week, I have experienced that, collectively, our nerves are starting to fray. Many of us are, understandably, tired and anxious. This naturally affects the things we are doing, even if those things are not what are making us tired and anxious. I invite you to try and be more present in your interactions with each other, drawing upon a little more patience and granting a little more grace in our communications and conversations. For it is in taking care of ourselves and each other that we will be able to continue forward together.

Some of you have asked about how you might become more involved with what is happening locally. Here are a few options:

  • Attend one of the virtual Know Your Rights Trainings for your home or your place of work. Bi-weekly trainings are hosted by Immigrant Justice: The Resurrection Project. English trainings are on Tuesdays at 2pm CST. Spanish trainings are on Thursdays at 6pm CST.
  • Sign up to receive notices from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) with alerts about ICE updates and opportunities to take action.
  • Sign up to receive notices from the ACLU Activator group with alerts about civil liberties updates and opportunities to take action.
  • Show up with a sign on Thursday evenings for our Beacons of Light gatherings. Starting on September 18th our gathering time will shift to be 6:00-6:30 pm. You are invited to join us at Dempster & Ridge, Chicago & Main, or Central & Lincolnwood!

As we continue to be engaged in preserving our democracy, we must also be engaged in caring for our congregation – this place that is a source of hope and rejuvenation for so many of us.

I invite everyone to attend our annual Engagement Fair next Sunday, September 21st after the worship service. No RSVP required, just show up with your curiosity and enthusiasm!

For those of you who are new or newish to UCE and are looking for deeper engagement with our congregation, please plan to attend one of our Journey Toward Membership classes and then think about joining as a member on Sunday, October 12, 2025, when we will be welcoming new members during the worship service. The Journey Toward Membership class is a 90-minute session and you only have to attend one session. Here are the options for dates to take the class:

  • Sunday, September 14, 2025, 9:00-10:20 am, Room 12, child care available. Register here
  • Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 6:30-8:00 pm, via Zoom. Register here 
  • Saturday, September 20, 2025, 1:00-2:30 pm, Room 12, no child care provided. Register here

I am grateful to be part of this caring and engaged community. If you need to talk about what is happening in your life or in the world, please reach out to friends and family or contact me, Rev. Eileen, or Rev. Elizabeth.

Yours in community,

Rev. Susan

 

Update from Rev. Susan, 9/12/20252025-09-12T00:21:47+00:00

September 14, 2025

 Building Belonging through Interdependence and Engagement 

 Inside the word belonging is longing. The human heart longs to be known and accepted in a community beyond oneself. At UCE we strive to usher one another into that sense of belonging, knowing it’s an ongoing aspiration we’ll never perfect. Amidst increased polarity and social atomization, how do we continue to engage and deepen our existing connections, while remaining open to all who come searching for a spiritual home? Rev. Eileen leads this service with Lynn Kendall as Worship Associate. Charles Anderson is our Hymn Leader with Gregory Shifrin on piano.

Today’s offering will be shared with Building Peaceful Bridges, whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of newcomers into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing newcomer populations through their stories.

September 21 – Belonging Without Othering – Rev. Eileen

 

September 14, 20252025-09-07T16:34:11+00:00

DLFF Newsletter September 2025 – New Beginnings

September is always an exciting and busy time of the year, as I’m sure many of you experience too. Most schools have begun and the newness of it all changes to a familiar routine. Rosh Hashanah begins on the 22nd to mark the start of the Jewish New Year as well as the Autumnal equinox and Wiccan Mabon. The sun rises noticeably later and sets earlier. The days are mild and usually sunny, and the nights are cool. The sky has the most beautiful blue color; it’s almost like looking at Lake Michigan on a clear day. So many birds migrate through as well as monarch butterflies. Simply put, it’s my favorite season in Chicagoland.

I can appreciate the season from my office windows, with the trees and now some new plantings in the old rain garden. I love seeing the kids and parents out in the playscape after worship on Sunday mornings too. I hope to see more of that as we start the new church year.

This weekend kicks off the new year with two family-friendly events. On Friday, the Family Ministry Team and the Lively Spirit Dancers have teamed up to host a dance party for our first Family Friday of the year. We have a great playlist of dance music – some old classics as well as newer ones. Bring a snack or beverage to share and enjoy the beautiful south lawn as we dance the evening away!

On Sunday, we have our traditional water communion worship service followed by a potluck. Hopefully the weather will be just as lovely for gathering then too. I encourage parents to meet up at a couple of the tables on the south lawn to have conversation while the younger ones enjoy the playscape and lawn games. I would love to see that happen every Sunday while the weather is nice! Later this fall, parents are invited to gather in room 6 after worship with their coffee while waiting for their kiddoes to finish their faith formation programs. I will also be at a program table in the café area with a laptop for parents to register their young people (you can also register here!)

Our youth in grades 6-9 will be having a lock-in at UCE on September 12-13. We’ll start the evening with a make-your-own bowl dinner followed by some games. The youth will also get to vote on some ideas for the year. Parents can fill out a permission form here and can help by either chaperoning part of the night and signing up for food and snacks here.

Faith formation for our young people begins on the 14th. Chalice Children for pre/k/1st grade will be led by Ann Gadzikowski and Karen Wylie. Once again, they will be building friendships while listening and telling stories, creating art, and having free time to play.

Our Heads, Hearts, and Hands group for 2nd-5th grades will begin the year using Soul Matters materials and focus on making connections and friendships by playing games and exploring the monthly theme of Building Belonging. Later this month they will vote on a social action project to do during the year.

Our youth group this year will be for those in grades 6-9. They will also begin the year with Soul Matters materials and choosing a social action project. My hope is that they will decide on a fun name for the group during their lock-in too.

We also have a full year ahead with adult faith formation opportunities, beginning with a continuation from last year’s End of Life series on October 5 focused on Estate Planning and Charitable Giving led by the Endowment Committee.

Dr. Emma Farrell, our ministerial intern, will be facilitating a series on Artificial Intelligence on the first Tuesdays of the month beginning October 7. This program is to continue the conversation about AI from her sermon series on the topic. It’s sure to be thought-provoking!

Rev. Eileen and I will be leading our Deepening the Spiritual Journey program on October 14, 21, and 28. This is an exploration of the spiritual pathways we have all traveled in our lives; the pathways which have led us to where we are today. We’ll reflect on, map out, and share our journeys, with the hopes that some will consider sharing theirs in worship. This is an extension of the new member journey class, open to members and friends, high schoolers and up, no matter how long you’ve been at UCE.

In Faith,

Kathy

DLFF Newsletter September 2025 – New Beginnings2025-09-04T20:05:07+00:00

Update from the Board of Trustees, August 29, 2025

The UCE Board of Trustees held our annual Board Retreat on August 22 and 23. We celebrated our new Board President, Hoa Voscott. Other Board members for the 2025-26 Congregation year include Vice President Kera Beskin, President Emerita Elaine Siegel, Peggy Boccard, Ally Hunter, Sally Parsons, Forrest Marie Peters Linsell, Melanie Kitchner, and Michael Drennan. Rev. Eileen Wiviott, Rev. Susan Frances, and Dr. Emma Farrell joined us. It was a thoughtful and convivial event, planning the coming year.

Rev. Roger Bertschausen, presently the Developmental Lead Minister at Unity Temple in Oak Park, led us through an analysis of our governance. Last year’s Board Retreat focused on the Policy Governance model; this year, we refined its application to UCE. Rev. Roger stressed that Policy Governance aligns responsibility, authority and accountability, and differs by congregation. Lack of clarity and alignment can cause conflict. Our structure should be highly adaptable and fluid.

We considered and clarified our lines of responsibility, modifying our organization chart accordingly. We reviewed the roles of the Board, in relation to the leadership, staff, and Congregation.

We also scrutinized the financial structure supporting our work. We reviewed the checks and balances in our financial procedures, the expertise and diligence of our officers and personnel, and the success of our pledging and fund-raising activities. We noted the successful solar panels project, funded by the generous bequest of Barbara Young, and shepherded by Adam Gough. Our financial security enables UCE to maintain a well-functioning basis for spiritual development and social action.

An outgrowth of last year’s Retreat has been our “Big Questions” project, focused on the issues raised by our Congregation during last year’s Board Retreat: (1) How can we foster connections that go beyond our comfort zones at UCE and in the larger community? (2): How do you imagine we need to grow individually and as a congregation to create a more accessible, open environment?

The Retreat featured an overview of the many insights and suggestions of the members of our Congregation who participated in this spring’s discussion groups. Select suggestions will be pursued in the coming year.

For the past half decade, UCE’s Anti-Oppression Task Force (“AOTF”) has been instrumental in supporting our efforts to “widen the circle” of our Congregation, to develop cultural competency and greater inclusion. The AOTF will soon be sunsetting. The REAL Team (“Racial Equity Action and Inclusion”) will be continuing its work, in collaboration with the Social Justice Council.

As part of that process, in the course of our new year together, our Congregation will seek and identify a new name for what we have known as the Unitarian Church of Evanston. The ultimate Big Answer to our Big Questions!

Update from the Board of Trustees, August 29, 20252025-08-27T17:31:54+00:00

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Working for Justice Collectively

Our religious tradition includes a history of coalition building around social justice and service work in our local communities and around the world. As authoritarianism rises, what lessons do our ancestors who have taken bold actions in the face of atrocities offer us and how can we heed them as we strive to respond boldly today? We honor the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee this Labor Day. Rev. Eileen leads the service with Mary Dudek as Worship Associate. Ken Smith on piano provides the music.

Today’s offering will be shared with UUANI, whose mission is: To build power among UU congregations in Illinois to accountably advocate with those who have been historically marginalized.

Upcoming Services

September 7 – Ingathering/Water Communion – All Ages – Rev. Eileen

September 14 – Belonging: Interdependence & Engagement – Rev. Eileen

September 21 – Belonging Without Othering – Rev. Eileen

Sunday, August 31, 20252025-08-27T15:33:07+00:00

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
Directions

(847) 864-1330
uce@ucevanston.org

UCE’s office hours:

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 AM – 4 PM
Friday: 10 AM – 1 PM
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 10 AM – 2 PM

In-person and Virtual Sunday Service is held at 10:30 am.

Become A Member

Member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association covenant to affirm and promote the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation, a Peace Advocate Congregation, and a Green Sanctuary.

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