June 7th, 2024: From Sandra Robinson
Friday, May 31, 2024 is a night I will always remember. I was surrounded by my family, friends, staff, and so many of you, the congregation We gathered in our beautiful sanctuary to say goodbye. Many of my art buds and longtime good friends were here. While it was bittersweet knowing I would not be lighting candles with you on Sunday morning for a while, it was a perfect honoring. I felt as though tiny particles of joy were raining upon and around me.
Renee Gatsis, Gay Riseborough, Elizabeth Kennedy, Tory Bassani and Maggie Wilson, thank you for coordinating this most perfect event. To all of you UCE artists who brought your work to honor my love for the arts and to express the talent of so many at UCE. Every piece was wonderful and graced the sanctuary with such beauty. Several pieces of my ceramic art was included with many other UCE artists: Renee Gatsis, Maggie Wilson, Suzanne Lis Daley, Kathy Talmage, Sydney Francolino, Robb Geiger, Eileen Wiviott, Claudia Dancing, Nancy Katz, Catherine Deamant, Forrest Marie Linsell, Lucy Elam, Margaret Schatz, Carol Nielsen, Jean Durkin, Jan Augustyn, Jean Butzen, Bill Hartgering, Craig Jobson, Peggy Boccard, Patrecia Lenore, Andrew Fisher, Carol Johnson, Sarah Kaiser-Amaral, Barbara Seyfried, Kristin Larsen, William Irons, Liz Kennedy, Sue WIell, and Maggie Weiss.
Thank you Kevin Barrow, JoLynn Cotton, Robb Geiger, Gregory Shifrin for the lovely music throughout the evening. How lucky UCE is to have so many talented musicians and vocalists.
I appreciate all of you who served food, worked in the kitchen, tended the bar, shopped, donated food – whatever you did to make the night special, thank you. Gratitude to many who brought or sent cards, and amazing, thoughtful gifts. My heart is overflowing.
I’ll post photos from the evening once I have all of them. I received a few so far and will post on member to member once I have more. Maybe some can be posted on the bulletin board and I can send digital prints as well. All of that will be worked out soon. It was important to me to get as many of you captured on film as possible. Yancy Hughes is an Evanston photographer if you ever need a kind, talented person to take photos. He’s great.
Yesterday, Eileen hosted a staff party outside at Five & Dime. We had so much fun together sharing good food, desserts and many stories. Here’s a photo from yesterday. Thank you all. That day of sunshine will beam in my heart for a very long time.
In summary, after the parties are over and life moves on, I will remember you and value our years together whether it was 1 or 22. UCE has been a place where my skills and talents have been supported and appreciated. I have enjoyed caring for the building and grounds, managing rentals, supervising staff, overseeing the financial health of UCE and making sure the use of money and resources were in order. I loved working with volunteers to ensure fundraisers were a success, and to improve our building through our capital campaigns. Working for a church is not just a job, but a ministry. I have laughed and cried with all of you at some point during my career. I’ve seen ministers, interims and interns come and go. I’ve seen elders and beloved members pass away. I see new babies and children returning to UCE. I marvel at the memories of children who when I arrived were babies and are now adults. It’s been a great ride, like a roller coaster sometimes, but worth every challenge and wonderful moment.
My life goes on in endless song with new opportunities and connections with family and friends. Please stay in touch. Stop by my pottery studio, drop a line, give me a call. I will forever hold each of you in my heart.
October 27, 2024
Voting Heretic Style
It is vital that you vote on November 5, 2024. It is vital that you look at the platforms of each candidate and vote into office those whose vision for our country reflects your values. Heretics are known for visioning a world different than the one they live in and then sticking to their convictions. In our faith tradition, Michael Servetus was one of those people labeled a heretic, who ended up playing a significant part in a larger cultural shift throughout Europe in the 1500’s. How will you shape the culture you live in?
Rev. Susan Frances and worship associate Robb Geiger lead our service, along with the UCE Choir, pianist Gregory Shifrin, and Music Director Vickie Hellyer.
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 3rd – Promise Making, Promise Keeping, Promise Breaking, Promise Renewing: A Service for All Souls
November 10th – Where Do We Go From Here? After the election – Rev. Eileen Wiviott
November 17th – Karen Courtright shares her Spiritual Journey
November 24th – Bread Communion – In gratitude we share – Rev. Eileen Wiviott
Why Values and Not Principles? Join Us to Discuss the What and Why of Article 2 Revisions.
Eight UCE members will serve as delegates to the UUA General Assembly June 20-23. Under consideration are proposed revisions to Article 2 of the UUA Bylaws, which describes our UU principles. The revisions replace the current UU Principles with the six Values of generosity, justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, and pluralism, with Love at the center as the power that holds us. This change calls out that we are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. These proposed Values statements reflect an evolution of our Principles including the 8th Principle.
So why is it necessary to evolve our 8 Principles into the proposed Values of generosity, justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, and pluralism – all centered in Love?
Join the UCE delegates and Denominational Affairs Team via zoom on June 3 at 7 pm or in-person/zoom June 9 at 12 pm in room 3 to discuss the what’s and why’s of the proposed changes. The delegates are eager to share information and discuss Article 2 , and understand what members think about the proposed changes.
Zoom link for June 3 and 9 sessions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81668335293?pwd=0JEXsB7opczyhJsdsiZUawqohbEhOX.1
Meeting ID: 816 6833 5293 Passcode: 318292
Read more about the proposed revisions to UUA’s Article 2 here.
What’s driving the revisions to Article 2?
Article 2 is part of the UUA bylaws passed by the consolidated Unitarian and Universalist churches in 1961. Originally it included 6 principles, as well as the resources. There was also a mandate to review both parts every 15 years. The 7th principle was added by General Assembly vote in 1985, along with an update to gender-neutral language. The concept of an 8th principle was introduced to UU congregations and communities in 2013 and UCE adopted it in May 2021. To date, more than 223 congregations have passed it. However, it is not included in the UUA’s 7 Principles. The desired to address racism in the UUA Principles and the mandate to review the parts of Article 2 every fifteen years resulted in the UUA board appointing a 6-member commission to review Article 2.
Discussions began in the fall of 2020 and over the next 3 years hundreds of surveys were conducted. The commission met twice a month and submitted proposed changes in January 2023. The proposed changes included transforming the 7 Principles into 6 Values statements centered by Love, evolving the Sources into Inspirations, and simplifying the Freedom of Belief language.
The General Assembly voted in June of 2023 to continue a year of discernment about the proposed changes before calling for a vote at the 2024 meeting. For the past year UCE’s Denominational Affairs team has held sessions to discuss the proposed changes, posted information in the newsletter and hosted program tables, and Rev. Eileen has spoken about the changes from the pulpit.
The UCE delegates are eager to understand what members think about the proposed changes. Please share your thoughts with members of Denominational Affairs or UCE delegates at the June 3 or 9 sessions, in-person or through Realm: Shirely Adams, Lee Bannor, Peggy Boccard, Lina Hilko (alternate delegate), Melanie Kitchner, Cheryl Mounts, Joe Romeo (alternate delegate), Steve Serikaku, Elaine Siegel, Betty Walker, and Carla Williams.
Author: Carla Williams, Denominational Affairs Committee
June 2, 2024
The Beauty and Renewal of Beloved Community: Our Annual Flower Communion
The work of the world can be rough, like digging into hard, stoney ground. It’s easy to get discouraged. We plant the seeds of possibility in our shared garden and hope that something lovely will emerge, but we never fully know what will come from our efforts. We honor the commitment to keep planting and sowing and we celebrate what comes from our shared purpose. Rev. Eileen Wiviott leads this service, with Rev. Susan Frances and Kathy Underwood as Worship Associates. Soloists Jenn Wisegarver, Jay Liddell, and Kiley Korey, with the UCE Choir, directed by Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by Sarah Bloethe and Gregory Shifrin, grace us with music.
This week’s offering will be shared with Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (FORA) whose mission is to ensure that refugee families are provided access to an education sufficient to prepare them to become economically self-sufficient and robustly engaged in American civic life.