Deepening the Spiritual Journey
Join Rev. Eileen and Kathy Underwood in an exploration of the pathways we have all traveled in our lives; the pathways of the spirit which have led us to where we are today.
In this three-part workshop, we will reflect on, map out, and share our spiritual 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.
Tuesdays, November 7, 21, and December 5
7-8:30 pm in person at UCE, Room 3
Bike the Ridge: October 1, 2023
Summer may be ending, but UCE members can look forward to Evanston’s fall event: Bike the Ridge. On Sunday, October, 1st from 9:00-1:00pm, Ridge Avenue between Howard and Church will be closed to vehicular traffic for “Bike the Ridge.”
This event is an excellent community building opportunity for UCE. Hundreds of people will be biking by UCE’s doorstep; let’s give them a UCE welcome! We will have a tent set up on Ridge. Here UCE members can greet bikers, supply them with water, and provide information about our congregation. We need lots of friendly faces on Ridge to represent UCE!
Please consider biking to service that day. Having Ridge closed to vehicular traffic is an excellent opportunity to support environmental sustainability.
For both our community members and UCE members, there will be bike decorating on the front lawn. Anyone who stops by can decorate their bikes with streamers, pipe cleaners, or ribbons.
With us again this year will be members of The Recyclery Collective. The Recyclery is an educational bike shop that provides a space for empowerment through education, transportation, and community building. The shop offers Open Hours, Volunteer Hours, Spanish Open Hours, and Youth Programming. There is an “Earn a Bike” program where anyone can log volunteer hours to earn a reconditioned bike. Otherwise reconditioned bikes can be purchased through the shop and a number of bikes are designated for those who cannot afford them. Please stop by and meet our friends from The Recyclery.
Please volunteer for this community-building event! We need the following: 1) volunteers to help decorate bikes, 2) volunteers to greet bikers, distribute water and information about our congregation on Ridge or 3) contributions of materials—streamers, pipe cleaners, old playing cards, scotch tape, water, etc.
There is a Sign-Up Google Doc here, otherwise, feel free to contact Rev Susan Frances to volunteer or with any questions.
Hospitality Teams
It’s that time of year when we expand our shared ministry by expanding our hospitality teams. We will have a combined celebration and training for our Greeters Hospitality Team, Kitchen Hospitality Team, and Money Counters Hospitality Team on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 1:30-3:30 pm in the sanctuary. Please RVSP to Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org if you plan to attend.
If you are not currently on a Sunday morning hospitality team and are someone who enjoys attending our Sunday morning worship service, please talk with Rev. Susan about joining one of our hospitality teams. You are invited to attend the September 30th training!
UCE’s four Sunday morning Hospitality Teams are:
Greeters Hospitality Team – If you enjoy making others feel comfortable or appreciate how you were welcomed to UCE and would like to provide that for another, this is the team for you.
Kitchen Hospitality Team – If you enjoy your time in the kitchen or find satisfaction in providing food and beverages to show you care, this team is for you.
Livestream Chat Host Team – If you typically watch the Sunday morning worship service online, this is the team for you.
Money Counters Hospitality Team – If you like ushering during the service or counting the offertory funds after the service or if you prefer a role where you don’t have to talk with a lot of people, this team is for you.
2023 Actions of Immediate Witness
2023 Actions of Immediate Witness Part 3
Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) express the conscience and carry the authority of the delegates at the General Assembly (GA) at which it is passed. A description of the AIW process, from initiation to formal passage at GA, appeared in the Sept. 29 newsletter.
Protect the Dreamers AIW
This AIW expresses UUA support for the Dreamers and calls on Congress to pass legislation giving them a pathway to permanent residence. It also calls on UUs to support the Dreamers in their communities and contact their members of Congress to advocate for their protection.
The AIW affirms that: The Unitarian Universalist Association supports the Dreamers and believes that they are valued members of our communities, as are other immigrant populations. The UUA calls on Congress to expeditiously pass legislation to provide Dreamers with a pathway to permanent residence and encourages UUA members to support the Dreamers in their communities and to communicate with their members of Congress to urge them to support legislation protecting the Dreamers. Further, the UUA will be vocal and forward-leaning in its work to encourage members to deepen our theological grounding in issues of immigration justice; collaborate with local partners to combat anti-immigrant narratives, including those by state legislatures, and work with grassroots organizations/campaigns centering on those most directly affected by antiimmigration policies and other failures of the U.S. immigration system.
Links to complete texts of the proposals for the three AIWs passed at the 2023 GA are listed below:
- Stop Cop City: 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
- Organizing for Health Equity : 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
- Protect the Dreamers, the Recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) with a Pathway to Permanent Residence : 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Stop Cop City and Organizing for Health Equity were reviewed in the newsletters for Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, respectively.
AIW Part 2
Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) express the conscience and carry the authority of the delegates at the General Assembly (GA) at which it is passed. A description of the AIW process, from initiation to formal passage at GA, appeared in the Sept. 29 newsletter.
Organizing for Health Equity AIW
Attacks against abortion rights, against gender affirming health care programs, and against the very young and the very old, combined with the impact of systemic racism, pandemics, poverty, and other problems, have raised awareness about the need for health equity and mutual aid. This AIW calls for new partnerships to secure personal and social wellness, with justice for all people, in all nations.
The resolution calls for multigenerational global, national, and local partnerships to plan and promote paid family and medical leave, a single-payer health system, adequate occupational health and safety, mental health services, access to family planning services, and solutions to many other urgent health needs. Specific steps at each level are suggested.
Links to complete texts of the proposals for the three AIWs passed at the 2023 GA are listed below:
Stop Cop City: 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Organizing for Health Equity : 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Stop Cop City was reviewed in the Sept. 29 newsletter. Protect the Dreamers will be covered next week.
Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) Part 1
Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) express the conscience and carry the authority of the delegates at the General Assembly (GA) at which it is passed. AIWs are initiated throughout the year by individuals or congregations and submitted to the Commission on Social Witness for approval, followed by a two-week polling period that ends about a week before GA begins. The final three are discussed and voted on by the delegates at the GA business meeting. The three AIWs listed below were passed at the 2023 General Assembly:
Stop Cop City: 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Organizing for Health Equity : 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Stop Cop City:
In light of the nation’s largest militarized police training center being approved by Atlanta’s City Council, which will result in severe deforestation, and resistance to the training center being severely criminalized, Unitarian Universalists are called to use our voices to say NO to Cop City.
Click here Stop Cop City: 2023 Action of Immediate Witness to view the entire AIW document.
“Cop City” is a $90 million police training complex planned for 381 acres of land known as Welaunee Forest, sacred to the Muscogee people who were forcibly removed by the U.S. government in the 1820s. It is a green space vital for the environmental health of the city and its residents.
UUs in Atlanta joined the Cop City Vote Coalition to collect and deliver over 116,000 signatures in support of letting Atlantans decide if they want Cop City. The Coalition is prepared to accept the results of a free and fair election but is not confident that we will have the opportunity to see those results even with the required number of signatures.
The City of Atlanta has put forth a proposal for exact signature match – a known discriminatory practice. And on Monday, Sept. 11, the City Clerk claimed that they are not “legally obligated to verify signatures” because of a fast-changing court situation.
The other two AIWs, Organizing for Health Equity and Protect the Dreamers will be covered in subsequent newsletters.