Hats Off to the Pledge Drive Team: March 19, 2021
Our Hats are Off to our 2021-22 Pledge Drive Team – Marianne Griebler, Tom Carlton, Susan Carlton, Tom and Alicia Hempfling, and Susan Comstock – for your creativity, wisdom, expertise, and enthusiasm. Marianne has put heart, soul, and mind into making our first ever virtual pledge drive a success. You really know how to celebrate people’s time, talent and treasure. Tom Carlton contributed his skill and expertise working with our database and analyzing our shared giving history. Susan Carlton and Susan Comstock helped to organize our pledge drive celebration, and Tom and Alicia Hempfling made the evening so fun and engaging. Thanks to Adam Gough for your technical help during the event.
The commitment of our members and friends to the mission of UCE has been evident in the number of pledges pouring in, most of them meeting or exceeding our ask. Thanks to all of you who have contributed so far, and know that we still need your pledge if you haven’t yet sent it in.
Thanks to the artists who contributed their work for thank you postcards – Peggy Boccard, Allyson Hunter, Rory Presto, Kathy Talmage, Johna and Will Van Dyke, Maggie Weiss, and Maggie Wilson. Thanks to Amy Dooley for her beautiful tree graphic conveying how our pledge dollars contribute to the mission of UCE. Thanks to Marianne Griebler, Shirley Adams, Melanie Kitchner, and Carolyn Laughlin for writing all those thank you notes. And finally, thanks to our amazing Communication Coordinator, Jessica Meis, for sending all those emails, entering all those pledges, and promoting the drive so well.
We really are a collaborative team, a shared ministry of time, talent and treasure!
Thank you all.
BLUU Havens March Gathering: March 20, 2021
BLUU Havens Chicago March Gathering Saturday, March 20th 1:00-2:30 on Zoom
We welcome you to join us for our March Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism BLUU Havens Chicago Gathering.
This Month’s Theme: “Traveling While Black.”
In Honor Of Women’s History Month and our theme “Traveling While Black” to quote Mae Jemison “Once I got into space, I was feeling very comfortable in the universe. I felt like I had a right to be anywhere in this universe, that I belonged here as much as any speck of stardust, any comet, any planet”– Mae Jemison -doctor, engineer, and former NASA astronaut, became the first African American woman to travel in space.
“Traveling While Black” What is one of your most memorable experiences traveling while black? Was it a joyful experience? Was it a challenging experience? What made it so? This can be traveling locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. What would have made the experience different for you?
We will also welcome your ideas for themes for future gatherings and you won’t want to miss our Closing Dance Party!
This will be a Black Only Sacred Space.
To request a zoom link please email: BLUUHavenChicago@gmail.com.
Update from the Board: March 19, 2021
Want to know what the Board has been working on in February and March?
Want to know more about any of these topics? The Board minutes and agendas are available on the UCE website or feel free to contact the Board at BOT@ucevanston.org!
March 21, 2021
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, March 21st at 11:15 am.
Coming Out of Hibernation
The Spring Equinox draws us out of hibernation, pulls us from isolation to community and reminds us how to be in kinship with the world. As we re-engage, renew commitments, and re-connect with others, may careful and honest attention to ourselves and each other guide the way. Deepening our commitments to self-care, repairing bonds of connection, and the well-being of the whole.
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is Poor People’s Campaign.
VirtUUal Faith Formation: March 12, 2021
What’s Happening in Lifespan Faith Formation?
Welcome as we continue our theme of Commitment! This week we focus on the segments Around the Neighborhood, and On the Porch. Check out this week’s video here. You can access the Soulful Home packet here at your own leisure.
Many Ways to Connect
Family Fun Outdoors – March 21 at 11 am – 12:30 pm – we will meet at North Park Village Nature Center (5801 N Pulaski Rd. Chicago) for a short hike. Families are welcome to stay longer. There is a nature center there, but it might not be open.
Taking Flight Sex Ed Program for 7th-9th Youth – Sunday at 1 pm. Youth must be registered to attend. See the email with Zoom info.
Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers) – March’s materials are available here. The password is YouGotThis2020 (case sensitive.) This UU-based program is to be used all month long. Do whatever fits your family’s schedule.
High School Youth – Outdoor gathering either Saturday or Sunday. Look for an email with details.
Looking Ahead…
Popcorn Theology Online for 6th-8th Grade Youth – March 21 at 1 pm after the nature hike!
Current & Upcoming Adult Faith Formation Programs
Suffering and Meaning in a Process Relational Perspective – Mondays, March 8, 15, 22 at 7-8 pm via Zoom. Facilitated by Barbara Mesle. Pain hurts more when it feels meaningless, so we are powerfully motivated to find some meaning in our suffering.
Neo-Paganism History, Theology, and Ritual – Tuesdays, March 16, 23, 30 at 7-8:30 pm via Zoom. Facilitated by Rev. Susan Frances and Taryn Seawright. In this three-part series, Taryn and Rev. Susan will explore the history, theology, and ritual of Neo-Paganism.
UCE Needs Your 2021-2022 Pledge Today!: March 12, 2021
The last day of the pledge drive is Sunday, March 14. If you’ve already sent in your pledge, THANK YOU. We are so grateful for your generosity.
(And don’t forget, when you pledge you’re automatically entered into the celebration party raffle on March 13!)
If you haven’t pledged yet, please fill out your pledge form now! You will not receive a pledge packet in the mail; your pledge packet has been emailed to you.
To find yours, please search for UCE and 2021-22 PLEDGE DRIVE.
You’ll also want to check out all the resources on the Pledge Drive page, including a FAQ, tips on completing the Google form, how to set up automatic payments, and more.
We can’t finalize our budget for the coming year without your financial commitment. Every pledge matters and every dollar makes UCE’s mission possible.
Here’s how every dollar you give will fund these critical program areas:
Thank you for your generosity … and may what you give bring you joy!
Questions? Jessica Meis is ready to help you at admin@ucevanston.org or (847) 864-1330.
Celebrate the Conclusion of the Pledge Drive: March 13, 2021
Celebrate the conclusion of our pledge drive on TOMORROW Saturday, March 13th with a fun “evening in” cabaret. Pre-parties – a great chance to chat with old friends and make new ones – begin at 6:30 pm. Make sure to tell your UCE friends that you will be there and invite them to join you. The main event gets underway at 7:00 pm and will showcase the New Rhythm Arts Center. UCE member Alicia Oloroso Hempfling is the founder and Executive Director of this innovative community cultural arts center located in Rogers Park. Performances will include African drumming and dance with the opportunity for those of us in the audience to learn some basic drumming rhythms. You will also enjoy performances from a well-known Chicago blues singer as well as homegrown UCE talent.
Submit your pledge form by the end of the evening and be automatically entered into the drawing to win one of three fabulous door prizes: a Lenovo tablet, a gift certificate for Kabul House in Evanston and a fabulous chocolate cake creation from the Carlton family delivered to your door. Don’t miss this special evening. We’ll see you there!
When Will We Return?: March 12, 2021
It has been a year since Covid-19 impacted our community in a tragic way. We closed our doors on March 12th, held our first virtual service on March 15th, and we lost beloved UCE member, John LaPlante, on March 21st. At the time, it seemed unfathomable that we would still be gathering virtually for a full year. Throughout the year, the overwhelming sentiment has been gratitude for the virtual services. We have only recently started to hear questions about when we will return to the building.
It is encouraging that vaccinations are becoming more widely available and accessible. The news of a third vaccine approved and the expectation that enough will be available to vaccinate every adult in the country by the end of May is exciting. For your well-being and the well-being of others, we hope that you will get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Although vaccines are becoming more accessible, we are not considering in person worship services before September. By that time, the expectation is that the adult population will have access to the vaccine and there may be a large enough percentage of UCE members who are vaccinated to ensure relatively low risk gatherings. However, it is important to understand our return to in person gatherings will not be sudden, immediate, or feel ‘back to normal.’ We will continue to need to wear masks and maintain physical distance for some time. We will not have food after services, at least not to start and singing will remain high risk for a long time.
The Covid Task Force is meeting and will be learning more in the coming months, listening to the science, and talking with interfaith community partners to determine safe, accessible, and meaningful gatherings. If you have questions, concerns or creative ideas for gathering, please reach out to Rev. Eileen, or one of the members of the Covid task force: Cathy Deamant, Sarah Iles, Ben Kornfeld, Sandra Robinson, Joe Romeo, Jessica Tomell-Presto, Matthew Snowdon, or Bridget Wild.
Here is the link to the guidelines for in person gatherings which remain in effect for now: https://ucevanston.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Guidelines-for-UCE-Small-Groups-10.22.2020.pdf
