Name Change Circles will be held for 14 days starting October 2 through October 15. The Circles will be facilitated by the UCE Board of Trustees. The Circles will give our Beloved Community members an opportunity to share their thoughts/feelings on a name change, an opportunity to express empathy for those who think/feel differently about a name change, and an opportunity to propose a name. The Circles will be conducted similar to a Covenant Group. Deep Listening is an integral component of the process. After the closing words of a Circle members will be asked to fill out a form that shares the member’s circle answers in written form. The forms will add options for next steps. For those that cannot make it to a circle we will offer other opportunities to fill out a form. We want to hear from as many members who choose to have their voice heard. We will accept forms until October 31.

The purpose of the Circles and the written forms is both to give our Beloved Community an opportunity to be heard on the issue of a possible name change and to give the Board of Trustees data to make a recommendation on whether to further explore a name change. We will make a recommendation shortly after the October 31 deadline.

The Circle times are, Saturday and Sundays at 12:30, Weeknights (except Thursdays) at 7:00, and Thursdays at 7:30. The room numbers vary. The Circles will vary in length. The opportunities to speak will be time limited. The opportunity to share your thoughts and feeling will be two minutes long, the empathy piece will be one minute long,the name proposal will be a few seconds to propose a name. We are not looking for a discussion of specific names at this point. If there are 30 people the Circle will probably last about 1:45. If there are four people the Circle will probably last around 18 minutes.

Please contact us with any questions.

Submitted by: Brian Meister

During the month of October we will offer UCE members opportunities to share your thoughts on a possible name change for our Beloved Community from the Unitarian Church of Evanston. From Oct 2 to Oct 15 circles will be offered every day for the UCE membership to explore the name change topic. The Saturday and Sunday circles will start at 12:30. The weekday circles will start at 7:00. For those not able to join in a circle there will be an opportunity to fill out the same form that circle participants will be asked to fill out. The circle and form will give you opportunities; to share your thoughts/feelings on a name change, to express empathy for those who think/feel differently than you do, and to share specific names you think fits our Beloved Community. We hope to hear from you as we will use the information we gather during October to make a recommendation on next steps. Thank you and peace to you.

Submitted by: Brian Meister

Some people consider January the beginning of a new year, but another opportunity for renewal happens when the seasons change in September. It also marks the beginning of the new church year. It’s when we return from our travels or our relaxing summer breaks to the excitement of another year at UCE filled with possibility.

Many congregants may not know the Board of Trustees sets goals every year. It’s our way to focus our energy and resources in order to make the biggest difference. After a lot of brainstorming, the board members came up with these six goals and we wanted to share them with you:

1. Seek to help improve the Children/Youth Program and the Learning Associates Program

Some consider the religious education program to be the most important program in the church, because it is the future of our congregation. In addition to the children’s programs, membership at UCE is about learning and expanding our knowledge even as adults. The board set this goal in order to throw our support behind all of our educational programs.

2. Assure that the Long-Range Plan continues toward activation

Last year, UCE started the important process of creating a long-range plan. The staff and most church groups thought about where they want to be in 5 years and what they need in order to get there. The Long-Range Planning Task Force will present the assimilated plans to the board in September, then we’ll have our kick-off after that. Stay tuned.

3. Increase Congregational Linkage through Communications

The third goal is part of the reason for this newsletter article. The word “linkage” may not have a lot of meaning to you if you’ve never served on the board. What it means is creating open communication between the congregation and the Board of Trustees. We started this process last year with the congregational survey and hope to continue improving our communication.

Throughout the church year we will working on ways to “link” the board to the congregation. Plans include: more frequent newsletter articles, being more visible in the UCE community and on the website, and a casual forum to share updates and field questions/suggestions from the congregation.

4. Better match UCE goals with board competencies

The board is entrusted to hold the congregation’s vision for the church and to work toward that vision. Therefore, we want the right people serving on the board. This year we plan to do a “board composition analysis,” to determine the strengths of the current board members and what type of skills and talents we will need in future board members. Then, we will work with the Nominating and Recruiting Committee to make that happen.

5. Improve board’s effectiveness through education

The UCE Board of Trustees is a volunteer body. Each of us was nominated because of our skills or involvement in the church; however, many of us had never served on a church board before. In order to best serve the congregation, we will complete educational activities this year to further our effectiveness, such as meeting with other UU boards.

6. Be a role model in the UU movement

UCE is a large congregation filled with innovators and innovation. The board aims to put UCE at the forefront of Unitarian Universalism by seeking to present at Mid America and/or General Assembly about our experience with policy governance and our long-range planning process.
If there is anything you want to know or ways in which you would like us to communicate please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us. https://ucevanston.org/board-of-trustees/

Submitted by: Kerry Heckman

The Board of Trustees invites our Beloved Community to a conversation on the exploration of the community’s interest in a name change, during the month of October. The Board has structured a process that will be experienced in “Conversation Circles.” The goal in the process is to have your voices/interests heard, while using our Covenant of Engagement as a model for civil, courageous, and loving conversation.

Depending on the outcome of expressed interests, we’ll see if there is enough interest to go further in the name change exploration. If there does not seem to be a desire of the community to move forward with a name change, the Board would recommend that the discussion end for the year. If there seems to be a desire to explore the topic further, the Board has a process to proceed.

The Process of Exploration

The October conversations, facilitated by the Board, will be done in Conversation Circles. Participants will have an opportunity to express their thoughts/feelings. Then they will express their opinions on a form about going forward or not. An opportunity for non-Circle participants to complete this form will be made available as well. The Board will compile the information gathered and report to the community the results.

Please Attend!

October 2-15: Fourteen days of Conversation Circles will be made available to fit everyone’s schedule.

The circle process (in covenant group style with deep listening):

• Chalice lighting/opening words
• Two minute opportunities to express thoughts/feelings on a name change
• One minute opportunities to express empathy with those who differ
• Opportunity to propose a name change
• Reflection in thought and filling out a form on the issue
• Extinguish the chalice with closing words

If you have questions, please reach out to Brian Meister or Janelle Brittain of the Board along with the other Board members. We look forward to your participation in this conversation.