Senior Minister Archives

Where’s the off ramp?

I drove downtown this week to spend time with Meadville Lombard seminarians during their ingathering week. I exited Lake Shore Drive, following my GPS directions but I missed the off ramp from Lower Wacker Drive to get to Michigan Ave where I needed to be. I was stuck in the underworld of Lower Wacker, the street below the street, my GPS unable to detect that I was in the wrong place because from the satellite view above me, I was in the right place. I couldn’t figure out how to get out, back to the street directly above me where my destination was.

Where is the off ramp?! I whined to myself, until I figured out I could turn left and then left again to emerge into the daylight.

I’ve been holding this question, “Where is the off ramp?,” raised in a very different context, for the last 10 days. The Covid Task Force met for the first time since last spring. In May, we decided to continue the mask requirement for larger indoor gatherings including Sunday mornings. Given the large number of cases, we thought it better to hold steady with the extra precaution. When we met last Wednesday, lowering the mask requirement was the main focus of discussion. The question was raised, “Where is the off ramp?” meaning, what are the circumstances in which it would make sense to move from a requirement to a recommendation? If The CDC, Illinois Department of Public Health and the Evanston Health Department have all removed the mask mandate and public spaces all around us are without this requirement, does it make sense for us to keep this requirement in place?

Throughout the pandemic, we have been more cautious than the health agencies we have been turning to for guidance, and there is still strong evidence that masks effectively lessen the risks of catching Covid. However, given that nearly every place in our public lives – schools, stores, airplanes, buses, trains, and entertainment venues – have made masks optional, and given the fact that there are readily available vaccines, boosters (and soon, even better boosters), tests, and effective treatments, and given that a very large majority have already gotten Covid and recovered, it feel as though this might be the time to make mask wearing up to the individual.

As a Task Force, we are also considering the social, emotional, and spiritual well-being of people of all ages as well as accessibility for those who have trouble hearing. We recognize that this may feel like a big shift for some members. We are not suggesting that this means Covid is over and we no longer need to consider mitigations. We still expect all of us to abide by our covenant of care for one another. If you are ill or may have been exposed to someone with Covid, please don’t come to church. Test yourself and see your doctor. Follow the CDC’s isolation guidelines. If you feel uncomfortable being around large groups without a mask, please know that you are encouraged to wear a mask as long as you need to and as long as feels right to you.

We acknowledge that not everyone is in the same place with this. Please know that you are invited to share your questions or concerns with the ministers. You can reach out to me directly via email to share your thoughts. You can also take this quick poll to let the Covid Task Force know how you feel about this shift. Here are the new building use guidelines that will soon be posted to our website.

Absent a compelling reason to continue the requirement, we plan to move from masks required to masks encouraged on Sunday mornings beginning October 2nd. We continue to hold one another in care and love as we navigate the complexities of building Beloved Community.

Yours in faith,

Eileen

Where’s the off ramp?UCE UCE2022-09-16T16:41:49+00:00

Ministers Response to leaked US Supreme Court draft: May 6, 2022

UCE Ministers Response to Leaked U.S. Supreme Court Draft Opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health

We know that many of you are struggling, as we are, with the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that appears to overturn the decision in Roe vs. Wade establishing the right to an abortion. The viewpoint in the leaked draft opinion is a direct threat to many of the values we hold dear as Unitarian Universalists. It would overturn the decision in Roe vs. Wade, which established the right to an abortion as a privacy right guaranteed by federal constitutional law. In addition to impairing reproductive rights (which are human rights) for many people, particularly marginalized people, this opinion would create a threat to all other privacy rights critical to maintaining our liberty. In this climate where our Unitarian Universalist values are so deeply politicized, it is hard to feel safe and easy to feel defeated. But we must work to stay together, to support each other and those who are most vulnerable to the stripping away of human rights. Let us work together to stay engaged and emboldened in protecting and advocating for our values in the world, in whatever ways we can.  

Here are some resources you might find useful: 

Attend the We Won’t Go Back Rally this Saturday, May 7, 2022, at noon at Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn, Chicago: https://fb.me/e/1ES4xL5hD. Meet Rev. Susan and Rev. Eileen at 11:45 am outside Garrett Popcorn, 27 W. Jackson Blvd, and walk over to Federal Plaza together.
Train to help provide resources in Illinois, a state that is an oasis of reproductive rights:
Self-Managed Abortion and the Law Training, Wed May 11 from Noon-1:30 CST , REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/UuuKH1bgnDL2zgy7A

More info: Knowing that Illinois will become a critical source of access to abortion for surrounding states if the Supreme Court rolls back Roe v. Wade (which is expected in late June), faith communities are organizing to identify what we can do–and the potential legal risks of doing so. This training on Self-Managed Abortion and the Law will be provided by If/When/How, a national organization of lawyers dedicated to reproductive justice. https://www.ifwhenhow.org/.

Read the UUA’s Side With Love Campaign response, which includes other action steps, including being involved in Voting Rights efforts.

You are not alone with your sorrow and worry, Beloveds. Please reach out to either one of us if you want to talk, cry, rage, or move into action. 

~ Rev. Eileen and Rev. Susan

Ministers Response to leaked US Supreme Court draft: May 6, 2022UCE UCE2022-05-06T18:04:13+00:00

Widening the Circle during Faith Formation Hour: October 17, 2021

Faith Formation Hour – 3rd Sundays
Small Group Discussions

October 17th 11:30-12:30
1st Chapter – Theology

Adult congregants are encouraged to participate in small group discussions of the Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, Widening the Circle of Concern. This report is a guiding document for UCE’s Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression work. For our discussion in October, it is strongly recommended that you read the chapter on Theology before October 17th so that you are prepared for the conversation.

These conversations will be taking place in-person as well as on Zoom. If you hold a marginalized identity and would want an identity-based caucus space to discuss Widening the Circle of Concern, please contact Rev. Eileen Wiviott or Rev. Susan Frances by October 10th so we can arrange that space.

If you would like to take part on Zoom, here is the link for October 17th at 11:30 am: https://zoom.us/j/93634773993?pwd=TXlTMG9XODd3dEFkd2Z0aEZnWkZSUT09 

The UUA Commission on Institutional Change (COIC) was commissioned by the 2017 General Assembly to conduct an audit of the power structures within the UUA and analyze systemic racism and white supremacy culture within our movement. This report, issued in June 2020, is the result of three years of labor by the COIC, gathering painful stories and doing the difficult emotional labor of identifying the ways systemic racism exists within Unitarian Universalism. The purpose and goals of the report include, to “identify the aspects of [white supremacy] culture that must be dismantled to transform us into a faith for our times.”

As the Board of Trustees, staff, and a few members have engaged with this report over the past year, we are clear that dismantling systemic racism within our institution is a shared responsibility and requires all of us to take part. Please join us in these vital conversations the 3rd Sunday of each month during the Faith Formation Hour through June 2022 (except April will be the 2nd Sunday).

~ Rev. Eileen Wiviott and Rev. Susan Frances

Widening the Circle during Faith Formation Hour: October 17, 2021UCE UCE2021-10-01T15:39:14+00:00