Get Your UCE T-Shirts!

Many of us only know about UCE t-shirts through legend. As far as anyone can remember, we got the last set of UCE t-shirts so that we could have a unified look while marching in Evanston’s 4^th of July parade sometime in the mid to late 2000’s. Some are lucky enough to have the rare version that said, “Nuturing” instead of “Nurturing the Human Spirit”.  The other piece retold in the lore of UCE t-shirts is what a mess it was to manage the inventory and financial transactions. We decided that pre-orders paid for through the auction website would solve those problems, so as part of the fall Serendipity Auction fundraiser, we are selling UCE t-shirts and accepting pre-orders through the auction website. The white t-shirt has a really lovely redesign of the UCE chalice with our mission statement on the back. Our thanks to Sydney Francolino for sharing her design talents for that shirt. (She also designed the UCE Heart pin you can get for $15). The blue shirt features our sanctuary windows and was designed by Chris Allender. T-shirts are $35, sizes 2T-3X, and the pre-order deadline is Sunday 11/5. We hope you will get one of each, maybe to wear to Public Square events or maybe just to wear to the grocery because it makes you feel warm and connected to UCE and all of its beloved people. Thank you for supporting UCE and the fall fundraiser with your t-shirt purchase!

Soul & Smoke at the Serendipity Auction Celebration Dinner

If you haven’t yet, you owe it to yourself to make your way over to 1601 Payne St., back behind the Walgreens on Green Bay Rd, to Soul & Smoke for the best BBQ in Chicagoland.  We are fortunate to have them cater the Serendipity Auction Celebration Dinner 11/18.  If you pre-order your dinner tickets (https://bit.ly/SoulSmoke) before 11/9, you will get the early-bird pricing of $18 for an adult meal, $10 for a child’s portion. There are vegan and gluten free options. Soul & Smoke is a woman-owned, minority-owned small business in Evanston and knowing that makes it feel good to support them.  But amazing taste is also an excellent reason to visit them.  Be ready for what the Chicago Tribune calls, “Absurdly juicy, with a delicate smokiness that floats around the edges.  This barbecue is worth savoring.” If you prefer their vegetarian sides or vegan sliders, you are in for a treat.  The Signature Mac + Cheese is decadent, the Corn Bread Muffin indulgent and the Apple Slaw is a perfect blend of creamy crunchy sweetness.  Most items on the menu are gluten free. They source from regional farms, compost their waste, pay a fair wage of $20+ per hour and host a community fridge that supplies meals, free of charge, to anyone in need. Lots of reasons to feel good about making Soul & Smoke one of your go-tos and not to wait to order your Celebration Dinner tickets.

That time of year is here – brisk air, anticipating when the trees will burst into color, pumpkin flavored everything, and making sure the Serendipity Auction is on your calendar.  The 45th annual Serendipity Auction is Saturday, November 18th from 4:30-8:30.  We are trying some new things this year.  UCE t-shirts and pins are for sale. The raffle is live now and includes a $2K resort package, dinner at Oceanique and the chance to choose one of Rev. Eileen’s sermon topics.  Watch your email inbox and UCE’s Member to Member Facebook page for some fun items being raffled off for free leading up to the big event.  Saturday 11/11 we will have an Auction Preview Party, where we will demystify using QR codes and bidding from your phone over wine and cheese. Dinner is being catered by Evanston’s Soul & Smoke – amazing food made by people who share our values of sustainability and building community. And a DANCE!  After the auction closes at 7pm, there will be dancing and music from different eras, group dances, a chance to learn a new dance and all with a focus on including every body, age and ability.

Some things that have remained the same – loading up your calendar with so many great group events won at the auction.  Meeting new people and catching up with old friends at the Celebration Event.  Seeing all the amazing hand-made items made by members.  Getting those warm feelings each time you see that item around your house for years to come. And of course, raising money to support the amazing work this faith community does to nourish each of us and transform our world.  We hope you will come to the big event, donate something to the auction and sign up to volunteer.  Go to fundraiser.bid/UCE or email auction@ucevanston.org for more information.

September 14th Post

It’s time to get ready for the 45^th annual Serendipity Auction!  Join us Saturday, November 18^th from 4:30 – 8:30 for our largest community event and fundraiser.  You‘ll find so many opportunities for connection, for sharing creativity and having a whole lot of fun. We will have dinner catered by Soul & Smoke. The Serendipity Dance begins at 7pm.  There is a Kids FUNtime Activity and Childcare in Room 3. Our online auction opens for bidding 9am Wednesday, November 8^th and closes at 7pm November 18^th during the celebration event. Please donate an item or event to the auction! The deadline to donate is Monday November 6th.  We have some helpful donation ideas and feel free to reach out to the Auction Committee at auction@ucevanston.org or call Chris at 773-368-1203 for help finessing an idea.  Please volunteer!  There are lots of opportunities to join in the excitement of putting together this grand event.  Our deepest hope is that this open and inclusive celebratory event expands our covenantal community, and if you are just getting to know us, you will feel a sense of warmth and kinship. We are so excited to get to spend this time together in community to raise money to support all the good work UCE does to nourish and transform the world. 

QUICK LINKS:

Serendipity Auction: https://event.auctria.com/a05c54ec-da48-42df-a235-a68443ab6ad4/aa6cd270-8751-11e9-a741-3fcfcb35cbb0

Soul & Smoke: https://event.auctria.com/a05c54ec-da48-42df-a235-a68443ab6ad4/84739088d2234f318af333648d1cb2a9

Kids FUNtime Activity and Childcare: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnWTzwHj3lxPIuszSyY_ZFRylVaMdQBXCRo5X4656cXcxylQ/viewform

Donate: https://event.auctria.com/a05c54ec-da48-42df-a235-a68443ab6ad4/700a85ac0b054c3b9a0a16aa7b858b93

This year’s Serendipity Auction is brimming with amazing and creative offerings. Click here to view the Serendipity Auction catalog. Check out the beautiful photograph cards by Barb Seyfried or the ceramic work of Will Van Dyke. Enjoy an evening of homemade pizza and drinks with Hoa Voscott and Ned Schaub. There are several gift certificates from generous local businesses, theatre tickets, sports teams and art classes and that’s just the beginning!

Consider a walking tour of historic churches or come to an Uno tournament. Hoping to get away to a quiet place when the weather warms up again, look at this wonderful lodging option in Indiana.

We have 88 offerings so far (almost half from local businesses) and WE’D LOVE (AND NEED) TO HAVE MORE! Consider hosting an intergenerational game night with refreshments; a theme dinner or backyard barbecue for families. Offer a ride to the airport or to shovel snow. Have a special talent or skill to share? Click here for other inspiration! ? Contact us at auction@ucevanston.org.

Looking for a way to stay connected to UCE? Click here to sign up to volunteer to help with the Serendipity Auction, one of our largest fundraisers. Last year we netted over $30,000.

This year, our auction will kick-off on Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 11:30 am and online bidding begins through the UCE auction website and ends with a chance to see the auction items at our FUN Evening Celebration Party, Saturday November 12, 2022 from 5:00-8:00 pm, with dinner and entertainment.

This year, we will need a lot more volunteers, particularly for the evening celebration. If each of us pitches in to help cover a shift, we can all have a great, fun time together! A great way for new people to be a part of a UCE tradition.

Would you consider volunteering to…?

· Set up the auction items during auction week

· Greet and check-in during the Celebration Party

· Be a bartender or help set up, serve or clean up the dinner during the event

· Be a runner after the auction closes to gather items

· Distribute items to the lucky winners!

· Create a joyful and entertaining Closing Celebration Party

Want a flexible volunteer opportunity to do on your own time? We need volunteers to reach out to identified businesses for follow-up of donations.

To get connected to your ideal volunteer position, please contact us at auction@ucevanston.org. Not sure how you might help, contact us and we can figure it out together.