Hi, Friends,

UCE was again a polling place on March 17th for three precincts during the primary election. Since 2024, when we resumed being a polling place, I have enjoyed the camaraderie with the election judges in the 5-6 am hour when I arrive to let them in for the day. And my favorite part of voting day has become the moment at 6 am, when one of the election judges asks me to unlock the parking lot doors and then steps outside to proclaim “The polls are open.” 

This primary election, I was pleased to see more children with their parents than usual. I feel this might be because with all our country is going through, parents are motivated to make sure that the next generation understands not only what democracy means, but how, as a citizen, you actively engage with it. 

I am grateful for the unique ways each of us is doing what we can to live into our mission of nurturing the human spirit for a world made whole. The photo is of me on voting day wearing my UU the Vote shirt and the Melt the ICE hat handmade for me by Lynn Kendall. I wore my Melt the ICE hat again to the No Kings rally in Chicago on March 28th, where I was pleased that the speakers included two high school students who spoke honestly about the fear they and their classmates are experiencing due to the tactics of ICE agents in the Chicagoland area. My friends, we must stay engaged. Voting, crafting, protesting, playing – there is no one way to be engaged in caring for ourselves, our society, and our planet.

The day following the No Kings rallies, our Membership Team put together a lovely New Member Reception. We celebrated the 15 people who joined on Sunday, March 29th and the 9 people who joined in October. Plus, we have 9 more people who have joined over the past year but have not yet been available to participate in one of our new member worship services. I invite you to look around on Sunday mornings and take a moment to greet someone you do not know.

As we continue to build community within UCE, we also continue to build our community relationships across Evanston. Climate Action Evanston has put together a nice list of the Earth Day events happening April 18-26, along with who is sponsoring each event. The week starts off here at UCE on April 18th. That afternoon from 2-5 pm, we will be hosting the Community Earth Day Celebration organized by Climate Action Evanston and I will be providing the welcoming remarks. 

The upcoming week of Earth Day activities ends on April 26th with the Interfaith Action “Prayers for Planet” Service Day and Community Prayer from 10 am – 3 pm at the Evanston Ecology Center. Rev. Eileen will be providing a reading during the Prayers for Planet liturgy. I invite you to check out the list of Earth Day events and participate as you can. 

May we continue to care for each other and the next generation as we show up for democracy, show up for the planet, and show up for love.

Yours in Faith,

Rev. Susan

Hi Friends,

I spent the last week of January at the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association’s continuing education institute in Albuquerque, NM. The same conference Dr. Emma Farrell attended. The photo is of me on a walk along the Rio Grande on the last day of the conference. I was heartened to be with UU ministers from across the country who are collaborating with their congregations and local community partners to inspire hope and actively resist authoritarianism. I returned home feeling connected, not only to the vast network of UUs in the U.S., but to a vision of our country’s future that is humane, inclusive, rational, and possible.

Coming together with people who share our values is one way to continue to restore our energy and refocus our commitment to the ongoing work needed to preserve our democracy. This year, my wife and I are sponsoring a virtual table at the annual luncheon of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU-IL) in the name of UCE and you are invited to join us! This year’s theme is Fighting For A More Perfect Union and the keynote speaker is Melissa Murray, who I know about from the podcast Strict Scrutiny. The luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 12:00-1:30 pm. Please RSVP to Rev. Susan by completing this form by March 6th. You do not need to pay for a ticket, you are invited to be our guest.

An opportunity to connect with people who share our UU values is coming up at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual General Assembly (GA) being held from Sunday, June 14, through Sunday, June 21, 2026. This year’s GA is completely online. Congregations and regions are being encouraged to sponsor watch parties. 

On Saturday, June 20th, UCE will be hosting watch parties for Meet the Moment trainings from 10 am – 5 pm, and then for the annual Ware Lecture from 7 – 8 pm. If you would like to help coordinate these events at UCE, please email me. It is requested that participants in the Saturday events be registered for GA. Click here to register for GA 2026. The early bird fee is available through April 30th. If you are in need of a registration scholarship, please review the options from the UUA and then if you need further assistance from UCE, click here for the application.

Then, on Sunday, June 21st, everyone is invited to join us in the sanctuary for the Community Sing Along from 9:30-10:00 am and worship from 10:00-11:30 am. You do not need to be a registered attendant for GA to attend on Sunday. Please note the times in your calendar as these replace our regular 10:30 am worship service on June 21st.

My friends, I hope you know we are not alone. That there are UUs and others across our state and country who are also working for a better future. As we work to shape a shared future, I encourage you to reach out to me, Rev. Eileen, the Pastoral Care Team, or your friends and family when you need support; to rest when you need to restore your body, mind, or spirit; and, to take a moment to breathe deeply, appreciate the lengthening days, and rejoice in the changing of the seasons as spring approaches.

Yours in shaping our future,

Rev. Susan

Hi,Friends,

I knew this year was going to be difficult, but I did not expect the first thing to be the murder of a rapid responder in her own neighborhood. Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7, 2026. She was not the first person to suffer this fate. On September 12, 2025, Silverio Villegas González was shot at close range by an ICE agent in Franklin Park during Operation Midway Blitz and over 30 other people have died at the hands of ICE since the current White House administration took office.

I am proud of our congregation for having the capacity and willingness to host the vigil on January 11th organized by Indivisible Evanston to remember these victims and to demand accountability by the agents involved and their superiors. I am also proud of our communities for our continued commitment to meet ICE’s violence with steadfast peaceful, nonviolent protest. 

Keep reaching out to each other. Keep taking breaks from the news. Keep showing up. It is important to take care of yourself in order to stay engaged. We are in this together and together we will make it through this day, this week, this month.

The last week of December, my wife and I attended the family birthday party for one of my nephews. It was a rock climbing party in a set of converted grain elevators. I had never been climbing before and decided to try it. I loved it. The photo is of me at the top of the beginner’s wall. Before we could climb on our own, we had to participate in their orientation session. This week I have been returning to three things the instructor told us.

First, stand at the bottom and look up. From what you can see, make a plan for your ascent. Most days, I can envision a future for our country in which we have moved through what is happening right now by, as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described, committing to “the creative power of nonviolence as the force which is capable of winning lasting and meaningful brotherhood and peace.” My vision rests in a hope that we will not return to the status quo, but will forge a future in which accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and accountable public officials become the norm. 

Second, trust the auto-belay. You won’t be willing to take the risky move if you don’t trust that when you fall, you will be caught. We have to find the people and communities that we can trust, so that we are willing to take the risks needed to climb into the future. I am grateful to be part of our congregation and our faith movement, in which I have found individuals and institutions that I trust to support me, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, in this difficult time in our country’s history. If you are still developing that trust and there is a way I might support you, please do not hesitate to contact me at sfrances@ucevanson.org.

Third, stay focused on your next move. I cannot control the lies published online. I can take one deep breath. I cannot control the chaotic, illegal, and inhumane events created by the federal government. I can show up at one vigil or one protest. I cannot stop the tears that come as I read the news. I can laugh with one other person. I cannot change the laws, but I can write one email to one legislator or cast my one vote. I cannot stop the exhausting stream of events, but I can take one nap. Balance your next move of action with an additional move of self-care. 

These three concepts apply to our personal lives as well. When you are feeling overwhelmed by any aspect of life: create a plan, find people you trust to support you, and stay focused on what you need to do next. If we keep doing these together, we’ll make it through. We’re stronger together.

Yours in collectively climbing into our future,

Rev. Susan

Hi Friends,

One of my new spiritual practices is finding local outdoor places to explore. This summer I randomly received in a mailing solicitation a map of “100 Spots to Explore the Chicago Lakefront” from Openlands, an organization doing good work “conserving nature for life.” I love the snow, so I’ve continued to be out for snowy walks and the photo is of me recently exploring the Rogers Park Beach, one of the spots on the Openlands’ map.

During this holiday season, one of my renewed spiritual practices is being purposely present wherever I am. With the political and geopolitical worlds weighing heavy on my heart and my mind, I am intentionally making time to tend to my body and my spirit this winter. I’m seeking to find the balance of nurturing my whole being so that I may have the capacity to continue to engage in the world. I’m seeking to find the balance of holding the grief of death and the challenges of preserving our democracy alongside embracing the joy of celebrating my personal holidays and the holidays of those I cherish.

Our large congregation has members with many theological traditions and religious backgrounds and as we move through this winter holiday season, we celebrate different traditions. On December 8, we celebrate Bodhi Day, which commemorates the day Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, becoming the Buddha. 

December 14-22, we celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, which commemorates the struggle for religious freedom through the Maccabean Revolt and celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miraculous relighting of the temple’s menorah for eight days with a single jar of oil.

For decades I have spent the winter holidays celebrating with various Pagan communities. The winter solstice on December 21 marks the longest night of the year. It is a time of rest and renewal, when animals hibernate and plants decompose to replenish the soil. As humans in modern society, we have to make the choice to rest and renew. It is in this spirit of caring for yourself that I invite you to figure out how you might make time for rest and renewal in the weeks ahead. 

I am trying to have daily spiritual practices of mindfulness, prayer, and planning. As I travel to and from UCE during the week, I set an intention to appreciate the beauty of the brilliant snow during the day and the twinkling holiday lights at night. As I end each day, I make time for prayer that includes lament for the day’s events and gratitude for the day’s gifts. As I make plans for the holidays, I set an intention to be fully present with family and friends. Mickey and I planned a weeklong Thanksgiving celebration, being with my parents on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, spending time with a dear friend on Monday, being at home just the two of us for most of Thanksgiving Day, and spending the Saturday after Thanksgiving with Mickey’s family. 

As fresh grief and the grief of marking the anniversaries of missed loved ones is upon us this holiday season, I invite you to join us for a Blue Holiday Service in the sanctuary from 5:30-6:30 pm on Wednesday, December 10. If the weight of what is happening with our country or around the world is weighing on you, please join us for this service when we honor the challenges that do not go away, and sometimes intensify, during the winter holidays. If you need, or someone you know needs, some support right now, please fill out a Request for Care form or email me, Rev. Eileen, or Rev. Elizabeth. 

You are also invited to join in the festivities of celebrating our Christian heritage in a UU way with our tree ornament making Sunday on December 7, our Holiday Music Sunday on December 14, our Christmas Pageant on December 21, and our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on December 24. The list of events is located on the Home page of our website and in this newsletter. Come craft and sing and laugh and be comforted! 

In this snowy winter wonder land, take care of yourself and join us! You are not alone. You are valued within our faith tradition. You are loved this holiday season for exactly who you are.

Yours in wintry rest and renewal,

Rev. Susan

Hi, Friends,

I had so much fun at our SOLARbration! I loved singing along with the live music, meeting the speakers, and especially the ribbon cutting. Mary Beth Roth took the photo of me immediately following the cutting of the green ribbon with the giant scissors to celebrate the installation of our solar panels.

Each week I am grateful to be part of this faith community that values finding ways to celebrate and restore one’s spirit alongside the social engagement needed in this moment to continue to seek accountability for the ongoing abuse of power within our federal government systems. You inspire me.

Our Catalyst for Democracy Team has joined our Social Justice Council and is launching a Love Resists: Engaging in Noncooperation campaign. The focus areas of the Love Resists campaign are:

· Action

· Building Community

· Training geared toward engagement

Catalyst team members will be organizing within these areas and sharing ways to engage through the newsletter and through our UCE Local Response Network. Right now, there are many ways to get engaged. Please remember that you don’t have to do or attend all the things. That if each of us is engaged when and how we can be, then we are able to take turns and continue to make a difference. The vital part is that we all are participating, which includes reaching out for support when we need it, making time to rest when we need it, and then doing the one next thing that we can do.

The hard work of social change includes the laughter and joy of community building. I encourage you to reach out to each other, to your friends and families, to your neighbors and colleagues and talk with them about what it is that you are able to do together.

Here are four ways to support Building Community through Mutual Aid:

· Sunday, November 23, 2025. Bring a gift card of any kind and any denomination along with your loaf of bread to our Bread Communion service on November 23rd. We will be giving the collected gift cards to Interfaith Action of Evanston to distribute through their Hospitality Center run out of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church from 7-11 am, Monday – Friday.

· Thursday, November 27, 2025. Volunteer on Thanksgiving Day at the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for our Interfaith Action Soup Kitchen Guests. You may sign-up to donate food to be delivered between 12:00-12:30 pm. You may sign-up to volunteer at the dinner between 12:00-4:30 pm.

· Fill up the UCE Giving House located in our lobby. We are collecting pasta, rice, grains, beans, cereal, soups, canned fish, and canned meat to donate to C&W Market Foundation in Evanston.

· Support the Evanston Community Fridges. You may contribute funds online or donate food at one of the three locations.

If you could benefit from some material, emotional, or spiritual support, please connect with Rev. Eileen, ewiviott@ucevanston.org, Rev. Elizabeth, eharding@ucevanston.org, or myself, sfrances@ucevanston.org, or complete our Request for Care form. You are not alone.

Here are four Actions in the Chicagoland area in which UUs are organizing to attend together:

· Tuesday, November 11th, 11 am – 1 pm, join a coalition supporting Vets Say No! at the Chicago Vietnam Veterans Memorial along the Chicago Riverwalk at 24 E. Wacker Drive. All are welcome.

· Friday, November 14th, 9 – 10 am, join a coalition of faith leaders at the Broadview Detention Center with this cry, “God Demands Freedom! Faith Leaders Say No More Abductions!” NOTE: It is anticipated that there will be a large police presence and recent history suggests that the police may act aggressively towards demonstrators, so interested persons are encouraged to proceed with caution.

· Sunday, November 16th, join a statewide coalition including the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI) at protests across Illinois in front of your local AT&T store to demand that AT&T cancel its contract providing communication services and equipment to ICE. Gather outside the Evanston AT&T store located at 1620 Chicago Avenue from 1:30-2:30 pm. All are welcome.

· Every Thursday join our Beacons of Light gathering at Dempster & Ridge. The time has changed and we now meet from 4:00-4:30 pm so drivers are able to read our signs before the sun sets. All are welcome.

Details of these events will be sent out through our UCE Local Response Network (LRN). If you would like to be added to this email list to receive details about these and future events, please click here to submit the form to request being added to the LRN. If you would like to join the organizing work within our congregation, which assists in determining what is shared through the LRN, please contact one of these team leaders with the Catalyst for Democracy Team: Mary Dudek, Shirley Adams, Mary Ellen McGoey, or Michael Skilton.

Our values of interdependence, equity, transformation, pluralism, generosity, and justice, grounded in love, lead us to nonviolent action, lead us to care for each other, and lead us to be involved in shaping our future. Knowing that there are many months of engagement ahead, it is important to continue making time to rest and enjoy the things and the people who fill you up so you can continue being involved.

Yours in shaping our future,

Rev. Susan

Hi Friends,

Mickey and I just returned from four days at Starved Rock State Park. We celebrated our 18-year wedding anniversary on Monday evening on the patio of a restaurant overlooking the Illinois River with delicious food and a flock of freshwater pelicans as entertainment.

The changing climate was evident at the park. The few park rangers we talked with bemoaned that the nine canyon waterfalls that rely on rain to feed them were dry this year due to limited rain fall. St. Louis Canyon, the only canyon waterfall in the park that relies on a spring to feed it was still flowing. I’m standing in front of that waterfall in the photo. This trip reminded me how grateful I am that our congregation continues to be proactive about finding ways to reduce the negative impacts of our consumption of natural resources.

I hope you will stay after the service this Sunday, October 12^th, from 12-1 pm for our Solarbration! Rev. Nic Faison, the Outreach Director of Faith in Place, Cara Pratt, the City of Evanston’s Sustainability Officer, and Chris Gersch, the CEO of Verde, will speak in the sanctuary before we head out onto the South Lawn for a congregational photo as part of a green ribbon cutting. We will honor the bequest from Barbara Young and the grant from Faith in Place that allowed us to afford to install our solar panels this year. Then, you are invited to view the solar panels on the wing from my office windows and enjoy treats provided by our Green Team.

I also hope that you will find a way to be engaged next weekend, on Saturday, October 18^th, with the No Kings day. Here are a few options for ways to be engaged:

• 10:00 am, training at Second Baptist Church, Evanston, IL. Join facilitators from Second Baptist Church in a “Houses of Worship: Preparing for ICE Encounters” interactive and skill-building workshop. See flyer in this newsletter for details. If you attend this, please contact me so we can find ways to share what you learned.
• 10:30 am, No Kings Rally at Fountain Square, Evanston, IL. Rev. Eileen and UCE folks will meet at 10:30 am on the southwest corner of Fountain Square.
• 12:00 pm, No Kings Rally at Butler Field in Grant Park, Chicago, IL. Rev. Susan and UCE folks will meet at 11:45 am on Michigan Avenue in front of the lion on the south side of the stairs to the Art Institute and walk over to Butler Field together.
• All day, call or email your federal representative and senators to encourage them to continue to request a full release of the Epstein files or to thank them for a vote that was in line with your values.
• All day, make a financial donation to a non-profit organization that shares your values.

Many of you know that I am on the Board of the Illinois Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU-IL). Their message on October 3^rd was: “On Saturday, October 18, No Kings protests will be happening across the country. To push back against the administration, we must show up and protest in large numbers. If you have not attended protests in the past, this is the moment to do so. It is important to encourage everyone in your network to attend a protest to take a stand against the abuses of power from this administration.”

If you would like to be added to the UCE Local Response Network (LRN), which is the internal email list we use to send out information about civic meetings, rallies, and vigils, as well as about trainings and preparing for demonstrations, please click here to submit the form to request being added to the LRN.

I was also reminded this week that this fight against the diminishment of civil rights and human rights for citizens and non-citizens, this push back against the fear of violence, and this choice to experience the joy and beauty in everyday life is something we can do. Something that previous generations have done. One of our UCE members who recently returned from the Alabama Living Legacy Pilgrimage sent me this quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Rabbi Heschel marched in the Selma Civil Rights Movement and wrote: “For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying.'”

Let us pray with our participation this coming Saturday. Let our pluralist faith be a beacon of hope for all fighting for civil and human rights. Let our covenantal faith bring us into deeper relationships so that our future is not a return to the status quo, but a movement into our country’s future with a government that supports the most vulnerable and a culture that embraces all.

In hope,

Rev. Susan

Hi Friends,

Strength in community. That is where our present and future lies.

I know the uncertainty of potential national guard troops being deployed in Chicago and the ongoing appearances of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Chicago, Evanston, and other suburbs is weighing on us. I know the increase in invitations to show up to protest against troop deployment and ICE raids and to rally for our democracy is overwhelming. Please try to remember that the infliction of stress, fear, and the feelings of being overwhelmed are part of the tactics of an authoritarian government to seek cooperation and compliance.

It is with a view toward the coming weeks and months, that I sincerely ask you to make time to do things that calm your nervous system – purposeful breathing or exercise, warm baths and enough sleep, listening to calming music or gathering with friends and family who delight you.

This is also a time be measured in how we are engaging with each other. This week, I have experienced that, collectively, our nerves are starting to fray. Many of us are, understandably, tired and anxious. This naturally affects the things we are doing, even if those things are not what are making us tired and anxious. I invite you to try and be more present in your interactions with each other, drawing upon a little more patience and granting a little more grace in our communications and conversations. For it is in taking care of ourselves and each other that we will be able to continue forward together.

Some of you have asked about how you might become more involved with what is happening locally. Here are a few options:

• Attend one of the virtual Know Your Rights Trainings for your home or your place of work. Bi-weekly trainings are hosted by Immigrant Justice: The Resurrection Project. English trainings are on Tuesdays at 2pm CST. Spanish trainings are on Thursdays at 6pm CST.
• Sign up to receive notices from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) with alerts about ICE updates and opportunities to take action.
• Sign up to receive notices from the ACLU Activator group with alerts about civil liberties updates and opportunities to take action.
• Show up with a sign on Thursday evenings for our Beacons of Light gatherings. Starting on September 18th our gathering time will shift to be 6:00-6:30 pm. You are invited to join us at Dempster & Ridge, Chicago & Main, or Central & Lincolnwood!

As we continue to be engaged in preserving our democracy, we must also be engaged in caring for our congregation – this place that is a source of hope and rejuvenation for so many of us.

I invite everyone to attend our annual Engagement Fair next Sunday, September 21st after the worship service. No RSVP required, just show up with your curiosity and enthusiasm!

For those of you who are new or newish to UCE and are looking for deeper engagement with our congregation, please plan to attend one of our Journey Toward Membership classes and then think about joining as a member on Sunday, October 12, 2025, when we will be welcoming new members during the worship service. The Journey Toward Membership class is a 90-minute session and you only have to attend one session. Here are the options for dates to take the class:

• Sunday, September 14, 2025, 9:00-10:20 am, Room 12, child care available. Register here
• Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 6:30-8:00 pm, via Zoom. Register here 
• Saturday, September 20, 2025, 1:00-2:30 pm, Room 12, no child care provided. Register here

I am grateful to be part of this caring and engaged community. If you need to talk about what is happening in your life or in the world, please reach out to friends and family or contact me, Rev. Eileen, or Rev. Elizabeth.

Yours in community,

Rev. Susan

Dear UUs,

The IRS recently made news by suggesting that clergy be allowed to endorse political candidates to their churches. While this potential change surfaced as part of a lawsuit the IRS is involved in, no changes to IRS policies or the laws governing political activity for nonprofits have been finalized or fully enacted. 

For years, the UUA has published guidance to our congregations and leaders about how to be a prophetic voice advocating for UU values in the public square. Additionally, our faith has a long history of faithful statements and resolutions that unequivocally support the separation of church and state. As such, we are deeply concerned by the IRS’s actions which would further erode this fundamental principle and democracy itself. The UUA maintains adherence to this principle and calls on all people of faith and conscience to uphold this cornerstone of democracy. This serves both to safeguard the public pluralism of religious freedom and civil rights from government interference, and to preserve the independence of religious organizations, allowing us to follow our calling without entanglement from the state. Both are more important now than ever in pushing back against the rising tide of authoritarianism and the infiltration of white Christian nationalism into government and public policy. 

We offer a plethora of resources supporting congregations in being “Prophetic, Not Partisan” including “The Real Rules” — a handy guidebook on appropriate political activity and justice organizing. This guidance is woven into all of our nonpartisan, pro-democracy work through UU the Vote. These recommendations remain the UUA’s best guidance on navigating IRS rules and current law governing non-profits, including congregations.  

In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to monitor the potential impact of any changes to nonprofit laws. In a time when UUs are under heightened scrutiny from hostile governmental leaders, we are particularly conscious that there are many who would seek any avenue to question our legitimacy and standing. Our guidance remains the same as it has always been to protect our essential position in our communities: partisan activity is incompatible with an organization’s 501(c)3 status, including for us as churches, while it remains our moral duty to advocate publicly and unapologetically for laws and policies that align with our shared UU values. 

— UUA’s Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team

Hi Friends, 

I am so grateful for you and this faith community that makes it possible for us to continue to expand and hone what being a welcoming community means.  

I am grateful for how smoothly our first mask-required Sunday service went on June 22nd. People who didn’t know it was a mask-required Sunday or forgot their masks at home, were able to pick up a mask from the Welcome Center, which is the kiosk with the “Welcome, we’re so glad you are here!” sign located in the lobby. During Kinship Time, folks headed outside to sit at the tables and chairs to eat unmasked. Congregants who haven’t been able to join us due to exposure concerns, attended or emailed me that they will be at our upcoming mask-required services on July 27 and August 17. I look forward to seeing you then! 

I am grateful for the new benches and mulch under the great tree in the South Lawn that is part of our new playscape. Adam took the photo of me on Wednesday morning writing this. After the heat of last week, I am grateful for a warm, sunny but not too hot, day in which to work outside. 

I am grateful for Adam Gough, Steven Eason, Tori Foreman, and Vickie Doebele, our amazing staff who worked daily with Red Cross volunteers while we were a Temporary Disaster Relief Shelter Site from June 10th – July 3rd.  

Through connections Adam made with the City of Evanston Fire Department while attending the City of Evanston’s Emergency Preparedness Fair last year, we were connected with the Red Cross and asked to be a Temporary Disaster Relief Shelter Site. In mid-June, we were called upon to host a group of people displaced from their apartments after an apartment fire led to the entire apartment building being condemned. Around 60 people were displaced and we hosted twenty-four people from seven households. Sleeping on cots in rooms 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13; eating donated meals in the café area during the week and room 5 on Sundays; and playing in our newly play-scaped South Lawn, our guests shared how comfortable and welcome they felt in our space. They had to shower at the YWCA and try to maintain their normal work schedule while looking for new housing.  

Two Red Cross volunteers were required to be on-site at all times. The volunteers I spent time with were interesting, solution-oriented, and a delight to get to know. This was our first-time hosting Red Cross guests and it went smoothly enough that, if we are able, we will act as a Temporary Disaster Relief Shelter Site again in the future. I appreciate not only the words of support and encouragement the staff received after the email blast to members about welcoming our Red Cross guests and volunteers, but also how you made the Red Cross guests and volunteers feel when you engaged with them during their stay. You are full of compassion and generosity, and I am grateful to have experienced those in action. 

One of my spiritual practices is to honor or name one person or thing that I am grateful for each evening before going to sleep. Sometimes I do this in prayer, making time to visualize what I am grateful for in my mind’s eye and really honoring why I have gratitude for this person or thing; and sometimes all I can manage is a brief acknowledgment in which I simply name what I am grateful for and go to bed.  

I encourage you to try it once or even once a day for a while. Maybe the evening isn’t a good time for you, maybe at your lunch break or when you awake. And, if it doesn’t make you feel better, that’s okay. Try something else. The important thing in this moment in our country’s history is to keep trying to find something that gives you a pause in the day and movement toward calm, and maybe toward happiness. If you are feeling overwhelmed by what is happening in your life or in the news, please make time to take care of yourself. If you need some support, please fill out a Request for Care form or email me or Rev. Eileen.  

Thank you for continuing to show up in all the complicated relational and logistical ways needed to care for each other, our faith community, our neighbors, and the stranger on the way. 

Gratefully Yours, 

Rev. Susan