Dear Friends, 

The new church year is upon us and I am grateful to be beginning the year with my new title of Assistant Minister for Congregational Life. I have spent the last few weeks making time to rest and rejuvenate, knowing that as we transition back to being in-person there will be lots to create and recreate. Worship and many of our team meetings will be designed to be a multi-platform experience (in-person and online), hospitality teams will have new as well as familiar roles, and we will be returning to a building with several renovated spaces made possible by the funding of our capital campaign. There will also be familiar faces and traditions to reembrace. 

Some of you may have received my out of office message during the last part of June, indicating that I was away for two weeks on study leave and then vacation. I spent my vacation visiting my parents and the families of three of my six siblings. I spent quality time hiking with my mom. She took the picture above of the me hugging a giant Oak tree along one of the paths at Sugar Grove Nature Center in McLean, IL. I got to hug 7 of my 9 nieces and nephews, who I haven’t seen in-person since Christmas Day of 2019. When I checked-in with their parents about mask wearing and physical contact in the form of hugs, I received their appreciation for my taking time to ask before my visit instead of assuming. We established a clear understanding of these guidelines beforehand, so that when I arrived at their homes, we could just flow into the visit without awkward greetings. And during my various visits, I got to jump on a trampoline, hike along the Mackinaw River, play Sorry, and sniff daisies in a pasture. All things that brought me joy, and some body shaking laughter.  

These visits reminded me how much this in-person love and laughter fills me up and grounds me and gives me energy to share my joy with others. My visits also reminded me of how parents with children under the age of 12 are having to negotiate life as those of us who are vaccinated are emerging from the pandemic lockdown. This vaccine phase we are living in, with some people still getting vaccinated and children under 12 being ineligible for any vaccine, is a complicated phase. As a community, we will need to move forward with clarity in our communication and with compassion. 

During my week of study leave, I also found some moments of joy. I ordered the 11-foot blow-up rainbow arch featured in the photo above. The Rainbow Alliance decorated the UCE yard along Ridge to be one of the stationary floats in the Evanston Pride Car Parade. I attended General Assembly and was filled up by the music in the various worship services. I also learned how to draw a labyrinth. I practiced drawing it in chalk on the cement patio at the bottom of my porch. The two children who live in my building found it the next day and I could hear from my 2nd floor porch how much joy it also brought them. I hope some of you are able to join me and the Faith Formation Force on Wednesday, July 21st at 5:30 pm at UCE to walk the chalk labyrinth I will be drawing in the parking lot!

Where are you finding joy right now? In learning something new? In the successes at your job? In seeing someone you haven’t in many months or having a conversation with your child? In trying out a new recipe or making an old favorite? In digging in your garden or taking a walk? We each experience joy in different ways and in different moments. I hope for you, that in these remaining warm, and lately often rainy, summer days, that you find something that brings you joy. And if life is too difficult right now for joy, I hope that you find what you need. Something that fills you up. Something that grounds you. Something that gives you enough energy to share your life with others.

In faith,  

Rev. Susan 

Dear Friends,  

Jury duty called, and this past Monday I was summoned to appear at the Daley Center. After regularly taking the Red Line to the Daley Center during the 16 years I practiced law, I haven’t been on any of the CTA trains in 14 months. So instead of just hopping on the Red Line, I took time to think about it. When I thought about getting on the train, how did that make me feel? What was I anxious about? I was anxious about someone, whose vaccination status I don’t know, not wearing a mask in the confined train car. So, I made a plan about how I would handle that situation, which made me feel less anxious, and I decided to take the Red Line downtown. At the Daley Center, I sat through voir dire (the jury selection process), was not selected to be a juror, and was sent home mid-afternoon. I love going over the Chicago River on the train, so heading home, I took the Brown Line and switched to the Red Line north of the river.  

My trip for jury duty turned out to be uneventful, but it crystallized a few things for me about emerging from the isolation of the pandemic. First, for each new encounter, I need to take time to determine if any unknowns are making me anxious and make a plan for how to deal with those unknowns. Second, that largely I can trust that people are following the posted signs and instructions for how to be in any given place, and that when they aren’t, I know what my comfort level is and what my plan is to maintain it. And finally, that the anxiety is real and makes me really tired at the end of the day. 

The bonus of my uneventful jury duty trip was that it made me feel ready to try another in-person experience. So, the next day, my wife and I went to the ice cream shop and ate our ice cream cones on their outdoor patio. It was our first restaurant experience in over 14 months.  

Emerging from the pandemic isolation will take time. We will need to be gentle and honest with ourselves about what we are feeling, what our anxieties are, and how we can take care of ourselves. We will need to be patient and considerate of others as each of us emerges in our own time and in our own way. When making plans with friends and family, we will need to check-in with each other to talk about what our plans are, how those plans make us feel, and what we can do to alleviate each other’s anxieties. When encountering each other in-person at events, it will be a dance, and dancing involves trust and constant motion. The constant motion being that we may feel different at each event, in each setting, and during each encounter. Again, we will have to check-in with each other to talk about things such as if we want to hug or bump elbows or how close we want to sit next to each other while we eat. I believe, if we can continue to communicate openly and honestly, with patience and consideration for each other, that the next few months will be a joyful dance as, together, we emerge out of our isolation and back into the world of in-person gatherings. 

The Faith Formation Force has scheduled some in-person events at UCE this summer and we hope to see you there as our faith community eases back into gathering together in-person. You will definitely want to set aside some of these Wednesday evenings to join us at the building. 

• June 30th, Rev. Eileen will lead a UCE History Tour of the building as part of the Deepening UU Identity series. The tour is a standalone event, so you don’t have to be registered for the entire series to participate. New Members, families, and history buffs are especially encouraged to attend. Click here to register, although you may attend without registering. 
• July 7th, the Faith Formation Force will host our first Wednesday on the Lawn, providing rhythmic instruments for a sing-along with a drum circle led by Alicia Hempfling and singing led by Kristin Lems and members of the Worship Arts Committee.
• July 14th, Wednesday on the Lawn continues with the Curiosity Garden – look closely at plants and sow some seeds for your garden.  
• July 21st, I will be creating a chalk labyrinth in the parking lot and the Faith Formation Force has additional activities planned. Come walk the labyrinth!
• July 28th will be our final fun-filled Wednesday on the Lawn with storytellers from Northwestern University.  

Be gentle with yourself. Emerge at your own pace. And know that we are looking forward to seeing you in-person when it’s right for you. 

In faith,  

Rev. Susan 

Dear Friends, 

I think of wintertime as a time of transformation. When nature rests and gets ready to emerge in the spring as something new. The interim work of Rev. Karen has helped us recognize areas where we have needed some reflection in order to transform practices and processes. As we look out our windows, some of us to enjoy the snowy landscape and some of us tired of it, we are reminded that we are still in the midst of our wintertime, the time of reflection. This reflection has already brought about several changes. 

Website 

We have started to transform our website. If you haven’t checked out the UCE home page recently, please do. Check out the blue navigation bar and explore all the digital resources you can find.

If your team or committee or group hasn’t looked at your website page in a while, please do. And then, contact Jessica at admin@ucevanston.org about what updates you would like to see.  

Congregational Care & Support Committee (CCSC)  

The Caring Committee, Pastoral Care Team, and the ministerial team have come together and transformed into the Congregational Care & Support Committee. Check out their new webpage. The new Congregational Care & Support Committee consists of three teams: The Caring Team, The Pastoral Care Team, and the Memorial Reception Team.  

If you are in need of some care or support, there is a new online form to fill out and we’ll help you receive care. You may also send a Joy or Concern to be shared with the congregation on Sunday morning or reach out to one of the ministers. 

If you would like to volunteer with any of these teams that provide assistance within our congregation in times of need, there is a new online form  to fill out and we’ll get you plugged into serving others.  

Proposing Ideas for New Groups or Programs 

The staff has put together a more efficient way for congregants to propose new ideas for groups, committees, teams, events, and programs. Click here for the form with the information we need in order to help a new group or program become part of the life of our congregation. 

REALM 

We have fixed a significant problem with the Directory in REALM. If you continue to have issues finding someone you know is a member and doesn’t appear in the Directory, please contact Adam at agough@ucevanston.org.  

Adam is offering congregation wide trainings for REALM. If you are not logged in yet or if you are wondering how to update your contact information or review your giving information, please join Adam for the next session on March 7th from 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm to have your specific questions addressed. Click here to join the session.

Membership Engagement Working Group 

After several months of reflection with the Membership Engagement Council, last month we put together a Membership Engagement Working Group to address the gap that currently exists between becoming a member and delving into leadership. If you are interested in joining this effort, please email Rev. Karen at kgustafson@ucevanston.org. 

We are eager to hear from you and invite all friends and members of the congregation to engage in the work of shared ministry and transformation. Please reach out to any of the staff members if you have questions or ideas to share. 

The transformations continues…. 

In faith, 

Rev. Susan 

Dear Friends,

Have you heard of the 8th Principle? It is a proposed new Principle that is a call to action and accountability to dismantle racism and other oppressions. 

The following language for an 8th Principle was proposed at the 2017 General Assembly with an invitation for congregations to discuss it, adopt it, and act to live it: 

     “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

     Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions.”

Why are we talking about a new principle that directly addresses the need to dismantle racism and other oppressions? Because “until we are all free, we are none of us free.” These words written by Emma Lazarus, an activist for Jewish causes in the 19th century, have been echoed by Maya Angelou and Janelle Monae, Black women of the 20th and 21st centuries. While these words have been written and spoken by women from marginalized communities, the reality is that as a white person, these words are true for me as well. As a white person, I am intimately aware that until Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have equality in housing, education, and job opportunities, have security from police and law enforcement, have the respect of government officials, have all the privileges that I enjoy as a white person, that I too am trapped in a society of collusion and fear. 

The call to dismantle racism and other oppressions is not new. And that is one of the problems. As a predominately white congregation and religious movement, we have been able to be comfortable with slow progress. We have been able to be comfortable with the heady promises that our 7 Principles give us and the world. Unlike our current 7 Principles, the 8th Principle is an explicit call to action. While we draw upon the other Principles in our activism, they have not been sufficient to dismantle white supremacy culture within our congregations, our UU movement, or our society.  

It is again time to renew our commitment to action, knowing that action takes many forms. I know that UCE is engaged in anti-racism and anti-oppression work, from having a Black Lives Matter sign along Ridge Avenue to the active Racial Equity Action Leadership Team to the Board holding monthly discussion groups based on the Commission of Institutional Change’s Widening the Circle of Concern report to the Social Justice Council just this year revising its process for choosing the plate share program recipients to account for their impact on dismantling white supremacy and addressing racism. And yet, there is more to do. 

In adopting the 8th Principle, we, as individual members of UCE, are agreeing to review our interactions with each other, our policies for staff and rental agreements, our budget, and our ongoing social action efforts through the lens of “working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” While it is vital that we continue our work beyond the walls of UCE by supporting Black led organizations and Black owned businesses and advocating for legal and institutional reforms, it is also important that we do more work internally. 

Here are a few ways we engage in action and practice accountability for our actions, internally within ourselves and within UCE: 

• Actively understanding our implicit biases 
• Pausing to think before we speak or post; words matter 
• Choosing where we and our congregation spend money 
• Reviewing and revising policies and processes within our congregation so that we are able to hold each other accountable and in continued relationship as we dismantle white supremacy culture 
• Calling each other back into covenant when the impact of something is harmful, regardless of intent, so we may apologize, make amends, and do better in the future 

When we are actively engaged in anti-oppression and anti-racism work, there will be disagreements, disappointments, and hard conversations. We are a congregation made up of individuals with numerous ideas about how to proceed in this work – not all white congregants or all black congregants or all people of color congregants will agree with each other. We are a group of diverse individuals trying to proceed in community. So, at times, we will have to apologize and make amends to our fellow congregants. At times, we will have to pace ourselves and dive deeper in order to remain in relationship and hold each other accountable for what we say and do. It will be hard, and we can do this! In fact, we are well equipped to do this hard, often messy work. In 2011, we adopted our Covenant of Engagement. We also have a Congregational Relations Team,  which is made up of UCE members who have training and experience in communication skills and conflict resolution and are available to help promote healthy relationships within the UCE community, including dealing constructively with conflict.

At General Assembly 2020, an Article II Study Commission was established to review and make recommendations regarding revisions to our 7 Principles. Part of this review will engage with the 8th Principle. As more and more UU churches adopt the 8th Principle at our annual meetings, we provide a grass–roots swell of approval for including the 8th Principle in the Commission’s recommendations. I have heard from so many of you about the pride you take in UCE being at the forefront of social justice issues. This is another step – incorporating a call for action and accountability into the fabric of UCE’s policies and processes.  

Watch the newsletter under Team 8th for information regarding learning about, discussing, adopting, and living into 8th Principle. If you have questions about the 8th Principle or want to be involved in Team 8th, please contact me at sfrances@ucevanston.org.  

Yours in working toward a diverse multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan