Sunday Service: In-person and Online Sunday at 10:30am

Reproductive Justice Action of Immediate Witness: July 1, 2022

One of the Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) passed at the UUA General Assembly last week was “We Do Not Consent: Rejecting Legal Challenges to Abortion.” This AIW is a clear statement that our Unitarian Universalist faith affirms that our bodies are sacred, that we are each endowed with the twin gifts of agency and conscience, and that each of us should have the power to decide what does and doesn’t happen to our bodies at every moment of our lives because consent and self-determination are holy.  

The AIW also points out how the change in law will cause greater hardship for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), people of low financial resources, those with disabilities, and those in the LGBTQAI+ communities, who are most harmed by legal and systemic barriers to comprehensive reproductive health care. This AIW calls upon us to act individually and collectively to organize, advocate, witness, support, educate and fundraise. 

Here are some of the many ways to live into this AIW and our UU values: 

VOTE! If you want to get involved with UUtheVote, please contact Shirley Adams through Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.  

Get involved in conversations with your legislators! If you want to work with our Legislative Action Team, please contact Jane Bannor through Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.  

Go March or Get Trained! 

  • July 12, 26, August 9, 23 at 7:00 pm, participate in the ACLU People Power’s Abortion Activist Services, Know Your Rights: Digital Privacy and Abortion Access. 
  • July 17 at 10:00 am, participate in Abortion Access Front’s training on abortion activism. Register here. 
  • July 21, 28, and August 4 from 7:00-8:30 pm CT, participate in UUA Side with Love’s Reproductive Justice Congregational Organizing Series. Register here.

Donate to one of the organizations helping people who are pregnant have abortion access as an option! 

Healthcare providers with abortion access:  

 Abortion funds, which remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access:  

Direct service providers (help with travel coordination and costs, lodging, food, medicine, and emotional support):  

Educating medical providers on a wide range of comprehensive reproductive health care topics that improve access:  

Finally, one of the best ways is to talk with others about your values and your support of self-determination, abortion access, and privacy rights! At UCE, we have formed a Reproductive Justice Ad Hoc Group. If you would like to be engaged with this group, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org. Knowing this is a long-haul issue, we are already partnering with our sister congregations through the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois, our local interfaith colleagues, and abortion access providers in the Midwest to determine how we, as a congregation, can support reproductive justice for all. 

Reproductive Justice Action of Immediate Witness: July 1, 20222022-07-07T21:44:44+00:00

WTCC Discussion: April 10, 2022

April 10th 11:30-12:30 

9th Chapter – Restoration and Reparations 
and
10th Chapter – Accountability and Resources  

Want to learn what our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is recommending as ways to dismantle white supremacy culture within our Faith Formation structures? 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 April, we will be reading 2 chapters. You are encouraged to read the chapter on Restoration and Reparations and the chapter on Accountability and Resources before April 10th so you are prepared for the conversation. You do not need to have participated in previous conversations to join this one! 

 If you would like to take part on Zoom, here is the link for April 10th at 11:30 am: Click here to join on Zoom.  

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 so we can arrange that space.  

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 

WTCC Discussion: April 10, 20222022-04-08T15:54:16+00:00

DRUUMM Worship Service: May 4, 2022

Join DRUUMM (Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries) for a public worship service on May 4, 2022 at 7:30 pm.

You Can Count On This

Rev. Tyler Coles, Guest Preacher

Dr. Zanaida Robles, Musical Artist

Faith can be both a guiding light and sustaining force throughout the course of one’s life. Yet in a world that is all too cruel and harsh, faith can be twisted, becoming instead a tool that fosters both isolation and a sense of underwhelm. What do we do when this happens for us as Unitarian Universalists? Come, let us gather in the fortifying spirit of love made known in community as we re-member ourselves, for ourselves, in the presence of all that we choose to name as Holy. RSVP at this link by May 3rd.

Our Worship & Fundraiser is an opportunity for the wider world of Unitarian Universalism to connect with DRUUMM and be in community together. The Worship is open to everyone while prioritizing space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We particularly encourage our DRUUMM members in multiracial families and White antiracist allies to join. We are at a sensitive moment after two difficult years of pandemic and loss in our communities. Your witness and solidarity are greatly needed to help us thrive into the future. Our goal is to connect more deeply with our wider Unitarian Universalist community to share DRUUMM’s mission, highlight some of our key activities, and raise funds in support of expanding our chaplain and pastoral care work with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Unitarian Universalism. For more information, please contact Dawn Robinson our DRUUMM Administrator dawn.druumm@gmail.com.DRUUMM is the Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries, a UU People of Color organization. Learn more at www.druumm.org

DRUUMM Worship Service: May 4, 20222022-04-08T15:46:05+00:00

Pledge Drive Almost There: March 18, 2022

We Need the Final Pledges—We are over 90 percent of the way to our goal of $610,000! With the help of those who have not yet pledged, we expect to get there very soon. If you haven’t yet pledged, can you do so right now? Every pledge matters—your pledge matters. The online process takes less than two minutes. Please click here. 

Ask a Support Team Member to Fill Out Your Form—For help completing your pledge forms, please leave a phone message at 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or email pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org. A member of our Support Team will contact you. If you want, this person can fill out your form for you—you just tell them the amount of your pledge and method of payment. They can do the rest. 

Additional Information—For additional information, check out the Pledge Drive page (please click here). It includes an FAQ, tips on completing the Google form, guidance on how to set up automatic payments, and more.  

Thanks—On behalf of the Board—and really, everyone who calls UCE their community—the Pledge Drive team thanks you for generosity in supporting UCE’s whole mission! 

If you have pledged and you get a reminder message, our apologies. Sometimes a gap exists between the time you submit your pledge and the time when a Support Team person reaches out to you.  

Pledge Drive Almost There: March 18, 20222024-01-15T17:35:05+00:00

Reading for March WTCC Discussion: March 20, 2022

March 20th 11:30-12:30 

8th Chapter – Innovations and Risk-Taking

Come share ways to innovate and take risks as we live into our UU values. 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 March, you are encouraged to read the chapter on Innovations and Risk-Taking before March 20th so you are prepared for the conversation. You do not need to have participated in previous conversations to join this one!

These conversations will be taking place in-person and via 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 March 13th, so we can arrange that space.

Click here to take part via Zoom on March 20th at 11:30 am.

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 

Reading for March WTCC Discussion: March 20, 20222022-03-04T16:04:05+00:00

February Board Meeting Summary: March 4, 2022

Significant discussion was directed toward clarifying how the Nominating and Recruiting Committee functions to fill leadership roles in the church.

Also considered were fundraising support of Reparations in Evanston as part of Interfaith Action of Evanston and coordination by IA of social justice efforts by Evanston congregations.

Other issues discussed were the accessibility of the Board itself, better organization of Board documents to insure more efficiency and functionality, participation of one or more Board members in the upcoming YWCA Racial Equity workshop “Power and Privilege for Board Members,” and better tracking of Board goals.

The next Board meeting is on March 17 at 7 pm via Zoom. All are invited.

February Board Meeting Summary: March 4, 20222022-03-01T16:36:07+00:00

Pledge Drive KickOff Party & Packets: February 18, 2022

Enjoy the Official Kickoff
Join in the fun for the Pledge Drive Kickoff Celebration on the evening of Saturday, February 26, 7 to 8:30 pm. Celebrate the WHOLE shebang to energize our spirits, mission, and generosity and to officially launch the drive!

Packets Starting to Go Out
Jessica Meis has begun sending out the pledge packets to all UCE members and friends. If you have received yours, why not complete and submit it now? If you pledge before 5:00 pm on Friday, February 25, you can pick up a dessert box at UCE on Saturday morning to enjoy during the Official Pledge Drive Kick-Off Celebration that evening!

No Packet Yet?
If you haven’t received your email with your pledge packet already, please be patient. But don’t be patient too long. If you haven’t received it by Monday, February 28—and it’s not in your spam folder—please contact Jessica at admin@ucevanston.org.

More Information
You can get details or help by

Pledge Drive KickOff Party & Packets: February 18, 20222024-01-15T17:35:33+00:00

Pledge Drive FAQs

Each year the Budget Working Group (composed of our Treasurer, Senior Minister, and members of the Integrated Stewardship Council) drafts an operating budget to reflect the priorities of the congregation and to meet the needs identified by the ministers and staff. It embodies the ways in which we seek to live out our shared values together.

At the heart of our budget is support for our staff. Their dedication helps bring our mission statement to life by providing the vision and structure through which we, as members and friends, can contribute our gifts and passions.

Your pledges provide 80 percent of the operating budget, with the remaining money coming from rentals, shared plate offerings, and fundraisers throughout the year. Once approved by the congregation in May, the budget is our guide for spending throughout the coming year, as well as a tool for transparency and accountability.

The Board of Trustees has committed to the following goals for the coming year:

  • Paying our dedicated staff an equitable and living wage
  • Continuing our Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression work
  • Investing in and supporting efforts to be a welcoming and diverse Beloved community
  • Making decisions that support operational vitality and viability
  • Empowering the Board to work towards their priorities, including exploring our identity and communication across difference

In our efforts to be as fiscally responsible as we can be and to manage the stewardship of our congregation in a transparent way, we ask each member and pledging friend household to submit a pledge every year (approximately 3 months before the fiscal year begins on July 1) so that we can budget and responsibly plan for the coming year.

We are grateful to accept the form of payment that works best for you and your personal budget. Please consider creating or updating an online account so that your gift is made automatically. Many members find this a convenient method, and it provides UCE with a steady, predictable flow of revenue. You can set up automatic payments to be made weekly, monthly, quarterly, or in one lump sum. If you prefer to pledge by credit or debit card, thank you for adding on the 3 percent processing fee.

If you have an existing Vanco automatic payment, UCE staff will update the amount in July at the start of the new fiscal year to reflect your pledge. Question? E-mail Vickie Doebele at finance@ucevanston.org.

We encourage you to complete the pledge form online, which you can find by clicking here. You may also complete a printed form and mail it to the church office. When you submit your pledge, you will receive a receipt via e-mail.

Submitting your pledge form by March 1st will provide the Board of Trustees an actual pledge base to draft an accurate UCE budget for 2025-2026. Thus, having your pledge on time will help the Board of Trustees approve the budget by April and present the final budget to the congregation in May.

Yes! We have a Support Team of UCE members trained to answer your questions about the pledge drive and to assist you in completing and submitting your pledge. You can reach the Support Team by calling 847-864-1330 ext. 111 or e-mailing them at pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org.

Thank you for supporting our whole mission to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole!

Pledge Drive FAQs2026-01-15T20:35:11+00:00

Tips to Complete the Pledge Form

The form you are completing is the 2025–2026 Pledge Form. The following notes will help you navigate and complete the pledge form. Please use the sequential number on the pledge form to locate the instruction for each item included in the form.

Do you have questions about pledging? During the pledge drive, you may contact our Support Team for assistance. Please leave a message at 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or send an email note to pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org with your questions. A team member will get back to you shortly.

The Pledge Drive Letter you recently received via e-mail from the UCE office contains the information you need to complete this form. You can enter the required information manually. However, if you use a computer to view the letter and fill out this form, you can enter the information by cutting and pasting.

Pledge submission deadline
The pledge drive will take place from February 9 to February 28, 2025. The Pledge Drive Committee kindly asks that you submit your pledge by February 28, 2025. In doing so, you will help the Board of Trustees finalize the budget in April and present it to the congregation by May.

Contact information
The information captured in your pledge form provides the UCE administrative office with an opportunity to update your contact information.

1. Name or Names
Please include the full name of the head of household. If you make your annual pledge with your partner or spouse, please enter their name.

2. Street Address, 3. City, 4. State, 5. Zip Code
Please enter the number and street name, unit number, city, state, and zip code.

6. Phone number, 7. Email address
Please enter your preferred telephone number and email address.

Annual pledge
8. Please enter your pledge amount for the 2025–2026 fiscal year.
Please enter the total pledge amount for the fiscal year, not the amount of your monthly contributions. You can select how you like to make your contribution and specify the amount and frequency of your contribution in the next question.

Selecting the mode of making contributions
9. Select your preferred method for making your pledge contribution throughout the year.
You may select a mode of making your contributions, amount, and frequency that works best for you. If circumstances change, you can change your choices. The following list ranks the payment options from the lowest to the highest cost incurred by UCE per transaction.

Check: If you make your contribution by check, it involves a few steps for you and the UCE administrative office, but it does not incur a transaction fee. Compared to the other modes, using checks to make your contributions is the least expensive to UCE.

If you select this mode of making your contribution, please write PLEDGE in the memo line of your check. You may mail the check to the UCE office, or you can drop the check off at the collection basket during the Sunday services.

Automatic Bank Account Withdrawal: If you make your contributions by automatic bank account withdrawal, it involves fewer steps for you and the UCE administrative office, but it does incur a transaction fee. However, the fee is lower than making your contribution by credit or debit card.

If you select this mode of payment, you need to set up automatic bank account withdrawal. For instructions, go to the UCE webpage, select “Ways to Give,” and “Pledge.” You can also contact the UCE office at finance@ucevanston.org.

Automatic Credit or Debit Card Payment
If you make your contributions by credit or debit card, it involves fewer steps for you and UCE, but it incurs a transaction fee. Using your credit or debit card to make your contribution incurs a higher fee than the other modes of payment.

If you select this mode of payment, you need to set up credit and debit card payments. For instructions, go to the UCE webpage, select “Ways to Give,” and “Pledge.” You can also contact the UCE administrative office at finance@ucevanston.org.

Text-to-Give
If you make your contributions via Text-To-Give, it involves additional steps for you and a few for the UCE office, but it incurs transaction fees. You cannot set up a recurring payment, and the transaction fees are similar to those of credit and debit cards.

If you select this mode of payment, please text a message at 844-730-6645. Enter the dollar amount of your contribution in your message and the note PLEDGE. Adding the notation helps the UCE office to allocate your contribution as part of your pledge.

Affirming or discontinuing membership.
If you are unable to make a financial pledge at this time, you are still a valued member of our congregation. Please affirm your membership or let us know if you no longer wish to be a member.

10a. I or we wish to affirm my or our UCE membership
Check the box if you, your spouse or partners, or family wish to remain UCE members

10b. I or we no longer wish to be a UCE member or members
Check the box if you, your spouse or partners, or family do not wish to remain UCE members

11. Options for making annual pledge contributions
Please, consider the following two options for making your annual pledge contribution. Unlike the previous options, setting up these options requires additional steps for you and UCE. If you are interested in exploring these options, please contact the office at finance@ucevanston.org.

Gift of Common Stock
Please consider making your pledge contribution by donating shares of common stock to UCE. This option might have tax advantages for you over making cash donations. This is a relatively simple process, which your broker and the UCE office can handle.

Employer Matching Contributions
You may increase the value of your donation to UCE at no additional cost to you. Some employers have programs to match employees’ charitable contributions. Contact the UCE office for more information about the employer matching contribution program.

Other forms of contributing
You may have other financial means to make charitable contribution, which often provides benefits to you, such as in taxation. If you like to explore using other forms of making your pledge contributions, please contact the UCE office.

Signing your pledge
12. Your signature and date
Please sign your name and enter the date you are submitting your pledge.

13. Partner’s Signature and date
If you submit your pledge with your partner or spouse, please have them sign their name and enter the date you submit the pledge.

Your pledge receipt
The UCE office will send a receipt to your email box within two business days after submitting your pledge. If you do not receive a confirmation note, do not hesitate to contact the UCE administrative office at finance@ucevanston.org.

Thank you for submitting your 2025–2026 pledge!

The following tips will help you create a Vanco Services profile. The profile facilitates making recurring contributions during the fiscal year towards your annual pledge.  

You can easily set up recurring contributions using your checking account, credit, or debit card. In the process, you can choose your contribution the amount and frequency that works best for you. 

During the pledge drive, you can contact our Support Team for assistance. Please leave a message at 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or send an email not to pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org. A team member will get back to you shortly. 

At the bottom of this page, you may download the tips for creating your profile for future reference.   

Download the tips for setting up your Vanco profile here.

Tips to Complete the Pledge Form2026-01-20T21:35:46+00:00

Download Your Pledge Form: February 2022

Thank you for choosing to complete your 2022–2023 Pledge as a printed form. We encourage you to submit your pledge online. Completing the form online is the easiest and quickest mode of completing your pledge. To access the pledge form online, click here. 

We have prepared “Tips to complete the pledge form” to guide you in completing and submitting your pledge form. To access the document, click here.  

Once you click on download the document, the Pledge Form will open in a new window and you can download it as a PDF document. The form contains fourteen questions and should take you less than five minutes to complete. 

Please print and complete the form. You can mail the form, bring it to the UCE office, or drop it off in the collection basket during the Sunday Service. 

 During the pledge drive, you can contact our Support Team for assistance. Please leave a message at 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or send an email to pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org. A team member will get back to you shortly. 

Download Your Pledge Form: February 20222022-02-19T17:59:27+00:00

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
Directions

(847) 864-1330
uce@ucevanston.org

UCE’s office hours:

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 AM – 4 PM
Friday: 10 AM – 1 PM
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 10 AM – 2 PM

In-person and Virtual Sunday Service is held at 10:30 am.

Become A Member

Member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association covenant to affirm and promote the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation, a Peace Advocate Congregation, and a Green Sanctuary.

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