From Susan Frances – Assistant Minister for Congregational Life

Dear Friends,

I feel the energy of spring not just in the weather, but in how alive our shared ministry is in this moment! I facilitated a Journey Toward Membership class two weeks ago and some of the stories told were about how welcomed people felt, not just by the members of the hospitality teams, but by the folks sitting next to them on Sunday morning and by the people in the activities in which they had participated. We are co-creating a congregational culture in which everyone is engaged in being welcoming. Whether you are new to our congregation or have been around a long time, I invite you to join in welcoming those around you on Sunday mornings or throughout the week. To greet that person you barely know, saying before the worship service “Good morning. I know we’ve seen each other before, but I can’t remember your name. I’m Susan.” Or saying after the service, “I loved the music during the offering. What resonated with you this morning?”

We also are creating a collaborative culture of reaching out to each other. We are caring for each other through our support groups and Caring Team. We are reaching out across teams and out into the community to form partnerships. If you have been thinking about getting more involved, I invite you to start with just one thing.

 

That one thing might be caring for yourself:

· A Grief Support Group will start meeting on April 27, 2023, from 7:00-8:30 pm in Room 2. This group will provide support and education for those who have had a loss either recently or in the past. For questions, please contact Ellen Rieger at elleneriegr@gmail.com.

· Our Cancer Support Group meets regularly on Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00 am, in a multi-platform meeting with folks attending in-person in Room 6 and via Zoom. This group provides a hopeful and nurturing space where you are invited to share your experience with cancer or similar serious illness. The group is open to anyone who is either personally dealing with cancer or serious illness, or who is supporting a loved one in their journey. To get the zoom link or for questions, please contact Renee Hoff at rdhoff99@yahoo.com.

· Our Addictions and Recovery Group meets weekly on Monday evenings from 7:00-8:30 pm via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting. This group understands “addiction” in its broadest sense to include substance abuse and behavioral addictions. For questions, please contact Michael Skilton at mskilton@me.com.

· Our Caregivers Support Group meets regularly on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 7:00-8:30 pm via Zoom. This group provides a confidential and nonjudgmental space where caregivers can share their experiences. “Caregiver” applies to anyone who is currently in a care giving role – caring for an aging parent, an ill spouse, or a developmentally delayed child, just to name a few. To get the zoom link or for questions, please contact Joyce Lofstrom at joycelofstrom@gmail.com.

· If you could use some support or care from our Pastoral Care Team, please reach out to Rev. Elizabeth Harding, our sabbatical minister for pastoral care, at eharding@ucevanston.org, or connect with our Pastoral Care Team by filling out the Request for Care form.

 

That one thing might be caring for others in our community:

· Join one of our 4 Hospitality Teams (Greeters, Money Counters, Kitchen Attendants, or Online Chat Hosts) and help create sacred space on Sunday mornings. The commitment is 4 Sundays over a year. For more information, contact me at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

· Join our Caring Team, who is looking for more volunteers to provide meals or rides when a member of our community has a temporary need. To join, complete the Caring Community: To Offer Care form, and Ellie Feddersen will get back to you.

· Join our New Member Team, who is currently planning our annual New Member Reception, which will be on April 23, 2023, after the worship service. Make sure you plan to stay and meet our new members! The New Member Team will have a Welcome Table in the back of the sanctuary after each worship service starting in May and is looking for volunteers who already like to stay for Kinship Time and would be willing to greet visitors and direct them toward the coffee and hot tea. To participate, contact Maggie Wilson at maggiemwilson@gmail.com.

 

That one thing might be living out our shared values:

· You are invited to celebrate with our UUtheVote working group at the back of the sanctuary during Kinship Time this Sunday, April 16, 2023, as we honor the hard work of folks who wrote and mailed postcards across Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia and who traveled to register voters in addition to mailing postcards in Wisconsin. It’s not too early to sign up with Shirley Adams to be part of our 2024 UUtheVote initiative.

· We have 78 people signed up for our Local Response Network (LRN). The next event is the Environmental Lobby Day on April 19, 2023. See this newsletter for details. UCE’s parking lot is one of the pick-up locations for the round-trip bus ride, departing at 7:00 am for Springfield and arriving back in Evanston around 7:00 pm.

· The Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Team and Food and Shelter Team (FAST) are co-hosting a collaborative workshop titled “The Past, Present, and Future of Segregation in the North Shore” put on by Open Communities, Dino Robinson, and The Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County on April 25, 2023, from 6:30-8:00 pm in the sanctuary and livestreamed. See this newsletter for details.

· You are invited to join the Emissions Reduction Task Force and attend our Green Launch Party on May 7, 2023, from 12:00-1:00 pm in Room 3. Michael Drennan and David Bates-Jefferys will be at a program table at the back of the sanctuary the last two Sundays in April to tell you about our goals and encourage you to join our efforts to reduce our carbon emissions by 30% by 2035 and be carbon neutral by 2050. Join the monthly meetings of the task force’s planning group or sign up for the implementation group that will have specific tasks to perform over the coming years. Either way, you are invited to join us on May 7th!

I know there are many options, which can feel overwhelming. So, I invite you to sit back, take a deep breath in, exhale slowly, and think about what it is that you need from your faith community right now. Pick one way to let us support you in taking care of yourself or pick one way that you want to spend your energy to join the other members of our community in caring for each other and living into our shared values. How ever you are involved or get involved, I’m glad you are part of our community!

In faith,
Rev. Susan