From DLRE: September 25, 2020
I hope you have seen emails and Facebook posts about the upcoming Stuffies Sleepover at UCE! This is a sleepover for stuffed animals only because they deserve to have fun too! Stuffies of all ages, sizes, colors, and species are welcome to attend! Put your name on the bottom of your stuffie and bring it to UCE and place it in the marked bin by the door before Sunday evening (the 27th). Call the church ahead to make sure someone is there to let you in. The stuffies will be busy recording their antics, which you will get to see in the Animal Blessing worship service on October 4. Arrangements for their return home will be made next week.
Parents should have received an email last Friday looking for feedback on what they are comfortable having their kids participate in. If you missed it, please look for it and send me your thoughts. I will also send another email this weekend with an update and an opportunity to voice your opinion.
So far, this is what I am learning from your replies and conversations:
- Most are comfortable with small in-person gatherings with masks and physical distancing. Since this isn’t 100%, having outside opportunities is still important.
- Some screen time for virtual RE is okay – no more than 1 hour and preferably not weekly
- For younger kids, afternoons around 4p is best
- The jury is still out on 6th-8th grade youth, although Sunday seems to be preferred
- There is some interest in parent groups: book group, parents of teens group, and forming a second covenant group
While collecting more feedback, I have set up a schedule of events for different age groups this month as follows:
- Family Fun on the Lawn (weather permitting) – October 7 and 21 at 5:30-6:30p. Sign up here
- POP – Parents of Preschoolers – Monday, October 26 at 8-9p. Sign up here.
- 1st-5th Grades – Thursdays, October 1, 15, and 29 at 4-4:45p. Sign up here.
- 6th-8th Grades – Popcorn Theology Online – Sunday, October 11 at 9:30-10:30a. Sign up here
- High School with MidAmerica Youth – Sundays, October 4, 18, 25 at 6-7:30p
- Parents on the Porch – Sunday, October 25 at 8:30-9:30p (Join any time in the hour!) Sign up here.
Please remember to register your child/youth too. You can do so here.
I will also be sending out an invite to those who have expressed an interest in forming one of the parent groups to meet virtually and share thoughts on what you wish to get from participating as well as logistics for meeting.
The Children and Youth Team is looking at ways to connect people across the ages, so if you have an idea that can bring people together, let me know! As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback on how we can create beloved community for all ages during this unusual time.
In Faith,
Kathy
September 27, 2020
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 27th at 11:15 am.
“The Big Loop Back to a New Beginning” – Rev. Karen Gustafson
What happens to the old stuff when change happens? Is there such a thing as a “new beginning”? These are questions that hover around us in every aspect of our unfolding futures. In our personal lives, in the lives of our families, communities and now, certainly in our nation, we are faced with changes that are offering few clues to the nature of the “new normal”. This is a time when fluctuations between reactivity and paralysis are showing up in decisions about everything from how many feet is a safe social distance, to the nature of the congressional response to COVID relief funding.
And in the midst of all of this, UCE is moving forward to make a decision about your next settled Senior Minister, a decision that will significantly impact your future. What might it look like for every member of UCE to use this opportunity to engage in a thoughtful, nonreactive approach to understanding the nature of beginnings in your own lives and the life of your church?
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.
Brain Health and Wellness Series Materials
Brain Health & Wellness Series: Aging, Memory, and Care
A 4-session Seminar | Saturday August 1st & 8th, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Wednesday August 19th & 26th, 2020 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
The Pastoral Care Committee hosted the Brain Health and Wellness Series: Aging, Memory, and Care in partnership with the Great Lakes Clinic Trials. This 4-part series began August 1, 2020 and was held via Zoom, featuring various speakers each week.
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August 1 at 10-11 am: Acti-V8 Your Brain: Brain Wellness
presenters: Steve Satek, President & Founder, Great Lakes Clinical Trials &Cheryl Butterbach, Registered Dietician, Great Lakes Clinical Trials. Click here to watch the recorded session.
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August 8 at 10-11 am: Introduction to Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Signs and explanation of the disease
presenters: Steve Satek, President & Founder, Great Lakes Clinical Trials & Dr. Concetta Forchetti, Neurologist, AMITA Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Click here to watch the recorded session (only part of this session was recorded).
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Wednesday, August 19 at 7-8 pm: New treatments and clinical trials underway for Alzheimer’s
presenters: Amber Holst, Director Clinical Operations, Great Lakes Clinical Trials & Ida Manning, Alzheimer’s (prevention study) clinical trial volunteer. Click here to watch the recorded session.
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Wednesday, August 26 at 7-8 pm: Pointing to Resources, Help and Information for Caregivers
presenters: Susan Scatchell, CDP, Gentle Home Services and board member of the Memory Care Coalition of Chicago. Click here to watch the recorded session. Click here to download the presentation handout from Susan Scatchell, Memory Care Coalition of Chicago.
From Rev. Susan Frances: September 18, 2020
Dear Friends,
I’m enjoying reconnecting with more and more of you each week. In this time of being physically apart, I have been relying on REALM, our new database and membership directory, in order to find your email addresses and occasionally to look at a photo to make sure my memory of name and face match. So, I am pleased to announce that we are rolling out REALM for our members and pledging friends this week.
You are invited to attend coffee hour at 12:15 pm this Sunday, September 20, 2020, via Zoom to learn more about REALM from Jessica Meis, our Communications Coordinator, and Adam Gough, our Congregational Life Assistant. They have a virtual scavenger hunt planned!
In 2016, UCE created its current Long Range plan. Part of this strategic planning included providing an accessible database to build connection, develop leadership, increase engagement, and enable members and friends to share their gifts, talents, and interests with one another. This was an expressed aspiration for the membership, social justice, stewardship, and lifespan learning councils.
As a result, a volunteer task force was formed to explore several options, leading to the recommendation of REALM. An Endowment grant to purchase the REALM software was drafted by Rev. Eileen Wiviott, Sandra Robinson, and Brian Nielsen and approved by the Endowment Committee and the Board of Trustees in 2018.
Since September 2019, pledge payment statements are being sent via email through REALM, which has been more reliable, as well as saving staff time and postage. And now, the final information from MEMINFO, our previous and limited database, has finished being migrated to REALM, and the staff and congregational leadership have started to receive training on the various features. In addition to the ability to promote connections within our community, REALM also has four levels of privacy settings, so you can work with Adam or Jessica to make sure you are comfortable with what information is viewable by others.
Be on the lookout for an email that reads “Join our Online Community.” Open this email and click the link to set up a password. You may also click here for video tutorials on creating your password and updating your profile. I am hopeful that you will take a moment to attend to your profile. As we continue to meet virtually, having access to email addresses, phone numbers, and a photo will help us continue to connect with each other.
I know it sounds a bit silly to say that a robust database will lead to a richer community, but because of the communication features in REALM, I actually think it will, especially while we are physically separated.
Speaking of a richer community, I am feeling fortunate to be able to conduct the pet and animal blessing on October 4, 2020. My mild allergy to animal dander has increased over the years, so I no longer attend worship service when there is an animal blessing. Since we are having virtual services right now, I am able to lead our Pet and Animal Blessing! My family has had many pets, furry and scaly, over the years, so being able to participate in this service is a great joy and one of the gifts I have received in the midst of this challenging pandemic. Please take a moment to send Adam (agough@ucvanston.org) a photo of your pet, you with your pet, or your favorite animal!
As we navigate this virtual world of new databases and online services together, I am continually reminded that these are tools that assist us in living out our values of caring for and connecting with each other. These tools do not define us, our relationships do. I’m looking forward to continuing to build my relationship with you.
Blessings,
Rev. Susan
September 20, 2020
We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 20th at 11:15 am.
“Risk Tolerance” – Rev. Eileen Wiviott
As danger mounts, a natural reaction is to seek protection, safety and shelter. Yet, in this time of great upheaval and societal breakdown, we are called, as progressive people of faith, to resist injustice. This moment requires a greater tolerance for certain risks. As we look to keeping people safe from needless harm, how can we increase our risk tolerance?
Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.
Wonderful Blessing of Outdoor Projects Completion
UCE is now even more welcoming! The Capital Campaign Implementation Committee has been working for about a year planning a series of projects to make our church building and grounds more safe, accessible, welcoming and beautiful. Rev. Eileen led a meaningful and fun Blessing Service September 2nd at our front door…all while keeping physically distant. Everyone really enjoyed coming together for a service, since it has been 6 months since our last service at the church.
We had drumming led by Alicia Hempfling, we sang familiar songs, gave appreciation and gifts for all of the hard work put into these projects… and even a little celebratory dancing. Adam Gough made sure that if people wanted to stay in their car they could hear everything through their car radio (very cool –right?). Members also enjoyed the Blessing Service standing by their cars and in the garden.
Projects Blessed
We completed:
- Installing new storm sewers under the parking lot
- Ripping up and laying new asphalt in the parking lot
- Striping and laying car stops on the lot
- Cleaning up the landscaping around the lot and the north garden/sidewalk area
- Designing and laying a brand new sidewalk to enter off Greenwood, so you don’t have to walk through the parking lot
- Lots of landscaping work to create a new pollinator garden, surround the new sidewalk with grass and gravel borders and clean up the bushes
- Repaired parking lot lighting and added new lights along the sidewalk
- Added large white flower pots at the front door for beauty and protection
People To Thank
Sandra Robinson and Greg Grabowski were the project leads on most of these projects spending thousands of hours planning, deciding and overseeing to make sure every detail was taken care of well and budgetarily responsible. Janelle Brittain generally oversaw everything, while Vickie Doebele tracked our spending. Sandy Danforth, also on the CCIC team, has been busy working on the indoor projects which we’ll hear about more later. And not to be forgotten are our two blessed souls who were on the committee from the start: Ann Peterson and John LaPlante. Ann was instrumental on the Capital Campaign, the Feasibility Study and the beginning of the Implementation work. John also worked on the Capital Campaign and the early stages of the committee. The north sidewalk was a passion project for him.
What a wonderful experience the Outside Projects Blessing Service was!
–Janelle Brittain, Chair, Capital Campaign Implementation Committee
From the MSC: September 11, 2020
Dear Friends:
This week it was brought to the Search Committee’s attention that the question included in the Congregational Survey regarding personal feelings about calling a minister based on several different categorical identifications caused unintended but very real harm in our church community. We are grateful that we are in relationship with members in our congregation who can bring this to our attention in clear, direct ways. We sincerely apologize and are committed to putting in place a process that will allow us to begin a return to right relations.
We immediately closed the survey and removed the question. We will also reach out to those individuals who shared their hurt and pain with us. The survey will be re-released shortly. For those who have already submitted their survey responses, the response to that one question will be thrown out; answers to the other questions will be included in the survey results.
The survey is based on questions developed and provided by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The question at issue came from there but in discussion with the UUA we learned that specific question is no longer recommended. It’s not clear why that question was still included in the questions provided to us. The UUA is very sorry for their part in this issue, as expressed by our Transitions Coach, Lisa Presley. However, we want to acknowledge that the search committee also did not identify the potential for harm caused by including the question in the survey we distributed.
The work of dismantling systemic racism and confronting white supremacy and other systems of oppression is difficult and messy. White supremacy is so entrenched in both the individual lives of white people in the U.S. and our country’s institutions that we missed the potential impact of our decision with respect to the survey question even while our congregation and our national association are in the midst of making a commitment to confront and dismantle systemic racism. While we most certainly would have preferred that this harm had not occurred, we hope that as a committee and as a congregation this can be an important teaching moment. One in which we learn both more about identifying aspects of white supremacy culture and institutional racism and how to best respond when a mistake is made.
