August 25th, 2019
Our Faith in Truth and Meaning: Moving from Certainty to Curiosity – Bring your Backpacks, Bookbags and Briefcases to be Blessed in this end of summer ritual. As we get ready to go back to school or more fully back to work, we invite people of all ages to bring your backpacks and brief cases on Sunday, August 25th to be blessed in our service. Carry the love, wisdom and courage of Unitarian Universalism with you through your week of learning, growing and working.
2019-2020 Shared Offering Recipients
Shared Offering Recipients 2019-2020
Per vote by The Social Justice Council – August 14, 2019
September 2019, Assata’s Daughters, Gail Smith
October 2019, UU Prison Ministry, Dale Griffin
November 2019, Mitten Tree, Carol Nielsen, Vickie Doebele
December 2019, UUSC, Tom Ticknor and Shirley Adams
January 2020, Community Renewal Society (CRS), Dennis Wilson (CRS),
February 2020, Interfaith Action of Evanston, Barbara Butz
March 2020, UUANI, Margaret Shaklee
April 2020, Faith in Place, John Bartok
May 2020, The Poor Peoples’ Campaign, Doug Erickson
June 2020, IL Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Mary Ellen McGoey, Joe Romeo
July 2020, Deborah’s Place, Jean Durkin
August 2020, UUs for a Just Community, Jane Bannor
Fifth Sundays, The Brennan Center, Sarah Iles
August 18th, 2019
Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity – More than 10% of our congregation has participated in this transformative curriculum developed by the Fahs Collaborative of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Beloved Conversations creates an intentional, supportive space where participants can learn, reflect and share about their own experiences with race and white privilege and identify opportunities for individual and communal growth. In this service, participants will share their learnings and hopes for UCE as we continue to practice Beloved Community.
August 11th, 2019
Denominational Affairs – Unitarian Universalists make up a small percentage of the population but our voice can be a mighty force for good if we collaborate beyond the walls of our congregations. There are many ways to connect to the larger UU movement to engage in the work of social justice and be a part of the ongoing stream of our faith tradition. We will hear from some among us who have had transformative experiences within Unitarian Universalism beyond our walls, learning of the “Power of We.” Rev. Eileen leads the service.
August 4th, 2019
To Bless and Be Blessed by the Animals – Our cohabitants on the earth bless our lives in many ways and we take this time each year to express our gratitude to those closest to us with a blessing. We’ll learn about some of the ways animals enhance our lives and help us live more fully, through their service, affection and devotion. Bring your well-behaved and leashed or carried animals to UCE for this annual treat. We will also remember pets who have died, so bring a photo of your special friends for the altar.
July 26th, 2019: Letter from Eileen
Worship Service Times This Year
Eileen Wiviott, Acting Senior Minister
You may have participated in a brief survey this past winter asking about the worship service times that would work for your family. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether we should attempt to adjust service times in order to balance attendance between the two. At the same time, we made some adjustments to the structure of the early worship service, in an attempt to be more welcoming and engaging to people of all ages.
We are grateful to all of you who completed the survey and, as you are aware, much has changed in our congregation since you completed it. While the results of the survey point to the possibility that a shift in service times might help balance attendance, Rev. Karen and I, along with the Board of Trustees and staff, agree that making a shift in the worship service times this year would cause more upheaval than we need at this moment. For now, we’re sticking with the 9:15 and 11 a.m. worship service times, beginning on September 15th. That said, I encourage you and your family to give the early service a try. We’ll continue to craft it as a worship for all ages, with story, song, and ritual that will help you find meaning, inspiration and comfort in a world of uncertainty. We’d like to invite children and youth to sign up to light the chalice, sing or play instrumental pieces at the 9:15 service. Please reach out to me if you are interested.
We’re looking forward to our annual Ingathering Service on September 8th (still one service at 10 a.m.). Please bring water to symbolize your summer adventures, whether from near to home or far away. We will celebrate the power of our collective community as we mingle our lives, experiences and journeys.
Yours in faith and in beloved community,
Rev. Eileen
July 26th Capital Campaign Q&A
Q. When will I be contacted about making my gift to the Capital Campaign?
A. Given the size of our congregation, we have decided on a phased-in campaign approach to meet individually with all congregants. Because arranging in-person get-togethers is a time-consuming process, it will take several months to meet with all UCE members.
You can expect that sometime between now and the fall, a member of our Campaign Leadership Team will reach out to set up a face-to-face meeting with you.
