Sunday, April 16, 2017
“They Who Follow” – 9:15 and 11:00am
To find the historical Jesus, one may turn to the core teachings found in his parables and sermons. What do they say to us free thinkers? How can they help raise our spirits from the depths of despair, and help those hungry for healing and wholeness? Rev. Bret Lortie leading.
A Great Evening to end Women’s History Month at UCE!
On Saturday, March 25, the REAL team presented a program titled “Women Making Change” to focus on the accomplishments and the stories of the African American women in this community. It was attended by at least one hundred twenty people who enjoyed a hearty meal and engaged in lively discussion.
The program was designed to offer a chance for all citizens in Evanston to join together in sharing a meal, which was the particular goal of Gretchen Brewster, to discuss their ideas about the issues facing women and to hear the ideas and experiences of local African American women of note.
Dino Robinson, of Shorefront Legacy Center, opened the program with a brief history of some of the Black women leaders in Evanston. Dr. Cheryl Johnson-Odim, a prominent activist and educator, then expanded this history to a wider community and time. She was joined by JoAnn Avery of Family Focus, and Karli Butler of Curt’s Café, who shared their experiences and ideas for change in a panel discussion. Following their presentations, Representative Jan Schakowsky joined them and offered a few comments.
Information about various community programs and their needs are available for the asking. Check out the REAL bulletin board above the Lending Library cart for some ideas, or ask a REAL team member.
As always, we are indebted to the staff (who went above and beyond) and volunteers at UCE who helped make the program a success. They are: Liz Eason and Kathy Talmage, Kristi Anderson, Jane Bannor, Dana Deane, Heike Eghardt, Liz Goodwin, Paula Giroux, Lynn Kendall, Jeanne Kerl, Shannon Lang, Gay Menges, Jinny Niemann, Chris Peterson, Kate Poole, Gini Sayad, Michael Skilton, Joan Taylor, Jan Valukas and Betty Walker. Thank you!
Sunday, April 9, 2017
“Transformation in Our Times” – 9:15 and 11:00am
Rev. Bret will address the racial divisions of our times, even within our faith movement, as an opportunity for the kind of creative transformation we believe possible in the world.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
“The Radical Dr.Seuss, and What He Can Still Teach Us” – 9:15 and 11:00am
March is the birthday of Theodore Geisel, better known by his middle name as Dr. Seuss. Before he became a famous children’s author, he was an editorial cartoonist. Ministerial Intern Kevin DeBeck will show some of this artwork and what their images mean for us today, 70 years later.
Rummage Sale FAQs
1. Days to bring my things? Sunday, April. 30, 2-8; Mon-Tues, 9-8
2. Big furniture pieces? Pick ups: Sat. April 29/Sun. May 1. Must schedule with Kay Gibbs-Novy
3. Things NOT acceptable? Mattresses, helmets, car seats, monitors, large appliances, broken non-working items, (Note: Only flat screen TVs accepted – other TVs not acceptable.
4. Clothing? Any and all – clean, no holes, rips or stains. Bring on hangers.
5. When should I help? Any day, any time! Lunch provided (Mon-Thurs). After 6 hours of help, you will be eligible for presale purchases.
6. When/What is the presale? Thursday. Workers buy early, slight increase in prices.
Top 12 Things You Can Do to Meet People at UCE
The Board members of UCE are delighted to welcome so many new members to our congregation over the last year or two. From our own experience, we know that it can be difficult to figure out how to meet a wider circle of people and fit into such a large congregation. The New Member team works hard to help new folks, but we thought we’d also do our part by sharing this:
1) Sign up to volunteer at a Soup Kitchen (email Marilyn Wroblewski at mwroblew1109@gmail.com). These happen Spring, Summer, & Fall.
2) Volunteer to work at the Rummage Sale. Lots of love goes into putting this together and it’s a huge effort and a big boost for the UCE budget.
Email Maggie Wilson at manddwilson@msn.com. Even 1 shift of a few hours helps them out!
3) Share a meal with folks from the Rainbow Alliance, Saturday, April 8 at the Celtic Knot, 12:00 pm (Please rsvp to Jeanne Kerl at figkerl@gmail.com)
4) Stick around for coffee & bagels and sit by someone new.
5) Go to a Principles & Sources discussion on April 2nd between the two services, 10:15 to 11:00am
6) Go to a movie or book discussion that is advertised in the newsletter
7) Check out the Social Action calendar for an event that interests you.
8) Volunteer to help teach Sunday School next year. Curriculum and teacher training is provided. Email Reverend Connie at cgrant@ucevanston.org.
9) Join a Covenant group, check them out at the information tables on Covenant Sunday, April 2nd or talk with Eileen Wiviott.
10) Go to a Crackerbarrel discussion.
11) Check out a Spiritual Journeys class–there is one this Sunday, March 26th, 10:15 to 11:00am in Room 12.
12) And poke around on the UCE website to learn about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and more.
Obviously, each person at UCE would put together their own unique top 12, but we wanted to share a few of our ideas with you. In our experience, you just have to try things out to see what fits for you.
And, please, seek us out and introduce yourselves to us. We’d love to meet you
—from the Board, Barbara Ghoshal, Ann Gadzikowski, Gary Zacny, Heike Eghardt, Janelle Brittain, Kerry Heckman, Tom Ticknor, Susan Comstock, and Jeanne Kerl.
