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

Quorum Needed for Voting at Special Meeting

We need a quorum to be able to Vote on Endowment Agreement Language and Bylaws Changes.

If you are a voting member, you may vote in-person or through the polling feature in the Zoom meeting. Contact Adam Gough at agough@ucevanston.org if you did not receive the Zoom link in your email on Wednesday.

Everyone is invited to attend the meeting in-person or to watch on our YouTube channel.

The Endowment Fund is governed by the Endowment Agreement which sets the responsibilities of the trustees and the restrictions of the fund’s uses. The proposed changes will simplify and clarify confusing language, bring the mechanics up-to-date, clarify that the Fund is not a separate legal entity but a restricted fund of UCE, and allow for as many as five elected Endowment trustees compared to today’s limit of three. The changes will not loosen the Endowment Agreement or change the restrictions on how funds can be spent.

The Endowment Agreement has not been updated since 2005! To ensure smooth functioning of the Endowment Fund, we need this update. For more information on the proposed changes, please read more on our Endowment webpage.

Dear Friends,

Here is some history about the Endowment Task Force.

The Task Force began meeting in the spring of 2021. It consisted of eight members, including two from the Board of Trustees, present and past members of the Endowment Committee, our Senior Minister (Eileen) and a couple other congregants. Counting subcommittees, there were probably 50 – 100 meetings held and a couple opportunities for congregants to respond to relevant surveys regarding their experiences and hopes for how we will use the funds.

The principle of the Endowment Fund is now a little more than $1.5 million, which allows us to approve grants totaling about $75,000 per year for approved organizations and activities.

Late last Fall meetings were held with the UCE Board, the Social Justice Council, and the Endowment Committee to present and discuss the recommendations. The Task Force then used the comments from these groups to refine its recommendations and present them to the congregation in two Town Halls.

The recommendations along with comments from the Town Halls were then given to the Endowment Committee (EC) for implementation. The EC has been able to begin implementation of some of the recommendations already. (One example of such an implementation is the allocation of specified portions of our total planned grant distributions into three categories: congregational support, community partners, and community projects.)

There are two important steps remaining.

One step is for the congregation to adopt the bylaws language changes which the EC developed with a lawyer who specializes in Endowments. These changes are appropriate in order for us to properly implement the recommendations.

The last remaining step will require some considerable time: the Endowment Committee will need to develop Policies and Procedures so that future committee members will be able to maintain and improve our practices.

Hope to see you Sunday; (virtually at least).

Joe Romeo

Quorum Needed for Voting at Special Meeting2023-06-08T20:57:12+00:00

From Kathy Underwood – Director of Lifespan Faith Formation

Sharing is Caring

As the church year winds down and summer approaches, things can get a little precarious in congregational life, especially in this time with the continuing effects of the pandemic. While keeping in touch with faith formation ideas on various Facebook pages this past month, it quickly became apparent that things are not so well in many of our congregations. I went back to these posts and counted eight – yes, eight – colleagues who have been forced from their positions as religious educators. The reasons shared were varied, but generally fell into two groups: the pledge drive/budget fell short and we have to let you go, and the “irreconcilable differences” between a minister and staff. While there is some legitimacy to both of these scenarios, it’s the processes that led to these decisions that caused me great sorrow and some anger. To put it simply, covenants were not followed and right relations went by the wayside.

These are heart-wrenching experiences to professionals who are usually female-identifying, sometimes a single parent, and sometimes a person of color. They are often part-time employees as well, so may be seen as more dispensable. It makes this issue a social justice one. How do we treat our staff? Are we paying them a living wage? Do we have realistic expectations of what their job entails? Some of these colleagues felt unheard and insignificant in their roles. And what is sadder, is that many of these colleagues are not just leaving this profession, but are leaving our Unitarian Universalist faith altogether.

However, because religious educators have a history of being innovators and collaborators, there is hope! The professional organization, Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA), will be planning ways to address this issue during General Assembly next week. This, of course, could take quite a while, but there is something that congregations can do to avoid such turmoil: shared ministry. When we truly share the work and have a shared mission and vision, the sense of ownership and the actual balance of relationships evens out and is spread across the whole congregation.

When we have that sense of pride and ownership, we tend to take care of things and each other. Shared ministry is not just for adults, either, but ideally happens at all ages and stages of life. Young people can share their voices as well as their helping hands just as much as us older folks. When we had cottage groups during the pandemic to get the congregations’ vision on what they wanted congregational life to be, part of the vision was that the young people would be a part of everything that happens within the congregation.

In order to do so, we need experienced people to guide and mentor our newer members as well as our youngest. We need to be transparent about not just what we do and why we do it, but how we do it. Are we inviting others to join us and helping them feel welcomed? Are we respecting one another? Are we in accordance with our covenant? If not, how do we correct our ways? And if we don’t do this, who are we hurting or excluding from our community? Furthermore, what does this do to the future of UCE and our faith as a whole?

I am so grateful that Rev. Eileen and Rev. Susan are exemplifying shared ministry here. They prioritize relationships and processes over outcomes – not because outcomes are not important, but because relationships are the foundation of a covenantal faith and community. While UCE might not be perfect (who is?), I know that by sharing the vision, mission, and work, we can create Beloved Community and a world made whole.

Sharing IS caring.

In Faith,

Kathy

From Kathy Underwood – Director of Lifespan Faith Formation2024-01-26T21:06:51+00:00

Please Help Asylum Seekers in Chicago

Looking for a simple way to support the thousands of immigrants who have recently arrived (many on busses from border cities) in the Chicago area seeking asylum?

The Immigrant Solidarity Team of the Unitarian Church of Evanston is partnering with a local adhoc group of volunteers to help asylum seekers currently living in police stations, schools, park district buildings, colleges and other public buildings around Chicago.

 

From June 5-26 we are collecting:

● Thick Yoga Mats or Sleeping Pads

● Sleeping Bags and Clean Blankets

● New Socks and Underwear all sizes

● Back packs and small suitcases

● OTC Cold Medicine (adults and kids)

● Lice Treatment Kits

 

Drop Off at UCE

Dates: June 5-26 Monday-Friday during office hours 10:30-4:30

Sunday immediately before or after the 10:30 service. Please contact Michelle Novak through the Realm or theUCE office or comment and DM me on messenger if you have questions or need pickup or drop off arrangements.

 

Thank you in advance for your support!

Please Help Asylum Seekers in Chicago2023-06-07T15:46:27+00:00

June 18th, 2023

We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, June 18th at 10:30 am.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 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 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 Deborah’s Place.

June 18th, 20232023-06-12T20:22:40+00:00

Quorum Needed for Special Meeting Vote on June 11

The Board of Trustees has called a Special Meeting on June 11, 2023, at 11:45 am to vote on the proposed changes to the bylaws regarding the Endowment Committee and Endowment Agreement. We need a quorum to vote, so please plan to attend!

If you are a voting member, you will be emailed the Zoom link and agenda. You may vote in-person or through the polling feature in the Zoom meeting.

Everyone is invited to attend the meeting in-person or on our YouTube channel HERE.

Quorum Needed for Special Meeting Vote on June 112023-05-31T18:30:49+00:00

Proposed Changes to Endowment Fund Agreement and UCE Bylaws Slated for June 11th!

UCE members—we need you! Please come to the June 11th Special Meeting of the congregation starting at 11:50 am in the sanctuary to vote on proposed changes to the Endowment related sections of the UCE Bylaws including the Endowment Fund Agreement appendix.

Visit the UCE Endowment Page to read proposed changes.

The Endowment Fund is governed by the Endowment Agreement which sets the responsibilities of the trustees and the restrictions of the fund’s uses. The proposed changes will simplify and clarify confusing language, bring the mechanics up-to-date, clarify that the Fund is not a separate legal entity but a restricted fund of UCE, and allow for as many as five elected Endowment trustees compared to today’s limit of three. The changes will not loosen the Endowment Agreement or change the restrictions on how funds can be spent.

The Endowment Agreement has not been updated since 2005! To ensure smooth functioning of the Endowment Fund, we need this update. Please join us on June 11 at this meeting—we need your participation!

Currently the UCE Endowment Fund size is approximately $1.5 million and about 5% of the fund is distributed per year. Endowment trustees are elected by the UCE Congregation and manage the fund per the terms of the Endowment Agreement. In addition, the trustees may appoint Endowment Committee members to help get the work done but not to vote on issues related to core responsibilities.

The proposed changes are the result of two years of work by the Committee and a special Endowment Task Force. They reflect many years of Committee experience, congregational input, and legal advice from Kirk Hoopingarner from Quarles & Brady. In addition to proposed updates to the Agreement, changes to section VI of the Bylaws relating to the Endowment are also proposed. Other changes to Endowment policies and procedures (which don’t need to be voted on by the congregation) were also proposed by the Endowment Task Force and accepted by both the Endowment Committee and the Board of Trustees. Those include new procedures for making grant distributions and new financial procedures, as well as improved communications—more to come over the next year!

See Quorum Needed for Special Meeting Vote on June 11th in this newsletter for information about the Special Meeting.

Susan Comstock, Endowment Trustee, and Carla Williams, Board President

Proposed Changes to Endowment Fund Agreement and UCE Bylaws Slated for June 11th!2023-07-21T21:50:07+00:00

June 4th, 2023

Delighting in Our Gifts

We celebrate 100th Anniversary of the annual tradition of the flower ceremony, a cherished and uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual, created by Unitarian Minister and founder of the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia, Nobert Capek (1870-1942), to lift up joy in the midst of despair. Please bring flowers, whether from your garden or purchased, to add to our collective bouquet. If you worship online, please email a picture of a flower for your yard or wayside to agough@ucevanston.org by Friday of that week! Together we will take delight in the gifts we bring to one another.

This is also our annual picnic, so please bring a dish to share for after the worship service.

We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, June 4th at 10:30 am.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 9 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 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 Deborah’s Place.

June 4th, 20232023-05-30T16:25:09+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: 10 AM – 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM – 4 PM
Wednesday: 10 AM – 1 PM
Thursday: 10 AM – 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM – 4 PM
Friday: 10 AM – 1 PM
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: 10 AM – 1 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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