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

UUtheVote Launches Soon: March 25, 2022

This year UCE’s UUtheVote team has a 40,000 Points of Love initiative that we will live into through our partnerships with the UUA Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team, Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI), Reclaim Our Vote (ROV), and local non-partisan non-profits organizing around getting out the vote and voting our values!

Shirley Adams is our lead organizer. We will be engaging in the following 4 areas:

  1. Get Out The Vote (postcard and letter writing from home or in small groups), led by Carolyn Laughlin.
  2. Voter Registration (in-person at various locations).
  3. Advocacy/Education Virtual (phone banking or text banking).
  4. Values Conversations (in-person at community locations or door-to-door).

What can you do?

  • Contact Carolyn Laughlin if you are interested in working on the Get Out The Vote work.
  • Contact me or Shirley Adams if you are interested in working with Shirley to organize one of our voter registration, advocacy/education, or values conversations areas.
  • Attend the UUA Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team’s UUtheVote Launch, on Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 pm CT. This 90-minute live webinar will feature UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, state partners, and the new UU the Vote Campaign Manager. Learn how UUtheVote is going deeper into values-based conversation, showing up for ballot measures to combat voter suppression, fight for reproductive justice, and resist the criminalization of BIack, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Click here to register.

Unitarian Universalists understand that democracy is a process and a practice. It is one way we live our values out in the world. Join us!

UUtheVote Launches Soon: March 25, 20222022-03-25T18:39:05+00:00

From Rev. Susan Frances: March 25, 2022

Dear Friends, 

You are invited to our New Member Reception in the sanctuary this Sunday after the worship service!  

We are welcoming 9 new members during our service this Sunday. Plus, the 29 members who joined us since our building closed in March 2020 will be part of the New Member Reception. It will be a time for introductions and connecting. I hope you join us! 

I am taking a class right now with the Interim Ministry Network and in the paper I wrote this week I used the Buddhist sacred story of Indra's Net: 

"Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out indefinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel at the net's every node, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars of the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. If we now arbitrarily select one of these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that the process of reflection is infinite." 

~ The Avatamsaka Sutra
Francis H. Cook: Hua-Yen Buddhism : The Jewel Net Of Indra 1977 

 In this metaphor, whatever affects one jewel affects them all. There are jewels that are close to us, such as each of our new members becoming a closer jewel in our faith community's part of the jeweled net, and jewels that are farther from us, such as UUs in other states and residents of our city who we don't know. How we choose to connect and engage with the world, our city, our neighborhood, our congregation, and our family affects those near and far from us in the jeweled net. With this in mind, I invite you think about how you will be engaged this week, this spring, or this year.  

Several folks have already made new connections and gotten engaged through our Social Justice Program Fair held on February 27th. Thank you to the members of the 8 teams and affinity group who participated!!! The photos are of: 

  • BLUU Haven Chicago  
  • Food and Shelter Team  
  • Green Team  
  • Immigrant Solidarity Team  
  • Legislative Action Team  
  • Prison Ministry Team  
  • Racial Equity Action and Leadership Team  
  • Rainbow Alliance  

Team 8th Principle is working on a resolution in support of national and local reparations for Black Americans and Black Evanstonians that will be voted upon at our congregation's annual meeting on May 15, 2022. You are invited to attend one of their Reparations & UCE Conversations. Contact Martha Holman through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org or see the article in this newsletter for more information. 

Our UUtheVote initiative will launch on April 10, 2022! Voting is one of the ways in which we live our values in the world. I invite you to be part of our 40,000 Points of Love initiative to reach out to fellow voters. Contact Shirley Adams through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org or see the article in this newsletter for more information on how to get engaged. 

If you are interested in how our worship services are created, you are invited to participate in a Worship Play Date with Rev. Eileen Wiviott. The next Play Date is on April 9, 2022, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. You can register through the article in this newsletter. You are also invited to join the choir by contacting our Music Director, Vickie Hellyer, at vhellyer@ucevanston.org. 

The Denominational Affairs Team is gearing up for our national Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly, being held virtually as well as in-person in Portland, Oregon, from June 22-26, 2022. Our Association is in the midst of a national review of our 7 Principles and 6 Sources and you are invited to engage in this review process. Contact Peggy Boccard through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org or see the article in this newsletter for ways to participate. 

If you are interested in connecting with a small group of people, you are invited to join a covenant group, one of the groups that participate in spiritual practices such as yoga or tai chi, or one of our four women's circles. Contact Adam Gough at agough@ucevanston.org for more information.  

The pandemic has created a new way of being in the world and each of us is emerging this spring in ways different than before. You are invited to go slow and follow what is good for your body, mind, and spirit. If getting more connected and engaged feels right, I hope something I've mentioned calls to you. If you are in need of more rest and to continue to rejuvenate to get through difficult days, please take the time you need to care for yourself. If you or another member or friend in our community need support, please reach out for assistance through our Congregational Care and Support Teams. You are invited to connect and engage in the ways that support your whole being. 

This spring, may you feel the connection of all of us as reflected in Indra's Net. May the feel of the rain, the sight of the returning migratory birds, the sound of the wind, or the smell of moist soil remind you of that connection and that you are an essential part of the interconnected web of life. 

In faith, 

Rev. Susan 

From Rev. Susan Frances: March 25, 20222022-03-25T15:51:26+00:00

March 27, 2022

We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, March 27th at 10:15 am.

Faith in Meaning
We are meaning making people, and we make meaning in our lives out of the stories we share. But what is meaning making when our stories are so subjective and there is little to no agreement about what is true? How do we create meaningful lives without being attached to any one meaning or single story? Rev. Eileen Wiviott leads the service and Marianne Griebler is our Worship Associate.

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 UU Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI).

March 27, 20222022-03-21T16:45:03+00:00

Endowment Funding 2022-2023: March 18, 2022

It’s that time. UCE committee and group leaders and UCE community organization members should begin work on Endowment Fund applications for FY 2022-23, beginning July 1. The first deadline for proposals is May 31 when applications for the next fiscal year will be reviewed and recommended to the Board of Trustees for funding.

  • Read instructions and fill out an application.
  • Purposes for use of endowment funds are listed in application instructions.
  • Funds should be spent within the fiscal year awarded unless the application includes a specified timeline.
  • One contact person should be named in the application. That contact person has the responsibility of communicating with their committee members about the application
  • If considering a grant which benefits a community organization, read the qualifications and additional instructions.

Applications submitted during April and early May will receive a preliminary review by the Endowment Committee. This ensures that the application is filled out completely and correctly and questions from the committee are answered. Be creative. The Endowment Fund is a resource and a means to fulfill UCE’s Whole Mission. Questions: Contact Trustees Margaret Schatz, chair; Tom Hempfling; and Bill Hartgering.

Endowment Funding 2022-2023: March 18, 20222022-03-18T14:32:40+00:00

Join the New Garden Team: March 18, 2022

UCE has many beautiful gardens surrounding our church building. And several of our members have been leaders in tending and growing a vegetable garden to feed the hungry. As a result, we’ve formed a new Garden Team to maintain the beauty, health and sustainability of our gardens. Click here to see our Mission Statement.

We are planning Gardening Days where we’ll need help with digging, weeding, mulching and planting. Whole families can be involved. We want to have fun while we do this together. Additionally, we’ll need specially focused help at certain times for trimming or digging bigger areas. Are you interested? If yes, please email Janelle Brittain, Chair of the Garden Team. 

Join the New Garden Team: March 18, 20222022-03-16T22:26:40+00:00

13 States Participate in Regional Assembly: March 18, 2022

13 States Participate in Regional Assembly. Can You Name Them?

The MidAmerica Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association includes nearly 200 UU congregations and lIke UUA, provides numerous services and support to UU congregations. These services include relationship building, leadership development, faith formation, cultural competence, and support for dismantling systemic white supremacy culture, as well as coaching in stewardship and conflict transformation. 

Regional Assembly is MidAmerica’s annual gathering and will happen virtually on April 30. The keynote speaker is CB Beal – if you have participated in the Beloved Conversations program in the last few years, you know CB! In addition to the keynote, we will hold worship, the Annual Business Meeting, and there will also be time for break out rooms for connection and conversation. See the links below for easy registration and the application for UCE Leadership Scholarships to help with registration fee.

Looking to connect with other UCE members attending Regional Assembly? Send an email to a member of the Denominational Affairs Committee: Shirley Adams, Lee Bannor, Peggy Boccard, Melanie Kitchner, Cheryl Mounts, Betty Walker or Carla Williams.

Wondering about those 13 states? 

The MidAmerica Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association includes UU congregations in parts or all of these states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. We are seeking to covenant with each other to find new ways of partnering, and together side with love for the flourishing of our world, our communities, our congregations and our members. UCE ministers, staff and Board regularly benefit from the support and services provided by MidAmerica.

13 States Participate in Regional Assembly: March 18, 20222022-03-29T19:26:57+00:00

Pledge Drive Almost There: March 18, 2022

We Need the Final Pledges—We are over 90 percent of the way to our goal of $610,000! With the help of those who have not yet pledged, we expect to get there very soon. If you haven’t yet pledged, can you do so right now? Every pledge matters—your pledge matters. The online process takes less than two minutes. Please click here. 

Ask a Support Team Member to Fill Out Your Form—For help completing your pledge forms, please leave a phone message at 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or email pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org. A member of our Support Team will contact you. If you want, this person can fill out your form for you—you just tell them the amount of your pledge and method of payment. They can do the rest. 

Additional Information—For additional information, check out the Pledge Drive page (please click here). It includes an FAQ, tips on completing the Google form, guidance on how to set up automatic payments, and more.  

Thanks—On behalf of the Board—and really, everyone who calls UCE their community—the Pledge Drive team thanks you for generosity in supporting UCE’s whole mission! 

If you have pledged and you get a reminder message, our apologies. Sometimes a gap exists between the time you submit your pledge and the time when a Support Team person reaches out to you.  

Pledge Drive Almost There: March 18, 20222024-01-15T17:35:05+00:00

March 20, 2022

We will host an in-person and virtual worship service on Sunday, March 20th at 10:15 am.

Living Into Our Commitments
with guest preacher, Dr. Elías Ortega
We will discuss ways in which living into our commitments is an invitation and a sacred task. It is an invitation to be a people committed to repairing harm and restoring covenant. When we live into our commitments as a sacred task, we are transformed by the work we do into the beloved community’s likeness.

Dr. Elías Ortega became the President of Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2019. He is an interdisciplinary scholar who received his M.Div. and Ph.D. (Religion and Society, Magna Cum Laude) from Princeton Theological Seminary. Prior to coming to Meadville Lombard, Dr. Ortega served as Associate Professor of Social Theory and Religious Ethics at Drew University Theological School.

Dr. Ortega currently serves the larger Unitarian Universalist movement as a member of the UUA’s Commission on Institutional Change, which created the Widening the Circle of Concern report. In recent years, his denominational service included a term in the Religious Education Credentialing Committee (2016-2018). From 2015 to 2017, he served as a mentor in UUA’s Growing Racial Justice initiative, and during that same period was the Co-Chair of the UU Legislative Ministry of New Jersey’s Dismantling Racism Group.

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 UU Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI).

March 20, 20222022-03-16T16:22:16+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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