October 18, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, October 18th at 11:15 am

“Claiming the Story: Racism at UCE in Real Time” – Rev. Karen Gustafson

“We cannot change what we do not see.”

We are all aware of the power of story. The story of the very public murder of George Floyd in May of this year was a story that galvanized the world. It was not a new story. Black men in America have been brutally murdered by white men for centuries. Power came because it was recognized as part of a larger story: the story of systemic racism that is embedded in white supremacy culture. The extreme violence and injustice and harm portrayed here are easy to identify as acts of oppression that must be addressed. This tragic event became, for the world, a teachable moment. The less evident pieces of the larger story are the countless often unnoticed stories in the  lives of people of color and others that do not become opportunities for any kind of growth or learning. As you strive to embody “the beloved community” at UCE, we offer a story that became a teachable moment in the work of the Ministerial Search process at UCE. I will be joined in this service by Shannon Lang, Lisa Presley, Susan Carlton, and the UCE Search Committee.

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 Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.