Update from Board of Trustees – 11/14/2025
Hello everyone! November is a time of change as fall becomes winter and we trade our summer shorts in for cozy slippers, sweaters, and mugs of hot chocolate.
Last year the Board of Trustees hosted four amazing listening sessions we titled, “Big Questions” to discuss the future of our congregation. Many of you joined those conversations. Thank you so much for your wisdom and perspectives. The Board loved hearing the hopes and dreams that people have for our congregation. One key theme that came up in every conversation we hosted: the desire to change our name.
People felt it was time to change our name for two main reasons. The first was wanting to recognize that we are a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). As the UCE history buffs know, we moved into our current building in 1958 as the Unitarian Church of Evanston. Then in 1961, the merger with the Unitarian Universalist Association took place. This means that for 67 years our name has neglected to accurately reflect the Universalist part of our heritage.
The second point many people made is that we are a congregation committed to pluralism. Does our current name reflect the fact that we are a religious institution open to many theologies, beliefs, and traditions? Does the word “church” denote a Christian faith community specifically in people’s minds? Does the word “church” accurately describe our pluralist faith community? Many in the Big Questions conversations argued that our name does not.
Conversations about UCE changing our name has occurred in the past, but the UCE Board of Trustees feels that now is the right time. Many new people are seeking a spiritual community during these difficult times in our nation. We want to make sure our name accurately reflects who we are.
In 2026, the UCE BOT would like to continue this conversation on changing our name. The Board will:
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Host 4 listening sessions to hear what the congregation thinks about a possible name change. Dates and timing coming soon.
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Host a virtual poll a week after the listening sessions to gauge people’s feelings.
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Bring a new name for a vote during the May 2026 annual meeting.
The name change the Board of Trustees is proposing is the “Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston” to highlight our UU background and continue to showcase that we are, in fact, a religious community. Even though we are proposing “congregation” instead of the word “church”, it’s important to remember that it’s OK to say the word church. I will continue to tell my family and friends, “I can’t go to brunch on Sunday, I’ve got church choir.” We do not need to remove the word church from our vocabulary. The goal in this name change is to more accurately introduce ourselves to the world. So that even now as people are online searching for a spiritual community, our name accurately captures who we are and what we stand for. The hope is that people who do not know us, will be intrigued enough to walk through the doors and meet all of you loving people within this congregation.
In love, Kera Beskin