Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole

Here’s what’s coming up in our congregational life—opportunities to connect, learn, and participate in the weeks ahead

Sunday Service

August 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

Slackline Thoughts

Embodied practices, such as jogging, yoga, or walking a slackline, benefit our mind, body, and spirit. Aidan Caravana, Finn Liddell, and Rev. Susan Frances will share their slackline experiences during our service, which will be held in the round in the sanctuary with Gregory Shifrin accompanying on piano. We will have a moment for our annual Backpack and Bag Blessing to start the new school and congregational year. We will end the service on the South Lawn and anyone interested may walk Aidan’s slackline, weather permitting. Comfortable, flat-soled shoes are good for walking the slackline.

Join the Services Livestream

Mother and Child Alliance

Children/Youth Faith Formation

This Sunday…

Children and youth will go to their faith formation program after joys and sorrows.

Due to the events after worship, please pick up children at 11:45 to participate.

Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 10:15a - 12p.

Phineas and Ferb Phartsy Fun

We’ll watch the episode, Lawn Gnome Beach Party,

and create sand paintings.

Outside Fun after Worship!

Try the slackline out on the lawn and help do a little

weeding in the garden while you wait your turn!

Parents can pick up kids at 11:45 this week

to enjoy this special opportunity!

Pizza and Prepping Party - August 28 at 6:30 pm

Help us get rooms ready to start off

the new church year!

We’ll be testing markers, pencils,

glue sticks, stocking supplies,

and doing some light cleaning - and enjoying some pizza too!

Please indicate your pizza topping preference:

pepperoni, veggie, cheese, or sausage.

Staff Column

by Kathy Underwood

Having FFUUN

Lately, I’ve had a question in the back of my mind, “How many UUs does it take to have fun?” Let me explain.

This summer, I have been reflecting and talking with the Family Ministry Team about what’s been working well and what needs a closer examination. It has become apparent since the pandemic that our team’s focus has been on making intergenerational connections and on building community, rather than solely on families with children and youth. It seems that for many folks, our name “Family Ministry” alludes to those with youngsters at home.

Then one night I had a flash of a vision – why not change our name to fit what we’re doing across the ages – having fun! I shared this flash with the Family Ministry Team and we decided on a new name, with the perfect acronym: Faith Formation UU Network – FFUUN! Our mission is to engage and anchor all ages to grow in our UU faith. And to answer the question above, the more the merrier! Join us on September 13 at 7p on Zoom to have FFUUN too.

Our hats are off this week to Hats off to Janice, Amira, and Miles Milanovich, and Kim Shanks who joined Kathy Underwood at Hilda's Place on August 8 for National Underwear Day where we sorted donations of new adult underwear for the overnight shelter. UUCE contributed 239 pairs of underwear to help meet their goal of 5000 pairs. Thanks to all who helped provide clean underwear!

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This Week's Events & Links

Friday, August 21st:

NO EVENTS

Saturday, August 22nd:

Virtual Pilates, 9:30am, via Zoom
Worship Planning Team, 9:30-11am, Room 6 and Zoom
Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Sanctuary
Faith Formation Volunteer Orientation, 10am-12pm, Room 3 and Zoom
Intermediate Tai Chi, 11am-12pm, Sanctuary
Covenant Group Facilitators Training, 1-2:30pm, Room 3

Sunday, August 23rd:

Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
Worship Service, 10:30-11:30am, Sanctuary
Kinship Time, 11:30am-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
Parents Covenant Group, 12:15-2:15pm, Room 6
Non-Fiction Book Group, 2-3pm, via Zoom

Monday, August 24th:

UUCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45am, via Zoom

Tuesday, August 25th:

Leadership Development Team Meeting, 6-7pm, via Zoom

Wednesday, August 26th:

Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via Google Meet
Reparations...in Evanston and Beyond, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom

Thursday, August 20th:

Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
Beacons of Light, 6-6:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
Journey Toward Membership, 7-8:30pm, Room 3

Check out the UUCE Calendar for more events!

Rev. Eileen Wiviott is on sabbatical July - August 2026.

Congregational Connections

Service of Remembrance – Aug 30 - 9:00am

The Chris Isely Cancer Support Group will hold its annual Service of Remembrance on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. on the south lawn. Led by Rev. Susan and support group members, the ceremony will honor deceased loved ones from our congregation and personal lives. We will read aloud the names of those who died in the past year and invite attendees to honor other loved ones, regardless of when they died. All are welcome.

Obituary for William A. Phillips, August 3, 2026

We invite you to read William A. Phillips’ obituary HERE.

William Phillips died August 3, 2026, at the age of 85. He and his late partner, Russell Clark, joined UCE in 2001. William will be deeply missed by his former covenant group members, friends at The Merion, and anyone who came to know and love him. He will be interred in Missouri next to Russell, who died in 2015.

Be a part of our growing community!

Join our mission “to nurture a vibrant and inclusive community that engages

and anchors all ages in our UU faith”.

We’re looking for 20 adults who can help 5-6 times this year in our faith formation program for young people and youth.

Attend our Volunteer Orientation on August 22 or

email Kathy Underwood for more details.

Office Volunteers Needed

Looking for an easy way to lend a hand at UUCE? We’re looking for volunteers to help in the office in two-hour shifts during regular office hours.

Office volunteers can help answer the phone and greet people at the door, as well as assist staff with a variety of light administrative tasks and projects. No special experience is needed—we’ll show you what you need to know!

If you have a couple of hours to share, we’d love to have your help. Contact Tori Foreman at tforeman@ucevanston.org or call 847-864-1330.

Attend a Journey Toward Membership Class

We will be welcoming new members during the worship service on September 27th. If you are interested in joining at that time, please make sure to register for one of the upcoming Journey Toward Membership classes. You only have to attend the class once.

Our Journey Toward Membership class is a 90-minute class that explores our UU identity, what it means to be part of a covenantal faith tradition, and the rewards and responsibilities of membership. To register, please click the link on the date and time that works for you:

If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

The UUCE Fiction Book Group is reading "Taiwan Travelogue" by Yang Shuang-zi, translated by Lin King. Winner of many prizes, including the international Booker prize for 2026, US National Book award for translated literature, and the highest prize in Taiwan. A young Japanese novelist comes to Taiwan to experience “real” island life. A friendship develops between her and her Taiwanese interpreter that is tested by separation.

Meeting Friday, August 21st at 7p.m. by ZOOM

The Nonfiction Book Group will meet Sunday, August 23rd at 2 p.m. using our recurring Zoom link. Join us as we consider the books we will discuss in the coming months. If you have books to recommend, please send titles and authors to Jackie Seaman via her email listed in Realm. We will not discuss a book at our meeting on August 23rd.

Reminder: our group meets on Zoom on the fourth Sunday afternoon of each month.

Movie Night at UUCE

Looking for a fun evening of fellowship, laughter, and adventure? Join us for Movie Night as we watch Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok! This will be hosted at UUCE on Friday, August 28th, in Room 6, show time starts at 7:15 PM, rated PG-13 with a run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes.

This exciting and entertaining film follows Thor, the mighty God of Thunder, as he finds himself stranded far from home and racing against time to save his people and protect Asgard from destruction.

Feel free to bring your friends and any snacks you wish to share!

Let's Dance Together!

Mark your calendars for a joyful evening of connection at our UUCE Community Dance Party — Friday, September 4th, 6:30–8:30pm. We'll gather on the South Lawn or move things into the Sanctuary if the skies don't cooperate.

No perfect steps required, just a willingness to move, laugh, and share space with friends old and new. We'll have a fun, upbeat playlist to keep us moving, and a shared table of snacks to keep us fueled and mingling in between songs.

Please bring a snack to share — and your dancing feet!

All ages welcome. Come as you are, and come ready to connect.

Spiritual Retreat

Light Shining Thru the Chaos

For UUCE Members

$15 fee

Sat. October 3

9:00 – 2:00

You may wonder, what exactly is a Spiritual Retreat? Well, for one, it’s a Soul nourishing experience---a time to put responsibilities and concerns aside and nurture yourself. CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED.

You will experience guided and walking meditations, gentle, relaxing and energizing movements, a sound bath, a silent meal. There will be time to listen deeply, to share and reflect and to set intentions for bringing some of these practices into your life.

Retreat Registration

Help Us Build UUCE’s Social Media Team!

UUCE is looking for people interested in helping us form a new Social Media Committee and strengthen our presence online.

The group will work together to develop a social media strategy, brainstorm and create content, promote programs and events, share the stories of our congregation, and find new ways to connect with both our current community and people who may be discovering UUCE for the first time.

You don’t need to be a social media expert! We’re looking for people with ideas, creativity, communications or photography skills, social media experience—or simply an interest in helping UUCE tell its story.

Interested in helping us get this new group started? Contact Tori Foreman at tforeman@ucevanston.org or call 847-864-1330.

Lifespan Faith Formation

Family Ministry Team is having FFUUN!

We’ve grown from connecting families to connecting across

the generations, so we are renaming our group to

Faith Formation UU Network, or FFUUN!

Join us on Zoom September 13, 7-8p as

we continue making connections happen!

Family-Friendly Friendship Meals

The next family-friendly event coming up:

Backyard Chillin' and Grillin' Barbeque on 08/29 for children 6 and up - sign up here

UUCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

The Young Adult Group at UUCE is a group for young adults (18-35) interested in exploring spiritual deepening in community. We meet on every 3rd Friday from 7-9pm in Room 3 to discuss monthly Soul Matters themes, check in with each other, eat snacks, and play games.

Contact Kiley Korey (kileyekorey at gmail dot com), Kevin Barrow (kbarrow13 at gmail dot com), or Kathy Underwood (kunderwood@ucevanston.org) with any questions.

Our Community Partnerships

Our Shared Offering Program

Our Shared Offering Program is one of the ways that we live into our mission statement "for a world made whole." Each Sunday, the funds collected during our worship service either via text donations or in the collection bowls (and not otherwise designated for something else) are shared equally between our operating budget and the current Shared Offering Program recipient.

This Sunday's offering will be shared with Mother and Child Alliance, whose mission is to strengthen the safety net for pregnant persons before and after delivery, to prevent HIV transmission and other serious infections in newborns, and to address the disparate prenatal and postpartum systems of care in Illinois and across the U.S.

Interfaith Action of Evanston SNAPGap – August 2026

Dear SNAPGap friends,

With back-to-school coming soon SNAPGap will be distributing shampoo and laundry sheets on August 26th at the Vineyard Food Pantry, along with Interfaith Action’s monthly purchase of toilet paper. Please join us in helping approximately 150 households through these difficult times.

Items can be purchased online by using the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/RWR0QQ69NROM/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2

If you buy these items locally, you can drop them off until August 24 at: Lake Street Church, 607 Lake St., Evanston; Mon-Thur 9:30am-1:30pm.

Please know that all who benefit send their warm thanks and deep appreciation!

Kind regards,

The SNAPGap Team

SOUP KITCHEN Needs Your help!

Wednesday September 16th

There are multiple ways to get involved - whether by bringing food, preparing meals or serving. Time commitments vary, and we’d love to have you join us.

If you can help Sign up here

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to click on “SEE MORE SPOTS” on the sign-up page to view all available opportunities. Some spots may not be visible at first.

If you have trouble opening the link or have questions, please contact

Ellie Feddersen elliefeddersen at gmail dot com

Michigan VOTES!

Michigan votes in the mid-terms, and we want voters who share UU values to come out in droves!

Indivisible Evanston is sending half a million postcards to Michigan (and North Carolina) on Oct. 21, and you can be part of this impactful work.

Pick up a pack of 25 postcards at the program table any Sunday through September. Not at service? Reach out to Carolyn Laughlin in REALM.

SAVE THE DATE!

Interfaith Action of Evanston’s Annual Fundraising Dinner honoring

Vision Keepers

from our community

Sunday, October 25, 2026

5:30 pm

Hilton Orrington Hotel, Evanston

Proceeds from the Vision Keepers Dinner support Interfaith Action’s programs: winter overnight shelter and warming center, Hospitality Center for the Homeless, soup kitchens, and SNAPGap.

Dana Deane will be honored this year as UUCE's Vision Keeper!

Information on tickets and registration to come.