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

Sunday Service

May 31, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. 

Annual Picnic June 7

Our Annual Picnic will be Sunday, June 7th, following our Flower Communion service. Please plan to bring a flower and a dish to share.

We are looking for three volunteers to help with set-up immediately following the worship service and three volunteers to help with clean-up from 12:30-2:00 p.m. If you are available to help, please click here into SignUp.com, go to Sun Jun 7th, and select the Annual Picnic Set-up or Annual Picnic Clean-up spot. It's going to be a fun day!

Collaborative Calendaring for 2026-2027

Please save the date of June 13^th from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for a Calendar Visioning meeting. If you are a leader or participant in one of UUCE's programs or groups, please plan to attend and share your visions and plans for 2026-2027. This meeting will happen on Zoom .

Children and youth will go to their faith formation programs after Joys and Sorrows

This Sunday…

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

Chalice Children (pre/k/1) in room 9 –the children will be celebrating the end of their church year by hearing the story, Goodbye Friend, Hello Friend and decorating their story books.

Heads, Hearts, and Hands (2nd-5th) in room 8 – the young people will celebrate the end of the church year with games and snacks.

Youth Group (6th-9th) in room 10 – the youth will celebrate the end of the church year with games and snacks.

Faith Formation Registration

Please register your young person, ages 1-18, here.

DLFF Newsletter – May 2026 

by Kathy Underwood

Building Joy, Building Community

It was an honor to witness the care and respect shown during the annual meeting just two weeks ago as people shared their heartfelt and vulnerable positions on whether or not to change the name of our community. I appreciated hearing the many perspectives of those who spoke. Our young people in grades 2-10 also discussed the proposed name change and voted on the matter. Interestingly, they were almost evenly split on the issue with 5 in favor of keeping the name and 4 in favor of changing it. Perhaps this reflects the growing need for religious community in the younger generations with the pendulum swinging from mostly “non-religious but spiritual” among millennials to “religious” among Gen Z and younger people.

Hats off to this year's building & grounds team: Topher Carrington, Robb Geiger, Jeanie McCullough, and Norm Field for their stewardship of the building this year. Their skills and advice have been invaluable getting in getting our ducts cleaned, our sinks in good repair, and improving the safety of our building. Thank you, all, for your time and your talent!

The Ordination of Dr. Emma Farrell

You are cordially invited to the ordination of our Ministerial Intern, Dr. Emma Farrell, at Unity Temple on June 13, 2:30p.m. We would love to see you there! Please RSVP here. 

Newsletter Information

• To submit Newsletter requests please use our Google Form found HERE to submit your articles and images. The deadline is Noon on Wednesdays.

• If you're viewing the newsletter in your email inbox, click on "View entire message" at the bottom of the email to read the full newsletter!

Friday, May 29th:

• NO EVENTS

Saturday, May 30th:

• Virtual Pilates, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Sanctuary
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 11-12pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, May 31st:

• Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
• Worship Service, 10:30am, Sanctuary
• Kinship Time, 11:30am-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
• Etchen Covenant Group, 12-2pm, Room 2
• 2026 UUA Delegates Discussion Session, 12-1pm, Room 3 and Zoom
• Parent's Covenant Group, 12:15-2:15pm, Room 12
• Thanksgiving Play Rehearsal #3, 12:30-2pm, Room 6

Monday, June 1st:

• UUCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45am, via Zoom
• Bernstein Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Monday Night Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, June 2nd:

• Membership Team Meeting, 12:30-1:30pm, via Zoom
• Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Wednesday, June 3rd:

• Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via Google Meet
• Staff Meeting, 11:00am, Room 2
• Executive Committee Meeting, 4-4:45pm, via Zoom
• Committee on Shared Ministry Dinner, 6-7:30pm, Room 3
• Congregational Connections Team, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Thursday, June 4th:

• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Beacons of Light, 6-6:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
• Choir Rehearsal, 7-9pm, Room 6

Are you working on a Community Project that could use Financial Support?

Your UCE Endowment has funds available to support Social Justice Community Projects. The next deadlines for grant application submissions are May 31 and October 31, 2026. The application forms are on our website here.

On this page, you can also see previous grants funded by your UCE Endowment. If you have questions or want advice or information, contact an Endowment trustee and we will help make the process as simple as possible.

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading Vigil (January 2026) by George Saunders. At the bedside of an oil company CEO as he is ferried by a vibrant Jill “Doll” Blaine from this world into the next. Her job is to bring the charge to understand his impact in the world, before he leaves it. And our oil CEO has no regrets, even as the ghosts of the past in true Dickensian fashion visit him one by one on this his final evening. With George Saunders’ signature whimsy, wit, and dead-on (as it were) reckoning.

Meeting Friday, June 19, at 7p.m. by ZOOM

The Nonfiction Book Group will discuss Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church by Hahrie Han on Sunday, June 28th. Join us at 2 p.m. using our recurring Zoom link.

In this book political scientist Hahrie Han investigates how Crossroads, a white-dominated evangelical megachurch in Cincinnati, created a faith-based program designed to foster antiracism and systemic change.The author tells the story of four people, two white and two black, whose lives were fundamentally altered by the program.

Thanks to Shirley Adams for recommending this book and agreeing to lead our discussion.

On July 26th, we’ll discuss A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. This book is available in print, electronic, and audio formats and also as a movie starring Robert Redford.Enjoy it in whichever format you prefer.

Sign ups are open for Summer Friendship Meals! The online sign-up sheet (click here to access) contains meal details; browse the choices and select the one that works best. Ask questions or get sign-up help at the back of the sanctuary after worship on May 31st. Or contact Margaret Koreman (Margaret.Koreman at gmail dot com) or Mary Bell (marywbell53 at gmail dot com).

Summer Session meals are:

• Sun, June 21st, 2:00PM, Conversation, Pastries, and Tea at Common Cup
• Sun, June 28th, 5:30PM, In-home Italian pesto pasta dinner 
• Sat, July 11th, 11:00AM, In-home brunch Celebrating 250 Years
• Wed, July 15th, 6:00PM, Trivia Night at Sketchbook Brewing
• Sat, July 18th, 4:00PM, In-home Mediterranean dinner with a view
• Sat, July18th, 4:30PM, Five & Dime Rooftop Restaurant dinner
• Thurs, July 23rd, 5:45PM, All-ages outdoor concert at Millennium Park
• Thurs, August 13th, 6:30PM, All-ages In-home chicken verde enchiladas dinner
• Sun, August 16th, 5:30PM, In-home pasta primavera and salmon option dinner
• Sat, August 29th, 5:00PM, Ages 6+ In-home backyard barbeque dinner

VOLUNTEERING OUTSIDE OF UUCE – FINAL CONVERSATION 

The Working Group’s final conversation on volunteering outside of UUCE will take place Friday, June 5, 2026, in the garden of Jessica Tomell-Presto. This will be the last of the conversations begun in February on volunteering outside of UCE. We envision this gathering as an opportunity to share information about what you do, who benefits and what inspires you. This will also be a chance for you to learn about the different types of volunteer work in our community.     

We will meet in Jessica’s garden on Friday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Please R.S.V.P. to prestomgk at comcast dot net no later than Wednesday, June 3rd. Location information will be sent to those who respond. 

To access the “Social Justice Collaboration Tool” in which UUCE congregants have listed their outside volunteer activities, please look at REALM group “UCE Members” and “files”. 

It’s Time to Meet the Moment

UUA General Assembly (GA)

June 14-21, 2026



• It supports our Justice work through connection and sharing with the broader UU community.
• We learn from other UUs about challenges and solutions relevant to UUCE.
• It helps us plan for the future by broadening our vision and providing resources for action.
• UUCE delegates co-create statements or positions that are aligned with our UUCE values and mission.
• It is an invitation to all of us to meet this moment as we collectively work for justice, liberation, and a world made whole

UUA’s study of Abolition, Transformation, Faith Formation will help us address how to replace theologies of retributive justice and violence; connect the many threads of our UCE social justice work in support of abolition; and transform ourselves and society through learning and action. 

Join the conversation! Read more about GA, Abolition, and Serving as a UUCE Delegate

Register for the 1946 Movie in REALM

Summer Reading with a Refugee Child

We are looking for five volunteers who can each spend 6 to 10 hours between June 10 and August 12 to help a delightful 6-year-old girl practice her reading. She lives in Skokie and is part of a Venezuelan refugee family that UUCE has been working with. Contact Jim Strickler: strickler47 at comcast dot net or 847-257-9834.

Family Friday – June 5 at 6:30p.m.

Beach cleanup - Details coming soon!

June 8 at 6:30p.m. – Join us at Sketchbook in Skokie

A great place to meet up with games for kids

You can see what’s coming up on our evolving calendar here.

Summer Children's Faith Formation Program Begins June 14th

Adult and youth helpers are welcomed and needed – email Kathy for details.

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.

Breaking the Chain: Transforming the Legacy of Enslavement to Justice and Liberation for All

How did we get here—and what is ours to do now?

Join UUCE REAL, the Prison Ministry and Reparations Teams, Living Legacy Pilgrimage participants, and local advocates for a four-part, multi-platform learning and conversation series exploring the systems that connect enslavement, incarceration, and reparative justice.

Together, we will examine:

• the historical roots linking slavery and mass incarceration
• the economic forces that sustain systems of injustice
• the role faith communities can play in accountability, repair, and transformation
• how reparations work is unfolding in Evanston and beyond

Dates:

• June 24 – How Faith Communities Can Help Break the Chain
• August 26 – Reparations: In Evanston and Beyond

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 the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois (UUPMI), which works to equip UU's in Illinois to ​transform institutions, partnering with and supporting people harmed by the prison industrial complex.

Shared Offering Program Nominations Open

Nominations for the 2026-2027 Shared Offering Program are now being accepted by the Social Justice Council. To nominate an organization, click here for the Shared Offering Program nomination Google Form. The deadline to submit nominations is July 14, 2026.

The UCE Shared Offering Program divides the undesignated funds we receive each Sunday equally between the congregation’s operating fund and an organization selected by the Social Justice Council. Click here for the Selection Process Description that the Social Justice Council uses to review nominations. If you have any questions about the Shared Offering Program, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

We are looking for volunteers for the Evanston Interfaith Family Pride Fest on June 14th.  Click here to volunteer with the organizers of the Fest.

TO VOLUNTEER SIGN UP HERE

Join the UUCE Race Against Hate Team



Be a part of the Race Against Hate by joining the UUCE Team on June 21, 2026. Every Father’s Day, the YWCA hosts a race to honor Ricky Byrdsong, who was murdered by a white supremacist in front of his children while walking near their Skokie home. You can run or walk 5k or 10k, and there are Kids Fun Runs. Proceeds from the event support the Evanston/North Shore YWCA racial equity programming. More information about the Race and Ricky Byrdsong is here.

Register for the Race here.

If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the Team through your donation. Be sure to apply your donation to the UUCE Team.

Dana Deane is coordinating the UUCE Team 2026. Please let her know if you have any questions. Dddeane847 at gmail dot com or 847-682-1045.

LOVE RESISTS

Springfield Lobby Days 

May 2026

You are invited to participate in this opportunity this May to lobby with our community partners in Springfield. 

* Saturday, May 30 *

Join Faith in Place (FIP) and the Illinois Environmental Council for the IL Environmental Advocacy Day in Springfield! A coalition of environmental organizations will be lobbying to protect Illinois' air, water, and communities. Illinois, like many states, is seeing rapid growth of data centers. How Illinois manages this growth will shape the health of our environment and communities for decades to come.

Register now to join FIP in Springfield on May 30th. UCE is a bus pick up and drop off location for this lobby day.

Wisconsin Voter Registration Training

Get trained to register voters in Wisconsin. Once trained, you will be invited to go to one of several Milwaukee DMVs to register voters as they wait for services.

All trainings are held via zoom and you only need to attend one training date:



• Tuesday, June 2 - 7:00 PM
• Thursday, June 11 - 3:00 PM

The training is one hour and presented by the Milwaukee Voter Project. For more information, please contact Laura Kushner with the Milwaukee Voter Project at laurakushnerx2@gmail.com or Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org. 

Beacons of Light time change

Our Beacons of Light vigils continue on Thursday nights with the new time, 6-6:30pm, beginning June 4th

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330