Sunday Service April 13, 2025 at 10:30am 

Passover and Easter Festivities for All Ages 

Passover Seder – April 18, 5:30-7p: Register here

Easter Sunday Brunch and Peeps Show: Bring a casserole, bread, or eggs to share 

during Kinship Time. Create a Peeps display for all to admire! 

Stop by the program table for inspiration and to pick up some Peeps. 

UPDATE FROM REV. EILEEN WIVIOTT

I attended a conference this past week at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax VA. It was a convocation of religious professionals talking about a Unitarian Universalist theology of Love. I attended because my friend, the Rev. David Miller invited me and because, honestly, I need a little spark of theology right now.

This program, designed by and featuring many people I admire, including our UUA president the Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, was in response to our new values language and the Love at the center of our faith. We explored what a Unitarian Universalist theology means, how our theology (or theologies) can be a resource for this time, and to “forge a collective understanding of our mission in the world.”

Continuing the Conversation

Join the UCE Board of Trustees to continue building on congregational conversations held over this past year. How can we increase accessibility and connections to build a wider sense of "us"? Join the board at one of these two events. All are welcome (you do not need to register on Realm to attend but registration is encouraged)

•  Friday, April 11th, from 6:30 - 7:45pm at UCE
• Tuesday, April 22nd 7 - 8:15pm on Zoom

• Refreshments will be provided at both in-person sessions.

Register HERE

Recent Endowment Grant Approvals



As you may know, a portion of the proceeds from the Endowment Fund investments are granted to support projects recommended to the Endowment Committee. Grants may be made for:

- Congregational Support for special projects, care of the building and property, and education and training;

- UCE Community Partners to deepen relationships with organizations that have long-term relationships with UCE volunteers and the Congregation; or

- Community Projects of nonprofit organizations that support the wider mission of Unitarian Universalism.

The following grants were recently approved by the Board of Trustees.

Our hats are off to Toni Rey for having the idea and bringing into reality an April 5th rally at Fountain Square. Toni realized there was a need for a place to gather for folks unable to attend the rally in downtown Chicago. In five days, Toni connected with Indivisible Evanston, interfaith clergy and leaders, and local officials to obtain a permit, line up speakers, and spread the word. More than 1,000 people showed up in solidarity and opposition to the policies and practices of the current federal regime. Thank you for your leadership and dedication to community building and justice, Toni! And thanks to all of you who participated in an April 5th rally in one of the over 1200 locations across the country. 

The UCE Children's Choir is returning on May 4th

If your young person would like to sing with us in worship service on May 4th, please join us for 2 optional rehearsals or reach out for resources to rehearse on your own.

Sunday, April 13th, 12-12:30 pm (room 6)

Sunday, April 27th, 10-10:20 am (room 3)

Contact Norell Liddell for info and links to the music: NorellLiddell at gmail dot com

GRIEF GROUP

If you have experienced a loss recently or in the past you are welcome to join our grief support group. We will meet for six weeks, Wednesday evenings from 5 to 6:30 at the church beginning April 23rd. You will receive education and support as well as connection with others who may have similar feelings. If interested or for any questions please email ellenerieger at gmail dot com.

Ellen Rieger MA, LPCP

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Collective & Creative Ideation for a Better World! Cultivating Hope: a Justice Revival

One way to resist the chaos of the current moment is to participate in UCE’s Justice Revival on April 12th from 9:30-12:30 pm. Hosted by the Anti-Oppression Task Force this event will uplift, encourage, and equip us in our ongoing journey of anti-oppression work. 

• Coffee and Welcome in the Sanctuary at 9:30 am
• Childcare available 9:15 am - 12:45 pm
• Music and singing!
• Discussion facilitated by experts from the YWCA Equity Institute 
• More singing!
• Tips, tools, and resources to support us in our work for justice, equity, and inclusion
• Hope, energy and commitment as we head home
• Register now!

The Anti-Oppression Task Force has been meeting for more than four years to determine ways in which our congregation can answer the call to be more inclusive, equitable, and diverse, and to accountably realize justice and liberation in our congregation and beyond. Links to learn more about the Anti-Oppression Task Force: History of AOTF, Work of the Anti-Oppression Task Force, and Status of AOTF Projects.

Please join in this collective effort as we gather to create a better world. See you April 12th!

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 a pledge or something else) are shared equally between our operating budget and the current Shared Offering Recipient.

This Sunday's offering will be shared with the Sanctuary Working Group (SWG) a solidarity organization supporting vulnerable migrants in their journeys toward sustainable independence.

Celebrating Solar!

Come to the Solar Town Hall after service on April 13th, then stay for a Green Team meeting. We will be planning how to educate about our UCE climate goals and celebrate this big step forward with solar cells. We will also share a list of current IL legislation around the environment. Bring a snack to keep your own energy levels high!

J O Y

UCE’s theme this month is JOY. What does JOY look like to you?  

• Deepening relationships while working toward a worthwhile cause? Sign up online to volunteer at our upcoming Rummage Sale! We need folks to set up, cashier, clean up, donate baked goods, and help to feed volunteers.
• Decluttering and simplifying your life? Collect and organize your donations using the Donation Tip Sheet.
• Practicing hospitality and community connection? The Rummage Sale is a great opportunity to welcome neighbors into our beautiful space for one-of-a-kind shopping and friendly conversation, while enjoying a cup of coffee and a treat from Café Rummage. Invite friends and neighbors to shop the sale!

Visit the Rummage Sale FAQ page or email rummage@ucevanston.org with questions or comments. 

Meeting Our Interfaith Neighbors

April 15 at 7pm in Room 3 and on Zoom

We will share reflections from our visit to the Muslim Community Center.

You can register here to be included on future emails.

Do SOMETHING with the Catalyst Team!

Feeling overwhelmed and worn out by the current political onslaught? How do we figure out what to DO? UCE’s Catalyst team is here to help!!

Catalyst facilitates two tracks of involvement. Want to demonstrate resistance to emerging federal policies? Catalyst shares ways to protest, demonstrate, and raise your voice. Want to influence state legislation that has a direct impact on Illinois immigrants, our environment, and criminal justice? Catalyst connects you to your state representative or senator to advocate - in writing and in person. Federal level or state level engagement. OR, choose both! Catalyst provides specific, well defined, short term activities so we all can DO SOMETHING, have impact, and feel positive.

Curious? Energized? Click this link to share your interests with Catalyst or see the Catalyst team at their table at the back of the sanctuary during kinship hour to learn more.

 Adult Game Night - TOMORROW NIGHT!

Got a game that’s not exactly kid-friendly? Or just want a night of fun with other adults? This is your chance to laugh, compete, and unwind with games made for the 18+ crowd!

• BYOB & bring a snack to share
• Play your favorite games (the ones best saved for grown-ups!)
• Saturday, April 12 | 7:00 – 10:00 PM

May 9th at 6-8pm in Room 3

We hope to spread mulch for the playscape!

Bring a snack to share. 

Join the UCE Race Against Hate Team

Some of us run, some walk, some roll! However you roll, be part of the YWCA Race Against Hate by joining the UCE Racial Equity Team. 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. Proceeds from the event support the Evanston/North Shore YWCA's racial equity programming. More information about Ricky Byrdsong and the Race is here.

Register by Monday, April 14 to save $5 in registration fees. Be sure to join the UCE Racial Equity Team HERE

If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the team by using the above link to donate to one of our racers or the UCE Racial Equity Team.

Dana Deane is coordinating the UCE Racial Equity Team 2025. Please let her know if you have any questions. Dddeane847 at gmail dot com

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is April 18, 7-9pm



The Young Adult Group at UCE 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 at ucevanston dot org) with any questions.

Passover Seder

Friday, April 18, 2025 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

UCE Sanctuary

1330 Ridge Ave, Evanston

All ages are invited to participate in a family-friendly Passover Seder to experience aspects of this Jewish celebration, taste the foods, sing the songs, hear the stories and prayers, and search for the afikomen. You need not be Jewish to participate.

Feel free to bring a side dish to share that doesn’t contain yeast (such as bread/rolls) or pork. 

Please register with the number of people that will be joining us from your family so we can prepare.

Register HERE

Picnics in the Park resumes in April!

Weather-permitting, families of all ages (not just littles!) are invited to meet up at 

Penny Park after worship on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.

Celebrate Beltane with UCE!

All are welcome to join the UCE Pagan Collective for an all-ages and all-mobility level Beltane (May Day) ritual potluck feast on Sunday, May 4 at 1 p.m. We'll celebrate the blooming of summer on the south lawn with a ritual, a Maypole dance, a bonfire and a potluck lunch. Join us for the party, including a hot dog and marshmallow roast, crafts for the whole family, and Earth-centered fellowship. Dishes for the potluck are optional but appreciated.

🌱 Calling All Gardeners! 🌱

It’s time once again for our Annual Community Plant Swap!

Nurturing Mother Earth

2025 Community Plant Swap

Saturday, May 10 | 1–3 PM

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Avenue (enter parking lot via Greenwood)

Bring your extra plants, seedlings, or divisions—

Swap them for something new to grow and love!

✨ Come with something you have, leave with something you want to grow!

Stay tuned: online pre-swaps link coming soon.

Spring Garden Work Day! May 17th - 10:00am-2:00pm

Let’s shake off our Winter shivers and capitalize on our pent-up gardening needs by bringing UCE’s gardens to life! We have lots of gardening projects this year.

We’ll be digging holes for new perennials for the East Rain Garden, making rabbit-proof fencing for around the plants and picking out any weeds in our way. Join us on the South Lawn for any part or all of the time. Rain date May 24th. Contact Janelle Brittain or Neil Koreman, Garden Team Co-Chairs, for any questions.

Save the Date!

UCE Campout 2025 – June 6-8

Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park Campground

Reserve your site here.

Or stay at the nearby Illinois Beach Hotel!

More details to come!

The next meeting of the UCE Fiction Book Group

is Friday, April 18th, 7-8pm using our Recurring Zoom link

The Fiction Book Group is reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Pecola Breedlove longs for blue eyes so her world as a Black girl will open up with the privileges of her white counterparts.

Future reads:

May 16: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. In 18th century Ghana, half-sisters are born into different villages and different fortunes, following the lives of their families through eight generations of the American Black experience.

June 20: Bear by Julia Phillips. Sisters living in the wilds of Washington State respond differently when a bear adopts their encampment.

The Nonfiction Book Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, via our recurring Zoom link to discuss Liberalism as a Way of Life by Alexandre Lefebvre. In this book, Lefebvre explores liberalism as a personal approach to life—one that fosters a good, enjoyable, meaningful, and fulfilling existence.

Upcoming discussions:

• June 1: We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge
• June 29: The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution & How We the People Can Take It Back by Madiba Dennie
• July 27: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330