Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole |
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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service
this Sunday, April 17th at 10:15 am
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Awakening to Possibility
We celebrate spring and the holidays of the three coinciding Abrahamic Traditions – Easter, Passover, and Ramadan – with our annual Spring Music Service. These singers and instrumentalists will share music from the Baroque, Romantic, and 20th Century Classical eras as well as Jazz, Gospel, and Musical Theatre: Our beloved UCE Choir, under the direction of Vickie Hellyer, will, for the first time in 25 months, be singing live at a UCE service.
Vocal soloist and choral conductor, Amanda Thomas, will be sharing her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice in two solos and with the UCE Choir. Keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Howard Levy, will be featured in two magical videos made especially for this service. Our amazing pianist, Gregory Shifrin, will be working his magic – in collaboration with the choir and playing a masterful and moving piano solo. Join us for this special Sunday service.
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Faith Formation Hour for All Ages (11:35 am-12:30 pm) Following Kinship Time in the back of the sanctuary (11:15-11:35 am) |
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Singing Workshop with Amanda Thomas – Room 3
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Canned Goods Hunt: You can bring donations to the marked bin by the Giving House in the lobby. Most needed items: canned meals that have a tab top, such as soups, chili, ravioli/pasta, tuna/chicken. – South Lawn
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Junior and Senior High Youth Group (7th-12 grades) – Room 13
- No Forum Discussion Group this week
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Nursery (ages 0-3) – Room 11
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"Imagine..."
From Rev. Eileen Wiviott, Senior Minister
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Imagine a multi-cultural, multi-generational Beloved Community where everyone is included, warmly embraced, and able to be their full selves. Imagine a gathering of people who are committed to making the world more whole, healed, liberated, and loving. This gathering of people of all ages, identities, backgrounds, abilities, and means, joins each week in celebration and joy, with hope, creativity, and wonder, while working together to deepen the meaning of their lives and their commitment to a shared purpose.
We, the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, are aspiring to be this community. We are growing and evolving together, forming and reforming faith in each other, and in the world beyond we hope to co-create. We are in a time of imagining the possibilities for the future of UCE, of how we will continue to practice and build Beloved Community and what Faith Formation will be for those among us and all those who may find their way to us.
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Mother's Day Child Dedications at UCE |
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If you have a child or children you would like to be dedicated to our UCE community on Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8 (regardless of the child's age), please contact Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org.
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Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
responds to the war in Ukraine
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The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee responds to the war in Ukraine and demands an end to the bloodshed. Follow the link below to their response and for ways to help the Ukrainian people. |
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Emma's Revolution Concert at UCE - Saturday, April 30 |
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UCE is excited to host Emma's Revolution CD Release Concert In-Person & Livestreamed on Saturday April 30th at 7pm! Tickets can be purchased on their website.This is a special evening of music and an important fundraiser for UCE. Please plan to join us.
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2022 UCE Rummage Sale Update |
Friday, 5/20/22 from 9 am - 6 pm
Saturday, 5/21/22 from 9 am - 1 pm
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Mark your calendar! Reserve the above sale dates as well as:
- Drop-Off Dates: Sun 5/15, 3-7pm & Mon 5/16, 9am-8pm
- Setup Dates: Sun 5/15, 3-7pm & Tue 5/17-Thu 5/19, 9am-5pm
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Donate baked goods! Email Meredith Haydon to let her know what you’d like to bring.
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Tell a friend! Encourage friends to donate items (pass along the Donation Tip Sheet) and to attend the sale.
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Sell items online ahead of the sale! Use the power of the UCE Member-to-Member group, Facebook Marketplace or NextDoor to sell large furniture, electronics, large dinnerware sets, etc. and donate proceeds to UCE.
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Spread the word on social media! Advertise the sale via your personal Facebook, Instagram or other social media accounts.
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Hats Off to the Afternoon of the Arts Team! |
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Hats Off to the Afternoon of the Arts Team: Karena Nelson, Jenny Walsh, and Carla Williams for the return and reimagination of a much-loved tradition at UCE Afternoon (formerly Night) of the Arts! It was a smashing good time filled with art, dance, great music, and cookies! Lots of younger families were able to participate due to the earlier time. New and longtime members enjoyed connecting. The projects included decorating masks, fairy houses, paper quilts, clay sculptures, bike part jewelry, origami, collage, papier mâché eggs, and fancy flower cookies. You can see our communal snake on the wall of the sanctuary, a reminder of our last Night of the Arts. Thanks to everyone who participated and to all the volunteers who shared their creative projects and made for a wonderful afternoon. We can’t wait until next year! |
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UCE Building Availability -
The UCE Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10am-5pm
If you have music to share in worship, we would love to add your to our list. We are looking for either live or recorded performances for Sunday mornings to enhance our worship. Reach out to Rev. Eileen or Vickie Hellyer.
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Wednesday Zoom Gatherings Continue on 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 5:30 pm via Zoom.
UCE Earth Day Celebration is Friday, April 22 at 7 pm at UCE.
Emma's Revolution Concert is Saturday, April 30 at 7 pm at UCE.
UUA Regional Assembly is Saturday, April 30.
Plant Swap is Saturday, May 14 from 2-5 pm in the UCE Parking Lot!
UCE Annual Meeting is May 15! Please plan to attend in-person or on Zoom immediately following the service.
UCE's Rummage Sale is May 20-21! More info below!
May 29 - All Church Ice Cream Social during Faith Formation Hour
June 5 - All Church Picnic during Faith Formation Hour
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This Week's Events & Links |
Friday, April 15
Saturday, April 16
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Virtual Pilates at 9:30 am on Zoom. Email Janelle Brittain to join.
- Tai Chi at 9:45 am & 11 am at Room 6 at UCE.
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ENDS Conversation at 12 pm - Room 6 & Zoom. Click here to join.
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Immigrant Solidarity Team at 4 pm - Zoom. Email Lee Bannor to join.
Sunday, April 17
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Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 8:45 am in Room 6 and via Zoom. Contact Renee Hoff for the Zoom link.
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Worship Service at 10:15 am - Sanctuary & Youtube. Click here to join.
- Kinship Time at 11:15-11:35 am - back of the sanctuary
- Faith Formation Hour this Sunday:
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Singing Workshop with Amanda Thomas – Room 3
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Canned Goods Hunt – South Lawn
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Junior and Senior High Youth Group (7th-12 grades) – Room 13
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Nursery - Room 11
Monday, April 18
Tuesday, April 19
Wednesday, April 20
Thursday, April 21
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Meditation Group at 5:30 pm via Zoom. Email Lisa Solomon for the link.
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Board of Trustees at 7 pm via Zoom. Email the Office to join.
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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!
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Congregational Connections |
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Join the Board of Trustees TONIGHT
to discuss the proposed Reparations Resolution
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Please join the Board of Trustees as they host an open discussion about the proposed resolution on reparations and statements of advocacy this Friday - Today - from 6pm to 7pm via Zoom. We will learn more and provide feedback about the resolution coming up for a vote at our May congregational meeting.
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Invite your friends and join us in-person with Evanston's mayor, Daniel Biss, and live poetry and musical performances. Join us virtually on Youtube Livestream.
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Grief Group Begins April 25 |
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Ellen Rieger will be facilitating a grief group beginning on Monday, April 25. This group will be for anyone grieving the loss of a person, a decline in health, or any other loss that is problematic. The group will be part education and part support. It is very hard to grieve alone so come join us as we travel the ups and downs of loss. We will meet every other Monday on Zoom from 7:00 to 8:15 pm. For more information contact Ellen Rieger ellenerieger@gmail.com.
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DRUUMM Worship Service for ALL on May 4th |
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You Can Count On This
Rev. Tyler Coles, Guest Preacher
Dr. Zanaida Robles, Musical Artist
Faith can be both a guiding light and sustaining force throughout the course of one’s life. Yet in a world that is all too cruel and harsh, faith can be twisted, becoming instead a tool that fosters both isolation and a sense of underwhelm. What do we do when this happens for us as Unitarian Universalists? Come, let us gather in the fortifying spirit of love made known in community as we re-member ourselves, for ourselves, in the presence of all that we choose to name as Holy. RSVP at this link by May 3rd.
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13 States Participate in Regional Assembly.
Can You Name Them?
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The MidAmerica Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association includes nearly 200 UU congregations and lIke UUA, provides numerous services and support to UU congregations. These services include relationship building, leadership development, faith formation, cultural competence, and support for dismantling systemic white supremacy culture, as well as coaching in stewardship and conflict transformation.
Regional Assembly is MidAmerica’s annual gathering and will happen virtually on April 30. The keynote speaker is CB Beal - if you have participated in the Beloved Conversations program in the last few years, you know CB! In addition to the keynote, we will hold worship, the Annual Business Meeting, and there will also be time for break out rooms for connection and conversation.
Looking to connect with other UCE members attending Regional Assembly? Send an email to a member of the Denominational Affairs Committee: Shirley Adams, Lee Bannor, Peggy Boccard, Melanie Kitchner, Cheryl Mounts, Betty Walker or Carla Williams.
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Come to General Assembly 2022!! |
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Friends, now is your opportunity to join thousands of other UUs at the annual General Assembly! The steps are easy. For information about GA, go here. At that GA website you’ll find links to everything you’d want to know. But for what you need right now:
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2) Sign up for Housing. If you’d like to take advantage of the special offers assigned to UUA GA participants, go to the sign-up page to select your hotel and room.
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Call for UCE Delegates to the UUA General Assembly |
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Now is your opportunity to join thousands of UUs, both in-person or virtually, at the 2022 UUA General Assembly (GA). UCE is looking for members interested in serving as delegates. Whether attending in-person or virtually your participation supports your personal development and our congregation’s growth and development, which in turn supports our mission to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole.
Delegates are asked to commitment to the following:
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Study: https://www.uua.org/ga/congregations/delegates
- Read and review the proposed issues for the assembly
- Attend Preparing for General Assembly workshop(s) about planned issues to discuss and understand the congregation’s response/concerns
- Attend plenary sessions (business meetings) at assembly and vote as appropriate
- Contribute to a consolidated report back to the Board and congregation after the assembly (major vote results, new resolutions, significant theme messages)
Funds Available for Delegates and Non-Delegates Attending General Assembly
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Submit Your Survey Input on Revisions
to UU Principles and Sources by April 30th
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The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has commissioned a study of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. Article II is comprised of our Principles and Purposes and is the foundation for the work of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) movement. It encompasses the covenant to which all of our UU congregations and UU covenanted communities pledge themselves when they become members of our UUA. |
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Our New Garden Team is inviting all people interested in playing in the earth with Mother Nature on May 7th from 10 am - 12 pm for a UCE Gardening Day. We’ll be giving our gardens a Spring Cleaning, doing some planting and digging, then mulching. Additionally, we are looking for some people with strength for branch trimming and for digging. We have a couple of specialty projects where we need those skills. Please contact Janelle Brittain ASAP if you are interested either in attending the Gardening Day event or the Specialty Team work.
NEW FERNS! - We've planted 20 new Boston Ferns in the southeast corner of the parking lot by the utility boxes. Look for their young fronds to appear in a couple of weeks
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Help Grow Food for the Hungry |
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Volunteers needed for planting session at the UCE Cahill Food Pantry Garden May 14th, 10 am - 12 pm
Join an intergenerational social justice effort in the garden! Last year UCE gardening at John J. Cahill, Inc. (on Church St.) resulted in almost 300 pounds of produce donations to Edible Evanston (for Harvest Pantry and Hillside Pantry). Be a part of the experience this season starting with a planting session Saturday May 14, 10 am - 12 pm. Young gardeners with adult supervision also welcome. Help later in the season with cultivating, weeding and harvesting is also needed. Please contact Dale Griffin or Barbara Butz to register or express interest for later. Thanks!
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What's Happening in Faith Formation? |
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Faith Formation Hour this Sunday at 11:35 am - Awakening to Music for All Ages…
- Nursery (ages 0-3) in Room 11 from 10 am-12:30 pm
- Canned Goods and Egg Hunt during Kinship Time
- Singing Workshop with Amanda Thomas in Room 3
- No Forum this week - resuming on May 1
...and beyond!
Youth Group Gathering "CONtagion" at Busse Woods - Saturday, April 23, 2022 - 3-7 pm. Come for an afternoon of games, food, and fun with UU teens from the Chicagoland area.
Earth Day Justice Fair – April 24 during Faith Formation Hour
We’ll be making lunch bags for Connections for the Homeless using earth-friendly sandwich bags. There will also be many family-friendly activities facilitated by the Green Team.
For Young Adults (18-30 years old) – UU Wellspring – a virtual place to explore spiritual understandings through our UU Sources, and on a sliding-fee scale, so pretty affordable! Register here.
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Why Do We Work So D*** Much? |
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Computers and robots were supposed to make our lives easier, our work days and weeks shorter, but Americans are working harder and longer and getting a lot less satisfaction from it. How did we get here? What will work look like in the future? And how can we make a better and more fulfilling life for ourselves and our communities?
This class will be facilitated by UCE Members, Betty Walker, Carol Nielsen, and Brian Nielsen on Tuesdays, April 19 from 7-8:30 pm in Room 3 & on Zoom. Registration is not required to attend.
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Adult Playdate - April 26 at 7 pm on Zoom |
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Adults are gathering for a “playdate” of sorts for an hour of imagining what programs and events we can offer parents and adults at all stages of life! We will have a “no-holding-back” brainstorming on what you need and want to experience in the coming year at UCE. Educational? Social? Religious? Experiential? |
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Faith Formation Listening Circles in May |
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Rev. Eileen and Kathy Underwood want to hear from you! As we near the end of this experimental church year, we want to hear what your experience with faith formation hour has been for you and how we can make it better for next year. Please join us for one of these gatherings:
- May 1 at 11:35 am at UCE
- May 4 at 7 pm on Zoom
- May 10 at 7 pm on Zoom
- May 14 at 10 am at UCE
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TODAY, April 15 at 7 pm, the UCE Fiction Book Group will discuss Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jessmyn Ward.
Sing, Unburied, Sing journeys through Mississippi’s past and present, examining the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power—and limitations—of family bonds. Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to learn from the men around him how to be a Black man. When Jojo’s white father is released from prison, the family travels through Mississippi to Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all the ugly history of the South with him. He, too, has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons and the legacy of families. All are Welcome!
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Join the nonfiction book group at 2 p.m. on April 24th to discuss Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe.
Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet, negotiating distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions. She has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is to talk to others to find shared values and plan for a better future. We invite members of the Green Team and others concerned about climate change to join us.
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Registration Open for this summer's
Chalice Sparx Family Camp & Retreat for UU Families
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Registration for this summer’s Chalice Sparx Family Camp & Retreat for Unitarian Universalist families is now open. Join us July 8-10 in Cassopolis, Michigan for an amazing all-ages experience at lovely Camp Friedenswald in southwestern Michigan -- only 90 miles from Chicago. As an intentional UU covenanted community, we are especially welcoming to Trans children, youth and their families.
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Have you heard the buzz about a reparations vote at our congregational meeting in May? At UCE’s annual meeting members will have a chance to vote on a resolution supporting reparations at the national and local level, and how UCE can support these programs and make further inroads against racism and promoting racial healing. We welcome your feedback on the planned motion for our May congregational meeting.
Please join us at one of the following congregation wide conversations with a short presentation followed by open discussion:
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April 15, 2022, Discussion with the Board from 6:00-7:00 pm, via Zoom. Join here on Zoom.
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April 27, 2022, Wednesday Gathering from 5:30-6:30 pm, via Zoom. Join here on Zoom.
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May 1, 2022, Faith Formation Hour from 11:35 am – 12:35 pm, in-person and via Zoom. Join here on Zoom.
You may also plan to have your covenant group or small group discuss Reparations when you meet in April or May. If you would like to talk with someone from Team 8th one-on-one to understand more, please contact Gretchen Brewster through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.
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UCE UUtheVote 2022: Partnering with Reclaim Our Vote |
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UCE has launched our campaign to boost voter participation, engage new voters, counter voter suppression, and protect our democracy! One of our project partners is Reclaim Our Vote (ROV), a national non-partisan organization whose mission is to “empower underrepresented voters and fight voter suppression, one voter at a time.”
ROV targets potential voters in states experiencing aggressive voter suppression (including Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia) sending Black, southern, largely rural folks information on how to register, ways to vote early and by mail, poll locations and hours.
Reclaim Our Vote gets results! An example: Of 79,000 voters contacted for Georgia's June primary: 73% voted, almost 1/3 were first time primary voters, and almost all of them voted early/absentee, avoiding the long lines on Election Day.
Pick up postcards in the back of the sanctuary on Sundays, April 17 and 24, May 1 and 8, or contact Carolyn Laughlin through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.
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UCE Joins YWCA to Stand Against Racism on April 28th |
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Bring your Black Lives Matter and other signs to UCE on Thursday, April 28, 2022, to Stand Against Racism along Ridge Avenue from 10:30 - 11:00 am. Meet in the sanctuary or outside by our Black Lives Matter sign.
The YWCA Evanston/North Shore has Stand Against Racism events across the Chicagoland area from April 27-May 1. Check out their website for more information.
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UU Prison Ministry Pen Pal Workshop - May 1 |
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Join the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) Ambassador Program of Illinois on Sunday, May 1, from 2 - 4 pm via Zoom for a workshop on being a pen pal with someone who is in prison or jail.
Learn what it's like to correspond with someone in prison or jail — the rewards & the pitfalls. The CLF has over 30 incarcerated persons waiting to be matched!
Pre-registration required to receive Zoom link. RSVP to prisonpenpals@unitytemple.org with your name, email address, congregation affiliation, and any questions. Upon confirmation, a short video prerequisite and the Zoom link will be sent to you.
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Join the UCE Team in the Race Against Hate on June 19 |
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The Race Against Hate will be held on June 19, and UCE will again be a part of it. Some of us run, some walk, some roll! However you roll, please be a part of our Race Against Hate by joining the UCE REAL Team 2022. If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the team through your donation. Dana Deane is coordinating the UCE REAL Team 2022. Please contact Dana through REALM or at ucerealteam@gmail.com if you have any questions.
In 1999, Ricky Byrdsong was murdered by a self-proclaimed white supremacist. Byrdsong was a Skokie resident and the first African-American coach of the Northwestern University men’s basketball team. He was also the father of 3 young children, 2 of whom were with him near their home when he was shot...
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New Fundraising Effort for Afghan Family |
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The Immigrant Solidarity Team is so grateful for all donations to the Bakeer family last fall and winter. We were able to pay their rent through July and buy clothing as well with our fundraising and the generous support of an Endowment grant.
Now we are shifting our attention to an Afghan family. We are not naming them because of privacy concerns. The young woman who heads up this family is in her 20s and her husband is still in Afghanistan, unable to come to the U.S. for now. One of our volunteers, when making a visit to the apartment building of the Bakeer family (Syrian) was approached by this young mother—she asked “could you please help me too?” She was provided an apartment and some basics by the resettlement agency, but they are very strapped right now and she had no sponsoring family to help her learn the ways things operate in our society.
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Taproot: A National UU BIPOC Space |
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The work of spiritual community is complicated in the 21st century. From busy schedules to the ever-pressing tension brought on by systemic injustice, the need for faithful leadership that is grounded and resilient is imperative. This is all the more true for leaders within our congregations who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC). BIPoC Leaders rooted in Unitarian Universalist congregations are invited to take part in a monthly virtual gathering as we explore these pillars in creating means by which to ground ourselves in resilient communities of care:
- Rest & Renewal
- Analysis Building
- Leadership Development
Date & Time: May 12, 2022 at 7 pm CST
This space is explicitly for people identifying as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC).
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Unitarian Church of Evanston
1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-1330
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