Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole

Sunday Service April 28th at 10:30am

Home: Youth Sunday

Our annual Youth Sunday service will focus on widening our circle of welcome to include folks who are challenged for shelter and a place to call home, especially considering the struggles of homeless teens. The service leaders are Griffin Larson-Erf, Reed Larson-Erf, Sydney Lawrence, Mary McDonald, Enzo Wallin, with support from Margaret Shaklee, Linda Herreid, Gillian Lawrence, Gregory Shifrin, and Rev. Eileen.

Children in pre/k will go to their faith formation program after joys and sorrows. Heads, Hearts, and Hands (1^st-6^th) will remain in today’s youth-led service.

Shared Offering - Interfaith Action

Join the Services Livestream

Faith Formation Hour this Sunday

Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 10:15a-11:45a

Chalice Children (pre/k) in room 9 will explore the theme of Lifting Our Voices by hearing the story, Old Tales, Tried and True, and making dot collages.
Heads, Hearts, and Hands (1^st-6^th) and Youth Group (7^th-12^th) will next meet on May 12.

Families can explore our theme, The Gift of Interdependence, at home and in their own timeframe with the Soulful Home packet. Send pictures to Kathy of your family as you explore the many ideas here!

See our “living” calendar of programs and events here.

Parents can register their children/youth for the Faith Formation Program here.

UCE Passover Seder – TONIGHT April 26 at 5:30pm

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.

Feel free to bring a side dish to share that doesn't contain yeast (such as bread/rolls) or pork. Beef brisket, matzah, boiled eggs, and flourless cake will be served too.

UCE FAMILY CHOIR Spring 2024

Families and children are invited to sing with the UCE choir in the May 19th service. The song is: “Build Me a World.” Watch a video of the song HERE. We have 1 more short rehearsal: Sunday, May 5th, 10-10:20 am (room 3)

Email Norell Liddell for more information: NorellLiddell at gmail dot com.

Greetings from Kathy Underwood, DLFF

As spring continues to tease us with occasional warm, sunny, days, it is a time in the church year to reflect on the past year and begin planting new seeds for future hopes and dreams. I hope you will read the annual reports that will be coming out next month in preparation for the annual congregational meeting on May 19. It is a manuscript of our endeavors and plans for the coming year to be celebrated!

For now, I will focus on recent happenings and upcoming events though. We had a joyful Easter Sunday with a beautiful worship service that embraced the Trans Day of Visibility while celebrating Easter and spring. Our 1st Annual Peeps Show was a fun and wonderful event that led to conversations while waiting in line for the nourishing food at the potluck. So many of you expressed such joy at seeing the creative displays that I think we will be continuing the tradition next year.

Our hats are off to all who made the incredible Sunrise Mass service possible this past Sunday. Under the direction of Vickie Hellyer, the UCE choir worked incredibly hard and with great dedication to make this complex work of musical art come to emotional life. Four years ago, the choir was preparing to sing this for the spring music service and we all know what happened. But this was worth the wait. Thank you to all the choir members, and to all the instrumentalists who accompanied, especially Sarah Bloethe and Ann Gadzikowski, for volunteering so much of their time. Thank you to Jon Siegel for making audio/video recordings of the choir rehearsals and the service itself, as well as mic set up for rehearsals. Thanks to Robb Geiger for his carpentry work creating backstops for the chairs in our new riser setting. Thanks to Betty Walker and Annette Wallace for your wonderful poetry readings. And thank you to Alison Issen, Gay Riseborough, Vicki Lang, and Sue Widell for ironing all the colorful silk scarves that made the choir visually pop!

Join Us in Celebrating Sandra Robinson’s 22 years of service!

Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Please RSVP for the reception HERE.

Please sign up to volunteer

your time and/or bring something HERE.

Artists, professionals and hobbyists, please register to exhibit a piece of your art at the party! Click HERE.

This Week's Events & Links

Friday, April 26th

UCE Seder, 5:30-7:00pm, in the Sanctuary Cafe

Saturday, Apr 27th:

Worship Planning Team, 9:30-11am, Rm6

Virtual Pilates, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom

Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Rm 3

Intermediate Tai Chi, 11am - 12pm, Rm 3

Beltane Intergenerational May Pole, 10:30-1:30pm, Sanctuary & Lawn

Writing Memoirs Group, 1-4pm, Rm 13

Sunday, Apr 28th:

Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 9am in-person Rm 6 and via Zoom Link.

Worship Service at 10:30am Sanctuary & on YouTube

Non-Fiction Book Club, 2pm, recurring ZOOM link.

RUMMAGE SALE SETUP BEGINS

Download UCE Zoom Backgrounds

RUMMAGE SALE SETUP continues all week.

Monday, April 29th:

Addictions and Recovery, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, Apr 30th:

No events scheduled.

Wednesday, May 1st:

Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via NEW ONLINE LINK

Please be aware we have an all Staff Meeting every Wed from 11-12:30pm

Executive Meeting, 3:15pm, via Zoom

Thursday May 2nd:

Evanston Near South Proximity Group, 1-2pm, via Zoom

Meditation Group, 5:30-7pm, via Zoom

Choir Rehearsal, 7-9pm, Rm 6

Check out the UCE Calendar for more events!

Congregational News

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!

Room Request Form

PLEASE NOTE: Newsletter submissions should be sent to Newsletter@ucevanston.org by noon on Wednesday.

Congregational Connections

Beltane Intergenerational Maypole Dance

Join the UCE Pagan Collective

Saturday, April 27, 2024

10:30-11:30 am Maypole Dance

11:30 am - 1:30 pm Community Potluck

We'll be on the UCE South Lawn or in the Sanctuary if the weather is inclement.

RSVP here so we have enough Maypole ribbons.

For more information, contact Taryn Nelson Seawright at tarynnelsonseawright at gmail dot com.

Rummage Sale Setup Week Is Here!

Please stay after church this coming Sunday, April 28th, to help setup departments and unload cars. (There will be pizza!)

Donations are welcomed this Sunday from 2-7pm and Monday, April 29th, from 9am-7pm. Refer to the 2024 Tip Sheet as your guide and please remember to bring (adult) clothing donations on hangers. (Hangers are available across from the lobby restrooms.)

Setup continues all next week, culminating in the grand opening on Friday, May 3rd, at 9:00 am. Email rummage@ucevanston.org if you haven’t yet volunteered but would like to do so. Volunteers are invited to the shop the pre-sale from 5-7 on Thursday, May 2nd. All volunteers who work a total of 6 hours or more may take advantage of shopping a day early for an additional 20% on top of our low prices.

Invite friends to donate and shop! Share the Tip Sheet and flyer.

Questions? Email rummage@ucevanston.org or visit the FAQ page.

Thank you everyone!

Come one, come all to the 2024 Annual Community Plant Swap!

Date: Saturday, May 18

Time: 1-3 pm

Location: UCE Parking Lot

Bring your green treasures – plants, seedlings, divisions – and swap them with fellow garden lovers. It's a chance to share, learn, and grow together. Come with something you have, leave with something you want to grow! Let's unite to nurture Mother Earth and our community. See you there!For more information and pre-swaps, visit this garden.org event page.

UUA's General Assembly 2024

The Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly is June 20-23. This meeting is the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists where we conduct business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles.

UCE Board of Trustees has confirmed the following members as delegates to this Annual Meeting: Shirley Adams, Peggy Boccard, Lina Hilko (alternate), Melanie Kitchner, Cheryl Mounts, Joe Romeo (alternate), Steve Serikaku, Elaine Siegel, Betty Walker, and Carla Williams.

Participants worship together and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend GA; congregations must certify annually to have voting delegates. Only delegates may vote at business meetings.

GA is completely virtual this year, returning to on-site plus virtual in 2025.

What is the UUA General Assembly and Why Are We Voting on Article 2?

Join Rev. Susan, Rev. Eileen, and members of the Denominational Affairs team on Sunday, May 5th from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in room 2 for a lively conversation about the 2024 UUA General Assembly and the proposed Article 2 revisions that will be debated and voted on in June. The revisions present six values statements linked together by love (see graphic). These statements reflect the history of our 8 principles and the evolving nature of our faith.

At this year’s UUA General Assembly, June 20-23, delegates from UCE and other UU congregations will be called to vote on revisions to Article 2 of the UUA Bylaws. Why is change important to our faith? How does the interconnectedness of all things make change so challenging? Where do you see interdependencies within the UCE community and the world at large? How does that impact our transformation to a truly beloved community?

What are your questions or ideas about the proposed values of Pluralism and Freedom of Belief. Join us in room 2 to discuss and debate the proposed revisions to Article 2.

Click the image below to watch a video on the GA.

Lifespan Faith Formation

Young Adult Nature Walk – May 11 at 11a – Skokie Lagoons – more info coming soon!

Youth Eco-Ambassador Program application is live on the Faith in Place website! Students get paid like a summer job to participate at $135 per week for five weeks starting in July! Applications are due by May 15^th. APPLY HERE.

Family Friday Gardening – May 17 – The Gardening Team needs our help to make one of our gardens look a little nicer! Those who wish can bring a picnic supper and eat on the lawn before we start playing in the dirt at 6:30p. Then we’ll enjoy a nice cool treat after our hard work.

Summer is Coming! Our summer program for children will be based on the animated show, Bluey. We’ll be exploring our UU values as we see Bluey learning them along the way. If you’d like to help on a Sunday, email Kathy for the details.

Picnics in the Park – 1st and 3rd Sundays at Penny Park, 12-1pm - weather permitting.

A fun and easy way for parents of young children to meet and socialize while the little ones play! Bring your own picnic or snack.

Social Justice

THIS SATURDAY: WALK/ROLL THE REDLINE!

Support Open Communities

A Fair Housing Agency

Saturday April 27th, 2024

Evanston’s Twiggs Park, 2:00-4:30 PM

Questions? Contact Mary Beth Roth in the REALM Membership Directory

TO REGISTER TO WALK/ROLL WITH UCE’S TEAM, use the QR code above or access the UCE team page HERE.

DONATIONS ARE A GREAT WAY TO SHOW SUPPORT, Those who cannot make the walk can cheer on the UCE Team using the QR code above or access the UCE team page HERE.

*REDLINING WAS A HISTORICAL PRACTICE where officials drew maps in red around neighborhoods of color and denied housing investment there. Although it has been illegal since 1968, this discriminatory practice caused segregation and disinvestment in Evanston’s 5th ward.

WALK OR ROLL THE HISTORICAL REDLINED ROUTE through Evanston's fifth ward to learn the impact discriminatory housing policies had and how they show up in harmful new ways. The route will celebrate black Evanstonian contributions, provide opportunities to support black-owned businesses, and demonstrate ways to take action for housing justice today.

Registration is $35.00 per participant.

Rev. Jason Lydon to deliver Minns Lecture on Prison Abolition

Join local minister Rev. Jason Lydon, from the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago, for a series on Abolition Theologies: Praying for Liberation. This Minn Lectures series runs April 18, 21, 25, and May 9th. To RSVP to attend, click here.

Urbana Champaign Reproductive Justice is organizing a week-long series of events on reproductive justice, April 19-28. These events are accessible online and include:

A Sunday service at the UU Church of Urbana-Champaign, April 21
A teach-in on self-managed abortion 101 led by Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights
A symposium on the legal landscape of abortion access involving many experts including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and Elevated Access, among others
Heart-to-Heart Abortion Conversations, an event led by Unitarian-Universalist Church of Indianapolis.

For more information click here: https://www.ucrj.org/

UCE’s spring postcard work has been great!

We have committed to an average of 500 postcards every week over the last 7 weeks!

Reminders:

Georgia - Mail your so that they are postmarked no later than May 9th.
Virginia - Mail these starting April 26, and be sure they are postmarked no later than June 3rd.
Why push for primary election voting? Because 80% of primary voters go on the vote in the general election. We will continue to write postcards for upcoming primaries, so be sure to stop by our table to pick up a packet or two. Your efforts are valued and have impact!

Wisconsin Voter Registration Training

Get trained to register voters in Wisconsin. Required training is via Zoom and lasts about one hour. There i more upcoming training session:

Tuesday, April 30 from 1:30-2:30 pm

To register, email Laura Kushner with the Milwaukee Voter Project at laurakushnerx2 at gmail dot com. You only need to attend one. The trainings are one hour, on zoom, and presented by the Milwaukee Voter Project. If you have questions, please contact Shirley Adams at shirley at comeoutdancing dot com.

Interfaith Action of Evanston SNAPGap

Please assist with the collection of items to bridge the gap for individuals and families. Your participation and generosity is greatly appreciated.

For May we are collecting:

• Toothpaste

• Toothbrushes

These items will be distributed at the Tue May 14th Producemobile. You may drop these items off, or have online deliveries send to: First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, 1427 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. Drop-off Hours are: Mon through Thu 8am-7pm; Fri, 8am-5pm; Sat & Sun, 8:30am-12.30pm

SAVE THE DATE

Mark your calendars for a trip to Springfield to advocate for the 2024 Climate Action Lobby Day on Thursday, May 9th.

Travel with environmentalists from UCE, UUANI, Faith in Place, and other local groups supporting legislation during this session. Ride the bus that picks up at UCE the morning of May 9th.

Contact Shirley Adams, shirley at comeoutdancing dot com, with questions.

Each year we host a DRUUMM worship service that is open to all. As our ministry and membership grows, this worship is also our major fundraiser to support our pastoral care, community organizing, and antiracism work. This year's donations and sponsorships will specifically help us establish a new DRUUMM Fellowship for seminarians and young organizers. You are an important part of our community. We invite you to join us for:

Choosing Joy! DRUUMM Public Worship

Rev. Ali K.C. Bell, Guest Preacher

Saunder Choi, Director of Music

Rev. Carol Thomas Cissel, Liturgist

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

8:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Pacific

OPEN TO ALL

Available via Zoom & Livestream

UCE Book Clubs

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group

In April we will meet to discuss They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us by Prachi Gupta.

In this memoir, an Indian American daughter reveals how the model minority myth fractured her family. She and her brother lived under intense pressure to belong in America, but their belonging was predicated on a myth that Asian Americans and Indian Americans in particular have perfected a model middle class life, a tight knit, ambitious family that is immune to hardship.

Zoom discussion on Sunday, April 28th at 2pm, using our recurring ZOOM link.

Sunday, May 19th at 2 p.m. (after the annual meeting) via Zoom:

Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law by Richard Rothstein and Leah Rothstein

UCE Fiction Book Group

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading a classic this month: Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.

One of the independent women of the 19th century, Bathsheba Everdene negotiates the rocky terrain of romantic alliance presented the Victorian woman. Set in Wessex County, Far from the Madding Crowd is styled the most English of great English novels.

Friday, May 17, at 7-8pm, using our recurring ZOOM link.

Future reads include:

June 21:

NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory. Short-listed for the Booker Prize is Bulawayo’s tale of Zimbabwe under siege by its citizens. A satire told in the vein of Animal Farm: We follow a nation of animals as they try to define true liberation when their oppressive leader Old Horse is pulled down.

July 19:

Percival Everett, James. The story of Huck’s slave companion Jim that was never told in Huckleberry Finn. Perhaps the story of slavery in America that Mark Twain would have told if his publishers had let him.