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

Sunday Service

February 15, 2026 at 10:30 am 

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

This Sunday…

Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 8:45a-12:15p. 

Chalice Children (Pre/k/1) in room 9 – The children will explore the theme of caring by hearing the story A Sick Day for Amos McGee and clay and bead creations.

Heads, Hearts, and Hands (2nd-5th) in room 8 – The young people begin continue exploring our Soul Matters theme of resilience by looking at some of the people who have persisted and resisted the status quo that led to change. This week’s Holy Troublemaker is Rumi.

Youth Group (6th-9th) in room 10 – The youth will explore our theme of resilience and the importance of community.

Faith Formation Registration

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

Hearts & Arts activities are planned for all ages:

• Collaborate to recreate a large work of art
• Create Valentines: One to share in the Sanctuary and one to give to a loved one
• Find your inner artist: Design with Nature, Explore with Color, or Create Circles of Connection
• Add your contribution to an art piece honoring our UCE founders
• Decorate heart cookies

All ages are welcome as we re-imagine "Night of the Arts" with pizza, singing, dancing, games and kinship. The fun starts at 5:30. Dinner will be available at 6:30 followed by music, singing, and dancing until 8:30. Nursery care will be available during games and art making events before and after dinner. 

Click here to register

Click here to volunteer

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been carrying you with me across miles and moments, and I want to share a little of what I’ve been seeing, learning, and feeling. 

As many of you know, I traveled to Minneapolis to participate in a public witness last month. It was bitterly cold - the kind of cold that makes your eyelashes freeze. It was also deeply clarifying. Hundreds of people showed up despite the cold and despite the short (six days) notice. We were clergy and lay leaders, people of many faiths. We stood together in the face of policies and practices that dehumanize our immigrant neighbors, putting our bodies in between them.

What struck me most was not only the moral clarity of the moment, but the relational infrastructure underneath it: people knew how to mobilize because they had already practiced being in community. They trusted one another, and the showed up when they were needed. There were phone trees, shared language, shared values, shared scripts, official guidelines for engaging with news, and up-to-the minute instructions of how and where to engage in public action. It was an amazing display of mutual aid and collaboration across differences. 

Our hats are off to Maggie Weiss and Ellie Feddersen for organizing our annual Empty Bowls event this past Sunday. Maggie and Ellie strengthened our community connections as they recruited our amazing volunteers who cooked soup and moved tables on Sunday morning, and as they invited donations in the form of the many beautiful ceramic bowls from UCE congregants and local community colleges. We collected over $1,200, which will be divided equally among Hillside Panty, Interfaith Action of Evanston, and Connections for the Homeless, who all have services to address food scarcity. Thank you, Maggie and Ellie, for continuing our Soup-er Bowls Sunday tradition!

• 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, February 13th:

• Young Adult Movie Night, 7:30-9:30pm, Room 6

Saturday, February 14th:

• Virtual Pilates, 9:30am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Sanctuary
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 11am-12pm, Sanctuary
• Hearts and Arts Celebration, 5:30-8:30pm, Rooms 2,3,5 Kitchen

Sunday, February 15th:

• Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
• UCE Choir Rehearsal, 9-10:10am, Sanctuary
• Kinship Time, 11:30-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
• Carlton/Schroeder Covenant Group, 12-2pm, Room 2
• UCE Pagan Collective Monthly Meeting, 12-1:30pm, Room 13
• Sine Nomine Covenant Group, 12:15-2pm, Offsite or Zoom
• Community Singing Circle, 12:30-1:30pm, Room 3
• TransParentsy Group, 12:30-2pm, Room 6

Monday, February 16th: PRESIDENT'S DAY, UCE OFFICES CLOSED

• UCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45pm, via Zoom
• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, February 17th:

• Legislative Action Team, 4:30-5:30pm, via Zoom
• Peg Heads, 6:30-9:30pm, Room 3
• Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, Online

Wednesday, February 18th:

• Yoga Online, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Integrated Stewardship Council, 5-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Grief Group, 5:30-7pm, Room 3
• Pastoral Care Meeting, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Social Justice Council, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom

Thursday, February 19th:

• Evanston Near South Proximity Group, 1-2pm, via Zoom
• Beacons of Light, 4-4:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Board of Trustees, 7-9pm, Room 6 and Zoom
• Choir Rehearsal, 7-8:45pm, Room 3

Upcoming AI Workshop

Discernment and Covenant-Building

Tuesday, March 3 | 7:00 pm

Room 3 & Zoom

Sessions are stand-alone—feel free to attend any that interest you.

Click HERE TO REGISTER

The Music Team at the Unitarian Church of Evanston is sponsoring a Community singing event at UCE on Sunday February 15, 12:30-1:30pm in room 3.

Megan Eberhardt (Old Town School of Music and more) will help us join in an informal singing experience. All songs will be taught orally, on the spot. Experienced and non experienced singers are welcome! We will sing songs in unison, rounds, call and response and more. Come experience the simple joy of singing together and walk away revitalized, connected with some old and new singable songs in your heart and pocket.

This a free event with a free will offering to cover costs. Children accompanied by a responsible adult are welcome.

Here are 2 videos to give you an idea of what it is like.

Video 1

Video 2

PHOTO CREDIT: Tess Graham

Do You Volunteer Outside of UCE?

The Widening the Circle Team (part of the former Anti-Oppression Task Force) invites you to Martha Holman’s Evanston home on Sunday, February 15, 2026 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. for an informal conversation on volunteering outside of UCE. The Team envisions 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 others to learn about the different types of volunteer work in our community. Lunch will be available.

If you cannot attend this conversation, the Team intends to schedule more of these in the following months on different days, at different times, and virtually. The hope is that those who wish to participate will have ample opportunities to do so.

You can R.S.V.P. Martha directly at holman dot martha at gmail dot com. Space is limited so please respond asap if you’d like to participate.

 Attend A Journey Toward Membership Class

Are you interested in a brief survey of UU history and values, learning about what it means to be part of a covenantal faith tradition, or in figuring out how to get more connected at UCE? Join Rev. Susan and the Membership Team at one of our Journey Toward Membership classes. This 90-minute class is for folks interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and UCE as well as folks planning to become a member. If you decide you are interested in becoming a member, you will need to have attended this class before signing our Membership Book. The next class dates are:

• Saturday, February 21, 2026, 1:00-2:30 pm, Room 12, no child care available. Click here to register. 
• Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 6:30-8:00 pm, via Zoom. Click here to register.
• Sunday, March 1, 2026, 9:00-10:20 am, Room 12, child care provided. Click here to register.
• Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:30-8:00 pm, via Zoom. Click here to register. 

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

Sign ups are open for Winter 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 February 15th and 22nd.

You may also contact Margaret Koreman (Margaret.Koreman at gmail dot com) or Mary Bell (marywbell53 at gmail dot com).

Winter Session meals are:

• Fri, March 6th, 6:00PM In-home vegetarian Mexican fiesta
• Sat, March 7th, 5:30PM in-home dinner followed by board games
• Sat, March 7th, 5:30PM In-home pork tenderloin and roasted potatoes dinner
• Sun, March 8th, 5:00PM In-home comfort food dinner (casseroles, bread, and Hoosier Mama pies)
• Fri, March 13th, 6:30PM In-home New Orleans style gumbo (not vegetarian) and rice dinner
• Sat, March 14th, 5:30PM In-home grilled salmon, portobello mushroom, and farro pilaf dinner
• Sat, March 14th, 6:00PM Prairie Grass Restaurant dinner
• Sun, March15th, 6:00PM in-home savory and sweet potluck dinner

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading So Far Gone by Jess Walter.

Rhys Kinnick has gone off the grid, in deep disillusion about the world. His daughter, however, needs him to look after his granddaughter while she runs an errand. Thus, granddaughter shows up on his doorstep unannounced, except by herself. Thus the two, with the help of Rhys’s rag-taggle community, cope with the lunacy that is our modern American life.

Friday, February 20th, 7-8pm by ZOOM

Here's a recurring zoom link for the Fiction Book Group

Next read:

March 20: "The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans

The Nonfiction book group will meet online at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 22nd, using our recurring Zoom link.

The UCE nonfiction book group is reading Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabr. Jabr explores how Earth functions as a living system where all life forms—from microbes to humans—shape and transform the planet through complex interactions spanning billions of years.

The book has been described as a “page turner to people with a curious mind” and “easy and entertaining reading.”

Next read: March 22, 2026. Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church by Harriet Han.

UCE is Going Camping!

UCE is going camping May 29-31! Please click on this link to reserve a campsite. The top of the form includes links to reserve a site directly with ExploreMore IL, as well as a link to a table where you can see where other UCE campsites will be. If you have any questions or need help with reserving your site, email Grey Wiviott (greyleewivs at gmail dot com). Happy Camping!

Save these dates!

Family Friday – March 6, 6-8pm

We’ll be making terrariums from plastic containers to start seeds for our gardens this spring.

Bring a clear container at least 4” tall, such as a milk jug or salad container.

If you have extra seeds, we’ll set up a table for sharing too.

And join the Family Ministry Team March 9 at 7-8p on Zoom!

We’ll share ideas on ways to build connections and community.

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



Join us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/520586461667097

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is Friday, February 20th



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@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 UCE 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

Register now for the first session on February 25.

Series Schedule

• February 25 – How We Got Here: From Slavery to Mass Incarceration
• April 22 – The Economics of Maintaining Systems of Injustice
• June 24 – How Faith Communities Can Help Break the Chain
• August 26 – Reparations: In Evanston and Beyond

MEETING MORE INTERFAITH NEIGHBORS

A Faith Formation Series February, March, and April 2026

For UCE Adults and Youth, 14 and up



We begin this series this month as we join the

Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Church worship service on February 22nd at 11:30,

and then share our experiences at UCE on February 24 at 7pm in Room 3 and ZOOM.

Register here to get communications about upcoming dates as they are finalized.

Other faiths we will be exploring: MARCH: HINDUISM/KRISNA – ISKCON

APRIL: SIKH

Register in Realm

Parent’s Time Out March 13, 5-8p

Rev. Eileen and Grey Wiviott are hosting this event at UCE.

Drop off your kids and enjoy a few hours to yourself.

Fill out this short survey to tell us about your kiddos.

30 Days of Love

Activities to do as a family over the next month.

This week’s theme is Nurturing Community. 

Check it out here!

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 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 Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU), which is committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within Unitarian Universalism; providing support, information, and resources for Black Unitarian Universalists; and justice-making and liberation for Black people through our faith. To donate follow this link.

Come be a Beacon of Light!

Join us at the corner of Dempster & Ridge, Chicago & Main, or Central & Lincolnwood on Thursdays from 4:00-4:30 pm to inspire a future grounded in our values. 

Inspired by Beacons of Light, bring a colorful sign with a positive message visioning a future shaped by love and justice (sign inspiration here) or include The Beacon’s QR code to spread the light even further. You may join the Beacons of Light WhatsApp group by filling out their form.

Whether we’re three people or 100, we continue to provide a source of hope and solidarity for the participants, those driving by, and our neighbors. All are welcome!

LOVE RESISTS

Community Support/Mutual Aid

These are a few ways to provide community support and mutual aid to our friends and neighbors. If you have another idea, please email it to Rev. Susan Frances.

Ongoing ways to provide mutual aid -

Donate to the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund, which is using donations to help pay release bonds for the hundreds of people currently detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and associated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Bond amounts for immigration cases range from $1,500 to $50,000 and must be paid in full before release. Release on bond allows people to reunite with family, access legal counsel, and prepare their case from home with safety and dignity—opportunities that are limited or impossible while incarcerated.

Donate to your local food pantry and soup kitchen. In Evanston, these include:

• Fill up the UCE Giving House located in our lobby. We are collecting pasta, rice, grains, beans, cereal, soups, canned fish, and canned meat to donate to C&W Market Foundation in Evanston. 

• Interfaith Action of Evanston (IAE) publishes the schedule of Soup Kitchens, sponsored by them and other nonprofits. We keep hard copies of this schedule, along with the IAE Overnight Shelter in the red folder in the Welcome Center cabinet.

• Support the Evanston Community Fridges. You may contribute funds online or donate food at one of the three locations in Evanston: 1601 Payne Street, 1335 Dodge Avenue, 620 Madison Street. 

Patronize local Mexican, South American, and Latin American restaurants, grocery stores, and street vendors, especially in neighborhoods that are predominately Hispanic and Latinx, in an effort to help those small businesses stay in business when so many of their customers do not feel safe being out and about.

Donate to Evanston Latinos, which is working with local Sanctuary groups to support local families impacted by ICE detentions. When you donate online, write in the memo line either “Sanctuary Evanston” or “Sanctuary Niles Township.”

Carry a whistle as part of local whistle brigades (short rhythm for ICE agent or vehicle sightings; long continuous rhythm when witnessing an abduction in process). Take photos or video of what you are seeing.

When ICE is active in your area, create a plan for transportation for anyone working inside or outside of your home and also plan to be at home to provide emergency inside space for outdoor workers who are tending to your yard, snow removal, painting, or other home improvements. ICE agents, or any other federal, state, or local agent, may not enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge with a valid date, the name of a specific person, and your address on it.

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

 Make A Difference!

How does UCE make our voice heard? Through delegates to the annual UUA General Assembly, where we consider issues of major importance impacting UU congregations and the world at large. Delegates determine UUA justice work, developing “Statements of Conscience” and “Actions of Immediate Witness”, and identifying such areas of study as “Abolition”, “Transformation”, and “Faith Formation”.

You can help! Join delegates from UU congregations across the country and Canada, developing policy and taking action to keep our mission and values at the forefront of our social justice initiatives. 

Want to know more? Sign up to receive more information, or connect with the UU Networking Team and past UCE delegates. Dates for a program table to talk about the 2026 General Assembly during Kinship Time will be announced soon. 

Now's a great time to engage with other dedicated UU’s to make our world whole!

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330