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

Sunday Service

February 22, 2026 at 10:30 am 

Please Note: Sunday, March 22^nd the Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Congregation and UCE will have a combined worship experience in our sanctuary at 11 a.m. (rather than our usual 10:30 a.m.)

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 helping by hearing the story May We Sleep Here Tonight? and making fabric collages.

Heads, Hearts, and Hands (2nd-5th) in room 8 – The young people continue exploring our 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 Fr. Broderick Greer.

Youth Group (6th-9th) in room 10 – The youth will explore how Resilience Through Humor can be used and how UU ancestor Frances Ellen Watkins Harper used it in her social justice work.

Faith Formation Registration

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

The 2026/27 Pledge Drive is underway. You should have received your pledge drive email on Thursday, February 12th. Please check your spam folder if you don't see it, or contact pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org to request a new letter. Visit the UCE pledge page for more information and to submit your pledge.

Check out this video from Rev. Eileen for more information!

Thank you for your ongoing support of our shared mission and values!

Every November the Unitarian Church of Evanston hosts its Serendipity Auction, and the Board always includes a Group activity. This year it is the March 21st Spring Fling event where we will turn this sanctuary into a dance floor to groove through the dance hits of each decade. Dinner will be served, kids get in free, and there are prizes for those dressed up in their favorite decade.

So, Get ready to twist, hustle, moonwalk, and maybe even do the Macarena — it’s time for the Spring Fling Dance Party. We’ll be celebrating the best of the ’50s, '60's, '70's, '80's and ’90s. Come dressed for the prom — poodle skirts, bell bottoms, shoulder pads, or flannel — and you could win a prize for the best “decade look”. 

It will be Saturday, March 21 from 6-9 pm. All ages welcome, and bring the kids for free. There is also free childcare on the lower level.

Our hats are off to the many collaborative and fun-loving folks who pitched in to make the Hearts & Arts Celebration on Valentine’s Day such an overwhelming success. There was something for everyone and we lifted everyone’s spirits with art, music, dancing, games, and pizza. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed, including:

• Carla Williams for organizing us all, creating QR codes, cutting hearts, setting up, cleaning up, and caring for babies (and I’m sure a bunch of other things);
• Mary Beth Roth for managing the monumental task of ordering the pizzas and managing the meal;
• Bex Blackmore for managing the bar and serving a delicious punch;
• Jay Liddell for creating and directing our music program; 
• Grey Wiviott for helping with games and childcare;
• Kathy Talmage for so many heart cookies;
• Shirley Adams for being our dance captain;
• Ally Hunter for creating the banner and running the video/photo ‘booth’;
• Lisa Solomon, Lynn Kendall, and Cathy Deamant for being our lobby greeters;
• Our many artists who led projects that night: Mary Bell and Margaret Koreman -
• Circles of Connection; Gay Riseborough - Honoring Our Founders; Jean Durkin - Do Unto Others Grid Painting; Will & Johna Van Dyke - Octopi and Snake; Craig Jobson - Stamps for Resistance; Chris Yoo - Valentines; 
• Our many kitchen volunteers led by Kathy Talmage and Jeanie McCullough: Nancy Katz, Judy Holman, Dana Deane, Janelle Brittain, Dominic DiGiovanni, Dan and Lisa Solomon, Cathy Deamant and Barb Badr, and our spontaneous volunteers who’s names we are missing;
• And our wonderful musicians: Tom and Chester Beck, Tom and Alicia Hempfling, Finn, Juliana, Norell and Jay Liddell.

• 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 20th:

• Young Adult Group, 7-10pm, Rooms 3 and 12
• Fiction Book Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom

Saturday, February 21st:

• Virtual Pilates, 9:30am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Room 3
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 11am-12pm, Room 3
• Worship Planning Team, 9:30-11am, Room 6 and Zoom
• Journey Toward Membership, 1-2:30pm, Room 12
• Immigrant Solidarity Team, 4-5pm, via Zoom

Sunday, February 22nd:

• 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
• Non-Fiction Book Club, 2-3pm, via Zoom

Monday, February 23rd:

• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, February 24th:

• Retired Women's Group, 5-7pm,
• Leadership Development Team Meeting, 6-7pm, via Zoom
• Meeting Our Interfaith Neighbors, 7-8:30pm, Room 3 and Zoom

Wednesday, February 25th:

• Yoga Online, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Grief Group, 5:30-7pm, Room 3
• Journey Toward Membership, 6:30-8pm, via Zoom
• Hope Covenant Group, 7-9pm, Room 2
• Connecting The Dots: How did we get here?, 7-8:30pm, Room 6 and Zoom

Thursday, February 26th:

• Beacons of Light, 4-4:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Choir Rehearsal, 7-8:45pm, Room 3

Should We Change the Name of UCE?

In 2025, the Unitarian Church of Evanston Board of Trustees held focus group conversations to hear what is important to the Congregation. One key theme that came up in every conversation we hosted was the desire to change our name. In 2026, four focus groups were held around the topic of changing our name. There is still time to submit your thoughts! Please complete this survey by Feb 28th to let the UCE Board of Trustees know what you think of changing our name. And here is a link to the notes from the conversations we've had so far. A vote on the new name will be called during the May Annual meeting.

Retired women are meeting Tuesday, Feb 24 in the back of the sanctuary, 5-7. After our wonderful potluck we will be talking about “ Calming Ourselves”. In today’s world, this sounds like a very important issue! For more information, contact Margie Rogasner.

 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.

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

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.

Sign Up by March 15th for the UUA Common Read: Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer

This three-session program will engage with the UU Common Read of Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection by Deepa Iyer. This workbook-style book delves into a "social change ecosystem." You are invited to explore how to be more authentic, connected, and effective as we pursue transformative justice together.

The first two sessions will be in a small group. The third session will bring the four small groups together in a multi-platform setting (in-person and on zoom) on May 9 from 2:00-3:30 pm.



Click here to register for the Tuesday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 17 and April 21 from 6:30-8:00 pm with co-facilitators Shirley Adams and Mags Johnston. 

Click here to register for the Wednesday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 25 and April 8 from 7:00-8:30 pm with co-facilitators Lee Solock and Alison Issen. 

Click here to register for the Thursday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 19 and April 16 from 1:30-3:00 pm with co-facilitators Sue Larson and Jackie Seaman. 

Click here to register for the Sunday Group. This small group will meet on zoom on March 29 and April 19 from 2:00-3:30 pm with co-facilitators Rev. Susan Frances and Elaine Siegel. 

You may buy a copy of the book at the Catalyst for Democracy’s Program Table in the café area after the service this Sunday, order the book at InSpirit Bookstore, or let Rev. Susan Frances know that you need a donated copy.

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!

Get ready!!!! Plans are already underway for the 2026 Rummage Sale. As winter winds down and spring cleaning approaches, please set aside items for donating to this year’s sale—and encourage friends and neighbors to do the same!

Key dates to mark on your calendar:

• Sale Dates: Fri 5/1 – Sat 5/2
• Donation Drop-off Dates: Sun 4/26 – Mon 4/27
• Sale Setup Dates: Sun 4/26 – Thurs 4/30

What items are being accepted?

• Check upcoming newsletters for the 2026 Donation Tip Sheet.

Questions, comments or suggestions?

• Email rummage@ucevanston.org with questions, comments or suggestions.

Beginning in mid-March, the rummage sale planning committee will sponsor an information table on Sundays at the back of the sanctuary. Look for additional sale announcements in this newsletter!

Thank you for your past support of the sale. We look forward to your participation once again!

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

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 by March 11th to tell us about your kiddos.

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is TONIGHT! 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

30 Days of Love

Activities to do as a family over the next month.

This week’s theme is Exploring Possibilities. 

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.

Interfaith Action of Evanston SNAPGap – February 2026 

When asked what additional SNAPGap items might be most appreciated, one fellow quickly replied, “garbage bags.”  So for January/February we are collecting any brand of 13 gallon garbage bags.  These items will be distributed on Wednesday, February 25, at the Vineyard Food Pantry. Items can be purchased online at: 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/EU78AK7T6LVH/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1

If you buy these items locally, you can drop them off at: Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Rd, Evanston, IL, Monday-Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm. Please use the back door—up a short flight of stairs and labeled “Office.” Just ring the bell and someone will immediately answer it.  

Please know that the more than 200 households that benefit send their warm thanks and deep appreciation!

Kind regards,

The SNAPGap Team 

Join Us: March Birthday Letter-Writing for UUPMI Penpals

Please join together at the program tables after worship on Sunday, March 1st to write a birthday letter to the March birthdays of people who are incarcerated and supported by UU Prison Ministry of Illinois. Samples, ideas and supplies are provided. Consider preparing by thinking of your earliest (positive) birthday memory or a favorite birthday memory. Such sharing humanizes this brief connection, is entertaining to your letter recipient, and helps elicit their own nostalgia. Lina’s penpal also suggested you might, “incorporate a joke about the month of March …. Humor is always in style.” Lastly, child(ren) can draw a birthday picture (use white 8-1/2 x 11 paper; no glue, stickers, glitter; colored pencils or markers) to include with your letter. Questions: Lina Hilko call/text (312)399-1848. P.S. UCE will do bday letters again for the month of October!

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