If We Do Our Part, Healing Can Happen



Nature has shown over and over again that if we do our part to rectify harm, healing can happen. This is possible in our human relationships as well. This Sunday, we will explore how our values simultaneously support climate justice and racial justice. Either/or thinking is no way forward; we must embrace both/and to find long term healing and sustainability.  

Children & youth will go to their faith formation time after Joys & Sorrows.

Our UCE World Made Whole Casserole is bubbling with deliciousness as we enter the final weekend of the annual pledge drive! We are 21% or $139,512 away from our pledge drive goal of $642,000, with 151 households submitting their pledge form as of February 22nd. The Pledge Drive Support Team is doing follow-up calls this next week and team members are available at the back of the sanctuary during kinship time on February 25th.

Please mark your calendars to plan to join us for the Pledge celebration potluck on March 3rd after worship. Bring your favorite recipe to contribute to our abundance!  It will be a wonderful time to connect with others and possibly win a raffle prize. If you turn your pledge form in by February 25th you are automatically entered into our drawing for a fabulous potluck themed prize. This is not to be missed!

If you did not receive the email with your personalized pledge packet, and it did not land in your spam or junk box, please contact the pledge team by calling 847-864-1330, Ext. 111, or emailing pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org.

Don't forget, there will be two Budget Town Halls in March to answer your questions about the proposed 2024-2025 Operating Budget:

Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 pm CT via ZOOM (click here for link)

Sunday, March 24 at 12:30 pm CT in the sanctuary after kinship time.

How We Are Living Our Values

Value 3 Monitoring Report

At UCE, we commit to anti-racism and anti-oppression with honesty, humility, and

accountability. We bravely and lovingly engage in challenging conversations that explore our personal, congregational, and community histories and inform our actions to dismantle racism. This one of the four shared values we have articulated as a congregation.

Our values are not just words on a page. We strive to make them real through our actions in relationship with each other and the community beyond our walls. And this is, of course, ongoing work that may never be complete, but it is important that we reflect on how we are doing towards these ends.

The Committee on Shared Ministry and I work to gather input about how we are doing with living our values and submit a report to the Board of Trustees on each value annually. These reports are for the whole congregation to read and reflect on how we are doing and how we could be doing better. I invite you to read this month’s report on Value 3, Committing to anti-racism and anti-oppression. And here is the folder with past reports, on our other values, if you would like to review.

If you have thoughts or ideas you’d like to share with me, the Board of Trustees, or the Committee on Shared Ministry, regarding how we are living are values, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Yours in shared faith,

Rev. Eileen

Here at UCE, leaders draw upon our mission and spiritual grounding, two guideposts all of us can call upon as part of our living tradition. In this five-part series, learn more about the components of the UCE Leadership Model and how to assess the skills you have and want to improve. Whether you are in a formally designated leadership role or someone who leads through your participation, the Leadership Model offers something for you. Reach out via Realm to any members of the UCE Leadership Development Team: Carolyn Laughlin (chair), Janelle Brittain, Jim Dibble, Joyce Lofstrom, and Kathy Monk.

1. Practice Awareness and Radical Welcoming: Embracing Diversity

Leadership at UCE begins with a commitment to embracing diversity in all its forms. Recognizing personal biases and cultural blind spots is fundamental to fostering an inclusive community. For instance, our leaders actively engage in workshops and discussions to better understand the experiences of people who don’t share their personal identities. Leaders also ensure that diverse voices are represented in decision-making processes, with members from different backgrounds sharing their perspectives with the team or congregation. By cultivating curiosity and openness, we honor our congregation's richness of cultural backgrounds and identities. We strive to create an environment where all voices are heard, valued, and respected, fostering trust and unity in our shared mission.

View pages 0-2 of the UCE Leadership Model Resource Guide for resources to expand your ability to engage with diversity.

Take the self-assessment to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your leadership skills based on the Leadership Model.

Board of Trustees & Endowment Committee Update

At its February meeting the Board of Trustees considered eleven grant recommendations from the Endowment Committee resulting from the Jan. 31, 2024 application deadline. We have now completed a twelve-month funding cycle since we passed the Endowment Task Force recommendations at our congregational meeting in May 2023. The most significant change implemented was the distribution of funds, which is roughly the following proportions: congregational support, 35%; community projects, 40%; community partners, 25%. Each area has its own criteria which are detailed in the grant applications.

While the five permitted purposes for grants as outlined in the Endowment Agreement have not changed, the procedures the Endowment Committee and the Board of Trustees use to determine grant recipients are now more clearly defined.

Of the eleven January endowment grant applications, the Board of Trustees voted to approve nine, postpone one, and to partially fund a third application. (Look for more details about the funded grants in the next issue of the newsletter.)

The grant application that was only partially approved Israel Palestine War - Education and Direct Aid to Gazans Project, was sponsored by three teams: Immigrant Solidarity, Racial Equity and Leadership Team, and Food & Shelter Team. Their joint proposal contained three separate requests:

1. Doctors Without Borders $3,000 donation

2. Middle East Children’s Alliance $3,000 donation

3. Evanston Interfaith Clergy & Leaders two-part lecture series on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: $2,000

The Board of Trustees ultimately chose to approve only the Evanston Interfaith Clergy & Leaders two-part lecture series on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and not the donations to Doctors without Borders and Middle East Children’s Alliance. We discussed the pros and cons of these two donations and noted that Doctors without Borders and Middle East Children’s Alliance may be worthy organizations, but donations to international charities do not fit the concept of “Community Projects” which are expected to provide opportunities for UCE congregational involvement and activities. Furthermore, we were concerned that should we agree to these donations they could set an inappropriate precedent for such donations in the future.

Given these two considerations, the Board’s vote was to not approve funding Doctors Without Borders and Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Visit the Endowment page of the UCE website to learn more about the grant application process and deadlines, history and past grants funded, and how to donate to the Endowment.



The Board of Trustees meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month. You contact the Board at BOT@ucevanston.org

Retired (But Never Retiring) Women:  

Tuesday, Feb 27 from 12:30-2:30pm

Please come and eat and laugh and talk together--but notice our new TIME and ROOM CHANGE:

 As we age, driving at night can become an issue--So--We are meeting from 12:30-2:30pm in Room 3. 

   We will still be having a yummy potluck--but this time as a LUNCH! And after the lunch potluck, we will be talking about something which is "Ripped from the Headlines" and may have affected-- or is still affecting--some of you:

President Biden is continually said to be "too old" but last week, it was also said that, while he is a fine person, it is clear that he is losing both his memory and his ability to handle details.

Have you experienced this kind of ageism or are there others who may have? What can be done? Might there be or were there ramifications? What do we do/what should we do?

Hope to see many of you at 12:30 on Tuesday, Feb. 27th, in Room 3 to talk about this issue! Margie Rogasner

Join the Beloved Conversations Bandwagon!

It's time to register for the spring sessions of Beloved Conversations classes. It's taught by experts from the UU Fahs Collaborative and is richly rewarding! Register here:

Registration will run from February 1st through February 29th and the Spring Term will kick off on March 12th, 2024.

Join us for a deep dive into the personal, transformative, spirit-growing work each of us needs to do around issues of race, identity, and justice, in relationship with other folks who share some similar experiences!

Within is a 12-week spiritual formation program that mixes multi-media learning and reflection at your own pace, processing in small groups, and worshipping together in community! You can access it entirely online and the materials are accessible for up to a year after the start of the program.

Check out our Beloved Conversations website for lots of information about Within and all of our exciting programs!

UCE has scholarships available for the Beloved Conversations: Within registration fee. Please complete an application here or contact Rev. Susan.

Have you already taken Beloved Conversations? If so, please complete these three questions. We are trying to get an accurate count of UCE alums. If you have questions, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org. 

Get ready! Plans are already underway for the 2024 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:

2024 Sale Dates: Fri 5/3/24 – Sat 5/4/24

2024 Donation Dates: Sun 4/28/24 – Mon 4/29/24

2024 Setup Dates: Sun 4/28/24 – Thurs 5/2/24

What items are being accepted? As we have in the last two years, we will soon publish the 2024 Donation Tip Sheet.

Beginning in mid-March, the rummage sale planning committee will sponsor an informational table on Sundays at the back of the sanctuary. Likewise, we will post announcements to this newsletter.

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

Email rummage@ucevanston.org with questions,

comments or suggestions.

Make an Impact on Unitarian Universalism -

Serve as a Delegate to the UUA General Assembly!

Are you interested in serving as a delegate to the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association? There’s no better way to lend your voice to the direction of our faith. The 2024 General Assembly, June 20-23, will be virtual so attending is easy - no travel! Registration for delegates attending the Business Meeting is free. But registering for the entire meeting gives you access to all events including fabulous speakers and workshops. Scholarships to cover registration fees are available from UCE and UUA.

Conditions for serving as a delegate include commitment to:

• 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)

UCE’s delegates will be approved by the Board of Trustee at its March 21st meeting. If you are interested in attending the 2024 General Assembly and serving as a delegate, visit the Sign-up form soon. For more information about the 2024 General Assembly visit the UUA website and join the Denominational Affairs Team via zoom on the second Tuesday of the month at 12:00 noon.

Family Friday – Cancelled this week, but join us on March 15! Details coming soon!

Calling All Adults! As we consider future faith formation programs, please take 3-5 minutes to complete this short survey to help guide us in our choices. Thanks for helping us!

Volunteer Meet-Up March 10, 12-1pm

All of our wonderful volunteers in the faith formation program are invited to a gathering to share our joys as well as the insights we get from our young people in this shared ministry. Light snacks and childcare provided.

Summer Camp Info –

Registration for summer camps for kids, youth, and families has begun! Check out a list of some UU camps around the country.

Thank you to all that took part in "Learning Together: An Interfaith Approach to the War in Gaza."

You can access the Saturday Lecture and Sunday Lecture online. We also wanted to pass along the bibliography referenced by the scholars. 

These lectures were the first of what we hope will be several co-learning opportunities. On March 24th we will be hosting a book discussion on APEIROGON by Colum McCann, which tells a fictionalized account of two fathers in the Parents' Circle - Families Forum, one Israeli and one Palestinian both of whom lose their daughters to the violence in Israel/Palestine. The Parents Circle – Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 700 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation.

Through the different works of the PCFF, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on their personal journeys of reconciliation. It is often raw and always emotional. But out of these interactions, comes change. Not the kind of change that makes headlines, but a more personal and profound shift in perspective. These bereaved members, armed with the credibility of their loss and the uncommon path they have chosen, have opened a crack in the psyche of a hardened populous. They have begun to stir an awareness about the conflict that transcends history and politics. For many, it is the first time they have seen “the other side” as human. The PCFF hopes for the day that political leaders reach agreement for peace. But they strongly believe that reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people is essential to ensuring that peace is sustainable. You are also invited to attend an event on March 19th with members of the Parents' Circle hosted by JRC.

Thank you again for your participation and interest,

 ~the Evanston Interfaith Clergy Organizing Committee

Election Judges & Polling Place Technicians Needed!

Apply to be a Cook County Election Judge or Polling Place Technician with the Cook County Clerk's Office. 

UCE will be a polling place for the March 19th primaries. If you apply and would specifically like to be placed at UCE on voting day, also email Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org as soon as you apply but no later than March 1, 2024. She will submit your name to the Board of Elections. There is no guarantee, but their office will try to get you placed at UCE.