A Journey of the Spirit



Each of us has a journey of the spirit, call it what you will - meaning making, philosophy, or faith tradition. We celebrate the many paths we have traveled on the way to this moment and this congregation. This Sunday, member, Curt Evans, shares his spiritual journey of introspection, overcoming challenges, and finding peace in nature. Rev. Eileen serves as his worship associate.

Click here for resources referenced in the Indigenous Peoples' Day Service, Oct 8th.



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

Faith Formation Hour this Sunday October 15th

• Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 10:15a-11:45a
• Chalice Children (pre/k) in room 9 – Our youngest will continue exploring what it means to be welcoming in We Can Tell Stories and getting to know one another better.
• Heads, Hearts, and Hands (1st-6th) in room 8 – Our young people will explore our theme of The Gift of Heritage by considering what it means to Indigenous peoples in The Gifts of Our LGBTQ+ Roots.
• Youth Group (7th-12th) will meet next on October 22.

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

Registration time is here! Parents can register their children/youth for the Faith Formation Program here.

Sunday, October 22nd 1-4 pm

Please join us for a workday at beautiful Harms Woods in Glenview. We will be collecting native wildflower seeds that will be used to restore sections of the forest preserve where invasive plants have been removed. It's easy and fun, and no previous experience is required. We will likely walk about 2 miles over uneven ground, and it may be muddy. Youth 12 or older are welcome with an adult. We will meet at 1 pm at the Glenview Woods parking lot on Harms Road just south of Glenview Road.

Questions? Contact Dale Griffin or Susan Comstock through the Realm Membership Directory or admin@ucevanston.org.

 Deepening the Spiritual Journey

Tuesdays, November 7, 21, and December 5

7-8:30 pm in person at UCE, Room 3

Join Rev. Eileen and Kathy Underwood in an exploration of the pathways we have all traveled in our lives; the pathways of the spirit which have led us to where we are today.

In this three-part workshop, we will reflect on, map out, and share our spiritual journeys, with the hopes that some will consider sharing theirs in worship. This is an extension of the new member journey class, open to members and friends, high schoolers and up, no matter how long you’ve been at UCE. 

Friendship Meals - Sign Up Today!

Friendship Meals are back and it's time to sign-up! The online sign-up sheet contains meal details so you can browse the choices and select the one that works best for you.

Or for further assistance, contact Lina Hilko (LHilko at aol dot com) or Margaret Koreman (Margaret.Koreman at gmail dot com). The online sign-up sheet contains meal details so you can browse the choices and select the one that works best for you.

• Sat, Nov 4th 11am-1pm in-home potluck brunch, children welcome
• Sat, Nov 4th 1pm split-the-bill restaurant outing
• Sat, Nov 4th 5:30pm in-home appetizer and dessert potluck
• Sun, Nov 5th 5pm in-home vegetarian potluck dinner
• Fri, Nov 10th 6pm in-home gluten-free potluck dinner
• Sat, Nov 11th 5:30pm in-home potluck dinner

Native Communities Solidarity Team

Thanks Endowment Committee

UCE’s Native Communities Solidarity Team (NCST) received an Endowment Fund grant of $1,500, which enabled us to collaborate in a program with two other Evanston faith-based organizations. With the grant, we joined Reba Place Church and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary to bring the play “We Own This Now” to Evanston for two no-charge performances in March 2023. About 300 people attended these performances, which were followed by discussions with the actors.

The play is a production of Ted & Company TheaterWorks, which describes itself on its website as using “humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice”. “We Own This Now” engagingly educated us about the Doctrine of Discovery and how it relates to issues of land ownership for Native communities today.* The play strongly displayed the harms that resulted from land being taken from Native communities by the U.S. government.The grant funds from UCE’s Endowment allowed donations made by attendees at the play to be donated to Chi-Nations Youth Council and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.

The Native Communities Solidarity Team (NCST) was formed in late 2022 to enhance UCE’s commitment to justice for Native Americans, living into the commitment of our Land Acknowledgement, to “greater accountability, deeper relationship, and mutuality with contemporary Indigenous communities”.

After helping bring this play to Evanston, the NCST sponsored a docent tour and discussion at the Mitchell Museum in May 2023 and 22 people from UCE attended.

The Native Communities Solidarity Team is grateful for the support of the Endowment Fund to make our first project possible.

* “The doctrine of discovery refers to a principle in public international law under which, when a nation ‘discovers’ land, it directly acquires rights on that land”. (law.cornell.edu)

What’s Policy Governance? by Melanie Kitchner

When I joined the UCE Board of Trustees (BOT) in July, I needed a refresher about what Policy Governance entails. Basically, Policy Governance means the Board of Trustees works with the congregation to establish our shared vision and goals, and they monitor the Executive, in our case, the Senior Minister, as she leads the staff in making sure we are realizing them. In other words, the Board sets the policies, and the Senior Minister and staff oversee the implementation of those policies.

The Senior Minister regularly reports to the Board on the Values statements, we as a congregation developed to direct our mission. The Board stays in regular communication with the whole congregation to understand the collective hopes, dreams, and direction we want to go together. Some congregational boards focus mostly on daily operations. At UCE, under policy governance, the Board keeps the big picture in mind and sets policies that guide our direction.



Policy Governance lets the staff and ministers direct the day-to-day activities of the congregation, based on the policies the Board sets with congregational input. The BOT defines and delegates, rather than reacts and ratifies. The ministers and staff are empowered to help implement the ways we make our shared values come alive.

The Board of Trustees meets monthly on the third Thursdays, 7:00-8:30pm, usually on Zoom. The Senior Minister, Executive Operations Director and Assistant Minister also attend the Board meetings.

Halloween Campfire – October 27, 6:30-8:30p on the South Lawn  All ages are invited to hear some not-so-scary stories, enjoy s’mores, and show off costumes.



Halloween Party – October 29 during Kinship Time after worship No explanation needed here! Costumes are encouraged, but not necessary.

This October, the Evanston Branch of the NAACP will be the Shared Plate recipient and there will be information each Sunday about the Branch and opportunities to work with it, as well as membership applications ($30) and renewals.

Some things you might not know about this organization: The NAACP is the oldest grass roots civil rights organization in the U.S. It was formed, in 1909, partly in response to a 1908 race riot in Springfield Illinois. The current Evanston Branch was organized in 1928 and has been active ever since.