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Love’s Plural Pronoun | Rev. Emily Gage

January Theme: Liberating Love

Live Stream Worship at 10am

Live stream link can be found here.

Sunday's chalice table flowers are given by Jane & Norman Coleman in honor of all those who have struggled and continue to struggle for equality and equity in civil and human rights.

OFFERING : Aid for Gender Diverse Refugees

Unity Temple Gives. Each week, we split our Sunday collection with an organization that aligns with our values. This Sunday's collection will provide aid for gender diverse refugees. Today, many states across the country are targeting our gender diverse siblings, denying them health care and legal protections, and otherwise harming their well-being. Unity Temple is responding to this crisis by directly helping individuals relocate, and the money goes towards those efforts.* May what you give bring you joy.

*For more information on these efforts, please contact Rev. Emily Gage.

You may donate by placing cash or check in one of the circulating baskets during the service OR:

• by sending a check to the Unity Temple office (875 Lake St., Oak Park, 60301) with org name on memo line, 
• by texting 73256 with the message UTUUC and select “Offering,” 
• by using the camera on your phone to scan the QR code on the screen during the Offertory. 
• You can also give at the UTUUC website. 

You may have received an email from Rev. Bertschausen asking for general help or that he has a request for you. The email came from a Gmail account pretending to be Rev. Roger, not a unitytemple.org account. Please know this is a SCAM! It is a form of phishing. If you are at all suspicious, don’t click on it and check with the office.

Phishing is a form of “social engineering,” whereby a hacker with bad intentions sends an email (or text or phone call) pretending to be someone the recipient trusts and asks the recipient to take an action which can have adverse effects. Sometimes, they request money. Other times, they invite the recipient to click a link or open an attachment that can trigger malicious code.

DO NOT respond to an email like this from Rev. Roger or other staff or lay leaders with Unity Temple email accounts. DO NOT send gift cards if you get an email request for them from anyone on our staff. Our ministers and staff would NEVER contact you in this manner. An easy way to check if you're not sure is to see if the email ends in @unitytemple.org, like all of Unity Temple staff and lay leader email addresses.

Sunday Worship Service In-person and online options for worship are now offered. You can access the live stream on YouTube at 10am here.

Community Hour Join us after the livestream Sunday morning service at Community Hour for refreshments and fellowship in Unity House.

ExLibris this Sunday Children's books and gift items also UU values and enhance and nurture faith journeys. ExLibris is accepting cash, checks and credit cards. 

The Board of Trustees will be hosting a Board Table after the service in Unity House, this Sunday, January 14. Please join us with any ideas or questions or just to say hello.

What Every American Citizen Needs to Know About the Israel–Palestine Struggle Participate in a three-part facilitated discussion where you will learn the history of the Israel –

Palestine struggle from its origin to the present day. We will brainstorm our own solution to this struggle during the last session. The overall context centers on the question: How does an

American citizen approach and discuss this foreign policy issue?

Ed White will facilitate the discussion. Ed has a MA in Diplomatic History and has taught numerous college level history courses. He is the Chapter Leader of Unitarian Universalists

Justice in the Middle East, UUJME.

Time : 1–2pm / Place : 1019 South Blvd, Oak Park

January 14 | Creation of Zionism Until the Six Day War

January 21 | Yom Kippur War Until the Present

January 28 | Resolutions?

Special Feature: Middle Eastern desserts and beverages will be served.

Food & Fellowship Monthly "Brown-Bag Lunch with the Minister(s)" will take place on January 18, the third Thursday of the month from 11:30am - 12:30pm. These new opportunities to connect will be in person at 1019 South Blvd. AND, don't forget to bring your lunch!

Retirement Workshop

As one of a series of Spiritual Care Team workshops, Geoff Roupas will lead a session on retirement. It will take place on Sunday, January 28 at noon in Gale House. Retirement is a one-time, life-changing event. It can be positive or negative, or a combination of both. We will explore this major life event. For those who have retired, including partially, we will share personal experiences. For others who are anticipating retirement, we hope the session will be helpful in approaching and navigating it. Questions can be directed to [email protected]. No registration is required.

Note: The Spiritual Care Team is offering several one-session Heart-Centered Workshops over the next few months. To learn about upcoming workshops and dates follow this link.

Tuesday Evening Mindful Reflection Community We generally meet virtually and in person in Unity House at Unity Temple. Meeting opens at 7pm EST for camaraderie, the program starts promptly at 7:20pm. We will follow our usual format with 20 minutes of Mindful Reflection followed by a dharma talk and discussion. Questions email 

[email protected]. Join Zoom meeting here.

Daily Mindful Reflection Community 30 minute meeting, 7 days a week! Starts at 8:25am and ends at 9am every day, seven days a week. The daily meditation will include opening words, 20 minutes of mindful reflection, and closing words. All are welcome! You are welcome to attend regularly or sporadically. Time: Every Day (including weekends) at 08:30am Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting here. ID: 373 008 242  / Passcode: 4IFrYx.

Women’s Connection Potluck / Tu B’Shvat Seder Please join us on Saturday, January 20 at 6:30pm to celebrate the ancient tradition of the New Year for Trees. This traditional “birthday of the trees,” celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shvat, encourages us to open ourselves to mystery, wonder, creativity, and celebration; this is an oral wisdom, something learned from others, rather than books. Please bring a dish to share, we will eat first, followed by the Seder. All Women, and Children are encouraged to attend. We will gather at 1019 South Blvd. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Pathway to Membership January and February Classe Registration is OPEN! Pick one of the two classes to learn more about Unity Temple, Sunday, January 21 from 12-3:30pm or Sunday, February 18 from Noon-3:30pm. The Pathway to Membership class provides an opportunity to learn about what becoming a member means. Participants will learn about our mission, programs, operations, volunteer opportunities, and more. During our time together, we get to know one another and learn about the congregation's interesting history. Trained facilitators are excited to share information about how the congregation works together to create meaningful experiences and build community. If you would like to learn more about upcoming Pathways  classes, please reach out to Val Ridenour at [email protected].

Community of Congregations Annual Gathering Monday, January 22 at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 4301 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60624.

• Food & Fellowship at 6:30pm
• Program at 7pm

RSVP to [email protected]. Suggested good will offering is $15.

Rainbow Connections Gathering

Do you consider yourself part of the queer UTUUC community? If so, please join us on Thursday, January 18, from 7–8:30pm for our monthly Rainbow 

Connections meeting. (Allies are welcome, on occasion, by invitation only.) This month's topic is Reflecting on the Holiday season and our LGBTQ+ identities. We will be meeting in person at 1019 South Blvd, Oak Park as well as on Zoom. Hope to see you soon! Zoom link can be found here.

Annual Men’s Retreat

March 8-10

This year’s event will take place at a new venue Baraga / St. Mary’s Retreat House, in Lemont. Our theme is Being a Male Today. Please join us for a discussion on our changing gender role. Welcome to all who identify as male. Details at

[email protected].

Support Group for Families with Gender Diverse Children is starting up at Unity Temple! If you would like to be part of this group, please contact Rev. Emily Gage [email protected]. 

Attention All Women

You can now register for the annual Women's Retreat on Realm! The Retreat for 2024 will take place February 9-11 at the Carmelite Spiritual Center. You can read about the retreat and register here. Questions can be sent to [email protected].

UTUUC Cares For those of us who are facing life challenges, help is available. The Caring Committee arranges for meals and other practical assistance for those in need of help due to illness and other life limitations. They can be reached at [email protected]. And if you would like a compassionate ear when facing troubling circumstances, trained, commissioned members of the Spiritual Care Team are available to meet with you. The team can be reached at 

[email protected].

Chalice Singers represent the the Unity Temple children’s choir encouraging singers from ages 6 – 10 to rehearse and perform for worship twice a year. Singers meet directly after 10am worship on Sundays for six weeks culminating in a presentation that incorporates classical, pop and music theater styles.

The 2024 Winter Chalice Singers rehearsal begins Sunday, February 4, with worship performance on Sunday, March 17. Singers ages 6-10 are welcome to join us! Contact [email protected] for more information.

UUANI Action of the Week 

Each week our Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of IL (UUANI) offers a call to action. Sign-up to receive these simple and impactful actions direct to your in-box here.

Oak Park Community Migrant Resettlement Mission has a website for centralized information about mutual aid for/with our new neighbors. Look here for opportunities.

Our First Friday Family Fun night in January was indeed fun! Board games, cookies, hot chocolate and great company! Hope to see you on the first Friday in February.

A beautiful snow covered start to the new year for Sacred Wanderings!! This practice happens on the first Saturday of each month from 8:30am until 10:30am in person at Thatcher Woods. All are welcome to participate in the intentionally practice of connecting with nature and absorbing the energy of the natural world.

And lastly, we share an image from Christmas Eve that truly captures a Moment of Magic!

UTUUC Office Hours The office/community center located at 1019 South Blvd is open Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm. 

Chalice Table Reservations We welcome floral arrangements or other decorations such as objects from nature or spiritual symbols to be included on our Chalice Table during worship on Sunday mornings. Please refrain from political/campaign related objects as they will be removed. To reserve a date, please fill out this form. Thank you for contributing to our worship experience. For assistance contact

[email protected].

Guidelines for submissions to the eBeacon newsletter can be found here.

Congregational Life Table Reservation Would you like to reserve a table to promote congregational happenings during Community Hour in Unity House? Hosting a table is a great way to make sure congregants know how to participate in events, activities, and service opportunities. To reserve space contact [email protected].

We Celebrate Our Differences :: The beloved community includes people with diverse life experiences. Here at Unity Temple we call people to live out the values of our faith: interdependence, pluralism, justice, equity, generosity and transformation. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large while also knowing that endorsements or support of particular candidates cannot be part of our congregational process.

Planned Giving offers a variety of meaningful ways to support our congregation through charitable gifts and can be made by anybody – young and old, working or retired. These gifts are made today, but they support the future needs of your congregation and Unitarian Universalism. You can obtain more information about planned gifts by contacting the Planned Giving Team at 

[email protected]

Land Acknowledgement of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, read here.