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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service

this Sunday, January 15th at 10:30 am

"Save the Date"

Budget Town Hall Meeting, Tuesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. via Zoom

Walk for Warmth

Please join us for Interfaith Action’s annual Walk for Warmth on January 16, when we answer Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to service and raise funds to support our friends in the overnight shelter during these cold winter months. You will need to register (and donate!) prior to the event HERE!

There is no charge to register for the Walk. On January 16, you may park (free holiday parking on MLK Day) in the public lot across on Church St. and join us by 11am at the First United Methodist Church at the corner of Church and Hinman. Just look for our sign! We will be walking under two miles past the many Evanston faith communities that each host the overnight shelter for three weeks this season. 

(Brief warning: there may not be a bathroom along the way.) Hope to see you there!

CRS Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly 

Community Renewal Society's (CRS) Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Faith in Action Assembly presents a Chicago Community Conversation on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 1:00 pm. Join us to engage district council and aldermanic candidates and learn about Chicago's 2023 elections! 

Make sure to register so CRS can plan for in-person attendance at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 8441 S. St. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60619 or email you the week of January 9 with the livestream information. 

Lobby Art Opening with Artist, Jevoid Simmons

Friday, January 20th at 6-7:30 pm at UCE

Join us in the UCE lobby for a special and important event. Jevoid Simmons will share the story behind the paintings and carvings now gracing our lobby. The work tells the story of Jevoid’s family and the journey from racially segregated Alabama to the North. The paintings show many of the places from that journey and the marvelous carvings depict his large family. For Jevoid it is important for family elders to share their stories, so they are not lost, but are remembered and known by younger generations.

"There's a 25-year span between the first- and last-born child in our family," Simmons says. "The older kids, me included, were told why our family left the south. But the others weren't aware of it." So, Simmons started carving family figures and writing about the family history for his younger siblings and then started writing narratives about the paintings. Simmons, who has lived in Evanston for the past 40 years, is one of seven brothers and nine sisters. He is the fourth boy, and last of his parents' children, to be born in Alabama.

He is a gifted storyteller, and I am sure you will be captivated as he shares his family story with us as depicted in his art.

ANTI-OPPRESSION TASK FORCE SUMMIT

Masks & Boosters

With more people attending on Sunday mornings, please remember that we continue to recommend that you wear a mask inside and make time to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster.

Flowers & Chalice

Starting February 5, 2023, we will return to having volunteers bring flowers for the chancel. Whoever brings flowers will also light and extinguish the chalice during our worship service.

If you, your family and friends, or your team or small group would like to bring flowers and tend the chalice on a Sunday morning, please click here and select the Sunday that works for you.

If you have questions or ideas about Sunday mornings, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

Endowment Task Force Recommendations are Out!

The Endowment Task Force recommendations are out! Click HERE to read them. We look forward to discussing them with you--please mark your calendars to join us at one of two upcoming town halls: Wednesday, January 25th at 7 pm (via Zoom only) or Sunday, January 29th in person after the service. You may also email your comments to Task Force chair Joe Romeo.

And a reminder: the final grant application deadline for this church year (ending June 30) is January 31. Check the Endowment webpage to learn more about how to apply for a grant, or contact us at endowment@ucevanston.org. The next application deadline after January will be May 31, for grants for the 2023-2024 church year.

Our hats are off to....

Our hats are off to the warm and welcoming volunteers who made our special Christmas Day service possible and fun, as well as allowed for most of the staff to have the day off! Robb Geiger played the piano with joy and great skill, whenever we picked a gift box from the center containing a hymn. He had to brush up on five different hymns in preparation, along with an offertory piece. He played all beautifully for the small gathering to sing along to. And thanks to Tom Carlton, Cheryl Mounts, and Michael Skilton for greeting and Susan Carlton and Carla Williams for counting our offering. It was a delightful way to spend Christmas morning. Thanks to all who joined us.

Happy New Year from the Board of Trustees

Happy New Year to all and many thanks to the UCE members serving on our Board of Trustees, and to the staff supporting our work! 

It has been a productive six months for the Board. Since we are halfway through the church year, I’d like to note some of the significant work completed.

• Conducted a retreat in August resulting in 
• an updated Board covenant and list of action items to enhance the Board’s leadership, 
• use of an equity lens, 
• more efficient meeting processes, 
• preparation for UCE’s work with Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression and the proposed revisions to UUA’s Article 2. 
• Approved participation in Evanston’s Interfaith Reparations Effort: Reparations, Reconciliation, and Repair, and launched and supported a fundraising campaign involving the UCE community.

Discuss the Revisions Being Planned for our UU Principles & Sources

Join Rev. Susan and Betty Walker with the UCE Denominational Affairs Team to explore the anticipated revisions to our UU Principles and Sources. The Article II Study Commission of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has issued its first draft of what they anticipate to be our reimagined Article II of the UUA Bylaws, which is better known as the home of our Principles, Purposes, and Sources. Click here to read the draft of the revised Article II.

We are having four more sessions between January and April 2023 to explore different themes provided by the Article II Study Commission. Join us for one or all of these sessions to delve into what it means to shake up our UU Principles & Sources.

1. Article II Inspirations – January 18, 2023, 6:30-8:00 pm, via Zoom, led by Betty Walker & Rev. Susan. Register here.

UCE Parents of Trans Kids Group

to begin meeting on January 22nd at 12:30 pm at UCE

Many of us know the joy and pride of having children (of all ages) who identify as trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming. Rev. Eileen will host a monthly gathering for parents, grandparents, or caregivers of people in their lives who are transitioning or have transitioned. This will be a space for connection, support, and holding of complexity and questions. Please let Rev. Eileen know if you plan to join us or if you have questions.

Emissions Reduction Task Force is in Force!

A new group has been convened, and we are raring to go! The Emissions Reduction Task Force’s leadership is comprised of Michael Drennan (liaison from Green Team), David Bates-Jeffreys (liaison from the Board of Trustees), Robb Geiger (liaison from Building & Grounds), Sandra Robinson, and Rev. Susan Frances. We have been given a mandate by the Board to compare our building energy usage and emissions with guidelines set out by the City of Evanston regarding reducing our emissions—of energy usage, water usage, and waste generation. This will get us ready for a cleaner energy future. We are committed to making UCE a leader in Evanston in responding to the climate crisis by going as green as we can.  

We have already started to analyze the energy use of the building, and in the future we will be expanding that analysis to include water usage and waste generation. In a few months, we hope to produce measurable goals for energy usage, and a timeline for reaching a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035 through energy efficiency efforts. Watch the newsletter for our public launch—a green party, complete with green tea!

If you want to help on this task force, we would love to have you; contact David Bates-Jefferys or Michael Drennan through Realm or Sandra Robinson at srobinson@ucevanston.org.

Unitarian Men's Retreat Friday, January 27 to Sunday, January 29, 2023.

Join other UU men to explore Turning Points In Our Lives. Cabrini Retreat Center, 9430 Golf Road, DesPlaines 60016.

Cost of $200 includes private room for two nights, three meals Saturday and breakfast Sunday, plus pizza party on Friday night.

Scholarships available. We welcome all who identify as male. Our goal is to encourage each other to share, learn and support each other in looking into the meaning of our lives. Men from Unity Temple, UU Church of Evanston, and Countryside UU are already participating.

For the flyer, signup sheet and more information,

Contact Mark Johansen - markeric-j@hotmail.com

Googling at UCE

On Sunday, February 12th, our very own Adam Gough will be holding Google Docs Training in Room 3 from 12-1pm. Please feel free to drop along!

2023 UUA General Assembly

The 2023 UUA General Assembly will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from June 21 – 25 online and in-person. 

Registration is now open. Click here for details.

The Denominational Affairs Team is asking you to consider being a Delegate to this General Assembly. Delegates will be considering changes to the UUA Bylaws, Article 2, that address racism, non-human life, and the inclusivity of the democratic process in our Principles, Purposes, and Sources. Delegates can attend in-person and virtually.

If you are interested, please contact Peggy Boccard via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

We will continue to provide information via the Newsletter. 

On a related note, we are putting together sources for a discussion of Rev. King's teachings on the intersections of racism, poverty, war, and workers' rights for the January 25th 7 p.m. REAL meeting, which we hope will be powerful and inspiring. Not geared to very young children, but HS students (and maybe tweens) might like it, and certainly parents would. If there is anything you can do to lift up that event in the next couple of weeks, we would appreciate it.

UCE Forum: Subtleties and Sublimities

Sunday, January 22 from

9:30 – 10:15 am in Room 13

(In-Person Only)

“What’s all this talk about Article 2 and General Assembly?

Led by members of the Denominational Affairs Team

Join us to learn, discuss, and dissect the subtleties (elusive or obscure) and sublimities (extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable) of Article 2 and General Assembly!

Young Adult Virtual Gathering



Young adults (18-35) are gathering on Zoom January 29 at 2pm, for conversation and virtual games. Register HERE to join the fun!

Care for Caregivers - January 24th

Tuesday, Jan 24, 7-8:30 pm. In-person in room 6 + Zoom with Maureen Burns of the HAP Foundation; sponsored by the Pastoral Care Team.

Taking care of a friend or family member is definitely a labor of love. However, caregiving can also be extremely stressful. This presentation will discuss the physical, emotional, and financial stressors that caregivers may face. We will also explore tips and strategies for self-care. Caregivers need to take care of their own well-being in order to be able to care for another person.

UCE Fiction Book Group: The Years by Annie Ernaux

Join us on Friday, January 20th at 7 pm via Zoom to discuss The Years.

Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature

The Years is a personal narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present—even projections into the future—photos, books, songs, radio, television and decades of advertising, headlines, contrasted with intimate conflicts and writing notes from 6 decades of diaries.



Though Ernaux had for years been hailed as a beloved, bestselling and award-winning author, The Years is in many ways a departure: both an intimate memoir "written" by entire generations, and a story of generations telling a very personal story.

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? by Michael J. Sandel

The nonfiction book group will meet on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2 p.m. via Zoom to discuss Michael J. Sandel's book The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?

World-renowned philosopher Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the crises that are upending our world, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality.

He offers an alternative way of thinking about success--more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work.

Giving House Continues... January is RICE month

We are accepting donations of RICE in the giving house for the month of January.

The Giving house is a small wooden "house" that is located in the front lobby. We are partnering with a new free food supplier for the food insecure.

Clarence Weaver and his wife Beverly in March 2020 responded to the covid crisis by setting up a nonprofit organization and using 

their storefront (C&W Market & Ice Cream) to distribute free foods to those in need.

They provide fresh meat, vegetables and fruit along with nonperishable food items to seniors, District 65 families and those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. They serve almost 50 people every other Saturday morning. They are continuing this service to our community

Since they have plenty of storage, we can support their generous work by providing nonperishable items. We will be collecting one type of non-perishable food each month. January is RICE month.

 C&W Market & Ice Cream is a Black owned business on the corner of Dodge and Church. This is a prime location for food distribution.  You can also support this business by buying Ice Cream and/or other sundries there. Thanks for your donation.