If using Gmail, please click: [Message clipped]  View entire message to read the whole newsletter.

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. 

ANTI-OPPRESSION TASK FORCE SUMMIT

Faith Formation Helpers Needed

Our Faith Formation program for our young people has been going so well, and we want to continue that! Helpers are needed for our young people’s faith formation hour on Sundays from 11am-Noon.

Be a part of their lives! Sign up here or email Kathy

Sanctuary Chairs - We Want Your Thoughts

The Sanctuary Chairs Team of the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee is inviting congregants to meet with us on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 6pm via zoom to share thoughts and ideas as we continue to explore chair options for our beautiful sanctuary.

If you want to attend, please follow this link to the google form to sign up and we will send the link to you. We will also welcome your written comments which can be submitted in the google file. 

Our hats are off to....

Hats Off to Meredith Haydon, Kathy Talmage and Judy Holman for giving their time and talents on New Year's Eve to provide meals for the residents of the Margarita Inn. On short notice they cooked, packed and delivered 30 hot dinners using UCE's kitchen. Our gratitude to such a loving, caring team who made the holiday more special for others.

Journey of Belonging Series In-Person

Our Journey of Belonging Series is a 3-part class for visitors and members. Get to know folks in our UCE community as we delve into our UU history, sources, and values. This series is great for all members and highly recommended for visitors and new members.



Join Rev. Susan in-person the 2nd Sunday of every month at 9:30 am in Room 12 during January, February, and March 2023 for these Journey of Belonging sessions:

• A Journey Through UU History on January 8, 2023: Learn about recurring Unitarian and Universalist themes across the centuries, and about our merger into the Unitarian Universalist Association. Register here

• Journeying in Covenant on February 12, 2023: Delve into our UU principles, our shared values, and what it means to be in covenant. Register here.

• Spiritual Journeys & Inspirations on March 12, 2023: Delve into our UU Sources and share your personal journey. Register here.

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.

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

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. 

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!

Advanced Directives - January 10th

Tuesday, Jan 10, 7-8:30 pm. In-person in room 3 + Zoom with Maureen Burns of the HAP Foundation; sponsored by the Pastoral Care Team.

If something happened to you and you weren’t able to speak and make your own medical decisions, do you have a plan in place? Attend this session and learn why it’s so important to have an advance directive for healthcare. You will leave the session with the tools and document to create your own.

Care for Caregivers - January 24th

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.

Green Team Agenda for January 8th

Happy New Year! Last month, being December, we didn't meet. We meet again this Sunday, January 8th, at Noon in room 3 and via ZOOM to discuss:

1. COP15: The big takeaways on Biodiversity. You might consider this from Quantis for the good news!

2. Carbon Emissions REduction Team (CERE): Meets this upcoming Tuesday. I'll have sneak peeks on our emissions reduction's possibilities.

3. Flowing through 2023: Following our November explorations Kristin and I will fill you in on water-related events throughout the year to help congregants focus on this vital, and sometimes hazardous resource. 

We welcome blessings, reflections and prayers to launch our discussions!

Learn about Electric Vehicles

Are you considering an electric vehicle? Do you want to learn more about them?

On January 11, 2023, at 1:00 pm, join Interfaith Power & Light to learn from Rosa Mitsumasu Scotti of Plug In America, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) consumer advocacy! Topics will include why EVs are better, charging infrastructure, battery technology, available financial incentives, and more.

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. 

Global Biodiversity Treaty Signed

On December 19, 2022, in Montreal, Canada, at the COP15, a worldwide global biodiversity treaty was signed! Roughly 190 nations, aiming to halt a dangerous decline in biodiversity, agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas. The United States is not officially a participant, so encourage your federal legislators to get on board.

The treaty is called the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and its goals aren't expressed in degrees of warming but rather in land and water protected: 30% by 2030 globally. Check out the image above at One Earth.

As this BBC article explains, the main points of what will be known as the GBF include:

• Maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems, including halting species extinction and maintaining genetic diversity;

• "Sustainable use" of biodiversity - essentially ensuring that species and habitats can provide the services they provide for humanity, such as food and clean water;

• Ensuring that the benefits of resources from nature, like medicines that come from plants, are shared fairly and equally and that Indigenous peoples' rights are protected; and

• Ensuring that money and conservation efforts get to where they are needed.