Here’s what’s coming up in our congregational life—opportunities to connect, learn, and participate in the weeks ahead

Sunday Service

June 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. 

June 21 Worship Service Starts at 10 AM

Sunday, June 21st, will be a mask-required Sunday when attendees will be required to wear a mask in the building from 9 am - 1 pm. We will be livestreaming the UUA General Assembly's Community Sing from 9:30-10 am and Worship Service from 10-11:30 am. We hope you are able to join us for one or both!

Collaborative Calendaring for 2026-2027

Please save the date of June 13^th from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for a Calendar Visioning meeting. If you are a leader or participant in one of UUCE's programs or groups, please plan to attend and share your visions and plans for 2026-2027. This meeting will happen on Zoom .

This Sunday…

Children and youth will go to their faith formation program after Joys and Sorrows



Childcare (0-3 years) is available in Room 11 from 10:15am-12pm

Phineas and Ferb Phartsy Fun

Our summer program begins June 14!

We’ll be making all kinds of art based on episodes of the show, Phineas and Ferb!

Helpers still needed, contact Kathy if you can join us!

Hi Friends,

I’m back after a wonderful two week vacation. I traveled with two friends from high school through Porto, Portugal and London, England. The photo is of me looking down at the Douro River from the plaza surrounding the Sé Cathedral in Porto. I’m also pleased to report that we saw the Banksy statue in Waterloo Place in London.

As a visitor I took note of the adequate public transit, use of solar panels, and recycling and compost expectations in both Porto and London. This made me grateful for the attention our congregation is paying to environmental issues. From our solar panel installation this time last year to our hosting the Climate Action Evanston Earth Day event this past April, I am grateful for the support you have extended to make these initiatives a reality. 

I am pleased to announce that our Green Team is continuing our focus on environmental issues with a fresh name, format, mission, and vision. The new team name is Green Sanctuary Network. This team has transitioned to a new format in which they have a 4-5 person planning group, who will communicate with the larger team about programming and invite members of the larger team into time-limited volunteer opportunities. 

The Green Sanctuary Network Planning Group will continue to support our environmental working groups: Earth Day Working Group, Bike the Ridge Working Group, Harms Woods Working Group, and Spring Plant Swap Working Group. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Green Sanctuary Network or finding out about one of the working groups, please complete this Green Sanctuary Network form.

This week’s Hat's Off goes to the devoted, hard-working, talented, and generous musicians who sang in the choir (73 choristers in all), sang solos, and/or played instruments (27 instrumentalists) for our Sunday services this year!   



 Your music, spirit, and energy greatly enhanced our services and touched our souls!  We appreciate you all!

The Ordination of Dr. Emma Farrell

You are cordially invited to the ordination of our Ministerial Intern, Dr. Emma Farrell, at Unity Temple on June 13, 2:30p.m. We would love to see you there! Please RSVP here. 

Newsletter Information

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Friday, June 12th:

• The Thanksgiving Play, 3-6pm, Room 3 and Kitchen

Saturday, June 13th:

• Calendar Visioning, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Virtual Pilates, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Sanctuary
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 11-12pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, June 14th:

• Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
• Worship Service, 10:30am, Sanctuary
• Kinship Time, 11:30am-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
• New Member Orientation, 11:45am-1:30pm, Room 3
• Interfaith Family Pride Fest, 2-5pm, Raymond Park

Monday, June 15th:

• UUCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45am, via Zoom
• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, June 16th:

• Catalyst Leadership Team Meeting, 1-2pm, via Zoom
• Legislative Action Team, 4:30-5:30pm, via Zoom
• Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Wednesday, June 17th:

• Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via Google Meet
• Staff Meeting, 11:00am, Room 2
• Integrated Stewardship Council, 5-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Pastoral Care Meeting, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Social Justice Council, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom

Thursday, June 18th:

• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Beacons of Light, 6-6:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
• Board of Trustees, 7-9pm, Room 6 and Zoom

UUCE Delegates Prepare for UUA's 2026 General Assembly

Meet your delegates to the 2026 Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly (UUA GA): Shirley Adams, Kera Beskin, Peggy Boccard, Carol Emory, Sue Larson, Cheryl Mounts, Joe Romeo, Steve Serikaku, and Carla Williams. We will join hundreds of UUs to participate in business meetings June 14-16, gathering in advance to discuss business items including Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW), candidates for UUA leadership positions, and upcoming workshops on Abolition.



The 2026 AIW to be considered is “Defend Against the Assault on Environmental Protections: Public Lands Rules and the Endangerment Finding”. Actions of Immediate Witness are developed by member congregations and voted on by GA delegates. These statements are expressions of conscience. They allow UUs to respond quickly to urgent social issues and can be used to empower local action and support organizational action.

Visit the UUNT program table on June 14th to learn more about UUA’s General Assembly or ask a delegate. And please thank them for representing UUCE at this year’s GA!

Wisconsin Voter Registration Training

Get trained to register voters in Wisconsin. Once trained, you will be invited to go to one of several Milwaukee DMVs to register voters as they wait for services.

All trainings are held via zoom and you only need to attend one training date:



• Tuesday, June 16 - 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, July 8 - 7:00 PM

The training is one hour and presented by the Milwaukee Voter Project. For more information, please contact Laura Kushner with the Milwaukee Voter Project at laurakushnerx2 at gmail dot com or Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances at ucevanston dot org. 

The UUCE Fiction Book Group is reading Vigil (January 2026) by George Saunders. At the bedside of an oil company CEO as he is ferried by a vibrant Jill “Doll” Blaine from this world into the next. Her job is to bring the charge to understand his impact in the world, before he leaves it. And our oil CEO has no regrets, even as the ghosts of the past in true Dickensian fashion visit him one by one on this his final evening. With George Saunders’ signature whimsy, wit, and dead-on (as it were) reckoning.

Meeting Friday, June 19, at 7p.m. by ZOOM

UUCE Rainbow Alliance Reboot

Be part of the Rainbow Alliance Reboot on June 20, 2026, 12:30-2:00 pm. Join Rev. Susan Frances for lunch on the South Lawn, or in Room 3 if the weather is inclement, at 12:30 pm. Rev. Susan will bring the main dish. Feel free to bring a lunchtime appetizer or dessert to share.

At 1:15 pm, we'll move into Room 3 to include anyone joining us online in our visioning process. We will be visioning the future of our Rainbow Alliance, which strives to connect and support the LGBTQIA+ community and allies both within UUCE and in the broader community.

Click here to RSVP.

Midsummer Feast coming up - Sunday, June 21

Please join the UUCE Pagan Collective for a solstice feast on Sunday, June 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary and on the South lawn. All are welcome as we celebrate the longest day of the year with a brief ritual, potluck feast, games, crafts and music, a real fire for marshmallows and a faux bonfire for jumping. UUCE members and friends, adults, children, all are welcome! If you have the time and resources, please bring a dish to share. If not, your presence will be a gift to us all.

How Two Faith Communities Are Working Toward Justice

Join the REAL Team via Zoom on June 24 from 7:00–8:30 p.m. for a discussion on how two Unitarian Universalist congregations are working to address historic racial injustices and engage in meaningful repair.

Register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XRt-WG-Rvp3Jzl2jqEAMrec9TfWcvObMTLjYNYc8pNk/edit

At King’s Chapel in Boston, research revealed that at least 219 children, women, and men were enslaved by ministers and members of the congregation. In response, the church has undertaken efforts to acknowledge and repair the harms caused by enslavement, including engaging an artist to help develop a creative vision for remembrance and reconciliation. Roeshana Moore-Evans of King’s Chapel will share insights into the congregation’s research and reparative work.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, All Souls Unitarian Church recently commemorated the 105th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre through its annual Promise & Repair service. The service explored what happens when promises are broken—by individuals, communities, institutions, or entire societies—and what it takes to begin the work of repair. UUCE’s own Bex Blackmore will share reflections from her experience as a congregant of All Souls and the congregation’s ongoing commitment to justice and healing.

We hope you will join us for this important conversation.

Celebration of Life for Stuart Novy

Friday, June 26, at 11am, we will celebrate the life of our much beloved Stuart Novy. Two Margarets (Shaklee & Talmage) are organizing hospitality. If it would please you to take on a small role or bring a favorite food to honor Stuart (or Kay), click HERE, make your selection and click SignUP!

Celebration of Life for Michael Wylie

Saturday, June 27, at 1pm, we will celebrate the life of Michael Wylie, husband of our much beloved Karen Wylie. Two Margarets (Shaklee & Talmage) are organizing hospitality. If it would please you to take on a small role or bring a favorite food to honor Michael (or Karen), click HERE, make your selection and click SignUP!

If you want to opt out of the technology, email Margaret Shaklee with your offer to help.

Many thanks!

The Nonfiction Book Group will discuss Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church by Hahrie Han on Sunday, June 28th. Join us at 2 p.m. using our recurring Zoom link.

In this book political scientist Hahrie Han investigates how Crossroads, a white-dominated evangelical megachurch in Cincinnati, created a faith-based program designed to foster antiracism and systemic change.The author tells the story of four people, two white and two black, whose lives were fundamentally altered by the program.

On July 26th, we’ll discuss A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. This book is available in print, electronic, and audio formats and also as a movie starring Robert Redford.Enjoy it in whichever format you prefer.

Register for the 1946 Movie in REALM

We’re working out the details on a social action project for

Connections for the Homeless, so stay tuned!



You can see what’s coming up on our evolving calendar here.

Family-Friendly Friendship Meals 

There are two family-friendly events coming up:

Concert at Millenium Park on 07/23 – sign up here

Backyard Chillin' and Grillin' Barbeque on 08/29 for children 6 and up  - sign up here

UUCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights



The Young Adult Group at UUCE is a group for young adults (18-35) interested in exploring spiritual deepening in community. We meet on every 3rd Friday from 7-9pm in Room 3 to discuss monthly Soul Matters themes, check in with each other, eat snacks, and play games.

Contact Kiley Korey (kileyekorey at gmail dot com), Kevin Barrow (kbarrow13 at gmail dot com), or Kathy Underwood (kunderwood@ucevanston.org) with any questions.

Our Shared Offering Program

Our Shared Offering Program is one of the ways that we live into our mission statement "for a world made whole." Each Sunday, the funds collected during our worship service either via text donations or in the collection bowls (and not otherwise designated for something else) are shared equally between our operating budget and the current Shared Offering Program recipient.

This Sunday's offering will be shared with Deborah's Place,  which opens doors of opportunity for women that experience homelessness in Chicago through supportive services and permanent housing.

Shared Offering Program Nominations Open

Nominations for the 2026-2027 Shared Offering Program are now being accepted by the Social Justice Council. To nominate an organization, click here for the Shared Offering Program nomination Google Form. The deadline to submit nominations is July 14, 2026.

The UUCE Shared Offering Program divides the undesignated funds we receive each Sunday equally between the congregation’s operating fund and an organization selected by the Social Justice Council. Click here for the Selection Process Description that the Social Justice Council uses to review nominations. If you have any questions about the Shared Offering Program, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

We are looking for volunteers for the Evanston Interfaith Family Pride Fest on June 14th.  Click here to volunteer with the organizers of the Fest.

TO VOLUNTEER SIGN UP HERE

Join the UUCE Race Against Hate Team



Be a part of the Race Against Hate by joining the UUCE Team on June 21, 2026. Every Father’s Day, the YWCA hosts a race to honor Ricky Byrdsong, who was murdered by a white supremacist in front of his children while walking near their Skokie home. You can run or walk 5k or 10k, and there are Kids Fun Runs. Proceeds from the event support the Evanston/North Shore YWCA racial equity programming. More information about the Race and Ricky Byrdsong is here.

Register for the Race here.

If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the Team through your donation. Be sure to apply your donation to the UUCE Team.

Dana Deane is coordinating the UUCE Team 2026. Please let her know if you have any questions. Dddeane847 at gmail dot com or 847-682-1045.

LOVE RESISTS

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

SNAPGap CUTS NEED OUR HELP

For the 6/24 distribution, SNAPGap is collecting soap and deodorant. Interfaith Action of Evanston is coordinating the distribution which occurs at The Vineyard food pantry. Items can be dropped off at First Presbyterian Church, 1427 Chicago Ave, Monday-Thursday, 9AM-5PM , Saturday/Sunday from 8:30-12:30 until June 23.

A link to an Amazon wish list is available on the IAE Website, under "news".

Contact Toni Rey for more information.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330