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

Sunday Service

June 28, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. 

Losing and Finding My Religion

Our new Board of Trustees President, Kera Beskin, will share her Spiritual Journey after participating in the Deepening the Spiritual Journey Class this past fall. Rev. Eileen will serve as Worship Associate before going on sabbatical for two months. Charles M. Anderson is our hymn leader and Gregory Shifrin is on piano.

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-12:15pm

Phineas and Ferb Phartsy Fun



We’ll gather in room 3 to watch an episode of Phineas & Ferb and finish decorating rocks for Drop a Rock Day, and then go outside to “drop” our rocks to spread joy in the neighborhood.

DLFF Newsletter - June 2026

by Kathy Underwood

There is more hope, right here!



This past Sunday, we joined UU congregations virtually around the country in celebrating the end of a week at General Assembly. To those who represented UUCE in the business portion, THANK YOU! I encourage those who didn’t attend to check out the website with updates on resolutions and Actions of Immediate Witness.

In the closing worship sermon by Rev. Jen Youngsun Ryu, there were several things that spoke to me and led me to deeper contemplation. I would love to hear your thoughts on what she said too, so please feel free to share.

Rev. Youngsun Ryu began by referring to Ece Temelkuran, a Turkish journalist, who said that we are grieving in future tense – that we are grieving not only what has been lost in our society, but what will be lost in the future. “Aha!” I thought to myself in realization to something I have felt quite a bit in the last few years. I am wondering if this is across generations, or is it more relatable by older, baby boomers, or perhaps by the younger, Gen Z population? My own adult children (Millennials) have a feeling of “what’s the use of trying”, which I understand and yet am frustrated to hear. They were raised with parents who have always been engaged in social justice and participated in many of these while growing up. How do I as a parent and educator, and we as a congregation, help to alleviate the pain and effect this grief has on so many?

Our hats are off to those who served as delegates to the UUA General Assembly this month: Carla Williams, Cheryl Mounts, Shirley Adams, Carol Emory, Sue Larson, Kera Beskin, Peg Boccard, Steve Serikaku, and Joe Romeo. Thank you for your engagement with our larger Unitarian Universalist movement, for expanding our UU voice in the world, and for representing UUCE among our national faith community.

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Friday, June 26th:

• Stuart Novy Memorial, 11am-1pm, Sanctuary and Kitchen

Saturday, June 27th:

• Virtual Pilates, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 9:45-10:45am, Room 6
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 11-12pm, Room 6
• Michael Wylie Memorial, 1-3:30pm, Sanctuary and Kitchen

Sunday, June 28th:

• Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
• Worship Service, 10:30-11:30am, Sanctuary
• Kinship Time, 11:30am-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
• Etchen Covenant Group, 12:00-2pm, Room 2
• Parent's Covenant Group, 12:15-2:15pm, Room 6
• Non-Fiction Book Group, 2-3pm, via Zoom

Monday, June 29th:

• UUCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45am, via Zoom

Tuesday, June 30th:

• Film Showing - 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture, 6:30-8:30pm, Room 3

Wednesday, July 1st:

• Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via Google Meet
• Executive Committee Meeting, 4-4:45pm, via Zoom
• Endowment Fund Committee, 4:30-6:30pm, Room 6 and Zoom
• Congregational Connections Team, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Thursday, July 2nd:

• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Beacons of Light, 6-6:30pm, Dempster and Ridge

New Admin Office Hours starting June 28

Staff is adjusting the administrative office hours to provide a clear lunch break for staff and to adjust to the low flow of traffic on certain days of the week.

Starting Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the new office hours will be:

Tuesday, 10 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30 - 4 pm

Wednesday, 10 am - 1 pm

Thursday, 10 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30 - 4 pm

Friday, 10 am - 1 pm

Sunday, 10 am - 1 pm

Lobby Staff will be made available for groups that want to meet in the building when there are no office hours scheduled. We request that groups continue to not meet in the building on Mondays as keeping the building completely closed one day a week has a positive impact on our carbon emissions reduction goals. If you have any questions about office hours, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances at ucevanston dot org.

Light the Chalice and Bring the Chancel Flowers for our Sunday Morning Worship Service

Would you, your family, or your group enjoy bringing flowers for the chancel and then lighting and extinguishing the chalice during a Sunday morning worship service?

We’re in need of volunteers throughout July, August, and September. You may now sign up online by clicking this link, going to the Sunday that you would like to volunteer, and selecting the Flowers/Chalice spot. You may add a Comment indicating that you are bringing the flowers in honor of, in memory of, or in recognition of someone or something. You may also email Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org for assistance getting signed up on the Sunday morning schedule.

The UUCE Catalyst for Democracy Team invites you to connect with us!   The 2026 UUA General Assembly theme was Meet the Moment Together Everywhere.  

What does that mean to you and to our congregation?  

These are some of the key questions posed:

• What is the moment we are in?
• What are the most urgent needs and important opportunities of this moment? 
• What do our shared values call us to do in response to this moment? 

During the 6/21 Worship Service, UU Rev. Jen Youngsun Ryu sent a call for action: “this hurting world needs people who can remain human in inhumane times”.  

Please join together with us as we respond to these challenging times! Contact Mary Dudek at mdudekpa at gmail dot com for more information.  

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!

UUCE Campers!

At our campout last month, many folks expressed interest in camping this fall, October 16-18. For those interested, please complete a short survey to determine which campground to visit.

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.

Movie Night at UUCE!

Consider relaxing and enjoying some snacks while watching this weeks movie night at UUCE in Room 6 on Friday 7/10 at 7:30 pm! This month Carlos will be presenting My Cousin Vinny for your viewing pleasure. The run time is 2 Hours, rated R, and is a hilarious movie from 1992 starring Joe Pesci.

The UUCE Fiction Book Group is reading " The Things We Never Say" by Elizabeth Strout (May 2026). Artie Dam spends his days teaching history to eleventh graders, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear—and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.

Meeting Friday, July 17, at 7p.m. by ZOOM

Future reads:

August 21: "Taiwan Travelogue" by Shuang-Zi Yang, translated by Lin King (2024). International Booker Prize for 2026, National Book award for translated literature, highest prize in Taiwan. A young Japanese novelist comes to Taiwan to experience “real” island life. A friendship develops between her and her Taiwanese interpreter that is tested by separation.

September 18: "Whistler" by Ann Patchett (June 2026). Daphne Fuller accidentally encounters Eddie, a man who was briefly her stepfather when she was ten. The two rekindle their friendship, looking back over the choices they made and choices made for them, and working forward ultimately toward Eddie’s end of life. And yes, there is a horse named Whistler.

Register for the 1946 Movie in REALM

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 the next training date is:



• Wednesday, July 8 - 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, July 14 - 1:00PM
• Wednesday, July 29 - 7:00PM

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. 

Social Action Project for National Underwear Day!

We’re joining Connections for the Homeless in collecting new, 

adult underwear this summer.

Drop off packaged underwear in the marked bin in the lobby.

Those interested are invited to help sort donations on August 8, 9-11a

Sign up here to claim a spot!

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.

The Immigration Solidarity Team invites you, and your friends and neighbors, to a performance of Jazz for Food Aid on August 2nd in support of immigrant families. The Trump Administration has drastically slashed any government food aid available to immigrants in the United States; we believe that those of us who can do so should help immigrant families find food.

Doors to UUCE open at 6, Second City Jazz will perform from 7 to 9, and there will be light refreshments for sale. Proceeds will go to Building Peaceful Bridges, a nonprofit that works with immigrant families. Suggested donation of $40, $30 for additional person and $20 for students. Register using the following QR code:

LOVE RESISTS

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

WHO KNEW? What I Leaned at the MidAmerican Region Annual Business Meeting

by Carla Williams

On Saturday, June 20th I participated via zoom in the UU MidAmerica Region Annual Business Meeting as a UUCE delegate. The MidAmerica Region is one of 4 regions of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the regional organization for Illinois and UUCE. A map of the MidAmerica Region is included at the end of this article. Here’s what I learned from Reverend David Pyle, MidAmerica Region Lead, in his report to delegates that I think is IMPORTANT to UUCE members. Enjoy!

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330