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

Sunday Service

March 15, 2026 at 10:30 am 

 Meet the New Executive Director of UUANI on March 15

We will be welcoming Natasha Walker, the new Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI), on Sunday, March 15. Natasha will lead our worship service and then stay to talk more closely with congregants in an afternoon program from 12:00-1:30 pm in Room 3. Bring your questions and your ideas! 

Click here to register if you will be attending in-person so we can plan for snacks or use this zoom link to attend online. All ages welcome. Connect with Rev. Susan if you have any questions before the event.

Please Note: Sunday, March 22^nd the Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Church and UCE will have a combined worship experience in our sanctuary at 11 a.m. (rather than our usual 10:30 a.m.)

The 2026/27 Pledge Drive is underway. You should have received your pledge drive email on Thursday, February 12th. Please check your spam folder if you don't see it, or contact pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org to request a new letter. Visit the UCE pledge page for more information and to submit your pledge.

Check out this video from Rev. Eileen for more information!

Thank you for your ongoing support of our shared mission and values!

Children and youth will go to their faith formation groups after joys and sorrows

This Sunday…

 Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 8:45a-12:15p. 

Chalice Children (Pre/k/1) in room 9 – The children will explore the theme of feelings by hearing the story I Am a Tornado and making spin drawings.

Heads, Hearts, and Hands (2nd-5th) in room 8 – The young people begin exploring our theme of Paying Attention and the Sikh faith by learning about this week’s Holy Troublemaker, Valerie Kaur.

Youth Group (6th-9th) in room 10 – The youth will work with some of our young adults to continue planning their joint worship service for April 12.

Faith Formation Registration

Please register your young person, ages 1-18 here.

The Latest Endowment Grants

As you may know, a portion of the proceeds from the Endowment Fund investments are granted to support projects recommended to the Endowment Committee. Grants may be made for:

– Congregational Support for special projects, care of the building and property, and education and training;

– UCE Community Partners to deepen relationships with organizations that have long-term relationships with UCE volunteers and the Congregation; or

– Community Projects of nonprofit organizations that support the wider mission of Unitarian Universalism.

The Endowment Committee recommended 2 grants for Congregational Support in 2025-2026, and the Board of Trustees approved the Committee’s recommendations:

• $850 from Leadership for UUA General Assembly assistance
• $1500 from Rainbow Alliance to support Evanston’s 3rd Annual Family Pride Fest

In addition, to assist with budgeting, the Endowment Committee recommended 2 grants for Congregational Support in 2026-2027, and the Board approved these recommendations:

• $10,000 from the Board and Staff for building repairs and maintenance
• $3,000 from Garden Team for Renovation of NW garden and fencing for 2 gardens

The Endowment Committee and Board of Trustees are happy to support the Congregation in these ways.

How to Apply for an Endowment Grant

Join us for a short Zoom call to learn more about how to apply for an Endowment Grant.

When: Saturday, April 11th at 12:00 pm

Where: on Zoom

Register: Email Shirley Adams (her address is in Realm) and she'll send you the link

Shirley Adams and Jeanne Kerl will share some information about the process, types of grants, and deadlines. Then, we'll answer any questions that you may have. Maybe you're just curious? Join us.

If you can't make the meeting, reach out via email to Shirley or Jeanne with your questions.

Keep on Moving Forward*

*Emma's Revolution

I went away for a few days last week, to a little ‘postcard cabin’ near Starved Rock State Park. I took my dog, Bert, with me and we had a lovely time together, walking, snuggling, reading (well, Bert didn’t read, but I did). The trails were muddy and rough but we walked anyway.

One thing I’ve noticed about Bert is that whenever we are walking somewhere new, either a new route in our familiar neighborhood, or in a completely unfamiliar place, he will jump up on my hip or get behind me and push me, as if to say, “Hey! I don’t like where we’re going. I don’t know this place and I don’t like it. Let’s turn back!” I keep telling him to stop jumping but he basically ignores that request until we start to head back toward where we came from. Even if it’s not the same path back, he seems to immediately know and prefer when we’re returning from whence we came. He loves the return and will immediately start pulling for me to hurry up already.

Our Hats are off to Michael Drennan! For years, Michael has been championing emissions reduction at UCE. In 2018, after the City of Evanston set its goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2035, he strongly urged the board to do the same. This led to the creation of our Emissions Reduction Task Force, which Michael graciously leads. Of course, the first step to reducing emissions is accurate reporting, and Michael has been instrumental in setting up benchmarking processes both in our church and the community at large. Following the installation of our solar panels, Michael has also been working diligently to ensure we can accurately report how much of our electricity comes from our panels and how much is sent back to the grid, from figuring out proper data entry online to noticing inconsistencies in our solar production numbers and following up with the company to get the issue addressed. Currently, Michael also sits on the board, where he continues to have an eye on UCE's long term goals. Thank you, Michael, for holding us accountable to our values and helping turn our ideals into action!

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Friday, March 13th:

• Parents Time Out, 5-8pm, Sanctuary, Cafe and Room 5
• UCE Young Adult Movie Night, 7:30-9pm, Room 6

Saturday, March 14th:

• Virtual Pilates, 9:30am, via Zoom

Sunday, March 15th:

• Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 & Zoom
• Common Read Facilitators Tech Training, 9:45-10:20am, Room 3
• Worship Service, 10:30am, Sanctuary
• Kinship Time, 11:30-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
• UCE Pagan Collective Monthly Meeting, 12-1:30pm, Room 13
• UUANI New Executive Director Meet and Greet, 12-1:30pm, Room 3 and Zoom
• Faith Formation Volunteer Meetup, 12-1pm, Room 6
• TransParentsy Group, 12:30-2pm, Room 2
• Sine Nomine Covenant Group, 12:15-2pm, Offsite or Zoom

Monday, March 16th:

• UCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45am, via Zoom
• Beginner Tai Chi, 6-7pm, Back of Sanctuary
• Intermediate Tai Chi, 7:15-8:15pm, Back of Sanctuary
• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, March 17th: ELECTION DAY

• Legislative Action Team, 4:30-5:30pm, via Zoom
• Social Change Now Common Read, 6-8:30pm, Room 6
• Peg Heads, 6:30-9:30pm, Room 5
• Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, Online

Wednesday, March 18th:

• Yoga Online, 9:30-10:30am, via Zoom
• Integrated Stewardship Council, 5-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Grief Group, 5:30-7pm, Room 3
• Congregational Life and FF, 7-8pm, via Zoom
• Pastoral Care Meeting, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Thursday, March 19th:

• Evanston Near South Proximity Group, 1-2pm, via Zoom
• Social Change Now Common Read, 1:30-3pm, Room 3
• Beacons of Light, 5-5:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Volunteer Conversations, 6-7pm, Room 2
• Choir Rehearsal, 7-9pm, Rooms 3 and 6
• Board of Trustees 7-9pm, via Zoom

Celebration of Life for Alice Swan

On Sunday, March 22, at 3pm, we will gather to celebrate the life of our much-loved Alice Swan. If it would please you to help with hospitality or to bring a special treat for the reception buffet, sign up HERE.

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading "The Correspondent," by Virginia Evans.



Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life written letters to make sense of the world and her place in it -- to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not let her audit a course, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their work, and to one person to whom she writes frequently but does not send the letter. It's that one person from her past who must read that letter and Sybil must find a way to offer forgiveness.

Friday, March 20, at 7-8pm by ZOOM

The Nonfiction book group will not meet in March or April.



We urge our readers to participate in UCE’s programming of the UUA Common Read book Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer.

See the article below about small group discussions of this year’s Common Read in March and April. Four sets of 2 discussions will be offered on different days of the week and at different times of the day. A joint meeting of the four groups will take place on May 9th.

Register by March 15th by using the links in this newsletter and purchase a copy of the book from UUA’s InSpirit book store.

Sign Up by March 15th for the UUA Common Read: Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer

This three-session program will engage with the UU Common Read of Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection by Deepa Iyer. This workbook-style book delves into a "social change ecosystem." You are invited to explore how to be more authentic, connected, and effective as we pursue transformative justice together.

The first two sessions will be in a small group. The third session will bring the four small groups together in a multi-platform setting (in-person and on zoom) on May 9 from 2:00-3:30 pm.



Click here to register for the Tuesday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 17 and April 21 from 6:30-8:00 pm with co-facilitators Shirley Adams and Mags Johnston. 

Click here to register for the Wednesday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 25 and April 8 from 7:00-8:30 pm with co-facilitators Lee Solock and Alison Issen. 

Click here to register for the Thursday Group. This small group will meet in-person on March 19 and April 16 from 1:30-3:00 pm with co-facilitators Sue Larson and Jackie Seaman. 

Click here to register for the Sunday Group. This small group will meet on zoom on March 29 and April 19 from 2:00-3:30 pm with co-facilitators Rev. Susan Frances and Elaine Siegel. 



You may buy a copy of the book at the Catalyst for Democracy’s Program Table in the café area after the service this Sunday, order the book at InSpirit Bookstore, or let Rev. Susan Frances know that you need a donated copy.

UCE is Going Camping!

UCE is going camping May 29-31! Please click on this link to reserve a campsite. The top of the form includes links to reserve a site directly with ExploreMore IL, as well as a link to a table where you can see where other UCE campsites will be. If you have any questions or need help with reserving your site, email Grey Wiviott (greyleewivs at gmail dot com). Happy Camping!

Volunteering Outside of UCE

Jessica Tomell-Presto and Mary Ellen McGoey invite you to Room 2 on Thursday, March 19 at 6:00 pm for refreshments and an informal conversation on volunteering outside of UCE. This continues the conversation begun at Martha Holman’s on February 15 on the same topic. We envision this gathering as an opportunity to share information about what you do, who benefits and what inspires you. This will also be a chance for you to learn about the different types of volunteer work in our community. Refreshments (pizza) will be available.

If you cannot attend this conversation, there will be others scheduled in the following months on different days, at different times, and virtually. The hope is that those who wish to participate will have ample opportunities to do so.

No need to R.S.V.P. Just come join us!

To access the “Social Justice Collaboration Tool” in which UCE congregants have listed their outside volunteer activities, please look at REALM group “UCE Members” and “files”.

Click the flyer to register!!!

Planning is ramping up for the 2026 Rummage Sale. We have filled most of the department co-lead positions, as well as leadership spots in setup, cleanup and feeding our volunteers. A BIG thank you to all who have stepped into these roles. There is a co-lead opening that remains for the publicity team. If you’d like to join in on the fun, rewarding work that goes into co-leading a team, contact rummage@ucevanston.org.

Please continue to watch the weekly newsletter for important announcements (spoiler alert: there will be a big one next week!)  And, once again, mark your calendars with these key dates:

• Sale Dates: Fri May 1 - Sat May 2
• Donation Dates: Sun April 26 – Mon April 27
• Setup Dates: Sun April 26 – Thurs April 30

General Assembly Early Bird Registration & UCE Watch Parties.

You are invited to attend the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual General Assembly (GA) from June 14-21, 2026, which will be entirely online this year. Click here for early bird registration, which runs through April 30, 2026.

 Once you are registered, save the date on Saturday, June 20th, for in-person watch parties for the Meet the Moment programming and annual Ware Lecture: A Voice for Courage, Justice, and Faith with guest speaker Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. 

Everyone is invited on Sunday morning, June 21st, for the 9:30 am Community Sing and 10:00 am worship service.

 If you would like to be a voting delegates from UCE at GA or simply want to learn more about GA, Sign up to receive more information and connect with the UU Network Team and past UCE delegates. Now's a great time to engage with other dedicated UU’s to make our world whole!

Join the Family Ministry Team Monday, March 16, 7-8p

We'll be planning upcoming Family Fridays, summer programming, and explore how we can implement the ideas parents shared this winter. The Zoom link is at the top of our agenda. 

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

Join us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/520586461667097

Parent’s Time Out TONIGHT March 13, 5-8p

Rev. Eileen and Grey Wiviott are hosting this event at UCE.

Drop off your kids and enjoy a few hours to yourself.

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is Friday, March 20th



The Young Adult Group at UCE 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.

Breaking the Chain: Transforming the Legacy of Enslavement to Justice and Liberation for All

How did we get here—and what is ours to do now?

Join UCE REAL, the Prison Ministry and Reparations Teams, Living Legacy Pilgrimage participants, and local advocates for a four-part, multi-platform learning and conversation series exploring the systems that connect enslavement, incarceration, and reparative justice.

Together, we will examine:

• the historical roots linking slavery and mass incarceration
• the economic forces that sustain systems of injustice
• the role faith communities can play in accountability, repair, and transformation
• how reparations work is unfolding in Evanston and beyond

• April 22 – The Economics of Maintaining Systems of Injustice
• June 24 – How Faith Communities Can Help Break the Chain
• August 26 – Reparations: In Evanston and Beyond

MEETING MORE INTERFAITH NEIGHBORS

We continue this series as we join the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)

March 15, 5-8p to visit ISKCON

March 24 at 7p at UCE and on Zoom for reflection and sharing

Register here to get communications about upcoming dates as they are finalized.

Family-Friendly Seder

April 3, 5:30p

Mark your calendars now for this annual tradition!

More info here

3rd Annual Easter Peeps Show – April 5

Show your creativity, humor, and/or spirit this Easter

by creating a diorama using marshmallow peeps!

AI Workshop: Skills for Everyday and Congregational Life

Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 pm

Room 3 & Zoom

This will be our final session in this series facilitated by Dr. Emma Farrell

Click HERE to register

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 a pledge or something else) are shared equally between our operating budget and the current Shared Offering Recipient.

This Sunday's offering will be shared with Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois or UUANI. UUANI devises programs to build power among UU congregations in Illinois in order to achieve meaningful, concrete, far-reaching results which put our UU values and principles into action. 

ICE OUT Action March 20th

Join an interfaith coalition to stand in solidarity with people of faith in Colorado against contracts with ICE.

Help Prepare Care Packages for the Chicago Abortion Fund on Sun, March 29



Join us Sunday, March 29 at noon in Room 3 at UCE to help put together care packages for women coming to Chicago for abortion services. We’ll pack the supplies, write brief notes to the recipients, and make sure these young women have some supplies to pamper themselves after leaving the clinic.

Earlier work parties have been a great success. Members of the church Abortion Action Team contacted the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) to find out what’s needed and ordered it. Volunteers helped pack the items and box them up for delivery to the clinic, and then wrote notes of encouragement to those receiving the care packages. Won’t you help us complete this project for a third time?

CAF is the largest funder of abortion services in the country. One in four of the patients travelling out-of-state for care because they have nowhere else to turn, come to Illinois. Last year the CAF help line answered more than 20,000 calls. The group provided both needed services and helped defray travel costs for those whose home states have outlawed abrotions.

Please join us after services on March 29, and help us put together the care packages. Also let us know if you’d like to help contribute to future work parties or to make a donation toward future gift bags.

Wednesday SOUP KITCHEN April 1st

The Spring Wednesday Soup Kitchen at UCE will be only one day this year on APRIL 1st.

We help Beth Emet by covering their soup kitchen during Passover.

Regular volunteers and new folks alike are needed. We would love to have you participate either by bringing food, food preparation, serving food or clean up.

The time commitments vary depending on what task you pick.

You can sign up by clicking HERE

If you have trouble opening the link or have questions, please contact

Ellie Feddersen elliefeddersen@gmail.com, 847-452-3142

LOVE RESISTS

Don’t forget to Vote in the Primaries

Don’t forget to vote in the primaries. Voting Day is Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from 6 am – 7 pm. You may find your polling place by clicking here.

If you plan to Vote Early, 

• To find your early voting sites through March 16, click here for Chicago and click here for suburban Cook County.



• For mail-in ballots, due to the changes to the U.S. Postal System made by the federal government, the Chicago Board of Elections sent out a notice recommending that if you want to make sure your mail-in ballot is postmarked and eligible to be counted that it be mailed by March 10th. So, if you still have your mail-in ballot, please make sure to take it to one of the early voting sites and drop it in their collection bin.

On March 28th, rise up, take to the streets, and say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Join us!



Join us in Evanston! Rally and March, 10:30 pm to 12:00 pm, Dawes Park (Sheridan Road and Lake Avenue). Meet up with Mary Dudek and others from our Catalyst for Democracy Team at 10:15 am at the south end of the lagoon.

Join us in Chicago! Rally and March, 1:30 - 4:30 pm, Butler Field/Grant Park (East Jackson Drive and South Columbus Drive). Meet up with Steve Serikaku and others from our Catalyst for Democracy Team at 1:15 pm at the south lion in front of the Art Institute.

Getting Ready: If you would like to connect with a travel buddy for attending one or both of these rallies, please connect with Sarah Vanderwicken at the Catalyst for Democracy Team’s Program Table this Sunday, where you can also purchase a Side with Love t-shirt.

Make Posters for No Kings Day

You are invited to join our Catalyst for Democracy Team on Thursday, March 26th to make signs for the No Kings rallies scheduled for March 28th. Meet in Room 5 from 4-5 pm to make signs. Materials provided. All ages welcome!

Immediately following the sign making event, you’re invited to try out your sign at the corner of Dempster & Ridge from 5-5:30 pm with our Beacons of Light gathering. 

Contact Rev. Susan Frances with questions or ideas.

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

Now that winter is over, it’s time to start making summer plans. Consider including MUUSA in yours this year.

MUUSA is an intergenerational Unitarian Universalist camp held at its new location in Ripon, Wisconsin, bringing together people from across the Midwest. The program includes workshops and activities for adults, along with daytime programming for children.

For more information, visit MUUSA.org.

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330