Sunday Service

May 18, 2025 at 10:30am 

 Flower Communion and Annual Picnic – June 1st

The first Sunday in June is when UCE traditionally celebrates the annual flower communion ceremony originated by Norbert Capek over 100 years ago in Prague. All attendees are encourage to bring a flower (or a few) from your garden, the store, or plucked from a field, to exchange with one another in one of our most beloved rituals. Following the service, we'll enjoy a picnic on the lawn (weather permitting). Meat and veggie alternatives are provided and you are asked to bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share.

UPDATE FROM KATHY UNDERWOOD

In Joy and Gratitude



The church year has a similar cycle to the school year, and we are in the final month before summer kicks in. We continue to celebrate all that we’ve done before beginning the cycle over again.

Our Faith Formation Sunday on May 4 was a culmination of some of this. We welcomed 17 new members, heard a story by one of our youngest featuring a goblin, saw the development of a round of the game Telestrations, and heard our four senior high youth speak about the meaning of this community to them as they graduate and head off to their next phase in life. It was full of wonderful music from the family choir and the regular choir, and a special Star Wars tribute on the violin by Enzo Wallin. Indeed, there is much to celebrate!

Our hats are off to our UCE Children’s Choir – Isabel, Maeve, and Leo Briody; Mari and Penny Doll; Cort Goodrich, Henry Herman, Julianna Liddell, and Robert Noncek-Eastman – for your beautiful singing in “May You Always Have a Song” in the May 4^th service! 

And Hats Off to Norell Liddell for all the behind-the-scenes organizing and for running the rehearsals; and to Gillian Lawrence for being rehearsal pianist!

It was wonderful having y’all join your voices in song with the Adult Choir.  

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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 the Sunrise Movement, whose mission is to provide access to clear air and water, full pantries of food, affordable housing, free public transportation, good and meaningful jobs, vibrant community centers, and lives filled with joy.

Alabama Living Legacy Pilgrimage

Join Rev. Eileen and Rev. Susan on September 24-28, 2025, for a Living Legacy tour through Alabama curated by the Living Legacy Project [LLP). We choose this tour because LLP was founded by UUs. During the course of the tour, we will be provided with details about our Unitarian Universalist connection with the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. To indicate your interest in potentially joining us in September, please complete this Alabama Living Legacy Pilgrimage interest form.

Solar Panels Update

Construction has gone smoothly and all the solar panels on the sanctuary roof and wing roof have been installed. You may resume using the parking lot as normal.

We will be celebrating the installation of our solar panels during our Flower Communion and Annual Picnic! Bring your sun shaped and sun themed foods for the potluck picnic on June 1, 2025! We’ll have a grill with veggie and meat burgers and hot dogs provided by Rev. Eileen and her family.

If you have any questions, please contact Adam Gough at agough@ucevanston.org. Thank you for your support in this important step toward our goal of being carbon neutral by 2050!

Meeting Our Interfaith Neighbors

May 20 at 7pm in Room 3 or on Zoom

We will reflect on our exploration of the African Methodist Episcopal faith. 

This is our last meeting of our rewarding exploration of neighboring faiths. 

Come be a Beacon of Light!

Inspired by the Beacons of Light movement shared in Rev Eileen's May 11th sermon, we're joining a growing chorus of resistance, hope, and solidarity right here in Evanston.

Starting Thursday, June 5, and continuing every Thursday from 7:00-7:30 PM through at least the end of August, the interfaith clergy invite the community to gather in solidarity at one of these locations in Evanston (there will be people gathering at all 3 locations each Thursday):

• Dempster & Ridge
• Chicago & Main
• Central & Central Park

All are welcome. Bring a colorful sign with a positive message of solidarity and hope (sign inspiration here), or include The Beacon’s QR code to spread the light even further.

Bring your voice, your guitar, your ukulele—let’s sing, witness, and imagine together a world shaped by love and justice. Whether we’re three people or 100, we are part of something bigger. Come be a light!

What Does Your Social Justice Work Look Like?

The Anti-Oppression Task Force knows many UCE members are active in social justice—whether through volunteering with food banks, immigrant support, letter writing, voter registration, or simply helping a neighbor. Every act that uplifts others matters.

We want to hear about it!

Take our quick Social Justice Questionnaire to share what you're doing and with which groups. Your input will help connect others at UCE who are eager to get involved.

Task Force members will be available the next few Sundays during Kinship Time and in the lobby to help you complete the survey. You can also scan the QR code to fill it out at home.

Let’s live our UU values—together in community.

Does your Social Justice Project need financial Resources?

Your UCE Endowment has funds available to support Social Justice Community Projects. The next deadlines for grant application submissions are May 31 and October 31, 2025. The application forms are on our website here

On this page, you can also see previous grants funded by your UCE Endowment. If you have questions or want advice or information, contact an Endowment trustee and we will help make the process as simple as possible.

Harms Woods Workday June 1

Save the date for Sunday, June 1 from 1-4 pm in beautiful Harms Woods for our semiannual work outing. We will be pulling invasive weeds to allow room for native plants to flourish. It's an easy and interesting activity that is led by the long-time and very knowledgeable Harms Woods stewards, John and Jane Balaban. Dress for the weather (including sturdy footwear that can get muddy) and plan on walking approximately 2 miles over uneven ground. It's an activity appropriate for youth ages 13 and up, accompanied by their own parent or guardian. For more info and to reserve a space, contact Susan Comstock or Dale Griffin.

Topher Carrington, Jim Dibble, and Aaron Testard are staffing our UCE Table at this year's Evanston Interfaith Family Pride Fest. Stop by Raymond Park between 2-5 pm for an afternoon of celebration and fun!

Join UCE Delegates to “Meet the Moment”

UCE delegates to the UUA 2025 General Assembly met via zoom to review and discuss items on the GA Business Agenda. To be held in Baltimore June 18-22, this year's theme  is "Meet the Moment". 

“With shifting religious practices, eco-justice concerns, rising fascism, and a push for spiritual leadership, there is an imperative to deepen into our tradition’s strengths, let go of what no longer serves, and experiment with new ways of being and doing in our new context. This moment invites us to harness resources thoughtfully, strengthen connections and alignment, and deepen Unitarian Universalism’s impact. Rather than imposing change, we must work collaboratively and nimbly to shape a sustainable, purpose-driven future grounded in our shared values. Together, we can meet this moment with clarity and commitment, building a resilient foundation for all."

Part of the delegates’ work is to consider the proposed Congregational Study Action Issues (CSAI). CSAIs guide three years of study, reflection, and action across UU congregations. Three are proposed for 2025. Only one will be selected—you are invited to share your input. 

- Abolition is Faith Formation

 -Fat Liberation: Building Justice and Inclusion for Larger Bodies 

- Housing: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Imara Jones is the UUA 2025 Ware Lecturer

Imara Jones, an award-winning journalist and trans rights activist, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s General Assembly, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual gathering in June. Imara is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning political journalist who is an advocate for social justice and equality across a variety of media outlets. She is the founder of TransLash Media, described on her official website as “a cross-platform journalism, personal storytelling and narrative project, which produces content to shift the current culture of hostility towards transgender people in the US.” TransLash Media tells the stories of trans and gender-nonconforming people through articles, podcasts, films, and zines.

The 2025 Ware Lecture will be delivered at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21. Whether attending the lecture at the Baltimore Convention Center, streaming it live, or watching a video on-demand after the event, the lecture will be available to all who register for GA 2025.

We are so sorry to announce that Shirley Mordine, a long-time UCE member, passed away a few weeks ago. Please take a few minutes to read about her life and legacy here

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is Friday, May 16th



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 at ucevanston dot org) with any questions.

Spring Garden Work Day! May 17th - 10:00am-2:00pm

Let’s shake off our Winter shivers and capitalize on our pent-up gardening needs by bringing UCE’s gardens to life! We have lots of gardening projects this year.

We’ll be digging holes for new perennials for the East Rain Garden, making rabbit-proof fencing for around the plants and picking out any weeds in our way. Join us on the South Lawn for any part or all of the time. Rain date May 24th. Contact Janelle Brittain or Neil Koreman, Garden Team Co-Chairs, for any questions.

Picnics in the Park, May 18th

Weather-permitting, families of all ages (not just littles!) are invited to meet up at 

Penny Park after worship on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.

Update on the UCE Campout 2025 – June 6-8!

Check out the short document with details here.

UUA QUUest Camps:

Immerse Youth in UU Values & Earth Justice at UUA QUUest Camps!

This summer, Camp Blue Boat (Idaho) and QUUest Mountain West (Wyoming) will provide transformative week-long experiences for UU middle and high school youth. In partnership with the UU College of Social Justice, we’re integrating justice work, including environmental stewardship, into daily camp life. From worship under the stars to hands-on activities that connect spiritual practice and Earth care, youth will spend the week immersed in what it means to live their UU values in harmony with the planet. Registration is now open for current 5th-12th graders. Learn more and support this vital ministry at uua.org/pwrcamp.

Join us on Facebook!

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

The next meeting of the UCE Fiction Book Group

is Friday, May 16th, 7-8pm using our Recurring Zoom link

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

In 18th century Ghana, half-sisters are born into different villages and different fortunes, following the lives of their families through eight generations of the American Black experience.

Next read: June 20: Bear by Julia Phillips. Sisters living in the wilds of Washington State respond differently when a bear adopts their encampment.

The next meeting of the UCE Nonfiction Book Group will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 1st on Zoom using our recurring Zoom link.

We will discuss We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience by Lyndsey Stonebridge.

On June 29th, our group will discuss The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back by Madiba Dennie.

• Everyone is welcome to join us.

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330