Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole |
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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service
this Sunday, May 22nd at 10:15 am
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Owning Our History, Envisioning Our Future
Sankofa is a word in the Twi language of Ghana, meaning “go back and get it;” we must look back and know who we are to move forward into who we want to be. Our newly adopted values statements include a commitment to honestly and bravely explore our shared history and this exploration will inform our actions in the future. How will we embark on this exploration of our history, bravely telling the truth and imagining the more just and equitable world we want to build? Rev. Eileen leads this service with Joe Romeo as Worship Associate.
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Following Kinship Time in the back of the sanctuary
(11:15-11:35 am), please join us in one of the following
Spiritual Practices for All Ages during this Sunday's
Faith Formation Hour (11:35-12:30)
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Chair Yoga: Introducing yoga as a spiritual/mindfulness practice. This will be a gentle yoga, mostly sitting in chairs, inclusive for everyone. Make sure to wear comfortable clothing to church this Sunday if you desire. – Room 3 & Zoom. Click here to join on Zoom.
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Prayer for UUs with Rev. Eileen Wiviott – Room 6 & Zoom. Click here to join on Zoom.
- Nursery (ages 0-3) – Room 11
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1-4 pm Sunday: Harms Woods Outing at Harms Woods |
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Come celebrate spring with a habitat restoration outing at beautiful Harms Woods in Glenview! We will be removing invasive plants to allow more space and sunlight for our beautiful native trees. This outing is suitable for anyone 12 and older (youth must be accompanied by a responsible adult) and everyone works at their own pace. The woods are beautiful, the wildflowers will be out and you will be doing extremely important work in restoring vital habitat to support our native birds and insects. View the event flyer here.
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Share Your Thoughts About this Year's Faith Formation Hour by completing this online form!
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TODAY Friday, May 20 ~ 9:00 am—6:00 pm
Saturday, May 21 ~ 9:00 am—1:00 pm
Yay! The Rummage Sale has arrived!!!
Be sure to shop the sale, and
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Grand Parenting and the Congregation
From Kathy Underwood, Director of Lifespan Faith Formation
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Sometime within the next few weeks, my spouse Todd and I will become first-time grandparents. I know many of you have experienced the joy of a new baby to hold and help raise, no matter the geographical distance between you. Added to this joy, my son and daughter-in-law want to raise their daughter in a UU congregation. A fifth-generation UU in my family! How many mid-westerners can say that?
And yet I worry that as they navigate parenthood and look towards the congregation for support that they will be let down. Not intentionally. It rarely happens that way, thank goodness. It can happen in smaller, more subtle ways...
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Summary of the Widening the Circle of Concern Monthly Discussions |
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Thank you to everyone who participated in a Widening the Circle of Concern (WTCC) conversation over the past 8 months. We had some very deep, challenging, and insightful conversations.
Here are a few ongoing questions from our conversations:
- How do I continue to raise awareness within myself and others of what is harmful to someone who has an identity or identities with less cultural privilege than I do?
- Do I understand the concepts of white supremacy culture and white privilege? How do I engage with dismantling these cultural problems within myself and my communities?
- How can more of us at UCE become more fully engaged in work that addresses institutional racism and oppression?
- What does being a radically welcoming community look like?
Our congregation’s Anti-Oppression Task Force, Board, Social Justice Teams, and Membership Engagement Teams will make ongoing use of the resources provided in the WTCC report as we continue to engage with these questions and more.
As the Widening the Circle of Concern report states in the final chapter: “Our basic premise is that we can live into the full participation of those who have been most marginalized among us, we can create a responsive, vibrant Unitarian Universalism. A Unitarian Universalist faith marked by full equity and participation will continue to play a vital role in transforming lives and communities.” The ministers and the WTCC facilitators look forward to continuing to transform our lives and our community together!
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Hats Off to the Board of Trustees! |
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Our hats are off to the Board of Trustees for running the first every multi-platform annual meeting. It may seem like we've been doing this multi-platform thing long enough that it should be easy, but let me tell you, it's not. Joe Romeo, the staff, and I went through logistics and thought we had everything figured out, but it was more complicated than we realized. Michelle Novak and Laura Lothschutz had the especially difficult job of checking in our Zoom participants, counting their votes and monitoring the chat. They were not well prepared (by me) and yet they forged ahead with grace. I thought we could forgo the polling on Zoom for a simple raising of hands but that was clearly a misguided assumption and I apologize to both of them for that. In spite of the challenges, Joe led the meeting with aplomb. Carla Williams helped with many of the behind the scenes logistics. Dana Deane was laser focused on the minutes, and the entire Board was there to help with checking in and counting. And thanks to the congregants who hung in there, asked great questions, listened and spoke with kindness and in good faith. And we were able to pass a resolution in support of reparations and racial healing, a bylaws change, our values statements, and an excellent slate of candidates! Way to go UCE!
~ Rev. Eileen Wiviott
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UCE Building Availability -
The UCE Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10am-5pm
If you have music to share in worship, we would love to add your to our list. We are looking for either live or recorded performances for Sunday mornings to enhance our worship. Reach out to Rev. Eileen or Vickie Hellyer.
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Wednesday Zoom Gatherings Continue on 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 5:30 pm via Zoom.
May 29 - All Church Frozen Yogurt Social during Faith Formation Hour
May 31 - Endowment Fund Application Deadline. More info below.
June 5 - All Church Picnic during Faith Formation Hour
June 11 - Congregational Calendaring Event at 10:30 am - Noon. More info below.
June 19 - Ricky Byrdson Race Against Hate. More info and Registration link below.
June 22-26 is the UUA General Assembly online or in-person in Portland, OR. More info below.
The Sunday, June 26 worship service will be at 11:30 am CST. Instead of UCE's service, we will join the UUA General Assembly service. You may join the livestream from home or the UCE Sanctuary.
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This Week's Events & Links |
Friday, May 20
- UCE's Rummage Sale at UCE from 9 am - 6 pm!
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Fiction Book Group at 7 pm on Zoom. Click here to join.
Saturday, May 21
- UCE's Rummage Sale at UCE from 9 am - 1 pm!
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Virtual Pilates at 9:30 am on Zoom. Email Janelle Brittain to join.
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Tai Chi at 9:45 am and 11 am in the UCE Sanctuary.
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Immigrant Solidarity Team at 4 pm via Zoom. Email Lee Bannor to join.
Sunday, May 22
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Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 8:45 am in Room 6 and via Zoom. Contact Renee Hoff for the Zoom link.
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Worship Service at 10:15 am - Sanctuary & Youtube. Click here to join.
- Kinship Time in the back of the sanctuary at 11:15-11:35 am
- Faith Formation Hour at 11:35 am:
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Chair Yoga - Rm 3 & Zoom. Click here to join.
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Prayer for UUs - Rm 6 & Zoom. Click here to join.
- Nursery (ages 0-3) - Rm 11
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Harms Woods Outing at 1-4 pm at Harms Woods. More info below.
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Non-fiction Book Group at 2 pm on Zoom. Click here to join.
Monday, May 23
Tuesday, May 24
- Retired Women's Group at 4:30 pm in the back of the sanctuary.
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Adult Faith Formation Playdate at 7 pm in Rm 6 & on Zoom. Click here to join on Zoom.
Wednesday, May 25
Thursday, May 26
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Meditation Group at 5:30 pm via Zoom. Email Lisa Solomon for the link.
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If you're viewing the newsletter in your email inbox, click on "View entire message" at the bottom of the email to read the full newsletter!
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Congregational Connections |
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Nominating and Recruiting Task Force |
At the urging of our interim minister, Rev. Karen Gustufson, and in response to concerns expressed by members of the Nominating and Recruiting Committee, the Board has determined to form a Nominating and Recruiting Task Force. If you are interested in becoming a member of this Task Force, please send an email to Joe Romeo at bot@ucevanston.org by May 31. We want to form a group that will bring as many different perspectives as possible to this endeavor. If you know someone who would be an excellent addition to this task force, please encourage them to contact Joe.
The Task Force will review the policies and procedures that support and guide the work of the Nominating & Recruiting Committee, which is charged with creating a slate of candidates for elected leadership roles for consideration at the UCE annual meeting. Their work is done in alignment with our UU principles and with the specific goal of minimizing bias and widening...
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1st Endowment Fund application deadline is May 31, just a couple weeks away.
Check the Endowment webpage for information on writing and submitting an application for the 2022-23 fiscal year, beginning July 1.
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Save the date for the return of our Annual Church Picnic |
June 5th after the worship service.
We’ll delight in our tradition of the flower communion and then enjoy a potluck meal (remember potlucks!!) out on the lawn, weather permitting. Bring a salad, side, or dessert. Rev. Eileen will supply the burgers (meat & veggie) and hot dogs.
**If you have a weber grill at home and you're willing to bring it to church for that day, please contact Rev. Eileen.
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2022/2023 Congregational Calendaring Event
June 11th, from 10:30 to Noon, in room 6 & on Zoom
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Board members, event/team leaders, committee/program chairs, and interested members, bring your date books and your dreams about meaningful and engaging events for the coming church year. We'll map out the calendar together.
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UCE Shared Offering Program Accepting
Nominations for 2022-23
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The Shared Offering Program is now accepting nominations for the 2022-23 congregational year. Nomination forms are due June 30, 2022.
Each year, the Shared Offering Program donates to 13 organizations that have a social justice focus supporting UCE’s mission and our vision for a world made whole. Do you support an organization addressing Climate Justice, Food or Housing Insecurity, Health or Education Disparities, Indigenous Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, Oppression, Peace, Racism, Refugees/Immigrants, Violence, or Voting Rights? If so, nominate them for the Shared Offering Program!
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Unitarian Universalists Association 2022 General Assembly |
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Registration is still open for the 2022 General Assembly. Whether you wish to attend in-person or virtually UCE has made funds available for registration, travel, accommodations and food. Contact Shirley Adams or Peggy Boccard for information on how to apply for funds.
GA offers a variety of worship choices throughout the meeting. These include spiritual practices, Sunday morning worship, and Youth and Young Adult worship. The Service of the Living Tradition honors fellowshipped and credentialed religious leaders, remember those who died, recognize those who have completed active service, and welcome those who have received fellowship or credentialed status in the past year.
And there is always music to lift your spirits and fill your heart. Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout is the choir director for the GA this year. You can expect and participate in wonderful musical experiences. Take the time to register and join your friends at the UUA 2022 General Assembly!
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Endowment Task Force Update |
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The Endowment Task Force continues to meet. The topics we have been considering are:
Structure (TAP), Process, BoT/Endowment Relationship (TAP), Communication (TAP), Applications (TAP), Bylaws, Funds, Distribution (In Process ¾ complete) (TAP = Tentative Agreement in Principle)
We expect to finish our work by this fall and present our recommendations to the congregation and hold town hall sessions to discuss them. (If any recommendations require a change in Endowment agreement language, that would necessitate that the membership vote to approve those changes by 85 %.)
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What's Happening in Faith Formation? |
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Faith Formation Hour this Sunday at 11:35 am
- Prayer for UUs with Rev. Eileen - Room 6 & Zoom
- Chair Yoga - Room 3 & Zoom
Nursery care (ages 0-3) during worship in Room 11 from 10 am - 12:30 pm.
And families can explore our theme of Nurturing Beauty in their own timeframe in the Soulful Home packet.
The Family Ministry Team is making summer plans!
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Geocaching at Emily Oaks – June 12 at Noon – bring a sandwich for a short picnic before we try our geocaching skills. Register here.
- Water Games and/or Sidewalk Chalk Games – July 10 at noon
- Penny Park Picnic – August 7 at Noon
- Wednesdays on the Lawn returns on Wednesday evenings! Mark your calendars for the following dates: June 22, July 6, 20, August 3, 17
Summer Camp Time!
Family camps:
For Middle/high school youth:
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Marwood (Midwest Unitarian Universalist Youth Camp) – primarily for youth entering 7th grade with the expectation that they attend in high school. More info here.
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Adult Faith Formation Playdate #2 - Tuesday, May 24 |
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Our last playdate produced so many ideas that we need another opportunity to narrow down the field a bit!
Join us in room 6 or on Zoom on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 pm to choose a variety of programs and events that create community and challenge us to learn and grow. If planning to attend in person, please register by Monday, May 23.
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The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading Persuasion, by Jane Austen and meeting on Zoom on THIS Friday, May 20 at 7 pm.
Anne Elliott, perhaps Austen’s most engaging and complex heroine, negotiates troubled waters of engagement and marriage with characteristic Austen grace and humor. Reading a classic now and then is good for the soul!
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Join the nonfiction book group on Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 22nd to discuss Heather McGhee’s book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.
The author traveled across the country and heard the stories of how racism hurts all types of people in many different ways when they buy into the zero-sum paradigm that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. She also found proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits gained when people come together across race to accomplish what they can’t do on their own. One reviewer calls the book “an absolute anti-racist must read!
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Volunteer Opportunities with UU the Vote |
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Distribute Voter Info in Racine, WI on Saturday, May 21
Our UUtheVote partners, Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI) and Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC), will be we will be tabling to distribute voter information on May 21st from 9am – 2pm in Racine, WI. Training is provided before each shift starts. No prior experience needed! Snacks and drinks will be provided. Register to participate.
Pick up Letters at the back of the Sanctuary on Sunday, May 22
Our UUtheVote partner, Vote Forward, is facilitating communication between Americans to help strengthen our democracy. Pick up a packet of letters at the UUtheVote program table on Sunday after the worship service on May 22nd or contact Carolyn Laughlin via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org for letters or more information.
National Phonebank from your home on Wednesday, May 25
Our UUtheVote partner, Side with Love Action Center, is looking for UUs to phonebank other UUs. You will be trained to make calls to UUs on the Side with Love list to check in, hear what's most important to them, and help get them connected in with UUtheVote initiative. Join Side with Love on May 25th from 1-1:30pm CT! Click here to sign up.
40,000 Points of Love
Make sure to let Shirley Adams, who can be contacted through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org, know how you are participating in our UUtheVote initiative so she can count your points of connection toward our 40,000 Points of Love! Thank you for living out your values in the world!
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Sign Petition by May 24th to Support Local Housing Program
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Please consider signing a petition to support the purchase of the Margarita Inn by Connections for the Homeless in order to operate their Bridge Housing program. Throughout the pandemic, Connections heroically stepped up to provide shelter for more than 300 people experiencing homelessness. Since 2020, 184 homeless individuals have been served at the Margarita Inn, including men, women, and children. Currently, 86% are Evanston residents. We believe all our neighbors deserve a safe, stable place to call home. The services provided by Connections for the Homeless at the Margarita Inn create the path to stable housing and a brighter future.
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Join the UCE Team in the Race Against Hate on June 19 |
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The Race Against Hate will be held on June 19, and UCE will again be a part of it. Some of us run, some walk, some roll! However you roll, please be a part of our Race Against Hate by joining the UCE REAL Team 2022. If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the team through your donation. Dana Deane is coordinating the UCE REAL Team 2022. Please contact Dana through REALM or at ucerealteam@gmail.com if you have any questions.
In 1999, Ricky Byrdsong was murdered by a self-proclaimed white supremacist. Byrdsong was a Skokie resident and the first African-American coach of the Northwestern University men’s basketball team. He was also the father of 3 young children, 2 of whom were with him near their home when he was shot...
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Social Justice Lending Libraries Reopen at Back of Sanctuary |
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The Racial Equity Action and Leadership (REAL) Lending Library and the Rainbow Alliance Lending Library have moved to the back of the sanctuary in the café area. They are open and books are available to be checked out.
We were extremely happy that the lending libraries are now in an accessible space with ample room for browsing and expansion. We hope this will encourage everyone to use them and enjoy what they offer.
In unpacking and restocking the REAL Lending Library, we found that several books are still checked out - or missing. After two years of pandemic isolation, those books may be hiding on a bookshelf or a bedside table in your home. They are easily identified by a label inside the front cover marking them as belonging to the REAL Lending Library. Please check to see if they are indeed hiding in plain sight! A complete list of what is missing is here and can be found on the library shelves. There is a separate shelf unit next to the library marked "Please Return Books Here" where you can return what you find.
Thanks for helping and enjoy the return of the lending libraries!
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Unitarian Church of Evanston
1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-1330
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