Sunday Service

June 1, 2025 at 10:30am 

Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 – 8:45am-12:15pm

Summer Program begins June 15! Join us for some Artsy Summer fun during faith formation hour! Each week will be a different art form: painting, fiber art, music, dance, and sensory. All ages are invited! 

Families can check out the new Soulful Home packet on our May’s theme of Imagination. 

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

Announcing a New Name: Endowment Visionaries

The Endowment Committee Communications Team has led a thoughtful process to rename the Nellie Brough Society (NBS)—a UCE group for members who have included the Endowment Fund in their will or contributed $5,000 or more in cash.

To ensure the new name reflects the spirit and purpose of the group, the team engaged current NBS members through focus groups and surveys, and sought input from the Endowment Committee, the

Board of Trustees, and our Senior Minister. They also researched naming trends among similar religious organizations.

After gathering feedback and presenting several options, the name Endowment Visionaries emerged as the clear favorite. This new name highlights both the group's focus on the Endowment Fund and its forward-looking commitment to the future of UCE.

The Endowment Committee and Board of Trustees have approved the name, and we hope the congregation will join us in embracing this inspiring new identity.

UPDATE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Successful and Efficient Annual Meeting!

By Hòa Voscott, UCE Board Vice President

Thank you to all members who were able to participate in our Annual Meeting on May 18, 2025. We exceeded our quorum requirements with 120 voting members participating (we needed at least 82 members). A light lunch was provided by members of the Board and our Board President, Elaine Siegel, presided over the meeting with support from Rev Susan and many other members. We passed the 2024 Annual Congregational Meeting Minutes and 2025-2026 Fiscal Year Operating Budget. We approved the new congregational leaders of the Board of Trustees, Endowment Trustees, and Nominating Committee members. Highlights from the Reports on the State of the Congregation by Elaine and Rev. Eileen included:  

• Significant engagement of the congregation in the Big Questions discussions, which will continue this year;
• There are increasing connections and expanding joy, throughout our congregational activities and a desire to keep the momentum going;
• There have been many opportunities for interfaith connections, and a desire for even more;
• The Young Adult Group is growing in participation and engagement. The group is meeting more regularly and wants to engage with the larger congregation;
• Successful fundraising by the amazing Serendipity Auction and Rummage Sale teams which also built community - internally and externally – in countless ways;
• The Solar Panels are up on our roof, sooner than expected, and should be ready to generate electricity by mid June;
• Finally, a big shout out to our amazing staff!



We wrapped up the Annual Meeting with a UUA General Assembly Preview which is scheduled for June 18-22 in Baltimore when eight delegates from UCE will be attending.

Thanks for all who attended the meeting, in person or on-line, and for your ongoing engagement in the life of the congregation! Please reach out to any member of the Board if you have questions or concerns.



This Sunday, we will dedicate our playscape along with the solar panels after the worship service. Hats off to the many people who helped with this phase of our playscape: Enzo Wallin for building the wooden structures, and to Janice, Amira, and Miles Milanovich, Janelle Brittan, Norell, Jay, Julianna, and Finn Liddell, Amy Yang, Rahul Krishna and Ryu, Jenny Walsh, Graham Blicharz, Jennifer Crosby and JC, Dan, Sydney, and Fiona Lawrence and guests, for spreading mulch this month. With your efforts, our youngest members have a safe and fun space to be creative and play!

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Friday, May 30rd:

• NO EVENTS

Saturday, May 31st:

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

Sunday, June 1st:

• Chris Isely Cancer Support Group, 9am-10:15am, in-person Rm 6 and via Zoom
• Sunday Service, 10:30am - 11:30 am, Sanctuary
• Annual Picnic,11:30-12:30pm, Sanctuary and South Lawn
• Harms Woods Workday, 1-4pm, Offsite
• Non-Fiction Book Group, 2pm, via Zoom
• Herried Covenant Group, 3:30-4:30pm, via Zoom
• Nominating Committee Meeting, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom

Monday, June 2nd:

• Food with Spirit Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• UCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45pm, via Zoom
• Bernstein Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Durkin Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom
• Monday Night Covenant Group, 7-9pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, June 3rd:

• Membership Team, 12:30-2pm, Room 3
• Calendering Meeting, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
• First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Wednesday, June 4th:

• Yoga Online, 9:30am, via Zoom
• Executive Meeting, 3:15, via Zoom
• Music Team, 4-5pm, via Zoom
• Endowment Committee Meeting, 4:30-6pm, Room 6 and Zoom
• Grief Group, 5-6:30pm, Room 3
• Congregational Connections Team, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Thursday, June 5th:

• Producemobile Event, 9-12pm, Sanctuary, South Lawn and Kitchen
• Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
• Beacon of Light Gathering, 7-7:30pm, Dempster and Ridge

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 Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism or BLUU.  BLUU is committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within Unitarian Universalism; providing support, information, and resources for Black Unitarian Universalists; and justice-making and liberation for Black people through our faith.

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!

Posters of Change – Wednesday, June 12, 5:30–6:30 PM

Help us create colorful, uplifting posters to use at local rallies, marches, and community gatherings throughout the summer.

This is a great chance to express your values through art—and make signs that can be used during Thursday evening Beacons of Light events or other public witness opportunities.

All supplies provided. Just bring your creativity and a spirit of hope!

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! To volunteer for various roles throughout the Pride Fest, click this link

Evanston Interfaith Clergy Showing of No Other Lands

No Kings Day Rallies June 14

Mark your calendars to join UUs across the country in the planned “No Kings” rallies on Saturday, June 14, 2025. These demonstrations are a counterpoint to the Trump Administration’s military parade planned for the same day in Washington, DC. Show up at these local rallies to voice your support for democracy:

*Fountain Square, 1601 Sherman Ave., Evanston, 10:00-11:30 am.

*Daily Plaza, 50 W. Washington, Chicago, 12:00-1:30 pm.

UCE Young Adult Group

Third Friday Faith Formation & Game Nights

Our next gathering is Friday, June 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 at ucevanston dot org) with any questions.

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.

What Questions Do You Have About AI?

This summer, Dr. Farrell will offer a 3-part sermon series on AI - a topic that's increasingly shaping our lives. While they don't claim to be an expert, they are learning alongside many of us and hope to explore AI through the lens of our shared values.

To help shape the series, Dr. Farrell is inviting your input:

What questions, concerns, or curiosities do you have about AI?

Click here to share your thoughts through a brief form. Your responses will help guide the themes and direction of the sermons.

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.

Sign Up Is Open for Summer Friendship Meals

Signups are open for Summer Friendship Meals! The online sign up sheet  (click here) contains meal details; browse the choices and select the one that works. Get sign-up help at the back of the sanctuary after worship on June 1st and 8th. Or contact Lina Hilko (LHilko at aol dot com) or Margaret Koreman

(Margaret.Koreman at gmail dot com). Summer session meals are:

• Wed, July 9th 6PM all-ages, BYO everything Millennium Park Concert
• Thur, July 10th 6PM in-home vegetarian Mexican potluck
• Thur, July 10th 6PM in-home, all-ages Greek potluck
• Fri, July 11th 6PM in-home, all-ages agrodolce chicken potluck
• Sat, July 12th 5:30PM in-home summer grill potluck
• Sat, July 19th 4PM in-home taco bar potluck
• Sat, July 26th 6PM split-the-bill restaurant dinner
• Sun, Aug 3rd 12:30PM in-home potluck lunch
• Sat, Aug 16th 4PM in-home, all-ages Italian dinner
• Sun, Aug 24th 4:30PM in-home, all-ages corn roast and bonfire

Picnics in the Park - next gathering will be June 15th!

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.

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.

The next meeting of the UCE Fiction Book Group

is Friday, June 20th, 7-8pm using our Recurring Zoom link

The UCE Fiction Book Group is reading Bear by Julia Phillips

Sisters living in the wilds of Washington State respond differently when a bear adopts their encampment. A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us—and within us—"Bear" is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.

We’ll also choose new books for summer reading.

The Anti-Oppression Task Force (AOTF) Working Group has created a questionnaire to help all UCE members and friends find ways to participate in social justice work that fits their schedules and interests. This initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of information among members and to support and celebrate the various justice efforts at UCE. The Working Group especially wanted families and young adults to have the opportunity to complete it. 

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

Check out the short document with details here.

ONGOING UU CONNECTIONS

Help Our UCE Delegates to “Meet the Moment”

UCE delegates to the UUA 2025 General Assembly need your input on the Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) proposed for approval in June! You are invited to review the following information and submit your comments to UCE delegates using the AIW Comment Form. 

An Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) is a statement about a significant action, event, or development in the world that necessitates immediate engagement and action among UU member congregations and groups. Learn more about AIWs and the social witness process at uua.org/socialwitness.

2025 Proposed AIWs

• Bringing a Feminist and Womanist Lens to Resistance and Activism
• Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom
• Funding Global LGBTIQ Freedom Amid Crisis: A Call for Immediate Action and Solidarity
• Voter Justice and Racial Equity for the Citizens of the Nation’s Capital
• We Declare and Reaffirm: All People Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights

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.

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

Unitarian Church of Evanston

1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201

847-864-1330