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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service

this Sunday, May 7th at 10:30 am

Faith Formation Hour this Sunday!

• Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 10am-11:45am

• Chalice Children (pre/k) in room 9 from ~11am-noon – Our youngest will explore how we care for the earth with Planting Trees.

• Heads, Hearts, and Hands (1st-6th) in room 8 from ~11am-noon – The young people will explore our new theme of Creativity by doing some creative puzzle solving.

• Youth Group (7th-12th) The youth won’t be meeting this week

Families can explore our theme, Creativity, at home at their own pace with the Soulful Home packet.

Rev. Eileen Wiviott is currently on a scheduled sabbatical until Sunday, May 28th. In her absence, please contact:

• Rev. Elizabeth Harding (eharding@ucevanston.org), Sabbatical Minister covering pastoral care: Wednesdays, 11:00am-4:30 pm, Thursdays, 10:30am-2:00pm, or by appointment.
• Rev. Allison Farnum (afarnum@ucevanston.org), Sabbatical Minister covering worship and staffing: Tuesdays, 10:30am-3:30pm, or by appointment.
• Rev. Susan Frances (sfrances@ucevanston.org), Assistant Minister for Congregational Life: Thursdays, 10:30am-3:30 pm, or by appointment.

Do Not Get Scammed: Rev. Eileen will not be sending or receiving emails or text messages during her sabbatical.

Land Acknowledgements by Kristin Lems

Evanston Roundtable

Native Land Acknowledgments - What are they? Why write them?

One Evanston church shares its experience adopting a statement recognizing Indigenous territory and Black labor

If you visit or attend events at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Northwestern University, the Evanston Public Library, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre and other Evanston establishments, you are likely to see or hear “land acknowledgments.” What are they and how do they work?  

Peter Mayer Concert

Friday, May 19 - 7–10pm

Minnesota's Peter Mayer has been singing and songwriting full-time for over 20 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs for a small planet--songs that celebrate life on earth and the mysterious and wondrous fact of our existence. Peter wrote and produced Blue Boat Home which is in the UU teal hymnal. Peter Mayer performed days before we closed for the pandemic. He played to a full house and it was a memorable experience.



Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through Eventbrite by following this link. Tickets will be available at the door for $33.

Hats off to Our Awesome Youth Group

Once again, our youth have given us a thoughtful and inspiring worship service this year! Over the course of the past few months, they explored the topic of neurodiversity and shared their experiences to form an informative and entertaining worship service last Sunday. In their conclusion, they challenged us to consider making some minor changes to accommodate those with such needs. Let’s show our support to all of them: Griffin Larson-Erf, Reed Larson-Erf, Mary McDonald, Enzo Wallin, Rex Wallin, and Jay Yoo. And hats off to our awesome youth advisors: Linda Herreid and Margaret Shaklee!

TAI CHI

This is a gentle reminder that there will be no Tai Chi classes in the entire month of May. Classes will resume Saturday, June 3rd, at the usual times.

UUA Board announcement about the

Article II Idea Submission Form

The UUA Article II Study Commission has released its report and the proposed revision of Article II. On May 7, 2023, join Cheryl Mounts with the Denominational Affairs Team for our final discussion of the Article II Final Report before General Assembly in June. There is no registration, you are invited to drop in from 9:30-10:20 am in Room 12.

Click the Read More button to find links to the Article II Study Final Report with the proposed Article II revisions, and to frequently asked questions.

DRUUMM Public Worship

Shine on Beautiful & Resilient People

Open Worship on Thursday, May 11, 2023, 7pm Central

Virtual service via Zoom, Open to All

RSVP Here

Join Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) virtually for our annual public worship.

Shine on beautiful and resilient people with a festival of Black and Brown joy and resilience through original works of music and preaching. Musical director Amanda Thomas and guest minister Rev. Katie Romano Griffin are joined by gifted black and brown colleagues from across UU-verse to help bring some shine to your day including The Rev. Dr. Kristen Harper, Nasreen Khan, and Cassie Montenegro. We will feature original works of music, prayer, and poetry.

The Rummage Sale Countdown Begins...

Friday, May 12 ~ 9:00 am - 6:00 pm 

Saturday, May 13 ~ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Donation Drop Off Dates:

Sunday, 5/7 ~ 1:00pm - 8:00pm

Monday, 5/8 ~ 9:00am - 8:00pm

We still need volunteer help in the following areas …

• Café Rummage is in need of more baked good donations:  banana (or other sweet) breads, blondies, carrot cake, muffins, oatmeal raisin bars, gingerbread, scones, cookies of any sort, etc.  Contact Meredith Haydon through Realm for more details or contact admin@ucevanston.org.

• Stay after service on May 7 to help set up the departments, unload cars and distribute items to respective departments. (There will be pizza!)

As you gather your donations...

• Refer to the Donation Tip Sheet for a comprehensive listing of which items belong in each department, as well as what items are/are not being accepted. 

• Remember to organize your donations by department (Housewares, Children’s, Treasures, Jewelry, etc.)

• All adult clothing donations must be on hangers. If you need additional hangers, pick some up in the church lobby, across from the restrooms.

Still Have Questions? Visit the 2023 Rummage Sale FAQ page or email rummage@ucevanston.org.

Nurturing Mother Earth

Plant Swap 2023

Sunday - May 14, 2:30-4:30 pm

Unitarian Church of Evanston

Parking Lot enter on Greenwood

1330 Ridge Avenue, Evanston

Plants, Seedlings, Divisions

Come with something you have,

Leave with something you want to grow

For any questions, please contact Doug Erickson via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

2023 Annual Congregational Meeting



Save the Date for our annual congregational meeting after the worship service on May 21, 2023

Annual Meeting Bootcamp for Virtual Participants

If you are planning to attend our annual meeting online, please join David and Adam on May 9, 2023, from 12:00-1:00 pm to ask questions and get information on how to participate virtually. 

Join the Fun!

Volunteer to Help with Games at our Annual Picnic

The Congregational Connections Team is looking for a few good folks to help with setting up and overseeing fun games for children and adults at the UCE annual picnic on Sunday, June 4, immediately after the Flower Communion service. There’s going to be a rousing game of bingo with prizes, a chance to float in and out and bounce things up and down with our parachute, spin yo-yos and blow bubbles, lots and lots of bubbles. 

If you’ve always wanted to take a turn with our parachute, if you’re a yo-yo pro, or you just want a chance to enjoy some games and get to know other church members, please volunteer to help for a half hour during the picnic. There will be a sign up sheet at the back of the sanctuary after the service on Sunday, April 30th (Check out the yo-yos and the paddle balls, too!) or email Janice Milanovich.

More generally, the team also welcomes folks interested in meeting with our new members and helping them to engage meaningfully in the various activities of our church. To join our team, or simply for more information, contact Susan Carlton.

Spots Available for 2 Serendipity Auction Group Events

Square Dancing (June 9)

GUUrls’ Night Out (June 16)

Missed the chance to bid on these two group events from the UCE Serendipity Auction? There are still spots available, while they last. Put on your best “Wild West” outfit for a fun-filled, square-dancing event for age 8 years to ‘ageless’ on Friday, June 9 from 7:00-9:00 pm at $15/person and $30/family.

Join the annual GUUrls’* Night Out Party for delicious dinner, delightful desserts, wonderful wine and convivial conversation on Friday, June 16 at 6:30 pm at $45/person. Don’t miss this UCE tradition designed to honor the positive aspects of the feminine. Join us if you wish to spend an evening living up this side of you (*GUUrls=female, transgender, femme, womxn, non-binary). To reserve your spot, email us at: auction@ucevanston.org.

Spring 2023 Be Yourself Prom

Save the Date

Be Yourself Prom

June 17, 2023, 7:00-10:00 pm

UCE, Room 3

Recognizing that each of us had a different experience with the Prom during high school, the Rainbow Alliance is offering an evening to safely attend the dance or relive your glory. Whatever your past relationship was with the Prom, you are invited to attend a night of fun for UCE members and their family and friends.

UUA Presidential Candidate Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt Visited UCE for Forum

One of four 2023 UUA Presidential Forums was hosted at UCE last Saturday, April 29. During the event, UUA Presidential Candidate Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt was interviewed by Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson, Senior UU Minister from Rockford, Illinois. Rev. Betancourt also responded to questions from in-person and virtual attendees and asked questions of those in attendance. The topics for this forum were theology and religious professionals. Rev. Betancourt addressed her work in ethics, in particular, the focus on locality and relationship as Central to understanding our ethical priorities and our narratives, and how those concerns of narrative location relationship shaped her theological method and ideas. She responded to a question regarding the shortage of UU ministers, specifically what the association can do about the long-standing shortage in terms of both technical fixes to that part of the work and adaptive work in that area.

The event was streamed to over 160 devices and about 30 people were in attendance at UCE. A reception was held afterward allowing attendees to meet and speak with Rev. Betancourt.

UCE member Melanie Kitchner found Rev. Betancourt to be "really interesting" and Mary Dudek noted "She is very learned, thoughtful and will be a good leader" for our association.

The Presidential election will take place during the UUA General Assembly June 21-25 in Pittsburgh, PA. To learn more about Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, read her candidate statement and the UUA's website nomination page.

2023 UUA General Assembly

The 2023 UUA General Assembly will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from June 21 – 25 online and in-person. 

Registration is now open. Click here for details.

The Denominational Affairs Team is asking you to consider being a Delegate to this General Assembly. Delegates will be considering changes to the UUA Bylaws, Article 2, that address racism, non-human life, and the inclusivity of the democratic process in our Principles, Purposes, and Sources. Delegates can attend in-person and virtually.

If you are interested, please contact Peggy Boccard via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

We will continue to provide information via the Newsletter. 

Parents’ Circle - Sunday at 9:30am in room 13.

We’ll share our thoughts on what we’d like to see and do next year to help parents in raising UU kids and youth.

Our Children and Youth Are Our Future – May 14 Worship Service

We’ll celebrate some milestones for our young people with a child dedication, Our Whole Lives recognition, and Youth Bridging Ceremony.

Chalice Sparx July 7-9, 2023 We are a multigenerational community that is intentionally welcoming for LGBTQ+ families, and families who have a member who is trans* or non-binary make up a sizeable portion of the families who have attended over the years. We have nurtured several trans kids in their journey toward adulthood and offer a time out of time and a place out of place experience for Unitarian Universalist families to connect and support one another.

Camp Marwood July 16-22, 2023 - Marwood is designed to be a 4-year experience for youth aged 12-15 (rising 7th graders - rising 10th graders) and the majority of campers choose to attend for all four of the summers they are eligible. Therefore, a potential camper’s best chance to “get in” is the summer before 7th grade. Some years, we have spots for rising 8th or 9th graders.

UCE Fiction Book Group 

I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart

The Fiction book group will meet Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

The story follows the experiences of four characters working behind the scenes of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, also known as the Revolution of Dignity. Ukrainian citizens defended their democracy against a President who resisted aligning with European democratic allies and instead forced the country toward Russia, resulting ultimately in the Russo-Ukrainian War. I Will Die in a Foreign Land is an ambitious, moving, intimate portrait of human perseverance and empathy. 

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: 

Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal

The nonfiction book group will meet Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

In this book world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on his long career of investigating chimpanzees and bonobos to argue that biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. Different is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture and where sex and gender roles fit in. The pages of Different are packed with great stories, fascinating data, and thought-provoking ideas.

Activate Our UCE Community!

Does your social justice team need to spread the work quickly about an event, a rally, a protest? Do you know of an urgent need for folks to show up, and make their voices heard?

Consider tapping the UCE Local Response Network (LRN)! The LRN is a UCE network of folks ready to take action. Groups or individuals share alerts with the LRN coordinators who send the message out to a list of over 80 (and growing) UCE members interested in engaging in local social justice events. You can reach “action oriented” folks who then have the option of joining in.

Alert requests are reviewed using this criteria:

• Grounding: Does the event/action reflect the deeply held values and interests of our UCE congregation?
• Accountability: Are we acting in relationships of solidarity with those most impacted, particularly those most marginalized? [also: do we know and trust who is suggesting this action?]
• Fit: Does it match our capacity to act effectively, and does it strategically build our capacity? [i.e. does it make sense for us to do this based on UCE’s current energy and focus?]
• Opportunity: Is there an opportunity to actually achieve meaningful results?
• Engagement: How does the opportunity require us to be engaged [i.e. from our computer at home or in relationship out in the community]?



Send your LRN alert submissions to admin@ucevanston.org with “LRN Alert” in the subject line. You’ll get a response within 24 hours from the LRN coordinators. Questions? Contact Carolyn Laughlin (REALM Membership Directory or admin@ucevanston.org).

Thank you for activating our UCE community in urgent, immediate, purposeful work!

Tornado in Rolling Fork, MS March 24, 2023

The Evanston North Shore Branch of the NAACP is requesting relief items to assist families devastated by the disaster through May 8.

Join the UCE Team in the Race Against Hate

Now in its 24rd year, the Race Against Hate will be held on Fathers’ Day, June 18, 2023, at 7:30 am in Long Field, Evanston, and UCE will again be a part of it! 

Some of us run, some walk, some roll! Please join us for the Race Against Hate by joining the UCE Racial Equity Team 2023. (The YWCA has generously offered UCE 2 free registrations. So, the first 2 people to register using the code unitarian23, will be able to register for free!) If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the team through your donation. Click this link to get to our Team page where you can register or sponsor the UCE Racial Equity Team or one of its members. 

Dana Deane is coordinating the UCE Racial Equity Team 2023. Please let her know if you have any questions at Dddeane847@gmail.com .

Abortion Remains Legal in Illinois

No one should be confused – abortion remains available and legal in Illinois. Illinois has strong legislative protections for people who are pregnant. Know your rights to abortion access.

Our Unitarian Universalist faith supports Reproductive Justice and affirms that our bodies are sacred, that we are each endowed with the twin gifts of agency and conscience, and that each of us should have the power to decide what does and doesn’t happen to our bodies at every moment of our lives because consent and self-determination are holy.

To get engaged with how our congregation is supporting abortion access, contact Jean Butzen through Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.

Abortion Access Fundraising

The UCE Abortion Access Team is seeking individuals to host informational and fundraising meetings to benefit the Chicago Abortion Fund, which provides support for people facing barriers to accessing abortion care. Hosts invite congregants and friends to either a Zoom or in-person gathering during April, May, or June. The Abortion Access Team will provide the invitation, a facilitator, and a script for the meeting. Thank you for taking action to reclaim abortion access! Please contact Jean Butzen or Jon Siegel through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org to learn more.

Giving House Continues...

May is Canned Fish & Meat month

We are accepting donations of canned meat & fish in the giving house for the month of May.

The Giving house is a small wooden "house" that is located in the front lobby. We are partnering with a new free food supplier for the food insecure.

Clarence Weaver and his wife Beverly in March 2020 responded to the covid crisis by setting up a nonprofit organization and using 

their storefront (C&W Market & Ice Cream) to distribute free foods to those in need.

They provide fresh meat, vegetables and fruit along with nonperishable food items to seniors, District 65 families and those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. They serve almost 50 people every other Saturday morning. They are continuing this service to our community

Since they have plenty of storage, we can support their generous work by providing nonperishable items. We will be collecting one type of non-perishable food each month. 

 C&W Market & Ice Cream is a Black owned business on the corner of Dodge and Church. This is a prime location for food distribution.  You can also support this business by buying Ice Cream and/or other sundries there. Thanks for your donation.