Howard Levy and Chris Siebold Concert This Sunday

Mark your calendars, line up your sitter and get ready for a spectacular evening of musical excitement. Howard Levy and Chris Siebold are coming to our very own sanctuary on OCTOBER 23^rd at 7:00 pm. The duo, who have performed to great acclaim in the US, Europe and South America, features Howard Levy’s virtuosic harmonica and piano playing & Chris Siebold’s masterful resonator guitar work.

For those of you who are unfamiliar his work, Levy is a widely acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, recording artist, bandleader, teacher, producer, and Evanston resident. Over his 40-plus year career, he has been featured on more than 300 recordings, won two Grammys and composed the first concerto for the diatonic harmonica. He was a founding member of the bluegrass-fusion group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and a frequent guest musician on NPR’s popular radio broadcast A Prairie Home Companion.

This promises to be an exciting evening of music you will not soon forget, and as a bonus, is a fundraiser for our church. Get your tickets and tell your friends and neighbors! Prices are set at $35 in advance, or

$40 at the door the evening of the concert. 

Young Adult Game Night TONIGHT

October 21 at 7pm in Room 3

Bring a favorite game and/or snack to share!

Register here

Worship Planning Playdate

- Change of Date

Our November Worship Planning Playdate has moved from November 1st to November 8th. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience caused.

Rev. Eileen will be away on study leave from

Tuesday, October 25th through Tuesday, November 1st.

Please address urgent pastoral needs to Rev. Susan Frances and any issues regarding the building or operations to Sandra Robinson while she is away. 

Hats Off to Sally Parsons

Our hats are off to Sally Parsons! Sally was recently seen on Sunday morning in the role of Captain Pearl Fairweather during our Time for All Ages. Sally can also be seen on Sunday mornings serving as a Worship Associate or ushering as part of our Money Counters Hospitality Team. 

In addition to her deep commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression work within UCE, Sally is engaged with this work within our larger UU movement, having taken Beloved Conversations with the Fahs Collaborative and most recently having served as one of our congregational delegates at our national General Assembly this past June. 

Sally is also an integral part of our Leadership Development Working Group of our Membership Engagement Task Force, which is right now in the process of looking for volunteers to be part of a new Leadership Development Team. 

Thank you, Sally, for committing your time and energy to so many aspects of our congregational and associational life! 

Retired (But Not Retiring!) Women

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30, in back of the sanctuary: 

  For potluck and discussion about "Why Did We Retire? Are the reasons still valid?"

Ellen Rieger LCPC is offering a grief group beginning Nov 10 at 7:00pm.

This group is open to all who have suffered a loss either recently or in the past. We will meet in person at the church. The group will run for 6 sessions on consecutive Thursdays. Some goals of the group are to share your story in a safe place, find coping skills to help deal with your loss, and support around navigating holidays, birthdays , and anniversary dates. Please contact Ellen to register or with questions at ellenerieger@gmail.com.

Exciting Offerings at the Serendipity Auction

And keep your donations coming…

This year’s Serendipity Auction is brimming with amazing and creative offerings. Click here to view the Serendipity Auction catalog. Check out the beautiful photograph cards by Barb Seyfried or the ceramic work of Will Van Dyke. Enjoy an evening of homemade pizza and drinks with Hoa Voscott and Ned Schaub. There are several gift certificates from generous local businesses, theatre tickets, sports teams and art classes and that’s just the beginning!

2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions Early Bird Registration Rate Only Through October 31st

The next Parliament of World’s Religions will be held August 14-18, 2023, in Chicago! Early Bird registration with a significant registration fee discount is happening now through October 31st!

Two New Member Engagement Teams Coming to UCE

The Membership Engagement Task Force has been hard at work for the past 18 months. After distilling and discerning the information gathered from focus groups and best practices research, the Task Force is launching two new teams that will sit on the Membership Engagement Council.

The new Congregation Connections Team is focused on helping visitors and members navigate how to get more connected, including fun socializing and making volunteer options clearer, so that you can form deeper connections within our community. If you believe making meaningful connections with others at UCE is essential to who we want to be as a Beloved Community, please consider joining the Congregation Connections Team!

The new Leadership Development Team is riveted on the role of lay leadership at UCE, including providing the congregation with a leadership model and roadmap to grow, develop, and support strong, positive lay leadership in our congregation. This team is seeking a few interested and energetic members to launch this endeavor!

If you are interested in joining either new team or interested in learning about the new teams, please click on the link below by October 27, 2022, and someone will be in touch with you. For questions, please reach out to Carolyn Laughlin via Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org or contact Rev. Susan.

Strengthening Ties with the Wider UU Community

The Denominational Affairs Team recently had a retreat to review its purpose and role. We are pleased to present the final product of our discussion. Denominational Affairs (DA):

Seeks to strengthen ties between our congregation and the larger association: We alert our members to resources offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and encourage participation in our Chicagoland area, regional and national activities. We aspired to achieve this by:

· Serving as a catalyst for greater connection between UCE and Unitarian Universalism (UUism)

· Being joyful in our work

· Creating fun-filled gatherings

· Advocating for UCE participation in local, regional, and national activities

Upcoming Endowment Grant Application Deadlines

Have a worthy project or community partner your team would like to nominate for an endowment grant? We have two remaining cycles for this year's funding and close to $40,000 in grant making capacity potentially available.

Application deadlines for the two cycles are October 31st and January 31st. Get all the information you need on Endowments home page or find us on the UCE homepage by clicking "ways to give". we highly recommend getting applications in early in order to ensure everything is in order. Questions? Contact us at: endowment@ucevanston.org

Please plan to join us for our annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil on Sunday, November 20^th at 5:30pm.

This will be in person as well as livestreamed.

UCE builds Beloved Community and offers care to one another in several ways.

The Congregational Care and Support Team, or CCST, is the umbrella for the following teams:

· Caring Team - Meals: Members who bring meals to your home in difficult times 

· Pastoral Care Team: Works with the Ministers to provide spiritual and emotional support for the congregation

· Memorial Reception Team: Coordinates receptions following member memorial services

· Caring Team - Rides: Coordinates rides for members to church and for medical appointments 

The CCST is led by an Intake Coordinator, currently Ellie Feddersen. She forwards requests for care to the appropriate sub-team.

You can access support or offer support through the google form on the website: https://ucevanston.org/care-support-committee

You may also contact Ellie Feddersen at: elliefeddersen@gmail.com

We are a caring community. If you or a fellow member needs support with meals, rides or emotional/spiritual issues, please don’t hesitate to contact Ellie by filling in the form (preferrable) or emailing her.

To volunteer on one of the CCST teams, click here to Offer Care.

The Poetry of Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver is a beloved poet whose works are both accessible and profound. Please choose two poems by her that speak to you and bring copies to class to read aloud. (No extensive advance preparation or work is required.)

Oct 25, 7-8:30 pm in room 3, facilitated by Barbara Mesle. 

Register here.

Journey of Belonging Series

Our Journey of Belonging Series is a class for visitors and members. Get to know folks in our UCE community as we delve into UU History, our sources, and our values and principles. This series is great for all members and highly recommended for visitors and new members.

· Journey Toward Membership on October 25: If you are a visitor interested in joining UCE, you are invited to this class to learn about the rights and responsibilities of membership.

UCE Fiction Book Group: The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen

The UCE Fiction Book group is reading Joshua Cohen, The Netanyahus: An account of a minor and ultimately even negligible episode in the history of a famous family

Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction -Corbin College, not quite upstate New York, winter 1959–1960: Ruben Blum, a Jewish historian—but not an historian of the Jews—is co-opted onto a hiring committee to review the application of an exiled Israeli scholar specializing in the Spanish Inquisition. When Benzion Netanyahu shows up for an interview, family unexpectedly in tow, Blum plays the reluctant host to guests who proceed to lay waste to his American complacencies.

Meeting TONIGHT, October 21, at 7pm by ZOOM

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea

The nonfiction book group will meet via Zoom at 2 p.m. this Sunday, October 23rd to discuss The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea.

In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, the “Devil’s Highway.” Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. The result was a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a “book of the year” in multiple newspapers, and a work proclaimed as a modern American classic.

Join the Zoom here!

Harms Woods Work Outing

Harms Woods Seed Collection, October 23 1 pm - 4 pm

Come celebrate fall with a habitat restoration outing at beautiful Harms Woods in Glenview! We will be collecting wildflower seeds for using in reseeding areas cleared of invasive plants. It's an easy and interesting activity, and is always a lovely walk in the woods led by the very knowledgeable long-time stewards, John and Jane Balaban

UCE Being Recognized at Milestones Event

The SAFE-T Act:

How It Reduces Harm and Makes Us Safer – October 27 at 7 p.m.

In recent weeks, racist disinformation about the SAFE-T Act has flooded mailboxes, social media, television, and radio. What is our responsibility as anti-racists to learn the facts about this law, challenge these attacks, and inform our neighbors, friends, and relatives, who may not know the facts?

Come to a REAL event on October 27, 2022, at 7 p.m. and learn about this law, years in the making, which changes harmful pre-trial practices and centers the needs and safety of survivors of gender-based violence and other serious crimes.

We will also take time to outline issues for the election of Illinois Supreme Court justices this November 8.

Click Here for the Zoom link for October 27 at 7 p.m. Put it in your calendar now!

Volunteer Training & Producemobile

Interfaith Action of Evanston (IAE) operates an emergency overnight shelter each winter. This year, UCE will be hosting the shelter from January 15 – February 4, 2023. You may volunteer to help in the shelter at UCE or any of the other nine sites.

IAE has new volunteer trainings on 10/25/22 in-person at 7:00pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1004 Greenwood. UCE's very own Shawn Iles will be providing part of the trainings.  For more information please contact Sue Murphy with IAE at ia@interfaithactionofevanston.org or Shawn Iles via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

* * *

Interfaith Action Evanston (IAE) also operates the monthly Producemobile, which distributes fresh produce to Evanston’s families experiencing food insecurity. For more than a year, Interfaith has added SNAPGap, collecting and distributing items that most of us consider necessary, but are not eligible for purchase with federal benefits. Items for collection and distribution on November 8 are: lotion and bar soap. Items can be purchased online or locally, you can drop them at:   

Northminster Presbyterian Church

2515 Central Park

Evanston, IL 60201

Drop-off Hours are:

Monday and Friday 8:30am-2:30pm 

Tuesday 8:30am-5:00pm

Wednesday 8:30am-7:00pm

Final 18 Days to the Mid-Terms! 

What can YOU do to make a difference?

You've been working hard to strengthen our democracy - getting out the vote. UUs across the country continue to phone, text, and travel, leaving no stone unturned! Consider joining in this week:

• Visit UUANI and sign up for their Actions of the Week
• Use this new, easy app to encourage 3 friends to vote for the Workers Rights Amendment on the ballot in Illinois  https://workersrights.com/me-plus-three/
• Try this new way for texting friends using the Planned Parenthood app called Impactive. 
• https://app.impactive.io/campaigns/planned-parenthood-action-fund
• Vote smart on judges!  Injustice Watch, a non-partisan, non-profit organization provides their judicial election guide for your use in choosing the best candidates. 

Every vote counts! Your efforts to advance UU values through our democratic process have never been more important! Thank you!

GIVING HOUSE REOPENS - October is BEANS month. 

We are accepting donations of canned or dried beans in the Giving House for the month of October - which is a small wooden "house" that will be located in the front lobby. 

We are partnering with a new free food supplier for the food insecure - Clarence Weaver and his wife Beverly responded to the covid crisis in March 2020 by setting up a non profit 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. They serve almost 50 people every other Saturday morning and 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. October is BEANS (Canned or Dried) 

C&W Market & Ice Cream is a Black owned business on the corner of Dodge and Church and is a prime location for food distribution. 

Asylum Seekers Continue to Arrive in Chicago

Seeking Asylum is a Human Right! The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution in other countries. People seeking safety and refuge should be welcomed with dignity and compassion — not turned away.

In the first week of September, 99 asylum seekers arrived in Chicago on buses from Texas. They continue to arrive and 750 have come as of the date of this writing. This might be the start of more regular arrivals in our area.

Opportunities for Action: 

• To donate, the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI) has set up this fund to help with cash assistance and created an amazon wishlist to help restock their supplies.  

• The main request of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) has been for Spanish translators able to stay at the shelters to help people get settled. It appears this need has been met, however, you may contact Rev. Scott Aaseng with the Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI) at scottaaseng@gmail.com, if you would like to volunteer.  

• A recent Block Club Chicago article lists additional ways to provide assistance to Chicago's new arrivals.  

The City of Chicago, Catholic Charities, ICDI, and ICIRR are coordinating efforts for this group. ~ UCE Immigrant Solidarity Team