Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole | |
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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service
this Sunday, September 11th at 10:30 am
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Healing Waters
What did you do this summer? Some of us traveled to places near and far after a long time homebound. Some of us stuck around and enjoyed the outdoors right here. All of us can recognize the preciousness of water and need to protect it as much as we receive its healing powers. We celebrate our annual Ingathering Service this Sunday with our water communion. Bring a bottle of water to symbolize whatever your summer adventures or restorative practices may have been. We will also have a quick (hopefully) evacuation drill after the service and then enjoy a potluck picnic on the lawn. Please bring a dish to share!
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Please join us after the service this Sunday for
Kinship Time in the back of the Sanctuary!
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Judith Ramey Celebration of Life | |
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This Saturday, September 10 at 2 pm, we will celebrate the life of our much beloved Judith Ramey. Two Margarets (Shaklee & Talmage) are organizing hospitality. If it would please you to take on a small role or bring a favorite food to honor Judith (or Harry), log in HERE, make your selection and click SignUP!
If you want to opt out of the technology, email Margaret Shaklee with your offer to help.
Many thanks!
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This Sunday (September 11th - Ingathering Sunday) we are holding a timed evacuation drill. This is a standard safety practice that will hopefully increase our awareness and ability to respond to any number of reasons we may need to exit the building quickly. Hopefully, we’ll learn some procedural do’s and don’ts, and build our muscle and mental memory about where and how to exit the building safely and quickly if needed. On that day, after we conclude our water communion, we will have the children head to the lower level with their adult leaders, then we will all practice calmly leaving the building to meet in front of the Black Lives Matter sign. We’ll take a quick congregational photo and then enjoy our picnic. The purpose of this drill is to increase safety without increasing anxiety or fear. If you have any questions or concerns ahead of the 11th, please reach out to me.
Rev. Eileen
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From Susan Frances, Assistant Minister | |
Dear Friends,
I love new experiences. From trying a new food to trying trapeze for the first time, I love the curiosity, the openness, and even the occasional trepidation that accompanies trying something new. The photos are of me flying and then falling into the net at the trapeze school on Foster Beach in Chicago a few weeks ago.
Before the pandemic, trying something new for me typically involved traveling. Since I am not yet getting on planes, trains, or buses, I am actively seeking out new things that I can experience close to home. Things that I can do outside, inside with a mask on, or online. Things that have always been around me, but my attention has been elsewhere.
One of the new things I recently said yes to is being an online presenter at the Faith in Place 2022 Green Team Summit.
I will be one of a handful of faith leaders each presenting a short spiritual practice that grounds our environmental justice work during Session 3: Interwoven - Exploring Environmental Justice with Faith Leaders on September 12, 2022.
What will be a new experience for you this year? What might you say yes to?
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The Shift to Masks Recommended (rather than Required)
Beginning October 2nd
We would like to hear from you
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Given that most places in our community have made masks optional, and given the fact that there are readily available vaccines, boosters, tests, and effective treatments with available bed space in hospitals when needed, The Covid Task Force has made the decision to move from masks required to mask recommended throughout our building beginning October 2nd, 2022.
We recognize that this may feel like a big shift for some members. We are not suggesting Covid is over or that we no longer need to consider mitigations. We still are a pro-vaccination community. We still encourage you to wear a mask if you feel uncomfortable for as long as you need to and as long as feels right to you. We still expect all of us to abide by our covenant of care for one another. If you are ill or may have been exposed to someone with Covid, please don’t come to church. Test yourself and see your doctor. Follow the CDC’s isolation guidelines.
Before this change takes place, we’d like to hear your questions and concerns. You can reach out to the ministers directly via email to share your thoughts. You can also take this quick poll to let the Covid Task Force know how you feel about this shift. Here are the new building use guidelines posted to our website.
Thank you for continuing the practice of Beloved Community, for listening and sharing your thoughts.
Rev. Eileen, Rev. Susan, and The Covid Task Force
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UCE Building Availability -
The UCE Office Hours: Monday - Friday 10.30am-4.30pm
Please review UCE's current COVID Guidelines before considering to meet in person. If your group would like to meet in-person at UCE, please fill out a Room & Publicity Request Form.
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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Ingathering, Water Communion Service, and Potluck Picnic - September 11
Transgender Inclusion in Congregations begins Wednesday, October 5. More info below.
Register for REAL Team Book Discussion of Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler. See below.
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This Week's Events & Links |  | |
Saturday, September 10
- Virtual Pilates for Faith Formation at 9am via Zoom.
- Judith Ramey Memorial & Reception at 1pm in the Sanctuary & via Zoom.
Sunday, September 11
- Lofstrom Covenant Group at 8.45am via Zoom.
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Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 9am in Room 6 & via Zoom. Contact Renee
Hoff for the Zoom link
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- Kinship Time after the service in the back of the sanctuary - 11.30am.
Monday, September 12
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Bernstein Covenant Group at 7pm via Zoom.
- Endowment Committee at 7pm via Zoom
- Men's Group at 7pm in Room 3
- UCE Addictions and Recovery at 7pm via Zoom
Tuesday, September 13
- Denomination Affairs at 11am via Zoom
- Women's Circle of Friends Online at 1pm.
- Legislative Action Team at 5.30pm via Zoom.
- Rainbow Alliance at 7pm via Zoom
- Evanston Symphony Orchestra Rehearsal at 7.30pm
Wednesday, September 14
- THAT Covenant Group at 7pm via Zoom
Thursday, September 15
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Meditation Group at 5:30 pm via Zoom. Email Lisa Solomon for the link.
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Choir Rehearsal at 6.30pm - Sanctuary
- Board of Trustees at 7pm via Zoom
Friday, September 16
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Mothers of Multiples at 3pm - Sanctuary
- Fiction Book Group at 7pm via Zoom
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We Welcome Quiet Dogs on Sundays | |
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Ingathering Sunday (this Sunday) is a good time to remember how to be in community with one another and accommodate different needs and wishes. We are a pet friendly church and you have most likely noticed that there are often one or more dogs present with us in the service. We have a spot for you to sit toward the east side and the back of the sanctuary chairs with your pets. However, it's important to realize that not all dogs are able to worship with us in the sanctuary. I couldn't possibly bring my own dogs to service, not even for the pet blessing, because they would bark insistently throughout the service.
Please only bring your quiet, well-behaved dogs (or other pets) on Sundays and if your dog gets excited and wants to tell us all about it, please take them outside so as not to disrupt the service for the other 2-legged and 4-legged congregants.
Thanks, Rev. Eileen
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New Worship Planning Playdate | |
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Our quarterly Worship Planning Playdates have been fun and productive, and it also feels time to try a different approach. So that the playdates are more regular, accessible and less time intensive, we'll meet monthly on the first Tuesdays of the month over Zoom from 12pm - 1pm, focusing on the next month's theme. Here is the October Soul Matters packet!
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Starting September 18th, children and youth faith formation time will be from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm.
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Adult faith formation time will be before the Worship Service, from 9:30 – 10:30 am. This will be a time for groups such as cancer support, new member classes, and pre-service choir rehearsal to meet. Nursery care will be provided.
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A full hour of Kinship Time after the Worship Service will be from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, when we can enjoy each other’s company. We will continue to have all ages potlucks, social justice activities, and treasured traditions like Ornament Sunday each month. Nursery care until 12:00 pm.
As with most things in the pandemic, we are leaning into new ways of being, finding our way forward, and embracing experimentation. We hope you will lean with us with open minds and hearts, and continue to provide us with feedback with love and in covenant. We also hope you will say yes to volunteering in the ways that you can. We will especially ask you to consider saying yes to leading faith formation for children and youth and to join in our shared endeavor of radical hospitality and welcoming. If you have questions, concerns, or want to volunteer, please contact Rev. Eileen, Rev. Susan, or Kathy Underwood, our Director of Lifespan Faith Formation.
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Congregational Connections | |
BLUU HAVENS CHICAGO SEPTEMBER GATHERING | |
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We are pleased to have Gerald Henderson of the Council on American Islamic Relations Chicago for a conversation on “Living Muslim Out Loud: An African American Muslim Speaks.”
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH 1:00-2:30 on Zoom - Join at 12:30 for Socializing or Just Hanging Out
& Listening to Music!
Even though Islam is this country's fastest growing religious community, few of us were curious about it before September 11. Now that our need to know is urgent, the bookstore shelves are overflowing with histories, biographies, and reportage about Islam, the Taliban, Central Asia in general and Afghanistan in particular. According to the Pew Research Center, about 1% of African Americans are Muslim. Nonetheless, African American Muslims account for over 20% of American Muslims.
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Monday, September 12, at 7:00pm, sees the return of the UCE Men's Group. We will gather in Room 3. We will be wearing masks except when eating the snack provided by Andy Fisher.
Each of us will, most likely, have a story to tell about our lives during the pandemic. And, we may have time to talk about much more.
We welcome anyone who identifies as male. Be there, or be square.
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New Beginner Tai Chi Class | |
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Tai Chi at UCE is one year old this September and will welcome new beginners on Saturday, September 17, from 9:45-10:45 in Room 3, for an ongoing class.
UCE member Renee Gatsis teaches the class and has played Tai Chi for 40 years and taught it for over 20. She credits Tai Chi in large part for her equanimity and good health.
Students will learn a Sun-style tai chi form adapted and popularized by Dr. Paul Lam (https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/about-dr-paul-lam/). This meditation in motion is a gentle exercise with graceful, flowing movement per-formed at a slow tempo. The Sun style is a simple, upright form ideal for people of all ages, from teens to elders.
Regular Tai Chi practice yields many benefits including, but not limited to: improved concentration, relaxation, balance, flexibility, fitness, immunity, pain relief and quality of life.
Interested? What to learn more? Please register for the first class!
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Congregational Care & Support Team (CCST) | |
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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.
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Faith Formation begins September 18! Register your children and youth today! | |
We’re gearing up for a fun year in faith formation for all ages! Please register all young people 0-18 years old in your family here so we can plan accordingly.
Based on parent feedback, our schedule this fall for children will be in 3 or 4-week blocks, and for middle and high school youth, it will be twice monthly on average. You can see a working calendar here that includes multi-age events. As in life, things change, so you can refer to this calendar throughout the year for updates or read them in the newsletter.
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You can make a difference in just a few Sundays! We especially need helpers for the elementary ages on the following dates from 11a-noon:
- September 25 and October 2
- October 16, 23, and 30
- November 6 and 13
Our youth group is looking for one more advisor. Could it be you?
Need more info? Click here or email Kathy.
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What's Happening in Faith Formation? | |
Wednesday’s Movie on the Lawn was a wonderful evening with wonderful people! | |
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This Sunday…
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All ages are invited to remain in the worship service. Nursery care (ages 0-3) is available during worship in room 11 from 10:00am-12:00pm
And looking ahead…
- September 11 – Water Communion and Picnic & unveiling of The Nest!
- September 18 - Faith Formation for children and youth begins. Forum meets at Noon in room 6.
- October 2 - Penny Park Picnic 12.15pm. OWL Parent Orientation (parents of youth in 7th - 12th grades) at 4pm.
Families can explore our new theme of Belonging in their own timeframe in the Soulful Home packet.
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Forum Returns on September 18 at noon – join us virtually or in room 6 to set dates and topics for the year. | |
UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: Jesus & John Wayne, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez | |
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The nonfiction book group will meet via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 25th to discuss Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez.
Join us to discuss this "sweeping, revisionist history of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian Nationalism.."
Join the Zoom here!
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UCE Fiction Book Group: The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich | |
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Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.
A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading "with murderous attention," must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning.
Join Margaret Shaklee on Zoom on September 16th at 7:00 PM.
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Book Discussion: Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler
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The Real Team is sponsoring a book discussion of Kindred, written by Octavia E. Butler. The book discussion will be held via ZOOM and facilitated by UCE member Jean Butzen. Participants will meet twice and prior to the first session will have access to online materials available through a Google docs folder which contains background information for the book, author, and the topic of slavery. Here are the meeting dates for the book group:
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Monday, September 19th: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Zoom, Session #1: Introductions to the participants, the author, the book, and to several Google doc materials being made available to participants for the book and the topic. Then we will break for a few weeks for participants to read the book, however, feel free to start reading the book right away. Some people need to read Ms. Butler’s books a little more slowly, to absorb the material.
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Monday, October 17th: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Session #2: Inter-active discussion of the book Kindred, facilitated by Jean Butzen.
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Transgender Inclusion in Congregations | |
Transgender Inclusion in Congregations is a 6-part series created by the Transforming Hearts Collective, featuring instructors Rev. Mykal Slack & Zr. Alex Kapitan and presented by Rev. Eileen, Christine Peters, and Carla Williams. This course is for anyone (ages 12 and up) who wants to contribute to building Beloved Community and help UCE become fully inclusive and actively affirming.
Over six sessions we will deeply explore the intersection of trans identity, spirituality and faith community in order to gain grounding, context and skills to transform ourselves and our congregation. The course meets people where they are and will move us toward welcoming, relationship-building, and skills-building. Each session will include a webinar video, individual and group reflection, and discussion on topics ranging from what does Beloved Community really mean; the ways trans folks have been and remain marginalized; and ways our congregation can more fully celebrate and nurture the spirits of all people.
Wednesdays October 5th – November 9th from 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. For your benefit and the benefit of all participants, the expectation is that you attend all sessions. However, we understand that schedules can be challenging and unexpected conflicts occur. Please register for this event so we can plan and send you required materials.
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Up from Down Home: The Journey North | |
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REAL (Racial Equity Action and Leadership) Team wants you to know about a fascinating art exhibit coming soon. All are welcome at Northminster Presbyterian Church to learn about a longtime Evanston resident's family story of living in the south and relocating to the north.
The Northminster Presbyterian Church of Evanston is exhibiting Up from Down Home: The Journey North by Artist Jevoid Simmons, an Evanston native. It is a visual representation of his family’s migration from rural Alabama in the early 1950’s. The paintings are part of a recently published book that relates his art with the written narratives of his family that convey the extraordinary hardships and life and death struggles faced by Black folks living in the South under Jim Crow.
Dates and Times You can View Exhibit
Sunday, Sep 11, 2022 10:45 am -12:30 pm (artist will be present)
Saturday, Oct 1, 2022 1:00-3:00 pm
Sundays, Oct 2-Oct 30, 2022 1:00-3:00 pm
- Northminster Presbyterian Church
- Tower Gallery, South Door
- 2515 Central Park Ave
- Evanston, IL 60201
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Faith in Place Green Team Summit September 11-14 | |
Whether or not you are on the UCE Green Team, if you have an interest in advancing the conversation about climate change, you are invited to join in the 2022 Green Team Summit!
Rev. Susan is one of the interfaith presenters for the September 12th session titled Interwoven: Exploring Environmental Justice with Faith Leaders. Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is the keynote speaker to open the summit on September 11th.
Date: September 11-14, 2022
Location: Zoom
No admission fee
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99 Asylum Seekers Arrived in Chicago | |
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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. We know this might be the start of more regular arrivals in our area.
Opportunities for Action:
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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.
The City of Chicago, Catholic Charities, ICDI, and ICIRR are coordinating efforts for this group. ~ UCE Immigrant Solidarity Team
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UCE 2022 Vision Keeper is Toni Rey | |
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Join us in celebrating Toni Rey as our 2022 Vision Keeper at the Interfaith Action of Evanston (IAE) Vision Keepers Dinner, when Evanston faith communities honor those who exemplify the IAE vision of interfaith social action and dialogue.
Date: Sunday, September 18, 5:30 pm
Location: Double Tree, 9599 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
We have 1 scholarship ticket for the Vision Keepers Dinner available. If you would like to attend with the scholarship ticket, please contact Sheila Holder through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org. Sheila will provide the ticket to the first person who contacts her.
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Commit to Vote in IL & Keep Writing Postcards | |
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Congratulations to everyone involved with our UU the Vote initiative!
JaZahn Hicks, the UU the Vote Campaign Manager for the UUA Side with Love Action Center, selected UCE for the August 17th national UU the Vote newsletter’s “Good Trouble Highlight” citing our postcard writing efforts to get out the vote.
We have been focusing our efforts on getting out the vote in other states. Now it is time to make sure we get out the vote in Illinois. The three IL Supreme Court elections on the November 8th ballot are crucial. Please educate yourself and tell your friends and family living in Illinois. Complete a “I Commit To Vote This Election” pledge form this Sunday during our congregational picnic. If you have not yet signed one, please do. Every vote is vital this year!
Post Carding with Reclaim Our Vote Makes A Difference!
In Petersburg, VA in 2021 CFCG contacted black voters without phones with handwritten postcards, emphasizing issues in the community and encouraging them to vote. Voter turnout was 43% - great numbers for folks who don’t usually vote!
In Onslow, NC in 2019, 23% of purged voters who received a postcard letting them know they were no longer on the voting rolls re-registered. Once folks re-register they likely vote!
Pick up your post card pack at the back of the sanctuary this Sunday, or contact Carolyn Laughlin (REALM or admin@ucevanston.org
Keep up the good work! November is coming!
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Knowing Your Rights for Reproductive Justice | |
Illinois is a state with strong legislative protections for people who are pregnant, including providing legal access to abortion care. The ACLU of Illinois provides information about Illinois laws and protections and knowing 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.
Here are some of the many ways to live into our UU values and support Reproductive Justice:
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If shopping for a gift request for the Mitten Tree brings you joy, imagine how meaningful it can be to connect with community partners, organize requests, get to know a host of wrappers, and see a list of hundreds of gifts fulfilled.
Please email Bridget Wild at bridget.wild@gmail.com if you would like to co-captain this year's efforts or if there is an organization near and dear to your heart and our shared values that you would like us to partner with this year.
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Unitarian Church of Evanston
1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-1330
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