ENurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Sunday Service

• Children/Youth/Lifespan Faith Formation

• Staff Column

• Hats Off!

• This Week’s Events

• Congregational Connections

• Our Community Partnerships

• Ongoing UU Connections

• UUCE Resources

Sunday Service

September 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

Refreshing Our Souls

Our annual Ingathering Service and Water Communion Blessing. You are invited to bring a small container of water to symbolize what has refreshed your spirits this summer. It may be actual water from places you’ve travelled, from a puddle in the park, or simply from your tap. We will bless one another with the sacred gift of water. Rev. Eileen and Rev. Susan will lead the service with Becky Crawford as Worship Associate. The UUCE Choir returns this Sunday, directed by Vickie Hellyer and accompanied by talented pianist, Yun-Hua Chang.

Following the service, we will enjoy an Ingathering Picnic on the south lawn, weather permitting. Bring a dish to pass for a collective kinship time, a blanket or chair if you prefer, and a lawn game if you have one.

Join the Services Livestream

Building Peaceful Bridges

Children/Youth/Lifespan Faith Formation

This Sunday…

Children and youth will remain in the worship service.

Childcare (0-3 years) is available in Room 11 from 8:45a – 12:15pm

Faith Formation Registration time is here!

Parents are asked to fill out a registration form in order for their young people to participate this year.

Faith Formation Begins September 20!

We’re looking for 12 more adults who can help 5-6 times this year in our faith formation program for young people and youth.

Stop by the program table for details or email Kathy Underwood.

Welcome to FFUUN!

Join us on Zoom this Monday at 7-8p as

we continue making connections happen across the ages!

Spiritual Retreat

Light Shining Thru the Chaos

For UUCE Members

$15 fee

Sat. October 3

9:00 – 2:00

A restorative day featuring meditation, gentle movement, reflection and a sound bath.

Retreat Registration

Spiritual Practice Series

Join Rev. Eileen on the first Wednesday of the month for this series that helps participants develop regular disciplines of the spirit – practices that help us connect with the sacred. Spiritual Practice affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Each session offers a forum for learning, sharing, and growth that can enrich our personal faith journeys. Join us on October 7, 5:30-6:30p in Room 3. Here is the Spiritual Practice schedule:

10/7 - Defining and Finding Your Spiritual Practice

11/4 - Keeping Sabbath

12/2 - Prayer

1/6 - Meditation

2/3 - Mindful Walking and Eating

3/3 - Worship and Ritual

4/7 - Discernment and Devotional Reading

5/5 - Hospitality and Belonging

6/2 - Work and Service

Attend a Journey Toward Membership Class

We will be welcoming new members during the worship service on September 27th. If you are interested in joining at that time, please make sure to register for one of the upcoming Journey Toward Membership classes. You only have to attend the class once.

Our Journey Toward Membership class is a 90-minute class that explores our UU identity, what it means to be part of a covenantal faith tradition, and the rewards and responsibilities of membership. To register, please click the link on the date and time that works for you:

If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

Staff Column

by Rev. Eileen Wiviott

“[We] who [want] to enter the holiness of the day must first lay down the profanity of clattering commerce,

of being yoked to toil.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel,

“The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man”

Western culture is built on the premise that our worth is the direct result of our productivity. This is the lie of extractive capitalism and fascism, that work will set us free, and it makes it difficult to give ourselves permission to rest. In beloved community, we can remind ourselves and each other, and encourage one another, to rest as an act of resistance, per Tricia Hersey.

I am grateful for our speakers on Sunday, Margarita Valenzuela Klein, Arise’s Director of Member Organizing, and Patricia Hernandez, who spoke prophetically about her experience as a domestic worker. They called us to solidarity around our shared humanity and inherent worth, regardless of degree, job, or lack thereof. Basing our human value on the ability to be productive, in the traditional sense, is a way of negating the fact that children, elders, those who are sick or disabled, have inalienable inherent and divine worth. Full stop.

Hats Off!

Our hats are off to the wonderful Worship Associates who worked with our guest preachers this summer and dutifully maintained the joys and sorrows candles tables. You may not think about how that candle wax gets cleared out of the sand, the candles replenished, or the wells of tears get washed and renewed. It has been one of Rev. Eileen's weekly practices but the summer worship team took it on with great care. Thanks to Annette Wallace, Ally Hunter, Lynn Kendall, Sarah Vanderwicken, Mary Dudek, Bob Mesle, and Janelle Brittain for your care as Worship Associates and for lovingly tending to the joys and sorrows tables.

This Week's Events

Friday, September 11th:

UU Network Team, 2-3pm, via Zoom

Saturday, September 12th:

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

Sunday, September 13th:

Chris Isley Cancer Support Group, 9-10:15am, Room 6 and Zoom
Journey Toward Membership, 9-10:20, Room 13
Water Communion/Worship Service, 10:30-11:30am, Sanctuary
Kinship Time, 11:30am-12:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary
Postcard writing to Michigan, 12-1:30pm, Back of the Sanctuary

Monday, September 14th:

UUCE Addictions and Recovery, 6:45-7:45pm, via Zoom
FFUUN, 7-8pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, September 15th:

Catalyst Leadership Team Meeting, 1-2pm, via Zoom
Legislative Action Team, 4:30-5:30pm, via Zoom
Caregiver Support Group, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
First Women's Circle, 7-8pm, Online

Wednesday, September 16th:

Yoga, 9:30-10:30am, via Google Meet
Integrated Stewardship Council, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom
Soup Kitchen, 6-7pm, Sanctuary and Kitchen

Thursday, September 17th:

Evanston Near South Proximity Group, 1-2pm, via Zoom
Meditation Group, 5:30-6:30pm, via Zoom
Beacons of Light, 6-6:30pm, Dempster and Ridge
Journey Toward Membership, 6:30-8pm, via Zoom
Choir Rehearsal, 7-8:45pm, Room 3

Check out the UUCE Calendar for more events!

Congregational Connections

The Congregational Connections Team (CCT) organizes UUCE’s Friendship Meal program during 3 sessions per year: Fall, Winter, & Summer. To that end, CCT keeps a running list of people interested in being hosts. While we have already found 8 hosts for the upcoming Fall Session (Oct 23rd – Nov 1st), CCT seeks to add names to our host log for future sessions.

If you would enjoy hosting or have questions, please email Margaret Koreman (margaret_koreman at gmail.com). OR visit the CCT table at UUCE’s Sept 20th Engagement Fair to learn more!

Hosts generously open their homes for guests to share a potluck brunch, lunch or dinner, or they organize a “split-the-bill” restaurant gathering within a mobility-accessible venue.

Friendship Meals are a great way for members and friends to make and strengthen relationships. Meal attendance sign-ups begin 10/02/2026. Stay tuned to attend!!

UUCE Young Adult Group

Welcome back and please join us on 3rd Fridays for games, snacks, and connection among UUCE young adults (18-35). We gather for some spiritual grounding and then enjoy time for games. Bring a snack to share if you can and your favorite group games.

Harry Jones Celebration of Life

On Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 1 pm, we will celebrate the life of our much beloved Harry Jones. The hospitality is being organized by Catherine Deamant. If it would please you to take on a small role or bring a favorite food to honor Harry click HERE to make your selection and click SignUP!

If you want to opt out of the technology, email Catherine Deamant (catherine.deamant at gmail dot com) with your offer to help.

Many thanks!

UUCE Engagement Fair September 20^th

You are invited to stay after the worship service on September 20th to mingle and find out what is happening within our groups and teams. Engage in enticing conversations, maybe meet a new friend or join a group, and definitely feel the energy of our robust congregation! You are invited to take a photo in front the tapestry to update your Realm profile and enter the raffle for to win a vintage UCE t-shirt.

Harms Woods Outing

Need a nature boost? Join us on Sunday, September 20th from 1 pm to 4 pm for a beautiful afternoon in the woods that will be spiritually uplifting on multiple levels! We will be collecting wildflower seeds to be used in woods restoration where invasive, nonnative plants have been removed. This is an interesting, fun and easy activity led by the knowledgeable long-time Harms Woods stewards, John and Jane Balaban. It involves walking approx. 2 miles over uneven ground. Meet at the Glenview Woods parking lot, just south of Glenview Road on the west side of Harms Road.

Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear that can get muddy and bring water. Appropriate for kids 13 and older accompanied by a parent or guardian. Contact Susan Comstock or Dale Griffin with questions or to let us know you plan to come.

The UUCE Fiction Book Group is reading Whistler, by Ann Patchett

Daphne Fuller accidentally encounters Eddie, a man who was briefly her stepfather when she was ten. The two rekindle their friendship, looking back over the choices they made and choices made for them, and working forward ultimately toward Eddie’s end of life. And yes, there is a horse named Whistler.

Meeting Friday, September 18 at 7p.m. by ZOOM

We will also nominate books for the fall 2026 quarter.

The Nonfiction Book Group will meet Sunday, September 27th at 2 p.m. using our recurring Zoom link. to discuss The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes.

In this book cable news host Chris Hayes explains why new technologies make it ever harder for us to concentrate. The central metaphor of the book compares Odysseus lashing himself to the mast of a boat to modern attempts at resisting screen notifications and the infinite scroll of the information age.

Looking ahead, on October 25th we'll discuss Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson.

1946!

If this is the year you were born, you're part of a cohort of Baby Boomers turning 80! If you would like to join in our mutual celebration and we have not yet found you, please contact Lynn Kendall at lynndotkendall at gmail dot com.

On Sunday, October 11th we will be celebrating all boomers. With the 1946 cohort being the first set of boomers to turn 80, we will have an 80th Birthday Party Cake during Kinship Time. We hope you can join us!

Respect Games October 4, 2-4pm

We’re bringing together neighbors of all backgrounds for an afternoon of friendly games, conversation, and connection. The Respect Games is a chance for everyone 6+ years old to learn from one another and build real community. Held at the Evanston Main Library, and facilitated by Kathy Underwood along with Edwina Cowell from Spiritual Playdate.

Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum Visits

Our first gathering this year in our series, Meeting Our Interfaith Neighbors, is with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum on October 7, 7-8:30p. Adults and teens are invited to learn about the indigenous community. We are also invited to join their powwow at Evanston Township High School on October 12, and visit their new exhibit this fall. More details to come!

Mutual Aid Book Group

Do you ever ask yourself why everything seems so hard these days? Are you constantly stressed out about, well, everything? Do you want to learn how things got like this and what we can do about it? Then join the Mutual Aid Book Group, co-led by Nellie Eastman and Kai Frega. We'll host monthly discussions on books about how systems exploit us and how we can work together to fight back. Our first book is A People's Guide to Capitalism, by Hadas Thier. Contact Nellie via email at neastman at gmail dot com if you want to join or if you need help getting a copy of the book.

Our first meeting will be October 11th, at 12:15pm, in Room 3.

Picnics in the Park September 20 at noon

Our Community Partnerships

Our Shared Offering Program

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 something else) are shared equally between our operating budget and the current Shared Offering Program recipient.

This Sunday's offering will be shared with Building Peaceful Bridges, whose mission is to is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of refugees into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing refugee populations through their stories.

Rev. Eileen and UUCE to receive award at annual Fisk Concert

I am so pleased to share the news that we will be awarded by Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Church the Marty and Donna Long Stewardship Award, at the HBCU Annual Fisk University Choir Concert on Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7pm at First United Methodist Church.

Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Church takes great pride in honoring extraordinary individuals who have made significant contributions to our community. Supporting HBCUs is vital because they drive extraordinary academic and social outcomes for the nation. It is such an honor to be selected for our 'work and dedication to the betterment of Evanston, Illinois, particularly within the African-American community.'

The HBCU Annual Fisk University Choir Concert, scheduled for Friday, October 16, 2026, will serve as a platform to celebrate the enduring witness of our historically Black colleges and universities and the neighbors among us who embody that same spirit of service.

I hope many of you from UUCE will join me as I accept this award on the congregation's behalf.

Please purchase tickets here: https://bit.ly/LBSHBCUExperience

~Rev. Eileen

Boost BIPOC Voting in the South!

Reclaim Our Vote is a grassroots, primarily volunteer-run campaign that focuses on increasing BIPOC voter turnout in seven key Southern states. This is a DIFFERENT KIND of phonebanking. These calls don't badger or preach! Instead, Like ROV postcards, Black voters at risk of being disenfranchised are provided customized, useful information to ensure their opportunity to partake in the mid-terms.No answer? Leave a valuable voicemail message, and feel productive. Choose to call on your own, or join a group for guidance.

See the ROV website and try it out today! Or, visit the UUtheVote table in the sanctuary any Sunday to learn more.

https://www.centerforcommonground.org/phonebanks

Purchase Tickets for the 2026 IAE Vision Keeper Dinner

Join us in honoring Dana Deane, UUCE’s 2026 Vision Keeper, and Vision Keepers from other Evanston-area faith communities.

Sunday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Hilton Orrington Hotel, Evanston

Tickets: $90 per person

Proceeds support Interfaith Action of Evanston’s overnight shelter and warming center, Hospitality Center for the Homeless, soup kitchens, and SNAPGap.