Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole |
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In-Person and Virtual Worship Service
this Sunday, September 24 at 10:15 am
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The Possibility of Connection is Everywhere
We’re living in a multiplatform pandemic world with some of us in-person and some of us virtual for worship services, family gatherings, work meetings, and more. We are having to maneuver the circumstances under which we visit with family, friends, and colleagues. It can be exhausting. This week you are invited to take a pause from all the planning and think about each of these moments, in-person or virtual, as a moment of connection. You are invited to think of connection as love. How might we pause to recognize the love expressed through our connections with each other whether it is in-person, online, or a combination of both? How might we pause to really connect with that which is larger than ourselves: with nature, with community, with the divine?
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Important Info for this Sunday's Service |
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Please plan to arrive for worship at UCE no earlier than 9:45 am so Ministers & Staff can adequately prepare for the worship service in the Sanctuary. |
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Membership Engagement Program Fair |
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Flexibility, creativity, and getting engaged are all part of our Membership Engagement Program Fair at 11:30 am on THIS Sunday, September 26.
Have questions about REALM? Want to sign up for a covenant group? Did you join while the building was closed and have yet to sign the Membership Book? Are you wondering how to volunteer with the Serendipity Auction or get involved with the Membership Engagement Task Force? Then, wander through the tables at the Program Fair after the worship service on Sunday.
Come mingle with new and old friends. Come learn and connect.
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Hopes and Dreams vs. Shared Ministry and Actions
From Kathy Underwood,
Director of Lifespan Religious Education
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When I was first hired just 6 months before the pandemic, I had heard about UCE’s desire to create a more multigenerational community. When Rev. Karen Gustafson came as our interim minister, this was reiterated many times. Knowing this gave me such hopes and dreams as a religious educator!
And so this past year, the Faith Formation Force has been working hard to find a creative way to make this happen, and we’re about to launch this new idea of all-ages worship and faith formation and see it come to fruition! Or are we? Will the continued challenge of the pandemic force us to veer our course?...
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Note From Sandra Robinson, Executive Operations Director |
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Several groups are now attending meetings on multiple platforms, some in person, some via zoom. If you have reserved a room at UCE, please give the office 24-hour advance notice of cancellation if you decide to switch to zoom. If you have a confirmed reservation, please know a last minute cancellation will impact staff, who have made arrangements for your group to meet in the building, including scheduled lobby staff. We are working hard to accommodate everyone's needs and make things run smoothly. Please remember to let the office know when plans change. Thank you. |
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Save the Date - Animal Blessing! |
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On Sunday, October 3rd, we will bless our faithful animal companions virtually and in-person. Please send in your photos to Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org. You may also plan to bring your pet to church that morning to share in our pet blessing service.
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Building an Even Stronger and
More Vibrant Beloved Community
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How wonderful to see folks in the sanctuary and throughout the building and grounds on Sunday! Having returned to our building, appreciating our community even more having been physically separated for 18 months, how do we work together to engage in more meaningful and richer ways with each other and with our mission? How do we build an even stronger and more vibrant community to “nurture the human spirit for a world made whole”?
The Membership Engagement Task Force has been meeting since February to learn more about what we do well in welcoming and engaging members and where we could improve our efforts to facilitate meaningful and satisfying participation in the life of UCE...
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Summary of September 16 Board of Trustees Meeting |
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The Board spent considerable time in lively discussion regarding whether it is possible to increase the share of Sunday collection loose plate donated to outside racial and social justice organizations without reaching conclusion. While tempting in principle, next year will be a very tight budget year, so there is a conflict between being responsible stewards or our resources and expanding our generosity and commitment to Anti-Racism... |
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Hats Off to Michael Skilton! |
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We tip our hats to Michael Skilton this week for being someone willing to share his variety of skills. Over the past few months, Michael has shared his carpentry skills with us. Coming into the building this past week to assist with hanging up our two new monitors in the lobby and previously putting his construction experience to work fixing our chancel.
Whether it is deep diving into Rev. Susan’s Committee on Ministry for Preliminary Fellowship, swimming through the needs of our building and grounds, or wading through the shallows of clean-up in the kitchen after a gathering, year after year Michael’s presence is a consistent benefit to our community.
Thank you, Michael, for all the ways you guide and care for us.
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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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Wednesday Zoom Gatherings Continue on 2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 5:30 pm via Zoom.
Bike the Ridge is Sunday, September 26. More info below.
October is Fair Trade Month!
UCE's Annual Animal Blessing will be on October 3. More info above.
The Next Worship Planning Playdate is on Saturday, October 16 at 9 am to Noon. More info below.
Rev. Eileen Wiviott's installation is on Saturday, October 23 at 3 pm in the UCE Sanctuary or Zoom. More info below.
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This Week's Events & Links |
Sunday, September 26
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Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 8:45 am in Room 6 and via Zoom. Contact Renee Hoff for the Zoom link.
- Bike the Ridge at 9 am - 1 pm along Ridge Ave.
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Worship Service at 10:15 am IN-PERSON or via Youtube. Click here to join.
- Membership Engagement Fair at 11:30 am on the South Lawn.
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Nonfiction Book Group at 2 pm via Zoom. Click here to join.
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Faith, Justice, and Reparations in Evanston Workshop at 4 pm via Zoom. Click here to register.
Monday, September 27
Wednesday, September 29
Thursday, September 24
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Virtual Meditation at 5:30 pm via Zoom. Email Lisa Solomon for the link.
- Choir Rehearsal at 7 pm in Room 3 or via Zoom.
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If you're viewing the newsletter in your email inbox, click on "View entire message" at the bottom of the email to read the full newsletter!
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Congregational Connections |
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Virtual Retreat: Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion
with featured speaker Alex Kapitan
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We are excited to announce a Virtual Retreat Event for Saturday, September 25th at 1 pm.
What does it mean to be a men's group, woman's group, community or congregation that affirms and embraces gender diversity? As Unitarians honor their commitment to practice "welcoming all," it's important to engage in what this practice calls on us to do. Alex Kapitan, a trans and non-binary UU leader, who has served as a consultant for Unity Temple on this topic, will lead us in learning and conversation about understanding gender expansively and what trans and non-binary inclusion would look like for our groups. As always there will be interactive discussions. To register and receive the virtual meeting link, please send your name & email address to markeric-j@hotmail.com.
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Bike the Ridge - Sunday, September 26 |
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Summer may be ending, but UCE members can look forward to Evanston’s fall event: Bike the Ridge. On Sunday, September 26th from 9:00am - 1:00pm, Ridge Avenue between Howard and Church will be closed to vehicular traffic for “Bike the Ridge.”
This event is an excellent community building opportunity for UCE. Hundreds of people will be biking by UCE’s doorstep; let’s give them a UCE welcome! We will have a tent set up on Ridge. Here UCE members can greet bikers, supply them with water, and provide information about the church. We need lots of friendly faces on Ridge to represent UCE!
Please consider biking to church that day. Having Ridge closed to vehicular traffic is an excellent opportunity to support environmental sustainability by biking to church...
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Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston,
Workshop #2 - This Sunday at 4 pm
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The second session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely online. Register today to attend.
Our first session last week, which focused on the history of Reparations, was very well-received. We heard from both Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church and Woullard Lett, a leader with N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) and New England UUA Regional lead.
There were also several opportunities during last week’s session for workshop participants to reflect on the issue and share their views. Next week we’ll focus on the history of race relations in Evanston and the ways our faith traditions call us to be involved. We’ll be joined by Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center, as well as by a panel of local religious leaders. Evanston Reparations founder Robin Rue Simmons will join us for week #3.
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Retired (but Never Retiring!) Women: We are back and inside! |
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Tuesday, Sept 28 any retired woman is welcome to come for our monthly get together. Due to covid restrictions, we cannot have our wonderful buffet, though bottled water is fine. We are starting and ending a bit earlier, 4:30-6 pm, with UCE's amazing young Adam mentoring us on the use of REALM in order that we can all keep in touch better, a very important feature of the retirement time. Please bring your laptop, IPad, or other tech device in order to practice.
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Register Now for a 6-Month Covenant Group |
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A Covenant Group is a small group of people who regularly meet to establish meaningful connections and further ground themselves in our community. Check out the Covenant Group webpage or contact Adam Gough at agough@ucevanston.org to learn more.
Register now for our 6-Month Covenant Groups that will meet monthly from October 2021 - March 2022.
Meeting time options are:
- 2nd Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 pm
- 3rd Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00 pm
- 4th Sundays from 1:30-3:30 pm
More than 100 congregants have participated in Covenant Groups since 2002. You are invited to be our newest member!
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2021 Minns Lecture Series on October 7, 14 & 21 |
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The Minns Lectures Committee sponsors a semi-annual series of free lectures by UU ministers on religious topics. The Minns Lecturer this fall is the Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz, who served as president of the Unitarian Universalist Association before becoming executive director of Amnesty International USA in 1994 and then president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee from 2010–16. He is co-author with Sushma Raman of The Coming Good Society: Why New Realities Demand New Rights (Harvard University Press).
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Next Worship Planning Playdate - October 16 |
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Our next Worship Planning Playdate is coming up October 16th from 9am – noon. All are welcome if you are interested in helping to shape the December – February worship services.
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You're Invited! Rev. Eileen Wiviott's Installation - Oct 23 |
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If you did not receive a Paperless Post Invitation, know that all members and friends are invited. Please RSVP by emailing the office at admin@ucevanston.org if you would like to attend and note whether you will be joining in-person or virtually.
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What's Happening in Faith Formation this Fall? |
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Nursery Help Needed – We need one adult or teen to help Julia in the nursery each Sunday from 10 am-12:30 pm. You can help just once or as many Sundays as you want. Our littlest members are a joy to be with! Contact Kathy if you can help.
Outdoor Game Days: If you enjoy being outside and playing games such as Sharks and Minnows (tag), Bum Volleyball, and Popcorn, then we need you! You don’t know those games? That’s okay! Looking for fun adults to help play games on October 3 and 17 with a group of young people from 10:45 am-12:15 pm. Contact Kathy if you can help.
Playscape Steppingstone Event – TOMORROW and October 2 - Families are invited to help make steppingstones. For more details and to register, click here.
Registration for Faith Formation begins! This year more than ever, it is important that parents register their young people, so that we can plan according to current guidelines. Please complete the form here for all young people, 0-18 years old.
A New Church Year, A New Theme – Embracing Possibility! Check out the new Soulful Home packet here! The packet is designed for families to explore the monthly theme at their own pace and interest.
Looking Ahead…Wednesday on the Lawn returns! October 27 at 5:30 pm – 7 pm. More details soon!
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UCE Nonfiction Book Group |
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The nonfiction book group will meet via Zoom at 2 pm on Sunday, September 26th to discuss How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America.
The author, Heather Cox Richardson, writes about how the South was the ideological victor of the Civil War as expansion of the Western frontier allowed the hierarchies of the South to proliferate. The book has been called "a thought-provoking study of the centuries-spanning battle between oligarchy and equality in America."
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Compassionate Communication: Wouldn't it be great if we could all talk about just about any topic Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the world we live in. Topics like vaccines and politics reveal that we all have room to improve our discourse by improving our communication skills.
In the Forums on October 3rd and 17th we will discuss the practice of nonviolent communication (NVC) as developed by Marshall Rosenberg. We will revisit our covenant and we will engage in some practice sessions getting to know each other using the NVC framework. Please attend both if possible because the sessions will build on each other.
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Bridging Youth Hospitality Network |
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College-bound youth and young adults! A network to connect with UUs wherever you are! Join Rev. Byron Tyler Coles & Rev. Stevie K Carmody Eama for an information session about the recently launched Bridging Youth Hospitality Network!
- Thursday, October 7th, 7pm ET
Check the links below for Zoom registration and more information. Spread the survey to recently bridged youth and the communities that want to welcome them!
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We've learned that items requested for the September Produce Mobile Snap Gap are needed year round, so you may continue to bring them on Sundays through Sept. 26. Please leave the items requested in the Giving House in the lobby. Here are the items requested:
- Fingernail clippers
- Bar Soap (preference is Dove)
- Shaving cream
- Disposable razors
- All-purpose cleaner
Please limit your generosity to the items requested.
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Next REAL Team Meeting - Wednesday, September 29 |
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The REAL Team is focusing its efforts on doing transformational racial equity work. We strive to help you find your own power and shape your responses to the racial oppression we see or experience every day. Join us on Wednesday, September 29 at 7 pm via Zoom to discuss how you can use your power to dismantle racist systems. We will discuss “Power Hoarding” and “Only One Right Way to Do Things” as characteristics of white supremacy culture. Welcome to this journey toward equity, justice and liberation.
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Update: Syrian Refugee Family |
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Thank you UCE! We have raised $4,100 so far of our $5000 goal.
Over the past month we’ve told you about the Syrian refugee family—the Bakirs, who we are trying to help. They arrived in the U.S. in early September and are living in Skokie. The kids are very excited to start school in October. The family includes: Ghufran Bakir and her three children Ryaan, 13; Hatty, 12; and Talib, 8. Ghufran was widowed in the war. They have spent the last eight years in a refugee camp/temporary housing in Turkey. They are delighted to be reunited with their relatives from the Haj Khalaf family (a refugee family that UCE sponsored in 2016).
The Immigrant Solidarity Team asks you to contribute to our fund for the family’s rent and school clothes. We want to pay their rent for 3 months ($1300/month) and we are buying some school clothes now...
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Carceral Systems and Siding with Love - Oct 7, Oct 21, Nov 4 |
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The REAL Team, UCE Prison Ministry Team, and UU Prison Ministry of Illinois invite you to join us for Carceral Systems and Siding with Love. How do we actively side with Love in the face of harmful carceral systems that especially target black and brown people? Join in on one of the next reflective, informative sessions to learn more about (2) Prisons, (3) Family Separation and Surveillance, and (4) Basics of Restorative Justice. Registration is required and a short reading or video will be emailed to you one week before each session. This is a four-part series of 90-minute Zoom workshops spread over eight weeks, each two weeks apart. Please register here...
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Keeping in Touch with Springfield Reps |
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Are you interested in state politics? Have you followed the state’s budget, prison reform and environmental bills? You might want to join the legislative action teams we’re forming to meet periodically with our state representatives and state senators.
We’ll be encouraging our local reps to follow a progressive agenda as they vote in Springfield. Separate teams are being formed in each legislative district. We’ll be letting our representatives know our concerns and highlighting the bills endorsed by UU Action Network of Illinois (UUANI) and Community Renewal Society (CRS)...
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Harms Woods Outing - Sunday, October 17, 1-4 pm |
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Come celebrate fall with a habitat restoration outing at beautiful Harms Woods in Glenview! We will be either gathering seeds or removing invasive plants to allow more space and sunlight for our beautiful native plants. This outing is suitable for anyone 10 and older (youth must be accompanied by a responsible adult) and everyone works at their own pace. The woods are beautiful and you will be doing extremely important work in restoring vital habitat to support our native plants, insects and birds. Click here for more information as this time we will need you to preregister as our group is limited to 12.
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Unitarian Church of Evanston
1330 Ridge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-1330
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