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This Week at NSUC

* These events are open to all! Join us!

^ To learn more about participating in these groups/activities, contact Lydia Linendoll.



Sunday, May 11

10 AM - In-person and virtual Worship Service: Mother Earth, Intern Minister Will Esty, preaching*

10 AM - Worship Live Stream*

     Meeting ID: 890 0569 0250

You can access the Order of Service here.

11 AM - Fellowship Hour*

7 PM - Sunday Night Men's Group (Zoom)^

Monday, May 12

10:30 AM – Monday Morning Meditation (Zoom)*

Wednesday, May 14

6:30 PM - Heavy Heart Gathering (Sanctuary)*

Thursday, May 15

7 PM - Parents & Guardians Support Group (Zoom)^

7:30 PM - Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)^

Friday, May 16

7 PM - Friday Night Men's Group (Zoom)^

7 PM - Mysteries and Histories of NSUC (NSUC)*

Saturday, May 17

10:30 AM - Book Group (Hearth Room)*

2 PM - A Psalm and Song of David (Room 4)^

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First Words - Rev. Lucas

Upcoming Worship Services

May 11: Mother Earth: What can ecology teach us about nurturing and motherhood?

Intern Minister Will Esty, preaching

May 18: Dreams and Nightmares in Political Time: What do our dreams tell us about politics? How can we dream of a future of justice?

Rev. Lucas Hergert, preaching

May 25: The Living Tradition: We will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the American Unitarian Association.

Rev. Lucas Hergert, preaching

June 1: Flower Communion

In case you missed it, here's last week's service:

To submit an item for consideration in future publications, click here.

We kindly ask that all submissions for next week's newsletter be made by next Tuesday. Thank you for your help.

Ramp Construction is Beginning!

We are excited to update you with news that our Sanctuary will soon be on its way to being more accessible to all. Construction will begin on Monday, May 12. The anticipated schedule for two weekday work weeks.

At the end of each workday, the construction team will vacuum, clean the workspace, and securely store all tools and equipment out of the way. At the end of their workday on Fridays, they will reset the Sanctuary—with the exception of a few rows of chairs where the ramp is being installed—and cover all materials to prevent any disruption to our service. To further minimize disruption, all materials will be cut outside to reduce the risk of dust spreading into the Sanctuary. In this way, the church will be fully functional throughout the process.  

Once the ramp is completed, temporary railings will be installed while the permanent railings will be under construction. This will take a few weeks.

Thank you to all who have worked to make this happen and for your understanding as the work is being done.

Heavy Heart Gathering - May 14

For some, holidays like Mothers Day & Fathers Day can be difficult to navigate. Sometimes sharing a concern with others in a confidential way eases much of the burden — whether it’s about a parent or any other topic that weighs you down. The Caring Team invites you to attend our next Heavy Heart gathering at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 14 in the NSUC sanctuary. The gathering will include some light refreshments, thoughtful words, insightful readings, and an opportunity — but no obligation — to share what’s on your heart. To assure a sense of trust, anything shared that evening will be kept confidential. There’s no need to register, so please join us. If you have questions, please email Glenn Mills at millsg1960@gmail.com.

Mysteries and Histories of NSUC

Mysteries and Histories of NSUC Tour will be held Friday, May 16th, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm     

Everyone is curious about something at NSUC. Where is the secret hidden window? Which came first, our Rock or our Sanctuary? What famous theater company has its roots at NSUC? And the more you learn, the more you want to know about our history. Everyone is welcome!

We will have small group tours of the building and the grounds. Bring a jacket and wear walking shoes.

Light refreshments will be served.

If you are interested for have any questions, please email Laurie Clark at laurieclark2007@gmail.com.

May NSUC Book Club Meeting

In May, the NSUC Book Club will be reading We Loved It All: A memory of Life, by Lydia Millet, a personal evocation of the glory of nature, our vexed position in the animal kingdom, and the difficulty of adoring what we destroy.

Acclaimed novelist Lydia Millet’s first work of nonfiction, We Loved It All , is a genre-defying tour de force that makes an impassioned argument for people to see their emotional and spiritual lives as infinitely dependent on the lives of nonhuman beings. Drawing on a quarter-century of experience as an advocate for endangered species at the Center for Biological Diversity, Millet offers intimate portraits of what she calls “the others”―the extraordinary animals with whom we still share the world, along with those already lost. Humans, too, fill this book, as Millet touches on the lives of her world-traveling parents, fascinating partners and friends.

We will meet on Saturday, May 17th, at 10:30 in the Hearth Room. Please join us. All are welcome! If you have any questions, contact Andrea Mills at andreamills912@gmail.com. 

Townhall and Church Assembly

As the spring days brighten and scents of summer begin to waft into our lives, we have a couple of important events coming up. Our Church Assembly will be held on June 1 following our service, beginning at 11:40. In a few weeks you will be receiving the 2024/2025 Annual Report filled with important information about our church life and everything you will need to know to be prepared for our assembly. Please be sure to attend this important meeting!

In order to expedite the Church Assembly, we have also planned a Townhall Meeting for May 25 following service for those of you who have questions or would like more clarity on any topics in advance of our Church Assembly. Both meetings will be held in the sanctuary. 

You are invited to Let’s Eat  

Join us each month at a restaurant in the area for food and fellowship. On Tuesday, May 27, 5:00 PM we will visit Nirvana, a locally owned restaurant in Vernon Hills. 

To sign up, email Vicki Szech at vszech@gmail.com or text at 847-337-4168 by May 25th.

Stitching Ministry Meeting on May 18th

The Stitching Ministry will be getting together on Sunday, May 18th, at 11:30am after the service. All fiber artists - knitters, crocheters, quilters, weavers, etc. - are welcome! Bring your current project to share with your fellow stitchers. Join us in room 7 and feel free to bring your lunch from the vegetarian potluck.

Submit Nominations for "Share the Plate" and Rummage Sale profits

Every year the Social Justice team, along with nominations from the congregation, decides which organization will be the recipient of "Share the Plate" donations and the profits from the Rummage Sale. If you would like to nominate an organization, please email Holly Kerr (hollyfk1@gmail.com) the name and a brief description of the work done by the organization. If you volunteer with the organization, please indicate that.

Justice Matters: Meeting the Moment (CAUUC spring conference)

The Chicago Area UU Council is holding its Spring Conference on Saturday, May 10 from 9AM-2PM at North Shore Unitarian Church. Join fellow UUs from across the Chicago area for a powerful day of connection, inspiration, and action!

This year's Conference brings together justice-seekers from multiple congregations to share stories, strategies, and successes around our collective justice work to MEET THIS MOMENT.

Conference details and registration can be found at uuchicagoarea.org

A Psalm (and Song) of David

A class on the Book of Psalms with intern minister Will Esty. Saturdays, May 3, 17, 24, 31, 2-4pm. 

This class will engage with the book of psalms as they were originally written: as music. We will be diving into several of the Psalms and exploring their hymn adaptations, and discussing how music changes their impact. No musical experience or additional material needed!

Register Here: https://onrealm.org/nsuc/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=M2U3YmFiNDUtMDU4MS00YWVlLWEyMTYtYjJjMjAxNjIzNjhh

Donate, Spread the Word & Volunteer!

Rummage Sale June 14, 2025

DONATE: Rummage Sale Donations start on May 25, so collect your items now! For hours and a list of which items are acceptable to donate, visit https://www.nsucrummage.org

SPREAD THE WORD: Next, PLEASE spread the news about the sale to your family, friends, and neighbors. Also, follow ”NSUC Rummage” on Facebook, post about the sale on your own social media pages. And “like” and share our posts with your friends.

VOLUNTEER: Finally, please volunteer to help! We need help with setup, sorting and pricing items, helping on the sale day, cooking snacks & meals for the volunteers, and cleaning up after the event. Email Art@nsucrummage.org  

UUA General Assembly 2025

Calling all volunteers! This year, as in every year, UU’s from around the country will be gathering. This year’s theme, most appropriately is “Meet the Moment.” The dates are June 18 – 22. Those wishing to participate can do so in person or virtually via Zoom. You can simply participate as an observer or NSUC is able to send up to six official delegates, which empowers the ability to vote on measures. If you are interested in becoming a delegate, please notify Jocelyn. Click on this link to learn more.

Save the Dates: Pilgrimage to the Legacy Museum

October 10-13, 2025

NSUC will partner with First Presbyterian Church in Highland Park to travel to Birmingham Alabama to visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. NSUC will also visit the memorial sites to James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo, two Unitarians killed in the struggle for Civil Rights. All members and high school youth are invited to attend. More details will be forthcoming, ask Rev. Lucas if you have questions. 

Membership Moment

David and Nancy Napalo celebrate 35 years of membership at NSUC!

"Nancy was raised Unitarian and Dave was raised Catholic. We decided early on that we would be married in a Unitarian Church and that we would raise our children as Unitarians. We did both!

Over the years, we have been active participants in all sorts of things: Teaching R.E. and OWL, Board membership (Dave as president), Mentoring, Art Fair, Heart & Hand, Membership, Social Action, Stewardship, Choir, and the NSUC Prairie Garden. 

We have two “children”, two in-law “children”, and two grandchildren. To our delight, both families have relocated to Evanston from places much further away. Oh – and they now live next door to each other!

During our life together, we have been fortunate to travel to many wonderful places including a 3-year stint living in London. Nowadays, we are staying closer to home but NSUC continues to be our place of grounding."

Hello RE Families!

Here's our RE Schedule for May:

May 4: All Ages Class - Music Sunday

May 11: Age Group Classes

May 18: Age Group Classes

May 25: Intergenerational Service

This last month, we continued our two curriculums on Bluey and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as celebrating Easter with our annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Sadly, due to a back injury, I was not able to join in on the festivities for the Easter Egg Hunt. I hope you all had a great time and scored some goodies! I look forward to a redo next year.

In this next month, we will be celebrating Music Sunday and Star Wars Day on May 4th with some Star Wars + Music themed activities! I'm soooo looking forward to this! We will also be finishing up our TV show curriculums with the church year coming to a close soon. Should we have a viewing party of the season finally of A:TLA? If anyone would like to borrow my DVDs, let me know.

For our Intergenerational Service, we will be discussing the history of Unitarian Universalism. Though we are still in the pre-planning phase of this, I plan on trying something new where the kids come out for a portion of the service to create something to share with others in the congregation at the end of the service. Please start thinking and having conversations with your young ones about what the church and growing up UU means to you and your family. This will assist in this process when we come to it.

Lastly, I will be joining the Parents and Caregivers chat on Thursday, May 22 to do a Listening Circle on how my first year here has gone and what you would like to see happen in the coming year. I want to hear from you! I know I still have much to learn, and as a servant to you and the congregation, I would like to hear what is going well and what we might like to implement in the future. Thank you for your consideration and participation!

If you have any questions or would like more ideas on how to support further learning at home, please feel free to email me at congregationallife@nsuc.org.

Blessings,

Lydia Linendoll (she/her)

Congregational Life and Educational Coordinator

Parents and Guardians Check-in: Thursdays at 7 PM

This weekly gathering gives parents a chance to connect, encourage and support one another in raising kids with our UU values. Please contact Lydia for details.

Your 2024 -2025 Board of Trustees

Joe Small, President

Rob Malench, Vice President

Vicki Jenkins, Treasurer

Glenn Mills, Secretary

Emily Mace, Susan Barker and Christina Fraley, Members at Large

A Message from the Board President - 5/1/25

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you CAN do—John Wooden

I am so proud to be part of our great community. We live our values in exemplary and amazing ways. It blows me away to bear witness to the immediate, urgent and effective way our church has reacted to current events. In almost no time at all, a group of passionate congregants organized our Democracy in Action Team. And when

I say organized, I mean it. Areas of concern were quickly identified. Several groups were formed around issues of immigration, LGBTQ+ and the environment. Best practice actions quickly followed and procedures for responding both as teams and as a congregation were developed. All done within a few weeks. I understand from Lucas that other churches he is connected with were astonished at these accomplishments. Thank you to all those responsible for representing the church so beautifully and for doing what we can do!

As we hurtle toward the end of the church year there is much else going on as well. Soon you will receive the Annual Report for our 2024/2025 church year. On May 25, following the service, we invite you to gather for a Town Hall Meeting for a question-and-answer session to provide an opportunity for the Board to offer insight and respond to any questions generated from the materials in the Annual Report. We will then meet on June 1 beginning at 11:40 for our Annual Meeting. Please be sure to plan to attend this important annual meeting in our church life.

Finally, we will soon take a step towards better accessibility as there is every hope that the sanctuary ramp will be installed beginning in May. May it be so!

With every good wish!

Joseph Small

Board of Trustees

President

Upcoming Board Meetings

Board meetings are at 7:00 PM and are open to members.

Our next meeting will be: Wednesday, May 21st

BLUU Resources

North Shore Unitarian Church supports Black Lives Matter. For information and resources about Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism, please click here: blacklivesuu.org.

Legislative Advocacy Team Opt-in 

Click here to opt-in to receive notifications from the Legislative Advocacy Team. Emails with

actions you can take will be sent as needed when the Illinois General Assembly is meeting.

Monday Morning Meditation

Mondays, 10:30 AM - 12 PM

The Monday Morning Meditation Group is led by Chuck Hutchcraft, a Zen priest who is a trained mindfulness teacher as well as a licensed clinical social worker. Whether a beginner or experienced, all are welcome to join this group online using the zoom link in the church calendar. We sit together in silence for 30 minutes and then engage in learning more about meditation through information shared by Chuck, discussions of questions posed by members, and individuals voluntarily sharing their meditation journey experiences.

Rev. Lucas' Office Hours



Do you want to chat with Rev. Lucas? Please fill out this form to request a meeting with him.

Staff Office Hours & Contacts

Click here for hours and contacts for our staff.

Dropping by NSUC? Give us a call.

We ask that all members and friends make an appointment with the church office before coming to the church. Please email Jocelyn or call 847-235-1957.

Copy Machine Update

This is a friendly reminder that you should contact Jocelyn if you need to make copies for an NSUC group or program. We ask that you provide one week's notice to coordinate your copy job.

Help Keep Our Church Safe

Please make sure to secure all church doors before leaving the building. This includes pulling doors completely shut and making sure that they latch. Thank you for your continued support in making our church a safe space for all!