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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, April 13

10 AM - In-person and virtual Worship Service: Plagued with a Story, Lydia Linendoll and Will Esty, leading*

10 AM - Worship Live Stream*

     Meeting ID: 890 0569 0250

You can access the Order of Service here.

11 AM - Fellowship Hour*

11:30 AM - Democracy Action Team Meeting (Bletzer)*

5 PM - Community Passover Seder (Bluegrass Restaurant)*

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

Monday, April 14

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

Wednesday, April 16

1 PM - Senior Covenant Group (Bletzer)^

7 PM - NSUC Board Meeting (Zoom)*

Thursday, April 17

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

7:30 PM - Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)^

Friday, April 18

7:30 PM - Joint Good Friday Service (Highland Park Presbyterian Church)*

Saturday, April 19

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

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First Words - Will Esty

Upcoming Worship Services

April 13: Plagued with a Story: This Intergenerational Service will talk about the themes of Passover and the reasons why we tell and retell stories.

Intern Minister Will Esty and CLEC Lydia Linendoll leading

April 18: Joint Good Friday Service, 7:30 PM at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 330 Laurel Ave, Highland Park, IL.

April 20: Spring Up, Spring Forth: An Easter Celebration

Rev. Lucas Hergert, preaching

April 27: On the Inconvenience of Other People: Those that we know and love inconvenience us. But what if inconvenience isn't an obstacle but is rather the point?

Rev. Lucas Hergert, preaching

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.

Democracy Action Team: April 13

“Action is the antidote to despair” (Joan Baez), and we have so many actions to share with you at this month’s meeting: April 13 at 11:30 in Bletzer. It’s going to be a jam-packed hour of updates from our Action Teams and of discussion about next steps.

Joint Good Friday Service, April 18, 2025, 7:30 PM

NSUC and Highland Park Presbyterian Church will gather for our annual Good Friday service. For those unfamiliar, Good Friday services slowly extinguish the lights in the sanctuary as the disciples abandon Jesus. It is an opportunity for reflection on the grief and pain in the world, and people of many and no religious persuasions find the story dramatic and moving. ***Please note the service will be held at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 330 Laurel Ave, Highland Park, IL.*** Rev. Lucas Hergert and his good friend Rev. Quincy Worthington will preach, and NSUC's musicians will be joining us as well. See you there!

April NSUC Book Club Meeting

In April, the NSUC Book Club will be reading A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author Timothy Egan. This is the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.

The Roaring Twenties was the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson, a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman, Madge Oberholtzer, who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.

We will meet on Saturday, April 19th, 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. 

Spring at the Greenhouse!

It’s the time of year when we gather at the John Lewis Greenhouse to help Brian and Cheryl with their Spring to-do list. This year our work day will be Saturday, May 3 at 10:00 a.m. If you haven’t visited the Greenhouse, please join us to see this inspirational program (and to pull a few weeds 😊). All ages welcome – bring the family! Tasks for all – no gardening expertise needed.

Please add your name to the May 3 calendar slot:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44A9AF2AA6F9CE9-55976744-may2025 

TOUCHSTONES …Saturday. April 12

The next gathering for TOUCHSTONES is Saturday, April 12, 10:30 AM – 12:00 Noon in the Bletzer Room at church. We will discuss the topic, MINDFULNESS.

Author M. Scott Peck said that, “The principal form of love is attention.” Being mindful is paying attention to our self, others, and the world. Mindfulness requires skill, but its practice is transformative of our self and our relationships.

Readings to stimulate your thinking are found here. 

Please consider joining us and engaging in a stimulating morning discussion. All are welcome. 

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.

Annual Church Meeting

June 1, 2025

11:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary

Come one, come all! We are looking forward with pleasure to seeing everyone at this important annual event in the life of NSUC. This year we will review a comprehensive agenda that includes member voting on updated ByLaws, hearing the Board’s report on Listening Circle lessons, and passing the annual budget for our 2025/2026 fiscal year. And much more! We will endeavor to make it an efficient and enjoyable experience. Please mark your calendars and be sure to join us.

Join the Call! Think Economics! Think about all our pockets...

At the last Democracy Action Team (DAT) meeting, we decided to start looking into issues of economic justice, recognizing that economic inequality is escalating.  

Many companies have recently removed or rolled back their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies. These actions have or will have a devastating effect on certain populations in our country. 

Our first ask is for you to consider taking part in the TARGET Fast during Lent (March 5 – April 17). The “Fast”, organized and supported by many Black faith communities, asks Target to restore their original DEI policies, AND asks the public to join in boycotting Target and redirecting their spending to Black and ally businesses.

To that end, below is a list of a few Black owned businesses in our area which we can support. Make a point to try one or more during Lent. 

HECKY’S BARBEQUE

1902 Green Bay Rd., Evanston 60201

WEB: https://heckys.com

HONEY BATS BBQ

39210 N. Sheridan Rd., Beach Park 60096

847-244-4711 WEB:  www.bbqjohnson.com

JERK N MORE TOO

2234 Green Bay Rd., Suite 3, North Chicago 60064

224-214-3136

SURF’S UP  

220 Randhurst Village Dr.,  Mt. Prospect 60056 

708-787-3787 WEB:  soufsuomountptospect.com

SMOKIN’ BBQ ON 45

428 N. Lake St., Mundelein 60060

224-864-7964     

WEB:  smokinbbq45.com

MAMA JERK N TINGS

29 N, Genesee, Waukegan, 60085

224-656-6632

SPICE RESTAURANT

1905 Church St., Evanston 60201

847-859-2847 WEB:  www.spicerestarantmenu.com

DRIP AND CULTURE, Socially Minded Coffee Shop

located in SUPERMERCADO GONZOLEZ GROCERY

2015 Grand Ave., Waukegan 60085

WEB: dripandculturecoffee.com

PROVARE

Italian and Creole Fusion ; Handcrafted Pasta and Creole Spices

1523 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago 60642

WEB: www.provarechicago.com

DALTON’S CAKES

Bakery, including vegan cakes

970 Harris Rd., Ste 2A, Grayslake 60030

847-223-2344 WEB: www.daltonscakes.com

HEAVENLY HANDS CLINIC

Day Spa, Massages, Massage Therapy

34121 N US Rte 45, Ste 214, Grayslake 60030

224-627-4848 WEB: www.heavenlyhandsclinic.com

POPE’S FLORIST

2116 Grand Ave., Waukegan 60085

847-263-7673 WEB: www.popesflorist.com

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER

4450 N. Clark St., Chicago  60640

773-769-4451 WEB: www.blackensembletheater.org

MidAmerica Regional UUA looking for Delegates

The 2025 MidAmerica Regional Annual Business Meeting will be held online on April 24th, 2025 at 6pm CT / 7pm ET. Credentialing as a Delegate is required to vote on the business before the Business Meeting. The Agenda for the 2025 Annual Business Meeting will include the election of leaders and a significant bylaws revision.  

If you are interested in participating, please email Lydia Linendoll at congregationallife@nsuc.org for more information.

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. 

Hello RE Families!

Here's our RE Schedule for April:

April 6: Age Group Classes

April 13: Intergenerational Service

April 20: Easter Egg Hunt

April 27: Age Group Classes

This last month, we continued our two curriculums on Bluey and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as setting back up the plant tower in connection with John Lewis Middle School for our All Ages project.

Brian Greene from John Lewis Middle School's Botany Program, along with his student green house ambassador, joined us this month to set back up our classroom plant tower. They showed us how it works, how to take care of it and feed the plants, and we discussed why us as UUs care about our earth. We are now growing lettuce and strawberries, which we will be able to pick right off the tower in just a few months. How exciting!

In our Bluey curriculum with our 4K-1st graders, we talked about Teamwork and Listening. In our Teamwork lesson, we watched the episode Hammerbarn, built our own dream house, and talked about communicating our needs with others and making compromises so that everyone can get a little of what they want. In our Listening lesson, we watched the episode Charades, played some rounds of charades using Bluey themed charades cards, and talked about how listening to others is a valuable way of respecting others and building community.

In our Avatar: The Last Airbender curriculum with our Middle and High School groups, we watched three more episodes of the animated series. With the episode The Great Divide (S1:E11), we talked about Generational Trauma and Justice. This brought us discussions about how we pass down history in ways that build distrust, how compromise can be healing, and how we can move past resentments. In the episode The Northern Air Temple (S1:E17), we talked about Equity, Respecting History, and Spirit, bringing on discussions about how adaptations for some can benefit all, how protecting history can go hand in hand with innovation, and how our connection to our history can be a spiritual experience. In the last episode on the month, The Blind Bandit (S2:E6), we talked about Potential, Prophecy, & Underestimation. This brought about conversations about what our definition of strength is, the idea of our purpose in this world, and how sometimes protecting someone can sometimes hold them back from their goals.

In this next month, we will be having our annual Easter Egg hunt, so wish me luck on that! We will also be close to finishing up our TV show curriculums as we get closer to the end of the church year.

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 - 4/1/25

April come she will…when streams are ripe and swelled with rain—Paul Simon

April is a blossoming. As we move toward the culmination of the church year in June, we are amid a rich fecundity. Along with spring rains comes a gurgling growth for NSUC. 

The Board and Leadership Team are extremely excited by the success of the Listening Circles. We sensed a great energy, a deep engagement, a strong sense of the value of NSUC in people’s lives and a belief that the road ahead is full of possibility and opportunity. We are also blessed with a wealth of information to digest, articulate and plan upon. Our great thanks to all those who participated and shared with us. Your contributions enriched us and will serve the community well as we, to quote our amazing moderator Rob Malench, “motor on.” There are indeed many seeds to germinate and nurture that have come because of your sharing. 

My special thanks go out to Rob and Jess Haskens for moderating and to the Board Members who served as note takers, ensuring that we captured all of your thoughtful offerings. The Board will be working through everything and reporting back on our findings.

In the meantime, the Democracy in Action team has been busy doing vital work by delivering groceries to those targeted by ICE, those who have need to protect themselves by sequestering in place. NSUC also turned out big for the Trans Day of Visibility March held on Sunday. I celebrate Lucas’s sermon when he blasted away at a binary world view with his message of welcome, inviting us to live in awe and appreciation of the rich diversity that life offers. And for raising the moral obligation to allow each person to live their identity to the fullest. Thank you Lucas! 

Of course, this is but a sampling of the good works of the church. Our congregation, our RE program, our member caring and community outreach continue to evolve and grow.

Yes, ours is an ongoing effort to share light with each other and to shine light into the world. This light is like the sunshine so necessary to fulfill the promise of April. May the ripe streams of our good efforts join with the compassion of so many others to wash away the binary, the negative and the persecutive. 

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, April 16th

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!