A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
The UCE building will be closed until further notice.
We will continue to offer ways to connect virtually.
A virtual service will be held at 11:15 am this Sunday
“Standing with and standing strong”  – Privileged people swim in safe spaces. We are often the ones shocked at the limits placed upon us. We tend to be accustomed that the world is a safe place to move about in. Those whose lives are already unsafe because of racism, sexism, & anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and violence struggle to find places where they can be safe. This service is created in good faith that every time we gather, we lift up our siblings and cousins who have been seen or treated as “less than.”

From now on, we encourage you to submit your joys and sorrows ahead of time to this online form . We will read aloud in the service, those that are submitted by 11 a.m. on Sunday. If you are unable to access the google form for some reason, you may send an email to Rev. Eileen Wiviott or Rev. Karen Mooney , however, it is easier for us to keep track through the google form. We continue to celebrate and mourn together through this important ritual and appreciate your understanding as we explore the various ways to hold what is on your hearts. 

This Sunday's shared offering recipient is Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights ( Click here to learn more ). Your offering can be given through Text-to-Give, online , or mailed to the office with "Shared Offering" in the memo line.
Other Virtual Gatherings this Sunday
Chris Isely Cancer Support Group at 9:30 am via Zoom
Email Renee Hoff at  rdhoff99@yahoo.com  for details.
Virtual Coffee Hour after the service
To join the virtual coffee hour by phone dial +13126266799,,770904305#

High School Youth Gathering at 7 pm via Zoom
Look for an email from the advisors with info on how to join. 
Important News and Upcoming Events
All Church Zoom gatherings continue on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
Look out for the link in our Wednesday e-mails. If you need online Zoom support before the All Church gathering begins, join us at 5:20 pm.
From Kathy Underwood, Director of Lifespan Religious Education
You may have seen this poem by Leslie Wright on social media or mainstream news:  
What if 2020 isn’t cancelled?   What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for?  
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw – that it finally forces us to grow.  
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.  
A year we finally accept the need for change.  
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change.  
A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart.  
2020 isn’t cancelled, but rather the most important year of them all.  
 .
So how do we take this challenge to “declare the change, work for change, become the change” and reach our full potential at UCE? Our covenant states that our purpose is to “nurture the human spirit for a world made whole”. I believe that this applies within our walls as well as in the greater world. We must nurture our spirit to be out in the world helping to make change, and we need to offer that to those who walk through our doors..  
Construction is Starting!
Our new parking lot and a welcoming sidewalk to the front entrance will be excavated and installed over the next several weeks. So t he parking lot will be closed to vehicle & pedestrian traffic starting on June 15 and extend through July 10 due to this construction.

Meanwhile - Inside the Church Building Improvements are Being Done.

New lobby floors are being installed this week. This includes the lobby entry area, bathrooms, lift lobby and floors outside the bathroom...
UCE Fundraising in the wake of COVID-19
If you have been cleaning out your closets and organizing your space during this time of shelter-in-place please hold onto your best items. Our newly formed Fundraising Steering Committee needs them for an online Rummage Sale and online Auction. 
As you know, our budget is affected by the fact that we are unable to hold fundraisers in our building. So we have been researching ways we can offset these deficits. Other UU churches are doing it and so can we. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, hold your goods!! 

We will be looking for items like furniture, boutique clothing, accessories and shoes/boots, treasures, jewelry, art, books, bikes, children's toys and other items that are worth $20 or more at a sale. More information will follow.
John LaPlante Virtual Memorial Service
A Virtual Memorial Service for John LaPlante will be held on Saturday, June 20th at 2 pm . The service will be YouTube Livestreamed as our Sunday services are, and we will have a Zoom reception following with a link provided during the service. Click here to save the Youtube Livestream link.
Your financial support is so appreciated!
Please help us ensure your contribution is credited appropriately by indicating on the memo line of your check if it is for 19/20 Pledge, 20/21 Pledge, Shared Offering or a Donation. 
If you are texting to give, s end a text message to  312-584-9160  with the amount you would like to contribute and  the code  for where you would like it to go (e.g., 50 OFFERING ). Valid codes are OFFERING (Shared Offering),   PLEDGE  (Pledge Payment),  CAP  (Capital Campaign), or MUSIC (music fund). If you do not include a code before your donation amount, the system will automatically select PLEDGE. To learn more,  click here . If you experience any issues, contact Adam at  agough@ucevanston.org .

During these times when we are working from home we are trying to make trips to the church and our accounting tasks manageable for our Staff Accountant, Vickie Doebele. We respectfully request when you make a shared offering donation please do not ask for 100% to go to the organization. This truly would be helpful. We appreciate your understanding. 
Hats Off to Annette Wallace!
Our hats are off to Annette Wallace for hosting the Black Lives Matter sign distribution center for UCE, along with husband Curt Evans, out of their garage! This has enabled UCE’s REAL team to sell signs and raise $500 for the Moran Center for Youth Advocacy (funds were originally going to also go to the Chicago Community Bond Fund but they have raised enough money and wish funds be sent to other organizations in greater need .) Annette was also a part of the ministerial search committee, which brought Rev. Bret Lortie to UCE. She has sung in the choir and currently serves as a worship associate. Annette is warm, engaging, resourceful, and creative, always eager to lend a hand where needed and form meaningful connections with people. Thank you, Annette for all you do and for being you. 
Grief and Loss Support
What can you do to ease the pain of the losses you feel? Shakespeare wrote: “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.” The “over wrought heart” – the heart that feels too much pain to bear, breaks. So Shakespeare would recommend that we talk about our sorrow, talk about our loss. When we let ourselves really feel how much the loss hurts and talk about that loss and pain to other people, it can ease our hearts. You are welcome to join Ellen Rieger LCPC CADC and Rev. Karen Mooney for 4 sessions on Tuesdays @ 5:30 - 7 pm: 5/12, 5/26, 6/9, 6/23.


Meeting ID: 858 8718 3997
Password: 262644
One tap mobile  +13126266799,,85887183997# US (Chicago) 
Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches Pride 2020
During this month of Pride, Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches (CCWC) invites you to join in celebration and fellowship. While physically distant, we're excited to share this opportunity to connect as a community of religious families and share in Love's warm welcome for all, especially our LGBTQ+ siblings!  Save the date for a Virtual Pride Celebration Saturday June 27 10:00 AM.  

We stand together as a community in this difficult time. 
Ann Peterson's Virtual Memorial Service
Ann Peterson's virtual memorial service will take place on Saturday, July 25 at 11 am. More details will be provided soon.
What's Happening in Lifespan Religious Education
This Summer in Religious Education
Summertime is traditionally more laid-back in congregational life, as well as in other aspects of life. Enjoying the outdoors and nature becomes a necessity with the warmer weather. With this in mind, individuals and families are invited to our  Summer Bucket List Challenge!  Check it out here.

The family who completes the most items will win a chalice for the family and their picture in the newsletter! The contest ends on August 16, which gives you 10 weeks to do as many as you can. We will honor all participants at a virtual Dinner Church later this summer. You’re encouraged to share your journey on social media using the hashtag  #UCEBucketList  too! 
 
High school youth can connect Sunday evening at 7 pm on Zoom. Look for an email from the advisors later in the week with info on how to join. 
Rev. Eileen and I would love to see your beacon of light in our worship services! We’re looking for families to light the chalice for virtual worship. How will this work, you ask? She will arrange to meet you at UCE, and video-record your family lighting the chalice and/or saying our covenant together. Social distancing protocols will be maintained too. If you’d like to participate, email Kathy at kunderwood@ucevanston.org or Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org.
The Science of Well-Being, June 16 through August 18
Adults and families with teens are invited to join this new program. This program comes from Yale University, and it’s free! In this 10-week course (you need not attend all, but it is highly recommended), you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.   

We invite you to watch the online sessions at your convenience, and then join us Tuesday evenings at 7-8 pm on Zoom to share what we’ve learned. The online sessions usually involve short videos, plus exercises you do on your own, for a total of no more than 2 1/2 hours weekly. 

For more details, and to sign up for the video series, click here .  

To join our discussions, email Kathy Underwood at kunderwood@ucevanston.org by Saturday, June 13 . 
Non-Fiction Book Group
The Nonfiction book group will not meet during the summer to discuss books but we recommend that people begin to read A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn in preparation for our discussion in September.
Parent and Family Resources
Feel free to add new ones that you find!
Family Fun and Resources for June's Theme, Compassion
Click here for ways to connect as a family to our faith!
"Rooted, Inspired, Ready" General Assembly Goes Virtual!
General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). This year it will be 100% virtual! Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through the democratic process. Naomi Klein is this year’s WARE Lecturer. She is a climate activist, an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.

See full details on GA here and a video here . Anyone may attend. Check out the UCE scholarships below!
Virtual Chalice Sparx Family Camp
Chalice Sparx Family Camp & Retreat for Unitarian Universalist Families will be held virtually July 10 to July 13. "Camp" in your backyard in a room in your house. Activities include multigenerational worship, workshops for all ages, Minecraft for kids, covenant groups, a scavenger hunt, a dance party, and more fun. Learn more about the virtual camp here.
Social Justice & Volunteer Opportunities
Write Here! Write Now!
Join our effort to support mail-in ballots and the US Post Office. UUs for Social Justice and their 'Write Here! Write Now!' campaign are encouraging congregations to write letters to their US Senators, urging appropriations of $4 billion to support national absentee voting in November and asking the Congress to support the US Post Office, now under attack by fiscal conservatives.  

On May 15, The US House passed HR6800 - The Heroes Act - which funds mail-in ballots and supports the USPS, but the US Senate has yet to vote on the legislation. To find out more, follow this link to the  Absentee Vote / USPS Handout . It contains more details and a sample letter.  

We're asking that you write separate letters to Sen Dick Durbin and Sen Tammy Duckworth. Please send your finished letters (word, pdf or scan)  by COB Wed, June 17  to Jane Bannor at JBannor@sbcglobal.net , so they can be bundled together and sent to Washington, DC. 

If you prefer, you can phone the  U.S. Capitol Switchboard:  (202) 224-3121, and ask to be connected to US Senators Durbin and Duckworth.
Update from the REAL team
This is a time when we are redoubling our efforts to step up in response to continued and increasing police violence against Black people. It is a time when those of us who identify as White need to speak out, act up, and keep on educating ourselves to be effective antiracists. 

The UCE Racial Equity (REAL) planning group has been working on several new ways for members and friends to look more deeply into white privilege, into how to speak our truth, into ways to show up, to learn, to donate. 
Take action today!
There are so many ways you can participate in social action, from showing up, signing on, donating, or committing yourself to learn more.

  • LEARN - What Does It Mean to Defund or Abolish the Police? | The Daily Social Distancing Show : Trevor talks to Patrisse Cullors, Josie Duffy Rice, Sam Sinyangwe, Mychal Denzel Smith and Alex S. Vitale about the recent progress of the Black Lives Matter movement, the call to defund the police, and alternative community-based programs to prevent crime and resolve conflict. Click here to watch. 
  • LEARN - Movement for Black Lives - The burden of dismantling racism and white supremacy should not be on the shoulders of Black people and people of color. We especially encourage white members to educate themselves and share all of these resources with their family and friends. This week, we encourage our members to learn more about defunding the police and creating a police-free future. Local organizers in Minneapolis, Minn., have put together this educational "Building a Police-Free Future FAQ." Click here to engage.  
  • ACT - Movement for Black Lives - Asks us to join in calling on Congressional leadership to ensure that future action prioritizes our communities over corporations and pushes back against the use of militarization in our communities as a response to this crisis. Click here to act. 
  • ACT - From the national ACLU - Lawmakers must take serious action to fix the racist policing systems in our country. End Police Militarization and Over-Policing in Our Communities. Click here to act. 
  • LEARN & ACT - From "It's Nice That" - A list of resources for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement - Below you’ll find a list of petitions to sign, funds and charities to donate to, and resources for educating yourself and those around. you. Click here to learn and act. 
  • LEARN - Late Night with Seth Meyers - Want to learn more about what it is like to be black in America? For a week, Seth Meyers turned the start of his show over to Amber Ruffin, who shares some of her encounters with the police. Click here to watch.
  • SPEND - Color of Change - Since 2016, Color Of Change PAC has worked to educate and engage hundreds of thousands of Black voters in dozens of races through digital ads, direct mail, radio ads and in-person events. Most recently, their team has been tracking voter disinformation ahead of the primaries like today's in Georgia and West Virginia--to make sure Black folks are not being discouraged from casting their ballots. Click here to donate.
  • SPEND - From an organization called Creative Mornings - Shop at and support Chicago Black Owned Businesses. Click here to see the list.

Social action continues! Check out the UCE Homepage for more ways you can support the Black Lives Matter movement. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rev. Karen Mooney at  kmooney@ucevanston.org . Thank you all for continuing to live UCE's mission!
Interfaith Action of Evanston Needs Your Help!

Interfaith Action of Evanston has been considering ways to collect and distribute necessary household items that are not covered by federal benefits, such as soap, toilet paper and toothpaste. If you would like to help, please visit the Amazon Wish List  to see the items they are in need of most. They appreciate your help. 
Chalice House Success from Countryside Church
You may have heard about Chalice House from previous articles in the newsletter. It is a house owned by Countryside Church in which asylum seekers will live while they await determination of their application for asylum. The UCE Endowment Committee approved an Immigrant Solidarity Team application for $1,800 to support these efforts. We are very grateful to have had a chance to help with these efforts.

Click below to read their letter announcing the readiness of the house and thanking us for our support.
Welcome to Our Community
Interested in knowing more about UCE? Scroll down for info on ongoing programs and useful information. Can't find your answers here? Click the button below to learn more on our website.
How to get in touch with UCE's Ministers
UCE ministers are available throughout the week by appointment. If you are in need of pastoral care or someone to talk to, please reach out to them by email.
We are here for you.
Rev. Eileen Wiviott - ewiviott@ucevanston.org
Rev. Karen Gustafson - kgustafson@ucevanston.org
Rev. Karen Mooney - kmooney@ucevanston.org
Pathways to Membership
Our next set of membership classes will be coming soon. If you would like to take part in a future class, p lease email Adam Gough at   agough@ucevanston.org. We're excited to welcome our new members that have recently joined! Click here for more information about membership classes .
Offer to Provide Technical Support
Physical separation is leading many of us to find new ways of forming and maintaining virtual connections through the internet. The UCE staff and Board of Trustees wants to make sure that no one is isolated because they lack access to technology or technical skills.

So if you would like assistance please reach out to: 

We will be happy to work with you to make sure that you get the most out of your membership experience using the latest tools.
Opportunities For Virtual Connection
Learn Spanish Group
Mondays at 7 pm
For more information, click here.

UCE Men's Group
1st & 3rd Mondays at 7 pm via conference call.
For more information, click here.

Caregiver Support Group
Tuesdays at 7 pm via Zoom.
E-mail Renee Hoff at  rdhoff99@yahoo.com  or Joyce Lofstrom at  joycelofstrom@gmail.com  for details.

Grief and Loss Support
Tuesdays @ 5:30 - 7 pm via Zoom: 5/12, 5/26, 6/9, 6/23.
See more information above.

Udumbara Zen Sangha
Tuesday Evenings and Saturday Mornings
For more information email udumbara@udumbarazen.org .

Wednesdays at 9:30 am   (Virtual 8x8 Meeting)
For more information, click here.

Buddhist Meditation 
E-mail Andrea DeMers at ademers99@gmail.com for the link.

UCE Addictions and Recovery
Form more information about the group, click here.

Virtual Art and Spirituality
Every other Saturday at 2:30 pm (next meeting is July 4)
For more information, click here.

Chris Isely Cancer Support Group
Sundays at 9:30 am via Zoom
E-mail Renee Hoff at  rdhoff99@yahoo.com  for details.

Staff are available to help with setting up virtual meetings and getting the word out to the congregation. For more information on how to set up a digital meeting, click the button below. Email Jessica Meis at admin@ucevanston.org to add your event to UCE's calendar and to submit an article about your virtual meeting to the newsletter.
Beware scam e-mails and texts from those posing as UCE ministers
Please do not respond to the e-mail or text scam that is going out with Rev. Eileen's name. The subject line may say MANY BLESSINGS or some other greeting and they ask for a favor or gift cards. If you respond to the message they will ask you to buy gift cards for someone in need. UCE ministers will never ask you for money in an e-mail or for you to send gift cards to anyone. Check the e-mail address and phone number it is coming from. If it is not Eileen's or another minister's, it is a scam. Most of you have gotten wise to these scams. They will keep coming nonetheless. Thank you to those who let us know they received this scam.

This is someone who is using Eileen's name with a generated email address and phone number. They haven't hacked her personal accounts. The e-mail addresses she will send from will be either  ewiviott@hotmail.com  or  ewiviott@ucevanston.org . If you are unsure about the number texting you, please call the office.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees meets the third Thursday of every month.
The next virtual meeting is on June 18 at 7:00 pm.

Questions for the board? Email BOT@ucevanston.org.
UCE Facebook Groups
Did you know that, in addition to the  UCE Facebook Page , there are three UCE groups that members can join - the  UCE Member to Member Group , the  UCE Children and Youth Religious Education Group, and the  UCE Social Action Group ?  

These are closed groups that allow members to post directly to each other. If you have an event you want members to know about, or have a cause you hope to bring attention to, in addition to the newsletter and order of service, you can post to the Facebook Group. Click the links below or search for the groups by name when you are on Facebook and ask to join.
Quick Links