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Sunday, December 4
Worship Service - 9:15 and 11:00am
Come celebrate the beginning of Advent with a service featuring movements from Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols (complete with harp), a few additional carols, and poetry celebrating the meaning of this time of year.
Religious Education
This Sunday our preschool, kindergarten-first-second grade, and third-fourth-fifth grade classes will meet from 9:15-10:30 and 11:00-12:15. All begin in the sanctuary for the first part of the worship service before going to classes. Starting time for the sixth-seventh-eighth grade class to watch this week's movie is 9:45am. Senior high meets at 11:00am. Childcare for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers is available from 9:00-12:30.
Green Team Meeting - 12:30pm
Join us to discuss our new Zero Waste strategy, and how Faith in Place, UUANI and the Recyclery will help us re-accredit as a UUA Earth Ministry Green Team. Please contact
Michael Drennan
for details.
Non-Fiction Book Group - 12:30pm
Non-fiction book Group will meet after the second service to discuss "The Fate of Gender," by Frank Browning. All are welcome.
Join us to stand in support of Black Lives Matter
12:10pm-12:30pm
You are invited to stand on Ridge Avenue between 12:10pm and 12:30pm to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Signs and buttons are available for purchase at the back of the sanctuary. Signs and song lyrics will be provided for use.
Sponsored by the REAL team.
The Chris Isely Cancer Support Group -
9:15am
The group is open to anyone facing cancer, either personally or through a family member or friend. This lay-led group is a safe place for sharing and hope. Interested participants are encouraged to drop in any time. Questions? Contact Renee Hoff
or Brian Meister.
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From the Senior Minister --
Spiritual Life and Outreach
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Rev. Bret Lortie
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I want my Christmas Presence!
Yes, I meant to write presence and not presents. This month's Soul Matters theme asks, "What does it mean to be a community of Presence?" As a Soul Matters congregation, each month we ask ourselves to look at our relationship to a different spiritual theme.
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From the Board of Trustees
UCE Name Change Process
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The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Church of Evanston recommends that the discussion about a change to our name be concluded for the balance of the 2016-2017 church year. This does not preclude any member from filing a petition to put a name change on the ballot at a special or annual meeting in the future. The Board of Trustees bases its recommendation on the response forms which members turned in to the Board.
Click here to read more
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From the Executive Operations Director
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Sandra Robinson |
The past several weeks have been brimming with good work and community connection at UCE.
November 12, 170 UCE congregants shared fun and fundraising together at Serendipity Auction.
Friday evening, November 18 through Sunday morning, November 20, UCE hosted CON, the Northern Area Youth Conference, with over 120 high schoolers and adult chaperones in attendance, supported by numerous congregation members who assisted with food preparation and serving.
Click here to read more.
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Upcoming Worship Services
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December 11, 9:15 and 11:00am
"The Power of Silence"
"All I want for Christmas is a little peace and quiet," someone recently said. This sounds like a cry for freedom: from the media, from the holiday blitz, from politics as unusual. Silence is one tool in our kit that we might cultivate, especially this time of the year, to regain our sense of equilibrium and even power. Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.
December 18, 9:15am
"The Christmas Story"
Telling of the Christmas Story, with Christmas carols.
December 18,
11:00am
"Participatory Pageant for All"
We'll enact the Christmas story and reflect on its meaning. Have you always wanted to be a star? Or maybe an angel, a wise person, or a shepherd? This is your chance! No advance preparation is required: costumes, props, and stage directions will be provided on the spot. A worship service for all ages.
December 25, 9:15 and 11:00am
"Stories of the Season"
Unconventional stories of the season, for Christmas Day and the first day of Hanukkah. Rev. Connie Grant speaking.
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UCE Mitten Tree
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Important Mitten Tree Reminder: All gifts are due this Sunday, December 4. Please save us a phone call and bring your gifts this Sunday. We will be sorting and hoping that everything comes in. Thanks to everyone who has participated.
If you have questions about Mitten Tree please contact
Carol Nielsen
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Mitten Tree Wrapping Party
Please join us for wrapping the presents donated two families for the mitten tree. Please bring your own scissors and join us after the service on December 11. The wrapping party will be one of the tables at Ornament Sunday. We expect to have a jolly time!
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Adult Religious Education
Military Ministry Toolkit
December 6, 13, & 20, 7:00-9:00pm
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We'll explore how our church regards those who currently serve in the United States military, who among us have served in the past, and what we can do as a congregation to provide a welcoming space for those who serve. We'll look at ways to hold both members of the military and the peacemakers in our midst. Facilitated by Ministerial Intern Kevin DeBeck and Gary Zacny. Register here or on the Religious Education bulletin board.
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News from CRS, UUANI, UU Prison Ministry
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Actions you can participate in with CRS, UU Prison Ministry, and UUANI:
Join
Community Renewal Society for our Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Faith in Action on Monday, January 16, 2017. Contact
Dale Griffin for more information or to RSVP today!
The
UU Prison Ministry of Illinois is conducting its annual fundraising campaign with individuals who would like this ministry to thrive. You can donate online at the
UCE web site. Click "give" at the top of the page.
UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) begins a new year with emphasis on raising the minimum wage (economic justice), passing a clean jobs Illinois bill (environmental justice) and passing anti-solitary confinement legislation (racial justice).
Click here for more information about all of the above.
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Transgender Lending Library
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Six books are now available for sign-out on transgender issues, as put together by the Rainbow Alliance. Ranging from historical perspective to fiction, from bios to personal essays, from adult to children, in their own way all present a truth worthy of exploration.
Available for sign-out now. Look for them on Sundays at a table in the back of the sanctuary.
Transgender History
Gender Outlaws: the Next Generation
Gender Failure
Red: A Crayon's Story
10,000 Dresses
Symptoms of Being Human
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Recently Retired (but never retiring!) Women
Tuesday, December 6, 5-7pm
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Join us for a strictly social get together! After our wonderful potluck, we will have a "White Elephant" gift exchange. To do this, please bring something of your own, not anything new, wrapped as a present, to exchange with others. Have a wonderful Holiday Season! For more information, please contact Margie Rogasner.
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For those who are thinking about becoming a member of the church.
Intro to Unitarian Universalism
Sunday, December 11, 12:30 - 2pm
Led by Rev. Bret Lortie, we'll look at our history, our principles, the sources of our faith, and the meaning of covenant. (This is the first step in the membership process.)
Orientation Toward Membership
Saturday, January 21, 9am - Noon
Led by Rev. Connie Grant, Membership Director Eileen Wiviott, and members of the New Member Committee. An interactive class exploring our spiritual journeys, the diversity of our beliefs, and what it means to be a member of this congregation. (This is the second step in the membership process.)
Sign up at the Guest & Member Table in the lobby or email Eileen Wiviott.
There will be childcare available upon request in advance for both of these classes.
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Upcoming UCE Events
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Tuesday, December 6, 5pm
Recently Retired (but never retiring!) Women
Tuesdays, December 6, 13 and 20, 7-9pm
Military Ministry Toolkit
Sunday, December 11, 12:15pm
Ornament Sunday
Thursday Nights, 5:30pm
Meditation Group
Thursday Nights, 7pm
UCE Addictions Ministry Group
Sunday Mornings, 8:15am & Wednesday Mornings, 9:30am
Yoga
Saturdays at 10:00am
Open Drumming Circles
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Community Involvement
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Click each event for more information.
YWCA Let's Talk at Lunch
Third Thursday of the Month |
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Ornament Sunday
Sunday, December 11, 12:30pm
Ornament Sunday is an opportunity to get together with people of all ages to make ornaments to trim the UCE tree and to take home.
If you would like to lead or assist with a holiday-related ornament/decoration-making activity, please email
please email Ellis O'Connor at
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One Book, One Church
Claudia Rankine's "provocative meditation on race," Citizen: An American Lyric, is our collective book for this year. Why not buy it from Book H to give as a Christmas gift? We will be holding discussions in February and March, so start reading! Called one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Boston Globe, the Atlantic, and many more, the book's essays, images, and poetry present "a powerful testament to the individual and collective effects of racism."
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Gen X Family Friendly Campfire
December 4 (note date change), 4 - 6:30 pm at the home of member Sarah Hendershot
If you are in your 30's to 50's, with kids or without, come and enjoy an outdoor gathering with vegan refreshments, meaningful conversation and space for the children to play. It might be chilly but we'll keep warm by the fire and in good company. Please RSVP to Eileen Wiviott or Sarah Hendershot.
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UU Identity Discussions
Continued learning opportunities offered monthly by the New Member Committee; open to all who want to better understand what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist, no matter where you are on the membership journey:
Principles and Sources Class
1st Sundays 10:15 - 11am
Whether you are new to Unitarian Universalism or you would like to better understand the seven principles and six sources of our faith, join us for this rich 45-minute discussion led by members of the New Member Committee. We
'
ll use thought provoking metaphors to dive deeper into the foundations of being a UU.
Next Principles & Sources Class: December 4 between services.
Spiritual Journeys -
a 3-part conversation
2nd, 3rd, 4th Sundays
at 10:15-11am
We'll explore our religious and spiritual backgrounds, where we come from, what we want to cherish and what we want to release as we continue our journeys. This is a conversation open to all no matter where you are on the path - exploring membership, new members and long-term members alike. You can participate in any one or all three in any order.
Next Spiritual Journeys Sessions: 12/11, 12/18.
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Opportunities
for Spiritual Practice
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Ministers' Schedules
Rev. Bret Lortie
is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and by appointment. Monday is sabbath and Friday devoted to writing. To send a message or read Rev. Bret's blog, visit
www.liberalfaith.org
.
Rev. Connie Grant is generally in the office during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and often has evening meetings on those days. She takes Mondays off and works at home on Fridays. Please email or call Connie for an appointment.
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