A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Join us for worship and religious education at 9:15 and 11:00am on Sunday Morning!
September 29, 2017
Sunday, October 1
Worship Service  -  9:15 and 11:00am
"Courage Takes Many Forms "
What does it mean to be a community of courage? This is the Soul Matters theme of October. The musical message will be Sweet Honey In The Rock's "Would You Harbor Me?" Our Ministerial Intern, Susan Frances, will speak about finding courage.

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 Start in the sanctuary for the first part of the worship service before going to classes. The sixth-seventh-eighth grade and senior high youth group meet from 11:00-12:15. Childcare for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers is available from 9:00-12:30.

Bike the Ridge - 9:00-1:00pm
Ridge Avenue between Howard and Church will be closed to vehicular traffic. Hundreds of people bike by UCE's doorstep; let's give them a UCE welcome! UCE will be hosting bike decorating and a tent will be set up on Ridge where members can greet bikers.

Lobby Art Program
This Sunday we are reinstituting the Lobby Arts program that brings outside artists to display their work for several months in our lobby. This is in keeping with our community's desire to "cultivate joy and wonder through the arts."  We expect to have 3-4 different artists each year. Our first visiting artist is Barbara Blades whose work you will see when you enter the lobby. Please join us after the service on Sunday to welcome her and her art and to find out more about it.

OWL Parent Orientation - 12:30pm
On Sunday, October 8 we will be launching the junior high OWL (Our Whole Lives) sexuality education curriculum for 7 th -9 th -graders, a comprehensive curriculum emphasizing the values of self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, and justice and inclusivity. Regular class sessions will generally be held most Sundays from 6-8pm beginning October 8. Please join us if you'd like your child to participate.

Connecting UU: a path to belonging at UCE 
10:15am in Room 12
This week's topic is Principles and Sources. These sessions are open to all, no matter where you are on the journey. Click here for more information on Connecting UU.

Crackerbarrel - 9:30am
"Happiness"
"The Surprising Science of Happiness." What is happiness and how do we best achieve it? Please listen to the TED talk presentation here as you think about this question for discussion. Facilitated by Gordon Mallett.

Click here for information about upcoming crackerbarrel topics.
 
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. 
Kerry Heckman
"It's Time to Update Your Long-Range Plans"

Submitted by: Kerry Heckman
 
The Board of Trustees recently finalized our goals for the upcoming year. One of our goals is to "Assure that the Long-Range Plan continues towards activation." That's where you come in. As leaders and members of committees and teams, it's time to update your 5 year plan.
 
Two years ago we started the long range planning process here at UCE. Each team and committee developed short term and long term goals with check points along the way. The start of the church year marks another check point. Click here to read more.
The Peace and Justice Inequality Task Force will be screening the 30-minute film "Legalize Democracy", produced by Move to Amend, and then discussing an excerpt from a new report on "Reversing Inequality", just released by the Institute for Policy Studies.

We'll talk about how corporate money and growing wealth inequality are affecting both us and our democratic institutions.  We'll discuss how we might want to get involved to ameliorate the situation.  Should we lobby the Congress for a 28th Amendment on Corporate Personhood? Or does it make more sense to confront large corporations and let people know about the money they're donating to political campaigns?

All are welcome to the P&J film showing and discussion.  It will be held at the church and light refreshments will be served. Click here for more information.
Join us outside the sanctuary southwest entrance on Sunday, October 8, 2017 as we place a shovel in the ground and celebrate the upcoming  installation of our Lift for Love, access to the lower level of our building.
 
- Sandra Robinson
The collection for October will be toiletries including feminine hygiene pads, shampoo, bar soap, toothpaste, razors. The collection will be donated to the Evanston Interfaith Refugee Round Table that meets at UCE and serves many faith communities helping refugees. The sponsors for October are the Retired Women's but not Retiring Group. Thanks to everyone who is sponsoring. A list of all the collections will be available soon. You can post it on your refrigerator and be ready with your donations. 
Tuesdays, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
7:00-9:00pm  moralarc
Are moral norms merely social constructs, like which side of the road to drive on? Does God have reasons for His commandments? If there is no God, is everything permissible? How many scientific facts does it take to justify one moral judgment?  What say you when asked to justify your moral opinions? When pushed to defend your justifications, does your thinking end in a core belief with which you so closely identify you stop further inquiry? Where does TRUTH reside? Religion? Personal Experience? Reason? Science? Nowhere? If morality is ultimately grounded in an arbitrary choice, do we each have our own moral truths?  Join us to ask each other, and the writings of Michael Shermer, author of The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom: "WHAT SAY YOU?"  Facilitated by John Tobin, UCE member, former philosophy teacher, and defender of Enlightenment values. Click here to sign up.

Click here for a reading list for this class and information about other upcoming adult religious education classes.
Please sign up to help with our upcoming soup kitchens at UCE. We need volunteers to purchase food, cook, serve, and/ or clean up. Thanks in advance for helping us feed our hungry neighbors with love and dignity. 

Click on the dates to sign up and for more details.


Contact Marilyn Wroblewski for more information.
Are you interested in learning more about gender and what it means in this culture? Have you heard someone say they're "genderqueer" or "genderfluid" and weren't sure what to say next? Do you want to feel more comfortable talking about gender?

Join the Rainbow Alliance for a "Beyond the Gender Binary" workshop. Together we will ask and answer questions of one another, and explore ways to support people of all genders within the Beloved Community. Click here to register.
Let us hope that Sunday, October 15, will be one of those exquisitely beautiful Evanston days of soft breezes, blue skies, and sparkling waters, because October 15 is the day of the annual North Shore CROP Hunger Walk.

Each year, in approximately a thousand communities in the United States, people gather for this walk, while pledging funds for the relief of hunger and poverty.

Our local CROP walk begins at First Congregation Church at 2:00 on Sunday, October 15, and is about one mile in length.  You can register and donate online at Crophungerwalk.org/skokieil, or at a table in the back of the sanctuary. If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Ghoshal. Click here for more information.
If you are in a caregiving role of any sort, we invite you to drop in at the next Caregiver Support Group. We meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7:30pm at UCE. Questions?  Contact Joyce Lofstrom  or Renee Hoff .
CUUPs will begin meeting at UCE on the first Sunday of the month at 12:30pm, starting October 1. 

2nd Unitarian's CUUPs (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) chapter, Covenant of Earth and Sky, is holding a Mabon (Autumn Equinox) ritual on Sunday, September 24 at 7pm at 2nd Unitarian, 656 West Barry Avenue, Chicago. All are welcome, regardless of beliefs. If possible, attendees should bring a sweet or savory dish for the post-ritual potluck. Those who would like to carpool should contact Taryn Nelson Seawright.

Fiction Book Group
Friday, October 20, 7:30pm
Join members and friends in discussing Christopher Buckley's The Relic Master.  

Join us for Hands-on Habitat Restoration with the Evanston Interreligious Sustainability Circle. The opening religious ceremony begins at 1:15pm.  The location is the Harms Woods Forest Preserve. Meet at the Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, just south of Glenview Road. Come dressed for the woods.
 
Habitat restoration is FUN! It is an activity appropriate for young people (generally ten and older-must be accompanied by a parent or guardian) and senior citizens. This habitat restoration afternoon will provide an opportunity to cut down buckthorn, an invasive species, and to collect the seeds of native plants, which we will then sow next spring. For more information, contact Dale Griffin or Susan Comstock. We'd like to know how many people are coming. But, most important, just come.  It's a wonderful afternoon in a beautiful woods with friendly and enjoyable people, and you learn a lot about native plants and woods in the process.
Upcoming UCE Events

Sunday, October 1, 9:00am
Bike the Ridge

Tuesday, October 3, 7:00pm
Peace and Justice Film Showing

Tuesdays, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 7:00pm
The Moral Arc: What Say You?

Saturday, October 14, 1:30pm
"Beyond the Gender Binary" Workshop

Sunday, October 15, 2:00pm
CROP Walk

Sunday, November 5, 1pm
Hands-on Habitat Restoration

Tuesdays, November 7, 14, 7:00pm
Great American Freethinkers: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass

Tuesdays, November 28, December 5, 12, 19, 7:00pm
The New Testament for UU's

Thursday Nights, 7pm
UCE Addictions and Recovery Group

Sunday Mornings, 9:00am & Wednesday Mornings, 9:30am
Yoga
Community Involvement
Click each event for more information.

YWCA Let's Talk at Lunch
Third Thursday of the Month 
Upcoming Membership Classes

Intro to Unitarian Universalism 
Sunday, October 15
12:30 - 2:00 pm
An overview of our faith, led by Rev. Bret Lortie 

Orientation Toward Membership 
Saturday, October 28 
9am - noon
Led by Assistant Minister, Rev. Eileen Wiviott. An interactive class exploring what it means to be a member of this congregation.

Sign up at the guest table in the lobby or email Rev. Eileen Wiviott at  [email protected]. Childcare available upon request for both of these classes.
Things to Know About our Community

Interested in knowing more about UCE? How to submit something to Joys and Sorrows? How to get a nametag, or a rainbow or pronoun sticker for your nametag? Interested in bringing flowers and lighting the chalice on a Sunday? Click here for more information about our community!
Yoga at UCE


Join us every Sunday at 9:00am and every Wednesday at 9:30am.

Yoga at UCE is designed to reduce stress, bring relaxation, increase range of motion, and find balance - restorative yoga. If you never have done yoga before, this is your opportunity. Drop in, wear comfortable clothing for stretching, and try it. Yoga is learned by doing. Community yoga mats provided if needed.

Add Your Photo to the Photo Member Directory

Remember that there is a directory of members that includes photos on our website. This is a password protected document. Contact the office if you don't know the password. If you would like to add your photo to the directory, or update your photo, please send  a photo to  Carli Magel , or let her know you'd like your picture taken on Sunday morning. 
UCE Facebook Groups
Did you know that, in addition to the UCE Facebook Page, there are two UCE groups that members can join - the UCE Member to Member 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 above or search for the groups by name when you are on Facebook and ask to join.
Connecting UU: a path to belonging at UCE

45 minute discussions; Sundays at 10:15 in Room 12
These sessions are open to all,
no matter where you are on the journey. 
Childcare available. No need to sign up in advance.

UU Principles  - Understanding the seven principles, an enlightening discussion led by members of the New Member Committee.

UU Sources -  A discussion of the six sources from which we draw wisdom and spiritual nourishment.

Spiritual Journeys (4 parts) - take any one or all of them in any order. Explore your religious and spiritual background, where you come from, what you want to cherish and what you want to release, and how you practice your spirituality.

How to Get Involved  - Learn how to become more engaged in the life of the church, find groups and activities of interest, discover the way things get done, answer your questions about belonging in our community.

UCE History and Tour - Learn more about the history, architecture and art of our building through a guided tour led by one of our long-term members. Tour begins at the back of the sanctuary near the large mural.
Opportunities
 for Spiritual Practice

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

Rev. Eileen Wiviott has office hours most Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and  Thursdays, and often evening meetings on those days. Mondays are sabbatical days and Fridays she works from home. Please contact her via email at [email protected] , or via phone at (847) 864-1330 x111 (office), or (224) 565-3952 (cell).
UCE Board of Trustees meeting is held the third Wednesday of each month in Room 3. All members are welcome.
| 847-864-1330 | [email protected] | http://www.ucevanston.org
1330 Ridge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201