A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Join us for worship and religious education at 9:15 and 11:00am on Sunday Morning!
October 6, 2017
Sunday, October 8
Worship Service  -  9:15 and 11:00am
"Courage Following Tragedy "
How do we make sense of a world that seems to be falling apart? In a week containing one of the worst mass shootings in American history, we find the courage to move on. Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.

From the Choir
Hi there Lord of the Rings Fans! T he choir will sing  "May It Be" from "The Fellowship of the Ring" this Sunday with original elfish lyrics to boot!

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.

LULA Groundbreaking - 12:00pm
Join our staff, ministers, accessibility team, donors, city leaders and fellow congregants as we place a symbolic shovel in the ground and cut a ribbon in honor of the upcoming installation of the LULA accessibility lift to the lower level. There will be cookies and flowers in celebration of this great milestone. 

OWL Launch - 6:00-8:00pm

Connecting UU: a path to belonging at UCE 
10:15am in Room 12
These sessions are open to all, no matter where you are on the journey. Click here for more information on Connecting UU.

Peace and Justice - 12:30pm 
Please join us to discuss our plans for the new church year and to hear what activities the various task forces are working on.  We strive to put our UU faith into action.  All are welcome.
 
Crackerbarrel - 9:30am
"The Power of Introverts"
Do we need to give more consideration to introverts and less to extroverts?  Susan Cain raises the question in the attached TED Talks.   Discussion facilitator:  Gordon Mallett. Click here to listen to the podcast.

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 -  9:30am
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. 
From the Senior Minister  seniorminister
Rev. Bret Lortie
A Week in the Life of a Working Pastor

People know ministers as busy people, but what our weeks look like is shrouded in some mystery. With so many pulls on our time, attention, and hearts, carefully compartmentalizing tasks is essential to serving you well. Here is what a typical week in ministry looks like. Click here to read more.
Upcoming Worship Services  upcomingservices
Sunday, October 15, 9:15 and 11:00am
"White Supremacy Teach-in, Part II"
A follow up to our spring Teach-In, this service will explore further what it means to live within a "Culture of White Supremacy," and how this differs from being a white supremacist. Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.

Sunday, October 22, 9:15 and 11:00am
"Mary Baker Eddy's Science of Mind Healing"
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was called many things: heretic, hysteric, feminist, religious reformer. Somewhere within the hype and villanization lies a woman, both brilliant and flawed, who invented the once-fastest growing religion in America. Little tracked is Eddy's transcendental roots and how the bards of New England influenced her theology and outlook. Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.
 
Sunday, October 29, 9:15 and 11:00am 
"When the Veil is Thinnest - A service honoring Dia de los Muertos"
This traditional Mexican festival helps loved ones honor their ancestors and discover courage in the face of death. Celebrated October 31st through November 2nd, it is said to be a time when the veil between this world and the world of those departed is thinnest. This liminal space enables us to connect with the souls of those we've lost, and to celebrate their lives with joy. Ofrendas or altars displaying pictures or talismans of those who have died with colorful decorations and marigolds are an integral part of the tradition. You are invited to bring a photo or sacred object of your loved one to display on the ofrendas. After each service there will be a potluck meal. Please bring a favorite dish of your beloved to contribute to the celebration. This service will be led by Rev. Eileen Wiviott with support from the Retired Women's Group, Taryn Seawright, and Dr. Mary Shelden.
Sandra Robinson
Lobby Art News - Sunday October 1st kicked off the return of lobby art at UCE!
 
You may have noticed these beautiful paintings in our UCE lobby. They are the work of Barbara Blades, Evanston artist. Barbara was introduced last Sunday and was available for questions and information in the lobby following both services.

The art gracing the lobby is part of our reinvigorated Lobby Art Initiative begun many years ago to highlight work of local artists and raise awareness of arts at UCE. Members of the committee are: Will VanDyke, Johna VanDyke, Eleanor Speiss Ferris, Ally Hunter, Gay Riseborough, and Andrea DeMers. Click here to read more.
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.
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 through the UUA's longtime partner, Church World Service. You can register to walk or to donate to our team online here, or at a table in the back of the sanctuary on Sunday. Click here to read more.
Do you or someone you know come from a fundamentalist or otherwise authoritarian religious background? If you would like to talk about your experiences with others who understand, please join us at the first meeting of a new post-fundamentalist Sunday discussion group. For more information, contact Taryn Nelson Seawright.
America's red rock wilderness draws pilgrims from around the world.  It is the largest network of undesignated wilderness lands remaining in the lower 48 states. The program includes "Wild Utah," a multi-media slideshow. This 15-minute journey through red rock splendor, narrated by Robert Redford invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these threatened public lands. Click here for more information.
All the sponsors have been identified and the Food and Shelter Team is so grateful for everyone's generosity. Now it is up to you! Please post the schedule on your refrigerator and plan to bring the items listed each month. The sponsors will match the donations. This year we are sharing your generosity with the Evanston Interfaith Action Hospitality Center and the Evanston Interfaith Refugee Round Table in addition to Connections for the Homeless. This is a small and easy way to share our bounty and to make sure others in our community have small needs met. If you have children it is also a good way to remind them about gratitude and sharing. Click here for the schedule.
UCE's REAL Team (Racial Equity Action and Leadership) wants you to know about the new workshops coming up at the YWCA over the next couple of months.  You can go to just one or to many.  Well worth checking this out! Registration is required,  cost per workshop is $75. Click here for more information.
Continues Tuesdays, October 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 kitchen 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 date to sign up and for more details.


Contact Marilyn Wroblewski 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 .

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




Non-Fiction Book Group
Sunday, October 22, 12:30pm
Join the nonfiction book group to discuss "You're in the Wrong Bathroom!" and 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions about Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People by Laura Erickson-Schroth and Laura A. Jacobs. As we celebrate the theme of courage during the month of October at UCE, learn more about the courage required of transgender and gender-nonconforming people as they go about their daily lives.
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.
UCE Board of Trustees meeting is held the third Wednesday of each month in Room 3. All members are welcome.
Upcoming UCE Events

Tuesdays, October 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, October 22, 12:30pm
Wild Utah: America's Red Rock Wilderness

Sunday, October 29, 12:00pm
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos Ofrendas and Potluck

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.

Saturday, October 7, 6:30pm
Curt's Cafe Fundraiser

October
Book Drive for Chicago Women in Prison

YWCA Let's Talk at Lunch
Third Thursday of the Month 
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos
Ofrendas and Potluck

Sunday, October 29, 12:00pm

Please bring a photo or a sacred object to honor a loved one who has died. Place it on the ofrendas or altar with their name and a few words about them on an index card. We will have tables set up in the sanctuary with Dia de los Muertos decorations. Please put your name on the item as well so you can easily retrieve it after the service.

There will be a potluck meal after each service. Please bring the favorite food of your loved one to add to the celebration.

In October we are collectings toiletries including feminine hygiene pads, shampoo, bar soap, toothpaste, razors; sponsored by the Recently Retired Women's Group and donated to the Evanston Interfaith Refugee Round Table.
From the UCE Social Justice Organizing Team

Thursday, October 12, 7:30pm 
Indiana/Illinois Mass Meeting with Rev. William Barber at Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church (3622 W. Douglass Blvd, Chicago).
 
There may be carpooling and/or a public transportation group organized to go down together, and there may be a UU dinner beforehand.  Questions? Contact Dale Griffin.
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).
| 847-864-1330 | [email protected] | http://www.ucevanston.org
1330 Ridge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201