If using Gmail, please click: [Message clipped]  View entire message to read the whole newsletter.

In-Person & Virtual Worship Service

this Sunday, May 28th at 10:30 am

Faith Formation Hour this Sunday!

• Childcare (0-3 years) is available in room 11 from 10am-11:45am

• Summer Schedule – June 11, 18, July 9, 16, 23, August 6, 20, 27 Our program, Wisdom Tales & Wild Games, for ages preschool through 8th grades, will meet in room 3 this summer so we can enjoy the South Lawn on nice days. Helpers are needed too - sign up HERE!

Families can explore our theme, Creativity, at home at their own pace with the Soulful Home packet.

YoFresh Cafe comes to UCE!

REAL (Racial Equity Action Leadership Team) is hosting a fun event with games for kids of all ages and make-your-own yogurt cups or sundaes brought to us by Dr. Larry and Dr. Jean Murphy of YoFresh Cafe here in Evanston. We will be outside on the south lawn or in the sanctuary depending on the weather. Come and enjoy fellowship and fun from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on Sunday, May 28th.

The UCE Office will be closed this Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day.

Hats off to the Rummage Sale Team

"Hats Off" to our Rummage Sale team, a dedicated fun-loving group of volunteers. A special shout out to Renee Hoff and Gillian Lawrence who teamed with me to make final plans and pull together publicity and organizational details, printed materials and overall collaboration. Thank you to Department Leads: Lynn Kendall, Tory Bassani, Elizabeth Kennedy, Carol Nielsen, Margaret Schatz, Robb Geiger, Tom Beck, Pat Ulmer, Ginny Niemann, Alice Chrostowski, Johna and Will VanDyke, Gillian and Dan Lawrence. Thank you to our Cafe Rummage leaders Meredith Haydon and Kathy Talmage. 

We are grateful for all team members, clean up crew, donors, purchasers and every one who gave their time, talent and treasures to make this year's sale a great success! A special note of thanks to Vickie Doebele for her work on the finances, Liz Kennedy for help with set up and David Carling for his support of the publicity plan. 

I am honored to have worked with all of you.....Sandra Robinson

New Sanctuary Chairs Testing Outcome & FAQ

Thanks to the 106 people who tried out the chairs we were testing and provided us with feedback. The winner is the Lumin chair (white one with the orange cushion). Please keep in mind we will not be using those colors, those were only sample chairs. However this is not the end of the story. We listened to some of you who had further concerns and questions. Click below for our answers and actions.

TAI CHI

This is a gentle reminder that there will be no Tai Chi classes this weekend and classes will resume Saturday, June 3rd, at the usual times.

Endowment Grant Application Deadline Approaching!

The first of three application periods for Endowment grants for the 2023-2024 church year is open, and our first application deadline is this Wednesday, May 31. There is a lot new this year as a result of recommendations from the Endowment Task Force, but the key ideas behind how applications are evaluated remain similar to the past. To find out what's new and how to apply, please click below!

Board of Trustees Discusses

Endowment Allocation Category

Prior to the April meeting, Trustees were asked to complete a survey in advance of a Board discussion about the allocation of Endowment funds for Congregational Support. The survey surfaced trustees' thinking about the degree of appropriateness for activities funded by Congregational Support grants, and what circumstances might be considered when considering a grant or a repeat request for a grant.

The Board discussed types of requests as to whether they were very, somewhat or not appropriate.

Kitchen Volunteers needed for June 4^th Annual Picnic

The Congregational Connections Team is looking for a few good folks to help with setting up and overseeing fun games for children and adults at the UCE annual picnic on Sunday, June 4, 2023.

If you are available to assist with set-up or clean-up in the kitchen, please click into SignUP.com at https://signup.com/go/BmTojmU and sign up for the "Annual Picnic Set Up" or "Annual Picnic Clean Up" spots.

Most importantly, plan now for what you will bring to the potluck picnic. Meat/meatless protein on the charcoal BBQ and buns will be provided. You bring the rest!

100th Anniversary of Flower Communion

The Flower Communion service was created by Norbert Capek (1870-1942), who founded the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia. He introduced this special service to that church on June 4, 1923.

In honor of celebrating this 100^th anniversary on the exact day, June 4, 2023, we will be filling our sanctuary with flowers of all kinds. This year, in addition to bringing a cut flower to share during the Flower Communion, please also bring:

• Paper flowers to put on the walls
• Knit, stitched, croqueted flowers to place on the altar
• Craft made flowers of any kind to place along the altar and chancel
• Potted flowers to place on the tables for our annual picnic

Email photos of flowers that are meaningful to you or questions about this celebration to Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org by June 1, 2023. 

Spots Available for 2 Serendipity Auction Group Events

Square Dancing (June 9)

GUUrls’ Night Out (June 16)

Missed the chance to bid on these two group events from the UCE Serendipity Auction? There are still spots available, while they last. Put on your best “Wild West” outfit for a fun-filled, square-dancing event for age 8 years to ‘ageless’ on Friday, June 9 from 7:00-9:00 pm at $15/person and $30/family.

Join the annual GUUrls’* Night Out Party for delicious dinner, delightful desserts, wonderful wine and convivial conversation on Friday, June 16 at 6:30 pm at $45/person. Don’t miss this UCE tradition designed to honor the positive aspects of the feminine. Join us if you wish to spend an evening living up this side of you (*GUUrls=female, transgender, femme, womxn, non-binary).

To reserve your spot, email us at: auction@ucevanston.org.

Second Baptist Church Invitation to Film Screening

Second Baptist Church (SBC) has invited the members of the Unitarian Church of Evanston to a screening of the second half of the documentary Who Are We and then for a conversation afterward. We hope you will join us!

Date: Sunday, June 11, 2023

Time: 2 pm – 4 pm

Location: Evanston Public Library, located at 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201

Room: TBD

Program:

2 pm - 3 pm, we will watch the second hour of WHO WE ARE: A Chronicle of Racism in America.

3 pm - 4 pm, we will discuss the second hour of the film, along with the themes and history discussed in the film.

WHO WE ARE: A Chronicle of Racism in America can be found on Netflix and Amazon Prime if you want to watch the entire film. Some of us joined SBC for the screening of the first hour of this film on March 19, 2023. Even if you did not attend the first screening, you are invited to participate on June 11th!

 It's Prom Night Again!

Revive that Anticipation! Dress Up or Down. 

Roll in Stag or Drag. 

Make a Corsage for yourself or someone else. 

Show your Love. 

Request a Favorite Song: Old or New. Fast or Slow. 



Be Yourself Prom Night on Saturday June 17!

Music from 7pm til 10pm at UCE. 

Rainbow Alliance invites its Members and Allies to come Celebrate your Fabulousness! RSVP Here. To RSVP, look for the spot at 7:00 pm titled "Attend the Prom". And if you can volunteer to help with other tasks that evening, please sign up for those too.

2023 UUA General Assembly

The 2023 UUA General Assembly will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from June 21 – 25 online and in-person. 

Registration is now open. Click here for details.

The Denominational Affairs Team is asking you to consider being a Delegate to this General Assembly. Delegates will be considering changes to the UUA Bylaws, Article 2, that address racism, non-human life, and the inclusivity of the democratic process in our Principles, Purposes, and Sources. Delegates can attend in-person and virtually.

If you are interested, please contact Peggy Boccard via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

We will continue to provide information via the Newsletter. 

Looking ahead in Faith Formation...

Parents’ Circle – June 4 at 9:30am in room 13.

We’ll share our thoughts on what we’d like to see and do next year to help parents in raising UU kids and youth.

(Grand)Parents of Trans Individuals – June 18 in room 2

Summer Concerts – We’ll have meetups in Evanston on some Tuesday evenings, and Skokie on some Wednesday evenings during the summer. More details to come!

You can see a working calendar here that includes multi-age events. As in life, things change, so you can refer to this calendar throughout the year for updates or read them in the newsletter.

Want to know more about Faith Formation this year? Read our brochure here.

Chalice Sparx July 7-9, 2023 We are a multigenerational community that is intentionally welcoming for LGBTQ+ families, and families who have a member who is trans* or non-binary make up a sizeable portion of the families who have attended over the years. We have nurtured several trans kids in their journey toward adulthood and offer a time out of time and a place out of place experience for Unitarian Universalist families to connect and support one another.

Camp Marwood July 16-22, 2023 - Marwood is designed to be a 4-year experience for youth aged 12-15 (rising 7th graders - rising 10th graders) and the majority of campers choose to attend for all four of the summers they are eligible. Therefore, a potential camper’s best chance to “get in” is the summer before 7th grade. Some years, we have spots for rising 8th or 9th graders.

UCE Fiction Book Group 

Trust, by Hernan Diaz.

The Fiction book group will meet Friday, June 16, 2023 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

A genre-bending, time hop-scotching saga of New York city’s elite from old-money New York in the last years of the 19th century to the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. Hernan Diaz takes a closer look at the human cost and cost in natural resources that undergirded wealth as amassed by the American elite. Diaz turns a dazzling light on wealth in America, revealing an underside we’d rather not know, but an underside — or backside — we Americans are complicit in covering. Shades of Henry James and Edith Wharton.

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: 

Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism by Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin

The nonfiction book group will meet Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 2.00p.m. via Zoom.

In this year’s UUA Common Read, the authors share the experiences of five UU congregations across the U.S. as they take on the call for Beloved Community, to practice a radically inclusive and compassionate, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and multicultural faith within their churches and to act powerfully in partnership and solidarity for justice and liberation beyond.  Rev. nancy and Ms. Lin hope that these stories of transformation will inspire readers to take the risks, make the mistakes, discover the creativity, and be enriched by the joys of multicultural, antiracist work.

Shared Offering Program Nominations Open

Nominations for the 2023-2024 Shared Offering Program are now being accepted by the Social Justice Council. If you have any questions about this Program, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

Environmental Justice Awareness Day

What is the intersection of equity and the environment? Come to find out at the Fleetwood Jourdain Center (1655 Foster St.) from 1-4 PM on Saturday, June 3rd. Children ages 4 to 11 will be able to create environmental art with Open Studio Project while adults and older children participate in a dynamic “world cafe” style discussion of environmental Justice in our neighborhoods and share ideas about desired outcomes and priorities for action. Finger food and beverages will be provided by C & W Market. Hope to see you there!. 

Join the UCE Team in the Race Against Hate

Now in its 24rd year, the Race Against Hate will be held on Fathers’ Day, June 18, 2023, at 7:30 am in Long Field, Evanston, and UCE will again be a part of it! 

Some of us run, some walk, some roll! Please join us for the Race Against Hate by joining the UCE Racial Equity Team 2023. (The YWCA has generously offered UCE 2 free registrations. So, the first 2 people to register using the code unitarian23, will be able to register for free!) If you can’t be with us in the Race, but want to join in spirit, support the team through your donation. Click this link to get to our Team page where you can register or sponsor the UCE Racial Equity Team or one of its members. 

Dana Deane is coordinating the UCE Racial Equity Team 2023. Please let her know if you have any questions at Dddeane847@gmail.com .

How to Help Refugees and Asylum Seekers Locally

Chicago-area organizations have responded quickly to assist immigrants to our region. UCE’s Immigrant Solidarity Team (IST) and other Evanston-based faith groups are working with the Sanctuary Working Group (SWG) of the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) to help.

You can support the SWG of CRLN in three ways:

1. Donate Money: Your contribution helps purchase basic necessities such as toothbrushes, shoes, etc. To donate, click HERE.

2. Provide Short-Term Housing: Welcome an individual or family into your home for a night or two while they wait their turn to move into a shelter. To sign up, click HERE.

3. Provide Long-Term Housing: Share your home for several weeks or months with individuals or provide ongoing financial support to people who are moving into their own apartments. For more information, click HERE.

Separately from CRLN, people in Rogers Park, with the help of Ald. Maria Hadden, are organizing emergency overnight housing for people who are currently sleeping on the floor of the Rogers Park police station.

For more details, please contact Michelle Novak or Jim Strickler of the UCE IST through the Realm Membership Directory or at admin@ucevanston.org.

What’s Next for the Anti-Oppression Task Force?

The Anti-Oppression Task Force (AOTF) has wrapped up its work with consultants from the YWCA Equity Institute, but UCE’s anti-oppression work has only begun; and you can help!

The three aims the Anti-Oppression Task Forces (AOTF) pinpointed for its work are:

1. expanding the Congregation’s ownership of the anti-racism, anti-oppression work,

2. increasing power sharing at UCE, and

3. encouraging radical inclusion and hospitality,



Using the information gathered from the congregational surveys, our consultants from the YWCA provided our Congregation with a list of recommendations for fulfilling each of these aims. Over the course of the next three weeks, we will be sharing the top three priorities for each aim.

To Expand Ownership of the Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression Work, our three priorities are to:

1. Provide training in the use of the Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) tool and support all groups in making that part of their decision-making and program planning.

Determine how groups will be accountable for sharing their use of the tool.

2. Gather and share data about all current AR/AO efforts at UCE. Identify ways

people can participate in each that are meaningful AND manageable in time

commitment.

3. Continue Solidarity Circles: Conversations on Race across congregations,

making sure REIA questions are addressed as new folks join.

Please be a part of fulfilling this aim and expanding ownership of this vital work. Please contact Melanie Kitchner via the Realm Membership Directory or Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org to indicate your interest.

Get Invited to an Abortion Access Team House Meeting

The UCE Abortion Access Team is working with several UCE members to host informational and fundraising meetings to benefit the Chicago Abortion Fund, which provides support for people facing barriers to accessing abortion care. House meetings are scheduled from May 16 through June 25. If you have not yet been invited to attend a meeting but would like to hear more, please reach out to Jean Butzen or Jon Siegel through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org and ask to be included in another upcoming event!!

Giving House Continues...

For the month of May, we are accepting donations of pasta in the Giving House.

The Giving House is a small wooden "house" that is located in the front lobby. We are partnering with C&W Market & Ice Cream to distribute free foods to those in need.