Office Closed: Between Christmas and New Years Day, the staff have been granted time off. (There will not be an eBeacon on December 31. However, Sunday worship will continue as scheduled). Office hours will resume again the week of January 3. Thank you for your understanding and we're wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!
What We Must Do / mandi huizenga
December Theme: Opening to Joy
Live Stream Worship at 10am / Recorded Viewing Available at Noon
Live stream link can be found here.
OFFERING :: Housing Forward
Unity Temple Gives. Each week, we give our Sunday collection to an organization that aligns with our values. This Sunday’s collection will benefit Housing Forward – transforming the lives of nearly 15,000 people since 1992, by meeting immediate housing and crisis needs, addressing health and income needs, and supporting housing stability. Learn more here.​​

You may donate by placing cash or check in the donation box in the front pew on the main floor, sending a check to the Unity Temple office (to 875 Lake St., Oak Park, 60301) with (name of organization) on the memo line, by texting 73256 with the message UTUUC $____ (dollar sign followed by your donation amount) and select “Offering”, by using the camera on your phone to scan the QR code on the screen during the Offertory or you can give at the UTUUC website. Whatever modality you choose, may what you give bring you joy.
Sunday Worship Service
At this time, we have suspended in-person services and will be live streaming from the sanctuary with only worship participants present. You can access the live stream on YouTube at 10am here
Community Hour
Following the Sunday morning service, the Virtual Community Hour will be on Zoom following the service. Go to Zoom Meeting ID: 999 2797 5277 Password: 875875 Or access directly here.
Online New Year’s Eve Sangha
Join our annual New Year’s Eve special event on Friday, December 31 from 5-7pm (CST). Jay Cohen will be giving the dharma talk titled The Two Wings. This is a wonderful way to begin the New Year! You are welcome to join us whether you are new to our community or a "regular". We've planned it so you can still get out and celebrate in other ways that you may desire after our event. The Zoom link is the same one we use for all Mindful Reflection Community events and can be found here. Meeting ID: 373 008 242. Passcode: 940220 / One tap mobile +13126266799,,373008242#,,,,*940220# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Christmas Eve Services
Friday, December 24, 2021
3pm Worship for All Ages
7pm Candlelight Service

At this time, we have suspended in-person services and will be live streaming from the sanctuary with only worship participants present. Live Stream on YouTube here.
Meet & Greet Resumes in January Let's get to know each other! Sunday, January 9, you are invited to a meet and greet social hour. New and established congregants alike are invited to attend. We will meet from 1-2pm in Unity House located at Unity Temple. Walk-ins are welcome, though registration is appreciated. Masks are required. Contact tlewis@unitytemple.org to register.
Meet the Ministers 
Once a month following services, one of our ministers will be available for social time after service and they hope you are able to attend. Curious about what called them to ministry? Wondering how they spend their free time and more? Come find out! They want to learn more about you too. Masks are required. Contact tlewis@unitytemple.org to register.
 
Winter Schedule
Sunday, January 9
Sunday, February 13
Sunday, March 13
Pathway to Membership 
Considering becoming a member? Come share your spiritual/religious history, learn about ours, discover how our congregation works today, and how we can be part of each other’s futures. We hope you are able to attend! We will meet at the Unity Temple Community Center located at 1019 South Blvd. Masks are required and space is limited. Contact tlewis@unitytemple.org to register. 

Winter Schedule 
(Choose one of our two-part series)
  • Sunday’s, January 16 & 17 from 1-3pm
  • Sunday’s, February 6 & 13 from 1-3pm
  • Sunday’s March 13 & 20 from 1-3pm
Annual Women's Retreat
Building Strength: Through Resilience & Flexibility
We are pleased to announce the UTUUC Women’s Connection will hold a one day, in person retreat at Concordia University, River Forest, IL. We welcome all who identify as women to attend, including trans-women. The date is Saturday February 12, 2022. There will be a virtual in-gathering on Friday, February 11 to set the tone for our Retreat. Our Keynote Speaker will be Rev. Karen Mooney. To attend in person, COVID vaccinations will be mandated, along with mask-mandated by the State of Illinois guidelines. Registration begins December 27 and will continue through February 11. For more information contact womensconnection@unitytemple.org.
Unity Temple Faith In Action Network
Spiritually Grounded / Deeply Relational / Strategically Effective
Unity Temple Gives. Each week, we give our Sunday collection to an organization that aligns with our values. This Sunday’s collection will benefit Housing Forward – transforming the lives of nearly 15,000 people since 1992, by meeting immediate housing and crisis needs, addressing health and income needs, and supporting housing stability. Learn more here.​

Westside Community Town Hall Join members of Unity Temple and some of our local partners on Monday, January 3, at 6pm for an online Community Town Hall with Senate President Don Harmon and Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch to learn more about legislative priorities for 2022. Register here for Zoom link details. Share on Facebook here. Questions? Contact: FaithinAction@unitytemple.org
2022 Sunday Collection Recipients
Thank you to all who participated in the nominating and voting process to select our Sunday collection recipients for 2022! You can find the complete list of collection recipients here. Questions? Contact sundaycollections@unitytemple.org
Plastic Recycling Update! 
We’ve collected over 500 pounds of stretchy plastic since June! Thanks to all who have participated! Since we have reached our goals, we have closed the plastic bag recycling at Gale House. Please drop off your recycling at the following stores as their plastic goes to Trex to be made into decking, benches and fences: Food 4 Less, Fresh Thyme, Home Depot, Jewel-Osco, Kohl’s, Mariano’s and Meijer. The same rules apply for stretchy plastic only. No food bags of any kind, no hard plastic and no crunchy plastic.
 
We hope this project has helped you think about plastic use while shopping and dining. Please continue to bring your own bags, consider ordering your paper products in plastic free containers and buy in bulk when possible.
 
There is a congregation in Oak Park that is still collecting plastic for a bench. Please contact ecojustice@unitytemple.org for their location and for any other recycling questions. Thank you for your support!
Disaster Relief Here are two recommended ways to help in the aftermath of Kentucky’s devastating tornadoes:
Thank you!
Rise Up, Speak Out: A Vigil for Democracy Join us Thursday, January 6, 5:30pm at Federal Plaza. This will mark the one year anniversary of the Capitol riots and coup attempt. #RiseUpSpeakOut Register here. Share on Facebook here.
Introducing the 8th Principle Team To date 142 UU congregations and organizations have adopted the 8th Principle, which calls for us to “accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Unity Temple has recently formed an 8th Principle Team, whose mission is to provide information and reflective experiences so that people understand what the 8th Principle is all about. We invite you to join the Team by emailing us at 8thPrinciple@unitytemple.org. You can find additional information about the 8th Principle here. Watch for much more information in the months ahead!
Immigration Justice Local jails in Illinois can no longer hold contracts with ICE and will no longer be able to keep people detained for immigration purposes. Learn more here. Starting January 1, ICE has 30 days to evacuate the premises at the two remaining Illinois ICE detention centers, and an opportunity to release the approximately 130 people currently detained in McHenry and Kankakee. Join our partners Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to demand that DHS use its prosecutorial discretion powers to release EVERYONE detained. Sign the petition here. Questions? Contact: immigration@unitytemple.org
New Calls to Action! Side with Love Action Center Our national UU organizing work for justice and liberation is now all in one place. Check out the new Side with Love Action Center page for calls to action in the four intersectional areas of:
  • Climate Justice
  • Decriminalization, Ending Deportation & Detention
  • Democracy & Voting Rights
  • LGBTQ+, Gender and Reproductive Justice
UUANI Action of the Week Each week our Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of IL (UUANI) offers a call to action. Sign-up to receive these simple and impactful actions direct to your in-box here.
Radical Compassion Group starts on Sunday, January 9, 2022
The Inspiring Compassion team and the Mindful Reflection Community are co-sponsoring a group to help us deepen our mindfulness and compassion practices in 2022. The discussion questions will be based on the book Radical Compassion by Tara Brach and it will be co-facilitated by Jay Cohen and Jan Johnston. This is a drop-in group that is open to all. It helps if you read Tara's book, but that is not required. 

We will be meeting on Sunday night's starting on January 9 at 7pm on Zoom. We will meet two Sundays in a row and then we will meet every other Sunday through May. To read more about this, including the calendar of meetings and Zoom link, click here.  

Sacred Wanderings Live and In Person at Thatcher Woods on Saturday, January 8 from 8:30-10:30am (We bumped it from the first Saturday to the second for January only to avoid the Holiday) Join Terry and Jay as we intentionally practice connecting with nature and surrounding ourselves with the energy of the natural world. Forest bathing is not taking a leisurely walk in the woods to enjoy the scenery. There's a specific intention in the practice to connect with the natural world and to gain benefit and energy from it. In other words, you are bathing in the energy of the trees, leaves, sky, and earth. Meditation and mindfulness assists in securing this intention. There will be silence and discussion.

The group will meet no matter what the weather conditions so come prepared. Please bring a lawn chair you can carry to sit on as well as a cup for tea for the discussion at the end, if you desire. Tea will be provided. Mosquito netting, hand sanitizer and masks will be provided. Those with physical challenges are easily accommodated. If you have any questions please email mindful@unitytemple.org.

We will gather at 8030 Chicago Ave., just west of Thatcher Ave., north Pavilion, Maywood, IL.
Watch for Sacred Wandering signs. 
Mindful Reflection Online Community Tuesday Evenings Zoom meeting room opens at 6:45pm, program starts at 7:10pm. You Are Welcome Here! We will follow our usual format with 20 minutes of Mindful Reflection followed by a dharma talk and discussion. Questions email mindful@unitytemple.org.
Join Zoom Meeting here.
ID: 373 008 242  / Passcode: 4IFrYx  
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,373008242#,,,,*940220#1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 373 008 242 / Passcode: 940220
Daily Mindful Reflection Community 30 minute meeting, 7 days a week! Starts at 8:25am and ends at 9am every day, seven days a week. This will be different from our regular Tuesday night meeting. The daily meditation will include opening words, 20 minutes of mindful reflection, and closing words. All are welcome! You are welcome to attend regularly or sporadically. 
Time: Every Day (including weekends) at 08:30am Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting here. ID: 373 008 242  / Passcode: 4IFrYx. One tap mobile: +13126266799,,373008242#,,,,*940220#1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 373 008 242 / Passcode: 940220
Religious Education Registration 2021/2022 is Open! Each year, we ask our families to re-register their children for our religious education programming. It ensures we have the most up to date information about our young people, helps us with planning, and gives us an ongoing communication loop. Along with information, we ask for a registration fee of $50 per child (for pledging members and friends) and $100 per child (for non-pledging members or friends). These fees help support elements of our program. Scholarships are granted by request to Emily Gage egage@unitytemple.org or Val Ridenour vridenour@unitytemple.org. Please register your child/children for Religious Education using this link.
Our Goals Are Reached When We Work Together! Thank you to everyone who has already made their 2022 pledge. This years’ pledge goal of $1,206,081 is the projected amount needed to meet our expenses. As of December 21, 2021 we have commitments from 281 households totaling $892,743. For more information, click here to see our current budget and our 2022 projected budget.
.....Our goal is to ensure that our beloved community remains resilient, strong, and connected. We know from previous challenges that goals are reached when we work together! Please take this opportunity to submit your 2022 pledge form as soon as you can. Information can be found by:
  • Review the 2022 campaign information you should have received by mail here, then
  • Fill out your pledge form and mail into the office as soon as you can, or
  • Make your commitment online at https://onrealm.org/unitytemple, or
  • Call the office to pledge over the phone at 708.848.6225 ext 104
The Unity Temple E-Team has completed a comprehensive Covid-19 Phased Re-Opening Guidelines. This document is intended to serve as a guide for Congregational events going forward. The guidelines will be implemented based on the Cook County Risk Metrics determined by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Unity Temple E-Team has also completed version 3.0 of the congregations Building Use Policy and COVID Protocols for Unity Temple, Gale House and the Community Center for in-person events which can be found here. The COVID Risk category will be updated weekly and can be found on our homepage in the slider bar for easy access. Please reach out if you have any comments or questions eteam@unitytemple.org.
Through Our Differences, We Are One :: The beloved community includes people of all political parties. Here at Unity Temple we call people to live out our faith but this does not mean we share the same political or partisan perspective. May we remind one another to honor our own life experience in the development of our unique perspective while honoring that of others. The core of being a religious liberal is remaining open to and respectful of a pluralism of theological positions and political stances. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large while also knowing that endorsements or support of particular candidates cannot be part of our congregational process. 
Planned Giving offers a variety of meaningful ways to support our congregation through charitable gifts and can be made by anybody – young and old, working or retired. These gifts are made today, but they support the future needs of your congregation and Unitarian Universalism. You can obtain more information about planned gifts by contacting the Planned Giving Team at plannedgiving@unitytemple.org

Support Our Work : As we continue to find new ways to join together in virtual community we have launched additional portals to financially support UTUUC. Details can be found here. If you have questions please reach out to office@unitytemple.org. Thank you!