Covid Protocol Update
We are continuing to adapt to the changing COVID-19 situation around us. We will be having livestream ONLY worship services through January 30. Religious education classes will continue as they have been operating since the fall. (Virtual only through 6th grade, and Multiplatform for 7th grade and up.) We will continue to keep you updated. If you have questions about other small group programming, which can continue as before, please contact your group leaders or staff person.
Please note our offices will be closed on Monday, January 17 in observance of the MLK Holiday.
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Inescapable Networks / Rev. Emily Gage
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January Theme: Living with Intention
Live Stream Worship at 10am / Recorded Viewing Available at Noon
Live stream link can be found here.
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OFFERING :: Community Renewal Society (CRS)
This Sunday’s collection will benefit the Community Renewal Society (CRS) – a powerful network of Chicago-area faith communities organizing and advocating for racial and economic justice. 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.
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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.
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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.
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New Year, New Opportunities! Are you looking for a 2022 boost? What better way kick off the new year than to connect, create, contribute and just plain old feel good by volunteering with others in your UTUUC community? There are a variety of new opportunities in our expanding Engagement & Membership program with varying time commitments. You are invited to an Information Session following service from 11–11:30am leaving plenty of time to join the second part of Community Hour. The Zoom link can be found here. If you are unable to attend, contact tlewis@unitytemple.org for more information.
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Interested in the future of BIPOC Friends? Please join us, the UT BIPOC Friends for a hybrid meeting this Sunday, January 16 from 11:30am till 1pm to discuss the results of our survey and share your ideas on how to grow the group going forward. If you have not responded to the survey, know that your collaboration will be appreciated. We will meet via Zoom and in-person at 1019 S. Blvd. To receive the survey or a Zoom invitation (Zoom link to go out closer to 1/16), please contact bipocfriends@unitytemple.org. |
Reflecting with the Board After a December hiatus, the Board will again hold Reflecting with the Board sessions this next week! We are again offering two opportunities to share what we have been doing, to listen to your questions and concerns, and to invite you to join us as we continue to reflect on our Unity Temple community. Please join us on Sunday, January 16 at 1pm or Monday, January 17 at 7pm. Zoom link for both sessions can be found here. Meeting ID: 582 581 1029.
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Radical Compassion Group meets this Sunday at 7pm via Zoom Unity Temple’s Inspiring Compassion Team and Mindful Reflection Community are co-sponsoring a personal exploration group to expand our mindfulness and compassion practices. It is inspired by the book Radical Compassion and will be co-facilitated by Jay Cohen and Jan Johnston. This is a drop-in group where each session will stand on its own and participants can come to any or all sessions.
Participants are NOT required to read the book and all are welcome. If you would like an overview of the Radical Compassion framework, take a look at Jay Cohen's Dharma Talk from New Year's Eve titled "The Two Wings". To see the calendar of sessions, topics, as well as the Zoom link, visit our Radical Compassion Description and Calendar which can be found here. We hope you can join us, regularly or sporadically, as we continue our year of inspiring compassion.
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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.” Your 8th Principle team has prepared some resources to help learn more:
We are planning events for our congregation to learn and engage more deeply in the months ahead. Watch for more details soon! Contact: 8thPrinciple@unitytemple.org.
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Unity Temple Faith In Action Network
Spiritually Grounded / Deeply Relational / Strategically Effective
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Unity Temple Gives. Each week, we give our Sunday collection to an organization that aligns with our values. This Sunday’s collection will benefit the Community Renewal Society (CRS) – a powerful network of Chicago-area faith communities organizing and advocating for racial and economic justice. Learn more here.
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This week is a big one in our fight for free and fair elections and building a multiracial democracy! Now we have to make sure our elected leaders make the moral choices that holding elected office demands. An overwhelming majority of Americans support the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Now is the time to deliver! Our message is clear: the right to accessible voting is an essential and sacred one. The filibuster is not. Call your Senators to say Deliver4VotingRightsNow!
Keep calling and keep the pressure on! UU-the-Vote has escalated our ongoing actions for voting rights these last two months when dozens of UUs, supported by hundreds of others, were arrested at the White House and in the Capitol, including our UUA President Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray. Read about it here. To get involved contact: votelove@unitytemple.org
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COVID19 Behind Prison Walls: A Culture of Disposability January 26 from 6-7:30pm, join UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, with panelists Tewkunzi Green, Community Educator at the Illinois Prison Project, Alan Mills, Executive Director at the Uptown People’s Law Center, and more. Register here. Contact: restorativejustice@unitytemple.org. |
Interfaith Green Network The Village of Oak Park announces two major initiatives to help residents with environmental sustainability.
ONE: “Better Homes, Better Planet” connects residents with local projects to improve energy efficiency. Renters and homeowners can apply for grants of up to $10,000 on projects to help reduce utility bills and reduce housing emissions. Learn more here; click on “Take Action Now.”
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day Assembly Join Community Renewal Society’s annual assembly on January 17 to learn about the history of reparations and our advocacy plans for 2022. This year’s assembly will be virtual - streaming at 10am and again at 7pm CT. Register and watch the promo and read more about our keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, and spoken word artist, Kwyn Townsend Riley here. Questions? Contact: restorativejustice@unitytemple.org
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Join people of faith around the country on January 25–26 to learn and strategize. This event will be a first-of-its-kind virtual gathering of justice-oriented people of faith, activists, and leaders from the reproductive health, rights, and justice community. “Grounded in our shared values of justice, dignity, human rights, compassion, and expansive love, we will discover how faith and reproductive liberation are interdependent through keynotes, panel discussions, and breakout sessions.” Learn more and register here. Questions?
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New Side with Love Action Center
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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.
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76% and counting......
As of January 13, 2022 we have commitments totaling $917,837 towards our goal of $1,206,081. Our Annual Fund Drive Team are emailing and calling the remaining 98 households that have not yet pledged. If you have not made your pledge, PLEASE:
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Review the 2022 campaign information you should have received by mail here, then
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Fill out your pledge form and mail into the office as soon as you can, or
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Make your commitment online at https://onrealm.org/unitytemple, or
- Call the office to pledge over the phone at 708.848.6225 ext 104
Our goals are reached when we all work together!
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Do You Consider Yourself Part of the Queer UTUUC Community? If so, please join us on the evening of Thursday, January 20, from 7-8:30pm for our monthly Rainbow Connections meeting. (Allies are welcome, on occasion, by invitation only.) This month's virtual meeting topic is "Coming Out as a Lifelong Process". If you are a first-timer, feel free to log on at 6:45 for a one-on-one chat to get to know you a bit. Hope to see you soon! Zoom link can be found here.
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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 and more information on the program can be found here. Registration is open and will continue through February 11. For more information contact womensconnection@unitytemple.org. |
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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 t o register.
Winter Schedule
(Choose one of our two-part series)
- Sunday’s, February 6 & 13 from 1-3pm
- Sunday’s March 13 & 20 from 1-3pm
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This interactive workshop will explore principles and strategies that will allow you to approach difficult conversations in a radically new way.
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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.
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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.
ID: 373 008 242 / Passcode: 4IFrYx
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,373008242#,,,,*940220#1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 373 008 242 / Passcode: 940220
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Adult Religious Enrichment Meeting–open to all! If you are looking to suggest or offer a possible learning opportunity for our congregation, or are just interested in faith development for adults, you are welcome to come to our meeting! Rev. Emily Gage and Val Ridenour will host our meeting, and all are welcome.
The meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, January 25 at 7pm. Zoom link can be found here. Meeting ID: 981 1497 2216. Hope to see you there!
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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
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UT Choir is Online!
Our choir persists. We have begun meeting online at 7pm on Wednesdays. Email music director Marty Swisher for the link and for an inspirational gathering! mswisher@unitytemple.org.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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!
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