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In-Person & Virtual Worship Service

this Sunday, May 14th at 10:30 am

Faith Formation Hour this Sunday!

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

• Chalice Children (pre/k) Heads, Hearts, and Hands (1st-6th) and the Youth Group (7th-12th) will all meet next Sunday, May 21

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

Rev. Eileen Wiviott is currently on a scheduled sabbatical until Sunday, May 28th. In her absence, please contact:

• Rev. Elizabeth Harding (eharding@ucevanston.org), Sabbatical Minister covering pastoral care: Wednesdays, 11:00am-4:30 pm, Thursdays, 10:30am-2:00pm, or by appointment.
• Rev. Allison Farnum (afarnum@ucevanston.org), Sabbatical Minister covering worship and staffing: Tuesdays, 10:30am-3:30pm, or by appointment.
• Rev. Susan Frances (sfrances@ucevanston.org), Assistant Minister for Congregational Life: Thursdays, 10:30am-3:30 pm, or by appointment.

Do Not Get Scammed: Rev. Eileen will not be sending or receiving emails or text messages during her sabbatical.

Friday, May 12 ~ 9:00am—6:00pm

Saturday, May 13 ~ 9:00am—1:00pm

Yay! UCE’s ever-popular

Rummage Sale has arrived!!!

Especially good items this year at great prices! Don’t miss this opportunity. 

Be sure to shop the sale, and

invite a friend (share the flyer)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Peter Mayer Concert

Friday, May 19 - 7–10pm

Minnesota's Peter Mayer has been singing and songwriting full-time for over 20 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs for a small planet--songs that celebrate life on earth and the mysterious and wondrous fact of our existence. Peter wrote and produced Blue Boat Home which is in the UU teal hymnal. Peter Mayer performed days before we closed for the pandemic. He played to a full house and it was a memorable experience.



Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through Eventbrite by following this link. Tickets will be available at the door for $33.

Hats off to Our Wonderful Faith Formation Volunteers

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that is certainly true at UCE. In reality, it takes at least 18 adults just for our faith formation hour on Sunday mornings. Then there are the volunteers who help behind the scenes, not to mention those who plan and facilitate the adult programs. These dedicated people put their heart and soul into making meaningful experiences and connections for all ages: Lee Bannor, Rachelle Brooks, Dana Deane, Wendy Drake, Kristen Durning, Emily Eckwahl-Sanna, Leota Ester, Ellie Fedderson, Rev. Susan Frances, Ann Gadzikowski, Robb Geiger, Linda Herreid, Sue Larson, Gillian Lawrence, Norell Liddell, Janice Milanovich, Deane O’Connor, Sandra Robinson, Dan Solomon, Barbara Mesle, Bob Mesle, Christine Peters, Margaret Shaklee, Sarah Vanderwicken, Kristen White, Rev. Eileen Wiviott, Carla Williams, and Karen Wylie. You make a difference in the world!

TAI CHI

This is a gentle reminder that there will be no Tai Chi classes in the entire month of May. Classes will resume Saturday, June 3rd, at the usual times.

Nurturing Mother Earth

Plant Swap 2023

THIS Sunday - May 14, 2:30-4:30 pm

Unitarian Church of Evanston

Parking Lot enter on Greenwood

1330 Ridge Avenue, Evanston

Plants, Seedlings, Divisions

Come with something you have,

Leave with something you want to grow

For any questions, please contact Doug Erickson via REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.

2023 Annual Congregational Meeting



Save the Date for our annual congregational meeting after the worship service on May 21, 2023

If you are a member of UCE, you will receive a Zoom link in your email, so you can vote at the meeting. If you are not a voting member of UCE, you may watch the meeting live on YouTube by clicking the Watch the Meeting button below.

Join UCE at the

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian on May 25

Join us for a special event at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201, on May 25, 2023. From 4:00-5:00 pm, Josee Starr, the museum’s Director of Operations, will present on the Indigenous Peoples History of Chicagoland, followed by a question-and-answer session. Free with suggested donation of $10.

Join UCE member Beth McDonald at the museum at 3:30 pm to explore the museum before the presentation. The entry fee to the museum is separate from the donation for the presentation. [Tribal Citizens: FREE with ID; Students (with ID) & Seniors (60 & up): $6.00; Adults (18-59): $8.00; Youth (3-17): $6.00; Children Under 3: Free]

Sponsored by the UCE Native Communities Solidarity Team. If you have questions about the event, please contact Sallie Eggers or Beth McDonald through the Realm Membership Directory or Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

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 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 read on!

What's new?

Allocations by Purpose. Per the Task Force Recommendations, distributions will be allocated approximately as follows: 35% to Congregational Support (projects and expenditures supporting our congregation and buildings and grounds), 40% to Community Projects (a variety of projects that help us fulfill our mission by supporting the wider community) and 25% to Community Partners (regular, repeatable smaller grants to support long standing partners of UCE). Using last year's grant total of $75,000 as an example, that means approximately $26,000 for Congregational Support, $30,000 for Community Projects and $19,000 for Community Partners.

Join the Fun on Sunday, June 4! 

Annual Picnic Volunteers Needed

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’ve always wanted to take a turn with our parachute, if you’re a yo-yo pro, call Bingo, or you just want a chance to enjoy some games and get to know other congregational members, please volunteer to help for a half hour during the picnic. There will be a sign up sheet at the back of the sanctuary after the service on Sunday, May 14th (Check out the yo-yos and the paddle balls, too!) or email Janice Milanovich.

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 to Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org by May 30, 2023. 

If you have questions or ideas for this celebration, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org.

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.

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!

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

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 

I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart

The Fiction book group will meet Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

The story follows the experiences of four characters working behind the scenes of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, also known as the Revolution of Dignity. Ukrainian citizens defended their democracy against a President who resisted aligning with European democratic allies and instead forced the country toward Russia, resulting ultimately in the Russo-Ukrainian War. I Will Die in a Foreign Land is an ambitious, moving, intimate portrait of human perseverance and empathy. 

UCE Non-Fiction Book Group: 

Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal

The nonfiction book group will meet Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

In this book world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on his long career of investigating chimpanzees and bonobos to argue that biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. Different is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture and where sex and gender roles fit in. The pages of Different are packed with great stories, fascinating data, and thought-provoking ideas.

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.

Activate Our UCE Community!

Does your social justice team need to spread the work quickly about an event, a rally, a protest? Do you know of an urgent need for folks to show up, and make their voices heard?

Consider tapping the UCE Local Response Network (LRN)! The LRN is a UCE network of folks ready to take action. Groups or individuals share alerts with the LRN coordinators who send the message out to a list of over 80 (and growing) UCE members interested in engaging in local social justice events. You can reach “action oriented” folks who then have the option of joining in.

Alert requests are reviewed using this criteria:

• Grounding: Does the event/action reflect the deeply held values and interests of our UCE congregation?
• Accountability: Are we acting in relationships of solidarity with those most impacted, particularly those most marginalized? [also: do we know and trust who is suggesting this action?]
• Fit: Does it match our capacity to act effectively, and does it strategically build our capacity? [i.e. does it make sense for us to do this based on UCE’s current energy and focus?]
• Opportunity: Is there an opportunity to actually achieve meaningful results?
• Engagement: How does the opportunity require us to be engaged [i.e. from our computer at home or in relationship out in the community]?



Send your LRN alert submissions to admin@ucevanston.org with “LRN Alert” in the subject line. You’ll get a response within 24 hours from the LRN coordinators. Questions? Contact Carolyn Laughlin (REALM Membership Directory or admin@ucevanston.org).

Thank you for activating our UCE community in urgent, immediate, purposeful work!

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 .

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 canned meat & fish 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.