For best viewing click here to see the entire newsletter

This Week at NSUC

* These events are open to all! Join us!

^ To learn more about participating in these groups/activities, contact Lydia Linendoll.



Sunday, March 23

10 AM - In-person and virtual Worship Service: Intensity, Rev. Lucas Hergert, leading*

10 AM - Worship Live Stream*

     Meeting ID: 890 0569 0250

You can access the Order of Service here.

11 AM - Fellowship Hour*

11:30 AM - Monthly Green Team Meeting (Room 4)^

11:30 AM - Listening Circles (Rooms 6, 7, & 8)^

11:30 AM - Monthly Visitor's Chat (Hearth Room)^

7 PM - Sunday Night Men's Group (Zoom)^



Thursday, March 27

7 PM - Parents & Guardians Support Group (Zoom)^

7:30 PM - Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)^

7:30 PM - Virtual Listening Circle (Zoom)^

Saturday, March 29

1 PM - 78 Acts of Liberation Tarot Class (Fellowship Hall)^

The end of this newsletter is marked by this graphic.

If you do not see this graphic at the apparent end of this message, please click on the link below.

For best viewing click here to see the entire newsletter

First Words - Rev. Lucas

Upcoming Worship Services

March 23: High Intensity: How have people encountered the holy in intense experiences?

Rev. Lucas Hergert, preaching

March 30: A Transgender Theology: On this International Transgender Day of Visibility, we will celebrate the special gifts, lessons, and insights trans people offer to theology. 

Rev. Lucas Hergert preaching 

April 6: Resilience, Hope, Commitment: A service lead by NSUC's Healthy Relations Team.

April 13: Plagued with a Story: This Intergenerational Service will talk about the themes of Passover and the reason why we tell and retell stories.

Intern Minister Will Esty and CLEC Lydia Linendoll leading

In case you missed it, here's last week's sermon:

To submit an item for consideration in future publications, click here.

We kindly ask that all submissions for next week's newsletter be made by next Tuesday. Thank you for your help.

Contested Election Interviews

The Voter Service Committee of the League of Women Voters Deerfield/Lincolnshire has provided us with an important resource in preparation for the April 1 local elections.

They submitted questions to all the candidates in ten contested elections in our area. They contacted 44 candidates and all but two responded. They converted the responses to the documents that are listed below. 

Click on links that apply to your local election:

Buffalo Grove Trustees

Lincolnshire Trustees

Vernon Hills trustees

Deerfield Park District

Lincolnshire/Prairie View School District #103

Aptakisic-Tripp School District #102

West Deerfield Twp. Supervisor

West Deerfield Twp. Clerk

West Deerfield Twp. Trustees

College of Lake County Trustee

Vernon Area Public Library’s Candidate Information Page

Listening Circles

There is still time to sign up to participate in our Listening Circles. Please take a moment and register. Your voice in our future is important and we want to hear it. Simply click on one of the links below to enroll. 

March 23 https://onrealm.org/nsuc/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=YTgzM2RiZmUtOGQyNi00Y2JkLWFlOTQtYjI4MzAxMjc2Mjhi

March 30 https://onrealm.org/nsuc/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=OTg0YWIyNzAtYzBiOS00ZThkLTkwODItYjI4MzAxMmNlOWU4

Virtual Meeting via Zoom will be held as follows:

March 27 at 7:30 pm https://onrealm.org/nsuc/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZjcyZDNhODktYzQyMi00MDk3LWI1ZDUtYjI4MzAxMmUzMTBh

Thank you in advance for helping us to chart a course into an ever-brighter future for our beloved community.

With Appreciation,

NSUC Board of Trustees

Join the Call! Think Economics! Think about all our pockets...

At the last Democracy Action Team (DAT) meeting, we decided to start looking into issues of economic justice, recognizing that economic inequality is escalating.  

Many companies have recently removed or rolled back their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies. These actions have or will have a devastating effect on certain populations in our country. 

Our first ask is for you to consider taking part in the TARGET Fast during Lent (March 5 – April 17). The “Fast”, organized and supported by many Black faith communities, asks Target to restore their original DEI policies, AND asks the public to join in boycotting Target and redirecting their spending to Black and ally businesses.

To that end, below is a list of a few Black owned businesses in our area which we can support. Make a point to try one or more during Lent. 

HECKY’S BARBEQUE

1902 Green Bay Rd., Evanston 60201

WEB: https://heckys.com

HONEY BATS BBQ

39210 N. Sheridan Rd., Beach Park 60096

847-244-4711 WEB:  www.bbqjohnson.com

JERK N MORE TOO

2234 Green Bay Rd., Suite 3, North Chicago 60064

224-214-3136

SURF’S UP  

220 Randhurst Village Dr.,  Mt. Prospect 60056 

708-787-3787 WEB:  soufsuomountptospect.com

SMOKIN’ BBQ ON 45

428 N. Lake St., Mundelein 60060

224-864-7964     

WEB:  smokinbbq45.com

MAMA JERK N TINGS

29 N, Genesee, Waukegan, 60085

224-656-6632

SPICE RESTAURANT

1905 Church St., Evanston 60201

847-859-2847 WEB:  www.spicerestarantmenu.com

DRIP AND CULTURE, Socially Minded Coffee Shop

located in SUPERMERCADO GONZOLEZ GROCERY

2015 Grand Ave., Waukegan 60085

WEB: dripandculturecoffee.com

PROVARE

Italian and Creole Fusion ; Handcrafted Pasta and Creole Spices

1523 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago 60642

WEB: www.provarechicago.com

DALTON’S CAKES

Bakery, including vegan cakes

970 Harris Rd., Ste 2A, Grayslake 60030

847-223-2344 WEB: www.daltonscakes.com

HEAVENLY HANDS CLINIC

Day Spa, Massages, Massage Therapy

34121 N US Rte 45, Ste 214, Grayslake 60030

224-627-4848 WEB: www.heavenlyhandsclinic.com

POPE’S FLORIST

2116 Grand Ave., Waukegan 60085

847-263-7673 WEB: www.popesflorist.com

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER

4450 N. Clark St., Chicago  60640

773-769-4451 WEB: www.blackensembletheater.org

UUA General Assembly 2025

Calling all volunteers! This year, as in every year, UU’s from around the country will be gathering. This year’s theme, most appropriately is “Meet the Moment.” The dates are June 18 – 22. Those wishing to participate can do so in person or virtually via Zoom. You can simply participate as an observer or NSUC is able to send up to six official delegates, which empowers the ability to vote on measures. If you are interested in becoming a delegate, please notify Jocelyn. Click on this link to learn more.

Monthly Visitor's Chat This Sunday

If you are a visitor, a newer member or a member with questions, you are invited to join us for a visitor chat following Sunday’s service. Members of the Membership Team will meet you near the fireplace in the Hearth room after the service to answer questions and help you connect with NSUC. The membership book will also be available for people who are ready to make a commitment of membership

LGBTQ+ Action Team Meeting

The LGBTQ+ Action team will have its first meeting after service on 3/30 in the Hearth Room at 11:30. We will be discussing the recent efforts to restrict the rights of LGBTQ individuals and how our congregation would like to respond. Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to please attend! Contact Joey Mello jmello7@gmail.com for more information. 

NSUC Prairie is Burning this Spring!

The NSUC Prairie Community is a group of members who meet periodically to help maintain the church prairie. Depending on the time of year, we may work on weedy species, gather seeds, or spread seeds as we recently did with the RE class. This time of year, area conservationists use a “prescribed burn” to help maintain healthy prairie environments and to assist in restoration efforts. The grasses and forbs in the NSUC prairie evolved with fire. Fire has been used for thousands of years by indigenous peoples to encourage new plant growth and provide hunting grounds. Nowadays, prescribed fire is used to help manage aggressive or invasive species. Weather permitting, we hope to burn the NUSC prairie this spring! If you’re interested in joining our group, please feel free to contact Monica Gajdel (mgajdel@comcast.net) or Kevin Conley (conley.kevin1969@gmail.com). And watch as the big black space after the burn becomes a lovely patch of flowers and pollinators!

Stewardship Update

We are so close! NSUC’s light is shining brighter today as we now have pledges for $414,875 which is 94% toward our goal!  NSUC truly is a beacon of hope that radiates a message of truth and justice in our community. Thank you for turning in your pledge. If you have not turned in your pledge, please commit to doing it this week.  Let’s make it 2 years in a row that we reach our goal and have 100% participation.  

MidAmerica Regional UUA looking for Delegates

The 2025 MidAmerica Regional Annual Business Meeting will be held online on April 24th, 2025 at 6pm CT / 7pm ET. Credentialing as a Delegate is required to vote on the business before the Business Meeting. The Agenda for the 2025 Annual Business Meeting will include the election of leaders and a significant bylaws revision.  

If you are interested in participating, please email Lydia Linendoll at congregationallife@nsuc.org for more information.

Save the Dates: Pilgrimage to the Legacy Museum

October 10-13, 2025

NSUC will partner with First Presbyterian Church in Highland Park to travel to Birmingham Alabama to visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. NSUC will also visit the memorial sites to James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo, two Unitarians killed in the struggle for Civil Rights. All members and high school youth are invited to attend. More details will be forthcoming, ask Rev. Lucas if you have questions. 

Hello RE Families!

Here's our RE Schedule for March:

March 2: Age Group Classes

March 9: Intergenerational Service

March 16: Age Group Classes

March 23: All Ages project

March 30: Age Group Classes

This last month, we started our two curriculums on Bluey and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as working on a Social Justice Vision Board for our All Ages project.

Here is the handout we worked on for our Social Justice Vision Board, provided by the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation. We talked about what it looks like to be an Upstander in our community, and what projects we would want to do to be Upstanders ourselves. We are hoping to plan a student-lead service in the next few months, where they can talk about issues that they are passionate about with our NSUC community.

In our Bluey curriculum with our 4K-1st graders, we talked about Inclusivity and Perseverance. In our Inclusivity lesson, we watched the episode Featherwand, played our own game of Featherwand, and talked about inviting everyone into our community with open arms, no matter who they are and what their ability levels are. In our Perseverance lesson, we watched the episode Squash, played some games that challenged us to work together and not give up, and talked about how if we keep trying and learning from our mistakes, we can overcome obstacles.

In our Avatar: The Last Airbender curriculum with our Middle and High School groups, we watched the first two episodes of the animated series. With our first episode, we talked about Faith and Trust. This brought us discussions about what we believe in, why we believe in it, and what people and systems can do to gain or lose our trust. In the second episode, we talked about Loyalty and Commitment, bringing on discussions about where we hold our loyalty, who our family and found family is, and why and/or how we choose to stand up for those we are loyal to.

In this next month, I hope to have us start back up our plant tower in Bletzer, continuing our relationship with John Lewis Middle School to support our local community and learn about cultivating our own plants. We will also continue our TV show curriculums. We also have our Family Game Night coming up March 15th! Please RSVP and bring some friends. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions or would like more ideas on how to support further learning at home, please feel free to email me at congregationallife@nsuc.org.

Blessings,

Lydia Linendoll (she/her)

Congregational Life and Educational Coordinator

Parents and Guardians Check-in: Thursdays at 7 PM

This weekly gathering gives parents a chance to connect, encourage and support one another in raising kids with our UU values. Please contact Lydia for details.

Your 2024 -2025 Board of Trustees

Joe Small, President

Rob Malench, Vice President

Vicki Jenkins, Treasurer

Glenn Mills, Secretary

Emily Mace, Susan Barker and Christina Fraley, Members at Large

A Message from the Board President - 3/4/25

“In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.”—Jean Hersey

March is the month of spring, that wonderful time of year when the chill of winter fades and flowers begin to stir. 

March is also an auspicious month. The name March comes from the Roman god Mars, aptly named because it marked the time their soldiers went to war—the weather apparently being more civilized for fighting, if such a word as “civilized” can be used for combat. It is also the time of the March Hare from Lewis Carroll’s magnificent story, Alice in Wonderland. The idea for the “Mad March Hare” comes from the odd behaviors hares exhibit during breeding season. This take on March seems particularly appropriate for today’s times (check the news for confirmation).

March also indicates the beginning of a very active part of the church year. Our pledge drive is fast reaching its climax and is currently on track to reach our 2025/2026 fiscal target. This relies on everyone completing their pledges. If you have not already done so, we kindly ask that you move quickly. It does take all of us together to shine the NSUC beacon and fuel this sacred place of sanctuary and community.  

Meanwhile, our new Democracy in Action Team has been hard at work in this challenging time. They have organized a four-person team to vet action items through the lens of their focus areas—Immigration, LGBTQ+ and Environmental. These teams will meet separately to define the work of monitoring local organizations and media to determine when to send requests to a Rapid Response Team. In an incredibly short period of time a strong structure and a focused, motivated team have been developed to ameliorate the hurt and suffering of the vulnerable. Thank you Janell Cleland for your updates on activities and to all who are participating in this worthy endeavor.

With the onset of March a group of questioners and seekers has joined our good Reverend Lucas to learn of the practice, mysteries and benefits of Tarot, both for individual and societal betterment. What other church would provide such an opportunity? Ours is truly a unique and fortunate community.

Finally, we will soon be moving into Music Sunday, the Flower Ceremony Service and our Congregational Assembly. It is all coming, but don’t forget to enjoy the beauty and promise of spring along the way. In this month of March, let us march forward with hope in our hearts, peace in our souls and goodness in our works.

With every good wish!

Joseph Small

Board of Trustees

President

Upcoming Board Meetings

Board meetings are at 7:00 PM and are open to members.

Our next meeting will be: Wednesday, March 19th

Rev. Lucas' Office Hours



Do you want to chat with Rev. Lucas? Please fill out this form to request a meeting with him.

BLUU Resources

North Shore Unitarian Church supports Black Lives Matter. For information and resources about Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism, please click here: blacklivesuu.org.

Legislative Advocacy Team Opt-in 

Click here to opt-in to receive notifications from the Legislative Advocacy Team. Emails with

actions you can take will be sent as needed when the Illinois General Assembly is meeting.

Staff Office Hours & Contacts

Click here for hours and contacts for our staff.

Dropping by NSUC? Give us a call.

We ask that all members and friends make an appointment with the church office before coming to the church. Please email Jocelyn or call 847-235-1957.

Copy Machine Update

This is a friendly reminder that you should contact Jocelyn if you need to make copies for an NSUC group or program. We ask that you provide one week's notice to coordinate your copy job.

Help Keep Our Church Safe

Please make sure to secure all church doors before leaving the building. This includes pulling doors completely shut and making sure that they latch. Thank you for your continued support in making our church a safe space for all!