July 2011 for web - UC Evanstonucevanston.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/July-2011-for-web.pdf ·...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

July 15 Concert . . . 2

Membership at UCE . . . 2

July Worship Services . . . 3

Charitable Giving at UCE . . . 4

Shared Offering Suggestions? . . . 4

Joys & Concerns . . . 5

Spotlight on Staff . . . 6

Religious Education News . . . 6

@ UCE: News & Notes . . . 7

Minister’s Schedule/Office Hours

. . . 8

A UCE QUIZ

For a little test of your UCE

news knowledge, see p. 3

July 2011

UCE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE UCE’s new website launched on Friday,

June 24. The site was made possible by

funds from the UCE Endowment Fund and

was created by web developer Adam Bo-

wen in collaboration with Staff members

Sandra Robinson, Eileen Wiviott, Judith

Ramey, and Carli Magel. It is designed to

provide UCE members and friends, as well

as UCE visitors and visitors to the site, with timely, useful, accurate in-

formation. Equally important, it is designed to be inviting, attractive,

streamlined, and easily navigable.

We hope that the home page (reproduced here) will become a fre-

quent go-to place for all things UCE. If you haven’t yet taken time to

click around on the site, please do. The menu on the left side of the

page will lead you to all kinds of information including, among much

more, information about Religious Education, Church Governance, UCE

Staff and, for members, the member directory and Joys & Concerns of

the Community. The buttons on the right will lead you to a video and

information about current activities — e.g. right now the Claudia Rus-

sell concert at UCE on July 15 — among other things. The “Calendar”

button at the top of the page makes it easy for you to know at any time

the entire schedule of UCE activities. (If you have a question or wish to

make a correction or addition to the calendar, email Executive Opera-

tions Director Sandra Robinson at [email protected].)

We will continue to add content and make improvements to the site

and we welcome your input. Call us at 847-864-1330 or email

[email protected].

EVANSTON UNITARIAN NEWS

The UCE newsletter is published monthly. All

newsletter articles should be sent to Editor

Judith Ramey at [email protected].

Submissions may be sent by email (preferred),

or as legible ‘hard copy.’ WANT MORE NEWS?

Join the UCE Announcements list for email

news items throughout the week. Call or

email the office, [email protected], 847-

864-1330.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF EVANSTON

1330 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

www.ucevanston.org Ministers: Rev. Connie Grant (ext. 103);

Rev. Janet Newman, Interim Parish Minis-

ter (beg. August 1) Staff: Bart Bradfield,

Director of Music; Gregory Shifrin, Pian-

ist; Sandra Robinson, Executive Opera-

tions Director (108); Chris Isely, Account-

ing Manager (109); Judith Ramey, Com-

munications Director (114); Eileen Wivi-

ott, Membership Director (111); Carli Ma-

gel, Administrative Assistant (102);

Brenda Dunkins, Church Assistant (101);

Eric Webber, Custodian; Lindsey Ken-

nedy, Liz Kennedy, and Jonathan Motley,

Lobby Staff.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

TERMS EXPIRING IN 2012

Sandy Danforth

[email protected]

Cathy Deamant [email protected]

JoAnn Schalk [email protected]

Betty Walker [email protected]

Trudi Westwood [email protected]

Marc Rolfes (President Emeritus)

[email protected] TERMS EXPIRING IN 2013

Michael Anderson

[email protected]

Robb Geiger [email protected]

Bill Hartgering [email protected]

Ann McCallister [email protected]

Mike Tracy (President)

[email protected] TERMS EXPIRING IN 2014

Claudia Dancing [email protected]

Kathy Monk [email protected]

Michael Takada [email protected] SECRETARY

Jim Clark [email protected] TREASURER

Marc Rolfes [email protected]

CLAUDIA RUSSELL & THE FOLK UNLIMITED

ORCHESTRA AT UCE ON JULY 15

California singer/songwriter Claudia Russell and her band return to the Chicago area for a per-formance at UCE on Friday, July 15, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at the UCE office and $18 at the door. Russell is an award-winning vo-calist, songwriter, and guitarist. Accompanied by her band, the Folk Unlimited Orchestra, Russell plays an eclectic blend of folk woven from tradi-

tional music, blues, western swing, and pop. Advance publicity says, “Her performances are heartfelt and entertaining. Using humor, per-sonal stories and her ‘Who me?’ attitude, Claudia bonds with audi-ences, winning them over with her powerful voice and signature guitar stylings.” Though based in the San Francisco Bay area, Russell calls the Midwest her home-away-from-home. All Russell’s CD releases have brought acclaim. Chicago’s Rich Warren of WFMT wrote: “Russell is a great live performer. And her band! Let’s just say they’re hot. Plug them into a medium sized city and they’ll light it up.” For tickets or more information, contact the UCE office at 847- 864-1330 or http://www.claudiarussell.com

MEMBERSHIP AT UCE

Introduction to Unitarian Universalism: Sunday, August, 14 11:30 am -

1:30 pm Newcomers to our church and our faith are invited to join us for

a deeper understanding of Unitarian Universalism. This 2-hour session,

led by our Minister for Lifespan Religious Education Rev. Connie Grant,

will provide an overview of Unitarian Universalist history, the seven prin-

ciples of our faith, church governance, and how we live in beloved com-

munity. It is designed for anyone who wants to know more about our UU

faith, and is also the first step if you are considering membership at The

Unitarian Church of Evanston.

Orientation Toward Membership (OTM): Saturday, August 20, 9 am - 12

pm What is the meaning of membership? How will your life be different

if you join UCE? If you’ve been asking yourself these questions and have

participated in an Intro to Unitarian Universalism class, please consider

signing up for OTM. This class will address our various spiritual journeys

and the principles of Unitarian Universalism, as well as UCE culture and

programs. By the end of the session, you’ll have a good sense of the re-

wards and responsibilities of membership at the Unitarian Church of

Evanston, and whether you’re ready to join.

Please register for Intro to UU and/or OTM at the Guest & Member Ser-

vices table in the lobby or contact Membership Director, Eileen Wiviott,

at 847-864-1330 x111 or [email protected]. Childcare will be pro-

vided upon request.

Sunday, July 3 “To Accept the

Past: Gifts from my Grandmoth-

ers” We carry with us the lives

and dreams of those who have

come before, their stories are

part of our personal and collec-

tive stories. How do they nurture

us? How do they challenge us?

Ian W. Riddell speaking. Ian just

completed his year as Ministerial

Intern at the Unitarian Universal-

ist Church of the Monterey Penin-

sula in Carmel, California. He re-

turns to Chicago to complete his

final year at Meadville Lombard

Theological School. This fall, Ian

will serve as Student Minister at

the Open Circle Unitarian Univer-

salist Fellowship in Fond du Lac,

Wisconsin. Sunday, July 10 “Something's Got

A Hold On Me (It Must be Love!)”

What do Etta James, May Sarton,

and Forrest Church have in com-

mon? As Etta said, "It must be

love!" Join us as we explore the

question "Just why is love the

spirit of this church?" Ian W. Rid-

dell speaking (see July 3 service

description for information about

Ian). Sunday, July 17, William Phillips

speaking. Sunday, July 24 “What Our Navy

Recruits Can Teach Us: Lessons

from the Great Lakes UU Minis-

try” Every Sunday morning young

Navy men and women attend the

Unitarian Universalist service at

Great Lakes Recruit Training Com-

mand in North Chicago. What

they have to offer is often amaz-

ing. Find out what they can teach

us about honor, courage, and

commitment, as they prepare to

serve their country. Chris Isely

speaking. Chris has been provid-

ing lay-led services at Great Lakes

since 2008. He has been a mem-

ber of UCE since 1977, and is a

retired Navy Captain. Sunday, July 31 "Meditation is

not what you think." This experi-

ential service will offer the oppor-

tunity to do "chair" yoga, which is

possible for almost every-

one. We'll explore our space,

come back to center, sit straight,

relax and breathe for

awhile. We'll hear some new and

some old ideas about meditation,

ending with a brief guided prac-

tice. Led by Dick Whitaker and

Doug Erickson. Since retirement

in 2001, Dick Whitaker has de-

voted much of his time to yoga

teaching and discussion

groups. At UCE, he's chair of the

Green Sanctuary Committee and

Buildings and Grounds. Doug has

been leading yoga classes since

2002 and currently teaches seven

classes a week, mostly at High

Ridge YMCA. Having recently

joined UCE, Doug has been enjoy-

ing the yoga classes at 9:15 on

Sunday mornings.

JULY WORSHIP SERVICES - 10:30 a.m.

A UCE QUIZ 1. Where else might you find the photos below? (All were taken by David Linsell)

2. Where can you find the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting of May 18, 2011?

3. How could you learn (other than in this newsletter) what the topic and speaker are for

the July 10 Worship Service?

4. What is the magic button for seeing a calendar of all UCE activities & events?

5. What is this?

Crackerbarrel Discussion Group is on hiatus until fall. Join NEWS GROUP this summer, 9:15 a.m., Room 3. See p. 7 for more informa-

Answers are on page 6.

UCE is a giving community. We share half of what we collect each Sunday with various local and global organizations that are doing good work to make the world more whole. At other times and in other ways, our members donate to UCE dedi-cated funds as well as to other charities. Here is a summary of our contributions in FY 2011. Our Sunday Loose Plate (Shared Offering)

Contributions for 2010/2011 This year, the organizations were selected by the Social Action Council from your suggestions. This is a summary of what your generosity has allowed us to donate this year: $786.50 to Connections for the Homeless $786.50 to Two Li’l Fishes $962 to June Singer Clinic $806 to the Center for Ethical Living in New Or-leans $1,066 to Interfaith Action of Evanston $750 Connections for the Homeless (Mitten Tree) $750 Good News Builders (Mitten Tree) $750 The Cradle (Mitten Tree) $1,553 to Orange Helpers in Vietnam $1,250 to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcer-ated Mothers

$1,068 to the Ted Fund $1,170 to Faith In Place $858 to Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance $215 to the Community Action Fund The total of these contributions was $12,771.50.

Other Charitable Contributions $531 to UCE Endowment Fund (Sunday morning) $1,075 to UCE Pastoral Care Fund (Serendipity Auction) $1,439 to UCE Pastoral Care Fund (Christmas Eve) $1,525 to Susan Walker Social Action Fund (Serendipity Auction) $650 to Marjorie Fisher Green Fund (Serendipity Auction) $2,000 to Chute Children’s Fund (Fair Trade Fair) $100 to UUA-UU-UNO-LGBT Uganda Fund (Film Night Proceeds) $487.22 to UUSC Guest at Your Table (family col-lection) $600 to ETHS Edible Acre (Earth Day, Fair Trade Fair) The total of these contributions was $8,407.22, for a grand total of $21,178.72.

UCE, A GIVING COMMUNITY OUR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS JULY 1, 2010 - JUNE 30, 2011

Nominations for our loose plate shared offering collection organizations for 2011-2012 are due now. The suggestions for which organizations receive our shared offering come from you and are decided upon by the Social Action Council. We choose a balanced mix of recipients addressing education, mental and physical health programs, hunger, poverty, and justice as well as a mix of denominational, local, national and international organizations. We will meet to decide the recipients, based on your suggestions, on August 10. If you have a sugges-tion, we need you, the members of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, to submit a half-page description of the organization by no later than July 31. Include a website address, phone number, and street ad-dress of the organization. If your suggested organization is chosen, you will also need to arrange for a representative to speak before the congregation for 3-4 minutes on the first Sunday of the month for which the organization is a recipient, and introduce that person to one of the ministers or Eileen Wiviott by phone or email so we can clarify arrangements. Send your suggestions and/or questions to Eileen at [email protected].

CONTINUE THE GENEROSITY - SHARED OFFERING SUGGESTIONS FOR 2011

Joys & Concerns of Our Community

For privacy reasons, this edition of the July 2011 newsletter, for publication on the web, has been redacted to remove the Joys and Concerns of our community. Beginning soon, probably in September, Joys & Concerns will be found in the mem-bers’ password protected area of the website, www.ucevanston.org and will no longer appear in the Evanston Unitarian News. By sharing members’ personal information in that private way, rather than in the newsletter, which is widely dis-tributed, we will more adequately protect our members’ privacy. We will also have printed copies available at the Mem-ber Services table in the lobby.

Gathering the Waters

At our worship service at 10:30 am on Sun-

day, September 11, we’ll bring together

the waters that symbolize where we have

been and what we bring to this religious

community. Please bring a vial of water

from your travels near or far (or from your

backyard). This will be a worship service

for all ages.

JUDITH RAMEY

As UCE Com-munications Di-rector, Judith Ramey draws

upon some of her earliest profes-sional experiences when she was a high school English & journalism teacher, then writer/editor in various venues. Judith officially retired in 2001 from 30+ years of federal government experience, the last 20+ years as an attorney with the Federal Labor Relations Authority Chicago Regional Of-fice. In her UCE position, Judith is pleased to be able to use older skills while learning new ones, particularly those demanded by new communications technolo-gies. Judith was reared in Nebraska but transplanted her family to Evans-ton in 1971, after a turn in Kansas City, MO. She has been a mem-ber of UCE since 1972 and has, in addition to singing in the choir nearly all of those 39 years, filled many other committee and Board positions. Judith has three grown children. James and JoAnn live in Skokie and Evanston, respectively. Daughter Jean and her husband John make their home in Red Wing, MN, where, in spring 2011, younger son Ben has just gradu-ated from high school and elder son Sam is home from college for the summer.

SUMMER SUNDAY

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY PROGRAM

On Sunday mornings at 10:30 am (during the worship service) from through September 4, children who will be entering kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to participate in a multi-age program of crafts, games and other activi-ties. Child care will be provided for nursery and preschool chil-dren.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHER

ORIENTATION

Saturday, September 10, 8:30 am-noon. For Religious Education teachers for preschool through eighth grade classes. Together with our community of teachers, meet with Rev. Connie Grant and the Religious Education Board to share inspiration and ideas about classroom management, to learn procedural information, and to plan together for the new year. RSVP to [email protected].

SUNDAY MORNING YOGA PRACTICE

Designed to reduce stress, bring

relaxation, increase range of mo-

tion, and find balance, Yoga is

learned by doing. Drop in, wear

comfortable clothing for stretch-

ing, and try it. Community yoga

mats provided if needed. Led by

UCE member Doug Erickson, a

certified Yoga instructor. Sundays

9:15 – 10:15 am.

SPOTLIGHT ON STAFF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

Save the date!

SERENDIPITY

AUCTION 2011

Saturday,

November 19, 2011

It’s not too early to put

this date on your

calendar!

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

ON P.3

Questions 1 - 3:

www.ucevanston.org

Question 4: calendar

at www.ucevanston.org

Question 5: The official UCE

logo, designed by member Jill

Donovan

LOOKING TO

9/11/2011 Peace & Justice Notes

by Mary Dudek While this is a summer newsletter, we are asking you to reflect on the September return to church. Here's why: At our incoming service on 9/11/2011, our nation will be com-memorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US. In response to this anniversary, there will be a strong peace program and opportunities for your participation. We're planning a "Ten Days of Peace: 9/11 to 9/21/2011" Program. While 9/11 is a day of sorrow and reflection on all that has happened since the attacks, 10 days later (on 9/21/2011) is the International Day of Peace. Just 10 days in between two very significant and very differ-ent commemorations. Special events are being planned for both dates and there will be peace activities in between, as well. Details will be provided over the summer as we continue to develop Program. This is your chance to reflect: what could you do to create more peace in yourself, your home, our commu-nity, our nation and our world? Share your ideas with us!

CALLING YOUNG ADULTS UCE Young Adults are encouraged to join Rev. Connie Grant and Mem-bership Director Eileen Wiviott in discussing programs and activities at UCE that would be of interest to you. We will meet on Saturday, July 16 at 10 a.m. at UCE to share ideas. We need your input. And please take a few minutes to complete the short survey found at this link: http://goo.gl/u9Lsx Questions? Contact E i l e e n W i v i o t t a t ew i v i [email protected].

SCREENING SUNSCREENS

Ecotips, by Lynn Lawson

With sunscreens now a multibil-lion-dollar industry, the Food and Drug Administration (which in-cludes cosmetics) has finally is-sued testing and labeling guide-lines intended to inform and pro-tect sun-worshipping consumers. Its issuance coincides with the public-interest Environmental Working Group’s fifth annual Sun-screen Guide: “The 2011 Guide analyzes more than 600 beach and sport sunscreens, and, unfortu-nately, we can only recommend one in five.” In contrast, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, internationally renowned cancer epidemiologist, says at the end of the thoroughly researched chapter on sunscreens and sunblocks in his 2009 indis-pensable book Toxic Beauty that “there are no safe sunscreen products on the market.” On sunblocks, he says that zinc oxide and titanium oxide are safe and effective sunblocks and that their presence in Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen makes it a sun-block. TIP: To check your pre-sent sunscreen (and more), go to www.ewg.org and scroll down the right side to “2011 Sunscreen Safety Guide.” SUMMER SOUP KITCHENS

at 2nd BAPTIST We continue our tradition of serving Monday lunch once a month at Second Baptist Church this summer, on July 25 and Au-gust 22. We feed approximately 100 people and need lots of help! We will serve chicken pasta salad in July and August. Look for the sign up sheets on the volunteer

bulletin board in the lobby or on our website www.ucevanston.org. Questions? Contact Eileen Wivi-ott at [email protected]. NEW NEWS GROUP NEWS Sunday morning discussions con-tinue during the summer with NEWS GROUP substituting for Crackerbarrel in the same time slot, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. in Room 3. Most sessions will be led by ex-perienced Crackerbarrel-er Bill Gram, and by others when he can't be there. NEWS GROUP will be different from Crackerbar-rel in that no topics will be deter-mined in advance. Rather, Bill will lead participants in a review and discussion of recent news items, mostly from the print media, that he and they will bring to the dis-cussion. There's lots to discuss these days: the economy, various wars, Chicago's new mayor, Re-publican electoral candidates, cli-mate change, Anthony Weiner. The list is endless. Join us for

- @ UCE: NEWS & NOTES

ENDOWMENT NEWS by Barb Butz

A big “thank you” to Harry and Libby Hirsch for their gift to the Endowment fund in honor of their birthdays. En-dowment News will return in September. But don’t forget – gifts in celebration of people and events are always welcome. Send a check with a note, or drop it in the collection plate, and we will promptly acknowl-edge. Get on the website for more information, or call the church office to learn more. Have a great summer!

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF EVANSTON 1330 Ridge Avenue at Greenwood Evanston, Illinois 60201

Printed on paper with 50% recycled content. Please recycle.

MINISTER’S SCHEDULE & SUMMER ASSISTANCE at UCE

Rev. Connie Grant will be

on vacation from July 2

through July 9. Pastoral cov-

erage during that time will

be provided by Ian Riddell,

who is a fourth-year student at Meadville

Lombard Theological School. In the event

of a pastoral emergency during that time,

you may contact Ian directly at (608) 772-

0957 or [email protected]. Ian will re-

spond to emergency needs and will get in

touch with Rev. Connie as quickly as possi-

ble. Rev. Connie will be available the rest

of July and will be reachable at (847) 840-

8542 or [email protected]. Rev.

Janet Newman, our Interim Parish Minister,

will begin August 1.

Summer office hours are Monday - Fri-

day, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but staff will always

be available to assist you. If you call after 1

p.m., please leave a message. If it isn’t

picked up that afternoon, it will be by the

next morning. In an emergency, please con-

tact Rev. Grant 847-840-8542 or Sandra

Robinson 847-471-1041.

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