Whoever you are, wherever you are on your life's journey, you are welcome here.

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September 20, 2020 at 10am

September THEME : Renewal

Sorting it Out

Rev. Emily Gage

 

Join us for our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube here. For information on how to join our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the livestream please contact our Director of Membership and Engagement Tina Lewis. 

Our weekly newsletter, eBeacon can be accessed here.

Each week, the money we receive during our Sunday morning collection is given away to a nonprofit organization that embodies our Unitarian Universalist values. 


During this time of distancing we encourage you to give a donation to our weekly recipient online here, text your donation here, or send a check made payable to UTUUC with the nonprofit's name in the memo line by mail to UTUUC, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301.

 

This Sunday's collection will benefit the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee – advancing human rights and justice through grassroots collaboration. 

 
 

Please click here to learn more about UTUUC’s charitable contribution.

To link to a recording of the September 13, 2020 service here.

August 4, 2020
 
 
Dear Members and Friends,
 
These are challenging and uncertain times. The pandemic is shaping our decision making both in our personal lives and in our institutional lives. Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is no different. After much deliberation, we, the ministers, as part of and along with Unity Temple’s Community Transformation Team have determined that it is in the best interest of our community to not open Unity Temple for worship this fall. We will reassess in the fall whether we can safely open for worship in the winter.
 
We know that you are likely experiencing all sorts of feelings around this decision; we certainly are. Among other things, it is both a relief and a disappointment. The good news is that we know that the congregation is not the building, but in the relationships and community we build and maintain. We will continue to have pre-recorded video worship services and Zoom coffee hours every Sunday. We know that we are reaching more people—and from all over the world—than we could in an in-person at Unity Temple worship service, not only on Sunday but throughout the week.
 
Even as we know that worship will continue to remain online for the next months, we are continuing to explore various possibilities for in-person and online gatherings for all of our other programming, including religious education for children and youth. Many questions remain. This is where we need your input. It is important that we know how you have been keeping community with your small groups while sheltering in place, staying in touch with your friends across the congregation, and how we can support your efforts. We’d also like to know a little about your appetite for returning to in-person gatherings, your willingness to pitch in to help our community navigate this new normal and your concerns and ideas as we move forward for how we can continue to live our mission and principles.
 
To that end, you will receive a detailed survey on Thursday. It should take about 15 minutes to complete. Please take the time to respond to this survey. It will help guide our congregation as we move forward in these uncertain times.
 
Our Community Transformation Team, in addition to creating this survey, has been meeting frequently these past few months. The team has been hard at work collecting and unpacking the guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the best practices from the Unitarian Universalist Association and a variety of other denominations to learn how best to continue to be community with members and friends of UTUUC. We have also been reviewing the history of how we use our facilities (including Unity Temple, the Unity Temple Community Center, and Gale House) including reasonable capacities for our spaces following the social distancing guidelines. This team includes a doctor, a therapist, a principal, a teacher, our legal counsel, the chair of the Worship Committee, a member of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation board, a Manager from our umbrella organization, UTP, two members of the Campus Committee, two members of the UTUUC board, both full-time ministers, and three members of the staff, including our Director of Operations, who leads the meetings. At any time,  If you have comments, concerns or feedback please feel free to contact our team via email at communitytransformation@unitytemple.org
 
Thank you for all that you are doing to help keep our community together and moving ahead. We look forward to hearing more about your thoughts on the ways we can continue to live our mission and be in community even while we may be physically apart.
 
Warmly,
Rev. Alan Taylor and Rev. Emily Gage


 

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