Application to Become Peace Advocacy Congregation

In the past three years, the Peace and Justice Committee and the Unitarian Church of Evanston in general have sponsored or participated in numerous activities and events in support of national and world peace.  In light of these activities we are applying for recognition as a UU  Peace Advocacy Congregation.   Advocacy and lobbying for peace are integral to what we are as church members and members of our community.   We applaud the demonination's recent passage of a Peacemaking Statement of Conscience and encourage our congregation to continue their efforts in support of peace.

Both the Peace and Justice Committee and members of the Evanston Unitarian Church have worked on the following activities:

International Peace

·          Organized 2010 International Day of Peace celebration.  Members of other local congregations and of the surrounding community were invited to attend.

o    The event included a local folk singer and Dances of Universal Peace, led by a church member

o    Prayers for peace were read from various religious traditions

o    During the summer of 2010, youth in the religious education program constructed a 10’ wire, cloth and papier mache dove, which was displayed at the event and used to bring attention to it

 

·          In October-November, 2010 sponsored a series of adult education classes focused on implementing the UUA Peacemaking Statement of Conscience

o    Sharon Welch from Meadville-Lombard spoke on peacemaking and peacekeeping

o    Ron Glossup of Southern Illinois Univ spoke on international peace.  He encouraged us to join the UU – United Nations Org, which the Peace & Justice Committee subsequently did

o    Prior to adoption of the SOC, another series of classes was held to discuss various aspects of the proposal and two congregational meetings were held to discuss and vote on it

·          Sponsored a presentation at our church in May, 2011 where Kathy Kelly, a member of the Christian Peacemakers Team, provided an update on the conditions in Afghanistan after her visit there.

·          Met with a local student sponsored by the Iraqi student project, a scholarship program for young women from Iraq whose education has been interrupted by war.  Collected loose plate contributions to support the project.  

·          Sponsored films which emphasize various aspects of international peace and invited the local community to attend the film showings

o    Sponsored the showing of ‘Peace One Day’ in 2010 and a discussion of the importance of the International Day of Peace

o    Sponsored the showing of ‘Little Town of Bethlehem’ about peace activities in Israel and the West Bank and invited members of a neighboring Jewish congregation to discuss their recent trip there

·          In 2009 we raised money for, erected and dedicated a peace pole, which stands next to the main entrance of the church.  The pole says ‘Let Peace Prevail’ in English, Arabic, Hebrew and Chinese

Personal, Domestic, Congregational Peace

·          Participated with other local faith communities in a march on September 11, 2011 from a local mosque to a Jewish congregation meeting place.  The “Walk ‘n Talk” encouraged participants to talk with folks they might not otherwise know as they completed the 2.5 mile walk 

 

·          Organized Ten Days of Peace event between Sept 11 and Sept 21 (Int’l Day of Peace), 2011

o    Ten different events were suggested for the ten days – including meditating, writing a poem, lobbying a congressman, and forgiving someone

o    Participants were encouraged to blog about their experiences at the web-site UCEPeace.blogspot.com

 

·          Emphasized civility and respect for all members of the congregation through adoption of a congregation-wide Covenant of Engagement.  Each major committee of the church was encouraged to adopt its own covenant.

 

·          We work to end institutional violence by supporting the Chicago Legal Action for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM).  Loose plate contributions were collected for the program for a month in both 2010 and 2011, and we sponsored a panel discussion where women described their experiences while in jail.

 

·          Since its inception over ten years ago, we have co-sponsored the Evanston Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate, which remembers a Northwestern Univ basketball coach, killed as the result of a hate crime.

 

·          Hold weekly yoga classes at the church and highlighted the benefits of meditation at a 2011 summer service

 

Peace Lobbying, Activism

·          We are members of the North Shore Peace Initiative which lobbies local congressmen in support of peace

o    Each month the coalition organizes a peace vigil in downtown Evanston and members participate in the vigils

o    The coalition also supports the radio program “Democracy Now “on a local station and it sponsored a showing of the film “Countdown to Zero“ on nuclear disarmament that many of us attended.

 

·          We have circulated sample letters and collected signatures in support of a prompt end to the war in Iraq, establishment of a Department of Peace and a reduction in military spending

·          We have supported efforts to found a UU Legislative office in Illinois.  Organizing efforts are ongoing.

Military Personnel Support

·          On Feb 6,2011 the UCE choir along with the choirs from three other local churches held a choir festival with proceeds to support the Iraq Afghanistan Veteran’s Association (IAVA)

·          Helped to found the UU Great Lakes Ministry at the Naval base in Waukegan, Illinois

o    Members of our congregation lead the services at Great Lakes on a regular basis

o    Monetary contributions are collected during church services to support the ministry and a summer church service was conducted to describe the benefits of the program to the congregation

·          We regularly remember our service personnel at Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day church services.  This year the Veteran’s Day service focused on Canada’s ways of celebrating the day and last Memorial Day the P&J committee handed out white carnations to all congregants, encouraging them to remember the war dead

·          Other various activities we have participated in regarding the military include a showing of “Ground Truth“ and a talk by an Iraqi War veteran and member of Veteran’s for Peace.  We presented a program on draft registration and alternatives at the 2009 YRUU conference held at our church, and a booklet describing various church members’ war experiences was prepared and distributed at a Memorial Day service in 2008.

Film Showing at 7pm on Wednesday, September 21 for International Day of Peace

This Wednesday, September 21 is the Internataional day of Peace, designated by the UN as a day for worldwide action in support of non-violence.  The day has been used to vaccinate children in areas of conflict against disease and to distribute supplies and medicine to those who would otherwise be unreachable.

Sept 21 is also the last of our Ten Days of Peace, stretching from Sept 11 - 21.  We will mark the day by showing the film "Little Town of Bethlehem" at 7pm at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Ill at 1330 Ridge Ave.  The documetnary follows three men of different religious faiths as they lead their live in Israel and Palestine and as they all are eventually inspired to work for peace in an environment of ever expanding violence.

After the fillm, members of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation who recently travelled to Israel and the West Bank to meet with local peace activists and religious leaders, will be available to answer questions.  This event is free and open to the public. Contributions will be accepted.

During the past ten days, we hope you've followed some of our suggestions for bringing more peace into the world.  Did you write a letter to your Congressman?  Read a poem about peace?  Attend the Walk 'n Talk on Sept 11?  If you have experiences working for peace that you'd like others to know about, please share them as a Comment below.

September 11, 2011 Events

There are two events scheduled for this Sunday, September 11 that members of the Unitarian Church of Evanston might want to participate in.

Beginning at 11:45am, following the Sunday morning service, a peace vigil will be held on the east lawn of the church, facing Ridge Ave.  We will be led in Dances of Universal Peace and prayers from the major faith traditions.  The large peace dove, constructed last summer by members of our church school, will be on display.

This event will be followed at 2pm by a Walk ‘n Talk along Dodge Ave in Evanston from Dar-Us –Sunnnah Masjid at 2045 Brown Ave to Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, 303 Dodge Ave (see map).  The walk is sponsored by PeaceAble Cities Evanston and local faith communities.  The walk will symbolically link the various faith traditions of Evanston as we meet our neighbors and walk between the two sites.

A lunch will be served by the Rainbow Coalition after the service for those who won’t have time to return home before the march.  Participants in the march should meet at 1:30pm in the church parking lot so car pools can be arranged to get folks to the starting point of the 2.7 mile march and then pick them up at the end and return them to the church.

If you have questions or want to volunteer to help in these events, please leave a comment on our blog, and we’ll get back to you.

How Will You Observe the Ten Days from Sept 11 - 21?

Welcome to the blog the Peace & Justice Committee of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Ill has set up in advance of the tenth annivesary of the Sept 11th attaks.  We want to encourage reflection and positive activities in the coming days.  As Unitarians, we affirm the "inherent worth and dignity of each individual", and we want to make sure voices of compassion, reason and love are heard in the days ahead. 

As a committee, we developed a list of ten activities you might want to pariticipate in during the next few days.  We felt that the ten days between Sept 11 and the International Day of Peace on Sept 21 should be set aside as a time to increase peace and understanding within ourselves, our community and internationally.

During the coming weeks we'll be highlighting different suggested activities from our list, and we invite you to Follow our blog and Comment on your own experiences as you reflect on the upcoming anniversary.  We encourage you to participate in as many of our ten activities as you can, and then let us know the details of what you did and what it meant to you.  

Item #9 on our list suggests folks "attend a peace demonstration".  We want to invite you to join us at the 9/11 Walk 'n Talk, sponsored by various Evanston community groups and religious groups at 2pm on September 11. 

The walk will begin at the Dar-us-Sunnah Masjid mosque and community center at 2045 Brown Ave in Evanston and will end at the Jewish Reconstructionist Conregration at 303 Dodge Ave, Evanston.  We will be symbolically linking the various faith communities of Evanston and meeting our neighbors as  we walk between the two sites.  More information will follow.  We hope you'll join us there.

Creating Peace Sept 11 -21

Every day between the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the International Day of Peace on September 21, join us in participating in an activity to create peace  -- within yourself or in the world at large.   You could:

 1.     Write a letter in favor of peace to your Congressman / the President

 2.     Join a peace organization or volunteer at an organization you already belong to

 3.     Create inner peace:  Meditate for half an hour

 4.     Forgive a friend or family member who has angered you

 5.     Forgive yourself

 6.     Give money to a peace organization

 7.     Write a poem about peace

 8.     Read a book or article about the effects of war or a solution to a world conflict

 9.     Attend a peace demonstration or a lecture about an international ‘hot spot’ 

 10.   Fast for a day and remember those suffering the effects of war and occupation