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.
