Mutual Aid
September & October Share the Plate: UUA Side with Love – UU the Vote
UU the Vote is part of UUA Side with Love. Democracy is more than a political system. It is a sacred practice of how we live together, rooted in covenant, collective accountability, and the inherent worth and dignity of every person. While the promise of democracy has never fully included all of us, we believe a more just and inclusive democracy is possible. Not a return to some idealized past, but a liberatory future, one shaped by shared power, collective responsibility,…
Pride in Action
This June, you have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on federal policy, opposing this administration’s efforts to enact a proposed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule that would strip safety protections from federally funded shelters for transgender, nonbinary, two-spirit, and intersex people. Make your voice heard by submitting a public comment in opposition to the proposed HUD rule. Want to learn more and take action with a group? Join the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s virtual Trans Liberation Action Hour on…
Social Justice Team Update
TL;DR — UUCE’s SJ Team is making a difference and invites your participation. Specifically, we need help with ongoing food pantry deliveries, tending the CommUUnity garden, and showing up for social justice demonstrations in our area. Join the SJ team online at 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday each month. UUCE’s Social Justice Team is pleased to share that our Jan-Feb Share the Plate collection raised nearly $2000 for the Elgin Area Rapid Response Mutual Aid Fund. These dollars directly…
March & April Share the Plate: Earthjustice
Our Share the Plate recipient through April is Earthjustice. Founded in 1971, their environmental legal expertise wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change. Their attorneys are funded to represent individual clients who are qualified and willing to serve as plaintiffs in local environmental and environmental-justice cases across the Midwest and the 50 states more generally Click the link below to donate to…
March & April Share the Plate Recipient: Earthjustice
Our Share the Plate recipient through April is Earthjustice. Founded in 1971, their environmental legal expertise wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change. Earthjustice opened its first Midwest office in 2020, here in Chicago. Following their earlier work advocating for passage and implementation of Illinois’ Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act of 2019. That law created the regulatory framework to help compel…
Apartment Kit Drive Update: You Did it!
ALL SLOTS ARE FILLED IN SIGN-UP GENIUS!! Good job everyone!! Thank you to Monday night and Thursday night Covenant Groups for sharing with their members and doing it TOGETHER! The DEADLINE FOR BRINGING ITEMS TO CHURCH Is SUNDAY, MARCH 1st! If anyone needs help getting your items to church, text or call Elizabeth Olson, 847-477-5338. Remember to label your donation with your name and the name of the item as listed in Sign-Up Genius! Bring donations to the second floor opposite…
Apartment Kit Drive Information & Sign Up
1. GOAL is to FILL ALL SLOTS in the SignUp Genius by February 20. Any Remaining Slots will be announced on Sunday February 22. 2. Final date to bring purchased items to church is Sunday, March 1. 3. Bring labeled donations (donor name and Item name-as listed in Sign-Up Genius) and take to second floor Social Justice room. 4.Link to Sign-Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0544A8AE2BA1F49-61865378-2026 Text Elizabeth Olson (847-477-5338) with questions or to request help to get your donations to the church. Thank you for participating!
Postcards to Swing States Update
Thank you to all the folks who picked up postcards and are completing their message in time for MAILING on Wednesday, February 18th. ALL the postcards are accounted for! If you requested stamps provided by the Social Justice Team, they will be available for pickup this Sunday 2/8/26. The NEXT POSTCARD CAMPAIGN will begin in a few weeks…a different state…a different message… Please text Elizabeth Olson with any questions 847-477-5338 Thanks for your help!
Apartment Kit Drive
We are embarking on our Third Apartment Kit Collection this Sunday. Copies of the list of requested items will be available in the Volunteer Office across from the Childcare room on the first floor. Consider using the list to generate interest among members of family, close friends, covenant group, men’s group or even teams and committees. Shopping and coordinating is more fun when you’re doing it together! Note: Please stick with precisely what’s on the list to make it easier…
POSTCARDS TO SWING STATES
The Social Justice Team has ordered 500 blank postcards ready to be written by our volunteers for mailing on Wednesday, February 18th. WE HAVE THE POSTCARDS NOW. We need 20 volunteers to write 25 postcards each. If you can volunteer to write 25 postcards in time to mail them on 2/18/26, PICK UP YOURS at Church this Sunday 1/25/26 after the service. Any remaining postcards will be available on Sundays 2/1, 2/8, and 2/15. You will receive: · A list…
2026 MLK Food Drive: Jan 18
UUCE will once again participate in Elgin’s 2026 City-Wide Food Drive in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please bring donations to UUCE on or before Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026; items will be transported to Food for Greater Elgin after Sunday Service on Jan. 18. Thank you for your generosity in honor of Dr. King’s legacy! Items in need: CANNED GOODSTuna, Mackerel, SalmonVienna Sausage, SpamBeef Stew, Ravioli, Spaghetti & MeatballsMixed Vegetables, Tomatoes, CarrotsCorn, Peas, Beans (Pinto, Kidney, Northern,…
November & December Share the Plate Recipient: PADS of Elgin.
In 1989, a homeless man knocked at the First Congregational Church in downtown Elgin to see if they could help him find shelter from the cold. By 1995, PADS [Public Action to Deliver Shelter] became a 501©3. They began at the Salvation Army, then Elgin community churches began taking turns housing folks overnight, moving needed equipment and supplies from one church to the next, on a monthly rotation. In 2007, the Doug Hoeft Resource Facility opened on Berkley St., where it remains today. In 2021 they officially…