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The Road | Rev. Roger Bertschausen &

The Unity Temple Choir, directed by Martha Swisher

May Theme: Awakening Curiosity

Live stream link can be found here.

Sunday's flowers honor Cinco de Mayo, celebrating Mexico’s victory over the French at the battle of Puebla and the vibrant Mexican spirit in the USA and around the world. To reserve flowers for the Chalice Table email flowers@unitytemple.org.

OFFERING : Crop Walk

Each week, Unity Temple splits the offering evenly. One half supports the programs and mission of our congregation. This week, the other half goes to the CROP Walk. Each year, the Oak Park community hosts Hunger Walkathon West CROP walk which brings the community together across party lines, faith traditions, and economic status to stand united in a belief that hunger is a solvable injustice. 75% of funds raised support national and international relief and development programs, and 25% remain local. The walk itself is this Sunday, May 3rd, and all are welcome to join. More details can be found at hwwcrop.org.

You may donate by placing cash or check in one of the circulating baskets during the service OR:

• by sending a check to the Unity Temple office (875 Lake St., Oak Park, 60301) with org name on memo line, 
• by texting 73256 with the message UTUUC and select “Offering,” 
• by using the camera on your phone to scan the QR code on the screen during the Offertory. 
• You can also give at the UTUUC website. 

Sunday Worship Services 9am and 10:45am

Each week we offer two worship services; 9am and 10:45am. The 9am service will be live-streamed and available as a recording afterwards. The 10:45am service will not be live-streamed or recorded. You can access the live stream on YouTube at 9am here.

Community Hour

Join us after service at Community Hour for refreshments and fellowship in Unity House.

Call for Cookies Our cookie supply is running low. Donations are now being gratefully accepted. If you would like to donate a package or two of cookies, please drop them off in the kitchen on Sunday mornings. Note: NO NUTS. Gluten free cookies are much appreciated too.

The Crop Hunger Walk Sunday, May 3

We are calling on everyone to support the Crop Hunger Walk and help Unity Temple meet our $1,500 fundraising goal. You can help in one of two ways: by registering to join the team and asking friends to support you with a donation; or by donating to the team and walking if you choose. Rather you give or walk everyone is encouraged to participate in this family friendly event featuring a shortened walk and many activities for the young one. Coming together to support the community is what we UU’s do best! To sign up or donate go here. Questions? Send us a message at cropwalk@unitytemple.org. Hope to see you this Sunday!

A New Way Begins—the Launch of Mosaic Congregations Widening the Circle invites all to attend the Virtual MOSAIC Spring Gathering, this coming Saturday, May 2 at 5pm. Mosaic Congregations is an invitation into deep, sustained transformation—not performative diversity, not surface-level inclusion, but a reimagining of how congregations live, lead, and love. At its core, Mosaic Congregations is about building multiracial, multicultural Beloved Community through real accountability and shared power in our Unitarian Universalist Congregations. Every congregation can engage at a level that matches their capacity. And most importantly—we will begin to practice the world we are trying to build. Learn more and register here.

The celebration of life for Unity Temple member Jim Walwark will be held Sunday, May 3 at 2pm at Unity Temple. The service will be livestreamed and recorded on our YouTube channel.

Baby and Child Dedication! In Unitarian Universalism, we celebrate babies and young children in a shared blessing and dedication ceremony during a Sunday morning worship service. If you are a member of Unity Temple, and wish to have your child(ren) dedicated on

Sunday, May 17 (or have questions about this), please reach out to Rev. Emily Gage egage@unitytemple.org by May 10.

DRUUMM Public Worship: We Ride at Dawn: Showing Up, No Matter What | May 14, 7–8:30pm CDT. In a time of rising fear, political uncertainty, and deep fatigue, DRUUMM invites all souls into a bold and grounding public worship experience. Guest preacher Rev. Summer Albayati and music director Rev. Verdis L. Robinson will lead us in a visionary call to courage, resilience, and collective spiritual discipline.

DRUUMM’s annual public worship, open to all people, centers the Spirits that call us into sustained struggle, into long-haul justice shaped by community, song, and holy resistance. Join us—wherever you are. Register here. Learn more and donate here. 

Summer RE 2026 is Here! Experience the joy of coming together as a community, forging meaningful friendships and supporting our community on this transformative voyage. Our Summer RE programming is supported solely by volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, email Val Ridenour vridenour@unitytemple.org.

Sacred Wandering | Thatcher Woods Clean up

Sacred Wandering sponsored by the Mindful Reflection Community of Unity Temple will occur this Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 8:30am Chicago time in Thatcher Woods, 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest, IL, North Pavilion. Look for the signs for Sacred Wandering. We meet no matter the weather conditions so dress appropriately. For additional information about Sacred Wandering click here. 

Following Sacred Wandering you may join the annual Thatcher Woods clean-up sponsored by the EcoJustice Team of Unity Temple for an hour or so starting at 10:30/10:45. Supplies for the clean-up will be provided by the Forest Preserves.

These events will occur no matter the weather conditions! Dress appropriately. Join Sacred Wandering, the clean-up, or both!  

Daily Mindful Reflection Community 30 minute meeting, 7 days a week! Starts at 8:25am and ends at 9am every day, seven days a week. The daily meditation will include opening words, 20 minutes of mindful reflection, and closing words. All are welcome! You are welcome to attend regularly or sporadically.  Time: Every Day (including weekends) at 8:30am Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting here.

Tuesday Evening Mindful Reflection Community We meet virtually and in person at the UTUUC Community Center. Meeting opens at 7pm CT for camaraderie. The program starts promptly at 7:20pm and ends at 9pm. If the front door is locked please ring the doorbell and if it's after 7:20pm please walk around to the back door and knock. We will follow our usual format with an ingathering, 20 minutes of Mindful Reflection followed by a dharma talk and discussion.We always end by 9pm. Questions email mindful@unitytemple.org. 

Join the Zoom meeting here.

UT Has a Little Free Library!!! Thanks to the vision and generosity of our justice teams, Unity Temple is now home to a little free library. Especially in this era of censorship and book bans, the little free library is a way for us to share books, particularly ones that reflect UU values. Feel free to drop off or pick up books here! Thanks to Bill Jones and Jennifer Evans for installing it right in front of Gale House. 

Day in Our Village June 7 Do you like spending time outdoors on a Sunday afternoon with like-minded, mission and values driven congregants who represent a variety of program areas in our faith community? Then you will want to sign up to help support our efforts in the community at our booth for Day In Our Village. You are welcome to use the signup genius here to find a time to support our efforts. If you have questions, email Val Ridenour vridenour@unitytemple.org.

Pathway to Membership Our next session will be Sunday, May 17 from 12:30–4pm. The Pathway to Membership class provides an opportunity to learn about our mission, programs, operations, volunteer opportunities and more. Questions? Please reach out to Val Ridenour at membership@unitytemple.org. 

The 55orBetter Craft Group will meet on Thursday, May 7 from 10–11:30am at 1019 South Blvd. As usual, bring your own project to work on while others work on their projects. It's great to be together! Our next Social will be on Tuesday, May 12 from 10–11:30am also at 1019 South Blvd. We hope to see you at any or all of our events!

Unity Temple Justice Network

Passionate about Democracy? Immigration? Eco Justice? Prison Ministry? LGBTQ+ and Reproductive issues? Whatever you care about, search our Justice calendar to find what’s happening at Unity Temple that fits your interests and your schedule.

Garden News The Unity Temple garden group meets Sunday, May 3, 2026 from12 noon–3pm at Gale House regardless of weather. Our focus will be as follows:

1. tidying up the garden;
2. applying microbe-rich compost to the raised beds;
3. transplanting herbs, and finalizing our plan for the growing season. 

No gardening experience is needed--just a commitment to loving Earth. Bring a bag lunch; work gloves and lots of enthusiasm. If you have questions contact ecojustice@unitytemple.org.

UUANI Empowers UUs Across Illinois to work for spiritually grounded, relationally accountable, and strategically effective action in solidarity with those most impacted by injustice. We provide leadership training, build congregational capacity and organize statewide advocacy efforts in loving accountability with our partners. Our Actions of the Week make it easy for UUs to make a difference. Together, we seek to bend the arc toward justice. Learn more and get news here.

We had a fun and tasty Spring Luncheon filled with fresh flavor, laughter and great company! It was a lovely way to celebrate the Spring season. Thank you to the many volunteers who made this event possible! 

Kudos to Properties Team members Deb Hutton and Dan Andries for recently cleaning the Unity Temple sign. Our message now shines brighter than ever!

Thank you to all the performers and other volunteers who helped create a very successful 2026 Spring Music Festival Saturday! We had almost a full house with some of UT’s finest talent on display. Mark your calendar for April 24, 2027! Photo ©Jason Sherman

UTUUC Office Hours Staff are present at 1019 South Blvd from 9am–3pm, Tuesday through Thursday. Otherwise, staff can be reached via email and appointments made for other days/times. 

Please note, staff in-office hours do not affect congregant access for events.

Chalice Table Reservations We welcome floral arrangements or other decorations such as objects from nature or spiritual symbols to be included on our Chalice Table during worship on Sunday mornings. Please refrain from political/campaign related objects as they will be removed. To reserve a date, please fill out this form. Thank you for contributing to our worship experience. For assistance contact

flowers@unitytemple.org.

Joys & Sorrows Sharing If you’d like to have a joy or sorrow sharing during the worship service, email the Spiritual Care Team at spiritualcare@unitytemple.org.

Guidelines for submissions to the eBeacon newsletter can be found here.

Congregational Life Table Reservation Would you like to reserve a table to promote congregational happenings during Community Hour in Unity House? Hosting a table is a great way to make sure congregants know how to participate in events, activities, and service opportunities. Table Guidelines can be found here. To reserve space contact 

vridenour@unitytemple.org.

We Celebrate Our Differences :: The beloved community includes people with diverse life experiences. Here at Unity Temple we call people to live out the values of our faith: interdependence, pluralism, justice, equity, generosity and transformation. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large while also knowing that endorsements or support of particular candidates cannot be part of our congregational process.

Planned Giving offers a variety of meaningful ways to support our congregation through charitable gifts and can be made by anybody – young and old, working or retired. These gifts are made today, but they support the future needs of your congregation and Unitarian Universalism. You can obtain more information about planned gifts by contacting the Planned Giving Team at 

plannedgiving@unitytemple.org

Land Acknowledgement of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, read here.