Join us for our new monthly performance series, Saturday Sound Check! Each month, the concerts will showcase musical guests from across many genres, with something for everyone!

Suggested donation $15 at the door, includes refreshments.

November 14, 7 pm

NadNavillus 

Equal parts guitar and vocal driven, sonically and structurally diverse, NadNavillus is the music of Dan Sullivan. The Chicago Tribune describes his latest album, “Upper Constant,” as “At turns propelling and languid, hypnotizing and raucous … an audible mood ring gauged to the whims of the listener.” Other recent albums include two releases on Jagjaguwar, “Show Your Face” and “Iron Night,” and his self-released “Forgotten Portraits.”

For this performance, Sullivan will be joined by a small ensemble, selecting songs that span his 25-year career.

December 12, 7 pm

Robbie Ellis

Robbie Ellis is a comedy songmaker, music director, composer, and broadcaster. He writes comedy songs for himself and others, plays as a music director at the Chicago Magic Lounge and The Second City, and makes classical music radio for WFMT Chicago. In this show, he’ll sing from the piano, performing both his own songs and those of Tom Lehrer, plus a few other choice covers.

January 9, 7 pm

Ravenswood Winds Play Alanis Morissette

Ravenswood Winds is a Chicago-based woodwind quintet that explores the merging of traditional classical music and modern rock sound. Keenly interested in how these worlds can be brought together, RWW’s performances pair traditional wind quintet instrumentation with unexpected tonal qualities, rhythms, and effects processing more commonly heard coming from an electric guitar, bass, or drums. For this concert, the group will reimagine Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, presenting a set of all-original arrangements from that album and asking the question, “What does it mean to play 21st-century literature with 18th-century instrumentation?”

Sunday, November 22, 10:30 am

Renee Engeln

Director of the Body and Media Lab at Northwestern Univ.

“Beauty Work Burnout: How Constant Evaluation Shapes Women’s Lives”

Humanist ethics rest on the idea that every person has inherent worth and dignity. Yet many women learn from an early age to be seen as bodies to be evaluated rather than as whole people. Dr. Renee Engeln of Northwestern University will draw on psychological research to explore how objectification shapes women’s lives: their body image, the labor of beauty work, the pressures of social media culture, and the exhausting sense of performing all the time. She’ll ask us to consider what this means for authenticity and mental health, and what it asks of all of us in terms of how we see and treat one another.
Join the Livestream on 11/22

Sunday, December 6, 10:30 am

Ethical Dilemmas Discussion

Led by EHS members Carrie Ost, we will consider several potential situations which pose a difficult choice, either of which may mean violating one’s sense of right and wrong. We’ll break into small groups to examine how we might respond, and then share our answers.

Our Community Days are programs designed to bring us together to learn, grow, and volunteer. They are open to the public, in-person only, and will not be livestreamed.

Sunday, December 13, 10:30 am

John D’Emilio

Professor emeritus of history and of women’s and gender studies at the University of Illinois Chicago

“Pride and Prejudice: LGBTQ+ History and the Battles Ahead”

A pioneer in the field of gay and lesbian studies, D’Emilio will discuss the history of LGBTQ+ activism and growing concerns about political challenges to the progress that has been made. He will begin in the 1950s, when LGBTQ people were targets of severe attacks; move through the Stonewall Uprising and the rise of militant activism in the 1970s; and describe the transformative impact of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.

John D’Emilio is the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books, including Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: the Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States and Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America.

Sunday, December 20, 10:30 am

Winter Festival

Our annual celebration of the winter solstice! We’ll again enjoy many of our old traditions like a winter sing-a-long, performances by our children, hand made gifts to the community, and a candle lighting. If you can, please bring donations of new hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens to decorate our Mitten Tree during the program. These will then be donated to those in need.

FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions, but feel free to contact us if you have any others!

We welcome you to join us for any Sunday morning program! No RSVP necessary–just drop in. There will be greeters at the door to direct you to our auditorium and answer any questions you may have. 

If you can’t make it in person, we livestream most of our Speaker Series programs so you can watch live from home! Just hit the “Join the Livestream” button under any of the programs listed above at the appointed time, or go directly to our YouTube channel.

All our Sunday programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are needed.

Although attendance is free, we do offer an opportunity during the program for freewill donations. We suggest  $5, or whatever you’re comfortable with. 

Yes! Our Humanist Kids program runs concurrently with the adult program from September through May. Your children, from infants to 8th grade, can enjoy stories, discussions, crafts, and social action projects designed to encourage living life ethically and joyfully. 

Our children’s program is closed during the summer, but you’re welcome to have your children sit with you in the auditorium main floor or in the balcony.

For more information see our Humanist Kids page, or contact the Humanist Kids Program Director.  

Yes! See our Activities page  for other ways that we get together, or our Social Action page (Coming Soon), for upcoming projects that you can help with. 

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