And your ears shall hear…

Bethany UCC’s Lawn Lounge: A Celebration of Community, Music, and Resilience

In 2025, Bethany United Church of Christ in Ravenswood, IL continues to lead the way toward a world of acceptance as an Open and Affirming congregation. We welcome and celebrate people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions, while creating an atmosphere that is safe, inclusive, and friendly to worship in.

Each week, I see new faces discovering this space, and it’s something to behold. But this post isn’t an advertisement for Bethany—or for church at all. It’s a flashback to the days when a new pandemic was on the rise, the world was shutting down, and people were afraid to gather for fear of contracting a deadly virus. Bottom line: people were lonely and wanted to get out of their homes.

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How Lawn Lounge Was Born

Five years ago, in 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bethany was searching for ways to bring people together safely. Out of that need, a beautiful idea emerged: a live music series held outdoors in the church courtyard.

Our music director, Yasuko Oura (pianist and lecturer of collaborative piano at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music), and her husband, Nick Photinos (Grammy-winning cellist), brought together musicians and bands to perform for the general public. Together, they organized a socially distanced, outdoor music series where friends and families could hear live performances while staying masked and safe.

These innovators called the concert series Lawn Lounge—and what began as a pandemic workaround soon became a life-saving weekly ritual of joy, connection, and community.

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The Grand Finale: Matt Ulery’s Pollinator

For our final Lawn Lounge, Bethany went out BIG with local jazz artist Matt Ulery’s Pollinator.

Harkening back to the instrumentation of the classic New Orleans brass bands of yesteryear, Matt describes the music as:

“A jazz celebration in the centennial of swing, released in a new era of ‘prohibition.’”

Featuring music from his most recent self-titled album (released this past August), this ebullient program of swing celebrates the spirit of the roaring 1920s—100 years later.

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Bundle Up and Join the Celebration

We’re not gonna lie, folks: the forecast looks cold. But Matt and his band are ready to turn up the heat and, in his words, give us:

“A great celebration of the summer that was.”

So dress warmly, bring a hot drink (it’s never too early for glögg, y’all), and fuel up before the show. I highly recommend a stop at BienMeSabe on the way over for the most delicious handwarmers you can find: a Venezuelan arepa or empanada.

Come for the warmth of the music, stay for the warmth of the community.

This was Lawn Lounge—and once again, Bethany was at the forefront of finding creative, meaningful ways to bring people together when they needed it most. I never want a pandemic to return, but I’ll always look forward to the day Lawn Lounge makes its comeback. And when it does, it should start with Matt Ulery.