Upcoming BC Regional and National Events

CUC Vision and Aspirations Sermon Contest

Submit a sermon related to the CUC Vision or 5 Aspirations. Details here – Deadline 1 Feb 2018

• Vision: We envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice
• Aspirations: As Canadian Unitarian Universalists we aspire to be: Deeply Connected, Radically Inclusive, Actively Engaged, Theologically Alive, and Spiritually Grounded.

CUC Vision Art Contests – 3 age-related categories

Submit original art (drawing, painting, song, video, or other form) related to the CUC Vision.
Details here – Deadline 1 Feb 2018

• Vision: We envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice

Re-opening of the Interfaith Chapel – University of Victoria

18 Jan 2018, from 2-4 pm. University of Victoria will be holding a ritual re-opening of the Interfaith Chapel and a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University and the Chaplaincy. Representatives of the Victoria Unitarian Universalist community will be amongst those participating. For further information contact joan@cuc.ca

Metro Vancouver Sub-Regional UU Gathering – Unitarian Church of Vancouver

Sat 7 Apr 2018, all day.  Save the date! Beacon, North Shore, South Fraser and UCV are participating in the planning. Details forth-coming. For further information contact joan@cuc.ca or rev@vancouverunitarians.ca

Next CUC Events – See left-hand panel at the CUC home page for events in the months ahead.

2018 National Conference, Hamilton: “An Invitation to Love and Justice”

May 18-20, 2018 | McMaster University | Hamilton ON

Hosted by the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton

“As Canadian Unitarian Universalists, we envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice.” This vision of our national faith community asks us to live this out through actions of love and justice. We are called to work together from a place of love to bring justice to all beings.

Call for Proposals: Program streams will focus on this theme. Are you a dynamic and engaging facilitator who is committed to love and justice? Stream and workshop proposals are being accepted until November 15, 2017. Find out more information here, and fill out the proposal here.

Program details, schedules and registration will be available in January 2018.

CUC Roundtables – Make a proposal any time

Canadian Unitarian Council –

CUC is the national body to which all 46 Canadian Unitarian congregations belong. Its the national arm of each UU congregation in Canada and our donations and annual program contributions make it possible. It’s ours! It’s us! If you’d like to learn more contact Keith Wilkinson keith@cuc.ca 

CUC holds conferences open to members every two years (next one is in Hamilton in May 2018). It also provides a range of webinars, communication networks and consultation from a small staff on a wide range of practical, spiritual, and social justice issues and interests. All UCV members are welcome to participate in CUC initiatives.

Members of the 2017-18 CUC Board at its fall retreat, this Sep at the Ecology Retreat Centre north of Toronto.
L to R: Susan Ruttan (Edmonton), Rev. Rodrigo Emilio Solano Quesnel (Ottawa Fellowship), Danielle Webber (Toronto), Milton Orris (Kelowna), Carol Cumming-Speirs (Montreal), Keith Wilkinson (Vancouver), Jane Ebbern (Calgary), Maya James – Youth Observer (Winnipeg), Rev Debra Faulk – Minister Observer (Calgary), Tanya Cothran (Toronto).  Facebook link.

CUC’s vision: We envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice. 

CUC’s 2017-18 Strategic Priorities:

• Improved communications amongst CUC members
• reconciliation amongst indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians
• advancement of support for UU youth and young adults
• sustainable revenue generation

Past CUC resolutions – The CUC has been passing resolutions for many years, many on social justice issues. These have been followed up with action plans of various sorts. Here is a link to a 2016 summary of 52 years of resolutions, actions, and current plans.

UCV Partner Church Committee

is engaged in working in cooperation with UU communities elsewhere in the world toward common ends. Contact Alison Pearson.

BC Unitarian Congregations

Most BC UU congregations are listed along with other Canadian congregations, fellowships, emerging UU communities under the link to CUC Congregations.

Global Community

The CUC and UCV visions of interdependence call for us to work with a broad range of organizations in the service of shared values. Work with other faith groups, environmental movements, and indigenous rights groups are prominent in these interdependencies. These include:

International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU)

• The mission of the ICUU is to empower existing and emerging member groups to sustain and grow our global faith community. (See excerpt from the ICUU Constitution below.)

Canada has long had members on the board of CUC. Currently, Mich Michell from Calgary is the Treasurer and Rev Brian Kiely from Edmonton and Rev Diane Rollert from Montreal are this years’ voting delegates. The ICCU is scheduled to meet face to face in Kathmandu, Nepal, 12-15 Feb 2018. Currently, about 70 participants are registered. (There were about 140 participants at the 2016 meeting in the Netherlands.) If you’d like to sponsor someone from an emerging UU group in another country to attend the Kathmandu meeting, or if you’d like to attend yourself, please get in touch with me! keith@cuc.ca

UU-UNO – Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office

There are many resources and opportunities listed at this site, including many Canadian opportunities. For example, dedicated volunteers with an interest in the UN can become “Envoys” to help advance UN causes.

Parliament of the World’s Religions –

Meeting in Toronto 1-7 Nov 2018

World Federalist Movement

Founded in 1947, the World Federalist Movement works toward world cooperation beyond the nation state. They lobby in support of improvements to UN structures, but recognizing the slowness of many UN processes and the limitations that nation statehood implies (e.g. the veto by major powers at the UN Security Council), they often prefer to work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to achieve positive global outcomes.

• World Federalist Movement Canada

There is a chapter of the WFM in Vancouver that meets regularly at UCV.

*Excerpt from the ICUU Constitution:
PREAMBLE
The Executive Committee sees that The mission of the ICUU is to:
1. foster communication, relationships and understanding within the international U*U
community;
2. build networks and partnerships among member groups, their congregations, leaders and
institutions;
3. identify and nurture emerging groups around the world; for mutual inspiration,
development and growth.
We, the member groups of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, affirming
our belief in religious community based on:
 Liberty of conscience and individual thought in matters of faith
 The inherent worth and dignity of every person
 Justice and compassion in human relations
 Responsible stewardship of the earth’s living system
 And our commitment to democratic principles
declare our purposes to be:
 To serve the Infinite Spirit of Life and the human community by strengthening the
worldwide Unitarian and Universalist faith
 To affirm the variety and richness of our living traditions
 To facilitate mutual support among member organizations
 To promote our ideals and principles around the world
 To provide models of liberal religious response to the human condition which uphold our
common values.

A woman photographs Chinese artist Jun Ren’s “Freezing Water #7” sculpture at Vanier Park
in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday February 26, 2012 — at Skwayoos, on the traditional and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.  

(Photo: DARRYL DYCK, The Globe and Mail )