IPA Corner: June 2023

IPA stands for IBPOC Plus ALLIES while IBPOC stands for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour. Welcome to IPA Corner, a new regular feature in UCV’s monthly E-Bulletin with updates about our events and the work we are doing at UCV. 

Read on for updates on … read more.

Update from the Healthy Relations Team

The Healthy Relations Team (HRT) came together last fall. Such a team had existed a few times over the years and has been wanted in recent years. At the request of our interim minister Rev. Lara Cowtan, the current HRT emerged and grew to seven … read more.

Grateful reflections on three years as your Interim Minister

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.” – Anatole France

This month of June will be my last one with … read more.

In the interim: Reporting back on the CUC National Symposium

I have just returned from a week in Ottawa where the tulips were in spectacular bloom. I had been on retreat with Canadian ministers and then attending the CUC National Symposium. A lot was packed into this week! If you missed it, I … read more.

Vancouver Unitarians at the CUC

What a week it has been! I left for Ottawa last Wednesday to attend the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) gathering, AGM, and Symposium on Living into the 8th Principle. It was an uplifting, challenging, inspiring, and generative weekend. I was pleased to see a few … read more.

Kiersten Moore elected President of CUC for 2023-24

Vancouver Unitarian member and Director of Lifespan Faith Development was elected to be President of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) at its Annual General Meeting on 19 May 2023. Congratulations to Kiersten!! 

The hybrid meeting lasted 4 hours and included approximately 50 delegates online via zoom … read more.

History and Resources for Asian Heritage Month

Hearts of Freedom: Stories of South East Asian Refugees

Hearts of Freedom is the story of the people of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, who came to Canada as refugees between 1975 and 1985 and Canadians who assisted them. The website, created by 170 interviews, tells the … read more.

Unanimous! Shawn Gauthier is our new Settled Minister

By the unanimous decision of those in the Sanctuary and online, UCV members voted on April 30th to call Rev. Shawn Gauthier as our next Settled Minister. Sunday was a joyful culmination of the work of so many in the ministerial transition and search process. We look … read more.

LGBTQ+ Book Club

There is a new book club starting up at UCV for LGBTQ+ identified adults to discuss and share LGBTQ+ literature. This will be a potluck style book club, bring what you are reading, have read and enjoyed, talk about an author you love or just come … read more.

IPA Corner: May Connections and Happenings Springing Forth at UCV

IPA stands for IBPOC Plus ALLIES while IBPOC stands for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour. Welcome to IPA Corner, a new regular feature in UCV’s monthly E-Bulletin with updates about our events and the work we are doing at UCV. 

Read on for updates on … read more.

Medicine Wheel at Alderwood School financed by R&A Koerner Foundation Community Fund

The R&A Koerner Foundation Community Fund contributed a total of $6,750 to finance the installation of a Medicine Wheel at the Alderwood School run by The Children’s Foundation. Alderwood has made a short video after the completion of the wheel in 2022.

You can watch a … read more.

UCV Denominational Affairs Zoom FORUM, 7 pm, 3 May 2023

Final CUC Resolutions for 2023 regarding

1) Bylaws,
2) Goals and Strategic Priorities
3) Repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
4) Budgets for 2023 and 2024

are in a folder here:

Earlier DRAFT resolutions are here.
Earlier … read more.

Hot off the presses: Read our Climate Justice Dialogue series report

Every day we are reminded that we are in a climate emergency.  Unprecedented heat waves, droughts, fires, extreme weather events, floods, refugees – the list goes on. Taken together with the current pandemic, it’s understandable that many of us feel frightened, overwhelmed, powerless.  Where can … read more.

Forums featuring Rev. Shawn Gauthier at UCV this week

This week is your chance to meet Rev. Shawn Gauthier! You can see a full schedule of Candidating Week events here.

In addition to several Tea with Shawn events (both in-person and online), there are three evening forums this week.

These events will be multi-platform events … read more.

UCV’s denominational affairs, update – 16 April 2023

Draft 2023 CUC Resolutions – UCV Members were invited to comment on the draft resolutions and action plans that CUC prepared for approval at the 19 May 2023 Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. Comments were invited in the following areas:

Goals and strategic priorities
Repudiation of … read more.