949 West 49th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T1 Office: 604-261-7204
Category: Community
Community social gatherirngs; mens and womens groups; covenant groups, neighbourhood groups and news from the communications, membership and care and concern committees.
Lynn has moved around a lot! Her first Unitarian home was with the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship 1990-2000 where she had active involvement in various roles (not all at the same time): Newsletter Editor for many years, Chair of Membership Committee, Chair of Denominational Affairs Committee, Canvass Co-chair, Archivist, occasional RE teacher and four years on the Board with two years as President.
Here’s where I liveEquator Nov 2016
When children graduated and flew the nest, Lynn moved to Victoria where she was an active member of the Victoria Church 2000-2002. Then a move to North Vancouver led to joining the North Shore Church 2002-2005 where she was Chair of Denominational Affairs. Lynn was often a delegate to PNWD and CUC meetings and was active in the BC Council serving as first Chair. She was a member of the CUC Nominating Committee 2000 to 2004 including a year as Chair. She was a member of the HUUG Team 2001-2002 (Helping U*U’s Grow) and a Service Consultant with the CUC Regional Network 2003-2005.
After checking with son and daughter who both said “Go for it Mom!,” Lynn moved to Surrey just south of London, England where she lived and worked for eight years. She visited Unitarian congregations in England but never felt “at home” in the way she experienced in Canada. She didn’t find the same sense of kindred spirits.
In 2013 Lynn returned to Calgary where she was actively involved with the local Unitarian church for two years before returning to the Lower Mainland and finally fulfilling her teenage prophecy of joining the Unitarian Church of Vancouver where she is enjoying involvement with committees for Social Justice, Environment, Communications and Canvass and appreciating being with kindred spirits yet again.
Current identity in addition to being a Unitarian: retired Social Worker, very happy grandmother to three grandsons who call her Nan, cross-country skiing enthusiast, social activist and adventurer.
from the Connect & Engage Team, Sheila Resels Email Sheila
Have you wished there was a quiet(er) space to have a meaningful conversation about the service on Sundays?
At the forum last week, the panel for Connect and Engage acknowledged that new people and visitors especially can feel overwhelmed by our busy (noisy, crowded) coffee and lunch hour. Indeed most people present (including me) reported that when they were new they found it hard to get connected. Those there of course persevered seeing that there was a lot worth persevering for. We do have some concern that others may just not try as hard as these stalwart folk.
Come and share your thoughts and questions about the Sunday’s service with a small group.
If you’re a regular, look around on a Sunday morning and you might see someone seemingly mesmerized by the bulletin board or lurking near the coat rack not sure how to get engaged.
Not just for new people – All welcome!
Not all, but some, members report that when they first came they found us unwelcoming. They sat at a table at lunch and no one started a conversation with them. Some are generous enough to admit that they themselves could have started a conversation, but didn’t. I think we all know it’s difficult sometimes to join a group of people who seem like they all know each other so we want to make it easier.
We’ll be in the part on the right of this photo.
Tamiko Suzuki recalls a conversation that she and Mary Bennett had early on when she started coming to UCV after moving from the North Shore Unitarian Church. (Mary had noticed her lurking on the edge of the Hall.) She says, “Mary told me to find a small group to get involved with. Then I joined the Environment Committee and got very involved. Now I realize sometimes that I am part of what I would have called a “clique”. On Sundays, I’m busy connecting with other people on our team. We often sit together for lunch, starting a pre-meeting before we’ve even got to the meeting room.”
Tamiko Suzuki
At a forum in January, Tamiko shared a suggestion of having a table set aside for discussing the sermon. This idea fell on fertile ground among those there and we now have a team who will take turns hosting the table. As Tamiko says, “Because the discussion is guaranteed to be on that day’s subject, everyone would be on equal footing (because they just heard it).” Everyone is welcome, but if you want to chat about upcoming events or other issues, this isn’t the place for you—at least not on that particular Sunday.
Melody Mason who joined about three years ago and Sheila Resels are getting together to do more planning about how we can make this new experiment work well. Sheila says, “I wouldn’t say I felt unwelcome. It was more that it was so overwhelming. And when it’s so busy, I feel we need to reach out even more to counteract that.”
Melody noted that one of the themes from Phil Campbell’s service on Shared Ministry was that we can intend to be welcoming, but without a system in place, it might not happen at least not as well as our aspirations would lead us to want to be.
Starting February 4, 2018, a host from the Connect & Engage Team has been in Priestley (the East part of Lindsey-Priestley) to welcome anyone who wants to join in on a conversation about that day’s sermon. There are always thought-provoking and conversation-starting aspects to the service in any Unitarian congregation.
The host will make sure people are welcomed and introduced to each other. If they are new and have questions that weren’t answered at the Welcome Table the host will try to refer them to answers. And they’ll make sure the discussion sticks to the topic of the day.
On the first Sunday of each month, we’ll be sharing the space with Compu Tutor, who have generously offered to take their offerings into the Lindsey portion. We’ll pull the accordion partition shut.
There may be days when the room is fully booked, in which case we’ll set aside a table in the Hall, one close to the entrance with a sign on the table.
Are you someone who feels passionate about making sure our visitors feel really welcome and want to help them get connected and engaged? If the answer is yes, that’s great anyways. If you want to go one step further and help by hosting the Sermon Discussion table one Sunday, you can signup here.
from Kiersten Moore, Director of Children and Youth Programs
Every Sunday we close our worship with a benediction to Carry the Flame of Peace and Love until we meet again. You are invited to sign-up to light our Chalice one Sunday and receive the Chalice Basket in return. It contains a chalice, a journal, and books with meditations, readings, and Unitarian celebration ideas to carry the spirit of our church and principles through the week. All we ask is that you return the basket to church the following Sunday for the next person or family to receive! Every family and individual member is encouraged to receive the basket at least one Sunday during the year. The journal is meant to be a congregational conversation on each of our experiences or thoughts on being Unitarian through the week.
Why receive the basket?
Taking time to reflect, read, and write, or even simply to light the Chalice once a day, helps to connect us more fully as a Unitarians.
You may already have spiritual practices that give you a moment of calm or encourage you to reflect in the moment. Receiving the Chalice Basket can bring a sense of community or connection to your practice for the week.
You may be wondering how to share Unitarian practice with family at home, or how to create ritual or a moment of mindfulness, or what a Unitarian practice through the week might look like. There are books in the basket chosen to give you some ideas.
Please sign-up on the website volunteer page to light our Chalice and receive the Chalice Basket, and remember to return it to service the following Sunday.
Part-time Teacher (4 hours per week); $17.00/hr. plus 20 additional paid flex hours; 10 mos./year; Reports to the Director of Religious Exploration; Start date:September 1, 2017 or as soon after as possible. (more…)
Feedback to CUC requested from member congregations
The CUC Board is seeking thoughts from members across the country on three main subjects for further discussion this fall. The three subjects are as follows: a) CUC vision implementation suggestions
Vision – “Our interdependence calls us to love and justice.”
Suggestions: Can we do better at fostering interdependence amongst non-Unitarian organizations or other faith communities that share some of our values (e.g. groups focussing on climate action, environmental protection, civil liberties, affordable housing, global peace, animal rights, democratic practices…) b) consideration of revising the CUC Sources statement similar to what UUA did and perhaps changing the Principles statements as well.
Sources – In Source #2, should we replace “women and men” with “people”?
Principles – In Principle #1 should we replace “person” with “being”?
What do we think of the proposal to add an eighth principle opposing white supremacy?
c) identification of social justice issuesthat are inspiring the attention of our congregations.
Does our congregation have a common social justice focus? Do we wish to have one? Do we have the structure, skills, resources, and time to develop a consensus about a common focus, or should we not try to prioritize social justice issues?
Send your thoughts to keith@cuc.ca
________________________________________
Four strategic priorities
In addition to exploring member answers the above questions, the CUC Board is encouraging congregations to work on improving performance in support of the four strategic priorities approved at the 2017 AGM:
1. Financial Sustainability –
The CUC raised its annual program contribution (APC) from $93 to $100 per congregant for 2018. This is the first increase in quite a few years and brings us up to the inflation rate for this period. The increase will enable CUC to pay all of its staff at an appropriate level. Investment income, donations to Friends of the CUC, and event fees are the other primary sources of funds for conducting national UU work.
2. Improved Communication Capacity –
A lot of value has arisen in the past two years from video-conferencing using the zoom platform. With zoom we can see and hear each other across the country, talk to each other in a group context, and let others see our documents by sharing our computer or tablet screens. Some special interest groups and individual congregations are using zoom to reduce travel time for meetings.
CUC staff have used zoom for formal webinars and informal roundtable discussions on special topics. The CUC board meets 8 times a year via zoom and some ministers use zoom for their meetings. Individuals can set up their own zoom conversations with local or regional teams, committees, or groups of friends to discuss anything at all. The chief limitation to using zoom seems to be lack of experience in setting up a call. Here are some options about how to set up a zoom meeting.
Create your own zoom account
Use one of CUC’s 3 zoom accounts
1. Google zoom or click here and create your own account. It’s free, but your meeting times are limited to <1 hour. You can upgrade to a more robust service for a fee.
2. Follow the tutorials on how to use your microphone, speakers, camera, and chat features.
3. Determine a date and time for your call.
4. Create a meeting and send the meeting ID number to a friend to chat.
5. Invite other people using the same process.
6. Yakety-yak yakety-yak!
1. Determine a date, time, and duration for your call.
2. Ask the CUC office to set up a zoom conference for you at that date and time. The office will do that and send you a meeting ID number. Email the CUC office:info@cuc.ca or phone Ahna DeFelice, the new CUC Organizational Administrator toll free at
1-888-568-5723
(Learn more about Ahna here)
3. By email invite those you want to participate in your discussion and send them the meeting ID number. All they have to do is click on the ID number and follow the prompts. If they don’t have zoom on their laptop they’ll be prompted to download it. They should do that. They can also join by phone without video, but it’s nice to see friendly faces.
4. Sign in to your meeting early and study how to use your microphone, speakers, camera, and chat features.
5. Manage your meeting.
Advantages of your own account:
Set up meetings any time at your convenience – just like using a telephone.The zoom and CUC tutorials are pretty good so if you start small, you may find it isn’t too hard.Disadvantages of this option:
You’re on your own!
You may run out of time in a meeting unless you purchase the upgraded service.
Advantages of using the CUC account:
CUC sets up the meeting link for you.
No fees involved for you.
More time available.
Sessions can be recorded for later access offline.Disadvantages of this option:
There may be a time lag between your request and the meeting set-up.
Note that the CUC office is only open from 6:00 am – 1:30 pm Pacific time, Mon-Thu.
3. CUC support for truth and reconciliation between indigenous peoples and other Canadians –
One of 18 granite sidewalk medallions by Susan Point on West Broadway. There are another 18 medallions by local Greek artists.
This third priority is likely to be one for a long time. What are the issues and what can we do about them?
When Europeans first came to this continent they did not uniformly treat indigenous peoples with respect. There were many failings — there was blatant racism, indigenous peoples were treated as less than human, and treaties negotiated in good faith between First Nations and European powers were disregarded by successive Canadian (American, British, French, Spanish, and Mexican) governments. In too many situations European actions were directly and intentionally harmful to indigenous people. Indigenous peoples were killed, their land taken, indigenous languages, and cultural and spiritual practices banned, exclusionary racist policies enacted, and children taken from families and put in residential schools where many were abused and neglected. Many Canadians, and the Canadian government, now recognize that these actions were wrong, and that contemporary Canadians have an ethical obligation to do their best to correct these wrongs. This is going to take a lot of effort, by many people, over a long time, so where can we start? Following are some ideas.
Listen to what indigenous peoples are saying about land claims, environmental protection, and the impact of residential schools, and respect their views. If you can, follow their lead.
Consider what we may need to do as individuals to give land back to indigenous people.
Study aboriginal spiritual teachings. Talk with aboriginal leaders to learn if any of these can be incorporated into UU services without being considered to be cultural appropriation.
Acknowledge the gifts of knowledge, skill, patience, and sharing of resources that indigenous peoples offered to European settlers and continue to offer in our current multicultural context.
Take part in one of the age-appropriate study sessions about colonialism and residential schools developed by a CUC task force as Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guides. The adult course based on these guides is a series of eight, 2.5 hour sessions (20 hours). Sessions for other age groups are under development. See details of the adult THR program here: Overview of the eight 2.5-hour study sessions for adults
Learn more about other aspects of the CUC’s truth and reconciliation program and fall and winter 2017 training programs here.
Following are a few more resources related to reconciliation:
Horses in the Stein River Valley. Picture from a UCV history field trip by members in 2015. (The trip was arranged as a service auction item.)
The Kairos Blanket Exercise is an experiential learning process developed by Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives to help non-indigenous people understand the impact of colonization. It is offered independently by a range of sponsors, and as part of CUC’s truth and reconciliation program. Visit the Kairos Blanket Exericise Resource Centre site for information about additional resources.
Land rights – Here are links to an interesting website and related podcast from BBC World Service “South Africa and the Land Question”, released Jun 30, 2017. Audrey Brown’s documentary Give Back the Landtells the story of a white Western Cape vineyard owner attempting to make reparations for the land his family “stole” 6 generations ago. Land rights and reparations remain contentious in South Africa 23 years after the end of apartheid, and are close to the heart of Audrey, whose family come from this area. (Image: Solms winery in South Africa Credit: Solms Delta Estate.) A similar act of reconciliation in Canada related to The Esk’etemc First Nation (Alkali Lake B.C.) is describedhere. (Credit: CBC Radio, As it happens, Friday May 12, 2017. ‘Reconciliation in its best form’: B.C. rancher gives land back to his First Nation neighbours.)
Photo of a community church in Penticton, BC. UCV is also a community church!
4. Encouraging young adult membership in our congregations –
What is UCV doing in this area? Attention to this demographic group isn’t new to the UU movement, but it seems like a realm of chronic uncertainty. In 2016, UCV and CUC both provided special funding to stimulate work for young adult ministry nationally and locally, but proponents have provided limited communication back to the congregation about that work. Can anyone out there bring us up to speed?
Asha Philar is the CUC staff member devoted to youth and young adult programming and is available and eager to talk with congregational leaders and young adults about this area of work in Canada. Contact Asha at 519-900-2995 or asha@cuc.ca .
The CUC website also lists links to some supports for young adult ministry, though many of the links appear to be dated. (The same is the case for web pages at other congregations across Canada.) There is a UU Young Adult Facebook group that appears to be active, but it’s a closed group, so you’ll have to ask to join. Inter-generational work doesn’t appear to be a current focus.
CUC’s international initiatives
Heavy luggage at YVR
Next report I’ll aim to provide some information about CUC’s international initiatives, notably information about work with theUUA’s UU-United Nations Office (UU-UNO) and the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU). ICUU is scheduled to meet in northern India 11-15 Feb 2018. If you’d like to go to India or sponsor someone from an emerging UU group in another country to attend, please get in touch with me!
In 2016 the CUC approved a new statement of vision and aspirations. Now the CUC is sponsoring asermon-writing contest and an art contest to highlight these new statements. There are three age categories for art submissions and prizes for winners in both sermon and art contests. Deadline for submissions: 1 Feb 2018. For more info contact vision@cuc.ca .
As Canadian Unitarian Universalists,
we envision a future in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice.(more…)
Come and enjoy a hyggelei (cosy) potluck dinner with a few other Unitarian church members and friends at the home of Melody Mason (in Kitsilano) this coming Thursday, June 29th. RSVP to ucvhygge@gmail.com
The evening will include a salon-style discussion about civil liberties.
Melody is on the board of the BC Civil Liberties Association. She’s concerned about, among other things, collection and retention of data by governmental agencies, the state of our prison system and privacy issues especially as it relates to the internet.
She’s interested in both sharing her own knowledge including BCCLA’s stance on these issues and also hearing from you about your take on these important issues and how UCV can engage with these issues.
The BCCLA’s policy director, Michael Vonn, has spoken at UCV Forums including the assisted dying issue.
BCCLA’s current priorities are working on solitary confinement, reforming the assisted dying act and data privacy and retention of data by government agencies. Also an issue Melody feels would be of interest to you is Anti-SLAPP legislation. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (“SLAPPs”) are when Big Resources (private or public sector) sue Little Resources (individuals, non-profit organizations) in order to silence them.
Melody feels Unitarians will be interested in the work of BCCLA in protecting ciil rights and hopes we might support some of the issues through actions such as letter writing to senators and members of parliament.
Come and discuss. It’ll be an interesting evening!
Melody is on the Environment Committee and ushers on the first Sunday of every month.
You can hear Michael Vonn on CBC IDEAS in the afternoon next Monday.
Monday, June 26 POLICING: OLD COPS, NEW EXPECTATIONS Counter-terrorism, fighting cybercrime, policing highly diverse societies:
Can the police do it all? Should the police do it all? Do the police want to do it all? Cal Corley, CEO of the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance, and former Assistant Commissioner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Inspector Shawna Coxon, Toronto Police Service; Micheal Vonn, Policy Director, B.C. Civil Liberties Association; and moderator Ron Levi, Director of the Munk School’s Global Justice Lab, weigh the implications, the challenges and the trade-offs for the police, for justice and for all of us.
Patti Turner and Mary Bennett have taken on coordinating circle dinners with a goal of introducing new members. If you’d like to attend or host a potluck dinner either at the church or in a private home, contact ucvhygge@gmail.com. (“Hygge” is a Danish word for “cosy”.) Dinners are usually for 8 – 10 people in a member’s home to facilitate small group conversation. On occasion they may be at the church to accommodate a larger group.
Why receive the basket?
Feedback to CUC requested from member congregations
CUC Vision Contest
The evening will include a salon-style discussion about civil liberties.
Counter-terrorism, fighting cybercrime, policing highly diverse societies:
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