Category: Recent News

The monthly e-newsletter selects about 5 news posts with this category. Priorities are news relevant to a wide number of people and especially of interest to visitors or new folk.

Art Exhibition – March and April

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Landscapes by Dennis Brown

An exhibition of oil paintings based on the traditional plein-air method of painting directly from life

March 1 to April 30, 2020 – in the Sanctuary and Fireside Room

see also the important note on the Art Exhibitions page

More about the artist at his website

Dennis Brown is a Vancouver-based painter who studied art at the University of British Columbia, Emily Carr College of Art and Design, and the Vancouver Academy of Art. Many of Dennis Brown’s paintings are held in private collections across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia.

featured image: Dennis Brown with one of his paintings

Rev. Christine Boyle: Who is my neighbour?

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Rev. Christine Boyle at Canadian Memorial Church on the TV character Mister Rogers

Rev. Boyle spoke at UCV the previous Sunday. See the Past Services post “Won’t you be my neighbour?” on this website. If you need help with tracking down a copy of the prepared text for this or any other UCV sermon, see the post on tracking down a past sermon.

 

The above is a literature stall (lit stall) post. In the bulleted list below are the three latest posts with that tag.

If you haven’t read it already, please see the post about lit stall posts for more information. If you’d like to know more about any of this, please email me.

Thursday morning ping-pong

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A small group (!ucv) gets together in Hitschmanova every Thursday morning for an informal ping-pong session. If you’d like to express an interest in joining this ping-pong group or another one, you can do so here.

notes and links

DuckDuckGo bang commands (!?) link to search results for words they follow when the commands are in parentheses, for words they precede when they are not

!? the rules of table tennis – miscellany on posthaven

Ponder the Change of Season – We wandered from table to table and considered the return of the light

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As part of our Imbolc celebration, participants pondered questions related to the four directions/elements. Volunteers set up altars with objects – including food – that correspond to their direction/element.

Altars

Marie set up North including plant, rock, salt and salted dark chocolate bar.

The North brings solid land.

  • How is your body changing from winter to spring?
  • How are you connecting to the Earth now?
  • Are you preparing to plant?

 

Cindy set up the West/Water table.

The West brings flowing and raining

  • Are you dancing in the rain?
  • Or feel it’s raining on your parade?
  • Where would you like more flow?

Mairy did the South Altar.

The South brings light and warmth

  • What is heating up for you?
  • Is anything in your life “going south”?
  • Do you want to turn up the heat?

 

 

Gabby had popcorn for us in the East/Air.

The East brings Fresh Spring Breezes

  • Can you feel them yet?
  • What are they stirring up?
  • What is the scent and feeling on your skin?

 

Mary set up the central altar with snowdrops that will now be planted in the garden path labyrinth.

 

We also danced three circle dances (some danced; some drummed)

Vigil: keep warm through the cold night, as the spring will come again

Birghitta: welcoming the Goddess Brigid

Bells of Norwich – All shall be well again, I know. Love like the yellow daffodil…

 

Everyone got a snowdrop to take home and plant.

A Gift for Steven

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To mark this, his final year as minister of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, members of the congregation have created a book for Steven Epperson.  It contains a selection of sermons from the more than 300 Steven has delivered over his 17 years at UCV.  When one reads the book one quickly realizes it is as much a gift to us as it is to Steven.  Ah, but there’s even more to it.  Think of that loved-one or friend who asked you what Unitarian Universalism was all about.  Perhaps you gave them our famous ‘bookmark’.  Well “Life and Transcendence” is the book for the bookmark.

The cost of a copy is $20.00 and it is available from the library stall in Hewett Hall.  The proceeds go to UCV.

 

 

If you are unable to pick one up from the library, you can order your copy by clicking here.

The cost of ordering a copy is $30.00 since it includes a shipping fee.

What’s in a Name?

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On January 19th the What Do We Call Ourselves? (WDWCO?) Task Force led a Discussion Circle Forum in the Fireside Room. 44 congregants attended.

They were invited to address the questions:  Do you want to change the name – The Unitarian Church of Vancouver? If yes, to what?  If no, reasons for not wanting to change the name.

Rev. Steven Epperson, who attended, later commented that participants were respectful and thoughtful.  Which is just the way we Unitarians are as we contemplate our past identity and consider our future one.

“Red Paper” published by the Yellowhead Institute

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Please join the Reconciliation Working Group’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 29th at 10:30 in the Family Room. . We’ll be discussing the new “Red Paper” published by the Yellowhead Institute in Oct ’19. All are welcome. For info and to RSVP, please contact Lynn Armstrong lynnbea@gmail.com or 778-835-2546.

More info about the “Red Paper”

1) Preface: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2019/10/24/preface-landback-redpaper/
2) Full report: https://redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org/
3) Royal Proclamation of 1763: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-proclamation-of-1763

New Outreach Opportunities Fund Recipient, Aboriginal Mother Centre

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The Outreach Opportunities Fund Committee has selected a new recipient, the Aboriginal Mother Centre (AMC). It is dedicated to taking at risk mothers and children off the streets by providing housing  in 16 suites for mothers and up to three children under nine years old. The Centre is able to offer all the support, tools and resources a mother needs to regain and retain her child. These resources include counselling, advocacy, education, training, and spiritual and social support. AMC also carries out homelessness outreach, a family wellness program, licensed daycare and a community kitchen. Nominated by a congregant, AMC will receive funding from the Sunday Collections starting 1 February.