Sunday Services: 11:00 am949 West 49th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T1Office: 604-261-7204 |  |
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.
We celebrated May Day outdoors near the Oak Street boundary just north of the Kids’ fenced-in playground area. Seven of us very successfully wove in and out around the maypole and–bonus–we found a tall thin wooden branch that we’ll dust off and dance around by next year.
We will meet on the first Tuesday of each month from 6 – 7 pm outdoors if weather permits, and otherwise in Hitschmanova Room- on the ground level-direct entrance from the parking lot/north side.
The biennial Chalice Choir–and Friends–Cabaret had a full house, great music and lots of fun. Here are some photos thanks to Gail Stephan.
The Chalice Choir of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver brightened up a cool rainy evening with their spring cabaret, Fascinating Rhythms, in Hewett Centre Saturday April 28, 2018.
The hall was beautiful with bright saris, flowers and snack food, the wine and beer pleasant, the program varied and the atmosphere cheerful. Every seat was full and the audience participation in a couple of the numbers raised the roof.
The full choir sang folk songs, including two crowd-pleasers by Stan Rogers, a Gershwin medley and a collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. In between the first and last sets, JES (Jane Slemon and friends), soloists and small group numbers rounded out the program.
The 2018 Earth Day Service was put on by the Environment Committee today. Guest speaker Aline Laflamme gave a moving, insightful sermon titled “All My Relations”. She spoke of the Indigenous view of what “relations” means as well as the responsibility that comes along with being part of a family that consists of all that is living and non-living in the world. The Daughters of the Drum performed Indigenous songs of thanks and prayer and, just to change things up a bit, rather than being read to, the Coming of Age kids read the Story for All Ages to the congregation!
There are numerous circle dances at the Unitarian Centre in April including guests from away.
Rosie Turnbull will be visiting from Findhorn, the spiritual community in Scotland where sacred circle dancing began.
Barbara Herring is visiting from Ontario – We’ve usually had the pleasure of Barbara visiting yearly for some time.
Barbara will be weaving the dances for the afternoon session and leading dances for the evening. In between we’ll have a potluck dinner with conversations.
Lucky us that many dancers have family and other reasons to visit Vancouver.
We also have a special session for dancers who are ready to move into facilitation–and facilitators who have a desire to practise a new dance or two. In the evening we’ll dance some more challenging dances after our potluck dinner. Mairy Beam will be our dance weaver.
Here’s your April events– a big one with 5 Sundays and therefore 5 services and 5 forums and tons of special events.
Newcomers and new members often have a hard time connecting with others at UCV. The hardest time is when they leave the service and enter the Hall room. They find themselves amongst a large group who seem to know one another…really well. It’s overwhelming. Even intimidating. So several of us asked ourselves, “What can we do?” And came up with the idea of creating a Sermon Discussion group.
Tamiko Suzuki thought it might create a friendly, casual environment where these new folks could sit with others and converse…introduce themselves … and talk about that morning’s sermon. A shared experience. Well, she was absolutely right.
We held the SD for several months and it was a real success. Those who attend are newcomers, new members and regulars. We averaged ten participants – the Sermon Groupies.
Sessions were moderated by a facilitator. “The discussions are thoughtful, insightful and dynamic,” said one new member. Another regular added, “This really enriches the potential Sunday experience.” One of the facilitators thanked everyone “for sharing in a meaningful discussion”. And another new member who comes frequently said, “it was a good discussion. I have been impressed so far with the depth and quality of communication in these sessions.”
There was a need to connect. The Sermon Discussions found one way to address that need. The group met weekly after services in the Priestley room from noon – 1:15.
Now the experiment is over having fulfilled the mission of connecting many people and helping them make new connections.
The Connect & Engage Team has now gone on to other initiaties.
Jane Slemon is a member of ErRatica and JES (Jane Slemon, Ellen van der Hoeven, and Susan Larkin,)
Here’s what their website says about her.
Heading up to our tent in the Ontario woods, we were always singing in the car. I was the fourth kid to arrive into the family, so guess which harmony was left. My mother tended to get us out of bed in the morning by singing something silly: “Wakie, wakie, tea and cakie” (shoes tumbling affectionately toward her).
Mom and Dad knew tons of songs: the silly and the romantic war time songs, the swing songs, and they crooned beautifully together. All of us were subjected to piano lessons as kids, and (probably since we were more likely to be playing street hockey and climbing trees than be indoors practicing) a $50 scholarship was set for any who achieved the Grade 8 Royal Conservatory exam. I got close, but none of us won it.
When I moved to Vancouver, I picked up guitar and flute and found a community of people who wanted to play music—good luck, great parties. I know and love those people still.
They are all over town, making music, making things happen. Some of them are in the band.
Here are some youtube videos of JES.
Sign-up to be a Pal to someone older or younger than yourself—we would love to have everyone involved and will match any pair from different generations (roughly 20 years apart). To facilitate anonymity, each pair will be identified by a famous Unitarian with a corresponding “mailbox” envelope in the Hewett Centre Hall.
A Celebration of the Life of the Rev. Dr. Phillip Hewett, Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, will be held at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver, March 23, 2018, beginning at 1:30 pm. A reception will follow the service.
Peace Building EventEriko Shiomi, Music & Art Producer, Japan
Keiichi Hashizume, Music Educator & Clarinetist, Japan
Julia Lin, Author – ”The extraordinary bonds between Taiwan and Japan”
Dr. David Edgington, Professor Emeritus, UBC – “Building back in devastated communities”
Dr. Eiichiro Ochiai, Professor Emeritus, Juniata College, Penn. – “Health problems related to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident”
Eriko Shiomi & Judy Villett, Textile artist
Reception
Sponsored by:
Artistic Studio LaLaLa, Tokyo
Egret Music Centre, Vancouver
Vancouver Program Committee:Judv Villett <ivillett@hotmail.com> 604-521-1191
Tama Cooithorne <tcopi@shaw.ca> 604-224-2646
Antonia Chu <antoniachu@yahoo.ca> 778-322-5566
Cecilia Chueh <egretmusic@gmail.com> 604-889-1114
Registration Recommended: 604-436-5995
***Participation by Donation***
Celebrate the incredible resiliency of the Japanese people and the way the world has helped,
especially their close neighbor Taiwan, and friends in Canada.
Everyone is invited to participate in the 5OX5O cm Textile Art Workshop at Hewett Centre, UCV on March 8th from 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Erika Shiomi will talk about the rescue of kimonos and fabrics from a historic shop, KAMESHICHI in lshinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, north of Fukushima, flooded by the tsunami. She will describe the cleaning and recycling process, bringing garments to show and sell made from the precious fabric. Thousands of 5OcmX5Ocm squares have already been made in Japan and around the world to be displayed during music performances organized by renowned clarinetist Keiichi Hashizume from Japan.
Participants are encouraged to think about their memories of the tsunami disaster and make a personal image using a scrap of the kimono fabric that Erika will bring from Japan. Add your own fabrics or use some that will be supplied. Embellishments and special threads may be incorporated. Stitch by hand or machine or don’t stitch at all! Images may be applied using iron-on fusible web – no sewing. No experience required!
Sharing materials and skills is encouraged. Several irons and sewing machines will be available, or you may bring your own machine with extension cord.
The finished 5O cm X 5O cm pieces will be donated by participants, either left at the end of the workshop or brought early the evening of the closing concert. All of the pieces will be safety-pinned together to provide a heartfelt back-drop for the talks and musical performance that are part of this memorial event.
Your work will then return to Japan to be part of the ever-growing collection from all over the world to be displayed in the new Culture Centre that is currently under consideration in lshinomaki.
A light Japanese and Taiwanese lunch will be provided during the workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring family and friends to attend the opening talks on
Wednesday evening and a very special finale concert on Friday evening to see your work and more than one hundred 5OX5O textiles brought from Japan.
For more information and to register for the 5OX5O Textile Art Workshop
please contact Judy Villett: jvillett@hotmail.com 604-521-1191
PARTICIPATION BY DONATION
Summary of the 3 EventsThis series of events will be well worth attending! I’ve been fascinated following the background of these music, art and peace-building events. (from Mary Bennett, UCV Arts Committee).
Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Peace Building Textile Art and Music Event – Remembering March 11, 2011 – Main Hall
http://vancouverunitarians.ca/e…/peace-building-textile-art/
Thu, Mar 8, 2018 at 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – 50 x 50 Textile Art Workshop – Main Hall
http://vancouverunitarians.ca/events/textile-art-workshop/
Fri, Mar 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Music for Peace and Textile Art Display – Sanctuary
http://vancouverunitarians.ca/ev…/music-concert-textile-art/
All events at the Unitarian Centre
http://vancouverunitarians.ca/eventlist/
Do feel free to print out and share with friends.
Page 1 – word doc – Description of 3 events Page 1 – pdf – Description of 3 events
Page 2 – word doc – workshop description Page 2 – pdf – workshop description
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