There are three and could be six small plots available for UCV familes to plant a small vegetable garden. Each plot is about 38″ square–a manageable size!
Mary Bennett is available to encourage and mentor on an ad hoc basis including at Messy Church nights or immediately after Sunday service.
Contact Mary if your family would like to have a plot for vegetable gardening.
Now is the time to plant peas and lettuce!
The vegetable garden is on the north side of Hewett Centre.
New plots will need a bit of time to get going. The three that were assigned last year are ready for planting.
Altar set up for a summer solstice celebration with noisemakers, colours and herbs representing the four directions/ elements.
In our earth spirit gatherings, we call the four directions (or elements), a metaphor for bringing into our awareness various qualities that provide balance in our lives and relationships.
In our earth spirit circles we often include baskets of the following herbs – available for enjoying – and taking a sprig of each home with you.
East – Air – Lavender
South – Fire – Rosemary / Bay Leaf
West – Water – Thyme
North – Earth – Sage
We also sometimes include sound to correspond to the 4 elements/directions:
East – Tin flute – Yellow
South – String instrument – Red
West – Rainstick – Blue
North – Drum – Green
For added fun, we have “bubble wands” in the four colours. Kids enjoy walking/running the labyrinth spreading joy and happiness with bubbles!
There are two labyrinths on this property. An encounter with them may go something like this: We’re walking along Fremlin Street or taking a short cut through the courtyard out there. Occupied with random everyday thoughts, our attention is diverted by a strange, mazy pattern laid out on the lawn or on the pavers in the courtyard.
There’s an opening into the design, an entrance, and we see that a path ensues. With its twisting turns, a glance tells us that a person can’t walk through it quickly. What to do? Flee and continue on our way; or stop, slow our pace, step inside and follow the path?
There’s something about that entrance—like an invitation to cross a threshold from the ordinary into a different kind of space and time. We sense this as soon as we’ve taken a few steps into the labyrinth. We become aware of our body moving with non-linear deliberateness.
As we tread, step-by-step, the flotsam, flux and cares of random musings and feelings may give way to a concentrated, affective thoughtfulness. And it may come to pass, it’s not guaranteed, that as we wind our way toward the heart of the maze, the maze enters our heart.
For thousands of years, we’ve been laying out labyrinths as symbolic roads of pilgrimage toward…what? There are various answers to that question. But the way I see it, the intent of walking the winding path is to take us out of the everydayness of our lives in order to deliver us to a realm of insight—a place of understanding hidden truths about ourselves and the times and places in which we live. Such is the latent power of a labyrinth.
Please do come and walk our labyrinths any time. They’re relatively small so it can take just a few minutes of your time and might inspire others to take time as well.
For many years, UCV has been a welcoming home and refuge to a wide variety of artists, musicians, and creatives of all disciplines and backgrounds.
Our beautiful Sanctuary, with its wonderful architecture, ambiance, and acoustics, has become a favoured venue for local concerts, piano recitals, music festivals and plays. It has been the home of the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival for many years, and regularly hosts the Vivaldi Chamber Choir, Jubilate Vocal Ensemble, Vancouver Chinese Choir, West Coast Chamber Music, Highs and Lows Choir, and of course our own Chalice Choir. The Chor Leoni Men’s Choir and Elektra Women’s Choir even have their office spaces on the UCV campus!
Elaine Joe at our grand piano playing for the Highs and Lows choir who practise every week in our sanctuary.
Each month, our Arts Committee curates a new exhibition in our Sanctuary and Fireside Room, giving local artists the opportunity to have their work seen by hundreds if not thousands of congregants and visitors.
The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meets in the Hewett Hall monthly, and provides its members an opportunity to have a ‘show and tell’ of their latest creations.
Another UCV tenant, the Multifaith Action Society, produces a Multifaith Calendar each year that features beautiful community-sourced artwork from around the world as a means of promoting interfaith harmony and cross-cultural dialogue. Over 30,000 copies of the calendar are distributed across North America and beyond annually.
We have hosted book launches and readings from a number of renowned authors, and the UCV campus’ many unique and storied spaces have also been featured in a wide variety of television shows, movies, and amateur films. Most recently, the Hewett Hall and Fireside Room were transformed into courtroom sets for the Johnny Depp film “Richard Says Goodbye”.
Marcus Hynes is the person to contact about booking space at the Unitarian Centre.
We are proud of UCV’s commitment to and embodiment of the arts and look forward to many more years of serving Vancouver’s creative community!
To inquire about booking a space for your creative event, please contact Marcus at 604-261-7204, extension 0, or by email.
Pride in Vancouver happens right smack in the middle of the summer. So although we at UCV are very proud of the fact we were officially certified as a Welcoming congregation for BGLTQ folk way back in 1995, we sometimes forget about planning to celebrate Pride Week. Last year when we did a vision survey, one of the comments struck me as significant: How would anyone visiting know about our positive support of queer issues?
We have a tasteful certificate hung in the sanctuary, but even if you notice it, it’s pretty subtle. Unless you’re already in the know, you wouldn’t know that “Welcoming Congregation” status had anything to do with awareness and support of diverse genders and sexual orientations.
North Shore Unitarians with the poster they created for their entrance way. They’ve generously shared the template and advice for when we decide to make something bigger.
Recently the Board supported an initiative to work with the other three Metro Vancouver congregations to recertify as Welcoming Congregations and share ideas and commitment around celebrating Pride.
We’ll be submitting an application to the West Bequest for financial support to produce and print a brochure and inviting speakers on educational topics into our congregations. To this end, we plan a couple of gatherings to share our own stories and discuss ways in which UCV can move forward.
Our UCV group is just getting started, but I’m pleased to say that along with myself, Mary Bennett, Martha Saunders and Leonie Armstrong have joined our team. If you’d like to be involved or have comments or suggestions, please send to me for forwarding to the team.
This year the South Fraser Congregation celebrated with bubbles at Surrey Pride.UCV Congregational photo that was sent to Orlando, Florida, showing our support.
Because, as mentioned, the term “Welcoming Congregation” doesn’t mean much to any one who hasn’t already been involved in the Unitarian religion, we are considering a new and more explicit name for our team. Many schools and universities use the term Gay-Straight Alliance, but since “gay” often has a more specific meaning than the umbrella term “queer”, I found on wikipedia that some “GSA” groups are now using the term “Genders and Sexualities Alliance” and one (Christian) school in Alberta–probably others–use Gender and Sexuality Acceptance.
Beacon at New West Pride 2018.
We will be doing some preparatory work over the fall, and expect to offer some workshops and presentations in 2019.
Please do contact me with your suggestions or questions.
This month you could plan a one-day spiritual retreat at UCV.
Come by 11 am for circle dancing; stay for contemplative collage; and then participate in Patrick’s Rhythm Meditation workshop 7 – 9 pm. Third Thursdays always include the first two events, and several people attend both.
First there was GLAD with an hour of circle dance because Darlene and Mary wanted to dance more–and share circle dance more.
Then Laurie and Mary added “contemplative collage” from 2-4pm. So, of course, a few people found they liked both events so some of us brought lunch or bought sushi from across the street. And Mairy who’d joined the GLAD team often stayed for lunch and then gardened.
So by July 2018 (three years after GLAD began), there are a few of us who spend most of the day at UCV with focused but flexible activities.
We danced all nine of the World Circle Dance Day link up dances from 2016, 2017 and 2018. All nine within just over an hour.
GLAD (Gathering for Labyrinth, Art and Dance) includes art and labyrinth walking as well as circle dance.
All welcome to all or any of these events:
11am – 1 pm GLAD
1-2pm – informal lunch with whoever’s there
We placed our rainbow rocks in the inner courtyard labyrinth. Two corners down. Two to go! #prepareforpride
2-4pm – collage with Laurie and sometimes Mary (in the summer Mary tends to stop to say “hi” and then go outside to tend the gardens
Beautiful centre to celebrate World Circle Dance Day. Wild Women cards from Elizabeth MacLeod by way of Karen B.
Thanks to Keith Wilkinson for these photos of the labyrinths taken Sunday, June 10, 2018.
Courtyard Labyrinth Sunday morning.We often paint rocks at GLAD, Gathering for Labyrinth, Art and Dance.Start from the doors that open from Hewett Centre. Walk on the grey to the centre and back..Penguins on the labyrinth!Feel free to pick calendula. It just makes it come back with more flowers. It’s name relates to calendar as it grows year-round.Look carefully. You might find a strawberry ready for plucking. Do it!Lambs Ears. Part of the mint family. Not an edible but does well with herbs that are. Drought-resistant.Rock with 3-circuit labyrinth painted on it. Take a rock. Leave a rock. We’re OK with that.
We had a lovely World Labyrinth Day event. Here are some photos. Thanks to all who showed up for: World Labyrinth Day, Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge and Jane’s Walk!
Jackie Conradi-Robertson with her finished painting. She said: I kept seeing more and more that I wanted to include.The kids walking the courtyard labyrinth. I hope they’ll do it more often now.Jackie Conradi-Robertson beginning her painting.Sandy enjoyed putting out teas from our garden – plus the very popular ginger-sugar syrup for added sweetness.
For Sandy’s tips and recipes for tea, click here.TeaRecipes
A painting begins. And then the light shifted….painting, walking, running.Hawk was very interested in learning about oil painting from Pat.Several people joined at 3pm through Jane’s Walk advertising.
We also sometimes include sound to correspond to the 4 elements/directions:
Some of the organizations who rent space with us are:
The 
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