Sociocracy workshop
Sat, October 5, 1:30-3:30

John Braithwaite Community Center, Harbourview Room, 145 West 1st St., North VancouverThis workshop will be facilitated by Leonie Smith, founder of The Thoughtful Workplace and co-founder of Necessary Trouble Collective (with catherine strickland) and a certified Sociocracy trainer. Leonie has decades of experience working in and with non-profit organizations helping them to integrate principles of inclusion, accessibility and nonviolence.

This workshop is free for all UUSS members and we strongly encourage you to participate, even if you are not currently in a leadership position in the community. Our ability to adopt and integrate the principles of Sociocracy into how we govern ourselves - inclusion, equity, decentralization, empowerment and consent - relies on all of us learning and participating to our fullest ability.

If you have any questions, please reach out to catherine.

This will be an in person and remote event. You can register on the website.  Zoom link

Join other UUSS members as we take a field trip to Vancouver Unitarians on Sunday, Oct 6th. 
We will be attending the worship starting at 11 am featuring Dr. Roxy Manning, author of "How to Have Antiracist Conversations" in dialogue with Rev. Shawn Gauthier. 

Then, after the service, many of us will be participating in Roxy's 3 hour workshop "Antiracist Conversations: Dismantling Racism with Fierce Compassion". In this workshop we will learn practical tools and strategies to foster meaningful dialogues about race and systemic oppression.

You can learn more and register for this free workshop by clicking the link below. This will take you to the VanU page with additional information about the workshop and the registration form.

We hope to see you there!

INTO CIRCLE MEALS!

Joy Silver is once again inviting us all to participate in potluck lunches and dinners once a month in each other’s homes.  All you have to do is fill out the survey.  Joy will organize the lunches and dinners from four to six guests.  The more participants, the more circulation and opportunities for new folk to know us.

Carpooling can be arranged.

Any offerings to host a Potluck Dinner in October?  Your choice of date.

UUSS SAVE THE DATES

NEXT MONTHLY SERVICE
Sat October 19th at 5:00pm
Celebrating the sacred circle of life - The interdependent web of all existence after death

NEXT MONTHLY SERVICE
Sat October 19th at 5:00pm
Celebrating the sacred circle of life - The interdependent web of all existence after death

UUSS Craft Workshop
Sunday, Dec 1 @ 10:30am
Mollie Nye House, 940 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver
This is a crafting experience for all ages open to members and friends of UUSS.

Are you interested in joining a book club? Last year a group met to read Karen Armstrong’s book Sacred Nature. Some book club suggestions:

1. Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening

2. A literary fiction book club with a different book each month

3. A book, or books, related to our 8th principal such as White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better

4. A book, or books, about nature and/or environmental issues such asSacred Nature

If you would be interested in participating in a book club and/or have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a good starting point, let Cara know. We can have more than one group and can meet virtually or in person.

Second UUSS Monthly Gatherings start in November!!

Sunday, Nov 3, 11:00am -1:00
Mollie Nye House, 940 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver

This is a gathering for connection and conversation. This month's theme: We’re supposed to be a “welcoming community of spiritual seekers”.  Spiritual seekers?  What on earth does that mean to you?  A short presentation by John Slattery followed by small group discussions. Soup lunch to follow. RSVP so we know how much soup to have on hand!

Congregational Conversations

Pastoral Care for Lay Led Congregations
Friday, October 25 @ 10:00am

Open to everyone, this session will focus specifically on the unique challenges of pastoral care when there is not full-time professional ministry available. What are your strengths? What help do you need? Where can help be found? What creative options have you tried? more info.

Communications Needs & Resources
Wednesday, Nov 20 @ 10:00am

Deciding Together 
October 5 @ 10:00 am 

The Decision Making Exploration Team is inviting your input on how the CUC makes decisions nationally at Annual General Meetings (AGMs). more info.

• Provides a brief overview of the current process, the report’s recommendations, and an opportunity to provide feedback.
• Maximizes available time for participant input.

Connect and Deepen
Saturday, Oct 26 @ 1:00pm

Connect & Deepen is an online community for adults interested in meaningful reflection, conversation, and shared ideas for living our values. This is a welcoming space that encourages spiritual as well as philosophical exploration, with an eye to putting these explorations into action. more info.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Did you know that almost 300 congregations are hosting a UU Climate Justice Revival!

On September 28-29,congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

At the Revival, congregations will:

• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate change
• Identify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a reality
• undertstand their role in the interdependent ecosystem of creating climate justice and collaborative liberation

Full Moon Gathering
October 17, 2024  4- 5pm 

Let's gather to honor the Hunter Supermoon! Register here

TOMORROW!!
Saturday, Sep 21st at 5:00pm
"Water Communion"

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service.

Visitors are encouraged to also bring lanterns or lights of their own.  Here is the ink: 
https://stillmoonarts.ca/2024-renfrew-ravine-moon-festival/

Also tomorrow

Saturday, Sep 21 @ 1:00pm

Celebration of Life
for Chris Edgar

On June 5, 2024, after a short illness, Christopher Michael Edgar passed away peacefully, surrounded and supported by the family he loved so much. He was the beloved son of Patricia and David Edgar, husband to Tricia, Dad to Lauren, big brother to Karen and part of the Edgar and Wadsley extended family as nephew, cousin and uncle.

Barb Moore will be leading the service at Boal Chapel, North Vancouver.

THIS Sunday, Sep 22 @ 4:00pm

Inquiring Souls is back for another exciting year!   

You are invited to join Bill Richardson and Jessica Motherwell McFarlane for tea, snacks and question-  storming from 4:00- 5:00.

There is an online  attendance option too.   Please RSVP to  jilly.watson@shaw.ca if you wish to attend. 

INTO CIRCLE MEALS!

Joy Silver is once again inviting us all to participate in potluck lunches and dinners once a month in each other’s homes.  All you have to do is fill out the survey.  Joy will organize the lunches and dinners from four to six guests.  The more participants, the more circulation and opportunities for new folk to know us.

Carpooling can be arranged.

John and Joy are offering to host a lunch on Thursday, September 26th, from 11:30-1:30. Any offerings to host a Potluck Dinner in October?  Your choice of date.

Soul Matters are small groups that meet consistently on a monthly basis to companion each other on our individual journeys of discovery and growth. We do this using a packet of materials researched by a group of highly skilled UU professionals. The method used is deep listening as taught by the Quaker teacher and activist Parker Palmer. The method promotes a “heart” over “head” experience, and a chance to get to know our fellow group members on a very deep level. Small groups are a time-proven way to increase connections in spiritual community. And you may just find that the practice of deep listening translates well into more meaningful interactions in other areas of your life.

This year’s monthly themes are The Practice of….Invitation, Deep Listening, Repair, Presence, Story, Inclusion, Trust, Joy, Imagination, Freedom. But regardless of the topic, I find myself surprised at what I discover about myself through this process.

Soul Matters groups are starting up again. There is plenty of space. Current groups that meet in-person on the third Wednesday morning, a weekend, and on Zoom on the fourth Monday evening are all seeking and welcoming new participants. And new groups either in-person or virtual are always possible. Please let Anne Mayall know of your interest or questions. Email annemayall51@gmail.com, or call or text 778-686-3643.

The planning team for the Sunday gatherings on the North Shore (happening soon!) would like to know: how many of us own personal copies of the UUA blue book "Singing the Journey."

If you have one that you are willing to share email jilly.watson@shaw.ca to let her know.

The planning team for the Sunday gatherings on the North Shore (happening soon!) would like to know: how many of us own personal copies of the UUA blue book "Singing the Journey."

If you have one that you are willing to share email jilly.watson@shaw.ca 
to let her know.

Are you interested in joining a book club? Last year a group met to read Karen Armstrong’s book Sacred Nature. Some book club suggestions:

1. Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening

2. A literary fiction book club with a different book each month

3. A book, or books, related to our 8th principal such as White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better

4. A book, or books, about nature and/or environmental issues such asSacred Nature

If you would be interested in participating in a book club and/or have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a good starting point, let Cara know. We can have more than one group and can meet virtually or in person. 

Congregational Conversations

Connect and Deepen: Caring, Saturday Sep 21st at 1:00pm

Connect & Deepen is an online community for adults interested in meaningful reflection, conversation, and shared ideas for living our values. This is a welcoming space that encourages spiritual as well as philosophical exploration, with an eye to putting these explorations into action. Registration here.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Imagine Canada is hosting a free webinar, Reconciliation in Action: The Role of the Charitable & Nonprofit Sector, on Thursday, September 26th at 11:00AM. The webinar aims to provide practical guidance around how the nonprofit sector can be actively involved in reconciliation efforts. During this action-oriented session, panelists will discuss how charities and nonprofits can take concrete steps towards supporting Indigenous-led initiatives and addressing systemic barriers.

Sept. 25, Oct. 2, and Oct. 9, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Getting into Climate Action: Solutions, Inspiration, Hope! 
You may be familiar with the RegenerateBC material, but would like a deeper dive? Or you think your friends and colleagues would benefit from hearing more about climate solutions and action? Perhaps share this invitation with someone who prefers to participate from home? 

Sept. 26, 6:30 - 8:00pm at the Capilano Library. RegenerateBC will offer Climate & Media Connections: "How to Find Joy in Climate Action" based on the work of Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and other contributors to the All We Can Save Project. 

Did you know that almost 300 congregations are hosting a UU Climate Justice Revival!

On September 28-29,congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

At the Revival, congregations will:

• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate change
• Identify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a reality
• undertsand their role in the interdependent ecosystem of creating climate justice and collaborative liberation

If you are interested in helping our congregation be a part of this historic event, please email catherine.

NEXT SATURDAY!
Saturday, Sep 21st at 5:00pm
"Water Communion"

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service.

Visitors are encouraged to also bring lanterns or lights of their own.  Here is the ink: 
https://stillmoonarts.ca/2024-renfrew-ravine-moon-festival/

Saturday, Sep 21st @ 2:00pm
Celebration of Life
for Chris Edgar

On June 5, 2024, after a short illness, Christopher Michael Edgar passed away peacefully, surrounded and supported by the family he loved so much. He was the beloved son of Patricia and David Edgar, husband to Tricia, Dad to Lauren, big brother to Karen and part of the Edgar and Wadsley extended family as nephew, cousin and uncle.

Barb Moore will be leading the service at Boal Chapel, North Vancouver.

INTO CIRCLE MEALS!

Joy Silver is once again inviting us all to participate in potluck lunches and dinners once a month in each other’s homes.  All you have to do is fill out the survey.  Joy will organize the lunches and dinners from four to six guests.  The more participants, the more circulation and opportunities for new folk to know us.

Carpooling can be arranged.

John and Joy are offering to host a lunch on Thursday, September 26th, from 11:30-1:30. Any offerings to host a Potluck Dinner in October?  Your choice of date.

This Friday, Sep 20th @ 8:00am

This Friday, Sep 20th @ 8:00am

The planning team for the Sunday gatherings on the North Shore (happening soon!) would like to know: how many of us own personal copies of the UUA blue book "Singing the Journey."

If you have one that you are willing to share email jilly.watson@shaw.ca to let her know.

 The planning team for the Sunday gatherings on the North Shore (happening soon!) would like to know: how many of us own personal copies of the UUA blue book "Singing the Journey."

If you have one that you are willing to share email jilly.watson@shaw.ca 
to let her know.

Are you interested in joining a book club? Last year a group met to read Karen Armstrong’s book Sacred Nature. Some book club suggestions:

1. Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening

2. A literary fiction book club with a different book each month

3. A book, or books, related to our 8th principal such as White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better

4. A book, or books, about nature and/or environmental issues such asSacred Nature

If you would be interested in participating in a book club and/or have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a good starting point, let Cara know. We can have more than one group and can meet virtually or in person. 

Congregational Conversations

Emerging Needs, Wed Sep 18th at  10:00am

Join us for a conversation about your needs:  What’s going on for you right now and what do you most want to connect around this fall?

Please register using this form. You'll find the link for the conversations and information about other scheduled sessions there. 

Online Goodbye and
Appreciation Event, Thursday Sep 19 at 4:00pm 

Two valued members of the CUC staff team, Casey Stainsby,  Youth & Young Adult Program Manager, and Rev. Danie Webber, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Specialist,  will complete their work with the CUC soon.  Casey is leaving to allow her to focus more fully on her studies in preparation for UU ministry. The First Unitarian Church of Hamilton has called Danie to be their minister.  

This event will be an opportunity to celebrate them and share some stories about their impact on their CUC roles and to offer our appreciation.  Join us on Zoom as we celebrate these Youth and Young Adult leaders.

If you haven’t already added your comments to the virtual going away cards you still can.  To make an addition to the card for Danie or Casey, follow the links.

Connect and Deepen: Caring, Saturday Sep 21st at 1:00pm

Connect & Deepen is an online community for adults interested in meaningful reflection, conversation, and shared ideas for living our values. This is a welcoming space that encourages spiritual as well as philosophical exploration, with an eye to putting these explorations into action. Registration here.

Soul Matters are small groups that meet consistently on a monthly basis to companion each other on our individual journeys of discovery and growth. We do this using a packet of materials researched by a group of highly skilled UU professionals. The method used is deep listening as taught by the Quaker teacher and activist Parker Palmer. The method promotes a “heart” over “head” experience, and a chance to get to know our fellow group members on a very deep level. Small groups are a time-proven way to increase connections in spiritual community. And you may just find that the practice of deep listening translates well into more meaningful interactions in other areas of your life.

This year’s monthly themes are The Practice of….Invitation, Deep Listening, Repair, Presence, Story, Inclusion, Trust, Joy, Imagination, Freedom. But regardless of the topic, I find myself surprised at what I discover about myself through this process.

Soul Matters groups are starting up again. There is plenty of space. Current groups that meet in-person on the third Wednesday morning, a weekend, and on Zoom on the fourth Monday evening are all seeking and welcoming new participants. And new groups either in-person or virtual are always possible. Please let Anne Mayall know of your interest or questions. Email annemayall51@gmail.com, or call or text 778-686-3643.

Did you know that almost 300 congregations are hosting a UU Climate Justice Revival!

On September 28-29, congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

At the Revival, congregations will:

• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate change
• Identify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a reality
• undertsand their role in the interdependent ecosystem of creating climate justice and collaborative liberation

If you are interested in helping our congregation be a part of this historic event, please email catherine.

Wednesday, Sep 11 at 3:30pm
National Check-in for 
"Seniors' Day of Climate Action"

October 1st will be National Seniors Day in Canada. We are re-purposing this celebration with a "Seniors' Day of Climate Action". Over 50 communities across Canada will hold events and actions focused on Climate Change. Join us for an evening of preparation, celebration and to hear our amazing speakers: Dr. Courtney Howard, David Suzuki and Amber Bennett will lead us in an exploration of how we can influence the course of climate change. You will learn more about the upcoming Oct. 1st "Seniors' Day of Climate Action", and feel the excitement building among Seniors across Canada who are concerned about Climate Change!  

Sign up here.

Thursday Sep 12 at 7:00pm
Next meeting for the
"Second Gathering Circle"

Zoom link will be sent out before the meeting.  Any questions, please reach out to Allyson Yee.

 with any questions.

Saturday, Sep 21st @ 1:00pm
Celebration of Life
for Chris Edgar

On June 5, 2024, after a short illness, Christopher Michael Edgar passed away peacefully, surrounded and supported by the family he loved so much. He was the beloved son of Patricia and David Edgar, husband to Tricia, Dad to Lauren, big brother to Karen and part of the Edgar and Wadsley extended family as nephew, cousin and uncle.

Barb Moore will be leading the service at Boal Chapel, North Vancouver.

JOIN US FOR OUR FIRST SERVICE OF THE NEW YEAR!
Saturday, Sep 21st at 5:00pm
"Water Communion"

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service.

INTO CIRCLE MEALS!

Joy Silver is once again inviting us all to participate in potluck lunches and dinners once a month in each other’s homes.  All you have to do is fill out the survey.  Joy will organize the lunches and dinners from four to six guests.  The more participants, the more circulation and opportunities for new folk to know us.

Carpooling can be arranged.

John and Joy are offering to host a lunch on Thursday, September 26th, from 11:30-1:30. Any offerings to host a Potluck Dinner in October?  Your choice of date.

 Our October Service will be on the 19th at 5:00pm

 "Celebrating the sacred circle of life -  The interdependent web of all existence after death"

Life depends on death. Everything alive and vital depends on the death of other things to survive. It is a key part of the interdependent web of life. Lay chaplains Barb Moore (UUSS) and Laureen Stokes (Vancouver Unitarians) present how helping our clients deal with the death of a loved one has shaped our ideas on after death planning and care.  For the grieving, and the deceased.  Laureen will speak on how Terramation - a new method of body disposition - creates new ways to care for our deceased as we grieve, and reconnect us back into the web of life. 

All summer long, we have been featuring famous Unitarians that perhaps you wouldn't know were Unitarian. If you have enjoyed these features, let us know and we can add a few during the regular year too! send us a short emailat info@uusalishsea.ca.

All summer long, we have been featuring famous Unitarians that perhaps you wouldn't know were Unitarian. If you have enjoyed these features, let us know and we can add a few during the regular year too! send us a short emailat info@uusalishsea.ca.

Soul Matters are small groups that meet consistently on a monthly basis to companion each other on our individual journeys of discovery and growth. We do this using a packet of materials researched by a group of highly skilled UU professionals. The method used is deep listening as taught by the Quaker teacher and activist Parker Palmer. The method promotes a “heart” over “head” experience, and a chance to get to know our fellow group members on a very deep level. Small groups are a time-proven way to increase connections in spiritual community. And you may just find that the practice of deep listening translates well into more meaningful interactions in other areas of your life.

This year’s monthly themes are The Practice of….Invitation, Deep Listening, Repair, Presence, Story, Inclusion, Trust, Joy, Imagination, Freedom. But regardless of the topic, I find myself surprised at what I discover about myself through this process.

Soul Matters groups are starting up again. There is plenty of space. Current groups that meet in-person on the third Wednesday morning, a weekend, and on Zoom on the fourth Monday evening are all seeking and welcoming new participants. And new groups either in-person or virtual are always possible. Please let Anne Mayall know of your interest or questions. Email annemayall51@gmail.com, or call or text 778-686-3643.

Did you know that almost 300 congregations are hosting a UU Climate Justice Revival!

On September 28-29, congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

At the Revival, congregations will:

• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate changeIdentify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a realiunderstand their role in the interdependent ecosystem of creating climate justice and collaborative liberation
• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate change
• Identify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a reality
  
  If you are interested in helping our congregation be a part of this historic event, please email catherine.

VanU is Hiring a Head Nursery Staff Person *New!*

Casey Stainsby is moving into the new Middle Years Coordinator position, taking over leadership of Crossing Paths and other programming for ages 10-12. Casey has been wonderful as our Head Nursery staff over this past year and now we need to fill that position with someone new!

Our infant and toddler members need supportive, open, and loving care while their parents and older siblings attend service and classes. Our youngest members need to feel safe to explore their burgeoning sense of wonder, joy, awe, and love of the world and beings around them to build trust in this place and its people.

Are you interested? Contact Kiersten Moore at kiersten@vanu.ca  You may check out the job description here.

2 Adult Volunteers Still Needed for the BC Fall Youth Gathering *Updated!*

Welcome Rory Brimacombe as our BC Fall Con Coordinator! Rory came up through UU youth culture in Vancouver through the early part of the last decade and is now back in Vancouver after completing a masters at UBC. They are excited to be able to bring their experience and knowledge to a new generation of youth!

• Advisor’s Advisor (1 adult)
• Peer Chaplains (1 adult)

These adult roles are less task focused and more support oriented, they do require a time commitment nonetheless. We need everyone to commit to meetings starting in early September and probably an hour a week of work, ramping up as we get closer to the conference.

The roles will be almost identical to the CanUUdle staff system, with the exception of online components that we do not do.

You can find more info about all these roles here: CUC CanUUdle Staff Roles

Mark your calendars: 
Saturday, Sep 21st at 5:00pm
"Water Communion"

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service.

And on October on the 19th at 5:00pm:
"Celebrating the sacred circle of life - 
The interdependent web of all existence after death"

Life depends on death. Everything alive and vital depends on the death of other things to survive. It is a key part of the interdependent web of life. Lay chaplains Barb Moore (UUSS) and Laureen Stokes (Vancouver Unitarians) present how helping our clients deal with the death of a loved one has shaped our ideas on after death planning and care.  For the grieving, and the deceased.  Laureen will speak on how Terramation - a new method of body disposition - creates new ways to care for our deceased as we grieve, and reconnect us back into the web of life. 

Did you know they were Unitarian?

Tim Berners-Lee (1955 - )

Tim Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist generally credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web, HTML, the URL systems and HTTP. He is a professorial research fellow at University of Oxford and professor emeritus at MIT. In 2004, he was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II and the inaugural Millennium Technology Prize (€1 million) by the Finnish Technology Award Foundation.

In 1998, he wrote:
"People have often asked me whether the Web design was influenced by Unitarian Universalist philosophy. I have to say that it wasn't explicitly, as I developed the Web well before I came across Unitarian Universalism at all. But looking back on it, I suppose that there are some parallels between the philosophies. 

If you're used to other religions you might be confused by UUism being called a religion, but it qualifies I think. Like many people, I came back to religion when we had children. Happenstance had our family living in the Boston area, where UU churches abound, and we were lucky enough to hit on a great one, with a great minister.

Unitarian Universalists are people who are concerned about all the things which your favourite religion is concerned about, but allow or even require their belief to be compatible with reason. They are hugely tolerant and decidedly liberal. The fundamental value and dignity of every human being is a core philosophy, and they have a healthy respect for those whose beliefs differ. They meet in churches instead of wired hotels, and discuss justice, peace, conflict, and morality rather than protocols and data formats, but in other ways the peer respect is very similar to that of the Internet Engineering Task Force. Both are communities which I really appreciate.

The is one other thing that comes to mind as common between the Internet folks and the UUs. The whole spread of the Web happened not because of a decision and a mandate from any authority, but because a whole bunch of people across the 'Net picked it up and brought up Web clients and servers, it actually happened. The actual explosion of creativity, and the coming into being of the Web was the result of thousands of individuals playing a small part. In the first couple of years, often this was not for a direct gain, but because they had an inkling that it was the right way to go, and a gleam of an exciting future. It is necessary to UU philosophy that such things can happen, that we will get to a better state in the end by each playing our small part. UUism is full of hope, and the fact that the Web happens is an example of a dream coming true and an encouragement to all who hope."

Volunteer to make our Second Monthly Community Event Happen!  

Monday Aug 26 was the first meeting of the Second Monthly Event circle. Our community is keen to offer two regularly scheduled UUSS events to help build community and support us to deepen into our faith. If you are curious or interested in joining the circle that will organize the second event every month, please contact Allyson Yee

. Planing for the second meeting is underway and if you are interested, please fill in this Doodle survey.

Did you know that almost 300 congregations are hosting a UU Climate Justice Revival!

On September 28-29, congregations will host UU Climate Justice Revivals to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Through conversations, worship, and advocacy, congregations will work together to realize climate justice and collective liberation in our communities. Congregations will receive everything they need to host a revival in their communities, including discussion guides and materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

At the Revival, congregations will:

• collaboratively create  representation of the challenges of climate change
• Identify a vision for a flourishing future and actions we can take to make that vision a reality
• understand their role in the interdependent ecosystem of creating climate justice and collaborative liberation

VanU is Hiring a Head Nursery Staff Person *New!*

Casey Stainsby is moving into the new Middle Years Coordinator position, taking over leadership of Crossing Paths and other programming for ages 10-12. Casey has been wonderful as our Head Nursery staff over this past year and now we need to fill that position with someone new!

Our infant and toddler members need supportive, open, and loving care while their parents and older siblings attend service and classes. Our youngest members need to feel safe to explore their burgeoning sense of wonder, joy, awe, and love of the world and beings around them to build trust in this place and its people.

Are you interested? Contact Kiersten Moore at kiersten@vanu.ca  You may check out the job description here.

2 Adult Volunteers Still Needed for the BC Fall Youth Gathering *Updated!*

Welcome Rory Brimacombe as our BC Fall Con Coordinator! Rory came up through UU youth culture in Vancouver through the early part of the last decade and is now back in Vancouver after completing a masters at UBC. They are excited to be able to bring their experience and knowledge to a new generation of youth!

These adult roles are less task focused and more support oriented, they do require a time commitment nonetheless. We need everyone to commit to meetings starting in early September and probably an hour a week of work, ramping up as we get closer to the conference.

The roles will be almost identical to the CanUUdle staff system, with the exception of online components that we do not do.

• Advisor’s Advisor (1 adult)
• Peer Chaplains (1 adult)

Thank you everyone! Can't wait for another successful weekend! You are invited to submit an application online here.

CHANGE IN VENUE FOR
THIS SUNDAY

Join us for our Summer Picnic!
Sunday, Aug 25 at 11:30am

Due to a large event at Ray Perrault Park, we are moving our picnic and going back to Norma Elrod’s lovely garden on the Seymour River where we had our magical July service:

Norma Elrod's garden, 2012 Old Dollarton Road North Vancouver. Easily accessible by bus and parking is available on the street nearby or in the shopping plaza across the street. 

It would be lovely to catch up with each other before the business of September. To share stories of our summer and how we are all doing.  Anne would love to share what she learned at August Eliot family camp. It is a casual and do-it-yourself affair. Please bring your own picnic (and maybe a treat to share? ). Camping chairs and waterproof ground covers are important as the ground will be wet. If you have extra, please bring them. Any outdoor toys/games you want to play. After picnicking some of us might want to take a walk in the Wild Bird Trust just down the road. Or take in the Persian harvest Festival of Shahrivargaan at Ray Perrault Park. 

If you know you are coming, it would be great if you emailed or texted or called Anne Mayall. annemayall51@gmail.com. 778-686-3643. That way if the weather doesn’t cooperate we can contact you. But also please feel free to just show up.

Mark your calendars:
Water Communion
Saturday, Sep 21st 

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service

And in October on the 19th: "Celebrating the sacred circle of life -  The interdependent web of all existence after death"

Life depends on death. Everything alive and vital depends on the death of other things to survive. It is a key part of the interdependent web of life. Lay chaplains Barb Moore (UUSS) and Laureen Stokes (Vancouver Unitarians) present how helping our clients deal with the death of a loved one has shaped our ideas on after death planning and care.  For the grieving, and the deceased.  Laureen will speak on how Terramation - a new method of body disposition - creates new ways to care for our deceased as we grieve, and reconnect us back into the web of life. 

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the servi

And in October on the 19th: "Celebrating the sacred circle of life -  The interdependent web of all existence after death"

Life depends on death. Everything alive and vital depends on the death of other things to survive. It is a key part of the interdependent web of life. Lay chaplains Barb Moore (UUSS) and Laureen Stokes (Vancouver Unitarians) present how helping our clients deal with the death of a loved one has shaped our ideas on after death planning and care.  For the grieving, and the deceased.  Laureen will speak on how Terramation - a new method of body disposition - creates new ways to care for our deceased as we grieve, and reconnect us back into the web of life. 

Did you know they were Unitarian?

Greta Gerwig (1983 - )

Greta Gerwig is a director, screenwriter, and actor. She began her career primarily focused up on acting, particularly in independent films, and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Frances Ha. Her solo directorial debut, 2017’s Lady Bird, saw rave reviews and led to her Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. After earning praise for her movie adaptation of Little Women, Gerwig achieved her greatest box-office success with Barbie, 2023’s highest-grossing movie that also set a new earning record among women-directed movies. Gerwig regularly collaborates with her husband and fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach.

"I was born into the UU community. My parents were married [at the UU Society of Sacramento], and I had my “naming ceremony” in 1983 with the then-minister Ted Webb. My parents ended up leaving the church for a time in the 1990s but have since returned. My mom likes to say that having a time of a “walkabout” is almost part of being a Unitarian. I think religion has always been something that has occupied me as a person, and Unitarianism is the most complete expression of my multiple and, at times, contradictory thoughts about the spiritual life. I think the openness of the community allows for a greater variety of personal faith and ideas. It isn’t oppressively open, but generously so."

Volunteer to make our Second Monthly Community Event Happen!  

Zoom meeting Monday August 26 at 7:00pm
(please see details below).

At our Inaugural General Meeting in June, most of us expressed a desire for a regular second monthly event. To make it happen, we need to create a circle (team) that organizes and coordinates it? You don't need to have experience, just willingness! Ideally, you will also participate in our Sociocracy Workshop, but that is not required.

There is a strong community interest in having our second event happen on the North Shore (Sat or Sun, time and location TBD). However, what it looks like, what we do together, etc. is still up in the air! You do not need to be willing to lead any activities (although a willingness to lead is welcomed) but rather you will be working with others to organize and determine what our second monthly gathering will involve.

Our first meeting for this circle will be Monday August 26 from 7:00-8:30pm. A zoom link will be emailed to the UUSS community on Monday morning. All are welcome to attend!

Call to Action for
UUSS social justice warriors 

Tuesday, Aug 27 at 9 am at the PNE Vancouver 

The Gitxsan will be rallying on Tuesday August 27 starting at 9 am PT at the entrance to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver to demand that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police C-IRG/CRU not trespass on their traditional territory. The PRGT pipeline goes through Gitsxan territory without consent. Gitanyow have set up a blockade on the man camp access road. 

More at  
https://pbicanada.org/2024/08/11/gitxsan-to-rally-against-the-rcmp-c-irg-cru-trespassing-on-their-territory-at-the-pacific-national-exhibition-august-27/

VanU is Hiring a Head Nursery Staff Person *New!*

Casey Stainsby is moving into the new Middle Years Coordinator position, taking over leadership of Crossing Paths and other programming for ages 10-12. Casey has been wonderful as our Head Nursery staff over this past year and now we need to fill that position with someone new!

Our infant and toddler members need supportive, open, and loving care while their parents and older siblings attend service and classes. Our youngest members need to feel safe to explore their burgeoning sense of wonder, joy, awe, and love of the world and beings around them to build trust in this place and its people.

Are you interested? Contact Kiersten Moore at kiersten@vanu.ca  You may check out the job description here.

2 Adult Volunteers Still Needed for the BC Fall Youth Gathering *Updated!*

Welcome Rory Brimacombe as our BC Fall Con Coordinator! Rory came up through UU youth culture in Vancouver through the early part of the last decade and is now back in Vancouver after completing a masters at UBC. They are excited to be able to bring their experience and knowledge to a new generation of youth!

These adult roles are less task focused and more support oriented, they do require a time commitment nonetheless. We need everyone to commit to meetings starting in early September and probably an hour a week of work, ramping up as we get closer to the conference.

The roles will be almost identical to the CanUUdle staff system, with the exception of online components that we do not do.

• Advisor’s Advisor (1 adult)
• Peer Chaplains (1 adult)

Join us for our Summer Picnic!
August 25th at 11:30am

We are having a picnic at Ray Perrault Park in North Vancouver on Sunday August 25th at 11:30. Bring your own picnic lunch, chairs or blanket and outdoor toys and activities. The address is 1310 Grand Blvd E. More details to come.

Mark your calendars:
Water Communion
Saturday, Sep 21st 

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service.

Please join us for the first service of our new church year. We will celebrate with a Unitarian Universalist water communion homecoming ritual in a service lead by your Worship Team.  Please bring some water from your home or from your summer adventures. We will enjoy food and fellowship at a potluck after the service

Did you know they were Unitarian?

Pete Seeger (1919-2014)

Pete Seeger was a legendary American folk singer, songwriter and political activist closely associated with causes including civil rights, Vietnam War protests, and conservation of natural resources.

 “My parents believed love was enough, so my brothers and I were not raised in any church,” he says. “Also, my father was a strong believer in letting us make up our own minds in matters of religion.”

Still, he had ties to the Unitarian  denomination—he had often sung in UU churches, and Stephen Fritchman, the longtime radical minister in Los Angeles, was a close friend. He finally joined the UU Community Church of New York mainly because he needed a place for his chorus to rehearse though.

Seeger’s vision of the ideal UU church is—like so much of his life—unconventional. “It would be like a water tower,” he says. “I would put the congregation on a platform at the very top, where they could see all around without walls. My church has always been the outdoors.”

VBC Fall Gathering youth and adult volunteer staff

Hello youth and advisors! We are getting ready for another BC con!

This conference will be held at UCV on Nov 22-24. Lots to do before then!

All staff roles require a substantial time commitment, even the ones with limited pre-con responsibilities. We need everyone to commit to meetings starting in August, and probably an hour a week of work, ramping up as we get closer to the conference.

The roles will be almost identical to the CanUUdle staff system, with the exception that we won't do a ton of online components:
Co-Deans (2 youth)
Tech Wizard (1-2 youth)
Activities Coordinators (1-2 youth)
Advisor’s Advisor (1 adult)
Peer Chaplains (1 youth and 1 adult)
Community Captain (1 youth)
Social Media Coordinator (1 youth)
Chalice Circle Coordinator (1 youth)
Worship Coordinators (2 youth)

You can find more info about all these roles here: CUC CanUUdle Staff Roles
Thank you everyone! Can't wait for another successful weekend!

Apply to be on Staff at 
https://vancouver.breezechms.com/form/bcfallconstaff2024

Vancouver Unitarians is Seeking a Fall Youth Con Coordinator

Do you love working with youth? Do you want to spend time with the coolest bunch of them and help them create an event that leaves them (and you) fulfilled, overjoyed, and deeply connected? VanU is looking for a Con Coordinator. That's somebody passionate about supporting youth in leadership who's looking for a 75 hour contract this fall. The Con Coordinator helps the youth to plan a youth con at VanU, Nov 22-24, and then attends the entire conference to manage the event. Are you interested?
Contact Kiersten Moore at kiersten@vanu.ca. You may check out the job description here.