– Jean Fowler on behalf of Welcoming Congregations Committee
Please join us for the Second Annual “Woodinville PRIDE” celebration. June 10 from 12 – 4 PM. Wilmot Gateway Park, Woodinville. WUUC Social Justice Team and the Welcoming Congregations committee will sponsor a booth. The event will feature artists, crafters, and performers, at this local, family-oriented, safe and inclusive event.
– Cora Goss-Grubbs & Pam Green
Did you know that Woodinville has its very own Pride event? Their goal is to “elevate some of Eastside’s best queer artists/creators, LGBTQ+ business owners and some equity and equality focused organizations.” More info here: https://woodinvillepride.org/
As ASJ Coordinators, Pam Green and I have connected with the Pride organizers to find out how we can support this important event that aligns closely with our UU values. With their feedback, we’ve decided that the best way to support them (and have fun together while we’re at it!) is to sign up as a team to help with setup beforehand (9-11), then attend the event itself for as long as we’d like.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR 4-6 CHURCH FOLKS TO JOIN ME AND PAM IN VOLUNTEERING! If that’s you, please read on… If you can’t or don’t want to volunteer, please consider stopping by to check out and support the event.
– Leslie Morton I have two more meetings to lead as the President of WUUC’s Board. Will I be glad to be done? Yes and no. Yes, because I feel ready to move on to new areas to focus on at WUUC and no, because I have gained so much during the last three years with my Board experience. I’ve gained deeper connections with the people I’ve had the honor to serve with. I’ve grown in my ability to engage in sometimes difficult conversations while deeply caring for and respecting those I’ve disagreed with. I’ve gained insight into what it takes to keep this church running, why I’m involved in the church and it’s leadership, what this community means to other leaders in our community and how each of us bring our unique interests/skills/time/treasures to make WUUC the community that it is. I’ve also had fun!
In the coming days/weeks some of you will be getting calls asking you to consider being on the Board and I strongly urge you to consider this opportunity. “I don’t have the time”. “I’m not good at that kind of thing”. “I’m sure somebody else will do it”. I understand all of your concerns/fears because I’ve probably thought all of them especially when I considered being Board President. What made me decide to take on the Board lead was that I realized that all I had to do was to do the best I could with the skills and flaws I have; nothing more/nothing less. The Board meets generally once a month (typically the third Wednesday of each month, this year we have met from 6-8 but that can easily change depending on peoples needs/conflicts). On occasion we have met a second time for a developmental meeting or if something comes up; this month we will be having a second meeting for a discussion on the budget for next year). We have several roles: President (next year it will be Jan Radoslovich), Vice President, Treasurer (next year it will be Kermit Sprang), Secretary (take minutes and send out notices to the congregation) and the rest are members at large that participate in all meetings/discussions without additional duties. Rev Dan attends all Board meetings and I’ve found this a wonderful way to get to know him and his thoughts/hopes for our congregation.
If you get the call asking you to be on the Board, I ask you to please listen to the ask, ask any/all questions that you can think of, think of your unique gifts and how they can add to our community and then take some time to really consider it. YOU are worthy and wanted.
– Alaine Davis Join us on Saturday, June 17, 2023 @ 6 pm for a meeting of the WUUC Nonfiction Book Club, hosted by Jack Brand at the home of Alaine Davis and Lane Owsley in Kenmore. We will be discussing The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy by Anand Giridharadas. RSVP to Alaine <alaine.davis@yahoo.com>.
The lifeblood of any free society is persuasion: changing other people’s minds in order to change things. But America is suffering a crisis of faith in persuasion that is putting its democracy and the planet itself at risk. Americans increasingly write one another off instead of seeking to win one another over. Debates are framed in moralistic terms, with enemies battling the righteous. Movements for justice build barriers to entry, instead of on-ramps. Political parties focus on mobilizing the faithful rather than wooing the skeptical. And leaders who seek to forge coalitions are labeled sellouts.
In The Persuaders, Anand Giridharadas takes us inside these movements and battles, seeking out the dissenters who continue to champion persuasion in an age of polarization. We meet a leader of Black Lives Matter; a trailblazer in the feminist resistance to Trumpism; white parents at a seminar on raising adopted children of color; Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; a team of door knockers with an uncanny formula for changing minds on immigration; an ex-cult member turned QAnon deprogrammer; and, hovering menacingly offstage, Russian operatives clandestinely stoking Americans’ fatalism about one another.
As the book’s subjects grapple with how to call out threats and injustices while calling in those who don’t agree with them but just might one day, they point a way to healing, and changing, a fracturing country.
(Modified from penguinrandomhouse.com)
Four times a year, the WUUC Book Discussion Group gathers to read and talk about a nonfiction book. You only attend the meetings about books that interest you, so we end up with a different group of participants every time. We meet to share a potluck dinner, connect, and talk about a book in depth. Anyone is welcome to suggest a book and/or lead a discussion. Contact Alaine to RSVP, suggest a book, or offer to host a future discussion.
-Karen Chernotsky, Community Engagement Liaison – Bloodworks Northwest
Dear WWU Blood Drive Team:
Thank you so very much for hosting your most recent blood drive. We are thankful to you for opening your doors and sharing your space with those who want to save lives. Below are the results of our collaboration, and we look forward to working together with you again.
Thank You for Your Support! You are always appreciated.
Blood Drive Results for Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church
For the April 10-12, 2023 blood drive, you had a total of 123 people check in to donate blood, and 105 units were successfully collected. We welcomed 5 first-time-donors to Bloodworks Northwest – we hope it was a positive experience, and that they will consider giving again. You already have 11 people booked for your next event, July 10-12.
The blood that was collected at your event will go to local hospitals, impacting and saving lives of patients throughout the Pacific Northwest. This blood is critical to maintain a stable blood supply for surgeries, medical emergencies, and for supporting patients battling life-threatening illnesses like leukemia and other cancers.
We thank all of the donors for taking time out of their day to give their gift of blood, and we thank you for the extra time and support you put into coordinating the logistics, that made the blood drive possible. On behalf of patients in our community’s hospitals, I wish to extend our thanks. Bloodworks Northwest is the primary supplier for over 90 hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.
We do this because, Someone’s Tomorrow Needs a Blood Donor Today! Check out the Bloodworks Northwest Blog for patient stories and more.
Those who donated at this blood drive will be eligible to give again in 56 Days!
Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, sunshine punctuates the stretches of wet, gray days, and we, too, are finding life anew. Each monthly newsletter has more events, activities, and programs than the one before, which is a sign that our community is offering more opportunities to connect and deepen our bonds. So as life picks up all around us, it seems like a good time to ask: what renews your soul? What brings you energy and new life?
For some of us, we find renewal among the trees, in the mountains, and along the shoreline. I know that many of us look to the beauty of the natural world for our renewal. And some of us need a true spring break, a time to sit, relax, and do nothing except whatever our hearts desire in the moment. We are grateful for the opportunity to stay in the comfort of our own home, or a favorite familiar haunt, like a coffee shop or bakery. And some of us find renewal in engaging and connecting with others. We may connect over shared interests, common values, being in a similar life stage, or united by a common challenge or circumstance. Whatever calls us to find renewal in the presence of others, one place we can do that is in a church community like ours.
It’s entirely possible that you find renewal in more than one of these sources, maybe even all of them! In fact, I think I need some mix of all of these to really feel renewed in all aspects of myself.
So once we’ve identified what renews our souls, then what? Well, do it- Renew yourself!
Ok, maybe you can’t just drop everything and disappear into the mountains, or stay home, or get together with friends whenever you want. But maybe you can make an effort to prioritize something that renews you among all of the other things that demand your time and attention. Build some time into your day for a short venture outside. Take a quick music break and listen to a favorite song. Call a friend just to check in when you have 15 minutes to spare.
So as the sun emerges and the flowers bloom, let this time of year be a reminder to renew our souls, even if it happens through just one small moment at a time.
