by WUUC | Aug 21, 2020 | Announcements
Join us on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. via Zoom for a meeting of the WUUC Nonfiction Book Club. We will be discussing Daring to Drive by Manal al-Sharif. RSVP to Alaine, alaine.davis@yahoo.com.
“Manal al-Sharif grew up in Mecca the second daughter of a taxi driver, born the year fundamentalism took hold. In her adolescence, she was a religious radical, melting her brother’s boy band cassettes in the oven because music was haram: forbidden by Islamic law. But what a difference an education can make. By her twenties she was a computer security engineer, one of few women working in a desert compound that resembled suburban America. That’s when the Saudi kingdom’s contradictions became too much to bear: she was labeled a slut for chatting with male colleagues, her teenage brother chaperoned her on a business trip, and while she kept a car in her garage, she was forbidden from driving down city streets behind the wheel.
“‘Daring to Drive’ is the fiercely intimate memoir of an accidental activist, a powerfully vivid story of a young Muslim woman who stood up to a kingdom of men — and won. Writing on the cusp of history, Manal offers a rare glimpse into the lives of women in Saudi Arabia today. Her memoir is a remarkable celebration of resilience in the face of tyranny, the extraordinary power of education and female solidarity, and the difficulties, absurdities, and joys of making your voice heard.”
–-Bookbrowse.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 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.
by WUUC | Jul 31, 2020 | Uncategorized
By Dan Lillie
Hello WUUC!
I am honored that you are considering co-ordaining me to Unitarian Universalist ministry. The act of ordination happens just once for a minister. It is the moment when a congregation (or sometimes more than one!) affirms a minister’s call to a lifetime of service to the living tradition of Unitarian Universalism. The last congregation I served, the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, has voted to ordain me on Oct. 4, and it would mean so much to me if you, the WUUC community, would be willing to co-ordain me along with First Unitarian.
To learn a bit more about Ordination, I offer an adapted excerpt
from the UUA’s Ordination and Installation Handbook, edited and updated by Rev.
Erika Hewitt:
Ordination is one of the most
important traditions of our faith. A congregation’s decision to ordain someone
represents the congregation’s faith in, and support for, the ordinand’s
ministry… In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, the ritual of ordination
also allows the minister to use the title of Reverend. As a formal recognition
of entry into service as a Unitarian Universalist minister, ordination offers
an invitation to individual and communal transformation, as well as an
opportunity to serve our faith in the world.
She continues:
Ordination is the culmination
of years of discernment, study, and formation in preparation to serve. After
completing seminary, an internship, and the fellowship process, the ordinand is
finally welcomed into the ranks of the Unitarian Universalist ministry,
“commissioned to make the practice of our faith their life’s work and accept …
that lifelong charge” (quoting Rev. Adam Robersmith). Unitarian
Universalist ordination services… affirm and celebrate… [a] person’s ministry.
I want to thank you for taking this request into
consideration. An Ordination is a joyous occasion. I was moved by the warm
acceptance I felt from you during Candidating Week, and I hope that we can
continue what we started then with a celebration of the good ministry we will
do together in the years to come. You have already called me as your minister;
now, will you consider ordaining me?
Warmly,
Dan
by WUUC | Jul 29, 2020 | DRE Blog
By Bridget Laflin
Director of Religious Education
Hello Beloveds,
Will you breathe with
me? Take a deep breath in slowly. Exhale slowly. Repeat as many times as
necessary to feel a bit of calm.
Let’s just take a
minute and remember that we love each other. At the very least, remember that I
love all of you.
This pandemic is causing
a lot of fear. And when we are afraid, we hold onto whatever we think will keep
us safe. We have difficulty thinking clearly. It is so easy to create an us vs.
them and forget that we are all interconnected and dependent on one another.
The truth is that there simply isn’t enough information about this virus. Statistics are unclear due to inconsistent testing, reporting, etc. Long-term effects are unknown. There is no vaccine yet, and speculations abound as to when or if it can be developed; much less the effectiveness of this potential vaccine when/if it is developed. It may be years before we have those kinds of answers.
What we do have right
now is each other.
Isolation, financial
difficulties, and lack of physical contact can all cause or contribute to
depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
And depression and
hopelessness can be as deadly as any virus.
Let’s think about how
we can support each other rather than focus on the illusion of separateness. Remember
we are ALL interconnected.
That might mean working
on our humility; admitting that we might be wrong and that we don’t have all of
the information. It might mean digging deep to find grace and compassion. It
might mean putting in time and effort to search for the deeper fears and
motivations for our own actions. It might mean looking for what is underneath
other people’s anger and addressing that rather than reacting to the anger
itself.
This is an incredibly
trying and difficult time, my friends. And I believe that loving-kindness and
compassion can get us through this together.
It is not in any way
simple or easy, but I believe in us.
I love you. You are not
alone.
Justice and Peace,
Bridget
by WUUC | Jul 27, 2020 | Announcements
By Rachel Eddy
August is approaching and with it, our new settled minister, Dan Lillie and his family will arrive in Washington.
The Lillies plan to spend their first month in an Air B and B near Northgate while they familiarize themselves with the area and look for longer-term housing. They will arrive in Washington on Aug. 9, after a five-day drive from New Mexico.
Minister Dan will start by taking some time to get to know our church, congregation, and lay leaders. He is scheduled to be in the pulpit for the first time for Ingathering on Sept. 13.
There are several opportunities to
get involved in welcoming the Lillies to Washington and WUUC:
>Jane Matthewson is organizing a meal train to provide the family with homemade, frozen dinners that can be easily heated and served while they get settled into their new home. The Lillies do not eat pork, but have no other dietary restrictions that need to be considered. To sign up to provide a meal, contact Jane at jmathewson18919@gmail.com or 425-788-2291.
>Alaine Davis is taking the lead on putting together a welcome basket and cards introducing our congregation to greet the Lillies when they arrive in the new home. To contribute a card sharing a little about yourself and extending welcome, or to help with the gift basket, contact Alaine at alaine.davis@yahoo.com.
>The Building and Grounds Committee (BAG) is working to get our church, and specifically the minister’s office ready for Minister Dan. If you would like to volunteer with BAG, you can contact Tom Richards at tomrchrds@comcast.net.
>There will also likely be a need for help getting the family’s belonging unloaded and moved into their new home. Those interested in helping to meet that need can contact Jane at jmathewson18919@gmail.com or 425-788-2291.
Finally, Minister Dan’s virtual ordination with the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque is scheduled for Oct. 4. Minister Dan and the Albuquerque congregation have invited us to join them as a co-sponsor of Minister Dan’s ordination, and to share in the ceremony. Ordaining a minister requires a congregational vote, so the board has called for a congregational meeting on Aug. 2, and vote on Aug. 16, recommending that we join in Minister Dan’s ordination. Please plan to attend the virtual meeting immediately following service, and be sure to return your e-mail ballot to Terry Santmann at tasantmann@gmail.com and CC David Simons at djaysimons@comcast.net. To ensure that your vote is counted, both Terry and David need to receive your ballot no later than noon Aug. 17.
Dates to Save:
August 2 – Congregational meeting regarding Minister Dan’s ordination
August 9 – The Lillies arrive in Washington
August 16 – Congregational vote on Minister Dan’s ordination
August 17 – E-mail ballots due by noon
September 13 – Minister Dan’s first Sunday in WUUC’s pulpit
Plans are underway, but not yet
settled for a drive through meet and greet in mid-August – watch for details!
by WUUC | Jul 27, 2020 | Announcements
By John Hilke
I bet it has been a while since you thought about railroads, but ideas are stirring in Congress and a group called Solutionary Rail has been thinking about the overlaps between transportation, social justice, and environmental issues for several years. This picture conveys many of the key environmental ideas regarding transportation.
- The industrialized world already has a vast network of RR rights of way that are underutilized. And maintenance is an issue in some regions of the U.S.
- RR rights of way could be used to upgrade the electricity transmission grid to move clean power to population centers now served by coal and natural gas plants that spew carbon. Using RR rights of way for this purpose also avoids the long, messy, and disruptive process of establishing new electricity transmission corridors.
- RRs are already more efficient in moving freight, but they can be even more efficient and less polluting if they are electrified, as they are in many parts of the world.
- Separate trackage for freight and passenger RRs could be accommodated within many existing RR rights of way as rail traffic grows.
- Short-haul passenger RR service can economically, safely, and ecologically replace airline service in many instances, as it often does in Europe.
You can learn more by visiting Solutionary Rail at https://www.solutionaryrail.org/.
John Hilke
