We are launching a 12 month program to help WUUC members become prepared for emergencies. In January we will focus on Communications. The first step is to identify an
Out of Area Contact
As a family, choose a friend or relative who lives outside of the Pacific Northwest and ask them to be your out-of-area contact. In a disaster, you may be unable to make phone calls due to service outages or overwhelmed cell towers. Instead of trying to call, text your out-of-area contact where you are and if you are okay or need help. This person can serve as a relay between you and your family, sharing important messages and each other’s locations.
Lori McConnell, John Hartman, Donna Johnson, Leslie Morton, Pam Green, Hudson Lyman, Cora Goss-GrubbsLori McConnell, John Hartman, Donna Johnson, Leslie Morton, Pam Green, Hudson Lyman, Cora Goss-Grubbs
Soon you will see some very sharply dressed folks (see above) walking around the church wearing green vests. These are Trash Talkers – also known as members of WUUC’s Recycling Task Force. You can be a sharply dressed Trash Talker too!
What do we do?
We’re reducing the amount of WUUC’s trash that goes to landfills- thus making the earth a better place to live.
How do we do it?
By helping folks get trash where it belongs. So stuff that can be Recycled, Composted and Re-purposed stays out of the landfill.
What do Trash Talkers do?
If you have questions about where a piece of trash belongs, ask a Trash Talker. Hey, we know the waste management world of “what goes where” can be confusing but we’re here to help. Ask a Trash Talker!
We welcomed multiple new members to our church in November 2025. The December 2025 and January 2026 newsletters will both feature bios from our new members so our community can read and welcome these wonderful people to WUUC. This newsletter will feature bios from Quentin, Marie and Ezri Quiñones-Rezin, Eli Taylor and Lily Jones, Christine Deppe, and Kristina Gray. The December Newsletter featured bios from Barbara and Skip Tripp, Tony and Marie Porter, Kristina Schmidt, and Howard Voland.
Quentin, Marie, and Ezri Quiñones-Rezin
Marie is a high school English teacher who grew up in Southern California. Quentin spent his early years in Wisconsin and his teens in Arkansas, before moving to California to pursue his dream of a career making video games. They met online in their twenties and have been married for 11 years. In 2017, tired of the hot and dry summers of Southern California, they decided to move to the Pacific Northwest and start a family. Today, they live in the Maltby area with their 6-year-old daughter, Ezri (who loves to read and play with friends), and two cats. They were looking for a community that shares their values, and were delighted to find one as welcoming as WUUC so close to home.
Eli Taylor and Lily Jones
Eli grew up nearby in Lynnwood, Washington. He now lives in Snohomish with his spouse, his daughter Lily, and their dog Betty. Eli and Lily first came to WUUC in the summer of 2024, looking for a safe and supportive spiritual community for Lily to grow up in. We were warmly welcomed, and Lily immediately asked if we could keep coming back. Eli keeps busy working as a data analyst, attending online courses for a doctorate in data science, and also working part-time as a registered nurse. He enjoys nature and gardening, reading, board games and video games, and anything science-fiction related. As a family we also enjoy learning taekwondo together.
Christine Deppe
Christine Deppe grew up in Munich, Germany, worked in Advertising, New Media, TV and Online Retail before moving to Seattle in 2004, where she raised her kids Tim (19) and Sarah (17) with her husband, worked in non-profit accounting and joined the West Seattle UU with her family 10 years ago. She co-funded a Coworking space, a PTA, a Tech Startup and the West Seattle Bee Garden, an educational apiary. As a Master Forest Steward for Seattle Parks and a Climate Action Families activist she has planted and protected over 5,000 native plants and trees.
In 2020 she moved to Duvall to learn how to build community and live in the woods with 30 fellow nature lovers. After this transformative experience she built a tiny house village, where she keeps rabbits, chickens and ducks, studies farming and psychology, and spends most of her time outside homesteading with her partner Jeff. She joined the WUUC email list in 2020, Sister and Supper Circles in 24, the Campout, the Starting Point and Meditation group and Sunday services online this year. She is excited to be part of this accepting community with a deep regard for intellectual freedom and inclusive love.
Kristina Gray
Kristina Gray (Kris) is a mechanical engineer from Oregon State. Recruited by Boeing while in her junior year, she’s been working there for almost twenty years now.
Kris has an enthusiasm for life and getting to know people, and is interested in a variety of things…favorites included hiking/camping with friends, Jazz Alley concerts, vegetable gardening, writing and gaming. She’s recently taken up oil painting and usually has a few different knitting/crocheting and building/craft/technical projects in work at any given time.
Kris is grateful for all of the warm and welcoming folks at WUUC, and is excited to contribute where she can. Thank you for welcoming her into the fold of this vibrant and supportive community!
We welcomed multiple new members to our church recently. The December and January newsletters will both feature bios from our new members so our community can read and welcome these wonderful people to our community at WUUC. The bios in this newsletter will be Barbara and Skip Tripp, Tony and Marie Porter, Kristina Schmidt, and Howard Voland. The January Newsletter will feature bios from Quentin, Marie and Ezri Quiñones-Rezin, Eli Taylor and Lily Jones, Christine Deppe, and Kristina Gray.
Barbara and Skip Tripp
Skip and Barbara were married 55 years ago this week (Nov.7) and spent the first 35 years of their married life in the New York metropolitan area where they raised their two children, Megan and Kevin. They retired to Gig Harbor in 2025 where they were active in members of the Tahoma UU Congregation and volunteered with Harbor Wildwatch, an organization promoting the environmental welfare of Puget Sound. After Covid and 16 1/2 years in Gig Harbor, it was time to move closer to Megan and family who live in north Seattle, so Mill Creek became their new home in 2021. Barbara was born in Seattle but was raised in New Jersey. She graduated from Whitman College with a BA in English, then returned to NJ where she met Skip. They raised their children in Briarcliff Manor, NY, where Barbara was an active community leader. She eventually went back to work in Human Resources. When Skip was transferred to New Jersey she became the executive assistant to the president of a large plastics manufacturing company. Once back in Gig Harbor, Barbara assumed a number of leadership roles at Harbor WIldWatch and TUUC, culminating with a stint as Board President. She enjoys walking, reading, and gardening. Skip was born and raised in Butte, MT. He obtained a PhD in organic chemistry from Cornell University. He spent his entire career doing pharmaceutical research for a Swiss drug company that evolved into Novartis.. During his tenure, he and family enjoyed 6 month assignments in Hershey, PA, and Basel, Switzerland. Once retired , Skip served on the TUUC board and chaired the New Church Building Committee. Skip enjoys esoteric science and good conversation.
Tony and Marie Porter
Tony was born in Pascagoula MS and met Marie when he was 18 years old. He and Marie married when Tony was 19 and Marie was 18. Tony went to Clear Creek Baptist College in Pineville Kentucky where he graduated with a BS in biblical studies. He and Marie then moved to Gulfport, MS. Tony then went to William Carey College and got a BA in Humanities. He then graduated from New Orleans Baptist Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. Tony then joined the Navy as a Chaplain where he served for 10 years. After getting out of the Navy he and Marie moved to Bothell. Tony was hired by the Seattle Police Department where he retired as a detective after 25 years. During the time Tony was in the Navy his religious views became more liberal and the Baptist church just didn’t fit any more. With prodding from Marie he started WUUC 30 years ago. The church went in to a building program and was sharing another church for space. This caused the service to be moved to nights and Tony worked nights at that time. Church attendance slipped away. Marie felt like she wanted to start attending again and Tony agreed. So here they are.
My name is Marie Porter… married to Tony Porter for 52 years and mother to Matthew Porter who died at age 33. I enjoy being in Nature, cooking, reading (especially History) and traveling. I am curious about all kinds of things. I earned my college degree in English after attending six different colleges during Tony’s Navy career. I am rather quiet… not a big talker but do better at listening. I have enjoyed meeting some of you at the church and look forward to being a part of your community of faith.
Kristina Schmidt
Kristina is an elementary school teacher in the Northshore School District. She loves to sing, play music, read and write, comb for sea glass, and take walks in nature. She is a mother to a lovely daughter who is a musician in Seattle. When asked to write an epitaph in the Building Your Own Theology course, Kristina wrote “Her childhood stubbornness was tempered through life into an inner strength.” With the loss of her husband and several immediate family members, Kristina feels a need to expand her community. She loves the warmth and dedication to others of this community, and feels fortunate to be welcomed as a new member!
Howard Voland
Howard Voland Grew up in Monroe, graduated from West Point, and served in the army. He resigned when his father died to take over the family’s newspaper business in the Skykomish Valley. In 1983 he came out as gay and met his amazing husband, Keith McGregor, the following year on a hike at Mt. Rainier. Not able to marry, they took out a joint mortgage on a house in Maltby. They gardened, they hiked, they traveled, wrote plays together and did many other fabulous things for almost 40 years. Then one afternoon in April 2024, Keith drank his last martini in that same house looking out over the garden they had built together. He died peacefully on his own terms in Howard’s arms after four-years of living with cancer. A year later, in a search for community and support, Howard found it at WUUC.
Minister’s Discretionary Fund, also called the Helping Hands Fund.
The offering is traditionally given and received during the Christmas Eve Service.
Recognizing the need for confidentiality around pastoral care, the minister will keep a record of all disbursements from the Fund which will be annually reviewed by the Treasurer.
Anyone seeking assistance from the Fund may make their request by contacting the minister in person or in writing. The minister will decide how much assistance (if any) will be given from the Fund,
The Treasurer of the Board will conduct an annual review of all expenditures to assure that they furthered WUUC’s mission and were consistent with WUUC’s tax exempt purposes.To view the full policy:Minister’s Discretionary Fund Policy 2025.09.17.pdf
Kick off the holiday season! Our Giving Tree will be ready for decorating, with gift tags for local organizations. During Children, Youth and Family time, children will make decorations to add to the tree.
Bring a Post-Thanksgiving potluck dish to share as we enjoy community, food, and a little holiday sparkle together.
Join us for simple holiday crafting and art activities that are fun for all ages! Children will also have a chance to shop (free) for small gifts to wrap and give to family and friends. After the kids are done, the shop will open to the rest of the congregation.
Please bring new or gently used unwrapped “giftable” items to the church on or before December 7.
Bring 1 or 2 dozen of your favorite holiday cookies for exchange, along with a list of main ingredients to help accommodate dietary needs.
We’ll also assemble care packages for neighbors in need in our local community. Watch your email for a list of requested items. While we pack, you’re invited to write holiday cards to include in the kits.
After the Sunday service, stay for a delicious pancake-and-eggs brunch sponsored by the Men’s Group. Vegan options available. Enjoy warm company as we celebrate the turning of the season.
After brunch, volunteers will be needed to help clear tables and chairs to prepare for the Solstice Labyrinth Walk the following evening.
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol used by many faith traditions for reflection and renewal. Walking its path is a spiritual journey through three phases:
1. The walk inward – releasing and quieting. 2. The center – resting in light and heart. 3. The return – integrating insight and renewal.
Come enter the darkness and walk toward the in-breaking of light. The path will be lined with glowing luminarias, adding beauty and reverence to our sanctuary.
Lift your voice in joyful song! Join our choir director Matt Smith accompanied by Terry Levitt as they lead us in familiar holiday carols for all ages.
Sunday, December 28 • 10:00–11:00 a.m., followed by potluck
As the year turns, join us in a ritual of release and renewal. • A burning bowl to release what no longer serves you. • Water for symbolic cleansing. • Stones to hold your intentions for the new year. • Cloth strips to let go of grief or harm from the past.
Come “cleanse the chambers of the heart” and make space for what’s to come.
