The holiday season is fast approaching and the next Totes delivery will be for December! I will take our items to Maywood Hills Elementary in Bothell right after Thanksgiving. Please don’t forget Totes in the swirl of holiday preparations. As a treat for the season, it would be great if we could add some (individually wrapped) Christmas goodies. Maybe small candy canes, cookies, etc. Holidays can be pretty sparse for families who risk missing regular meals!
For those who aren’t sure about Totes, it’s a program to provide weekend food for kids who are at risk of missing meals when the school cafeteria is closed. We know that hungry kids can’t learn well, so we help get them to school on Mondays without being “starving”! Qualifying children pick up a backpack with a variety of food items on Friday afternoons and return the empty pack on Mondays. Only a very small number of people know who the beneficiaries are, certainly no one from WUUC.
Please watch for occasional e-mails about Totes needs on the WUUC chat. Many, many thanks to our regular donors, and to everyone who has supported this program! If you have questions or comments, contact John Hartman or Grace Simons, co-coordinators.
Shelter in place is not the same as “staying inside” a building. Sheltering in place is creating a “safe room” in your home. A true shelter-in-place order is because of a chemical, biological or radiological threat. If a chemical agent leak happens (i.e. ammonia, radiation, hazardous materials), authorities will instruct people to either shelter where they are and seal the premises (shelter in place) or evacuate immediately. A chemical release is an accidental release of harmful chemicals into the air.
Before an Incident
To properly shelter-in-place you will need to prepare a “safe room” in advance. You will likely need to stay inside several hours, but not several days, so choose a room and stock supplies to get you through the time. A good example of this includes a master bedroom with an attached bathroom to give you access to a toilet and running water or a bathroom. If you live near industrial areas or are within 2,000 feet of a major highway or train tracks that carry industrial materials, you are in an area that may be prone to chemical leaks.
Preparing your Safe Room
Purchase plastic sheeting and duct tape. Pre-cut the plastic to fit all windows, vents, and doors of this room, and label each piece. Create a box or container for your safe room to hold the pre-cut plastic, tape and these additional supplies:
• A battery-powered AM / FM radio (power may be out) with extra batteries
• Water and snacks
• Some towels and blankets (if this is another room than the bedroom)
During earthquakes, many people’s fight/flight instinct urges them to run — even when they know they should “Drop, Cover and Hold on.” Studies show that people tend to be hurt by falling objects, not collapsing structures. If you are on your feet trying to move in an earthquake, you are in danger of being thrown to the ground and/or injured from toppling book cases, breaking windows, flying dishes, falling TVs, collapsing fireplaces or shifting furniture.
Drop, Cover and Hold On — what does it mean?
DROP – Where you are, onto your hands and knees. (This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to nearby shelter).
COVER – Your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter. (If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall away from windows. Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs).
HOLD ON – Until shaking stops. (Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts. No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.) Drop, cover, hold on is the national standard for earthquake safety in our country.
Help us kick off the holiday season! Our Giving Tree will be ready for decorating, with gift tags for Friends of Youth (physical gifts). During Children, Youth and Family (CYF) 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. Fun for all ages! Children will also have a chance to shop for free gifts to wrap and give to family and friends. After the kids are done, the shopping will be open to the rest of the congregation. Please bring new or gently used unwrapped “giftable” items to the church on or before December 6, as well as gift wrap and gift bags. Early donations can be placed in the labeled box in the lobby (by the front door).
Bring 1–2 dozen of your favorite holiday cookies for exchange, along with a list of main ingredients to help accommodate dietary needs. During their CYF classes, children will assemble hygiene packages for neighbors in need in our local community. Watch your email for a list of requested items.
After the Sunday service, stay for a delicious pancake, eggs and sausage brunch (vegan options included). 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.
This family-oriented Christmas Eve service will feature a no-rehearsal pageant. All ages welcome to participate, no prep required! We’ll conclude the service by lighting candles.
Lift your voice in joyful song! Join Laura Hume and Terry Levitt as they lead us in familiar holiday carols for all ages between our Christmas eve pageant and candlelight services.
Our traditional Christmas Eve service will be filled with music, storytelling, and reflection, and, of course, our cherished tradition of lighting candles.
Sunday, December 27 • 10:00–11:00 a.m., followed by potluck
As the year turns, join us in a ritual of release and renewal. Four altars will invite reflection. Come “cleanse the chambers of the heart” and make space for what’s to come. Please bring a potluck dish to share afterward in our Post-Service Potluck.
From August 30 through September 20 WUUC’s lobby gallery will feature the work of Jacob Johns, a Hopi and Akimel O’odham environmental defender and artist who advocates for social justice, minority rights and environmental protection.
Jacob will be our special invited speaker at the worship service on August 30. After the service, he will lead a discussion of his art.
Jacob Johns is a multidisciplinary artist whose work serves as both a personal lifeline and a collective offering. Rooted in ancestral memory and forged through lived experience, Jacob channels the internalized stress of navigating a fractured world into the painful but necessary process of humanity’s reunification. Through painting, immersive installations, and experimental video, Jacob transforms the complexities of modern Indigenous identity into vibrant works that act as conduits for healing—both individual and communal.
Jacob’s creative force is inseparable from a life dedicated to advancing international climate policy and cultivating a world rooted in justice, health, and possibility. This global advocacy continues to shape a visual language infused with urgency, ceremony, and resilience. In 2023, while defending a peaceful gathering in New Mexico, Jacob was shot—an act of violence that became a defining moment. Rather than retreat, Jacob transformed the wound into deeper purpose, using art to heal, to expose, and to invite the world into sacred narrative space—where story, spirit, and form converge to help us all relax into the healthy, livable future we deserve.
