Summer is passing quickly and it’s time for us to gear up the Totes to Go program for the 23-24 school year!
Just to review, Totes to Go is a program that provides weekend food supplies for kids who are at risk of missing meals on the weekend, when school meals aren’t available. We collect food items for a month of weekends and deliver them to Maywood Hills Elementary. The school identifies the students who need support. We provide for fifteen students.
WUUC has generously supported Totes for many years. We collect food items in baskets located across from the church kitchen. We ask for donations of twelve types of non-perishable food. Donations can be made at any time. I send out a message explaining the last minute needs. Deliveries are made shortly before the first of the month.
This year, I’m promoting the idea of signing up for a regular monthly donation. For example, someone might agree to donate 30 granola bars each month. Amazon offers multi-packs of several items that we collect and may be hard to find. The price is often a bit better because you are buying more than a single item. You can even have them delivered on a monthly basis, which gives you a small discount. Many of our donors get supplies at Costco, and grocery stores carry most items as well. I would love to be able to plan on receiving a certain number of cans of tuna (or peaches, or ravioli…) each month. Then those of our donors who like variety in their contributions can fill in the rest.
Please let me know if you would like to make a particular donation each month. I can let you know which items are most helpful and be sure we don’t have overlapping orders.
Many thanks go to our donors, who have come through month after month. Many are anonymous; others identify themselves. Whoever you are, your contributions make a big difference! Hungry kids can’t learn well. We help prevent that.
Questions, comments and signups can be sent to Grace Simons or John Hartman, co-coordinators.
As the WUUC church fiscal year started on July 1st, so does the transition to the new Board of Trustees which you elected at the June Congregational Meeting. The Board is the legal fiduciary of WUUC and serves the congregation through its oversight and management of the church according to the Bylaws, policies, mission/vision of the church and subject to congregational polity and state laws and regulations. This year’s seven member Board includes: Jan Radoslovich, President; Jeff Lu, Vice President; Jeff Anderson and Linda Sherry, Co-Secretaries; Kermit Sprang, Treasurer; Azure Forte and Trina Roulet, Members-at-Large. Rev. Dan Lillie is also an ex-officio member of the Board and participates in Board meetings and decision-making discussions, but per the WUUC Bylaws, does not vote.
We would like to express our gratitude to outgoing Board members who have completed their terms: Leslie Morton, President and Terry Santmann, Secretary. Their tremendous commitment to the work of the Board and well-being of the congregation shone through all their contributions during their terms on the Board. The Board is in the process of planning for its annual retreat at the Sharingwood Common House on 8/25 evening and 8/26 all-day. This retreat will give us an opportunity to coalesce as a team, refresh leadership skills, share insights about the current church strengths, issues and priorities, and identify goals for the coming year. We welcome any input you would like to share with the Board as we prepare for the retreat. E-mail: board@wuuc.org. We are looking forward to the coming year of service as your WUUC Board leadership.
The Advocates for Social Justice Special Collection on August 20 will support efforts led by Community Organizer and fellow Unitarian Universalist Jacob Johns to organize a delegation of indigenous wisdom keepers and activists from all over the world. This delegation aims to address climate change on a global level at this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP), the decision-making body that monitors and reviews the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our donations will help incorporate diverse perspectives and traditions into contemporary climate policy and help ensure that the valuable perspectives of indigenous communities are given the attention and respect they deserve. For more information, go to https://www.backbonecampaign.org/cop28more.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
On June 10 about a dozen WUUC members and friends volunteered at the 2nd annual Woodinville Pride at Wilmot Gateway Park, where over 350 people of all ages enjoyed entertainment by LGBTQ+ performers and shopped at dozens of booths featuring queer and allied businesses. Even a rainy day didn’t keep folks from celebrating the local LGBTQ+ community!
We’re excited to announce that Carol Taylor and Leslie Schmidt will be taking on the roles of co-facilitators for the ASJ Coordinating Council as Pam Green and Cora Goss-Grubbs end their three-year terms. Carol and Leslie will continue the important work of supporting the WUUC social justice ministries (currently active are Welcoming/LGBTQ+ Justice, Racial Justice, and Native Connections), coordinating quarterly meetings and monthly special collections, and representing ASJ on the Ministry Council. If you’re interested in joining ASJ as a justice ministry lead or as a member-at-large, please contact Cora Goss-Grubbs at cgoss-grubbs@wuuc.org. Our next meeting is coming up in July, and we welcome newcomers!
The Advocates for Social Justice will be sponsoring its monthly Special Collection during the service on July 16 for Woodinville Storehouse Food Bank. This organization is operated by a coalition of churches and denominations serving the local community by providing nourishment and ministry to those in need, especially fresh food including dairy, baked goods, produce, meat and vegetables.
In April the special collection raised $472 for Farmer Frog, which cultivates programs, school gardens, and hands-on learning to nurture communities. In April we raised $498 for NAMI – Eastside, a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for those impacted by mental illness through advocacy, education, and support.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
During the Service of the Living Tradition (honoring those who have died, those who have completed professional service, and those who have received fellowship, credentialed, certified status in the past year) it was announced that Sue Turner, WUUC’s interim minister for the 1998-99 church year, had passed. Our own Rev. Grace H. Simons was acknowledged for her 25 years to the UU faith. Congratulations Grace!
Both inspiring and engaging, General Assembly is an opportunity for UU’s from all over to gather together to engage with one another, learn, debate, be inspired, and make new connections around shared interests and causes. Here are some highlights and reflections from each of your delegates.
From Carol:
This was my 5th GA (second online) and I left feeling energized and excited to be a UU. I have experienced GA both in person and online and found my virtual experience moving and meaningful. For those who choose to attend online next year, consider gathering in person to experience some of the sessions together.
UU’s care deeply about making sure everyone feels included and safe. I was inspired by the level of care that went into ensuring necessary accommodations were offered and instances of failure were publicly acknowledged with a commitment to do better. We are a passionate people and sometimes words got misused or misunderstood. We remind one another to uphold our covenant of mutual respect and point out and acknowledge when we make mistakes (for example, the lack of enough motorized scooters for those who needed them).
UU’s know how to work for justice with joy and compassion. I attended the UU the Vote session and learned more about all the great work being done by UU’s across the country to influence the political process. UU’s are forming communities to help causes in states that are most impacted by recent legislative setbacks affecting the rights of the most vulnerable. And UU’s are doing this together while forming relationships with one another and having fun (we ended the session with a dance party!). UU the Vote partners closely with Side with Love to offer opportunities for support and action in multiple areas. We can have more impact when we work collectively across our congregations.
UU’s are having a global impact. I learned more about how the UU Service Committee (UUSC) is advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently voted affirmatively on a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) offer an advisory opinion about the obligation of states in addressing the impacts of climate change. UUSC, its partners, and members have been consistently advocating for this resolution which introduces a new mandate for definitive action on climate change on an international level.
UU’s touch a wide range of people from all over. I attended the service for the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), a virtual congregation that reaches people in areas without UU congregations, including over 1,000 incarcerated people. I learned that many who are members of physical churches also participate in and contribute to CLF. It was a joyous celebration!
UU’s are amazingly talented and articulate. The music of the UUA band and chorus was stunning, I mean really world class. We are fortunate to have so many talented musicians willing to contribute their time and talent to enrich GA for everyone. And the written words shared in worship and workshops were poetic and powerful. Just Wow.
From Winny:
I am honored to have been one of the 3 WUUC delegates at the General Assembly 2023. What an educational and inspiring event!
The virtual experience for me, included the Whova app, which creates a virtual conference. It sent out notifications of what was about to happen, provided On Demand videos and Webinars. In addition, a way to get to Zoom app in which an interactive virtual experience was provided. The delegates were provided with a secure dashboard where ballots were provided and discussion boards for arising questions and observations could be accessed. There were 80+ virtual presentations made available to us, which are still available.
I had the opportunity to hear Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt speak again, and I am honored to have voted for her.
The 2023 Ware Lecture: Dr. Imani Perry was as amazing, inspirational and enlightening as I had hoped she would be. She has a very calm and gentle demeanor as she delivers her powerful message. She believes in existence of ghosts, and describes stratified belonging. She teaches us that rage is often the most virtuous response that you can have. I felt some commonality with her, and was awed by her brilliance.
The Zoom meetings included views of the live locations and people in Pittsburgh. There was drama within the chats, with improper word usage being debated. A protest broke out during the Pros and Cons presentations for the Business Resolution and they drowned out the opposition.
All throughout, the message of love and respect for everyone was repeated. It was a very touching, moving experience for me.
From Jan:
This is my 4th General Assembly. The General Assembly planning team worked very diligently to create a welcoming and inclusive conference setting and schedule for those attending in-person as well as virtually, and it was evident throughout the conference. The conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center directly overlooking the Allegheny River. There was easy access to outdoor areas to view the sights of Pittsburgh, including the many bridges that cross the 3 Rivers that run through the city – The Ohio River, The Monongahela River and the Allegheny River. Not surprising that many of the worship services had a “river theme”.
It’s always an amazing feeling to be in-person at GA amongst so many UU’s from all over the country. The congregation banner parade at the start of GA literally brings me to tears. I have such an appreciation for the diversity of the UU congregations across the country and yet I heard many attendees share about the same issues/concerns we are experiencing in our congregation: membership dropped during the pandemic, resource issues (both staff and volunteers), RE program rebuilding, disagreements about Article II, differing engagement related to social justice work. There was a clear message that Unitarian Universalism as a denomination is in the process of transformation itself and the engagement around Article II reflects that work of transformation. As a denomination, we are grappling with who are we as UU’s post-pandemic in 2023 and beyond. Faithfully becoming… (theme from GA2023).
I attended the Ware lecture and was touched and intrigued by Imani Perry’s weaving of UU history into her lecture. She also graciously stayed after the lecture to sign copies of her books. I got a signed copy of her most recent book “South to America” – a Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. While standing in line, I had a lively and fun conversation with a few UUs from the East Coast about acronyms they are considering to be able to recount the 7 shared UU values in the proposed revision of Article II:
