By Cora Goss-Grubbs Advocates for Social Justice Co-Chair On May 22, you’re invited to get out your coin purse, wallet, checkbook, or phone to give what you can to NAMI Eastside. This East King County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for those impacted by mental illness through advocacy, education, and support.
In February of 2021, NAMI Eastside launched their Multicultural Steering Committee, a partnership with the India Association of Western Washington (IAWW), the Muslim Community Resource Center (MCRC), Centro Cultural Mexicano, Entre Hermanos, and other community organizations to develop collective strategies to advocate for improved mental health support and ensure that every community gets the services that are needed.
On Saturday, May 21, NAMI Eastside is excited to host their first in-person event in two years, the Youth Mental Conference, held at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond. This event is free for students in middle school, high school, and college. Adult admission is $25 per ticket. For more information and to register, go here.
On April 17 we had the opportunity to hear from Farmer Frog founder Zsofia Pasztor and her daughter, Szabi, with a virtual Q&A session after the service. Thanks to all who stayed for this enlightening presentation, where we learned about Farmer Frog’s many programs, events, and intersectional work with communities in our area and across the country. We hope to host more representatives from our ASJ special collection recipient organizations so that we can learn more about the impact we make through financial and other support.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services usually 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, and selecting ASJ Monthly Collection, 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.
By Lori McConnell Tech Team Member Creating hybrid services at WUUC are complex procedures — and not for those with agoraphobia!
In mid-April, Kermit Sprang rented a 20-foot scissor lift so he and Tom Richards could install choir mics in the nether-reaches of the sanctuary.
The mics are multi- directional, unlike the wireless mics that are focused. Hopefully the choir will be back live in the sanctuary soon. When they are, the mics will not help people in the sanctuary hear the choir — that will be live sound and need no amplification. The mics provide sound for the zoom broadcast, a continuing part of hybrid services.
Photos by Lori McConnell
Several people were talking about the “large cobwebs” they saw on April 24 — those were the new choir mics! The mics themselves are tiny, and fishing wire was used for the lines to position them. Their position can be adjusted depending on the size of the choir.
By Cora Goss-Grubbs Advocates for Social Justice Co-Chair Once again our congregants have raised a hefty chunk of change to support life-saving organizations! On Feb. 20, $530 was collected for Washington NAACP Youth Council, founded in 2017 as part of the Seattle-King County NAACP with the goal of bringing youth voices into discussions on issues that affect them. They now represent over 10 high schools in Washington State, working together to build a transformative educational system that inspires belief in the brilliance of all scholars.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, ASJ quickly pivoted our March special collection to support the Ukrainian Association of Washington with $1,926. This donation will help deliver medical supplies to hospitals in Ukraine (in partnership with Medical Teams International), support civilians in life-saving tactical medicine, and help internally displaced families and orphans.
On April 17 our special collection will go to Farmer Frog, on Paradise Lake Road just a few miles from our church. Farmer Frog supports over a dozen school gardens in the state, works with several sites in urban and rural communities, and is developing several farms on acreage. They cultivate programs, school gardens, and hands-on learning to nurture communities. BSAFF volunteers also utilize Farmer Frog’s weekly distribution of USDA food boxes and produce to bring fresh food to our friends in the Greenleaf Community.
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, and selecting ASJ Monthly Collection, 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.
Having decided to check out the Washington 39th district Democratic party’s monthly meeting in Arlington, I volunteered on my first visit to be their Secretary/Treasurer, since no one else was willing to fill that vacancy. Why? How better to learn what they’re all about. ‘Follow the money’ and taking minutes at meetings give quick and nearly complete learning experiences, in addition to automatically becoming a member of their Board of Directors where I was involved in their decision-making. I stayed in that role for 3 years.
I then attended a meeting of the Puget Sound Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to find out what they were all about, where I volunteered to be their Secretary/Treasurer because, once again, no one was willing to fill that vacancy. And again, I was immediately a member of their Board of Directors where I was involved in their decision-making. I stayed in that role for nearly 3 years.
I then attended a meeting of Group Health Cooperative’s Senior Caucus to find out what they were all about and, would you believe, they also had a vacancy that no one wanted to fill: Secretary/Treasurer. So, I volunteered to fill that role and be on their Board of Directors during the transition period of GHC’s purchase by Kaiser Permanente. I recently retired from that position after 5 years.
All three of these experiences were fascinating, allowed my meaningful involvement in social justice organizations and were so much fun!
By Linda Sherry Worship Support Specialist Awakening to What? What does Awakening even mean? In the UU context does Awakening refer to something in particular? Spiritual Awakening? Social Awakening? Becoming “Woke”?
The word Awakening suggests so very many possibilities and the Soul Matters* materials for this month offer an opportunity to choose which you/we want to dive into …
One of my favorite exercises that the Soul Matters* Small Group monthly curriculum offers is called “Which is your question?” It offers a list of questions, not to answer like a quiz, but to peruse and consider the questions and to choose one (or more) that particularly intrigues you, that stimulates you to consider something in a new way, or to ask yourself for clarity, to prompt you toward a deeper understanding, or provoke to action, or… simply to engage you in any way you find meaningful.
Rather than offering my own pondering, or selecting readings for you this month, here are some questions you might find interesting enough to spend time with privately, or to discuss with people you know, perhaps people at church or with others in your life.
Which of these questions would you like to consider more deeply, or share with others?
In your view does awakening arise slowly from discipline and dedication, or it is something that sneaks up on us and hits us as a surprise?
When did you first awaken to the truth that the world’s rules, judgements and strivings did not have to be your own?
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie that “woke you up”?
Have you ever “heard” life say “Sing me awake!”?
What if your life is already what you are looking for and already offering you what you need? What if the path to awakening is simply “wanting what you have”?
Could it be that the fear you’re fleeing is imaginary?
Has pain or loss ever led you to the door of awakening? Has the time of Covid brought an awakening for you?
They say what irritates us about others is actually something we don’t acknowledge about ourselves. So, what annoying friend or family member is trying to awaken you to something you are struggling to admit about yourself?
Is it possible to have an awakening and your exterior life remain the same as it was?
Could it be that your ambitions are an impediment to your awakening?
What’s your question? Your question may not be listed above. If the above questions don’t include what life is asking from you, spend the month listening to your days to find it.
Submitted by WUUC Member Linda Sherry
*The Soul Matters Sharing Circle is a network of over 170 UU Unitarian Universalist congregations who follow the same monthly themes so we can more easily share. We are companions across the United States and Canada traveling a new journey together each month.
By sharing these themes, we build greater connections as Unitarian Universalists.
SAVE THE DATESMarch 19th and March 26th!!JUUstWA’s Environmental Justice Summit is coming soon! We are working on two different sessions for out Environmental Justice Summit this year! We’re tentatively scheduling speakers for the following. Each session will consist of a panel session with guest speakers and then a strategy session to map out some actions that we can take.
Rights of Nature, March 19th According to the International Joint Commission, the Rights of Nature recognizes that ecosystems and natural communities are not merely property that can be owned. Rather, they are entities that have an independent and inalienable right to exist and flourish.
Environmental Legislative Wrap-Up The Washington State Legislature has wrapped and now we will take a look at what has become law, what did not become law and what the legislative future might look like in the next session. We take a look at a brief look at what’s happening on the Federal level as well.
