Try to find pleasure in the speed that you're not used to.
Changing the way you do routine things allows a new person to
grow inside of you. But when all is said and done, you're the one
who must decide how you handle it."
~Paulo Coelho
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Saturday, December 24, 5 p.m.:
"Christmas Eve Family Service"
Rev. Alex Holt, Dir. of Religious Exploration, Cynthia Westby, and Music Director, Bertram Gulhaugen. Join us for a family friendly Christmas Eve service of music and story-telling! We'll sing carols and tell the traditional Christmas story with help from our children and youth. We'll end with our tradition of lights-in-the-dark singing of Silent Night.
Saturday, December 24, 9 p.m.:
"Christmas Eve Candlelight Service"
Rev. Alex Holt
The candlelight service will feature singing of beloved Christmas carols and a reflection on how a Unitarian minister of the 19th century may have transformed Christmas with the famous carol "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" There will be a Christmas Carol sing-along at 8:45 before the service begins.
Sunday, December 25, 10:30 a.m.:
"Christmas Day and All Was Quiet"
Rev. Alex Holt
Today will be a very informal multi-generational service with no music, Religious Education, childcare, or staff other than Alex. Attendees will be welcome to sit quietly Quaker style and to share their Christmas stories of peace and serenity after the shopping and greetings are all done. Everybody is welcome.
Sunday, January 1, 10:30 a.m.:
"Atonement Service"
Rev. Alex Holt
This first day of 2017 will be an informal multi-generational service with no music, Religious Education or staff other than Alex. Everyone will be encouraged to use flash-paper to write down those things they wish to atone for from 2016 and then burn them as a way of letting go. There will also be pebbles from a beach in Maine for people to take home representing New Year's resolutions. All welcome.
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Podcasts of many past sermons are available on our website
www.wsuu.org. Click
here to go to our podcast page.
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The Mindful Journey - Cynthia Westby, DRE
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In the story "Raven Steals The Light" which I told for Sunday's "Unity of Light" service, all the light of the world is sealed away in a tiny box nestled within many increasingly smaller boxes so no light seeps out into the world. I'm thinking about this light in relationship to our New Year's resolutions. Most of our resolutions aren't kept. I only keep the ones that I stay aware of as meaningful to me. This awareness is my light turned on. Mindfulness practices train me to be aware, present, with my light on. In awareness, I will keep my resolutions or realize they aren't what matters right now.
Self-compassion is core in mindfulness meditation practices and core for navigating change. Self-compassion turns on your light. Mindfulness meditation practices can stimulate feelings of self-compassion and help train us to relate to and treat ourselves with kindness. Imagine you are teaching a child something new. What works? Encouragement, support, love, care, kindness. What doesn't work? Criticism, blame, anger, unkindness. So treating ourselves as we would treat a child learning something new is great way to imagine how to support yourself in working with your resolutions.
Read more...
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Debra and I wish everyone at Westside UU a peaceful and safe holiday season. May everyone have peaceful ease and that any traveling be low stress and high expectations of joy.
A special thanks to DRE Cynthia Westby for leading the holiday intergenerational service last Sunday and with appreciation for all the work that she and Bert did to plan the family Christmas Eve service at 5 pm on this Saturday night."
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Remember to Click through Westside's Amazon link for your holiday Shopping
Westside participates in Amazon Associates program and receives 5% on purchases made when you access Amazon through our unique link. You can get there with the icon here or go to wsuu.org and click the amazon icon on the homepage. Bookmark it for easy access for the future! Thanks for your generous support and happy shopping!
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Call for Common Quest Proposals
If you have an idea for a one-time class or a class with a series of sessions; a themed-discussion group; a film with discussion; a guest speaker, etc., please send your proposal to: Theresa McCormick, Common Quest (Adult Education) Coordinator at theresamcco@comcast.net by Wednesday January 4, 2017.
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The proposal should include:
* A three-four sentence description of the offering
* Intended audience
* Leader/teacher/presenter/facilitator/speaker
* Proposed Date/s
* Proposed Time
* Preferred Location
Proposal Deadline: Wednesday January 4, 2017.
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Annual Auction 2017
February 4
It's Just An Invitation, a Celebration -- Roll up for the Mystery Tour!
Join the
Nowhere Man and
Lovely Rita on the Magical Mystery Tour, our fundraiser for everything that makes Westside special.
Buy your tickets now for Westside's annual fundraising auction at the Brockey Center on Saturday, February 4, from 5:00-10:00 pm. We'll be visiting
Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane and and an Octopus' Garden, but don't forget your
your ticketsor the tour bus will leave on the
Long and Winding Road without you!
Can't attend? There are other ways to contribute to our largest fundraiser...
Volunteering - donating your time and energy
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Buy Auction Raffle Tickets NOW!!
Drawing at the auction on Feb 4, 2017 -
winners don't need to be present
Roll up to win an evening on the mystery tour:
- 2 tickets to see RAIN at the Benaroya on Feb 21, 2017
- A parking pass at Benaroya
- 100 gift card for Wild Ginger (nearby!)
All proceeds benefit our beloved community!
Buy your raffle tickets after the service in the social hall!
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UU Christian Fellowship Group
According to Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Wintle of First Parish, Weston, Mass.:
"...many would say it was precisely within Unitarian Universalism that they became Christians. Within the theological freedom of our churches, they found the 'space' to become Christians at their own rates. Within the historic faiths of Unitarianism and Universalism, they found the expression of a creative, vibrant, and believable liberal Christianity. Within the liberaal churches' tradition of social action, they sought and found a theological basis and a personal inspiration rooted in the ministry of Jesus. Perhaps most importantly, they found within Unitarian Universalism a religious home where their questions were not viewed with suspicion and their doubts were accepted. For many, here at last was a place to grow in faith!"
If you would like to explore how Christianity can fit into Unitarian Universalism, consider coming to a meeting of the brand new UU Christian Fellowship Group.
Thursday, January 19, 2017 from 7-9 pm in the Fireside Room
At our first meeting we will have a chance to share what the term "Christian" personally means to each of us. We will also discuss and formulate goals and structure for the group. Finally, we will discuss the first chapter of
Christ for Unitarian Universalists: A New Dialogue with Traditional Christianity
by Scotty McLennan. McLennan poses and responds to a series of provocative questions addressing Jesus as a historical figure and exploring the reality and meaning of the Christmas and Easter stories, the Trinity, Christ's divinity and more.
There are many Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Groups all over the continental United States and in Canada. They are all unique, but share a common goal: to provide support for its members and engagement with some form of Christianity. If you would like more information about the group, or if you would like to purchase a copy of the book ($15), contact Patti McCall at
pattimccall@seanet.com or look for her table in the social hall after Sunday service.
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Save these Dates!
Annual Auction: February 4
Candidating Week for Potential New Minister April 23-30
Congregational Meeting to Vote on new Called Minister: April 30
Seabeck Family Retreat: May 5-7
Garden and Art Fair: May 6 & 7
Annual Meeting: June 4
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Upcoming Environmental Justice Events
Thurs, Feb 9th, Interfaith Advocacy Day- Organized by Faith Action Network- Lobby in Olympia. (Save the Date - Go here to sign up to carpool. )
Mon, Feb 20th, Equity Rally in Olympia (Save the Date - Go here to sign up to carpool.) |
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New Resources for Our Environmental Justice News at Westside
There is so much happening with our very active Environmental Justice Group that it is dif
ficult to include it all in eNews.
Please take advantage of the
se new tools to keep informed and share ideas...
- Click here to view the Environmental Justice Calendar of Events
The Environmental Justice Committee meets monthly on the Third Sunday at Noon in the Social Hall. If you have questions or are interested in joining our mailing list please send an email to Anne Miller:
climate.wsuu@gmail.com
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For information about Recipients of our Sunday Morning Plate Collection click here.
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Religious Exploration for Children and Youth
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Youth of the Week
The Youth Adult Committee are offering a new way for members and friends to get to know our wonderful youth at Westside...introducing...Youth of the Week!
Katherine Fry
Hi my name is Katherine! I am 17 years old and I am currently a senior at Chief Sealth International High School. I use she/her pronouns. I have been coming to WSUU for 6 years.
My favorite foods are dim sum and ramen. My favorite colors are blue and green. My favorite musicians are David Bowie and AURORA. My hobbies are photography and orienteering. A fun fact about me is that I learned how to read music before I learned how to read English (I have been playing the piano for almost 13 years). What keeps me coming back to Westside is the music and Youth Group. My UU hope for the future is to find a new Unitarian Universalist home in Bellingham when I attend Western Washington University this coming Fall.
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Saturday, December 24 at 5:00 pm is our Family Christmas Eve Service:
Join us with your children, in this lovely service celebrating the music and story of Christmas.
No RE Classes or Nursery on Christmas Day, December 25th or New Year's Day, January 1st.
Children are welcome to join their parents in services on 12/25 and 1/1. We are giving our Teachers and staff these holidays off to be with their families.
Middle School RE Class!
Beginning Sunday, January 8th the Middle School class will use UUA RE-Reimagined curriculum "D'Oh God!" Religion-focused episodes of "The Simpsons" will engage the kids in World Religions' topics including: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Wiccan, Judaism.
Monitor + DVD Player Needed:
To show Middle School and other RE curriculum we would love to have your old flat screen TV or computer monitor with DVD player/DVD playing capacity. This would be placed in Westside's third floor Library and would be used to show DVDs for RE Classes. If you're upgrading either your TV or computer and have old equipment that fits this bill, please consider donating it to WSUU. Contact me at
cynthia.drewsuu@comcast.net
if you have something that might work. Thank you!
Interested in teaching in RE?
Please let Cynthia, Director of Religious Exploration at
dre@wsuu.org
know if you want to be in Westside's pool of RE teachers! Each class has a team of 4 teachers or more so your rotation into the teaching schedule could be as little as once a month!
Questions about RE?
Please contact Cynthia Westby, Director of Religious Exploration at
dre@wsuu.org
if you have questions or want to discuss the RE Program.
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Do you want to know what's happening in our vibrant RE programs? Click
here
to read about RE Program News and Events (
www.wsuu.org/re_news
)
If you are a parent, teacher, RE volunteer, or would just like to be included in the
weekly RE news that is emailed on Fridays, please contact our Director of Religious Exploration, Cynthia Westby
dre@wsuu.org).
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Joys, Sorrows, and Gratitude
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Peggy Tlapak is grateful that her eldest daughter and her life partner could come safely through the winter storms from Nevada to be with her in Seattle.
Ruth Herman shares a sorrow that a dear friend and colleague of hers has just veen diagnose with cancer. She is still undergoing tests to determine the extent and will begin treatment soon. Please hold her in your hearts.
To the people of Aleppo, Syria - we see the destruction adn hear your anguish We will do what we can to bring safety and comfort to those remaining. May your ancient city know peace once more.
Joann Gertig has begun chemotherapy for stage 4 liver cancer. She has been advised to stay away from crowds amd therefore not able tobe with us. Please hold Joann and Gary in your thoughts and prayers. |
Westside's Pastoral Associates:
Westside has continued to grow in a variety of ways over the past several years. With that growth comes a need for increased attention to the pastoral needs of our members. To help address those needs three of our members have completed training as Pastoral Associates and are now available to serve our members and friends,along with our Chaplain, Mark Newton. They are: John Britt, Marie Hoover, and Fred Matthews.
Requests for pastoral support may be made by email at
pastoralteam@wsuu.org
or directly with an Associate on Sunday mornings.
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WSUU Covenant Groups: Looking for a way to make a deeper connection with members and friends of WSUU? Westside has
five Covenant Groups meeting the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month, two in the morning and three in the evening. Part of our Covenant with our larger community is to always have an open chair for someone new to join one of our groups. If you think you might be interested, please contact Patti McCall at
pattimccall@seanet.com.
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Partner Church Ministry Team: Meetings are 1st Sunday of the month, 12:15-1:15, Westside north classroom, lower level. We build and maintain cross culture friendships through on-going communication with our Unitarian Partner Congregation in Transylvania. We are doing this through Pilgrimages/exchanges, emails, cell phone & skype calls, and now pen pal letters with interested kids. We welcome all who are interested in knowing more. Visit our Partner Church table during social hour the 2nd & 3rd Sundays or pop in on our meetings.
www.UUPCC.org for the international partner program. For Westside -
jcslatkin@comcast.net
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The Spiritual Study Group: Meets the 4th Thursday of the month, from
7:00-9:00 PM
in Westside's Social Hall, Sept. thru May. Our January meeting is Thursday January 27 & our book is WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE-MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE, by Jon Kabet-Zinn. The author has for decades helped people who's doctors couldn't help with their pain make their lives livable through meditation. But it's not just for people with pain. We'll. be reading about 50 pages- from the "Letting Go" section through the "Going Inside", page 53-100. We hope you'll join us on Jan. 27! For information contact Cynthia Townsend at
cynthiastownsend@gmail.com
or
(206)-261-5141
.
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Men's Group:
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior: 2nd and 4th Tuesday nights,
7 - 9 p.m. Westside Social Hall.
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Join the Men's Group for an evening of grounding, which starts with a short meditation. "We check in by describing our time since we last met. Then we share stories: we tell about experiences with facing success and difficulty; stories of new starts, work, travel, health-care, and creative expression. These are the beginnings of personal histories. They are the age-old tradition around the campfire."
Contact Richard Clark:
richard@secondroot.org
.
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Buddhist Meditation: Wednesdays 7:00- 8:00 Westside Social Hall. Rev. Alex will lead a one hour meditation weekly in the social hall. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience level. Please enter through parking lot doors. Contact Rev. Alex with questions.
revalexholt@gmail.com
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