We meet every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at 234 Menzies Street, in Victoria’s historic
James Bay neighbourhood. Childcare is available.
Sunday
Services
http://www.unitariancongregation.org/victoria/content/services.html
Board
Message:
October looks like it will be an active month for
us. The Board is finalizing details for the workshop on Sat., Oct. 20
with CUC consultant Barbara Bowmar to develop our next five-year
plan. Those involved in the last session will know that Barbara is
very good at pulling out the issues that are really key to figuring
out what’s working well, where we want to go, and what we need
to deal with. We look forward to as many of the congregation as
possible participating. (There’s a great lunch
planned).
Financial responsibility is always top of mind for
the board. To meet our commitment to a mid-year update to the
congregation, we are planning a short meeting after the service on
Oct. 7 to review where we are and provide a revised budget.
Thanks
to the hard work of Don Hauka of Beacon Congregation, a regional
communications plan has been developed with seed money from a number
of B.C. congregations. The plan involves each congregation being
featured on a rotating basis in an ad in the Common Ground and the
development of brochures we can place in key spots around the
City.
The B.C. Fall gathering at First Church, Nov. 2-4, is
fast approaching. This is a good opportunity to meet other Unitarians
from around the province. To that end, the Board has decided to
cancel the Nov. 4 service, so that everyone has an opportunity to
attend the service at First, without missing anything at
Capital.
Chairing a committee offers a unique opportunity to
lead and work with others in the congregation. We have a couple
opportunities, currently for Membership, and next year for Worship
Service, for anyone who is interested. Talk to any Board
member.
…And rumour has it, we will have three new
members joining in the near future.
Yours in UU, Brian
MacDonald
- - - -
Message from Mary; Special Dates
Most
of us - and our congregations - have special ways we like to
celebrate many of the cultural and religious events commonly known as
Statutory Holidays. As well birthdays and anniversaries - especially
those significant ones that end in 0 - are carefully planned for and
anticipated. (CUC is looking forward to its 50th in 2011
already.)
Our Social Responsibility groups have each chosen at
least one special date in the calendar to encourage congregations to
recognize in some way. A lot of the effort of our monitoring groups
go into responding to current events when resolutions passed at
Annual Meetings are relevant. Another facet of the role is to provide
educational and awareness resources to congregations. Since the dates
repeat each year, our intention is to provide plenty of notice, and
also to send new information each year to support congregational
interests.
Recognizing one of these special dates might be as
simple as posting a notice about it on a bulletin board or in your
newsletter. It may be related to an issue your congregation is
already involved with and could be used as a “hook” for a
news release about an event your group is sponsoring. As the dates
are often international ones from the UN, they may also spur interest
in interfaith connections in your area.
The special dates
chosen by CUC Social Responsibility groups can be found from a link
on our home page, www.cuc.ca
Here is a message from Christine Michell of Calgary and Lethbridge about
some of the upcoming dates you may want to celebrate. If it’s
too late for this year, think about what you might do next year, or
look further on for other upcoming dates. And let us know how what
you do so we can share it with others.
- -
A Call to
Action from the Continental Youth Social Action Coordinator
This
fall presents us as Unitarian Universalists with several ways to live
out our values of working for a world with peace, liberty and justice
for all. Issues of Peace, Poverty, Hunger, and Consumerism are
highlighted with several dates and events in the next few months.
Please consider participating in any or all of the following events
as individuals, families, groups and congregations:
--
October 8 – Interfaith Fast for Peace
http://www.shalomctr.org/node/1269
What
better way to spend thanksgiving Monday than giving thanks for
the peace we experience here in Canada, and calling for peace for the
rest of the world?
Join our cousins in other faiths and our
American neighbours in a dawn-to-dusk fast in protest of war
(particularly the War in Iraq), and in a call for peace. Gather in
interfaith vigils and events, and break the fast with thanksgiving
dinner held after dusk.
(If
you’re on Facebook.com,
let us know you’re attending the event, hosted by Young UU
Peacemakers)
-- October 16 – World Food Day “The
Right to
Food”
http://www.oxfam.ca/what-we-do/campaigns/world-food-day
Most
of us in North America take food for granted, but many people –
both in Canada, and in other countries – are not so lucky. Hold
a forum about poverty and hunger, an empty bowls meal
(http://www.emptybowls.net/)
or a hunger banquet (http://www.hungerbanquet.org/).
--
October 17th – Stand Up and Speak-Out against
poverty
http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/
“In
2000, world leaders from 189 countries signed up to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) (www.millenniumcampaign.org
), a global plan to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Last year, more
than 23 million people in 87 countries stood up and took action to
remind them of this promise. It was the largest single coordinated
mobilization in the history of the Guinness World Records.”
--
Millennium Campaign
-- November 24th and 25th –
Buy Nothing Day
http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd//
Refuse
to participate in the rampant consumerism of our culture by
abstaining from buying on the biggest shopping day of the year. Hold
a protest, a stuff-swap, or simply refuse to purchase
anything.
~Chris Michell continentalsac@gmail.com
Not
sure what to do with CUC news releases and suggestions for
involvement?
Our media relations consultant, Penney Kome, will be
doing more one-hour tele-seminars on engaging with the media,
alternating a “basics” session with one specific to a CUC
stance or initiative. To find out details, send a note to mary@cuc.ca
and I’ll put you on a list.
Take
care of yourselves and each other,
Mary
Bennett, Executive Director, Canadian Unitarian Council
mary@cuc.ca
1-888-568-5723/604-617-0142
(On Skype.com
I’m UnitarianMary. It’s free!).
CUUC Committee
News:
Social Responsibility Committee: The Food
Security Challenge
On September 7th and 8th, sixteen women
from our congregation gathered at Glenairely, Center for Earth and
Spirit, to launch our activity with the congregation on the issue of
food security. On the Friday evening, we had dinner and spent some
time learning chants from different cultures and religions. On
Saturday after breakfast, we had a productive workshop on food
security. To begin, Jackie gave an overview of what is happening in
our region and why we believe food security is important. We
identified actions that we could take as a congregation and then each
person indicated what action he or she would take as a personal
commitment to building food security in our region. The list we came
up with is as follows:
1. start worm compost
2. try
growing vegetables on a James Bay balcony
3. get involved in
a community garden
4. bring food security up as an issue
5.
plant some vegetables
6. approach smaller stores to get
local produce
7. replace oranges with rhubarb
8. be a
Woofer
9. grow winter vegetables
10. buy organic
produce
11. grow as many vegetables as possible and replace
flowers with vegetables
12. recommend Ambrosio which sells
local, but not necessarily
organic produce
13. distribute
excess produce to non-traditional groups (i.e.
not just food
banks)
14. eat seafood
15. make compost
16. use
BC products
17. start canning
18. continue to
participate on housing co-op committee on
landscaping
19.
get a backyard worm composter
20. find alternatives to current
negative practices
21. find a home that allows gardening
22.
continue work with organizations on food security
23. explore
alternative ways to freeze
24. have a garden
25.
continue to not waste
26. shop for local produce
27.
nag Thriftys re local produce
28. grow vegetables and
rhubarb
After the workshop we had lunch and ended the retreat
with a walk in East Sooke Park. The weather was perfect, allowing for
night-time star-gazing, swimming and beach combing at this beautiful
spot, Glenairely. We came away with a heightened awareness of what
food we eat, and where and how it is grown.
The challenge is
for every member of the congregation to identify one thing that they
can do to increase food security for themselves and each of us living
in this community.
Mary
Carlisle
- -
Sounds On Sunday:
On the
second Sunday of each month. Watch for the next one on October 14th
from 2 pm in the main hall at JBNH. "Sounds On Sunday" is a
performance opportunity for beginners, intermediate and accomplished;
singers, instrumentalists and poets. We provide tea and coffee and we
ask that if you come as audience that you please bring a few cookies
for the social time after the approximately one hour performance. All
are welcome.
Elizabeth
Atchison.
- -
Lay Chaplains:
This
summer I had an interesting service to officiate for, two couples,
who are friends of the very first couple I married, and who
live
in Texas, contacted me to see if I would perform a double wedding for
them. Well of course I would! But it did take some thinking out of
the box. The five of us had an interesting time planning everything
from how we would process and recess and how we could make a double
ceremony personal to each couple while also honouring their
friendship. Luckily it was a beautiful day and the ceremony came off
perfectly. If you are thinking of celebrating a rite of passage
please speak to Peter S or Amanda. We would
be delighted to help.
Amanda
Tarling
- -
What is going on in Unitarianism these
days?
Here are Capital’s Events and Local Events:
October
6th
Naomi
Klein speaks about her new book, Shock Doctrine. Tickets at Bolen
Books. Alix Goolden Hall at 7:30 pm
October 6th
Food
Roots Sustainable Feast at Fairfield Community Center. 6 pm. For
tickets see the website, http://www.foodroots.ca
or ask
Jackie or Mary.
October 20th
Grannies
for Africa with Stephen Lewis and the Getting’ Higher Choir.
Tickets at McPherson Box Office, 386-6121
Sat., Oct 20
Capital
Five-Year Plan Visioning Session.
Your board encourages you to set
aside the afternoon of Saturday October 20th to
participate in envisioning Capital's future. The session will be
facilitated by CUC Consultant Barbara Bowmar, who was instrumental in
helping us create our last five year plan. Look for further details
in the October newsletter.
Oct 26th & 27th
Bread
and Wheat Festival, Ukrainian Cultural Center and Fairfield Community
Center. A perogy dinner, workshops, music, and much more.
Oct
26th
“Scramble
for Literacy” – 9 am – 2 pm, Garth Homer Centre,
813 Darwin Ave. a Victoria READ Society’s annual fundraiser.
All proceeds go to Education Access, benefiting children and
low-income families in our community. More information
727-3938
October 27th
Festival
of Bread and Wheat at Fairfield Community Center, 10 am to 5
pm
October 29th
Maude
Barlow speaks about her new book, Blue Covenant, The Global Water
Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. Da Vinci Hall,
195 Bay St. Free.
Nov 2nd – 4th
First
Unitarian Church of Victoria (FUCV) will host our BC Annual Fall
Conference. This will enable many UUs from across our province to
"feel the experience" of our west coast hospitality. Last
year hosted by Kelowna U, this year will continue this wonderful
opportunity of sharing our liberal faith.
Nov 4th
BC
Annual Fall Conference – no service at Capital. If you would
like to attend the service at FUCV, please contact Amanda for carpool
information. Please call or email if you can provide a ride or need a
ride.
- -
International UU Events:
Nov. 1
– 5:
6th
Biennial Meeting of the International Council of Unitarians and
Universalists Oberwesel, Germany (near
Frankfurt)
http://icuu.net/CM07Adbkb_jcc.html
-
-
Regular Events around Capital Unitarian Universalist
Congregation:
Thursday walks: All are welcome
starting at Mile 0 (where Douglas Street meets Dallas Road) at 10:00
am every Thursday morning and meeting for coffee at 10:30 am at James
Bay Coffee and Books, (on Menzies, across from Thrifty Foods). Come
if you're new; come if you're already UU. Sponsored by the CUUC
Membership Committee. Contact Victoria F., 721-6920, for more
info.
Solos, a group for singles, meets on the first
and third Saturday of each month for a 6 pm potluck supper and 7:45
pm program. Come to the James Bay United Church, 511 Michigan Street.
New people are always welcome. Contact Kay L., 592-7013, for more
info.
Volunteer Opportunities:
KITCHEN
VOLUNTEERS Do you have any idea how fun it is to be a kitchen
volunteer? When you are setting up before the service
many
people drop in to say “hi” and you get the pleasure of
Kim’s music in the background. Serving coffee and tea you get a
chance to see and speak to everyone. There are not enough volunteers
to run the kitchen and it would be sad to have the
coffee and tea
in a “self-serve” style. Please call Lena (414-0228) to
volunteer – just one Sunday a month would be plenty.
-
-
GREETERS Greeters are the first people that our
visitors meet. This is a very important job in giving visitors their
first impression. We have a few openings for our Greeters’
schedule. Anyone interested in volunteering for this vital position
please contact Brenda Best.
Birthdays this Month:
Oct
2nd:Callum Tarling,
Oct
5th: Lynne Reed Limbert,
Oct 19th: Mavis Butlin,
Oct
22nd: Robert Mazerolle,
Oct
26th:Ikuyo Ito
Staff Announcement:
Coordinator
of Volunteers Required for First Unitarian Church of Victoria
The
First Unitarian Church of Victoria Board of Trustees invites
interested Church Members & Friends, as well as other interested
persons to consider the newly created Coordinator of Volunteers
position. Potential applicants for this paid year-long, part-time
contract position are invited to submit her/his resume’ to the
Church Office no later than October 1, 2007. A job description for
this position may be seen on the Church web site at
www.victoriaunitarian.ca
or may be picked-up in the Church Office, 5575 West
Saanich Road,
Victoria, B.C., V9E 2G1; phone: (250) 383-2772; E-mail:
churchoffice@victoriaunitarian.ca
Contact
information: Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation:
www.unitariancongregation.org/victoria/
Canadian
Unitarian Council: www.cuc.ca
To
contact the Board of CUUC, speak with any board member during coffee
time after a Sunday service, or phone our Administrator Amanda
(Tarling), 382-6828 or email at tarling@shaw.ca
To
have an announcement printed in Sunday’s order of service, call
Amanda, 382-6828, or better yet e-mail it to her at
contact.capital@unitariancongregaton.org
For
bookings in 234 Menzies Street, contact Amanda, 382-6828.
Lay
Chaplains: for rites of passage (weddings, funerals, baby namings),
CUUC is served by Amanda Tarling, 382-6828 and Peter Scales 477-6989.
And the Lay Chaplains’ services are free to all members of
Capital. Please call Amanda or Peter S for further information.
Send
Contributions to the Newsletter to Amanda, contact information as
above. Thank you.
