Calendar of events
Here you will find all of our congregation’s Sunday Services, Board and Committee meetings and other events. Use the calendar controls to see events for past or future dates. For a quick look at recent Sunday Services, click here!
When chosen with care and respect, stories can guide, heal, inspire and even transform us. Come celebrate World Storytelling Day and Faye’s book Ancient Stories for Modern Times recently published by our UU Press Skinner House Books. Faye links personal journey with traditional wisdom tale in an exploration of our ever-changing relationships with nature, with one another and with ourselves.
Faye began storytelling in her 20’s. For over a decade, she has been sharing tales at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria, where she works as Director of Spiritual Exploration for Children and Youth. She puts a new spin on classic tales and weaves original stories full of mystery, humour, compassion and spirit. Her first book came out last year.
Learn the definition and history of diplomacy, how it generally works and the structure of diplomatic posts, what a typical Canadian Embassy is life, and hear a few stories.
Charles William Ross spent almost 35 years with Canada’s federal government and its diplomatic service, serving in the departments of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His assignments abroad took him and his family to Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Canberra, Perth, The Hague, Sao Paulo, and Bogota. Upon retirement he spent 5 years as the President of the Canadian Vintners Association, and several years as an international trade consultant.
Drawing on her experiences and those of other people who help LGBTQ refugees, Barbara Freeman reflects on the nature of compassion, mutual respect, patience and cooperation with newcomers, and among their sponsors and donors. The devil of being an angel is often in the details.
Barbara Freeman is a member of Capital Rainbow Refuge, an Ottawa organization that sponsors LGBTQ newcomers to Canada and mentors other LGBTQ sponsorship groups. She is also a member of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa and a winter visitor to Victoria.
Honoring the UU flower communion, from 1923 by the Reverends Norbert and Maja Capek to our present day exchange of love and synergy.
Kimberly Bramadat-Ramsey was born UU in Winnipeg and now volunteers with youth and OWL sexuality education at First Unitarian Church of Victoria. She is passionate about all types of healing and meditative ecstatic dance, and works as a school educational assistant and a community support worker in the summer. Kimberly is the proud mom of daughter Kisha Raven Bramadat, is married to Michael Ramsey, and is the daughter of Rev. Jane Bramadat.
It is good to celebrate. We celebrate our contributions to the Earth and the Earth’s contributions to us. Let us explore the inherent worth and dignity of all things; Compassion in relationships; and the interconnectedness of all existence.
Lillie has been a member of the First Unitarian Church of Victoria since 2002. Before that she belonged to the Unitarian Universalist (UU) communities in Ottawa and in Vancouver. She has been a UU practioner for more than 24 years. Most recently she attended our Homily Creation Workshop and the Lay Chaplaincy program. She was a Worship Associate and continues to support the Youth in every way possible. In her other work as a communication coach, she is an active member of the Inclusive Leadership Cooperative, is a pagan, a permaculturalist and a Compassionate Communication (NVC) practioner.
What is it about this community that makes it so important to you and me? Let us think about this together.
Before the days of easy trans-ocean flights, the way to travel was on great ships. Even luxury staterooms couldn’t handle all of the trunks of stuff rich people want with them, so some trunks got labeled, “Not wanted on the voyage” and disappeared into the hold. What if that label was applied to people? In fact, we do it all the time. Every time we look away from someone crouched on the sidewalk, with their dog beside them and a hat inviting hand-outs, we tell them “not wanted on the voyage.” Specifically, we tell them “YOU are not wanted on the voyage.”
Learn about the challenges and rewards of working with another culture. Four women from Vancouver Island have been working in Guatemala for the past 11 years trying to make a real difference in the lives of Mayan families in the beautiful but impoverished communities around Lake Atitlan.
ICOAtitlan works with villagers on projects which emphasize sustainability, education and health. More info at www.icoatitlan.blogspot.com
Among the sources of the UU living tradition are Jewish and Christian teachings about God’s love. How can we integrate ancient lessons into 21st century living?
Rabbi Shimon Moch is a leader of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple, a spiritual home for Victoria’s liberal Jews to worship, study Torah, and observe Jewish sacred times together
Karen’s homily will provide a global perspective through her life’s lens of having lived and worked on six continents. She will look at knowledge and altruism through both definition and experience, inviting you to reflect on your contributions to making the world a better place.
Karen was a member of the UU Fellowship of Ottawa for 20 years before moving to Victoria. Originally from Calgary, Karen started her professional life as a language teacher at the secondary and post-secondary levels and later worked in international development. Karen loves to sing, dance, cycle, swim and kayak.