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!
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), son of a Unitarian minister and friend to Thoreau, was a poet and philosopher who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century in New England. Transcendentalism – which believes in part that people can make their own intuitions about ultimate reality – formed an early core of Unitarianism.
What do the results of yesterday’s election mean for causes that many Unitarians hold dear?
How do we foster healthy relationships between people, communities, and the earth?
Eleven years ago at a CUC National event, a group of Canadian young adults wrote a poem – The Church of Our Imagination – that captured the attention of everyone present. Today we are revisiting it, and them, as we imagine our way(s) forward.
What is The Church of Our Imagination?
And is this even the right question for today?
Remembrance Day tomorrow is a time to remember those who died in wartime. Today we consider the Big Questions surrounding war and peace, in historical and current wars.
Candles and lamps have long been used in rituals and ceremonies, perhaps from the time when humans began containing fire. When an ember would need to be kept alight from day to day or travelling place to place. This service is both a homily and a yearly ritual of art making to acknowledge the regathering after the COVID pandemic, so we might remember how precious it is to meet in person. Materials for making chalices or light containers will be provided, or you can bring your own. Poetry readings and music suggestions to fit the theme can be offered, contact Leigh, we will create this service together.
Sanctuary, inspiration and love are found in sacred spaces. From the beginning of human life, we have been creating approaches to the divine and to the highest aspirations of our lives and relationships. Joy will present images of the gorgeous Blue Mosque of Istanbul (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), and other sacred spaces such as Stonehenge; and closer to home, our forests, lakes and gardens. In the forum, we will have an opportunity to share our personal experiences of sacred spaces, and discuss how to create these portals to deep refuge and meaning.
Indigenous land defenders say “defend the sacred.” As Unitarian Universalists, what does “sacred” mean to us? By letting go of traditional religious ideas of the holy as something limited to sanctified church experiences, we opened ourselves up to a world where – to quote Peter Mayer – everything is holy now. This means that we suffer alongside the natural world, but also that we can draw tremendous solace and inspiration from it.
Come join Reilly as she continues to explore reverential naturalism, and the ways that her experience working at Victoria General Hospital shaped her perspective on our UU faith.
What do we need to do to dismantle hidden (and not-so-hidden) barriers to inclusion?
This is one in the year long series “Roots of Resilience” presented by 8 different Canadian Unitarian Ministers. More details soon!
Meharoona will share her quest for hope, faith, and the Divine while living with a chronic illness and becoming disabled. Meharoona is a Muslim woman born and raised in a small Canadian town, currently living in Victoria. She is an accomplished writer, educator, and motivational public speaker with over 25 years of experience in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Her work appears in several prose and poetry collections. She also writes
for the Times Colonists’ Spiritually Speaking column. Learn more about her at:
https://www.mghaniconsulting.ca
A camping trip to the northwest coast of Vancouver Island at the end of October taught invaluable lessons about who I am as a person and a photographer. Going back to nature deepened my connection to the wilderness. This morning I’ll tell you a bit about my adventure and the wildlife I observed.
How are we working for a just and compassionate society?
This is one in the year long series “Roots of Resilience” presented by 8 different Canadian Unitarian Ministers. More details soon!