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!
Koreans want a Peace treaty to end 65 years of war between the US and North Korea. They are working together to lay the groundwork for peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and they need our support to do it.
Dr. Ashford is a retired Family Physician and Palliative Care Specialist. She is Past Co-President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Her award winning book, Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror, and War, has been translated into Japanese and Korean. She has led two medical delegations to North Korea and recently returned from a week in Korea with Women Cross the Demilitarized Zone.
When you think of sacred music, country is not what springs to mind for most folks. For Arran, however, country music has served as a significant companion and guide. Accompany him as he shares how this unexpected and joyful soundtrack has deepened his meandering spiritual journey.
Arran moved to Victoria two years ago from Toronto (though he is Scottish) with his partner, Gen, to be near the ocean and the trees. Arran is the Director of Spiritual Exploration and Learning at First Unitarian Church of Victoria and is doing a Masters of Divinity, focusing on earth-based spiritualities, at Cherry Hill Seminary.
There is a Zulu sentence-word which roughly translated means “over there where I cry Mother I am lost”. How can we find our way home? How do we make our society and our community ours and how can we find our way back when we are lost. I will read some of my recent poems that I hope will be published in the future.
Janet is a member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, and lives on Gabriola Island with her husband of forty nine years. Her poems have appeared in chapbooks published by the CUC, other anthologies in Canada, the UK, in literary journals and online magazines. She has two books of poetry “Infinite Power” (2016) and “Impermanence” (2012) both published by Ekstasis. She has been a Unitarian since 1985.
Sometimes we don’t have a vision for the direction that our life will take when we don’t even know who we are yet. Curiosity, self-acceptance and courage can propel our self-discovery. Faye will share her exploration and discovery of part of her identity and reflect on how we all have the opportunity to ‘come out’ as our authentic selves.
Faye lives in Nanaimo with her wife and their 2 teenage boys. She works as a counsellor. When not working or trying to figure out teenagers, she’s into juicing, growing food in her front yard garden, reading and listening to podcasts. Faye has been a member of the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo (FUFON) for about 4 years. She is currently chair of the Lay Chaplaincy Committee and recently became co-chair of a new Refugee Sponsorship Committee at FUFON.
Through short readings from her memoir, author Janet Dunnett will explore her experiences caregiving. She will show how love at sunset was life changing for her, and hopes her experience will provoke you to reflect on yours.
Janet Dunnett was born and raised in Calgary and pursued a career in international development, living with her family in Ottawa and around the world. Her early retirement was steeped in caregiving, and when it was over, she wrote a memoir about the experience. Now she lives in Qualicum Beach with her husband of 43 years, and spends part of the year in Mexico.
This presentation will address three questions: (a) what is the CUC, and what is its recent history? (2) why is the CUC of such continuing importance for us? And at this point, (3) how could we begin to think about the CUC’s possible refocus? In beginning to answer such questions, we will consider not only ways that Capital may obtain support from the CUC, but also how Capital can help in the CUC’s building of a larger, stronger Unitarian community in Canada.
May Partridge is one of the original members of Capital who has long had an interest in how organizations can be helped to grow strong communities.
Marion Pape will talk about her 2016 pilgrimage to Japan with two Zen Buddhist priests from Vancouver’s Mountain Rain Zen Sangha to explore the origins of North American Soto Zen in Japan. In this process, Marion recognized that the focus of travel can be different on a pilgrimage. Instead of looking outside, we are noticing what is happening inside ourselves. Why was she really going on this trip and what did she discover? She will talk about how her Pilgrimage became two journeys, the place she visited and the other one inside her heart and mind.
Marion Pape is President of First Unitarian Church of Victoria having joined in 2012 when she moved to Victoria from Salt Spring Island. She was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax, First Unitarian Church of Ottawa and was an original member of the Salt Spring Unitarian Fellowship. She became a Buddhist on Salt Spring Island in 2014, taking her vows on the Buddhist precepts as a way of life.
Unitarian minister Robert Fulghum was asked this question while leading a children’s game. What is our answer? Our congregation’s opening statement says that we welcome people of different backgrounds and beliefs. We can do this because we are a church with no creed. This makes us unique, and also creates some challenges. We come together around our Principles, but how do we create a space where each person has a sense of belonging? Let’s look at the ways we can make everyone – even mermaids – feel like one of the ‘family’.
Jane will tell stories about home and longing for home.
Jane Enkin is a storyteller, writer, singer and songwriter. She has told to all ages in schools, libraries, festivals, synagogues and seniors’ programs. Jane lives in Winnipeg and has enjoyed her many visits to Victoria’s Capital Unitarian Community.
Disease can be a powerful force for transformation. At the age of 30, a virus suddenly threw Shelley’s life out of balance, prompting her to question everything, including her relationship with her body and the relationships between her body, mind and spirit. 11:15 presentation & discussion Proportional Representation as a Justice Issue Are you ready to vote in October’s referendum on electoral reform? Join Terry Dance-Bennink, vice-president of Vote PRBC, as she goes over the nuts and bolts of the referendum, and shares her personal passion for Pro Rep as a justice issue. You’ll also experience two different ways of voting, as we decide on what ice cream to serve our members! Bring your questions!
Shelley Motz is a Worship Associate at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria.
In a lively presentation that combines the personal, philosophical and practical, Lois Peterson shares her own set of fixed beliefs, encourages the congregation to explore some of theirs, and discusses what happens when the walls of certainty come tumbling down.
Lois Peterson moved to Vancouver Island in 2016 after living on the Mainland since 1971. An author, storyteller and writing instructor, she has published numerous short stories and articles, eight books for children and one how-to writing book. She is a member of the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo where she serves as Executive Director of the 30-bed Unitarian Shelter.
