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!
What keeps you up at night? What are the most pressing challenges facing you and your loved ones? Do we see the world as it is or the world as it should be? GVAT represents a commitment to the community of Victoria. We are a partnership of labour unions, faith/spiritual, community, and educational groups who are able to look beyond our differences, and act to advance social, environmental and economic justice. youtube.com/watch?v=7NZq2LsQ3n4
Susan Layng is a member of First Unitarian Church of Victoria. She is a member of the Board of Trustees representing the Outreach Council and is the Lead for the GVAT Core Team. Susan previously spoke to Capital about her experiences working inside an all male federal prison and currently sits on the Board of a local halfway house in Victoria.
“The Lovin’ Spoonful sang, “”Believe in the magic that can set you free”” for them that magic was through music. In this service we will explore what that could be for us.”
Arran moved to Victoria 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, focussing on earth-based spiritualities, at Cherry Hill Seminary. Arran is a member of Capital and one of our Lay Chaplains.
The digestive tract is colonized by a complex population of about 30 trillion bacteria, the composition of which is a determinant between health and disease. This presentation is an attempt (i) to demystify the notion that the gut is our second brain, (ii) to discuss recent research indicating the involvement of gut bacteria in various mental illnesses such as depression and autism spectrum disorder, and (iii) to briefly describe new strategies for treatment of these disorders.
Dr. Edward Ishiguro is Professor Emeritus the University of Victoria in the Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology since 1977. He was awarded Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award in 2005 and the UVic Alumni Association Harry Hickman Award for Teaching Excellence in 2006. He is from the UVic Speaker’s Bureau.
Shiva: ultimate reality; Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer. Standing on a baby: symbol of ignorance. Could all the violence, fear and chaos around us be a necessary part of the cycle of life? Maybe the structures and systems of corruption must be broken to make room for a new foundation for living in relationship with the earth. Let’s explore what it takes to ride the wave of destruction with courage, hope, love and compassion.
Rev. Frances Leigh Deverell served as minister for 3 Unitarian congregations before retiring in 2010. This followed a 25-year career in Management Training and Organizational Development. She is the author of Finding Common Voice, the Canadian congregational handbook for social responsibility. She serves as Past President of the Canadian Unitarians For Social Justice. She is chair of the Criminal Love and Justice Group of the Canadian Unitarian Council working on crime prevention and aboriginal justice issues. You will find her personal website at www.francesdeverell.com. Frances and her husband, Ron Wilson live in cohousing (Pacific Gardens) and attend FUFON in Nanaimo. Her daughter, Karen Abramson, lives in Coquitlam.
Mick Jagger crooned the line, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes, you might find, you get what you need” (The Rolling Stones, 1969). These iconic rock lyrics raise philosophical and existential considerations. Why do we constantly yearn, crave, “want”? What do we really need? Today, a rubric for living on the ubiquitous human quest for fulfillment and happiness.
Rev. Helen McFadyen works for the Unitarian Universalist Association as Administrator of the Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry (AIM) certification program. In this role she assists UU congregations across North America to complete a multi-year program to become more accessible, inclusive, and supporting of people with disabilities and their families. Helen is currently advancing doctorate research that explores, “The experience of mutual support in elders living in senior co-housing community.” Born near Montreal six decades ago, Helen has lived in Ottawa, Halifax, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Kamloops. She moved to Victoria in December and admits to being a Lotus Land refugee from harsh winters.
Climate change is an overwhelming issue. Emily’s goal with this talk is to restore optimism while inspiring citizens to examine their personal strengths and potential role to play in climate action. Are you a communicator? An organizer? An artist? Do you excel in data analysis? In order to mobilize this community in the fight against climate change, we need to focus on collective action (where individuals are organized based on their strengths), instead of solely emphasizing individual responsibility and action (ie recycling).
With religiosity in decline and church attendance dwindling, those of us who remain connected to religion must ask ourselves: what is the function of religion in the 21st century and, more importantly, is any religion successfully performing that function? Why do we persist in our own Unitarian Universalist faith? What is the future of organized religion, and what is our role in shaping it?
Cycling Without Age is a volunteer-run program that takes seniors for free bicycle rides and offers opportunities to experience life beyond the confines of their care homes. Rides through their neighbourhood streets and parks give seniors the ability to connect with nature and the chance to share their stories.
In each generation there are those that pursue alternatives to the mainstream in search of a better tomorrow. In this generation some people are choosing Polyamory, an alternative to traditional romantic, monogamous, two-person relationships. We’ll explore how this lifestyle challenges the traditional concepts of love, sex, family, friendship, and community.
Ivy O’Reilly has been a UU for 20 years! With a B.Ed. from McGill University, she has teaching both traditional and spiritual education since 2004. She started her UU journey at the Montreal congregation working her way through the Religious Education program as a teacher, Junior & Youth Advisor, Youth Programs Coordinator, then on to serve as the Director of Religious Education Assistant. She has since completed and facilitated the K-12 Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education Program, co-lead Summer Services, and served UU congregations Canada wide! Ivy is a high energy, ambitious, and passionate person whose true inspiration comes from teaching and learning. She has recently relocated to Brentwood Bay and is thrilled to be involved with Capital.
Charity and volunteering are almost always framed as altruistic actions, with all the focus on how someone else will benefit from our good deed. In fact, we often feel guilty about deriving pleasure from something which is supposed to be selfless. This is completely backwards, doing good should feel good because it’s good, and it’s okay to admit it. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but a stairway to heaven can be built from selfish acts.