Inclusivity Action Group with the CUC

It’s time to bring the 8th Principle to life and transform our communities into beacons of diversity. The CUC has several tools and opportunities to empower your journey.

Joining an action group is a chance to meet with other people interested in co-creating inclusive spaces and experiences. Action Groups introduce people with lived experience to their allies but what happens next is up to you.

We’ll open each of our 3 sessions with guided discussion around implementing change, followed by ample time to dialogue and plan future actions as individuals, groups, congregations and/or Canadian UUism as whole.

• Choose the type of inclusivity you’d like to focus on: Race, Colonialism, Age, Disability, Non-traditional families/relationships, Class, Engaging Men in Inclusivity Action and Gender.

• Attend each of the three networking sessions that take place at 4pm on these 2023 Wednesdays: February 1 (Getting Started), Moving Through Hurt (April 5), and Addressing Resistance (June 7). Each session will open with a guided discussion about implementing change, followed by ample time to discuss and plan future actions as individuals, groups, congregations and/or Canadian UUism as whole.

• With your group, determine an action you’d like to take together or separately. Return to the larger group and share learnings and resources.

Sign up for an Inclusivity Action Group HERE. (When you register for the first networking session, you will automatically be enrolled in sessions two and three. You cannot join the action group after the first session takes place.)

Circle Potluck Dinners & Lunches

Joy Silver is our circle dinner and lunch coordinator. She is excited to restart our potluck social lunches and dinners after a long furlough of COVID restrictions. 

Monthly potlucks are held on the last Saturday of each month of October, November, January, February, March, April and May unless otherwise indicated in our eBulletin.

These social gatherings are designed to engage small groups of 6 -8 folk in fun and often meaningful conversations.  The meals are hosted in rotating members’ homes, or with a host at church in the Fireside Room. Joy contacts the hosts and the hosts contact their guests. When there are enough folk to circulate participants in further dinners or lunches, Joy will do her best to circulate the hosts and the guest lists.  Food sensitivities will be considered and carpooling can be arranged.

Hosts can become guests at another meal and guests can become hosts in a month of their choice.

Joy will circulate repeating participants as numbers allow. We have had up to six different dinners on the same night! 

Family Meals of six to eight are organized when there are at least two interested families.

Our November 2022 dinner was held in our church Fireside Room and organized as a welcome meal to our regular new-comers, our new members, and soon-to-be new members.

Who’s who in our pew? New members love to get to know our seasoned members more personally.   All, consider joining in one or more of our meals to “break bread” with each other. 

Let Joy know of your interest by connecting with her at church or by phone 604.941.2606 text 604.329.8073 or e-mail at odetojoy@telus.net .

Christmas Hampers for Those in Need

Thank You!

Thanks to all who helped with our Christmas hampers!  We received generous financial donations; and volunteers shopped, wrapped, and delivered the beautiful hampers. They will brighten the holidays for the family and senior who will receive them.  

WANTED: Your Stories of Christmas in Other Countries

Dear NSUC Congregation,

For our upcoming Christmas Choral service (December 11th), I have an idea . . . I would like to hear the stories that many of you have of Christmas in other countries.

The format of the service would be that one of you who have memories of Christmas in say . . .Kenya. . .or Poland. . . or Holland (etc.) . . . might come to the front to share a short story of a Christmas memory that is particular to that country. We will sing a Christmas Carol from that country.

If you might be able to contribute to this service, please get in touch with Alison as soon as possible at 778-688-2912 or alisonnixon@hotmail.com.

Thank you so much,

Alison Nixon, Music Director

Does the church close when it snows?

When weather is bad, our main concern is for the safety of our congregants.  It is up to each individual to determine whether or not they feel safe coming to church in inclement weather depending on the temperature, wind conditions, road conditions, vehicle type, tire type, level of experience driving in snow, and other factors.

On rare occasions, church services (and other church events) may be CANCELLED due to poor weather conditions, road closures, snow, and power outages.  On a Sunday, the decision will be made by 8:30am.  

If a Service is cancelled, we will try to notify the congregation several ways, including:

• Posting a message on our website’s Home page.

• Emailing congregants on our eBulletin email list.

• Changing the message on our phone’s answering machine. 

• Encouraging “word of mouth” communications. 

Unforeseen situations may prevent these methods of communication, in which case we will use whatever means we can to notify congregants of the closure.

Church events other than Sunday Services may be cancelled for bad weather at the determination of the event leader.  It is the responsibility of the event leader to communicate the cancellation with the participants.

Staff are likely to work from home if it is snowing.

MyceliUUm

National Youth CommUUnity - MyceliUUm is the national online youth community. After this first gathering, we'll be focussing mostly on Discord and other platforms.

The MyceliUUm Network, including the Gatherings, is run by youth, for youth! It's a great way to stay connected to other UU youth from across the country in between cons. Junior (12-13yrs) and senior (14-19yrs) youth are welcome to join this Saturday (tomorrow) October 22nd 11am-1pm.

Registration gives you access to this Zoom meeting and the Discord server. The theme for this gathering is reconnection and play! Come reconnect with old friends and new, play some fun games, enjoy a mini worship, and hear about what may be in store for the national youth community this year.

Senior High OWL (Grades 11 & 12) at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver

Registration is open for the first LGBTQ+ centred Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education for senior high youth--ages 16-18 (grades 11/12) hosted by the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. The class meets 5-7pm one Monday a month plus three Saturday evenings. This class series will centre the LGBTQ+ experience, but registration is open to all youth ages 16-18. The program begins on October 24.

Contact Laura with questions.

Grocery Receipt Program

How the program works:

Our Grocery Receipt Program is a way for our church to convert grocery receipts into “free money” for the church. Since 1999, this program has earned over $8,000 for the church!  Here’s how it works:

1. Congregants who shop at City Market at Park Royal and IGA Dundarave save their cash register receipts, and place them in the folder on the bulletin board in the stairwell.

2. Tom Fullerton picks up the receipts, sorts them by store, and adds up the totals.

3. When he collects $5,000 worth of receipts, he mails them to the store.

4. The store gives us $25 or $50 gift cards for each bundle of $5,000 in receipts.

5. Tom exchanges the gift cards for cash with people in the congregation who shop at those stores.

How you can help:

If you shop at City Market at Park Royal or IGA Dundarave, please save your cash register receipts and put them in the folder at the top of the stairs.

Fire Tenders

Kindle depth & Meaning

Fire Tenders is a small group ministry that we are offering November through February of 2022. Since the program is already underway, registration is closed. But those who are looking for small group activities are encouraged to learn more about our Soul Matters program.

Nonviolent Communication

Catherine Strickland’s introduction to Nonviolent Communication course is full for the November-December 2022 session, but you can add your name to the waitlist for the next session (which will likely be offered in early 2023).

Our community is struggling with conflict and divisions that have arisen over the last couple of years. Members have experienced hurt and even trauma that has not been repaired or addressed. We are all wanting to build an inclusive space where everyone who wants to be here feels welcome. And yet, we lack the skills and practices, as individuals and a collective, to repair the harm we have caused, heal from the hurt we have experienced and rebuild the trust that has been lost.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a skill, a practice and a consciousness that supports us to navigate conflict, repair relationships and speak our truth in ways that uphold our values as Unitarian Universalists.

This is being offered as a fundraiser for NSUC on a gift economy basis. To learn more about the gift economy and how it works, check out Necessary Trouble Collective’s description here.