The Unitarian Church of Edmonton
is a Welcoming
Congregation, which
means our community is open to all, without regard to sexual orientation,
race,
gender,
age,
ability, or income. It's nice to have you with us.
The Edmonton Unitarian
Vol 45. No. 4
Published Monthly by the
Unitarian Church Of Edmonton
12530 - 110 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5M 2L5
Tel (780) 454-8073
Fax (780) 452-1641
Email chadmin@uce.ca
Web Site www.uce.ca
Sunday Services at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton — Services
begin at 10:30 a.m.
July 4 — Rosemary Manning
“ Optimism”
The constitution of the USA guarantees the right to search for happiness. The
Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association suggests that we move
to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces that create and uphold
life. Today we shall explore optimism as a spiritual choice.
July 11 — Beth Jenkins
“
The Power of Silence”
Silence has many uses. The “silent treatment” and meditative silence
are two examples, perhaps at opposite ends of the communication spectrum. Inspired
by a book found on a holiday rummage, this service will explore some of the
meanings of silence through readings, music and personal reflection.
July 18 — Denise Wenzel
“
Extreme Makeover”
July 25 — John Pater
“
Measuring Poverty”
This service will take the shape of a workshop where we’ll explore the
tools being used currently for determining poverty in our country. This is
based on John Pater’s work at the Edmonton Social Planning Council.
August 1 — Bonnie Kyle
“ Dreams”
August 8 — Suzette Chan Gilbert
Bouchard
"
A Return to Reason"
Building on Charles
Eddis' address at the CUC annual meeting, an exploration
of Unitarian rationality via Karl Popper and Jurgen Habermas.
August 15 — Karen Stevenson
“
The Power of Sound”
An exploration of the power of music to nourish and support healing, hope and
spiritual growth.
August 22 — Brian Kiely
“
Unitarianism 101"
August 29 — Brian Kiely
“
UU Kids”
September 5 — Bonnie Kyle
“
Rock Service”
Come to Services at The Church of the Renovation
Come to our new building (10804 119th Street) during the summer
- once a month on Saturdays (for 20 minutes before work begins)
or for a half hour of mid-week meditation every second Wednesday
(a short but restful pause after a day at work or play.)
Saturday Services, 9:30 a.m.
July 17 — Beth Jenkins
“Food, Glorious Food”
August 14 — Paul Childs “Unitarians and the Simpsons”
Mid -Week Meditations, Wednesdays at 6:15
pm
July 7 — Lorne Pendleton “Reflective Meditation”
July 21 — Bonnie Kyle
“Guided Imagery Meditation”
August 4 — Beth Jenkins “ Every-day Blessings Meditation”
In May, we presented all Canadian Unitarian*Universalist congregations
with a quilt square that was made by Linda Stolee and the children. All but
11 congregations
received theirs “in person” at the CUC Annual Conference. Reaction
was overwhelming — people were truly touched by this gift and were thrilled
to be able to take something back to their congregation that symbolized
our wider UU connections.
On May 30, our incoming DRE, Rosemary Manning was introduced and jumped
right into the role by holding a planning meeting to get things rolling
for next
year. Rosemary is bringing so much enthusiasm and creativity to this
position. It will
be an exciting time in RE — don’t miss out on the fun!
And finally, we took time in the June 13 service to say thank you to all
the wonderful people who helped with the Children and Youth Programs this
semester.
Childcare being offered this summer
We are trying something new. Although our formal classes are
over for the summer, childcare will continue to be offered during
Sunday services
in July. If this
service is used, we will continue offering childcare through August.
Joshua Brown will stay on as our nursery attendant. Note that, as
always, children
are also
welcome to stay with their parents in the service if that is more comfortable
for them. Quiet bags (purple and yellow cloth bags with crayons and
activities) are available just outside the south doors of the auditorium.
We hope
these options make Sunday services a more family-friendly option.
So long, farewell...
This is my last newsletter article
as Director of Religious Education. While it has been a rich and
interesting three years,
I am looking forward
to moving
on to new challenges. The time for new beginnings seems right — as
a congregation we’re heading into a new building, our
incoming intern minister is training to be a Minister of Religious
Education and will be able to offer lots of new
ideas and support to Rosemary and the congregation, and strong bridges
have been built between the young and old in our community
so we’re ready
to move forward together. I look forward to seeing where we go next
and encourage
you
all to be part of the visioning and action crew that takes us to
our next level as a community.
Have a rejuvenating summer. It’s going to be an exciting autumn!
We can be very proud of the success of the CUC Conference and meeting
last month. Compliments have been pouring in from across the country
through conference evaluations, emails and word of mouth. Only because
of the dozens of volunteers from both Edmonton churches were we able
to carry out such a feat. As local chair, my job was made lighter
as I would delegate, delegate and yet again, delegate roles to enthusiastic
and willing Unitarians. It would take several columns to thank you
all individually, and so instead, I am going to give you just one
example.
Lyn Evans took a week of holidays not only to spend time with his
mother, Francis Blythe who came from BC for the CUC events, but
also to help with the Conference.
(Francis is a founding member of our church and a great storyteller!) When
it became evident just days before the conference that transporting
equipment and
people around was going to be a challenge, Lyn, armed with his Class A license
and a cell phone, offered to be our special chauffeur with a 13 passenger rental
van.
From early Friday morning until Monday evening, he was on the go.
He started by transporting equipment from UCE to the hotel, then
picking up youth at the
bus depot. He made many trips back and forth from the hotel to our church
with the youth during the weekend. As well, the Young Fun group
(6-12 years) traveled
with him to their field trips at the Provincial Museum and the Odyssium on
Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Lyn ferried conference registrants with accessibility
needs to the Sunday banquet, and on the way back to the hotel, discovered
that the waterfall on the High level bridge was flowing, so he
drove past it several
times to give everyone a great view of Edmonton’s “Niagara Falls”.
Monday, the ministers were transported first to tour our new church, then, to
Brian’s for dinner, and later, to their retreat in St Albert. He was indeed,
a volunteer extraordinaire!
And there are many more stories of volunteering over the past year,
and especially the last month prior to the conference. But one
of the most important aspects
of working together is the sense of community that results from achieving
a goal well done. Not only among UCE’ers, but with the connections made with our
sister church, Westwood.
We wound up a great year with our last performance at the Flower Communion
last Sunday. Linda Stolee, quilt artist extra ordinaire made unique hangings
for Karen and Gordon, our choir co-directors-accompanists which were presented
to them during the service. Brian read the story of the Quilt Makers Gift by
Jeff Brumbeau and we presented the book to Linda as a token of our appreciation
for creating not only these hangings but also for the wonderful quilt squares
she made for all the congregations that attended the CUC Conference. These
web creations were the focal point at the front of the plenary during the Conference.
Our potluck the next day brought our choir season to an end with wonderful
food, fellowship and song. We will continue with those activities at our
potluck barbecues
again this summer, and everyone in the congregation is invited. Both start
at 6:00 pm, and we ask that you bring an appetizer, a salad or a dessert
to share,
and something to barbecue. (And a lawn chair if you have one.) The first one
is at the home of Dorothy and Bernie Keeler on Monday, July 26th. Maps for
the Keelers are available at the Church. The August event, again at 6 pm, will
be on Monday, the 23th hosted by Lise and Clem Cloutier. And Maurice Bourgoin
invited us to his Quebec home the long weekend in September for a barbecue.
Wouldn’t he and Annabelle
be surprised if we showed up en masse! Our first rehearsal in the fall
is Monday,
September 13th here at the church. New members are always welcome. No singing
experience necessary.
The UCE Archives is interested in material about the church and its members
and activities. With respect to pictures, please:
1. Put on the back of each picture
a. The date
b. The activity
c. Who is in the picture
d. Any small notation of the event or activity
2. Print the above information. Otherwise, the photos are, in effect, useless
for future reference.
Also, the archives collections much of the following: Minutes of meetings
(Board and Committees), annual reports, newsletters, special event notices,
photos,
sermons, legal documents, biographies of members and or friends, memorial
notices and items, membership lists, special books, plaques, etc.
If you have something to give to the archives, please contact the chadmin@uce.ca.
We’re all looking for ways to save time and money. If you need some
extra help with a big job, call Keri at the Elizabeth Fry Society. The Women’s
Work program can connect you with temporary or permanent workers to meet your
needs. There are no service fees and workers are covered by WCB. Whether its
house cleaning, yard maintenance, office work, or help with moving, free prescreening
ensures that the right worker is placed with the right employer. We do the
hard work so you don’t have to! Women’s Work is a community-based
program focused on helping women to overcome obstacles and reach their goals
through employment. For more information, 421-1175 ext. #22.
Enjoy the mums in our church flowerbed that were some of the ones that
decorated the front of the plenary hall at the CUC Conference. Thanks to
Donna Hamar who transplanted them and to Holes Greenhouse who donated them
to our Conference. Also, thanks to Stella Clarke for refreshing the front
flower beds and planting petunias.
Friday July 2- Mill Creek Ravine (dog friendly)
9:30 at UCE or at 10 at the Mill Creek pool parking lot
Friday July 9 - St Albert, Big Lake (dog friendly)
9:30 at UCE or at 10 at St Albert City Hall parking lot
Friday July 16 - Hasse Lake (dog friendly) Bring a picnic
lunch
9:30 at UCE and we’ll car pool
Friday July 23 - Emily Murphy Park to Hawrelak and ...
9:30 at UCE or 10 at Emily Murphy west Parking lot
Friday Aug 6 - McTaggart Sanctuary (and possibly check on progress of Anthony
Henday)
9:30 at UCE or 10 at parking lot beside blue bridge west of 119 St on 23 Ave
Friday Aug 13 - Gold Bar Park
9:30 at UCE or 10 at Gold Bar parking lot east off 50th St, south of the river
but almost at the river
Friday Aug 20 - The Apple (dog friendly) Lunch somewhere in Sherwood Park
9:30 at UCE or 10 at parking lot on RR 231 about 2 miles south of Wye Road
Friday Aug 27 - Elk Island and then the Ukrainian Village for lunch and visiting
This will likely mean returning to the church in late afternoon
9:30 at UCE and we’ll car pool
Friday Sept 3 - Whitemud Creek from 41 Ave SW
9:30 at UCE and we’ll car pool
Friday Sept 10 - Terwillegar
9:30 at UCE or 10 at the parking lot
