The SUUF Podcast

Welcoming and Belonging

May 3, 2026

Lenore Bajare-Dukes
Congregational Life Staff, Central East Region

How do we know what to do when the stories that showed us how to live no longer serve us? Or, what happens when a garden bucket breaks? Wander down a path of healing, imagination, and wild hope with Lenore Bajare-Dukes.

SPARC & Skagit County P2P

Heather Milliren
Skagit County (P2P) Program Manager

SPARC is committed to laying a foundation for a child’s lifelong success by providing accessible and comprehensive early intervention, education, therapy, and family support services for children with developmental delays, disabilities, or complex health conditions. We envision a community where everyone is understood, supported, loved, and accepted for exactly who they are. SPARC has been serving Skagit County families since 1964. Skagit County Parent to Parent offers emotional support, resources, educational seminars, social and recreational events for Skagit County families whose children have developmental disabilities or ongoing health care needs across the lifespan. Skagit County P2P has been serving Skagit County since 1993.

Joy is the Secret of Resistance

April 19, 2026

Heather Vickery

Alice Walker says “resistance is the secret of joy” but the inverse is also true. Joy is the secret of resistance. In these tough times we often focus on resistance and forget to be joyful together. But Joy is essential! Our joy is what scares them, our joy is what we are fighting for. Join us to hear about some of UUSC’s joyful resistance and to learn about how you too can lean into joy in these troubling times.

Together We Rise

April 12, 2026

Rev. Catherine Foote

In this season, when Orthodox Christians around the world are celebrating Easter, we will explore the orthodox perspective, also pointed to in Mark’s story of Jesus, that resurrection is a community event.

The ABCs of Freedom

April 5, 2026

Rabbi Kalish Leviel

Passover is more than a historical event — it is a living spiritual journey from constriction to freedom. Rabbi Kalish Leviel invites us to explore “The ABCs of Freedom,” discovering how this ancient story illuminates our own path toward greater awareness, compassion, and liberation. Come celebrate the spirit of freedom that is truly alive within us.

The Best Cannot Be Told, Part 4

March 29, 2026

Rev. Bruce Bode

The opening lines of Tao Te Ching, as rendered by Stephen Mitchell, read: “The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.” These statements connect to one of scholar Joseph Campbell’s main themes, namely, his understanding that “religious language” is necessarily symbolic, a theme which this service will explore.

Paths to Understanding

March 22. 2026

Rev. Terry Kyllo

Our Mission–Gathering Neighbors, Growing Trust. We bring communities together. Paths to Understanding (PTU) is a Washington State-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization, with strong roots in the Skagit County/Mount Vernon area, dedicated to building community trust and reducing prejudice. It works by connecting neighbors through face-to-face, multifaith, and multicultural initiatives, such as the “Let’s Go Together” program, which promotes unity across diverse backgrounds.

Elderhood – Don’t Just Grow Old, Become an Elder

March 15, 2026

Mychal Loving

Mychal will be exploring the tragic loss of this stage of life in our modern culture, what Elderhood used to be like when we honored Elders for most of history, how and why we lost it and what we can do individually and collectively to restore it.

The Scenic Route

March 8, 2026

Susan Thayer

The Scenic Route explores how life’s winding paths—through change, uncertainty, loss, and discovery—shape who we become. Through reflection, music, poetry, and shared ritual, we consider how beauty often emerges not despite life’s detours, but because of them. Together we honor the journeys we travel individually and in community.

Regenerate Skagit

February 22

Cindy Bjorklund & Regenerate Skagit Team

Regenerate Skagit is a place-based initiative rooted in the belief that we can learn to live in right relationship with one another and the Earth.
We are cultivating a culture of face-to-face connection, building trust, shared responsibility, and collective capacity within our community.
In the coming months, we will deepen our understanding of what is happening here by exploring the interconnections among our food systems, farms, waterways, energy flows, and patterns of land use.
We will examine how extraction shapes our relationship to the Earth and explore what it means to move toward reciprocity.
Regenerate Skagit seeks to amplify the work already underway in this region, connect people to existing efforts, and create pathways for meaningful participation.