The SUUF Podcast

One Parish One Prisoner: A New Underground Railroad

February 21, 2021

Chris Hoke

America's problem with locking its own people away - 2.2 million men and women currently in jail or prison, what we call mass incarceration - has a direct lineage to the institution of slavery in our history. Michelle Alexander, in her now-classic The New Jim Crow, which traces this lineage, has called for "a new underground railroad today." That is, informal networks of communities everywhere prepared to welcome men and women out of incarceration, locally. Underground Ministries founded its "One Parish One Prisoner" model in 2018 to answer this call.

Chris, founder and executive director of Underground Ministries, will connect the historical "underground railroad" model to a fresh understanding of Jesus' original movement: mobilizing communities to "practice resurrection" and pry open the gates of the underworlds society creates. Chris is excited to invite SUUF to join this growing movement today by becoming a One Parish One Prisoner fellowship in the coming year with one individual releasing to Skagit County, and he will share what that adventure looks like.

Random Acts of Kindness

Jonathan Prescott

February 14, 2021

Valentine's Day is a good time to think about how acts of love can be transformational, even in a virtual year. And kindness - just that one loving word - can make all the difference to you and others. In today's service, Jonathan Prescott will show how kindness, when woven into our daily lives, can enrich everything from our perceptions to our actions. Kindness is a much more enjoyable way to live than the alternatives.

Building A New Way

January 31, 2021

Rev. Samaya Oakley

This service explores what lessons our Universalist ancestor, John Murray, has for us as we work to build a better world. Born in England in 1741 and raised as a Calvanist, John Murray emigrated to America in 1770 to follow the Universalist denomination. He went on to serve as pastor of the Universalist Society of Boston and as a chaplain in the Revolutionary War. He is often referred to as the father of American Universalism.

Out of the Ashes

January 24, 2021

Rev. Barbara Gilday

Think of all the things that wore you down last year – things that wore down your energy, broke your body, your heart, or your spirit. There have been other times – pandemics, wars, depressions - some worse than this. And still our people survived and began again. With this new year, WE begin again. Where do WE find our hope? What are some of the steps WE can take to make that hope a reality? This service will nurture your hope and enliven your dreams. We can, we will rise again, from the ashes.

Ending Human Trafficking in Nepal

January 17, 2021

Lila Ghising

Human trafficking in Nepal is primarily based on poverty. The problems that women and children face in Nepal have no parallel to problems facing the poor in the United States. Lila Ghising, the founder of Friends of WPC Nepal (Women's Protection Center) will share the history and mission of her organization, and the ways it has changed the lives of so many.

Yes and How

January 10, 2021

Joseph Bednarik

You would be hard-pressed to find shorter words in the English language than yes, and, how. Yet these teensy-weensy words are chock-full of power and wisdom, and when used as an operating system, they create the alchemy of improvisational theater. This sermon—at the start of a new year--explores the practical wisdoms of yes and how and in what way they can nourish and inspire a richly rewarding religious practice and a vibrant civic life.

Getting Through Hard Times

January 3, 2021

Betty Kellow

Betty, a psychotherapist, brings to us a spiritual perspective and some mythological views of Michael Meade on these hard times. And she comes with a bundle of tools to help us get through them! You'll learn about emotional exhaustion and Covid, and leave with easy strategies to buoy you up in moving forward in the new year.

What Child Is This?

December 20, 2020

Rev. Bruce Bode

The Christmas season is the season of the heart – the season of the heart’s deepest longings and highest hopes. These longings and hopes are expressed in the two main symbols of the Christmas season, the Holy Child of Bethlehem and Santa Claus. My sermon on this Sunday prior to Christmas Eve will explore the nature of these two symbols, at whom the two symbols are aimed, and how they relate to each other.

Social Work & Policing

December 13, 2020

Erin VonFempe

Erin is a social worker for the Mount Vernon Police Department.

For three years she has been doing what the protesters in Seattle were calling for. She’ll explain what she does on her job and the problems associated with not having enough resources to back her up.

Every Row a Path

December 6, 2020

Cilviana Hernandez

This is the introduction to a 2016 documentary filmed in our own backyard. For two weeks we have the good fortune to take a look at the film and meet one of the young ladies who participated in its production. On the first Sunday, we'll watch the documentary Every Row A Path, where we go inside the lives of local high school girls as they navigate their difficult lives as students and migrant farmworkers. The next Sunday, Cilviana Hernandez will join us to share how the making of the documentary impacted her life and that of her family.