The SUUF Podcast

Salmon Habitat Restoration

March 26, 2023

Lucy DeCrace

Lucy DeCrace, Outreach Manager for Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, will speak to us this Sunday. Since 1999 she has been engaging community volunteers and students in salmon habitat restoration in the Skagit and Samish watersheds.

E pluribus unum: Is that true today?

March 12, 2023

Rev. Vincent Lachina

Way back in 1776, John Adams and others decided that the phrase “E pluribus unum” would become the motto for the new country called America. Translated, it means “Out of many, one.” There was, at that time, not a large mixture of ethnicity, religious, or even political groups of people. That is certainly not the case in 2023. How does something so old apply to Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship now? What are the differences today that make us skeptical that the many varieties of Americans are definitely not one? Let’s address a few: race, religion, ethnicity, and language to name a few. Can we find an answer for what it takes to make one congregation out of that many differences?

Our common ties through time, culture, and spirituality

March 5, 2023

Jay Bowen

Our speaker this Sunday is Jay Bowen. He is a poet, steel sculptor, glass blower, fine-gold jeweler, and fine-art oil painter. Jay was born and raised in the Skagit Valley in a traditional Upper Skagit family. He attended Western Washington University, the Institute of American Indian Arts, and Rhode Island School of design. For those of you who have strolled along the Riverwalk, you have seen the steel sculpture he created of a totem pole that graces the river. Jay refers to himself as an artist in the expressionist tradition.

Wise Caregiving

February 26, 2023

Jonathan Prescott

Our world’s contemplative traditions arose to help people make sense of life’s challenges. Jonathan Prescott founded Wise Caregiving to help caregivers, patients, and seekers use this contemplative wisdom to become more effective, joyful, and sustainable.

Contemplative care leads with the heart and responds with expertise. It is rooted in an intention to serve, a commitment to explore the human condition, a willingness to be with suffering, and a desire to understand the nature of life and death. It is expressed in the most ordinary ways: kind speech, gentle care, patient listening, and with the skills unique to each caregiver’s history and life. There is no checklist of contemplative skills. Each act arises to meet the need at hand, even if that takes the caregiver outside their comfort zone.

Wise Caregiving offers workshops, retreats, and presentations to help professional and private caregivers thrive in today’s challenging environment.

I Remember…

February 19, 2023

Speaker: Joseph Bednarik

Artist Joe Brainard (1942-1994) created an incredible memory machine with his slender masterpiece “I Remember.” As novelist Paul Auster writes of the book, “In simple, forthright, declarative sentences, Brainard charts the map of the human soul and permanently alters the way we look at the world.” Using “I Remember” as a touchstone, this Sunday we explore the seduction of our memories and the bravery required to remember a little bit deeper.

A Magic Bullet

February 12, 2023

Speaker: Rev. Barbara Gilday

I have a dream of a world where people talk to each other with respect and compassion and are there for each other when they need it. Where armed conflicts, angry outbursts and separation are things of the past. Wishful thinking, you say? No – not wishing, but hoping – and hope is different. Hope comes with legs and arms, hearts and minds.

It is difficult not to experience despair in these turbulent times. How do we keep hope alive, while being realistic and contributing what we can to solutions? Come and hear about the magic bullet- something we know, something that is within our capacity, something that we can each do in our own special ways.

Stories of Mercy: Meeting Our Broken World with an Open Heart

February 5, 2023

Speaker: Jonathan Prescott

So many challenging things are happening in our world. It’s natural for us to feel afraid. But while our instincts tell us to lash out against those we fear, contemplative wisdom tells us instead to take refuge in mercy. We’ll explore how offering mercy can change our hearts and change our world.

BLUU Genes for Unitarian Universalism

January 22, 2023

Speaker: Rev. Mel Hoover, Rev. Rose Edington

Melvin Hoover will be presenting alongside his wife Rev. Rose Edington, who wrote a dissertation on that period in the 60's when the UUA lost a tradition of heavy membership and participation from People of Color. It covers the recent decades of effort to "widen the circle of concern", an effort in which Mel was at the center and in the lead.
Mel is a recipient of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual Distinguished Service Award in recog­nition of his work in anti-racism, anti-oppression, community-building, gender equality and environmental jus­tice.

For many years Mel served as the director of the UUA’s Faith in Action Department and as a member of the UUA Executive Council. Mel also served as co­-minister of the UU Congregation of Charleston, WV, with his wife, the Rev. Rose Edington.

Rose's ministry has primarily been to UU congregations. Her Doctor of Ministry thesis in Feminist Liberation Theology centered on the role of the UU minister in congregational antiracism work. As an expression of their ongoing involvement in social justice concerns, in retirement, Mel and Rose co-founded MelRose Ministries for Positive Transformational Change. Now living in Bellingham WA, they co-lead, with minister Paul Beckel and RE Director Genia Allen-Schmid BUF's "Widening the Circle" study.

Remember the Past But Anticipate the Future

January 15, 2023

Rev. Vincent Lachina

Each of us engages in reflecting or remembering the past at some time every day of our lives. It could be the tune or words of a song or a sudden memory of someone we knew way back when. Sometimes memories are sweet and easy, and sometimes they cause heartache or pain. We want to cling to the good but have a hard time letting go of the past. Let's explore ways to remember that past and get excited about what lies ahead.

Signs

January 8, 2023

Rev. Joanna Gabriel

We’re beginning a new year and there is a lot going on, both anticipated and dreaded for 2023. How can we let the signs of the times and the moment, empower us rather than cause fear, doubt and limited experience? Rev. Joanna Gabriel will explore possibilities for having a meaningful 2023!