East Shore Auction 2024: Blossoming Community

East Shore Auction 2024: Blossoming Community

Register to bid today!!

We’re excited to announce that registration is now open for East Shore’s Auction!  You can view the full catalog of items on offer now, and online bidding will open on Saturday March 9th.  With over 140 items to choose from, including everything from book bags to art works, themed dinners to Mariners and Seahawks tickets, and local hikes to vacation home stays, there’s something for every budget and preference. Anyone can participate in the bidding so encourage your friends and family to participate.

Live In-Person Event: Saturday March 16, 5-8pm

Part of East Shore’s mission is to build community.  On Saturday March 16th, 5-8pm, there’s a wonderful opportunity to participate in the auction and socialize with members and friends of East Shore.

The “Live Auction” will be held in East Shore’s Sanctuary, with special guest, radio host and improv leader, Guy Nelson, as our Master of Ceremonies, along with East Shore member Arik Korman.

We have a new chef this year. East Shore member Christian Dimaano will be cooking up some fantastic dishes for the event, along with a team of volunteer helpers.  Vegan and gluten-free options will be offered, so there’ll be something for everyone and it’s sure to be delicious.

This event will be a lot of fun! We encourage you to purchase tickets early to help us know how many people are coming. Tickets are only $10 each for adults to help us offset the costs of the food and wine, with free tickets available for children and those for whom $10 is a hardship.  We want everyone to participate, even if you don’t plan on bidding.  Free childcare is available so please let us know the ages of your children and your preferences for how long they stay with you, if you’d like to bring them.

Purchase tickets, after you’ve registered to bid

Please be sure to bring a phone or tablet to use for bidding, and download the Auctria app.

Online option: Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 818 6943 9434, Passcode: auction

If you’re not able to participate in person, be sure to join in the fun online via Zoom.  You’ll be able to bid on your phone, while watching the festivities on a separate device such as a tablet or computer.

Schedule of Events

Note that non-bolded times are approximate, as it’s hard to predict how long bidding will take.

  In Person event Zoom event

 

5:00pm Check in and socialize

Beverages available

Check in and socialize (breakout rooms as needed)
5:30pm Food is served

Background piano music

Discussion & tech support to make sure everyone is set up to bid on phones

Then music streamed from Sanctuary

6:00pm Welcome by Rev Maria Cristina

Introduction to bidding

Sanctuary streaming

Use “Chat” for any questions

6:10pm Bidding on Live Items #1 – #3

Bidding closes for each item

 
6:20pm Bidding on “Silent Auction” items

#100+

 
6:30pm

Time Fixed

Bidding closes on items #100+  
6:35pm Bidding on Live items #4 – #8

 

 
7:00pm Break for coffee etc

Musical interlude

 
7:10pm Thanks for youth program

 

 
7:15pm Fund-a-Need presentation

North Room Refurbishment

 
7:20pm Bidding on “Silent Auction” items #200+  
7:30pm

Time Fixed

Bidding closes on items #200+  
7:35pm Bidding on Live items #9 – #12

 

 
7:50pm Announce total raised

Explain check out options

Thank you to all volunteers

 
8:00pm Event Closes

Collect any physical items you won!

Collect any physical items you won from East Shore Gallery (Sanctuary Foyer) on Sunday before or after service, or contact [email protected]

Volunteer

To help make this event a success, we need lots of volunteers to help, both before and during the live event.  We have roles for set up, decorating, cooking, serving food and drinks, tech support, and clean up. If you can help on Saturday March 16th, please choose the tasks you can help with on this Signup Genius.

We hope you’re able to join our Blossoming Community, and participate in the Auction.  Please contact auction chair,  [email protected], if you have any questions.

East Shore Auction Core Team

Janet Covin, Rachel Herbert, Margot Horn, Kari Leon, Amanda Strombom, Mike Stunes

Minister’s Message: The Gift of Aging

Minister’s Message: The Gift of Aging

Halleluiah by Mary Oliver
Everyone should be born into this world happy
and loving everything.
But in truth it rarely works that way.
For myself, I have spent my life clamoring toward it.
Halleluiah, anyway I’m not where I started!
And have you too been trudging like that, sometimes
almost forgetting how wondrous the world is
and how miraculously kind some people can be?
And have you too decided that probably nothing important
is ever easy?
Not, say, for the first sixty years.
Halleluiah, I’m sixty now, and even a little more,
and some days I feel I have wings.

When I proposed to the Lay Pastoral Ministry Team that we create a book discussion group focusing on aging, I couldn’t imagine that it would spark such great interest. Over 20 people have been participating both in person and on zoom! While we initially planned to schedule only three sessions, when the time came to end the series, people asked to continue on a monthly basis. Ours is a welcoming, diverse, and dynamic group that offers wisdom from life experiences and shares information and resources. Most of all, we are creating a space where people can feel heard and held in community. I have personally found this group to be a tremendous source of strength and support as I care for my mom “Mama Lily” who will be 94 in September.

Here are some of the topics we have covered and keep coming back to: The importance of community in building resilience and combating isolation; Reviewing your medical directives, wills, and making sure your family knows where these documents can be found when needed; Aging while also caring for aging parents; Approaching the age of retirement while raising teens and caring for aging parents; Articulating and processing grief over loss of independence, mobility, friends, and family members; Fear of dementia; End-of-Life care options; Green burials; Decluttering as a spiritual practice and a kindness to our family members.

Do any of these topics interest you? Do you have another topic related to aging that you would like to discuss with the group? Would you like to meet individually with a member of the lay pastoral care ministry team, or with the Minister to discuss any of these issues? Please feel free to contact Milly Mullarky at [email protected] or Rev. Maria Cristina at [email protected]

Our next meeting is scheduled for Sunday March 24 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in person or on zoom. Everyone is welcome!

While it is not necessary to have read the books that are inspiring our conversations, you might want to check them out: 1) The Gift of Aging: Growing Older with Purpose, Planning, and Positivity, by Marcy Cottrell Houle and Elizabeth Eckstrom. 2) From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older, by Salman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. 3) The Seasoned Soul: Reflections on Growing Older by Rev. Eliza Blanchard (Unitarian Universalist).

by Rev. Dr. María Cristina Vlassisdis Burgoa

Accessibility Updates

Accessibility Updates

If you’ve looked in the back of the Sanctuary lately you may have noticed some new additions! We welcome and affirm people of all abilities. We have taken the following steps to assure no one is excluded from full participation. If you have specific needs not addressed here, please reach out to me so we can best welcome you into our space.

Hearing Assistance

Thank you to Jenny Newell and ACE for updating our hearing assistance devices! The box has been cleaned up and all the devices have been checked. This allows those who need amplification to get the volume they need. Our Sanctuary also offers assistance for those using t-coil.

Ear Defenders

While many of us love the music and noises, for some it can be too much. We have noise reducing headphones (also known as ear defenders) for both adults and children. All are welcome to use them when you need a bit more quiet.

Mobility

Thanks to the 2019 Auction Fund-A-Need, all of our buildings are fully accessible to those using wheelchairs or having limited mobility.

Sight

Large print hymnals and bulletins are available. You can also find our bulletin online, allowing anyone to zoom in to their needs on a tablet or phone. We also have a braille hymnal. Guide dogs are always welcome.

Gender Affirming Restrooms

The restrooms in both the Sanctuary and the Education Building are Gender Affirming. This means people can choose to use the restroom they feel most comfortable with. A private restroom is available in the Administration Building. You will also find menstrual products available in both restrooms in the Sanctuary.

Special Requests for Children

If you want your child to participate in the religious education program and feel they may require special accommodation due to learning disabilities or behavioral issues, please contact the Director of Religious Education in advance.

Service Animals

Service animals are always welcome in our Sanctuary. We have grassy areas where service animals may relieve themselves. We do ask all animals at the church are on a leash and that you do pick up after them.

by Nicole Duff, Director of Membership Development

General Assembly Delegates Needed! Represent ESUC

General Assembly Delegates Needed! Represent ESUC

By now you’ve read the Beacon and know GA is in June:

  • The 8th Principle Team is now “Building Beloved Community”, a Board committee, charged with recruiting delegates to GA. East Shore likely will be given 7 slots again. ONE person so far has indicated interest.
  • Being a delegate and voting is FREE! Use the delegate form and express your interest! It would be great to have too many for a change! Go to forms.gle/zzLM3ZXGV8NpvYjJ7 or email Nicole Duff.
  • ARTICLE II REVISIONS will be voted on. Last year’s very strong support with amendments produced a final version, available at uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission/final-proposed-revision-article-ii. This is a large step forward for the UU movement, the biggest in decades, and delegates will vote it in or not this year. Be a part of UU history! Center LOVE as our highest value!

Attending GA, even virtually, has a price. The early bird price goes up from $280 on March 15. This allows full attendance including the major lectures, like the Ware Lecture, Fahs Lecture, and the whole celebratory shebang!

by Paul Buehrens, Becoming Beloved Community Committee

Seeking Letter Writers

Seeking Letter Writers

The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose. -Gandhi

Do you like to write short notes or make phone calls? Do you enjoy connecting with members? Some members of our congregation no longer find it easy to participate in the livelier aspects of our church community. They would still like to feel included and seen.

A newly formed Correspondence Club is a way to connect members with one another. If you enjoy writing notes occasionally or would like to receive them, contact Nicole or Sue Yates.

There are no-committee-meetings and it’s a do-it-when-you-are-able and as-often-as-you-like opportunity. We can provide you with cards and stamps as well as the contact information of folk to write to. Perhaps your ministry team, women’s group, men’s group, covenant circle would like to participate occasionally as a special project. The pleasure of connecting with one another is a joy and benefit for all involved.

by Sue Yates, Membership Development Team

ECAM Members Lobby Legislators in Interfaith Action Day

ECAM Members Lobby Legislators in Interfaith Action Day

Two Earth and Climate Ministry (ECAM) members (Ann Fletcher and Marilyn Mayers) participated in Faith Action Network’s Interfaith Action Day on February 8. They lobbied their state legislators (Districts 48 Bellevue and 5 Issaquah) to advance climate and environmental action and affordable housing. Faith Action Network (FAN) hosts this annual lobbying day, bringing different faith communities together to advocate for justice.

This year, morning workshops prepared attendees on specific legislative actions related to environmental justice & climate change, economic justice, immigrants and refugee rights, incarceration reform & accountability, housing, public safety, hunger and the social safety net and health care access. FAN also set up appointments with our own district legislators to talk with them about specific bills.

Already halfway through this short legislative session, some bills FAN supported had not made it through various committees and were dropped (notably proposals to create transparency for oil pricing, promote community solar, and addressing cumulative risk burden due to pollution). However, other bills were still in play that we urged legislators to support: if passed

  • HB1368/SB5437 will transition the state’s 12,000 diesel school buses to electric buses.
  • The Re-WRAP Act (HB2049/SB6005) will reduce plastic and packaging trash by focusing on producer responsibility and increasing curbside recycling.
  • Navigator for Energy Cost Savings and Access (HB1391) and Building Energy Labeling (HB 1433) will help households and communities identify needed home improvements and access subsidies to transition to cleaner energy.
  • Rent Stabilization (HB2144) will help retain affordable housing in our communities.

A citizen initiative (Initiative 2117) to repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) was another important topic of discussion. CCA was a groundbreaking bill approved by our legislature in a previous session. Its multi-faceted initiatives are designed to boost our state toward significantly impacting climate change in the next decade.

Anyone can send a message to their legislator about these or other bills or issues at leg.wa.gov/

Both Ann and Marilyn found participation in IFAD rewarding and encourage others to consider coming next year! We learned about the legislative process and challenges legislators face in trying to advance change. We also had a chance to meet with wonderful attendees from other faith traditions who share the same fundamental concern: to advocate for environmental and social justice. If you are curious, we’d be happy to talk with you about this legislative session and what you might expect by participating next year!

by Marilyn Mayers, ECAM