Beloveds,
As Unitarian Universalists, we are grounded in values that encourage us to continue building community and showing our solidarity with the most vulnerable among us. This year many in our community have experienced loss and grief on a personal level. Some have lost loved ones, received a difficult diagnosis, lost their jobs, are struggling with chronic pain, trying hard to maintain their sobriety, processing the end of a relationship, and navigating everyday life at the intersection of the personal and the national turmoil. We’ve also experienced the miracle of unconditional love and the generosity of spirit given and received when most needed. In the midst of what feels like a tidal wave of increasing injustice and fear, we are creating a loving refuge and together, we are transforming ourselves and each other, becoming a living sanctuary.
We have also rejoiced at the many ways we, as a community, are showing up and generating hope. Our Social Justice Ministry Teams continue to strengthen our relationship with our community partners: Khasi Hills, Porchlight, Lambert House, Sophia Way, The Puyallup Tribal Program Against Domestic Violence, The Duwamish Tribe, The Lummi House of Tears Carvers Totem Pole & Canoe Journey, and 350 Eastside. We have been blessed by many opportunities to live into our values: In the summer, led by our P-Patch team, we’ve planted, tended, and harvested the veggies from our community gardens, and shared our produce with community members. Proceeds from this are used to support selected local and international non-profits that help end hunger and poverty through self reliance and education. Our Outdoors Group offered us precious opportunities to commune with nature and build community while hiking.
In September, we began our church year with a wonderful water ceremony and vibrant in-gathering, welcoming members and many new visitors. We also honored our RE teachers and offered a special blessing of the backpacks for our kiddos and youth beginning a new school year. September also marked the beginning of our Generosity Pledge Drive with a fabulous and delicious brunch donated by one of our member angels.
In the month of October, we welcomed our Porchlight friends and provided shelter, meals, and most importantly, the presence of volunteers who graciously served as hosts creating a compassionate and loving human connection. We also celebrated Indigenous People’s Day, welcomed new members with a special ceremony and celebrated Diwali with our friends from Rhythms of India and the moving documentary “Queering India” by our friend Swapnesh Dubey. We also shared our message of love with our first booth at Issaquah Salmon Days!
In November, we commemorated the Days of the Dead/All Souls Day/Samhain with a deeply moving service honoring our ancestors with beautifully decorated altars and an embodied prayer and liturgical dance. We also honored our Veterans, held a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance, celebrated Seabeck in November (because joy is also part of the resistance), commemorated Thanksgiving with special guest speakers from the Puyallup Tribe and shared a communal meal, held our annual Blessing of the Animals, and gathered for cookies & carols and trimmed the tree.
Which brings us to December, beginning with Las Posadas, a service in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. We also held a Blue Christmas/Holidays contemplative service and the RE pageant. Later this month, we’ll also offer a Winter Solstice celebration, Music Sunday, and two Christmas Eve services.
We look forward to the New Year and celebrating Three Kings/Queens, MLK Sunday, Parenting as a Spiritual Practice, the annual Clara Barton service and Margaret Fuller Tea, welcoming Heather Vickery from Pink Haven as guest preacher, celebrating Mardi Gras with our RE shoebox floats parade, and joining our Muslim friends in celebrating Iftar (the evening meal Muslims eat at sunset to break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan symbolizing community, reflection, and gratitude). We also look forward to our Youth-led service, celebrating Purim, International Women’s Day, and exploring the Islamic mystical Sufi traditions through poetry and music, and connecting more deeply with our Khasi friends and community partners, contributing to our annual East Shore Auction, celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and Transgender Day of Visibility. We’ll celebrate Easter and Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Music Sunday, and look forward to another wonderful gathering at Seabeck and the Women’s Perspective Retreat. In June we’ll offer our annual RE Bridging ceremony and celebrate Pride with a service and joining the Seattle Pride Parade.
The Summer promises to bring us more opportunities to gather together to renew strength, collaborate, nourish our spirits, and continue building the Beloved Community. In addition to all these wonderful events, our community continues to offer compassionate Pastoral Care, to gather for the Strategic Planning listening circles, attending affinity group activities, meeting with covenant circles and creating new Soul Matters groups, crafting with Sacred Stitches, tending to our campus grounds, hosting Meaningful Movies, making signs and showing up at No Kings demonstrations, supporting each other by participating in the Gift of Aging gatherings, the Millennials meet-ups, and so much more!
Of course, none of this would be possible without the creativity, dedication, and excellent skills of our staff: Celil Cakmak, Nicole Duff, Jenny Newell, Eric Lane Barnes, Amanda Alice Uluhan, LeAnne Struble, and our new staff team members: Marcy Langrock and Lauren Schulz. We also extend our sincere appreciation to our Board of Trustees, all our dedicated volunteers, and our amazing Mighty East Shore Choir.
I share these past and future events as sources of hope and reaffirmation that our East Shore community is thriving and growing, thanks to your continued support and participation. Ours is a shared Ministry rooted in “Active Hope” a term I learned from Joanna Macy, whose writings and workshops were guided by these important questions: “Are you alarmed by worsening conditions in our world? Would you like to strengthen and nourish your capacity to make a difference?” and responding with: “Active Hope is about finding, and offering, our best response when facing concerns about our world situation…Active Hope is something we do rather than have. It involves being clear what we hope for and then playing our role in the process of moving that way. The journey of finding, and offering, our unique contribution to the Great Turning helps us to discover new strengths, open to a wider network of allies and experience a deepening of our aliveness. When our responses are guided by the intention to act for the healing of our world, the mess we’re in not only becomes easier to face, our lives also become more meaningful and satisfying.”
I join UUA President Rev. Sofia Betancourt in believing that, “We are not waiting passively on a miracle, beloveds. We are working together for our shared values. May those values be a guiding light for this season.” I would add that WE are the miracle as we continue to support each other, to feed the hungry, to provide shelter, to bear witness, to show up for justice, to sing when so many voices are being silenced, to practice joy in the face of oppression, and to greet the New Year by tending to what needs repair by forgiving ourselves and each other and beginning again in Love.”
Beloveds, this Holiday Season, I wish for you and yours plenty of opportunities to renew and experience Active Hope. I send you a special Holiday Blessing filled with Gratitude for all the gifts that you bring to our East Shore community. May you know that you are not alone in your sorrows and your joys. You are part of a loving and vibrant community holding fast to values that nourish our spirits and make love real in times such as these.
With Gratitude and Bendiciones,
Rev. María Cristina
Click below to view a slideshow with sweet memories of 2025 at East Shore: