Lifting our Light: ESUC Auction March 15, 2025

Lifting our Light: ESUC Auction March 15, 2025

“”Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” -Walt Whitman

We need your contributions by February 12!

Some fabulous offerings we want to lift up include a handmade quilt made especially for you, delicious dinners at the homes of members including two with Rev. Maria Cristina, a special case of wine and handmade sausage, a trip to an early 20th century NW art gallery, and so much more.

We invite every member and friend of East Shore to lift up their talents and resources, and participate in whatever way you can.  We’re especially looking for dinners and events we can do together to build community, but artwork, gift certificates, gift baskets and homemade food are also always popular.  Can your Covenant Circle or Book Group come up with a shared item to contribute?

We need your contributions no later than February 12.

To contribute an item to the auction, fill out our Contribution Form

OR if you want to offer an item you’ve offered before, just email Trevor Hall, our catalog coordinator, or Auction Chair Amanda Strombom.

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama

Sunday Morning Volunteers: Join The Fun!

Sunday Morning Volunteers: Join The Fun!

“You cannot volunteer at your own church, in the same way you cannot babysit your own kid. Because the church belongs to you in the same way your family does. It’s your own place, your own people. So of course you help take care of it. Of course you do yard work and make coffee and teach the kids and sing in the choir and whatever all else it is you do for the home and the people that you love.” –Erin Wathen

 Greetings Church Friends,

THANK YOU to all who volunteered in January! Our AMAZING Volunteers were: Mary Anderson, Tom Ball, Cathy Barich, David Baumgart, Sarah Bergdahl, Sheridan Botts, Ann Carlstrom, Lori Coe, Grace Colton, Fran Corn, Dushyant Dhalia, Don Durenberger, Holly Ellis-Brown, Mike Garner, Trevor Hall, Laura Hauser, Carla Hellekson, Rachel Herbert, Hal Itzkovics, Geri Kennedy, Peter King, Leslie Kodish, Jeanne Lamont, Marcy Langrock, Rachael Ludwick, Ralph Lutz, Susan McDonald, Taya Montgomery, Patricia Paddison, Mike Radow, Catherine Ramsey, Carol Sinape, Amanda Strombom, Doug Strombom, Laurie Wick, and Beth Wilson!

Do you want to get in on the action??

How to Volunteer at East Shore on Sunday Morning

First, if you are new to volunteering don’t worry – you will have a “buddy” to show you the ropes on your first shift.  The link below will take you to the Realm Volunteering page. Realm is our membership database system, and the volunteer module allows individuals to sign up for timeslots like the way that Sign Up Genius works.

When you click on this link, you will see the volunteer opportunities on through March 30, 2025. On the left side is the list of volunteer jobs and on the top banner you will see the Sunday dates. In the upper right corner, you can forward to the next week.

Once you are on the date that you want to volunteer for, click the “+Add” next to the role and time you want to select. If your device is not already signed into your web account, you will need to add your email address and password to the form that pops up.

Now that you are logged into Realm, you can click on “+Add” and you’ll see your name preloaded. Simply click on the blue “Sign up ” button to volunteer.

If you want to do this role regularly, you can select from the repeat options that appear when you click on the repeat link.

If you have any trouble signing up to volunteer, please send an email to Jeanne Lamont at [email protected], and we’ll do our utmost to help you.

 

Share the Plate: Sophia Way

Share the Plate: Sophia Way

Since 2008, The Sophia Way has offered shelter, safety and stability to women experiencing homelessness on the Eastside. So far, more than 5,000 women have been supported by The Sophia Way and many have found their way to stable housing.  The shelter in Bellevue houses 21 women and the one in Kirkland houses 30.  A big goal is moving the women to permanent housing.  In 2023, 411 women found shelter, 146 women moved into their own homes, volunteers gave 6,993 hours and 38,421 meals were provided.

East Shore has been a strong supporter of the Sophia Way since it started in 2008.  Our Woman-Helping-Woman group has been involved since the beginning providing meals and other support.  We are currently cooking a dinner for 25 women after church on the 2nd Sunday of each month and due to our large group of willing volunteers, may add one more dinner/month.  Due to budget cuts, East Shore is not able to fund this project as it has in the past.  Thus for this month’s Share the Plate on February 9, we are asking you to donate generously for this very worthy cause.

by Laurie Wick, Women Helping Women

Raising Our Hands to the Duwamish!

Raising Our Hands to the Duwamish!

For the January 26 service, ESUC’s Indigenous Connections (IC) Team invited the Duwamish Solidarity Group (DSG) to come share their experience working with the Duwamish Tribe in Seattle. The DSG is a group of non-indigenous volunteers who work in various ways to support Duwamish Tribal Services providing assistance to tribal members, cultural programming, maintenance of the Duwamish Longhouse, and restoration of tribal lands and the Duwamish River.

The service led by Rev. María Cristina focused on being “In Solidarity with the Duwamish .”  Rev. María Cristina spoke eloquently about establishing right relations with indigenous people and other marginalized groups. She called on the congregation to live out its commitment to the church’s Land Acknowledgement as a spiritual guide to action:

Representing DSG, Kate Carrington explained the work and approach of the DSG including the impact of “Real Rent” as a concrete way of supporting the Duwamish tribe.  By collaborating with and listening closely to tribal members, DSG is in a position to support priorities established by the tribe.

Following the service, a potluck lunch brought the three DSG Outreach members present and interested congregants together to share food and ideas. As we individually and as a congregation deepen our understanding of indigenous histories and the impact of US policies on native and other marginalized communities, may we indeed live out our commitment to what we profess in our Land Acknowledgement.

All “Share-the-Plate” donations collected at the morning service were dedicated to Duwamish Tribal Services.  For those interested in finding out more about “Real Rent“, please visit https://www.realrentduwamish.org.  For ideas about other ways to engage with the Duwamish and other tribal communities, talk with East Shore’s Indigenous Connections team members. We would lot to have you join our team!

In closing thanks to all who brought food to share or expressed interest in learning more about DSG and cultivating our connections with the Duwamish!

Climate Action for February 2025

Climate Action for February 2025

Here is an easy way to support bold, sound, and just climate legislation in the Washington state during this year’s session  (Jan 13-April 27).

Join the  350 WA Civic Action Team (CAT) who will send you two easy-access emails per week tailored with options for how much time you have (from 5 to 20 minutes per week).  The bi-weekly email  lists the climate bills with top priority for the week.  After the brief explanation of the bill, click on a link to register your Pro or Con position on a bill. You may add a comment, but it is not required.

350WA says: “We recognize that folks don’t always have time to get all the way through our actions, and that is okay! Every little bit helps.  We just ask that you get through as many sections as you can and then scroll to the bottom and click the orange “Done” button to submit. This way we can keep an accurate tally of how many actions the CAT campaign takes this session.

Here is the link to join the CAT: https://www.350wa.org/cat

by Kristi Weir, Earth and Climate Action Ministry Team

Celebrating a New Year

Celebrating a New Year

“Showing up is an act of healing” Sul ka dub/Freddie Lane

Beloved East Shore Congregation:

As the wheel of the year marks the winter Solstice and announces a New Year, may we welcome this opportunity to reflect upon and express our gratitude for all the blessings we received this year.

I am deeply grateful for each and every one of you and our collaborative shared Ministry. Whether you volunteered to teach an RE class, were part of the ACE tech team, participated in a Sunday worship service, sang with the choir, made coffee or soup, cleaned up the grounds, tended the garden, cooked a meal for our community partners, marched in the Seattle Pride parade, participated in the auction, and in some way donated your time, talent, and treasure to support our Beloved East Shore community: Thank You!

As I reflect on what our Unitarian Universalist faith is asking of us in these times, I am reminded of the many ways we are already centering love and living into our values: Feeding the hungry, protecting our trans siblings, welcoming immigrants and refugees, visiting the sick, advocating for reproductive rights, volunteering in local schools, deepening partnerships with our indigenous neighbors, and all the ways we show up to strengthen communal care and connection.

In times of uncertainty and heartbreak, may we remember that we are stronger together and that we are not alone. May we remember that joy and music are tools of resistance in the face of oppression and fear. May this Holiday Season remind us of the greatest gift of all: Love. Unconditional. Without borders. Liberating.

Beloveds, in 2025, let us keep resisting, collaborating, planting, marching, singing, healing, and dreaming together!

Mama Lily and I send you and your loved ones our Blessings for the New Year.

Rev. Dr. María Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa