The April 21st church service was an Earth Day celebration of the spirit of the earth, our need to collaborate to nourish and sustain her, and a call to action for East Shore to continue our tradition of direct climate action. The Earth and Climate Action team (ECAM) has worked since late last year to solicit ideas and concerns from the congregation about our dreams for healing the Earth, what we can do as a group to collaborate to have an impact, and how those actions can take place. ECAM talked to almost all ministry teams, had listening sessions with other members, solicited one-on-one feedback, and conducted an online survey, to give all of us the opportunity to participate and share our feelings and ideas.
The work resulted in a lot of great feedback, that fell roughly into five categories. The most consistent areas of interest and concern were:
Developing deeper Connection with Nature
Embracing Indigenous Wisdom about the natural world
Acknowledging our grief, and shifting to Hope and Action
Advancing Environmental Justice
Assuring a sustainable planet for future generations
This feedback gives all of us at East Shore a core set of values and priorities to further our positive climate action. ECAM will continue to organize the feedback and share ideas in more detail, and more climate action sessions are certain to arise from what our congregation has said.
To top off the Earth Day activities ECAM hosted a Climate Action Celebration in the sanctuary, featuring live music with multimedia, composed by John Chmaj and performed by an all-East Shore ensemble, featuring more extended sharing of congregational feedback and personal observations from all of us. The more we can share our passions for the Earth, and find ways to work together to heal our world, the greater our impact and commitment will be. Hoping your Earth Day was filled with gratitude for the miraculous ‘blue boat’ we find ourselves sailing in!
by John Chmaj, Earth & Climate Action Ministry Team
Anyone who walked into East Shore’s sanctuary from the cherry blossom-filled driveway last Saturday night would have been dazzled by the conviviality and love on display at the ESUC auction, and the blossoming community inside its doors.
As a brand-new member, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the auction. I was asked to join the core auction team my second Sunday at church last October, and figured why not? It was bound to be a great way to learn more about the church and its people. Numerous folks told me that the auction is the most anticipated and popular annual event, and I assumed these were simply well-meaning comments intended to encourage attendance by new members.
Through participating on the auction committee and then the auction itself, I learned that this community, this blossoming community, is dedicated to providing financial stability that will enable the continued momentum of practicing love, exploring spirituality, building community, and promoting justice. Well over $50,000 was raised by just 173 registered bidders on Saturday night, including in the Fund a Need, most of the money needed to complete the planned North Room refurbishment.
On the day of the event, 39 volunteers from ages 12 to 82 united to transform the sanctuary into an event venue, prepare food, serve beverages, provide entertainment, clean up, and restore the sanctuary back to normal for Sunday service the following morning.
This outpouring of generosity shows a congregation coming together in loving support of each other, and looking towards a collective future; a beloved community facing in the same direction, honoring shared beliefs, and working as one towards a common mission.
Last year we noticed a sagging support beam outside of the South side of the Sanctuary building. Closer inspection revealed a major section had rotted away over time due to water intrusion, leaving this critical supporting structure vulnerable to collapse. That would have significantly threatened the structural integrity our wonderful 1950s-era Sanctuary building, so we responded quickly with a plan for repair.
We used an engineering firm to assess load-bearing requirements to decide where to cut away the damaged parts and how to splice in the new beam section. They studied our blueprints and walked around and inside the entire building, marveling at the huge beams that run along the ceilings. Sometime when you are in the Sanctuary, take a moment to look up and see the beautiful wooden beams inside that are a wonder to behold for their powerful size and length! The engineers spent some time discussing just how the original builders managed to bring these huge beams on site and how in the world did they manage to install them! So now in 2024 we can reflect in a moment in gratitude for the engineering prowess that created this building way back in 1951-1955.
The construction firm went to work, removing metal sheathing and installing temporary support beams. I made sure the workers saved our metal spiky raccoon-deterrent strips that keep critters from climbing up on our roof and tearing the membrane up there, a feature we installed in 2014. The construction was halted a few times due to supply chain problems and weather, but the crew kept at it over several months. In stages they removed the three sections of rot (2 short rotten areas about 2 feet each, and one longer rotten area about 6 feet long). They brought in a huge beam section, about 18 feet long, and a couple of shorter pieces for the replacement process. I missed the actual day they hoisted it up to the right level, but it did take a number of strong persons working together to accomplish it and probably there was some salty language involved. Permanent vertical supports went in, and the whole thing has metal sheathing over waterproof sealants. The bolts to hold this whole thing together are huge. It was really interesting to watch the work happen in stages.
I am so pleased to say that our Sanctuary beam repair project is finally done! The total cost of the beam repair was $42,412, which was within the predicted cost of $40-$45K. A huge thank you to East Shore folks involved in this project:
Celil Cakmak, East Shore’s maintenance lead extraordinaire, who noticed the sagging beam first and paid careful attention to project progress.
Dianne Upton, East Shore’s Facilities Manager, who masterfully coordinated campus scheduling with me.
The wonderful Facilities Team – Ralph Lutz, David Kappler, Leroy Smith, Bob Weiss, Ryam Hill – who helped install the initial temporary support and handled landscaping changes on the Grounds around the beam.
Finance Team and Board of Trustees – and especially Geri Kennedy for her leadership as Board Treasurer for creating and approving the new Building Reserve Fund that will in the future handle these big unusual campus repair and renovation expenses.
What’s Next – Building Up the Building Reserve Fund
If you want to help ensure the structural integrity of East Shore’s wonderful campus for years to come, consider donating now to the newly-established Building Reserve Fund. We will need significant funds going forward to help keep our buildings and grounds in good shape. We have a beautiful wooded 4-acre site with four commercial buildings that always need costly ongoing maintenance, repairs, and renovations. Our long-range strategic planning includes the financial component of maintaining our built environment. Right now, we have $131,100 in this fund with a goal for $160,000 by end of 2024. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about donating, my email is [email protected]. Thank you!
by Rebecca Chatfield, Director of Finance & Operations
At the tail end of Women’s History month, we celebrated textiles largely created and loved by women with a kickoff event for our Treasured Textiles gallery show. After church service on Sunday, March 24, East Shore members brought their special textiles to share with the rest of the congregation in Spring Hall. In case you missed the event, many of these items and related stories will be on display in the Sanctuary gallery during the month of April.
The Campus Aesthetics team (CAT) emerged as an outgrowth of the pre-Covid Gallery Committee. Since Rev. Maria Cristina arrived as our minister, we have hosted several exhibitions. In 2022, Eastside Fine Arts Association held a show in the foyer, “Mindfulness in Plein Air Painting”. East Shore member and painter, Barbara Van Dyke Shuman, had a solo show of her beautiful NW and SW landscapes. We also displayed the work of Afghan artist, Abdul Habibi, who sought asylum in this country. Although his visa to the US was denied, we are happy to report that he has rece tly been accepted by the German government’s Federal Humanitarian Admission program. He and his family will be moving there shortly, insha’allah.
Along with members of the Indigenous Connections team, we arranged for the mural created during the 2021 Lummi Totem Pole journey to hang in our sanctuary on a temporary (thankfully extended) basis.
In 2023, our “Invisible No More: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and People” show highlighted the issue by featuring faceless felt dolls created by the Women’s Perspective in a workshop here led by Carolyn DeFord, a Puyallup tribal member. This exhibition was subsequently displayed at Mercer Island, Kirkland and Issaquah libraries.
We subsequently showed the work of ceramicist and East Shore member, Warren Maruhashi. This was a fitting tribute to honor his devotion to art and whimsical spirit. Many of you undoubtedly treasure some of the pieces you came away with from that exhibition.
Just last month, on March 24, we held a kickoff event for this month’s GALLERY SHOW: textiles created, inherited, designed, or purchased by our congregation’s members. Textiles reveal elements of our lives and values that we are prepared to share with the world. We hope you will enjoy these textiles now or soon to be on display in the Sanctuary building throughout April.
We also hope you will be inspired to consider ways your team might show East Shore members and visitors the love you have and the work you do. All teams are invited to think about how you might want to display your work or the themes important to you: Sacred Stitches, climate action, indigenous connections, grounds, Women’s Perspective, men’s groups, our youth group, children, families—everyone is welcome to share your ideas and together we can work out future displays. Please share your ideas with us!
We are a Board Committee that works for East Shore’s Board of Trustees and the congregation to improve relationships within the community of East Shore. We do this in a number of ways including the 3 C’s – covenant, communication and conflict resolution.
Covenant
The entire congregation is responsible to create, practice and uphold the Covenant. The Covenant is the collective commitments that provide the landscape and inspiration for us to be our best selves in the ESUC Beloved Community. In 2018, the congregation adopted a Church RR Covenant that is below and is a living document to be revisited and revised as needed.
Communication
Right Relations support/facilitate a range of communications that include emails, meetings, listening circles, town halls and restorative events. We support direct communication and deep listening – individuals, pairs, groups and congregation wide. Creating a space where all voices and perspectives can be heard is often at the heart of these communications.
Individually and as a group, RR continues to seek out relevant trainings with the goal of improving our own skills and sharing those knowledge/skills with the congregation.
Conflict Resolution
Tandi Rogers, UUA minister says “conflict is a faith formation opportunity and part of religious community and the human journey”. RR hopes to normalize conflict at ESUC and help our congregation recognize, name and lean into discomfort, impact and harm. The UUA RR training says “conflict that occurs within Covenant, means that we are prioritizing restoration of relationships over being proved right or wrong.”
Practicing with small conflicts helps us develop the skills and be prepared for larger conflicts if/when they occur. Goals for conflict at East Shore:
Direct communication with other person about conflict (no triangulation)
Bring a friend if needing support to communicate with the other person directly
Come to any RR member to get additional support
Upcoming Opportunities to Learn More About RR April 28 Worship Service
Join members of the RR team after service for an informal discussion to learn more about what we do at ESUC including communication and conflict resolution.
Right Relations Committee
Susan McDonald
Milly Mullarky
Mark Norelius
Maury Edwards
Nancy Barnes
Amanda Strombom
Karin Elofson
Covenant of Right Relations, East Shore Unitarian Church (2018)
We respect and honor our beloved community, ourselves, and others when we:
Enter this space with a spirit of gratitude for this community and share it openly.
Hold this community as sacred, balancing our personal spiritual needs with those of others to preserve a brave and safe space.
Openly share our real selves, being vulnerable and trusting.
Seek the joy and richness of diversity of people, experiences and culture. Embrace the voices and leadership of marginalized people in all areas of the church.
Listen to others to discover their deepest needs and intent, with a willingness to be changed.
Speak our perspective with honesty and respect, recognizing and caring about the possible impact on others.
Commit to personal life-long learning of skills to help resolve and restore relationships through healing and forgiveness.
Support the success of our staff, minister, board, and our congregational groups and committees.
Strengthen and promote the values of our beloved community and Unitarian Universalism and carry them into the future and the larger world.
