The Indigenous Connections Team* invites you to the Duwamish Longhouse (4705 W Marginal Way SW / Seattle) on April 20, 1pm, to hear about the work of the Wisdom Keepers, an international team of indigenous leaders and activists. This is an opportunity for adults and youth to learn more about an indigenous perspective on climate change and the urgency combined with optimism that guides indigenous efforts worldwide. Please join us!
The Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center opens at 10 on Saturdays – come early to explore exhibits and browse the shop!
Jacob Johns (Akimel O’Otham and Hopi) and Jeff Ferguson (Spokane) will share stories and media related to their work as part of the Wisdom Keepers Delegation at the 2023 United Nations Conference of the Parties in Dubai (UNCOP28).
The Wisdom Keepers are pushing for the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in global climate policy discussions. The delegation asks governments to prioritize the active participation of indigenous peoples while recognizing and respecting traditional knowledge and practices in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. The Wisdom Keepers promote holistic approaches that consider the well-being of workers, communities, and the environment.
During COP28 In Dubai, the Wisdom Keepers collaborated with peers in US Climate Action Network (USCAN), participated on panels, graced event openings, and brought spiritual depth to closings with their unique mix of song, dance, and prayer.
The Indigenous Connections Team is especially grateful to the Duwamish Tribe for their collaboration and for sharing the Longhouse with all of us.
This event is sponsored by JUUstice Washington (JUUstWA), a network of Unitarian Universalist congregations, organizations, and partners. Local churches are participating, including University UC, Northlake UUC, and Woodinville UUC.
* Submitted by the Indigenous Connections Team:
Kristi Weir
Lynn Roesch
Marilyn Mayers
Erika Jackson Kirkendall
Donna Johnson (Woodinville UUC)
Kari Ann Hailey (ESUC and Northlake UUC)
Maury Edwards
Carrie Bowman
We in the Khasi Hills Ministry Team are excited that East Shore’s partnership with Unitarians in the Northeast of India will be featured at the upcoming Share the Plate event on May 5. Rev. Morgan McLean, who heads the UUA’s international partnership program will present. We will learn how the UUA is using inclusive methods to redefine our faith’s approach to international partnerships.
We also thought it would be helpful to tell East Shore’s friends and members some basic information about our partnership.
First off, who are the Khasi people? The Khasis are an indigenous people living on a high plateau between Bangladesh and Bhutan. The Khasis live in an autonomous state in India called Meghalaya with other indigenous peoples. The Khasis are related ethnically and through language to SE Asian peoples.
Why are there 10,000 Unitarians in this remote hill country of NE India? For over 140 years, there has been a thriving and growing union of Unitarian churches in the Khasi Hills. At that time, their founders created a new religion based on a mixture of traditional and progressive values. When they discovered British and American Unitarianism, they chose to call themselves Unitarian and associate with international Unitarian churches.
How did East Shore get involved in a partnership with Khasi Unitarians? In the 1990s, our emeritus minister, Rev. Dr. Leon Hopper, became a founder of the modern UUA partnership movement. He and other East Shore members traveled to visit the Khasi Unitarians. We formed a church-to-church partnership with the Unitarian churches of Kharang and Smit, a village and town, respectively.
Why does East Shore focus on education? The short answer is because we were asked to! In early visits to Kharang, the Khasis participated with us in Community Capacity Building workshops. The Church Council of our partner church in Kharang then asked East Shore to focus on education, and to help them build an English-medium primary school. Watch this 5-minute video for perspectives on why education is so important to them and the history of the Friendship Unitarian School of Kharang.
Is our Khasi Partnership still thriving? Yes, definitely! Over time we have built up an enormous amount of trust, mutual understanding, and ability to cooperate to achieve great goals together. Our relationships have never been stronger, and we are in constant communication through WhatsApp, Facebook, and regular conferences.
What are you planning for in 2024? After the May 5th Share the Plate, our focus will turn to raising funds to support seven teachers’ salaries at the Friendship School. We do this by holding a community-wide rummage sale in East Shore’s sanctuary called Trinkets and Treasures (July 19-20th). It’s a lot of fun and helps East Shore members clear out their closets! We also have a student sponsorship program for over 20 of the most economically challenged students in the village. Our East Shore sponsors have one-on-one relationships with these young students. Exciting news: East Shore’s Youth Group is starting to plan a visit to the Khasi Hills in the summer of 2025!
All of these programs are exciting and serve others. We gain so much of value from our association with the Khasi people. Please attend the May 5 service to learn about why this partnership is a precious asset to East Shore, and to provide your moral support to our hard-working ministry team.
– Doug Strombom and Barb Clagett
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.
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
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).
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
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
