We Are a Bridge
We celebrate our desires to stretch our wings towards where we wish to fly and soar free. And thus, we make a bridge.
We affirm our commitment to remain connected to those who are still earth-bound and captive, remembering that a bridge may be a footpath or an umbrella. And thus, we offer a bridge.
We acknowledge our own desires and also our interconnections with one another. And thus, we build stronger bridges.
We honor our own hearts and also the hearts of our neighbors, friends, and fellow inhabitants of this ever-perplexing world. And thus, we are a bridge.
– By Leslie Takahashi
Dear Beloved East Shore Community,
As we begin our third year with Rev. María Cristina, I am filled with hope for the future. I can see how each time we meet, talk, work together, welcome someone new, we are building a bridge to our future. I see new babies, a growing choir, new millennials and young adults, and events growing in size and excitement. I see the increase in justice work from the amazing experience of being in the Pride Parade to hosting Porchlight next month. I only see this trend continuing far into the future as long as we are strong enough bridges to get there.
For years, East Shore has been busy managing changes that at times have felt non-stop… but that time is over. We instead need to begin making a path for our future. That is why at the August Board Retreat, we made making a long-term plan one of our goals for the year. We have already been working with Financial Stewardship and the Finance Team to look at the dollar and cents aspect. We are working with staff and the UUA as we continue to live into our values as we look at the long-term sustainability of East Shore.
In 2027, we will have paid off the mortgage of the Education Building, freeing up more than $100,000 a year. We also hope the sale of the Holly House property will be complete, allowing us to reimburse our Endowment, make needed improvements, and flourish with opportunity.
We are looking at 2025 and 2026 and know we have some budget tightening years ahead of us. As we told you a few months ago, our Operating Budget has taken some large hits and the need to dip into our rainy-day fund (Endowment), has been more than we had hoped. We are also looking ahead and not wanting to make rash decisions with permanent outcomes when it comes to making any budget cuts. We are asking you to help us build a bridge to the future.
For us to reach our goal, we would need each household to increase their pledge by 15%. We know that is not possible for everyone, so we are asking you to reach deep inside your heart and ask yourself if you have faith in East Shore’s future. As Elanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Will you dream with me and help us build a bridge to the future?
Did you know you can listen to sermons from anywhere? You can listen to almost* any worship service we have. Each week (usually by Tuesday) the Sermon is available via podcast. You can listen and subscribe easily:
Every October, for over 30 years, East Shore has hosted homeless gentlemen as part of Porchlight (formerly Congregations for the Homeless). These men must attain a high bar to be part of this rotating shelter. They are sober, most have jobs, and they travel through different churches throughout the year.
This October, approximately 20 men will be staying in Spring Hall. Our role is to 1. Provide a safe shelter for sleeping, showering and doing laundry; 2. Shop and provide food for grab and go breakfasts and lunches; 3. Serve as hosts to welcome them, provide conversation and companionship, 4. Provide a hot, fresh, dinner.
Please consider offering a meal as a ministry team, or a family, or any other group you can think of. ESUC can reimburse you for your expenses if you wish or you may donate your meal. Here are the links to sign up for shopping, hosting and cooking. Cooking Dinner Hosting Shopping
Some people buy pizzas or other ready made meals. Others prefer to cook themselves. The North Room kitchen is available if you wish to cook there. If so, please also sign up for room use at this link, after you have chosen your day(s) esuc.org/about-us/rentals/ It is on the lower right at Member Room Reservation.
We also need members to join our ministry team to support the above activities. We are grateful for any time you can spare to help these worthy people feel seen and affirmed.
On Sunday, June 30, more than 70 UUs from the area, with about 40 from East Shore, joined forces to participate in the Seattle Pride Parade. The joyful day was filled with love and support for our LGBTQiA+ siblings in spirit. Special thanks to the Welcoming Congregations Team for organizing the gathering and collaborating with University Unitarian Church and Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The Outreach Team helped with ensuring the event had finances and great photos. Next year, we plan to continue this new tradition and bring in additional UU churches in the area. Special thanks to Becky Bruhn for putting together this wonderful video of the day.
by Nicole Duff, Director of Membership Development
By-laws are not usually very interesting, really. The UUA has 15 Articles of by-laws, the second of which is where the theological guidance of the non-profit resides. This article is supposed to be reviewed every 15 years. A failed attempt at a small change in 2009, means there has not been changes since 1985 until 2020, when the Board of the UUA charged the Article II Study Commission with making revisions.
For the next two years, the Study Commission sought input from UUs and actually received about 10,000 inputs. They made a report to the Board and in 2023 the revisions were brought to the General Assembly (GA) for a preliminary vote. After passing with about 90%, more discussion and more opposition to these changes were stirred.
Here at ESUC, the 8th Principle Ministry Team took on supporting the revisions after we passed the 8th Principle in 2021 at our a congregational meeting. We continued that work at a lower level of action after the preliminary passage, expecting passage by the 2024 GA. Those opposed worked to get a “no” vote, which would have put any revisions on hold for the next two years, and maintained the 1985 language we are all familiar with, citing the 7 Principles and the Sources. On June 23, the GA vote was counted and the revisions have passed with 80.2% of the vote. These immediately become active for the Board of the UUA and will be next revised in 15 years, according to the by-laws.
You can find a great deal of information at uua.org (searching for “Article 2”) about the four years process and the final results. A description of the legal ramifications of Article II changes can be found here.
The 8th Principle Ministry Team merged with Beloved Conversations Among last year and became a Board Committee entitled Building Beloved Community Committee, or BBCC to insiders. Any of the members – Carrie Bowman, Paul Buehrns, Grace Colton, Maury Edwards, Ryam Hill, Caroline Haessley, Marcy Langrock, Mike Radow, and staff liaison Nicole Duff – can answer questions. There will be further discussion about Article II for the whole congregation, now in the planning.
You can read more about everything that happened at General Assembly here.
As we prepare for the return of the church program year, Water Communion, Salmon Bake and so much more we wanted to update our COVID Policies.
The threat of COVID, RSV, and the flu haven’t gone away, so as we come back we also know the timing aligns with the most likely time of year to catch a bug. We want to ensure all those who come through our doors feel safe in this space, and we want to grow the feeling of community. Beginning September 1, we will be transitioning from masks required to masks ENCOURAGED.
We want do want to share a few other items regarding this.
We continue to remind you about consent and continue to encourage you to talk about comfort in masking and touching.
We ask if someone requests you to wear a mask, especially indoors, that you respect that request.
Staff may have individual requirements for their workspace. We have some staff members who are high risk and may ask that you wear a mask while in their office area, we ask you all to respect that.
Individual groups can make their own decisions. Ministry Teams, Covenant Circles, and more should have a discussion about how everyone in the group feels. Please approach these conversations with care and a sense of community.
We will continue to provide masks to all who wish to wear them.
We ask everyone who has any cold symptoms such as: fever, cough, runny nose, etc. to please stay at home (and join us via Zoom!)
We encourage all of you to get your boosters and flu shot this year.
Air Flow in Buildings
If you are planning to come to East Shore and are not sure if you want to wear a mask, please know we have a lack of airflow in our Sanctuary. We added air purifiers in the Sanctuary to help. We do have a CO2 monitor in the back of the Sanctuary to help you make an informed decision. We have also added air filters to the classrooms in the Education building.
Practicing Consent and Compassion
Part of being a beloved community is respecting others and showing compassion. When making decisions, always practice covenantal consent—taking time to listen deeply to one another’s concerns and fears before making any decisions that might put members of the community at risk, either physically or mentally.
We need to acknowledge everyone has different comfort levels when it comes to risk. Please remember, these are your fellow East Shorians and we want to respect people’s decisions on how they participate in worship.
We also want to talk about hugging, handshakes, high fives, etc. As we teach our youngest children in Our Whole Lives (OWL), consent is very important. Even those friends who you may have always shared a hug with before may not feel up to it yet. Let’s show our children and each other we understand consent. Before hugging, please ask… AND be prepared to hear “no.” This includes members of the staff. We all love you… and we want to stay safe too.
