Holidays and Traditions

Every year at East Shore there are a variety of community events for fellowship, friendship, celebration and to promote opportunities to become connected and involved. Below is a list and description of these events. For more details closer to the event dates, visit our events page.

Special Events

Seabeck Memorial Day Retreat: May Off Site
For more than 20 years, we have gathered as families, singles, youth, and elders, at Seabeck on Memorial Day for fellowship and fun. Part retreat, and part social event, Seabeck puts and uniquely Unitarian spin on the American custom of “church camp.”

Flower Communion & Annual BBQ: June Service
This special worship service a ceremony for UUs to come together and express our connectedness to one another and the world. We each bring a flower, which are all combined into baskets. During the ceremony,  service attendees (you don’t have to be a member or UU to participate) come to the front of the service and take a flower brought by someone else. It is a day of fellowship, community and beautiful music. After worship, join us for a BBQ and potluck organized by our Family Covenant Circle.

The Annual Salmon Bake: September
Salmon Bake is East Shore’s annual Homecoming Celebration. Join us for worship at 10:00 a.m. followed by feasting and fun at 11:15 a.m. All members, guest and visitors are invited to attend.

The Annual East Shore Auction: November
While this is a fundraiser for the church, it is also one of the major opportunities for fun and fellowship in the church. The auction event includes a silent auction, dinner, live auction, and wonderful services, experiences, and items for sale to benefit the ministries of the church. This is a great event to meet new people and get connected.

Holiday Services

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we offer candlelight services for members and guests to celebrate. These services are often filled with traditional carols, but with a Unitarian flare. Check the calendar for specific times.

Easter
East Shore offers special services for members and guests to celebrate the traditions and customs with the wider faith community, which may include special expanded music programs.

Earth-Based Celebration Services

Come one, come all, as we celebrate the earth with story, song, ritual, and a Circle Dance.

Spring Equinox: March
We celebrate the Spring Equinox. This day is the balance of day and night. It is the beginning of spring and the planting season. We bless the earth and ask her blessing in return for a bountiful harvest and a full and happy heart.

Summer Solstice: June
We celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. This is the beginning of summer and our time to tend what we have planted and enjoy the warmth of the sun and mother earth. We offer thanks and blessings for things that are growing and the warm kiss of the sun.

Fall Equinox: September
We celebrate the Autumn Equinox. Again a day of balance of light and dark. We offer thanks and praise for bountiful harvests and ask blessings as we prepare for the coming of winter.

Winter Solstice: December
We celebrate the Winter Solstice. This is the longest night of the year. We celebrate with songs, stories and candles to encourage the return of the sun. We thank the mother for holding us in her arms during the dark hours and praise the return of the sun.