Past services

Arran Liddel and members of the Environmental Action Team with Worship Associate Shelley Motz – Join us for a multifaceted reflection on how the Earth, Sky, and Sea sustain us and how we can sustain them.

Rev. Shana Lynngood with Worship Associate Kressa Sisu – As we begin our exploration of the theme of wholeness we explore both its power and its limitations as a vision of becoming.

On the one hand, wholeness is an image that helps us envision what it might be like to live in such a way that encapsulates the many components of our being.

On the other hand, the concept of wholeness sometimes leaves people struggling with illness or ability challenges feeling less than. How can we honour the possibilities of wholeness without being constrained by it?

Lay Chaplains and Liz Graham with worship associate Morgan Reid – Our congregation’s Lay Chaplains serve members of the larger community by helping them mark important way-stations on their life journeys. 

They are often asked to assist families in recognizing a life that has ended. In this service they will talk about the issues that have arisen from their clients and in their own lives about the way we, as a society, deal with death.

To view past worship services click on this link. 

Rev. Wendy McNiven with worship associate Oliver Belisle – Child Haven International’s main purpose is to provide the necessities of life to otherwise destitute children, through its eight homes in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet, operating with Gandhian principles. The creation of Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino,  Rev. McNiven tells of her own experience at one Child Have home. 

She will offer reflections about how Child Haven International contributes to the building of strong, caring communities — and what we might learn from it.
Rev. McNiven is a retired Unitarian minister. She and her spouse live in Courtenay and grandparent in Victoria.

Sunday worship livestream: to view please click on this link. To view past worship services (as of Jan. 27) click on this link.

 Rev. Shana Lynngood with worship associate Kressa Sisu – This Sunday in which we support the work and mission of our denominational office at the UN and explore this year’s focus, “When Crisis Calls: Advancing Just Migration for All.” 

There has been much talk about those displaced from their homes or forced to flee, not all of it accurate. 

How do we more fully understand the challenges they face? What does their plight tell us about the state of our world, and the call of our spiritual tradition to honour the worth and dignity of all people?

Sunday worship livestream: to view please click on this link. To view past worship services (as of Jan. 27) click on this link.

 

Jen Rashleigh and Rev. Melora Lynngood with worship associate Samantha Magnus — In honour of International Women’s Day (March 8), Rev. Melora and Lillie Lenz (our representative at the Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women’s Association) invite Victoria Unitarian congregant Jen Rashleigh to share stories, learnings and dreams from Growing Eden, a garden project funded by Vancouver Unitarian, where Jen served previously as the associate director of Children and Youth Programming.  

The garden is a small slice of paradise in Southeast Vancouver, created especially for — and with -— refugee, newcomer and low-income moms and their young children. 

The success of this organizational partnership, and the strength of solidarity created among the families, teaches valuable lessons  from the soil up in how to create community, health, and food sovereignty.

Sunday worship livestream: to view please click on this link. To view past worship services (as of Jan. 27) click on this link. 

Peter Scales with Worship Associate Madelaine Clarke —  

Peter, a historian, interviewed 23 experienced clerics from five religions, about their education, calling, postings, and career highs and lows.

One of the lessons Peter heard was that sometimes we have to trust that the organization is taking care of us, so that we might be able to function and others can trust that we will do our jobs.

Sunday worship livestream: to view please click on this link. To view past worship services (as of Jan. 27) click on this link.

Martin Settle of USC Canada with Worship Associate Doug McGinnis — 

Almost all religious traditions promote some concept of stewardship – that it is our responsibility to care for the environment and each other. But stewardship is not conservation. At a time when the systems we have created to “enhance” human comfort are at risk of destroying the planet, we need to see our stewardship as a process; we must seed change. Reflecting on the experiences of USC Canada, Martin will explore how we can serve as faithful stewards, together.

Sunday worship livestream: to view please click on this link. To view past worship services (as of Jan. 27) click on this link.

Martin Settle, Executive Director of USC Canada, has traveled to 10 of the 12 USC Canada supported program countries and currently co-chairs the International Development sector’s “Steering Committee on the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct”. He is a former lay minister in the United Church of Canada and father of two.

USC Canada (previously the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada) is a non-profit founded in 1945 by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova and rooted in the notions of human dignity and equality. Today, USC Canada is part of a global movement fighting for justice, health and sustainability by shifting the way our food is grown. It works with farmers in 12 countries, including Canada, to strengthen their ability to grow food sustainably, using locally adapted seeds. By harnessing the power of good seeds, farmer leadership and global solidarity, we help communities thrive.