In these tumultuous times in which the headlines are often deeply upsetting, our nervous systems can feel stressed and overwhelmed. We feel it as individuals, and we also feel it collectively. We are on edge. We find ourselves feeling both fragile and angry. We need spaces and places to come together and find and create a sense of comfort and connection.

Please join Music Director Christine Taber and Rev. Shana in an evening service designed to have us sing together, breathe together—connect in silence and song. We’ll learn chants and hear some words of poetry for reflection, as well as share some moments of silence.

The post Calming Our Spirits: A Special Evening Worship Experience appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Earth Day; Nature Calls, will you Answer?

Brian Short, Homilist
Mollie Twidale, Worship Associate

It’s Earth Day again. What emotions does that bring up for you? Joy in the nature that surrounds us? Dread that we are not taking care of our Mother Earth? Our news feeds serve up a daily platter of climate disasters, but our collective response often seems to be helplessness, complacency, or similar. What if there was another response that might actually alter our course of potential doom? Brian will expound on where we are at, and what we can do to help heal.

Music: Bare Bones Band

The post Earth Day; Nature Calls, will you Answer? appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Time: Sunday, April 19, 7:15 pm
Place: UUCV Sanctuary

Be sure to join us for this uplifting, fun, and vibrant evening as your host, co-minister and Reverend of Jazz, Shana Lynngood, explores the historic roots of jazz interspersed with a note of spirituality.

Preview what’s to come at: www.attilafias.com

All are welcome – admission by donation. All contributions go to the musicians and are very much appreciated.

The post Spirited Jazz: Attila Fias appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

The Ethics of the Dinner Plate

Rev Melora, Homilist
Jesse Invik, Worship Associate

Today’s topic was chosen by the winners of the auction item, ‘a sermon on a topic of your choice.’ The question Rev. Melora (an omnivore) was asked to consider is: What do our UU values say about the ethics of eating animals?

Music: Chalice Choir

The post The Ethics of the Dinner Plate appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Adequate Thanks

Rev Shana, Homilist
Lynne Bonner, Worship Associate

In this Earth Month when we focus on the theme of nourishing nature, we’ll wonder together about how we express gratitude to the Earth and all the beings with whom we share the planet. How do we live in such a way that our appreciation manifests itself in acts of care and reverence? How can we thank the Earth for all it gives us? Can we nourish it in return?

Music: Cantabile Handbell Choir

The post Adequate Thanks appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

The post Calming Our Spirits: A Special Evening Worship Experience appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

After the Tomb

Rev Shana, Homilist
Dan Klimke, Worship Associate

Often when we spiritual progressives think about Easter, we focus on how we feel about the resurrection. In general, we don’t ascribe to the notion of a bodily resurrection, but relate powerfully to the metaphor—we’ve experienced rebirth, renewal and new life in our own lives. In a time of so much destruction and chaos, I am wondering about what happens after the resurrection. What did Jesus’ followers do after he returned? What is life like after you’ve been to the tomb?

Music: Chalice Choir

View the Service

The post After the Tomb appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Kwan Yin: Being of Compassion

Johnathan Savard, Homilist
John Hopewell, Worship Associate

Following a trip to Southeast Asia in September, Johnathan Savard shares his encounters with the enigmatic mythical figure Kwan Yin, a holy figure in eastern Buddhism and Taoism with roots in Hinduism. Often described as a goddess or bodhisattva (enlightened one), she towers literally and figuratively over temples and cities across the continent, offering a message of mercy for all. What lessons can we learn from her stories and presence, and how do we apply them?

Music: Bare Bones Band

View the Service

The post Kwan Yin: Being of Compassion appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Rooted & Rising: Embodied Wisdom

Rev Karen Fraser Gitlitz, Homilist
Mollie Twidale, Worship Associate

What do our bodies have to teach us about wisdom? Inspired by the work of Prentis Hemphill, Staci Haines and Merete Holm Brantbjerg, we will consider what happens when we acknowledge our bodies as sites of wisdom.

Karen Fraser Gitlitz (she/her) is a professional art therapist at creativeupwelling.com and a UU community minister. Her experience includes community art making and ritual as well as building bridges between spiritual and secular justice communities. A white cis-gendered person of European descent, Karen is grateful to live and work on the lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, including the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) and SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nations.

Music: Quintessential Quartet

View the Service

The post Rooted & Rising: Embodied Wisdom appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.

Appreciation vs. Appropriation

Rev Melora, Homilist
Karen Christie, Worship Associate

This month, our Meaning Making theme is “The practice of seeking wisdom: what can we learn from the multiple truths that come from varied identities, life experiences, religions and cultures?” This Sunday, we look at how to honour our UU value of pluralism without slipping into cultural appropriation.  How do we discern the fine line between appreciation and appropriation; how do we navigate the complexities involved- especially when different people have different views about what is ok and what is not ok?

Music: Chalice Choir

View the Service

The post Appreciation vs. Appropriation appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria.