Click here for our News Submission Form Click here to find and archive of past news. We would love to help spread the word about your building renovations, exciting program offerings, installations of religious professionals, etc. share the news! We look forward to hearing from you! We are delighted to share the many news stories you are sending in. A printable version with some of the current news is available here and will be included in each congregational packet. You may wish to copy and distribute it to your congregation members or post it on a bulletin board.
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Welcome to the PNWD News Center
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Let us help spread the word about building renovations, exciting program offerings, installations of religious professionals, and other happenings in your congregation. Please submit your congregation’s news at the PNWD News link. (The password used to access submission forms throughout our site is pnwd.)
You may have heard about Standing on the Side of Love, a public advocacy campaign sponsored by the UUA, promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The district office has a Standing on the Side of Love banner for our PNWD congregations to use for free. Look at the mileage it has accrued since October! Juneau, AK; Mount Vernon, WA; Tacoma, WA; West Seattle, WA; Florence, OR; and McMinnville, OR. It’s off soon to Wenatchee, WA; Yakima, WA; and Ashland, OR. If your congregation would like to borrow this horizontal 4’ x 12’ banner to display, contact the district office to be added to the queue.
The UU Community Church of Washington County (Hillsboro, OR) started 2010 mortgage-free! Thanks to generous donations to their Capital Fund Drive, UUCCWC now fully owns their historic church building, Parish House, and several adjoining lots free and clear.
The UU Church of Spokane (WA) recently held a dedication ceremony for their new chapel, for which they had been waiting fifteen years! They are excited that the space “will provide a place for family weddings, intimate memorial services, humanist lectures, and dignified board meetings.” The addition was designed by UUCS member architect, Moritz Kundig. Funds were raised through the efforts of “wise elders who decided that rather than leave money in their wills, they would donate to the church now and see the chapel built in their lifetimes.” The Rev. Linda Whittenberg, (Santa Fe, NM), former UUCS minister in the 90s and now an accomplished poet, led the congregation in a dedication litany which she had written especially for the occasion.
On April 10 East Shore Unitarian Church (Bellevue, WA) and Westside UU Congregation (West Seattle, WA) will celebrate twenty years of partnership with Transylvania. A traditional Hungarian buffet will be served, and entertainment will be provided by the brightly costumed Kisbetyrok Family Dancers, a local group sponsored by the Hungarian American Association of Washington. The Rev. Leon Hopper will also be honored for his founding and many years of dedicated service to the Partner Church Ministry. The event is a fundraiser for the congregations’ Partner Church Ministries and will benefit their three partner congregations, one in Romania and two in the Khasi Hills, India.
The high school youth group at Anchorage UU Fellowship (AK) has created Easter baskets for 40 homeless teens, and the whole congregation made 100 Easter baskets for families at local shelters.
The documentary, “Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century -- Qi Gong” will be presented April 11 at All Souls UU Community (Lacey, WA.) All are invited for the 6:00 p.m. showing.
A four-session eldercare series is being offered by the Woodinville UU Church (WA). Topics covered include medical challenges, housing, financial and other issues. The $35 series begins April 20 and includes light refreshments. Call 425-788-6044 or email the WUUC office.
Unitarian Universalist author and church consultant, Michael Durall, was curious why the UU Church of the Palouse (Moscow, ID) was buying so many of his books, "The Almost Church Revitalized." It began with a request for a few copies, then five, then five more, then 25 more, then 60 more! Mike proposed a weekend workshop and Rev. Kayle Rice, UUCP's minister, and their board invited him for the weekend of March 26. Mike will create a report that is tailor-made for the congregation. UUCP is preparing to hire a two-year interim and hoping to make some changes in their congregational vocation, so the timing was ideal. Michael Durall is the founder of the CommonWealth Consulting Group and author of five books on congregational life.
"Body Theology for Women: Tools, Rituals, Celebration and Opportunities" was the subject of an adult religious education course offered at University Unitarian Church (Seattle, WA) in February. The class was based on the doctoral dissertation of the Rev. Dr. Alicia Grace, UUC Minister, exploring the connection between body and spirit as lived in history, culture and family.
Seattle’s University Unitarian Church is offering a Spirit Play curriculum training. The Spirit Play curriculum is a new model for offering Religious Education within Unitarian Universalist Congregations for three to ten year olds. The curriculum incorporates hands-on, aesthetic story and art materials to help children make sense of life’s religious questions and spiritual experiences.
PNWD emerging congregation, the UU Fellowship of McMinnville (OR) voted to apply for membership to the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUA Board of Trustees will make their decision June 28 regarding McMinnville’s application for affiliation.
Kitsap UU Fellowship (Bremerton, WA) celebrates the courage of KUUF members of 25 years ago, who, with fewer than 40 members, decided they needed a new sanctuary, space for a strong religious education program, and a full-time minister in order to grow and thrive. April 11 will be the celebration of the 25th anniversary of their building program.
Westside UU Congregation (West Seattle, WA) has purchased a new building! The first Sunday service in their much larger space will be September 13. On October 24 at 7:00 p.m. they will dedicate their new building at 7141 California Avenue SW, West Seattle.
West Hills UU Fellowship (Portland, OR) successfully transitioned to a two-service congregation for one quarter of the year. The number of attendees has increased each Sunday since the change to two services in January. WHUUF has also formed a search committee to find a quarter-time minister.
Four congregations in search for ministers have announced their candidating weeks: Rogue Valley UU Fellowship (Ashland, OR), First Unitarian Church (Portland, OR), Edmonds UU Church (WA), and Tahoma UU Congregation (Tacoma, WA). Watch their websites for the announcement of the new minister in each congregation!
The second Chalice Lighter Call of the church year brought in over $17,000 for the UU Congregation of Whidbey Island (Freeland, WA.) With this grant, they will be able to make improvements to their parking lot and to the acoustics in their sanctuary.
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (WA) will be the recipient of our current Chalice Lighter call. They will use the grant to secure the necessary furnishings and appliances for their new social hall and kitchen. If you have not yet contributed and would like to make your donation before the call closes on May 24, go to our PNWD Payment Page.
Just before Valentine’s Day, the Rev. Marian Stewart of the Northlake UU Church (Kirkland, WA) and the Rev. Peg Morgan of Westside UU Congregation (West Seattle, WA), visited the office of EVERY legislator in Olympia, WA who voted for the Domestic Partnership bill last year, the bill that stood up to Ref. 71. They gave them Valentines from their congregations’ children which thanked them for “standing on the side of love.” The legislators and their staff were very appreciative of the Thank You, particularly saying that they need to know that there are clergy who support gay rights.
Longtime Director of Lifespan Religious Education, Erin Fitzgerald, has tendered her resignation with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane. Erin has also served as the Good Officer for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association and is stepping down from that position. The religious education community is grateful for her years of guidance and mentorship.
The Rev. Barbara Stevens has received Association of Professional Chaplains Board Certification. She is a chaplain at Providence Hospital in Portland, OR and also provides pastoral counseling in private practice.
The UU Church of Spokane (WA) and the UU Church of the Palouse (Moscow, ID) are jointly planning the June 12 ordination of Tracy Springberry.
The Rev. Nayer Taheri's article "Use of Positive Images as a Spiritual Intervention" was published in Pediatric Palliative Care Newsletter, Issue #17; November 2009. 
The end of this church year brings three ministries to a close: the Rev. Elizabeth Stevens of Kitsap UU Fellowship (Bremerton, WA); the Rev. Kayle Rice of the UU Church of the Palouse (Moscow, ID) and the Rev. Thomas Anastasi of Shoreline UU Church (WA.)
University Unitarian Church (Seattle, WA) celebrated their 10th anniversary of ministry with the Rev. Jon Luopa on March 14, with special Sunday services and a gala evening potluck with stories, song and celebration.
On April 25 the UU Fellowship of Corvallis (OR) celebrates the 25 years of UU ministry of the Rev. Dr. Gretchen Woods.
Woodinville UU Church (WA) will welcome the Rev. Lois E. Van Leer as Consulting Minister beginning August 1. Rev. Van Leer will be moving to WUUC from her ministry with the UU Fellowship of Bozeman, Montana.
Annie Scott, Director of Religious Education at Atkinson Memorial Church (Oregon City, OR), has been named president of the PNWD chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association.
The Rev. Craig Moro has joined Mid-Columbia UU Fellowship (Hood River, OR) as their quarter-time consulting minister. Rev. Moro also serves Community UU Church (Pasco, WA) as their consulting minister.
This summer will mark the departure of the Rev. Stephen Ames from the UU Church in Eugene (OR).
PNWD celebrates the accomplishments of two local youths in UUA leadership positions. Michael Han has been named dean of the youth caucus for the UUA 2010 General Assembly. He has also been named to the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee of the UUA and will be working to guide the development of the new model of ministry for youth in our movement. Michael is a member of Westside UU Congregation (West Seattle, WA) and attends youth group at University Unitarian Church (Seattle, WA). He will be attending the University of Washington in the fall. University Unitarian Church member, Caleb Raible-Clark, has been named a chaplain for the youth caucus at GA.
UU Community Ministers, our ordained clergy whose primary service is other than within a UU congregation, are now required to be affiliated with a UU congregation during Preliminary Fellowship. A new guide is available to inform ministers and congregations about the process of affiliation, at the website for the UU Society for Community Ministries. Look for the link to the Guide to Affiliation to open or save the 13-page handbook.
A new video series from the UUA, A Religion for Our Time, offers short videos that highlight inspiring work in UU congregations, including innovative projects relating to worship, religious education, social justice, membership, and fellowship. The first episode features the UU Church of Ogden's drop-in program for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender youth and young adults. The second episode features three of our own Washington congregations (Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Port Townsend) and shows how the ministers have partnered to create the Living Tradition Institute of the West Puget Sound. New episodes will be released every couple of weeks between now and General Assembly.
The UUA Directory is available on-line. The print version has become a thing of the past in order to keep costs down, preserve environmental resources and provide you with a more up-to-date resource. The downloadable PDF is electronically searchable.
In February over 500 enthusiastic Unitarian Universalists attended the 48th annual gathering of UU congregations in the Pacific Northwest District. The District Assembly keynote speaker was Grammy-award winning musician and storyteller Bill Harley. The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the UUA, delivered the Sunday morning sermon.
Given cost considerations, changing culture and the burden of putting on an intensive three-day event, we’ll be trying some new formats in the future. Next year, a single-day District Assembly will be hosted by First Unitarian Church of Portland. Put Saturday, February 19, 2011 on your calendar for this gathering. As details develop, they will be posted on the PNWD website.
And mark Anchorage, AK in May 2012 for the 50th PNWD District Assembly. The first 49 gatherings cover Washington (24), Oregon (13), Idaho (3), and former member British Columbia (9) – but it’s never been held in Alaska. With their Gold Rush reputation, what better place to celebrate our Golden Anniversary!
Upcoming Events:
- April 16-18 - Our Whole Lives Training – Elementary
- April 30 - May 2 Youth Chaplain Training
- May 2 - WEBINAR: Tapestry of Faith
- May 7-9 - Spring Youth Con
- May 15 - Practice of Discernment Training
- June 4-6 - Our Whole Lives Training – Jr./Sr. High
- June 23-27 - UUA General Assembly (Minneapolis, MN)
- July 25-31 - GoldMine Youth Leadership School
- August 27-29 - Our Whole Lives Training in Alaska! – Jr./Sr. High
Did you know that the PNWD website has a listing of Jobs in the District? If your congregation has a job opening that you would like us to post, submit a brief description of the position to the district office. Include congregation name, position title, and contact person with phone number and email address. Be sure to include the URL if you have a lengthier job description posted on your church’s website.
Note: While email and the Internet have helped make communications more accessible and timely for many people, there are still those who are not "on line." Please remember to include the "non-wired" in your congregation by providing access or print copies of electronic news and publications through your church office. If you are unable to provide such support locally, individuals may contact the district office toll-free at 800-313-PNWD (7693) to obtain a print copy of materials referenced in this bulletin.
All of our downloadable documents use Adobe format. These can be read with the Adobe Acrobat Reader (get the most recent version free at Adobe.)