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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We hope you have been keeping up with the news from around the district via the PNWD website. You can also submit happenings from your congregation from the news link. We would love to help spread the word about your building renovations, exciting program offerings, installations of religious professionals, etc.
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (WA), which joined the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Green Power Program at the Leadership Level last July, is now one of more than 40 regional businesses purchasing 100% Green Power for its buildings. “Purchasing green power fits in well with our members' commitment to a sustainable future and respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part," said Linda Fels, co-chair of the BUF Green Sanctuary Program. Through the PSE Green Power Program, businesses contribute to the region’s environmental and economic health by supporting the development and use of renewable energy projects in the Pacific Northwest. For more information on Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship and its Green Sanctuary Program, visit www.buf.org, email uubellingham@nas.com, or call 360-733-3837.
Brian Rogers, member at the UU Fellowship of Fairbanks (AK) was recently named to serve as chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For the past year Brian has been serving in this capacity as interim.
All Souls UU Congregation (Lacey, WA) celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 3.
Brian Rogers, member at the UU Fellowship of Fairbanks (AK) was recently named to serve as chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For the past year Brian has been serving in this capacity as interim.
Beginning July 5, Rainier Valley UU Congregation (Seattle, WA) will be meeting at Pearl Warren Building, 606 12th Avenue South. Sunday services will generally be held at 10:30. Contact the church office for exceptions to the summer schedule.
Michael Servetus UU Fellowship (Vancouver, WA) is changing their name! Effective June 14 they will be known as the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver.
Everyone knows UU's are avid readers. They also like to pass on knowledge. Put the two together and you have one tremendous book sale. Don’t miss the University Unitarian Church (Seattle, WA) annual used book sale, June 20-21. Most hardbacks are $1 and paperbacks are $.50. Some very special collector books will be priced higher. Doors open 10:00 Saturday morning and 9:00 Sunday morning. Questions, contact Tom Taggart, 206-525-8400 x23.
Beginning July 5, Rainier Valley UU Congregation (Seattle, WA) will meet at Pearl Warren Building, 606 12th Avenue South. Sunday services will generally be held at 10:30. Contact the church office for exceptions to the summer schedule.
The Meditation Group of the Saltwater UU Church (Des Moines, WA) invites you to attend the annual Meditation Retreat at Seabeck Conference Center, August 8-10. From dinner Saturday night through lunch on Monday, they will maintain silence while practicing mindfulness. The group sits for 25 minutes at a time, followed by silent walks in the trees or at the cemetery, silent gardening, and other mindful practices. For fee details and a registration form, email meditation@saltwaterchurch.org.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of The UU Church in Eugene (OR). Although they are celebrating throughout the year, the grand celebration will be held September 20, just one hundred years and two days after the church was founded.In June the Rev. Cecilia Kingman will complete her term as Interim Minister at Edmonds UU Church (WA). The Rev. Charlotte Cowtan will begin her interim year after Rev. Kingman’s departure.
The Rev. Linda Bunyard will be leaving in mid-June as Interim Minister at UU Church of Spokane (WA).
Beth Herrild has been selected as the new Director of Religious Education at University Unitarian Church in Seattle, WA. She will begin her work August 1.
Kari Kopnick , who presently serves as Director of Religious Education for the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Seattle, Washington, has joined the Continental Liberal Religious Educators Association board, holding the General Assembly portfolio.
Drive Time Essays are now available on the UUA website. These short, spoken essays are designed to engage, inspire, uplift, enlighten, rejuvenate and motivate. Drive Time Essays are available in both audio (MP3) and Adobe (PDF) file formats.
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is excited to announce 2009 Freedom Summer: A Civil Rights Journey, an inspiring intergenerational JustWorks camp that takes in sites of significance in the U.S. civil rights movement. From July 11 to 18, participants will travel by bus from Atlanta, Georgia, to the historic cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Alabama to meet some of the courageous people who worked to desegregate schools, register new voters, and bring an end to racial discrimination in the United States. For details and application form, see Freedom Summer on the UUSC website or contact Anna Bartlett, 617-301-4367.
Audio recordings of the articles in the latest UU World are now available. Award-winning audio-book actor Dick Hill reads articles from the Spring 2009 issue. The recordings can be listened to in most browsers or downloaded to your computer for playback using an MP3 player. The audio version of UU World is produced in cooperation with the UUA Office of Accessibility Concerns.
Did you know that the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) offers a searchable religious education index, free of charge, with a subscription to Church on Loan? Church on Loan is a means to join the CLF as a group, rather than as an individual. The Church on Loan program appeals to: congregations with fewer than 50 members, congregations that rely on lay-leaders, congregations with multiple services, groups that meet occasionally for worship, congregations with lay-led summer services, and groups seeking new ideas, energy and resources.
InterConnections, the quarterly newsletter for leaders in UU congregations, will be moving to all-electronic distribution with their summer issue. Bookmark their website and sign up to receive an email notification each time a new issue is published. If you've never read InterConnections, go to their website and peruse a few random issues. See how they strive to meet their mission "to be relentlessly useful to lay leaders of UU congregations and the professional staff who work with them, providing information and resources that help make congregations vital."
Be sure to put the 2010 Annual General Meeting on your calendar. We will be gathering February 19-21 in Bellevue , Washington . Keynote speaker will be Grammy Award-winning artist, Bill Harley. Preliminary AGM information is available on the PNWD website.
Our online payment service has added a tracking feature to the PNWD Payment Page. Now you can keep track of your Chalice Lighter donations and registration payments for PNWD events.
Speaking of the PNWDChalice Lighters program, have you had a chance to contribute to the final call of this church year? The Westside UU Congregation in Seattle , WA is seeking a grant to help build its staff and equipment infrastructure. This call will be open for contributions through June 30.
The 2009 Supply Preaching Directory is now online! PNWD members of the UU Ministers Association (UUMA) who are willing to do pulpit supply are included in this directory. If you need to fill some slots in your worship calendar, this will be a valuable resource for you.
We have also put online a list of ministers (and others) who are willing to perform weddings, memorials and other special services. If the minister of the local church is unavailable to officiate, perhaps someone on this list could step in.
How do you know what to budget for a guest preacher or officiant? Consult the Scale of Fees for Professional Servicescompiled from the UUMA guidelines. But because ministers are free to set their fees differently, the UUMA strongly urges that all financial arrangements be clearly stated and agreed to in advance.
This time of year congregations across the district are struggling with their budgets. One question that comes in almost weekly is, “How much are dues for next year?” For 2009/2010, PNWD dues will be $22 per member; UUA Fair Share will remain at $56 per member.Plan to join us (from wherever you are!) on November 21 for the Fall Leadership Council - "Empowering Our Ministry: High Tech, High Touch.” UUA Moderator and Information Technology Professional Gini Courter will call us to a larger understanding of our public ministry and our ability to extend that ministry through the use of technology that's already available to any congregation. Guest presenters from around the UUA will attend virtually. Host site TBA; this event will be webcast to encourage all PNWD congregations to attend. Details to be announced.
PNWD/UUA dates to note :
- June 13 Spirit Play Training
- June 24-28 UUA General Assembly
- July 12-18 GoldMine Youth Leadership School
- July 26-Aug. 1 Religious Education Leadership School
For full details, registration information and a complete listing of district events, check the online calendar . Remember to use the Submit an Event link to let us know about building dedications, milestone events with your religious professionals, training events open to the wider district, etc. (The password used to access submission forms throughout our site is pnwd.)
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.)