University Unitarian Church • 6556 35th Avenue NE • Seattle, WA 98115 • (206) 525-8400 • churchoffice@uuchurch.org

CONTENTS Equity Team .................. 1 Upcoming Sundays ....... 1 All in the Family ........... 2 Summer Fun in Church School ........................... 2 UUC Information Session....................................... 2 Meditation Group .......... 2 Let’s Take a Hike! ........ 2 Artists’ Reception ......... 3 Quantum Physics and Spirituality Book Group 3 Men’s Group ................. 3 Stream of Light Cluster . 3 Chalice Camp 2016 ....... 3 Writing Group Will Resume in Fall .............. 3 July Calendar ................ 4 Women’s Group on Hiatus ............................ 5 Dedicated Plate Collection for Pronet ..... 5 Equity Team cont’d....... 5 Seeds of Justice Grants . 6 Break Free Protest ......... 8 Maple Tree Ailing ....... 10 Care Ministry Team: How Can We Help? .... 10 Helping Hands ............ 10 Sunday Flowers ........... 10 Volunteers ................... 10 Newsletter Information 10 In the Larger Community..................................... 10

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Volume 72, No. 7 June 29, 2016

WHAT IS THE UUC EQUITY TEAM? Multicultural awareness, sensitivity and competence are nurtured as spiritual practice: That is one of the outcome statements of UUC’s strategic plan. This past year UUC established a new Equity Team, whose charter is to support the congregation in meeting our multicultural aspirations:

• For UUC to be a religious community where any person who shares Unitarian Universalist values and principles can feel their whole self welcomed in an environment of spiritual wellness.

• For UUC to be a place where people learn to be ever more open to the vast, rich diversity of human experience, as an expression of our UU values and as a form of spiritual growth and healing.

• For UUC to be a community with an inclusive understanding of culture that includes not just racial and ethnic identity, but also class, gender, sexual orientation, ability and religion.

• For UUC to be an institution that works effectively across cultural differences in our pursuit of a whole, healthy, just and compassionate world.

That’s a pretty big and inspiring charter! Not surprisingly, we spent much of our time this year in shared learning, wrapping our arms and minds around this very broad and important charge. The Equity Team this year included church members Roberta Ray, Susan Ruby, Margaret Sutro, Betty Williams, and staff members Jennifer Bright and Beth Herrild. We did a group study of an excellent book, Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment by Leticia Nieto, which offers ways of understanding (Continued on page 5)

UPCOMING SUNDAYS July 3: One service at 9:30 a.m. Rev. Peg Morgan will be in the pulpit. Soloist: Megan Erickson, guitar. July 10: One service at 9:30 a.m. Rev Bruce Davis will be in the pulpit. Soloist: Isabelle Donsbach, piano. July 17: One service at 9:30 a.m. Justin Almeida will be in the pulpit. Soloist: Lily Sager, piano. July 24: One service at 9:30 a.m. Rev. Deborah Raible will be in the pulpit. Soloist: Jennifer Bright, clarinet. July 31: One service at 9:30 a.m. Rev. Linda Kaufman will be in the pulpit. Music: JW Harrington, baritone and John Burkhardt, piano.

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ALL IN THE FAMILY We are saddened to report that Jayne Cooper’s son, Ed, died in home hospice care, with his wife by his side, on June 16 in Salt Lake City. Jayne, her daughter and son-in-law were able to spend a meaningful few days with him recently, which provided comfort to all. We extend heartfelt sympathy to Jayne and her family.

SUMMER FUN IN CHURCH SCHOOL Sprouts Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers gather in Adams for play and stories. We provide quality, loving care for our youngest children, from 9:20–10:45 a.m. Faith and Friends: Dr. Seuss and you! Over the summer, PK–5th grade students gather in Knatvold for a fun, playful curriculum exploring Dr. Seuss! These lessons are not sequential—you can drop in anytime over the summer! Faith and Friends meets from 9:20–10:45 a.m.

UUC INFORMATION SESSION If you would like to learn more about this beloved community, please join us on Sunday, July 3, at 9:30 a.m. downstairs in the Howe room for a one-hour UUC Information Session. If you have children, feel free to check them into classes/childcare while attending the session. For further information or questions about membership at UUC, please contact Beth Herrild, Director of Congregational Life, at (206) 454-7718 or bethherrild@uuchurch.org.

UUC MEDITATION GROUP The UUC Meditation Group meets throughout the year every Wednesday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meditators of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend.

July 6 Loving Kindness July 13 Mindfulness July 20 Bone Breathing July 27 Walking Meditation, Woodland Park Rose Garden, 7 p.m. August 3 Autogenic

See sites.google.com/site/uucmeditationgroup for a full description of the group. If you have any questions, please go to sites.google.com/site/uucmeditationgroup/contact.

LET’S TAKE A HIKE! On Saturday, July 9, we’ll meet at 10 a.m. at the Denny Creek Water Slide Trailhead just off of I-90 According to the Washington Trails Association, “This is a popular trail, thanks to its gentle, family friendly grade with amazing destinations. The natural water slide area at Denny Creek is a must visit for families! Keekwulee Falls offers a stunning viewpoint that is easily accessible. Snowshoe Falls maybe a bit elusive and more difficult to see from the trail, but is also a beautiful natural wonder.” Dogs on leashes are welcome. Kids can wear bathing suits and play in the water when we stop for lunch. From Seattle, head east on I-90 to exit 47 Denny Creek/Tinkham

Road. The hike is 6 miles round trip. If you are relatively new to Seattle or haven’t been there before, it is a must-see! Note: A Northwest Forest Pass is required. For more information contact Melody Moberg or Beth Herrild.

Photo by J.T. Storey, CC BY SA 3.0

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ARTISTS’ RECEPTION The UUC Art Committee will show works by Susan K. Miller and Anna Macrae July 10 through August 20, 2016. The Chapel will feature the work of Anna Macrae. Creating a language in abstraction, Macrae’s paintings speak of textures, chaos, and chance. Gilmartin Gallery will feature the art of Susan K. Miller. “Pond Life and Other Landscapes”, an exhibit featuring “mixed media collages that explore the surface of the pond; a cacophony of life in every square inch of its summer stillness.” Please join the artists at an opening reception on July 10, from 4–6 p.m. The artwork is for sale, and a portion of each sale benefits UUC.

QUANTUM PHYSICS AND SPIRITUALITY BOOK GROUP

Wednesday, July 13, 1:30–3 p.m. in the Howe room We are reading The Quantum and The Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet by Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan. We meet on the second Wednesday of the month. Please contact Alicia Gardner if you plan to attend: (206-729-5276) or bcjay4@gmail.com.

UUC MEN’S GROUP July 13 (2nd & 4th Wednesdays) at 7:15 p.m. in Howe The UUC Men’s Group will continue to meet throughout the summer. All who identify as men are invited. Please join us!

STREAM OF LIGHT CLUSTER The Stream of Light cluster will meet on Saturday, July 16, at 6 p.m., at the home of Maureen McGee and Ted Szatrowski, 4022 NE 110th St.; no need to RSVP. Please bring a dish/bottle to share.

CHALICE CAMP 2016 UUC’s sixth annual Chalice Camp is August 1–5 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., for children entering grades 1–5 in the fall of 2016. Our theme is “Beloved Community.” Campers will participate in field trips, arts, crafts, games, singing, daily worship highlighting UU promises, age-appropriate spiritual practices (such as yoga and meditation), morning and afternoon snack and more! Campers will provide a special worship service for the UUC congregation on Sunday, August 7. Chalice Camp is an invaluable opportunity for children to meet and build friendships with other UU kids, and to deepen bonds with UUC staff and UU teen counselors. Registration forms can be found on the church website at www.uuchurch.org/religious-education/chalice-camp-2016. For more information, contact Melody Moberg, UUC’s Director of Religious Education, at melody.moberg@uuchurch.org or (206) 454-7720.

UUC WRITING GROUP WILL RESUME IN FALL The UUC Writing Group is taking a break for the summer and will start up again in the fall. Questions? Contact Hans Andersson at 650-383-8505 or hans.andersson@aya.yale.edu.

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JULY CALENDAR * Not open for drop in ** Please register

Thursday, 30 June 2016 Summer Picnic 5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. (Offsite)

Sunday, 03 July 2016 Faith and Friends 9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Adams Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Sanctuary

Monday, 04 July 2016 Independence Day—Church Closed All Day

Wednesday, 06 July 2016 Wednesday Forum 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Knatvold

Thursday, 07 July 2016 Human Resources Committee 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. King

Saturday, 09 July 2016 Art Show hanging 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Sanctuary Let’s Take a Hike! 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (Offsite)

Sunday, 10 July 2016 Faith and Friends 9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Adams Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Climate Action Team 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Howe Art Committee Artist Reception 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Nathan Johnson Hall

Tuesday, 12 July 2016 Care Team* 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Howe

Wednesday, 13 July 2016 Wednesday Forum 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Knatvold PSIT 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Bookstore Quantum Physics and Spirituality Book Group 1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Howe Threshold Singers* 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Knatvold Men's Group 7:15 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Howe

Sunday, 17 July 2016 Faith and Friends 9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Adams Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Sanctuary

Monday, 18 July 2016 HR Committee 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. King

Wednesday, 20 July 2016 Wednesday Forum 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Knatvold Men's Group 7:15 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Howe

Saturday, 23 July 2016 Chalice Camp Counselor Training 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Knatvold

Sunday, 24 July 2016 Faith and Friends 9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Adams Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Sanctuary

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Wednesday, 27 July 2016 Wednesday Forum 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Knatvold Threshold Singers* 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Knatvold

Saturday, 30 July 2016 Edmonds UU Board Retreat 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Nathan Johnson Hall Chalice Camp Counselor Training* 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Knatvold

Sunday, 31 July 2016 Faith and Friends 9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Adams Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Sanctuary

Monday, 01 August 2016 Chalice Camp** 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Knatvold

Tuesday, 02 August 2016 Chalice Camp** 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Knatvold

Wednesday, 03 August 2016 Chalice Camp** 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Knatvold Gateway Mailing 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Nathan Johnson Hall Chalice Camp** 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Nathan Johnson Hall

Thursday, 04 August 2016 Chalice Camp** 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Knatvold

* Not open for drop in ** Please register

WOMEN’S GROUP ON HIATUS The UUC Women’s Group (which met on 4th Mondays) is on hiatus until further notice.

DEDICATED PLATE COLLECTION FOR PRONET

The June 19 dedicated plate collection raised $1460.60 for Pronet, the Protection Action Network Fund! Pronet is a community-based network that supports grassroots organizing for immigrant rights in Tucson.

EQUITY TEAM (continued from page 1) inclusion, privilege and oppression across a range of identity categories: age, (dis)ability, religious culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class, indigenous heritage, national origin, and gender. We have purchased extra copies of the book, which are now available in the office for interested UUC members to borrow. Other activities included:

• Members of our team helped to develop and deliver a workshop on multicultural competence offered by the Leadership Development Committee, as part of their pilot series of leadership workshops this year. We also used portions of this training with covenant group facilitators.

• Members of our team helped to develop and deliver a three-session workshop on multicultural competence using the George Ella Lyon methodology for participants to create and share “Where I’m From” poems. This gave them the basis to begin understanding the roles that ethnicity, geography, and race play in multicultural awareness.

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• We provided input to the Physical Space Implementation Team and our architects on multicultural and equity issues related to UUC’s building project – both design and contracting considerations.

• UUC’s new Online Membership Form will start to gather more data from our members. The Equity Team gave input on how we could appropriately collect data to understand the diversity of our church congregation. Here is how we explain that intention to people who fill out the form: ”We’d love to understand more about the demographics of our community. At UUC, we are committed to creating an engaging environment that treats all people with equity and respect. We must ‘walk the talk’ within our church that we espouse in our social justice work beyond our walls. We are also aware that many types of diversity can easily become invisible and remain unconsidered when making plans or strategies for the future. With this in mind, we are in the process of assessing our current congregational population to determine where we are now, and where we need to expand our thinking to be more inclusive. While providing this information is always voluntary, we are very grateful for any information you are willing to share. No details you provide will be shared beyond the walls of our church.”

• We are looking at instruments that we might adapt in order to do a more intentional and methodical assessment of UUC as a multicultural institution, in terms of our practices and policies. One of the items in our committee charter is to ”work in partnership with the Executive Team and elected leadership to develop specific goals related to multicultural competence, diversity and equity.” We feel that a structured assessment would be helpful in setting a shared baseline of understanding about UUC’s strengths and areas for growth, and setting concrete shared goals.

We will be looking for additional members to join this team starting in the fall, as we also welcome new staff members and continue to hone our priorities and role in partnership with the church’s leadership. If you are interested in learning more, contact Beth Herrild.

ANNOUNCING THE 2016–2017 SEEDS OF JUSTICE GRANTS! The Social Justice Steering Committee is excited to announce a combination of Seeds of Justice partnerships, grants, and dedicated plate collections supporting ten wonderful organizations. UUC’s Seeds of Justice Program is a major way that we provide financial support to organizations that advance our social justice priorities, while expanding and deepening our web of relationships and partnerships. In the past, we have awarded $10,000 to one or two organizations, as part of an intentional 18-month partnership in which we work to engage our congregation in advancing the organization’s work. This year, our process began in December with a Request for Proposals. In February, the committee received 34 proposals from a very wide diversity of organizations. After much deliberation, discussion, solicitation of input from the congregation, and conversations with applicant organizations, we decided to take a more flexible approach than in past years. This flexibility is possible because over the three years since our last partnerships, the available grant funds have grown to $50,000. The committee has selected ten organizations which, collectively, address our five social justice pillars: Care for the Earth, Economic Justice, Racial and Gender Justice, Peace and Reconciliation, and Care for our Neighbors. They also collectively meet other goals that we felt were important—opportunities for multigenerational involvement, interconnections across focus areas, opportunities to strengthen both existing and emerging social justice ministries, and opportunities to stand with others in visible ways as well as ways which may challenge us. We’re announcing three kinds of Seeds of Justice awards: Partnerships ($10,000), Grants ($6,000), and Dedicated Plate Collections (which can range from $2,500 to $5,000). Each one entails a different kind of institutional relationship, and offers different ways to engage UUC’s congregation and strengthen our social justice ministries.

THE 2016–2017 SEEDS OF JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS ARE: • Partnerships: Nature Consortium, Rainier Valley Corps

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• Grants: Backbone Campaign, Freedom Project, Organization for Prostitution Survivors, Puentes, Puget Sound Sage

• Dedicated Plate Collections: Climate Change for Families, Kids4Peace, Tenants Union of Washington Details about the awards and organizations are provided below. Because UUC’s social justice staffing will be in transition over the summer (with Social Justice Coordinator Jennifer Bright leaving at the end of June and Rev. Beth Chronister arriving in mid-August), Seeds of Justice program activity will pick up in earnest in the fall. Meanwhile we hope you are as excited and inspired as we are by the prospect of getting to know these amazing organizations. Please don’t hesitate to talk with Social Justice Steering Committee members about your enthusiasms, questions or ideas!

Two Seeds of Justice Partnerships These are covenanted partnerships, with a mutual commitment to advance the organization’s work and our shared justice goals over a period of 18 months. In addition to a $10,000 grant, we’ll work together to see where UUC’s people, institutional voice, and other assets can be applied to advance the organization’s work.

• Nature Consortium – www.naturec.org. Nature Consortium is a grassroots organization whose mission is to connect people, arts and nature. Their Urban Forest Restoration Program focuses on the Duwamish Greenbelt (Seattle’s largest remaining contiguous forest) and Longfellow Creek. Their EcoARTs Program and annual Arts in Nature Festival blend environmental and arts education. Nature Consortium has a particular commitment to engage youth and low-income, immigrant and ethnic minority communities, working in partnerships with the Seattle Housing Authority as well as schools and community organizations in the Delridge neighborhood. The Social Justice Steering Committee was impressed by Nature Consortium’s commitment to blending racial and economic equity with environmental work; their enthusiastic invitation to multigenerational and family participation by our congregation; and their creative integration of art, nature and social justice, which resonates deeply with Unitarian Universalist spirituality.

• Rainier Valley Corps – www.rainiervalleycorps.org. Rainier Valley Corps cultivates leaders to strengthen the capacity of communities-of-color-led nonprofits in southeast Seattle. Their Emerging Leaders of Color Fellowship program places young leaders in grassroots organizations of color in Rainier Valley, and supports them through skills training, mentorship, and peer-to-peer collaboration. They are also building collaboration between diverse communities, organizations of color and other supportive ally organizations to effect systemic change. The Social Justice Steering Committee was impressed with the organization’s energy, their enthusiasm for collaboration and experimentation, and the systemic approach that they are taking to equity and racial justice. We see this partnership as an opportunity to support communities and organizations of color in a meaningful way that recognizes the complexities of working across ethnic, racial, linguistic and class diversity.

Five Seeds of Justice Grants These are financial grants of $6,000. Seeds of Justice grants do not have the same expectations of covenanted, institutional relationship as a Seeds Partnership. For our part, UUC commits to publicizing the organization and its activities within our congregation and our social justice ministries over the coming year, and we’re open to opportunities to lend our institutional voice in support of their work.

• Backbone Campaign – www.backbonecampaign.org. Based in Puget Sound, Backbone Campaign seeks to accelerate the growth of a social movement powerful enough to manifest a world where life, community, nature and our obligations to future generations are NOT for sale, but honored as sacred. They use creative strategies, artful action, and grassroots training to engage change agents across the United States. Their campaigns span economic, environmental and racial justice, and include the training and mobilization of “kayaktivists,” and promotion of “solutionary rail” for renewable energy transmission and transport.

• Freedom Project – www.freedomprojectseattle.org. Freedom Project is an innovative educational organization serving inmates and those recently released back into the community. They teach Nonviolent Communication and mindfulness practices in five Washington State prisons and offer

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Community Circles for returnees and community members. Their Racial Equity Circle holds community workshops on the impact of racism in the University District and Hillman City.

• Organization for Prostitution Survivors – www.seattleops.org. The Organization for Prostitution Survivors was founded by survivors and allies to end the violence of prostitution and to change the cultural norms supporting it. Their mission is to accompany survivors of prostitution in creating and sustaining efforts to heal from and end this practice of gender-based violence. They provide trauma-informed services, skill-building, mentoring and support for survivors; community education; and allyship and accountability programs for men.

• Puentes – www.puentesseattle.org. Puentes mobilizes mental health resources to help undocumented migrants and their families cope and flourish despite our broken immigration system. They provide therapeutic services to address trauma, assist with immigration proceedings, promote recovery of agency and social healing, and organize leadership towards collective immigration justice.

• Puget Sound Sage – www.pugetsoundsage.org. Puget Sound Sage’s mission is to build communities where all families thrive. Using a combination of research, policy, leadership development, and civic engagement, they build coalitions to address root causes of systemic oppression. Their campaigns have focused on climate justice, equitable transit solutions, good jobs and worker rights. They organize low-income and communities of color in south Seattle, with support from unions, faith organizations, and progressive immigrant, refugee and environmental advocates.

Three Seeds of Justice Dedicated Plate Collections These organizations will be invited to be the recipient of a dedicated plate collection during the 2016–2017 church year, and to share their story through lay testimony from the pulpit and conversation with members during coffee hour. Dedicated plate collections raise between $2,500 and $5,000.

• Climate Change for Families – www.climatechangeforfamilies.com. Climate Change for Families’ central mission is to bring youth and families together in an intergenerational manner to educate and empower people to take action to accelerate climate recovery. They offer “Plant for the Planet” academies and tree planting, and engage children and youth in legal and legislative climate activism.

• Kids4Peace – www.k4p.org/chapters/seattle/. Kids4Peace is an interfaith peace education organization dedicated to helping children of different cultures and faith traditions explore their differences and similarities and learn understanding, tolerance, and respect while fostering sustainable friendships across lines of conflict. Kids4Peace Seattle brings together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian youth from Israel, Palestine, and the United States through summer camps and year-round programs, in order to develop a community of young, interfaith leaders equipped to build a new culture of peace.

• Tenants Union of Washington – www.tenantsunion.org. The mission of the Tenants Union is to create housing justice through empowerment-based education, outreach, leadership development, organizing, and advocacy. They are a membership organization grounded in the conviction that tenants must be the leaders of efforts to transform housing conditions and communities. Their work includes outreach, education on tenant rights, organizing and support for tenant associations, legal and legislative advocacy, and leadership development.

BREAK FREE PROTEST, MAY 2016 Break Free—from fossil fuels. That was the headline for the actions around the world in the first two weeks of May (breakfree2016.org). Locally, Break Free Pacific Northwest (breakfreepnw.org—lots of pictures in the photo section) in Anacortes, May 13–15, aimed at shifting the conversation and highlighting that there is a powerful movement ready and working for change. This movement understands that such change will impact many communities and knows the needed change must involve the impacted communities. UUC’s Climate Action Team signed on early to support and participate in the weekend actions in various ways. The weekend was a rich and well-organized action. It included civil disobedience to halt the flow of oil into and out of the refineries on March Point; a family-friendly march and gathering with local indigenous tribes; many

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educational workshops for both the local community and those who traveled from Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia and beyond; and, yes, kayaktivists on the water. A 34-hour blockade of the railroad tracks began late Friday afternoon when people positioned themselves on the BNSF rail tracks that carry highly volatile Bakken oil to the Tesoro and Shell refineries. (About a dozen of these trains have erupted in huge fireballs and 47 people were incinerated in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Québec, when one of these trains exploded.) Five Seattle Raging Grannies (ages 63–93), supported by young people of Rising Tide Seattle, chained themselves together in rocking chairs between the rails while two people in the Orca van chained themselves together on the tracks through the van’s floor. Other civil disobedience protestors quickly deployed banners, tents, and sleeping bags farther down between the rail tracks. Two dozen police vehicles with several dozen police and sheriff’s department officers quickly showed up with riot gear but left after several hours of watching us, leaving one officer and vehicle on site. On Saturday approximately 1,000 adults and children marched three miles to the north end of March Point between the Salish Sea and the refinery fences, led by members of the Swinomish tribe who contend that their land was never ceded away and is, to this day, unlawfully occupied by the refineries. Unitarian Universalists were very visible, carrying banners! At least three congregations from Oregon were represented and there were many people from Puget Sound area congregations, including at least a dozen from UUC. Speakers at the rally included representatives of many Coast Salish tribes who spoke powerfully about our connections to the natural world and to generations past and future. We witnessed the arrival of a Lummi Nations traditional canoe and the ceremony to welcome it to Swinomish land. Several kid climate justice ambassadors, including UUC’s own 5th grader Sierra, from the Plant for the Planet youth environmental restoration and climate change activism group—which recently held an Academy event at UUC and Meadowbrook Community Orchard and Garden with many UUC youngsters attending—marched in the procession with their “Stop Talking and Start Planting [trees]” banner or took to the water in kayaks with their parents. Following the community salmon dinner in Anacortes that evening, speakers from the Swinomish tribe, from Women of Color Speak Out, from 350 Seattle, and from Plant for the Planet addressed the climate crisis—history, disproportionate effects on people of color and of lower economic means, ocean acidification, damage caused by cruise ships, and carbon dioxide emission regulation lawsuits at state and federal levels (see video). Many of you will recognize Aji, one of the Plant for the Planet kids, playing his ukulele and singing his original compositions. The evening ended with a serene walk led by Native American drummers and chanters and lit by lanterns and salmon kites carried by participants. At 5 a.m. Sunday morning, about 150 civilly disobedient protesters on the railroad tracks were awakened and 52 of them were arrested—when they refused to leave—for blocking the oil train tracks in a symbolic action to highlight the urgent need for a just transition away from an environmentally destructive and unsustainable fossil fuel economy to a justice-oriented renewable energy world that will help turn around the climate change juggernaut barreling toward us all. Those arrested were not permitted to take their tents and sleeping bags nor were other Break Free participants allowed to remove them—although they were allowed to remove the “poo buckets” that had been used. In addition to the march and other events on Saturday, workshops took place throughout the weekend, bringing the voices and expertise of many to the fore to share their perspectives and knowledge. Luminary walks and luminaries on kayaks spread a message of care throughout the weekend. Outreach to the local community was extensive, resulting in ensuring that the local heron rookery and eelgrass beds under restoration were protected. People worked together. As in the transition to come, there was a role and a place for everyone who was willing to come forward. Native singer, Star Nayea, told folks gathered at March Point on Saturday, “Our children’s tomorrow is in our hands today.” There is, indeed, a role and a place for each of us. This article was written by UUC members Brian Duncan, Nancy Norman, and Deejah Sherman-Peterson.

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MAPLE TREE AILING As some of you have noticed, the bigleaf maple in front of the church office steps is ailing. (The branches on the west side of it have few leaves or none.) We had an arborist look at it. Sadly, he tells us that it is not curable. We have arranged to have it cut down on August 9 before it becomes a hazard.

UUC CARE MINISTRY TEAM: HOW CAN WE HELP? If you or someone at UUC are ill or in need of support, please leave a message for the Care Team on our confidential line, (206) 454-7722, email care@uuchurch.org, or speak with a Care Team member. (A Care Team member can be found after the Sunday services in the hallway across from the chapel doors.) The members of the UUC Care Team are: Emmie Easton, Steve Johnson, Nancy Jordan, Tim Keller, Nancy Maranville, Mary Mason, Jeff Parke and Michael Wasserman.

HELPING HANDS UUC’s Helping Hands Ministry is all about making connections. Want an easy way to connect with and support fellow UUCers in your neighborhood? Going through a transition (surgery, illness, moving, birth of a baby) and need a little extra help? Need a ride when the bus just won’t work, such as to a medical procedure or if a care-giver is away? Email helpinghands@uuchurch.org. We also match up potential carpoolers (both occasional and regular) to and from church.

SUNDAY FLOWERS To donate flowers for Sunday worship, call the office or sign up in the volunteer workroom.

UUC VOLUNTEERS Many, many thanks to UUC’s thoughtful and dependable volunteers who make much of the behind-the-scenes work of the church go smoothly. Here is just a selection of those who graciously offer their help throughout the year:

GATEWAY CREW Rosann Benedict Nan Bentley Judith Hance Ron Petrie Carolyn Rasch Meryl Thulean

OFFICE VOLUNTEERS Jane Blackwell Stacy Carlson Carol Flannigan Meryl Thulean

COUNTERS Rosann Benedict Nan Bentley Jan Corriston Emmy Easton John Kendziorski Tina Moss Meryl Thulean

NEWSLETTER INFORMATION We email our e-newsletter every Friday and send this printed compilation once a month to those who request it. To subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter, go to our website (uuchurch.org) and click on the SIGN UP button in the upper left. If you no longer wish to receive this printed monthly compilation, please call or email the church office (churchoffice@uuchurch.org) and save some paper and postage costs!

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To submit a notice for publication, please email it to gateway@uuchurch.org by 9 a.m. Wednesday. For more information, see www.uuchurch.org/our-church/gateway-newsletter/submission-deadlines-details.

The next print Gateway will be mailed out on Wednesday, August 3. Any newsletter submissions received by the previous Wednesday (for events which have not yet passed) will be published in that print compilation.

IN THE LARGER COMMUNITY

WEDGWOOD MEANINGFUL MOVIE Friday, July 8, 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Church Honor Totem (2014, 56 min) “This poignant documentary chronicles the John T. Williams Memorial Totem Pole project as a catalyst for healing and justice. The community art project rose from the August, 2010, fatal police shooting of Williams, a First Nations woodcarver. The shooting sparked an outcry that extended beyond the city of Seattle and the native community. The slain man’s older brother Rick Williams chose a peaceful response through an ambitious endeavor to carve a 34-foot totem pole in honor of the Williams family’s artistic legacy and the memory of one of its most talented carvers.” (Quote from seattlechannel.org/CommunityStories.) Please join us for the film’s showing. It’s FREE and open to the public! Donations to defray cost of screening rights gladly accepted. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Parking is available on NE 89th and NE 90th streets. The film begins at 7 p.m. with a facilitated community discussion to follow. More information at wedgwoodmeaningfulmovies.org, part of the Meaningful Movies Project. Sponsored by the Wedgwood Justice and Peace Coalition.

TOTEM POLE JOURNEY The Lummi Nation, for the past three years, has been cultivating relations and alliances across the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Canada. One of the ways these relations and alliances have been developed has been through the Totem Pole Journeys. You can read about the previous journeys at totempolejourney.com. In August, the fourth Totem Pole will be on its way. Preparations are being made now and seeking the funding and support services to make it happen. For the most part, the success of the Totem Pole Journeys relies on grassroots individuals, working as concerned citizens, concerned members of faith communities, concerned members of indigenous communities or as members of larger social and environmental justice organizations. UU members will be involved in many ways again this year. Many people will be putting forward not only our financial support but also using our other talents, skills, and resources to bring the message of the Totem Pole Journey to millions of people across the globe.

Please begin the Journey with us with a donation, via faithify.org/projects/2016-totem-pole-journey, that supports the work of the Totem Pole Journey through Faithify, a Unitarian Universalist crowdfunding site. We have only until July 21 to raise the requested $8,000 so we’re asking that you rank this as a priority for your attention. Thank you in advance for your continued support and generosity. If you cannot join with us in person at any of the many Blessing stops (e.g. St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle on August 25), please join us in spirit as we bring hope and solidarity to where it is needed most.

Left to right: 2013, 2015 and 2014 poles

6556 35th Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98115-7332

Periodicals Postage Paid at Seattle, Washington CHURCH STAFF

MINISTERS: Rev. Jon Luopa, Senior Minister, (206) 454-7712; Rev. Deborah Raible, Acting Parish Minister, (206) 454-7714.

MINISTER AFFILIATED: Rev. Linda Pashby Kaufman*

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE: Beth Herrild, Director, (206) 454-7718; Susan St. John, Publications Coordinator, (206) 454-7713; Sharla Wipplinger, Receptionist, (206) 454-7710

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Melody Moberg, Director, (206) 454-7720; Justin Almeida, Program Coordinator (206) 454-7721.

MUSIC: Karen Thomas, Director, (206) 454-7717; Lori Blythe, Organist/Pianist, (206) 454-7717; Kathy BarlowBysheim*, Anne Wood*, Rick Scheyer*, Jim Howeth*, Section Leaders/Soloists

ADMINISTRATION: Byron Krystad, Director, (206) 454-7723; Chris Budd, Accountant, (206) 454-7716; Luis Figueroa*, Jorge del Valle*, Alberto Sandoval*, Custodians, (206) 549-6435.* no church email available

CONTACT INFORMATION

PHONE: (206) 525-8400 (press 0 for reception during reception hours, or see staff listing for direct lines) FAX: (206) 525-1257 EMAIL: churchoffice@uuchurch.org for general

inquiries, or [first].[last]@uuchurch.org for staff with email

WEBSITE: www.uuchurch.org

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Reception is available in the church office Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Outside of reception hours, appointments are encouraged to ensure that the minister or member of staff you wish to see is on site when you are here.

THE GATEWAY (USPS 078 430) is published monthly by University Unitarian Church.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Gateway, 6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115-7332.

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