As many faith traditions begin to examine who they are in a constantly changing world, many are turning to the practice of Buddhism to see their way through. This service reflects on who the Buddha was, is, and can be for us as Unitarian Universalists.
Offering and Online Services – as we move to online services, please remember to mail in your offering to South Fraser Unitarians, c/o Linda Pugh, Treasurer, #43-5670 208 Street, Langley, BC V3A 8G4 Upcoming Service
May 10, 2020: The Blessings of Our Mother, with Rev. Samaya Oakley
Join us for the blessing of our unique Unitarian ritual of flower communion on Mother’s Day. You are invited to send Rev. Samaya a picture of you with flowers, and to have a picture of your mother with you for the service.
May 17, 2020: Cross Canada Service at 9:30 am
Join UUs from across Canada for a unique opportunity to celebrate in a national Sunday Service together. Rev. Norm Horofker from the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax, with his ministerial colleagues, will lead a worship service for Canadians across the country and worldwide. All welcome! Please join us on Zoom: https://bit.ly/UUSundayService
May 24, 2020: Blessings in the Midst of a Pandemic, with Aline LaFlamme
Please join us for a timely service on “Finding Blessings in the Midst of a Pandemic” We are pleased to have Aline Laflamme as our guest speaker. She is a Metis grandmother, pipe carrier, Sundancer, drum maker, therapist, and workshop facilitator who is going to share with us how traditional teachings serve to help us stay in a ‘blessed state’ in spite of being in the midst of a pandemic.
In addition to her many foregoing roles and accomplishments, Aline was Co-Founder of the Aboriginal Front Door Society providing traditional healing and culture to Aboriginal people in the DTES. Aline provided culturally-based healing workshops and ceremonies throughout communities and in prisons for many years. Aline is a founding member of Skemcis Medicine Wheel Society. She took people on their Vision Quests for over 14 years and has created over 1450 Native hand drums. Aline provides Rites of Passage camps to youth; and facilitates teachings and cross-cultural workshops for colleges, schools, government and various NGOs. Aline has a degree in Criminology, three years training in Hakomi therapy and conflict resolution. Aline also has many years of traditional teachings from respected Aboriginal Elders.
May 31, 2020: What's Broken is Brilliant, with Rev. Dr. Barbara ten Hove
As we end our reflections on the theme of wholeness, let’s explore the power of brokenness to help us heal and grow. What cracks are helping the light to shine through in your life, particularly in these challenging times?
Our guest preacher is the Rev. Dr. Barbara Wells ten Hove, a retired UU minister living in Bellingham, WA. Last year, Rev. Barbara was the consulting minister at the North Shore Unitarians in West Van and before that she served congregations (since 1985) in the Seattle area, Denver and Maryland. She is Minister Emerita at Cedars UU Church on Bainbridge Island, WA.
June 7, 2020: Laying the Foundation, with Rev. Samaya Oakley
Join us in an experimental alternative service where we look forward to the months of September to November. We’ll gather in community and sacred space to dream about the types of services we want.
Congregational Connections
FUUNBUCKS
Looking forward to healthier times ahead. Looking forward to connecting again. In that view, please examine the list below to become involved in one of our fundraising activities or add something new yourself. Dinners:
Carrie P.
3 –course dinner: chicken stuffed crepes with wine/cheese sauce entree October, 7 guests max, $30 Sold 1
Joan J.
vegan main course: 4 servings each, type, date TBA, 6-7 carry-outs, $15 Sold 4
Lunch:
Gerri O.
summer luncheon, will allow for allergies/preferences, end of July, 7 guests max, $25 Sold 4
Desserts:
Carrie P.
plum puddings, 1.5 lb. @ $12 or 2.0 lb. @ $14, December, 6 max. Sold 3
Work:
Ryan U.
garden/handiwork, inside and out, has power washer & truck, Time/Cost TBA, Sold 1
May Birthdays 1 Micaela H.D.
6 Sakura N.
8 Donnie R.
11 Nancy M.
15 Gwynneth Q.
26 Nicholas S.
Preparation for our Service on May 12th
In preparation for our service on May 12th, you’re invited to send a picture of yourself with flowers to Rev. Samaya for a portion of our service as we honour our unique Unitarian Universalist ritual of flower communion. Staying Connected at SFUC
If you’re feeling lonely and need connection, please join Rev. Samaya at one of the following events in the coming week. These gatherings are one of the ways we can stay socially connected and physically distant.
Tuesday the 5th, and 26th at 10:00 am, join Rev. Samaya to engage in the practice of lectio devina UU style. Together we’ll reflect on a piece of poetry or a quotation related to our soul matters theme of blessing.
Thursday the 7th and the 14th at 10:00 and the 28th at 4:00 pm, join Rev. Samaya for a loving kindness meditation. This meditation focuses specifically on those being affected by the COVID-19 virus.
Here’s an excerpt from this month’s packet on what it means to be a people of blessing! It’s an App for You to Explore: Who Am I? Race Awareness Game (The Blessing of Diversity)
“Developed by a Harvard professor and an award-winning producer of interactive entertainment for children, Who Am I? engages adults and children in frank discussions about sensitive subjects concerning race, ethnicity, and culture. Similar to playing the game Guess Who?, parents choose a picture from a large group of racially diverse portraits, then hand the device to their children. Kids ask a series of questions regarding physical attributes, and eventually discover the right one by process of elimination. Each portrait comes with quotes from the person explaining how he/she identifies him/herself. The quotes make ideas about race feel more personal, although some of the quotes could reinforce assumptions without parental guidance to offer context.
Some parents may think it unwise to broach the subject of race with younger children, but the game’s introductory text makes a compelling argument that children are already thinking about differences in the way people look and regard themselves and others at a young age, and that it's best to help guide them on this cognitive process. Still, it's a parenting decision that moms and dads will need to make for themselves…” - Common Sense Media review
Have you signed up to join a small group yet? There are two small groups that meet monthly on the theme – and they meet online. You can join one by contacting, Rev. Samaya Oakley. They are scheduled on:
Monday, May 25th from 7-9 pm, and
Wednesday, May 27th from 1-3 pm.
Community Connections
News from the Canadian Unitarian Council
May Annual General Meeting and National Gatherings
We’re taking the opportunity to celebrate together the hard work of creating community during this challenging time. With the postponement of Conference 2020, we have shifted gears and invite you to join us online over the weekend of May 15th - 17th for a National Gathering Ceremony and the first Cross-Canada Sunday Service. The in-person conference has been rescheduled to May 2021 (assuming travel and gatherings are once again allowed), and we are grateful and pleased that Halifax will host us in 2021 - more details will follow.
Friday, May 15 National Gathering Ceremony
3:30pm PDT (1.5 hours)
On Friday, come together with UUs from across the country in a national gathering. On the evening of what was to have been the Opening Ceremony of the National Conference, we will celebrate our national faith community with a virtual banner parade and music. We have a surprise for you, so come join us! All welcome! Join athttps://bit.ly/CUCGathering
Dismantling Racism
The CUC’s Dismantling Racism Study Group is focusing on a future where Unitarian Universalist congregations are actively working on dismantling racism, and they need your help. They’ve put together a short survey to assess where Canadian UU congregations are currently and where we could go. Please give them 15 minutes of your time today to tell them about what you’ve observed in your own congregation. The survey is anonymous and confidential.
Contact: dismantling-racism@cuc.ca Fill Out the Survey Now!
CUC Coffee House Connections. Saturdays @ 6pm - May 2: Music These online gatherings bring us together virtually to connect across the country. Each gathering will have a different theme, such as music, social get-together, multigenerational storytelling times, online activities, or high tea. We’ll gather for about an hour and a half. Join the events on Zoom.
CUC AGM Plenary Discussion - Thursday, May 14, 6:30pm - Online via Zoom Prior to the AGM on May 16, the CUC Board invites you to an informal dialogue amongst congregational delegates, leaders, board members, and CUC staff to discuss issues of importance to congregations, in support of the CUC’s vision, goals, and strategic priorities. Information on the CUC’s AGM page. Introduction to Eliot Institute Camp
We gather for a variety of reasons -- to make new friends or to see old ones, for intellectual stimulation, spiritual renewal, artistic expression, to share ideas, to relax and to have fun. You're about to become part of this unique intentional community.
Eliot Institute is a non-profit corporation affiliated with the Pacific Northwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is managed by a volunteer board of directors made up of representatives from the established conferences held each year. Eliot Institute has been presenting camps and conferences since 1947, and currently sponsors camps each year at Seabeck (July, August, Creative Arts, and Winter). Eliot Institute and other Unitarian Universalist groups are the most frequent users of the Seabeck Conference Center. July Eliot and August Eliot are seven nights; Creative Arts Eliot and Winter Eliot are four nights. Click on any of the camps to the right of this page (or scroll down if you're on a smartphone), for information on upcoming camps.
The Eliot community values safety, fun, and diversity. It is the policy of the Eliot Board to make every attempt to provide accessibility to all Eliot facilities and activities for all campers. Many campers are old-timers, having come for years. Newcomers are also a welcome and important part of our community. Newcomers may (upon request) be paired up with returning campers who give support and answer questions while serving as a "Newcomer Buddy." On This Day in History
Welcome to the weekly edition of the column On This Day in History. Each week as the chalice lighter is delivered you can take a couple of minutes to read up on what happened in our Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist history.
On his day in 1933, the “Humanist Manifesto was published. Signed by 36 prominent thinkers, among them scientists, philosophers, and academics, including seven Unitarian ministers and one Universalist minister, the Manifesto affirmed 14 points of religious humanism and became a rallying cry for liberal religious thinkers. (Source: This Day in Unitarian Universalist History: A Treasury of Anniversaries and Milestones from 600 Years of Religious Tradition, Frank Schulman, p. 82.)
Our Minister
Rev. Samaya's Office Hours
Rev. Samaya is cancelling her office hours and one-on-one visits until such time as we resume having meetings in person. If you would like to arrange for a one-on-one time with Rev. Samaya, please contact her to arrange a time via Zoom or telephone.
As Rev. Samaya is our three-quarter time minister, she is available to take your calls on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 am to 4 pm, as well as on Tuesday evenings to 9 pm. Emails will be responded to within 72 hours. If you need a response in less time than that, or in cases of emergencies, please feel free to call her.
When to Call the Minister
In these days of physical distancing, you may be wondering when it is appropriate to call me, your Minister, or how those visits might even take place. To be sure, many people wonder when it’s appropriate to call the minister to deal with pastoral care concerns, particularly with such an active caring community such as SFUC and bearing in mind that I’m a three-quarter-time minister.
I want to assure you that I’m still available to meet with you in times of difficulty for pastoral guidance. While we’re unable to visit at a coffee shop, at a hospital, or in your home, we can arrange for a phone call or even a zoom call. My visit with you would typically be for short-term sessions of listening, support, and spiritual guidance. If more than three conversations are needed on a particular issue, I would be happy to refer you to someone with skills in the area needing assistance.
As we go through this together, I want you to know that you are not alone – that you have the love and care of this community like a blanket of love that holds you and surrounds you as you go through your day.
Reflections by Rev. Samaya
A blessing is whatever reminds us of the sacred loving presence that shines through all of us. Tara Brach’s post that contains a meditation on blessings of love.
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what it means to move from the theme of what it means to be a people of wholeness to a people of blessing – particularly in this time of COVID-19 and how we are living through it.
I mean, think about it. This infection has forced us all to peel away all the layers of our lives. Everything about our lives has come to a complete standstill as we physically distance ourselves from each other. As we noted through the theme of wholeness, the cracks of our lives and our society are laid bare, stripped. We’re left with a number of things as our lives are laid bare – anxiety and fear are a part of what we feel in this place. Sometimes it’s just best to stick our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not really happening – and yet we’re faced with the stark reality of the fact that it is happening each time we listen to the news, go out into our neighbourhoods and walk.
We are also left with sympathy for those who have been affected – aware of those who have compromised immune systems who are completely isolated in their homes. Our hearts have been broken open as we take in the news of the shooting in Nova Scotia – for those who have lost their lives, been injured, and for those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. Our hearts have grown bigger as we gain a new appreciation for our first responders, our health care workers – and yes, even our grocery clerks.
And we are moved to tears when we see the incredible acts of kindness that are shown. Each time we give wide berth to those we walk by, each time we physically distance ourselves in the grocery store, each time we see an incredible act of creativity with the hearts made in the spent blossoms on the grass, or the painted rocks, our hearts open to the sacredness of life, to the beauty of life.
I’ve seen it in our community – for all of those who spend countless hours helping people connect online – thank you! For all of you who phone one or two people in our community each day or week – thank you! For all of you who work so hard to make our services happen – thank you! For all of you who serve countless hours on our Board – thank you! For all of you who do so much for this community that we all love – thank you! You are a blessing!
As we continue to meet online, I want you to know that each one of us is a blessing to this world and to this community. Be held in the deep and abiding love of this community and of spirit. When your fears and anxiety well up and threaten to overtake you, take a moment and breathe. Breathe into the love and strength of the community that is South Fraser Unitarians. Know that we are holding you in a blanket of blessings and love.
Stay safe, be kind … and wash your hands!
Deadline for submission for next edition is noon, Wednesday.
Please note the following contact information for submissions and announcements:
Chalice lighter submissions: kwegner@shaw.ca
Our Calendar
Please click on the picture to access our church calendar. If you have any additions for the calendar, please email your editor.
congregations are actively working on dismantling racism, and they need your help. They’ve put together a short survey to assess where Canadian UU congregations are currently and where we could go. Please give them 15 minutes of your time today to tell them about what you’ve observed in your own congregation. The survey is anonymous and confidential. 
