ScandaloUUS: April 2024

We’re back! Welcome to the fourth edition of the acclaimed tabloid, ScandaloUUs, a supplement to the Canadian Unitarian Council’s (CUC’s) monthly eNews.

Sit back, relax, and keep reading if you want to know all the jUUicy tidbits. We are really going to “spill the tea.” (Psst . . . We’re always eager to know what’s going on. Send us everything you’ve got from your congregation or community. Anonymous contributions are welcome.)

In This Issue:

UUnicorns to Mark Solar Eclipse With Mass Gathering 

Homoródújfalu, a small village in the Homorod Valley of Transylvania that’s home to the oldest community of Unitarians in the world, made headlines last year for a rare UUnicorn sighting. However, rumour has it an event on a much larger scale will be taking place this spring when a “blessing” of UUnicorns from around the world gather to mark the solar eclipse.

Homoródújfalu is on the direct path of the eclipse and this adds to its already sacred nature for UUnicorns as the birthplace of Unitarianism. Because the UUnicorn is a famously reclusive species, experts say the eclipse is a unique opportunity for them to come together in community.

Little is known about what the UUnicorns have planned for the gathering, but it will reportedly include a bridging ceremony, a hymn sing, and a banquet, with festivities kicking off with the lighting of a chalice so bright it reportedly rivals the sun in its intensity.

Experts on UUnicorns are advising visitors to the area to keep their distance from the UUnicorns as the animals, while playful and non-threatening, can become skittish in the presence of too many humans. Like the eclipse, they are best glimpsed with an abundance of caution. 

Exciting New Location for CanUUdle and Chorus

Originally scheduled for Edmonton, Alberta, over this year’s May long weekend, CanUUdle and Chorus, the CUC’s annual youth and adult cons will in fact be taking place in a new venue: outer space.

Youth & Young Adult Program Manager Casey Stainsby says a recent flood of donations to the Dawning Future fund made the change possible. The fact the themes for the two events were already tied to celestial exploration, plus the CUC board’s visit to space two years ago added to the rationale.

“CanUUdle and Chorus are both about developing leadership skills,” Stainsby said, “but many of our participants felt that they’d already mastered the basics of this and needed a new challenge. What better way to do that than having them command a shuttle mission?”

Despite the new setting, familiar rituals from the cons will still be present. The much-loved bridging ceremony will take the form of a space walk, while CUC Executive Director Vyda Ng has generously donated meals in the form of freeze-dried rations from her food truck for the bridging dinner. 

CUC Board Appoints New Observer

The CUC already has a Minister Observer to the Board and two Youth Observers. But starting soon, it will have another such role with the first-ever Canine Observer to the Board (COB). Board President Kiersten Moore said there was unanimous agreement among the existing board members that adding this position was a great idea.

“Everyone is on board with it,” she said. “After all, we are a faith that centres love, and who provides this more unconditionally than a dog?”

There are still a few wrinkles in the process to sort out, including how the COB will be chosen. Staff members Amber Bellemare, Danielle Webber, and Kenzie Love all made enthusiastic pitches for their dogs Rudy, Brin, and Louis, but acknowledged there could be concerns around conflict of interest.

Like the other observers, the COB will not have a vote in board decisions, but will still be allowed to participate in the discussion. Talks are underway about how the COB will do this, with tentative agreement that prolonged tail-wagging will signal agreement, loud barking will indicate serious concerns, and a cocked head can be interpreted as confusion.

UUs to Play Prominent Role in New Sitcom

Mark Greening, creator of a certain long-running animated sitcom, has a new project in the works.

Coming to TV screens this September, The Sampsons will centre on a family of five in the fictional town of Streamfield, USA. Greening, who’s long been rumoured to be a UU himself, is reportedly planning for the religion to play a prominent role in the show.

In The Sampsons, Horace Sampson, the family patriarch, is introduced to Unitarian Universalism by his wife Marg, a longtime congregant at the local church. Although initially hesitant, he begins to come around after learning the faith doesn’t rely on the Bible as the sole source of truth, of which he says “talk about a preachy book. Everybody in here’s a sinner.”

Horace also has a devout UU neighbour, Ed Sanders, whom he resents for his gentle proselytizing, being annoyed at the invitation to a UU ice cream social at Ed’s place only to discover the ice cream bowls on offer are empty. Frustrated by this encounter, Horace complains to the congregation’s minister that he’s thinking of joining another faith tradition. The minister, Rev. Thomas Loveglee, encourages him to stick with Unitarian Universalism which centres coffee hour as a sacred ritual, noting that the other world religions “are all pretty much the same.”

CUC Publishes Cookbook

The Canadian Unitarian Council is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a new cookbook written specifically for UUs, Cooking the Living Tradition.

The cookbook will feature of variety of tried and true recipes, including fair trade coffee cake (best served warm with love and justice); 8th principle salad, which should be tossed vigorously before consuming to break down any barriers to full inclusion of the ingredients; and six sources soup, which with its diverse inspirations puts the lie to the idea that too many cooks spoil the broth.

The cookbook will include gluten-free and vegetarian versions of all the featured recipes, and will be available in both print and digital formats. 

 

Contest

Do you know the name of the fund replacing Friends of the CUC? The first three people to email communications@cuc.ca with the correct answer will receive a CUC swag bag!