eNews December 11, 2024 - Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada

eNews: December 11, 2024 – Issue 167

This Issue:

Letter from the Co-Presidents of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada
Hot off the press: The theme for 2025’s Sharing our Faith program is “Belonging.”
Seeking Youth and Adult Leaders for the 2025 CanUUdle Staff Team!
Meet the CanUUdle Coordinator!
National Leadership Opportunities Are Calling!
Canadian Wellspring 2025 Cohort
Upcoming Lay Chaplaincy Events
Dismantling Barriers: Save the Dates
Did You Know
Office Closure
What’s Making us Smile
CUC Events from to December 11, 2024 to June 11, 2025

Letter from the Co-Presidents of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada
By Rev. Samaya Oakley and Rev. Ben Robins
Co-Presidents, Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada

For some of us, this time of year is a season of hope. While we wait for the sun to return, we dream about the world to come. We trust the dawning future. Some years, this is easier than others.

For those of us with this practice, what are we to do this year? Do we put down the burdens of the world for a moment and rest, allowing our nervous systems to recover, our minds to imagine the communities and world of our dreams, and our spirits to reopen if they have become wadded up?

Do we give ourselves this gift of restful, hopeful time to meet the new year fully charged, or do we say that we have no time for rest because the world as it is won’t still be here if we don’t meet the moment right now?

Some of us are over functioners, always eager for an excuse to keep going, so we get a little excited when we read these (abridged) words by Jurgen Moltmann, from his book Theology of Hope: “hope causes not rest but unrest, not patience but impatience. It does not calm the unquiet heart, but is itself this unquiet heart in all of us. Those who hope can no longer put up with reality as it is, but begin to suffer under it, to contradict it. Hope means conflict with the world, for the goad of the promised future grates the flesh of every unfulfilled present.”

For those of us who lean towards action, it is easy to find an excuse to do just one more thing, carry one more burden, hold one more concern.

How, then, shall we rest?

What are we to do when the world needs love, justice, equity, compassion, liberty, interdependence, and more? What are we to do when it needs these things today, and we need rest?

Carolyn McDade didn’t write Spirit of Life, a favourite song in the UU hymnal, because she was filled with life; she wrote it collapsed on her piano bench after yet another social justice meeting. Her exhaustion forced her into a moment of stillness, simply asking for and imagining what she needed. Perhaps it is those still moments in rest that allow it to become an act of resistance. It allows space for our humanity to surface. It allows space for us to reclaim our power. It allows us the space to be.

Let us draw on our Unitarian history in such moments – those who have come and gone before us. It is said that people fleeing the Nazis would look for a candle in the window. It symbolized safety – a place of welcome. This season of rest, let’s make a space around the fire. Let’s light our own candles and place them in our windows, whether it’s metaphorical or real. Let us let our light shine brightly into this new year.

Another thing we each can do is be the change we want to see in the world. We are wired to become what we focus on. So, let’s find moments of love, justice, and all good things each day. Humans are at risk of becoming what we fight, so let’s wrestle with how to do good rather than fighting fire with fire. When you create moments of rest, make them moments that bathe you in goodness, rather than mindless scrolling.

From climate action to gender justice to racial justice and reconciliation, we have made real progress over the years. Small groups of us created the change. Large groups of us did too, by collaborating with others. We’ve made a difference, and so backlashes can feel like a gut punch.

We’re not the first generation to face a rising tide of exclusion, to face the established powers or the increasingly concentrated powers. Flip through your history books (or the library at the nearest congregation) to find countless examples of people shining their light in a daunting time.

The historian Alfred Cole put the following words in John Murray’s ear (slightly adapted): “You may possess only a small light, but uncover it, let it shine, use it in order to bring more light and understanding to the hearts and minds of everyone. Give them, not hell, but hope and courage…preach to them kindness and everlasting love.”

If you need to rest, let yourself fully rest (perhaps with a candle in the window). If you need to take action, consciously ground your action in all the good things. Either way, take courage, because as Rev. Wayne Arnason put it in one of our favourite readings, you are not alone.

Hot off the press: The theme for 2025’s Sharing our Faith program is “Belonging.”

In these sometimes divisive times, how do we create spaces where belonging is available for everyone? How do we nurture our own sense of belonging to our communities and this earth?

The Sharing Our Faith program* materials will offer opportunities to explore the meaning of belonging (and not belonging) in our own personal lives as well as inviting us to lean into our commitment to dismantle oppression in our communities — our 8th principle.

New for 2025: Choose your own adventure! There will not be an online national service; instead, we offer you multiple ways of engaging with the theme of Belonging. The materials are planned with congregations and UU communities in mind, expanding access to the program to include groups beyond congregations.

- Sunday Service Materials. The packet will include materials to help you offer a Sharing Our Faith Service: an order of service, plus sermon (text and video). For congregations that would prefer to hear from congregants, there will be instructions on how to create an alternative service with a panel of congregants.
- Large Group Discussion Plan. For after a service or at a different time.
- Small Group Ministry Session Plan. Share with your small groups for deeper personal engagement.
- Two-page Handout suitable for digital distribution to all your members and friends.
- Book Study. Get a head start on the theme: read Annahid Dashtgard’s Bones of Belonging (2023).
- Social media posts.
- CUC Programs like Connect & Deepen will also be using these Sharing Our Faith materials in February – on the theme of Belonging.
- SAVE THE DATE for our SHARING OUR FAITH LAUNCH EVENT: online Sunday February 2nd at 1:30 pm PT / 2:30 pm MT / 3:30 pm CT / 4:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm AT / 6 pm NT. Rev Karen Fraser Gitlitz will join us as we introduce this new resource format – and honour the many ways we Share Our Faith as Canadian UUs. Part Celebration, part Information, biggest part “Belonging”. Watch for details in the January eNews.

Choose what fits best for you and your community! Pick a date or dates in February for your Sharing Our Faith experience! Program materials will be available in January 2025.

2025’s Sharing Our Faith program is created and curated by Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz (she/her). Karen is a person of Northern European ancestry who lives on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people in what is now known as the Saanich Peninsula, BC. Karen is a professional art therapist, a Unitarian Universalist community minister, and the Coordinator of the Meaning Making project, a program offering worship services and theme packets to Canadian UU congregations.

*Sharing Our Faith is a program administered by the Canadian Unitarian Council which provides funding for growth initiatives for Unitarian Universalist congregations and communities. Monies are collected during Sharing Our Faith services held by congregations and sent to the CUC. The CUC then provides grants to congregations and communities who are successful in their applications. More information can be found here.

Seeking Youth and Adult Leaders for the 2025 CanUUdle Staff Team!

The CanUUdle Staff is a group of about 10 youth and 2 adults who work together to plan the national conference for Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth (ages 14-19). CanUUdle will be taking place in Montreal, QC over the May long weekend next spring (May 16 -19, 2025).

CanUUdle is a youth con by and for youth. The staff team plans the con schedule, workshops, activities, worships and runs the show during the weekend. From January to May, the staff team gathers in monthly online meetings and works in small teams to plan the schedule and program. During CanUUdle, the staff collectively function as important community stewards, organizers, and, most importantly, role models and leaders of the youth community. Planning is supported by the CanUUdle Coordinator, a part-time contract staff who works with the staff team and organizes logistics.

It’s an opportunity to get valuable leadership experience (including volunteer hours for school), build up your resume, make long lasting friendships, and give back to your community.

Applications for roles such as Co-Deans, Worship Coordinators, Social Media Coordinator, Adult and Youth Peer Chaplains and more are now being taken. Read about what the team does and each role in detail and then fill out the application form by December 21st.

Meet the CanUUdle Coordinator!

Hi! My name is Raven (they/she) and I am the incoming CanUUdle Coordinator for 2025! This youth conference means a great deal to me; my experiences at CanUUdle as a youth profoundly informed my earliest ideas about community and leadership, and who I am in these roles. Though a decade has passed since I bridged out of UU youth community, I still frequently reflect that much of what I hold to be most true and important about myself and how I move through the world, began at these weekend conferences. I am so pleased to give back to the UU youth community in this way and help facilitate fun and formative experiences for current youth.

I have a background in Outdoor Recreation and I can never get enough of exploring and living in the woods. I have spent the last few summers living and working at Unicamp, and in the winter I am based in Halifax. I love cross stitching, my cat Penny, and peanut butter on ice cream. See you in Montreal for CanUUdle! Yippee!

Contact Raven at canuudle@cuc.ca.

National Leadership Opportunities Are Calling!

The CUC Board and Nominating Committee has openings, and the CUC is inviting applications for positions on both the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee.

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference to the Unitarian Universalist movement in Canada, and an opportunity to grow as a leader, to inspire and be inspired, as you participate in setting a course for the CUC in the future.

The CUC Board of Trustees

The main work of a CUC Board member is to provide vision and leadership to our national organization, through participation in regular Board meetings, committee meetings, regional gatherings and at the Annual Conference and Meeting.

The Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for one new Board member representing the Western Region (from Thunder Bay, ON to Alberta). This is to complete the last two years of the three year term vacated by a previous Board member in 2024. If an applicant is not identified for the Western Region, the Nominating Committee will consider applicants from other Regions. (as occurred in 2023)

In addition, three other positions on the Board are up for election or re-election. It is the practice of the Nominating Committee to open all available positions for nomination. However, the following Board members have agreed to have their name stand for a second 3 year term.

- Rev. Debra Faulk, representing the British Columbia Region British Columbia, is completing her first 3 year term, and is standing for re-election.
- Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet, representing the Western Region is completing their first 3 year term, and is standing for re-election.
- Yvette Salinas, representing the Eastern Region, is completing her first 3 year term and is standing for re-election.

More information about serving on the CUC Board can be found at: CUC Board Characteristics, Qualities and Commitments.

Nominating Committee Vacancies

The role of the Nominating Committee is to identify those committed UUs who want to go deeper in their faith community at the national level, and find the right fit for them within the organization.

The Nominating Committee is seeking 2 new members from the following Regions

- British Columbia
- Eastern Canada (from Kingston, ON to Atlantic Canada)

These openings are both for 3 year terms, starting in May 2025.
More information about serving on the Nominating Committee can be found at Nominating Committee Overview.

If you are interested in being considered for one of these roles, would like to suggest someone else, or would like more information, please email the nominating committee at nominations@cuc.ca.
The deadline for nominations to be considered by the Committee for both the CUC Board and the Nominating Committee positions is Feb 28, 2025.

Canadian Wellspring 2025 Cohort
By Kiersten Moore, Vancouver Unitarians

Love at the Center: UU Values and Covenants is a transformational program that will explore the enduring love that is at the core of Unitarian Universalism. You will explore the related values and covenants through the lens of abiding love, building community, acting in faith, rooting in growth, and transforming in love.

As a part of the Canadian religious professionals cohort, we will also be exploring the interplay between Love at the Center and our CUC theological statements: 8 Principles, 6 Sources, and 5 Aspirations. By having this conversation in a heart and spiritually centred structure, we hope to come away with clarity and inspiration on how to lead these conversations amongst Canadian Unitarians and UUs.

The 11-session “Love at the Center: UU Values and Covenants” originally grew out of the work of the Article II Study Commission. It has grown to encompass resources and reflections that will allow each of us to nurture our values and share our experiences and stories to explore and strengthen our faith.

The facilitators for your program are Revs. Arran Morton and Samaya Oakley. We will be meeting on every second Monday (skipping May long weekend) January 13th through Jun 9th 1.30 pm PT/2.30 pm MT/3.30 pm CT/4.30 ET/5.30 pm AT for 2 hours on Zoom.

Maximum registration: 10
Open to Canadian UU Religious Professionals
Register at: https://vanu.ca/wellspring-canada2025
Deadline: January 3, 2025

Upcoming Lay Chaplaincy Events

While all Memorial services are tender, some because of the cause of death, family dynamics or other issues pose a particular challenge to the Lay Chaplain. Join us as Barb Moore shares her experience and to learn from your LC colleagues.

The National Lay Chaplaincy Committee recognizes that many of our Lay Chaplains are working in isolation and many have asked for ways to stay connected throughout the year. We are offering the opportunity to do that through our new Lay Chaplains Chat series. We invite all Lay Chaplains, new and seasoned, (as well as LC Committee members and those considering Lay Chaplaincy) to a recurring Lay Chaplains Chat event hosted on line via Zoom.

This will be an opportunity for the National LC Committee to update you regarding upcoming trainings and gatherings but more importantly this is an opportunity for you to meet other Lay Chaplains from across Canada and with various levels and years of experience.

Let’s gather to share stories and successes and challenges as we move through this journey.

Online Training

This workshop is for those considering lay chaplaincy, recently appointed lay chaplains and members of a congregation’s Lay Chaplaincy Committee. It provides basic guidelines on the management of a congregation’s lay chaplaincy program and the training new lay chaplains need to begin their work.

Lay chaplain terms are for six years, so training for new lay chaplains is required regularly.

This Basics course is the keystone piece to that training, and incoming lay chaplains should participate in this training close to the time of their appointment by the congregation. Please note that the Basics training is only held once a year so planning ahead will help make sure your congregation is prepared.

Any lay chaplains appointed by your congregations in 2018 or earlier will be retiring soon and you’ll be looking to recruit new ones. Please check the status of your current lay chaplains and encourage any member who might be interested in attending the Basics course to consider doing so.

While Basics is a required course for those who become lay chaplains, it is also recommended for congregation members who are interested in serving on your congregation’s Lay Chaplaincy Committee. Members who are interested in designing and leading rites of passage may also wish to participate in this Basics course. All Basics participants must be endorsed by congregational leadership.

We encourage all who are interested in this rewarding and spiritually enriching work to attend.

Participants must complete the Lay Chaplaincy Quiz in advance of registration.

Cost: $100, $125, $150, $175 (sliding fee scale)
Registration – Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025
** Participants will receive a detailed schedule, in advance of the event, noting breaks, so that they can plan their weekends.

Dismantling Barriers: Save the Dates

This series introduces you to Camellia Jahanshahi, the CUC’s Dismantling Barriers Lead, and some of the work that Camellia is sharing and developing.

January 30:
Join us at 7pm ET for an informal meet and greet with Camellia Jahanshahi, the new Dismantling Barriers Lead. In this first session we’ll come together to get to know each other and discuss a tool kit around managing and moving through burn out that will be released the week of January 6th. Join us on Zoom here.

February 15:
From 1-2:30 pm ET join us on zoom for a vigil in honour of lives lost to racialized violence here in Canada. This will be a meditative space with pastoral support. Join here.

February 19:
From 7-8:30 ET join us to learn about Africville, an important and often forgotten aspect of Black Canadian history. After watching a short documentary, provided as a resource coming out in January’s e-news, you’re invited to come, learn more, and get inspired about how our actions as UU’s can be shaped from these lessons in light of our principles. Join here.

Did You Know?

February is CUC month. The CUC operates year-round, of course, but since some of its work happens behind the scenes, it’s important to take the time to reflect on the vital role it plays within our national faith community. The CUC is a voice for this community, within the interfaith community in Canada, and within the international UU community. The CUC, through its small but dedicated staff, provides support for UUs and congregations across the country, fostering growth and outreach, particularly in the areas of lifespan religious education, spiritual growth, and social responsibility.

There are many ways to mark CUC month, including selecting delegates for the coming AGM, engaging with the Sharing Our Faith program materials (please see the separate article in this eNews), and discussing motions. We hope you’ll engage in all of these. And if you have any UU fun facts or jokes to help us mark the month, please send them to communications@cuc.ca

Office Closure

The CUC office will be closed from noon ET on December 20 through January 1, 2025, reopening January 2. We wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season.

What’s Making Us Smile

So… How is your “holiday” season going?

If you’re finding it to be a bit of a struggle… This “You are not failing to Christmas properly” video from Mirth and Dignity may help… (and check out the UU Hysterical Society’s Holiday Humour Kit as well).

CUC Events from December 11, 2024 to June 11, 2025

Share what’s going on in your congregation. Contact communications@cuc.ca

Enews written by Kenzie Love, CUC Writer, and Prepared and Formatted by Brigitte Twomey, CUC Website Specialist