News

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream

Sunday, June 15, Annual Congregational Meeting Thursdays, April 24 and May 15, Board Meetings

Opening Sunday, April 13, in the UUC chapel

Sunday, April 13, 12:30–2:00 p.m. in the King Room and via Zoom

Saturday, April 12, 2:00 p.m. at UUC and via livestream We are saddened to announce the death of the Rev. Dr. Patrick O'Neill. Patrick was UUC's first ministerial intern in 1977, and then ordained at UUC in 1979. He went on to serve well and faithfully as a parish minister in several UU churches. In recent years, Patrick, along with wife, Patricia Williams, became UUC members after retiring and returning to Seattle. Read his obituary here . Notes of condolence can be sent to Patricia at her home address or via email.

Sunday, April 27, during both services (9:30 and 11:15 a.m.)

Thursday, April 10, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in Knatvold

Sunday, April 20, during the 9:30 & 11:15 a.m. services, in the Knatvold room

Wednesday, April 16, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom 

Wednesday, April 16, 6:30–7:30 p.m. in Knatvold

Tuesday, April 8, 6:30–9 p.m. in the UUC chapel

Wednesday, April 16, 7-8 p.m. in the UUC chapel

Apply by April 18

Part camp, part conference…all magic! Eliot is an inclusive, all ages vacation for families, couples, and individuals. Gatherings are held four times a year—three times each summer and once over New Year’s Eve—at beautiful Seabeck Conference Center in Western Washington. Tall cedar and fir trees shelter the conference grounds on the edge of Seabeck Bay, with awe inspiring views of the Olympic Mountains. One fee covers everything: the program and activities, comfortable lodgings (at your choice of price points, basic to deluxe), and three meals each day. Generous scholarships and volunteer credits are available. The seven-night July and August Eliots, and the four-night Winter Eliot, feature interesting speakers and discussion groups for the adults and fun supervised programs for children and teens each morning. The four-night Creative Arts Eliot in August offers a choice of hands-on, expert-led workshops that change annually and have included collage, acrylic painting, memoir writing, drumming, embroidery, and even pickleball During the afternoons and evenings, campers lead organized activities of all kinds: swimming, dances, games, concerts, crafts, and more. Take part in as many as you like, or savor time simply visiting with friends or enjoying a good book. Eliot Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to operate camps and conferences promoting personal and spiritual growth for Unitarian Universalists, their families, and friends. Every camp creates and supports an inclusive community of celebration, friendship, exploration, relaxation, and joy. Learn more and register for upcoming camps at eliotinstitute.org .

Follow-Up to 2024 Congregational Meeting Resolution

We know the list of things to do is long in our busy lives. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to submit your pledge for our next church year. Members and friends of UUC fund our church! Every pledge helps us get closer to our goal and is much appreciated. As of March 31, 257 pledges of $1,030,078 have been submitted to support our mission to Awaken Spirit, Nurture Hope and Inspire Action . We are now 74% of the way to our goal and of those who have pledged, 50% have increased their pledge from the FY25 church year. We appreciate the generosity and commitment of all who have participated so far and it’s not too late to make your pledge today! March is pledge month. Submit your pledge now for the 2025-2026 church year!

UUC Board of Directors Sooraj Kuttykrishnan and Lora Poepping, Board Members Very few things that a congregation does affect it as greatly, or are as important, as the choice of a minister. Wonderful ministerial-congregational matches provide new life and purpose to a community and help lead well into the future. The UUC Board of Directors is pleased to take the lead on the nomination and selection process of our Ministerial Search Committee . While the Board takes the lead, YOU are an integral part of this important process. This article lays out the process and will be shared multiple times with the entire congregation so that we are able to reach as many members as possible. You will hear messaging repeatedly from the pulpit, via The Gateway , on the UUC website, in handouts available at church, and by request. This work is so important, that we believe it warrants repeating in the coming month. What is the Ministerial Search Committee? To call a Senior Minister, UUC convenes an ad hoc committee of the congregation, approved by a congregational vote. Its role is to identify, evaluate, and recommend a final candidate for Senior Minister. It's important that the search committee be chosen with mindfulness to the congregation's future, including a diversity of identities. The committee works closely with the Interim Minister, staff, multiple groups within UUC, and the UUA. Of great importance: the members of the committee work collaboratively with one another. Key Attributes of a Search Committee Member Before making your nominations, we encourage you to carefully read through this description of the attributes needed in a Committee member. Integrity & Confidentiality – Maintains discretion and handles sensitive information with trustworthiness. Commitment & Dedication – Willing to invest significant time and effort in the search process. This role requires many meetings, both in-person and virtual. It also may require travel to hear candidate sermons, time spent watching candidates’ videos and follow up with candidates and key stakeholders. Discernment & Wisdom – Able to evaluate candidates thoughtfully and align choices with the congregation’s needs. Strong Communication Skills – Listens actively, speaks effectively, and conveys information clearly. Team Player – Works collaboratively, respects differing opinions, and prioritizes the church’s best interests. Objectivity & Open-Mindedness – Approaches the search process without bias and considers diverse perspectives. Knowledge of Church & Congregation – Understands the congregation’s history, values, and vision for the future. Leadership & Decision-Making Ability – Capable of making informed recommendations with confidence. Patience & Perseverance – Navigates the lengthy selection process with diligence and a steady commitment. Important Dates and Deadlines: March 9 - Nominations open April 6 – Last day to submit nominations – all nominations must be made online or in the UUC office by this date April 10 – UUC Board will tally nominations and select up to 16 finalists April 11–12 – The finalists will be contacted by the Board April 20 – Finalist statements and bio due to Board May 1 – Board will finalize slate June – Slate will be voted on in the Congregational Meeting How Do I Nominate? We encourage you to use this link to make your nominations online. ( https://bit.ly/4iepJjM ) Each church member is allowed one ballot. Paper Ballots Locations for paper ballots: church office, both entrances on Sundays. If you need a ballot mailed to you, please contact lbpoepping@yahoo.com . The deadline for nominations is April 6. No exceptions. Who Should I Nominate? Consider those in our community who exemplify the attributes detailed in the description. Who would you trust to select our called Lead Minister? You can nominate up to three (3) people. (Please note that each church member is allowed one ballot, so put all three of your nominations on a single ballot.) Can I nominate myself? Yes, you can nominate yourself. If I have questions about this process, who should I contact? Two Board member, Sooraj Kuttykrishnan and Lora Poepping are leading this work on behalf of the Board. Please contact them via email. Your patience is appreciated, and we will reply within 48 hours. sooraj1.k@gmail.com lbpoepping@yahoo.com

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream

First and Third Sundays (including this Sunday, April 6) 12:30–2 p.m. in the King room and via Zoom

Sunday, April 6, 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 a.m. in the Emerson room Join members of UUC's Faith Land Initiative team this Sunday in Emerson after either service to learn more and share your thoughts. The team will provide an overview of the Faith Land Initiative and status of UUC’s cohort. They plan to gather input on: - Values to prioritize - Hopes for sharing our space - Concerns about sharing our space - Areas of interest - Helpful associations Additional meetings at church and via Zoom are planned for later this month. Question? Please contact Patricia Graesser , Gayle Childers or Dave Mentz .

Saturday, April 5, 1:30–4:30 p.m. in the Knatvold room

Friday, April 4, 6–8 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

Sunday, May 4, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the UUC chapel and via livestream

Wednesday, April 2, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom India: Between China, the West, and the Global South

Tuesday, April 1, 7–9 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

Tuesdays, April 1 and 15, 7–8:30 p.m. in the Channing room and via Zoom

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream

We fund our church. A pledge is your stated financial commitment to support UUC’s operating budget for our next church year (July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026). The ministries and programming of UUC are funded almost entirely by the donations of its supporters. Our endowment, program fees, and other donations provide additional revenue to support this budget. We make our pledges in the early spring to give our Board of Trustees, Finance Committee and staff Leadership Team enough time to determine a realistic budget that aligns with our mission to Awaken Spirit, Nurture Hope and Inspire Action. Our draft budget for the 2025-2026 church year is $1.7 million. To support this, our giving campaign this year needs to raise $1.4 million in pledges from UUC members and friends. We now have a total of 161 pledges for a total of $801,776 . Thank you so much! If you are able to, we ask you to join the majority of UUC members and friends by also increasing your annual operating pledge to UUC. We acknowledge we are in tumultuous times and that many are facing financial uncertainty. Fortunately, the UUC community can be a safe haven and place to hold purposeful action in the months and years ahead. NOW is the time to pledge! March is pledge month. Submit your pledge now for the 2025-2026 church year!

The Fleagle Lecture with Alex Kapitan Saturday, March 29, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall, by registration

Sunday, March 30, 1:00–3:30 p.m. in the Knatvold room

Sunday, March 30, before and after services, in Nathan Johnson Hall

UUC’s Family Ministry program has been growing and this year serves over 80 families , which represent approximately 132 children and youth and 210 parents, caregivers and other adult volunteers! The programs are powered by the dynamic leadership of Aria, Amanda and Teddy alongside childcare providers, Jasmin and Shameka. Video by High School Senior, Phil Crowther The video, Fostering Relationships and Building Community, explores the ways that the Family Ministry program supports connections through engaging programs for kids and the adults caring for them. View the video Testimonial by 8th Grader, Aziza Glimbier Aziza shares her experience of coming to UUC two years ago and all the ways she has participated in the Family Ministry programming, including giving back to this community by volunteering. —--- Have you ever felt alone with no second home to go to? Well I did until my family decided to come here to University Unitarian Church. At this church I have gotten to know a lot of amazing people that have been people of all ages. Ever since we got here we have we have been welcomed into the family even from the first moments that we had stepped into the church just over two years ago. And no matter if you are a stranger or a friend, the church community welcomes you with open arms. Some of the things I like about going to church is the coffee hour before and after the one hour service where I can hang out and talk to my friends from my class and where others can meet new people. I also like going to my classes. Another thing I like is the opportunity to get involved and volunteer, but more on that later. One of my favorite things I have done at church are the field trips that we have gone on in the middle school class, World Religions. We’ve learned about religions around the world and after learning about a certain religion, we would go to the religion's place of worship. One of my favorite ones was when the class learned about the Muslim religion and we got the chance to go to a mosque . The people there invited us to watch them do the worship routines. After they taught us a little bit more about their religion. The class I am in this year is called OWL—this is short for Our Whole Lives. This class talks about relationships and how they should or could work and the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. It has helped me grow confidence and learn more about these topics and more. Also, it has helped me build up my friendships at church, and in my personal life and what it means to be a good friend. I have found that with the church classes, it helps build community between the youth in the classes and their teachers. In my time at UUC I have volunteered in the elementary aged classes and I have learned that building community and friendships are just some of the things that the church community focuses on. Also, I have gotten the opportunity to get involved with the services as well. For example, the youth lead services once every year. This gives the older youth the chance to lead a service with a theme of their choice. I have learned a lot from planning and being a part of the youth services, and I feel like I have come out of them changed. In conclusion, all of these experiences and more have made me a more open-minded person. Another thing I learned from working with elementary school students is that there is more than one way to do a certain thing. For example, doing some type of art project like painting and hands-on crafts. Overall, my experience at UUC has been an amazing one and I can’t wait to continue it. 

Sunday, March 30 at East Shore Unitarian Church 10:30–11:30 a.m. Transgender Day of Visibility worship service 1:00–3:00 p.m. workshop: Surviving Toxic Theologies While Black & Trans

UUC's Art Committee and Acting for Racial Justice Team would like to thank the congregation for your generous response to the March 9 Second Sunday plate. We raised over $1,800 in support of the Art Program at Wa Na Wari, a center for Black art and belonging located in the historically Black Central Area of Seattle. Their art programs amplify the work of local, regional, national, and international Black and Indigenous artists through artist-in-residence programs, exhibits, performances, and workshops. UUC is proud to be an ally of Wa Na Wari. For more information, visit https://www.wanawari.org .

Last Saturday, March 22, UUC welcomed Tent City 3 (TC3). We are sharing our parking lot with them for the next four months, through July 26. There are currently 75 in the TC3 community, including families, individuals, couples, a few dogs and a cat named Heather. During the move, Rev. Doug stopped out with his dog Moo, and he indicated that Moo and Heather are becoming fast friends! Saturday's move from UW to UUC went well, with a bit of sun and lots of volunteers on hand to help the TC3 community with this big job. In total, 57 from UUC were involved on Saturday : Contributing food so that sack lunches could be delivered midday during the move Baking muffins and delivering fruit so that we could provide a continental breakfast last Sunday morning 30 helped with the move, with 10 helping pack up at UW and 20 showing up to help unload and set-up at UUC Parking on Sunday morning seemed to be available for both services. Many walked 1-2 blocks, some biked and others used public transit. There were plenty of spaces for those in our community with more limited ability. If you would like more details about parking, you can find them on UUC's Tent City 3 webpage here . In the FAQ section on parking on that webpage, you'll find a parking map too. If you have any questions, you can contact UUC's Tent City 3 Team at uuchomelessness@gmail.com . You can also reach out to any of us directly. ~UUC's Tent City 3 Team: Sallie Dacey, Walter Hatch, David Kendall, Laurie Mann, Debbie Maranville, Mary Mason, Dave Mentz, Cynthia Salzman & Pam Smith Mentz

While Tent City 3 (TC3) stays in the church parking lot from March 22 to July 26, 2025, parking will be reduced to about 30–35 spots, including the 6 spots officially designated for with Washington State Disability Parking Permits. This means there won’t be enough parking spots for everyone to park in the church lot on Sunday mornings. What can we do about this? When we hosted TC3 in 2023, we asked church attendees to use alternative ways of getting to church on Sunday mornings or to park in other nearby spots whenever possible. Our goal was to keep the remaining spaces available to those who need it most, such as individuals with mobility limitations and families with small children. People were so responsive to this request that often there were still spots left over on Sunday mornings! Many people who could often walked, biked, took public transportation, or carpooled. Those who drove parked in surrounding streets. Based on our experience hosting in 2023, we expect there will be plenty of nearby on-street spaces available. Once again, we hope Sunday service attendees will avoid parking in the church lot if possible during the time TC3 is staying with us. The map below shows the recommended areas for parking in the neighborhood. RT Shaw State Farm (at 7006 35th Ave NE) has once again offered the 8 spots in their lot for Sunday morning parking. Out of respect for our contiguous neighbors living on 36th Ave NE, please avoid parking on the block between NE 65th and NE 68th. If you have questions about parking, please contact UUC’s TC3 team at uuchomelessness@gmail.com .

Thursday, March 27, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in Knatvold

Wednesday, April 16, 7-8 p.m. in the UUC chapel

Thank you to the generous and quick response of so many of you during the first two weeks of the Blessing Our Becoming Annual Giving Campaign. If you haven’t participated yet, please do so soon. Your pledge supports the ministries and programming of UUC. Every gift is cherished and important. Our draft budget for the 2025-2026 church year is $1.7 million. To support this, our giving campaign this year needs to raise $1.4 million in pledges from UUC members and friends. We now have a total of 128 pledges for a total of $714,216 . Thank you so much! Some key aspects to know: The proposed budget is an increase over last year’s—primarily for staffing-related and minister search expenses. The budget includes two full-time ministers and full staffing for our Family Ministry program. If you are able, please increase your annual operating pledge to UUC. This year, we plan to have only one giving campaign, so your pledge in March will be critical to the budgeting and planning process. The Executive Leadership Team, Board of Trustees and Finance Teams will review our fundraising and make adjustments to the budget until early May when a budget will be finalized to be approved by the congregation at the June Annual Meeting. NOW is the time to pledge! March is pledge month. Submit your pledge now for the 2025-2026 church year!

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream

Sunday, March 9, 10:30–11:15 a.m. in Knatvold Sunday, March 16, 10:30–11:15 a.m. in Knatvold Sunday, March 23, 12:45–2 p.m. in Knatvold During our June 2024 Annual Congregational Meeting, the Board of Trustees agreed to follow UUA guidance regarding pursuit of Minister Emeritus status for Rev. Jon Luopa . The Board would like to hear your views on this matter, so we will be hosting listening sessions on the next three Sundays. These sessions will allow you an opportunity to comment and listen to others’ comments. If you are not able to attend one of these sessions, we invite you to respond via our survey . This input will help shape an overview summary laying out reasons for or against Emeritus status. The Board will provide the congregation that summary, and a proposed motion, in advance of the Annual Congregational Meeting in June 2025. This will be on the agenda for a congregational vote at that meeting. There was strong support expressed during our June 2024 congregational meeting, but we wanted to have a thoughtful process that fairly captures a full range of congregational views. The Board looks forward to your participation in one of these listening sessions and/or the survey.

Saturday, March 22: come when you can— 8:30 a.m. through late morning at UW site; 10 a.m. through the afternoon at UUC

Saturday, March 22, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at the Seattle Center

Photo: World Religions field trip participants pose like the Hindu goddess Durga, the protective mother of the universe. Durga’s fierce love is just one expression of the Supreme God.

Saturday, March 15, in person; or Wednesday, March 19, online

Wednesday, March 19, 6:30–7:30 p.m. in Knatvold

Wednesday, March 19, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

Sunday, March 16, 1:15–2:45 p.m. in the Dix room or via Zoom

Sunday, March 16, 1–2:30 p.m. in Knatvold