Westwood's past services 2009/ 2010
For services before September 2009, please refer to the archives.
June 21, 2010 - Summer Solstice - 7-8pm
The Summer Solstice marks the first day of the season of Summer in the northern hemisphere.
The Summer Solstice represents a time for celebration, purification, and renewal of the self.
It is a time to release the sadness and fears from your life and join in celebration of renewed energy.
Come join us in ritual and dance to celebrate the warmth, joy, and abundance of summer. All ages welcome.
Please bring blankets to sit on and be ready to participate in singing and dancing!
Service leaders: Sheila Killoran, Cassie Aziz-Few; Trudy Grienauer
Special guests: Morris Dancers
Musicians: All of us!
Location: Ellingson Park across from Westwood (inside Westwood if weather is poor)
**There will be a potluck after the service - please bring a dish to share and plates/ cutlery from home**
June 20, 2010 - Flower Communion
This child-led annual service has grown to be something of a tradition for our community in the last few years! Many members of our congregation look forward to this lively and festive service that is conceived and delivered by the kids and youth of Westwood. Please bring a flower or a few, or none if you don't have them (there will be extras provided) and come and celebrate the season, our church and each other!
Hosted by the kids of Westwood
June 13, 2010 - Pride Service: Identity Jeopardy
Join us for a rousing game of "Identity Jeopardy" as we test our knowledge and refresh our connections with Welcoming Congregation principles and practices. There may even be prizes?!
Service leader: Andrea Boyd
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Gordon Ritchie
**There will be a Second Sunday Potluck Lunch following the service**
June 6, 2010 - Credo Sunday
What do you believe? How does that fit with the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism? Three Westwoodians will show some of the many paths taken on our spiritual journey.
Service leader: Deidra Helmig
Speakers: Sheila Killoran, Aaron Waldon and Fons Schellekens
Musician: Sheila Killoran
May 30, 2010 - Worship on Worship
The Sunday Service is our central, shared & most public Westwood experience. Rev. Anne & the Worship Committee will share the gifts, struggles and growth opportunities that combine to form the work and wonder of 'weaving our worship'.
Service leader: Westwood Worship Committee
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Mary Wood and Rebecca Patterson
**A light lunch and the Westwood Annual Meeting follow this service**
May 23, 2010 - Small Medicinal Doses
Drowning in it all? It's easy to do! There's so much - fascination with speed, burgeoning information, "stuff", errors and solutions, and on and on. In the midst of it all, do you find yourself wondering about the Da Vinci code? What's it all about? Does it matter to you? In the heart of chaos, Dr Evangeline Rand will explore tiny medicinal doses of the emerging and feminine form of holy wisdom.
Service leader: Dr David Deephouse
Speaker: Dr Evangeline Rand
Musician: Gordon Ritchie
May 16, 2010 - The GEA Hour
Edmonton's newest TV station, WWU, presents Heather and Carl as the hosts for the GEA Hour. Come watch these rising TV personalities as they explore the world of the Greater Edmonton Alliance in an informative and thought-provoking interview. You will learn about GEA's position on issues such as affordable housing for low income families, quality care standards for seniors, and creating a sustainable local foods economy.
Show time: 10:30
Location: WWU TV studios, 11136 65 Ave., Edmonton
Hosts: Heather MacDonald and Carl Ulrich
Guests: Laura Kate Jeffreys, Monique Nutter
Director: Christine Watts
Production team: Westwood Social Justice Committee
Studio Band: Harmonia
If you want to be part of the trendiest audience in Edmonton on May 16, plan to attend!
May 9, 2010 - Mother Spirit: Strength & Sacrifice
This Mother's Day Sunday, we reflect on the idea of 'mother spirit' - and whether this could be accessible to every person, regardless of gender, mother or not.
Service leader: Dennis Foth
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Sheila Killoran
**There will be a "Second Sunday Potluck Lunch" following the service.**
May 2, 2010 - Listen! What the case of Omar Khadr teaches Canadians
Service leader: Sara McEwan
Speaker: Janice Williamson
Musician: Special guests from the Middle Eastern and North African Music Ensemble
April 25, 2010 - Earth Based Ethics
Following on the heels of Earth Day (April 22nd), we consider what an earth based ethic might mean for our lives and for our planet.
Service leader: Bruce McWhirter
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Harmonia
**Westwood's musicians are invited to the annual musician appreciation lunch after the service.**
April 18, 2010 - Principles Under Pressure: Battlestar Galactica vs. The Seven Principles
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series follows the survivors of a nuclear holocaust on their search for earth. Would you have to modify your principles knowing only 40,000 humans were left in the entire universe? Would you go against your principles to ensure the survival of the human race? Join Dean and Christine as they take you through this difficult thought experiment.
Service leader: Captain Christine "Starbuck" Lesiak
Speaker: Captain Dean "Helo" Chan
Musicians: Steven "Hot Dog" Bell
There will be a newcomers' orientation to Westwood following the service,
from noon to 3pm including lunch. For more information, contact Sara McEwan:
pathways@westwoodunitarian.ca
April 11, 2010 - Practicing the Absence of God
Come bathe in the metaphysical emptiness of the void. Is it possible to have a transcendent experience of the absence of god? Whether theist/ deist/ pantheist/ atheist/ agnostic/ none of the above/ all of the above, soaking in our place in a morally neutral universe indifferent of human welfare can be a powerful spiritual experience to help one along with their free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
Service leader: M.B.
Speaker: Daniel Mallett
Musicians: Toot Ensemble
**Stewardship lunch will follow the service. Please bring your own plate and cutlery if you can!**
April 4, 2010 - Resurrection - Unitarian Style
Is Easter lost, in our liberal pluralistic congregation? Or does the resurrection message still have something to offer our diversity? Come share in this reflective service, as we explore the idea of Resurrection - Unitarian Style.
Service leader: Havelock Thompson
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Gail Olmstead and Amelia
March 28, 2010 - International Affairs
What do our international relationships mean to our local practice of Unitarian Universalism? And what, exactly, are our international relationships?
Service leader: Wendy Proudfoot
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Marj Foth & Diana Bacon
March 21, 2010 - Spring Equinox
This service will celebrate the Spring Equinox, when light and darkness are balanced.
As we enter the time of year when new life is nurtured and grows, we will hold a ritual to nurture our
dreams and help them grow.
Just as last year, the ritual will include a blessing of (provided) seeds,
and you are welcome to bring your own seeds to be blessed too.
Service leaders/ Speakers: Westwood Earth-Centred Spirituality Group
Musicians: Harmonia
March 14, 2010 - Stories from the 1st World Conference of Women's Shelters
March 8 is International Women's Day!
The 1st World Conference of Women's Shelters was held in Edmonton in
September 2008. This conference created an amazing and unprecedented networking opportunity for family
violence prevention workers from all around the world. Many of the delegates came from countries where it
is difficult and controversial to operate a women's shelter.
Come hear Jan Reimer share some powerful stories from this
groundbreaking conference and find out what progress has since been made towards strengthening the
international network of women's shelters and the sheltering movement in Alberta.
In the time that it takes to brew a cup of tea, three women in Canada will be assaulted by an intimate
partner. The Alberta Council of Women's Shelters is a province-wide organization supporting 42 women's
and senior's sheltering agencies.
Service leader: Kevin Fitzgerald
Speaker: Jan Reimer (Provincial Coordinator of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters)
Musician: Cherilyn Michaels
March 14 is "Bring a Friend" day. We encourage all members and friends to bring at least one person
with them who would not normally attend a Westwood service.
**There will be a "Second Sunday Potluck Lunch" following the service.**
Please consider bringing a little extra food so that we can invite all newcomers to join us for lunch!
March 7, 2010 - Working Together...
In October, we began creating our Covenant of Right Relations with the service and workshop entitled "Nobody's Perfect ... Now What?!" Join us for a second 'seriously funny service' and stay for lunch and the Committee on Shared Ministry workshop that follows. We will explore the general nature of covenant and our shared Westwood interpretation.
Service leader: Committee on Shared Ministry
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Steven Bell
**Lunch & workshop "Working Together ... But How?!" follows the service. See
upcoming activities.**
February 28, 2010 - The Power of Possibility
Creative visualization? Positive thinking? Idealism? Or is the power of possibility something more? Join us for this service exploring human potential and the wisdom of community.
Service leader: Terry Anderson
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Steven Bell
**This service is followed by a Congregational Meeting**
February 21, 2010 - Give the world the best you've got ANYWAY
The poem "Anyway" is written on the wall of Mother Teresa's mission in Calcutta. Join us for a meditative service of words and music as members of Westwood's choir, Harmonia, lead us through the thought-provoking, inspiring, and sometimes controversial verses of this poem with personal insights and musical reflections.
Service leaders, speakers and musicians: Harmonia
February 14, 2010 - WHOOO IS OWL? Discussing Sexuality in Church!
OWL stands for Our Whole Lives, a comprehensive, age-appropriate program about sexuality developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. David Deephouse and Kathy Lightfoot attended training for OWL at the First UU Church of Winnipeg in November. Come and learn about this special program which explores the role sexuality plays in our lives.
Service leaders and speakers: David Deephouse and Kathy Lightfoot
Musician: Karen Mills
**There will be a "Second Sunday Potluck Lunch" following the service.**
February 7, 2010 - Schoolteacher Thoreau
How vain to try to teach youth, or anybody, truths! They can only learn them after their own fashion,
and when they get ready. (Thoreau, 1859)
When Henry David Thoreau taught public school in Concord for two weeks, his students rarely had their books
open. Instead, they were encouraged to go "scrambling for ideas the way we hunt for huckleberries in the woods".
Such lack of order did not sit well with Concord authorities and Thoreau had to quit the job. He later ran his
own school, where he implemented his ideas of teaching.
Trudy will dig into this little-known part of Thoreau's biography and unearth his thinking on teaching and
learning, which was not only far ahead of his time but may give us confidence to pursue our own unique paths.
Service leader: Rev. Anne Barker
Speaker: Trudy Grienauer
Musician: Sheila Killoran
This sermon is in the sermon archive.
January 31, 2010 - Alberta's Medicare Politics. Why health care in Alberta is always such a hot topic
Keith Wiley speaks about the politics of health care and the underlying values at stake. There is a clear connection between the value and dignity of each individual and the changes being made to Alberta's health care system without consultation with Albertans.
Speaker: Keith Wiley
Service Leader: Christine Watts
Musicians: The Raging Grannies & Jakalin McGregor
This sermon is in the audio archive.
January 24, 2010 - Northern Lights
Northern lights are an awesome phenomenon - scientifically explainable, yet equally mystical.
What transformative powers might they hold?
Service leader: Sara McEwan
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Harmonia
**Special Event: This service includes a "New Member Ceremony".**
January 17, 2010 - Hope vs Reality
Sometimes we are hopeful, other times - not so much. It's the same world on any given day, no matter how
hopeful we are. The difference lies in what we think is possible for the days ahead.
"Hope specialist" Wendy Edey leads us in a reflection on hope, realism and the delicate balance of
managing them to best advantage. Wendy counsels, studies and teaches at the Hope Foundation of Alberta.
In the past fifteen years, she has had thousands of conversations about hope and she shares some of
these thoughts with us.
Speaker: Wendy Edey
Service Leader: Kevin Fitzgerald
Musicians: Marj Foth and Toot Ensemble
January 10, 2010 - The Pluralistic Dilemma
Efforts to be inclusive come with gifts, challenges and limitations. What would it mean to be a pluralistic faith tradition in the most practical sense?
Service leader: Mark Nicoll
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Karen Mills
**There will be a "Second Sunday Potluck Lunch" following the service.**
January 3, 2010 - Bah! Humbug
A Westwood tradition! Please join us for our annual service where we look back at the year past, and into the year ahead, without all that annoying resolution stuff! It's a service of ritual, music, contemplation and release - smoke free again this year!
Speaker: Mitch Waldon
Service Leaders: Christine Lesiak and Andrea Boyd
Musicians: Sheila Killoran and Trudy Grienauer
December 27, 2009 - No service
The winter serendipity service has been cancelled. See you in the New Year!
December 24, 2009 (Thursday) 8pm - Candle Lit Christmas Eve Service
Something new!!! A Candle Lit Christmas Eve service - with soft music and gentle words.
*** Tea & cookies at 7pm; Service at 8pm
December 21, 2009 (Monday) 7pm, City Hall - Sharing the Light - Winter Solstice
Join us at City Hall as we seek out the Sun! A celebration for all ages with story, song, the sound of the harp and - of course - snacks & cider!
*** Offsite Location: The City Room at City Hall
Service Leader: Rev. Anne Barker
Musicians: Gordon Ritchie & Harmonia
Also see upcoming activities for volunteer sign up and poster distribution.
December 20, 2009 - Pancake breakfast (no service)
We'll have a Pancake Breakfast at Westwood on Sunday, December 21st @ 10:30 AM.
No formal service and no children's programs;
just a casual breakfast at Westwood.
An all-ages Christmas Card craft event will also be offered this morning - crafting beginning at 11am.
December 13, 2009 - Symbols of Christmas (Kid's service)
This time of year many of us decorate our homes with the traditional symbols of the season.
There are so many different symbols. Have we always used these symbols like we use them today?
How did they begin? Where do they come from?
Join us for an exploration of some of the season's symbols!
This morning's service is put on by the children of Westwood.
** Second Sunday Potluck Lunch follows the service**
** A short Winter Solstice rehearsal will follow the potluck lunch - beginning at 12:15pm**
December 6, 2009 - Holiday Justice
As the winter holiday season settles in, justice issues arise - poverty and income equity; conscious giving;
environmental responsibility. This service explores seeking a balance between solidarity and celebration.
*** This service includes lighting our second solstice advent candle and installation of our Lay Chaplain Colette Orieux.
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service Leader: Doug Ridgway
Musicians: Harmonia led by Rebecca Patterson and accompanied by Sheila Killoran
November 29, 2009 - The Mighty Mosquito - Lotta Hitschmanova
This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lotta's birth. This service explores her life, her creation of the Unitarian Service Committee (now USC Canada) and the many gifts she leaves behind.
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service leader: Allison Akgungor
Musicians: Kevin Kornelsen and Marj Foth
We will be lighting our first solstice advent candle during this service
November 22, 2009 - The Complaint Free Challenge
Inspired by the Complaint Free World challenge initiated by Will Bowen, Gord Grant, Heather MacDonald, and Colette Orieux will engage you with their personal experiences and thoughts about complaining, and invite you to take the challenge of becoming complaint-free.
Speakers and Service Leaders: Gord Grant, Heather MacDonald and Colette Orieux
Musician: Steven Bell
November 15, 2009 - The 7 Principles of Highly Effective People
In a solidly practical sense - what do our 7 principles offer in terms of practical action?
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service Leader: Dean Wood
Musicians: Harmonia led by Rebecca Patterson
& accompanied by Sheila Killoran
November 8, 2009 - Death, Dreams and the Deepening of Spiritual Life
This will be a positive conversation about living through illness and allowing it to deepen one's spiritual life.
Speaker: Dona-Kaitlin Beitel
Service Leader: Carl Ulrich
Musician: Cherilyn Michaels
** Second Sunday Potluck Lunch follows the service**
Sunday, November 1, 2009 - Try Something New
Can we experience peace in the midst of our personal problems? What happens when we no longer resist this moment now, whatever it may bring? What happens when we cease to assign blame? Dijie shares her thoughts and her poetry.
Speaker: Dijie Ratzlaff
Service leader: Colette Orieux
Musician: Beth McColl
Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 'From you I receive, to you I give'
'From you I receive, to you I give' in the name of loving compassion - That's Shared Ministry.
With the celebration of your installing the Reverend Anne Barker as your settled minister here at Westwood,
it is a great time to reflect on how shared ministry is alive and well in your congregation.
What does 'shared minstry' mean to us and why is it a fundamental way to approach living in our world today?
Speaker: Rev. Meg Roberts
Service Leader: Elaine Roberts
Musician: Sheila Killoran
Saturday, October 24, 2009 - Rev. Anne Barker's Installation Ceremony
This all-ages celebration is sure to be the event of the season!
The Installation Ceremony for Rev. Anne Barker will be
at Enterprise Square (downtown: 10230 Jasper Ave).
There will be an all ages reception & family dance from 7 pm to 11 pm.
Everyone is welcome! (RSVP not required.)
Please see complete details in the Invitation.
Speaker: Rev. Meg Roberts
Musicians: Harmonia led by Rebecca Patterson
& accompanied by Sheila Killoran
Sunday, October 18, 2009 - Nobody's Perfect
A gift of Unitarian Universalist community is living and learning among thoughtful unique individuals. A challenge of UU community is living and learning among thoughtful unique individuals. Join us for this seriously funny service - stay for lunch and the Committee on Shared Ministry workshop that follows.
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service Leader: Jennifer Froese
Musicians: Harmonia led by Rebecca Patterson
& accompanied by Sheila Killoran
**Lunch & workshop "Nobody's Perfect ... Now What?!" follows the service**
Sunday, October 11, 2009 - Thanksgiving ... or not?
In this political, economic and medical climate of doubt and uncertainty ... what can we count on sufficiently to be grateful for this year?
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service Leader:
Musician: Havelock Thompson
** 'Second Sunday Potluck Lunch' follows the service**
Sunday, October 4, 2009 - Angels Among Us - Honouring Aboriginal Women
Muriel Stanley-Venne, President and founder of the Institute for Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) and recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General's Award will speak about her long-standing work advocating for human rights, dignity and a better quality of life for Aboriginal Women.
Speaker: Muriel Stanley-Venne
Service leader: Jakalin MacGregor
Musican: Joel Crichton
September 27, 2009 - Completing the Circle
We practice shared ministry here at Westwood. This service is based on a workshop I co-led at the Canadian Unitarian Council Annual Conference and Meeting in May, 2009, where we focussed on a process for reviewing a congregation's ministry. The operative questions are: "How are we doing? What might we do better? Where do we shine?"
Speaker: Elaine Roberts
Service Leader: Lorian Kennedy
Musician: Havelock Thompson
After the service there will be lunch & activities relating to the Children's Programs at Westwood. Everyone is welcome & families are especially encouraged to join in on the fun.
September 20, 2009 - Canadian Theology
Is Canadian Theology different? Does 'Canadian Unitarian Universalist' mean something important - or are we just 'Unitarian Universalists' located in Canada?
Speaker: Rev. Anne Barker
Service Leader: Christine Lesiak
Musicians: Harmonia led by Rebecca Patterson
& accompanied by Sheila Killoran
September 13, 2009 - Ingathering Sunday: Water Communion
Join us for the first regular Sunday of the season, where we install our new Board of Trustees,
share stories of our summer experiences and reconnect for the coming year. You are invited to bring
water from your summer travels, or mementos to place on the chalice table.
Caution: this service tends to run long.
Service Leaders: Westwood Board & Rev. Anne Barker
Musician: Joel Crichton