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May - Seasons of Growth
Upcoming Sunday Services
All services at 10:30 AM.
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Earthsongs
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Harmonia, Westwood's choir, will be presenting Earthsongs by David Brunner. Earthsongs is a group of three choral pieces whose texts speak of the wonders of nature and of the importance of protecting our home and environment. With Earth Day so close (April 22) and this month's theme of interdependence, it's the perfect time to sing out our love for planet Earth.
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Speakers: Harmonia members
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Musicians: Harmonia - led by Rebecca Patterson, accompanied by Sheila Killoran, piano, and Cassie Assiz-Few, oboe
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** Children begin downstairs **
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Growing into Myself through YouTube
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Alexis will be talking about her journey into what is now her full time career - hosting her YouTube Show 'Stump Kitchen' dedicated to limb difference, body diversity and vegan cooking, and the beautiful ways in which it has changed her life.
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Service Leader: Heather Maclean-Smith
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Musician: Sheila Killoran
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** Children begin upstairs - RealiTree Story **
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Growing Pains
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Does growth have to come with discomfort? Are 'growing pains' a necessary part of change? What do you think?
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Speaker: Reverend Anne Barker
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Service Leader: Carl Ulrich
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Musician: Rebecca Patterson
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** Children begin upstairs - Rainbow Story **
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** Our monthly "2nd Sunday Potluck" follows this service **
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150 Ways to Grow:
How You Can Make a Difference After the TRC and Canada 150
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Gwichyà Gwich'in historian Crystal Gail Fraser & Dr Sara Komarnisky co-authored #150 Acts of Reconciliation. This immensely popular resource has had over 60,000 unique views, won awards, and influenced Canadians to take a new approach to reconciliation in ways they never thought possible. Please join us in this adapted-for-Westwood presentation where Crystal Gail Fraser will talk about seasons of growth and how those are often uneasy and messy, but highly rewarding times.
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Speaker: Crystal Gail Fraser
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Service Leader: Sally-Ann Mowat
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**Children begin downstairs**
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What We Know
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We've covered a lot of ground this year. (Thank you for your thoughtful participation in the "Westwood ... What's Next?" process!) Join us for this special Sunday - where we take stock of the journey.
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Speaker: Reverend Anne Barker
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Service Leader: Dean Wood
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** Children begin downstairs **
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** This service includes a Member Recognition Ceremony **
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** Westwood's Annual Meeting follows this service **
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From the Minister’s Study…May 2019
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We are heading into one of my favourite times of year – when all the sprouts and buds appear, and the sweet bright greens begin to flood the landscape. Growth is evident EVERYWHERE!
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For many, this is nourishing and inspiring. Vegetable gardens are going in, flowers are once again an outside phenomenon, and the fields are full of kids and soccer and critters. But this can also be a challenging season. Many folks, especially teachers, students, church leaders – people whose ‘work year’ runs from September through June – can be feeling a little crispy.
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Any time we get to ‘the end of a year’, there is a double challenge: winding up the cycle you are finishing & preparing for the year to come. Just when you feel like you’ve used up your creativity and energy, you are expected to have that ‘home stretch burst’.
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Reverend Jake Morrill reminds us that it’s important to “Refresh for the Home Stretch”. If we pause, take some calming breaths, spend a few minutes setting a couple of ‘goals for the home stretch’, then rally our nourishing resources around us – this can bring the ‘growth’ back into spring, and ease the year-end crunch.
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What do you want to accomplish – before the end of the church year?
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What do you need in place – to begin the next year in good shape?
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What can you let go – for now – to release some of the pressure?
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Then, when we tap the resources that uplift and feed us, we give ourselves the burst we need to get through challenging times.
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Whose company gives you energy?
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Which music or artists lifts your spirits?
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What locations or activities revitalize you?
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Planning for renewal can make all the difference – and is a foundational element of growth. Take a little time, now, to nourish yourself … and enjoy this beautiful season.
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Sounding Board Notes
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Sounding Board for April 11, Westwood Unitarian board meeting.
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The theme of this month’s meeting was upcoming events for later this year such as:
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· - May 6: What’s Next”, final session featuring a summary of previous discussions
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- A look at how our current building fits our long-term plans
· - May 26: AGM is coming! Thank you to committees who have submitted reports
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o A reminder to other committees to file their annual reports as soon as possible. Congregational call for the Annual Meeting goes out during the first week of May.
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· June 14 / 15: Board retreat for retiring, returning or new board members
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· August 9-11: “Serving with Spirit” A CUC retreat held in Edmonton at Providence Centre
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o Serving with Spirit is a nurturing retreat for leaders focusing on renewal, reflection and growth
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· October 18-20: Western Regional Fall Gathering is co-sponsored by UCE and Westwood
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o Theme for this year is “Toward a Thriving Future”
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o All delegate sessions will be held at UCE
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o A combined Westwood/UCE service will take place at UCE on the Sunday
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o Board issued a call for proposals
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§ Please contact us with your ideas and suggestions for speakers or topics
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Other news: There will be a change to parking regulations in Parkallen starting in May. Daytime parking on 65 Avenue will be restricted to two hours during the week. Sunday parking will not be affected.
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The board was happy to affirm new members, Bob Allman, Margret Schubert and Daryl Williams.
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Next board meeting will be on May 6, 2019.
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Thank you to all who have pledged their support of Westwood for the next year July 1 2019-June 30 2020.
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It's also not too late if you haven't made your pledge yet, and just Imagine what Westwood could be if each and every one of our members and friends pledged their support.
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Every pledge matters, no matter the size. Small pledges add up and can make a meaningful difference.
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A gentle reminder to those who are continuing their pledge from last year, it really helps if you confirm.
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- the online pledge form,
- email stewardship@westwoodunitarian.ca or info@westwoodunitarian.ca
- drop a note in the box on the Westwood office door.
- snail mail works too! 11135-65 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6H 1W3
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Making it Easier to Give
”We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.“
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You may have spotted the signs around Westwood…
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We’ve been able to upgrade our “E-transfer” capacity so that
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it no longer requires a password to send Westwood a payment!
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There are all kinds of reasons why this is Good News:
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- Sunday Offering: For the folks who don’t carry cash – E-transfer is a quick and easy way to contribute. You can use the ‘Message’ box to let us know your tax receipt information (if you’re not already in the database or to tell us who you are (if you have a mysterious email address).
- Special Contributions: If you want to make a Special Contribution electronically – (separate from any regular ‘auto withdrawals’ you might have in place), you can make it with ease.
- No Cheques Required: If E-transfer is new to you, but you use online banking – This method can save you the cost and hassle of cheques.
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So … feel free to take out those phones at Offering Time …
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(or whenever you want to live tweet the service 😉)
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Westwood is working hard to make it easier to give!
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What's Next - Final Session May 5, 2019
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May 5, 12-3pm, is the home stretch!
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~ Lunch will be provided at noon ~
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Programming begins at 12:30 in the sanctuary.
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In this session there will be…
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- A brief recap of the process
- A reiteration of our goals
- A report on “What I’ve heard you say so far…”
- Recommendations for next steps … based on the report
- An opportunity to speak to the report & recommendations
- Time for congregational discussion & deliberation
The board of trustees will follow your lead, and use information from this meeting to help focus the Westwood Annual Meeting on May 26.
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Please do the following things in advance of May 5:
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- Review the documents. One contains the notes from the fall workshops, the other has notes from the spring workshops. Both begin with a brief review – then continue with notes from all your hard work.
- Reflect on the following topics – so that we can make decisions about how to move forward:
- Winter Solstice – what you would like to happen in 2019
- Your comfort level – re: size of projects & financial investments,
- Your availability – what are you realistically prepared to do, in the next 3 years? (Need a rest? please don’t sign up for a steering committee … Ready to share in leadership? please let us know!)
- Your passions – where does your heart, spirit and interest live?
If you are unavailable on May 5 – please send your thoughts or comments to the board, and they will bring them to the meeting. Board@WestwoodUnitarian.ca
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Following this event – I’ll send a detailed summary to the congregation – and your comments & reflections will continue to be welcome.
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Thank you for your thoughtful participation and your shared love of Westwood. Together, we are headed toward a thriving future.
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Sincerely, Rev Anne Barker
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New: Westwood Events Coordinator
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Westwood now has a new Events Coordinator (EC) role to help us plan ahead and coordinate our numerous and varied gatherings both at Westwood and at other venues. We want to have opportunities for people to gather as families or individuals and to spread the word more widely about what is coming up well ahead of time. Events might include Festive Friday gatherings (potlucks, games, art projects, knitting circles, etc.), dinners at participant’s homes, parties, chalice circles, large outreach events (e.g. Winter Solstice, Pride Parade), and other gatherings or workshops that the congregation deems of interest and worthy of investment.
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The EC will gather information on what would be of interest and coordinate with the board and relevant committees to plan an ongoing calendar. They will also recruit Westwoodians to short-term event committees. No events will be undertaken without a minimum of two committee members in addition to the EC.
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The EC will prepare protocols and marketing strategies relevant to varied types of events to make it easier to plan and advertise events and will build and update our list of marketing contacts. Some events will be free, others may involve a fee. Following events, the EC will report back to assist in future planning.
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Lisa Stein has thought up this exciting role and offered to be our EC for the next three years. It is our hope that at the end of this time the role will be well established and easier for future volunteers to maintain. We also anticipate that it will be easier to find keen volunteers for short-term committees with this foundational structure and a key coordinator in place. Hurray Lisa!
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Please make sure you keep her in the information loop when you are thinking about events. You can contact her at “ec@westwoodunitarian.ca” or contact her directly.
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A special invitation from the CUC
to young adults
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Gathered Here is a monthly online check-in and gathering for Canadian Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults.
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Join other UU 18-35 year olds on Zoom (a video-conferencing platform) for the sharing of joys and concerns, deeper check-ins, prayerful reflections, and an opportunity to process current events with a spiritually grounded community. Gathered Here generally takes place on the second Monday evening of each month at 5pm Pacific/ 6pm Mountain/ 7pm Central/ 8pm Eastern/ 9pm Atlantic. Search "Gathered Here" on the CUC website or on Facebook to find upcoming dates and login instructions.
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Contact: Casey Stainsby (casey@cuc.ca, Casey Stainsby CUC on Facebook or @yayasofcanada on Instagram)
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Canadian Unitarian Council
Annual Meeting
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Folks from Westwood are invited to attend the on line AGM of the Canadian Unitarian Council on May 11th from 11 am until 2:30 pm (Mountain Time). We will be using our new Smart TV Screen which will live stream the meeting. With a second computer we will be able to participate by speaking to motions and of course voting. Our two delegates will caucus with those present to make any final decisions on how to vote.
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Of the over one hundred delegates at the AGM, some 74 will be on line with us, so it should be exciting and interesting to see how the technology works!
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We will have food and coffee and tea and are planning for it to be a fun time.
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So join us at the Canadian Unitarian Council’s 2019 Annual General Meeting
The 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2019.
The Atrium at Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON, M5T 2C2.
There is no charge to attend the AGM, whether in-person or online.
Download and read the Updated Motions for the 2019 AGM
Read the Nominating Committee’s Report
The AGM is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 and will run from 11:00 am – 2:30 pm MT.
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Social Media
Cannot Be Successful Alone
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Our Friend Karen Bilida from the Unitarian Church of Edmonton composed the following post on social media. We have edited it to reflect a Westwoodian flavour and reprinted it below:
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Help us help communicate to the outside world what a great community we have and stay tuned to all the latest!
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Every comment, like, share, retweet, and invite helps us.
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Social Media is ever changing. It can sometimes be overwhelming with so many different platforms to reach out to through our computers and smartphones. We use a variety of social social media for a variety of tasks here at Westwood. We invite you to check these resources out and more importantly contribute to our web spaces. Doing so informs others of our activities, concerns and ideas, and provides a way for others to communicate back to us.
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Twitter is an online news social media application where users post messages known as Tweets. Get notified with the most up to date information on meetings and events happening in the community through our Twitter page! Feel free to follow, tag, share, and Tweet @WestwoodUU
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Facebook is a core social media platform and we have two applications. The first is the Westwood Facebook page for information, events, photos, and links to interesting posts on our and other web sites. We currently have 332 followers on our Facebook page, so log on, like our page, and see what's happening!
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In addition, we want a more causal place for interactions and announcements, concerns or complaints about everything Unitarian in Edmonton. UCE has established a Facebook group for all Edmonton Unitarians. The group is closed - meaning that spammers are kept at bay by making users request permission to join the group. The group is also "lightly moderated" meaning that posts are visible to members immediately but moderators are watching to remove blatantly commercial or other inappropriate posts. Please join this all Edmonton UU group!
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Social Media is not a replacement for coming to services, workshops and events, but another way of connecting with friends, people that are traveling, people that have moved to a location without a local congregation, people who are homebound and people like you!
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UCE's Annual Mammoth Garage Sale
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The Unitarian Church of Edmonton is holding their Annual Mammoth Garage Sale on Friday, May 3rd 8 am-6 pm and Saturday May 4th from 8 am-4 pm. Invite your friends and family members to come. Hot dogs and pop will be available for a nominal fee.
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If you have goods to contribute, we would be happy to receive them between Tuesday, April 23rd and Wednesday, May 1st,
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Good saleable items such as books, CDs, furniture, (no mattresses or stuffed furniture) toys, pictures, linens, tools, jewelry, collectibles, household items, sports equipment, etc. (Please no clothes, old TV’s or computers)
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Great New Publication -What We Wish People Knew about UUs
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The Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) has just released a 14 Page PDF pamphlet (with pictures) overviewing Canadian Unitarian Universalism. The report features quotes from UU ministers from across Canada. It covers 5 major themes noting believes, benefits, history and challenges of a faith community in a secular age.
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The document will be of interest to long term UUs, but perhaps more interesting to those new to, our not exactly sure, what a Canadian Unitarian congregation is all about. It will be great link for forwarding to a friend or relative
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April Artist of the Month:
Steve Ricketts: The Many faces of Grief
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I first became interested in photography in 2010 as a pre-retirement project and as a homage to my Dad, and I discovered that I enjoyed it immensely. I find myself drawn to photography because of its ability to tell a story without the use of words. One can write at length about a topic but a single image can be much more powerful.
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I’m self-taught; i.e. I have no formal training in photography or in art. I’m not exactly artistic. If anything, I’m the opposite; I’m a scientist by education and work, and I take a very scientific and logical approach to photography. I have learned a great deal by reading books by photographers, by traveling with other photographers and seeing what they do, and by taking photos. Lots of photos.
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The Many Faces of Grief
I am a landscape photographer at heart, and while I have achieved some success with my images, I wanted to push myself, to do something different. Thus, my project “The Many Faces of Grief”. I met with people 1-on-1 to hear their story of grief and how it has affected them. I then thought about how to create an image reflecting their story, one that would convey an emotion or feeling, something that would resonate with them.
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At the beginning of the project, I thought it would be about sadness (e.g. tears, a stoic face) but it evolved into something much more positive—people told me how their grief has made them more determined, stronger, and resilient. And how it has caused them to grow.
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I thank the participants in my project for putting their faith in me and being open. I hope that I’ve been able to capture their grief in a meaningful and thought-provoking way. It’s a very personal project, one that has pushed me as a photographer. And if you, the viewer, can identify with one of the images, then I will have achieved my goal.
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May 26: Is It on Your Calendar?
Westwood's Annual General Meeting is an essential event in our community life. Please plan to attend and participate. Lunch is provided.
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