East Shore Unitarian Sermons (Bellevue, WA)

**NOTE: Time Change and Online Only!** Join us live from Seabeck with a service streamed from our annual All-Church Retreat!

Join us on Sunday May 11th to celebrate Mother's Day and Flower Communion: We celebrate all kinds of moms because love makes a family! Please bring a flower to add to the community vase. Created by Rev. Norbert Čapek, the Flower Communion tradition invites congregants to bring a flower to church. The flowers represent the beauty and unity of our church community. Following the service, each person takes a flower from the vase—a different one than they brought. [Don't worry, we'll have extra flowers for everyone to participate in the ceremony]

Star Trek has provided a richly wonderful source of imagination and speculative exploration ever since the first series aired in 1966. This has been followed by Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, countless Star Trek movies and, more recently, Picard and Strange New Worlds. Each series and movie explores the nature of what it means to be human, what it means to explore, and often, what it means to forge supportive communities. This service will boldly go where no service has gone before, inviting us all to look to the stars! Dress up as your favorite Star Trek character!

We celebrate Earth Day with a Dirt Communion. Bring a little bit of your dirt. A little bit of the soil where you find your peace, find your power, find your joy. Maybe from your garden, from your playground, from your favorite hiking trail. Maybe from the resting place of someone or something you loved. There's power in all that. On Earth Day, we'll share our dirt with this community of faith, and trust that we will do something miraculous and transformative with it. Please join us in our very own dirt communion! After the service, join us for an Easter Potluck!

One of the creators of modern American theological liberalism, Sophia Lyon Fahs was also the progenitor of American Unitarian religious education as a modern theological science of human emotions. For more than 80 years as a professional educator, practical theologian, and author, Fahs strove to create a theology that restored human emotions and human experience to their rightful place as foundational building blocks for an enlightened liberal faith.

Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people and celebrate their lives and contributions. Our Guest Speaker will be J Mase III, a Black/Trans/queer poet & educator. He's the author of And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer's Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death as well as White Folks Be Trippin': An Ethnography Through Poetry & Prose. Winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Non-Fiction and a Creative Capital Award, he is co-director of the documentary, The Black Trans Prayer Book and is finishing Is Your God a Violent God? Finding a Theology for Survivors. Masks are required for the Workshop and will be provided.

There's so much we have to do every day about which we really don't have much choice. But it may be that our satisfaction in doing all of those things depends on how we hold them. Rev. Eric Kaminetzky will be preaching.

Come celebrate Nowruz, the Persian festival of the new year at East Shore! 'Nowruz' means 'new day' in Fārsī, and coincides with the spring equinox. This joyous festival has been celebrated for thousands of years, and is celebrated today by millions of people across the world. East Shore musical talent Misha Domirani will bring us his experiences of Nowruz and help lead a festive, musical colorful service! 

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge gender equality. Let us join a worldwide call to acknowledge the discrimination and challenges faced by women, to be in solidarity with all women, including trans women, and to work together to create a more inclusive society.

Join us as we celebrate Mardi Gras with joyous music and a special shoebox Mardi Gras parade by our RE kiddos. Come and sing along to "When the Saints Go Marching In" and give yourself the gift of joy. In these stressful times, we all need a respite from the news and to embody joy as resistance. 

The majority of people come to church because a friend invited them. Your friends trust you to bring them to a place where they will be warmly welcomed, no matter where they are on their spiritual journey, or how they identify in terms of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or age. We invite you to bring a friend to church for a celebratory worship service with lots of music and the opportunity to be among the wonderful people of East Shore.

Universalist Clara Barton is best known for her work in organizing nursing services during the Civil War and, later, founding the American Red Cross. She did not start this work until she was over 40. The Clara Barton Sisterhood was created in her name as a way for local women's groups, congregations, and individuals to honor women aged 80 and over for their contributions to their congregations and communities. The morning's Share the Plate collection will go to Sophia Way. 

How can we practice love, explore spirituality, build community and promote justice? Allyship combines all four elements of our mission. This service is dedicated to exploring what allyship requires of us in practice. Come learn about the Duwamish Solidarity Group (DSG), a non-native group of volunteers who support the Duwamish tribe in a spirit of reconciliation and justice. East Shore has invited members of the DSG Outreach group to speak at our service that morning. Immediately after the service, enjoy coffee and snacks together with them as we explore how we might stand in solidarity with the Duwamish.

Join us as we celebrate 75 years of East Shore! Filled with music and stories, we will reflect on the past and look forward to another 75 years! Rev. Dr. María Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa will be preaching.

Join the Nominating Committee members as they share their experiences. We will reflect on the importance of leadership development, focusing on developing skills in community building, social justice advocacy, and spiritual guidance, aligning with the core values of the Unitarian Universalist faith.

Our very own Board of Trustees Members will share with us the gifts they bring and receive by serving on the Board. 

Join us for a lovely candlelight service with carols and readings that convey the spirit of Christmas.

Join us for a heartwarming, family-friendly Christmas Eve service designed for children of all ages. Through carols, storytelling, and candlelight, we'll celebrate Christmas, the peace it brings, and the miracles we share as a community. Let this service be a blessing that restores our sense of hope and togetherness.

Join us for a service filled with inspirational music and readings that reaffirm and celebrate our commitment to social justice. Let us gather in hope and strength to celebrate our Social Justice Ministry Teams and our Community Partnerships. 

In the wake of the election results, we gather to reassure each other that we will continue to be a sanctuary for all who need refuge from persecution and fear. Now more than ever, we recommit ourselves to being a living sanctuary, especially if you are struggling with family dynamics. Join us to share comfort food in the company of warm and welcoming people. Together, we can get through the tough times and reignite the spark of hope and joy. Bring a friend. All are welcome!

Join our Indigenous Connections Ministry Team as we welcome Guest Speaker Phreddie Lane from the Lummi Nation. Phreddie will reflect on indigenous ceremonies, rituals, and social actions that are conducive to healing, such as the Annual Gathering of the Eagles. Our Share the Plate will benefit the Friends of the San Juans. 

Following the news of the election, we must remember we are not alone. Now is the time to be in community, to lay down our burdens, even if temporarily, and accompany one another through these difficult moments.

Join us to honor the memory of our dearly departed. We will begin to build our community altars in the Sanctuary on 10/29. You can also bring your photographs, flowers, and mementos on Sunday morning. Cecelia Hayes will be performing a special liturgical dance. “At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them. For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as we remember them.”

Join us as we celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights! Our friends Rhythms of India will join us again to lead us in joyous dancing. This joyful, vibrant service has become a yearly favorite East Shore tradition.

Inspired by the book What It Takes To Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change The World by Prentis Hemphill, we are invited to continue exploring paths towards healing from painful and unresolved conflict both individual and communal. The book guides us towards remapping our relationships and expanding our possibilities for authentic change within ourselves that can also transform and heal our communities. "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." James Baldwin.

Join us as we celebrate Indigenous People's Day and reaffirm our commitment to strengthen our connections with our indigenous neighbors. We recognize the impact of settler colonialism. We lift up indigenous ways of knowing to guide us in building the Beloved Community and practice being in right relationship with Mother Earth and all our relatives.

Join us for our annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony. You are invited to bring your pets so they can receive a blessing (please ensure they are on a leash or in a carrier). If your animal companions have crossed over the rainbow bridge, please bring their photo so we can honor their memory. Bring your favorite stuffed animals or puppets to the Blessing of the Animals for a joyful Stuffy and Puppet Parade at the beginning of worship!

Our congregation is joining UUs across the land to revive our commitment to climate justice. Together with our peers, all of us will learn new climate justice frameworks and weave together the threads of our deepest commitments.

Join us as we hear from Vivian Hao, the documentarian who produced Invisible No More: Asian Pacific Islanders in Unitarian Universalism. Filmed and edited in six U.S. cities, including East Shore, over the last two years. This project is the result of a long-held dream that Unitarian Universalist congregations would have a tool to reach unchurched people of color, especially Asian Pacific Islanders in major metro areas. Through the generous support of the UU Funding Program, the Pacific Western Region, key congregations and individuals, Vivien Hao interviewed API UUs about their experiences in our faith and their dreams for the future. What they say may surprise you! After, stay for a screening of the film and a Q&A and a potluck lunch. Childcare provided.

Join us in celebrating the women in our lives who inspire and challenge us to continue forging new paths for ourselves, each other, and the generations to come. Who are the powerful and wise women in your life? Come celebrate them! This service is a collaboration of Rev. Maria Cristina and our Women's Perspective Team. Please come prepared to donate to the Share the Plate benefitting The Sophia's Way: A place of hope and change for women on their journey from homelessness to safe and stable living. Women who come to the shelters find a warm, safe space to shower, rest, and sleep and are served nourishing food. Following the guiding principles of trauma-informed care, case managers partner with the women to support their physical, mental, and financial well-being.

What can gardens teach us about caring for the Earth and caring for our souls through nature-based spiritual practices? Join us for an inspiring, community-building, seed-planting ritual service guided by these poetic words: "You are the gardener of your life, tend to what you wish to grow, bloom and fruit. Water it with your time, feed it with your love and warm it with your heart." ~Brigit Anna McNeill

Amanda Strombom, East Shore member and President of the nonprofit Vegetarians of Washington for 20 years, will lead us in an exploration of how we can put our UU values into practice through the choices we make every day on what foods to eat. After the service, Amanda will host a cooking demonstration and coffee and vegan treats will be provided in Spring Hall in the Education Building.

A number of us grew up in religious traditions that encouraged us to see ourselves as broken, flawed, sinful or as downright 'abominations.' Leaving these institutions is one thing; untangling the knots we have tied around our souls can take years. Join Director of Music Eric Lane Barnes in a bright and liberating service that helps shine a light on how to heal from toxic theology.

We recognize that there are many paths to the sacred. We hold fast to the notion that one religion does not hold all the truth for all time, not even Unitarian Universalism. We maintain that a free, open, and respectful dialogue is one of the primary ways our theological perspectives evolve and grow. We affirm the power of Love to heal what is broken and to hold us together across pluralities of diverse religious practices and beliefs.

Myth is something that everyone can touch, something that one hears and says “Yes, I have lived that, I know what that feels like.” It explains a common experience of life that is universal to everyone that has ever lived. The story of Eve is one of spiritual searching and awakening, passed down to us all. Ed Borroff will be speaking.

Come celebrate the profound impact of love as a binding force that transcends boundaries and divisions! A new statement of shared UU values placing love at the center was adopted at the largest annual gathering of UUs worldwide, known as General Assembly, this past June. The new stated values of the faith are: Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, Generosity, centered around Love. Hear more about the evolutionary new values and other conversations that took place on Gender-Expansive Rights and the Middle East from those who attended.

Few things are as connecting and freeing as singing together. Join Director of Music Eric Lane Barnes for a sing-along service on July 14! We will sing hymns from our hymnals as well as several UU-friendly songs projected on the screen. If you would like to have a non-hymnal song considered for inclusion please contact Eric before July 7 at music@esuc.org.

Caroline Haessly will lead the congregation in laughter exercises and present ways to bring more joy, love and gratitude into your life. Laughter is a universal language and need not be solely based on humor. Scientific research has shown that laughter has physiological and emotional benefits. It also eases stress and builds rapport. Like mindfulness meditation, laughter practice is a way of being in the moment.

Just like flower communion but with books! Bring a book, take a book. We're inviting a couple of people to participate in the service by reading a passage from their favorite book.

Join us this Sunday, June 9th, for East Shore's annual UU Children and Youth Bridging worship. It is an amazing ritual and worship for everyone in your family to join in on. It's also a special Sunday to thank the adults leaders who guide and mentor children and youth each and every Sunday. We'll be featuring voices from our community and counting the blessings and gratitude to one another among us. All are welcome!

Happy Pride! Welcome to this joyful celebration! Bring your whole LGBTQIA+ selves and if you are an ally/co-conspirator, bring your joy to celebrate our fabulous Queer community. Because Joy and activism are part of our resistance against injustice and anti-trans legislation. We will also share our offering plate with Lambert House.

East Shore is richly blessed with a diversely musical community. This service celebrates many of our musical members and guests, from the East Shore Mighty Choir to the East Shore All Stars (featuring John Chmaj, Noel Barnes, Tom Ball, George Gatins and more) to violists Barb Clagett and Rafael Howell. Several special musical guests will appear this service - we want to keep them a surprise! Come celebrate life with song and exaltation!

Please join us in welcoming Rev. Karen Van Fossan. UU Minister and author of “The Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector” Rev. Van Fossan takes readers behind the scenes of the Dakota Access Pipeline conflict, to penitentiaries where prisoners of war have carried the movement onward, to the jail cell where she was held for protesting Line 3, to a reimagining of decolonized family constellations, and to moments of collective hope and strength.

During the month of May, East Shore will celebrate our partnership with the Khasi people, who live in the rain-blessed hills of Meghalaya, India. On May 5th we will dedicate our worship service to the bond that East Shore has with these Unitarian friends.

What would it look like if we opened the doors to East Shore with love? How can that change the way people feel welcomed and help us all move in our journey of becoming a beloved community. We will also be welcoming new members into our community! 

Join our Climate Action Ministry Team in collaboration with our Religious Education participants in celebrating Mother Earth with interactive art making, joyful music, and inspirational messages.

How do we adapt to the changing world? How do we collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically? Transformation is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect. At the heart of our Unitarian Universalist movement is Transformation: A value that challenges us to both personal and collective change.

Images hold power. They shape and inform how we perceive the world. They also influence how we treat people around equity, accessibility and inclusion. Join us as we learn to break down societal barriers in order to break through, break open and break free into a more expansive, liberated world for people of all abilities.

Join us in celebrating Easter, Ostara, and the amazing Trans siblings in our lives! Easter and Ostara celebrate new life, the Resurrection, and Spring. TDOV celebrates the joy and resilience of trans and non-binary people everywhere by elevating voices and experiences from these communities.

Join Rev. Maria Cristina and members of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) as we explore the rituals of making home altars as a healing spiritual practice.

Join us in celebrating International Women's Day by imagining and helping to create a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. Together we can celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity. Also during the service, join us for a very special Blessing of the Children ceremony followed by an ice cream social!