RVUUC offers a variety of adult classes and discussion groups throughout the year. Here’s what is happening this month.
Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 3:30 to 5:00 the Rainier UU Center is alive with laughter, fun, and studious effort as Yesler Terrace Vietnamese residents practice their English. Participants have formed themselves into three groups at different levels of proficiency. Some have a bit of fluency already and have been able to share great stories about interesting pasts and former professions. Friendships are fast forming between volunteers and participants. If you are free to help on Mon and Wed afternoons and have a yen for a highly creative activity replete with warm fuzzies, please talk with Mona Lee.
What are some of the human impacts of changing land use and housing? Post WWII booming suburbs and abandoned inner cities are now being replaced by difficult issues of urban gentrification, private vs. public development, public/private partnerships, and more. On May 2 at 7 pm, the Rainier UU Center hosts a screening and discussion of the recent social justice documentary Chocolate City. “Through the experiences of four women, Chocolate City tells the story of 400 Washington DC residents being forced from their homes due to rising property costs and reconstruction.” Sponsored by the RVUUC Social Justice Committee.
Come early at 6:30 for coffee, conversation, and dessert. The forum is free but donations to cover building usage are appreciated. For childcare, RSVP to Dick Burkhart.
Come to the newcomer table after the May 4 service (around 11:45 am). It’s a chance to meet new friends, share some of your own spiritual and not-so-spiritual interests, and learn a bit about RVUUC.
For a good introduction to UUism, watch the Voices of a Liberal Faith video in the Visitors section of the UUA’s website.
Since February, RVUUC and the Yesler Terrace Community Council have been sponsoring a series of workshops to help Yesler residents find out about their rights and engage in the redevelopment process. The next activity is a potluck dinner for Yesler Terrace neighbors on May 3. The goal is to come together and talk about strategies for getting our concerns heard and our needs met during the Yesler Terrace redevelopment process. Everyone from RVUUC is invited, whether you’re there to talk about redevelopment or just to break bread, injera, rice, and more with our Yesler Terrace neighbors. For more info or to help with hosting, talk with Rosemary Adang, Mike Wold, or Kristin O'Donnell.
Greeters and ushers do a great deal to help the congregation welcome friends and visitors alike and keep our Sunday mornings going smoothly. It’s an easy, low-stress, but important job for a friend or member of the congregation to take on, and we are providing a training session on Sun, May 4 at 12:30 pm. Some of our stalwart greeters and ushers have been doing it for years, going on decades now (!), and would enjoy a break. Please think about staying after service on May 4 and learning more about this vital, friendly activity! Questions? Talk with Linda Anderson, Angelee Dion, Mel Warn, or Lisa Maynard.
The Spiritual Reading Group meets on the first Monday of the month from 7 to 8:30 pm at various homes. On May 5 we will meet at Roseanne’s, to discuss The Universe is a Green Dragon, by Brian Swimme, physicist and associate director of the Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality. In this book Swimme provides a wonderful example of the blending of fact and meaning in the context of the cosmic story. Please bring suggestions for June 2 (criteria: fiction or nonfiction, spiritual theme, easy reading, can be discussed in one or two meetings). Hot water and tea bags will be provided. For location contact RVUUC office.
The next monthly RVUUC Young Adult affinity group will meet on Sun, May 11, at 6 pm for potluck and discussion. Please contact Andrew Ball to be added to the email list. Location and directions as well as the evening’s theme will be emailed to the list by the session’s hosts. If you are between 18 and 35, or are fairly close, please join us for spiritual exploration and growth … and good food!
The Diversity Committee has been leading the congregation along the path to become certified as a Welcoming Congregation by the UUA’s office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs. With their guidance and efforts, RVUUC has updated our by-laws (in May 2007), conducted training, and worked through 13 other steps. The final step is for the congregation to vote to become a Welcoming Congregation, which we will do at the Annual Meeting on May 18.
What does it mean to be a Welcoming Congregation? According to the UUA: A Welcoming Congregation is inclusive and expressive of the concerns of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender persons at every level of congregational life—in worship, in program, and in social occasions, welcoming not only their presence but the unique gifts and particularities of their lives as well. A Welcoming Congregation celebrates the lives of all people and their ways of expressing their love for each other.
Please plan to attend the Annual Meeting, after service on May 18, to help move the congregation forward on this important issue! If you have questions, speak with Liz Bucklew, Sian Wiltshire, or any member of the Board.
The Diversity Committee is dedicated to supporting all aspects of the congregation in its efforts to foster multicultural awareness, services, and membership. Current projects include working with the International District Housing Association to host English language talk-time groups for Vietnamese seniors as well as working with the Yesler Terrace Community Council to host a series of workshops to help community members understand how to get involved meaningfully in the democratic process. We are also working through the steps to become an official Welcoming Congregation (GLBT-friendly) of the UUA. For more info, talk with Rosemary Adang.
Are you a closet Spanish-speaker? Or do you want to learn? Join us at our Spanish-language table at potluck on the last Sunday of the month! Perhaps none of us will be fluent (and maybe some of us hardly speak the language at all), but we can all help each other learn. Bring a dictionary if you have one! Talk to Mike Wold for more info, or if you’re interested but won’t be here that Sunday.
The choir is open to all members and friends who love to sing. We rehearse most Thursdays from 7:15 to 9 pm. Please note that there is no rehearsal on May 15. If you have questions about choir, talk with Kathleen.
Wed, May 7 — Board of Trustees, 11 am
Fri, May 9 — Social Justice annual planning meeting and potluck at Beth B's, 6:30 pm
Mon, May 12 — Membership & Publicity, 7 pm
Mon, May 19 — Diversity, 7 pm
Wed, May 28 — Services & Celebrations, 7 pm
Meetings are open to all members and friends of RVUUC. Unless noted otherwise, meetings are held at the Rainier UU Center (835 Yesler Way).
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