East Shore Unitarian Sermons (Bellevue, WA)

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.