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Saltwater Church is an intentionally inclusive, spiritually progressive,
justice seeking community of all ages, serving South King County since 1954.
| | Saltwater Church Newsletter April 17, 2026 | | |
To view our complete calendar of events on our website, click here.
If you wish to schedule an event, click here to fill out a request form.
| Click on SEE OUR SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS for a comprehensive list of the activities during the next 2 weeks. | | |
ROAD CLOSURE
Sunday April 14th - May 26
The City of Des Moines will be doing some infrastructure updates under 16th Avenue begining April 14th. They anticipate the road will be colosed for through traffic beginning at the intersection of 16th Ave S. and 250th Street intersection, along 16th Avenue, and ending at the intersection of 16th Avenue and 14th Place South. This closure may impact your travel plans when attending activities at Saltwater. For additional details read the public announcement on the Waterland Blog here.
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Neurodiversity Peer Support Circle
Saturday April 18, 11:00am-12:00pm
Church Zoom Room
New at Saltwater! This peer support circle is facilitated by Rev. Alison for adults under the neurodiversity umbrella to share the joys & challenges of living in a world that wasn't designed with your brain in mind. Meeting monthly on the 3rd Saturday at 11am in the Church Zoom Room.
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Magic The Gathering !!DRAFT!! - Edge of Eternities
Sunday April 19, following service
$20 donation encouraged
In Person - Lighthouse
Do you play Magic The Gathering? If so, join us for a standard Draft of the new set, Edge of Eternities.
A Magic: The Gathering draft is a "Limited" format where players each open booster packs, selecting one card at a time and passing the remainder, to build a 40-card deck. This will enable everyone to have a deck to play with. Come learn more about this game and enjoy the surprise of a draft!
Some experience recommended- drafting will be challenging for first-time players, but everyone will take home cards. Please let Amanda Radak know if you'll be attending so we can be certain to have enough cards available for everyone.
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Military Conscientious Resistance and Draft Counseling
Saturday April 25, 9am - Noon
In Person - Saltwater Sanctuary
Members of the Saltwater UU Community helped support Conscientious Objector and family physician Karl Riecken, DO in his journey to obtain an Honorable Discharge from the United States Air Force.
Join him and his attorney, Mr James Branum, as they give back to the church community through a shared breakfast, telling of the story of the conscientious objection, and learning more about military conscientious resistance including to a potential draft. Everyone is welcome, but if you were part of Karl's support network, this event is especially for you!
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Whistle Kit Workshop
Saturday April 25, 10am - 1:pm
In Person - Welcoming Room
We will be working as a team to make "Whistle Kits" to be distributed throughout local neighborhoods. These kits are part of an organized effort to assist our communities in standing together against ICE agent activity. To read more about this non violent form of activism, read this link to a South Seattle Emerald article titled "A Fistful of Loud".
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Church Retreat - HOUSING INFO
RESERVE NOW
Seabeck Retreat Center
Our spring retreat is coming up May 29-31. Housing registration opens April 5th. There will be a table after service in the welcome room. Cost an issue? Come for our main day on Saturday only! Carpooling available. Economy options: SATURDAY ONLY $53 (includes 3 meals) SATURDAY ONLY $12 (no meals, pack a lunch) Jessica Alexander has the sign up for workshops led by YOU! Teach us your favorite hobby or sport. What are you passionate about? Contact her at jazz.itup@live.com.
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First Aid Training for Community Care
REGISTER NOW
In Person - Welcoming Room
Register now for our May 9th First Aid for Community Care training, and feel free to invite your friends from within or outside of the Saltwater Church community, this event is open to all.
We'll learn child & adult CPR including AED operation plus basic first aid with Barb Lawson. Barb’s decades of experience as a first responder make her trainings memorable and informative, and her work is deeply inspired by her own faith and values. $50 payable to Barb at the class, please register ahead of time to help her prepare. REGISTER HERE
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Online UU 101 with Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland
REGISTER NOW
TBD - Church Zoom Room
Interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and Saltwater Church? Considering becoming a member? Then contact Rev. Alison to sign up for her next online Saltwater UU 101 Class, held via Zoom, date and time TBD depending on availability of everyone who wants to participate!
| Save The Date & Future Events | | |
Celebrating Beltane Fire Circle - May 3
Bubba will prepare our chalice fire for all who wish to gather around in honor of Beltane. Foster Connection by practicing one of humanity's oldest tradition. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join us following Sunday's service.
First Aid for Community Care May 9, 2026 9:00am - 12:00pm
Our Saltwater leadership and safety team will be hosting first aid training. Everyone is welcome to attend, be it your first training or a refresher course. Watch future newsletters for additional information.
Seabeck Spring Retreat May 29-31, 2026
The Annual Retreat date has changed! This year we are going away to Seabeck in late May! If you are curious to know what our "retreat" is all about, check out the Annual Retreat page on our website under the "Community" drop down menu or at SaltwaterChurch.org/annual-retreat/ and watch our newsletters for further information about this year's programming during the upcoming months.
SWUUC Leadership Convening June 6, 2026 10:00am - 12:00pm
Please join the Saltwater Board of Directors for an informative session where church leaders and those interested in church leadership will: *receive important training in Realm for managing and coordinating your volunteer groups. *get a look at our new Organizational Chart. *learn about drafting, revisioning, and updating church policies that are relevant to your and your teams' volunteer engagement here at Saltwater. All are welcome and we are looking forward to seeing you. Let Jessica Nash know if you need childcare for this event.
Stronger Together Auction & Ware June 20, 2026
Join us for our annual auction and help support our community.
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To view our complete calendar of events on our website, click here.
If you wish to schedule an event, click here to fill out a request form.
| | From the UUA Board President | | |
From The Saltwater UU Church Board President
Dear Saltwater Friends,
The Saltwater Board of Directors had our most recent monthly meeting last month on March 25th. Here are some highlights:
- The Board discussed the concept of consensus since this is not outlined in our Bylaws. In the coming months we will be developing a Board definition of consensus for our decision making process.
- The Board approved the church contracting with BB Builders Pro to replace the Lighthouse front door to bring it up to the standards specified in our Pathways Enrichment Academy contract.
- The Board Governance Subcommittee will be convening to review the Ministerial Limitations Policy for specific wording and rules around operational spending and contracting.
- The Board has been working hard to prepare a presentation of our progress on the SMART Goals for Saltwater support that we identified and assigned ourselves at the beginning of the church year. We will deliver this during our Spring Leadership Convening on June 6, 2026 (please see announcement in this newsletter).
Our next Board meeting will be on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 6;30 pm in the Saltwater Church Zoom Room. These meetings are open to the Saltwater community. All are welcome to attend and find out what we will be working on next.
Very truly yours,
GG (galenguffy)
President, Saltwater Board of Directors
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Minister's Message
CLICK HERE to revisit some of the beautiful co-creations we made during March and this community's reflections on how we are Stronger Together. If you have already made your pledge of financial support for our 2026-27 fiscal year, THANK YOU! Your generosity makes us Stronger Together. And if you've been meaning to make your pledge all month, the time is now! Visit saltwaterchurch.org/stewardship/pledge/ to pledge your support today.
Ways to Reach Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland
Phone (voice only): 206.627.5119
Email: minister.swuuc@gmail.com
Appointment Scheduling: https://calendly.com/minister-swuuc
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Join A Serving Team
There is always something going on at Saltwater UU Church, which means there are always ways you can help in our success. Saltwater is YOUR community and we need your help making sure things run smoothly. Do you have a few hours a month that you could volunteer your services? Go here to view our website listing of all of our Serving Teams that could use your assistance. You can also express interest in joining a team through Realm Connect or email Administrator@SaltwaterChurch.org.
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We offer many opportunities to Foster Connection with others in our community. Every month we have groups that meet regularly for a variety of activities. You are invited to drop by and join in our fun. Some groups meet in person, some via Zoom, and some offer both.
Read our Community Activities for detailed information. CLICK HERE
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Saltwater has community groups that focus on ways we can Act for Justice. Our groups meet regularly and often offer activities for the community to engage.
To learn how you can Act For Justice
in April, CLICK HERE.
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Share The Plate for April
Earth Corps
DuringApril our Sunday Collection will be shared with the Federal Way Community Giving Center. To learn mor about this organization go to their website at: https://www.earthcorps.org/
For more information about our Share The Plate program, see our website at: https://SaltwaterChurch.org/share-the-plate/. If you would like to nominate a recipient for Share The Plate you may do so by completing this form.
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Monthly Theme for March: Embracing Possibility
Our SoulMatters theme this month is Embracing Possibility. Entertaining the belief that another world, another way, is possible…this practice is essential to making change. The next time you find yourself saying, “That’s impossible,” I want to encourage you to ask yourself why, to see if maybe you can shake off the constraints on your imagination and embrace a possibility that you hadn’t realize existed before. READ MORE
If you would like to read our monthly SoulMatters packet, you may find it in Realm Connect. Go to Groups and look for Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church. If you select that group you will see a Resources tab under which you will find a document titled "SoulMatters Apr 2026 Paying Attention" When you click that link, the packet will be downloaded to your device as a PDF.
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April 19 - Green Tara & Me
Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland
April 26 - For The Birds: Process Theology & Singing for Joy
Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland
| | Multigenerational Faith Formation | | |
April 19th:
We will be having fun and community in the Lighthouse this week. As weather permits we will have outside games available as well.
Nursery will be available.
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Pizza, Magic, and gathering.
August 19, 2026
In Person - Saltwater Youth Room
We are having a MAGIC the gathering games in the Youth room this Sunday. We will have Pizza and other games as well. This is a great time to gather us and talk about other activities that would be fun for YOU!
| | Support for Children, Youth, and Families | | |
Saltwater Community Facebook Group
You can also connect with other Saltwater Church members and friends by joining our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/168911169811664
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Childcare for Church Events
Childcare may be requested for any church activity at least one week in advance by contacting our Director of Faith Formation, Jessica Nash, at dffsaltwater@gmail.com. We will do our best to make accommodations whenever possible.
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Sign Up To Use Realm Connect NOW!
click here
Search your email for your invitation to Realm Connect
Thank you to all who have completed their Realm sign up. If you have not received your invitation, please search your email for "Join Our Online Community" as the subject line of an email sent from: notifications@onrealmmail.org.
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Saltwater Church Hours of Operation
With the exception of our minister, all of our staff are part-time employees. For this reason, it is best to set up an appointment if you will need assistance onsite with one of our staff. Contact information for our staff is as follows:
Minister - Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland, minister.swuuc@gmail.com
Congregational Administrator - Bubba, Administrator@SaltwaterChurch.org
Director of Faith Formation - Jessica Nash, dffsaltwater@gmail.com
Music Director - Tom Burt, Music@SaltwaterChurch.org
Sexton - Marc Cabanag, sexton.swuuc@gmail.com
Administrative appointments with Bubba can be arranged Monday through Friday via email. Bubba aims to have flexibility to accommodate any member's schedule. Phone messages are checked regularly but may take longer than desired to receive a response.
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How to Access the Church Zoom Room
To access Zoom, go to SaltwaterChurch.org/calendar/zoom-room/
and click on "To join a meeting-click here." You may also visit the main church webpage, select Zoom Room from the drop down menu under "news and events" on the top menu bar. If this is your first time using Zoom, follow the prompts to download the application to your computer.
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Saltwater Church Building
If you wish to plan an event please use our online request form: https://SaltwaterChurch.org/calendar/calendar-request/. All gatherings are asked to follow the current COVID-19 guidelines. If you are planning an activity outside of normal business hours you will need Security Access which can be requested by completing this form. If you have questions about the guidelines or need assistance email Bubba, our Congregational Administrator at Administrator@SaltwaterChurch.org. Contact Bubba or Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland if you are interested in renting our facilities.
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Donations to Saltwater Church
When making a donation on the church website (click here), please indicate where you want your donation to go. After entering the amount of your donation, if you select "Donate with a Debit or Credit Card" you will see a line which starts with a plus sign and has the message "add special instructions to the seller." Please click on those words to specify “pledge” or your desired purpose. It will help our Congregational Administrator get money into the right places if that line is filled in. If you have any questions please email Bubba at Administrator@SaltwaterChurch.org
| | Please Note: Announcements, updates, and additions to the newsletter must be received by noon Wednesday to be included in that week’s newsletter. Send your submissions to the website form (click here) | |
25701 14th Place South
Des Moines, WA 98198
(206) 651-7358
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