Minister's Message ~ Abolish ICE

Renee Good wasn't the first person to be killed by Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and without immediate abolition of ICE she won't be the last, but her death, caught on camera, seems to have woken many in this country up to the senseless violence embedded in our current system of US immigration enforcement.

To read the Minister's Message including invitations to participate in a faithful response to ICE violence, visit our website at: 

https://saltwaterchurch.org/ministers-messages/#10jan26

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

A Message From the Board



Dear Saltwater Congregation,

In December 2025, Pat Montgomery tendered his resignation, and we accepted it from our Board of Directors. We now have a vacancy, and in compliance with our bylaws, we are working with our Nominating Committee to find a replacement Director to complete Pat's term until the end of the church year in June 2026.

Board Directors must be church members in good standing for at least one year. Anyone who meets this criteria and is interested in serving the church in this capacity, please reach out to our Nominating Committee and let them know. They are Anjali Lopez, Grace Honore, and Kathy Jorgenson. A selected Director can opt to either fill the role for the limited remainder of the term - ending June 2026, or they can run for Board election to serve their own three-year term. Elections will be held at the June 2026 Congregational Meeting.

The Board of Directors wishes to thank Pat for his service and wishes him well.

Very truly yours,

GG(galenguffy)

President,

Saltwater Church Board of Directors

Upcoming Events

Click on SEE OUR SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS for a comprehensive list of the activities during the next 2 weeks.

Saltwater Spiral Walk through Jan 12

first half of January

In Person Church Grounds

Our Spiral Walk to welcome the New Year will remain available for those who wish to take a moment of reflection through a meditative jaunt among the branches for the first 2 weeks of January.

Stance for Racial Justice

January 11th 12:30 - 1:30pm

Possible Change of Location

As we find reasons and ways to protest this weekend we may reconsider where we stand to protest. Our normal Stance for Racial Justice will be considering where best our protesting energy can be used. Confirm location with Amanda at acradak@gmail.com

Social Change Now Book Study

January 29, Feb 12 and 26th. 6-7:30pm

Zoom Room

As UUs, many of us are deeply concerned about the unprecedented crisis we see in our country! We don't want to be bystanders but are unsure how we fit into work for social change.

The Worship service on September 24 introduced you to Deepa Iyer's concept of the Social Change Ecosystem. Starting in January, join Amanda and Colette as we examine our possible roles more deeply through study of Deepa Iyer’s book, Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection.

Contact Amanda, acradak@gmail.com, with any questions.

Click here for more information and to register on Realm : Social Change Now Book Study

Stronger Together Annual Giving Drive Planning Meeting

Saturday January 17, 11:00pm - 12:00pm

Church Zoom Room



You're invited to revisit Rev. Alison's short homily on the annual giving drive from last year, and if you're inspired by her invitation, please join the Stronger Together Annual Giving Drive team by joining our first meeting Saturday at 11am or by contacting Rev. Alison to let her know you're interested if you can't make the meeting.

Do You Have Pictures From Saltwater Activities or Events?

We are collecting pictures of Salties in community...at events, gatherings, services, rallies...

The pictures will be used to show the rest of the congregation and our wider community what it means to be part of our community and how we enjoy and enrich one another.

Please send the pictures to: Miriam Woito 

Tabletop Game Night and Magic:The Gathering

Saturday January 17, 6:00pm - 9:00pm

In Person - Welcoming Room

Join us for Game Night and Magic: The Gathering Tournament on Jan 17. Bring a favorite game to share. If you wish to try out a new game, we have a wide selection to choose from. The Magic tournament is open to all skill levels. We also have a prize and premade decks for learning on.

Our Successful Giving Tree

A Giant Giving Tree Thank You!

Every year, Saltwater Church provides holiday gifts for Mark Twain Elementary students & siblings who are most in need. This year we served 50 children! We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to all the shoppers, donators, packagers, and delivery drivers. This year our congregation was generous and we were able to provide $30 gift cards for groceries to each family in addition to the gifts for the children. 

If you would like to join us in coordinating this event next year, speak with Margaret Young-Weitzel or Judy Featherstone.

Upcoming Events

Whistle Kit Making

Saturday January 24, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Saturday February 28, 10:00am - 12:00pm

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".

Seabeck Spring Retreat

May 29-31 2026

This Year's Retreat date has changed we are going away to Seabeck in late May! Another change coming this year is a sliding scale for our registration. More information coming.

We will be having a raffle fundraiser in Feb. Three handcrafted items will be up for raffle. Watch for details coming soon!

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.

A Way To Help Flood Victims

The Seattle Federation is a member of the group Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (WAVOAD), which is comprised of nonprofit organizations which support Washington state's emergency management response. Through WAVOAD, the state requested volunteers from member communities to help staff temporary shelters supporting those who have been displaced by the recent flooding. The Red Cross is organizing that effort, and they’ve asked for volunteers to call 1-800-RedCross to be directed where to go. Anyone interested should call that number. 

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.

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



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 January, CLICK HERE.

Share The Plate for January

International Rescue Committee

During January our Sunday Collection will be shared with International Rescue Committee, a social services organization located in SeaTac, WA. To learn mor about this organization go to their website at: https://www.rescue.org/united-states/seattle-wa.

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.

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.

Worship

We offer worship in two ways: in-person multi-platform service held in our sanctuary and online in our Church Zoom Room at 10:30am. Doors and Zoom open at 10:15am. To join the Church Zoom Room go to: SaltwaterChurch.org/calendar/zoom-room/. Please visit our website for detailed information about our upcoming services. CLICK HERE

Check out our 2025 Saltwater Worship Services YouTube playlist to revisit some of the inspiration our minister, community, & guests have offered us during the last year. As we move into 2026, we hope to keep up with posting the sharing portion of our Sunday services to the Saltwater UU Minister YouTube channel regularly throughout the year. Visit the channel any time for a bit of inspiration.

Monthly Theme for January: Practicing Resistance

For Unitarian Universalists, resistance is a necessary practice of our faith, because we live in a world where our core values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence and Generosity, with Love at the center of them all, these values which serve as our guiding stars are constantly denied by the systems in which we live.

READ MORE HERE

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 Jan 2026 Practicing Resistance." When you click that link, the packet will be downloaded to your device as a PDF.

Upcoming Services

January 11 The Power of Disrupters

Director of Faith Formation & Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland

January 18 Resisting Christian Nationalism

Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland

Questions about Children's and Youth Programming? Contact our Director of Faith Formation, Jessica Nash: dffsaltwater@gmail.com. To join the Faith Formation Zoom Room go to: https://zoom.us/my/saltwaterfaithformation.

In The Lighthouse

Jan 11th: We will be exploring DISRUPTION at our Faith Formation Sunday Service. What a fantastic way to start our year, with a little disruption! This is a service that will be filled with fun and help us look at disruptions in a new way.

This service each month (on the second Sundays) will be a service developed specifically for all ages. We will bring more active content to our service. We will also have an opportunity to exit during the longer speaking part to play a game in the welcome room (or outside).

Parents Facebook Group 

You can also connect with other Saltwater Church families with children and youth for support through the Parents Facebook group: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SUUCFamilyMatters/   

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 pencil and has "add special instructions to the seller." Please click on those words to specify “pledge” or your desired purpose. It will help our treasurer get money into the right places if that line is filled in. If you have any questions please email or call our treasurer Gaye Greeves at gnatfw@aol.com or 253-508-3961.  

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)