Minister's Musings

Tending the Ancestors

We drove on a narrow road, only recently paved. Rolling green hills spread out on either side of us. Lit by soft golden sun, low in the sky. Flocks of sheep in the distance, led by a shepherd, herded by working dogs. Off in the far distance were steep hills, not mountains exactly, but not rolling hills either. This was the landscape throughout Transylvania. Valleys with rolling hills surrounded a network of rivers and streams.

We travelled out into the countryside towards the hills in the distance. We maneuvered up the hill and pulled into a parking lot. We parked near the rest of the family members who I had met in the village earlier in the day. We walked into the cemetery together. Eight-foot squares were laid out along paths headed in every direction. In each square were a few gravestones. Some quite old and some quite new. At nearly every square—though not all—there was a family, tending the graves. 

I went with my host family to their burial plot. The women knelt and began to pull out old candles, half buried in the dirt. They picked up dead leaves and bits of trash. I knelt to help the women clean the grave. We pulled out weeds and dead grass. Then one of the kids trotted over with a little grass broom to sweep the graves clean. 

Someone showed up with a basket of flowers, a couple of potted plants, and tons of new candles. We laid out the candles in a geometric grid over the bodies buried in the dirt. We placed the flowers and plants around, creating a kaleidoscope of color in the twilight. We lit all the candles. The children ran off with their friends. Teenagers grouped in small clusters off to the sides. Family members shared stories. One woman knelt quietly by the grave.

I asked a teenager—the only one who spoke English—who was buried in the grave. “Everyone,” he said. “Everyone?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. His grandparent’s parents, his grandparent’s grandparents, and their parents, and theirs, and their parents, too. “And,” he said, glancing at his aunt kneeling by the grave, “her child and her husband.” Everyone.

I looked around at the families spread across the hillside. I looked down the hill towards the village in the blue, blue near dark of night. And back to the families tending the resting places of their ancestors, kneeling at their grandparent’s feet, kneeling at their great, grandparent’s feet, knowing that one day they, too, will be buried in that same spot. Knowing that their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will kneel at their feet in years to come. They, too, will enter the long, long stream of ancestors to join those who came before and those who will come after.

I looked across the hillside under the dark night sky. The glimmering glow of a hundred thousand candles, flickering in the cold crisp air. Stars beginning to blink in the sky. Down in the villages, lights turned on one by one, mimicking the stars in the sky and the candles on the hillside. 

Children run around, teenagers giggle under a tree, families tell stories of the past. Stories of hope for the future. Stories of loss. Memories of those who came before. Wondering about what will come.

I stood side by side with one family, with one village to witness one brief moment in the cycle of human life. Life and death. Death and life.

Rev. Rachel Baker, Minister

P. S. Please see Chris Pollina's article below for important information about the themes we are exploring as a congregation in worship, religious exploration for children and youth, monthly parent happy hours, and in some of the Chalice Circles this year. If you are interested in learning more about the themes, please contact me or Chris.

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes



Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 7:00 PM, Threadgill Hall & Zoom

Purpose: Regularly scheduled board meeting

Attendees: Board Members and open to congregational members and friends.



(Resolution of AV issues)

7:17 PM - Call to order and welcome by Allison Luzader

7:18 PM - Board minutes of August 8 meeting. Skipped highlights in the interest of time. Moved and seconded to approve as written. Motion carried by unanimous Board vote.

7:20 PM - Evergreen school report and long-term rental proposals by Rick Wilson.

Consider the emergency use of our campus building by Evergreen School by Rick Wilson.

Discussion:

How many people are we talking about? Online enrollment shows 493. The concern is fire safety; the capacity of Threadgill is 250.

Motion: Approve the request of Evergreen School contingent on informing the school of the capacity of our spaces.

Moved, seconded, and passes with a vote of 6 of 7 members.

Consider Long-term rental proposals by Rick Wilson. The renters are Siddha Yoga and a Brazilian church (not Estonian). More details are on the Board Google Drive.

Also, heads up: We need to decide on an installation ceremony date for Rev. Rachel

7:42 PM - Solar project update Jo Moore

Presentation of research and recommendations. Jo requests some sort of decision tonight.

Motion: To accept the proposal that Jo has presented and refer the two recommendations to the Building & Grounds committee.

Moved, seconded, discussion. Motion passes unanimously.

8:16 PM - 2024 Budget

Terry presented several permutations of the 2024 budget. Much discussion ensued.

“Trim 4” highlights:

● Auction income $11k

● New pledges $14k

● 3.5% COLAs without other staff pay increases

● 10% increase in current pledges

● Deny requests for music section leader and AUUMM membership

● Maintain current level of UUA dues payment (50%)

● 100% plate share (note: historically it was 75/25)

● This results in $30k left over in reserves in 2024

Motion: Approve the “Trim 4” budget as revised by Terry during the meeting and communicate it to the Stewardship Committee so that they can prepare to kick off the campaign.

Moved and seconded. Passes unanimously.

9:40 PM - Finance Housekeeping - Minister housing allowance, Verity debit card

Motion: The compensation for Reverend Rachel Baker shall include $40,000 per year designated as housing allowance (prorated for the remainder of 2023). This designation shall be effective until modified by the church board per request of the minister.

Moved and seconded. Passes unanimously.

Motion: The BOT authorizes Verity bank to issue a Verity Debit Card to Rev. Rachel Baker with a maximum limit withdrawal of $2,000.

Moved and seconded. Passes unanimously.

In accordance with SUUC’s finance policy, the only authorized individuals for the Verity debit card are:

● Office Administrator

● Director of Religious Exploration - Chris Pollina

● Minister - Rev. Rachel Baker

9:45 PM - Approval of the theme for the Stewardship Drive

The name is “Tending our Future.” Talking points:

● Solar panels

● Growth

● Increase involvement

● Bring your friends

9:49 PM - Approval of new COM members

Renee Palermo and David Metting were recommended by the CLC. All approve, no objections.

9:51 PM - 148th St non-motorized trail

Motion: Table the discussion on the non-motorized trail.

Moved and seconded. Passes unanimously.

9:55 PM - Motion to adjourn meeting.

● Joys and Sorrows event recording and written report

● Website committee formation

● Board liaisons to committees and groups

● October 14 “start up” with Sarah Schurr

● Schedule Rev. Rachel’s Installation

Motion: Adjourn the meeting.

Moved and seconded. Passes unanimously.

9:57 PM - Closing words, Rev. Rachel

9:58 PM - Meeting adjourned

From Our Director of Religious Exploration

Greetings everyone,

After two months of Soundings articles that both have ended up pushing 1,000 words, I will keep things a bit more concise this month. Our theme for November and December will be “Tending the Soul.” If this sounds familiar, it should — the theme for our church in September and October was “Tending the Garden.”

Why all this talk of “tending?” How we arrived at this is worth mentioning. “Tending the Garden” was conceived of as a more accessible and visual metaphor for stewardship — when we tend to a garden, we must be good stewards by choosing the right kinds of plants, amending the soil, watering enough, giving the proper amount of space to what we plant, keeping invasive bugs out, and so on. In return for this stewardship, we get flowers, fruits and vegetables, and a beautiful, relaxing place to enjoy and share with others. We explored different aspects of life that require tending much as a garden does — our church and other groups we are members of, our relationships, the wider world (eg. the city we live in, the biosphere we are a part of, etc.), and finally, OURSELVES, aka OUR SOULS.

In discussions during our weekly meetings, Rev. Rachel and I decided that each of these aspects of stewardship we began exploring in September and October were rich fields of inquiry unto themselves. Trying to do anything resembling a thorough on-going exploration of what it means to take care of our souls or our relationships in a single day is quite impossible. So we’ve elected to devote two months to each of these “sub-themes” we first touched on during the last two months. It may help to think of September and October as the “Table of Contents” for the rest of the year. In the coming, eight months, we’ll be exploring Tending the Soul, Tending our Relationships, Tending our Communities, and Tending the Wider World.

Tending the Soul is often seen as a more solitary activity…which definitely makes it something of a challenge for the younger kids in our church! But there are still ways we can introduce children to introspection, reflection, and spiritual practices which can bring about inner peace and wisdom. On October 15, when we first touched on this, the nursery and preschool class did an activity in which they listened closely to see what they could hear when they were very quiet, helping to attune their awareness to more subtle parts of their world. The K-5th kids experimented with the difference between trying to do something in a room full of distraction and a room of silence and peace. The 6th-8th grade youth watched a piece of a meditative film entitled “Baraka” in which many spiritual practices, both solitary and collective, were depicted, then discussed what they thought about it. The high school youth attempted to meditate for 10 minutes and discussed what the heck a soul even is, or if it exists at all. I’m really looking forward to challenging myself and the kids to delve into this topic deeper in the final stretch of 2023. As always, I appreciate any time people share their ideas and stories with me that relate to this — I am but one string on our interdependent web! Hearing from you really helps to form our RE program and thus the spiritual lives of our congregation’s young UUs.

See you on Sunday,

Chris Pollina, Director of Religious Exploration for Children and Youth

Events for children, youth, and families in November:

•  Nursery / pre-K program — every Sunday

•  Kindergarten-8th grade RE program — every Sunday

•  Middle School RE program — Sunday, November 12,19, and 26

•  High School Youth Group — Sunday, November 12 and 26, 4:00-6:00pm

•  Family Fun Day — Sunday, November 12 after church

•  Parent Happy Hour — Wednesday, November 29, 5:30-7pm, Threadgill Hall

Pledge Campaign

You Miss the Pledge Campaign for SUUC’s 2024 Operating Budget? You Can Still Make a Pledge NOW.

The public appeal part of our annual Stewardship Campaign for pledges to support SUUC’s proposed 2024 Budget ended on Sunday, October 22. We’re now determining whether we made our goal of $234K – or will have to replan our 2024 operating budget. Did you miss the campaign or forget to turn in your pledge? You can still support SUUC for 2024 if you turn in your pledge NOW.

Go to the “Giving” page of the SUUC website. There you may pledge online (first button, “2024 Pledge Online Form") or you may print a hard copy of the pledge form to fill out and hand in at the church office (second button, “2024 Pledge For To Print”). You may also print the 2024 Stewardship Brochure for an overview of SUUC’s 2024 Operating Budget. If you have serious questions about the budget before you can pledge, contact Terry Zimmerman (Contact information is in the directory or email the office to have your email forwarded.).

Thanks to all our pledgers for your financial support for a strong and flourishing congregational life in 2024!

Stewardship Team

New Office Administrator Hired!

Good news! We have a new Office Administrator! Jane Covert-Bowlds (she/her) will begin on November 15. Deep gratitude to the hiring team, Bernice Ege-Zavala, Libby Gray, Darrell Udd, and Rev. Rachel Baker. And thank you to the Board of Trustees for unanimously voting to hire her.

During the weeks before Jane begins, Bernice Ege-Zavala, Libby Gray, Rev. Rachel Baker, and Jennifer Etzwiler (our Acting Office Administrator) will organize the office and develop new administrative systems.

Worship Planning Committee

Offer your skills

The Worship Planning Committee is looking for new members! We are looking for folks who care about or are interested in the worship life of the congregation. Do you like to work with a team to collaborate on projects? Perhaps you are creative, or have a logistical mind, or organizational skills, or an interest in speaking in front of crowds; if so, you have what it takes to be a part of this important ministry of the church! If you are interested, contact Rev. Rachel at [email protected], she will connect you with the Committee.

Offer your reflections

This year the congregation is delving deep into the ways in which we tend to aspects of our lives though congregational themes. Rev. Rachel and the Worship Planning Committee would like to know if you are interested in writing and offering reflections on the themes during worship. If you are intrigued by one of the following themes and might like to explore one, please contact Rev. Rachel. She will connect you with the Committee.

Upcoming Themes:

January and February - Tending the Garden of Relationships

March and April - Tending the Garden of Community

May and June - Tending the Garden of the World

Chief Seattle Club is our November Plate Share

The last Plate Share of 2023 will take place on November 12, and the recipient is Chief Seattle Club, an organization that envisions a future without Native homelessness.

In the Puget Sound area, where dozens of Tribes once flourished, only 1% of the population currently identifies as American Indian/Alaska Native. Sadly, they now make up 15% of Seattle’s homeless population. Native people in urban areas face unique challenges, and Chief Seattle Club embraces the Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions of its members as the primary method for healing and transformation. The Club provides housing, hot meals, and vocational rehabilitation to American Indian and Native Alaskan in Seattle, giving them hope and life changing services.

Plate Share Team

SUUC Book Group

"The owl of Minerva flies at dusk."

Our next meeting of SUUC’s Evening Book Group, “The Owls of Minerva,” is on Wednesday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m., in Threadgill Hall. The book discussed will be Timefulness: How Thinking like a Geologist Can Help Save the World by Marcia Bjornerud. 

The author is professor of geology and environmental studies at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. She is not only a scientist of note, but a clear and graceful writer, regularly contributing to the science blog of The New Yorker. It will be a real pleasure to read and discuss her panorama of geological knowledge and its moral and spiritual implications.

The book for our December 6 meeting will be If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore. As we look ahead, this is also a good time to be thinking about books you might nominate at our January meeting for the rest of the monthly discussions in 2024.

The Owls gather for book discussions on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Threadgill Hall. We assume everyone attending has been vaccinated for COVID. We seat ourselves with some physical distancing. Mask wearing is optional. To be added to the Owls’ mailing list or to get more information, contact Bob Beekman (Contact information can be found in the directory or you may email the office to have your email forwarded.).

Celebrate Good Times! SUUC’s 2023 Auction

 Live Auction November 4, 6:30-9:00 in the Dome

Hybrid link for the November 4 event (begins after dinner, around 7:30 p.m.):

 https://zoom.us/j/99094967683

$20 donation requested for in-person attendance

Silent Auction Online from October 23rd at 8:00 am to November 3 at 11:59 p.m.

We are planning an amazing evening in the Dome with a taco bar, empanadas, snacks, desserts, and beverages (including wine and beer). We will also have musical entertainment provided by Circle of Kinship. It will be a great community building event. And we will have many silent auction items that you can bid on around the room. Please come and invite your friends! We will also have childcare and food for kids of all ages in Threadgill Hall and in the Nursery. Please RSVP at this link. You can also attend the event remotely, starting at 7:30 p.m. (zoom link above). 

The online silent auction started on Oct 23 and will run until Nov 3 at 11:59pm. It’s not too late to bid!  We are using the 32 Auctions platform as we have the last few years. Here is the link (and QR code if you prefer) to our online silent auction https://www.32auctions.com/suucauction2023

Anyone with a link to our online auction can view it without having an account, but an account is needed in order to bid. The process is quick and very little information is required. Have questions? Email Catherine Crain or the church office ([email protected]) and ask to have your email forwarded.

See you at the auction!

Book Exchange November 5

A few SUUC members who are avid readers decided it would be fun to have a book exchange a few times a year. It will be a chance to let folks enjoy books we’ve read and don’t have room for on our bookshelves, and for others to scoop up books they haven’t yet read.

We’re inviting everyone to bring books they’re ready to part with to church before the service on November 5, the first Sunday of the month, and put them a table that will be set up in Threadgill Hall. If this is a success, we'll repeat it, perhaps the first Sunday in February.

Judi Kalitzki

(Contact information can be found in the directory or you may email the office to have your email forwarded.)

Thanksgiving Potluck

SUUC’s all-church, everyone welcome Thanksgiving potluck will be held after church on November 19. The Welcome Team will provide the turkeys and drinks. We invite you, your family, and friends to come share the bounty and the spirit of Thanksgiving. Please bring a dish for 5 to share with others.  

Consider sharing a meat alternative, side dishes, desserts, breads, potatoes, relishes … any of your family favorites! Refrigeration and some oven-warming space will be available in the sanctuary kitchen as well as Threadgill Hall. We will have compostable dinnerware and cutlery, but it would be of great help if you would also bring your own – less fuss and clean-up for the church crew! No plastics, please.

Immediately after the service, we will be moving chairs in the sanctuary to make room for tables, then moving the chairs back for dining seating. Coffee will be served in Threadgill Hall for those who cannot help with the chaos of the setting up for dinner! Enjoy being either place and talking with others. We look forward to ‘breaking bread’ with you all on November 19 in the sanctuary after church that Sunday!

Welcome Team

Blue Holidays Service

Blue Christmas/Blue Holidays is a service for those who are grieving or suffering.

"Tis the Season to be jolly," but not feel jolly at this time of year. There are many life events that can cause grief. For many who are grieving losses and missing loved ones, the last of our many feelings is jolly. For others a financial or medical disaster has left us wishing the holidays would just never happen. There are so many things that can leave a person wishing the forced holiday gaiety would not be required.

For those who are looking for something else, we offer a Blue Christmas/Blue Holidays service. This service will be on December 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in person in the sanctuary and on Zoom. There will be readings, poems, and singing that will make space in our lives for how we really feel. You are welcome to join.

Magazine Collection

The hospital is allowing us to again collect lightly used magazine donations from the public to have available for visitors to read while they wait or for patients to read as a distraction to pass the time. Thank you to all of you who, in the past, have thoughtfully brought magazines to share with the folks at Swedish Edmonds Hospital. We are so very grateful for your generous donations! The need for recent (within the past six months) magazines of all types is constant. If they are National Geographic, they can be from any year. I recommend removing your name and address from the magazines. This is a very helpful way to support our patients. There is a collection box in the hallway of the church with a sign for your donations. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Rev. Barbara Cornell at [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration.

Faith Action Network's Annual Fundraiser Dinner

We have filled our table for 8 Shoreline UUC congregants at the November 19 fundraising dinner for Faith Action Network (FAN) of Washington! However, you can still register for individual tickets @ $95 and request to be seated near us. The deadline for registration is Monday, November 6.

This annual dinner is FAN’s major fundraising event. It will be held at the Renton Pavilion Event Center, with a separate simultaneous gathering in Spokane, as in recent years. The program typically includes prayers and music from different faith traditions, interesting honored guests, an engaging keynote speech, and inspiring words from Rick Steves, FAN’s financial angel. Details for this year’s dinner are coming soon on the FAN web site (fanwa.org) or in your weekly emails from FAN if you subscribe to the FAN mailing list. You can check out the archived information on past years’ annual dinners at this page on the FAN website: https://fanwa.org/annual-dinner/

Faith Action Network is a multi-faith, non-profit organization through which thousands of people and over 160 Washington State faith communities -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, and nature based -- join in action for the common good, mainly through legislative advocacy. Shoreline UU Church is a member "Advocating Faith Community" of this network. Watch for notices of IFAD (Interfaith Advocacy Day), FAN’s day of member lobbying of the State Legislature in Olympia in February. Contact Bob Beekman (Contact information can be found in the directory or you may email the office to have your email forwarded.) if you need more information on FAN, this annual fundraiser dinner, or IFAD.

November 5 - May the Force Be Within You - Rev. Rachel Baker

There may be times when each of us loses track of the power we carry within. As the time is changed and we continue into longer nights and shorter days, let's turn within to reignite the force. When we are honest and true to ourselves, we become powerful in our lives and beyond.

November 12 - Tending the Ineffable - Rev. Rachel Baker

Human beings have always developed stories about how we came to be, how we find meaning in life, and where we are going. Some develop and rely upon relationships with what some call God or other names. Whatever you call--or don't call--that which ties us together, we may find meaning in the ineffable connections among life on earth and the planet itself.

November 19 - Tending the Soul - Rev. Rachel Baker

All human beings carry a hunger. This may be a literal hunger, or it might be for something else that may be challenging to name and impossible to satisfy. What do you hunger for?

Thanksgiving potluck after the service!

November 26 - Rev. Judith Laxer

Joys & Sorrows

Every Sunday, during the worship service, members and friends of Shoreline UU are invited to share their joys and sorrows. We share our joys, so that we may celebrate with each other. We share our sorrows to support each other through challenging times.

If you would like a joy or a sorrow spoken during the service, please fill out the form.

Support SUUC

Unitarian Universalist congregations are self-directed and self-funded. We rely upon the generosity of the members and friends to sustain our religious community. If you would like to contribute, please visit our Giving page.

Thank you for your gifts to support the congregation!

Soundings Submissions

Committee leaders, members, and friends of Shoreline UU may submit event invitations and articles to the monthly and weekly publications and/or for Sunday morning through the forms accessed on the Communications Center of the website.

Submissions for Sounding are due by noon on the 20th of the month for inclusion in the following month's publication.