Liz James set to visit us on both April 26 and May 4! On Saturday, April 26, UUSS Worship Circle has invited Liz James, founder of Mirth and Dignity and the UU Hysterical Society, to speak as part of our service entitled "Inherent Mirth and Dignity"  What do you do when the life you’d imagined for yourself is stuck in committee? Join us for the story of the UU Hysterical Society...The practical joke that accidentally turned into a 230,000 person UU community on Facebook. It’s a story of feeling lost, finding yourself, and UUism-outside-the-box with  UUHS founder, Liz James.

On Sunday, May 4, Liz James will be at Mollie Nye House to lead UUSS in a workshop called  The Church of Our Imagination, a congregational/community development workshop. In it, we will look at strategies for congregational adaptation. This isn’t a “How to use Facebook” style workshop. This is about changing how we think about ourselves. We will talk about what it looks like to get the word out in a viral world, how to re-envision what the “main part” of what we do really is, what streamlined governance and a failure friendly culture can really look like, and more. This is a story heavy workshop, with lots of examples of how UU communities are successfully adapting (as well as some jokes, discussion and a game thrown in).

More info on Liz James Liz James began preaching and leading workshops twenty years ago, as a growth consultant for the Canadian Unitarian Council. Ten years ago, she founded the UU Hysterical Society, now a 270,000 person humour group on Facebook.  She then went on to found Mirth and Dignity, an organization devoted to diverse expressions of UUism.  She is cohost of the UU humour podcast The Cracked Cup, and working on a book with Skinner House press.

Justice News

EARTH DAY EVENTS!!

Celebrate Earth Day with Seniors for Climate at Trout Lake Community Centre on Saturday April 12, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Lots of activities for https://seniorsforclimate.org/en/vancouver-earth-day-2025-celebration/ for details.

The 3 North Shore Municipalities will be consulting with residents on housing needs, in light of new requirements from the Provincial Government.  It is important to note that municipalities will no longer be holding public hearings for housing development proposals, so this is your best opportunity to advocate for affordable housing and complete communities. The District of North Vancouver has already started this review: public input sessions scheduled for April 12 and 16.  Find out more here: 

District of North Vancouver: 
https://www.dnv.org/community-environment/official-community-plan-update-2025

From the CUC

Congregational Conversations

Transitions:  April 12 – 10:00 am

Connect and Deepen: April 19 1:00 pm PT

AGM Conversations: April 19 – 10:00 am & May 7 - 4:30 pm

National Worship Sunday Service "From Possibility to Practice": 
May 18 - 10:00am

Dismantling Barriers - Talking about Solidarity: May 29 – 4:00 pm

CUC AGM 2025: May 31 - 10:00 am 

New Membership Team!

Looking for Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to join a brand-new Membership Team.  To give you a sense of what the work might entail, I’ve developed a possible “Terms of Reference” document which is shown below.  One of the first tasks of the new group will be to review the ”Terms” and change them if you think it advantageous to do so.

Please let me know if you’re interested.  I’m including a special invitation to any youth who might find this work of interest.  Your participation would be more than welcome.

John Slattery (for the Planning Team)

This Team shall:

1. Maintain the official Membership List and control access to it
2. Prepare name tags for members and stick-on labels for visitors
3. Keep Membership materials in an updated, organized container
4. Prepare and make available (for weekend services and gatherings) information about our congregation, special events, etc.
5. Serve as Greeters, or if needed, recruit Greeters for these services and gatherings
6. Provide information about what it means to be a member and how to become a member for those interested
7. Develop and organize Becoming-a-Member sessions
8. Inform (tba) about the Team’s activities on a regular basisDevelop an annual action plan (and an associated budget request) and evaluate how well it has met its goals by the end of the planning year.
9. Review the Terms of Reference annually or more often if needed
10. Liaise with other Teams, or individuals (e.g.  Worship, Sunday Gathering, Care and Concerns, Communication, etc.) to ensure clear communication
11. Meet as needed to carry out the above tasks

After our regular Saturday service on June 21, there will an annual big bash held right afterwards.  Stay tuned for more details!

Join Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust at their Interfaith Water Ceremony planned for Sunday,  May 25 at Whey-ah-Wichen / Cates Park.