Upcoming Worship Services
“Saving Wild Salmon: Effective Advocacy for Environmental Justice” Brook Thompson
Drought has reduced the water level of reservoirs, thus stopping rivers from flowing over dams, leading to water pollution in the still water left behind and halting salmon reproduction. Tribes in Northern California and southern Oregon have effectively advocated dam removal along the Klamath River that divides the two states, focusing particularly on the need to protect wild salmon reproduction. One of the tribal leaders, Brook Thompson, will tell us about the positive impacts of removing four dams along 420 miles of habitat in what has been the largest river restoration project in the U.S. She will also tell us what’s needed next to assure river flow and renewed growth of salmon fishing.
Brook Thompson is a Yurok and Karuk Native American from Northern California and Portland. Brook fights for Native American water rights through public speaking, academic research, and frontline activism. Brook has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Portland State University, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford, and is now completing a PhD at UC Santa Cruz where she studies how Indigenous Knowledge can be better implemented through California water policy. Thompson’s goal is to bring together water rights and Native American knowledge through engineering, public policy, and social action.
Website: https://www.brookmthompson.com
E-mail: brookmthompson@gmail.com
Listen to the Service Recording
Family Service at 9:30 AM
Special Collection: Save California Salmon
Online (Zoom) Only Worship
Sunday at 10:30 AM
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
"Flower Communion: Celebrating our Diversity” Stephani Skalak
The first Flower Ceremony was held in Prague, in June 1923, led by Rev. Norbert Čapek. For decades, this beloved tradition and its powerful history has welcomed Spring and provided meaning to hundreds of UU congregations. You are invited to bring a flower of some kind whether real or representational. What kind of beautiful bouquet can we make together?
Our service will be led by Stephani Skalak, who has been welcomed into preliminary fellowship by the UUA to become a UU minister. Stephani will reflect on how we can find spiritual discipline in our Unitarian Universalist “cafeteria style” tradition which draws from so many diverse inspirations?
Stephani Skalak has a Master of Divinity from the UU seminary Meadville Lombard and is currently a chaplain resident at Providence Portland Medical Center. In her career to date she has been an educator, an artist, and an activist. She has more than fifteen years of experience teaching media literacy and video production to youth and adults alike, encouraging them to use their voices for change. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Peace Corps both as HQ staff and as a volunteer in West Africa. Her undergraduate degree is in International Relations from The American University in Washington, DC. Stephani has experience in small group ministry within the UU tradition and has had a life-long love of learning other cultures. She lives in Portland, with her love, Mark, and their two teenage children, Kai and Seneca.
Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)
Sunday at 10:30 AM
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
"Covenant: Practice Makes Possible” Rev. Erica Baron, Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region
As T. Thorn Coyle says, “Practice makes possible.” How can the practice of covenant help us to navigate relationships in our lives and in our congregations? How do we practice covenant when things are hard? Rev. Erica Baron, Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region.
Rev. Erica Baron joined the New England region staff in 2019, focusing on helping congregations live into their missions and develop their gifts for spiritual leadership. Before joining the Congregational Life staff, she served as parish minister for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills in Kingston, NY, as well as the congregations in Rutland and Bennington, VT. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School.
Family Service at 9:30 AM
Online (Zoom) Only Worship
Sunday at 10:30 AM
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833