Calendar of events

Here you will find all of our congregation’s Sunday Services, Board and Committee meetings and other events. Use the calendar controls to see events for past or future dates. For a quick look at recent Sunday Services, click here!

Oct
20
Sun
Dana L Seaborn “A Land That I heard Of”
Oct 20 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Dana L Seaborn "A Land That I heard Of"

“Hold fast to dreams”, said the poet. Unitarians dream of building a land where we bind up the broken. Let’s look at the ways we can inspire one another to action on this celebration of Louis Riel’s 175th birthday Oct 22nd!

Dana Lynn Seaborn is a Métis elder. This homily is adapted from a sermon by Rod Richards of the San Luis Obispo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Oct
27
Sun
First Unitarian Church of Victoria Refugee Committee “Refugee Resettlement: Unitarian Principles at Work”
Oct 27 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
First Unitarian Church of Victoria Refugee Committee "Refugee Resettlement: Unitarian Principles at Work"

Our Unitarian principles lead us to work for social justice in many ways. One way is to sponsor refugees fleeing war and destruction in their former homeland. Members of the First Unitarian Church of Victoria’s Refugee Resettlement Committee, of which Capital’s Colin Nelson is a member, will describe their recent experiences sponsoring refugees from Syria. Inshallah, one of the people we’ve sponsored will tell of his own experiences, and will talk about the difficult plight of his parents and brother, who fled their home for refuge in Jordan, and whom we hope to sponsor next year. We will also acknowledge and thank members of Capital, without whose donations and support the resettlement efforts would not have been possible.

 

Nov
3
Sun
Margo McLoughlin “Awakening Wonder”
Nov 3 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Margo McLoughlin "Awakening Wonder"

There is a growing body of evidence which links the experience of awe or wonder to an increased sense of purpose and meaning in one’s life, as well as improved health and well-being. In this short talk, storyteller and mindfulness teacher Margo McLoughlin will present a number of pathways for awakening a sense of wonder in our daily lives.

 

Margo McLoughlin is a Community Dharma Leader with the Victoria Insight Meditation Society. She is also a board member of the BC Association for Living Mindfully. For more about Margo, please visit margostoryteller.net

Nov
10
Sun
Peter Scales “Remembrance and History”
Nov 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Peter Scales "Remembrance and History"

Remembrance Day is a time to remember those who died in wartime, and to consider the Big Questions surrounding war and peace.

 

Nov
17
Sun
Ryan Guenther “Divine Comedy”
Nov 17 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Ryan Guenther "Divine Comedy"

Comedy and religion are polar opposites in terms of tone, but often serve the same fundamental purpose: to help us deal with the parts of life that are horrible. This will be a serious discussion of comedy, a light-hearted look at religion, and an exploration of the many ways the two overlap.

Ryan Guenther started attending the First Unitarian Church of Victoria at age 10, and he’s sung in the choir, edited the newsletter, managed the website, and is currently serving as a Sunday Service Associate and on the Board at North Shore Unitarian Church in Vancouver.  He is an award-winning comedian and has appeared in the Just For Laughs Northwest Comedy Festival and Comedy Waste Festival. He has toured a five-star show to fringe festivals across North America and was runner-up for Best Comedy at the Victoria Fringe.

Nov
24
Sun
Amanda Tarling “The Longing for Belonging”
Nov 24 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Amanda Tarling "The Longing for Belonging"

Part of our human condition is a longing for belonging. What does it mean to belong to a group, to a community or to this congregation? How do we derive purpose and greater meaning from life by joining a group?

Dec
1
Sun
Adrienne Carter “Healing the shattered souls.”
Dec 1 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Adrienne Carter "Healing the shattered souls."

Learn about the work of the Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees (VICCIR) that provides mental health services to any refugee and immigrants in Southern Vancouver Island that are survivors of extreme trauma.

Adrienne Carter is one of the founders of the Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees. She was born in Hungary and together with her parents escaped during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Having spent months in various refugee camps, they arrived to Canada in 1957. Adrienne completed her education at McGill University with a Masters in Social Work. She worked for many years in various parts of the Ministry both in Montreal and in Victoria. In 1999 she began working with Medecins Sans Frontier in addition to her job with Child/Youth Mental Health in Victoria. With MSF she completed 15 missions in various parts of the world. Then she joined the Centre for Victims of Torture where she was sent to Kenya to work with a Human Rights organization for one year and Jordan for 2.5 years to work as psychotherapist trainer to local Jordanian counsellors who in turn provided direct mental health work to thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Dec
8
Sun
Trevor Hancock “Being a responsible ancestor means creating a One Planet Region”
Dec 8 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Trevor Hancock "Being a responsible ancestor means creating a One Planet Region"

We have an ethical duty to future generations and to other species to leave the Earth in a better state than it is now. We also have an ethical duty to the rest of humanity to take no more than our fair share of the Earth’s biocapacity and resources. How do we re-establish a sense of reverence for nature, and once again see the spirit in nature? What does this mean for the place where we live, and what is the role of faith communities in bringing this about?

Trevor Hancock is a public health physician and a retired professor of public health. He was the first leader of the Green Party of Canada in the 1980s, and co-founded the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Locally he is leading the Conversations for a One Planer Region and writes a weekly column for the Times Colonist.

Dec
15
Sun
Jennifer Farris “Jack of the Green.”
Dec 15 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Jennifer Farris "Jack of the Green."

Jack of the Green is a figure in British folklore who is both male and female and who represents rebirth and the cycle of growth and is considered the keeper of the forest.

Jennifer Ferris, has been active as a storyteller for 30 years. She has performed in schools, community events, senior’s facilities, nature sanctuaries at festivals in Canada and USA. She gives workshops to adults, children, families and businesses.

Dec
22
Sun
Dana L. Seaborn “Yuletide Treasure: Songs and Stories of the Season.”
Dec 22 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Dana L. Seaborn "Yuletide Treasure: Songs and Stories of the Season."

Join us as we celebrate the tunes and traditions of midwinter!

Dana Lynn Seaborn is a retired CUUC chaplain with an interest in, well, pretty much everything.

Dec
29
Sun
Peter Scales “Principles and Virtues”
Dec 29 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Peter Scales "Principles and Virtues"

What does it mean to be virtuous, and how does this goal manifest in our Unitarian Universalist principles? Which of the classical virtues match the UU principles, and which virtues have we abandoned? Let’s prepare for the year 2020 with 20/20 vision about virtue!

Peter Scales joined both of Victoria’s congregations when he moved here from Kingston in 2004. After 21 years as a federal servant he semi-retired to part-time work as a historian, philosopher and multi-uncle.

Jan
5
Sun
Oliver Belisle “Modern Mythmaking in the Information Age.”
Jan 5 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Oliver Belisle "Modern Mythmaking in the Information Age."

The Garden of Eden; Original Sin; the Abrahamic God: like a growing number of people in the world today, we Unitarian Universalists tend to regard these concepts as the product of ancient people trying to explain life’s great mysteries. Though imaginative and compelling, these accounts fall far from the mark, or so it would seem. Today, few among us give serious consideration to these ideas and the stories that birthed them, believing that they have little of value to offer us. But what if there is something of importance to be found in these myths and fables? What if, despite their lack of literal truth, these concepts nevertheless contain revelations that could help us better understand ourselves and the world at large? Join us as we explore these questions.

Ollie Belisle is a spiritual explorer and tour-guide whose goal is to open hearts and blow minds. Whether through his writing, YouTube channel, or daily conversations with friends, family, colleagues, and total strangers, he attempts to introduce new ways of looking at ourselves and our world in order to reveal the life-altering power of perspective.