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!

Feb
11
Sun
Sunday February 11th 10 am ONLY on Zoom Rev. Meg Roberts What Sustains and Inspires Us in this Climate Emergency?
Feb 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday February 11th 10 am ONLY on Zoom Rev. Meg Roberts What Sustains and Inspires Us in this Climate Emergency?

In this time, we are facing multiple climate crises. It can be frightening and dispiriting. How can our values and practices sustain and inspire us – as individuals and as a Unitarian community? How can we get from despair to hope?

 

Rev. Meg Roberts has served congregations in various parts of Canada during the last 20 years: Edmonton, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver Island, and now with Beacon in New Westminster and the Tri-cities area in BC. She also does community ministry using interactive theatre techniques with groups who want to deal with challenging social and organizational issues, and find practical solutions.

Feb
18
Sun
Sunday February 18th Karen Enns, Intersection and Resonance.  How the poet’s upbringing among Russian Mennonite immigrants in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, shaped her work.
Feb 18 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday February 18th Karen Enns, Intersection and Resonance.  How the poet's upbringing among Russian Mennonite immigrants in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, shaped her work.

Karen Enns is a Canadian poet based in Victoria, noted for her 2017 collection Cloud Physics, which won the Raymond Souster Award for poetry in 2018.  Her 2023 collection, Dislocations, takes the reader on a lyrical journey, wrapped in the vicissitudes of seasons and weatherwhile observing human and other-than-human lives. Enns invites us to peer and is concerned always with the locations and dislocations perspective implies and creates.

Feb
25
Sun
Sunday February 25th Norway House Lou Lentz – Connecting with Compassion
Feb 25 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday February 25th Norway House Lou Lentz - Connecting with Compassion

Practical Spirituality as a way to live through liminal times.  Come explore what Marshall B Rosenberg meant when he said, “The greatest joy springs from connecting to life by contributing to our own and others’ well-being.

Lou Lentz is a long-time Victoria Unitarian, NVC practitioner, and member of Capital UU’s board.

Mar
3
Sun
Sunday March 3rd at Norway House Sara John Fowler Women in Leadership: a journey.
Mar 3 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday March 3rd at Norway House Sara John Fowler Women in Leadership: a journey.

This presentation, delivered the Sunday before International Women’s Day 2024, will include stories of the leadership journey of Sara from her time in leadership roles as a youth, in her professional career and as a volunteer in governance in Canada and internationally. The importance of gender equity in leadership roles cannot be understated. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (March 2023), higher rates of [women] representation in leadership are associated with a variety of benefits for organizations. Greater gender equity contributes to wider economic benefits, increased productivity, and improved development results. This means that gender representation is beneficial for everyone, not just women. This presentation will focus on the benefit to society of gender equity at all levels of leadership.

Sara John Fowler has had a varied career in health care including in clinical nursing and leadership roles, and in the international humanitarian sector.  She is the CEO of Mount St. Mary Hospital, a long-term care facility in Victoria, and a Governing Board Member of the International federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, Geneva. She is a co-founder, through the Canadian Red Cross, of GLOW Red (2018) – the global network for women leaders in the Movement. Sara moved with her family, from the lower mainland to Sooke in 2005.

Mar
10
Sun
Sunday March 10th, 10 am, ONLY on Zoom Arran Morton – In times of great change, what can the wisdom of our bodies offer us?
Mar 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday March 10th, 10 am, ONLY on Zoom Arran Morton - In times of great change, what can the wisdom of our bodies offer us?

Our bodies gain information from and engage with the human and non human world in ways our conscious mind is often unaware of.  Let’s explore how developing a deeper relationship with our bodies’ wisdom can support us in navigating challenging transitions.

Arran Morton currently lives in Victoria, BC – though he is from Scotland and came to Victoria via the ‘scenic route’. He loves to be near the ocean, the trees, and (Vancouver) island life generally. His work has focused on love-based community building as well as training and facilitation on issues related to healthy relationships, sexuality, conflict resolution and restorative justice/practices. Arran was the Director of Spiritual Exploration at First Unitarian Church of Victoria until he adopted his daughter in 2021. He is currently the Minister at Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship.

** Mark your calendars Arron is being ordained at First Church on Saturday April 13th – ceremony at 2, dance at 4, potluck 5pm. Join anytime.

Mar
17
Sun
Sunday March 17th at Norway House, Amanda Tarling – Happiness vs Climate Change
Mar 17 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday March 17th at Norway House, Amanda Tarling - Happiness vs Climate Change

Navigating happiness while the world falls apart. Is this even possible, should it be possible? Inspired by Brené Brown’s writings come and help us create hope in what feels like hopeless times.

* CUUC AGM begins at 11:15, there will be no forum this morning.

Mar
24
Sun
Peter Scales – A Humanist View of Faith – 10am Norway House
Mar 24 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Mar
31
Sun
Sunday March 31st 10:30 a.m. at First Unitarian, 5575 West Saanich Road Shifting Stones – Easter Sunday Rev. Shana Lynngood, Homilist
Mar 31 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday March 31st 10:30 a.m. at First Unitarian, 5575 West Saanich Road Shifting Stones – Easter Sunday Rev. Shana Lynngood, Homilist

This Sunday, which reflects on the central Christian story of transformation, Easter, we’ll think about the central role of the boulder, the stone that blocks the entrance to the tomb where Jesus is buried. What are the stones of our lives? War? Climate Collapse? Are there spaces and places where we are able to move those stones out of the way to seek new life—our own version of resurrection?

Capital UU Congregation musicians and the First Unitarian Church worship team will join with guest musicians Lea Morris and Sylvia Humble.
It should be a memorable and moving joint service filled with beautiful music.

Would you like a ride – please contact Karen Christie – she can take four people picking up from James Bay New Horizons at 9:50.

Apr
7
Sun
Sunday April 7th, 10am, at Norway House, Meg Richey RCC “Building Resilience in the Age of Climate Anxiety.”
Apr 7 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday April 7th, 10am, at Norway House, Meg Richey RCC "Building Resilience in the Age of Climate Anxiety."

It’s normal (and even adaptive) to feel overwhelmed and anxious in a rapidly changing climate. But what do we do with these emotions, and what actions can we take? Let’s talk about ways to build emotional resilience and identify steps we can take to protect the planet we love.

Meghan is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies, and a Graduate Fellow of the UVic Centre for Studies in Religion and Society.

Apr
14
Sun
Sunday April 14th, 10 am, at Norway House Rev. Samaya Oakley “Who Do We Choose To Be?”
Apr 14 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday April 14th, 10 am, at Norway House Rev. Samaya Oakley "Who Do We Choose To Be?"

That we live in unprecedented times is a refrain we often hear too often these days. All the ways of living and being in the world have fallen away. As we begin to make our way forward into who knows what, how is it that we can love ourselves, our congregations, and our communities into a new wholeness. What do we want to be remembered for? Who do we choose to be in these times.

Speaker bio: The Rev. Samaya Oakley serves as the Minister for Calgary Unitarians. Once Rev. Samaya started attending a Unitarian Universalist congregation, she quickly became active continentally though the Youth Office of the UUA. After fifteen years of youth ministry, she entered ministry ten years ago. In that time, she has been involved in the CUC’s Truth and Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guide team as well as the Canadian Widening the Circle team. She holds at the heart of her ministry the importance of relationships and compassion. Rev. Samaya is a strong believer in social justice and believes that our theology calls us to be active agents for love and justice in the world.

Apr
21
Sun
Sunday April 21st at Norway House, Ollie Belisle – The Christ Conspiracy
Apr 21 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday April 21st at Norway House, Ollie Belisle - The Christ Conspiracy
There is arguably no figure more renowned than Jesus Christ. Despite living over 2,000 years ago, long before the rise of social media, this Palestinian Jew remains an influential icon, shaping attitudes and behaviors globally through his enduring story. But what unfolds when we detach Christ from our preconceived notions and approach his story anew? What transpires when we expand our exploration of this legendary figure to encompass previously overlooked sources? What occurs when we examine the Gospels without the lens of mainstream Christianity, focusing instead on Christ’s teachings rather than his divine origins and miraculous deeds? Join us this Sunday to delve into what could be deemed the greatest conspiracy in world history: the Christ Conspiracy.
Apr
28
Sun
Sunday April 28th 10am at Norway House – Di Clift – Is Prayer Just Wishful Thinking?
Apr 28 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Sunday April 28th 10am at Norway House - Di Clift - Is Prayer Just Wishful Thinking?

Unitarians tend to be uncomfortable about prayer.  The idea that a supernatural being would take an interest in the minutiae of our lives seems far fetched.  But what about prayer for others?    Is there any evidence that ‘sending thoughts and prayers’ can actually help?

Di is one of CUUC’s lay chaplains.