Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Since CUUC was formed in 1996, the congregation has relied on its members and friends. Lay leadership has been shared with staff including pianists, bookkeepers, child care workers, lay chaplains, ministers and one administrator. Let’s celebrate the sacredness of our church work.

Peter Joined CUUC from Kingston a year after Amanda & Graham.

We stretch our physical bodies but how often have we thought about stretching our spirits. Join us to hear about Amanda’s inspirational visit to photograph Grizzly Bears in the Khutzemateen and how she hopes to provide tips for deeper connection with nature and spirit.

On our return to regular Sunday Services you are welcomed back with a Flower/Plant service brought to you by the folks who are behind the workings of Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation.  We will start the fall with an uplifting service to focus on late summer and early fall growth (wild flowers, ferns, moss, late bush blooms).

Everyone is invited to bring: a small potted plant, a flower, or bouquet of flowers or green foliage to put on the altar, welcome table or coffee bar.  If you are out of town, we would love to see photos of your favorite flowers or foliage which may include you and your home or landscape in your area. Please send the photos to Pedro by Wednesday, September 3, 4:30 p.m.

There will be time in Pebbles to share your summer experiences, and in the Forum after the service to do the traditional telling of what bodies of water you visited.

Leigh Waters, Poets and Poetry Reciters of Capital – Art service

This popular yearly Art Service returns. A craft activity will be provided for those who wish to participate with visual art and the mic will be open for poetry and quotes to be made. What poem or quote have you found helpful, or beautiful, or expresses your concerns and worries. Many people bring original poetry for the art service. Suggestions for favorite songs from the teal hymnal will be sung as well. For those joining by zoom please show the craft you are making at home.

Reilly Yeo – Love in the Time of Polycrisis

Love in the time of the polycrisis involves a commitment to true love – not the passionate love between two individuals that we are taught is the pinnacle of love, but rather the compassionate love that sees through the illusion of the isolated self. We are all embedded in invisible webs of service and care; through Unitarian community, we weave those webs stronger. Come for this time to meditate on how you have experienced love in community. Come find an invitation and inspiration to keep weaving together the truer and more beautiful world we all know is possible. This service will be followed by an interactive workshop and collective brainstorm on deepening and expanding belonging at Capital.

Workshop: In a workshop at 11:15 a.m., we’ll discuss some of the key elements of a faith community from the UUA’s Map to Deeper Joy (the Bonding Harbour, Covenant Lighthouse, Forest of Affirmation, Tepid Bay, Cliffs of Exclusivity) and take stock of how these currently function at Capital. Then we’ll ask how we expand belonging at Capital – how might we reach (and more importantly, foster belonging) with those “UUs who just don’t know it yet?” Please bring your ideas and insights to this conversation – they are vital to your future flourishing.

POT LUCK LUNCH

Please bring finger foods for a potluck lunch following the September 28th service. The lunch will lead into Reilly Yeo’s workshop “Walking Together” that takes place 11:15-1:15.

We can build community by designing better public spaces! This talk introduces listeners to placemaking, and then provides detailed examples of how two forms of placemaking – little free libraries and road murals – can be used to build safe, connected, and resilient communities. Teale explores ways in which individuals, community groups, and municipal governments can support placemaking, and the role that visualization and data can play in promoting placemaking. Since 2017, Teale has been mapping, helping build, and stocking little free libraries around the CRD. They began with 111 in the region, and in September 2025 they celebrated the 1,000th LFL!  To date, their project has distributed over 126,000 books to LFLs across the CRD.

Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff is a Councillor in the District of Saanich, a researcher and a community organizer. He works as the Director of Research for OceansAsia, which tackles marine wildlife crime, and he is the world-leading expert on sea cucumber fisheries crime. Teale is the Chair and Co-founder of the AccessBC Campaign, which successfully advocated for free prescription contraception in BC. He also works as the Research Coordinator for the BC Humanist Association, which supports the separation of religion and government in BC and across Canada. His academic research examines the strategic use of international law by non-state actors and the strategies of marine conservation organizations. He is passionate about placemaking and in particular little free libraries, and enjoys playing hockey, board games, and kayaking.

Jindi Singh is the National Director in Canada for Khalsa Aid (KA). He was part of the original team in the UK where Khalsa Aid was founded by Ravi Singh in 1999. KA has found itself at the forefront of humanitarian efforts worldwide. KA is an international NGO that provides humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones worldwide. The organization is based upon the Sikh principle of ‘Recognise the whole human race as one. Initially formed in the UK while Sikhs were marking and honoring the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa’s birth, its mission has now grown across the globe supporting humanity, wherever there is a need.

See https://khalsaaid.org/

How are we to live – and thrive – when so much is changing around us? When the   achievements of the past turn out to be precarious, what, if anything, we can count on? And is “embracing change” always so exhausting?! Karen speaks to us by video in this year’s Meaning Making series, “Meeting this moment with love and justice.”

Bio: Karen Fraser Gitlitz (she/her) is a cis-gendered middle-class woman of English, French, and Scottish ancestry. Karen and her partner, musician and composer Paul Gitlitz, are grateful to make their home on southern Vancouver Island, the territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. As an artist, professional art therapist and Unitarian Universalist Community Minister, Karen works at the confluence of meaning, belonging and justice. Find out more about Karen’s private practice at creativeupwelling.com.  Formerly a parish minister serving Canadian UU congregations, Karen keeps her toes in our Canadian UU movement as the Coordinator of the Meaning Making Project. She is also excited to volunteer on the planning circles for “Activating the Canadian UU Ecosystem.”

We warmly invite you to explore the beautiful traditions of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). We will journey through its origins, delving into the rich pre-Hispanic and cultural roots that shaped this unique Mexican celebration. We’ll then discover how this tradition is vibrantly lived today not as a time of mourning, but as a joyful and heartfelt reunion to honour our departed loved ones. Finally, we will share the key elements and profound symbolism behind building an ofrenda (altar), providing you with a guide to build your own one at home, as a personal and meaningful way to celebrate the everlasting bonds of life, memory and love.

Bio: I’m Maria del Mar Diego, a cultural manager and communicator from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. My professional work is dedicated to creating communication campaigns for NGOs and nonprofits with environmental causes. I’m part of two campaigns to protect the sharks of the Gulf of California and another to promote clean air. Alongside this work I am a cultural tour guide, passionate about showing visitors that La Paz has a rich cultural heritage that goes far beyond its beautiful sun and beaches. I’m very happy to share my culture with you.

Many of our ancestors lived through times of great upheaval. What can the practice of learning from our ancestor’s experiences offer us right now? Lynn speaks to us by video in this year’s Meaning Making series, “Meeting this moment with love and justice.”

Bio: Lynn Harrison was ordained at Neighbourhood UU Congregation in 2015 after receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. She served on the ministry team of First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto from 2016 to 2023, and currently provides guest ministry for Unitarian congregations in the Toronto area. Lynn is also a performing songwriter with deep roots in the Canadian folk music tradition and has composed numerous songs for UU communities.

Attila Fias has travelled all around the world, both literally and musically, and has been influenced by various cultures, languages and people. He will share some of his experiences and how these cultures have made an impact on his composing and playing.