News

Sunday, July 26, 11:15 a.m. in the Dix room and via Zoom

Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Saturday, July 25, 1–3 p.m. at the NWDC, 1623 East J Street, Tacoma

Registration open for Saturday and Sunday, August 22 & 23, in person or via Zoom

Help Welcome Rev. Jeremiah

Tuesday, July 28, 6 p.m. at Gasworks Park

UUC's Climate Action Team encourages you to check out https://climate.us . Unfortunately, with the recent dismantling of federal climate policy and regulations, climate.gov (moved to noaa.gov/climate ) no longer offers trusted information. “ Climate.us is an independent nonprofit climate information platform created to protect public access to trusted, science-reviewed climate knowledge. Built by members of the team behind NOAA’s Climate.gov , climate.us provides plain-language climate news, explainers, visuals, data pathways, educational resources, and expert insights to help people understand and use climate science.”

Beginning in September, UUC volunteers are collaborating with Eckstein Middle School to provide an added day of household supply distribution to Eckstein families who can use additional material support. This collaboration is a product of discernment with Faith Land Initiative about how to use UUC space to serve our community, as well as the Social Justice Steering Committee’s Revival Potluck last fall. More than a dozen Eckstein families from nearby subsidized housing rely on food and household supply distribution, led by Eckstein’s on-site social worker, to enable their children to succeed in school. With additional support from UUC, some of the social workers allotted funds can be freed up to assist families with critical rent and utility assistance and other support. A small team of volunteers got together earlier in the summer to help John Berta build a closet in Channing to store the supplies. John gave a masterclass in how to use basic carpentry tools, and our volunteers had a great time getting the room ready! (See photos below.) UUC volunteers intend to provide an additional twelve pick-up dates for families and to increase the volume of supplies available to families throughout the 2026-27 school year and during summer months. We’ll be coordinating at the end of each month with Eckstein staff to create a list of needed supplies (specific items and quantities). We’ll solicit and gather donations one Sunday per month, sort and organize donations and distribute items to Eckstein families on the third Saturday each month at UUC. If you are interested in volunteering to assist in this effort, please contact: Emily Joseph at emily.m.joseph89@gmail.com or Patricia Graesser at patsygraesser@comcast.net We look forward to working with you! Cynthia Salzman, Alisan Tucker-Giesy, Emily Joseph, Patricia Graesser UUC's Eckstein Community Cupboard Team

Please complete interest form by Friday, August 14 Are you looking for an opportunity roll up your sleeves and help get food to our neighbors in need? We are looking to build an intergenerational team to provide consistent volunteer hours and energy for the University District Food Bank (UDFB). Over each of the last two years, UUC has shared one Second Sunday offering plate with UDFB as part of our Social Justice ministries. We want to do more! We want to partner and build a relationship with UDFB where we support them with hands and hearts, as well as financial donations. Volunteering opportunities, generally 2–3 hours, would include onsite activities at UDFB and at UUC. Youth (12+) are welcomed and those under 16 would require parental/adult supervision. Some tasks require lifting boxes, cleaning bins or repackaging foods (see the link to the volunteer interest form below for more examples). Depending on the size of our team, each volunteer commitment might be once per quarter or month (more is always welcomed). We are targeting September to begin. If you'd like to get involved, please complete this UDFB Volunteer Interest Form by August 14 so we can roll up our sleeves and help feed our people! Peace, Gayle Childers & Doug Graesser, UUC members ( gayledchilders@comcast.net & dlgraesser@gmail.com ) 

Congratulations!

Wednesday, August 5, 5–7 p.m. in the Knatvold room

Wednesday, July 22, 11 a.m. in Renton Optional 10 a.m. carpool from UUC Please sign up by Monday, July 20

From Tamar Lively, UUC's Executive for Finance and Operations Dear Beloved Community, I'm writing to update you on an important piece of our building; the decorative wood-framed glass screen on the west face of the sanctuary. Many of you know it as one of the most visible and beloved architectural details of our chapel, and I want to make sure you hear directly from me, and hear the full picture, about what's ahead for it. A bit of history The screen has needed attention before. Water damage led to a full disassembly and reconstruction in the 1990s, and it was repaired again in 2009 at a cost of about $56,000. When our Capital Reserve Study was completed in 2024, it noted that the screen was stable overall but that several sections of the wood frame were showing wear, and it set aside a placeholder budget of $85,000 for the next round of repairs, with the caveat that the real scope and cost wouldn't be known until we had actual bids in hand. Where things stand now Recent inspection has shown that the wood framing has deteriorated further than we'd hoped, to the point that we need to move on two fronts: Temporary emergency shoring , to make sure the screen remains safe and stable in the near term, and A complete rebuild of the screen, similar in scope to the 1990s reconstruction. This is a bigger undertaking than the 2024 estimate anticipated, and I want to be upfront with you about that rather than let you be surprised by it later. What we're doing about it We've already engaged SKHS Architects to assess the screen and prepare bids for both the emergency shoring and the full rebuild. Once we have those bids in hand, we'll know the real scope, cost, and timeline—including whether standard permitting or an expedited emergency permit process will apply—which will affect how quickly work can begin. We are looking at materials options that will also extend the life of the screen, rather than a one to one replacement of the existing materials that need to be replaced every few years. On funding: the congregation has approximately $500,000 set aside in our capital reserve investment account for projects like this. Because that account is invested and its value moves with the market, I don't want to quote you an exact figure today, but I can tell you that we planned ahead for exactly this kind of need, and we are not starting this project from zero. We have other capital projects coming up as well, but this project must take precedence. What to expect Once shoring begins, you'll likely see some visible changes to the entrance including scaffolding, barriers, or temporary supports, and there may be some disruption to how we use that space over the coming months. I don't yet have an exact timeline to give you, since it depends on the bids and the permitting path, but I'll share firm dates as soon as we have them. I'll keep you updated (on our News page and in future issues of the Gateway enewsletter) as this project develops: when we receive bids, when shoring begins, and when we have a clear schedule for the full rebuild. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions. Thank you for your patience and your continued care for this special building . Warmly, Tamar Lively Executive – Finance and Operations

Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

From UUC's Climate Action Team: Check out two events happening this week. The first is Pacific Northwest Climate week , Monday through Sunday, July 13-19 . They have tons of events, and it’s exciting to see how many topics are represented in the schedule . The second event is the monthly Community Potluck Night hosted by 350 Seattle , at Gasworks Park, Thursday, July 16 , 6:15-8:30 p.m. Click on this link to register . 350 Seattle is the local chapter of a major organization devoted to tackling climate change. They have a lot of projects underway, and they need volunteers for all sorts of roles if you want to get involved . Several UUC members went to the June 350 Seattle potluck in Maple Leaf Reservoir Park.

Help Welcome Rev. Jeremiah

Saturday, July 18, 10 a.m.–noon at Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm, Bellevue

July 17–19 in Seattle's Discovery Park

Wednesday, July 15, 7–8:30 p.m. via Signal Our July meeting will be held via Signal video and a call will go out to everyone who is on the UUC Pink Haven Announcements list on Signal. Contact Allison to be added to the list. The advantage of using Signal for our video call is that no special link or code is needed—just answer the call. Or if you can’t attend, don’t answer the call. The disadvantage is it calls everybody on the Pink Haven Announcement Signal group list. (Open to feedback...) Before the meeting starts, have the Signal app open and then answer the call which will connect you to the video. (The Signal app can be installed on any device (iPad/Mac/PC). An important note: Leah Evison is now the third UUC Pink Haven co-chair and also treasurer. Thanks, Leah! Our next meeting, on August 26, will also be held via Signal. The Pink Haven Coalition is a national coalition responding to the baseless and severe discrimination against trans and non-binary individuals in red states who need assistance in moving to blue states. Our UUC group is part of this effort, in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, to create a welcome network for trans/non-binary individuals and their families who are fleeing their homes in order to live freer lives and, if needed, to obtain gender affirming care.

Starting on Sunday, July 19, members of the Board of Trustees, Ministerial Search Team and Transition Team will be hosting a learning station in Nathan Johnson Hall to collect your ideas, suggestions and insider tips about living in the Pacific Northwest and becoming part of the UUC community. These suggestions will be compiled in some creative way and included in a “Welcome Basket” to be presented to Rev. Jeremiah when they arrive on Monday, August 17. Since many people travel during the summer months, there will also be an email address to which you can send suggestions. Check the Gateway each week to learn about the topic for that week, ponder it a bit, and then please contribute your suggestions! This is the first of many ways we can help welcome Rev. Jeremiah to their new home and our UUC community. See also UUC Welcomes Rev. Jeremiah on August 17 . 

Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Alternate Saturdays starting July 11, 2-4 p.m. in Servetus

Saturday, July 11, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold (coffee at 8:30 a.m.)

Sunday, July 12, before and after the 9:30 a.m. service, and 2–5 p.m. in the UUC parking lot

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed a rewrite of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200 , the legal framework governing every federal grant to every recipient across every agency in the federal government. This rewrite would replace thoughtful peer/expert review with decisions made by political appointees, directed specifically to award only projects that “…demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities.” We, UUC's Climate Action Team, oppose this rewrite. We encourage everyone to submit a brief, unique comment complaining about how the administration’s proposed changes would give political appointees the power to drive decisions regarding every federal grant proposal. The proposed changes would take the decisions out of the hands of subject-matter experts, and would upend how federal grants have been decided since at least the end of WWII, if not earlier. Deadline for comments is July 13, 8:59 p.m. Pacific time. For guidelines regarding your comment (there are four recommended points to be sure to include) and for directions on how to submit , scroll down to the end of the second article link below . The first link below focuses on changes to federal funding for science. The second discusses Medicaid, transportation, education, food assistance and more. https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of-key-changes-in-ombs-proposed https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/this-new-omb-rule-is-bigger-than We also encourage you to contact your elected Congressional representatives . spread the word, and encourage more folks do the same .

Meet the Artist - Sunday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. in the UUC chapel (Please note new date)

The UUC Board of Trustees held their first meeting on June 23 and elected the following trustees as officers for 2026–27: President: Becca Hutcheson Vice-President: Nicholas Eddington Treasurer: Mike Kasprzak Secretary: Laurie Mann In addition, the following trustees were selected to serve in various chair and liaison roles with different committees and groups within the congregation. BoT Nominating Committee Chair: Larry Soriano Stewardship Committee Liaison: Michael Linenberger Community Engagement Co-Chairs: Alison McCormick and Laurie Mann Right Relations Team Liaison: Michael Linenberger Safety Committee Liaison: Nicholas Eddington Accessibility Teams’ Liaisons: Nicholas Eddington and Larry Soriano All members of the Board will be wearing blue “Trustee” ribbons with their name tags this year. Please reach out to any of us if you have ideas, suggestions, concerns, or questions!

Tuesday, July 7, 7:00–8:30 p.m. in Knatvold Please sign up ASAP so we know if we have enough people to make it a go

Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Over the next two months our new senior minister, Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, will be finishing up their ministry in California and navigating all of the various transitions involved in moving to a brand new city, state, region and community. During this time the Board of Trustees, Ministerial Search Team, and Transition Team all ask that members of our UUC community wait to reach out to Rev. Jeremiah until they have formally started in their new role with UUC in mid-August. In this way they can have all of the time, energy, and space they’ll need to fully move through those transitions and arrive ready for the new beginnings with us. You can learn more about Rev. Jeremiah here . You can watch the worship service Rev. Jeremiah led at UUC on April 19 here . You can watch the worship service Rev. Jeremiah led at UUC on April 26 here. You can learn more about the Ministerial Search Process here . Reverend Jeremiah has expressed their deep appreciation for the warm welcome they received during Candidating Week, as well as the comprehensive overview of our operations, programs, and beloved community that we all provided. We look forward to many celebrations and opportunities to welcome them in the fall! Until then, please gather with us on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. throughout the summer to share quiet moments of inspiration and hope with our various pulpit guests followed by coffee and good company. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Rev. Victoria Poling or Becca Hutcheson , Board of Trustees President.

Every Wednesday, 7–9 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Wednesday, July 1, 5–6 p.m. online meeting

Earlier this spring, UUC congregants met with representatives from Hand in Hand , a national organization advocating for domestic workers, to learn how to protect the rights of house cleaners, nannies, home care workers and others they might employ. We also learned that many domestic workers are immigrants facing additional stress and threats in their lives. The workshop was sponsored by UUC's Social Justice Steering Committee. If you hire a domestic worker in Seattle (and soon, in Washington state more generally), you may be a legal “employer” and have an obligation to: Pay minimum wage, sick and safe time, and overtime pay Provide rest and meal breaks Allow workers to keep their personal and identifying documents Create a workplace safe from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation Provide a notice of rights (not mandatory, but supportive!) Seattle has had a domestic workers ordinance since 2019. The state Legislature recently passed a bill that will take effect in 2027. Under the new Washington state law , employers will also need to have a written contract with employees who work more than four hours a month. But this is just the beginning. If you’re ready to create a safer workplace, you can find a more complete guide and Washington-specific resource list to support building trust, developing workplace accommodations that make sense for your employee, and thinking through the types of concrete support that you can offer them. This may be especially helpful for immigrant workers. There are over 100,000 domestic workers in Washington state and just as many employers. Hand in Hand is inviting people to host kitchen table conversations to share their experiences as an employer with their neighbors and friends to help ensure that all of Washington’s domestic workers have full access to their rights. If you are interested in hosting one, please reach out to Erica at erica@domesticemployers.org .

Even before the 2025-26 church year began, social justice teams at UUC had expressed a desire to step outside their issue silos and collaborate by identifying and carrying out projects that would attract a large swath of the congregation. The Social Justice Steering Committee answered this call in the fall by hosting a "Revival" that was well-attended. It generated three projects designed to help us overcome despair and experience joy, centering love in our lives. [Continue reading]

Sunday, June 28, 1-5 p.m. in downtown Seattle

Saturday, June 27, 1:00 p.m. in the UUC chapel

Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Sunday, June 28, 11:15 a.m. in the King room and via Zoom

Sunday, June 28, 3–6 p.m. in the chapel

Please respond by Sunday, June 28

Thanks, garden volunteers! More opportunities below!

As Unitarian Universalists, we proudly affirm the worthiness and dignity of every single person. Our values move us to work for justice and equity so everyone truly feels that love and respect. For Juneteenth and Pride Month, your Acting for Racial Justice team and Social Justice Steering Committee are beaming with excitement to debut our brand-new Black Lives Matter banner and a beautiful companion Progress Pride banner! These vibrant additions show our neighbors how we side with love. Plus, we are proud to share that we ethically sourced our BLM banner from a wonderful Black-owned company, our Pride banner from the talented artist, Transpainter, and installed them with a veteran-owned sign company.  We can't wait to celebrate with you at a special banner dedication ceremony this fall—stay tuned for the date!

Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall by appointment

Tuesday, June 23, 5–7 p.m. in Knatvold

Saturdays, June 13 & 20, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (come when you can)

General Assembly Worship Service, 8:00 a.m. PT, online only (The UUC building will be closed)

Friday, June 19, various times and places

Sunday, June 21, 2–4 p.m. at Ravenna Park Picnic Shelter #1