UNIVERSITY UNITARIAN CHURCH
News
News about events at UUC and other items of interest to church members and friends are publicized via four main channels: our UUC News blog below, The Gateway weekly e-newsletter, our Facebook page, and the weekly Family Ministry newsletters.
UUC News
All Ages worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream
Sign Up Now Friday, September 19, 6–7:30 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall
The survey is open September 19 through October 19, 2025
Saturday, September 20 at 2 p.m. in the UUC chapel and via livestream
Friday, September 19, 6–8 p.m. in the Woodland Park Zoo Auditorium
Sunday, September 21, 11:15 a.m. and 1–3 p.m. in the UUC chapel
Sunday, September 21, 3–5 p.m. in the Knatvold room
September 18, 2025 Unfortunately, across the country there has been a recent uptick in Covid cases. We are seeing cases rise in Seattle and in our UUC community. As we head into colder months, we really encourage folks to mask up on Sunday mornings . You can find extra masks on the welcome desks and in the office. If you are feeling sick, please stay home and watch the live stream instead. Let’s use what we know will keep each other safe and healthy.
Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 p.m. in the UUC chapel by registration
For 3–6 months, or for just a few days
December 11-14 at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend by advance registration
Saturday, October 11, 12:30–4 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall
RSVP Through UUC Connect Saturday, September 27, 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in NJ Hall, *childcare provided
Saturday, September 27, 1–7 p.m. in the Central District
Wednesday, September 17, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom
Saturday, September 27, 1–3 p.m. in the Knatvold room
Thursday, September 25, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in the Knatvold room
Various dates and topics, via Zoom
Sunday, December 28, 2025, 2:30 p.m. to Thursday, January 01, 2026, 11:45 a.m.
Sunday, September 14, 1:00–2:30 p.m. in Channing
Saturday, September 13, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. in Issaquah
A Reminder About Phishing Emails and Text Message Scams
Registration open for Saturdays, October 11 & 25, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 28, after each service in Nathan Johnson Hall
Sunday, September 14, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m.
Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream Welcoming reception after each for Rev. Victoria Poling
Sundays, beginning October 5, 6:30 p.m. in Wedgwood, by registration
Monday, September 8, 7 p.m. in the chapel
Thursday, September 11, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in the Knatvold room
Saturday, September 27, 2–4 p.m. in the UUC chapel Whether you are interested in being a regular Audio/Visual volunteer, or just willing to help us out in a pinch, you are invited to join us for a two-hour training on September 27 in the chapel. This will be an opportunity to get introduced to all of the equipment and get hands-on experience in a low-pressure environment. After the training, we invite you to sign up for Sunday morning shifts with experienced AV folks where you can practice your skills and get more familiar with how AV during services works. And after that we would encourage volunteers to sign up for one shift a month to keep your skills sharp and fresh. Please email office@uuchurch.org if you are interested in attending or have questions.
Sign Up Now Tuesday, September 9 or Friday, September 19, 6–7:30 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall
Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream
Sunday, September 7, 4:00–5:45 p.m. at Seattle First UMC
Applications for the Family Ministry Coordinator position are due by September 5 through Indeed or Idealist . From Aria Curtis, Director of Family Ministry: I'm sorry to share the news that Teddy MacQuarrie is no longer serving at UUC as our Family Ministry Coordinator. He brought many wonderful things to the position and to UUC, and we wish him well in all his future endeavors. This, of course, means that UUC is hiring again. You can see the job description on Indeed or Idealist . The Family Ministry Coordinator works with and assists the Director of Family Ministry (me!) in implementing programs and events for children and their families at University Unitarian Church. Though many of the tasks associated with this position are administrative, it does include opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and professional development. We are looking for someone who enjoys working with children and their parents, and is a self-motivated leader. Ideally this is someone who is detail-oriented, with strong problem-solving and organizational skills, who can work with a wide variety of personalities and individual learning styles. Familiarity with Unitarian Universalist values and traditions is not required, but it is very helpful, and candidates should be willing to learn and teach these things with children and their families. I encourage you to share the job posting with anyone you think might be interested in the position! Applications are due by September 5 and we hope to have someone start in mid-September (hopefully not too long after Homecoming Sunday). Please direct any questions about the application or job to me at aria.curtis@uuchurch.org .
Saturday, September 6, 1:00–4:00 p.m. at UUC
Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream
Saturday, August 30
Sunday, August 31, 11–12:30 a.m. in the Knatvold room
Saturday, October 11, 1–4 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall
Tuesday, September 9 or Friday, September 19, 6–7:30 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall
From Madi at Bloodworks Northwest : Our August 21 blood drive at UUC was a great success! All the appointment slots were filled beforehand and we registered 35 donors and collected 24 units of blood components— a meaningful impact for patients across the Pacific Northwest. We’re incredibly grateful for the continued partnership with University Unitarian Church. The culture of giving that you have created is fantastic! THANK YOU!
We are reorganizing the UUC Zoom "rooms." At 5 p.m. on Monday, August 24, all UUC Zoom links will be changing. Please see the emails sent out via UUC Connect on August 23 and September 2 for details. Generally groups are now scheduled in a particular UUC Zoom room according to their ministry area/focus, but some groups have been moved to alternative rooms to avoid scheduling conflicts. [Please note that the term "Zoom room" refers to the virtual/online Zoom meeting spaces that we use. Nothing is changing in regards the scheduling of physical rooms at UUC.] If you are expecting your group to have a Zoom room and do not see it listed in the UUC Connect email, please contact office@uuchurch.org .
Seeking community and connection with others in a similar life stage? Join UUC's Young Adult Group!
Wednesdays, August 27 & September 17, noon to 1 p.m.
The seven-person Ministerial Search Team elected by the congregation in June includes Steve Carlson, Sallie Dacey, Rosemary Daszkiewicz, Greta Essig, Laurie Mann, Roberta Ray and Michelle Vaughan. We had our first meeting on July 12 (see photo) and will spend more time over the summer getting to know one another. We'll have our official retreat in early September. The Unitarian Universalist Association offers deep resources to help with this process, including establishing a timeline that all congregations conducting searches follow, best practices ideas, and document templates we can use as starting points for our own work. We are still sorting through all this information. Next steps include learning more from the congregation about our collective priorities in this ministerial search. This will include asking folks to complete a congregational survey and scheduling many opportunities to verbally share thoughts/dreams/hopes for our shared future. We will also be scheduling a congregational workshop in late fall/early winter to help everyone be best prepared to welcome a new senior minister. You’ll all be hearing more about all of these in the new church year. We’ll be updating you as we go in the Gateway enewsletter , on our News blog and on the Ministerial Transition & Search page (under the ABOUT US menu) on the church's website. When you see us around church, don’t hesitate to ask questions, provide encouragement and/or submit suggestions.
Sunday, August 24, 10:30–11:15 a.m. in the Office Conference Room
Worship service at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel and via livestream
As many of you will remember, our long-time bass section leader/soloist Rick Scheyer retired last June. I spent the summer in search for a new bass section leader/soloist, and am delighted to announce that Chris Rule will be joining us in that role, beginning in September. Chris has some past association with UUC, and is the perfect fit for us! Read on for an introduction from Chris himself. - Karen P. Thomas, Director of Music "Hello, my name is Chris Rule (he/him) and I'm excited to join the Loft Choir in the fall after making good friends in the Young Adult Group years ago and meeting many of my fellow choir members singing with Seattle Pro Musica. I live along the Interurban Trail in northwest Seattle with my wife Misty and daughter Penny. I work by day on light rail expansion and have been involved in local bike, pedestrian and land use advocacy campaigns. These days you might also find me adding new birds to my list for the year. I look forward to meeting you!"
From UUC's UUs for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) group For months, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of the two Palestinian peace activists from Umm al-Khair in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills. Awdah Hathaleen, a teacher, and Eid Suleiman, an artist, had planned a tour across the U.S. to talk about their small Bedouin village and its painful struggle to survive encroachment from an illegal Israeli settlement. The tour was supposed to bring them to UUC on June 16 for an event organized by our chapter of Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME). But Awdah and Eid never made it to Seattle. U.S. authorities interrogated them upon their arrival at San Francisco airport, revoked their visas and placed them in detention. After 26 hours, authorities shipped the cousins back to the Middle East—without explanation. But our UUJME event went on anyway, in their absence. Naomi Price-Lazarus, a friend of both UUC and Umm al-Khair, talked about her several visits to the village as a volunteer for the Jewish Center for Non-violence. She told stories about Awdah and Eid: what warm hosts they had been; what loving fathers and husbands they were; how they and other villagers made her laugh and cry. She reported that the Israel military has been busily demolishing homes in Umm al-Khair, while nearby settlers continue to harass and attack the villagers. Rami Al-Kabra, deputy mayor of Bothell and the only Palestinian-American elected official in WA, also spoke at the event. We had a good turnout, and sent this photo from Nathan Johnson Hall to our missing speakers in Palestine.