News

Sunday, October 12, 1:00–2:30 p.m. in Knatvold We will hold our regular monthly meeting after the second service. If you have skills in fundraising, networking, facilitation, and communications we welcome your participation. We especially need temporary home hosts for our red-state evacuees seeking vital gender-affirming care. Or you can support our Welcome Village by offering pet care, driving, and other services. Contacts: Allison: allisonrjansen@gmail.com Ash: ash.raq.long@gmail.com Sage: sagemcdan@gmail.com 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.

Saturday, October 11, 12:30–4 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Registration open for Saturdays, October 11 & 25, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Join the Acting for Racial Justice Team to attend and promote these upcoming events related to our goals of racial, social and climate justice/equity

Many opportunities, beginning October 5, by registration

Looking for ways to get more involved in our church community? We're looking for volunteers to support the church now and in the future in three important areas: Grounds and Facilities If you're handy please consider volunteering to help with odd jobs around the church. We've also started a committee focused on the following: A capital reserve study, looking at what repairs and updates will be needed over the next several years - what are they and how will we fund them? What do we need to do about updating the HVAC system? We have options and need a team to study them and make a decision What should our rental policy be? Do we have the right model for custodial services? How do we fund a playground? Should we consider having a small preschool at the church? Others? AV and IT Several of you have recently been trained to assist with AV during services and we are so grateful! If you'd like to be trained, reach out! In addition, we've started an AV/Technology committee. We're looking at all things AV and Technology in the church, identifying how to do things more economically and more user friendly. Finance Committee This committee is a backbone of the church—understanding what we are funding, and why, and how we raise and monitor funds and tracking our investment portfolio—and then communicating that to the congregation. Committees meet monthly and you don't need to be an expert in the subject area. If you like to think about systems, and how to improve them, or have noticed something that you think could be better, please join us! Contact Cynthia Setel , Interim Executive for Finance and Operations, with any questions or to sign up.

Sunday, October 19, 1:00–2:00 p.m. in the Fahs-Mann room

Wednesday, October 15, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

The survey is open September 19 through October 19, 2025

Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Magnuson Park Register in advance here

Sunday, December 28, 2025, 2:30 p.m. to Thursday, January 01, 2026, 11:45 a.m.

Tuesday, October 7, 7:00–8:30 p.m. in the UUC chapel by registration

Thursday, October 9, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in the Knatvold room

We are looking for a part-time custodian, Mondays and Wednesday from 2:00–10:00 p.m.  Do you know potential candidates who would enjoy a challenging job in a positive workplace with a great team of program and administrative staff? Please feel free to share this information within your own communities and encourage them to apply. Thank you! ~Cynthia Setel, Interim Executive for Finance and Operations

Do you use auto-payments to fulfill your UUC pledge? If you raised or lowered your pledge this past spring, this news is for you!

Sunday, October 5, 12:45–1:45 p.m. in Knatvold

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Sundays, beginning October 5, 6:30 p.m. in Wedgwood, by registration

I am so delighted to announce that we have hired Ash Long as UUC's new Family Ministry Coordinator! Ash will begin this Sunday by meeting families and becoming more familiar with the space. Then, in the coming weeks they will take on projects like managing registration information, preparing rooms and supplies, and working with volunteers on some upcoming special events. Please read below for a little more information about Ash and join me in welcoming them to UUC staff on Sunday! Ash connected with the University Unitarian Church after relocating to Washington from Florida and has been overwhelmed with gratitude for the warmth and kindness they have received from the community. They are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the church as Family Ministry Coordinator, utilizing their previous experiences working with the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Early Learning and their long history of volunteering with different community-centered organizations to do their part in making the world a better place. They are also a part of the Bright Cloud Zen Sangha and enjoy reading, meditating, and studying the dharma. A big THANK YOU to Leila Zelnick and Stephen Bianamara for serving on the hiring team; for their thoughtful consideration and discernment through the whole hiring process. ~Aria Curtis, Director of Family Ministry

Friday, October 3, 6–8 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

Saturday, October 11, 12:30–4 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

Meeting: Sunday, October 12, 1:00–2:30 p.m. in Knatvold Save this date for our regular monthly meeting. If you have skills in fundraising, networking, facilitation, and communications we welcome your participation. We especially need temporary home hosts for our red-state evacuees seeking vital gender-affirming care. Or you can support our Welcome Village by offering pet care, driving, and other services. Contact: Allison: allisonrjansen@gmail.com Ash: ash.raq.long@gmail.com Sage: sagemcdan@gmail.com

A summary and review of our hosting of Tent City 3 this spring/summer UUC recently hosted Tent City 3 (TC3) for the second time, from March 22–July 26, 2025. Previously we had hosted TC3 for three months in 2023 (March-May). Prior to hosting TC3 again this year, we reviewed the 2023 experience. Drawing upon feedback from our most proximate neighbors and from UUC congregants, a clear decision was made to host TC3 again. Leading up to our hosting of TC3 this year, it was evident that the landscape around homelessness has changed markedly since 2023. By all indications, the supply of shelter space has grown even tighter, spiking the demand for space in a sanctioned tent encampment. Before, during and after our hosting experience this year, almost 200 individuals resided in the two Tent City camps, 3 and 4. TC3 was the only sanctioned camp in Seattle in 2023, and about 65 residents stayed at TC3 while at UUC that spring. Thus, the Tent City population has tripled from 2023 to 2025. Click here for a recent Seattle Times article about recent trends in homelessness. Reflecting the growing shortage of shelter space, TC3 was occupied by a greater number of families with kids this year. Most of these families remained at the camp for a much longer period of time than was the case in 2023, when families commonly would find shelter or other housing more readily. Racially and ethnically, our TC3 camp this year was more diverse than in 2023. Positives Reflecting on our TC3 experience this year, many positives emerged. These align with our UUC values and our hopes for our relationship with Tent City 3: The availability of safe space for almost 100 people over the course of TC3’s time in our parking lot. The primary objective of Share/Wheel, the organization that sponsors TC3, is to enable people to experience safety and community in what would otherwise be a dangerous living condition. The relationship of our church to the TC3 camp. Under the strong and enduring leadership of Allie Harris , many UUC members and friends supported our Wednesday evening meals for TC3 residents. This support came in the form of offsite meal prep and onsite set-up, serving and clean-up. TC3 residents consistently expressed their gratitude for the delicious, nutritious food and for the rare opportunity to share a meal indoors. Similarly, a foot care clinic offered by a UW health sciences group was made available over multiple sessions. David Kendall provided the UUC coordination of this well-received program. Many of us at UUC helped the camp through donations of food, clothing and other items. And several UUC folks helped with the TC3 moves to and from UUC. Again, TC3 folks expressed gratitude for our support and allyship. In April, an evening session around homelessness was held at UUC. A UUC friend, Rex Hohlbein from Facing Homelessness , joined us for a discussion around housing, homelessness and how we can relate to and support our unhoused neighbors. The session featured a panel of TC3 residents who poignantly revealed their hopes, dreams and challenges. In addition to UUC attendees, many members of other area congregations joined this program. Throughout the TC3 stay in our parking lot, Mary Mason provided strong and steady leadership in working with our Share/TC3 point of contact and Cynthia Setel to address open issues. Mary and Cynthia demonstrated care, compassion and candor in addressing issues that arose (more about this in the next section). Concerns There were issues and concerns that arose for the camp, neighborhood and for UUC, including: Unlike 2023, this year’s camp featured a number of issues that became difficult to resolve, even with multiple attempts to do so in some cases. These issues were varied, including unrestrained dogs at the camp, overloading of the electrical circuit, loitering and litter in the neighborhood, reports of noise, and limited reports of fentanyl use near the camp. Neighbors have suggested that those issues outside of borders of the camp, such as the litter, loitering and fentanyl, may not have been produced by the TC3 residents themselves. The perception, however, is that these issues largely did not exist before TC3’s time at UUC and have subsided following the departure of TC3. Some have suggested that the issues may have been created by individuals who were either expelled by TC3 or failed to meet the criteria for admission to the camp. Our Share/Wheel contact person has acknowledged the ongoing issues and apologized for UUC’s and our neighbors’ experience with them. The persistence of the issues within TC3’s control seems to have been caused, at least in part, by the inability of the camp to effectively and appropriately apply its democratic leadership process. Another factor may have been the aforementioned growth and churn in the Tent City population and the resulting stress on the organization. Adding to the challenge was the inability/unwillingness of the north district Seattle Police Department staff to help address the issue of barred TC3 residents refusing to leave the camp or the neighborhood. By contrast, in 2023 the police were very responsive and helpful in addressing these types of cases. In addition to receiving a limited number of neighbors’ complaints during TC3’s stay at UUC (and some supportive comments), we invited almost 200 of our closest neighbors to provide input after the departure of TC3. About 5% responded, with eight expressing the concerns listed above and two strongly supporting our hosting of TC3. There was additional expense associated with hosting TC3, primarily in the form of an insurance rider. The insurance rider was deemed valuable in order to ensure appropriate liability protection. Where do we go from here? First, it’s important that we take time to reflect on what this experience has meant to us, to those at the TC3 camp, and to our neighborhood and community at large. We decided to host Tent City 3 again because of our community’s housing & homelessness crisis and because we felt called to do so from our vision, values and principles. At the same time, the experience was more challenging than in 2023—for camp residents, our neighborhood, and our church. Over time, it will be important that we also weigh and reflect on this part of our 2025 TC3 hosting. In the near term, we will continue to focus on other key efforts/relationships within Homelessness Ministries work, including Teen Feed, Lake City Partners, and public policy advocacy around housing and homelessness. And we will continue to identify other ways for our church community to be engaged with this critical area of need in our community. Along these lines, don’t miss the upcoming opportunity on October 7 at UUC featuring Dr. Gregg Colburn , UW professor and author of Homelessness is a Housing Problem. Click here to register to join others at UUC and in our broader community, and to learn more and discuss how to address housing and homelessness. Related to this, we will explore additional options for using our church space as part of UUC’s Faith Land Initiative process . If you have ideas about how we might apply our physical property to help address housing, homelessness or related community needs, we invite you to contact one of the Faith Land Initiative core team members listed below. Thank you for your support of UUC’s Homelessness Ministries work and for your commitment to a more just and equitable community. ~Dave Mentz, UUC Tent City 3 Team Faith Land Initiative core team members: Patricia Graesser ( patsygraesser@comcast.net ) Gayle Childers ( gayledchilders@comcast.net ) Dave Mentz ( davementz@msn.com ) UUC Tent City 3 (2025) team members: Debbie Maranville Cynthia Salzman Laurie Mann Pam Smith Mentz Walter Hatch Sallie Dacey Mary Mason David Kendall Dave Mentz 

Wednesday, October 1, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

Sunday, September 28, 1:15–2:45 p.m. in the Dix room and via Zoom

Worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Sunday, September 28, after each service in Nathan Johnson Hall

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.

Saturday, September 27, 1–3 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.

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

Saturday, October 11, 12:30–4 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

Thursday, September 25, 7:00–8:45 p.m. in the Knatvold room

For 3–6 months, or for just a few days

December 11-14 at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend by advance registration

Sign Up Now Friday, September 19, 6–7:30 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall

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

All Ages worship services at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. in the chapel and via live stream

Wednesday, September 17, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Knatvold and via Zoom

Various dates and topics, via Zoom

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

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