What is it that makes our Nanaimo Fellowship special? Yes, we have a wise, Minister, a well-functioning Board, a longstanding major commitment to social justice through our Shelter program. We also have an emerging, actively engaged environmental task force that will continue to challenge us and invite us to action. And, of course, there are numerous … Continue reading Hidden Wisdom Within Our Fellowship
Special Guest: Buwa Everyone deserves to be respected. Everyone deserves to belong. Everyone’s contributions to society deserve to be known. Black Canadians have been part of the fabric of this country for hundreds of years yet their contributions remain barely known. As Black History Month concludes let us celebrate a people who work, sing and … Continue reading Answering the Call of Love
Forgiveness is not a ‘one time and it’s done’ deal. It’s a process. Just as a quilt is stitched together layer upon layer, understanding forgiveness requires deconstruction of the layers we create in our relationships. It takes intention and care and time to carefully and gently pull back each layer. We might encounter knots and … Continue reading Layers of Forgiveness
Thomas Roach taught himself to sew at the age of six because he couldn’t draw. Many years later he is still stitching, dyeing and using cloth as a medium to explore spiritual themes and community stories. He will reflect on his own life with textiles and how they have enriched his spiritual journey. Thomas first … Continue reading Becoming Forgiving: A Reflection On A Lifelong Journey With Textiles
Unitarians and Universalists have been on the forefront of social change and justice seeking for hundreds of years. In November 2021, congregations of the Canadian Unitarian Council once again stepped forward, this time to commit ourselves to dismantling racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion for all people. Be part of celebrating this commitment to … Continue reading National Service – Celebration and Contemplation: The Path of an 8th Principle
Continuing on the theme of discernment in the various arts, Sue Averill will be presenting a talk on how discernment is reflected in the folk music that she has been doing for many years. Folk music has eluded definition, but it does arise from the human psyche, and from the daily lives of people. It … Continue reading Discernment in Music
From rock to opera, Indigenous musicians are much more than Pow Wow Music. In this service, we’ll learn about two diverse Indigenous musicians. Buffy Saint Marie, a Cree from the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, has spent 60 years singing and writing on subjects of love, war, religion, and mysticism. At 80, she can still rock … Continue reading Diversity in Indigenous Music
When you have a headache, you take Tylenol. When you have a stomach bug, perhaps you reach for the Pepto Bismol. A cut – best grab a Band-Aid, or a tensor bandage for your sprained ankle. But what of the pain of loneliness? Hopelessness? Uncertainty and Boredom? The Pandemic that we are still weathering, has … Continue reading Music as Medicine
As we begin another planetary circle around the sun, there is something we need to add to our list of new year resolutions. Our lives have become so very busy and stressed. It seems as if time is speeding up, and the more we do to catch up, the less we are able. This year, we … Continue reading The Rest Between Notes
For over a decade, our congregation has marked the end of the holiday season with a ‘Mirth and Music Service’ that departs from our standard Sunday format, and offers listeners an hour to ‘decompress from holiday stress.’ Our theme is drawn from the words of award-winning Oregon writer, Brian Doyle, who wrote ‘I sing a song … Continue reading Song of Believing: A Service of Music and the Spoken Word
