I have been working with the Church Council of Greater Seattle about responses to the election. There is conversation about what it would mean to become a sanctuary congregation. This is what the coordinator wrote in part: “Our training on the specifics surrounding Sanctuary congregations will be on Sunday, February 12, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Avenue NE in Seattle. This is geared to congregations that are considering becoming (or continuing to be) sanctuary congregations.”
I plan to attend but it would be wonderful if Westside had more folks who would go over to University Church on that Sunday from 2-5 pm. I will have to leave for an RE Council meeting and will miss the final part of the conversation. Please email or text me if interested or you want more information.
No one came forward to offer their favorite love song from their generational cohort so I am changing the tenor of Valentine’s Day service February 12 to this theme “Love as Good Medicine”. I decided to pick two contemporary “love” songs that speak about the medicine or power of love and our resilience. You will get to say which one you like best or you can mark both songs. Sorry, I’m not giving other options or a ‘don’t like either one.”
Whichever song gets the most votes will be played at the February 12 service.
I’ll have a Survey Monkey survey ready for you to fill out your choice. You can pick both if you can’t decide. And of course, you can opt out. Here is each song with lyrics:
The Lumineers “Stubborn Love”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGewQB3mDv4 I mentioned this song a few weeks ago – that changing one punctuation character changes the message of the song. The particular lyrics are near the end: “Keep your head up, love”. Put a period rather than a comma in that sentence changes the focus: “(Keep your) head up. Love!”
Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People “Manifesto”
Want to pick either song as a voice for love in a dangerous time? Here’s the survey monkey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZGF63F
Finally, I am doing the last of three services on February 5 on the subject of “Reefer Sanity: Bringing Cannabis out of the Shadows”. Pot/week/marijuana is legal either for medicine or recreational use in over half of the states now. There’s a long history of misinformation, scare tactics and political oppression when it comes to cannabis. I would encourage you to watch this propaganda film clip from Reefer Madness (1936):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjHOBJzhb0