11/16/2023 by Rev. Carter Smith

Where We Are Being Called – Rev. Carter Smith

It has been more than a month now that we citizens of the world have been witness to the unprecedented unfolding of violence in Israel and Gaza. I am sure that each of us has stories to tell about the way these events have impacted us personally. For my part, a friend shared the news of the October 7th attacks she was getting live via text messages from her sister and Israeli brother-in-law who were visiting family in Tel Aviv. We didn’t know much that morning,  but we experienced the fear of not knowing how her family was going to

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10/25/2023 by Rev. Carter Smith

October Recap & Introducing the Committee on Ministry

Thanks, everyone for another great month at Westside. In worship, we focused on the theme of “Relationship,” which led to such beautiful and gratifying programs. Many thanks to all who kicked off October at the Community Connections Retreat, both organizers and attendees. I was so impressed by the number of people who dedicated so many hours on a beautiful fall weekend to be together and learn about how to navigate conflict with more care and intention. With Lisa Reitzes’ leadership, Deb Dahrling of PFLAG and Scott Farrell helped us to honor National Coming Out Day with their stories. It is

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09/25/2023 by Shannon Day

On Beginning a New Friendship

Meet Percy! Baptiste and I recently adopted this one and a half year-old bundle of affection, energy, and frankly, chaos. Neither of us has ever had a cat before; we’ve only lived with roommates’ cats. So, this has been quite a new adventure for us, as he gets to know us and we get to know him. You may notice he has an AirTag on his collar. That’s there because two days into living with us, he broke out… by literally breaking the side panel on our window AC unit. After a couple of nights outdoors, we got him back,

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08/31/2023 by Rev. Carter Smith

Leaning Into Community Vibrancy

Thanks, all, for offering me such a warm welcome back this past Sunday. I continue to feel cared for by this congregation. Your warmth and enthusiasm give me so much hope for this community, and the possibilities for welcoming in newcomers of all kinds – not just new ministers. Luckily, we’ll get a chance to do just that, quite soon. Our annual Ingathering Service, on September 10, will be a chance to re-gather as a community for the new church year. A celebration of this community, I encourage you to come, even if you haven’t been in a while. Or,

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07/11/2023 by Shannon Day

À Bientôt! (See You Soon!)

Dear Westsiders, This is the week that summer really begins for me. By the time you read this, I will be in France, on a long-awaited trip to get to know my spouse’s family. Here I’ll offer some of the back story because it’s a part of my life that is important to me. I’ve been to France once before. It was over New Year of 2020, after my partner, Baptiste, and I had been dating for about a year. I spoke a small amount of Duolingo French, and while our relationship was serious enough to warrant the trip, it

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06/28/2023 by Shannon Day

Faithfully Becoming: GA Reflections

Last week, I had the immense privilege of gathering with a couple of thousand other UUs in Pittsburgh and online for our 62nd annual General Assembly (GA). This all-in-one conference included professional networking opportunities, celebratory worship, important business meetings, lectures, and workshops. Each year I attend GA, I experience it as a place for Unitarian Universalists to re-center their attention on the wider faith community and connect across the vast diversity within our larger community. This year in particular, with the theme Faithfully Becoming, we asked a lot of questions about our future as a denomination; who we are, where

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06/08/2023 by Shannon Day

Celebrations and Rest

An unexpected joy that I’ve discovered in serving Westside on a part-time basis is that each week I spend in Seattle feels like a joyful reunion. Even after only a week or two away, I arrive with curiosity about how this community has been doing, and enthusiasm about the time we will spend together. What a gift to experience this quality of presence so often, and to be received with the same curiosity and enthusiasm. This week in particular, I want to thank you for all the ways this community has shared in the joy of my ordination. Becoming an

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05/10/2023 by Rev. Carter Smith

All Things Worship

It has been a real pleasure for me to experience these past two months of worship life here at Westside. I’ve had so much fun collaborating with Worship Associates, musicians, the RE Team, and now the Environmental Justice Team and a guest speaker (coming up this Sunday)! I believe in worship programs that feature many voices, many subjects, and many modes of engaging, and have seen that this congregation strives to offer that. Just more evidence to me that I have ended up in the right community. And now, the time has come that there’s something I need to tell

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04/26/2023 by Shannon Day

In Praise of Fullness 4.23.23

This past Sunday service at Westside, I worried about going over time. There is just so much happening in the life of our congregation, so much to fit into our shared time together. And it makes for a long announcements section, and a long newsletter for that matter. We’ve got the auction bidding well underway, a UUA General Assembly to prep for, a stewardship drive to round out in time for budget season, community circles, interfaith justice gatherings, youth worship, a growing hospitality ministry, and so much more! For our relatively small staff (remember, we’re largely part-time too) and dedicated

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03/29/2023 by Shannon Day

About My Schedule & How to Reach Me

Welcome to the first installment of “Faithful Connections” a blog series for sharing my reflections, notes of encouragement, and maybe a word from the occasional guest writer! It will be a space for reflecting on our life together at Westside, highlighting the achievements and learnings of our various ministries here, and strengthening connections to our larger faith movement. But first, there is business to get to. I have to report that I found my first two weeks “in-residence” in West Seattle to be a whirlwind and a delight. I had long anticipated the joy of worshipping with this community, and

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