Past Services - Calgary Unitarians

KAIROS Blanket Exercise

Sunday January 29, 2022. 10 am – noon

This is an in person service and there will be no Zoom meeting

Welcome to Calgary Unitarians Blanket Exercise, our Sunday service for January 29.

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise’s goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, and resistance.

Everyone is actively involved as they step, or roll onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit, and later Métis peoples.

By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.

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Our Facilitators:

Elder Doreen Healy – born and raised on the Blood Reserve, Blackfoot Confederacy, Southern Alberta. Member of the Kainai Nation, Blood Tribe. She is a residential school survivor taken from her family at age 5. She has worked in the oil and gas industry for many years with Amoco Canada and

MEG Energy as an Indigenous Relations Liaison and for Alberta Energy Regulator as an Indigenous Specialist and Resident Elder.

Anne Harding – Owner of Forum Community Relations Inc, where she has engaged with over 85 Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada, delivered training to more than 2000 people, Vice-Chair Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary, Director Calgary Chamber of Commerce where she co-chairs Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee.

Workshop Outline (2.5 hrs)

TIME	ACTIVITY	PURPOSE
20 mins	Opening ceremony (smudge), introduce exercise, key concepts, and participants and assign roles	Prepare participants for what they’re about to experience
45 mins	Experience the KAIROS Blanket Exercise	Experiential learning of history.
15 mins	BREAK
25 mins	Hear the lived experience of a residential school survivor	Connect learning with personal story and emotion
45 mins	Talking Circle and Video	Debrief lessons and emotions that came up during exercise

It is customary for women to wear long skirts when participating in many Indigenous Ceremonies. This is an exercise as a workshop rather than a Ceremony. There will be some ceremony elements incorporated when Elder Doreen smudges at the beginning, but the exercise itself is very much a non-Indigenous way of learning designed for non-Indigenous people, and therefore the term ‘Ceremony’ doesn’t fit so it is not necessary to advise women to wear long skirts.

Please note that participants will be asked to take off their shoes so that they are more closely connected to the ground as they move around the blankets. If this is truly a distraction for some participants they may leave their shoes on, but it’s a better experience if everyone has their shoes off.

Please fill out this pre-session survey if you are planning to participate in the Blanket Exercise. It provides the opportunity for folks who may be triggered by the experience to let the Facilitator know in advance so that accommodations can be made in terms of the roles people are assigned.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday morning at 10 AM. Lunch will be provided.

The Path of Finding Our Center: Beyond

Sunday January 22, 2022. 10:30 am

As Unitarian Universalists, we are committed to serving our wider community and the world. Here at Calgary Unitarians, our mission to Grow in Wisdom, to Welcome and Deepen Relationships and to Act for a Just and Sustainable World specifically calls us to use our time talent and treasure to support people and organizations that increase justice equity and compassion in our shared civic life.

The Path of Finding Our Center: Among

Sunday January 15, 2022. 10:30 am

We will be reflecting on our shared identity as Canadian and Calgary Unitarians. In this time of transition, taking a look at who Calgary Unitarians are, why you are here, and where you are going will begin to shape the developmental process ahead. We will draw inspiration from the UUA’s Article II proposed statement of purposes and covenant.

The Path of Finding Our Center: Within

Sunday January 08, 2022. 10:30 am

Our center is that place of peace and calm within in us where we are most at home. An inner refuge, an inner teacher, a guide when we need one most, our center is the place we return to again and again to find our way forward.

Finding Your Center – Fire Communion

Sunday January 1, 2023. 10:30 am

This worship service will be in person only – there will be no online component.
Presenters: Mary Anna Louise Kovar and Lynn Nugent, Musicians: Krishan Power
One of the traditions of the Calgary Unitarians as we enter the New Year is a Fire Communion. This ritual is a shared acknowledgement of the experiences and lessons of the past year and an opportunity to make intentional choices for the year to come. We do this with gratitude for what has been experienced and hope for the future. Come join us in a look at personal centering and participation in the Fire Communion celebration.

Christmas Eve

Saturday December 24, 6:00PM.

Join us for our CU Christmas Eve Stories and Carols Service!

Blue Christmas

Friday December 16, 7:00.

In person service at Calgary Unitarians.

Do you need an oasis in the midst of all the holiday season gaiety and commercialism?

Join Rev Shelly Thompson and Lynn Nugent as we honour our sadness with a quiet and reflective service followed by tea and treats.

Celebrate Winter Solstice

Sunday December 18, 2022. 10:30 am

Come join us as we honor the Pagan traditions of celebrating the darkest day of the year and telling the story of the Green Man who will then be festooned and be-ribboned during our ritual circle worship. Service is followed by “Cakes and Ale” in Wickenden. (coffee hour)

All Ages Sunday: The Spirit of the Night Before…

Sunday December 11, 2022. 10:30 am

Join us for our all ages multi-generational service, as we tap into our child-like spirit. Remember the excitement of the night before Christmas, Hanukah, Solstice, or your own family tradition?
Wear your favourite pajamas, slippers, housecoats, or comfy clothes. There will be a bedtime story, milk and cookies, crafts and and a all ages mixer to make new friends!

What Does Calgary Unitarians Mean to You?

Sunday December 4, 2022. 10:30 am

We begin our theme of WONDER next Sunday. During this transition out of the pandemic, we are all wondering, “What does the future of Calgary Unitarians hold over the next months and years?” We had a retreat with 25 people two weeks ago to re-energize, reconnect and remind ourselves why Calgary Unitarians is important to us. Today, DRE Sheila and members of the search team will share their thoughts and experiences to inspire us and continue this important conversation about the value of this community.

Living Our Way Beyond…

Sunday November 27, 2022. 10:30 am

This service will offer an opportunity to consider how we, as Unitarian Universalists, embody our principles during times of transition, letting go of barriers by opening our hearts to the world. Our lives are full of stories and these stories are the foundations of our beliefs about ourselves and others. Charles Curran calls these the “normative perspectives” from which all others are perceived.” How do you want to be understood and how do you want to understand others?

The Power of Listening :

Sunday November 13, 2022. 10:30 am

Many you have participated in listening circles or covenant groups over the years and know just how powerful they can be. When we engage in these circles, we slow down, set a few simple guidelines and then deeply listen to one another. The results are that we feel seen and heard, accepted and valued in ways that add new depth and meaning to our relationships. We also gain insight into our own lives and the lives of others in ways that widen our circles of compassion and our understanding of our shared humanity.

In Between Liminality:

Sunday November 6, 2022. 10:30 am

Navigating the transition between what was and what is yet to be.
Making ourselves more comfortable with inhabiting the threshold and imagining the possibilities for an emerging future.

Halloween

Sunday October 30, 2022. 10:30 am

YOU ARE INVITED TO WEAR A COSTUME!
Join us for a family friendly celebration of Halloween with a short worship followed by activities and fun for all ages including a spooky haunted hallway, games, and treats!

Living With Courage

October 23, 2022. 10:30 am

We live our lives courageously when we choose to act with kindness and integrity even though we are afraid. The writings of Brene Brown and Deborah Adele will inform our exploration of what it means to be brave.

Pet Blessing

October 16, 2022. 10:30 am

Join us to honor our beloved animals today. Send or bring a photo of your pets to share. We will have “animal ambassadors” for everyone to meet. We will look at our 7th principle and talk about how we can be a blessing to the animals and the natural world.

Thanksgiving

October 9, 2022. 10:30 am

Join us to celebrate the Spirit of Thanksgiving. Gratitude is an important part of resilience and can bring us great joy!

The Sacred Now

October 2, 2022. 10:30 am

Our theme for October is COURAGE! It takes courage to hold fast to our mission and our vision when the future is uncertain. This is precisely why we need one another to nurture and sustain our connections and sense of community. Come, let us worship together!