Our official date of incorporation is November 7, so check back occasionally as we add new treasures to the Anniversary Page during the next six months.

For PNWD history in a nutshell and some truly classic photos, take a look at the current article on our front page.

Hope to see you in Anchorage next week!

The Youth Advisor Coaching webinar on Building a Sustainable Youth Ministry is on May 8 at 7 pm PST. Online registration is $15 per connection. You may view this alone or with a team. For questions, email the PNWD Training Coordinator Lori Ragona at training@pnwd.org.

The Educating Your Congregation on Safety webinar  is on May 7 at 7 pm PST. Online registration is $15 per connection. For questions, email the PNWD Training Coordinator Lori Ragona at training@pnwd.org.

Rev. Stevens served two congregations in Massachusetts and was settled minister of the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (Bremerton, WA) for six years. She has preached in congregations from California to Alaska, and from Virginia to Vermont.  Over the past two years, she has enjoyed working with the Vashon Island Unitarian Fellowship (WA), while participating in the Pastoral Leadership Program at Seattle University and working toward a Doctorate in Ministry.

Rev. Stevens has served on the staff of PNWD’s Goldmine Youth Leadership School, and has been a member of the PNWD Youth Empowerment Services team. She is also a Chrysalis Trainer of Trainers, and serves on the UUA’s Youth Ministry Advisory Committee, working closely with the Youth and Young Adult Office and with President Peter Morales to discern how to sustain and strengthen youth ministry nationwide.

Rev. Stevens will start as UUCP minister in mid-August, and her first service as minister of the church will be on Sunday, August, 26th.

Kate received her D.Min from Andover Newton Theological School and was recently welcomed into Preliminary Fellowship by the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee. For the past two years, she has served as Youth Advisor at First Unitarian Society in Newton, MA. She is in the process of completing a two-year internship at the UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn, MA.

Kate’s ministry with Shoreline begins August 1.

The Anchorage UU Fellowship called the Rev. Gary Holthaus to settled ministry by vote of the congregation on April 22.

Rev. Holthaus is an author and poet, nonprofit administrator and educator. He has been a proponent of sustainable agriculture, arts and the humanities, and served for nearly 20 years as executive director of The Alaska Humanities Forum. He has had a wide ranging career as a speaker, consultant and facilitator.

Rev. Holthaus is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church and served several churches as an undergraduate and seminarian. He was co-pastor of the Kenai Parish in Alaska (Kenai, Soldotna, Tustumena, Ninilchik, and North Kenai) and recalls being a consultant to the Anchorage fellowship in 1970s or 1980s; he has been an occasional speaker there in years since.

Rev. Holthaus notes, “These parishes involved all aspects of ministerial work: hospital visits, counseling, preparing for services, Sunday morning services, weddings, funerals, community activities, fundraising, administration, etc…  Since 1963 I have been on voluntary location (ordained but without a church appointment) in the Methodist Church.”

Though he has lived in Red Wing, MN, and elsewhere for several years, he has maintained close ties with Alaska and has children and grandchildren there. He will begin service to AUUF this fall.

Anchorage UU Fellowship will ordain Ruth Greenwood on July 15. Ruth, a member of AUUF, is completing her M.Div. at Meadville Lombard Theological School and has been granted Preliminary Fellowship by the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee.

The Rev. Heather Christensen, also a member of AUUF, was accepted into Fellowship by the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee after completing a lengthy process to transfer credentials. She is a former Presbyterian minister.

Are you considering submitting an application to Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry (STM)? From now until Friday, June 15^th, the School of Theology and Ministry will pay your $55 fee when you apply.

Click here to Apply now. Or, contact Colette Casavant to speak with an advisor or to reserve a campus tour and Coffee Conversation on May 31 or June 5.

Several UU students choose Seattle U for seminary (M.Div) or other graduate degree or certificate programs in religion and spirituality, and many Seattle area UU ministers are graduates of STM.

The Rev. Marian Stewart (Northlake UU Church, Kirkland, WA) serves as UU Denominational Formation Coordinator and the Rev. Dr. Barbara Wells ten Hove (Cedars UU Church, Bainbridge Island, WA) serves as UU Liturgical Consultant.

Local UU clergy who graduated from STM include the Revs. Bruce Davis (Evergreen UU Fellowship, Marysville, WA), Bill Graves (Tahoma UU Congregation, Tacoma, WA), Carmen McDowell (Cascade UU Fellowship, Wenatchee, WA), Peg Morgan (Westside UU Church, Seattle, WA) and Karen Taliesin (Chaplain, Seattle Children’s).

Many other PNWD clergy and lay leaders have participated in Seattle University’s Pastoral Leadership Program, which can articulate to a Doctorate in Ministry through STM’s partnership with the San Francisco Theological Union.

For more information on preparing for UU ministry, see the many resources on “Becoming a UU Minister” at the UUA website:  http://www.uua.org/careers/ministers/becoming/index.shtml

Join CLF and UUs from around the world on:

Sundays at 7:00 pm (Eastern Time); 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific, 3 pm Alaska.

Sunday Contemporary service at 9:00 PM (Eastern Time); 7 pm Mountain, 6 pm Pacific, 5 pm Alaska.

Mondays at 1:30 pm (Eastern Time); 11:30 am Mountain, 10:30 Pacific, 9:30 Alaska.

Full workshop descriptions are on the District Assembly Workshops page. This workshop update, along with details on how to request a change due to the affected workshops, will be sent to everyone who has registered for District Assembly. Look for an email soon.

Although presented from a distinctly Christian perspective, UU leaders can easily translate the experience to speak to the broader vision and practice of faith formation in our congregations. Clergy, Directors of Religious Education (children, youth, adult) and lay leaders interested in the meaning of faith formation will find much to stimulate thinking and growth in this educational program.

Goals of the training are to help us:

• Understand the new context of faith formation and the diverse religious and spiritual needs of all generations
• Understand the emerging vision of 21st century faith formation
• Envision faith formation in the “Age of Networks” and learn how to create a Lifelong Faith Formation Network for the 21st century
• Discover a variety of 21st century approaches and resources for faith formation in the congregation, at home, and online
• Learn how to use the new digital media and web technologies in faith formation
• Develop the skills for curating religious content and experiences for all ages and generations

For more information, see http://www.vibrantfaith.org/faith-formation-training.html.

If you are interested in attending this training, please contact Janine Larsen, District Executive, to see about discounted registration fees by joining a PNWD or UUA team attending in either Portland (July 10-12) or Federal Way (July 16-18).

An overview of “Faith Formation 2020″ findings and recommendations will be presented at District Assembly in Anchorage, May 18-20, by the Rev. Jeanelyse Doran Adams, Director of Congregational Services, UUA Pacific Central District. Look for Workshop #2C.