Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland is Saltwater’s contract minister for the 2023-24 church year, operating in a hybrid/remote capacity from her home in Southern Oregon and onsite at Saltwater one week per month.
Today we’ll celebrate abundance in honor of the Spring Equinox by planting seeds for for Sow Therapeutic, a non-profit mental-health through gardening project founded by Saltwater Member Collette DeMonte. Rev. Alison will remind us that our planting is an act of trust that the seeds will sprout and new life will come again, and when … Continue reading Trust in the Earth’s Abundant Return
We kick off a season of giving at Saltwater Church with 90 minutes of interactive, multigenerational worship and learning where we’ll focus on the the things we make together as community, including the welcome of our congregation. Rev. Alison will lead us in moving our bodies, getting creative, and sharing together our stories of welcome.
While we UUs don’t necessarily have faith in the same God (or any God at all), we come together as congregations because we trust in our values, our covenants, and the power of beloved community. Rev. Alison reminds us that even without certainty of belief, Unitarian Universalism has solid foundations in which we can put … Continue reading Trust in Unitarian Universalism
In this 90 minute multigenerational learning and worship experience, Rev. Alison and the Faith Formation Team will introduce us to Authentic Selves, the UUA Common Read for the 2024-25 church year, which kicks off at Saltwater in March. Join us in living love through the practice of inclusion and witness some of the stories celebrating … Continue reading Authentic Selves Faith Formation Sunday
We continue our celebration of living love through the practice of inclusion this month by welcoming newcomers into membership at Saltwater Church. Rev. Alison will remind us of the importance and the strength of inclusive religious community.
As we witness the human casualties of the housing, mental health and opioid crises all around us, Rev. Alison will explore the question that Jesus famously answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. What do the answers to this question call us to do, and how will we respond to the call?
On this Faith Formation Sunday, Rev. Alison and Director of Faith Formation Jessica will share stories that inspired civil rights leaders, and stories of those who still dream about having civil rights today in an interactive, all-ages, 90 minute service. We’ll all have the opportunity to learn more about telling our own stories to make … Continue reading Stories That Make Us, Stories That Move Us
What if the Earth is a person, alive and aware, feeling and experiencing? What if hierarchies of beings that we’ve absorbed, with humans at the top and “inert matter” on the bottom got it all wrong? Rev. Alison invites us to try on the idea that we are only cells in the body of the … Continue reading Cells in the Body of the Living Earth
As we begin a new year together, we’ll explore different stories about how the universe, the planet, and we humans all began. Rev. Alison will invite us to consider what wisdom these creation stories hold for us today, and the power that stories have in our lives.
The winter holidays can be a particularly hard time for those grieving losses or struggling with mental or physical health challenges. Rev. Alison & members of the Lay Ministry Team will hold space in this service for all those who aren’t feeling merry at this time of year, or whose joy is mixed with grief. … Continue reading Blue Holidays Vespers *Online Only*
