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.
Mother’s Day didn’t start with Hallmark, but rather with Unitarian Julia Ward Howe, whose 1870 Mother’s Day Proclamation called on mothers all over the world to rise up against the war machines that pitted their sons against each other. 155 years after Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation, the work of parenting is still deeply impacted by … Continue reading The Politics of Mothering
The pagan holy day of Beltane on May 1 celebrates the Earth’s fertile reawakening. Halfway between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, springtime is in full swing, and on Beltane we celebrate the union of pollen and ovum that produces the fruit from the flower; the union of human hearts, minds and imaginations that produces … Continue reading Lo, the Earth Awakes Again! A Beltane Celebration
According to the earliest stories of Jesus’ death and resurrection, it was the women who followed him who stayed with him as he died and who were the first to witness the empty tomb as they arrived to care for his body three days later. Christianity exists because of the testimony of these women, so … Continue reading Many Women Were Also There: Easter Sunday
Emma Goldman said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Rev. Alison will lead us in an exploration our monthly theme, Living Love Through the Practice of Joy, that centers the cultivation of joy as an essential act of resistance to the systems of oppression that seek to rob … Continue reading Joy as an Act of Resistance
As we conclude our Annual Giving Drive, we’ll share stories and songs that reflect the joy we feel when we know that We Are Welcome Here. Newcomers, long-timers and Rev. Alison will offer their insight on the many ways that Saltwater Church has welcomed them, and how they in turn have been the welcome of … Continue reading Our Joyful Welcome!
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.
