Oct. 18, 2015 9:15 a.m. World Food Day

 In honor of World Food Day Adrienne Renz, Outreach Manager for the Community Food Co-op, will be our presenter. Whether your interest lies in culinary delights, water quality, small farm development or anywhere in the diverse food system there will be something to explore as we look at the current state of our local food system and discuss how to keep it  moving in the right direction for our community and future generations. Meeting may be moved to BUF's Social Hall for better sound. Please check when you arrive. 

October 4, 2015  – “Concerns & Solutions for Incarceration in Whatcom County” – Irene Morgan of Restorative Community Coalition

Irene Morgan, founder of Restorative Community Coalition, will discuss the work of RCC in advocating for wholesome alternatives to incarceration that can bring harmony to our community with greater public safety. RCC is an action-oriented coalition advocating for restorative, economic, systemic and social change. Ms. Morgan has worked with and for many nonprofits in our community for 30 years. She has a broad understanding of the structures of the social service system and how alternative solutions can be implemented.

More information at www.restorativecommunity.com.

October 11, 9:15 a.m. – Transylvania: Keeping Faith Traditions Alive

Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Partner

Church Council, has helped support a Hungarian Unitarian ministry in the village of

Magyarszovat, Transylvania, whose religious traditions began 450 years ago in the 16th

Century. Panelists Bev Smith, Rev. Bill Haney, Carl Nyblade, Anastacia Lundholm, and

Betty Scott will discuss the culturally-rich relationships established between BUF and

their partner church, since the early 1990s. Whether you’re an armchair or traveling

adventurer, learn what exciting opportunities await both congregations.

September 13, 2015:  Rosalinda Guillen, Exec. Dir., Community to Community (C2C)

Speaker Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director of C2C, and a widely recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. The stated goals of C2C are to:

• Empower under-represented peoples to have an equal voice in decision making processes
• Develop cross-cultural awareness
• Restore justice to our food, land and cultural practices
• Promote community relationships towards self-reliance
• Work in solidarity with those that strive towards human rights for all 
• Rescue the value of feminine intellect and leadership

September 27, 2015:  Festivals of Mabon: Autumnal Equinox

Ashley Benem, minister and pagan priestess will talk about the history of the festivals surrounding the harvest season and the autumnal equinox. She will discuss how these celebrations were once practiced across most European countries and how they are applicable here and now in our beautiful, bountiful Bellingham. 

October 4, 2015:  “Concerns & Solutions for Incarceration in Whatcom County”

Irene Morgan, founder of Restorative Community Coalition, will discuss the work of RCC in advocating for wholesome alternatives to incarceration that can bring harmony to our community with greater public safety. RCC is an action-oriented coalition advocating for restorative, economic, systemic and social change. Ms. Morgan has worked with and for many nonprofits in our community for 30 years. She has a broad understanding of the structures of the social service system and how alternative solutions can be implemented. Find more information at www.restorativecommunity.com.

Adult Sunday Forums for May 2015

May 3                   “Interfaith Coalition” with Janie Pemble, Outreach Director

Jame will be sharing some information about Interfaith and it's work and mission to address the needs and fill in the gaps in service for the homeless and vulnerable in Whatcom County, and how BUF is a part of this vital effort.  Interfaith provides a significant way for faith communities to work together in solidarity for the benefit of our community.  We are 41 congregations strong, and we believe that together we can do more.

May 10             “Saving the Future” with BUFster Ron Quinn

What must we change to create a future that provides for the inherent worth and dignity of every person, everywhere? Just about everything. Western models of sustainable development are insufficient. Two new models, regenerative development and eco-modernism, suggest other ways to take better care of everyone.

May 17                 “Bringing Compassion When Tragedies Occur” with Barb Skudlarick, Community Care Crisis Responders and Victim Support Specialist

Serving as a Support Officer since 2000, Barbara will explain the needs of people who receive news of a sudden death by accident, suicide, or homicide. A former flight attendant and nurse, Barb belongs to two aviation organizations and was deployed to assist the Pentagon after 9/11, Sen. Stevens' Alaskan aircraft crash, and Malaysia Airlines Fl #370, as well as coordinating Lummi Nation’s 3-week trip to deliver The Liberty and Freedom Poles to the Pentagon. Barb will describe what happens to people emotionally and physiologically after a tragic event, explain how we can validate people experiencing these responses, and how to phrase verbal support. She will also update us on resources and agencies available to assist with recovery.

May 24                 “Activism on Campus” with Esther Magasis, Community to 
                              Community

Esther will be holding a conversation regarding the difficulties involved with getting students involved with activist work in the current financial climate of academia.

March Upcoming Forums

March 1
"Poverty and AIDS/HIV in Africa" with Vernon Damani Johnson, WWU Professor of Political Science and African and African American Studies and Paul Barkley, Executive Director of Slum Doctor

Professor Johnson will give an overview of the cultures of the peoples of the Lake Victoria region located in Tanzania and Uganda.  Together, Vernon and Paul will talk about the model for community development being implemented by Slum Doctor, a program that has educated thousands about the relationship between poverty, orphans, gender inequality, and the spread of HIV/AIDS.  Paul will also speak about the Busoga Shining Light Association, an organization that has revealed that poverty and hunger are the root causes of the prevailing HIV/AIDS scourge and working to correct poverty and food insecurity, which is the group that they hope the BUF will partner with.

March 8
“Intestinal Fortitude - Have You Got the Guts?” with Steven Woods, M.D.   Gastroenterologist

How does our body distinguish the good from the bad amid the healthy and the lethal, the vast array of food, liquor, pills, and whatever else we send down?   Sound functioning of the human digestive system is a constant miracle which most of us ignore daily. 

March 15

“Parking Puzzles” with Paul James, Fairhaven Neighborhood Assn.

For years the Fairhaven District has failed to solve its parking crises.  What are possible solutions, and why are they so difficult to achieve?   Paul will place this in the larger and longer context of cultural adaptation and change over time. 

March 22            
 “What’s So Important about Snow?” with Scott Pattee, Water Supply Specialist with the Washington Snow Survey Office

In keeping with the UN World Water Day and to kick off our “30 Days of Climate Justice Action – Climate Justice Month,” Scott will be describing the history of the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program along with why snow is such a vital part of all of our lives, all the while demonstrating the uses and users of our data, information and products.

March 29
Cancelled

Adult Sunday Forums for April 2015

April 5                   Easter Sunday, No Forum

April 12             "Bellingham Renaissance: A Golden Perspective" 

                         with Tom Sherwood, Artist of a Special Exhibit at 

                         Whatcom Museum

Before attending try to visit Tom's show at the Museum, March 7 to June 7, funded in part by his former students in China.  Locally he has been an important mentor to Susan Bennerstrom, Tom Wood and others.   Much of his work raises powerful metaphysical questions.

April 19               "Proposed Environmental Tax for Washington” with CarbonWA

CarbonWA will be presenting their revenue-neutral carbon tax campaign. A discussion with Q&A will review how this proposal can drastically reduce carbon emissions, make our tax code less regressive, how it fits in with other state/national climate action proposals and how individuals can help to propel this effort to the ballot in Washington State.

Environmental tax reform would:

§  Improve air quality and reduce airborne toxins

§  Help slow ocean acidity and sea level rise

§  Reduce the state sales tax by a full percentage point

§  Fund the Working Families Sales Tax Rebate to help working families

§  Eliminate the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax for manufacturers

§  Pay for these tax reductions with a carbon tax of $25 per ton of CO2

April 26               “Brain Food” with Marilyn Flint

More than 6 million U.S. residents have Alzheimer’s. By 2050 that number will more than double. Many of us don’t learn natural ways to prevent and treat dementia until it is too late for us or our loved ones. A naturopath, a nutritionist, a woman who stopped her own dementia, and a woman who lost her husband and mother to Alzheimer’s will share what they are learning about ow the essential fatty acids the brain needs and what foods can provide the balance of omega 3 and 6 that prevent and treat some brain diseases.