Welcome to North Shore Unitarian Church
Welcome to our website. Please explore our Visitors section, and come visit a worship service, held every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
The mission of North Shore Unitarian Church is to empower people to live with greater depth, meaning and purpose. We welcome all to our caring community, foster spiritual growth free of dogma, and inspire actions in the service of life.
Good Relations
We the members of the North Shore Unitarian Church agree to treat ourselves and each other fairly and respectfully. We are committed to improving the quality of our lives by supporting one another’s self-development, spiritual growth and the use of our skills and talents in fulfilling and responsible ways.
Our Covenant
Our Minister and our lay chaplains conduct rites of passage including weddings, infant naming and dedication ceremonies, and celebration-of-life or memorial services.
Sunday Services
Starting the week following our Flower Communion Sunday in June, and carrying through to Labour Day Sunday, our regular services transform into summer mode due to the tireless work of our Summer Services Co-ordinator, Ruth Avrin. These services draw upon some of our excellent lay speakers and guests.
August 1st 10:30am
Children and Religion
What were children told about religion in centuries past? What are some children being told about religion today? Can the
indoctrinating of children in a particular belief be considered child abuse? What do we as Unitarian parents want our children to understand about religions? Norma will focus on questions related to childhood and religious instructions.
Speaker: Norma Elrod
Co-ordinator: TBA
August 8th 10:30am
Interfaith Youth Movement
Our youth will be exploring and working to provide an interfaith youth event in the coming church year. This service will explore the topic of religious pluralism and what makes it possible in our community.
Speaker: NSUC Youth Group
August 15th 10:30am
Archaeology and the Hebrew Bible
Let’s take a look at how archeological studies of the Ancient Near East inform us about events described in the Hebrew bible.
Speaker: Rev. Stephen Atkinson
Co-ordinator: TBA
August 22nd 10:30am
Do We Have the Right to Die?
If you were terminally ill and wanted to end your life, could you? Would you be able to have a good death, perhaps with the presence of your loved ones? NSUC member and Dying with Dignity board member, Wanda Morris, will provide an
overview of the current status of our right as Canadians to die as we choose.
Speaker: Wanda Morris
Co-ordinator: TBA
August 29th 10:30am
What I Learned on Vacation
“This summer I’ll have been to the UUA’s General Assembly in Minneapolis; visited family and old friends in Ontario; served as chaplain at the August Eliot Institute; and attended my 40th high school reunion in Fredericton. Surely I’ll have learned something!”
Speaker: Rev. Stephen Atkinson
Co-ordinator: TBA
New Building Task Force
NSUC is looking for a new home – one that's larger and more accessible. With that in mind we've sold our current building and property. The sale is subject to rezoning.
During the rezoning period, we continue to assess our options for the future. To aid that process, our New Building Task Force has created a special section of our website, which they continually update as new data becomes available. Click GO TO NEW BUILDING TASK FORCE SPECIAL SECTION to get the latest news and analysis of the various possibilities.
Podcasts of Recent Sermons
Talking Yourself Through Hard Times
July 25th
The messages you give yourself can make a difference to how you survive tough times. Connecting with your vulnerable self and offering care can be empowering.
Speaker: Marianne Pengelly
The Dance
July 18th
“What if the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I want to be, but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?” Our speaker explores the ways in which Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s words inspire us to move to the rhythms of our true self.
Speaker: Samaya Oakley
The Importance of Having Gratitude in your Attitude
July 11th
Sarah Breathnach said, ”when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives, but are grateful for the abundance that’s present, we experience heaven on earth”.
Speaker: Ruth Avrin
My Work in Kenya, 2010 Annual Report
July 4th
A review of the educational program of Mungu High School in a rural area in Kenya, funded by the NSUC's Boys Education Endowment Fund, which allows 17 bright, needy boys to learn.
Speaker: Nora Harrison
Reflections on Service at First United Church
June 27th
This week our Ministerial Candidate spoke to us about her experience doing a practicum course. First United Church is located in the margins of our society. This service explores the ways in which they go about living church and how it ties into our Universalist roots.
Speaker: Samaya Oakley
The State of the Church
May 16th
This service preceded our 2010 Annual General Meeting. In preparation, Stephen looked back at the past year of the church, and ahead to its near and more distant future.
Speaker: Rev. Stephen Atkinson
