Join us this Sunday, May 3rd, at 10:30am in Panabaker for our weekly Worship at Calgary Unitarians. This weeks topic will be What Will We Make Together?

We hope to see you there! 

If you attend our services online, we’d love for you to stick around and connect with others after the service—or arrive a little early for a pre-service hello.

Join the conversation here (the link is the same each week—no need to memorize it, just bookmark it!): https://meet.google.com/qvo-beqy-rqx

The Harold and Marion Panabaker Award, the William Irvine Justice Award, the Gorham Hussey Award are now open for nominations until May 15.

• The Harold and Marion Panabaker Award honours a person or persons for extraordinary services provided to benefit the Church community.
• The William Irvine Justice Award honours a person(s) or organization for extraordinary services provided to benefit social and/or environmental justice in the Calgary community.
• The Gorum Hussey Award is for extraordinary service to our congregation by a team or group whose collective efforts have gone above and beyond in service to the congregation.

If you feel there is someone or a group deserving of these honours, please submit your nomination(s) to socialjustice@calgaryunitarians.ca.

Sunday April 26, 2026 marked the closing of our annual Silent Service Auction. Calgary Unitarians you showed up! Thank you to the 23 donors of services, wares and goods that you graciously donated. Thank you to the numerous bidders for your generosity. Thank you to those who supported my first attempt at organizing anything like this. Without all of you this would not have been the success it is.

~ January

 Back in late January, the Committee on Shared Ministry (COSM) sent out a survey to look at the various component elements that make up Rev. Samaya’s ministry. Our community shared their thoughts on what aspects most stood out to them. We on COSM then synthesized and interpreted these survey results, pulling out those elements that needed extra attention and support.

Based on the survey results, here are some suggested next steps for us to consider together:

1.  Re-envisioning and Re-equipping our Pastoral Care Approach
   •  To aid in Rev. Samaya’s ministry, should we focus on finding a team of willing, capable volunteers to reconstitute this aspect of our care?
2.  Bridging the Gap in our Social Justice Work
   •  To share in this important work, we could identify lay leaders to handle the administrative and communication side of social justice.
3. Innovation?
   • A high number of respondents were indifferent to "new ways of expressing UU identity" and "creating new revenue streams". If these are strategic goals for the church’s future, our community could together craft a vision document that explains why these innovations matter, as the congregation may currently see them as lower priorities.

Attached is a more detailed report which further outlines these findings. Please click HERE on the web link to access it.

As we get closer to the Hymn Sing Service on June 28th, we would love to know what you want to hear! Fill in the form below to make your request or speak to Matthew, the Music Director.

Thank you Calgary Unitarians for showing that your superpower is Generosity! Through your love of little poatoes and selfless generosity you have helped Huggabowl provide 35 meals to Calgarians in need. If you'd like to learn more about Huggabowl and their role in addressing food insecurity in our city please go to their website: www.huggabowl.com 

There’s less than one month left until the Calgary Child Haven Annual Fundraising Dinner & Silent Auction on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. We warmly invite you to gather your friends and family and join us for a joyful and meaningful evening in support of this life-changing work.

Child Haven shares a long and heartfelt connection with the Unitarian community, grounded in a shared commitment to compassion, global responsibility, and care for the most vulnerable. This connection is especially embodied in the enduring dedication of Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino, whose vision and generosity have helped sustain and deepen the relationship between Child Haven and Unitarian congregations over many years.

The evening will include:

• An insight into the incredible work Child Haven has accomplished over the past year
• A mouth-watering Indian buffet (buffet includes non-Indian options)
• A fun photo op at our Taj Mahal photo booth
• The opportunity to bid on amazing silent auction items, including:
• A Couples Escape Package at the Azuridge Hotel
• A Private Chef experience in the Comfort of your home with 8 of your guests
• Premium Club Lower-Bowl seats for a Calgary Flames home game during the 2026-2027 season
• Breville's "Oracle Touch" espresso machine
• Plus an array of wine, beauty and other fun baskets 

We can’t wait to celebrate with you and support the incredible work of Child Haven. See you there!

Warm regards,
Child Haven Team

The higher fuel prices and summer road trips can benefit Calgary Unitarian fundraising. When 15 Coop Gift Card purchasers add $100 or $200 to their Gift Card orders, we would have $75 to $150 more for our church. Over several orders, we can easily add $1000 more to the cashflow for important programs like supporting Indigenous programs. 

Purchasing gasoline with Calgary Coop cards only takes a few extra minutes. 

1. Before buying gas, take your Coop Gift Card and Calgary Coop Member Card into the Gas Station. 

2. Ask the clerk to preauthorize a specific value from the gift card and purchase a car wash, if desired. 

3. Pump your gas. 

4. Print your receipt at the pump. 

The gift card value changes based on the value of the gas purchase, NOT the preauthorization amount. There is no need to go back into the Gas Station to confirm the Gift Card value.

Buying Coop Gift Cards from Calgary Unitarians is an easy and important way to support our church. Calgary Co-op donates 5% or 6% back to our community based on the gift card value all of us purchase. You can buy groceries, fuel, prescriptions, a special treat or alcohol with the gift cards. 

If you know where it is, please let Michael know at leboldus.m@calgaryunitarians.ca

The Nominations Committee is recruiting for the Board and Committees for Lay Chaplaincy, Shared Ministry and Nominations as soon as possible. Board and the mentioned Committee members must be members of the Unitarian Church of Calgary (our legal name). 

If you have ideas and opinions about how the church should be operated, now is the time to volunteer or suggest an interested person for one to three year positions. 

For more information, volunteer or recommend someone as soon as possible, contact the Nominations Committee Alex Schumacher, Heather Walker or Wendy Benson.

May 2nd is coming up quickly! Come to Cabaret Lite to see your UU Friends perform works that showcase who they are. There will be food and drinks (bring toonies if you have them) and plenty of time to socialize! The link to purchase tickets is below, but tickets can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7pm. See you there! 

Strong, well-facilitated meetings and small groups don’t happen by accident—they are the result of intentional practice, shared tools, and a commitment to creating spaces where every voice can be heard. In Unitarian Universalist community life, both effective meeting leadership and thoughtful small group facilitation help us live into our values of collaboration, inclusion, interdependence, and democratic participation.

In these two connected interactive workshops, we will explore practical skills for strengthening how we gather, make decisions, and engage in meaningful conversation. While each session focuses on a different aspect of group life, together they offer a deeper toolkit for anyone who helps lead, host, or participate in UU community spaces.

Participants will have opportunities to learn through hands-on practice, reflection, and shared experimentation with real facilitation and meeting scenarios. Whether your focus is committees, teams, or covenant groups, these sessions are designed to support more grounded, inclusive, and effective collective work.

Please contact Rev. Samaya if you’d like to attend.

Join Vocal Latitudes voyage of sea-themed choral music! We are presenting our Spring program, Nautical Tales!! at Parkdale United Church (2919 - 8 Ave SW) on Sunday, May 10th at 3:00pm. Featuring exciting and beautiful arrangements of The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers, Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid, and many more! Tickets are $20, cash or debit at the door, with a pay-what-you-can option and under 18 free. Please see the attached poster, and we hope to see you there! It's a fun and family-friendly show, with a special tribute to Mother's Day. 

• ~50-150 words
• Please provide any images or links 
• Please give the contact info for people for seeking more information 
• Sent in by Tuesday at noon