The Season of Creation returns June 10! Beginning the 2nd Sunday of June we will mark a three week long Season of Creation during our 9:30am worship service. Our theme during this Year of the Bird is Our Avian Kin—those winged creatures of enormous variety which inhabit virtually every habitat Earth has to offer. We’ll use texts, hymns, and other resources developed for lifting up the sacredness of our planet home and recommitting ourselves to our God given vocation as Earth’s keepers.

        Throughout the season, a “bird kit” on loan from the Audubon Society will be available and will allow hands-on exploration of some of the birds from the greater Seattle area. In addition, three guest speakers will share their experiences with us:

June 10: Jim Hunt. When Jim discovered an Anna Hummingbird nest earlier this spring in a pocket forest near his home, little did he know that for the next four weeks his life would revolve around a daily trek to the site, and becoming a captive witness to all that would unfold there. Jim kept a journal of his experience and will share a digest of what he saw, what he learned, and how the experience touched his mind and spirit.

June 17: Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Author. Lyanda, an award-winning author, naturalist, and eco-philosopher—and Gatewood neighbor—will share some thoughts and slides during worship on June 17th. Her writing is at the forefront of the movement to connect people with nature in their everyday lives. Her newest book is Mozart’s Starling (Little, Brown, April, 2017). Recently Lyanda was recently interviewed on public radio’s HERE AND NOW program, under the title: How A Bird Inspired Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Here’s the LINK.

June 24: Roger Fernandes, NW Native Storyteller. Roger Fernandes, or Kawasa, is a member of the Lower Elwha Band of the S’Klallam Indians from the Port Angeles, Washington area. He describes himself as an urban Indian as his mother, Violet Charles, moved to the city of Seattle where he was born in 1951. Roger is from a family of four brothers who are all active doing various cultural things like singing, basket making, artwork and storytelling. Roger has had a regular presence at Pathfinder K-8 School, where Pastor Kindem’s children Kai and Naomi attend. We are honored to have Roger join us to share some stories about birds of our region and the roles they play within the history and mythology of Native cultures.  Learn more in Roger’s bio HERE.