Greetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Where do we want to go, Individually and as a community?
We have come through an incredibly difficult two years, and now we have a precious opportunity to reflect, renew and reenergize our individual spiritual practice AND our community practice.
This month we will come together in many different ways, and I look forward to hearing from each of you how the Cape Town Unitarians can best support you on your spiritual path!
See below for the meaningful and fun ways to reconnect to yourself and our beloved community.
With love,
Nima
nimajanettaylor@gmail.com // WhatsApp number: 0760249120
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
We were all deeply saddened by the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He had a very special place in our community. Please read CTU’s touching tribute to the Archbishop, with memories and stories from our own Roux Malan, Gordon Oliver and Shelley Adams and her daughter Willow.
Our theme for January is living with intention. How can we live more intentionally, even amidst the uncertainties that life throws at us every day? Join us each Sunday to ponder this theme.
Read moreToday we remember Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who exemplified living a courageous and faithful life. Throughout South Africa and the world, he spoke fearlessly against injustices, whether it was apartheid, racism, sexism or homophobia. “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven,” he famously said in 2013. “No, I would say, ‘Sorry, I would much rather go to the other place.’” Tutu was a friend, a spiritual guide and a moral compass for so many South Africans. We are grateful for his leadership, grace and humour. We miss him dearly.
Here are some Cape Town Unitarians (CTU) members’ memories of the Archbishop.
Read moreCape Town Unitarians has cancelled its upcoming in-person events due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Council is sad to share this decision with you, as we were excited to see everyone for these activities. We appreciate your understanding.
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for December is Joy! It is my joy to announce that our new administrator is Nolubabalo Bulana. Nolu has extensive accounting, admin and NGO work, and is excited to work with the CTU community! She begins 1 December. More information will follow.
This month, with hopes for no lockdown, we will gather on Saturday, 11 December at 1 pm to decorate our beloved building, and on 12 December at 6 pm for our festive service. Alexios will bring the organ back to life for the first time in over a year!
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for November is “Holding History”, so it seems appropriate that we take this month to reflect on how we hold history for ourselves and for others.
Our Social Activities Lay Leader, Hans Moolman, has developed some lekker events for us to share. See below all the delightful details!
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
First, I want to convey my deep gratitude to each of you, for your commitment to this community! Sharing your time, talents and treasures help our beloved community thrive. Thank you for co-creating more love in this world.
Our theme for October is Cultivating Relationships, and above we see the beautiful Bonteheuwel Walking Ladies Group being served by Charlene, Laura and Johan. Food, music, sharing, conversations—these are the many ways of deepening relationships that can create more happiness. How do you nurture your relationships?
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for September is “opening to possibilities,” something highly important for these trying times. I’m grateful being part of this community that helps me stay open to possibilities!
With the grants from the UUA and Hibbert Trust, we have begun our second Lay Leaders 12-month course, with 18 students from five countries plus the UK and South Africa!
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for August is “Perseverance”, something I’m sure we have all been cultivating in this last 1.5 years. How do we find the strength within us to keep going when the going gets tough, when we are struggling to carry on, when the way forward is uncertain?
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for July is “Identity”. What identity do we want for CTU? What does it mean to be a Unitarian? These are the types of questions we will be asking ourselves in the services as well as at the upcoming workshop led by Melanie and Shelley, coming up at 12:30 pm on Sunday, 4 July. (See below for more details.)
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for June is “Play”. We have some exciting services and activities planned, including fun volunteer opportunities, a workshop and another game day! Look for the details under “Upcoming Events”.
Please welcome our new council members: Celeste Esau, Charlene Bantantou, Elspeth Muirhead, Lionel Willis and Sarah-Joy Taylor. We are deeply grateful for their willingness to service our community.
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for June is “Play”. How can we inject more play in our lives in the midst of a pandemic? Join us on Sundays at 10:30 am as we explore this theme, along with deepening our bonds with each other in the CTU community.
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends –
I hope you were as inspired as I was with our service with Dr. Wilhelm Verwoerd. I was particularly impressed with how clear he was with what actions are needed to create more social justice in our world.
Read moreGreetings, CTU Members and Friends,
Our March theme is Commitment, and we have some exciting speakers planned for this month! I am deeply grateful for the commitment so many of you have made to the Cape Town Unitarians, and I feel an exciting energy bubbling up within our becoming beloved community.
Read moreGreetings CTU members and friends,
In February, our theme will be “Beloved Community.” How can we work together to build a supportive community that bonds a diverse group of individuals? In keeping with this theme, I’m delighted that we have several people who will be officially joining the Cape Town Unitarians as members on the 7th of February. If you are interested in membership information, please contact me.
Read moreGreetings CTU members and friends,
As we continue to find our way through this challenging time, please know that our beloved Unitarian community is here to provide strength and support. We each can commit to be there for each other, and to help heal ourselves, our family, our friends and the world.
On Saturday 23 January, 3 - 4:30 pm, an online overview of Unitarianism will be presented, and all are welcome to attend. If you want to know more about becoming a member of Cape Town Unitarians on 7 February, let me know.
Also, I will be teaching a six-week Basics of Buddhism class each Tuesday starting on the 19th January 6:00 - 7:30 pm. See below for details.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need some additional support during these trying times. I am grateful to have you all in my life.
Read moreGreetings CTU members and friends,
We made it to December! The warmth of the sun has felt extra healing this last month. As many of you know, my daughter Erica and I had COVID but have since fully recovered and were grateful for a mild case. I encourage everyone to stay safe during the upcoming festive season.
Our theme for the month of December will be “Stillness”, and we’ll have much to explore and ponder. Note the details below about our Festive Service on 13 December at 3 pm at Green Point Park.
Lastly, we will conclude our pledge campaign on 15 December, so see details below to make a donation. Thank you for considering supporting our beloved community.
Read moreEduan, our Treasurer, reported that we have been unable to find someone who could conduct our audit for free. Nexia, our current auditors, can do this for a fee of R12,000 per audit and we will ask them to proceed with the 2019 financial year audit and the 2020 financial year audit as well.
Read moreGreetings CTU members and friends,
Our theme for November is “healing”, and that sure seems like an important topic for these historic times. We’ll explore how best to heal ourselves, our relationships, our community and our planet. We will also investigate the work of Henri Nouwen, who wrote the seminal work The Wounded Healer, which examines how we can be of service to others, not in spite of our wounds but because of them. As Rumi said, “The wound is where the light enters.”
Note that we will NOT be in the building any Sunday in November due to the work being done to treat the wood beetle infestation.
Read more
