Free Church Unitarian
Free Church Unitarian in Blaine, Washington is an open and welcoming spiritual community that supports and sustains the individual search for truth and meaning with respect, compassion, and understanding.
Free Church Unitarian
1218 Harrison Ave.
Blaine, WA 98230
360-332-4781
FALL 2023 ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our first service of the fall is on Sunday, September 10 at 11:00 am. Please join member Wendy Walker as she leads us in sharing our Fruits of Summer.
The deadline for the September 2023 newsletter is Friday, September 8 at 8:00 pm.
Important Summer 2023 Touchstones
Summer Time Coffee Hour Meet & Greet at Free Church
During the summer we still meet but in a different format. We host an informal coffee hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays and welcome everyone to that time of fellowship in our downstairs social hall.
Annual Picnic/Potluck, Sunday, July 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, at Free Church
This is an All Y’all Come & Eat activity in the Free Church social hall and potentially outdoors, weather permitting. Everyone is invited to join us and to bring a favorite entrée, side dish, drinks, or dessert to share. We always have plenty of food so if you don’t have time to prepare something or don’t have the resources to do so right now, no worries at all. Come and have food, fun, and fellowship with us!
Annual Salmon BBQ Fundraiser, Sunday, August 20, 12:30 – 2:00 pm at Free Church
For over 20 years we’ve been enjoying this annual BBQ with delicious salmon on the grill and a yummy home-made cheese and potato dish. In addition to this, long-time beloved member, Lila Breidford, may her memory be a blessing, used to serve fresh green beans from her garden and even though she’s no longer with us physically, she left seeds behind from which we still grow her green beans and eat them at this gathering. We’ll have dessert, drinks, and a vegetarian option as well. The suggested donation is $25 per plate; the proceeds will benefit our Free Church General Fund.
Coffee and GA Closing Worship, Sunday, June 25, 2023, 11:00 am
The Unitarian Universalist Association will conclude our annual General Assembly 2023 today with a rousing and inspiring closing worship service. Let’s get together at Free Church and watch it in person while having coffee! Rev. Tessie and board member, Mike Slocum, who’ve been virtually attending the conference all week, plan to join us.
All Sunday services are now in-person and begin at 11:00.
If you cannot attend in person, use the contact form below and we will send you the appropriate link.
Children's religious education is a thriving, vital part of church life.
*Handicapped access via lift elevator* *Hearing aids available*
Meet our new minister!
Rev. Tessie Mandeville, Minister
RevTessieFreeChurch@gmail.com
If I had to sum up my deepest beliefs in ministry it would be this: Everyone belongs. Everything fits. We were never meant to do life alone.
From as early as I can remember, I had a deep love of the God of My Understanding and an unquenchable thirst for Spirit. I can recall being outside, hearing the rush of the wind, watching the leaves blow on the trees, and knowing that whatever power was behind all of that was also in me.
I inherited a Christian faith and was raised in the Southern Baptist Denomination in Charleston, South Carolina. My Christian faith gave me language for what I felt, but there was always a part of me that knew it could not be contained in those words, or any words really. They were a good starting point, but they were not the end game for me. Early on, I recognized the spiritual quest would take my entire life. I am a life-long seeker.
I am the part-time minister at Free Church Unitarian and began my tenure on May 1, 2023. I am deeply joyful to be here with this congregation and excited about the ministry that will unfold between us and the wider Blaine and Birch Bay Communities.
I am an ordained minister who is dually affiliated with Metropolitan Community Churches (2002) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (2015). MCC is a Christian denomination that ministers primarily in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, and I served churches in California, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Tennessee. I served a 650-member UU congregation in Atlanta, GA, before moving to Bellingham, WA; I have served Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship for many years and continue to serve them as I lead a monthly Taizé service, am involved in worship planning and preaching, and in consulting with the pastoral care team. https://wp.buf.org/worship-programs/
I am an Interfaith Spiritual Director in private practice and I welcome the sacred adventure of coming alongside people on their spiritual journeys. You can learn more about me at my website: https://tessiemandeville.com
I am also a board-certified hospital chaplain with a specialty in palliative care; I served St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham for 8.5 years as their palliative care chaplain working with patients who are facing serious, life-limiting illnesses, and their families. I completed my ministry there in the fall of 2022 recognizing that I needed a time of deep rest and recovery from being in a hospital environment during the first three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I live in Bellingham, WA, with my partner, Lisa, and our pets. We moved here in the summer of 2014 to be closer to Lisa’s parents who retired in the area. We have a feline baby named Shadow, a Tortie complete with “Tortitude” who is turning 16 this summer and who has trained me to serve her baked chicken every day. We had her mother, Smokey, for many years. We also have two White Cloud Minnow fish named Marshmallow and Meringue. Lisa and I are licensed foster parents for the state of Washington and find it deeply meaningful to serve vulnerable and marginalized children, youth, and young adults who need a safe and loving home.
To ensure that I have my own good quality of life, I sing, write, bike, hike, and spend time with family and friends.
After many years of ministry in congregational, hospital, and private practice settings, I still affirm: Everyone belongs. Everything fits. We were never meant to do life alone.
I am glad to be here with the good people of Free Church Unitarian and I look forward to meeting you.
Rev. Tessie Mandeville, Minister
RevTessieFreeChurch@gmail.com
If I had to sum up my deepest beliefs in ministry it would be this: Everyone belongs. Everything fits. We were never meant to do life alone.
From as early as I can remember, I had a deep love of the God of My Understanding and an unquenchable thirst for Spirit. I can recall being outside, hearing the rush of the wind, watching the leaves blow on the trees, and knowing that whatever power was behind all of that was also in me.
I inherited a Christian faith and was raised in the Southern Baptist Denomination in Charleston, South Carolina. My Christian faith gave me language for what I felt, but there was always a part of me that knew it could not be contained in those words, or any words really. They were a good starting point, but they were not the end game for me. Early on, I recognized the spiritual quest would take my entire life. I am a life-long seeker.
I am the part-time minister at Free Church Unitarian and began my tenure on May 1, 2023. I am deeply joyful to be here with this congregation and excited about the ministry that will unfold between us and the wider Blaine and Birch Bay Communities.
I am an ordained minister who is dually affiliated with Metropolitan Community Churches (2002) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (2015). MCC is a Christian denomination that ministers primarily in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, and I served churches in California, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Tennessee. I served a 650-member UU congregation in Atlanta, GA, before moving to Bellingham, WA; I have served Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship for many years and continue to serve them as I lead a monthly Taizé service, am involved in worship planning and preaching, and in consulting with the pastoral care team. https://wp.buf.org/worship-programs/
I am an Interfaith Spiritual Director in private practice and I welcome the sacred adventure of coming alongside people on their spiritual journeys. You can learn more about me at my website: https://tessiemandeville.com
I am also a board-certified hospital chaplain with a specialty in palliative care; I served St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham for 8.5 years as their palliative care chaplain working with patients who are facing serious, life-limiting illnesses, and their families. I completed my ministry there in the fall of 2022 recognizing that I needed a time of deep rest and recovery from being in a hospital environment during the first three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I live in Bellingham, WA, with my partner, Lisa, and our pets. We moved here in the summer of 2014 to be closer to Lisa’s parents who retired in the area. We have a feline baby named Shadow, a Tortie complete with “Tortitude” who is turning 16 this summer and who has trained me to serve her baked chicken every day. We had her mother, Smokey, for many years. We also have two White Cloud Minnow fish named Marshmallow and Meringue. Lisa and I are licensed foster parents for the state of Washington and find it deeply meaningful to serve vulnerable and marginalized children, youth, and young adults who need a safe and loving home.
To ensure that I have my own good quality of life, I sing, write, bike, hike, and spend time with family and friends.
After many years of ministry in congregational, hospital, and private practice settings, I still affirm: Everyone belongs. Everything fits. We were never meant to do life alone.
I am glad to be here with the good people of Free Church Unitarian and I look forward to meeting you.
