AUUF Podcasts

Don Antrobus is the manager of the Denali Commission’s statewide Village Infrastructure Protection program, serving as lead engineer for federal efforts to relocate the northwestern Alaska village of Newtok due to climate change. Earlier he worked as the engineering manager of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and chief engineer of the Guam Waterworks Authority. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management at UAA. An active member of the Fellowship, Don also served as a volunteer planner for the AUUF remodeling project.

We start the New Year with great intentions and sometimes fail along the way. W explore how to "fail better" through the lens of Buddhist leader, Pema Chodron.e 

The Rev. Ruth Greenwood has been a member of the congregation since the early 1990s. She is a Unitarian Universalist minister with a Master’s of Divinity from Meadville/Lombard Theological School and was ordained by AUUF in 2012. Although not in active ministry at this time, she is exploring the idea of becoming a spiritual director An almost-lifelong Alaskan, some of her passions include exploring creativity in myriad ways and reveling in the beauty of the natural world.

Stephen Pinker is a cognitive psychologist, best-selling author and Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. In his eighth book for a popular audience, Enlightenment Now (2018), Pinker provides hard data to show how “the human condition” has improved dramatically over the past 200 years. New and prevailing problems are not insurmountable, he argues -- as long as liberal democracies continue to embrace the Enlightenment-era ideals of reason, science, humanism, and progress. (Video)

A celebration with the "December in Our Town" children's pageant that offered a "tour" of December traditions from different faithsand cultures, along with soulful seasonal music and the AUUF Christmas Eve traditions including candle lighting and messages of hope and peace.

This was a celebration of the return of the sun  (important to us Alaskans!) with a joyful service like you've never experienced before! Multi-sensory options were made available throughout the newly remodeled AUUF building to help honor the Solstice. It was virtually impossible to record all of the activities throughout the building.

Issa Spatrisano is the Alaska refugee coordinator for Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services (RAIS) program. Working in the refugee resettlement field, she’s also assisted communities in Kansas and Missouri. Issa earned a B.A. degree at Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She’s also worked as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor for adults at the community education and community college level. Through her teaching and resettlement experience, Issa has assisted clients from over 65 countries.

Issa Spatrisano is the Alaska refugee coordinator for Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services (RAIS) program. Working in the refugee resettlement field, she’s also assisted communities in Kansas and Missouri. Issa earned a B.A. degree at Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She’s also worked as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor for adults at the community education and community college level. Through her teaching and resettlement experience, Issa has assisted clients from over 65 countries.

The Hanukkah story inspires us with candles of wonder and hope. We discover more about this ancient ritual and its meaning for us today instory, song and ritual.

Barbara Hood is a retired attorney and founding board member of Justice Not Politics Alaska, a nonprofit that works to protect Alaska's judicial selection and retention system from increased political influence. A 50-year Alaskan, she’s also co-owner of the Great Harvest Bread Company and a freelance writer whose commentariesfrequently appear in local newspapers. As the former Alaska coordinator for Amnesty International USA, her writing often focuses on social justice issues.