The Rev. Amanda Aikman has served Unitarian Universalist churches in Washington State since 1994. She retired in June 2016 after serving South Fraser Unitarian Congregation in Surrey, BC for four years.
She has won over a dozen national sermon contests, including a Templeton competition for works on science and religion, and the Borden sermon contest.
Amanda is a playwright, with 16 short plays – mostly comedies – produced in the Seattle area since 2002, as well as two documentary plays produced with grants from the UUA. Her full-length drama, The Peregrine Sonata, was produced by Driftwood Players in Edmonds, WA in 2012. She has developed a series of “super-short” plays, based around ethical and moral dilemmas, for use in Unitarian Universalist congregations. Her verbatim play Naming the Un-Named: Stories of Fertility Struggle was produced in Seattle in April, 2016 through the interfaith organization “Thank God for Sex.”
Amanda is a Spiritual Director and a Joyfulness Consultant, helping individuals and groups add joy to their everyday lives. She is the author of the 2010 book, Full-Spectrum Joyfulness, and regularly leads retreats for church and community groups.
Before entering the ministry in 1993, Amanda worked in publishing and advertising in New York City, and in community action in Roanoke, Virginia. Her interests include sketching in nature, salsa music, and Euro-style board games. She adores airships and once took a ride in a zeppelin. She lives in Everett, WA with Nancy, a chemistry teacher; and Mousehole, a frighteningly intelligent tabby-cat.
Unfashionable? Sure. Obstinate? You bet. And yet tales of optimism (“hopepunk”) are increasingly winning against stories of doom (“grimdark”). Which stories will help us create a better world?
This Sunday we will have a multi-platform service. You can attend in-person, OR you can also attend via … read more.
In the Hindu tradition, every human being has a unique vocation. One of the major challenges of life is to come home to that true self. There are three paths from which we all must choose; pitfalls to avoid; ancient wisdom to guide us.
