2824 E. 18th Avenue.
Anchorage, AK 99508
Tel: 907-248-3737
All are welcome to our Fellowship of diverse people who come together to nurture each other, to grow ethically, spiritually and intellectually, and to help create a just, safe and caring community.
October Sunday Services:
Sunday Worship and The Forum
See our calendar to stay updated. Subject to change.
Find Zoom links here Sunday @Zoom.
The Forum IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
9:00 am Sunday, October 4, 2026
“Steve Haycox, an Alaskan Historian—
and Future Directions in Alaska History”
ISER Dir. & History Prof. Ian Hartman
Ian C. Hartman is the Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research and Professor of History at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His scholarship focuses on Alaska, the American West, and the history of politics and public policy in the United States; he is the author, editor, or co‑editor of five books and numerous articles and book reviews. Hartman’s work has been supported by the National Park Service, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Atwood and Rasmuson Foundations. He has collaborated extensively with the Anchorage Museum as a guest curator on exhibitions examining Alaska’s Black history, the Alaska Railroad, and the Cold War in the Arctic; his most recent exhibition on the history and culture of the Alaska Highway opens later this year. Hartman is a former President of the UAA Faculty Senate and a recent fellow of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education’s Academy of Leaders in the Humanities. After completing his PhD at the University of Illinois, he arrived in Alaska in August, 2011. He's been here ever since.
Sunday Worship Service IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
11:00 am Sunday, October 4, 2026
“Animal Blessing Service”
Rev. Lise Sherry, & Jenn Bluntach
The Forum IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
9:00 am Sunday, October 11, 2026
“Good Governance Powers Everything—Assessing Alaska’s Civic Infrastructure”
Cady Lister, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP)
Cady Lister is the Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP), Alaska’s leading nonprofit focused on advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency. A lifelong Alaskan, Cady has more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing clean energy policies, programs, and projects. She brings expertise in energy policy, project development, workforce development, strategic planning, and community engagement, with a particular focus on practical solutions that can improve energy affordability, reliability, and resilience for Alaskans. Her previous experiences include serving as the Deputy Director and Chief Economist at the Alaska Energy Authority, Deputy Program Manager at the Portland Clean Energy Fund, and Senior Energy Advisor for Southeast Conference. When not at work, Cady revels in the joys of being a grandma to two sweet babies and in the fall time picks blueberries like it’s her job.
Sunday Worship Service IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
11:00 am Sunday, October 11, 2026
"Indigenous People's Day"
Rev. Lise & Jay Van Alstine
The Forum IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
9:00 am Sunday, October 18, 2026
“Good Governance Powers Everything—Assessing Alaska’s Civic Infrastructure”
Marty Rutherford and Veronica Slajer
Marty Rutherford is a lifelong, fifth-generation Alaskan. Her distinguished career in public service and natural resource management began in local government, as Assistant City Manager in Valdez. She has worked under eight Alaska governors— Republican, Democrat, and Independent. She first served as Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs, before transitioning to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where she served as Deputy Commissioner and acting Commissioner multiple times until her retirement in 2016.. She is considered one of a handful of Alaskans most knowledgeable about Alaska’s natural resources, and was a key player in most of Alaska’s major resources decisions over the last four decades, including work on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees Council, the Mental Health Trust Land Settlement, oil and gas leasing and unitization projects, and pipeline projects. She has also served as a Trustee of the Alaska Permanent Fund and worked in the private sector. Throughout her career, Marty has served as role model for women both by example and by taking the time to generously share her knowledge and experience. Marty was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2023 for Public Service to Alaska, and a more complete account of her accomplishments and impact can be found at https://alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/martha-rutherford/
Veronica Slajer is the principal at North Star Group (northstargrp.com), an Alaska-based global communities and social performance consultancy focused on local governance, sustainable development, Indigenous rights, and civic engagement.
Veronica is a is the founding board member of Build Alaska's Future Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to civic education, workforce development, and helping Alaskans, especially in rural and Indigenous communities, take an active role in shaping their futures. Through statewide transparency tools, public education, and workforce awareness initiatives, Build Alaska's Future (BuildAlaska.org) works to address the structural barriers that weaken local governance, particularly in rural and under-resourced communities. She also serves on the boards of Alaska Public Media and the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. A lifelong Alaskan, Veronica is originally from Ketchikan (go Kay-Hi!), and holds a master's degree in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Sunday Worship Service IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
11:00 am Sunday, October 18, 2026
The Forum IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
9:00 am Sunday, October 25, 2026
“Imagining our Collective Future: The Promise and Principles of Alaska's Constitution”
Mara Kimmel
Mara Kimmel has spent her career working at the intersection of law, public policy, and justice in northern regions. Across decades as an advocate, attorney, and scholar, her work has taken her into Indigenous communities, immigrant homes, out on the land, and across urban centers throughout Alaska and the Arctic. Mara’s career has spanned Alaska’s justice and policy landscape, including serving as Executive Director of the ACLU of Alaska and teaching at Seattle University School of Law, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Pacific University. She has practiced as an immigration attorney, and worked with tribes on issues of self-determination and subsistence rights. Mara is spending this academic year as a visiting researcher at Stanford University’s Institute for the Advancement of Just Societies, exploring how systems of law and governance can better support the capacity of communities to determine their own futures. Mara holds a PhD from Central European University, a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School, a master’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Sunday Worship Service IN PERSON at AUUF & on Zoom
11:00 am Sunday, October 25, 2026