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UUCA - A place to Connect |Grow | Serve
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Sunday Worship
June 25, 10:15 a.m.
"How do you leave a party?"
As she leads worship for the last time at UUCA, Rev. Dr. Linda Olson Peebles shares the pulpit with UUCA leaders Claudia Blake, Robert Buckman, Tracey Rogers, and Diane Ullius to reflect on the meaning of intentional good-byes throughout our lives--until the final good-bye.
Special music from Maya Rogers (see Wheel of Life) includes her interpretation of the song by Jonathan Larson, from "Rent" -- Seasons of Love.
Livestreaming of the service here.
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Faith in Action
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Congregational Life
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Wheel of Life
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Dear Friends,
 My heart is filled with gratitude for all the kind words and loving gifts which have been given me--the wonderful party May 21 and the great honor you bestowed upon me on June 4--voting to name me Minister Emerita. It has been the greatest privilege of my life to have had the chance to serve you for 16 years. Thank you!
In the months to come, I will be focusing on serving my new setting, the people of the Accotink UU Church in Burke, Va. Please know that even though we will not be in touch, I will never forget you, and I will continue to send you my very best wishes as you, the UUCA congregation and all your leaders, care for one another and advance your mission and values in the world.
I'll say "good-by" to many of you this Sunday, and then I will click my heels three times and leave the enchanted land of Arlington.
With a grateful heart,
Rev. Linda OP
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| Sunday, July 2, 10:15 a.m. |
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"The greatest glory in living
lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall."
-- Nelson Mandela
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Stay Connected throughout the Summer
To fill the gap between our next newsletter in August, please follow us on
Facebook and
Twitter and visit our website
www.uucava.org. Our social media postings will increase to cover the latest church news, sermon information, and other special events.
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Gathering of the Waters Reminder
 When traveling this summer remember to collect a small sample of water to bring back for our "Gathering of the Waters" services on September 10. It's a special time when our church family gathers together to celebrate community and the beginning of the new church year.
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Give the Plate
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 This Sunday the GTP goes to Bridges to Independence, an organization that serves neighbors in need, especially women and children. One of b2i's major programs is their residential family shelter, Sullivan House. They also provide counseling, coaching and education, and tangible support such as school supplies, diapers and baby supplies, and furniture or housewares as families move into transitional apartments. UUCA has been a supporter for many years, and UUCA member Alex Roth serves on the b2i Board. 
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Help Bag Meals this Sunday
 Can you spare about two hours for a fun and useful activity this Sunday? Once a month, UUCA volunteers bag 50 meals in our kitchen for ASPAN (Arlington Street Peoples Assistance Network). We have no volunteers for this coming Sunday (June 25), so we need your help! Can you assist with preparing bagged meals from 3 to 5 p.m.? This is a great activity for families and other groups. Also needed are 2-4 volunteers to hand out the bags (along with hot soup that ASPAN provides) at 6 p.m. in Nelson Park. This is a short but satisfying volunteer job. If you can help this weekend, call Ken Perkins-Gough at 703-798-0909 or [email protected].
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Movements of Oppression, Solidarity, and Hope
Wednesday, June 28, 6:30-9 p.m.
UUCA Member Tracey L. Rogers invites you to a special preview of a photo exhibit at Fathom Gallery in Washington, DC: Movements of Oppression, Solidarity, and Hope. Donations will support Black Lives Matter, Palestinian Human Rights, and Standing Rock. The full exhibit will open at UUCA in fall 2017.
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SAVE THE DATE - November 4 - ANNUAL AUCTION
Note: Organizational meeting this Sunday, June 25, Noon
 The 2017 UUCA Annual Auction will be November 4, so save the date (and your money), and start thinking about offerings to be auctioned. Volunteers are needed for what is the largest annual fundraiser for the church. Many hands are needed to make it successful! We need folks to help plan the evening, manage the donation and bidder data, work with the auction software, organize volunteers, and more! If you are interested in helping out, come to an initial organizing meeting after service this Sunday or send an email to [email protected].
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VOICE: What's Happening this Summer
- IN ARLINGTON, work on affordable housing continues. We are meeting with county officials and attending hearings to ensure that innovative uses of public land include affordable housing along with other public needs. We are also working with the school superintendent and school board to ensure that immigrant families and students feel welcomed.
- IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, we recently achieved public commitments from the police chief to reject ICE requests to use county police in immigration raids, from the county supervisor in supporting our demand that any sell-off of WMATA (metro) land include an affordable housing component, and from the school superintendent that Muslim and Jewish students will have the freedom to practice their religion without suffering academic or social penalties.
- STATEWIDE, we are preparing for a major action in October, where we will place our demands before the gubernatorial candidates. A key issue is Virginia's criminal justice system, which ranks among the worst in the country for its unnecessary incarceration of juveniles--perpetuating the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. We are pressing for a more just, more restorative system that focuses on community awareness and integration and not just on punishment.
Be prepared to hear from VOICE early this fall as we get ready for what many expect to be a watershed election. We will need many hands and feet to join us in a major get-out-the-vote door-knocking campaign! |
Seeking Secret Santa Coordinator
 Yes, we're thinking Christmas already. One of UUCA's Christmas traditions is the Secret Santa program that benefits our community partner families and individuals in need. We already have a fabulous team of Secret Santa volunteers, but for the program to continue we need someone to coordinate the effort. Tasks include collecting information from our community partners, creating gift tags, recruiting volunteers to host the gift tree, and organizing gifts. It's a great family or group social justice activity. For more information or to volunteer, contact Tamara Srader, [email protected].
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Palestinian Professor and Activist Speaks at UUA and in DC
UUCA's Committee for Peace and Justice in Israel/Palestine (CPJIP) invites all to attend at least one of the several events featuring Mazin Qumsiyeh, the founder of the Palestine Museum of Natural History, who will be giving four talks in the DC area. Prior to his DC visit, he will be a speaker at this year's UU Association General Assembly in New Orleans.
- 2 p.m. June 30. Private seminar with his colleagues at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (call Allan Kellum 703-599-2560 to be added to the invitees).
- 6 p.m. June 30. Light supper and lecture at the Jerusalem Fund in DC (RSVP here)
- 10 a.m. July 1. Lecture at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill, walk to National Botanic Garden and then lunch at Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian (no RSVP needed; flyer attached).
- 7 p.m. July 1. Talk at Cedar Lane UU Church in Bethesda, Maryland (flyer attached).
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SAVE THE DATE: February 10-20, 2018
Delegation to Visit Guatemala Partners
 A delegation is going to visit our partner organizations in Guatemala, NISGUA and ADIVIMA. For over 10 years UUCA has worked with NISGUA to sponsor human rights accompaniers. These American young people provide a presence for Mayans who are seeking human rights and reparations for the killings and land appropriations of the last 40 years. Right now UUCA is sponsoring Clara and Michael. In addition, UUCA is in a partnership with ADIVIMA to cosponsor scholarships for 60 Mayan middle and high school students to attend school, an opportunity their parents never had due to the genocide. The delegation will visit with NISGUA for three days visiting the work of the accompaniers. The remainder of the trip in Rabinal, will focus on visiting the students in their homes and learning about the Mayan community that ADIVIMA represents. For more information, contact Anne McKnight at [email protected]. |
Live the Pledge Book Sharing Summer Reading
 The Live the Pledge (LTP) book sharing circle will meet in September to discuss White Rage, the Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, by historian Carol Anderson. This is an award-winning, current bestseller about African American resilience from slavery times to the present. Critics have described the book as the basis for conversation about both history and how racism exists today. It is available at the Arlington Public Library.
The LTP book sharing circle focuses on African American authors and always welcomes new participants. A reading list for the fall is being finalized and will be sent to past participants soon. If you would like to receive a reading list or if you have questions, please contact Pat Findikoglu, [email protected] or Linda Lutes Corsoro, [email protected]. See you in September!
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Religious & Lifespan Education
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CLICK BUTTON BELOW TO READ
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Volunteers Needed to Join the Summer Fun!
 Just because it's summer doesn't mean we don't have RE!
This summer's line up is active, energetic, and fun!
Activities include:
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Field Day
- Park Play
- Yoga
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Teach RE Next Year!
We are currently recruiting teachers for next year's exciting and innovative RE program.
What's on tap for the upcoming year?
Pre-K--1st Grade--Spirit Play
2nd--4th Grade--Science Based UU Identify
5th Grade--OWL and Bible Studies
6th Grade--Maker Space
7th Grade--Neighboring Faiths
8th Grade--Our Whole Lives
9th-12th Grade--Youth Group
Want to learn more about next year's line up? Join RE leaders in Fellowship Hall this Sunday for the RE Fair.
Ready to sign up for this adventure?
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UUCA @UUAGA
Among other issues, this year's UUA General Assembly (June 23-25) goes deep and addresses structural racism and white supremacy within the Unitarian Universalist Association. Follow the latest updates at www.uuworld.org/ga.
GA Online
Many of the events from General Assembly are being livestreamed, check the schedule here.
Ware Lecture - Saturday, June 24, 8:30 p.m.
This year's Ware Lecturer is Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy - A Story of Justice and Redemption. Note: This year's Ware Lecture will not be recorded or available for on-demand viewing later. You can watch the live stream here.
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New UU Class
Wednesday, July 19, 6 to 9 p.m.
Unitarian Universalism is a way of thinking and being in the world. It is a faith discipline, enriched by faith traditions, that forms the foundation for a way to live this life. It matters how we conduct our lives and work to make the world a better place. Unitarian Universalism wants each of us to know why. It challenges us to deepen our own faith principles and practices in response to our own experience and, whenever possible, to stand on the side of love. There will be plenty of chances to ask questions and to get to know others. This class is also part of the path to membership at UUCA. For more information and registration contact [email protected].
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Scrip Sales Mean Revenue For UUCA
This is a reminder that sales of Giant Supermarket gift cards (known as Scrip) are a painless way for UUCA members and friends to donate to the church. Giant supplies the gift cards, which are sold to UUCA at a 5% discount. Scrip customers pay $100 for a gift card, which they can use to buy $100 worth of groceries. The church receives this small but important 5% contribution from this easy transaction. Stop by the Scrip table on Sunday for more information.
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Happy Hour
Wednesday, July 19, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Join us for a midweek break and meet new friends. Bring a beverage or snack to share (beer, wine or nonalcoholic only). Free childcare provided.
Photos from last week's Happy Hour--courtesy of Pasi Chapman
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UUCA Poker Group
 The Poker Group is looking for new players to join in their monthly games. The group plays low stakes, dealer's choice poker for a $10 buy-in, plus a $5 donation to UUCA. Play is usually on a Saturday evening in members' homes, the exact date determined by when players are available. If you are interested, pleased contact Mary Pike at [email protected].
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Attention Crafters and Artists
The 2017 Mistletoe Mall will be held Saturday and Sunday, December 2-3. We are looking for artists to sell their original and handmade work or those from non-profits reselling fair trade products. For additional information, contact [email protected].
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In search of UUCA members with rooms to spare!
UUCA has been getting more requests for rooms from out-of-town UUs coming to our area for meetings and that occasional protest, We would like to maintain a list of people to whom we can reach out when we need housing. Hosts need to provide clean sheets, towels and bedding and a casual breakfast for guests. Proceeds go to UUCA, so not only are you providing fellow UUs a safe place while they are in the area, you are helping to support the church. This is also a fantastic way to meet new people and make new UU friends. If you would like to be included on the list or have more questions, please email
Joan Porte at [email protected].
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Yes! It's our own Maya Rogers, Artist in Residence! Congratulations Maya on your scholarship from Beyonce! We are so happy your beautiful music and creative talents are being recognized. Read the Washington Post article here.
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Condolences to the family of Louise Fishbein, who died recently. Louise had been a UUCA member since 1956.
The memorial service for Sally Olson (Rev. Linda's mother, who died May 21) will be Sunday afternoon, 2 p.m., July 23, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, at 10th& G Sts., NW, DC (free underground parking on G Place off 10th St.). Memorial gifts may be sent to "CECK Special Needs Trust" c/o United Bank, Attn: Heather Clatterbuck, 300 Warren Avenue, Front Royal, VA 22630.
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JUNE 2017 BOARD REPORT
We thank the 12 representatives from the congregation who took the time out of their busy schedules to attend this month's Board meeting. We enjoyed talking with them before the meeting and having others stay for the full time to observe the process and share in the transition from the old to new Board.
Before we begin the new Board/budget year in July, we took time to say thank you to our departing members, John Bohman, Steve Brannon, and Kristen Patterson. They sacrificed personal family and work time to serve as Board members (and in the case of John and Steve as former Board Chairs) and we greatly appreciate the unique gifts they shared with us which enriched our leadership. We also welcomed new members Emily Goodin, Hieu Nguyen, and Art Stevens to the Board. Thank you for your willingness to serve. Grateful thanks as well to Betsey Lyon who served this past year as the Board Secretary, and to Hannah Connolly for agreeing to replace her in the upcoming session.
As we do every year under Policy Governance, we just completed a year long engagement with a segment of the congregation to share and receive information that allows us to better understand the views of our "moral owners"--the congregation. This year we wanted to talk with Members and Friends about what it means to be a trusting and vulnerable church community. We invited a random sample of congregants and talked with them in what we called "Wondering Out Loud" sessions. We used the Circles of Trust model to talk about how UUCA can incorporate vulnerability to increase trust in our church family. After breaking down into small groups, we shared stories, talked about our relationship to UUCA, and discussed ways in which our church can create a vulnerable and supportive environment that helps us to connect, grow and serve. We learned so many important lessons from this experience and we hope everyone will read the report (see below) which was distributed and discussed at the meeting. Keep in mind this is not a "to do" document but a guiding insight to better inform the Board about the direction in which we should go to improve our leadership.
Finally, we talked about Board member's priorities for next year.
Among the recommendations put forward:
- Explore the relationship between the Board's three broad UUCA Ends statements and the Executive's more focused Strategic Plan and discuss changes to either Board policy or the Executive's Strategic Plan that improves alignment and monitoring.
- Enhance our communications efforts by defining a way to measure that in our monitoring process.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the budget process and explore ways to share information earlier in the cycle.
- Design a continuation of the Wondering Out Loud experience that is incorporated into the upcoming discernment process we will conduct in anticipation of finding a new minister and the upcoming Appreciative Inquiry process.
- Strengthen the annual review of the Senior Minister for purposes of aiding both the Executive and the Board.
- Undertake more one-on-one relational work within the Board and within the church.
- Make sure our communications are reflective of our actions and not just our words.
- Ensure our monitoring process continues to be transparent and updated on the website for everyone to see, and that we use the upcoming year to fully implement our Policy Governance oversight to the fullest degree.
- Continue our Linkage/Communications efforts in a way that broadens our connection to the church.
- Educate the Board on our Allyship alliance and the Circles of Trust experience so they can model this to the rest of the congregation.
Thank you as well to Warren Wright, our Board Chair, for his insightful leadership in taking on this responsibility this past year. We are grateful to him for his willingness to serve another term.
ATTACHMENTS
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- Emerging Opportunities
- Wondering Out Loud Report
- Treasurer's Report
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BOARD COMMUNICATIONS REPORT - WONDERING OUT LOUD
Each year the UUCA Board of Trustees conducts a targeted outreach to various segments of the congregation for insight. These insights guide the Board's understanding of the will and vision of our "moral owners"--our church Members, Friends, ancestors and future members. Under policy governance, this is called "linkage"--but in truth it is two-way communication that allows the Board to interpret whether UUCA's Ends are being met or if they need to be changed or expanded.
This year the Board built upon the Circles of Trust model that many of us experienced at the year-long retreat "Leading From Within" series based on the teachings of Parker Palmer. We gathered in small groups with a cross-section of UUCA Members and Friends to talk about our personal experiences, our experiences at UUCA, and how the church can grow and serve. We decided to call these sessions "Wondering Out Loud" because that defined our goal of walking down a path together in open discernment to find out where our vulnerabilities would lead us.
First and foremost we want to express our deep appreciation for those who accepted this invitation and participated by sharing their "soul stories." Their honest emotions and shared experiences support the health and growth of UUCA. Their sharing benefits the whole congregation and Board Members as their representatives. Without your willingness to step forward and take time out of your busy schedules we would not have experienced such a rich and fulfilling dialogue. Through our facilitated small groups we listened to feelings and ideas around how we can build trust--through open and honest conversations, by sharing our vulnerabilities, and exploring how our individual and shared experiences can help UUCA be the community we describe in our Ends.
PLEASE REVIEW THE WOL REPORT HERE.
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| Connection Summer Deadline Connections is going on a summer schedule this year. This newsletter will be published once for the month of July and the first edition in August will cover August 1-23. Connections will resume its weekly publication schedule on August 24. Throughout the summer, you can still stay connected to your UUCA family by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Summer deadlines for Connections are:
DEADLINE
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PUBLISHED ON
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COVERS
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July 19 @ noon
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July 19
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August 1-August 23
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August 23 @ noon
Resumes weekly deadline of noon on Wednesday
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August 24
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August 24-August 30
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Need to submit an announcement for Connections?
- Deadline is noon each Wednesday.
- Please put "Connections" in the subject box.
- Send announcement (150 words or fewer) in body of email or Word doc attachment.
- Images and attachments accepted, though no guarantee of publishing
- Send announcements to [email protected].
- Questions about Connections? Contact [email protected].
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