June 21
NEWS & NOTES
A weekly newsletter to keep you informed.
 
What's in this week's news?
daywithoutwomen
Deepening Circles
Are you looking for a way to connect with other WES members? Do you want to be able to have deeper conversations? Does having a small group of people who care about you feel important? 

You  might love to join a small group at WES! They are open to longtime members, newcomers, and everyone in between. 

We will be organizing new small groups to start this summer and early fall. Please let us know if you'd like to be part of: 
  • A Deepening Circlemeeting 1-2 times per month for at least 10 months
  • A Connecting Circlemeeting 1-2 times per month for 3 months
Deepening Circles and Connecting Circles sometimes are organized simply by when people are able to meet. Sometimes they are groups of people with similar interests or identities. Let us know if there is an identity you'd like to share with others in your circle, such as similar age or same gender, or if there is a common interest you'd like to explore, such as world religions or aging or parenting. 

To sign up for a circle, please email Amanda at [email protected]

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This Summer at WES: Summer of Love
We hope you'll join us this summer as we explore a Summer of Love. All of our platforms in July and August will be at 10:30am. You can also check out each platform as it is being live streamed on the WES Facebook page. Videos and audios recordings of the platforms will also be available on the WES website a few days after each platform.

The end is redemption; the end is reconciliation; the end is beloved community. 
- Martin Luther King, Jr. 

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Lindsay Lucke Received the Anna Garlin Spencer Award
WES member Lindsay Lucke received the Anna Garlin Spencer award for exceptional volunteerism from the American Ethical Union at Assembly in Baltimore earlier this month. She was nominated by the WES Board for her many years of service to WES, including on the Board, Pastoral Care Associates, Finance Team, Membership Team, Pledge Team, as a nursery caregiver and plant tender, and as an all around caring and warm presence! We were delighted Lindsay was able to visit from her new home in Boston to receive the award! 
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This Sunday's Platform
9:30 & 11:30am.

"Lithium and Laughter Go Great Together" Rachel Kallem Whitman.   Rachel is a freshly minted doctor, educator, advocate, and writer who has been shacking up with bipolar disorder since 2000. Rachel has worked in hospitals, in public school settings, and at universities to cultivate safe spaces where people can talk about the experience of mental illness and challenge stigma. With the support of her loving husband (whom she met at Youth of Ethical Societies! Awww!), family and friends, four pets, cheese, and an unconquerable sense of humor, Rachel lives with bipolar disorder but it is not her life.

Music from the Seth Kibel Trio


This Sunday at WES.


Ethical Living Laboratory, 11am, Social Hall.

New Member Nuts & Bolts , 11am, Adler Study. Recently joined WES? Swing by to snag a New Member binder and make sure your connected to any groups that you're interested in. For more information contact Lori Betsock at [email protected].

Earth Ethics Team Meeting , 1pm, Classroom 2. All are welcome at our Earth Ethics Team meetings. We usually begin our meetings with a go-round so everyone can catch up on events in our lives. We will plan outdoor activities. We will plan advocacy toward fulfilling our responsibility for the earth.

Working For Racial Equity , 1pm, Main Hall. Drop in to our WRE Talk & Teach Topics to learn with and from each other. The session will include a brief learning opportunity, video and/or exercise with facilitated discussion on the following topic: Prison Industrial Complex:  13th screening - from slave to criminal with one amendment.
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SEEK SEEK -- Summer of Loving our Planet Earth
SEEK is in need of teachers to run our K-8th grade classes this summer! Do you have an interest in ecology? Science? Taking care of our Earth? This summer we will be discussing these topics: erosion, pollution, Pacific garbage patch, use of plastics, solar power, composting, etc. 

We need teachers for July and August to teach on these topics an average of twice a month for a class of 8-10 students, grouped by 2-3 ages/grades. Could that be you? Contact  Melissa to sign up!


The Helping Hands Children's Garden is going gangbusters. This year we are trying to strengthen our ties with the folks at Shepherd's Table. So far this year we have dropped off radishes and lettuce.
 







This past  Sunday our  9:30 Theme 
exploration classes got all zesty with making lemon meringues topped with candied zest to celebrate all the people providing fathering roles at WES. At  11:30 the Theme Exploration classes enjoyed a zesty afternoon playing with a sprinkler, a mini pool and water toys. It was so much fun and the children agreed - it felt zestful!

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upcomingweeks The Upcoming Weeks at WES
Thursday, June 22
  • WES Resistance Open Mic, 7pm, Main Hall. Come join the WES community for our second WES Resistance Open Mic Night! All are welcome to use the stage to express hopes, desires, and active resistance to the challenges faced in the current political and social climate. Singers, dancers, improvisers, skits, and readings all welcome. A potluck signup will go out the week before the event. Please feel free to bring appetizers and easy to eat fixings as well as non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. All ages welcome! For more information, please contact Shelby French at [email protected] .
Friday, June 23
  • Bunco!, 7pm, Classroom 1A/B. Love Bunco!? Join us! Never played Bunco!? Join us for this super fun and easy to learn game night! Bring a dish or drink to share and join us for a fun evening of Bunco! A suggested $5 buy-in to cover the prizes is requested.
Monday, June 26
  • Federal Employees Gathering: Support, Solidarity, and Strategy, 7pm, Adler Study. Join with other federal employees to support each other and share strategies. Friends are very welcome as long as they are introduced by a WES member.
Wednesday, June 28
  • Red Blue Communication Workshop, 7pm, Library. Wondering how to put your ethical beliefs into action? Want to help change our divisive political climate? Join us this Sunday afternoon for an introductory workshop on communicating across the red-blue divide.  Participants will have the opportunity to: take stock of the challenging times we are living in, understand differences between conservatives and liberals, & learn proven methods to find common ground. For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Sunday, July 2
  • Platform Service, 10:30am. "You Are Loved: The Broken Truth" Amanda Poppei, Melissa Sinclair, and Jé Hooper

Monday, July 3

  • Mindfulness meeting, 7:30-9pm Library. This group meets monthly on the first Monday of the month for people interested in practicing meditation and living with mindfulness - or for anyone wanting to find out more about these topics. We explore both practices and ideas. Contact Trish Weil at [email protected] or Ann Baker at [email protected].

Friday, July 7

  • WES People of Color Meeting, 7pm, TBD. A chance to meet, discuss WES and our mutual values and our diverse experiences as people of color, the POC group meets monthly on the First Fridays. We rotate meetings at various homes. WES POC members and visitors are welcome to join. Please email Trang Duong at [email protected] if you have any questions.
You can see the full calendar here. ( http://ethicalsociety.org/blog/events/)
annoucementsAnnouncements
Refu gee Resettlement Team Needs Transportation Coordinator
If you would like to take part in helping a refugee family resettle in this area, but haven't committed yet, this opportunity may be for you. For all of the details, please see the WES website at:


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AEU Branding Survey AEU_Banner_top.jpg
The AEU is rebranding and is asking for your help. Please complete the  Branding Survey   so the AEU can get a good representation of the Movement.   The survey will help the AEU measure the current perceptions of AEU services and needed areas for future support. 

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DC Labor Chorus Upcoming Event:
The Power of Song: A Choral Convergence at the 2017 Great Labor Arts Exchange

Thursday June 22, 2017, 2pm until Saturday June 24, 2017, 11pm
Saturday June 24 at 8 pm there will be a concert open to the public where Arts Exchange participants will perform.

Join the DC Labor Chorus for a weekend of workshops, films, discussion groups, spoken word, jam sessions and open mike!  Bring your instrument, your voice, your beat box, your song, your poem, your story or just yourself! For more information, check out their website at:  http://www.laborheritage.org/power-song-choral-convergence-2017-great-labor-arts-exchange/

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Summer Scheduling Note



For the months of July and August, WES will have one Sunday platform at
10:30am

We will also continue to live stream throughout the summer. If you find yourself traveling or unable to attend, we hope you'll consider tuning in on Facebook.