Join us in person or on our livestream on Sunday, November 3, at 10 a.m.

This Week's Sunday Service

LIVESTREAM UPDATE

We are aware there have been some disruptions to the livestream of the Sunday services in recent weeks, and we are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience. Whenever the video fails, the audio of the service is made available on YouTube by the following day. Click here to watch or listen to past services. 

We are coming down the home stretch to the most momentous election in our lifetimes. We are all too familiar with the hatred and vulgarity that has marred this election and the fear that we may all be subjected to some kind of alternate reality than the one we know to be real. I would remind all of you that, in fact, the standard of living across the world continues to rise and most people are kind and considerate. Yes, we have massive problems in our world, climate change not the least among them, but we also have hard-working people, such as our many dedicated civil servants who are trying to make life better for millions of people.

What do I suggest we do over the next 10 days? First, stop looking at the polls; they mean nothing now. Second, consider taking a weeklong sabbath from watching the news. News is based on what is happening and most of what is happening is dark rhetoric and anxiety. You won’t lose touch by taking a break. Third, do something fun: go to a movie, run through a corn maze, laugh with friends. Fourth, spend this week getting in touch with family and friends and tell them how much they mean to you. Fifth, come to church if you can, watch online if you can’t. Besides our service on Sunday morning, I invite you to the Interfaith Vigil at St. Francis-in-the-Fields in Malvern at 4 p.m. on Sunday. I, along with my interfaith colleagues, will offer a hopeful message in these dark times. Then, on Election Day, the church will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. for those who wish to sit in quiet contemplation in the Main Meeting Room. And finally, on Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m., I will lead a prayer vigil regardless of the election’s outcome. I hope to see you there.

Remember, you are not alone. We will get through this . . . together.

Yours,

Rev. John

How many of you recognize these folks? Rita and Eagle Levine were longtime members of MLUC—Rita, the outspoken socialite, and Eagle, the soft-spoken “Southern gentleman.” I take a detour past their plaque in the Memorial Garden several times a week because they were my beloved grandparents. I was fortunate enough not to have known familial loss till I was in my mid-20s, but losing Grammy and Grandpa—in 2018 and 2016, respectively, was a heavy blow nonetheless. Immersed in grief and deep contemplation about the permanence of death, I resolved that through art one’s legacy could persevere indefinitely. We know Johann Goldberg through J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations . . . Rodolphe Kreutzer through Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata . . . or the art of Victor Hartmann through Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Why couldn’t I memorialize my grandparents in kind? I composed The Chimes of the Golden House in 2018 shortly after their joint memorial service at MLUC, premiered in the Main Meeting Room a few months later (you can listen to that live recording here). Through the allegory of chiming eight-day clocks and the vibrant setting of their former home in Radnor, Rita’s and Eagle’s personalities, familial relationships, and even favorite melodies are alive and well within a score that will survive as long as audiences are amenable to its performance.

Accordingly, music will be a central element of our service this week as we remember our lost loved ones. The Choir will reprise our performance of Gwyneth Walker’s “Let the Life I’ve Lived Speak for Me” from early February’s Memorial Recital for Vincent Craig at West Chester University, followed by Elizabeth Alexander’s setting of “We Remember Them” (after the same words of reading #720 in our hymnal). Jodie and I will play Federico Mompou’s Charmes No. 5, “To Evoke Images of the Past,” Kaitlyn will join us to sing Manuel de Falla’s haunting lullabies from Siete canciones populares españolas (taught to him by his mother), and close with the most beautiful and appropriate Postlude, Harvey Schmidt’s “Try to Remember” from my all-time favorite musical, The Fantasticks. Together, we will sing hymns #389: “Gathered Here”; #336: “All My Memories of Love”; and #118: “This Little Light of Mine.”

See you Sunday!

David

Why are we offering adult classes with titles like “Resilience Retreat” and “Embodied Spirituality” and “Starting Point” and “Spiritual Practice” this fall?

Rev. John and I started work on this fall’s programming last spring . . . by gathering a small but mighty Adult Faith Development team to do some planning with us. Our chair is Sue Compton, joined by Nuala Carpenter and Liz Martin. Over the summer we talked and thought and came to some decisions about where to put our time and energy for adult classes this fall. We have many vibrant and ongoing groups, such as small group ministries and book groups, so rather than duplicating what any of those excellent folks are already offering our community, we wanted to add some things that would meet different interests and needs.

Resilience is crucial as we navigate a very contentious and difficult election season, along with natural disasters not that far away, and war rising on two fronts across the ocean. The spiritual practice sessions (on the last Sunday of each month, drop in!) are an opportunity to engage more deeply with the monthly spiritual theme and then come talk about it.

Embodied Spirituality is a series of four workshops to help you explore connecting with God, the universe, ultimate reality, or simply your inner self through your body.

Register here.

Starting Point is literally a starting point—a way to get connected if you are new to the congregation or diving back in after time away.

Register Here.

And that’s why.

Do you have a why question about church you’d like me to answer? Let me know at re@mluc.org and I’ll do my best to enlighten you!

Dawn Star

Joys & Concerns Reminder

If you want to submit a joy or concern to be read aloud on Sunday during Joys and Concerns, please fill out this form, which is always available on the MLUC website.

Sitting figure from the collection of Diana Roberts

Offering Outreach for October: Gondviselés Segélyszervezet (Hungarian)/Providence Relief Organization

It might seem unusual for MLUC to have an “international” recipient for November’s Offering Outreach; however, the Providence Relief Organization—known as Gondviselés in Hungarian—has many connections to MLUC through our partnership with the Unitarian Church in Várfalva in Transylvania, Romania.

The organization was also the recipient in 2022 when Ukrainian refugees streamed out of their country as Russia attacked. This Unitarian organization responded immediately, feeding refugees in train stations, transporting them across country as needed, and resettling families in Romania. 

They also began partnering with other international organizations to collect medical equipment (such as defibrillators, incubators, and tourniquets) and other needed supplies. A team of volunteers, including Unitarian ministers and even the bishop of the Hungarian Unitarian Church, drive these supplies into Ukraine and personally deliver them to churches and hospitals across the border. Our Offering Outreach will support them as they continue to support Ukrainians directly. They are most grateful for MLUC support!

For more information about this organization, go to their Facebook page—search for GONDVISELES. The text will be in Hungarian but you can click the link at the bottom of the page to TRANSLATE into English.

Come as you are, come as you were, or come as you might be! 

The live 2024 MLUC Auction takes place on Saturday, November 9! The evening begins at 6 p.m. with generous hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and socializing.

The silent/online auction begins at noon on Saturday, November 2. There are more than one hundred wonderful things to bid on in the catalog.

To bid in either the online or live auction, you’ll need a bid number. Buy yours now.

To make a food donation (hors d’oeuvre or dessert) e-mail kathrynelewis@aol.com.

To sign your child up for the children’s party, click here.

Have you been considering volunteering with Family Promise? Find out how you can help families experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County get back on their feet. Join us Sunday, November 10 at 11:30 a.m. in the McGinness Room to learn about:

• MLUC’s role with Family Promise of the Main Line
• What specific roles you can play 
• How to be most helpful when interacting with our guest families
• How to apply for clearances

A light lunch and childcare will be provided. 

Lecture Lunch

Wednesday, November 13

Refreshments at 11:45;  lunch at 12:15

Members of the church's pilgrimage to Transylvania will report on their experience: Transformative Transylvanian Travels—Pilgrimage, Partnership, and Other Purposeful Pursuits.

Speakers: Bob Batt, Sandy Gargus, and any other willing participants

Please respond to Tim.conahan@gmail.com with the number in your party.

It's up to our community members to make Thanksgiving happen at MLUC. Building and feeling part of a community is developed through participation.

We need 12 volunteers to step up in four different areas to reduce the workload at each area.

The church provides delicious turkeys, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy for volunteers to pick up at Whole Foods in Devon Thanksgiving morning.

Each attendee is asked to bring a side dish or dessert for six.

To volunteer for one of the four areas (cleanup, pickup, heat up, set up) sign up below. Instructions are available. For more information, contact Holly Alden (ride711@gmail.com).

Meditation II 

Sundays, 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Room 208 or Meeting ID: 871 0669 1309

We meet for a short reading followed by 20 minutes of silent meditation. All are welcome: beginning and experienced meditators, church members, and guests.

Monday Morning Meditation and Book Group

Mondays, 7:30–8:45 a.m., in person or via Zoom

The group is currently discussing The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. (Available here.)

 If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Dilip Kumar or 610-517-1942.

Theology Explorers

2nd Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m., Zoom Meeting ID: 299 356 228

This group discusses spiritual topics and materials in search of truth, meaning, and spiritual growth. On November 13, we will discuss humanism. You can find more information on Theology Explorers at this link.

Thursday Evening Meditation

Thursdays, 7:00–7:45 p.m., Zoom Meeting

There will be a short centering meditation, a short reading and discussion, and a longer meditation. All are welcome.

We light a candle of support for . .

Friends and family of longtime MLUC member Ann Hiller, who died Saturday, October 26.

Gibbs and Jane LaMotte, whose daughter Joanne was recently admitted to the University of Virginia Hospital with pneumonia.

Publication Deadlines

MLUC Weekly submissions: 

• 100 words or fewer. If your article is significantly longer than 100 words, it may be shortened.
• Due by 12:00 noon on Wednesdays

E-mail all submissions to griselda@mluc.org and news@mluc.org.