We Care

The We Care program is a network led by volunteers who reach out to address short-term needs - food deliveries, rides to doctor's appointments, a listening ear in the event of a loss. The Cedar Lane congregation is organized geographically by "neighborhoods"; each neighborhood has at least one chairperson to coordinate support. Look at your nametag or the map in the church office to find your neighborhood. 

Congratulations are with Mildred Reynolds (N30) whose years of religious service were affirmed by receiving formal membership in the UU Society for Community Ministry. 

Our thoughts are also with Steve Murphy, brother of Barb Warman (N31) who underwent surgery at George Washington Hospital this week and will be recovering at the National Lutheran Home.

We join Russ and Judy Parker (N6) in celebrating the arrival of their eighth grandchild! Oona Marie Parker was born on November 13th to Kati & Al Parker in Philadelphia. Congratulations!

Should you know of a member of our community in personal need, you are encouraged to reach out to them. If you learn that this person wishes to receive a response from the church, please contact Heather Janules at [email protected].  All ministers offer pastoral care to our members so  you are also encouraged to contact any member of the ministerial team.  

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Clinic Escorts - A Testimonial...

Submitted by Heather Janules, Associate Minister

A Cedar Lane elder and their spouse have served as regular escorts at Planned Parenthood in support of women seeking reproductive services. They have found that the clients and fellow escorts appreciate having the presence of "grandparents" in this difficult situation.  

They write: "If any Alliance members or other grandparents think that clinic escorting would be a possible activity, they can contact the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force at www.wacdtf.org or e-mail at [email protected].  There are sites all over the Metro area, but the Planned Parenthood Clinic on 16th Street - across from the Russian Embassy - needs escorts on Wed, Thurs and Sat mornings. Training is required and is given at MLK Library [Gallery Place Metro] or at GWU [Foggy Bottom} at least monthly. We hope others will think about this need."

Upcoming Sundays   

November 27, 2011 --- 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.  "Draw the Circle Wide"

10:10 in the Chalice House Main Room (between services) 

Click here for future forums 

Music Notes From the Director of Music

Dr. Henry Sgrecci  

November 20 

Our young people lead us in musical worship today. The Youth Handbell Choir rings "Come, Let Us Eat," a communion song in which the ringers use several specialized techniques. The Children's Choir sings a two-part song of unity, "One earth, one sky, one God on high, one people here below." The Youth Choir presents a popular, upbeat song in four part harmony; "I speak peace to you, boundless peace to you, I speak peace to you today." The Adult Choir's anthem, "We Are One" has been hugely popular in UU churches because of its powerful message and its Gospel styled energy.   It was sung by a choir of local UU singers from the Metro region at the UUMN Conference this past July.   Thom Guthrie's postlude is based upon the familiar Thanksgiving hymn, Now Thank We All Our God.

Special thanks to members of the Children's Choir, Youth Choir, Youth Handbell Choir (and all the substitute ringers), and Adult Choir for their talents and their inspiring leadership through song.  

From the Church Administrator

We have been experiencing intermittent problems with sound projection in the Sanctuary despite two separate attempts to improve the sound with new speakers.  Before investing in still another improvement we wish to gather additional information that will allow us to make the best allocation of our scarce resources to change the situation in the Sanctuary, and that is where you come in.  We are requesting help from those who attend services.  We will be providing a short survey that will ask for your seat location and experience of sound during the service.  We do not want to interfere in any way with your experience/enjoyment of the service, and if you find this in any way distracting please don't feel obliged.  We appreciate those who can help, and with that information hope to finally nail down the optimal solution for our sound system so that all may thoroughly enjoy the beautiful music of Cedar Lane.

Calendar

Please visit the church calendar here. 

Holiday Craft Day is Saturday, December 3 from 10-3 at Cedar Lane.  Don't miss the fun of a day of crafting homemade holiday gifts with friends and family. Please bring your own picnic lunch for our noon break of eating and singing. Support the 7th graders social justice fundraiser by buying delicious treats from their bake sale.  (Refreshments will not be provided.)

Pre-registration is required.  Registrations will be sold after both services on November 13th and November 20th in the Lounge ($10 per person or $25 per family -- checks or exact change appreciated).  You may also drop off or mail a check -- made out to CLUUC -- to the RE Office.

Around the Church

Please remember that on Sunday mornings the lower parking lot is reserved for RE teachers!  Thank you!

CLARITY* sponsored film TONIGHT!!! 

The 2nd film in the "Racism: Then and Now" series will be "Tim Wise: On White Privilege" tonight, Nov. 18 at 7:30 in the library. This talk by a very dynamic speaker offers a deeply personal take on whiteness, white privilege, and racism in America. Tim Wise explains how white privilege damages not only people of color, but white people as well, in the process providing an accessible, and powerful, introduction to the social construction of racial identities. Light refreshments will be served, and the film will be followed by a group discussion facilitated by Nancy Pellegrini and Archene Turner. $5 at the door if you have not already signed up for the series through Adult Programs.

 

* CLARITY/"Cedar Laners Against Racism -- In This Together --Yes!" is one of Cedar Lane's Social Justice groups. 

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Tomorrow!!  Issues Affecting Local Immigrants/Preparing for Justice GA 2012: Mobilizing Area UUs to Transform Concern into Action! 

 

 

 
Saturday, November 19 8:30am-12:30pm

Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church

9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-4099

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Help SHYG Help All Souls Food Drive This Sunday!

On Sunday, November 20, please bring food items to donate to the Thanksgiving Neighbor-in-Need Food Drive at All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington DC. A list of the items needed can be found at the link (Sara, please put PDF on our website under SHYG and insert link in enews ) and on the counter in the sanctuary. Drop them off in the back of the sanctuary at the beginning of worship. Monetary donations are also welcome. Make checks payable to "All Souls Church, Unitarian" with "Thanksgiving Food Drive" in the memo section and put it in the CLUUC collection plate. Our Senior High Youth Group will be taking the food and helping to sort and pack at All Souls.

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Wreath Supplies Needed for Holiday Craft Day:  Please collect evergreen and holly trimmings from your yard and bring them to church the evening before or the morning of Holiday Craft Day, Saturday December 3rd. If you plan to make a wreath at Craft Day, you can save money by bringing your own wreath form and pins from home. For questions about wreath supplies, please contact Chris Black at [email protected].

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The Denominational Affairs Committee invites you...

to Tuesday's, Nov. 29, 7:30 pm meeting (in library).

Our focus is on:

General Assembly 2012

June 20-24, Phoenix, Arizona

This is an historic moment. Be part of the story.

Click here for more information.

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Committee Opportunity Available

The mission of the Planned Giving Committee is to encourage gifts to the Endowment Funds of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. We hope to accomplish this through educating the congregation about our three Endowment Funds (Endowment Fund, Social Justice Endowment Fund and Memorial Fund) and planned giving and by providing various ways for donors to contribute to the Funds.

 

The committee is in need of some strategic thinkers willing to work toward those goals. Minimal time commitment is involved for a potentially large and important impact for the church. Please consider joining us.

 

Contact: Gerry Peterson (301) 229 0538, [email protected].
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December 18, 5 p.m.

Winter Solstice Vespers Service

Organized by Members of Journeywomen and other Connection Circles

Music Provided by DUO ATLANTICA

Carol Ireland, Harpsichord

Margaret Turner, Baroque Blockflote

 

The winter solstice marks the longest

night of the year and the start of the

lengthening days. Come join a vespers

celebration with music, accompanied by

readings of the mystery of darkness and

the joy of light. Following the service,

seasonal refreshments will be served (no

dinner). Optional donations for Beacon

House will be accepted - hats, scarves,

mittens, unwrapped toys, or cash.

 

Snow Date: Sunday, January 8, 2012

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Saturday, March 24

The 2012 Cedar Lane Spring Auction is only a few months away - with a NEW THEME and lots of new bidding opportunities. Please mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE!!

Please click HERE for links to forms.

Celebration Honoring the Rev. Susan Davison Archer -- Sunday, December 4, both services.

Make sure the date is on your family's calendar! Susan delivers her last Cedar Lane sermon on this date. Following her sermon, our Religious Education classes will join us in the sanctuary for a short and special program honoring her years with our children and us. A cupcake party for all will follow immediately in the lounge.

Contributions toward Susan's gift are invited. Your tax-deductible check payable to "CLUUC" with notation of  "Susan" is appreciated by November 27, but welcome later if necessary. Mail to church office, or place in Sara Deshler's mailbox in the office.

Environmental Task Force 

  
TOMORROW!!! --- Keystone XL Pipeline -Why Tar Sands Is Bad For the Environment and Our Health

7-8:30 PM: Two movies about the Keystone XL pipeline by Academy Award nominee Leslie Iwerks: "Pipe Dreams," about the environmental devastation of tar sands; and "Downstream," about a doctor's valiant efforts to save the health of an aboriginal community in Canada affected by tar sands. See descriptions below. http://www.leslieiwerks.com/

8:30-9:30: Panel discussion and Q and A about the Keystone XL pipeline

*Moral and ethical issues about environmental devastation and increase in climate change: Terry Ellen, Exec. Dir., Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice; Tim Kumpfer, Dir. of the Servant Leadership School, a center for Christian spirituality and social justice founded by the Church of the Savior, Washington, D.C. 

*Environmental and health issues: Kendall Mackey, Grassroots Outreach, National Wildlife Federation; Yiming Roberts, Tar Sands Campaign Organizer, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

9:30-10:00: Write Obama and thank him for delaying the pipeline, then ask him to cancel it altogether.

--Put on by the Cedar Lane Environmental Task Force. No charge for the movies but we encourage donations to cover the $300 screening fee. 

--RSVP to:  Molly Hauck  [email protected] or (301) 949-0178 

"Pipe Dreams"
Across the heartland of America, farmers and landowners are fighting to protect their land, their water, and their livelihood in what has become the most controversial environmental battle in the U.S. today:  The Keystone XL Pipeline.  Routed from Hardisty, Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, this tar sands pipeline is set to cross the country's largest freshwater resource, the Ogallala Aquifer, and the fragile Sandhills of Nebraska, posing devastating consequences to human health, livestock, and agriculture.

 "Downstream"
At the heart of the multi-billion dollar Oil Sands Industry in Alberta, Canada, a doctor's career is jeopardized as he fights for the lives of the aboriginal people living and dying of rare cancers downstream from one of the most polluting oil operations in the world.

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Click here for more information about Tar Sands!!! 

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Click here to check out some Green Tips! 

13th INTERNATIONAL

Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2011 

  

Transgender Day of Remembrance Serviceon Sunday, November 20th 5:30 to 7:00 PM at New Creation Baptist Church in Wheaton, MD. This interfaith service has been planned collaboratively by a committee representing four local faith communities-- Cedar Lane UU Church, Open Door MCC, New Creation Baptist Church, and the United Church of Christ in Bethesda. The plan for a Montgomery County TDOR service was initiated by Cedar Laner Susan Staff, and the musical part of the service will be led by Cedar Laners Steve Jones and Susan Clark. All are welcome to attend this gathering.

 A Transgender Day of Remembrance service will be held at:
 New Creation Baptist Church 

11005 Dayton Street, Wheaton Md. 20902
 5:30- 7:00 pm Nov 20, 2011

 Attending clergy are asked to wear their vestments.  RSVP appreciated.
 
An offering will be taken and donated to Rainbow Youth Alliance.
The Alliance provides a safe place for transgender youth to socialize.

 New Creation church is within walking distance (just under a mile) of Wheaton Metro Station.

"We are each of us angels with just one wing

and we need to embrace each other in order to fly."

(Luciano de Crescenzo)  

Social Justice Spotlights

The Social Justice Council is sponsoring a series of Social Justice Spotlights, in lieu of an annual fair, to publicize all the various social justice groups at Cedar Lane. The spotlights will be held occasionally in the lounge after Sunday Morning Services prior to Spring B. Each spotlight will focus on a few like-minded groups so that members and friends of Cedar Lane may have an opportunity of learning about the groups in a setting more conducive than the limited time of an annual fair. The missions of the groups will be highlighted and contacts provided for members and friends of Cedar Lane to have the opportunity of participating in the respective group programs.

The series will commence this Sunday, November 20, 2011, when members and friends may learn more about the Bethesda House, the Community-Based Shelter, Martha's Table, and the Ethical Eating Movement, including the UU Statement of Conscience now being discussed. The Manna Food Center, in which our Youth Activity Group has a serious service learning project, will be featured Sunday, November 27, 2011. It is appropriate that these food-related groups should be featured following the current Kiplinger Lecture by Mark Winne speaking on "The Social Justice of Food."

All the various social justice groups affiliated with Cedar Lane are invited to have their programs featured in a spotlight, which would supplement any other communications the groups might undertake. Please contact Pat Karlsen, 301-654-1110, or Ralph Krause, 301-530-4790, for future scheduling.

ACTION IN MONTGOMERY

YOU'RE  INVITED TO AIM's ACTION TEAM MEETING ON ...

DREAM ACT:  TUESDAY, NOV. 29, 5-6:30 PM, Grace United Methodist Church, 7001 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912

Some have argued that during hard economic times we must focus on "our own" children first. We believe the Maryland Dream Law does focus on our children, by providing opportunity to all of Maryland's children.  The law creates a level playing field, so that talented, tax paying immigrant youth, who are prepared to work hard and sacrifice, will be able to pay the same in-state tuition rates as their high school classmates.  We know that educating all of our children is a win-win. 

For more info, please contact Nancy Janssen at:  [email protected] or (301-588-1488). 

Endowment Giving -

You Have a Choice

REGISTRATION DEADLINE for New Orleans Rebuilding Mission:  December 16 ! 

Sign up now for Cedar Lane's February 4-11 trip to help rebuild houses in New Orleans.  We have a great group of new and returning volunteers already committed.  We want YOU to join us!.

Email our team leader Mike Burski, [email protected] about costs, questions, and how to register.

Beyond the Church

 Click here to learn about some events sponsored by friends of Cedar Lane.  

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Stand with Oprah

"O" Magazine has taken an anti-fur stance and will not be displaying fur on their pages.

Keep up the momentum.  Not only is Oprah Magazine going fur free, but so has West Hollywood, California, the first city in the U.S. to ban fur sales!

Be a voice for nonhuman animals.  

Join thousands of other compassionate people worldwide for this international day of action.

Nordstrom Montgomery Mall

Friday, November 25th

11 am to 1 pm

You can simply show up or if you have any questions, contact Beth at [email protected].