UUCA Home      |     CONNECT - GROW - SERVE
Peace Runs Deep
Sunday Worship, July 13, 10:15 a.m.
Landscape with the sun shining through the foliage with a clear turquoise lake behind the trees  
"Peace Runs Deep"
With Rev. Linda Olson Peebles

Finding peace in the midst of a rough journey of life is a core mission of religious community. Peace in the heart and in the community as we struggle with conflict, with injustice, and with the struggle to stay alive and then to die gracefully. 
 
Sunday, July 20, 10:15 a.m.
"The Embrace of Kindness in a Broken World"
With Rev. Rebekah Montgomery. The radical persistence of kindness and generosity in the face of violence and brokenness is a longstanding tradition in many social justice movements. This includes many of our own peace demonstrations, as seen in the soul work of the Standing on the Side of Love campaign. This sermon will explore themes of large and small scale pacifism as a tool for social justice witness and a part of our daily faith walk.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
This weekend UUCA is having a new computer network installed. This means our computers will be down and there will be NO WIFI beginning Friday afternoon through Sunday. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Please plan accordingly. 
Inside this Issue
Faith in ActionChalice TheatreOlson Memorial
Music: Hearts & MindsIsraeli-PalestinianWheel of Life
Labyrinth WalkMen's Book
Intro Our FaithMoonFire RitualOffice Volunteer

Give-the-PlateGivePlate
Last Sunday, the GTP offering went to Arlington Food Assistance Center, and totaled $1,178 .

This Sunday's Give-the-Plate offering goes to the non-profit Little Friends for Peace, the program that directs UUCA's Peace Camp. LFFP is dedicated to teaching nonviolence and peacemaking skills to young children and teens across the DC metro area. LFFP also has an international program in El Salvador. The program was founded by MJ and Jerry Park in 1981 and named for the disarming nature of peacemaking and the little part we can all play in spreading peace. Little Friends for Peace is a founding organization of the community-initiated Perry School Community Services Center. The inner-city Perry Center provides peace education for neighborhood youth. LFFP has a decade-long partnership with Beacon House, the UU-sponsored program for DC at-risk youth and their families. In addition to including Beacon House youth in UUCA's Peace Camp, they teach a weekly onsite peace class and provides in-services for Beacon House staff.  MJ and Jerry were honored as Pax Christi's 2008 Peace Educators of the Year. The award recognized their impactful peace education work in diverse settings, with participants of all generations, and through a variety of mediums. The award is given each year to someone who exemplifies Pope Paul VI's World Day of Peace message, "To reach peace, teach peace." LFFP's latest project is a center in Accokeek, Maryland, called the Peace Oasis, established for teaching and experiencing multigenerational, multicultural peacemaking. 

View the Peace Camp 2014 photo album here. 
Board Noteboard
No Board meeting next week
The Board is going to take a break from its regularly scheduled meeting this month, and save its energy for getting started with Rev. Aaron when he gets here in a few weeks. The next Board meeting will be Tuesday, August 19. 
Religious EducationReligiousEd
A Note from the Religious Education Ministry Team*

Thanks to all who signed up to volunteer and support religious education at UUCA during our June recruitment push. We've gotten much closer to our goal and your commitment represents a strong show of support for our program. Thank you, thank you!

But the work is not done and we still need at least 30 more volunteers. Our goal is to have four teachers per class to enable adult volunteers to periodically attend services in the sanctuary. In the 9:15 session, we only have one or two teachers to teach the 3-year-olds, the five-year-olds, first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grades. In the 11:15 service, we have no teachers working with the classes for ages 2 through 5. With classes scheduled to start on September 14, there is still time, but the summer is already running by so quickly.  If you have not done so, please consider making a commitment to help support RE by volunteering to teach. In doing so, you CONNECT with children, their families, your fellow teachers; you GROW their souls and yours; and you SERVE both the RE community and the greater UUCA community.

To volunteer, please contact Erica Shadowsong ([email protected]), Ashley Egan ([email protected]) or Burke Kappler ([email protected]).  You can also contact us with any questions you might have about RE in general.  Again, thank you!  We hope to hear from you soon.

*Formerly known as the RE Committee, formerly known as the RE Council, the RE Ministry Team is a group of church members and friends that help support Erica and Ashley in administering the RE program.  We're looking for more members, too, and service on the Ministry Team is another excellent way to volunteer.  Contact Burke at [email protected] for more information.
Curious about the music writing process?
Ages eight years and up are invited to join RE this Sunday when the lovely chanteuse Libby Wiebel will share how she writes her music and the group will then write their own song.

APAH Backpack and School Supplies Drive
APAH (Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing) has over 400 kids in grades K-12 they are helping.  NOW until August 1 - Please donate new backpacks and school supplies for children in Arlington. They especially need NEW backpacks, colored pencils, glue, school scissors and erasers. Deliver supplies to the basket downstairs. For more information, please email Ashley Egan or Liz McElwee.
Introduction to Our Faithfaith
Wednesday, July 23, 5:30-9:00 p.m. with Rev. Rebekah Montgomery
This class is a great opportunity to learn about the history and theology of Unitarian Universalism and the programs at UUCA.  There will be plenty of chances to ask questions and to get to know others in the class. The class is free and includes dinner, registration is required.  Register here. Free childcare is available on request.  Contact Sarah Masters, [email protected].
Faith in Action: Connecting - Growing - ServingFaith
Public Witness on Deportation
Rev. Linda invites you to join her in an interfaith action - Pray for Relief! Not One More Deportation - in Washington DC on July 31 and August 1. The following invitation was sent out from the UUA "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign: 

During the UUA General Assembly Ware Lecture, immigration reform advocate Sister Simone Campbell, organizer of "Nuns on the Bus," made a passionate call for us to "walk toward trouble." Our General Assembly delegates did that when they passed an Action of Immediate Witness calling on President Obama to stop the deportations of our immigrant siblings and called for Unitarian Universalists to participate in a broad coalition of faith groups and immigrant advocates at the July 31-August 2 Pray for Relief! Not One More Deportation actions in Washington, DC. Now is the time to walk-or roll, or move- toward trouble and fulfill that call.

From July 31 through August 2, we will be in Washington, DC. Will you be there with us? Will you be there for families, for children, for justice? You can sign up to attend the July 31-August 1 summit, engage in witness and/or civil disobedience, and stay for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network's Not One More Deportation Day of Action on August 2 -- Sign up here. 
Hospitality Needed for Not One More Deportation Action
Here's a unique way to take a stand against the current deportations of immigrants - provide lodging for out-of-town UUs that will be attending these actions. Lodging will be needed for July 30 through August 2. If you can help, please contact Cyn Snavely for more information at [email protected] or 202-600-9132.
Read All About It! 2014 Issue of Partner Noticias
The 2014 issue of Partner Noticias - annual newsletter of UUCA's Partners for Arlington and Guatemala (PAG) is available here.  The articles are written by the partners themselves:  Juan de Dios, who directs the scholarship program for Mayan youth; Courtney Martinez, former Accompanier and Communications Director for our accompaniment partner NISGUA; and Cristian Torres, Buckingham resident and volunteer who has been active in building the Buckingham-UUCA partnership. Find out what some of our previous Accompaniers are up to now, and discover ways that you can be involved in the work of PAG. For more information on PAG, visit their web-page here.
VOICE Action Update:
Arlington County Manager offers Eight Possible Sites for Affordable Housing
Last fall, many of you joined 10,000 others in signing our VOICE (Virginians Organized for Community Engagement) petition for 1,500 new units of affordable rental housing in Arlington. VOICE presented this petition publicly to the County Board and maintained pressure since with back-room conversations with Board members, county staff, and allied civic groups. The Board responded to these actions in a joint statement assuring the public that affordable housing is one of its top priorities. In May, the County Manager identified eight possible sites for public comment. VOICE is now shifting focus to organize public support to maintain campaign momentum. Ask VOICE how you can help bring affordable housing to your community by contacting [email protected].
Music in Services: Hearts and Mindsmusic
By Bob Griffith, Director of Music
 
"After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music."  
- Aldous Huxley 
"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from everyone loves music." 
- Billy Joel 
Music is an undeniable asset to an effective church service. More than merely a functional component of the service, music plays a vital role in the positive experience in the hearts and minds of the congregant.

Music has the power to nurture the heart and lift the spirit. The experience of music in services draws out the highs and lows, the joy and despair, the conflicts and triumphs that make up our lives. Music helps us touch and observe our human feelings. Music helps us appreciate what it means to be alive. For example, when we hear a special song or sing together a favorite hymn, we are instantly transported to the memories and revisit the associated emotions.

Music has unique qualities that complement the spoken word. For example, specific harmonies and rhythms of music can communicate the emotional component of themes and values heard from the minister, such as community, compassion, and concern for the underserved populations. Music in worship draws people closer together as they sing and/or move to the rhythm. And people who speak different languages and who come from different faith traditions (or none at all) can experience together feelings about their diverse spiritual values.

The healing properties of music are recognized by some in the medical profession. Music is used to help alleviate stress and anxiety and to promote recovery from physical and psychological illness. Listening to music does "soothe the savage beast" in us and it allows us to deal with the tensions of our lives. For example, music therapy is a profession that uses music as a tool to help people with behavior disorders to improve concentration. Music therapy is also used to stimulate memory and to trigger new movement in patients with brain injuries.

Perhaps most significantly for church goers, music opens the mind and the heart to the beauty and truth around us, both spiritual and physical. Music in church services becomes a platform for spiritual growth, as well as an avenue for sharing positive feelings - for listeners and musicians alike.
Labyrinth Walk and Potluckwalk
Friday, July 11, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
All are welcome to a Labyrinth walk this Friday, July 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with a potluck to follow. This evening's meditative walk will offer a focus on healing and renewal. Join us in fellowship after the walk to share a potluck meal. If you are new to walking the Labyrinth, guides will be available to answer any questions you may have about this meditative practice.  For more information, contact Lee Bory.
MoonFiremoonfire
Sun Celebration Ritual - Sunday, July 20, 1:30 p.m.
Come join MoonFire as we celebrate the Sun - provider of the Summer's heat, but also of long days and light for plants and animals to live and grow. We will thank the Sun God for His blessings and gifts to us. Weather permitting (no rain or excessive heat), we will hold the ritual outdoors. As always, a potluck and time for fellowship will follow the ritual, so bring a dish or drink to share, along with your own plates/utensils, if possible. For further information on MoonFire, please visit www.moonfireuuca.org or contact us at [email protected].
Chalice Theatre Proposal Requesttheatre
Chalice Theater is seeking innovative and interesting proposals for production this fall (Nov. 14, 15). Staged reading, short plays, scene studies, original theater - if you have thought or dreamed about putting on a show, we are here to assist. Chalice will assist with production and technical aspects; you need to provide the idea, direction, cast, and energy. Include a description of your concept, some background on your experience, and how the idea will further the mission of UUCA. Please submit proposals by July 23 to the Chalice Theater folder in the storage room across from the copy room, or email Tom O'Reilly at [email protected]
Israeli-Palestinian Issues GroupIsraeli
Meets Thursday Nights at 7:30 p.m.
Members and friends interested in a just peace being achieved in Israel/Palestine, are invited to join the Israeli-Palestinian Issues Group each Thursday evening beginning at 7:30 p.m. Activities include sharing insights, and/or developing actions which caring citizens might take to help break the seven decade deadlock. For more information, contact Gene Mulligan.
Men's Book Groupbook
The Men's Book Group will discuss Walter McDougall's Promised Land, Crusader State: Amercia's Encounter with the World Since 1776 - this Sunday, July 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Kit Britton and Ken Marshall will lead the discussion. Contact Kit Britton at 703-522-1114 for further information. The August 10 discussion will cover "Breaking the Code", a play about Alan Turing.
Office Assistant Volunteers Neededoffice
The church office is seeking a few more volunteers to add to our pool. The hours are flexible and can be as few as two hours a week or one-time projects. Computer skills are not required though they are helpful. The tasks vary - there are even computer projects that can be done from home - perfect for that someone who would like to volunteer but finds it difficult to come into the office. For more information, call or email the church office at 703-892-2565 or [email protected].
Memorial Servicememorial
A memorial service in celebration of the life of Oscar Olson, father of Rev. Linda Olson Peebles, will be held Saturday, July 12, 11 a.m., at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 10th & G Streets NW, Washington DC.
Wheel of LifeWheel
Loving thoughts to Pat Joyner and her family, as they cope with the illness of her mother, who entered hospice care this week.
Connections is produced weekly and normally emailed on Thursday. Deadline is Wednesday at NOON each week. Include "Connections" in the subject box. Email announcements to [email protected]

To receive Connections in your email inbox each week, please click here
  

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington   |   4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington VA 22204   |   703-892-2565