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SWEET 16!
Only 16 days until Rev. Aaron is in the pulpit
Rev Aaron and kids

We've reached the countdown - Only 16 days left until Rev. Aaron is in the pulpit!
Sunday, September 7:  Our annual "Gathering of the Waters" services -- which are the first services of our new church year -- will be led by our new senior minister, Rev. Aaron McEmrys. The "Gathering of the Waters" Sunday is normally one where we have a bump up in attendance. This year we expect a real SURGE in attendance and we expect it to continue throughout the fall. Needless to say, UUCA staff and lay leaders are busy planning and preparing to welcome many newcomers and we are counting on YOU to join us in this all-encompassing welcome. Please read the Transition Team Update below for some of the ways you can be part of this new welcome beginning in September.

And be sure to follow UUCA on Facebook and Twitter (@UUArlingtonVA) as we countdown the days!
Sunday Worship
August 24, 10:15 a.m. "Choose to Bless the World"

With Rev. Rebekah Montgomery.  As a charge to begin the year anew  and recognizing the commencement of the next chapter for this congregation, this sermon will explore how we can harness our gifts with kindness and a holy disturbance to choose to bless the world.
Upcoming Services

Sunday, August 31, 10:15 a.m. "To Be of Use" - With Rev. Linda Olson Peebles.

Sunday, September 7, 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. Gathering of the Waters - With Rev. Aaron McEmrys. Reminder: collect a sample of water to bring to this service.

Inside this Issue
Religious EducationReligiousEd
RE Teacher request flyer

Be part of UUCA's
welcome this year!
Teach RE!


Contact Erica Shadowsong,
Director of Religious Education or Ashley Egan, RE Assistant
Give-the-PlateGivePlate
Last Sunday's GTP offering went to Beacon House and totaled $1,563.

This Sunday, August 24, the Give-the-Plate offering will go to the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless (AACH), a private non-profit organization that provides transitional housing and support services to homeless families and women in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria in Virginia. The AACH mission is to move people into a permanently self-sufficient, independent life.

AACH offers homeless people more than just a roof over their heads; it provides a foundation to help them rebuild their lives. Members from several religious groups in Arlington and Alexandria created AACH in 1985 to meet the critical needs of the homeless in our communities.  UUCA has been a supporter of many of the AACH programs over the years, especially Sullivan House, a shelter for homeless women and families. Thank you for your generosity.
Transition Team Updatetransition
Branches that Connect
The Transition Team has planted a "Tree of Connections"  to help our UUCA family connect and welcome all of the newcomers expected in the new church year that begins September 7. Each branch of this tree offers ways you can be part of UUCA's all-encompassing welcome.  On Sunday, stop by the "Tree" to find out how YOU can help fill in all these connecting branches.

A Church Without Walls
The Transition Team invites you after the service this Sunday to help Rev Aaron formulate his vision of "A Church Without Walls". In an effort to convey a truly welcoming congregation, we'd like to start a discussion on ways UUCA can tear down the barriers that divide us from our community and reach a more diverse population using videos, recorded sermons, social media, and other methods. Meeting is 30-minutes and located in the Center.

Questions for the Transition Team?  Contact any of us: Jacomina de Regt, Linda Battaglini, Ron Cima, Chuck Maclane, Margaret Wilson, Ben D'Avanzo, Warren Wright, Bill Fogarty, D Ohlandt.
Our WELCOME mat is not only at the front door
Welcome mat isolated over white - 3d render To be a truly welcoming congregation, our welcome starts way before newcomers come through our doors on Sundays. Over the next several weeks you'll be hearing of new and creative ways that we can be more welcoming to newcomers. Below is a request to get us started. The list will be added to each week:

Hoof-it | Bike-it | Park-it | Carpool
We are going to be welcoming to all the newcomers by providing as many parking spots as possible in our main lot. The newcomer/visitor parking spots will be expanded and we ask all able-bodied individuals to do their part in helping to make our parking lot welcoming by:
  • Park in our satellite lots - Mason lot directly across the street on George Mason Drive OR the Arlington Hall Park lot off of 4th Street South (see map)
  • Carpool - find a buddy, families take one car instead of two AND park in the satellite lots.

For the more physically inclined:

  • Metro - the Ballston Metro stop is just over a mile away. Metro and bus info here.
  • Walk - Anyone living within a 2-mile radius of the church, we ask you to consider walking -- think of it as a spiritual, as well as a physical fitness practice.
  • Bike - Anyone living within a 5-mile radius that owns a bike -- we ask you to consider biking. The church has a covered bike rack under the ramp for you to safely park your bike. (Arlington bike trail map)
Faith in Action: Connecting - Growing - ServingFaith
Same Sex Marriage - Still Waiting
Hundreds of ministers of many faiths, including UUs, were ready and eager to begin performing weddings at our Virginia courthouses this week.  However, the Supreme Court extended the stay on the earlier ruling allowing same-sex marriages in this state.  

While we are sad, we look forward in faith to the day - not long now - when all people who love one another will be able to have equal status in the eyes of the law, as they do in the eyes of God, and be free to marry.

Love Makes a Family
Celebrating this faith, UUCA is displaying in its QUUest Art Gallery "Love Makes a Family" --  photographs of families who include loving same-sex partners.
Backpacks for Buckingham
This Sunday (August 24) is your last chance to donate backpacks for Buckingham children. Your donations will put smiles on both parents and students going back-to-school. Donation bins are in the upper and lower lobbies.
Save-the-Date: Tue, Sept 30 

On September 30, UUCA is hosting a forum sponsored by the Arlington Interfaith Council and VOICE on the issues of hunger, health care, and affordable housing in Arlington. Click here for flyer.
"Soul Matters" Covenant Groupscovenant
Registration begins in September
Round frame for natural grey stones UUCA's strong commitment to small group ministry has enriched the lives of hundreds of participants in our Covenant Groups. These groups of 8 to 12 people, meeting regularly throughout the church year, are led by trained facilitators and offer the chance for people to connect, grow deeper, and offer back to the community.

Beginning this year, with the arrival of our new Senior Minister Rev. Aaron McEmrys, we will be entering a new era in our small group ministry, following the themes and resources offered by a program called Soul Matters, which has been developed by the 1st Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y.  Rev. McEmrys' sermons will follow the themes, and the readings, resources, and spiritual exercises will be available to UUCA's new Soul Matters Covenant Groups.

Keep your eyes open for the chance to register to be a participant in one of the groups.  On-line registration will begin in early September, and an in-person registration table will be at church on September 14.
Buddhist Meditationbuddhist
For the next several weeks (Aug 25-Sept 15), Monday night's Buddhist meditation will be self-guided silent meditation sessions in the lower Chapel. On September 25, the guided meditation class and dharma talk with Jonathon Foust will resume.
Connect Through Music - UUCA Worship Bandband
greyscale-electric-guitar.jpg
Do you have experience playing an instrument? Are you looking for a way to connect meaningfully with folks at UUCA through music?
Now there is an opportunity for you to play your instrument(s) with a small group of fellow musicians and add a whole new dimension to our Sunday worship services. For more information, contact Bob Griffith, Music Director. 
Wheel of LifeWheel
Loving thoughts to Maxine Kendrick, who has entered hospice care at Goodwin House.

Rejoicing on the marriage of UUCAer Andrea Hamre in Arlington, August 16.

Rejoicing on the marriage of Andrew Mertz, former UUCA Director of Youth Ministry, in Alexandria on August 16.

Former interim senior minister, Rev Keyes' daughter, Tracy Droz Tragos, was recently a guest on Jon Stewart's Daily Show for her award-winning film Rich Hill. The documentary is about boys growing up in poverty in a small rural Missouri town. 
Connections is produced weekly and normally emailed on Thursday. Deadline is Wednesday at NOON each week. ADD "CONNECTIONS" TO SUBJECT BOX. Email announcements to [email protected]

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