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Sunday Service

Sun, April 26, 9:15 & 11:15am - Telling Our Stories
The Supreme Court is about to take up marriage equality, and by extension equal rights for GLBTQ people, in a way they never have before. What would you say to the Supreme Court if you had five minutes alone with the justices as they deliberate?  We asked some members of our congregation that same question. This Sunday, they will share their thoughts and stories with us as together we stand on the side of love with all the real people, the human lives that are impacted by this historic decision.
Inspiration for Sunday's service comes from this lovely video poem - Until We Could, by Richard Blanco. It celebrates love and the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. The film is narrated by Golden Globe winning actress Robin Wright and actor Ben Foster. Click the video below and be touched.
Until We Could - Richard Blanco
Until We Could - Richard Blanco

Give-the-PlateGivePlate
Little Friends for Peace - April 26
Little Friends for Peace (LFFP) is the recipient of this Sunday's GTP.  LFFP is the peace education organization which directs UUCA's summer camp program, Peace Camp, and also offers a variety of youth leadership programs throughout the metro area. UUCA's Peace Camp has a long tradition of transforming lives through teaching peace in a multicultural community.  Support to LFFP will help more children be able to experience this very special camp, held at UUCA June 22 - July 3, and will help all the adults, youth, and children in the camp benefit from a diverse community of people from many different countries, races, and cultures.

The Give-the-Plate total for April 19 was $2,070.  This amount combined with the GTP total from April 15 is $5,101 raised for Interfaith Power & Light and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment.  Each organization receives 50% of the total. 
Board Update

Budget Discussion at the Board Meeting

From Janice Morris, Member, Board of Trustees
The Board thanks the many hundreds of members and friends who have generously stepped forward and made a financial pledge to the Church for the next fiscal year starting July 1. At our meeting on Tuesday evening, the Board reviewed staff proposals for budgeting the results prudently.  The Board also discussed the letter Rev Aaron has recently sent to the congregation about our commitment to funding our ministries.   

Rev Aaron initially drew up a baseline budget that included all the things we should be funding fully, like our reserves, denominational giving, and gradually increasing our mortgage payment. But it also reflected the need for more than $390,000 in additional funds to achieve that goal.  A second budget more accurately reflected current realities but still indicated a deficit of over $100,000,  The third and final version, to be discussed on May 7 at the final budget review meeting, which we hope all interested parties can attend, will indicate where the needed budget cuts will come from to meet our goal of a balanced budget for FY 2016.   

Despite generous pledging and a sufficient reserve fund that ensures any emergencies can be readily met, we still face day-to-day shortfalls that have to be addressed - a new commitment to "not live beyond our means" as we have in the past.  As Rev Aaron said in his message,  "The ministry we carry out is ours - not inherited from the past or borrowed from somebody else's future.  The ministry we carry out is powerful: liberating, comforting, healing, challenging and deepening the lives of thousands of people."  We thank everyone for their commitment and generosity to the church, and hope that as we grow our ministry in the future, our aspirational dreams will become our reality. 
Budget Process Update
The UUCA is heading into the final stages of its annual budgeting process. We started last month with our first open budget meeting where the first draft was presented. While it was very much in the red ($390,000), it was an opportunity to show expenses (full denominational giving, long term building maintenance, etc.) that the UUCA has had to do without over the last few years. This past weekend we reviewed the second draft that stripped away as many non-personnel expenses as possible. This draft shows a deficit of $113,000. You can see below a pie chart that shows where our expenses go and how little room we have to make final adjustments.
Budget pie chart image

Since he arrived, it has been a stated goal of Rev Aaron to have a balanced budget. We face a difficult couple of weeks as we attempt to close the remaining deficit before the final budget meeting on May 7. We appreciate all the opinions and comments of those who have attended the first 2 meetings and hope that as many of you as possible attend this final meeting.

Brian Smith
Chief Administrative Officer
Religious EducationReligiousEd
WWTD - image What Would Thoreau Do?
Thank you so much to the amazing families, both kids and parents, who participated in our Earth Day pageant last Sunday!  You were fantastic!  You were patient and dedicated, learning your lines, having fun with them, and being willing to switch around as needed.  Special thanks to the children who joined us at the end, even though they had not originally been in the pageant; you were a great help!

In our Children's Chapel, we learned about Henry David Thoreau and his "great experiment" at Walden Pond.  (Parents, you can find the story we read here.) With the help of Green Action member Sara Anderson, we looked at our society today, specifically our consumerist lifestyle, and asked, What Would Thoreau Do?  We tried to imagine a society in which we lived simply in community as he had tried to do as an individual.  We examined four areas:  housing, clothing and other products, energy use and the role children might play in helping to change our communities.  The lists we came up with were quite detailed and the adults were impressed by the children's knowledge.  The lists are displayed in the Center and we hope to make electronic "memes" to share digitally of what the children came up with.
Chalice & TrUUbadours sing
April 19 - Chalice & TrUUbadours sing
"We Are All Earthlings"

New Opportunities in Religious Education 2015-16
We are now looking at recruitment for next year in religious education!  Both short-term and long-term commitments are available that allow volunteers to make use of their individual skills and engage personal interests and areas of expertise.  We can't wait to see what many of you will offer!  Please check out and send in our volunteer interest form; this is just to let us know of your interest -- Filling out the form is not making a commitment.  Later, you will be given an opportunity to commit to a role.

Thank you!
Erica signature




Erica Shadowsong
Director of Religious Education
battleship-boats.jpg Game Night - Sat, April 25, 5-9pm
All are welcome to UUCA's Game Night! A variety of board games will be supplied and you are welcome to bring your favorite game to share. Game Night is open to aficionados and novices alike. Snacks will be provided and pizza will be ordered. Asking $5 to cover the pizza. For more information, contact Larry Rascop

UUCA Baby Club Meeting - May 3

baby-blocks2.jpg The UUCA Baby Club is a group of parents and children, ages newborn through preschool, at UUCA.  We generally host playdates at members' homes, as well as other activities, to provide support and community to young families in our congregation.  We will be holding an organizational meeting on May 3 between services in the nursery.  We welcome all families with children in this age group to join us to help determine the direction of the group for the next year.  Please join us! Contact: Brea Christopherson [email protected] 

Faith in Action: Connecting - Growing - ServingFaith
VOICE wants to hear your opinion THIS Sunday - April 26
VOICE_LOGO What are the critical issues facing Arlington today? What questions would you like to ask the candidates competing for the two open Arlington County Board seats? You are invited to come speak your mind in the Board Room after service on Sunday, April 26.

As you may know, Arlington voters will elect two new members to the five-member County Board this year. To help focus the political conversation, VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) will ask the candidates to address your concerns in a Candidates Forum on May 28. Hold this date.
Stand on the Side of Love at the Supreme Court - Tue, April 28

Equality UUCA invites you to Stand on the Side of Love at the Supreme Court when people of faith join together in standing witness in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, April 28, as the Supreme Court hears arguments whether same-sex couples should have the freedom to marry. We will meet at the press briefing on the front steps of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation (212 East Capitol St, NE, DC) that begins at 8:45am and walk together to the Court. We will bring the Standing on the Side of Love banner and will join People of Faith for Equality (POFEV) in Virginia with their lifting up the names of LGBT friends and loved ones reminding all that the Court's decision will impact real people and their families.

 

 

The POFEV banner will be created at Sunday's Interfaith Prayer Service to Embrace the LGBT Communities before the Supreme Court Marriage Equality Cases at 4:00pm at Congregation Etz Hayim, 2920 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington. More information is available on the interfaith prayer service at their Facebook page here.
Help an Immigrant Learn to Use a Computer
UUCA provides volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (7-9pm) at the nearby Buckingham/Gates Community Center. Volunteers help clients with questions on email, web searching, social networking, etc. Typically there are five clients in the ten-PC computer room. We need at least two volunteers each evening. Volunteers do not need to be computer experts to answer most questions. It's easy volunteering , but you will feel good each time you do help someone do something new or better on a computer. We need many volunteers so that no one needs to attend frequently. For more information, email Ric Blacksten, or 703-980-5899.
Buckingham Helpers
Need help with yard work or house cleaning? Buckingham workers offer many services, such as mulching, moving furniture,  and  catering.   A Buckingham photographer can provide a visual record of your birthday or retirement party.  To fill out a request form,  visit the Buckingham Outreach table in Fellowship Hall after services on Sunday. For more information, contact Nancy Hall.
NISGUA May GTP
The Give the Plate recipient during May will be NISGUA - the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala.  UUCA has partnered with NISGUA since 2007 to sponsor human rights accompaniers in Guatemala.  To date, we have supported 14 Accompaniers.  The most recent to have completed her tour as an Accompanier is Emily Rhyne who will be here at UUCA the week-end of May 16-17 to share her experiences and reflections.
Law and Religion: Where does "religious liberty" fit in? 
HUUmanist Meet - Mon., April 27, 7:30pm 
Bill Fogarty photo UUCA member Bill Fogarty will look at the interplay of law and religion in the context of the pending Supreme Court same-sex marriage cases, which will be argued April 28.  He will concentrate on briefs filed with the Court that address religious issues in their arguments (including briefs filed by the American Humanist Association and The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty). Bill will also review recent developments in the passage of "religious freedom restoration acts" by a number of states.  For further information, contact Jere Cummins.
Mindfulness Meditation on Monday
Jonathan Foust photo Jonathan Foust of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington will speak on Relationships and Conscious Communication: Working with Conflict during Monday night's Mindfulness Meditation class. The class begins at 7:30pm and ends around 8:45pm in the Sanctuary. Class starts with a brief overview and welcome, followed by a thirty minute guided meditation. For more information about UUCA's Buddhist community, please contact Bob Gayer at 703-892-6939.
Congregational Life

New UU Class - Sat, May 2, 8:30am - 12:00pm 

UU Chalice logo Unitarian Universalism is a way of thinking and being in the world. It is a faith discipline, enriched by faith traditions, that forms the foundation for a way to live this life. It matters how we conduct our lives and work to make the world a better place. Here at UUCA we challenged to deepen our own faith principles and practices in response to our own experience and, whenever possible, to stand on the side of love. Find out more about Unitarian Universalism, and about UUCA, at our next New UU class.  The class is free, but registration is required, click hereFree childcare is available on request. Contact Sarah Masters, [email protected].  

Photography Dates Extended - May 7-9

New dates have been added to photo directory schedule - Appointments are now available on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 7-9. Click here to schedule!  For those who had their photo taken and elected to have the complimentary 8x10 sent back to the church, the portraits will be available for pick-up at the Photo Directory table in Fellowship Hall on Sundays.  If your portrait is not yet available, it will be coming in a future shipment. 
walking labyrinth image Labyrinth Walk
Friday, April 24, 6 - 8pm
Come to experience the tranquility of walking the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is a meditative and mindful walking path for one's spiritual practice. Childcare is available. Click here for flyer. Questions? Contact Sara Ellen Swatt.
Open Forum with Congressman Jim Moran
Wednesday, April 29, 7:30pm
Jim Moran photo Join us for a conversation with former Congressman Jim Moran, who has just retired after serving 24 years in the US House representing the 8th District in Virginia. He served on the Appropriations and Interior Committees. This is a chance to hear about prospects for doing something about congressional gridlock, and learn his views on Middle East issues, immigration questions, the use of military force, and environmental issues, as well as matters affecting Northern Virginia in particular.  For further information, contact Allen Keiswetter
Men's Book Group Announces Summer Reads
The Men's Book Group will meet in the chapel at 7:30pm on Sunday, May 10. The selection is an autobiography, From Priest to Pagan: My Search for Truth, by John McNamee.  The author, a former Roman Catholic priest, is expected to be present for the May meeting. The selections for the summer months are: 1984, by George Orwell, for June 14 and No God but God, by Reza Aslan, for July 14. For more information, email Ken Marshall or call 703-533-8004.
Live at the Center!
Ellen Bukstel concert flyer

UUCA's LIVE AT THE CENTER
and Stone Room Concerts presents

Ellen Bukstel
w/David Glaser
Sat, May 9, 8pm
A veteran to the stage since childhood and with close to 50 songwriting awards and acknowledgements to her credit, Ellen Bukstel challenges her listeners to laugh, dig deep and embrace the wild emotional roller coaster we call life.


Positions Available - UU Congregation of Rockville
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, Maryland is seeking candidates for three staff positions serving their vibrant, growing congregation. The Youth Coordinator (15 hours per week) has overall responsibility for managing creative and supportive programs for youth in grades 7-12, including accompanying them on weekend conferences and retreats. The Religious Education Assistant (15 hours per week) provides administrative and operational support for our many religious education programs for children, youth, and adults, requiring strong capabilities with MS Office Suite, Google, and various social media applications. The Childcare Coordinator (6 hours per week) serves in the nursery on Sunday mornings and coordinates volunteer childcare providers on Sundays and for some special evening and weekend events. You may find more information, including position descriptions and application instructions, on the UUCR website .
Wheel of LifeWheel
We offer our condolences to Suzanna Hillegass on the death of her husband Tom Hillegass.  

Congratulations to Jen Stevens and Evan Lewis, married on April 18.

Many long-time members may remember the late Mary Brown, who was a former Director of Religious Education in the 1980s. Mary died earlier this year and a memorial service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, May 16. Those wishing to attend, are asked to be at the ANC administration building between 10:15 - 10:30am. You may have to refer to case # 165485. The service will be held at the Marshall shelter at the columbarium.
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Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington   |   4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington VA 22204   |   703-892-2565