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Sunday, July 5, 10:15am
Rebekah Montgomery photo

"Building a New Way:
Soul Movements from General Assembly"
Sermon by Rev. Rebekah Montgomery
This sermon is about the wise words and movements of the soul from the recent gathering of UU congregations at General Assembly in Portland, Oregon. In particular, we will explore wisdom shared by Rev Sean Dennison at the Berry Street Lecture on how failure is not an option and living with authenticity. 

Welcome Rev. Rebekah Montgomery
This Sunday, we welcome back to our pulpit Rev Rebekah Montgomery.  Rev Rebekah has been in our pulpit many times and we are thrilled to have her back. She will be with us on most Sunday's during the summer. 

Rev Rebekah is a Unitarian Universalist minister and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has a BA in Religious Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn, a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, and a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova SE University in Ft Lauderdale, Fla. 

Rev Rebekah is an Army Reserve chaplain and was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in July of 2005 for an 18 month tour of duty.  In June of 2009, Rev. Rebekah was named "Military Chaplain of the Year" and received a Distinguished Service award from the Military Chaplains Association. Rev Rebekah contributed to the military UU meditation book, Bless All Who Serve and was honored to preach the sermon at the Service of the Living Tradition at General Assembly in 2014. 
  
In 2011, Rebekah was selected for promotion to major after seven years of service. In 2014, the military recognized Rev Rebekah's pastoral and counseling training and she became a Family Life Chaplain which distinguishes her as a pastoral care provider and supervisor. Rev. Rebekah lives in Bethesda with her two children.  
New Church Office Hours
Beginning July 1, the church office hours return to 9:00am to 3:00pm, Monday through Friday. On Friday, July 3, the church office will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday. 
beach chairs
Stay Connected This Summer
No matter where your summer travels may take you, please stay in touch while you're gone.
  • You can join us in community each Sunday at 10:15am for our worship service at www.uucava.org. Also, past services can be viewed 24/7 under the "Archives" tab. 
  • Not only can you access your weekly edition of Connections in your inbox, you can also access it on the home page at www.uucava.org. 
  • Follow UUCA on 
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Iftar Gathering - A Breaking of the Fast of Ramadan at UUCA
blessed-ramadan-header.jpgOur new friends - the Moroccan American Community, a local Muslim faith community that has been meeting here at our church these past weeks, invites UUCA members and friends to join them for an interfaith Iftar Gathering - a breaking of the fast of Ramadan on Saturday, July 11, 8pm. They will share their faith traditions and answer any question you may have about the Muslim faith. Please join Rev Aaron and Rev Linda for this special gathering where we come together in the spirit of friendship and understanding to learn about each other's faiths.  Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share (please, no pork, wine, or beer). 
Give-the-PlateGivePlate
AFAC logo

On Sunday, July 5, the GTP offering will go to Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) a community-based non-profit that provides supplemental groceries to Arlington neighbors in need.  Over 25 years after its founding, the Arlington Food Assistance Center remains dedicated to its simple but critical mission of obtaining and distributing groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.  While hunger might not seem to be an issue in a wealthy county like Arlington, the high cost of living here combined with the current economic situation mean that many families struggle to make ends meet. Supplemental groceries from AFAC mean that families can remain in their homes, workers can stay on the job, children are ready to learn, and mothers and babies have the nutrition they need. 

Religious EducationReligiousEd
Parents note: This Sunday, July 5, is an "All Welcome" Service 
Children stay for the entire service (Nursery available for infants thru 5 yrs)

It's summertime - Time for Summer RE!
RE kid photo This year we have already made candy, learned about Mayan agriculture and made Spirit Play baskets. We have a new writing club thanks to Teaghan and Kyle Dunbar's ingenuity. Budding writers also get a chance to work with an experienced writer and editor, Betsy Rosso. On August 9, we have Bee Guru's Heidi and Stefano Briguglio from Azure B, LLC, bringing their brand of chemical-free beekeeping to our church. Dana Cook will be reprising her Yoga classes for kids and Stig Regli will be doing meditation, as well. The entire summer is mapped in this Sign-Up Genius, so if you are interested in helping out or if your child wants to light the chalice, please sign up here. 
Sign up TODAY to help in one of our many RE fall programs 
Spirit Play image


Pre-school: Letting our spirits play; story- based program.







K-3rd grade: Children learn the foundational elements of our UU theology. Read more.
Bible Studies image
4th - 5th grade: Children explore the Judeo -Christian roots.
 
 
 

6th-8th grade: Explores world religions and cultivates interfaith relationships.
Coming of Age image
 
Coming of Age: Middle schoolers explore and articulate their values and beliefs.
Our Whole Lives image
Our Whole Lives: Comprehensive age-appropriate sexuality education (K-12).
Youth Group image
Youth Group:  High school youth program growing the next generation of leaders.
RE logo

Click here to volunteer. For more information on RE, contact Ashley.
Congregational Life

New UU Class - Wed, July 15, 5:30-9pm 

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].  

"Leading From Within" Introductory Retreat Registration
Bon Secours Retreat scene
Bon Secours Retreat Center
Don't let the summer slip by before registering for UUCA's exciting new leadership development retreat program -- Leading From Within. This program is an initiative supported by UUCA Endowment funds, and will be facilitated by Nancy Edmundson and Caryl Casbon, both Courage and Renewal facilitators. Based on the pioneering work of Parker J. Palmer, UUCA will offer Leading From Within to a rich diversity of leaders in our congregation. Designed to build leadership capacity that matures both the individuals and the culture they work in, we are inviting members from all of UUCA program and ministry areas to consider participating in our fall Introductory Retreat. Whether you are an established or emerging volunteer leader in any of area of UUCA's ministries, we hope you will consider this program. 

Stop by the retreat table on Sunday to learn more and take care registration (You can also register here now)

Introductory Retreat: Oct 30 - Nov 1, 2015. "Living the Questions in Congregational Leadership" will be held at Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland. Cost of $325 covers food and lodging. Deadline for registration is September 15, 2015 and we encourage your early registration! Visit http://www.uucava.org/page/circles-of-trust for more information and online registration.

Feel free to contact Nancy at [email protected] with your questions or to express your interest in the leadership program.

You can also contact members of the Leading From Within retreat team: Cecelia Javier, Julia Meade, or Robert Buckman
Faith in Action: Connecting - Growing - ServingFaith
Moral Monday Action - July 13 - All Invited
Moral Monday rally photo Rev Linda will travel to North Carolina July 12-13 to join in solidarity with the Moral Mondays justice witness. She would love to be accompanied by other UUs from UUCA and the DC region. Moral Mondays organizer Rev William Barber (NC State NAACP President) has invited UUs to travel to Winston-Salem, to be a part of a historic march on the first day of a trial, in which the NAACP is suing the state for voter suppression tactics. These tactics are race-based, have a disparate impact on voters of color, and were intentionally passed by Gov Pat McCrory, then-Speaker Thom Tillis, and Senate leader Phil Berger to suppress the votes of Black, Latino, and poor voters. This is the most important lawsuit against voter disenfranchisement in the nation. Slate, The Nation, Think Progress, and Mother Jones called North Carolina's law the "worst in the country." Because it has a wide-reaching impact not only across North Carolina but across the nation, our friends in that state tell us that North Carolina is this generation's Selma.

UUA President Rev Peter Morales will be one of the leaders at the march and speaking with us at the rally. Unitarian Universalist clergy from North Carolina have issued a call for other UUs to join them, at an interfaith service, a teach-in, and the main action. If you are interested in learning more, click here.  And let [email protected] know if you will be there!
UUCA's Peace Camp
PEACE - Love and Understanding - one kid at a time

Peace Camp photo
Peace Camp photo




Green News from General Assembly

MJ and GA delegate photo
MJ Schmelzer-Hoekstra encourages a delegate
 to vote for the AIW

David McTaggart and MJ Schmelzer-Hoekstra
David McTaggart and MJ Schmelzer share a moment before the plenary session

Delegates to the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association held in Portland, Oregon last week, overwhelmingly approved the Action for Immediate Witness (AIW) "ACT FOR A LIVEABLE CLIMATE" which was initiated by the UUSJ (UU for Social Justice in the National Capital Region) Green Leaders. The initial measure involved several UUCA folks, including

MJ Schmelzer-Hoekstra, Lavona Grow and Bob Denniston. Full details can be found on the UUSJ website here

 

The AIW document calls for support of a strong and compassionate Global Climate Agreement in December at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. It urges UU congregations to "unify and provide ethical and moral leadership for climate action" and to press our government to "act urgently and responsibly for a fair, ambitious, binding and enforceable international climate agreement."

This UU AIW follows the recent environmental Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si, and last Sunday's sermon by Shay O'Reilly - The Earth Groans
 

The Green Action team will be holding workshops and discussions on how to become the moral leaders that our faith directs and our planet so desperately needs. Look for a schedule in next week's Connections (once everyone returns from GA).    

UUCA's Own Butterfly-Pollinator Garden
Kids planting garden photo Do It Green/Grounds (DIG) Team members and Religious Education (RE) children and teachers were enthusiastic gardeners on May 17 when we planted the garden. Plants in the garden are all Virginia natives and include a wide variety of both host and nectar plants for butterflies and other pollinators. Please stop by the garden along the the back of our parking lot to check out the progress and possibly see a few butterflies. 

Volunteers are needed: With a large team of volunteers, summer maintenance of the garden will be minimal. Each volunteer will only need to help with the garden for just one week. Kit Britton, Sherrie Burson, Michele Craythorn, Pat Findikoglu, and Sally Recinos have already agreed to help and Christina Quinn and Kit Britton watered in May.

Please contact Shirley Gay for more information about volunteering and be sure to watch our new garden mature throughout the summer.

HUUmanists

Meet Mon, July 6, 7:30pm

Topic: Supreme Court's Decision on Same-Sex Marriage

American and gay flag in front of Supreme Court On June 26 in a 5-to-4 decision the US Supreme Court held that States cannot deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. There was one opinion for the majority and separate opinions by each of the four dissenting Justices. We will look at highlights of the various opinions.  Among other things we will discuss:

  • whether dissenting Chief Justice Roberts is fair in claiming that the majority opinion delivered what was a personal preference that "had nothing to do" with the Constitution
  • Justice Scalia's charge that the majority ruling is a " threat to American democracy"
  • various dissenters' views that the decision threatens freedom of religion.

All are welcome.  For further information, contact Jere Cummins

Men's Summer Reads

Book_reading_photo The Men's Book Group will meet in the chapel at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 12, to discuss 1984, by George Orwell. The book selected for the August 9 meeting is The Last Templar, a novel by Raymond Khoury. If there are any questions about the group and its meetings, please email Ken Marshall or call him at 703-533-8004.

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