Originally Blessed! 

your July 10, 2015 eNewsletter from  
                     EVOLVE
          the Creation Spirituality Ministry of 
                            the United Church of Christ of Annapolis            
 Christianity Beyond Convention
IN THIS ISSUE
Sacred Gathering the 12th of July
Church Work Day July 18
Free screening of "Farmegedden"
Open Arms in Sept.
From Erine
"The Prayer of Thanksgiving" by Howard Thurman
Dayspring Retreat
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Join our Sacred Gathering on Sundays normally at 6 PM at
8 Carvel Circle
Edgewater, MD 21037

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FOURTH SUNDAY ON
THE PATH OF AWE & WONDER! 
Evolve's Sacred Gathering

July 12, 2015 at 6 p.m.
United Church of Christ of Annapolis
8 Carvel Circle, Edgewater, MD 21037 
Phone: 410 266 8596  Email: www.uccannapolis.org 
 
Continuing our progressive spiritual journey.

Saturday, July 18 is a Church Work Day

10am - 1pm

ALL SKILL SETS WANTED

scrubbing, hammering, cheerleading, supervising, painting, helping, moving, just being present
& SMILING FACES
 
Lunch provided.  Please RSVP to office@uccannapolis.org


GAIN'S ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMER FILMFEST

(Greater Annapolis Interfaith Network)

Free screening of

"Farmegedden"

Thursday, August 13 at 7pm 

St. John Neumann Church, Community Room,  

620 N. Bestgate Road, Annapolis MD  21403

 

Meet with Chef Craig Sewell again to hear more about the challenges around small organic farms and the challenges of finding organic produce for your table. Chef Sewell will introduce the film and hold a discussion afterwards.

   

Contact Liz at 410-267-9009 or by email at liz2vh@comcast.net for more information or directions.

July Covenant Dates
Birthdays, Anniversaries, Covenant Dates

July    3  Dave Miller & Scott Bowling Wedding (2010)                                         (Scott d. 2014)
July    5  Erine Sedicum Birthday
July    5  Jean M. Dove Death (2012)
July    7  Esther Elizabeth Grosperrin Death (1999) 
July  13  Charlie Green Birthday
July  29  Humberto "Beto" Jasso  
  

OPEN ARMS will recommence
in September.  See you there!

 
 From Erine 
Photos by Erine Sedicum 

 There are moments when you need to stop
 and take nature in your hands.  I enjoyed
 the moment when I saw the turtle almost
 across the road... Awe and Wonder!
 Location: Columbia 

The Prayer of Thanksgiving 
 Howard Thurman (1899-1981) 

... a poem Wayne loved and shared with us  
 
Today, I make my Sacrament of Thanksgiving. 
I begin with the simple things of my days: 
Fresh air to breathe, 
Cool water to drink, 
The taste of food, 
The protection of houses and clothes, 
The comforts of home. 
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day!

I bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that I have known: 
My mother's arms, 
The strength of my father 
The playmates of my childhood, 
The wonderful stories brought to me from the lives 
Of many who talked of days gone by when fairies 
And giants and all kinds of magic held sway; 
The tears I have shed, the tears I have seen; 
The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the  
Eye with its reminder that life is good. 
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I finger one by one the messages of hope that awaited me at the crossroads: 
The smile of approval from those who held in their hands the reins of my security; 
The tightening of the grip in a simple handshake when I 
Feared the step before me in darkness; 
The whisper in my heart when the temptation was fiercest 
And the claims of appetite were not to be denied; 
The crucial word said, the simple sentence from an open 
Page when my decision hung in the balance. 
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I pass before me the main springs of my heritage: 
The fruits of labors of countless generations who lived before me, 
Without whom my own life would have no meaning; 
The seers who saw visions and dreamed dreams; 
The prophets who sensed a truth greater than the mind could grasp 
And whose words would only find fulfillment 
In the years which they would never see; 
The workers whose sweat has watered the trees, 
The leaves of which are for the healing of the nations; 
The pilgrims who set their sails for lands beyond all horizons, 
Whose courage made paths into new worlds and far off places; 
The saviors whose blood was shed with a recklessness that only a dream 
Could inspire and God could command. 
For all this I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I linger over the meaning of my own life and the commitment 
To which I give the loyalty of my heart and mind: 
The little purposes in which I have shared my loves, 
My desires, my gifts; 
The restlessness which bottoms all I do with its stark insistence 
That I have never done my best, I have never dared 
To reach for the highest;

The big hope that never quite deserts me, that I and my kind 
Will study war no more, that love and tenderness and all the 
Inner graces of Almighty affection will cover the life of the 
Children of God as the waters cover the sea.

All these and more than mind can think and heart can feel, 
I make as my sacrament of Thanksgiving to Thee, 
Our Father, in humbleness of mind and simplicity of heart.

DAYSPRING WEEKEND RETREAT JULY 31 - AUGUST 2
Dayspring
The Mystical Words of Jesus: Praying the Beatitudes in his Native Aramaic

Aramaic was the common language in Jesus' time. Using
Prayers of the Cosmos by Neil Douglas-Klotz as a guide, we will explore the Beatitudes' layered meanings through chant, breath and gentle movement, and we will have the freedom to write our own renditions of the Beatitudes.  Led by Connie Ridgway, a modern mystic and singer.  She is a psychotherapist and cranio-sacral therapist in Washington, DC, and member of the 8th Day Faith Community.

Dayspring is a rare and beautiful place for solitude, silence and rest. The forest and meadows, the quiet of Merton's Pond and the warmth of the Lodge of the Carpenter and the Inn create space for prayer and contemplation. Come, deepen your relationship with the One in whom we live and move and have our being.  You can ask Sylvia Oliva about Dayspring and contact them for more information and to register:  Dayspring Silent Retreat Center, 11301 Neelsville Church Road
Germantown, MD 20876-4147
301 916 1131  ~  dayspringretreat@verizon.net
Waftings from the Ether
Evolve Committee Officers: 
Suzie Robertson, Chair;  Tim Mortimore, Treasurer
Sylvia Oliva, Financial Secretary;  Dave Miller, Member at Large 
Send your articles, poems, news, photos, announcements, petitions, pictures, cartoons, and whatever else you might like to see in our newsletter to
EvolveSylvia@gmail.com by Thursday night.  Thank you!