This Week’s Announcements

This Week’s Topics Include—

  1. This Sunday’s Worship Service THIS Sunday, May 7th
  2. The Annual Budget Drive Team Thank You!
  3. Donations for SOME are Due at Church THIS Sunday, May 7
  4. At The Intersection of World and Jazz – Strathmore Corridor Concert, THIS Sunday, May 7th
  5. Collecting Electronics for Recycling in the UUCSS Parking Lot on Saturday, May 20, 2017
  6. Women’s Book Group
  7. Men’s Book Group
  8. The Daytime Creative Aging Group Welcomes New Members!
  9. UUCSS 101 – Interested in joining UUCSS?
  10. Uniter Meals provide opportunities for UUCSS members to get together
  11. Regisiter for Spring RE Workshops!
  12. Child Dedication Ceremony – Sunday, May 14th
  13. RE Registration for 2016-17
  14. Parking During Church Services & Events
  15. About Your Financial Contributions to UUCSS
  16. In Search of Table and Chairs for Dolan Lounge
  17. Deadlines for Announcements             
  18. River Road UU Congregation “Fiesta” THIS Saturday, May 6
  19. NATURAL HISTORY WEEK ON STAR ISLAND, JUNE 2017—
  20. Support Beacon House as it honors Reverend Don Robinson on his retirement and celebrates its 25th anniversary.
  21. May Volunteer of the Month
  22. The UUCSS Board of Trustees has created folders in Dropbox

 

1)   This Sunday ‘s Worship Service (May 7th) will be led by Rev. Liz Lerner Maclay and offered at 9:30am and 11:30am.  The 9:30am service will be interpreted in American Sign Language, and Coffee Hour will take place between the Services.

2)  The Annual Budget Drive Team Thanks You   —  A big thank you to the 38 stewards who led our Annual Budget Drive visits this year. They have listened to you, explained our budgetary priorities, taken your concerns to our leadership and hopefully deepened your connection to UUCSS.

And thanks to the 141 pledge units that we’ve heard from. If you are one of the few who haven’t had a chance to connect with your steward yet please reach out to them, or the ABD chairs immediately. Or if you are ready to make your pledge, you can do so online at https://uucss.org/abd

Our budget is determined off of our pledges and in order to give our board the time they need to make well informed decisions around our budget, we need to get them a final number for the Annual Budget Drive, as soon as possible.

With appreciation,

Erik Leaver & Meredith Massey

ABD Chairs

3)  As most of you know, UUCSS supports So Others Might Eat (SOME) monthly by donations of food and other items.  SOME is an interfaith, community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless of our nation’s capital.  SOME meets the immediate daily needs of the people they serve with food, clothing, and health care.  Donations of foods and other items for SOME are due at church THIS Sunday, May 7, our usual first Sunday.

Please place your donations in the sanctuary kitchen in bags or boxes clearly marked for SOME.  Please see their website at http://some.org/give/ways-to-give/donate-goods for wish lists and suggested items.

Food Wish List

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Canned fruit (in their own juice or water)

Canned vegetables (No added sodium)

Whole grains (Quinoa, brown rice, farro)

Canned vegetables (low-sodium)

Pasta (Whole wheat pastas and couscous)

Low sugar cereal and oatmeal

Healthy Snacks

Nuts

Oils and Vinegars

Canned or frozen turkey, chicken, salmon

SOME cannot accept any opened food products or products with expired dates.

All kinds of non-perishable foods are needed for the food pantry.  They also need certain types of clothing, household items, and toiletries.

Thanks for helping our neighbors in need.

Olivia Pickett 301-452-5

4)  THIS Sunday, May 7, 3pm  |  UU Church of Silver Spring, in partnership with Strathmore:

At The Intersection of World and Jazz

Strathmore Corridor Concerts presents a stunning afternoon of jazz and world music featuring the brand-new Strathmore World Jazz Choir, Chai Dynamics, and Strathmore Artists-in-Residence Rochelle Rice, jazz vocalist; Savino Palumbo, piano; Joey Antico, percussion; and Ethan Foote, bass.

FREE Admission

5)  The UUCSS Green Sanctuary Committee, in conjunction with Green Wheaton and Eco City Junk, will be collecting electronics for recycling in the UUCSS Parking Lot on Saturday, May 20, 2017. For all the details visit https://uucss.org/events/electronics-recycling-uucss/

6)  Women’s Book Group – We meet on the fourth Monday of the month. We are an informal group that has been meeting for more than 15 years but there is no long-term obligation to attend. Please call 301-754-1239 for additional information.

May 22: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.

June 26: After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman

7) Men’s Book Group – We are reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s latest novel “The Lowland.”    The next meeting will be held at the home of Bill Wolf on Friday, June 2 at 7:00 pm at 519 Dartmouth Avenue in Silver Spring.  All are welcome.   If you are interested in joining the group, contact Richard Lorr (rlorr4@gmail.com), get the book, and come to the next meeting. Hope to see you there!

8)  The Daytime Creative Aging group welcomes new members! We meet in the Dolan lounge on the first and third Wednesdays at 10:15. Contact Noni Barker at 301-520-9624.

9)  UUCSS 101 – Interested in joining UUCSS? – This is an informal informational session to learn more about our church and ask questions. The next UUCSS 101 will be Sunday, May 21, during Coffee Hour (about 10:30 am) in the Triangle Room which is just off of the main room in the Community Hall.  All are welcome!  You do not need to sign up in advance.

10)  Uniter Meals provide opportunities for UUCSS members to get together, share a meal, and get to know each other better – usually as a potluck.  Details at goo.gl/RoX7vF

Design your own meal!   If you want to host a meal, choose the date, theme and the number of slots to suit your schedule and tastes.  Just email the details and Bob Kirk will post the meal in the site – first just to you for you to sign up as host and then to the rest of the community.  Hosts can also email Bob if they want me to put in an “ending” time – a gentle way to put a close to the evening.  If hosts also want to modify any posted settings of a meal – just email bob@kirkweb.us

11)  Register for Spring RE Workshops – Registration for our spring RE workshops is now open! All kindergarten through middle school aged children and youth must register for a workshop. You can find paper registration forms out on Sunday morning or you can access the online registration here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N6R2JWN

12) Child Dedication Ceremony – Sunday, May 14th

Sunday, May 14th, we will be having a Child Dedication Ceremony at UUCSS as a part of the morning’s worship services. This beautiful ceremony provides an opportunity for your child to be blessed in our Unitarian Universalist faith and for the whole community to commit to support your child’s spiritual life and growth within the congregation. For more information about this ceremony or if you and your infant or young child would like to participate please contact Director of Religious Education, Sarah Gonzalez, at dre@uucss.org by May 7th.

13)  RE Registration for 2016-17

Religious Education registration for the 2016-17 is now open! This year we have made it easier than ever to register. There are two online forms for registration. The first is our full registration form for anyone registering for the first time or anyone with changes in their information that they need to update. The second form is an abbreviated version for anyone who registered last year and all of their information remains the same.

Accurate registration numbers are crucially important to our RE program,

so please register today!

New or Updating Registrations:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GPYNRGV

Recurring Registrations:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GZTPWT8

Thanks, Sarah

14) Parking During Church Services & Events – In an effort to be as welcoming to visitors as possible, we encourage UUCSS members who are able to not park in the UUCSS lot for Sunday services or large events – so that we can keep spots open for visitors. We’ve heard from one visitor that she twice came to UUCSS and found the lot full, and went home without attending.

Good alternative parking spots include the side streets near UUCSS, and the CHI lot just north of the church on New Hampshire Avenue.

Thank you in advance for your help.

15)  We appreciate your financial contributions to UUCSS and want to provide accurate records for you. To help us do this, please put “Auction,” “Capital Campaign,” or “2016-17 Pledge” in the memo line of your check. If you want to donate stock, please email collector@uucss.org for easy instructions on how to move the stock into the church’s Etrade account. Thank you!

16)  In Search of Table and Chairs for Dolan Lounge –

Could anyone donate a table and chair set for the church to use in the Dolan Lounge?  That would really be appreciated!  We can pick up!  Thank you.

17)  Weekly Announcement Deadlines:  All OOS Information, Written & Oral Announcements and All-Church Email Announcements for  Sunday Services are due in the Admin Office by Wednesdays at 9am.

18)  River Road UU Congregation “Fiesta” THIS Saturday, May 6  –  River Road UU Congregation Fiesta is Saturday, May 6, from 6 to 10:30 PM at River Road UU Congregation, 6301 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817. This is an annual Latin party to benefit the Santa Marta, El Salvador, University Scholarship Fund. There will be music, a buffet dinner (by Master Chef Mariano Ramos-Castillo), cash bar (sodas, beer, wine, sangria), a piñata for the children, and presentation of the 2017 Humanitarian Award by the Latin America Taskforce Network. Tickets (sold at the door) are $35 Adults, $15 Youth, $100 Families; children under 12 Free. For questions, contact Don Chery at dchery@aol.com.

19)  NATURAL HISTORY WEEK ON STAR ISLAND, JUNE 2017–

Dear Loving and Caring Custodians of the Earth;

The clock is ticking on the strong possibility that all living things and all created beauty may disappear. We are now in a national atmosphere of overwhelming divisiveness, injustice, denial and despair.

NATURAL HISTORY WEEK ON STAR ISLAND, JUNE 2017, is a true antidote for all of the above. It will be a haven for unity, hope, solace and inner peace.

The most important issue today is the climate crisis.                       

It is not an easy subject to face and to grapple with. We knew this when we selected the subject of climate change. To deal with it makes demands on us.                                                                                                                                                                    

It can seem to force us to turn our backs and walk away from it, taking the easy way out.  But it will follow us and will continue to follow us. There is no obvious solution.  However, there is hope, there can be understanding, and there can be solutions. These are the challenges that Natural History Week has sought to address.

Only in the last two centuries has humankind tried to dominate and control Nature. Even worse, it has disregarded the great laws of Nature. We can see the effects of this today in so many ways.

Please download this poster and share it with your friends and acquaintances and any organizations that might have an interest in encouraging attendance at this wonderful conference. If you have not been to Star Island, that alone is a reason to attend. There is nothing quite like it. It’s kept me coming back for 36 consecutive years!

Questions?  Contact UUCSS member Sally Oesterling: sallyoes@verizon.net; 301 434-3237

20) Support Beacon House as it honors Reverend Don Robinson on his retirement and celebrates its 25th anniversary.

This June, Beacon House celebrates its 25th anniversary and founder Reverend Don Robinson, UU minister, formally retires from his decades of service.

The event is Saturday, June 17th at the Edgewood Arts Center. Details can be found here:  http://www.beaconhousedc.org/25th-anniversary

To make it the honor we hope it will be, and to demonstrate the admiration of the UU community for one of its own, we are asking you to purchase a ticket and join us on the 17th, and even if you can’t come, to give us your support through a donation to Beacon House in Rev. Robinson’s name.

DC’s Catalogue for Philanthropy, the region’s only local guide to giving, says Beacon House is one of the best non-profits in DC. Here are the impressive facts:

  • Beacon House serves more than 150 low-income children and youth, ages 5 to 18, annually by providing after-school academic mentoring and enrichment programs. Beacon House also engages over 300 boys and girls annually in an award-winning athletics program which reinforces the importance of school and the prioritization of education. The flagship offering is a national championship-winning football program which attracts children across DC.
  • The Society of Behavioral Medicine honored Beacon House in 2016 with its Local Innovator Award for making an outstanding and innovative contribution to the health of a community via physical activity promotion.
  • Beacon House is unique among DC after-school organizations in building relationships with children over many years and has become an integral component of the social fabric of Edgewood. Scores of people who grew up coming to Beacon House have returned as academic tutors and athletics program coaches.
  • More than 90% of Beacon House’s 12th grade students graduate from high school each year, and 3 out of every 4 of these graduates enroll in college or a technical training program within four months.

If you plan to attend, please let Lisa Schumaker (finance@uucss.org) know after you have bought your ticket.

21)  The May 2017 Volunteer of the Month – Cynthia Curry Daniel

Cynthia Curry-Daniel began attending UUCSS in the fall of 2013. A local sisterfriend who also grew up in the black church tradition (and is an ordained minister) knew how deeply Cynthia desired a way to tend to her spiritual needs.  Her friend suggested that UUism, which Cynthia knew almost nothing about at the time, might be a good fit for her and her daughter, Ziona.  At church she has taught a baby-wearing class, planned the Women’s Retreat for three years, and served on the Nominating Committee for two years.  She has also contributed by hosting a table at the Fellowship Dinner and volunteering for childcare in the nursery. “I get a lot out of church so it makes sense to me that I find ways to give back.  And I’ve always felt like constructive criticism and being willing to work toward solutions go hand-in-hand.  So it’s easier for me to ‘call in’ the imperfections in my church when I feel like I’m paying my dues by volunteering.” It’s important to Cynthia that she model for her daughter that even if you don’t have money to give to causes that you care about, you can usually find time to donate your talents.

She has lots of favorite memories of UUCSS, many of them involving Reverend Leon, including his thoughtful, healing, and encouraging words. She also has enjoyed the COA services and Catoctin retreats she has attended. Given what’s happening in the UUA, she’s been thinking lately about Kimberly Williams Crenshaw’s work.  She keeps remembering Crenshaw’s quote, “It’s not about supplication, it’s about power.  It’s not about asking, it’s about demanding.  It’s not about convincing those who are currently in power, it’s about changing he very face of power itself.”

To others who are considering volunteering, she advises, “If other life obligations prevent you from doing as much as you’d like, be patient and remember the seasonality of life.  Opportunities will arise that match your interests, skills and schedule.  Until that happens, know that just showing up and connecting with others is enough.”

22)  UUCSS Member Dropbox link:

In order to provide ready access to documents that help everyone stay engaged and informed about church matters, the UUCSS Board of Trustees has created folders in Dropbox at the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6m0pncsiskos8f4/AACRaDMaJy8kua–iMJ0zHRNa?dl=0

Click on the link, or copy/paste it into your browser, and it will take you to “UUCSS Board Information”, currently containing several folders: (1) Board Minutes, (2) Post Capital Campaign, and (3) Resources Related to Rev Leon’s Resignation. Additional folders will be added over time. SAVE THIS LINK. We will continue to use it to add relevant documents for UUCSS members.

Questions about the Dropbox may be sent to:

boardsecretary@uucss.org

Emails to the Board of Trustees may be sent to:

board@uucss.org

Post Capital Campaign Feedback email address:

Emails with feedback related to the post-capitol campaign may be sent to the board via: capitalfeedback@uucss.org

Melinda Yalom

UUCSS Church Administrator