This Week’s Topics Include—
- Electronics Recycling This Saturday!
- This Sunday’s Worship Service THIS Sunday, May 21st
- Charity of the Month for May 2017 – Discovering Deaf Worlds
- UUCSS 101 – Interested in joining UUCSS?
- May Update from the DreamBuilders
- JOIN US! UUCSS ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 4, 2017 @1:00pm
- Send-off Party for Rev. Liz and DRE Sarah Gonzalez on Sunday, June 11
- SEEKING GENERAL ASSEMBLY DELEGATES: June 21-25 in New Orleans
- The Annual Budget Drive Team Thank You!
- Women’s Book Group
- Men’s Book Group
- The Daytime Creative Aging Group Welcomes New Members!
- Uniter Meals provide opportunities for UUCSS members to get together
- RE Registration for 2017-18
- Volunteer with the UUCSS RE Program!
- Parking During Church Services & Events
- About Your Financial Contributions to UUCSS
- In Search of Table and Chairs for Dolan Lounge
- Deadlines for Announcements
- NATURAL HISTORY WEEK ON STAR ISLAND, JUNE 2017—
- Support Beacon House as it honors Reverend Don Robinson on his retirement and celebrates its 25th anniversary.
- May Volunteer of the Month
- The UUCSS Board of Trustees has created folders in Dropbox
1) Electronics Recycling This Saturday! This Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., bring your electronics recycling to the UUCSS church parking lot. For all the details, including what we will accept, visit https://uucss.org/events/
2) THIS Sunday ‘s Circle of Life Worship Service (May 21st) will be led by UUCSS member Chris Lindsley and entitled: “A Memorial Service for the Living”. It will be 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.
3) Charity of the Month for May 2017 – Discovering Deaf Worlds
Discovering Deaf Worlds mission is to advance the self-determination of signing Deaf communities through local capacity building in developing countries. We work in partnership with colleagues in selected countries to realize their goals and objectives, and work collaboratively to find solutions that meet local/national needs identified by community leaders. Discovering Deaf Worlds supports the cultural and linguistic identity of Deafness and upholds the personal dignity of Deaf individuals. For more information, please visit our website at www.Discoveringdeafworlds.org
TODAY we will collect for this worthy organization – and 100% of the plate will be donated. Please make your checks out to “UUCSS”, but be certain to write “Discovering Deaf Worlds” in the Memo line of your check so that we know what you intended it for. Thank you.
4) 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.
5) May Update from the DreamBuilders
This is the first in a series of monthly updates to let all of you know how we are progressing. This month we have continued to work on moving forward on the first phase of our capital improvements. This phase is focused on our more emergent needs of replacing the Sanctuary heating and cooling system and some other needed repairs and upgrades. We have solicited requests for proposals from general contractors and plan to discuss the proposals at our June 7th meeting. Our goal is to have the work on this phase start in the next several months. We are also continuing to work on exploring the options for the second phase of our capital improvements. We plan to be able to come back to the congregation with concrete proposals in the Fall on how we can best utilize the resources we have to improve our campus. You will be getting more detailed information in the UUCSS Annual Report to be released at the time of our Annual Meeting on June 4th. We’ll keep you posted. From Jim Paoletti, Fred Teal (co-chairs) and the whole DreamBuilders crew.
6) JOIN US! UUCSS ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 4, 2017 @1:00pm
THE UUCSS ANNUAL MEETING is Sunday, June 4, at 1:00pm, immediately following the second service. Action items include ratifying the budget for 2017-2018, and voting on nominees to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee. The agenda and additional materials will be distributed in advance of the meeting.
Members may suggest resolutions to be presented at the annual meeting. Submit proposed resolutions by Friday, May 19, via email addressed to:
INTERPRETING SERVICES AND CHILDCARE REQUESTS due by Sunday, May 28.
To request an interpreter, contact boardsecretary@uucss.org
To register for childcare, contact childcare@uucss.org and provide the names and ages of the children along with any special needs (allergies, etc.) Please provide lunch (NO NUTS) for your children.
If you have any questions, contact Janne Harrelson, boardsecretary@uucss.org
7) Send-off Party for Rev. Liz and DRE Sarah Gonzalez on Sunday, June 11 – We will be holding a send-off party for Rev. Liz Lerner Maclay and Director of Religious Education Sarah Gonzalez on Sunday, June 11 from 1 to 2:30 pm in the Sanctuary. This is Flower Communion Sunday, and is the last service that Rev. Liz and Sarah will be a part of. Lunch will be served.
This event will be a great opportunity for our church community to share our best wishes for Rev. Liz and Sarah and express our appreciation for the long and lasting impact they have had on our community! Please mark your calendars to save the date.
Volunteers are needed, mostly right before, during and after the event. If interested, please email Chris Lindsley at clindsley@starpower.net.
Thanks, and we hope to see you at this special event!
8) SEEKING GENERAL ASSEMBLY DELEGATES: June 21-25 in New Orleans
Are you going to this year’s UUA General Assembly (GA)?
The board is seeking individuals willing to serve as official “member delegates” from UUCSS. Our delegates will represent UUCSS at GA, and will have the authority to vote on the items on the business agenda.
http://www.uua.org/ga/program/
If you would like to serve in this important role, send an email to boardsecretary@uucss.org by Monday, May 22.
For additional information about the role of the delegate and ways to prepare for the upcoming GA, here are some links from the UUA website:
http://www.uua.org/ga/
http://www.uua.org/ga/ga-prep-
9 ) 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
10) 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
11) 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!
12) 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.
13) 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
14) RE Registration for 2017-18
Religious Education registration for the 2017-18 is now open! 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 Updated Registrations: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Recurring Registrations: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
15) Volunteer with the UUCSS RE Program!
The UUCSS RE program could not function without the help of many UUCSS community members who serve the program with their time and energy. There are a number of volunteer roles for people with varying amounts of RE experience and available time to give. Can you help our summer RE coordinator one Sunday this summer? Would you like to help with children’s worship once a month? Can you teach one of our 9:30 am RE classes two times per month? You can help provide spiritual nourishment for the youngest members of this faith community! Email dre@uucss.org for more information or to volunteer.
16) 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.
17) 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!
18) 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.
19) 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.
20) 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
21) 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/
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.
22) 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.”
23) 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/
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:
Emails to the Board of Trustees may be sent to:
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