Brian Calhoon grew up in a United Methodist church that emphasized mission work, but not the kind you might think of. In his late teens Brian went to two rust belt cities and a Native American reservation and fixed stuff, no preaching involved. The church of his childhood felt like home and while he learned…
Kathryn Leete loved her childhood Presbyterian church. It was folding-chair small, friendly, and welcoming with a young hip minister. There was less impetus to attend church in college. Living on her own after college and looking for a church she tried the local Presbyterians and found them unwelcoming. A friend suggested UUism and it seemed…
UUCSS members and friends are rolling up their sleeves as an expression of hope that vaccines will allow us to safely meet together in person again. And we’re rolling them up and make a pledge to financially support our church. More…
Laura Ellis came to Unitarian-Universalism just out of law school in what then was probably the only UU fellowship in the Adirondacks. She liked the Christmas service and responded strongly to our Principles. On moving to the DC area in the late 1990’s she began looking for a UU church community. UUCSS was the third…
The Social Justice Players, sponsored by The Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Program, and in coordination with the Chalice Theatre at the UU Church of Arlington (UUCA) and the UU Church of Silver Spring (UUCSS), will be presenting the Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, SWEAT, by Lynn Nottage, to be directed by Bruce McConachie. There will be six staged-readings…
The Search Committee has been busy reviewing applicants’ packets, interviewing applicants, and preparing for preview weekends. It is an exciting time, as we have moved from data gathering, summarizing in the congregational record, and then actually getting to talk with applicants. Through the process we continue to return to what we heard in the cottage meetings to guide our discernment. Participants in…
Shhh… the Search Committee has gone quiet. However, rest assured, we’re not asleep at the wheel. We’ve been working steadily behind the scenes. We’ve reviewed ministerial candidate packets and references, developed interview questions, tested out those questions in a dry run with Rev. Lyn, and completed a first round of video conference interviews with interested candidates. At this writing, we are in…
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop in early December. We had more than 60 people who participated, which is a larger number than our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) workshop facilitators have seen in much larger congregations! We appreciate the commitment to our beloved community this demonstrates. Participants appreciated the opportunity to consider how their privilege affects…
The Search Committee invites all UUCSS members and friends to join us for an important workshop, entitled “Beyond Categorical Thinking.” The workshop will take place on December 1st, 1:00-4:00pm, and is designed by the UUA to promote inclusive thinking for congregations who are in the search process for a new minister. Two specially trained and experienced facilitators – Mary Esther Johnson and Carol Carter Walker…
Thanks to everyone who answered the congregational survey, participated in a cottage meeting, and came to the data synthesis work session on October 14. The participation was great, with more than 150 people participating in cottage meetings and more than 170 responses to the survey! Some facts from the survey: • The most common adjectives people use to describe UUCSS are “friendly,”…