Theme for October:

HEALING

October 2:	The Wounded Healer
October 9:	Repentance and Return
October 16:	Help Heal the World
October 23:	Healing Through Policy Change
October 30:	Healing Our Past

This month we're asking ourselves what it means that we, as Unitarian Universalists, are "a people of healing."  The verb "to heal" has an interesting etymology.  According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "heal" comes from the Old English   hælan  which means, "cure; save; make whole, sound and well."  Hælan  comes from the Proto-Germanic word   hailjan,  literally "to make whole." ( Hailjan is the source also of Old Saxon   helian, Old Norse   heila, Old Frisian hela, Dutch   helen, German   heilen, Gothic   ga-hailjan, all of which mean  "to heal, cure.")  To heal, then, is to make whole.  The word "holy" is also etymologically related.  Healing.  Wholeness.  Holy.

A Note From the Committee

By RevWik on behalf of the Committee on Ministry

On October 2nd we will hold a congregational meeting with the primary purpose being a vote to affirm and endorse a Statement of Public Witness that signifies our support of, and solidarity with, the Black Lives Matter movement and the work of racial justice.  For the past year there have been numerous opportunities for people to discuss the specific wording of the Statement, the intent behind it, the ramifications of publically allying ourselves with the Black Lives Matter movement specifically, and how best to engage the work of racial justice (especially as a predominantly white congregation in a predominantly white movement).  There have been opportunities to express support, frustration, anxiety, questions, hope, concern, and opposition.

Yet it is clear that there are people who have not felt as though there was space for their voice and views.  Perhaps the enthusiasm and energy of proponents led some people to consider the issue a fait accompli.  Perhaps the fact that RevWik has been so vocal has led some to think that the congregation as a whole has a "party line," and that the invitations to participate in conversation have been half-hearted at best.

Continue reading

Contact the Committee at  com@uucharlottesville.org

Food Pantry at TJMCUU

October is a month of abundance. It marks the end of the growing season-the time to gather and store the last fruits of the harvest and to celebrate. It also brings the first nips of cold and reminds us that winter and its hardships are coming. Living in central Virginia and Charlottesville with its myriad festivals and fares-the Heritage Harvest; Veggie Fest; the Apple Festival-it's easy to sense the abundance of the year's harvest. The pride that local producers take in their work is palpable; as is the passion of local diners,this is after all a foodie town, evidenced by a plethora of great restaurants and gourmet shops.

 

Yet despite appearances, the abundance of our food supply does not reach everyone's table. This has been, to me, one of the great ironies of living here and working day to day with people who struggle to make ends meet. Charlottesville still comes out above average in food insecurity compared to the rest of the Commonwealth. One in five children in our city is food insecure-meaning they qualify for free and reduced price lunch. 

  Continue Reading

Deborah Rose Guterbock  is a native of Charlottesville, VA. She earned her BFA in Painting from George Mason University in 2010 and was an inaugural member of the McGuffey Art Center's incubator program. She draws inspiration from nature, Cyberpunk and the Dream Weave. She currently sells her art and jewelry at local markets and festivals with her husband, artist A.I. Miller and their daughter, Phoebe.

 

"Club Poster" by Aaron Miller

Aaron Arthur Irvine Miller , born in Fort Worth, Texas, is a figurative painter and comics artist. He is currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife, Deborah Rose Guterbock, their daughter, Phoebe, and two poodles. He is the head of the Graphic Design CSC Program at PVCC, has an active studio practice, and is working on a collaborative comic project through Instagram.