Connections Newsletter All the news you need to know to connect, grow, and serve. MARCH 2019 - STEWARDSHIP MONTH

Sunday, March 17, 2019 | 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. "Inner Gifts and Outward Love" Sermon by Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley We often think of gift-giving as a one-on-one exchange in which we give something valuable to another as a sacrifice of something that we owned. What if we understood giving as a different kind of “commerce” — a circulation of our inner and outer gifts that create connections and strengthen relationship? Walter Clark , Ministerial Assistant, gives the Story for All Ages and Amy Shields is our Worship Associate. Our adult choir, Sanctuary Singers , under the direction of Mimi Bornstein, sings, Break 'em on Down , a folk song of peacemaking that invites us to break down the walls between us. And, Bach's Concerto in A Minor is performed on organ by Sophia Morreale , Music Ministries Associate. Livestream

UUCA is LIVE on Facebook Not able to be with us in person on Sunday morning? It's now going to be easier than ever to join us online. Besides joining in via www.uucava.org/livestream, you can now experience each Sunday morning via Facebook LIVE.

Upcoming Services March 24 - "For All That Is Our Life" - Walter Clark. March 31 - Service led by Walter Clark and DC Sanctuaries. More information on upcoming services here .

Friday Morning Devotions We invite you to smooth the path into the weekend with a half-hour of meditation followed by shared reflections each Friday morning beginning at 7 a.m. Please contact in advance either David McTaggart ( dmctagg@gmail.com ) or Gregg Forte ( gforte@mac.com ). A ride is available afterward to Ballston Metro. Date: Each Friday, 7:00 a.m. Location: Room 20 (Youth Room)

MoonFire Chocolate Ritual Please join MoonFire and the Temple of the Lotus Pyramid for a fun, chocolate-filled ritual to the Gods and Goddesses of love, happiness, and laughter. We will celebrate the season with treats, and seek in ritual the joy that comes from the divine. For this ritual everyone must bring joy in their hearts, and irreverence in their words! As always, a potluck will follow the ritual. For more information on MoonFire, visit www.moonfireuuca.org or contact moonfirecoords@gmail.com Date: Sunday, March 17, 1:30 p.m. Location: Center Gallery

Church Matters

Annual Giving Campaign 2019-20 WE ARE UUCA Thank you to everyone who has submitted a pledge for our 2019-20 Annual Giving Campaign! Thanks to your generous financial support, UUCA will continue to thrive as a beacon of liberal faith in the NOVA and DC area. If you haven't submitted your pledge yet, you can do so below or visit the Annual Giving table in Fellowship Hall on Sunday PLEDGE HERE

UUCA Board of Trustees Meeting Tuesday, March 19, 2019 7:00 p.m. Open Comment Period 7:30 p.m. Board Meeting At 7:00 p.m. Board Members are available to listen to comments from the congregation in the Welcome Room. At 7:30 p.m. the regular Board Meeting begins. Congregants are welcome to observe regular Board meetings.  The meeting includes a discussion with Director of Lifespan Religious Education, LeeAnn Williams about the future vision for the Lifespan Religious Education program, discussions on the Senior Minister evaluation process, and the Board’s role in updating and advancing the strategic plan. Additional items may also be added as needed.

Connecting with the Ministerial Search Committee: Sara-Ann (Sally) Determen MSC roles: Treasurer, Negotiating Team, Neutral Pulpit Arrangements What a special joy to work with my gifted and enthusiastic colleagues on the UUCA Ministerial Search Committee! We have accepted from you, the UUCA family, a challenging obligation to use our combined skills and talents to ultimately propose an outstanding senior minister candidate for your consideration. We look forward to consulting with you throughout the search process to learn your goals for the future of our church and the ministerial qualities you deem critical in making progress toward them. Let me briefly introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me.  I lived for the first 18 years of my life in the small eastern Pennsylvania town in which both my parents were born. My father was a lawyer and my mother, a nurse and after my arrival, a full-time homemaker. They were only titular members of the local Lutheran Church, but insisted that both my sister and I regularly attend the Sunday school (in part, I suspect, to provide them some predictable privacy). I loved the music and the stories and the emphasis on kindness, but couldn’t come to accept the core doctrines of the Christian faith. Read more >>

SEE What You Say --- Come to Appreciative Inquiry

Thank you to everyone who participated in last Sunday's Appreciative Inquiry service where we came together in beloved community to share our thoughts and desires on the question, "How can my spirit grow, here in this community?" It was exciting to see our thoughts expressed graphically in real time by artist Adi Leigh Brown. Adi's graphic images from each service are above and below. Be sure to come this Sunday to see the originals on display and to sign up for the next step in our AI process.

The next step is Appreciative Inquiry sessions where we ask ourselves: “How do we want to be in relationship with each other and grow as a spiritual community?” and “How we want to interact with and serve the larger community?” The ideas we raise will help shape our transition to a new Senior Minister. This is a chance to further explore what you are thinking, in structured reflection and in conversation with others.  Session dates: Sunday, March 24, 2:00-4:30 p.m. Center Gallery Saturday, April 6, 9:30-Noon. Activity Room Sign up here or at the Ministerial Search Committee table after services through March or by contacting Allen Keiswetter , keiswetter@aol.com .

SPRING FLING! - March 24 By Bruce Reider, Annual Giving Team Member  Please plan to join your church family for a very special evening of food, fun, fellowship, and, oh, did I mention door prizes! Our Spring Fling will begin with a sumptuous supper at 5 p.m. Bring a non-alcoholic beverage and/or dessert to share. For dessert we will have our own adaptation of the Great British Baking Show with entries invited for your enjoyment and for prizes. If you missed your shot at a chili trophy, you get another chance for bragging rights on something homemade and sweet. See the call for entries below.  Read more about our Spring Fling here >>

CALL FOR ENTRIES UUCA'S GREAT BAKE-OFF! As part of our Spring Fling Celebration on Sunday, March 24, there will be a dessert baking contest. If you missed your chance at this year's coveted Chili Cook-Off prize, here's another chance for bragging rights in the sweet spot of the comfort food spectrum. Our celebrity judges will assess entrants in the following categories:  Best Cake or Cupcakes Best Pie or Pastry Best Cookies or Bars Best Confection Best Presentation Most Creative Best in Show PLEASE REGISTER YOUR ENTRY IN ADVANCE HERE: The Great UUCA Bake-Off.  More Bake-Off details here.

March 17 - Staff Appreciation Sunday Please join the Board of Trustees on Sunday, March 17 for Staff Appreciation Sunday! Our UUCA staff do so much work--a majority of which goes unseen--and offer us so much support that we’re taking a day to give extra thanks for all they do. Before or after services on Sunday, March 17, please thank a staff member when you see them, sign a thank you banner to show your gratitude, and enjoy a cupcake.

Lifespan Religious Education

What's Up in RE This Sunday Spirit Play--Stories of Our Faith 2nd-4th--UU Superheroes 5th--Bible Studies 6th--MakerSpace 7th---Hinduism 8th--OWL 9th-12th--Youth Group Last chance to bring in your loose change! This is the last Sunday kids will collect loose change to donate to the Annual Giving Campaign. Rest of RE News Multigen Game Night Join friends on Saturday, March 16, for a multigenerational Game Night. Family games from 4 to 6 p.m. And starting at 6:00 p.m., childcare will open to offer parents time to play games with other parents and friends. All ages welcome!  Date: Saturday, March 16, 4-6 p.m. and 6 p.m. until . . . Location: See sign

Adult Education

Below is a list of some of our upcoming Adult Education classes. Click here for more information and registration. The Soul of Aging, 10-Sessions beginning March 10 Adaptive Leadership Workshop, March 17, 2-5 p.m. Reversing Global Warming, March 27, 7 p.m. Building Your Own Theology, six sessions begin March 27, 7-8:30 p.m. Enneagram Workshop, May 8, 15, 7-9 p.m.

The Soul of Aging - Begins March 20 What does it mean to be growing older? What image comes to your mind when you think of aging?  Most of us tend to think of aging as dealing with health issues and letting go of life. In fact, growing older can and ought to be quite the opposite experience. As we grow older, we begin to look at life differently. We come to learn from our shared experience, to mature in spiritual presence. Indeed, as we age, we are called “to sage,” to grow in maturity and wisdom, to become wise elders radiating spiritual vitality, love and peace. One is never too young to begin Saging! The Soul of Aging is an experiential retreat program for those who long to understand, accept, surrender and be transformed by the aging process. This program offers space and time to expand our capacity to love, serve, forgive ourselves and others, find peace, and ultimately to embrace our own deaths. Contact David McTaggart , dmctagg@gmail.com , for more information. Details & registration here >>

Adaptive Leadership Workshop With Rev. Terasa. Adaptive Leadership is a method of understanding leadership developed by Ron Heifetz and colleagues of his at the Harvard Kennedy School. It posits that leadership is not a noun, as in ‘this person is always the leader’, but that leadership is a verb, it is what we exercise together. In this understanding, anyone can be a leader. They also distinguish between technical leadership and adaptive leadership. Technical leadership takes place when you have a defined problem and tools to solve it. Adaptive leadership works in the realm of the “unsolvable.” Adaptive problems are those we can’t fully even define, much less solve easily, but unfortunately that’s the nature of most of the challenges that we face in these times. Fortunately adaptive leadership gives us some tools that will not cleanly solve the problem, but that will help us make progress and learn together along the way. Date: **Note date change** Sunday, May 5, 2-5 p.m.  Location: Activity Room

Reversing Global Warming: The Drawdown Project The Drawdown Project gives us hope! Project Drawdown is a coalition of more than 200 researchers and other experts from 22 countries led by author, environmentalist, and entrepreneur Paul Hawken. Over the course of five years of rigorous scientific research, they identified and modeled the 100 most substantive, already existing solutions for addressing global warming and revealed astounding news: that it is possible not just to slow global warming, but to actually reverse it by 2050. The workshop material is provided by the Pachamama Alliance and includes video clips of Paul Hawken.  Flyer here. Date: Wednesday, March 27, 7-9 p.m. Location: Activity Room

**Just added** Building Your Own Theology This workshop is designed to provide those new to UU the opportunity to reflect on their religious history. Theological topics explored in this course include ethics, human nature, the ultimate reality, the meaning and purpose of life, and suffering. BYOT addresses these issues through a combination of dialog, and writing. The culmination of this course is the development of a personal credo statement. With LeeAnn Williams and David McTaggart. Dates: Six sessions March 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1, 7-8:30 p.m.

**Just added** Enneagram Workshop Back by popular demand! Join Rev. Terasa for a four-part series exploring the Enneagram. Have you ever asked yourself the quintessential human question of identity, “Who am I?” Most of us spend a lifetime trying to figure out who we are and how we relate to others. The Enneagram offers a bright path to cutting through the internal clutter and finding our way back to who we are created to be. Based on the nine classic archetypes of human character structure, the Enneagram exposes the nine ways we lie to ourselves about who we think we are, illustrates the nine ways we get lost, and reveals nine ways we find our way home to our True Self. The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso recommended but not required. Dates: Two sessions, May 8 and May 15, 7-9 p.m.

Adult Ed Registration

Wheel of Life

Our condolences to Richard Faircloth on the death of his husband Alan Malcolm Campbell.

Our healing thoughts are with Margaret Wilson who is hospitalized after a fall. She is in the rehab section of Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington. If you'd like to visit, please do so after 3:00 p.m. Cards are welcome. Rm# 239, VA Hospital Center, 1701 N. George Mason Dr., Arlington.

A memorial service in celebration of the life of Ronald Munson is scheduled for Sunday, April 7, 3 p.m., in our Sanctuary.

Music Ministry

New Ringers Welcome! Have you seen the handbells ring on a Sunday morning? Ever wondered what it would be like to give it a try? Now is your chance to find out! UUCA's beginning handbell choir, Bellissimo, is seeking new participants of all ages (grade 3 - adult). Come as you are: no prior musical experience is necessary. The group meets every Sunday between services (10:30-11:05 a.m.) in the Music Room, which is at the end of the downstairs hall across from the Youth Room. This is a great opportunity for a fun, multi-generational activity that also happens to create beautiful music. We hope to see you there! Questions or need more information? Contact Ken Bissell, kenbhandbells@aol.com, or Sarah Yue, alanandsarah@gmail.com.

Congregational Life

Men's Book Group T he Men's Book Group will meet on April 14 to discuss the non-fiction selection Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City , by Matthew Desmond. The book tells the wrenching story of eight families in Milwaukee struggling to keep a roof over their heads . It's available at local libraries and is in paperback. If there are any questions about the group and its meetings, please email Ken Marshall, kenmar42@gmail.com or call 703-533-8004.  Date: Sunday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. Location: Chapel

Faith in Action

Rally to End Gerrymandering at the Supreme Court March 26 Please join Walter Clark, UUCA Ministerial Assistant, and other social justice activists on the steps of the Supreme Court on March 26. SCOTUS is scheduled to hear consolidated cases Common Cause v. Rucho and LWVNC v Rucho along with Maryland case, Benisek v. Lamone—potentially landmark cases that could set a nationwide precedent to end gerrymandering for good. Please let Walter know you are joining him by emailing WClark@uucava.org . For more information on the rally and its sponsors, visit Facebook here .

New Meals on Wheels Route for UUCA! UUCA delivers meals to MoW clients in South Arlington on the fourth Thursday and Friday of each month. Due to an increase in MoW clients, a new route was formed and UUCA has been assigned to cover it. We have a wonderful crew of dedicated volunteers and we need to add a few more. This is a great time for YOU to join the team. It's a direct and meaningful way to connect, grow, and serve! The time commitment is from 11 a.m. to about 1-1:30 p.m. The meals are delivered at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, 601 N. Vermont St. (corner of Carlin Springs Road). Then volunteers deliver the meals throughout Arlington. Please contact one of the coordinators with questions or to volunteer: Tina Hinh, tinahinh@gmail.com or Sara Anderson, rayandsara@aol.com.

African American Book Sharing Circle: What Truth Sounds Like Attorney General Bobby Kennedy expected gratitude in 1963 when he met with black artists and activists; instead, he got an earful. Because most people don’t know about this volatile meeting, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson wrote What Truth Sounds Like: RFK, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation about Race in America .  We will explore this book and how martyrs, artists, politicians, intellectuals, activists have and can speak truth to power about the tragedies and difficulties black Americans face historically and now.  Read more >> Date: Friday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. Location: Welcome Room

Immigration 101 UUSJ and UUCA's ALLIANZA-PAG along with Convergence Theatre will host Immigration 101: An overview of U.S. Immigration Law . Just Neighbors, will be giving an easy to understand overview of the ins and outs of a very complex immigration system. Flyer her e. This presentation is not about where you stand politically. It is the facts about who can have what kind of legal status and what that legal status means. Register here. Date: Wednesday, March 20, 7 p.m. Location: Fellowship Hall

Volunteer at Affordable Housing Listening Session on March 28 Are you passionate about affordable housing in Arlington? The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing ( APAH ) is part of a community-wide group called the Community Progress Network (CPN). CPN is hosting a roundtable listening session for lower-income Arlington residents the evening of Thursday, March 28. The event requires the assistance of many volunteers to help with logistics and the all-important child care that allows parents to participate in the listening sessions. The full event description and details of the volunteer needs can be found here . To volunteer, contact Julie Booth, APAH Volunteer Program Manager, jbooth@apah.org or 571-800-6462. UUCA contact: Alex Ziehm , alexandraziehm92@gmail.com .   Date: Thursday March 28 - see flyer for times Location: Wakefield High School, 1325 S Dinwiddie St, Arlington

SAVE THE DATE: April 26 “Voices for Solidarity” A Concert to Benefit the Dream Project Join us for this celebration of solidarity by diverse communities and cultures who share a common vision--providing college scholarships for Dreamer students.

NEW newsletter deadline: Connections deadline for submissions is EACH Monday at noon with publication on Wednesday. See below on how to submit an announcement.

How to submit an announcement to UUCA's Connections newsletter:   Deadline is noon each Monday. Please put "Connections" or "newsletter" in the subject box. Send announcement (150 words or fewer) in body of email or Word doc attachment. Images and attachments accepted, though no guarantee of publishing Send announcements to pubasst@uucava.org. Questions about Connections? Contact MaryAnn@uucava.org.

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Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA 4444 Arlington Blvd Arlington, Virginia Call: (703) 892-2565 Email: uuca@uucava.org ‌ ‌