Inclement Weather Closings
With a snowy winter ahead of us, the safety of congregants is most important to us. Worship, religious education classes, and activities will be canceled if conditions are unsafe for travel. Here are ways to check on whether the building is open:

  • Go to our website -- emergency messages, such as building closings, are posted in the upper right hand section of our home page.
  • Call us -- when you call the main number (301-229-0400), wait for the automated system to pick up and press "5" for emergency alerts. If the building is closed, an announcement will be recorded there.
  • Check out our Facebook page or our Twitter feed -- building closings will be posted there.

We value your safety. Please refrain from coming onto the grounds or trying to enter the building if we're closed and activities are canceled.
This Sunday
January 20, 2019
9:15 & 11:15am Services

A Garment of Mutuality
Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd

This service will look at the prophetic and pressing themes raised in Dr. King’s, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” How can we take the person, the text, and the implications for the present day seriously enough to make new ways of being possible. Read more here.
Contemporary Issues Forum (CC&C), 10:25am, Fireside Room
The Business and Moral Case for a Harassment-free Workplace
Kurt Nemes, Co-Founder, Working with Respect, LLC
Kurt Nemes, a DC-area UU, worked in the World Bank’s Ethics Office for ten years promoting ethical decision-making and workplace respectful relations. There, he helped prepare a required course to prevent sexual harassment among staff (both headquarters and field) which is now available online. After retirement, he began consulting, most recently with the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He brings UU perspectives on the moral case for workplace respect plus expertise on how a respectful workplace can lead to higher productivity and lower turnover. Bring your cell phones to engage interactively. Read more here .

Small Group Introduction, Sun., Jan. 20, 12:30-2pm, Fireside Room
Drop in (with a bag lunch if you wish) and talk Small Groups with Gabrielle (more info in the Small Groups section below)

Tara S. Holl Art Exhibit: A Walk with Grandmother Frog, through Feb. 12, Fellowship Hall
Read about Tara's show here .
January's Designated Gift Organization:
La Clinica del Pueblo
La Clinica del Pueblo began in 1983 as a free health clinic for Latino immigrants recently displaced by conflict. Today La Clínica is known throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan area as a dependable source of integrated health care and health education for over 8,000 men, women and children.
This Sunday's offerings from both services will be donated to LCDP. New Executive Director Catalina Sol will also join us. Please donate this Sunday, or at any time during January, through any of the following methods: 
  1. Check to RRUUC with "La Clinica del Pueblo" in the memo line
  2. Online from a bank account or credit card using this link
  3. Text on your smartphone to 73256 with RRUUC in the message line
  4. Phone: Give with a debit or credit card by calling Diana Chimes, 301-229-0400 x114.
Hot Off the Presses
Rev. Nancy's New Book!
Available now for purchase online and soon at the River Road bookstore!
After the Good News: Progressive Faith Beyond Optimism

With humor and humanity, Rev. Ladd calls religious progressives to greater authenticity and truth-telling rather than blind optimism. She charts a course forward that includes reclaiming rituals of atonement and lament, and becoming more vulnerable and accountable in our relationships. She shows how, together, we might build a necessary and greater resilience among ourselves and for the generations to come.   

Early reviews are full of excitement, and so are we:

"Nancy McDonald Ladd is a wonderful teller of stories whose insights and ministry have blessed many. Now we see that she is also a gifted writer and this book shows us why... This is one of those books whose publication comes at the right time. It is a shining gem with sharp edges to prick your conscience and move you beyond the platitudes of traditional liberal religion. It is a must read for anyone who cares about and is committed to the future of the liberal faith."
- Rev. Dr. Fred Muir, Minister Emeritus,
UU Congregation of Annapolis

"A brilliant contribution by Nancy McDonald Ladd. She offers us a soul stirring, historically grounded approach to theology, one rooted in her Gen X experience, and yet compelling and relevant for all; a UU theology of wholeness that meshes hope with realism, social justice, and the practical spiritual needs of our world."
 - Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, Senior Minister,
First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Serving Together
Rise Against Hunger sent us a thank you for the incredible gift of over 20,000 meals. The meals we packed at our October 14 Serving Together Rise Against Hunger multigenerational event, went to the Hilario Sanchez School in Nicaragua. Each meal helps a child to eat that day; a warm meal like this is such an incentive for regular school attendance. Each meal matters! Thank you to all the volunteers.

I’d also like to give our new member, Russell Lacey, a big shout out. With his encouragement, I applied to the metro Bethesda Rotary Club Foundation for a grant to be used for our next Serving Together Rise Against Hunger meal packing event. Russell, who serves as the Foundation President, volunteered at our last event and envisions the Rotary Club and RRUCC working together to help others. We received an extremely generous grant of $3,000 which will go a long way to paying for the meals we next pack together. Thank you Russell and the metro Bethesda Rotary Club!


Happenings
Mon., Jan. 21, RRUUC Closed for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
Make Monday a Day of Service
You can make Monday a day of service in your community and help move us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community." Find ideas for you and your family at Montgomery County Volunteer Center and the Corporation for National and Community Service websites.

Furloughed Feds Support Gathering, Tues., Jan. 22, 11am-1pm, Fireside Room
Are you affected by the partial federal shutdown? Is having too much idle time and the frustration of having your work contributions shut down wearing you down spiritually? Would having a time to get together with other furloughed federal employees help? Sometimes just being with others who understand what you are going through can make a difference. We invite you to drop in, enjoy a light brunch, and have a chance to share the concerns and challenges that you're experiencing as the shutdown drags on. Rev. Amanda will be on hand to facilitate the discussion. Parents with preschoolers at home are welcome -- we will have some activities to keep them occupied. Please contact Jan Elicker if you plan to attend or just drop by!

Annual Youth Group Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, Sat., Jan. 26, 6pm
This year's youth group Murder Mystery Dinner Theater "Myth-Adventures in Murder" tells the story of a meeting of mythological gods gone wrong. Dinner is served between acts. Great for the whole family! Proceeds benefit Kids in Need of Defense (K.I.N.D.), who help children separated from their families at the border. Tickets are available online , in the Fellowship Hall between services, and at the door. Questions? Ask a youth or Beth Irikura , Religious Educator for Youth.

RRUUC Mystery Pals is coming to a mailbox near you!
Sign-ups begin Sun., Jan. 27, Fellowship Hall
Mystery Pals is River Road's intergenerational letter-writing program. Children aged 4-12 are matched with partners 12 and older. Pals exchange letters for five Sundays using an on-site mailbox and finally meet in person at a Mystery Pals Ice Cream Party! Adults who are NOT parents of young children are especially encouraged to participate! Sign-ups begin in the Fellowship Hall on Jan. 27, or you can send an email to  rruucmysterypals@gmail.com.
Small Groups
Small Group Introduction, Sun., Jan. 20, 12:30-2pm, Fireside Room
We'll talk about Small Groups, participant roles, how a typical meeting runs, and the small group recommended resources. Also, we will get a chance to experience a deeper discussion of our January Spiritual Theme -- Possibility . And we'll get a chance to get to know each other. Drop in (bring a bag lunch if you'd like) and talk Small Groups with Gabrielle Farrell .
Small Group Enrollment & Formation Month. Sign-up Now through Mon., Feb. 18
Small Groups are an excellent way to connect. I nformation about new groups that are forming t hrough Feb. 18 and/or joining existing groups is available here . Here's how it works:
  1. Fill out an interest form here. 
  2. Check out open groups here and contact the group facilitator to express your interest and inquire about openings and meeting times and places.
  3. Help start a new group! Mentors/coaches are available to get you started. For further info on starting a group, contact Gabrielle Farrell, Lead Religious Educator, MCRE.
  4. Watch the Sunday bulletin, eWeekly, and the website link to see what new groups form.
  5. Attend an info meeting on Sun., Jan. 20, 12:30-2pm.
The next enrollment period isn't until September, so don't wait to sign-up if you're interested now!
Leadership Retreat
Last Chance to Register!

Registration deadline with childcare is Fri., Jan. 18.
Registration deadline without childcare is Mon., Jan. 21.

Register now for RRUUC’s
Leadership Retreat
Sat., Jan. 26, 2019
9am-1pm
Optional 1-2pm
Lunch and Strengthsfinder Assessment "Deep Dive"
Fellowship Hall

The event is open to the whole congregation.
We especially hope you and your committee will join us as we engage in a conversation about the future of leadership at River Road. 

The Retreat features whole group conversations and three breakout sessions. Come as an intact committee, task force, or group and recharge together! The retreat is an opportunity to step back and talk about  how  you want to be together and lead together, not just everything you have to accomplish.

Details including breakout sessions: click here .
Deadline is Mon., Jan. 21.
Register for childcare & activities by Fri., Jan. 18.
(requires a minimum of 3 children; maximum of 10 children)
Social Justice Events at RRUUC
Supporting Migrants in Transit 
Many asylum seekers are being released from detention near our southern border and left at bus stations with little more than a ticket. DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network has organized a program to meet those who are coming to the DC area, even temporarily. If you would like to volunteer to meet buses at their Union Station depot and welcome the transiting migrants, please contact Serena Lowe . Also, the network is collecting winter clothes, and Visa, Walgreens, or CVS cards so the migrants can purchase food, medicine, and hygiene products. If you would like to help, we will collect winter coats, gloves, and scarves in the box in the foyer and the cards in the small box in the office.  If you have any questions, contact Charlotte Jones Carroll.

Exploring White Privilege, Sun., Jan. 27, 12:30-2:30pm, Register by Jan. 20
Bring your bag lunch and join us as we view and discuss the “Deconstructing White Privilege” video by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, author of The New York Times best-seller White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. Dr. DiAngelo describes the most obvious and explicit aspects of racism and white privilege, while going beyond the surface of racism. Her video serves as a foundation on understanding racism and white privilege. Educating4Change, one of the RRUUC Pathways to Racial Justice, will facilitate a discussion. Register here . If you need childcare, please register by Sun., Jan. 20.

Earth Ministry (aka Environmental Task Force), Sun., Jan. 27, 11:30am-12:15pm, Room 31
Join the Earth Ministry for its first 2019 meeting. Given the latest reports on the negative impacts of climate change on the earth , we want to develop new goals for RRUUC in the coming year. Please come, join the discussion, learn what others are thinking, and share your ideas. For more information, contact Walter Weiss or Jack Lebowitz.

I Am Not Your Negro , a Documentary Film, Sun., Feb. 10, 6:30-9pm, Fireside Room
Register by Feb. 3
I Am Not Your Negro,  a powerful and thought-provoking 2016 documentary film, uses archival interviews and creative media to explore the genius of James Baldwin and his insights on racism in the United States. Join us as we watch the film and consider current implications for racial justice. Popcorn and snacks will be provided. The film is presented by Educating4Change, one of the RRUUC Pathways to Racial Justice. Register here .
In Our Community
Interfaith Martin Luther King Service, Sun., Jan. 20, 3pm, Cedar Lane UU Church
Come celebrate Dr. King's life and prophetic legacy. The service will feature inspiring music, interfaith prayers, and reflections by the DC Labor Chorus and area interfaith leaders, including Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd and Imam Tarek Elgawhary from Potomac Islamic Center.

Allyship Workshop Registration, Sun., Jan. 20, 1:30-7:30pm, UU Church of Arlington
As part of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington’s Live the Pledge campaign to end racism, UUCA is hosting another racial justice Allyship workshop, facilitated by the local nonprofit, Service Never Sleeps . This workshop will teach you about the causes of racial injustice, how to be an effective ally for marginalized communities, and how to actively influence and educate others. Register here . UUCA Contact: Alex Ziehm.

Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland (UULM) Kickoff , with Keynote Speaker Rich Madaleno, Sat., Jan. 26, 8:30am-1:30pm, UU Church of Annapolis
The Clean Energy Jobs Act is poised to pass the 2019 General Assembly with 84 delegates and 30 senators already on board as the General Assembly session convenes this week. Another emerging bill, the End of Life Option Act, has a much more difficult struggle to become law. If these bills, or others that will be presented in the 90 day session, are important to you, join the UULM to help advocate for them. Contact Don Chery or Marcia Kingman.

Benefit Concert to Support DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, Sat., Jan. 26, 7:30pm, Cedar Lane UU Church
The Cedar Lane Choir and Chamber Ensemble will perform John Rutter's, Requiem. Free, but donations encouraged.
Deadline is Tuesday, midnight, for that week.
News is edited for clarity, brevity, and style.
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River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation | 6301 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817 | 301-229-0400 | office@rruuc.org | www.rruuc.org