This week: Give a Thanksgiving Dinner, Extend the Offering for Serving Together, Second Sundays for Newcomers, and Earth Essence Reception.
This Sunday, November 11
Services at 9:15 and 11:15am
Grateful, No Matter What
Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, Senior Minister

It’s no big deal to be grateful when everything is easy. How can we dig deep into our spiritual resources and be grateful in the complexity of our lives, no matter what?

Also This Sunday
Extend the Offering Supports Serving Together, Both Services
For the last few months, we've participated in several multigenerational service projects from packaging meals to making blankets and toys for our local animal shelter. Your time and talents have made a difference and are so appreciated. We also need some financial treasure to make these projects a reality. Your donations to the Extend the Offering on Nov. 11 will ensure these impactful projects continue. There are more Serving Together projects in the works and even more we can only dream about! Please give generously in the offering through cash, check, Text-to-Give, or online here . You are also invited to give any time by check, credit card, or online giving with a note "Serving Together".

Second Sundays are for Newcomers, Sun., 10:30-11:15am, Room 31
Newcomers - are you curious about RRUUC, UU's and Justice? Meet some congregational lay leaders, hear their justice story, and share your story or questions. Sign-up here , drop in, or drop Gabrielle Farrell a note . If you need childcare during this time, please contact Gabrielle . December's Second Sunday topic is Worship.

Contemporary Issues Forum, 10:25am, Fireside Room
Dramatic Presentation of Einstein’s Loyal Secretary
Candace Ridington, Character Performer
Meet Helen Dukas, Albert Einstein’s long-serving secretary, and learn about what she calls his “human side”: his love of music, his humor, his curiosity, and sense of wonder - traits which contributed to his being truly an amazing man. Candace, an RRUUC member, has previously portrayed roles of Emily Dickinson, Livy Clemens, Varina Davis, and Louisa May Alcott. Read more here .

Earth Essence: Landscape Photography by Mark Leatherman, Reception, 3-5pm, Fellowship Hall, Show through Dec. 16
Photographer and RRUUC member Mark Leatherman shares his incredible photos including landscapes from the Badlands, Colorado, and Utah. Merrilee Harrigan, Mark’s wife, is also showing her silver and glass jewelry. A portion of sales goes to RRUUC . Read more here .
Annual Bazaar - It's a Wrap!
We have a preliminary gross revenue of $57,000 with the possibility of getting close to $60K when all accounting is done! An amazing number for a single day of sales!

It takes hundreds of people doing tasks large and small to pull off this feat - 461 volunteers at last count! Thank you and kudos to the entire congregation on a job well done!

Save the date now for Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, when we gather to do it all over again!
Serving Together
Thanksgiving is early this year so don’t be late to sign up to bring a Thanksgiving dinner for a South Lakes Elementary School family.

Join in to give 50 Dinners for 50 Families!

We’ll collect your donations next week, Sun., Nov. 18.
 We’re half-way there and we need you!
Please get the shopping details and sign up here , or sign up with Rev. Kären this Sunday after services.

Then on Nov. 18, bring your bag of groceries to the RRUUC  kitchen, in a reusable bag with handles, either before or after both services.

Another way to help - Gift Cards
  • Buy gift cards from Target, Giant, or Walmart in increments of $10 (for example, a $10 gift card or two $10 gift cards, etc.)
  • Place the gift cards in the envelope marked "Gift Cards" located in my mailbox slot in the office.

Please   contact me with any questions and thanks so much for your help!
Rev. Kären, Serving Together Minister
Save the Dates and Sign-ups
The RRUUC office will be closed on Mon., Nov. 12, in observance of
Veterans Day.

Tomorrow - Fri., Nov. 9, is the Last Day to Sign Up! Don't Miss it!
How Hamilton the Musical Amplifies Race , Sun., Nov. 11, 12:30pm
Prepare to sing! Or listen. Come to find out how this Pulitzer-prize winning musical helps move beyond conventional views of race and misappropriation. Topics include casting, hip hop, and the compelling story of freedom and liberation. Bring a bag lunch for this discussion with Gabrielle Farrell, Lead Religious Educator, MCRE, and Ani Egan, Middle Schooler and Hamilton enthusiast. Part of a yearlong series on race in America by Educating4Change. A minimum 10 registered by Nov. 9 is needed, so please register here .

Evening Book Group, Tues., Nov. 13, 7:30-9pm, Room 30
Join us for a discussion of Wilde Lake: A Novel , by Laura Lippman. Find our reading list here .
 
Mindful Knitters Gathering, Mon., Nov. 19, 7:30pm, Fiatfalva Room
All folks interested in knitting or crocheting are invited to come. Please bring whatever project you are working on and join us.

Child Dedication, Sun., Nov. 25
There's room for your family to participate!
We have multiple families participating in our Child Dedication ritual and there is room for one more (or another date can be arranged). Child Dedications in Unitarian Universalist congregations welcome children of members, active friends, or folks on the path to membership, into our religious community where all children are nurtured and may thrive. We dedicate children to the highest ideals of life, while the congregation “dedicates” itself to supporting the parents/guardians and the children as the children grow up.  Children are never too old or too young to be dedicated. If your family would like to participate in the Service of Dedication, please contact Gabrielle Farrell or complete this form . More info here .

Black Lives Matter Vigil, Fridays, 6:30-7:30pm, Corner of Whittier & River Roads
Join us, rain or shine, in witnessing for justice at the roadside Black Lives Matter vigil. Come for all or part of the vigil, bring a chair if you need one, and enjoy the company of others.

Baking Silly for the Holidays , Sat., Dec. 8, 9:30am
What irrational confidence calls us to bake cookies and other delectables during the busiest season? Join other folks of all ages in a baking extravaganza. We’ll divvy up the cookies and other goods for gifting or savoring; a portion will go to our neighbors at Bethesda Cares. The program honors a woman who knew how to bake and who invested each cookie with all-embracing love. Please register here . Minimum 10 registered and paid by Dec. 1.

Gabrielle Farrell and Jenny Sour lead this experiential and evocative curriculum exploring the spiritual and intellectual dimensions of racism. There’s a daylong retreat in January on either the first or second weekend. We then meet for seven two-hour sessions to learn something new, to unlearn something old, and to let go of assumptions and world views that hem us in. This class requires an application available online ( click here ). This allows us to create a diverse class across many different identities. Applications are due Dec. 15. Everyone is guaranteed a spot in a Beloved class.  Lifespan Religious Educator, Gabrielle Farrell , is happy to answer questions before you apply. Read more here , and watch videos too!
Community
Appreciation from the Immigration & Refugee Justice Committee
  • Carload of Winter Clothing Donated to Lutheran Social Service (LSS) for Refugees. Thanks to our Bazaar clothing departments and all you donors, we were able to take six boxes and three black bags full of winter clothing to LSS for refugees to choose from this week.
  • Donations for Lual. Many thanks to those who donated furnishings to Lual for his new apartment, and to those who helped him Friday night select other items from the Bazaar to finish getting settled and live on his own. He is very appreciative, especially as last Sunday was his birthday. These goods and everyone's help were, in a way, his “birthday presents”. Thank you.

Need health insurance?
Open enrollment is Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 for health and dental coverage through MarylandHealthConnection.gov . Maryland Health Connection, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, is a one-stop shop to browse plans and compare coverage and costs.

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice Administrative Assistant Position Open
See job description here . Expressions of interest and referrals welcomed at info@uusj.org .
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