Sunday Services at 9:15 & 11:15am
September 15: Two services at 9:15 and 11:15am
Gathering Up the Fragments
Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, Senior Minister
In a famous story from the Christian scriptures, Jesus invites his friends to collect all the leftovers from the meal that fed 5000 people by asking them to “Gather up the fragments so that none may be lost.” How do we gather up the fragments of meaning and sustenance in our lives and what does this old story have to tell us today?

Read more about our services here .
Also this Sunday
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Sunday's Extend the Offering and September's Designated Gift Organization: College Access Fund
RRUUC is committed to generous social justice giving. We “extend the offering” or dedicate one entire Sunday morning’s offering each month to those groups and agencies we hold so dear to our hearts. This Sunday's offering is dedicated to RRUUC's College Access Fund.

RRUUC's College Access Fund has provided scholarships to local public high school graduates with financial needs for almost 20 years. Four-year scholarships go to qualified students selected by RJTF’s Supporting Educational Access Pathway (SEAP) from applications submitted by Mentors, Inc. and College Bound. Through the College Access Fund program, 12 students are currently receiving scholarships and two to four students are added each year based on available funds. Extend the Offering will be on Sept. 15. You can contribute throughout September, or anytime during the year, by:
  • Clicking here.
  • Check (write "CAF" in the memo line),
  • Phoning the office,
  • Text-to-give (select college Access Fund).
Contemporary Issues Forum Returns! 10:25am, Fireside Room
Understanding Sectarianism in Islam: Past and Present, Sumaiya Hamdani, George Mason University
Reporting on current events in the Middle East and other parts of the Islamic world would seem to indicate that age-old hostility between Sunni and Shia have erupted into the many civil wars, conflicts, and humanitarian tragedies afflicting these regions today. Dr. Hamdani will unpack some of these conflicts in an effort to explore to what degree they are caused by a history of religious disagreements within Islam. In other words, is sectarian conflict endemic and inevitable in Islam? Or is sectarian conflict in Islam today the result of nation-state politics and imperial interventions? More on Contemporary Issues Forum here .

Mindful Knitters, Sept. 15, after both services, Fellowship Hall
Come join us! The Sunday Knitting Circle is now on the third Sunday of each month, after each service, during the coffee hour around a table in the Fellowship Hall. The Knitters also meet the first Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm, Room 31.
Children and Youth Religious Education (RE) Groups Forming Sunday, 9:15 and 11:15am - Please Register Here
Please register your children whether it's your first Sunday or your 400th (that's 10 years of RE if you came all 40 Sundays!) Why register? Because we offer something here that your child (and I suspect you) can receive no where else -- a multigenerational pastoral community supporting your life when you need it and enlarging your life too; wrestling with the biggest questions about life every week at every age; an opportunity for children of any age to come to know themselves and who they are as human beings, who they really are; and then, finally or should I say firstly, the practice of being the best person they can be in a broken world with hope available for cultivating!
Happenings
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Celebrate RRUUC's 60th Anniversary at our Epic Dance Party!
Saturday, October 5, 5-9pm
It's an all ages boogie featuring a playlist of 60 songs - one for each year of RRUUC's history, 1959-2019 - chosen by You! Find the Playlist Poll here or fill out a form located in the foyer on Sunday.

Raise the roof with your tastiest potluck finger foods (no nuts please) and BYO wine and beer.

Questions? Suggestions? Email Heidi Mordhorst.
River Road Bazaar 2019, Sat., November 2, 8am-3pm
One Week Set-up: Sat. Oct., 26-Thurs., Oct. 31
Find your place in the Bazaar community! Our 46th annual Bazaar is coming up this fall and YOU can be an important part of it. Check out our new-and-improved Sign Up Genius and grab your slot now. If you are new to all of this, come chat about options at the Bazaar table in the fellowship hall after both services. If you have space to temporarily store boxes of other people’s donations, please let us know! This would be a huge help. Contact us: bazaar2019@rruuc.org .
Mix It Up , Patti Francis Art Show, through Oct. 21, Fellowship Hall
Artist's Reception, Fri., Sept. 20, 6:30-8:30pm
Mixed media artist and RRUUC member, Patti Francis’ show, Mix It Up , includes collage paintings and assemblage art, using ephemera, vintage photos and handmade papers, and paints in oil and wax. She has a particular interest in storytelling with a focus on social justice issues and celebrating inspirational artists and activists. Read more here .
Adult Religious Education & Small Groups
Small Groups Enrollment and Formation, Now through Mid-October
All are invited to participate in a Small Group – a monthly gathering to get acquainted, deepen relationships with others within the congregation, and provide a dedicated place for spiritual reflection, study, or values clarification. Visit here to find groups that are looking for new participants and get in touch with them by clicking the button on that group's tile. If nothing fits, complete this form to suggest a new group and we can see about making it happen.

Ideas for a Small Group?
How do these topics sound? Being the Change, Eco Companions, Stopping to Think,Spirit Matters, Photo Stories, Sage Age, Feeding the Spirit? Have an idea for a Small Group? Resources, materials, and mentoring for great meetings are available. Contact Gabrielle Farrell , Lifespan Religious Educator, Tue.-Thurs., 301-229-0400, x. 104. 
Adult Religious Education: Fall Classes Now Online
Check out the new adult classes including:
  • Introduction to Storytelling: Experiment interweaving autobiographical stories with universal spiritual themes. More info and register here.
  • Spiritual Storytelling with Scott: Learn to combine personal narratives with universal spiritual themes in a safe yet challenging atmosphere. More info and register here.
  • Online Wellspring Available, Register by Sept. 20. More info here.
Social Justice News
College Access Fundraiser: Rock & Roll!
Sat., Sept. 21, 6-9pm
By popular request, Daryl Davis and Seth Kibel will give another great lecture and performance. This year it’s Rock & Roll! (Last year it was Jazz). Sponsored by RRUUC's Racial Justice Task Force (RJTF) Supporting Educational Access Pathway (SEAP). Proceeds support RJTF's College Access Fund to award scholarships for students mentored by College Bound & Mentors, Inc. Adults: $30; Families: (1-2 adults & children) $60; Youths: $10. Get advance tickets in the Fellowship Hall after services in September: cash, check or card. Buy online here .
Our World Is On Fire, Fri., Sept. 13, 7-9 pm, Fireside Room
Russell Gray, national coordinator for Extinction Rebellion US, will speak on the rising power of our youth in humanity’s greatest existential crisis: climate change. Mr. Gray, a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in economics, left a position as an economist with the federal government to found and lead the DC chapter of Extinction Rebellion. He'll discuss why radical action is our only hope in the face of climate catastrophe confirmed by peer-reviewed science. He'll explain why a global climate strike is necessary and how we can take effective action to address the climate emergency during the upcoming Climate Strike and Week of Global Action, September 20 – 27. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Sponsored by Cedar Lane UU Environmental Justice Ministry, MoCo chapter of The Climate Emergency, and River Road UU Congregation Earth Ministry.

Drawdown Solutions Workshop: Getting Into Action, 5-session Workshop Starts Sept. 16
This workshop invites you to see both the possibility of reversing global warming and the important role you play in that process. You will leave the course being connected to a new community of people dedicated to reversing global warming, equipped with knowledge and tools to get and stay in committed action. Mondays, 7-9pm in the Fireside Room on: Sept. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7 and a potluck to present our projects on Nov. 4. To learn more and to register, please email Robin Galbraith at  robingalbraith@hotmail.com .

Advancing Economic & Climate Justice as a Moral Issue, Building a Movement for a Green New Deal, Sun., Sept. 15, 11:15am to Tues., Sept. 17, 5pm, Washington, DC
Join this advocacy and action conference on environmental justice, class, and race. Learn how: climate change is an economic justice issue; UU values inform our justice work; to lobby on Capitol Hill, to organize for upcoming actions, to direct actions and strikes; to take this knowledge home and work locally; and First Nations people’s values can preserve the earth. Rev. Amanda Weatherspoon will be a speaker on the panel, Spirit and Values: It Matters How We Show Up , Sunday, 1:30pm, along with Rev. Rob Hardies and Paula Cole Jones. More info here . Full conference: $125. Sunday: $40. Scholarships available. Buy tickets here .

Attend with RRUUCers - Climate Strike, Fri., Sept. 20, 11am-2pm, starting at the Ellipse and marching to the Capitol Building Zero Milestone, Ellipse Rd., NW, Washington, DC
On Friday, Sept. 20, young people and adults will strike all across the US and the world to demand transformative action be taken by our world’s governments to address the climate crisis. Click here for details on strikes in all areas of the country. Contact the host for the Climate Strike in DC here . RRUUC group meeting at the Starbucks, 1304 F St. (Take Metro to Metro Ctr., walk down to F St. to Starbucks.) Time frame: 9:30-10:15am and then we will walk to the Ellipse together.

It’s Easy Being Green
We are walking our talk to protect the “interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part!” At least 15 of River Road's roughly 178 households are powering their homes with “green” electricity generated by wind, solar, or other forms of renewable energy. Please join this group, and we'll add your name to the Renewable Energy Tree on the bridge. It’s easy to do:
  • Order online with a Green-e certified power company, and Pepco will deliver “green” electricity to your house and take care of the billing.
  • Find out how by asking Bruce Davis or Holly Elwood, or
  • Attend one of the workshops between services, 10:30am, on Sept. 22, Oct. 20, and Nov. 17, in Room 31.
NEWS FLASH: One "green" supplier's rate for wind-generated electricity is lower than Pepco's standard rate for fossil fuel and nuclear-generated electricity.

Show up to Prevent Gun Violence in DC, Wed., Oct. 2, 11:30am, John A Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Tell Council members from all eight wards in DC, as well as the Mayor's office, how much you want effective gun violence prevention programs in the city. Listen as your community bears witness to the increasing gun violence in DC and let your elected officials know your commitment to preventing gun violence. We’ll serve lunch and have a full briefing before our meeting. Transportation is available for anyone who needs it. Sign up .

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) 2019 Social Justice Awards Gala, Sun., Oct. 6, 4-6:30pm, UU Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA
Two great reasons to buy tickets: 1. Support for UUSJ’s advocacy work and 2. The 2019 UUSJ Minister/Senior Leader’s Award will be given to Rev. Nancy Ladd. $75 Ticket ($35 tax deductible) can be purchased online here . Ticket sales (check or cash) and carpool sign-up at RRUUC on Sundays Sept. 15 (after 1st service only) mand Sept. 22 and 29 at both fellowship hours. The Gala will feature the Arlington UU’s Free Spirits Jazz Ensemble, heavy hors d’oeuvres, networking with other UU social justice activists, and presentation of awards. 
Around and About
Blessings for the New Year from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, UUA President
"May this church year be a time for us to care for our community and in doing so, to remind ourselves of the liberation that our Universalist theology tells us is meant for everyone." View Rev. Frederick-Gray's inspirational message on YouTube , search for Beginning of the Church Year Pastoral Message from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray.

Better Together Network Palooza, Sun., Sept. 29, 2-5pm, RRUUC
Join UU leaders from all over the region for this opportunity to connect and learn from each other. Hear what they’re doing well, what they’re struggling with, and what resources they’ve been using, and share all your great stuff, too. How does it work? We’ll run two sessions of networking time. Pick a first and second choice for both sessions. (If you can’t attend one or the other, that’s okay; make choices for the one you’ll attend.) Closer to the date, we’ll pick the most populated sessions and let you know where to go. There will be something for everyone! Sessions include: Board Members, Worship, Religious Education, Membership, Pastoral Care, Buildings & Grounds, Finance/Treasurers, Stewardship, Justice, Aesthetics, Right Relations, and Staff. This event is free. Light snacks will be provided. Child care available. Register here .

UU Church of Columbia Seeks an Executor Director (ED)
Together with UUCC’s senior minister, Rev. Paige Getty, the ED serves as the CEO/Chief of Staff. The essential functions of the Executive Director are to oversee administration, information technology, facilities, and financial operations. Preferred start date is October 1, 2019. Details here . Applications will be considered as they are received, so please apply as soon as possible. Please submit a resume and cover letter to apply@uucolumbia.net .
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