River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
To grow and deepen in Community, Spirit, and Service
eWeekly
October 28-November 4, 2021
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On a Dark and Stormy Night
Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, Senior Minister
Register now for our return to two services:
Sun., Oct. 31, 10am: Hybrid Service, also on YouTube 11am: Zoom Coffee Hour and Breakout Rooms
12pm: In-Person Service
Watch for two links in the Saturday email: a YouTube link for the first service and a Zoom link for the breakout rooms after the service. Recording will be posted on YouTube. Our second service will be only in-person. You can find our Order of Service online; if you are not watching in real time the Order of Service may not be available.
Sanctuary Hybrid, Online and In-Person: Service will be available via YouTube
Join us online or register in advance for worship IN PERSON at 10am or 12pm! Please note that outdoor seating may have obstructed views. By attending an in-person service, you are giving RRUUC permission to use your likeness in videos and photographs. If you are not viewing our livestream in real time, the Order of Service may not be available.
We dream of imaginary monsters because we have real fears. Sometimes we make monsters seem cool and mysterious because we ourselves are enchanted by the edges between life and death. This sermon will use history and legend to tell the story of one such beautiful monster. Inspired by River Roaders Suzyn Smith-Webb and Jana Kirkman, this one will introduce you to the original brooding romantic vampire you just might love to hate. Sign up here to attend in person. Online attendance needs no registration. Sunday services are broadcast live, and may include wide shots of the crowd in the sanctuary. If you wish to avoid appearing on camera, please plan to attend online for now, as our services will not include overflow seating.
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Notices & Online Ministry Offerings |
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Grow Our Connections, Share Your Experiences
The Grow Our Connections auction is hoping YOU have an awesome experience you can share. Grow your connections by donating an experience, a hobby, or a skill and maybe you will make some new friends in the process!
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Consider hosting a picnic/coffee/drinks and conversation. Or host a dinner at your favorite restaurant.
- Other amazing options would be to teach a workshop on a topic like glass blowing, yoga, or birding.
- You might make a friend by offering a wine or whiskey tasting or share your love of the area by guiding a hike or a tour.
- Many people need services like babysitting, computer expertise, and handiwork. Consider donating your time!
Thank you for being a giving part of our community!
Bidding for the Auction will begin Mon., Nov. 1. Look for information on how to bid coming to your inboxes on Sunday afternoon.
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Beginning & Belonging: An Introduction to UUism, Sun., Nov. 7 & 14
A joint offering of Cedar Lane, River Road, and Fairfax Unitarian Universalist Congregations, this short two-session introduction to Unitarian Universalism is great for anyone seeking to connect more deeply and to learn more about our free faith tradition. Two sessions are offered on Sun., Nov. 7 & 14, 2-3:30pm. If you’re new, feeling new, contemplating a spiritual home, or even just looking to deepen your relationship to UUism, this is a great place to start. Register here.
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Cultivating Climate Resistance: A Walking Pilgrimage at Walden
In the face of climate crisis, many of us struggle with feelings of grief, anxiety, guilt, despair and powerlessness… to name a few. Walden Pond and its environs have deeply shaped our Unitarian Universalist tradition. On this five-day pilgrimage to Walden Pond, we will share wisdom and practices that connect us to our love for the Earth, help us process our grief, cultivate hope and resilience, and empower us to take action to address the climate crisis. This retreat is open to members of the Potomac Partnership congregations. Our pilgrimage guides will be the Rev. Dr. Robert Hardies and the ministers of the Potomac Partnership congregations.
Interested in learning more? Please indicate your interest by sending an email ASAP to the Rev. Rob Hardies at rhardies@gmail.com and plan on attending a zoom information session on Tues., Nov. 9, 7-8:30 pm.
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We Need Your Help!
How do we create a safe and welcoming community for all of us? With your help! As we move forward into both in-person and online worship, we need all the support we can get, especially in providing a welcoming presence on Sunday mornings and supporting our tech for hybrid worship.
Here are some opportunities to give and serve safely in the coming weeks and months:
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Greeters: One Sunday a month, you can be the smiling face welcoming people to our outdoor check-in desk. You can also work our RE sign-in table before the 10am service.
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Ushers and Social Distance Supporters: Folks may need a little bit of help getting chairs situated and comfortable at the start of the service. One Sunday a month, consider helping to make it a little easier.
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Tech Deck Help: This is where the magic gets made. Since we'll be on YouTube each Sunday, we'll need some help with sound and video.
If you're open to considering any of these options, drop Rev. Nancy a line at nladd@rruuc.org.
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Family Ministry Happenings |
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BYO Picnic and Pumpkin Decorating! THIS Fri., Oct. 29, 6-7:30pm
Change of location! We’ll meet in the front plaza and then move to the Fireside Patio where there is some shelter (overhang + tent) in case of rain. Bring your own pumpkin(s) or use one of the small ones we’ll supply. Let us know if you'll be there! But also know that if you can't let us know in advance, you're still very welcome to attend.
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Parents & Caregivers: Sunday’s RE classes will start in their usual designated spaces and be full of Halloween fun! Children are welcome to wear their costumes!
COVID SAFETY IN RE
- Masks will be worn by children and adults at all times, indoors and outdoors.
- There will be a symptom checklist at the RE check in table on Sunday morning. (Located on the plaza in front of the building.) You'll be asked to review this list and verify with your initials that none of the symptoms are present in your child. Children should not attend RE if they have any cold or flu symptoms.
- Any child who is under 12 years old and/or unvaccinated and has been quarantined by their school, cannot come to RE until the quarantine period is over. If your child is quarantining please inform Beth or Laura. We'll send them a care package and look forward to when they can join us again.
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Monthly Coffee Hour!
Beginning Nov. 7, we will have a limited coffee hour between services on the front plaza. There will be a beverage service including coffee and tea, as well as pre-packaged juice and water. Disposable hot cups will be available for your use, but we invite you to bring your own travel mugs as long as they are empty or covered when you are in the building.
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Contemporary Issues Forum: The Groundbreaking Film Network and Its Relevance Today, Sun., Nov. 7, 12-1pm
Network (1976) was a groundbreaking satire of the alarming negative influences of the TV news media and is still as relevant today. This textured film raises many controversial topics which we will discuss, including: television news, mass media, and social media; their power and influence; who controls and owns the media; how the media shapes how we see the world and ourselves; turning reality into ratings and news into entertainment; the loss of individualism; international business; and the effects of social media on democracy. Participants are encouraged to view Network beforehand (streaming on many platforms). Our speaker, Leonard King, will show several scenes that capture its essence.
Leonard King started teaching the History and Aesthetics of Film at Maret School in 1973. He taught courses there on film, history, psychology, and nonviolence. He also served as Director of College Counseling. After he retired in 2016, Leonard began teaching at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at American University.
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Friday Morning Book Group
The book group meets on the third Friday of the month beginning at 10am (via Zoom) to discuss a book selected by the group. Participants are invited to sign in as early as 9:45am to chat and socialize before the discussion begins at 10am. In the coming months we will be discussing the following books:
Nov. 19 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Dec. 17 - Visionary Women by Andrea Barnet
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Adult Small Group open enrollment period: Mon., Oct. 11 - Mon., Nov. 15
Are you interested in a Spiritual Deepening of your everyday life? In these tumultuous times, we need community more than ever. We need the spaces in which we can show up with our imperfect offerings to gather in common purpose. Small Groups provide that space. A space to connect, a space to engage, and a space to deepen. If you're interested in forming or joining a Small Group, fill out our Small Group Interest Form or contact Rev. Amanda Weatherspoon.
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Welcome to New Members!
If you feel yourself at home here at River Road and would like to become a member, we welcome you to join us for our quarterly Membership Ceremonies. Every new member changes the community in an important way and all are welcome. Drop a line to connections@rruuc.org to RSVP for the next ceremony and get the dates and Zoom link!
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Help Restore Our Neighbor’s Desecrated, But Beloved, Cemetery
River Roaders have done it before and we can do it again: help Bethesda’s nearby Macedonia Baptist Church save the sacred ground where African Americans have been buried for 370 years, less than two miles south of us on River Road.
This Sat., Oct. 30, we can learn about how Macedonia and African Communities around the nation are taking back the land that holds their ancestors, from 11am-3pm, on Zoom. For more information, go here.
And every Wednesday we can carry placards and chant that Black Cemeteries Matter from 5-6pm at the demonstration sponsored by the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition on River Road between the McDonalds and the Capital Crescent Trail overpass.
White officials and developers have insisted for years that there are no African Americans buried there. But Circuit Court Judge Karla N. Smith just enjoined the County from selling the asphalt parking lot that rests on top of the Macedonia Moses African Cemetery. We can help Macedonia and descendants of the dead remove the asphalt and replace it with a resting place, with a museum and a monument to the historic River Road African Community that was destroyed by white businesses at the same time that we purchased the land for our congregation in 1961.
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The RRUUC Earth Ministry leads the congregation to reduce climate change impacts in our community, in our congregational building and at home.
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RRUUC Land Acknowledgement
Acknowledging and remembering that we are situated on the traditional land of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway people, and on the land on which enslaved African people and their descendants labored and lived, we gather together in worship. May the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts and the actions of our hands point the way toward a more just future. May the memory of those whose love and labor went before inspire us to create a path of greater joy and justice for all who will follow.
If you would like to learn more about our land's history, please watch the service from June 13, 2021.
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Application for Extend the Offering
We will be accepting applications for Extend the Offering recipient organizations from
Oct. 11 - Nov. 15. Selections will be made in January.
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UUSJ Social Justice Awards, Sun., Nov. 7, 4pm
President and CEO Rev. Mary Katherine Morn will speak to UUSJ - RSVP now for this exclusive address. This event will lift up our social justice Awardees - your UU social justice stars! This Zoom event provides an opportunity to hear about interesting and inspiring projects, initiatives, and individuals.
In June, during the Ware Lecture, Stacey Abrams explained we should be wary of the "raw energy of destruction," and that we need to be for something, that "there is light in creation," that "mission is not sustainable if its always about destroying something else." So in that spirit, join us to share some joy and celebrate how UUs have endeavored to create for justice!
This awards ceremony promotes and advances UU values in these challenging times by highlighting service and advocacy for social justice.
All proceeds support UUSJ's mission and work to build a UU movement for federal engagement.
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As part of our ongoing commitment to the activists who are interrupting gun violence on the streets of our cities, we are saddened yet honored to memorialize the names of those in our area lost to gun violence over the last week. These lives continue to matter: Baltimore: Ronald Morgan Jr. and one unidentified person. Edgewood: Obrien Butler. District of Columbia: Malik Bullock, Sharon Robinson, Deandre Johnson, Angela White-Hooks, Juwan Smith, and Rickisha Waller-Henderson. Glen Burnie: Gene Fayga Martin. Hagerstown: one unidentified person. Linkwood: Douglas Washington McKnight. Pasadena: one unidentified person. Temple Hills: Abinadab Flowers. Every life lost to gun violence shatters the world for each of us, and every life saved by those who interrupt the violence helps knit us back together.
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Virtual Alliance of Cedar Lane, Thurs., Nov. 11, 12:30pm: Adriane Brown, Immigrant Experiences
In this month's virtual luncheon program, the speaker will be Adriane Brown, author of The Cafe on Dream Street, in conversation with Roger Santodomingo. Adriane received first prize for her novel in the Maryland Writers’ Association 2021 competition in the mainstream/literary fiction category. She is a long-time political activist and teacher who taught for many years in both California and the Montgomery County, Maryland, public school system. As a school teacher, she personally witnessed the heartbreak that occurs when a family member is deported and the palpable fear with which immigrant families live daily. Her experiences became the basis for this novel that focuses on the social and political dynamics of immigration and the communities in which immigrants live. Roger is a recently elected member of the Cedar Lane Board of Trustees. After publishing the unauthorized biography of Venezuelan de facto ruler Nicolas Maduro in 2013, he came to the US and applied for asylum. His 30 years of professional experience includes TV, radio, and printed and online journalism.
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Voices From the Holy Land: Online Film Salon, Sun., Nov. 14, 3pm
Voices from the Holy Land, in conjunction with Independent Jewish Voices – Canada and Jewish Voice for Peace (USA), invites you to our nineteenth monthly Online Film Salon to be held on Sun., Nov. 14 at 3pm. Participants will discuss the award-winning documentary 1948: Creation and Catastrophe. Please watch these films at your convenience and then join us for the online Q&A discussion. Click here to register and learn more. After registering, you will receive the film link and a Zoom invitation for the online discussion.
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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 connections@rruuc.org | www.rruuc.org
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