River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
To grow and deepen in Community, Spirit, and Service
eWeekly
June 23-30, 2022
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Our Summer Worship Series is almost here!
This July, we will be "Preaching Along the Potomac" with our Potomac Partnership Congregations (Cedar Lane and Fairfax) as well as All Souls DC and Arlington. All July services will start at 10:30am and we will host weekly watch parties right here at River Road. Sleep an extra half hour and then join us to stream our friends' services! Rev. Nancy will preach live from our sanctuary on July 17.
First up:
Join River Road friends for a watch party of the July 3 service at 10:30am, hosted by Bailey Whiteman and streaming live from the sanctuary at All Souls church. July 3 is the only Sunday in July when we will not have childcare available during the watch party.
Join our hosts:
All Souls will be welcoming all who are masked and vaccinated to join in the music making on Sun., July 3. A super pickup choir will rehearse that morning starting at 9am and will be accompanied by an amazing band and soloists. Please join in, even if you are not a regular part of the music ministry at your home congregation!
RE children K and up are invited to The Spiritual Practice of Juggling. Join local juggler, Daniel Riker, as we experience the world of juggling. Juggling scarves provided but bring your own juggling supplies and passions if you have them.
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Notices & Online Ministry Offerings |
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Action in Montgomery (AIM) State Candidate Actions
With the 2022 mid-term elections less than six months away, AIM and its’ sister organizations around Maryland have been holding Candidate Actions. All of the events are available in person and via Zoom.
AIM’s issue agenda going into the elections was developed by listening to more than 2,000 people over the past six months. The overwhelming needs identified are affordable housing, equity in education, equity in healthcare, and climate change. Questions focusing on this agenda will be asked of all the candidates taking part in the Actions. Not only does AIM want specific commitments from the candidates on these issues, but AIM and her sister organizations in neighboring counties will hold the candidates accountable for promises made during their campaigns if they are elected.
Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller Candidates Actions:
TONIGHT, Thurs., June 23, 7:00-8:30pm, Ark and Dove Presbyterian Church, Odenton
Click below to register for either in-person or Zoom, and be sure to check off AIM.
Remember, AIM achieves power through its people.
Liz Purcell, Chair, RRUUC AIM Core Team
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UU Wellspring 2022-23 Registration Open
UU Wellspring registration for the fall is open! UU Wellspring is a 10-month, spiritual deepening, small group style program. It includes two sessions per month from September to May and a commitment to working on a daily spiritual practice.
- The Sources curriculum that meets Sundays at 1pm explores our UU Sources and is for those who haven't taken Wellspring in the past. It will be in person at RRUUC as COVID rates allow.
- UU Wellspring Sources registration
- Sacred Arts, that meets Wednesday evenings, explores the spirituality of many art forms. This group will be virtual only.
- UU Wellspring Sacred Arts registration
- Spiritual Ancestors is Wellspring's newest curriculum. It explores our spiritual histories and those who've inspired it. This group will meet in person (as COVID allows) on Wednesday afternoons.
- UU Wellspring Spiritual Ancestors registration
Spiritual Ancestors and Sacred Arts are for those who've already taken Sources. Questions? Email Beth Irikura.
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Get Involved with RRUUC Membership!
- Do you have big ideas about how we can bring new faces to Sunday worship?
- Do you want to make it easier to get involved in our congregation?
- Do you love meeting new people?
Join the River Road membership team! We're recruiting volunteers to plan exciting events and make new congregational traditions. Contact Natalie Schall to get on the mailing list for announcements about upcoming meetings and ways you can get involved.
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Pedalheads
This summer we're pleased to welcome Pedalheads summer camp to our grounds! They're a new renter that will be using the lower two parking lots from 9-4pm on weekdays to teach kids to bike, so if you stop by the building during that span please plan to use a side lot if you need to park. Thank you for your flexibility.
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Teach Religious Education Classes in 2022-23
Join us in spreading the joy of being a UU to our youngest generation! Helping children grow in their faith impacts your own faith journey, too. There are many opportunities beginning next fall, with differing levels of commitment and many different ages to inspire. Spending time with kids and youth keeps you young! Contact Beth Irikura or Laura Piervincenzi to talk about options.
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Unexpected Stage is happy to be returning to RRUUC for their summer production, a new play from Keith Powell called "Sophisticated New Ones," and as in the past, they are extending a special discount to the RRUUC community.
Regularly priced tickets run from $12.50-$37.50, depending upon the date of the performance, and RRUUC members will receive an extra $5 off per ticket with the code "RRUUC."
"Sophisticated New Ones" will be running June 15-July 3, in-person and virtually. Tickets and info at unexpectedstage.org or 301-337-8290.
Proof of vaccination will be required for admission to the theater.
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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:
July 15: Share comments about books you've read outside the River Road Book Group
August 19: Read any book by Louise Erdrich and share your comments about it
September 16: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim MIchele Richardson
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Support our monthly Extend the Offering partner!
This month, we are partnering for the first time with Peace of Mind, Inc. Peace of Mind is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. It is passionate about supporting educators who are teaching mindfulness-based social and emotional learning to elementary and middle school students.
Please support Peace of Mind throughout the month of June by making online contributions (select "Extend the Offering") or by making check donations to RRUUC (designate Peace of Mind). |
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Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon
On Sun., June 26, join “The Palestinian Experience: Five Short Films & Discussion,” held on Zoom, Sun., June 26, starting at 10:45am. Two Palestinian panelists will take your Chat Box questions. Register at tinyurl.com/UUJME-June26. Hosted by UUs for Justice in the Middle East and Voices from the Holy Land.
Panelists:
Zainab Ramahi - Palestinian Kashmiri writer, human rights activist, and attorney working in San Francisco.
Jehad Abusalim - Education and Policy Associate, Palestine Activism Program, American Friends Service Committee Chicago
Abstracts:
“I Want the World to Know” 2:18 min. (We Are Not Numbers). Upbeat, youthful, celebration about all that is good in Gaza today.
“The Cost of Just Trying to Fish,” 3:34 min. (We Are Not Numbers). A fisherman and his family suffer from Israeli state violence.
“Black Lives Matter,” 2:00 min. (We Are Not Numbers). Gazan art as nonviolent resistance, connecting the U.S. BLM Movement with the struggle for human rights and liberation in Palestine.
“Settlers Wrecking a Picnic” 1:06 min. (TRT World). Cell phone video of a Palestinian family’s picnic interrupted by Zionist settlers who force them to leave Palestinian land. The Palestinians in this video are, themselves, citizens of Israel.
“Linda Sarsour at UMass,” 15:32 min. (NotBackingDown). Sarsour is a Palestinian-American political activist; co-founder of MPower Change, the largest Muslim-led social and racial justice organization in the nation; and co-chaired the first Women’s March in 2017. UU Service Committee presented Linda Sarsour with the 2017 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 2017.
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Actions4Justice Environmental Voter Project
12,000,000 environmentalists don’t vote in federal elections, and even more skip midterms.
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News from Fiatfalva, RRUUC's Partner Church in Transylvania
If you are interested in meeting Rev. József Szombatfalvi, the minister in the Fiatfalva church, the Partner Church Committee is planning a video call with him on Sat., July 9 at 10:00am, via Zoom. In addition to sharing news with each other, we will be discussing the impact of the war in Ukraine on conditions in Transylvania, and how the Fiatfalva church has helped the RRUUC community direct funds to support relief for Ukrainian refugees. Email partnerchurch@rruuc.org for more details and a Zoom link!
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Lost to Gun Violence
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 two weeks. These lives continue to matter:
Baltimore: Bernard Jackson II, Kristy Helmert, Dwaine Edwards, Darrell Fulton, Curtis Jones, William Christian, Ryan Harris, Davon Battle, Travis Johnson, and three names not released. District of Columbia: Terrell Gerald Johnson, Israel Minger, Dimaris Smith, Deandre Coleman, Israel Mattocks, Xavier Spruill, and Alphonzo Jones. District Heights: Daniel James Harris. Dunkirk: Tyree Tashawn Richardson. Pittsville: Glenn Hilliard. 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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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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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 news@rruuc.org | www.rruuc.org
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