“Faith Matters” blog

Jun. 17, 2019. By Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine. This is my last blog for UUCF. While we’ve known since very early in the congregational year that 2018-19 would be the end of my time at UUCF, it still feels like it has gone so quickly. We started some good work here together and I’m very proud to have been the assistant minister for this wonderful congregation. You have helped shape my journey and allowed me to use my skills in ministry with your blessings - including ordination, something I worked toward with 3 years in seminary, 1 year in residence as a hospital chaplain, 1 year working in ministry while creating a packet to summarize everything I’ve done since starting the path and culminating in an interview with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee in Boston. Your love and support affirm a calling that means I dedicate myself to deep connection to both the peak and valley experiences of humanity. By giving myself to this work, I am not allowing myself to shy away from all that is our world and our doing. I am promising to call those around me back to our, as Howard Thurman writes, High Resolve. It can be exhausting work. It is easy to be tempted to turn away and distract oneself from the truth, be it positive or negative as even growth toward our best selves means struggle. In moments of doubt, I am able to include the soul-lifting day of ordination and the subtle moments of pastoral care conversations in the encouragement to continue on this path. On Sunday, I’ll preach my last sermon as UUCF’s assistant minister. With the monthly theme of beauty in mind, I plan to highlight all the beauty found within this community. How you care for each other by volunteering to bring meals or give rides to those in need. How you give time and talent teaching our young ones. The ways that learning to hone active listening as part of the Pastoral Care Associates means you hold space when people are in times of stress. There is so much to love about this place, and so much to build on as you continue to practice the Beloved Community here. Thank you, UUCF, for the time and care you have given me these last 2 years.

May 13, 2019. By Youth Ministry Coordinator Courtney Firth. When I was 13, I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterians usually baptize babies, but this one vestige of my mother’s Southern Baptist roots held on so that I could make the choice on my own at an appropriate time. So I spent a year with another church member who talked about my faith with me, helped me memorize the Apostles’ Creed and generally prepared me for life as a fully fledged Christian. In Oklahoma, Presbyterians were considered generally more liberal than the Baptists down the street. And while I was able to think for myself and choose what to believe, there was definitely a level of indoctrination into a world where everyone believes in God, the Trinity and, in a less preachy way, being saved. When looking back at the time, I think I chose to go through it, partly to make my parents proud and the rest for the attention I would get doing it. (All of my peers had already been baptized.) Eternal salvation and knowing that I would be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven? Meh. The Coming of Age program here at UUCF is somewhat similar to what I did in PCUSA. But instead of a baptism at the end, the youth are asked to present their credos and share the beliefs they have formed throughout the 7th-grade year. They have worked hard to form their ideas, ideals and faith during one of the most trying times in a young person’s life. The results are always full of hope, joy and the promise of a denomination continuing on a path of true community. As many UU congregations struggle to find a path in a changing and unpredictable world, seeing the potential of our faith in the faces of these youth is a remarkable exercise in hope. I urge you to attend the services this Sunday, not for eternal salvation, not because the youth are “so cute” to stand up in front of the congregation and speak, and not even because the words they speak are so profound that we might all be “saved.” Instead, come and welcome them into being fully fledged members of the community with the thoughts, ideals and hurts we all have. As UUs, we may not have a memorized creed to live by, but lifting up the humanity of all of our community seems to me to be creed enough.

Apr. 15, 2019. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. When I breathe in, I breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I breathe out love. Hymn #1009 “Meditation on Breathing.” Some days I sit in my office at UUCF and watch the emails stack up in my inbox and I think, just breathe David, just breathe. This continues if I go on Facebook, or look at the news or think about all the information going in and out of my head on a minute-by-minute basis. The rate of information in this world is dizzying and sometimes it is important for us just to stop and breathe in and breathe out. I was thinking about how different the flow of life and information must be from the early days of this congregation in the 1950s. There was no Thursday congregational email, no Facebook page, no website. There were no cell phones, texting or cable TV. Even copiers weren’t commercially available until the late 1950s. The rate of change and the flow of information about programs or activities were completely different both in pace and methods of delivery. As things are now - the rate of change, the flow of information and our capacity to hold it at any given point on any given day - can certainly be a challenge. There are lots of “experts” who will tell you a lot more than I can about how to cope with all of this, but here is one simple suggestion: Breathe. And yes, in some ways I mean that metaphorically and in other ways I mean it physically. In an article titled, “Relaxation Techniques: Breath Control Helps Quell Errant Stress Response,” folks from Harvard Medical School talk about the benefits of deep breathing: “Breath focus is a common feature of several techniques that evoke the relaxation response. The first step is learning to breathe deeply. Deep breathing also goes by the names of diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing and paced respiration. When you breathe deeply, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs, and the lower belly rises.” It goes on to say, “Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange - that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, it can slow the heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure.” We all need to take a little time from the endless stream of data that gets input to our personal computers. Go for a walk, notice our surroundings, enjoy the newfound buds of spring. Read a poem. Sit quietly. Sip a nice cup of tea on a cool day. Yes, the pace of things has changed and is probably only going to increase as enabled by technology. Thankfully, in addition to breathing, there is one thing we can still control when it comes to all of our electronic gadgets: We still control the on/off switch.

Apr. 1, 2019. By Director of Music & Arts Laura Weiss. While working on my master’s degree, my professor and I met each week after he observed me directing the choir. He was beloved by his students, and his mentorship was invaluable to me. One week, he quietly asked me if I ever made audio recordings of my rehearsals. I expressed that I had and that I listened dutifully each week to the choir’s tone on the playback to assess how to improve the group’s sound. My professor leaned back and cautiously asked if I had ever listened to myself on the track. I was sure that I had, I replied. He asked me to record the rehearsals for the next few weeks and write about what I heard. At first, I didn’t understand. I didn’t hear anything especially interesting (though, oh my gosh, is it humbling to listen to yourself singing warm-ups!) so I returned to my mentor confused. He encouraged me to go back to the recording one last time and listen deeply. Later that week, I was driving in my car, listening to the same recording for about the fifth time, and my stomach dropped. In the car that afternoon, I heard a new voice: the voice of my father. Once I made this connection, it was as if I was hearing the recording for the first time. When I approached a topic or area that made me uncomfortable, I would puff up my voice. I would change my tone at the end of sentences to indicate that I was in the position of authority and I would make statements that implied that the learners should rise to my level of wisdom if they weren’t already there. I said things like, “You know what I mean” and “Right?” as if the choir members should already agree with me or understand. The number of condescending phrases far outweighed the humble ones and I realized my father had often used this tactic whenever he felt uncomfortable or out of his element. I was so embarrassed. Here I was attempting to teach them authenticity and my example was showing them the opposite. Even simple phrases have impact. The way our voices rise or fall can have lasting effects on the self-esteem or sense of self-worth in others. I was crestfallen to think of how many youngsters - or adults for that matter - had been wounded by my voice, and yet my professor reminded me that we can’t change where we have been. My new responsibility was to work to heal a deep wound that had most likely existed in my family for generations. I will never forget this lesson, and Pippin Whitaker’s Mar. 24 sermon reminded me of the importance of uncovering the wounds that live in our bodies. I have since pledged to work to have a voice of healing. I want to use the power of my voice to help others find theirs. I want to work to center those individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have a voice. What an amazing world it will be when we learn to use our collective talents to empower others, not to strip down or demean. This month, I couldn’t be more proud of the collective of empowering voices in this community. Whether the voice is through fingers on instruments, songs in a choir or testimony through the visual arts, our program is living this vision. On Apr. 7, we will center women’s artistic voices on Empowering Women and Creativity Day. That Sunday, we welcome women from all over the DMV to share how art has shaped their spiritual practices, and after both worship services, these women will participate in a large arts sale in the Commons. On Apr. 27, we center UUs of color for our “Voices” concert series, centering racial justice in part to fulfill our pledge for the Promise and the Practice of Our Faith campaign for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. And on May 4, we raise money for victims of school gun violence as we sing Gabriel Fauré's “Requiem” along with voices from All Souls, the Arlington UU choir and children from Temple Rodef Shalom. Lastly, we center LGBTQ voices for Reston Pride on Jun. 1. I am proud to be part of this community and to participate in this amazing work. How will you use your voice?

Mar. 18, 2019. By Terry Goplerud and Dave Wiemer, UUCF Generosity Team co-chairs. If you’ve been a member of UUCF for a while, you know that each March, everyone in the congregation is asked to renew their annual pledge. There is usually a theme, a brochure, a banner, posters, sometimes videos and many talks from the pulpit by various people imploring us to make or increase our pledge and to turn in our pledge cards. It involves lots of volunteer and staff time and usually culminates in further staff and volunteer time tracking down missing pledges. Not this year. This year marks the beginning of a new approach to pledging at UUCF. One that benefits the members of the congregation and improves congregational operations. We hope you’ll agree that this approach saves everyone time and money, is more efficient and just makes a lot of sense. Starting this year, the pledge you make will be considered an ongoing pledge. You will not be asked to renew your pledge or to sign a new pledge card every year. In fact, there will be NO pledge cards! (We’ll get to that in a minute.) Of course, you can always increase, decrease or stop your pledge any time you wish. But, unless direct action is taken, your pledge will be just that: your pledge - and it will keep on going. Also starting this year, pledges will be recorded online, through our website and through Realm, our member database. There’s NO pledge card to fill out. Instructions are included in your packet or on the website at uucf.org/agc. If you couldn’t pick up your packet at services yesterday, it will be mailed to you. When you make your pledge online, you will be asked to consider having your pledge increase automatically each year by any percent you choose. How easy is that?! With a consistent level of funding, the UUCF budgeting process will be easier and more predictable. Without the need for brochures, themes and pledge cards, staff and volunteer time will be freed. We members and pledging friends benefit by not spending so much worship time with the annual pledge drive. What a relief! More time can be spent on what we’re here to do: transform ourselves, our community and the world through acts of love and justice. Our pledges fund our mission and give us the foundation on which to grow. All our programs and activities rely on our commitment to this beloved community. This foundation needs to be strong enough to fund normal congregational operations, and also provide for long-overdue staff raises and to build a reserve for building maintenance. It’s naïve to think that this approach will eliminate all future requests for additional funds. But, we aim to target those appeals to specific causes, and only as necessary. For this to work, each of us needs to be as generous as we can. We are being trusted to provide a sustaining level of support that moves our UU mission forward. We ARE UUCF. We can ask ourselves: Am I doing all I can? Can I demonstrate my love and dedication for this faith community by making a generous, sustaining gift? We hope that you will take this trust seriously and make a generous pledge. In the end, it’s up to all of us to make this The Last Campaign.

Mar. 4, 2019. By Lay Minister for Worship & Arts Susan Bennett. In these increasingly anxious and troubling times, I find myself returning regularly to the need for grounding and self-nurturance. It’s important not just for me but also as a path to being of service to others. I first learned this lesson long ago when I was a mother of young children. As the spiral of life unfolds, I return again and again to this lesson. I simply am no good for others unless I take care of my own spiritual needs. And even though I know that to be true, it’s so easy to be overtaken by the great need that exists everywhere around me and suddenly find myself careening toward burnout. Perhaps it is the same for you. The recognition of this need for grounding and spiritual sustenance is always on the minds of the Worship Team as it aims to create meaningful and uplifting worship at UUCF. Team members consider the splendid diversity of our world and our UUCF community and it makes us acutely aware of the need for all of us to move beyond our comfort zones and seek ever-expanding ways of welcoming all into the circle of our community. What helps me stay spiritually grounded may not work for you and what feeds your spirit may not resonate with the person sitting next to you at a worship service. Our racial and ethnic identities are not the same, our cultural heritages differ and our gender identities no longer fit into an either/or box (if they ever did!). In response to this diverse landscape, members of the Worship Team (the ministers, the director of Religious Exploration, the director of Music & Arts and the lay worship associates) perpetually ask ourselves: How can we serve the community in a more expansive way? Our latest answer to this question is to experiment with a once-a-month Friday night worship experience. Our vision for this new offering is to provide an additional opportunity for worship where we can explore new ways of being together. We began in January with Bedtime Star-ies, where folks were invited to come in their jammies and enjoy an exploration of the stars through words, music and videos, preceded by a potluck dinner. In February, we collaborated with the Pastoral Care Team to offer the Healing Service. Our next Friday night service will be Mar. 15. More information on this service will be announced in the Thursday email. We will continue these services through the spring, take a break over the summer and restart in October. For now, you can expect each one to be different from the others. Some will have potlucks, some won’t. This will give us an opportunity to explore together what is possible when we expand our vision of worship as we seek to build community and offer welcome to all. I hope you will try out this new offering and find it helps you stay spiritually centered in these challenging times. As always, the Worship Team welcomes your thoughts, so feel free to contact me at any time!

Feb. 18, 2019. By Lay Minister for Membership & Outreach Shannon Williams. The night of “The Vagina Monologues,” the UUCF campus thrummed with energy. A full house, songs by the unstoppable Nikki Ames to get our engines going, then one voice after another telling the shared story. The show satisfied, troubled, expanded, inspired. We all could have walked out afterward fulfilled by the experience. But most of us didn’t walk out. We paused, lingering by the snack table and makeshift bar. I watched in awe as our Commons, packed with members, friends and neighbors, bloomed to life. The sight thrilled my heart. The space transformed from a room with folding tables to a swirling, buzzing, breathing body. Members of our congregation engaged in vibrant conversation with people who had just stepped into our Sanctuary for the first time. Performers with shining faces received hugs from friends and praise from audience members. Our congregational home became a living organism embodying celebration, art and welcome. While a good party livens things up, something more fundamental than a festive atmosphere is at work here. The essential, life-giving moment can take on different shapes. Last week, our campus embodied welcome in one of its other forms. The Hypothermia Prevention Program, coordinated by the unstoppable Jeff Snyder alongside FACETS and other area churches, sheltered guests from around Northern Virginia. The skies have been rough on our region lately, and the vulnerable in our community feel it most. Over 40 guests per night stayed in the Program Building. Although we hope every year will be the last we have to do this, it is good that UUCF is able to fill this need. Projects like “The Vagina Monologues” and Hypothermia Prevention are immense. They have a dizzying array of moving parts that require skilled oversight. Because of this, it’s easy for many of us to feel like a contribution of any significance is out of reach. Maybe we believe our part in it, so immeasurably tiny, doesn’t really matter. That we are interchangeable, replaceable. As motivation runs dry, we may tell ourselves that socializing feels tedious, small talk superficial and the volunteerism Sisyphean. We may convince ourselves that attending or streaming Sunday services is all of UUCF we can handle, and even that is a stretch. Of course, it is necessary to take time to rest and create comfort in these stretched lives. I hope you know that you are held and loved even when you need to draw the blankets around yourself and stay in. I also hope you’ll remember that you feed the spirit and fulfill UUCF’s mission simply by showing up. What has really struck me these past couple of weeks is that while the grand endeavors get top billing, the little gestures live at the heart of what we do. Volunteers that helped turn the post-performance Commons into a place of vibrant energy share spirit and heart with those who help shelter our homeless neighbors. When a UUCF congregant crosses the Commons to greet a new face, the spirit awakens. When a UUCFer warmly invites a hypothermia guest into the shelter store to track down a decent blazer for a job interview, the spirit grows stronger. This is all spiritual work. I am immensely grateful to my fellow congregants for every small act. For turning toward the person who looks uncertain, for helping sign in guests or making a tray of sandwiches or inviting a friend to join you for a special worship service. For using the Realm database to send a note to someone you haven’t seen in a while. For simply showing up. Each of these “small acts” helps transform UUCF into the place it is meant to be. You help us all grow and flourish. You expand our reach and clear the way for others who need this place, who need us and who need you. Please remember: To serve, you don’t need to know everything going on in our bustling congregation. In fact, you don’t need to know even a fraction of it. We have Spiritual Docents who are trained to help folks find their way. The docent program connects congregants with informal guidance around their spiritual journey, sense of belonging and service. You may come across people who are trying to articulate their questions and interests (or you may be seeking your next steps in the congregation!). Keep the Spiritual Docents in mind, and take the risk of opening toward connection even if you - like so many of us - still feel new here yourself. In the coming weeks, all kinds of activities populate the UUCF calendar. We have opportunities to invite neighbors from communities beyond our campus to connect and celebrate with us. LoveFEST on Sat., Feb. 23; the annual Auction on Sat., Mar. 2; and the ReelAbilities Film Festival on Wed., Mar. 13. (just to name a few). I encourage you to find a way to participate. This can mean volunteering, spreading the word to friends or bringing a neighbor with you. Or it can mean simply arriving, exactly as you are. In all the tiny and marvelous ways, let’s keep coming together. Let’s keep creating a faith community where welcome takes on many forms and the spirit grows bright among us.

Feb. 4, 2019. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. A week ago, we held a conference at UUCF that was motivated in part by the struggle Unitarian Universalist congregations have been having with the use of the words “white supremacy” in relation to the cultural systems in which we in the U.S. swim. It has been a difficult subject in our congregations and in the country, but it reflects the inherent privilege built into the culture of this country before and since the U.S. Constitution codified it in Article 1, Section 2: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States, which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.” Now we face one more in an endless series of examples of how this original sin of racism still infects us: the revelation of racist photos in the Virginia governor’s medical school yearbook. This is just another instance of white maleness being able to operate with impunity throughout most of history. Whether it’s racist pictures or the sexual assault of young women by young men from elite religious schools, systems of white supremacy that preference and excuse these behaviors are now finding their way into the public consciousness with some new hope of accountability and change. There is no quick-fix medicine for this illness, no pill we can take that will wipe the infection from our lives. This is a long-term struggle against an insidious disease. I still believe one of the more useful treatments for this disease can be the practice of the Unitarian Universalist faith - a faith that calls us into right relationship with what is in us, between us and beyond us. This is no easy task. It is difficult. We will fail. We will fall prey to the perils of anger and frustration. We will not always be our best selves. That is why it is a practice, and why this nation must also practice being its best self, called into relationships of mutual support and accountability. Each time a racist incident comes to light, there will be statements that reek of hypocrisy and political gamesmanship. If we practice what we preach, we will reflect on our reactions, live our faith to the best of our ability and do what we can to hold each other accountable as we work for relationships steeped in justice, equality, respect and dignity.

Jan. 21, 2019. By Young Adult Community Leader Tyler Coles. I will never forget the moment I was first asked, “What does liberation feel like?” It was a soggy, humid morning following a long night of dancing and laughing around a bonfire at the Highlander Center with other black and brown organizers from across the South. As many of us awoke late, missing breakfast, we slowly shuffled our way into the main hall with mugs of coffee and tea in hand to join others already assembled for the opening session. Like previous mornings we began with singing “I woke up this morning with my mind/Stayed on freedom,” followed by a few announcements and housekeeping items. And then it came: “What does liberation feel like?” As those around me entered into a moment of deep reflection I found myself completely stumped. I sat there, nervously fidgeting in one of the center’s rocking chairs as my eyes darted back and forth across the room in hopes of locating an answer. As I gazed over the faces of those who sat across from me, my eyes settled on a black and white image of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others as they took part in a weekend training at the very same center where I found myself. In that moment, all the things I had read about King’s envisioning of the Beloved Community came rushing to my attention. In “Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom,” King wrote, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require qualitative change in our souls as well as quantitative change in our lives.” In other words, if we want to get real about justice-making or cultivating the Beloved Community in the here and now, we must each make an external and internal change to do so. This not only requires us to identify the systemic and interpersonal things that prevent us from being free - and going about doing something different - it also invites us to dream into existence what it will be like to be free. And just not in some theoretical sense but in one that is fully embodied in a touch, taste, see, hear and smell kind of way. In the urgency of the now, this embodied sense of freedom serves as both a balm to our weary spirits and as a guide for our collective journey onward. An embodied sense of freedom, one in which we know the feeling of a welcomed embrace and the taste of sweet water, supports us along the collective journey when the going gets tough. In describing this aspect of King’s legacy and justice-making, Grace Lee Boggs wrote in “The Beloved Community of Martin Luther King,” “This is what true revolutions are about. They are about redefining our relationships with one another, to the Earth and to the world; about creating a new society in the places and spaces left vacant by the disintegration of the old; about hope, not despair; about saying yes to life and no to war; about finding the courage to love and care for the peoples of the world as we love and care for our own families. King's revolutionary vision is about each of us becoming the change we want to see in the world.” Ultimately, this embodied sense of freedom, in its fleshy ways, reminds us that the Beloved Community is both already at hand in what we are doing and soon to come in what we are collectively working toward. On this Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, I invite you to join me in this prayer: Spirit of Life, God of the In-breaking, Empower us to respond to the beckoning call of freedom in the here and now. May this freedom stir within us so we might know it in the fleshy ways of dancing around a bonfire, in the taste of sweet water, in the hearing of a beautiful song, and in feeling the welcomed embrace of a beloved. And in so doing, may we know this is the work we have been called to cultivate, because feeling free is a part of getting free. Ase, So Be It and Amen.

Jan. 7, 2019. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. It’s nice to have a little time off for reflection and this holiday season provided a little time. I often reflect about the role of UUCF in these times. What is our role? What is the best way for us to be an engaged community of faith? How can we provide spiritual and actual support for those in need? What is business as usual in these turbulent times? What shouldn’t be business as usual anymore? How do we use the resources of the congregation to meet the many competing needs, wants, preferences and desires? All of these questions are considered in different ways at UUCF, including by our leadership, both professional and lay, and it makes me think about what congregational leadership means in today’s world. Of course, leadership is an entire field of study, but for us leadership isn’t about party politics or serving some constituency, leadership has to be seen through the lens of what we are - a religious/spiritual organization. Why is leadership of our congregation a spiritual practice? In his book, “Serving with Grace,” Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom says, “Church leadership is a spiritual practice because the church is a spiritual institution. Churches are not small businesses, no matter how much they resemble them in some respects. And while it may be useful to think about them in these ways at times, it is vitally important to remember that they are also not social service agencies, schools or theaters. Our congregations are spiritual communities. Therefore, they should maximize their opportunities to see with spiritual eyes. At their best, churches can be - perhaps should be - a kind of spiritual total immersion environment. And just as total immersion language programs make no distinction between classroom time and non-classroom time, so too, congregations can avoid distinguishing between spiritual and non-spiritual things. From the pastoral prayer to the passage of a policy it's all a school of the soul.” This is an important thing to remember as we head into what is bound to be another year filled with political turbulence, a shifting religious landscape and endless opportunities for personal and organizational transformation. We are adding additional opportunities for worship. We have increased the number of covenant groups. We are providing new ways to connect through music and the arts. We will continue to engage in acts of justice, witness, service and advocacy. We will continue to provide quality Religious Exploration. As challenging as it sometimes seems, I invite us all to view this congregation, above all, as a place of spiritual sustenance with many different ways for us to stay connected to what is in us, what is between us and what is beyond us.

Dec. 17, 2018. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. I recently sat on a beach contemplating the sand. So many varied forms of life and earth - spectacular shells, sturdy bones, even mighty boulders transformed into fragments of sand. The sand is a unified form of these varied creatures and stones. It has beauty, yet each of its elements has a story, a unique and vital history that brought it there. The sand is symbolic of our shared fate. We all eventually return to the earth and the stars. If our fates are ultimately tied to unity, what's the rush? For me, the mystery, the wonder and the beauty of existence lies in what happens before the crush of unity. What does nature’s lesson have to do with our community? A couple weeks ago, I facilitated a documentary showing and discussion about the 1969 walkout and Black empowerment tragedy in Unitarian Universalism (watch the documentary free). In the middle of this tragedy sat the Black UU Caucus, which called for a space for Black UUs to have autonomy to develop their mission within Unitarian Universalism. So many of the arguments against this were about white UUs wanting to know what the Black Caucus was doing, and wanting control over it. This was also in an era of national emphasis on color-blindness – everyone being the same. But color-blindness and control are about a special kind of unity – one in which those with power choose what unity looks like. Those who don’t fit the ideal of unity are demoralized. Tragically, the movement for Black empowerment was dismantled by a lack of institutional support. Yet, despite this challenging history, here we are in 2018 with a vibrant opportunity through groups like Black Lives UU and people of color leading throughout the denomination. We are finally poised to live into our values around racial equity and diversity. Part of living into this means examining structures of white supremacy embedded in our lives and exploring our personal racial and ethnic identities. This is all about expanding differences - every one of us brings unique racial and cultural identities, histories and perspectives to our faith. As we grow into new ways of engaging around race, let us keep nature’s lesson in mind: Don’t rush to unity; there is wonder in difference. When you encounter a different history, a different cultural or racial perspective, I invite you not to rush to know all the details, not to break it all down into little bits of common human experience. Of course we share similarities - we are all human! Instead of rushing to unity, I invite you to witness difference with awe, and ask what is now possible because you are in relationship with someone who brings a different history or perspective. Perhaps they can grow, perhaps you can, perhaps we all will. Blessings on our shared journey and on our many different paths.

Nov. 12, 2018. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. I write this blog in the wake of yet another mass shooting. I fear this will not be the last time I write such words. A colleague recently asked on a Facebook group, “When is it appropriate to gather in community and scream?” I'm thinking … "Now!" But how do we do this? What is the communal scream that I hope to express? It is not the angry cry for battle, nor the desperate cry for help. I cannot help but think of the sounds of labor. Before having my first child, I sat in a childbirth class and saw videos of how in the '50s (it may have been another decade), women had learned to go into childbirth smiling and never making a sound just so they could avoid being knocked out by harsh general anesthesia. You see, women's labor pains were interpreted as annoying - a call for help, a sign of weakness and a thing to be taken away from them. I am not saying women should go through labor pain to claim their power. Not at all. I am saying that there is a power in outcry that must never be silenced. In my own labor, I noticed that I could be quiet and act like it wasn't hurting. I could appear tough. But that took away a power inside me. I did not want my cry/scream/yell to be interpreted as a call for help. It was not. Nor was it anger or quite agony either. It was a call of pain that calls forth the other side of agony. A demand of the universe that there be life and beauty on the other side of this pain. A demand that my force of creation be held in this world in my arms. It was a uniting of my body, by breath, my sound, my mind, my heart with the singular act of defying the facts of the physical moment in order to create. The outcry then was simultaneously an expression of brutal fact (pain), a call to inner unity of intention and a call to everyone and anyone that announced my demands for creation. Childbirth is different from the moment we are in. And we have no way of knowing how many more shootings, hate crimes, violations of identity rights, denials of asylum and other pain we will have to bear. But labor's outcry is the closest thing I can imagine to the outcry I need right now. So, if you hear me uttering strong words that sound sad or angry, please know that it is an outcry that simultaneously expresses the brutal facts (anger, loss), that calls us to inner unity of intention and that announces to everyone and anyone the demand for a compassionate and just world. Let us not be silenced into polite pain. Let us cry out when we need to, calling on our deepest intentions with every fiber of our being and demanding a world that promotes love and justice for all.

Making Sanctuary for Future Generations. Oct. 29, 2018. By Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine. The lens through which we interact with one another is the essence of UUCF. It is the Heart of Our Promise. Some of you may remember this phrase from Ingathering or the banners around campus. As October draws to a close and we end our theme of Sanctuary, it seems the perfect time to revisit this nebulous thing - this program that’s not quite a program but more of a way of thinking and being that we talked about at Ingathering. Hopefully, it will be useful as we reflect on the kind of legacy and blessing we want to offer our future people. The Heart of Our Promise is rooted in the offerings of our spiritual and familial ancestors - their struggle for our ability to be in this community with all our various thexlogies* and backgrounds. It’s the sanctuary we prepare to be, that we recognize through this place and our relationships, that which is beyond and within ourselves. The Heart of Our Promise is our offering to the generations to come. The foundations on which they will live in Beloved Community, and they will live in Beloved Community, Amen? The Heart of Our Promise aims to create Beloved Community where houses of worship are free of fear and filled with love. It creates and imagines a place and time where disagreement is a healthy part of life that builds strength and deeper understanding, and is not fuel for rancor or division. There is a question that gets asked of us repeatedly here when we first visit a congregation, when we share our stories in services or during the Annual Giving Campaign: Why do we come here? When we don’t feel it is necessary for our salvation to be in this building at this time, what draws us to be in sacred space anyway? There’s something different about the way we are here from how we are in any other place. We are in deep time here. Sure, we watch the clock if we have kids in RE or have an appointment to get to, but we are in deep time when we come to services. We are in relationship with our ancestors and our distant descendants while we touch into our faith together. That is deep time, not linear or isolated. It’s timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly - interconnected and intentionally interactive with the entire arc of our existence. If you can notice that shift, be it in how you listen, how you feel in your body, how you lower the guard that can be required to move through this world of uncertainty. That shift is when you are living the Heart of Our Promise. It might be doing the dishes for a community that held you through a divorce or the death of a loved one. Or teaching children who have more freedom to imagine a world of peace and fantastic possibility. It’s not the same as hope, because we come here even when we feel hopeless and there’s no magic wand that can get us out of that hole sometimes, but it might include hope. The Heart of Our Promise calls us to take one more breath, to do the next right thing, to keep on moving forward even if we won’t see the fruits of our labor in this lifetime. This persistence in the face of the siren song of fear, isolation and hurried lives requires being present and aware of the preparation you make to be the sanctuary you are. This presence brings the ability to find a stillness or a righteous roar. It’s bigger than Sunday services. It goes through and beyond Covenant Groups or your mindfulness practice. These are tools and methods of reaching and perceiving that living, immortal Heart. The Promise that started with questions from the first ancestor. The Promise that continues into a time of liberation in a land where justice flows like water and peace like an everflowing stream. For trans folks, black folks, immigrating-across-arbitrary-borders folks. What legacy do you want to dream? What threads of this Heart, this Promise, do you want to weave into the tapestry of deep time? If you’d like to engage in the Heart of Our Promise but don’t know where to start, we have trained spiritual docents waiting to connect with you. Please email me and I will match you with a docent who can help. *Thex is the gender-neutral term for god in modern thexlogical circles.

Oct. 15, 2018. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. As part of my final year of seminary work, I am launching an intergenerational community building project this year at UUCF. I call the project Youth-Adult Liquid Leadership, or Y’ALL for short. I grew up in Mississippi and am a fan of the plural “you,” so I love getting to use it a bunch this year. But I digress. The Y’ALL project is designed to promote even more intergenerational connection and collaboration in our community. The project includes support for congregational leaders on strategies for youth-adult-elder collaboration, exploring why our generations relate as they do, and intergenerational worship. The Y’ALL worship services are thoroughly intergenerational. They begin with an intergenerational team that meets weeks ahead of time to brainstorm the worship service and what the worship theme means to them. After planning the service, the team (and others) collaborate on a worship service, led by multiple generations, that expresses the perspectives and hopes of all these generations. The first of these innovative services was on Oct. 7 on the theme of Sanctuary. People from Grade 5 through adulthood co-led the service, with five different generations participating in and planning the service. Each of us shared something deeply meaningful to us about how we find or give sanctuary. Toward the end of the service, the congregation helped us create a symbol of how we create sanctuary together. We used plastic building bricks to symbolize this, and the picture here is of what we created in the second service. One thing we learned in creating this symbol in the first and second services was about what we gain by coordinating our efforts to build the future. In the first service, everyone came up to add to the construction on their own. What we made was a powerful symbol, but it was disjointed in a few places. It was also difficult for some people who hadn’t built with LEGOs recently to piece them together. But we learned from this! In the second service, we asked for volunteers with recent LEGO experience to take on our bricks. What resulted was a powerful metaphor of handing on our symbols of sanctuary to a new generation - a generation that lovingly honored what we brought and created an interconnected symbol of sanctuary! The Y’ALL worship team is deeply grateful for the powerful learning that we did as a community. How can we take this lesson forward into our lives? How can we take our gifts and hopes and entrust them to our future builders? We could not have realized the power of these questions without you. I wonder, what will we learn together in the next Y’ALL service on Nov. 25? Please join us to find out and help create our future. As we meet to plan the next Y’ALL service, the worship planning team welcomes your thoughtful feedback on how you experienced the Oct. 7 service. The planning team is especially interested in learning how the service may have allowed you to hear from people of different generations. If you have a moment to reflect on your experience, please email or call me at 703-281-4230 (I’m in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but I’ll catch my email any day). UUCF already has many intergenerational strengths, which is why the Y’ALL project is such a good fit here. UUCF is poised to succeed in new ways in intergenerational community building. Thus, the Y’ALL project will continue exploring ways to enliven and enrich our community this year. The Y’ALL services are scheduled for Nov. 25, Feb. 17 and Apr. 14. I know some of these are holiday weekends, but I hope you can join us. This community needs you. Our future needs you!

Oct. 1, 2018. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. Human communities have their challenges. UUCF is no exception. Even with the best of intentions, we can and have found ourselves in situations where we become unwilling to engage in respectful, sustained and ultimately productive dialogue that would bring us into what we call right relations - into the beloved community we so cherish in this congregation. These situations range from small, one-on-one misunderstandings to larger, more-public confrontations. Occasionally they have included threats of leaving the congregation when members feel their individual needs are being disrespected or not being met. Most of these situations end up with ministerial involvement, where it is our role to listen, care, counsel and help resolve differences. Knowing that this is part of the dynamics of our human interactions, UUCF is working on a process or mechanism to help guide us from wariness, hurt feelings or brokenness, back into community, fellowship and healing. The goal is to create a covenant, something we can live by, something that will help us be who we want to be with each other. This past summer, we convened the Covenant of Right Relations Team*. We invited members and pledging friends - people from all stages and walks of life in this congregation. Over the past year, the team has been researching best practices from other congregations and is creating a process to help us get to a covenant that we, as a congregation, can live by. In talking with several congregations and faith communities, we asked how they went about their covenanting process. We found out what worked and what didn’t. Where is the covenant a living, thriving and instantly recognizable ethos? And why? Where is it a document collecting dust on a shelf, and why? What would they do again? What would they do better? And how would that work for us here at UUCF? In this research we discovered that the secret to a successful covenanting process was listening - with open hearts and open minds. More important, the answer is to listen to everyone - to those of all ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations and spiritual expressions. To those who come every Sunday and those who don’t. To those who come and sit in front and those who sit quietly in the back and never say a word. To those who love and wholeheartedly embrace the full UUCF experience as well as those who struggle with it. So we came up with a process through which we would try to do that: Listening sessions: The Covenant of Right Relations Team will hold three listening sessions. The first one will be held at the Adult Retreat on Oct. 13. A second will be held on Oct. 28, and a third on Nov. 28. See our What’s happening page or the calendar for more information. Come to one, come to all, but please come. Each listening session will be moderated and recorded by members of the team so that we can gather your responses, input and feedback on what we want in a covenant to guide us for years to come. Covenant Team table in the Commons: Can’t make it to a listening session? We have you covered. In the Sanctuary Commons, for the duration of this process, we’ll have a Covenant of Right Relations Team table where you can ask questions and share feedback. Submit feedback online: Submit questions, comments, concerns or feedback to the Covenant of Right Relations Team through this Google Form. Congregational vote on the draft covenant: The team will gather information from the congregation with a goal of producing a draft to present to the congregation for a vote at the UUCF Annual Meeting on Jun. 2, 2019. After that vote, we will invite congregants to step up and help us all live the covenant when we need to be reminded of it. For now, I invite you to think about these questions: Who are we as a congregation? Who do we want to be? How do we want to be with one another? What do we want our hopes for one another and our promises to one another to be? Who should be in this conversation besides you? Who should always be in this conversation at UUCF, but is somehow always strangely missing? We look forward to engaging as many of you as possible in this covenanting process. *The Covenant of Right Relations Team is Sohini Baliga, Alexa Bilidas, Kaye Cook, Dave Howell, Sharon Johnson, Rev. David A. Miller, Ashley Rothermel and Pippin Whitaker.

Sep. 17, 2018. [caption id="attachment_30759" align="alignleft" width="150"] Anthony Salvi[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28730" align="alignright" width="150"] Rev. David A. Miller[/caption] By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller and Board of Directors President Anthony Salvi. Early in 2019, UUCF will embark on two key staff searches: assistant minister and director of religious exploration (DRE). Interim DRE Diana Tycer and Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine both end their terms of service next summer. We are immensely grateful to Diana and Sarah for the gifts they have brought to UUCF’s community, ministry and programming. We are also thankful we will continue to benefit from their ministries for many more months. To hire their successors, UUCF will conduct simultaneous searches led by two different search teams. Each search team will be comprised of members appointed from various congregational roles as well as members selected by the Coordinating Team (CT) through an application process to ensure a broad perspective in the process. Click here for the Assistant Minister Search Team application and here for the DRE Search Team application. Applications are due Oct. 2. The makeup of the search teams and search processes are described below: Assistant Minister search team makeup: One lay member of the Coordinating Team (CT), appointed by the CT One member of the Board of Directors, appointed by the board One member of the People of Color Caucus (POCC), chosen by POCC participants One of the three lay ministers who will report to the assistant minister position, appointed by the CT Two congregation members selected by the CT based on submitted applications One staff member, appointed by the CT Rev. David Miller DRE search team makeup: Three members whose families participate in UUCF’s RE program, chosen by the CT based on submitted applications Two members whose families do not currently participate in the RE program, selected by the CT based on submitted applications One member of the Youth program appointed by the CT One member of the Board of Directors, appointed by the board One member of the RE Committee, chosen by the committee Rev. David Miller Search team process Both search teams will follow a similar process: Once a search team is constituted, the team will meet regularly. The team will review the current job description and create a revised description and announcement for posting. The team will generate a list of about 10 key criteria for the position. The position will be posted locally and nationally in places used for national UU congregational searches. These postings have been effective for us in past searches. Designated members of the search team will conduct initial screenings to organize and categorize the applicants by experience and alignment with the job description. The search team will develop interview questions. A subset of the team, including the minister(s) and initial sorters, will meet to decide which applicants meet all the criteria and should be passed on to the full committee. The team will meet more frequently over a month or so to review and discuss applicants. Each committee member will read and evaluate all the applications in relation to the position criteria established by the search team. The search team will conduct Skype interviews with the top candidates. After the Skype interviews, the pool will be narrowed to three finalists. Each finalist will meet with key staff and interview with the search team (the DRE candidates will also meet with the RE Committee). The team will choose the final candidate to recommend to the board. The board will announce the selected candidate. Please email the CT if you have any questions or would like to share any thoughts.

Aug. 27, 2018. By Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine. It is nearly one year since I became the assistant minister for this beloved UUCF community. So much has happened in that time and I am grateful for it. I’ve been ordained, commissioned and had at least three different hair colors since then. We have amazing programming in the upcoming congregational year - classes and workshops, new and continuing Covenant Groups, new and continuing Wellspring groups and a new initiative to engage our spirits more intentionally and richly. This is a capable and kind group of folks and I’m excited to see what will take shape as our liturgical year unfolds. This congregational year will indeed be my final one at UUCF. My contract comes to an end in June, and the death of a friend this summer drove home the internal longings to be closer to those family and friends who have been there for me since before I recognized this call. I’m not sure where Spirit will put me exactly; I will continue my chaplaincy in the U.S. Army Reserve wherever I land on the West Coast and I hope to establish an entrepreneurial ministry rooted in embodied practices. I’m so excited for UUCF and the work we will do together while I’m still your assistant minister! This truly is a special place filled with amazing people. Let’s get to work!

Aug. 13, 2018. By Worship Coordinator and Director of Music & Arts Laura Weiss. Last week, Susan Bennett shared with us how creativity fills her. I was thrilled to hear how creative work has become part of her spiritual practice and she has done this through her involvement at UUCF. Her words reminded me of the experiences of many congregants but also of others who I heard at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in June. This year at GA, I heard the phrase “What our movement needs is creativity” repeated many times. Whether from a minister or inspiring speaker, we heard that new creative solutions are what is needed in our world. Yay! I agree. Yet, I found myself measuring this against current myths and archetypes that still permeate our society. Mainstream society likes to distance itself from the idea of being creative by categorizing artists as separate. I often hear the same things time and again: • Aren’t musicians starving artists? • Poets are dreamers. • Visual art is a lovely hobby. • Acting is for trust fund babies (sigh). • Have you thought about a real job? Well, these aren’t true. These and other sayings do not hold weight anymore and we see this happening in many areas. In business, job descriptions are evolving to require a more versatile, problem-solving and innovative staff. New curricula in schools are calling for idea-generating and collaborative projects (though they haven’t quite figured out how this also relates to arts and music funding … but I digress ...). The internet has launched a new era of creating and marketing, and now this year Unitarian Universalism is calling for new kinds of creative advocates and forward-thinking activists. It seems obvious to everyone that there is a need for deep creativity to bring about social change. But how do we start to become creative? Well, like Susan suggested, it is something we have to do ourselves in a deliberate act. I’m talking art, ya’ll. Each of us can do the work needed by beginning to make some kind of art in the world with the intention of understanding the creative process. As we do that, we will immediately recognize a need for spirituality to deepen that process in order to innovate and we will start to see ways in which this process can be mirrored to make social change. The world needs us now. The first thing creativity teaches us is that we do not create in a vacuum. We are the product of our history and the organic ways we have arrived in our present. This understanding determines whether the impact of our art will have the desired effect on others. If we aren’t fully aware of the limits of our present, we make things that are too far outside the scope of what others can experience. How many artists do you know who were underappreciated because they leapt so far beyond the limits of cultural understanding in the time in which they lived that people couldn’t appreciate their brilliance? We must consider what our history and present are asking of us when we create. What structures are in place that we need to understand? What narrative has already existed that we need to access? Once we know the building blocks we have inherited, with deep spiritual practice, we increase our awareness for tiny movements that combine the past with a future. Let’s consider music as an example. Take one of your favorite songs. If you listen to it, you will undoubtedly hear something similar to other songs - whether it’s written in a similar key or with a rock band - we recognize it. It feels familiar enough that we can relate to it and it has an emotional impact because of that. But why do we like it so much? What makes it really great is that despite its familiarity, you are still hearing something new, something that moves you because it hasn’t happened yet. The brilliance of the art is that musicians are making new songs but they aren’t actually that different from other songs. In fact, within them there are tiny variations from what we already know and that makes the impact incredible. For those who don’t see the building blocks in the medium, it feels revolutionary. But for those who understand the existing history and narratives - therein lies a different kind of brilliance that truly is innovative. An artist creates something from an understanding of the inherited history of the medium and this vulnerable and difficult process takes spiritual practice. It is really humbling. When artists deepen awareness through some spiritual practice, tiny movements can be recognized when they present themselves. Then we truly access our creative sides. If I am too distracted, composing is practically impossible. If I am too self-absorbed, I can’t see your truth, your history, how you are hearing and what you may need in your present. Art gives us a tool to reveal ourselves on our terms in an immediate and unimposing way, yet it demands recognizing the other in the past, present and future. It urgently and simultaneously reflects our fragility and our commonality. To those who love art, please keep loving it! Art will always need an audience or it isn’t ... well … art. And, yes, art is still a fantastic way to access your full self and your potential, to understand others and grow in our relationship to community. That can be a good reason to start too! But I want to encourage you to see a deeper process within it whether you are just starting or a seasoned vet. It also offers a desperately needed tool as a gateway to creativity that Unitarian Universalism needs. If we are the change we have been waiting for, and creativity is what we need to find a new way - what medium is waiting for you?

Jul. 30, 2018. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. Here we are mid-summer and there are so many things going on in the world. In the past and coming week, I have counted at least five requests to participate in vigils, protests, witness events or conferences based on the challenges and issues of the day. There will be more about some of these coming out in the announcements and look for something from me about the counterprotest against white supremacy on Aug. 12 in Washington, DC. With all that and more, I have been thinking about one of the aspects of covenant, one of the dynamics of congregational life and one of the most important characteristics of a functioning democracy: Trust. Trust issues are as old as relationships and have accompanied issues of power and privilege for millennia. And yet, it feels as if there is another assault on trust right now in the world. In a #MeToo/Trump administration/systems of white supremacy world, I can’t help but think there are ways we can support trust building to help address the many challenges we now face. Based on these thoughts, here are some questions to ponder: Do we care about our collective best interest and the interest of others rather than just ourselves or our tribe? How do we move past rhetoric to actions and agreements of mutual accountability? How do we build bonds of trust with one another with such anxiety, animosity and acrimony present in the world? It’s hard not to let all of what is happening sink in and breed distrust. Can we learn ways of direct and respectful communication that help us break through projections and assumptions? Which leads to … What are we experiencing that actually speaks to valid feelings of distrust and what are we projecting onto others, perhaps rightfully so, that raises our guard? Just because we are assuming that someone isn’t trustworthy doesn’t mean they aren’t. It is important to set clear and appropriate boundaries, and also to understand that not everyone is motivated by what we think they are motivated by. In a world where truth is painted so often as a relative interpretation, how can we find common understandings of truth? Such a hard question to answer. I believe evidence supports climate change being a factual truth. However, it is clear that my truths are not everyone’s. Though we may often claim our truths as truth, can we look for the nuance that calls for engagement, discussion and openness to growth? What challenges to our comfort might we experience to build trust where trust has been a struggle? Being comfortable feels good. We actually strive to be as comfortable as possible in our daily lives. However, in a world with so little compromise and so much division, I also wonder who is willing to blink first in order for real transformation to occur? These questions challenge me, and I hope they open up some dialogue in and between you all as well. Seeing this UUCF community as an experimental modeling space in trust building may not solve all the problems in the world, but it may help them move a little further along a healthier path. May it be so.

Jul. 16, 2018. By Lay Minister for Adult Spiritual Development Cheryl Sadowski. High summer. Time seems to slow down; the morning air is light and dewy, the late afternoons are thick and stormy. Children’s laughter bubbles across the water of community pools, and friends and neighbors come together for barbecues and concerts on the green. When I was young, I loved summer for its long, languid days. I would run among the houses of my neighborhood to visit friends or curl up for hours on the back porch with a library book. Summer was sweet because it was time-bound; it ended with the beginning of a new school year, which brought with it new challenges, people and places. I found this theme to carry on through college and well into adulthood. Even now, as a working professional in my 50s, there is a natural close to the summer dynamics of the office and an anticipatory feeling in the air when fall begins. I’ve always equated autumn with education and the opportunity to learn. Poring over my community catalog, arts bulletin and, in more recent years, our own UUCF schedule of classes, I find myself more than ready for the rigor of experiencing new things. On various occasions, I’ve made the decision to teach or lead a class or small group at UUCF - one time on activist writing and another time, facilitation of a covenant group. On both occasions I learned much more than what I was able to “teach,” which is precisely the point. When you gather with other people to talk and act on topics of mutual interest, “ah-ha” moments abound, while deeper insight and meaning creep up on you weeks later as you’re pouring a cup of coffee or taking a shower. Gradually, you synthesize the experience and come away with a vital new perspective or greater cultivated compassion. Most of all, you grow and change. The wisdom of experience has shown me that not only what but how I learn has broader applicability in the world and the times we live in. Whether you teach or co-teach a class of your own making or borrow one of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s well-planned and generous curricula, whether you offer to facilitate a small group or co-lead a workshop with a friend or colleague, the experience of sharing and accepting knowledge will benefit you in ways that you won’t know from the outset. Whether teaching or participating, I hope you will consider benefiting from one or both of these paths. UUCF is building its fall class catalog now, and the Adult Programs Committee is accepting online proposals and ideas from all with an interest in developing their human and spiritual selves. Submit here today and be changed!

Jun. 25, 2018. By Outgoing Lay Minister for Caring & Wellness Linda Zack. I was raised Catholic and as such, I embraced many of the teachings I learned as a child and found truth in them. Yet, as I grew older, I felt more and more there was something missing. Was it really “wrong” if others didn’t believe as I did? What about people practicing other religions, or no religion at all? Were they forever damned? What about people not allowed to take communion in a Catholic Church? Why are they excluded from a vital part of the faith? I did have good spiritual experiences with the Catholic Church, and the first meditation I ever did was with a Catholic spiritual director. As I broadened my spiritual horizons and became more interested in meditation, a friend suggested we go on retreat to Yogaville (the Satchidananda Ashram) south of Charlottesville, VA. At the retreat, I visited their large interfaith shrine, which includes altars for major faiths, faiths less well-known and faiths not yet known. Swami Satchidananda says, “What is it that we should see if we really want a peaceful co-existence? We should see the one unifying factor, the Spirit. If we see the Spirit in us, we realize that we are all one. … Ultimately, we all aim for the same truth while walking on different paths. It is time to understand each other better and to live as one global family.” The reason I am a Unitarian Universalist today is because our faith is about inclusion. It encompasses atheists, agnostics, people who believe in God and people who are exploring the idea of a higher power. It encompasses people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Our children are taught about different faith traditions and values, and then allowed to think for themselves. Our Coming of Age program (what other churches might call “confirmation”) is a time when we ask young people what they believe; we don’t tell them. Our inclusion is what creates our Beloved Community. We can share the truth about our beliefs and about our lives. We come together to support each other through experiences of loss, pain, joy and exploration. Over the past 5 years, working with our Pastoral Care Committee and Caring Network, I have had the privilege of witnessing how congregants care for each other in times of stress and need. Congregants are quick to sign up to bring a meal, provide a ride, lend a listening ear and let their fellow human beings know they are not alone. We UUs tend to be an independent lot and sometimes we don’t expect help in our times of need, or perhaps even feel entitled to it. Maybe we’re not sure if we even want help. The Caring ministry at UUCF provides a safety net in times of life’s challenges and includes phone calls, cards, practical care and home visits. Ministers are supplemented by a cadre of trained Pastoral Care Associates along with a Caring Network of volunteers who coordinate and provide meals, rides and respite care. In these trying times, when compassion is hard to find at the highest levels of our society, our Beloved Community is a way to connect deeply with others and experience true compassion for one another. May we support each other, and allow ourselves to be supported, in all that life brings.

May 28, 2018. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. For those of us who work in congregations, this time of the year is the home stretch before a little time off. I guess it isn’t that much different from those who work in schools or other businesses that are on a similar calendar. Including the 2 years of my internship, I am now completing my 12th year in parish ministry and each year has certain similarities and each year is incredibly unique. This year has been no different. Through the years, congregational life can’t help but be affected by life as we all live it. Whether joy or grief, celebration or anxiety, events in our lives and in the world do not stop at the door of 2709 Hunter Mill Rd. One way this year has been unique is the increased level of grief, frustration and general anxiety over the political and cultural issues of our day. It was impossible to live through this past year and not be affected by the constant barrage of news, tweets and strife. Congregational life can serve as a mirror for the world in which we live, but more often than not, it is designed to be a place of solace, comfort, grounding, reflection, inspiration and practicing, as best we can, the world for which we dream. This year has had all these things. Each new day brings an opportunity for us to engage in the spiritual deepening, grounding and practice of our Unitarian Universalist faith. One of my favorite Universalists theologians, Hosea Ballou, said, “If we agree in love, there is no disagreement that can do us any injury, but if we do not, no other agreement can do us any good. Let us endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace.” In this day and age, it almost seems silly and simplistic to say, “If we agree in love, there is no disagreement that can do us any injury.” We can so easily be drawn into the debates of the world or the frustration of the times, but this place, this faith tradition, our religious ancestors help us remember that this is a religious community where we come to practice the highest good, the call to our best selves and the work of how to agree together in love. It is the reason for the Joy Committee, the music and arts program, religious exploration, pledge campaign and any or all of the programs and efforts of this congregation. It is the reason we exist. It is the calling of our mission and vision. As we make our way together in these challenging times, I have been so heartened by your response to our latest Annual Giving Campaign. Each and every gift is valued and important and your generosity has made it possible to move beyond the steps we had to take last year to meet our budget. In the spirit of transparency, here are some of the numbers from the campaign (as of today). These numbers refer to pledge units: 197 increased their pledges (overall 19% increase in this group!) 101 stayed the same 46 decreased 11 (who are still counted as members) were not able to pledge 29 pledged for the first time In calculating our budget for the coming year, the pledging units who have not yet pledged were estimated to pledge at the same level as last year. These numbers represent a 3.3% overall increase in this year’s pledge campaign. As your minister, I am moved by these increases and this demonstrated commitment to the incredible need for this congregation’s presence in the community. It is unavoidable that the ways of the world will seep into everything, but here we are and here we will remain, strong, steady and centered, supporting goodness and hope in the world.

May 14, 2018. By Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine. I’m no longer a civilian. Yesterday I was commissioned as a U.S. Army chaplain. Part of me thought this day would never come. I’ve spent 5 years re-submitting forms to the Army and amid that had a brief stint submitting forms to the Navy to see if they would get me in faster. I started applying for the Chaplain Candidate Program in 2013, shortly after I entered seminary. This program would have offered me training and pay without the obligations of serving after I finished school, though service would have been highly encouraged. In preparation for writing this blog, I looked back at a blog I wrote those many years ago. Reading my 2013 words, I can feel the enthusiasm and hope that I would be able to have a smooth process through the Chaplain Candidate Program and eventually into the Chaplain Corps. It wasn’t meant to be, despite my trip down to Garden Grove, CA, to visit Chaplain David Pyle during a battle assembly - even after submitting numerous signatures, scanned personal information and doctors’ notes. No, my commissioning and accessioning would only happen after I was ordained and forced to make a longer and more impactful commitment than I’d ever had to make in my young adult life. Those 5 years of feeling that I would never be acceptable to the military, that I was not “good enough” despite the fact that I was in the best physical, emotional and spiritual shape of my life - those years were important for me to fully understand what I was signing up for. From a sermon I gave on this topic 2 years ago: I reflect on this call regularly, debating with myself as a Unitarian Universalist who believes life is sacred, to make sure I’m headed where I need to go. I was called to ministry because I was looking for hope in action. I’m a minister-in-formation who would love for the very same institutions I pray will one day employ me to be unnecessary, that I will be required due to an overwhelming peace in the world to serve elsewhere. Yet, I don’t see that happening and I do see a real need within the institution. I continue to scribble my signature on the line, check boxes and email my recruiter. I have been surprised by the positive responses from colleagues and friends as I slowly but continually push for this calling to become reality. I expected more argument. More protest. Overwhelmingly, the response has been “We need you in there.” “I’m proud of you for pursuing this.” And very meaningfully, from the spiritually grounded, action heroes with a sense of humor who currently make up the UU Military Chaplain crew, the affirming: “You belong here.” … Our faith demands that we seek responsibly and accountably. Pacifism is absolutely part of this. Military chaplains are a part of this. People who believe that the military perpetuates problems should have a place in the conversation and community as should service members and the people who love them. Our faith proclaims a desire to stretch out beyond borders, to be inclusive, to not be monolithic. Our Universalist forebear John Murray was commissioned by George Washington during the Revolutionary War to chaplain the troops - even with his scandalous views of universal salvation. I find the argument of continuing a tradition simply because it is tradition weak and lacking. It’s important to me that we explore modern issues and context when continuing a tradition. It is because of our own values, not simply our history, that Unitarian Universalist chaplains belong in the military - are necessary there - because of (and not in spite of) our values. Unitarian Universalism is a faith of conscience, of personal wrestling with what is true and meaningful. We come together in community on Sundays and throughout the week to connect. Not having a creed, but gathering in the mystery of the hour. Gathering in our one, strong body of accountable searching. Gathering in our belief that every person is linked with something beyond themselves - be it human capacity or God or other. I know this call will not be an easy one. I know my faith will be tested in ways I never imagined. For now, I am grateful to be able to explore where it will lead me.

Apr. 30, 2018. By Lay Minister for Membership & Outreach Shannon Williams. Like many neighbors doing their part to urge in spring, my son and I transplant seedlings. Our task is to thin the herd. We approach this work with an unspoken awareness of the terrible, lovely power we possess. We get to decide which of these fragile things have their chance to carry on in larger containers, and which will return to beginnings. My son with his still unbroken optimism rejects this as a false choice. He scrounges around the kitchen for used water bottles then saws off the tops and drill holes in the bottoms. Bringing them into the dining room where garden debris litters the table and floor, he paws through the dirt for discarded seedlings. We move as many wisps of roots as we can to their more capacious, though still temporary, homes. The sunniest place in our house – the south-facing balcony door – lets in a small draft. That means the hodgepodge of pudding and yogurt cups that comprises our starter garden lives in my son’s bedroom next to the heat register. We wedge in around it two living room lamps with fluorescent bulbs that shine for 15 hours a day. Somehow, our makeshift arrangement suffices. The phenomenon of phototropism still inspires wonder as we watch our plants reach for the light. They follow it, they drink it, they thrive. Just two lightbulbs and an occasional spritz from a water bottle. How is it possible that it takes so little to make something grow? Of course, the effort only seems little when seen in isolation. The decision to start a container garden from seed on our tiny condo balcony began as a New Year’s resolution. From there, we took a series of steps: Rescue cups from the recycling. Study planting zone calendars. Cook up a batch of homemade starter mix. Buy seeds. Clear space. Turn lights on. Turn lights off. Spritz. Each task on its own barely registers on the balance sheet. Yet here we are with basil and chrysanthemums taking over the bedroom. What if it’s possible to grow a spiritual community with small steps like these? One thread that ran through the recent Annual Giving Campaign was the importance of UUCF’s open doors. We can see our congregation living out its commitment to this openness in the ways we organize our Sundays. Friendly faces staff the Sanctuary Welcome Table, online live streams run for both services, and Religious Exploration greeters make sure that new children and families can find their way around. These are critical parts of ensuring that someone arriving on our campus feels a sense of belonging. How then do we wrap our minds and hearts around the ones who have yet to arrive? What about neighbors who are dying to turn toward any hint of light but haven’t found their way through our doors? Many of us understand that we live at a place and time in which desperate isolation coexists with overwhelming demands on our energy, attention, calendars and finances. Unitarian Universalism’s messages of hope and connection are more important now than ever. Yet our neighbors will not magically appear in our Sanctuary any more than peppers will spontaneously materialize on my balcony this June. Will we commit to starting new growth from seed? From within UU’s Sixth and Seventh Principles we can hear the call to open outward. We must be willing to emerge from the comforting confines of our campus and share the vital principles and mission of our faith. To do this, we might have to rearrange things, to move our light into places that we haven’t taken it before. Several years back, Rev. Kim Wilson offered a list of 28 ways UUs can practice outward orientation. The suggestions are as relevant now as they were then, if not more so. Here is a selection: Put a UU decal on the window of your car or home. Write an article for a local newspaper about a congregational project in which you’re involved. Practice your response to the question, “What is Unitarian Universalism?” Host a party and invite both members and non-members. Tell a non-member about an adult program. Carry Seven Principles cards and give them to people when they ask about Unitarian Universalism. Taken separately, each of these small steps seems almost inconsequential. One hand-me-down lamp moved to a new corner, or one spindly root lifted to new ground. In the aggregate, though, our small acts have power beyond imagination. We grow the beloved community. It’s fitting that the Annual Giving Campaign wraps up right at the cusp of spring. Isn’t internal fundraising so much like all that wintertime work of starting a garden? Gathering resources, one pledge at a time, allows us to have on hand the right tools for the job. The ground is thawing. Are we ready to begin?

Apr. 16, 2018. By Interim Director of Religious Exploration Diana Tycer. We are in the midst of our Annual Giving pledge campaign, and we all know that to achieve the beloved community our congregation desires, money does matter. But so does the commitment of time and talent that a thriving Religious Exploration program requires. And we do have a thriving RE program. Just last Sunday, more than 200 children and youth, and more than 60 adults, participated in one of our RE programs (this includes those adventuring in DC with the Coming of Age 7th grade classes.) In fact, we have so many students attending RE that we had to move classes to the Chapel and the Library because rooms 1 and 2 are too small. But sustaining a program like this requires a sizable commitment from the adults of this congregation. Running our full slate of classes requires a minimum of 106 teachers each year because we group them on teaching teams that function more like small-group ministries than school classrooms. Every RE class has four teachers plus a liaison who provides support and guidance. Teachers write and follow a covenant among themselves and collaborate to establish the teaching schedule to ensure all sessions are covered, and that everyone enjoys many “free” Sundays to attend worship services. Every class also has a covenant, performs a chalice ritual and provides check-in time with students to share important events from their week. While our classes have content and activities that teach important concepts, a main goal of the RE program is to build relationships - among children, teachers, parents and families. In fact, some teams remain together teaching the same class for years because of the friendships, camaraderie and respect they develop for one another and for their students. Many of those most dear to me in this congregation are people I first met on an RE teaching team. I also receive much joy watching those children I have taught in the past mature into fine young adults in our community. Additionally, teaching RE gives adults a place to deepen their own spirituality and a space to model UU values in their interactions with others. In doing so, they guide our children toward a fuller understanding of community. A few weeks ago, I got to witness a perfect example of this process when I asked for help from our 6th graders to solve a space problem: We currently have 18 1st graders participating in Our Whole Lives sexuality education, and room 1 was too small for them. I appealed to the 6th graders across the hall in the combined rooms 3-4 if they would be willing to give the little ones that room and relocate their class to the Library in the basement of the Administration Building. It has limited natural light, smells musty, has two posts obstructing the open area, and has a perimeter lined with bookshelves piled high with archived files, books and stray items. In keeping with our Unitarian Universalist 5th Principle, I did not force the 6th graders to move. Rather, I made it clear that the choice belonged to the students themselves. Their teachers took a significant portion of one class session to take the 6th graders to the Library and lead them in a thorough discussion of the pros and cons of the move, followed by a vote. Our 6th graders voted 8:3 to relinquish their classroom for the benefit of the 1st graders. While I am proud that the students decided to make a sacrifice to help out the younger children, I am even more proud of their teachers who had the patience and commitment to do the process properly. Democratic processes are lengthy, and often messy. But they are essential for fairness and to affirm that every person is important, and everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard. Every Sunday in a myriad of ways, our RE teachers model our UU values. This is how, over years, we grow caring, responsible and committed youth - the next generation of UU leaders. This is important work, this is a ministry. And I hope it is one that you will be called to join, because teaching RE matters.

Apr. 2, 2018. By UUCF member Stacey Casey. While sitting in the bright UUCF Sanctuary on recent Sunday mornings, I have loved hearing the personal faith stories from UUCF members. This experience has made me re-examine my own reasons for attending UUCF, and led me to start defining my own spiritual journey. Many of these member stories share a common theme: the connection between Covenant Groups and building a stronger connection to UUCF. To date, Covenant Groups have been long-term small groups that get together in a shared experience of listening, reflecting and exploring issues together. In each story I've heard, the UUCF members describe their Covenant Groups as giving them support and fellowship. I always immediately relate to that feeling, since I've also belonged to a Covenant Group since 2015. It's a group that was created especially for brand-new UUCF members to help us connect and get to know each other. Speaking for myself, I would say that goal was achieved. This group has validated my observations, helped me hear more firsthand Unitarian Universalist experiences and given me a few more friendly faces at coffee hour, when so many in the room seem to already know each other. Now, UUCF wants to broaden the Covenant Group experience for even more members. The Covenant Group leadership team, led by Rev. Sarah Caine, will be expanding Covenant Groups this fall. To make the Covenant Group experience accessible for new participants, we will be offering a 1-year program for people to gather with new groups each fall. These groups will get to know each other throughout the year, wrap up their experience in May/June and then new groups will form the following fall. This model of small group ministry has three goals: Encourage a larger number of members, including newer members who haven't been in Covenant Groups before, to participate. Keep the time commitment to 1 year, recognizing that membership in a longer-term group can be intimidating. Interconnect a wider group of people to promote relationships and belonging. What about the existing Covenant Groups? These groups, which offer so much support and fellowship to their current members, will continue as they are now. The Covenant Group leadership team recognizes that these groups are cherished by their members and provide a source of comfort and friendship. If joining an existing group is more your style, there are spaces open in some of these longer-standing groups. Please contact Rev. Sarah for more information. Meanwhile, the Covenant Group leadership team will be promoting the "new style" of groups at two special events. At the first on May 27, there will be a pizza lunch following the second worship service. We'll talk about Covenant Groups, what it takes to be a group facilitator, how a typical meeting runs and what materials we use. At this first meeting, each table will get a chance to experience the deeper discussion of a topic related to our May theme of Creativity. Our second event will be in the fall, followed by the start of the 2018-19 Covenant Group meetings in September. There will be a chance to sign up for updates on Covenant Groups during these trial sessions. If you’re interested in being trained to facilitate one of these new groups, please contact Rev. Sarah.

Mar. 19, 2018. By your UUCF worship leaders*. As we have traveled through the worship experience since last September, the Worship Team has considered the unprecedented and unique challenges facing our country, Unitarian Universalism and UUCF. We have experimented with modifications to worship with the hope of creating an experience that would be more inclusive, welcoming and spiritually nourishing to a wildly divergent group of members, friends and newcomers. This included differences in tone and music between the 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. services. We solicited and received copious amounts of feedback about all aspects of worship including music, tone, interactive elements and Religious Exploration scheduling. Some of you were incredibly pleased with the opportunity to choose the service you wanted to attend on any given Sunday, and others found the changes troubling. As we have incorporated your feedback and continued processing the important elements of worship in a changing and challenging landscape, we want to keep you informed of our progress. For now, and through the foreseeable future, the two services will not differ in tone or flow. To accommodate the abundant musical offerings of our congregation, musicians and music selections might not always be the same at both services, but the tone and energy level of the music will be consistent. As an example, the Community Chorale will usually not sing at both services on the same day. One week they will sing at only the first service and the next at the second. Other musicians will perform at the other service on those days. The intent of those planning worship is to offer meaningful worship at every service using the resources of the congregation and providing multiple opportunities for congregational participation in the music and worship programming. Our worship services, in a congregation of diverse spiritual beliefs, experiences and needs, must vary in tone, musical choices, theology and content. Our hope continues to be that on the weeks you may not feel specifically fed, that you trust that others are. Holding space for others is one way we can live our Third Principle: “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” Thank you for the deep caring and feedback you continue to share with us. The Worship Team aspires to provide worship that challenges, inspires, calls for deep reflection and provides spiritual sustenance. Please contact us with any thoughts or questions. *Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller, Assistant Minister Rev. Sarah Caine, Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker, Worship Coordinator and Director of Music and Arts Laura Weiss, Lay Minister for Worship and Arts Susan Bennett and Worship Team Chair David Addis

Mar. 5, 2018. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. In discussion with the leadership of the congregation, a decision was reached to extend an offer to both Diana Tycer and Rev. Sarah Caine to stay on staff for at least one more year in their roles as interim director of religious exploration (DRE) and assistant minister, respectively. Both are doing an excellent job and it was concluded that with the various transitions in the congregation, this would give us some time to breathe, appreciate their gifts and plan for what comes next. Our contract with Sarah is based on a mutual agreement to continue from year to year and she is excited about continuing with us for another year. Her dream of military reserve chaplaincy has finally also been approved and she will be moving forward with periodic training over the next year. Because of the unfolding understanding of what that will require from her, we will reassess her situation again in the middle of next year. Next year will be Diana’s final year as interim DRE, based on our revised timeline for a DRE search and her plans for her future. This extra year will give us plenty of time to implement a national search. For now and through next year, we will continue to be served by these two gifted and committed staff members. Once again, we are grateful for their professionalism, gifts and commitment to this congregation. And please don’t forget to attend Sarah’s ordination this coming Sunday, after which we will be able to call her reverend and chaplain. Please always feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Feb. 19, 2018. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. Since beginning my internship in September, I have been inspired by our Young Adult Fellowship group. With a little organizing on my part, this group for 18- to 35-year-olds gathers regularly and in healthy numbers. Despite busy schedules from school, parenting young children and new careers, the young adults take part in monthly social time, show up for social justice activities, organize community service projects and delve into spiritual renewal. On top of all that, they also lead and serve on committees and task forces throughout the congregation. This group format is a new phenomenon at UUCF. In the early decades of the congregation, there was little mention of young adults specifically, let alone a young adult group (according to our archives at least). Around the late 1990s or early 2000s, a social gathering for young adults emerged. There was also some effort to develop a campus ministry at George Mason University that faded. Efforts to form a young adult group with a mission beyond social connection ebbed and flowed, but in 2015 renewed interest and a coordinator on staff (our ministerial intern!) inspired the formation of our current group. Although our young adult group is new, Unitarian Universalism has a long history of dynamic young adult groups. Both the Unitarian and the Universalist denominations (our religious ancestors before the 1961 merger) had groups for youth and young adults since the mid- to late-1800s. These groups for teens to 25-year-olds merged in the mid-1950s to form Liberal Religious Youth (LRY). Since the 1961 merger, there have consistently been young adult groups organizing nationally. The groups, however, also struggled at times with funding support from the denomination and maintaining active participation. Today, young adults are supported through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries and can participate nationally in the Continental UU Young Adult Network (established in 1988) and the Young Adult Caucus at the annual UUA General Assembly. What this history means is that young adult ministries are important, enlivening and vital to our denomination and our congregations. It also means they need our collective and ongoing support. Just as the young adult gatherings ebbed and flowed here, there have been similar fluctuations nationally. Due to life stage and economic realities, many young adults have inflexible schedules, competing demands on time and limited financial resources. This phenomenon is increasing and young adults today tend to be more economically precarious than previous generations. What has kept this group going since 2015? The ministerial interns since that time have committed to supporting the organizing of the fellowship. Also, the congregation's budget committed $500 to support young adult activities. These may seem like small efforts, but it is just enough to provide the connecting foundation the young adults need to coordinate enthusiastic fellowship amid busy lives. A thriving young adult ministry is critical to creating multi-generational community. Connected and supported young adults weave their skills and perspectives into the congregation, which helps the congregation adapt and respond to changes holistically. This ability to adapt to challenges is increasingly needed in our world today. Beyond challenges, healthy multi-generational communities can grow and learn in ways that create new opportunities, from governance strategies, to hospitality to new and meaningful relationships. Can we keep our inspiring Young Adult Fellowship thriving here at UUCF? I believe we can, by ensuring staff can continue to support the group and by supporting the congregational budget that has been funding it. Young adults have many demands on their time, and they need their congregation to be ready to hold onto their momentum in the natural ebbs and flows of life. I personally pledge to continue supporting the young adult group as long as I am here. I hope you will join me.

Feb. 5, 2018. By UUCF Innovation Fund grant co-recipient Betsy Bicknell. In a generous bequest, the late Stan Richards provided seed financing for innovative projects that expand UUCF’s outreach to those not now engaged in our congregation and/or Unitarian Universalism. Wendy Astell and I responded to this challenge, and in March 2017, the UUCF Board of Directors approved our proposal for a UUCF-sponsored off-campus community targeted to young adults (20s and 30s). The mission of this project is to help Northern Virginia young adults explore and live UU values and principles. Our vision is to provide activities and services for young adults who are looking for a spiritual home outside of a traditional church setting. The group and its leader will help Northern Virginia’s young adults grow as individuals and as a community through spiritual practices, arts, service, play, rites of passage and caring for one another and the greater community. We hope these activities will help young adults deepen their appreciation of the gifts of life and love. Since March, Wendy and l recruited Jeanette Walton, Victoria Maldonado, Rita Roth and Jennifer McLaughlin to form an advisory committee to help move the project forward. The committee contacted people serving UU community ministries and the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Young Adult leaders to learn about their projects and to explore ideas on how to proceed. These contacts taught us that the first step for the project is to hire a dynamic professional leader who can reach out to Northern Virginia young adults to understand their needs. This leader will develop a network of interested young adults and will hold programs to start to build community. The programs will be held in spaces accessible by public transportation as well as by car. As community forms, a key next step will be formal training to help participants understand commitment to a covenanted community and develop leadership skills. The advisory committee has developed a job description (to be posted soon at uucf.org/jobs) for a Young Adult Community Leader with experience working with diverse groups of people and who authentically upholds Unitarian Universalist values. We want a candidate with pastoral care or social work training/experience and who has experience in community organizing or social justice work. On Jan. 17, the Coordinating Team gave us the go-ahead to begin recruiting a part-time professional who will report to Rev. David Miller. We are in the process of launching a nationwide search. Please contact me or Wendy Astell for more information.

Jan. 22, 2018. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. These past few weeks, as I delved into UUCF’s history of racial justice for a class project, I kept hearing a dramatic story retold. A member famously stood up in a worship service and asked why we had done nothing about racial justice in 20 years. This was in the 90s. Listening to more stories of our history and combing through the archives, I began to wonder, is this a pattern? Are we stuck in some historical “repeat” where we take on racial justice work one year and then put it down? You will have to read on to find out. But first, I want to thank the members who gave their time and energy to help me with this project. I also want to thank Penny Jackson, among others who contributed, for our wonderful archive. It is rare treasure among congregations! Our story began in 1955, during the civil rights era. Inspired by Rev. A. Powell Davies of All Souls Church Unitarian in DC, we began meeting at Oakton Elementary School. But in 1960, Virginia law required segregated seating in leases. We refused to comply, and purchased land on Hunter Mill Road to construct a building. We struggled with this and lost a few members. Still we chose our aspirations. The physical structure of our first building (now the Administration Building) is a symbol of our conviction and hope in racial justice. Sitting in that building each day, I feel like the pillars and beams are holding up our principles. Through the 1960s, a few individuals led our racial justice efforts. Examples include sharing a list of segregating businesses to boycott, educating the congregation about race and tutoring Black children. We also hosted an integrated Brownie troop and sponsored an integrated day care. When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., asked clergy to join him in Selma, AL, on Mar. 9, 1965, our Rev. Rudy Nemser responded immediately. And, at great personal sacrifice, our Director of Religious Education Jane Visco Boyajian left DC to lead the national mobilization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for the march from Selma to Montgomery. Our few committed racial justice leaders continued their work through the 60s. Then, in 1971, amid stark declines in our pledges and membership, we raised almost $800 in a special collection for the UU Black Affairs Council for Black empowerment work. This was more than 1% of our operating budget - at a time of great uncertainty and financial strain. To put that 1% in perspective, it would be equivalent to $12,000 today. But our early racial justice work lacked an infrastructure to sustain the work without passionate leaders. After Rev. Rudy Nemser left in 1973, racial justice work faded to the background. Two decades passed with little-to-no mention of racial justice work. Then, in early 1992 the Rodney King riots renewed our attention to racial injustice. That is when member Furman Riley stood up in a worship service to decry our lack of action for racial justice during the prior two decades. Within a few months, Furman Riley, Ann Wood and Judy Harrison had formed a Race Relations Task Force to “dismantle structures that sustain racism and other forms of social injustice.” The task force led a workshop and worship service on race, countered mortgage-lending discrimination, tutored minority children, educated the congregation and even spawned the Mosaic Harmony choir (they still sing today, find out more here). Yet, the task force leaders were soon pulled to other pressing social justice issues and the group dissolved after 1994. As a longtime member told me, support for racial justice has indeed waxed and waned here depending on dedicated leaders. Today, however, a new theme is emerging. And I am energized by differences between our past and present. In contrast to racial justice work of the past led by one or a handful of individuals, our 2-year-old Racial Justice Steering Committee has a healthy 18-person membership. The committee has ongoing funding and obtained an Endowment Fund grant to expand its work. The committee is taking a long-term view, is working to forge new relationships in the community and is seeking partnerships for sustained action to address racial injustice. And, the committee invites more members of all ages and backgrounds to support its growing work. In addition to the steering committee, we are incorporating racial justice into our community through the ministry team, religious education and a broad base of supportive members. Instead of being in competition with other pressing social justice concerns, social justice areas are beginning to work together with the understanding that this work is related to most of the social justice work we do; it is intersectional with many other concerns. Today, I see a new structure being built around us - a congregational justice structure that includes racial justice as a fundamental foundation of our work as a congregation. Like our first building, this new structure is holding up our principles and our aspirations. With continued attention and labor for what we are building together, I believe we will keep the promise we once made to “dismantle structures that sustain racism and other forms of social injustice.” May it be so.

Dec. 11, 2017. By Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. Someone recently asked me how I stay hopeful about our society when it appears “things are tanking.” I believe we have the capacity to plant love, with every breath, even - and poignantly - amid heartache. I hope the love we plant will be enough to soften a clenched heart and make it weep. And ultimately, I hope because being hopeful is not a sentiment, it is a choice. I have hope because I chose to hold on to it. Sometimes it is defiant hope. Note, however, that hope is not the same as optimism. We humans are capable of heart-shattering depravity. And world-bending love. At the same time. Like my friend, I lack hope that we will become beings of untainted love. I am fairly certain becoming such beings would require evolution and extinction of what we are now. It may happen, but that is not my hope for humanity. I have hope because love is what binds us to life, and because of that, we will always have within us a sense of the presence and direction of love. This is a hope that goes beyond my inner cynic’s worst-case scenario. I get hope from knowing that love will come back from anything, and will always guide us onward in good times and bad. My hope comes tearfully, knowing that all lost children are wrapped in someone’s love. I remember reading about how a Polish town had turned on their Jewish neighbors prior to World War II. The non-Jewish townspeople locked and boarded the Jewish inhabitants - entire families of their neighbors and friends - in a synagogue and left them to starve. I wept and grieved for the people in that synagogue, for all the children of that town. I can do this because I am human. Because I know love and compassion, across space and time. I hold on fiercely to hope in love. No matter how depraved our society may become, humans instinctively know the way to love. Someone will hold us in love one day. But this type of thinking is the “worst-case-scenario” end of my source of defiant hope. If we grab the mane of hope amid the Holocaust, she will lurch us out of the mass grave and toward something more loving. If we hold on long enough, and master the fashioning and use of tools that bind our families and societies together in love and compassion, I believe a best-case scenario will eventually unfold. And that is what we do here in this community: We hold on to hope in love, we fashion the tools that bind our families and societies to love. We nurture a sense for justice, which helps us put those tools into practice. As we come to terms with the latest iteration of our destructive human potential, may we continually give each other adequate support to embody our highest ideals. This is hard work, especially when it appears that all that affirms love and justice are "tanking." But I am not hopeful because things look good. I am hopeful because I believe in our capacity to sense love, to turn toward justice, for distant hearts to weep. So, in the face of unfathomable greed, humanitarian atrocity and death, I am fiercely, defiantly hopeful. Hope is a wild beast, heart pounding ceaselessly into the next moment despite scrapes and scars. To be hopeful is to be committed to hold on for the ride. So, let’s hold on, let’s keep building Beloved Community no matter what, because it is our choice, our promise and our covenant with one another.

Nov. 27, 2017. By Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. Rumi says, “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” Overlooking the possible debate on the meaning of the word soul, just for the purposes of this blog, let’s say the soul is the deepest place of connection in you to your absolute best and most-grounded self. Can you imagine what it would be like to be connected to your most loving, most forgiving, most open and most compassionate self? Can you envision what joy there would be in the world if we all came from a deep connection to the soul, a soul that saw us move through the world always answering the question, “What is the most loving thing I can do right now,” and actually always doing that most loving thing? That is not easy, and even more challenging in a world with so many experiencing sorrow and craving, crying and yearning for this joyful connection. As is our practice now the first Sunday in December, we will hold the Joy Service. And this is not just fun and silliness. It’s also an intentional reminder of our need and ability to face our sorrow and experience joy in community. This time of joy during worship is an opportunity to practice communal joy, connecting to a place of deep soul, a place where we live when feeling a sense of love, laughter and connection. It is a time for us to do this work of the soul, an opportunity to feel that deep sense of joy. A joy that comes from saying, “I really did something today where I intentionally resisted the forces of sorrow.” These times are calling for us to connect to our souls and let the river of joy come forth. There will be sorrow, some are feeling much sorrow in these times. Others will be going through times of sorrow as a natural part of the ebb and flow of life. But Rumi also said, “Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” This Sunday, let us shake sorrow from our hearts and collectively join together in joy. Just as a footnote, you are invited to do this in costume if you wish and there might be some Stars Wars themes in the service. Remember, when you feel joy, the force will be with you, always.  

by Rev. David A. Miller, Rev. Sarah Caine and Pippin Whitaker. More than 10 years ago, the Me Too campaign began with African American activist Tarana Burke. The recent wave of “Me too” posts on Facebook and Twitter were fueled by high-profile sexual harassment and assault cases starting with last year’s release of the “Access Hollywood” tape. All of these revelations reinforce how powerful men can get away with claiming the bodies of women as objects. The heartbreak, exhaustion, re-living of trauma and anger that accompanies any news of yet more violence disguised as sexuality is all too familiar. This violence is not distant from any of our lives. Although abuse and harassment can happen to any of us, the vast majority of this kind of personal invasion is targeted toward women and gender-non-conforming folks - whether through words, unwanted touching, threats or coerced sexual acts. This violence is usually committed by men known to the people experiencing these denials of personal autonomy. This leads many women, and others, to be constantly vigilant in the backs of their minds. How much freer and more joyous would we be if the background vigilance didn’t need to be there? This, too, is part of the task and the promise we undertake as creators and dreamers of Beloved Community. This is the sacred work of the UU Our Whole Lives sexuality education program, which teaches consent and bodily autonomy. There is more work yet to do. Although this problem can feel daunting, Unitarian Universalism has committed to ending sexual assault and harassment. In 1995, the Unitarian Universalist Association resolved the following: “We desire Unitarian Universalist congregations to be places safe from interpersonal violence or abuse; … we recognize that both laity and clergy need to accept active responsibility for the prevention of interpersonal violence and abuse within our congregations and for healing where such violence or abuse has occurred, or may occur, so that there is a restoration of community.” Our congregations, clergy and laity are culpable. We are not exceptions to the rule. People within our faith have experienced violence disguised as sexuality. People within our faith have fallen short of basic respect for others. And, we are charged to do better. To learn from our mistakes. UUCF should be a space where people are not required to be on guard. The ministers and the pastoral care team are always ready to listen and to intervene if someone experiences harassment or abuse or is concerned about possible abuse. You are not alone here. UUCF’s behavior policy for our community affirms that: “As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We celebrate diversity and welcome all individuals. At the same time, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax affirm that our congregation must maintain a safe atmosphere in order for such openness to exist.” https://uucf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Policy-Dealing-with-Incidents-061510-1.pdf Because many of us are saying “Me too” and at the same time we fully believe in the values of our faith, we have programs to prevent sexual harassment, intimidation and assault, as well as clear policies and procedures in place to respond. We aim to respond with dignity and respect for all parties, and expect the same of others. We believe that even though this is a daunting problem, we can one day transform hearts, minds and culture to truly affirm the worth and dignity of every person - including women and gender minorities. On the journey to that land, we are here with you and ready to listen.

by Director of Religious Exploration Linnea Nelson. Thank you for honoring me yesterday and over that last several weeks with your well wishes, beautiful notes and hugs. As the Director of Religious Exploration, I have been blessed with getting to know you through activities that brought great meaning to my life. Watching so many of you teach RE has always been a joy, and interacting with the children and youth has been the highlight of each Sunday. Yesterday was so joyful - to feel the connection and love in the Sanctuary and then to go down to the Program Building and experience one last time the gifts our youngest members bring to this community. Since we were here 17 years before I became DRE, I will also miss you as my faith community, as fellow board members and as members of a dozen or so committees. All of these meetings and activities deepened my love for you and for this community. Working together toward common purpose has fulfilled many of my hopes and dreams. I will continue to support UUs and the good work that can be done when we pull together. I know that work will continue here and I leave grateful to have served together with so many of you. My home email and new address will be updated in the member directory. After a year or so, if we are back in the area, we'll stop in to say hello!

by Lay Minister for Membership and Outreach Shannon Williams. “The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us.” - Alexandra Elle Barely a month has passed since the UUCF Board of Directors welcomed me into my new role as the Lay Minister for Membership and Outreach. Here at the beginning of the congregational year, I want to share a bit about what we might create together in the seasons ahead. The word “welcome” captures not only September’s theme, but the experience of stepping into this world of UU leadership. My family only began attending UUCF in July 2015. Many of my fellow congregants carry much more history and knowledge about the workings of this community. I have to admit, when Rev. David A. Miller suggested I consider lay ministry, I laughed out loud. Little old me? Newcomer? Someone who should rightfully still use a green mug? After our conversation, I committed to bridging the gaps. In those first weeks, I arranged my schedule to attend all the meetings and retreats. The Faith Matters blog, going back several years, gave me a glimpse into the history of our congregation. I plunged into the essays in “Turning Point” and into Erik Walker Wikstrom’s “Serving with Grace.” Alongside all of this, I started packing in preparation for my first year of teaching Religious Exploration. With a 5th grader at home and a full-time job, my schedule started splitting its seams. As did my sense of connection to the very purpose of this work. Underneath all the scrambling to learn and master everything, eagerness and anxiety churn. The latter has a way of turning the former into an eagerness “to please” and “get it right.” While I certainly come to this work with a generous helping of self-doubt, the value many UU’s place on intellectual engagement can feed these insecurities. This along with the professional prestige so prevalent in our region turns leadership into a tall order indeed. It wasn’t until the visitors’ reception on Sep. 3 that all that frantic learning-doing-improving finally gave way. Thankfully, it wasn’t in an all-out collapse. Quite the opposite. Motivated by a vague sense that a lay minister should, you know, “minister,” I strolled over to that table at the back of the Commons and simply started greeting people. One newcomer had questions about the Our Whole Lives sexuality education curiculum, so we walked together to find one of the instructors for a chat. Another visitor just moved here from overseas, so I introduced her to a recent arrival from a similar corner of the world. The reception volunteer was a UUCF member whom I’d seen but now was meeting for the first time. I watched as she moved with grace among the attendees, striking a fine balance between enthusiastic hospitality and gentle attention. After we’d cleaned up and I left the Sanctuary, I noticed the shift. What accompanied me home that afternoon was not pride or fretfulness or a schedule full of meetings. Instead, something much lighter carried me. The “I” of “my” new role had dissipated ever so slightly. In its place, the first glint of a web, the shared strands of “we.” Membership and outreach is not my work alone. Of course, it can’t be. It belongs to all of us. The people of this congregation together create the avenues through which our neighbors find their way here, and we who are already here find our way to each other. At the beginning of every UUCF class, covenant group, service, RE planning session or administrative meeting, we light the chalice. This is one small way we cultivate welcome in our congregation. Someone shares a reading or reflection that returns us to the reasons we have shown up here. The demands of our lives and the troubles of our world can fray us at the edges. Performing this small act of spirit re-ties those threads. It returns us to connection. The months ahead call on me to find ways to enrich this spiritual home through our membership and outreach activities. The drive to master everything and make a meaningful contribution still operates. There are piles of things to learn and even more to start doing. It is also true that the months ahead can bring “me” into stronger relationship with “us” - the us of this congregation as well as of the community beyond these walls. September invites us into relationship with welcome. With all of its beginnings and endings, this time of year opens us to what is new ahead as well as what lives - and sometimes hides - in us. We can accept both, and then choose what to carry forward. As this community has done for me, I hope to embody the invitation for others to bring all of who they are. Beginning this work again each time, I pledge to light a chalice in a spirit of welcome in the hopes that its light (and lightness) will accompany me. That it will lead me to you. That it will help us meet and hear and welcome others as we move through this year together.  

by Intern Minister Pippin Whitaker. Greetings new community! I am your new intern minister, and I will be with you half-time for the next 2 years, September through May. I am also a seminary student at Meadville Lombard Theological School, which is one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the country. I live in Vienna with my spouse, Steve, and our three children, who range in age from 4 to 9. Yes, all this keeps me busy, but what a joyful busy it is! And what a joy it is to be an intern at UUCF. I have been a Unitarian Universalist by label since I was a pre-teen, but the values and principles of Unitarian Universalism were already part of me before I met a single Unitarian Universalist. I was a young person who loved to ponder the meaning of life and how we should treat one another, and I felt a call to ministry when I was still elementary school-aged. I put it aside because, growing up in Mississippi, with Protestant and Catholic friends and family, I didn't see a place for me in ministry. I actually thought about being a nun, but I also really wanted kids so that seemed to be a bit of a conflict. I was so glad when we found our first Unitarian Universalist congregation in the ’90s because it gave us the opportunity to live out and develop our faith and hopes for the world in a community of folks who would strive with us. But by that time, I assumed all Unitarian Universalist ministers were men and sans children. Still I was hooked on Unitarian Universalism from the beginning. Although, I was an infrequent visitor to congregations for several years in college! In graduate school, I rejoined a congregation and began to think deeply about my sense of calling to ministry and what that would look like for me. I first chose the practical application of our principles through social work. (As an aside: it is no coincidence that social work values and ethics are so close to Unitarian Universalist principles. Ask me about that some time!). After getting my master’s and Ph.D. in social work at Florida State University, I joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina for a few years. There I taught classes and contributed to knowledge about how community and social systems perpetuate - or can impede! - violence against people experiencing oppression. Then finally a light went off in my heart. We do need people developing more knowledge in social work, yes, but my work there was done. I was ready to move on because there is a place where my talents and frailties meet my hopes and fears for this turbulent ball of life we call earth. It is a place where we co-create our deepest longings for this world. And right now that place is here with you. Once I harnessed my call, I set off to seminary at Meadville Lombard in 2014. I have now completed almost all of my course work. I completed a unit of clinical pastoral education in a combination hospital and congregational setting. Last year, I earned a certificate in congregation-based spiritual direction. I am a candidate for ministry, which is an early part of the process to be a minister in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. And ... all of this preparation feels like painting primer on a canvas. Now, here we go! By being you, you will teach me volumes so that I might bless future congregations with your wisdom. By being me, I hope I bring you at least some piece of the joy I am filled with in this moment. If not that, perhaps some fun-loving amusement along the way! Either way, I am sure that we will create something beautiful together over these next 2 years. Thank you in advance for being you and for inviting me to be with you!  

Aug. 11, 2017. Dear UUCF congregants, I’m writing to you today to let you know that I have decided to retire in January 2018. After 9 years in this position, I’m looking forward to a change of pace. As I think about leaving, I am grateful to all of you for giving me the opportunity to work in an organization with values and a mission in sync with mine. That’s a real gift. I also have greatly appreciated the trust you have placed in me and all the encouragement you have given me during my time here. The exact date of my departure in January is still somewhat flexible as I want to facilitate a smooth transition to the new person hired. And, I won’t be leaving Unitarian Universalism, so hopefully will occasionally have opportunity to cross paths with at least some of you. Thank you so much for all you have done for me. Rich Sider Director of Administration

by Rev. Julie Price. What a privilege to be back with you in ministry for 3 weeks! Thank you for welcoming me so warmly on Sunday. The last time I led worship with you was the summer of 2015, culminating a year as your intern and summer minister. I have been back at UUCF since last fall, sitting in worship with you, volunteering in Religious Exploration and bearing witness to the soulful and transformative work that UUCF has been doing this past year. Many of you have asked me about my ministerial plans. I am currently in between units of training to become a Board Certified Chaplain. This summer, in addition to leading worship with you and two other UU congregations, I am busy studying and writing in preparation to meet with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association in September. I look forward to serving in health care chaplaincy as a UU community minister somewhere in the DC metro area once all of that is completed. Thank you for your support along my ministerial journey. From now through Jul. 23, I am here at UUCF to provide emergency pastoral care during Rev. David’s vacation. If you have an urgent pastoral care need, please call the UUCF office and you will be directed to a way to reach me. I will be available for pastoral care emergencies even during the furlough, so don’t hesitate to call me. Finally, I look forward to seeing any of you who are able to join us in person or online for our worship service Jul. 9. My sermon is titled The Rules of Improv for Beloved Community. Blessings on your work, your play, your roaming and your rest this summer!

by Associate Minister Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig. Thank you so much for the warm and wonderful send-off you offered me on Sunday. How good it was to be together and share so many hugs and good wishes. And the presents you gave me are so beautiful - the stunning glass singing bowl and the scrapbook with so many loving, thoughtful notes - I’m deeply grateful to have these treasures to remember you by. I am excited about the next chapter in my ministry, but, dear people, you are very hard to leave! Many of you have asked about staying in touch. With a heart full of love for you all, I need to let you know that I won’t be able to stay connected with you by email, phone or social media. The covenant I share with all my colleagues in ministry calls me to step way, way back for the sake of the relationship you will form with the new minister who will join you this fall. This is one of the toughest things in ministry - having to say goodbye and really mean it. But it’s for such a good reason. For the next ministry to flourish as we all hope and wish for, ministers who are leaving really need to leave. That said, if you should find yourself in Williamsburg on a Sunday, I would be delighted to see you in church. You are welcome there too. And I won’t say no to a hug and a smile, either. Though our relationship must change, I will carry you in my heart always. Dear people of UUCF, farewell and bless you.

by Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. Well, here we are at summer. It seems like the year flew by. It was a challenging year as events pulled our attention in one direction and then another. And with every news story and every tweet, it started all over again. So, we are going to work on hiring the assistant minister, then I am going to take a little vacation and then I am so looking forward to our next congregational year together. Thinking about the things that bring and hold religious communities like ours together, one that stands out is the opportunity for us to get together just to experience fun or joy. In a bygone day, and still when we are at our best, events centered around communities like UUCF help bring people together in ways that help weave a fabric that strengthens our community as a whole. So I am asking for a group to work closely with me to help do just that. I invite anyone interested in this committee to come forward. The name Joy Committee seems fitting, because we will spend this upcoming year providing and participating in opportunities to experience the joy of being in community, of playing together and of connecting more deeply. There are all kinds of examples of this type of joy. What about a quarterly potluck where we tell stories, play games or just be together? Another example is a Fall Harvest Festival I’m proposing for next year. There are joyful ideas about this event, but we need help to make it happen. Alice and I just hosted our Auction bowling party and, I have to say, a UUCF bowling night would be a blast. We are also planning a Holiday Party for Dec. 2 here at UUCF where we will light the Hanukkah candles and celebrate the Christmas season with a potluck, carol singing and arts and crafts for children. If you are interested in spreading much needed joy, please email me at revd@uucf.org and we will try and schedule a meeting for the last week of July to start planning for a joy-filled year.

by Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. “White Supremacist in Portland kills two men who tried to stop his racist rants” “LeBron James’ house spray-painted with a racial slur …” “White House invites literally anyone to refuse to cover birth control” “Noose found inside Smithsonian's African-American History Museum” “World leaders reaffirm commitment to fighting climate change” “ICE denied a request to stop an undocumented woman in Fairfax County from being deported” These are just some of the headlines from this past week. UU congregations all over the country are discussing ways to demonstrate UU values publicly in support of those who are being threatened and marginalized in today’s political and social climate and how we can continue to be as welcoming as possible to those who may have differing political views. It is a complex and challenging proposition. At UUCF, the decision has been made that one way to demonstrate our values of the worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; and especially the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all, is to hang a banner for all to see on Hunter Mill Road. The following words appear on the banner: In this congregation,  Love is Love Black Lives Matter Climate Change is Real No Human Being is Illegal Women’s Rights are Human Rights All Genders Are Whole, Holy and Good The Racial Justice Steering Committee and UUCF staff are working together to plan an event to hang the banner. There have been a variety of examples of how other UU congregations have hung their banners. Some have done it without any public notice; others have had events to note the moment. In noting the experiences of various congregations, when a banner is hung without any notice or nod to the folks who are being marginalized in the community, it can leave a gap in understanding or context. The idea behind the ceremony is to de-emphasize our congregation and center the discussion around the need for supporting those who are marginalized. There are continuing struggles with issues of policing and traditionally marginalized communities. A mother of two young children in Fairfax County is facing deportation under the new administration’s enforcement of immigration policies. Hate speech and attacks on women’s health organizations have increased. And, I can’t even begin to note the attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency and climate science. Of course we can just go ahead and hang the banner. But if there is a way to use this act as an opportunity to decentralize ourselves and bring to the center voices from the margins, that will be what we try to do. We also plan to invite elected officials, members of law enforcement and others from the community with the hope that we can both express our values publicly and help facilitate the building of understanding and bridges. This is no easy task at this time in our country. We will continue to do what we can to answer the call of love and be builders of conversations while strongly demonstrating our long-held values of equality, compassion and justice for all.

by Director of Religious Exploration Linnea Nelson. It all began with looking for volunteer opportunities for our youth. Ann Wood and Kerry Fraser had deep connections with Beacon House, a nonprofit, community-based organization that provides tutoring, mentoring, cultural, athletic, recreation and nutrition programs to at-risk, low-income children, ages 5-18, who reside in and around the Edgewood Commons community in Ward 5 of Washington, DC. So we asked if we could send some youth to help Beacon House out. But they didn't want our "help." Instead, they wanted partnership. Beacon House Director of Engagement and Development Lisa Taber and Athletic and Mentoring Programs Director Rodney Cephas met with Kerry, Ann and me last summer to vision what a partnership might look like. We settled on an opportunity to have youth get together, first at Beacon House and then at UUCF over several months to talk with each other about race. With the help of a generous grant from the UUCF Endowment Fund, we were able to hire a professional counseling group, Luceo, to lead the discussions with the youth. Luceo created opportunities for the youth to share their experiences with race and how it affects their lives. The workshop, "Conversations About Race and Equity With Teens," was designed to create a safe space to spark conversation about race and equity with youth of different racial backgrounds. Twenty-five middle school students participated in the program, about half from Beacon House and half from UUCF. They talked about stereotypes and expectations around race. They explored privilege and friendship. They discussed why color blindness will not solve race relations issues. They looked at implicit bias and talked to each other about what they were learning. Yes, it was awkward, especially the first session. Imagine being 12- or 13-years old and talking about race with people you have never met before! Thank goodness for icebreakers and snacks to create a more comfortable atmosphere! The youth learned how to interact with one another, listen to one another and have fun together. And as one of the Luceo counselors, Monica Lozano Caldera, commented, “They were learning how to love one another." Tim Cottman, another counselor, reminded us that, "We are inundated with messages of people who are different from us. I appreciated being with the kids as they learned about each other, and hopefully about themselves and to meet people that they don't meet on a regular basis." On the last day, UUCF artist Shari MacFarlane joined the group and led them to create individually crafted puzzle pieces, each as unique as each of them. These pieces fit together to create a colorful mosaic. Watch for more art from this group during UUCF’s October ARTspeaks installation. We also had the opportunity for two parent sessions. One session was just UUCF parents exploring issues surrounding race that our teens experience. The second was a conversation about how each of us first encountered difference in our early lives. We were lucky to have a parent from Beacon House join us for this discussion. Our goal is to continue in partnership with Beacon House and to nurture these budding friendships. As one of our youth shared after hugging her new friend good-bye, "It was just fun talking to someone who is different from me."

Dear UUCF Community, With a heart full of love and appreciation for you all, I write to share some important news. After 6 wonderful years with UUCF, I have decided to accept the invitation of the Williamsburg (VA) Unitarian Universalists to become their ministerial candidate. This means that, if things go as we expect, I will become the settled minister with the Williamsburg UUs in August. And, sadly, this also means I will be leaving UUCF. This is not a decision I have made lightly. I will miss you all more than words can express. And yet, I know it is the right time for me to spread my wings and take up a new challenge. Over the last few years, you have been my teachers as we have laughed, cried, learned and served together. Gradually, inspired by the rich and deep work we’ve done together, I have felt a call growing within me to stretch into a fuller leadership role and offer my gifts to our Unitarian Universalist faith in a new way. I want you to hear how deeply I care about you all, and how much our time together will continue to inspire me as I move into this new chapter of ministry. And I know you will be fine! I look forward to following you from a distance as the partnership you have formed with Rev. David Miller leads you forward in exciting and beautiful ways. I also want to express my deepest thanks to Rev. David and every single member of our staff and leadership team for their ongoing support and collaborative spirit. I couldn’t have asked for a better team - you all are magnificent, and whoever comes after me will be lucky indeed to serve with you all. Rev. David will be in touch on Monday to share some news about what’s next for the ministry team at UUCF. Meanwhile, I’m glad that we don’t have to say goodbye right away! My last Sunday at UUCF will be Jun. 18, and I look forward to many conversations and hugs before then. I’ll be in Williamsburg for the official “candidating week” May 21-28, but otherwise I’ll be at UUCF on Sundays and clearing the decks of my schedule to make lots of time for goodbyes. Let’s make the most of this precious time together. With love and faith, Rev. Laura 

by Laurie Cunningham, Religious Exploration Committee co-chair. I've always felt the best way to change the world is from the ground up. So often in life, we deal with people who have been constructed and shaped by others, without solid foundations. But as Religious Exploration teachers at UUCF, we have an amazing opportunity to effect change by strengthening the foundation of our children. In return, our own lives are fortified and remodeled. By teaching RE, I have a chance to offer ideas, create space for serious and fun discussions, assist in relationship-building, and play! Each age classroom has a curriculum to follow, so I've got a road map I can use as is, or tweak if I need or want to. Teaching expands my understanding of our faith, and exposes me to ideas and stories I may not have heard before. I love working with and learning from my teaching team. We are a wealth of knowledge and ideas, and being involved with the RE program highlights that for me. Teaching stretches me in a good way, allowing me space to see possibilities, helping me consider ways to include everyone and giving me a really fun Sunday morning. By far the best part of teaching RE is learning from the kids. Teaching allows me to see and hear firsthand what these amazing kids are thinking, understanding, processing and tackling. They are insightful, thoughtful, honest, interested, curious and so open! Not a Sunday goes by that I don’t learn something from one of them - whether it is a scientific fact, or that if I speak very quietly they will lean in to hear, or that sometimes a child who looks like they are off on their own is actually really engaged in their own way. They make me a better teacher, parent and friend by showing me how to be in the world. Teaching RE allows me to see what the world is bringing forward, and it brings me such joy and hope. Could you use a little joy and fun? Ready and willing to stretch a little? Come join us!

by Intern Minister McKinley Sims. So … Easter. The most important holiday in the Christian church year, usually corresponding to the Jewish festival week of Pesach/Passover, celebrates the story of Jesus of Nazareth’s miraculous resurrection three days after a horrific public execution. The words of the Christian Scriptures illustrate how a group of women went to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea to care for the body of their dead rabbi, only to find that the tomb was empty and the body was gone. Later, Jesus’ disciples claimed to have seen a resurrected Jesus, walking and talking, even eating food! If that’s not transformation, I don’t know what is. So … what are we to make of this? Is it a myth, a story, a historical event? People don’t commonly die for three days and then come back to life as if it’s no big deal. This whole escapade strains credulity. It can’t be true, right? We humans don’t usually undergo that kind of transformation. Perhaps, however, the transformative resurrection is what Unitarian Theodore Parker spoke of when he wrote about details in religion that are transient and the broader truths that are permanent. Perhaps, resurrection is one of those truths. Here’s what I mean: When I read this story, I don’t question the logistics. I’m over it, it’s not interesting to debate the hows and the whens and the wheres. What’s more interesting is to look at the broader picture, the bigger truth, like why does the Scripture insist on a bodily resurrection of human being? Why is Easter morning accompanied by the lines: “He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’” The Jesus of Easter morning is not a ghost, not a spirit, not an alien. He hasn’t been transformed into something else entirely. He goes through every measure to assure people that he has flesh and bones, organs and skin. To the witnesses, he says, “Look, touch, feel, experience. The body you see is a body, it has hands and feet, it has scars.” In short, it’s human. What I find most interesting in Easter’s truth is that it’s a fundamental affirmation of the goodness and importance of being a human being. Its truth is how miraculous the human body is, and how resurrection can happen in a variety of ways. Just as the flowers that spring forth in this season annually reaffirm life’s beauty and wonder, so does the Easter message remind us how good it is to be alive and to have a body that breathes, ticks, loves, cries, heals and lives. In this Easter season, the insistence of the goodness of the body is a call to us to practice a little resurrection of our own, and engage in some transformative work. We don’t seek to become something totally alien, but we seek to heal, to renew, to be resurrected from long nights and scary newscasts. We seek to become more authentically human, shaking off the wintry dust and re-emerging into the sunlight of transformation that can occur when we open our souls up to the hope of a brighter future. So, with Easter’s miracle still fresh in our minds, as the blooms of the flowering trees open to greet their transformed neighbors, may we practice resurrection in small ways and embrace the feeling in the air: How good it is to be human.

by Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. When I was young, I remember going to the synagogue with my dad in Skokie, IL, where after services sometimes we would have lox and bagels and chocolate milk. It was a wonderful ritual. Skokie was a white Jewish enclave where my temple was located but I lived in the Evanston school district and grew up and went to high school with people from many faiths, many cultures and many racial and ethnic backgrounds. We didn’t use words like “white privilege” or “white supremacy” but we did work on concepts like race relations, diversity and equality. After the end of the baby boom and with the changing face of demographics in Skokie, at some point my congregation dwindled and moved out and at least for a while was replaced by the Assyrian National Council, something I think we never could have possibly predicted the day I got bar mitzvahed. I also don’t know how they are teaching issues of race in my old high school, but I am sure it has evolved since I attended. (Nor could I have predicted that someday I would find this lifesaving faith and become a minister and learn so much more about issues of race than I ever did in high school.) We as Unitarian Universalists are now going through a period of realignment in a variety of ways - ways that challenge our beloved understanding of congregational life and that in some ways challenge what we have come to know as the culture and practice of Unitarian Universalism. It isn’t just this one hiring event at the UUA. There has been an intentional, growing movement of people of color in our association as well as generational changes that are part of a natural life cycle of an organization like ours. This month we are talking about transformation, and sometimes transformation comes to things that we don’t want to see transform and can’t always control. In many ways that is what I am observing now. Change is hard to control, especially if the change is meant to get us to reflect on our understanding of how concepts and words are used in ways that challenge our current understanding and comfort. We don’t have to like it, we don’t have to agree, and we can push back, yet also, we are being asked the following questions: How am I reacting to the words or the concepts and why? What am I being asked to actually do in relation to the use of the words or concepts? How can I not make this about me and think about those whose pain is giving birth to the use of these concepts? What can we do to not blame those bringing forth this need for change? What should I do as an individual or what should we do as a community to deal with the issues at the core of the use of the words? I know that this has been an unbelievable and uncomfortable period in many of our lives. The change in cultural direction we have seen in the past year from the last presidential administration to the current administration is astounding. When our safe space for our spiritual nourishment also seems to be in the midst of change, it can challenge our equilibrium. I ask you to consider that we are being asked not to be just a safe space but to be a brave space as described below. An Invitation to Brave Space Together we will create brave space Because there is no such thing as a “safe space” We exist in the real world We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds. In this space We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world, We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere, We call each other to more truth and love We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow. We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know, We will not be perfect. This space will not be perfect. It will not always be what we wish it to be But It will be our brave space together, and We will work in it side by side ... - by Micky ScottBey Jones, inspired by an unknown author’s poem

A letter from Rev. David A. Miller, Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig and Intern Minister McKinley Sims. Today, as a result of a series of events within our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), Peter Morales resigned as president of the UUA. We want to share with you our best understanding of what led to this decision, and to reassure you of our collective commitment to continue the work of love and justice that is at the core of our faith. Last week it was announced that a new regional lead for the Southern Region of the UUA’s Congregation Life staff was hired. The successful candidate was a white man. News spread quickly on social media that another qualified candidate, a woman of color, had been told she was not the “right fit” for the position. There was an outcry regarding the long-term effect of systems of white supremacy in the hiring practices of the UUA. Monday's UU World article, "Critics decry 'white supremacy' in UUA hiring practices: Latest senior hire of a white man highlights staff leadership that remains mostly white," gives a comprehensive view of the story.Our country, our denomination and our congregation have been dealing with issues of race and historical systems that favor whiteness, or white supremacy. We know many of the people involved with this latest situation and our hearts break on so many levels. The three of us wish that we could wave our hands to ease the pain and transform our cultural systems to reflect equality and dignity for all. Yet we know this is work that has taken centuries to do and will take significantly more intention to change. At a recent training by Chris Crass, we were inspired to do our best to separate the systems of white supremacy, which live in us in so many ways unintentionally, from the people who suffer from the disease. The disease of white supremacy is a poison that harms everything it touches and takes so much intention to address. So what do we do to hold in care the people who, with the best of intentions, may fall short? What do we do with the righteous anger that comes from so many micro and macroaggressions and lack of important systemic changes? How do we ground ourselves in our faith, love each other and still understand that sometimes love means telling the hard truths? We don’t have an answer for all of this, but we all must continue to reflect on our place in these systems and be open to understanding the pain of those who are suffering.There is no one perfect way. This work is messy and difficult. Part of the hard work is to stay in relationship and in conversation as we work together to overcome the systems of white supremacy that live in us and in our institutions. White supremacy is a poison that is designed to divide and conquer, something we can’t let happen no matter how angry we are and no matter how much work there is left to do.Below are several links with more information on this week’s events. Reflection on White Supremacy in Our UUA Letter From UUA President Peter Morales to the UUA Board of Trustees, March 30, 2017 Letter From the UUA Leadership Council This June, as was planned long before this situation unfolded, the delegates to the UUA General Assembly will elect a new president of our association. This Saturday we will all have a chance to meet the three candidates for president at a candidates' forum at Cedar Lane UU Church in Bethesda, MD, 10-11:30 a.m. We encourage anyone who would like to learn more about the candidates and the future of our association to join us there.As always, we remain available to talk with you, and listen to you, about this issue or any other. In gratitude for the faith we share.

by Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. With huge excitement and anticipation, I have the privilege of announcing the recipient of UUCF’s Innovation Fund grant. Last Tuesday night, after a 9-month review process, the UUCF Board of Directors approved a proposal for a UUCF-sponsored, off-campus effort targeted to young adults (20s and 30s). The mission would be to help Northern Virginia young adults explore and live UU values in an intentional community. The proposal is a joint effort by Betsy Bicknell and Wendy Astell. [caption id="attachment_33119" align="alignleft" width="146"] Betsy Bicknell[/caption] [caption id="attachment_33120" align="alignleft" width="139"] Wendy Astell[/caption] In a generous bequest, the late Stan Richards provided seed financing for innovative projects that expand UUCF’s outreach to those not now engaged in our congregation and/or Unitarian Universalism. Last summer, the Innovation Fund Committee asked the congregation for big ideas … dramatic new thoughts … high-risk, high-payoff experiments … approaches that might open up new ways of thinking about outreach and growing Unitarian Universalism. Many wonderful proposals were received and from two finalists, this proposal was chosen. Focused in a deliberately non-church-like storefront space easily accessed by walkers and public transit and coordinated by a young adult UU minister, this project will support development of deep community through arts, conversation, learning and working together for social justice. It would also support people moving through life transitions by offering classes and workshops on topics of interest, support groups, spiritual counseling and rites of passage to those who may have no other religious home. Although studies are showing that many young people are not interested in traditional organized religion, they are interested in community, finding purpose, accountability, observing rites of passage and working for social justice – providing opportunities to share our UU values. The approved proposal includes more than a year of planning and outreach to evaluate interest and the best location, hiring of a part-time UU minister to serve as project manager, followed by a yearlong pilot of the concept in a leased storefront-type space providing a small office and meeting space. If the pilot does not meet the attendance, revenue and other goals established during the planning process, the project would stop at the end of the 1-year lease. If the pilot is successful, other sources of revenue may be required until it becomes self-sustaining. Stan Richards’ bequest also allows for the high possibility of failure in undertaking innovative ideas. In that event, lessons learned will be written up and shared as widely as possible for the benefit of others interested in this concept. The first steps of the project are forming a committee of five to eight volunteers to provide vision and oversight. Committee members will include several UUs, at least one with background in local retail and/or hospitality business and two or more in the target age group who are active in local community groups that serve their peers. The committee will manage the market research process and develop detailed business and ministerial hiring plans. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact Betsy Bicknell or Wendy Astell. In a month when we have focused on Risk, it seems particularly fitting to acknowledge the risk Wendy and Betsy took in proposing this highly innovative concept. They are committed to growing Unitarian Universalism and to filling a need in our community. We’re grateful they took the risk and grateful for the generous funding that Stan’s bequest makes possible.

by Kaye Cook, Co-leader, Racial Justice Steering Committee. From a young age, I had a strong sense of fairness and equity. Luckily, I was fortunate to work in the field of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) in the federal government for most of my career. When I retired in February 2014, I was looking for a way to stay engaged in racial and social justice issues. As luck would have it, my husband and I attended a service at UUCF the same month I retired. I knew immediately I had found a place where my core values and interests were shared by others and would give me the chance to stay involved in the work of fighting for social justice. In January 2016, UUCF celebrated the "30 Days of Love Campaign." The Racial Justice Steering Committee (RJSC) was an outgrowth of that campaign. I immediately volunteered to be on the committee. The committee meets monthly, and members are seeking ways to help UUCF become a more inclusive congregation and to build and acquire competencies to work toward that goal. We'd love to have you join us if you're interested in helping achieve these goals. In case you aren't aware of what the RJSC works on, the following are some of the committee's activities over the last year. They have ranged from offering films, such as "Slavery by Another Name" and "13th," and sponsoring a book club featuring books focused on discrimination and racial injustice to sponsoring the collections of hygiene and snack kits during the UUCF Weekend of Service, which we delivered to Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources, Inc. (OAR). We've sponsored a variety of training to deal with issues of racism and the effects that racism has on all of our lives. On Apr. 15, we are hosting the UU Capital Cluster/Central East Region Leadership Conference, "Building Authentic Diversity: Intercultural Communication as a Tool for Congregational Change." We've initiated a couple of youth-oriented programs including a joint initiative with Beacon House and UUCF to develop interactions that promote friendship and understanding among young people of diverse backgrounds in our communities. A new initiative was undertaken in February to form an ongoing group to work on how we might incorporate more antiracism work into our work with children. The Second Principle Project banners you see around the parking lot promote the UUCF Second Principle Project, which was launched in October 2016. The project is designed to help UUCF live our commitment to the Unitarian Universalist Second Principle by affirming and promoting justice, equity and compassion in human relations between all people. We are developing a curriculum for use by UUCF covenant groups and other small groups at UUCF to help them discuss racial justice issues. Another subgroup is exploring how we can facilitate ways for the congregation to be in relationship with other organizations and faith communities. The goal is to deepen our understanding of people from different cultures. We are still exploring a way to provide public witness of our commitment and support of marginalized and vulnerable groups. On Wed., Apr. 5, here at UUCF, the RJSC - along with the Social Justice Council and the Global Affairs Discussion Group - is co-sponsoring a NoVA interfaith orientation on the Sanctuary Movement. The RJSC members are identified by their UUCF name tags. I encourage you to talk with any of us to learn more about our activities. We are always open to suggestions and ideas of ways we can be of more service to the congregation in our work to end racial discrimination and injustice.

by Lay Minister for Worship and Arts Susan Bennett. In turbulent times like the ones we find ourselves in the midst of now, it can seem almost impossible to stay balanced and centered. Perhaps like me, you find yourself feeling alternately sad, frightened, angry and confused about where to best put your energies. So many emails, so many tweets, so many requests for your time, attention and resources. I find that I’m asking myself every day: “How can I best serve the values I hold dear and also maintain some level of equilibrium?” I return again and again to spiritual practice. It keeps me grounded and gives me hope. Spiritual practice can sometimes be a complicated concept for UUs. Before we can practice it, we need to define it and for many of us that takes some time. For many years I thought I needed to decide what I believed before I could undertake spiritual practice. I also thought I couldn’t be any good at spiritual practice because I didn’t have the patience to sit and meditate. My mind was too busy and besides, I had important things to do! But now I’ve come to realize that spiritual practice can be almost anything that you engage in with the intention of connecting to that which is greater than yourself alone. I engage in daily spiritual practice, though it’s not always the same practice. I’ve come to accept that different practices ebb and flow through my life and I have faith that if I follow my inner wisdom, I will engage in the practice that is most appropriate for the time. For me, the key is the word “practice.” Like learning any skill or art, you have to show up and do the work. So now I don’t worry so much about whether I’m doing it right, I just show up and engage. And often, when I’m done, I see the way forward more clearly, I have a greater sense of where I need to put my energy and I just feel calmer, which helps me be more effective in my life. So if you’re feeling a bit battered by the storm, I encourage you to consider your relationship to spiritual practice. Attending Sunday services regularly is a great spiritual practice and there are many other opportunities at UUCF to engage in and learn about spiritual practice. A great place to start is the book “Everyday Spiritual Practice” edited by UU minister Scott Alexander. And if you have questions or need help in connecting to the spiritual resources at UUCF, contact me. You can find me most Sunday mornings at services at UUCF!

by Director of Religious Exploration Linnea Nelson. Last summer as I looked through our RE cupboards of toys for young children, I wondered if we might be able to create a model of our beautiful Sanctuary for our 4- and 5-year-olds. Their curriculum introduces them to our community members, ministers, grounds and buildings that make up our UU home. Having a child-sized Sanctuary seemed like a stretch, but maybe I could find someone to make a simple model. I mentioned the idea to Ron Giusti,* who I knew crafted beautiful birdhouses, and he said he’d think about it. Two months later, he presented the class with an amazing 3-foot by 3-foot replica of our Sanctuary! His model included miniature hardwood floors, carefully crafted rafters and our ramp, and he even created the round windows in our Sanctuary by taping photographs of what we actually see out each window to create a realistic view. When he first showed me a photograph of his project, I thought he was showing me our actual Sanctuary, but he encouraged me to look closer and see that this was indeed a photograph of the model. Take a look at these photos and see if you can tell the difference! This is love - for our community, our children and our beautiful spaces. Ron’s gift to our children reminded me of how wonderful our space is. I feel such gratitude for the well-stocked classrooms and RE supply room, the comfy sofas and outdoor furniture that allow for informal small-group gatherings, our beautiful Sanctuary furniture and our art spaces, naturally lighted Commons and space for our Nursery. As we look around, hopefully we realize how this campus is a collective sacred space for all of us to use. If, like me, you also appreciate our space, may I call on each of us to take a moment at the end of each of our meetings or evening classes to return pens, chalices and other supplies to the RE cabinets, return any items such as lamps, remotes or chairs to their homes, turn off lights and remove or discard paper, food or other items? So many people use our spaces and with the addition of electronics, the remotes go missing and cords get tangled. Let’s show our love for our magnificent meeting spaces and commit to creating a welcoming space for each other and our guests. Ron shared his love for our community in a magnificent way and he's reminded me to commit to taking good care of all our UUCF spaces. Thank you, Ron! *Ron Giusti and his wife, Marsha, have been UUCF members for 13 years. They raised their son, David, in our community, and Ron taught kindergarten in our RE program for many years.

by Rev. David A. Miller. Friday night I said the blessing at UUCF's Hypothermia Shelter dinner. Afterward, as I walked out in the freezing cold wind, I couldn't help but feel deep sadness. We have a promise that holds this country together. It is a promise to those who have nowhere to sleep and a promise to those who have no home due to conflict, poverty and war. It is the promise that this country was built on. We have often failed in fulfilling that promise. Sometimes we come closer to fulfilling the promise than at other times. Now it seems we are moving further away from that promise. I watched a portion of John F. Kennedy's inauguration speech this week and saw the movie "Hidden Figures." The speech and the movie remind me that we are at our best when called to do great things, when called upon by our leaders to be our best selves and rise together. Our moral center is inclusion and the security and freedom of all who suffer from our divisions. I feel like we should know this by now, but this promise is under threat as we speak. So once again, we must band together to protect it. And once again we must link our arms in an ever-increasing line of invitation. Once again, until it is no longer needed.

by Intern Minister McKinley Sims. I’ve been doing some genealogical research this month. It wasn’t my first choice of how to spend my free time, but my mother, the inimitable Frankie B., put me onto it because she’s been having scary dreams about the future of our country. She claims that her great-grandmother, my great-great-grandmother, is encouraging her to “stay away from that place” and “return home.” We wondered if this is some kind of prophecy. We didn’t know exactly what her name was, but we were pretty sure about relationship: She came across the Atlantic from Pontypool, Wales, in 1870, before settling in the Texas Panhandle. Her fourth son got a homestead ranch in Hansford County and eventually grew to be a major cattle rancher in the area. His daughter, my mom’s grandmother, grew up to be the first woman postmaster in the panhandle, a single mom running a cattle ranch and a Pony Express route rest stop. Her granddaughter, my mother, grew up in the panhandle to become a highly educated speech pathologist who pioneered research into and the applications of the burgeoning cochlear implant technology for children with hearing deficiencies. Her work is still cited in scientific papers on the latest advances in the field. Her daughter, my sister, grew up in the panhandle to be an Ivy League-educated systems engineer with a security clearance, a job she couldn’t talk about, and the ability to leave that field to go to law school and become a high-powered intellectual property attorney in the most diverse city in America. This is all fantastic, and I’m so very proud of the women in my family. I’m proud to carry on their legacy. Should I have a daughter of my own (their granddaughter and niece), I will make sure she knows she comes from a long line of women prophets who made their mark in the world by striving for excellence and breaking barriers that were put in place because of the belief that women shouldn’t exercise their public voice. Our religious tradition was one of the first to ordain a woman to preach the truth. We are part of the progress that ran through the veins of my grandmothers, my mother and my sister. That tradition is part of our religious home. There may be times, in the future, when the suggestion arises that women’s voices don’t carry as much weight as other voices do. Our Universalist heritage and our American experiment speak otherwise. I’m proud to walk in their shadow into the sunlight of tomorrow, regardless of any criticism. I’m with her and her and her and her and you. Now and always. And if the critics demand that you “stay away from that place” and “return home,” know that the place where the critics stand is your home. Let’s walk there together.

by Director of Music & Arts Laura Weiss. I am 7 years old and I can hear my mother in the kitchen. She is chopping vegetables for, no doubt, one of her delicious soups and I can smell the aroma waft into the living room. The smell is the only thing that brings me into the present. Otherwise, I am swept away into the delicious and grueling world of dedicated practice. I am inside of the music at the piano. Then the inevitable happens as it does most days: I hit a wrong note. “Woah! That’s wrong!” she says, continuing her chopping. I felt enormous pressure to perform well when I was little. I would work until my arms ached, my heart rate quickened and my eyes blurred. Yet, despite my mother’s firm belief that her feedback would one day be credited as the primary source of my success, my drive was self-induced. As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to be the best at things. Without any encouragement, I thrived on creating systems and strategies to attain success. This applied to anything I tried: math, dance, diving, music. Try two measures of music, Laura. Mistake. Try one measure. Same mistake. Slow down. New mistake. Good grief. Sit. Reflect. Analyze the rhythms and count out loud. Play it again. Mistake. It isn’t the rhythm! I know the rhythm. Feel the finger pattern like a shape. Visualize the shape and trust your fingers. OK, better! Now try two measures. Mistake. Yup, you went too far. Play one measure slowly with the finger pattern. Feel it. Yes. Repeat three times. Now put it back inside of the phrase. And so on. Every day. For years. Even today. This morning, I talked to a friend who made an ambitious list of New Year’s resolutions, and I thought about my own: Be aware. Be mindful of your body and what it wants. Rest when you need to. Then I heard my mother’s voice in my head: “Practice makes perfect!” Maybe this voice was on to something. Why has it been so easy to apply this method to concrete things like schoolwork and sports and music lessons but not in areas like New Year’s resolutions, diets, life goals, relationships? Isn’t talking myself out of eating a slice of cake just another pattern like a difficult measure of music? Isn’t making a statement about how I will be similar to playing a piece and expecting to just get it without the work? What if I only focus on the perfect part of my mom’s cliché when it comes to things that elude me? Instead of deciding to wake up on Jan. 2 and be fully aware, seek justice, speak kindly and join revolutions, what if I just practiced it? What might that look like? Practice in music means breaking down your patterns to their smallest and playing those passages over and over until you not only understand them, you can express them and make them a fluid sonorous symphony comprised of your voice and the brilliant composition itself. What if we did that with life? What if we looked at our patterns and broke them down into smaller fragments? What if we trusted that we would reach our goals with practice just like when we learn a new skill? We know that the lengthier process is worth it then, don’t we? What if we made our goals so specific that we could analyze them from different perspectives, sit with them, find the challenges within them and make the finite movements that we are actually capable of grasping? Wouldn’t practice inevitably help? Feel the pattern take shape, then repeat. Repeat. Repeat. One measure, then two. Thanks mom. I guess you get the credit this time.

Dec. 26, 2016. by Lay Minister for Caring & Wellness Linda Zack. “It is in community that we come to see God in the other. It is in community that we see our own emptiness filled up. It is community that calls me beyond the pinched horizons of my own life, my own country, my own race, and gives me the gifts I do not have within me.” - Joan D. Chittister When I first visited UUCF in January 2010, I was with my husband and son, and my sister, and we were looking for a faith community that made sense to us. We loved the inspiring words, the beautiful music and the openness that gave us space both to believe and to question our beliefs. What has kept us at UUCF is community. One of my earliest experiences with community at UUCF was a Women’s Spirit Circle I joined in fall 2010. My beloved sister, who was quite ill when we began attending UUCF, had just died in August. Although her death was expected, my emotions were raw and I was processing so much. Through the safe space of the Circle and the themes we explored, I began to heal. I think I cried at some point in every meeting that first year. The wonderful women in the circle accepted me for who I was, with no attempts to change me or the process I was going through. They allowed me to be in the safe space of community, both to hold me and to give me space to move forward. We enter into so many types of community every day. At UUCF, sometimes community is just two of us, working together or holding each other when the need arises. Sometimes it is a covenant group or other small group - or a committee meeting - where we check in with each other, explore issues and work toward a goal. Or community can be all of us coming together in worship to make sense of our ever-changing world, to realize that we are not alone in our hopes and fears, and to inspire each other to take action to make our world a more just and compassionate place. Many of us have deep faith or strong principles, but our growth is limited when we practice these things alone. Our faith and our principles need to be explored, debated, lived, created and encouraged, and we do this best when we are together. This holiday season, I hope we are able to take a moment to connect to those around us. For some, the holidays are full of joy, family and comforting rituals. For some, like my neighbor who lost his wife in the past year, the holidays may bring pain and memories of loss. When we think about what we want to leave behind in this world, it almost always focuses on our connection with people and our desire to do something bigger than ourselves. For this, we need community.

by Associate Minister Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig. “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” -Henry Miller I held the tiny clementine in my hand. Bright orange skin, with that marvelous scent of citrus zest teasing my nose. Seven of us were in the circle last Monday night, on a quiet evening in the Program Building, gathered for this month’s Soul Matters Open Circle to explore December’s theme of Presence. We began with a simple exercise inspired by the Vietnamese Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh – eating one of the clementines as mindfully as we could, seeking to be fully present to the experience. We read Thich Nhat Hanh’s words: What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you are aware that you are eating the tangerine. You fully experience its lovely fragrance and sweet taste. … [E]ating a tangerine in mindfulness means that while eating the tangerine, you are truly in touch with it. Your mind is not chasing after thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow, but is dwelling fully in the present moment. … The opposite is to live in forgetfulness. If we live in forgetfulness, we do not know that we are alive. from “Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha,” by Thich Nhat Hanh And then we ate the clementines, all together, in silence. Trying to be present. I’m not usually a particularly mindful eater. At breakfast, I almost always read the newspaper. I often eat lunch at my desk, typing as I chew, or at our staff lunch table, chatting with my wonderful colleagues (but not being very attentive to my food). John and I enjoy watching a little TV while we eat our dinner. But now, eating this tiny little clementine – it was so vivid, so very present. I peeled a section away from its neighbors and noticed a puckery sound I’d never paid much mind to before. Beautiful. I heard my neighbors in the circle chewing and knew they could hear me too – a sweet and funny and humbling moment of connection. And the taste, when I really paid attention – how wonderful! How amazing that this little fruit should offer us such a vibrancy of experience – smell, touch, taste, sound, everything – a little world in itself. What a miracle that such a thing as a clementine should exist on the same planet as we ourselves. In that moment of presence, it really did seem like a miracle. And then I noticed I had zoned out and eaten a section without really paying attention – distracted by wondering how everyone else was feeling, or thinking about what I would be doing the next day, or whatever – not present, not aware. So I tried to bring my attention back to the clementine again, and again, and again. And truly it seemed to me that if I could experience everything with that level of presence and mindfulness, the world would be aflame with beauty - with magnificence, glory, wonder - with a peace that passes understanding. A peace that is far deeper and stronger than the headlines of the moment and the daily suffering of our lives. Perhaps that is how the world truly is, even now. Of course the headlines matter. Of course our suffering matters. Thich Nhat Hanh first shared his teachings on mindful presence in the context of great pain and suffering in his home country, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, he worked tirelessly for peace. And he taught over and over again that, through the practice of mindfulness, peace is always available to each of us, at every moment, no matter what is happening in our world. When we are truly awake to what is present right here, right now, we can be at peace, no matter what. And the peace within us can radiate out to bless and inspire others, no matter what. May this be so, even now – right now.

by Rev. David A. Miller. As we enter the uncharted waters of this post-election world – with so many uncertainties that can lead to stress and anxiety - I feel it’s important for us to be gentle with each other. Frustration with the status of the world may lead to frustration in our personal or communal lives that may not look like a reaction, but could have its roots in deeper fear and anxiety. It is also an especially important time for us to be loving and welcoming at UUCF. We are a people of many preferences and opinions. There is no way for everyone to have things exactly as they wish they could be. There will be people attending UUCF in the coming weeks and months with vastly different perspectives and feelings about all kinds of issues and the invitation must be how we live into the love that resides at the core of this faith tradition. One thought that has always been a part of the 5th Principle for me is how do we stay in community and covenant when we don’t get our way? This is a question facing us right now in so many areas of life. As we face these questions, fears and struggles, one of the benefits of being part of this community is the opportunity for grounding during difficult times. Let me invite us to consider how that might look in this holiday season. There will be much music and meaning to be found at UUCF this holiday season. Aside from the beautiful music in each service, there will be a special music service on Dec. 11. On Dec. 18, Peter Mayer will be here with a special holiday concert to share across all of our generations. We continue to have educational opportunities, meetings of our small groups and plenty of service opportunities including the 4th Annual Action of Witness for Gun Safety in front of the NRA on Dec. 14, 10-11 a.m. As we navigate the emotional waters of family, shopping, events, our religious past, present and future, and the state of our nation, let us reflect on what we hope for in the world. If things are not currently feeling like they are moving in the direction we hope, they certainly will not if we do not model them with our thoughts and actions. How we model our actions and how we work to create the world for which we dream has deep ramifications for the future. So, for this holiday season, I offer a prayer that I wrote 11 years ago and have shared every year - with a few little tweaks this year: Let us wish for true peace for the world, a peace built on mutual need to create a sustainable earth for generations to come. Let us wish for open hearts toward those in pain, for we are all one, and in this interconnected world, what happens to one truly does happen to all. Let us wish for the blossoming of compassion, for all faiths have a compassionate core and all lives crave the kindness of others. Let us wish for our lives, our homes, our congregations and our communities to be places where neighbor loves neighbor and we engage each other with open minds and open spirits. Let us wish for love that “stands” firm in opposition to fear and othering and calls us all to our best selves. Finally, I wish for you, your families, friends and loved ones, the gentleness of spirit that lies at the heart of the songs and rituals of the holidays. May that spread out beyond to touch us all. This year, as every year before, I believe it takes more than wishing, now, let us begin.

by Dave Wiemer, Generosity Team member. Like many of you, I am still struggling to process the results of Tuesday’s presidential election. In discussing the outcome with our children, my wife, Heather, and I assured them that they were safe and loved. We assured them that we would fight injustice and find ways to serve the most vulnerable members of our community. We promised them that as a family we would stand on the side of love. A few days removed from that conversation, I continue to find reassurance knowing that I belong to a faith community that shares my values. UUCF is a place where my family and I know that we will find love and compassion in a world that sometimes seems incapable of either. UUCF is our spiritual home where our children will grow, connect and serve. I am more confident than ever in our decision to invest in the future of this wonderful place. A few weeks before the election, my family made a three-year pledge to the Within Reach campaign. Though we were not part of the congregation during the original Reach campaign, we reap the benefits of the congregation’s generosity. When we first started attending services in early 2013 the parking lot was a gravel pit, not the beautiful, eco-friendly spot it is today. We witnessed its transformation firsthand, and want to make sure other important infrastructure investments that are within reach can go forward. The Within Reach campaign’s goal of retiring debt is far from the most glamorous of projects; yet, it is essential to the congregation’s financial health. This will allow us to lower our operating expenses by nearly $55,000 per year - enabling us to use that money to finance some social justice projects that will be essential in the coming 4 years. Our pledge is an investment in the future of UUCF. We are proud to help ensure the financial stability of the congregation because our family gets so much more in return. Now, more than ever, our support of the loving message and work of this congregation is vitally important. I hope that you will join us by making a pledge to the Within Reach campaign today.

Oct. 31, 2016. by Cheryl Sadowski, Lay Minister for Adult Spiritual Development. Do you remember the joy of kaleidoscopes? - the long tubes pointing to a tapestry of light and color that organizes and reorganizes itself into a new picture with each twist of your hand? When you twist a kaleidoscope all the way around, you occasionally return to the very image at which you began, though really it isn’t quite the same. After all, prisms reflect and channel light, and light changes from one moment to the next. My own spiritual experience feels much like a kaleidoscope, having wound my way from a ritualized, cultural Catholic upbringing through threads of Buddhism, Taoism and naturalism, and ultimately through the welcoming doors of Unitarian Universalism. It’s under the sturdy, generous umbrella of this liberal faith tradition where I am most inspired by the collective deep and abiding interest in the world. Each person’s search for truth and meaning is, by its nature, individual and wholly authentic. But what of responsibility in this search? I take that as respect for individuality amid accountability to the faith community and betterment of all - a necessary and productive tension if we are to at all effective in our work. It’s interesting how little need there is for orthodoxy or spiritual certainty in our dealings with one another, or out in the world; I’m not convinced these things matter, or that they help. In the human realm where planes need to fly, bridges must stand and diseases be cured, I regularly place my faith in the certainty of pilots, engineers and doctors. But in matters of the human heart and how I want to be in relationship to the world, it is uncertainty that often leads to more exciting and tectonic places, where real change and growth occur. In her Ware Lecture at the 2014 Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, Sister Simone Campbell of the “Nuns on the Bus” movement described uncertainty as a critical part of her spirituality: “I describe my spirituality as walking willing. Walking willing to wherever we are led.” Walking willing isn’t easy, it requires innate curiosity, wonder and trust: Curiosity for the world beyond your own experience; wonder at the visible, the invisible and for the vastness of human compassion and cruelty; and trust that you will in some way be favorably changed by your journey. Walking willing is a mantra for seekers. From the ancient time of Arius through Servetus and Socitus of the early Renaissance to the split from Puritan Congregationalism to visionary and subversive thinkers like Lucy Stone, William Ellery Channing and Ralph Waldo Emerson - Unitarian Universalists have always been seekers - walking willing to challenge systems, decry bigotry and injustice, amplify the voices of the poor and oppressed, and give voice to the natural world, which cries out loudly, though not in the language of man. We seek because we want to make this world, not another, a better place for all through acts of love and justice. Our Fairfax congregation offers so much rich fodder for your spiritual journey - adult education classes of every variety, small-group communities, retreats and opportunities to work alongside one another, sermons that inspire and activate. I hope you are taking advantage of a few or many of these opportunities to find your path. As Buddhists are apt to remind us, the picture in the kaleidoscope is always changing. No sooner do we redress some inequalities, injustices or environmental tragedies than do new ones arise. Yet we are always seeking, growing, wondrous at the promising new tapestries we are able to envision and create, as individuals and with one another. What a wonderful way to be in the world.

by Lay Minister for Social Justice Wini Atlas. Unitarian Universalists have worked to bend the arc of the universe toward justice throughout our history. In 1850, transcendentalist Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, a noted abolitionist, wrote: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice." When Parker wrote those words, the Unitarians and the Universalists were immersed in the abolition of slavery. One strategy our faith uses in social justice work is the Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI). The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) website states: "The Congregational Study/Action Issue is an invitation for congregations and districts to take a topic of concern and engage it, reflect on it, learn about it, respond to it, comment on it, take action - each in their own way. A CSAI is NOT a statement - it is a question." UUs believe that we are stronger together. By combining our efforts, we can accomplish more. As Unitarian Universalists, we set priorities for our social justice efforts, namely those issues that exemplify our commitment to our Second Principle: justice, equity and compassion in human relations. One way we do this is through the CSAI process. As UUCF’s lay minister for social justice and a member of the UUCF Denominational Connections Committee, I'd like to tell you more about the three most recent CSAIs. The CSAI process takes 4 years. After the first 3 years of study, delegates to the UUA General Assembly (GA) can vote to approve the CSAI as a Statement of Conscience (SoC). At this year’s UUA GA, attendees voted on the 2015 SoC on reproductive justice. We are in the final year of discernment on the escalating inequality CSAI. Last year, a UUCF task force presented a series of monthly meetings exploring factors that contribute to escalating inequalilty. Now we are ready for the next step in the process. A draft SoC and a ballot to place this CSAI on the 2017 GA agenda will be included in the congregational poll that every UUA congregation fills out yearly. The poll will come out on Nov. 15 and comments are due by Feb. 1, 2017. The draft SoC will be posted on the UUCF website and your comments will be collected and transmitted to the UUA Committee on Social Witness that manages the CSAI process. We hope you will comment on the draft SoC, including your vote for or against it. Your votes will be included in UUCF's response to the poll. A quorum of 25% of congregations must be reached for the SoC to be placed on the 2017 GA ballot. Key dates and steps in the escalating inequality Statement of Conscience process can be found here. At the 2016 General Assembly, five new CSAI topics were presented for consideration by the attendees, which is how the process starts. Congregations are asked to submit proposals for new CSAIs and the Committee on Social Witness chooses as many as 10 for comment before choosing no more than five to present to GA delegates. The CSAI topic chosen this year was corruption of our democracy. Please comment on the draft SoC and think seriously about attending the 2017 GA in New Orleans. Please also consider being a UUCF delegate. Delegates vote on UUA business including whether to accept a Statement of Conscience or to create a new Congressional Study/Action Issue. The Denominational Connections Committee selects delegates with Coordinating Team approval before each GA. For information on being a delegate, click here and look for Upcoming Events.

by Laura Weiss. We have all experienced some type of music and art that moved us; that external and cathartic experience that can change us for a lifetime. It transforms us, calms us, reminds us, captivates our soul. Our body chemistry actually changes. Our emotions well up. We feel the ecstasy of loss of control, of handing ourselves over. To the music and the poetry. To the experience. And, we give it the profound permission to change us. What an almost childlike thing to do; a courageous and completely natural thing to give ourselves over to the power of music and art. But, we’re grown-ups right? Why do we let this happen? I don’t know. It is so easy to get lost in a song, yet, we resist giving in when we are deep in the throes of a debate. We’ve all been there. “But, I’m right!” I say to my husband. Or we say to ourselves, “They have no idea what they are talking about.” I think our resistance to backing down comes from our lack of acceptance and openness to who we truly are. Music is the tool that allows John Legend to leave us in a pile of tears or with ridiculously giddy grins plastered on our faces. I mean, this is some kind of crazy power, right? So what would the world look like if we took the same approach to depth of self? Music transforms by not being stationary. It is moving. It doesn’t need to be right or perfect or solid. It is changing, amorphous and elegant. Music holds the expanse of all human experience as best we can express it within its beautiful palm, and it is still always shifting. And we find ourselves in it again and again like the challenges of life that confront us; yet it is never the same song twice. And we are OK with that! We do not expect how we hear the “Sounds of Silence” today will ever be exactly the same again. Now is the moment and we do not take that for granted. Music demands that we find beauty in the loss of control - the enjoyment at the edges of our comfort. Each of us is hearing the music differently and if we acknowledge this shared humanity, we will find ourselves eternally at the edges of our neighbor’s front yard. If I am frustrated with someone, I remember that we are still listening to the same song. We are just hearing it differently. Maybe more importantly, we are afraid of the song changing us so we point blame instead. We avoid our “selves.” It is time to start feeling. We need to heal ourselves first, no matter what the song asks of us, and experience the fall-on-our-knees, cry-like-a-baby feelings that define us. Only then can we start to see that the other we are blaming is just as wounded as we are and that their pain drives actions of anger and fear that frustrate us. And only when we see our own broken and holy hearts can we empathize in a debate and be the first one to step back. To hold a hand. To see that our power rests just as much in quiet love and respect. So for this moment today, I relish that my sweet brokenness is just as perfect as everyone else’s. So I put on some Joni Mitchell’s “Sire of Sorrow,” open a box of chocolates and just … feel. Because I know if we all did this, good change wouldn’t take so long.

I watched the Ken Burns documentary "Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War" on PBS Tuesday night. From the earliest age, growing up Jewish near Skokie, IL, a place with the highest population of Holocaust survivors anywhere besides Israel, I was aware of anti-immigrant prejudice and political fascism and recognized that some lives were valued more than others. I have come to believe that history doesn't repeat itself; we must continuously fight the forces in us and around us that threaten to overtake the world with the worst, instead of the best, of humanity. We are in another one of those times. The irony of watching this documentary is that now my connection is on the other side. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, how can I be inspired by the courage of the Sharps who helped some of "my people" a generation ago to stand up and do the right thing in the face of today's many challenges in the world? It is a hard time right now. There are forces rising. We have seen different manifestations of them before. Courage in action doesn't crave hope, it creates hope. Stay strong, love can win.

by Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. As we return to UUCF for the new congregational year, it has been a hot summer with so much going on in the world. I am looking forward to a wonderful year here at UUCF. I am so excited about having a year under our belts together and being the minister of a congregation with such an incredible history and filled with such amazing possibilities. Through July and August, much goes on behind the scenes to prepare for the start of the congregational year. There have been planning retreats with ministers, staff and lay leaders. Groups like the Social Justice Council, the Worship Committee and the Coordinating Team are all working on plans to deepen our connections and further fulfill UUCF’s mission. I am thrilled to welcome UUCF's new Intern Minister McKinley Sims and Director of Music & Arts Laura Weiss. There has also been a good deal of activity on the campus including floor waxing, carpet cleaning and further grounds beautifying. The list of events being planned for the year is growing, with events and activities through the holiday already looking full and exciting. One new social event of note is the Holiday Potluck and Party where we will join to hang the greens, share delicious food and sing together. Please save the evening of Dec. 3 for that one and check the announcements and the calendar for the many other opportunities where we can come together as a community to connect more deeply with each other. For me, this summer also provided educational and deeply transformational experiences through trips to the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly and a couple of Moral Monday-related trainings with the Rev. Dr. William Barber II. With the tumult in the world, it has been both helpful to me personally and hopefully important to our ministry together to have participated in these experiences. We start fresh again with so much need for our mission of transforming the world through acts of love and justice. With this year will come many challenges and it will also bring joy, connection, sustenance, deep meaning and love. For those of you who were gone, welcome back. For those who were here, I am so glad we will all be together again. Once again, I am so excited about our coming year and I look forward to taking this next step in our collective journey.

by Rev. David A. Miller. It is late on Sunday night and about 24 UUCF folks have just returned from the Moral Revival at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Rev. Dr. William Barber II is the central figure in this effort and he is leading an organization called Repairers of the Breach. This is the description from the website: “Repairers of the Breach, Inc. is a nonpartisan and ecumenical organization that seeks to build a progressive agenda rooted in a moral framework to counter the ultra-conservative constructs that try to dominate the public square. Repairers will help frame public policies [that] are not constrained or confined by the narrow tenets of neo-conservatism. Repairers will bring together clergy and lay people from different faith traditions, with people without a spiritual practice but who share the moral principles at the heart of the great moral teachings. Repairers will expand a ‘school of prophets’ who can broadly spread the vision of a nation that is just and loving.” I have now seen Rev. Barber speak five times. And tonight, like every time I have heard him, he speaks directly to my heart about the lack of love in our public life and how we must be called to hope. I was recently reviewing some Facebook posts since 2010 and realized I have been writing about our challenging political environment and our need for love and hope for a long time. And this is what I’ve come to realize: Whether through a central figure like Rev. Barber, through our congregations or from anywhere else, we must find the inspiration to speak and act to repair what Rev. Barber calls “a heart problem” in this country. That is what we are trying to do with the Finding Common Ground gun violence event, with the Racial Justice Steering Committee, with our social justice efforts, with our Religious Exploration, with our worship, with all the programs of this congregation … We are trying to repair the heart problem, the sense of separation, the current suffering that comes from the loss of the moral connection between public policies and people. It was hot in the church tonight, but Rev. Barber reminded us that it is much hotter for those not making a living wage. I don’t believe he did that to raise guilt or shame, he did it to lift up to our consciousness that the time has come for a moral revolution of values, of what is important, of what seems to be forgotten or maybe never really was there. Rev. Barber was inspired to call for this revolution by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Near the end of his life, in his speech Beyond Vietnam, Dr. King famously said, “I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin ... the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies.” It is always a good night to be together with those wanting to bring more love into the world. Tonight was especially good because it is another step in helping us believe it still might really be possible.

by Rev. David A. Miller. As we are preparing to join together from whatever summer brought us, there are a few things that I have been thinking about and processing with colleagues and friends. It is inescapable to note the increase in worry, not only because of this summer’s tragic events, but also the current political campaign season and the endless stream of commentary in the news and social media. In observing the cultural phenomenon that is social media, it does seem to connect us in a myriad of ways never before seen in modern life. My concern is that although it does seem to help superficially increase our connection, the demands of modern life also leave our time and availability to connect in deeper and more meaningful ways lacking. With that said, I would like to suggest that we introduce an overarching theme this year, a year of Building Relationships/Deepening Connections. I am going to challenge us all - staff, worship leaders, small group ministry, adult and children’s education, social justice, music folks and all of the programs of this congregation - to think about how to help provide opportunities to deepen our connections to each other, the community and the planet. This is meant to put us, as often as possible, in the same physical location together, to share experiences together, to supporting each other in challenging our comfort to grow as we reach out in love to those isolated and hurting. Many people say the reason they attend this congregation is “community,” which in so many ways is an umbrella term for the desire to be seen and accepted, to love and be loved and to deepen our connections. There will be more about this as time progresses, but I would like to take note of two specific upcoming events designed to help with broader and deeper connections: The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values This coming Sunday, many of us from UUCF will join people of faith from all over the DC area for “The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values.” Led by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Rev. Traci Blackmon and Sister Simone Campbell, this national tour aims to redefine morality in American politics and challenge leaders of faith and moral courage to be more vocally opposed to harmful policies that disproportionately affect the poor, people who are ill, children, immigrants, communities of color and religious minorities. If you wish to join me, please contact me at revd@uucf.org. Sun., Aug. 28, 2016, 5-7:30 p.m., Pennsylvania Ave Baptist Church, 3000 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast Washington, DC, 2002. Finding Common Ground: A Reverse Town Hall to End Gun Violence This event is about finding a deeper connection between gun owners and non-gun owners in hopes of building relationships in order to find common ground. As a reminder, it is Sat., Sep. 17, 6-8:30 p.m., here at UUCF. You can register at uucf.org/finding-common-ground. This year I hope we are ready and willing to find the deeper path - the one that takes some risks and may feel a bit vulnerable - for we are at a time where finding points of human connection is important to building a more loving world. I look forward to this year’s shared journey.

by Wini Atlas. Social justice is one of my passions. It is a joy of my UUCF membership that many in the congregation share this passion. This community is so much more together than merely the sum of its parts. As I reflect on my first year as lay minister for social justice, I'm more aware of this than ever before. I started my tenure with joy, anticipation and a bit of trepidation. I was lucky to have the support and encouragement of Martha Ades, the outgoing lay minister for social justice. Rev. David A. Miller, at that time starting his ministry with us, made it clear that social justice was also important to him. I am grateful for his counsel over the past year. One of my goals for my tenure as lay minister was to start a conversation at UUCF about racial justice. UCCF has a long and strong history of racial justice work, and I was glad to find we were on the same wavelength when Rev. David told me about Standing on the Side of Love’s “Thirty Days of Love,” a racial justice education and advocacy program. Last fall, a group formed to plan the monthlong program and UUCF had an amazing and inspiring month of activities and services about racial justice beginning on Martin Luther King, Jr’s, birthday weekend and ending on Valentine's Day. I'm grateful that the planning group has grown into the Racial Justice Steering Committee – under the able leadership of Kaye Cook, Mary Frances Kordick and Milo Valenzuela – so that we can continue these conversations. I am lucky to have such dedicated members on the Social Justice Council (SJC). Judith Keith, Bob McCarthy, Sandy Myles, Rita Roth and Autumn Yates, along with youth member Sidney Roth, have generously contributed their unique perspectives to our work. We learned a lot about each other in the continual effort to fulfill the recommendations of the Program Evaluation Committee's (PEC) 2014 report on social justice by evaluating our charter, covenant and job descriptions to ensure they reflected the strategic thinking that the PEC felt would make the social justice program more vital. We reviewed the social justice mission, vision and goals and the new strategic goals of the congregation when they became available. Rev. David brought the Unitarian Universalist Association workbook “Inspired Faith, Effective Action” to our attention and it contained a good blueprint for our social justice groups to evaluate their work and help them understand the new strategic thrust of the SJC. This effort will continue with the UUCF Social Justice Summit on Oct. 1. Change isn't always easy but I've seen many examples of good will and beloved conversations as the work continues. All sorts of social justice work is happening at UUCF and I am amazed at the dedication of those involved. I've learned over the last year how important it is to give service but also to try to change policy so that someday the service may not be needed. I've also learned that help has many nuances. Our attitude toward service is changing. It is not enough to tell those we help what they need. It is better to try to discover with them how we can work together to meet their needs; to learn how we can be allies to those we help. This can be a hard lesson to learn; yet I realize, more than ever, that striving toward that goal is important spiritual work. As a new congregational year begins, those of us involved in social justice at UUCF look forward to many of our programs gearing up. Watch the UUCF announcements for information on many social justice efforts, many of them intergenerational, happening in 2016-17.

by Rev. David A. Miller. There are members and friends of this congregation from all living generations. There are people in this congregation who suffered from the violence of war, the violence of racism, the violence of political upheaval, the violence of terrorism and many other forms of violence. They are all heartbreaking. It seems we are going through a period of time where violence is finding new ways to harm hearts, minds and bodies. And perhaps the biggest threat is its potential to give rise to the fear, reaction and othering that tear at the fabric of human relationships. In this congregation we have members, friends and family who are police officers. In this congregation we have members, friends and family who identify as people of color. In this congregation we have members, friends and families who have differing views on the politics of the day. It is not the job of this congregation to be all things to all people, but to love equally and support the furthering of human compassion, engagement, kindness, civility and love. Our mission, direct from the “About Us” section of our website is, “to transform ourselves, our community and the world through acts of love and justice.” Not everyone will agree on what acts of love and justice look like, so it is a time to increase our communication, to become more engaged, to open our ears, eyes and hearts ever wider. In a time when it seems we don’t have space to grieve one terrible event before another confronts humanity’s balance, we enter a period of increased need for each other, for love to be lived more boldly in this world and for our UUCF community to be there as a place of safety and spiritual grounding. I am back in the office tomorrow. Rev. Laura will be back soon and our new intern will be starting in mid-August. Along with the Pastoral Care Team, Worship Team and other leaders of the congregation, we will be there to provide meaningful worship, deep listening and opportunities for us all to be held in the embrace of this community of love. We are all human; it won’t always be easy, but I continue to believe it is important for us to model here the world for which we hope and pray. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those suffering through these terrible events. The hope for our actions is the transformation that comes through acts of love and justice - with a lot of emphasis on love. Much love, David

by Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig. Jul. 9, 2016. Dear UUCF family, What a difficult, sad week we have been witness to in the world. I know you join me in mourning the senseless deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile, gunned down this week by police officers. And then the news on Thursday night of five officers in Dallas, killed by a sniper during a peaceful Black Lives Matter event. So much sorrow. So much fear and vulnerability. So much trauma. We seek to hold it all in compassion, even as we continue to work for justice. Community is never more important than at times like these. If you need a place to gather with others, come to UUCF. Tomorrow (Sunday) morning, I will be leading a drop-in Circle of Listening and Song, 9-9:30 a.m., in the Chapel. We will sit in silence together, listening for the inner voice within us. We will speak, as we are moved, of what needs to be said right now. We will sing hymns, if that feels right in the moment. All are welcome. If you need childcare, please bring your children to the Music Room, where Sarah and Brian Jebian will be leading positive, upbeat songs for kids, 9-9:30 a.m. No RSVP required. Then, we'll transition to the hope and grace of our annual child-friendly animal blessing service at 10 a.m., where we will celebrate the gifts of friendship across all barriers. Tomorrow (Sunday) night, especially if you identify as white, you are invited to return to UUCF for an emergency meeting of SURJ NoVA (Showing up for Racial Justice - the local chapter of a national network organizing white people for racial justice) on responding to police violence, 7-9 p.m. at UUCF. Childcare will be provided; no RSVP required. In addition, please save the date for the 6th Summit for UUs and Humanists in our area who are working for liberation from racism: Sun., Jul. 24 at Paint Branch UU Church in Adelphi, MD, 2-6:30 p.m. Watch for more information in our weekly emails. I also want you to know that UUCF is one of many UU congregations that have responded to a call from Black Lives of UU this week to offer free meeting space to Black community organizers as needed. There is so much more to do. The work will go on. For now, I urge you to do what you can today and take good care of yourselves. Re-ground yourselves in your spiritual practice and everything that feeds your spirit. Seek out what helps you feel whole. When you've caught your breath, take one more action to educate yourself about what's going on, especially if you identify as white. Following Black Lives of UU on social media is a great place to start. Dear ones, let us move forward together in compassion and strength. Blessings to you and to all the brave leaders who call us to stretch our hearts. summon our courageand join in the struggle together. With love, Rev. Laura P.S. After this week, I'll be taking some time away from UUCF to prepare for next year's sermons and other big projects, then spending a couple of weeks on vacation. Rev. David will be back on Jul. 19 and you'll see me back on Aug. 21. Take good care and be well.

by John Cunningham, Coordinating Team Lay Member. Hi everyone. I'm finishing up 4 years of service on the UUCF Coordinating Team (CT), and I'd like to tell you a bit about that. One ethic of camping is “leave it better than you found it.” Of course you should haul your own trash out when you leave, but if people who were there before you left trash behind, haul that out too. If the fire ring needs to be rebuilt, do that. If tree branches have fallen down into the tent area, toss them back into the brush. I like to think of service on the CT in a similar vein. It has given me and others before me an opportunity to leave UUCF better than we found it. The CT is the operational arm of the congregation: the Board of Directors sets policy and the CT executes it. The CT is responsible for the day-to-day management of UUCF, strategic planning, assessment of programs and initial preparation of the congregation's annual operating budget. In addition, the CT has been charged with disbursement of Reach Campaign capital funds in a manner consistent with the priorities established by the board at the start of the Reach Campaign in January 2013. Our two ministers, David and Laura, are permanent members of the CT, and so is Rich Sider, UUCF’s Director of Administration. They are joined by two lay members of the congregation, who serve 2-year terms with an option to renew for another 2 years. I was privileged to serve with Kristin Moyer and then Kathy Smerke Hochberg. Because the CT is the keeper of UUCF’s purse, congregants who support a cause that would cost money to achieve must approach the CT for funding. That is one of the most difficult and challenging parts of life on the CT. I've served in various leadership positions since I went onto the board in 1999. One fact has been a constant: UUCF never has enough money to do all the things that its members want it to do. But after all, most people don't have enough money to do all the things they want to do, and the same is true of our social institutions. There are always going to be limits. The CT must be a good steward of UUCF’s resources, and it must say “no” or “not yet” when it has to. But there is also joy when money is available and it is possible to do great things. During my time on the CT, the parking lot has been transformed, the Sanctuary has a new pulpit and new chalice, the Program Building has new furniture, rooms have been brightened with new paint and new technology now supports our Sunday services and brings our UU message of tolerance and understanding out into the world. My own special responsibility on the CT has been to serve as the first chair of the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC). This is a subcommittee of the CT, which is charged with reviewing a particular UUCF program each year and, to the extent improvements need to be made, submitting appropriate recommendations. If the PEC report is approved by the CT, it goes to the board. Over 4 years, the PEC has examined fellowship, social justice, financial stewardship and, most recently, property stewardship. The PEC reports (you can access them at uucf.org/ct) were well received and have led to some major changes in how UUCF pursues its social justice ministry and how it conducts its fundraising. In doing this work, I was able to link arms with Jan Cooper, Hal Fuller, Meghan Crowley, Nancy Smith and Torie Gorges. Together, I'd like to think, we left UUCF “better than we found it.”

by Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world. - Lao-Tzu Two years ago I traveled to the Kanuga retreat center in North Carolina for my first spiritual direction training intensive at the Haden Institute. There, I met my small group for the first time – a peer group of trainees who would go through the training together. At our first meeting, I wasn’t sure I’d fit in very well. Almost everyone but me was Christian; almost everyone was from the South. And here I was, a non-Christian Unitarian Universalist who had never felt like such a Northerner in all my life! I wasn’t sure they would accept me. I wasn’t sure I would understand them and their lives. But by the end of that first intensive, we had wholeheartedly claimed each other as friends. What made it possible was listening and speaking our truth, each in turn. One at a time, we shared our stories with the group – the journeys of our lives so far, what was happening in our spiritual lives, what we were hoping and yearning for as the program began. And as each person spoke, the rest of us listened. Just listened. No need to do anything else. No need to give advice or even affirmation. Just listen deeply. We held that space for each other over several days of sharing. When the last person had finished speaking, we looked around the circle and realized that we were soul friends now, because we had listened to each other’s stories and made a space in our hearts for each other’s truth. To hear others speak, for me, was often to be brought to tears as I glimpsed the common humanity, deep struggles and profound joy in the life of another human being. And to be heard – truly heard and accepted without judgment – this was a powerful gift to my spirit. I found my voice emerging in new ways, truths I didn’t know I possessed beginning to rise to the surface. I found I could begin to forgive myself for past mistakes I was still dragging around. I felt free, and loved. Over the past two years, those bonds of friendship deepened as we continued to “hear each other into speech,” as theologian Nelle Morton puts it. Though we’ve graduated now, and the days of formal gathering and learning together have ended, I will cherish each one of my group mates as spiritual friends for life. This is what listening to one another can do – just listening. It may not sound like much; it isn’t flashy; but it is powerful and it transforms lives. In this cultural and political moment of name-calling, suspicion, hostility and prejudice, many in our society are desperate for another way of being with one another. What if we could bring this kind of listening not just to our friends, but to those with whom we have profound disagreements? What if we listened not to prove someone else wrong, but to connect with the humanity we share? And what if our listening stance could actually make it easier for others to hear our truth too? In this moment, each of us is seeking to restore to our society the “compassion and civility” that Rev. David so beautifully called us to and modeled for us yesterday. Listening deeply is one of our best tools in this work. And when it becomes not just a tool but a way of being, it can transform the world. May it be so.

by Michael Liggett, Janet Cushing and Rev. David Miller, Innovation Fund Committee. “My favorite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity. I think if you are curious, you create opportunities, and then if you open the doors, you create possibilities.”  - Mario Testino It is with great pleasure that we announce the opening of the UUCF Stan Richards Innovation Fund. This fund, established through a bequest from long-term UUCF member Stan Richards, grants funding for highly innovative seed projects that expand UUCF’s outreach to persons not now engaged. The goal is that those touched will become engaged with UU values, principles and connections, ultimately contributing to sustaining the initiative longer term for the growth of Unitarian Universalism. Any member of the congregation or staff may propose projects. Projects will be funded until we reach our budget limit of $250,000. Projects must include a clear business plan, objective measures of progress, funding schedule, review points, etc. It is understood that innovative projects will have a high failure rate from which UUCF will learn and move forward. Please go to UUCF.org/innovation-fund for details about the requirements and application process. The first step is to submit a project abstract of 500 words or fewer by Jun. 10. Please embrace your curiosity and let’s explore what doors we might open together.

by Barb Brehm for Equality UUCF. It was a great day last Jun. 26 when the US Supreme Court ruled that marriage is a fundamental right to which same-sex couples should have the same access as opposite-sex couples. This ruling made access to marriage a nationwide right for gay and straight people alike. But we can't stop now! If you've been following the news lately, you’ve seen that many states are considering and even passing legislation limiting equal access to services and support for LGBTQ marriages. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed the "Religious Liberty Accommodations Act" that allows individuals and organizations to deny services to LGBTQ people. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed another bill that eliminates existing municipal, non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals and prevents enactment of such local protections in the future. It also requires transgender individuals to use public bathrooms that "match" their birth gender. Yes, this is really happening in our country right now. In our own state, there have been multiple attempts to enact similar bills, including HB 663, which would require the use of public restrooms that match anatomical gender. Fortunately, some Virginia legislators thought again and this bill failed to make it out of committee. However, SB 41, a "religious liberty bill," was passed by the Virginia House and Senate. Thankfully, Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed it. Our UU values cry out for us to continue our work to enact legislative protections for LGBTQ individuals so that the patchwork of court rulings and executive orders is not swept away by discriminatory legislation passed under the cloak of religious liberty. For many of us, our faith has served as a source of guidance and inspiration for our behavior. We are fortunate to be part of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) that has a long history of support for LGBTQ issues. From the first openly gay minister in 1979 (and the first transgender minister in 1988) to passing a resolution at UUA General Assembly in 2007 affirming the inclusion of transgender individuals in our first principle of "the inherent worth and dignity of every human being," the UUA has worked to bend the arc toward justice for LGBTQ people. We can't stop now. With the state-level legislative challenges we face, we must continue our efforts to pass laws protecting employment, housing and services for all people. We need to support those corporations that have taken a stand against discrimination and started to pull their workforces from states that do not support inclusion. And we need to be there for each other when faced with varying levels of inclusion in our own congregations and organizations. Discrimination against LGBTQ people still exists today. Please join Equality UUCF on Mon., Apr. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Program Building for its regular meeting. All are welcome. Then on Fri., Jun. 3, at 7:30 p.m. plan to attend a special Vespers celebrating the advances already made toward equality and renew our commitment to continuing to work until that day when true equality exists for ALL people. We can't stop now!

Mar. 14, 2016. by Peter Krone, chair, 2016 UUCF Annual Giving Campaign. I have been at UUCF for just over 30 years and have worked on many giving campaigns - pledge drives, canvasses, annual giving and capital fundraising efforts and I have been asked WHY - why take on the task of chairing this year’s campaign? I think the answer came to me in our deliberations about this year’s theme - “Now, more than ever, we are called”: We are called to be a presence in this community - to keep our doors open so that we may welcome the stranger, the visitor - remembering that at some time, we all have been visitors here. We are called to extend our greeting - “you are welcome here” - beyond our Sanctuary walls to those participating via live streaming, listening to podcasts, browsing our website and wherever the values of our faith may be welcome or needed. We are called to ensure the religious education of our children and youth, the continuing education of adults, the education of members of our larger community, education for UUs in India and Romania and to raise the next generation to do good. We are called to support our ministers and staff, upon whom we depend so much, with a fair and just income. We are called to social justice for working toward climate solutions, fighting for racial justice, preventing gun violence, working to end homelessness and hunger, supporting our immigrant neighbors and fighting for reproductive justice, just to mention a few. And, now more than ever, we are called to be an alternative, through what we say and what we do, to the fear, anger and hate that is becoming an everyday experience in our society. Now, more than ever, we are really called. This year’s campaign is UUCF’s largest and most significant fundraising effort, providing almost 80% of the funds needed to run our congregation. Our goal this year is more than $1 million - $1.072 million to be exact - and this goal is consistent with prior-year goals and is necessary to support our congregation for 2016-17. Last year, the actual giving amount was $100,000 short of the goal. We ended up at $970,000. It was a year of transition for us and because of a generous bequest from Stan Richards and some budget cuts, we were able to meet our financial obligations and avoid a staff furlough. This year, we need to make up that difference and the math is simple - $100,000 from a projected 500 pledging households is a $200 increase for each annual pledge. (That works out to an increase of about $17 per month.) Now I understand that this may not be possible for everyone, so meeting our goal is going to require each of us to give some serious thought about our giving levels. I encourage everyone to participate - 100% participation - and to consider the giving guidelines of 2% of gross income or at least a $200 increase in your pledge amount. Any and all pledges will be gratefully accepted. I believe it’s important to communicate expectations about UUCF’s financial goals and then work hard to achieve those goals. Talking about the congregation’s financial needs is not always an easy conversation, but it is a necessary one. I strongly encourage you, even if you are uncomfortable with financial matters, to study and understand UUCF’s finances - where our money comes from and how it is used - as you consider your pledge amount. Please ask if you have questions. I want to thank everyone who picked up their Annual Giving pledge packets yesterday. For those who were unable to do so, your packet will be mailed to you. Packets include a wonderful message from Rev. David Miller, a pledge card with pledging instructions, recommended giving levels and financial information about UUCF. Pledges may be mailed, entered online or delivered in person on Sunday mornings. Also, your pledge is confidential - no one on the Annual Giving Committee will know what you pledge. I also want to reiterate my thanks and appreciation for the Annual Giving Campaign committee, staff and volunteers who have worked on this campaign. The Annual Giving Committee - Terry Goplerud, David Saunders, Barbara Kenny and Darryl Branting and I - has been actively working on this campaign and we are supported by our staff, Rev. David, Director of Administration Rich Sider and Communications Director Mary Lareau. Now, more than ever … let’s make this happen.

by Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig. Feb. 29, 2016. You’re voting tomorrow, right? If you’re an eligible voter, I hope you’ll make it to the polls tomorrow for Virginia’s presidential primary. I don’t have to tell you there’s a lot at stake this year. I hope we all get out and vote according to our values. For some, it’s been a tough choice to figure out where to cast our votes this time around. And for some, personal relationships have been tested, even strained. One of my dearest friends has been very active in supporting a different candidate from the one I prefer. And it’s been a little challenging. We both feel passionate about our hopes for the future of our country, and though our visions are pretty close together, our opinions on the best way to get there are not. We’ve had to lean on our love for one another, nurtured over many years, to get through this time of tension, suspense, hope and anxiety. Luckily, the love we feel for one another is real, and strong enough to carry us through our differences of opinion. I do wonder, though, about how our neighborhoods and communities are going to fare as the election cycle moves forward. It can be such a nasty time. I remember back in 2008 when an extremely divisive anti-gay measure was on the ballot in California, where I was living. My UU congregation was on the front lines of the battle - and it did feel like a battle! - organizing rallies and protests, writing letters to the newspaper, distributing yard signs. Oh, the yard signs! Many of my congregants had their yard signs stolen or vandalized repeatedly. Others, including some of our LGBT members, reported how deeply disconcerting it was for them to watch their neighbors, with whom they had gotten along peacefully for years, put up their own yard signs against marriage equality. It was a rough time for our local community. Relationships were strained, a sense of community solidarity severely damaged. I don’t want our communities here to go through that kind of fractious, fracturing election season. And yet, I worry that that’s where we may be headed this year, with so much at stake and the choices between parties so stark. So I’ve been asking myself, what does our Unitarian Universalist faith have to offer at this critical time? First, the clarion call to live by our values. To vote, and if you are moved, to campaign for the candidate you think will best help our country live into a future of more justice, more love and more compassion for all. First and foremost, vote your values. But don’t forget what our faith teaches us about respect for every person. And about love that reaches across the divides of opinion and belief. This is what will hold our communities together, now and in every season. I come back again and again to these words of Hosea Ballou, the greatest Universalist theologian of the 19th Century: “If we agree in love, there is no disagreement that can do us any injury, but if we do not, no other agreement can do us any good.” If we agree in love - that is, if we as neighbors and friends agree that love is a priority for us and our communities; if we agree that we will love each other, come what may; if we stay faithful to the commitment we have made to practice love - then our disagreements cannot hurt the communities we have built together. In this election season especially, I challenge you to be agents of love in your neighborhoods. Vote your values, but love your neighbors, no matter who they are voting for. Vote your values and love your neighbors - this is how we build the world we seek.

What's Next? from Paul Atelsek, President, UUCF Board of Directors, and Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller. [caption id="attachment_34307" align="alignleft" width="175"] Paul Atelsek[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28730" align="alignleft" width="175"] Rev. David A. Miller[/caption] Earlier today, UUCF’s Director of Administration Rich Sider announced his retirement. Rich has been an incredibly important member of the staff team and has devoted endless time and energy to sustaining UUCF and helping it thrive. For 9 years, Rich has supported events, fundraising and the general administration of the congregation in ways that have allowed us to continue the important work of our mission to each other and our community. Plans for our congregational expression of gratitude will be announced in the near future. The intention is to have a replacement hired by January. Rich will be working to create a smooth handoff to our next director. We wish him a full and enjoyable retirement as we express our gratitude for his devotion. He will be deeply missed. Based on Rich’s announcement, The UUCF Board of Directors met on Tue., Aug. 8, and approved the formation of a search team to fill the director of administration position. The makeup of the team will include: Two congregation members selected by the Board based on applications to serve on the team. Click here for a link to the application. A member of the board who sits on the Financial Oversight Committee, which works closely with the director or administration. A member of the Property Stewardship Committee, which works closely with the director. A member of the Coordinating Team, on which the director serves. A UUCF staff member. A member of the UUCF People of Color Caucus, because the congregation’s strategic plan aims to fill open positions, whenever possible, with qualified candidates of color. Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller, the position’s supervisor. The deadline for search team applications from the congregation is Sun., Sep. 3. Each of the above groups will select its representative to serve on the search team. Search process As soon as it is constituted, the search team will meet regularly with a goal of filling the position before the end of December. The plan is for the new director to start after the first of the year and have a training period with Rich. The first task will be to review the current job description and create a revised description and announcement for posting. The search team will then generate a list of key criteria for the position. The position will be posted locally and nationally in places used for national UU congregation searches. These postings have been effective for us in past searches. The search team will screen and categorize the applicants by experience and alignment with the job description. The team will develop interview questions. A subset of the team – selected by the team - will meet to decide which applicants meet all the criteria and should be passed on to the full team. Each team member will read all the selected applications in relation to the position criteria established by the search team. The team will evaluate applicants on those criteria; with each individual search team member assigning scores that will be compiled for a group (team) score. The search team will conduct live video interviews with the top candidates. After those interviews, the team will meet and narrow the pool to three finalists. Each finalist will meet with staff and lay leaders relevant to the search process and do a final round of interviews with the search team. The team will choose the final candidate to recommend to the board. Again, we are deeply grateful to Rich for his incredible service to UUCF. We will let you know later in the fall how we will be honoring him before his departure.

by Rev. David A. Miller. Thirty days isn’t a long time in the course of human history. Although a wonderful place, UUCF probably isn’t going to be able to change centuries of racial justice issues built into the culture and the systems of this country and the world. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Remember, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens …” I wish there were a clear road map for how to take what we have experienced and learned together during these past 30 days and move forward as a congregation to continue the work of racial justice. Unfortunately, there is not. Just like everything else in life, we have to weigh our ability, our time, our resources, our shared vision and desire, then make choices about what we want to do and what we can do. Clearly, we must do something. As we have traveled this month through the history of UUCF, as we look at the state of politics in this election cycle, as we understand the need for voices of progressive faith to be heard in the public arena and as we stand witness to the systems of oppression that have changed and evolved (but not gone away), our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to get involved in supporting change, dismantling systems of oppression and doing whatever we can to help heal the deep wounds and divides we face. On Feb. 27, we will come together to discern our next steps. It was always part of the plan for this “Thirty Days of Love” campaign to call us together to work on what comes next. So if at all possible, please try to attend “Justice Works: Engaging All Ages in UUCF’s Racial Justice Work,” 9 a.m.-noon, in the Sanctuary Commons. This is neither the beginning nor the end of this work. It started long before many of us were a part of the UUCF community and it will continue after many of us are gone. The hope is that we can make as much of a difference as possible while we are here.

Jan. 1, 2018. by Kaye Cook, Chair, Racial Justice Steering Committee. One thing that initially attracted me to UUCF was the congregation’s commitment to social justice work. Upon learning that Unitarian Universalism has seven principles for guiding and governing congregations and that the Second Principle is to affirm and promote justice, equity and compassion in human relations, I knew I had found my church home. When it was announced in February 2016 that the Racial Justice Steering Committee (RJSC) was being formed, I was eager to join the new group because it seemed like an opportunity to be involved in an effort close to my heart. In early 2016, there was no way to imagine the major shifts about to occur in our country and our faith community - in particular, issues that would require a more focused and renewed emphasis on race and, in particular, the impact of white supremacy on the lives of people of color and on all people. The RJSC launched its Second Principle Project in October 2016, with banners placed around the UUCF campus to highlight our commitment to this principle. Through this project, the RJSC is dedicated to helping the congregation understand the root causes and effects of racism and to developing partnerships with other institutions working to dismantle racism, particularly institutions led by people of color. One of the initiatives undertaken was hosting a performance by the Female Re-enactors of Distinction (FREED) last October. The group re-enacted real-life stories of African American women of the mid-19th Century not found in traditional textbooks. Through these re-enactments, the women of FREED help fill in many important missing pieces of our nation’s history. This event was part of the RJSC’s education commitment. Another ongoing education effort is the Racial Justice Book Group that has evolved into the “Let’s Talk About Race” initiative. The blessing of our “Love is Love” banner along Hunter Mill Road in September and the workshop that followed on “Moving Forward in Challenging Times” are examples of our advocacy and witness activities. We are planning to offer several forums in 2018 around “Difficult Conversations on Race.” These conversations will allow UUCF members and the broader community to examine how race has shaped their lives through talking about race with others in a safe space. Listening to other’s stories helps bring matters of race into our public discourse and makes it easier to work together to confront social injustice and to change systems of oppression and injustice. I feel so fortunate to be part of a congregation that seeks to find deeper kindness, love and understanding even as we deal with the uncertainties and frustrations of the current political climate. As we are faced almost daily with more examples of hate and discord and more threats to our civil liberties, I feel especially blessed to join with others who strive for love, justice and equality. It is reassuring and comforting to be affiliated with people who share my values and who are willing to get actively involved and resist. Please stop by the RJSC table in the Commons to learn more about the committee’s work and how to get involved. Maybe together we can change the world.

by Rev. David A. Miller. It is an unusual thing to have time off knowing that almost everyone else also has time off and there really isn’t that much to be done about it. That was the way it felt sitting at home for the past couple of days. The world doesn’t stop, but it does seem that the part of the world I live in was relegated to social media, due to the 4-5 foot snowdrifts in my driveway. On most days however, the demands of the world are hard to ignore, especially at UUCF, a congregation that prides itself on active participation in the world. Here are some of the things that come through the office on any given day: Support Syrian refugee families Put up a Black Lives Matter banner Actively support Planned Parenthood and reproductive justice Feed the hungry Support affordable housing Work more on gun violence prevention Work more on racial justice Work more on behalf of the environment Work more on our own privilege Protest Islamophobia more visibly Support the trans members of our community more actively Keep up the needed work on LGBTQ issues Coordinate more closely with our area UU congregations and the Unitarian Universalist Association Protest against political hate speech Send more letters to the editor Attend to the spiritual needs of a world that is increasingly faced with despair Figure out how to appeal to the spiritual and non-religious Grow membership Meet the pastoral needs of the congregation Create meaningful and creative worship Build a young adult program Support good self-care for the staff Wisely use our resources to meet the strategic goals, mission and vision of the congregation Do more interfaith work Then, of course, there are all those little things we all try to stay ahead of: Spend more time with family Spend more time planning and thinking and less time reacting Read more Keep our desks clean Get the next degree (the doctor of ministry I always wanted) Plan better for retirement Eat better Exercise more I am sure everyone could make their own list, for we live in a world that always seems to demand more, that models busyness as success and can leave us tired and physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. None of us can do it all, and it doesn’t take a snowstorm to teach us that. We must work together, share resources, care for each other, renew, recharge, brainstorm, focus and repeat. Very few challenges are solvable in our lifetime. That is why we do what we can to contribute to the betterment of the world while we are here. In part, that is the mission of this or any congregation - and each of us as individuals - to move us further down the road to those solutions. To quote Rev. Olympia Brown (1835-1926), the first woman Unitarian or Universalist ordained minister: “Dear Friends, stand by this faith. Work for it and sacrifice for it. There is nothing in all the world so important to you as to be loyal to this faith which has placed before you the loftiest ideals, which has comforted you in sorrow, strengthened you for noble duty and made the world beautiful for you. Do not demand immediate results but rejoice that you are worthy to be entrusted with this great message and that you are strong enough to work for a great true principle without counting the cost. Go on finding ever new applications of these truths and new enjoyments in their contemplation.” Yes there is much to do, and it will be there after we dig out from the snow and the next day and the next. We will be here too, working together on the path to beloved community.

My Dear UUCF Family, Today I need to share the news that I will soon be saying goodbye to you. Later this fall, my husband, Ted, and I are moving to Florida. My last day as Director of Religious Exploration will be Oct. 1.  A career opportunity arose for Ted at a time when both our boys are launched, and this became the right opportunity for our family.Our family has found a beloved home here at UUCF over the past 22 years. My role as DRE for the past 5 years has been a transformative and spiritually deepening experience. Words alone cannot express how much I appreciate the privilege of being a longtime member and serving with so many of you in so many ways. The friendships I have made here will sustain me for a lifetime! I leave knowing these things: Our children are inspiring! I find great hope in our families' creative and loving ways. They care deeply for the planet, our animal friends and one another. They want to do their part for those who are suffering. They show acceptance and love to their peers and teachers and they want to make this world a better place. Our congregation supports RE. More than 90 RE teachers, many of whom do not have children in RE, provide "lovingkindness" for our children and youth. Congregants have been generous in supporting programming and providing grants for special projects and ongoing needs. Our RE staff is cohesive, loving and strong. Education Assistant Melissa Campos-Poehnert has become known to our RE teachers as someone who will answer their call, support their needs and help them welcome new families into our classes. Youth Ministry Coordinator Courtney Firth has embraced her role by developing relationships, supporting youth leadership and becoming an awesome trip planner (Boston, here we come!). Our child care staff is loving and dependable. Our new Child Care Coordinator Tasha Jackson is working closely with Melissa to provide a seamless transition. Our RE Committee is organized, smart and caring. They are answering the call to create a transition that allows our programming to continue and flourish. Co-leaders Tom Crowley and Laurie Cunningham, along with Maria Cox-Leow, Christyn Levy, Chris French, Paula Prettyman, Tessa Grubb, Dillon Ginley and Diana Tycer-Bice, are versed in the curriculum, already provide teacher support and are intimately familiar with the overall organization of our program. RE plans ahead. Every spring we put every RE event or activity through Jun. 30 of the following year on the calendar. Check out the UUCF calendar and you will see many activities already planned throughout the year. I will be here through September to support a smooth start-up for RE and offer transitional support for our RE community. I have faith in you and in our UUCF community. I believe that our children will continue to be amazing, our congregation will give ongoing support to RE and our ministers will provide leadership in the RE program. You are being held in good and thoughtful hands.UUCF is a sacred space for me, as I hope it is for you. Your presence here has made our family's time in this community meaningful and transformative. To show our gratitude for this wonderful congregation, Ted and I will be contributing to the new plantings in front of the Program Building and donating furniture to the youth room. I will remain connected in a small role that I have agreed to take on an interim basis: UU Wellspring program director. I will be administering the Wellspring program throughout the country. Since UUCF has a robust program, I will be available for consultation to the leaders of UUCF's Wellspring program. Our son Joel now lives outside Seattle and works as a videographer and our son Nick is in college in Switzerland. Both promise to make the trek to Orlando to visit! I hope that I will also see many of you there too! I know that we will be back from time to time, and we look forward to returning to UUCF for worship services. Love and blessings, Linnea Nelson NOTE: Please see follow-up information from Board of Directors President Paul Atelsek and Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller.

by Dick Van Duizend, UUCF Partner Church Circle. Imagine you are many time zones from home and way out of your comfort zone. You are in a poor farming village; most people only speak a language you do not know. You walk into an 800-year-old whitewashed stone church on a hill with a tall silver steeple or into a simple painted cement church with a flaming chalice on the roof peak. And you are immediately embraced and made welcome. You stay for the service sitting on a dark wooden pew or bench and although the words and liturgy are unfamiliar, you realize as you listen to the translation that the principles, values and issues presented are very much like those you hear when you’re sitting in UUCF’s blue chairs. Twenty-six years ago UUCF voted to become a partner with the Unitarian Church in the village of Szentgerice in the Transylvania region of Romania. Twelve years ago, the congregation again voted to enter a second partnership with the Unitarian Church of Puriang in the Khasi Hills of northeast India. Since then, nearly 160 UUCF adults and youth have visited one or both of our partners and our partner ministers plus a few other members of our partner congregations have visited us. My wife, Sharon, and I were on the 1992 trip to Transylvania with the UUCF Chorale. It was the first trip by a UU choir to a country just starting to emerge from more than 50 years of fascist and communist rule. We all were handed flowers when we arrived, and the bus was festooned with flowers when we departed a week later. When we sang in carefully learned Hungarian (Transylvanian Unitarians are ethnic Hungarian), the audience cried and quickly closed the windows so that the remnants of Ceausescu’s secret police would not hear. We returned seven years later for the dedication of the medical clinic built by the residents of Szentgerice with financial and material support from UUCF and the Dutch partner of the Reformed Church in the village – a project identified, planned and carried out by the people of the village. That clinic has been self-sustaining for 15 years. In subsequent visits, we were able to meet students who received UUCF Partner Church Circle scholarships and have gone on to successful academic and professional careers, marveled how the community has transformed and delighted in the shift in focus of our partner relationship from the provision of desperately needed material support to one of friendship, exchanges of ideas and opinions and ongoing discussion. Along with Emery Lazar and his late wife, Rita, we visited Puriang in 2005 to discuss the possibility of partnership and were challenged by the direct questions they asked about UUCF’s staying power and intentions (the frequent flyer miles generated by my constant work travel enabling this and other trips). We returned with Betsy Bicknell and others in 2008 for a participatory planning workshop, led by Khasi facilitators and supported by UUCF, in which over 200 residents of the village identified and prioritized a list of needs, identified potential resources and government programs and developed a detailed action plan. The plan energized the village council and facilitated creation of cooperative development boards that included members of the village’s religious communities. Most of the needs listed have been met, without financial support from UUCF, including a water system, a road from the village to the fields, a taxi service to take people to medical appointments and a market. We have also seen how the tuition-free school supported by the Puriang Unitarian Church and assisted through UUCF Partner Church Circle sponsorships has grown from an elementary school to pre-K through 12th grade, so that local students can receive their secondary school education without the expense and difficulty of going to the state capital or another city. That school is now rated the seventh best in the state and its headmaster, Ditol Mylliemngap, received a UNESCO Global Educator award in 2015. Through all of this, I have realized that Unitarian Universalism is not just a faith for well-off, well-educated Americans, but has meaning, strength and power for people in radically different cultures, with few material possessions and limited education and economic opportunity. The joy and pride of Khasi Unitarians in their indigenously created faith is infectious, and the reverence of Transylvanian Unitarians for their 450-year struggle to preserve a faith based on reason and choice is sobering. I have learned as well that true partnership on a mutual and equal basis is not easy. In working with our partners, we are forced to confront our economic and social privileges (our partners are members of marginalized minorities), address our own prejudices and those of our partners, improve our communication skills, practice humility and how to listen rather than be know-it-all Americans, and develop the ability to work together respectfully and appropriately. These are skills and practices that can serve us here as well as in distant lands. Come by the Partner Church Circle table in the Commons during this fall’s scholarship drive to learn more about our partners.

by Linnea Nelson, Director of Religious Exploration. Last week’s 55th General Assembly (GA) of Unitarian Universalists in Columbus, OH, included people from around the world – 4,000 UUs gathered to hear the message that we must all love fiercely if we are to combat the hatred in this world. For the 30 of us from UUCF who attended GA, we were called to awaken and transform ourselves and our congregations to combat the rampant racism and white privilege plaguing our world ... and our congregations. To me, the message was clear that personal and congregational transformation must be at the heart of this work. Krista Tippett, the host of NPR’s “Interfaith Voices,” gave the Saturday night Ware Lecture exactly 50 years after Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at GA. Back then, Dr. King called on our denomination to wake up to the revolution by: taking a world perspective, reaffirming the essential immorality of racial segregation and refuting the idea of superior and inferior races.  This year, Tippett told us to remember, especially in these challenging times, that words matter, we must listen deeply to one another and we must love our way through the trials and traumas we face every day. [caption id="attachment_30711" align="alignright" width="300"] Black Lives Matter demonstrators at the UUA General Assembly.[/caption] The revolution continues and we are called upon to marry Tippett's message with the problems Dr. King identified. Tippett and many of our UU leaders at GA seemed to be telling us that we need to look at ourselves first. We need to check our own levels of bias, uncover insidious acts of microaggression and recognize and eradicate our own use of privilege and power. None of us can afford to sleep through the revolution. As we all look within ourselves and at our own UUCF congregation, I hope we can use words to propel us forward, listen deeply to one another and love fiercely. To be a part of this necessary change in our currently white privileged order, we will need to continue to do the work begun this past winter during UUCF’s 30 Days of Love: Racial Justice campaign. Since that campaign, the UUCF Racial Justice Steering Committee has been working to organize in a way that will offer our congregation a strong foundation from which to move forward with opportunities for personal and congregational transformation. The goal is for all of us to be able to make the most permanent and lasting changes. Both at UUCF and in the world. So let's continue to march, organize and do good works to change this world, while reserving considerable energy to transform ourselves and our congregation to live up to Dr. King's call to action. We have a lot of work to do in this ongoing revolution. Let us move together in love.