Summer 2010 Newsletter

As I watched her hold on for dear life, I found myself thinking, "silly bee, why don't you just let go, fly away? You'll get swept in the vortex of wind around the car for a moment, but you'll survive, and then you can flap your wings and fly like usual. You'll be fine." But I'll tell you, that bee kept holding on tight, determined to control her destiny, afraid to let go. Eventually, of course, I slowed to turn into the parking lot, stopped looking at the bee as I negotiated the stop signs and odd traffic patterns of the suburban strip mall, and when I glanced back, she'd flown away.

You and I are both approaching a time of transition and change. In a month, I will be saying my goodbyes and heading to a new setting-working as a chaplain in a hospital-and you will be welcoming a new minister. We have all had lots of experience with change in the past 5-10 years, and we have lots of good reasons to be nervous about what's going to happen next.

The story of the bee on my windshield is a nice little allegory, a great illustration for a time of change. She wasn't stupid, of course-there were lots of good reasons to hold on tight. But we can learn from her experience: whether we let go and let the windshear tumble us around a bit, or wait for the cosmic car to slow down so that we can fly away, we can't stay on the windshield forever!

See you in church!

Lisa

See you in church!

Rev. Lisa

Elizabeth (Lisa) M. Kemper

Consulting Minister

Unitarian

Universalist Church of Loudoun

home office: (703) 241-7056

Religious Education News

It is not easy to try to be Superwoman
As many of you know, I have been juggling a full time job with Loudoun County Public Schools, working as Director of Religious Education for UUCL, 2 children, and being a single parent Monday through Friday each week (Paul is working in Petersburg for the next year, possibly two and commuting home 3 weekends a month). It has definitely been a struggle.
When your 13 year old sits down on the couch and tells you that you seem very stressed out--it is definitely a wake up call. Something has to give, and for me, unfortunately, it is my job at UUCL as your Director of Religious Education. I hate to admit defeat. I tried valiantly to make it all work but there are simply not enough hours in the day to
give my full attention to each of the things I juggle.

I have resigned my position at the church. I know that UUCL is strong, and working hard to move forward, and I am excited to face the prospect of a new church year with both a new Minister and a new Director of Religious Education. These fresh faces will arrive with new ideas and great energy and drive.

It has been a fruitful few years working for you and I am proud of all we have accomplished with our RE program. There is, however, still a lot of work to be done. Our program cannot continue to thrive without people participating in and with the Religious Education committee. Please consider joining the committee and lending a hand. Your commitment may be big or small, but please do commit to help out. I may be stepping away from Religious Education, but am by no means stepping away from the church. I will still attend and find another way to help our community. And I am still around for a while to help with the transition.

Our summer services, although a little more informal than our services throughout the year, will still remain the same: children will come downstairs for classes after the Story For All Ages. This year our classes will be about our UU Principles, beginning in 1 week with our first Principle. I hope you will continue to support our program by bringing your children to church each Sunday.

Karen Ward, Director of R.E.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Even though it's summer, there's a lot going on at our little church. Changes, both big and small are coming. Summer always seems like such a transitional time. I remember when summer was a 'break' from church, but boy did that change when I became President!

As you all know, July will be Rev. Lisa's last month with us before she moves on to her next adventure. Her last service with us will be on July 25^th and I hope you'll all attend to give her a great sendoff and wish her luck.

We will also be saying goodbye to Karen Ward, our Director of Religious Education. Karen announced that, due to personal reasons, the time has come for her to step down. She will remain a very active member of the community, but will be missed by all in her capacity as DRE. Karen's final day is a little more fluid, but she will step down sometime before September.

And, last but certainly not least, June 30 sees our good friend Mel's departure from his position as Board Vice-President. Mel has been a huge asset to the Board and I want to take this opportunity to thank him on behalf of everyone once again.

So where next? Well...Rev. Evan Keely, currently Interim Minister at Reston, will join us as our half-time Consulting Minister starting August 1^st. He is very excited to be our next Minister and we should all be very excited to have him. He brings a wealth of experience that I believe will benefit us greatly as we move forward. As to a replacement for Karen....can you really replace Karen? We'll have to try I suppose, and the Board will make a plan at our next meeting and begin a search in the hopes of having someone in place by September. Brenda Davis has been nominated by the Nominating Committee to serve as our next Vice-President. As per our by-laws, the Board will vote on appointing her to the position pending a vote at the next regularly scheduled congregational meeting.

Change is good and means new opportunities will be at our door. So please join me in thanking those who have served us and are moving on and in welcoming those who are joining us or stepping up. Together we will move closer to realizing our vision.

In faith,

Ricky

BRIDGES 4th Annual Interfaith Picnic

Sunday, July 18, 2-6pm (rain or shine)

A celebration through Prayer and Performances to inspire interfaith

awareness and understanding in beautiful Loudoun County

Claude Moore Park,
Sterling, Va

Pavilion #2

Welcome & Invocation

Potluck Dinner

Prayers, Performances, & Children's Activities

Please bring a dish for the potluck dinner and non-perishible food and back-to-school supplies to be donated in the community.

Sponsored by BRIDGES' Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Quaker, Sikh & Unitarian Universalist congregations and BRIDGES associates.

Directions: http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=854
Parking for Pavilion #2 is in the Heritage Farm Museum lot.

For more Info: http://www.loudouninterfaithbridges.org/

or call Sheila 540-822-5607, Priscilla 703-622-8984

2010 WINE TOUR PLANNING COMMITTEE

MEETS Sunday, July 11 BOXWOOD VINEYARDS, Middleburg - after services

Join the members of the Wine Tour Planning Committee for a wine tasting at Boxwood Vineyards in Middleburg after services on Sunday, July 11. We are looking for one more vineyard to add to the tour and would love to have your opinion!

The October 9-11 UUCL Wine Tour provides a fundraising opportunity for the church by inviting other UU's from across the country to visit us in our beautiful wine-country community. As hosts, we'll make sure our guests experience the beauty of Virginia, enjoy local wines, good food, home-grown acoustic music and fellowship.

Visit the UUCL Wine Tour Web site for details about the tour - www.uuloudoun.org/tour.

For more information contact Brenda Davis: bdavis@uuloudoun.org

SPIRITUAL CLEANING - The first Sunday each month! A Sea Change

What better way to honor, cherish and support our beautiful building and our place of worship than by keeping it looking neat and tidy?

Looking for a few volunteers who will stay for just a short while after the service once a month to help clean the sanctuary & downstairs. What a wonderful example we will be settin for our children by working together for the church we love.

We're not looking for an all out "extreme cleaning," just willing hands to share in the tasks of vacuuming, dusting and moppping up a bit.

Join us for "Spiritual Cleaning" on July 4, August 1 or September 5 and help the church to direct the money we would otherwise have to pay for a cleaning service to more compelling needs for our church.

For info, contact Peggy Fallon @mlfallon@aol.com.

JOIN UU JAMMERS FOR MUSIC, FRIENDSHIP AND FUN!

FRIDAY, JULY 9 - 7:00pm

The UU Jammers are a bunch of musical friends who get together once a month to make music and have fun.It's all very informal & laid back-our only firm goal is not to sound too A Sea Change aweful (but sometimes, we sound pretty darn good).

On July 10, the UU Jammers will meet at the home of Barbara Elvin. For more information or to be added to the UU Jammers email list, contact Peggy Fallon at mlfallon@aol.com. Hope to see you there!

What to bring:

All manner of music makers (guitars, fiddles, mandolins, flutes, drums, tambourines, kazoos), voices, songbooks (especially Rise Up Singing in large print if you have it); multiple copies of your favorite songs - with chords if possible; snacks & beverages if desired; and a craving to laugh and make music together. Singing and laughing is a great way to de-stress!

SHENANDOAH COFFEEHOUSE NEWS - FALL SNEAK PEEK:

UUCL hosts the Shenandoah Coffeehouse monthly from October through April. Our wonderful chapel serves as a great venue for acoustic music, unplugged but high-energy, featuring a variety of folk-type acts, some local and some from across the country. This year's exciting line up has been announced:

AndrewMcKnight Oct. 9 Andrew McKnight

Nov. 13 Mad Agnes

Jan. 8 The Honey Dewdrops

Feb. 12 Dana & Susan Robinson

Mar. 12 Old Sledge (featuring Chance McCoy)

Apr. 9 Al Petteway & Amy White

Mark your calendars now, and plan to attend!

We're looking for ways to let more people know about the coffeehouse: do you have some good ideas for promotion and publicity? Send your ideas to Andrew@andrewmcknight.com.

WHO MADE THE COFFEE?

WHO WILL TAKE OUT THE TRASH AND LOCK UP?

(Will it be you?)

WHO MADE THE COFFEE? WHO WILL TAKE OUT THE TRASH AND LOCK UP? (Will it be you?) The UUCL Hospitality committee is counting on all of us to sign up to help out. You can choose to "OPEN" the church (come early, make coffee, provide snacks for after the service) or "CLOSE" the church (stay late, clean up the snacks & coffeepot, take home the coffee cups and trash, and lock up. To sign up, contact Barbara Berge (hospitality@uuloudoun.org) or see the sign up sheet in the back of the church. (If everyone would sign up once every two months, Deb & Barbara wouldn't have to worry about it anymore!)

HELP WELCOME VISITORS TO OUR CHURCH

Have you ever noticed the volunteer greeting new and occasional visitors to our church? These important volunteers provide a vital first impression of UUCL to newcomers when they visit our church.

The duties are very simple and require only that you show up at church 15 minutes early, once every 10 weeks. It is a great way to contribute to the church (without attending committee meetings!).

If you are interested, please contact Graham Copp at geecee903@coppweb.net.

Buy Fair Trade Coffee And Support Our Church

Our church is offering fair trade organic coffee for sale through the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Coffee Project. Proceeds from the sale of the coffee support UUCL and the UUSC.

The Coffee Project is a partnership between UUSC and Equal Exchange. Equal Exchange is a worker-owned fair trade organization offering coffee farmers a guaranteed minimum price, affordable credit and support for sustainable farming.

In addition to the support provided to UUCL by purchasing this coffee, Equal Exchange makes a contribution from every sale to UUSC programs which support community-based human rights initiatives in farming regions.

A variety of blends are available in whole bean or drip grind. The selection varies depending on what's in stock:

Love Buzz - a mix of roasts in a combination of Latin American beans
Colombian Full City Roast - balanced taste with a creamy body
Decaf Colombian - a light citrus aroma with a touch of hazelnut
Mind, Body, Soul with a hint of chocolate and spice from Mexico
French Vanilla

Each 12 oz bag of coffee (drip grind or bean) can be purchased for $10. See Joan or Jeff Erikson at church to purchase your coffee, or for more information, email Joan at JoanErikson@aol.com.

Caring Committee Gives TLC

Did you know that UUCL has a Caring Committee that will spring into action and provde a little TLC or lend a helping hand when one of our members is ill or in need?

The Caring Committee needs eyes and ears to help identify people in the church who may be in need of a little help. If you know of someone in the church who is dealing with an illness please email Carol Moses, caring@uuloudoun.org.

Caregiver Support Group Meets Monthly