Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA
A diverse, welcoming community of open hearts and minds since 1948
Programs, Activities & Groups: Brief Descriptions
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| Click here for 2011 Fall Program Guide |
| Name | Brief Description |
| New UU | The New UU class, presented 4-5 times a year, is designed specifically for newcomers to the church, although they are suitable for any others who may want a refresher course! Material covered includes Unitarian Universalist history and philosophy, and information. To register for the next class, email memasst@uucava.org |
| ADORE: A Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity | ADORE (A Dialogue On Race and Ethnicity) is an open community offering a safe space for all of us to discuss race and ethnicity as frankly and thoughtfully as we can. We meet monthly for dinner and discussion centered on a film, book, speaker presentation or topic. We have joint meetings with other UUCA church groups to share our common goal: to further our UU principles embracing the inherent worth and dignity of every person. All are welcome. |
| Adult Education | UUCA's Lifespan Education is designed to enhance our sense of community and to foster the enrichment of our spiritual and intellectual lives. Participation is open to our members and friends and to the public. An extensive Program Guide is mailed in spring & fall. Volunteers are needed for the Adult Ed committee and to prepare & mail the catalog. |
| ALIVE! (Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically) | ALIVE! (Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically) is an Interfaith organization of approximately 40 area congregations that together provide social services including: an accredited child development center, a shelter house, a furniture warehouse, medical equipment and house wares. Emergency food delivery and financial assistance also are available. Join fellow UUCA members to work on any of these projects. |
| Arlingtarian Volunteers | Twice a month volunteers are needed to prepare our newsletter for mailing: folding, labeling & delivery to post office. A fun, social time! |
| Arlington Food Assistance Center | Arlington Food Assistance Center provides supplemental food for Arlingtonians in need. UUCA members work monthly – a Friday evening or Saturday morning to sort and distribute food. |
| Arlington Interfaith Council | UUCA is a member of 49 Arlington churches that support local social service groups. |
| Arlington Street People's Assistance Network (ASPAN) | The Street Food Delivery program provides bagged meals to homeless people in Arlington. UUCA volunteers make bag lunches, deliver and serve them on the last Sunday of each month between 5:30 and 7 p.m. |
| Beacon House | Beacon House is a UU urban ministry for inner city youth. UUCA provides financial contributions, field trips, Mistletoe Mall for Kids, Christmas gifts, a monthly Saturday morning program and after-school tutoring to Beacon House youth. |
| Bed & Breakfast Program | UUCA members offer their homes to visiting UU's for below market rates. Proceeds benefit the church's general fund. For more information click here. |
| Book Group | UUCA's Book Group meets at UUCA on the third Thursday of the month, September through June, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. All are welcome -- members, friends, and friends of friends. In June participants decide on selections for the coming year. Readings include fiction, non-fiction, classics, foreign authors and plays. Contact betsymba@aol.com, 703-842-3602, for more information.. |
| Book Sales | Volunteer to sort & box books for our annual sales to be held in fall & spring. Help with mailings. Cashiers, stockers, set-up & clean-up. |
| Breakfast Club | The Breakfast Club is still eating out. They meet 8:30 AM Fridays at La Madeleine French Bakery & Café, 5861 Crossroads Center Way, Falls Church. |
| Buckingham Committee | This group works with immigrants from the Buckingham community only blocks from our church. |
| Buddhist Fellowship | UUCA's Buddhist Fellowship are members and friends who have joined together in a Buddhist group to practice meditation and learn more about Buddhist teachings within the UUCA community. |
| Chalice Theatre | This intergenerational activity promotes the creative vision of the church through dramatic arts presentations. Each year a spring musical production is presented. Staged readings are also presented. |
| Child Dedication Ceremony | The parents or guardians name the child and acknowledge their responsibility to raise & instruct their children in the ways of right living, both for themselves & for humankind. |
| Children's Religious Education | Learning groups at 9:15 and 11:15 from pre-school age through 8th grade, and high school Youth Group at 11:15. Visitors welcome. Please check in with the office manager in the lower lobby when you arrive. Other middle school and high school programs beyond Sunday mornings. |
| Choir | The choir rehearses each Thursday from 8:00-10:00PM from September through June. New singers are welcome. There are no auditions, but please meet at 7:00 PM any Thursday for an orientation. Sing at either Sunday service, Christmas Eve & 2 concerts yearl |
| Christmas Giving -- Secret Santa Program | Each year UUCA suports families in need by donating new clothes & household items during a drive sponsored by the Religious Education division. Help organize the event, or participate by purchasing needed items. |
| Circle Dinners | Circle Dinners are held several times a year as an opportunity to expand connections between members. Members sign up to host or attend a dinner and are assigned by a committee to groups. |
| Covenant Groups | Covenant Groups consist of 8-10 people who meet regularly outside of the Sunday service to share themselves on a deeper level than is possible in other church experiences. |
| Culpepper Garden | People of vision from this church community started Culpepper Garden more than three decades ago. Today, Culpepper Garden continues to provide rental apartments to 270 elders with low to moderate incomes. An award winning assisted living wing features apartments and support services for 70 frail seniors of modest means. A variety of volunteer opportunities include important committee work to assist with resident activities. |
| Dance Program | UUCA has a partnership with Sandra Kammann to include dance at the church. Working with church participants, team members teach technique class, create choreography, and use movement as a tool to teach Religious Education curriculum. In addition, team members facilitate congregational movement during certain services and collaborate on special events and with social action groups. |
| Day Alliance | Both men and women are invited to attend Day Alliance meetings in the Fellowship Hall on the first Tuesday of every month (except July and August). There is a business meeting at 10:00 am, social coffee at 10:30 am, a speaker/program at 11:00, and a catered lunch at noon. |
| Decorations Committee | Decorations Committee. Arrange flowers for Sunday services in the Sanctuary, special decorations for holidays and special events, arrange for or attend flower arranging workshops. |
| Dream Group | The Dream Group meets twice a month to share dreams, explore dream images, and investigate a variety of approaches to dream interpretation. Because of the intimate nature of the work, this is not a "drop-in" group, but welcomes newcomers following a brief individual orientation. |
| Early Christianities Study Group | This group studies and discusses Christianity as it was practiced at its beginnings. |
| English for Speakers of Other Languages | English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is a free practice and improvement program for intermediate level adult English-language students, led by UUCA volunteers. Drop-in classes are Monday through Thursday evenings, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. June through August, classes are held only two days per week. |
| Fall Retreat | The Fall Retreat is a weekend for adults is held each September at Capon Springs, WV. The event includes workshops and discussion groups related to a theme chosen for the weekend. A great fellowship and spiritual opportunity. |
| Fellowship X | We are a social and spiritual fellowship within UUCA, open to all who wish to attend. Most of our members are UU's in the Generation X age range (born in the 1960's and 1970's), and many of us are former members of the Young Adult Group.
We offer spiritual activities such as our Friday night service and annual retreat, and social activities such as our monthly potluck and weekly games night. We maintain ongoing connection through Web forums and our weekly email events list. For more information, please see our website at www.fellowshipx.org/ |
| Friends and Family Weekend | This social weekend, ususally held at Big Meadows on Skyline Drive the weekend school lets out in June, includes children and adults. The program provides for time and activities to promote both fellowship and individual pursuits. |
| Global Justice | Global Justice meets monthly to examine the economic consequences of globalization within a UU Principles framework and to take actions to mitigate unintended social and economic consequences in the developing world like free trade (e.g., NAFTA and CAFTA). The group sells fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate from Equal Exchange and the UU Service Committee’s Coffee Project each month in Fellowship Hall. (Global Justice has merged with the Peace Initiative Network) |
| Great Decisions (International Study & Discussion Group) | Great Decisions meets monthly in the evenings, and if there is enough demand a monthly daytime group will be added. A different group member will lead monthly program topic discussions. Participants must register and purchase the Discussion Guide. Active participation is expected of all members. |
| Green Action | “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part” is one of the seven principles which all Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote. UUCA’s Green Action promotes environmental awareness and activism to make this principle a vital part of our church. Find out More ... |
| Greeters | Greeters make all feel welcome! Devote 1 hour before and after one service each month greeting all...visitors, newcomers, friends and members. Help with questions. Introduce newcomers to members and members to one another. A key Hospitality Ministry function! |
| Handbells | Adults and children perform in our handbell groups. |
| hUUmanists | We're an informal group of members and friends of the UUCA who meet regularly for discussion sessions, talks, videos and what-have-you centered around our common interests in humanism. Many of us - though not all - would describe ourselves as secular humanists. We meet every other Monday from 7:30pm until about 9:15 or 9:30 at the church. |
| Journey Toward Wholeness | The Journey Toward Wholeness (JTW) team seeks to serve as a model, catalyst and resource to UUCA in building an anti-racism, anti-oppression, multicultural community. JTW meets monthly. We look forward to initiating and continuing dialogue about our past and our present, in the service of a future we believe is possible. |
| Labyrinth Project | Walking the labyrinth while silently meditating is a way of briefly entering a different time zone, "dreamtime" rather than clock time, enabling walkers to more easily connect with their creative center. It is a centering activity that brings healing & wholeness. Find out more at the website - www.uucava.org/Labyrinth/ |
| Library | Checkout and re-shelve books & sermon tapes after each service. |
| Literary Arts - Clerestory | Clerestory, UUCA's journal of literature and the arts, provides a community for creative souls to express their love of writing, poetry, music, essays, and art. Contributors and volunteers encouraged. |
| Meals on Wheels | Meals On Wheels volunteers bring hot meals to shut-ins. It’s a two-hour commitment from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., on the fourth Thursday or Friday of each month - you choose which day. Working in teams of two, one person drives and the other delivers. Volunteers agree it’s a gratifying experience. |
| Memorial Garden | The Memorial Garden is located across the main driveway from the Sanctuary and provides for ash interment & stelae for the inscription of names of members and friends. |
| Memorial Society | Assists members in planning for death with dignity in order to contribute to their own peace of mind and as a thoughtful service to survivors who must make immediate decisions at a time of trauma. |
| Men's Book Group | Meets monthly to discuss a previously assigned book or movie. |
| Mistletoe Mall | Mistletoe Mall, an annual December fund raiser, includes community building in its Saturday program for children of our church and visiting children from Arlington Housing Corporation supported communities, Beacon House in D.C., and Sullivan House in Arlington. Included are gift making and shopping, a visit with Santa, seasonal music and a pizza lunch. The event also offers adults the opportunity to purchase gift certificates benefiting UUCA Social Action Council affiliated groups. |
| MoonFire | MoonFire is a community of people believing that the sacred lies in all earth elements and in each other. We are a chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPs), following and exploring earth-centered spiritual paths as an inclusive UU fellowship. Our mission is to explore, learn, and teach traditions of earth-based religions in a sacred and safe community, and to celebrate holidays marked by the solstices and the four seasons. Rituals are held on the third Sunday of every month at 1:00 PM, and are followed by potluck and fellowship. Website - http://www.uucava.org/Moonfire/ |
| Morris Dance | The Arlington Northwest Morris Women meets weekly (currenlty Mondays 7:30-9 at UUCA from mid Sept through June). They dance for fun and exercise and have occasional performances at festivals and fairs in the area. We welcome all adult women who would be interested in dancing with us. |
| New Orleans Recovery Team | UUCA sponsors annual worktrips to New Orleans. |
| Nursery | for under 2-yr-olds; run by RE office for both Sunday services. |
| Office Volunteers | An opportunity to assist church staff answering phones, doing computer entry work or assisting with other administrative tasks. Generally Mon-Fri. 9AM-12:00PM or 12:00-3:00PM. |
| OWL | Our Whole Lives is the age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality curriculum taught in our Religious Education program. |
| Parish Nurse | The Parish Nurse Program is a volunteer health ministry centering on wellness of body, mind, and spirit. Its goal is to help promote a "caring" community at UUCA in conjunction with the Pastoral Guild. Having the support of a Health Advisory Committee and the Congregational Health Partnership of Inova Health Systems, the Parish Nurse offers blood pressure clinics, flu clinics, consultation and referral on health related issues, home, nursing home, and hospital visits. Wellness related programs including classes, seminars, and support groups are being offered through the Program Guide. The Parish Nurse also acts as a resource for various programs being offered in the local community that are pertinent to members of the congregation. |
| Partner Church Program | This committee is part of a national UU program linking U.S. churches with Unitarian partner churches in the Transylvania section of Romania. Cultural & educational exchange, plus material assistance to these historic congregations are important elements. |
| Guatemala Project | UUCA is a Sponsoring Community for a human rights Accompanier in Guatemala. As a Sponsoring Community, we: * Educate ourselves and others about Guatemala * Support an accompanier * Respond to human rights abuses in Guatemalan communities * Reach out to Central American immigrants in our area * Connect with other interested churches and organizations. * Collaborate with NISGUA - Network In Solidarity with the people of Guatemala Find out More... |
| Pastoral Care Guild | Members of the Pastoral Guild are trained to assist the minister with pastoral care, such as visits and telephoning to keep in contact with members in the hospital, elder residences, and the homebound. |
| Peace Camp | Peace Camp offers children ages 5-12 an opportunity to explore the issues and feelings associated with peace and conflict. Campers and staff represent a diversity of religious faith, ethnicity and culture. Camp is held each year the last week of June. For more information, contact Jason Powell. |
| Peace Initiatives Network | Peace Initiatives Network (PIN) is organized into four areas of activity: community resources, interfaith partnerships, resources for youth, and activism and advocacy. (Has merged with Global Justice) |
| People of Color Caucus | This informal group gathers to offer support to individuals and families who identify as persons of color. They meet on the third Wednesday of the month. |
| Poker Group | This is an informal group of people who like to play low-stakes poker. Games are scheduled once a month. |
| Religious Education Classes | for children are held in the lower level during both services. Children attend their own worship service in the Children's Chapel except for monthly All-Church Sunday when they come to the Sanctuary for the first 20 minutes. |
| Round Robin Bridge | Once each month from October to April, each member couple plays 16 hands of bridge at another member couple’s home, for which scores are kept and honored at a post-season tournament party in May. A great way to meet people; more social than competitive. |
| Scrip Sales | Scrip Sales. UUCA buys grocery "scrip" (in paper or gift card format) at a discount and sells it at face value--a painless fundraiser that nets thousands of dollars each year for the church. Giant is currently the only store that participates. Volunteers sell the scrip in Fellowship Hall after every Sunday service. |
| Services Auction | The Services Auction in November is our biggest fund raiser and the most fun, too! Volunteer to solicit commercial donations, phone church friends, do computer work, publicity, decorations, prepare food the day of the auction, or help that night, or other leadership opportunities. |
| Social Action | Contact the Social Justice Coordinator at SocialJustice@uucava.org |
| Social Justice Fund | The goal of the UUCA Social Justice Fund is to support projects that advance a social justice cause in the community. The mission of the Fund is to help build and strengthen social justice, particularly in Northern Virginia. It aims to have a ripple effect by providing supportive funding in partnership with community organizations, and helping to improve the broader community through advocacy and advancement of the common good. |
| Sound Committee | This Sound Committee activates the sound system and regulates the volume for services and other events. It's simpler than it sounds and training is provided. Commit to one service per month or as a backup. |
| Spiritual Exploration Group | The group meets monthly, usually on the first Sunday evening of the month, to watch and discuss the spiritual aspects of films and books. |
| Stewardship Campaign | Our annual Stewardship Campaign is our annual opportunity to put our financial commitment behind our beliefs. On the basis of pledges we budget our programming and worship for the July-June fiscal year. |
| Sullivan House | Sullivan House shelter for homeless families in Arlington accepts donations of nonperishable food (canned and packaged). Drop off donations in the big box labeled “Sullivan House” in the cloakroom. |
| Sunday Refreshments (Coffee +) |
Serve on a team of two or three volunteers at one service, one Sunday a month preparing beverages and arranging set-up. 1st Service team arrives at 8:45, 2nd Service team remains until 1:15. Your smiles & welcome greeting are important to our food and hospitality ministry. |
| Thursday Book Group | This group meets monthly on Thursday afternoons from September through June. Informal discussion is based on a current or classic book chosen by member preference. |
| UU Holdeen India Program | The UU Holdeen India Program works with India's most excluded and oppressed peoples. The program supports their efforts to participate fully in the social, economic and political life of India. |
| Unitarian Universalist Service Committee | Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advocates for social justice causes worldwide. Sponsor of annual Guest at Your Table Program. Gifts and cards benefitting UUSC are sold at UUCA’s Mistletoe Mall. |
| Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice |
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice in the Baltimore-Washington Area (UUSJ). A regional partnership for furthering UU principles on human dignity, justice and compassion through service, community development, advocacy, education and interfaith cooperation on urban concerns. Working toward the goals of sustainable community change and spiritual growth in our congregations. During 2010-11 special focus issues include Immigration and GLBTQ Youth. |
| Ushers | Ushers devote 1 hour before and after one service monthly, greeting, passing out programs, passing collection plates and other duties as needed. Easy job for new people and a key part of our hospitality ministry. |
| Video Committee | The Video Committee has opportunities for novices, amateurs, and semi-professionals to help on a regular or occasional basis to tape sermons and special events, or to provide programming about UUCA & Unitarian-Universalism for community television. |
| Visual Arts - Quuest Art Gallery | This committee arranges small art exhibits the display the works or UUCA members and friends right in our own buildings. Artists in the larger community often participate as well. |
| VOICE | VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement), with the help of Industrial Area Foundation organizers, is working with other northern Virginia congregations to build a broad-based multi-issue organization to work for social change and social justice. IAF affiliates across the nation have achieved success in the areas of affordable housing, living wage, health care, homelessness, job training, environmental cleanup, education reform, transportation and support for immigrants. |
| Welcome Desk | Support our Membership Ministry by answering questions and providing information before and after each service, generally at one service each month. |
| White Allies for Racial Equity | Participants who identify as white formed this group to support the People of Color Caucus, explore further their own identity, read and discuss literature related to identity, and to support each other as they strive to promote multicultural competency. |
| Winter Solstice | is a cooperative celebration, audience participation, entertainment & a light, festive meal. There are Morris dancers, mummers, and singers of all ages. An intergenerational event for people over 5 years of age. |
| Write Here! Write Now! | WHWN is a "toolkit" of writing supplies and signage for any group that wants church members to write to opinion leaders and advocate for positive change, or express a moral value on public issues facing our county, state, or world. Contact the Social Justice Coordinator at socialjustice@uucava.org |
| Young Adults | We are UUCA members and friends aged 18-35 committed to socializing, spirituality, and social justice. We maintain ongoing communication through our Google Group and weekly email events list: http://groups.google.com/group/UUCA_YA. |
| Youth Choir | Sings in worship services and in outside venues. Open to all young people grades 6 and above. Rehearses Sundays, 12:30-1:15 p.m. |
| Youth Group | The Youth Group offers activities for high school students. They meet on Sunday mornings during second service, and have weekend retreats, social outings, picnics, hikes, movies, sports, and fundraisers. Youth Group plans and presents the annual Youth Sunday Service with a theme of significance to the young people themselves. |
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