Featured Blog Posts (178)

Hi everyone

A lot of projects moving forward this week-

HVAC: The chiller has been installed and the boiler is in progress. Neither have been hooked up to the new control system so they are not operation.

Parking lot: More Phase 2 curb and gutters have been poured but we are unsure when paving will happen. We are weather dependent.

First Place S: The water and sewer lines were capped and were inspected by Arlington County.

The Building and Architectural…

The UUCA Board of Trustees has just published its restated Policy Manual (dated May 10, 2013).  The development and maintenance of such a manual is a Board duty under the Church's Bylaws.  On Tuesday, May 21 at 6pm, the Board will hold a feedback session focused on its policies and the revised manual. Please go…

As we begin to wrap up our year of religious education, we take the time to reflect on the difference our learning groups and community are making in the lives of the children, youth and families we serve. Part of what we learn when we ask people about what they gain from coming here is this: Our church…

The Board of Trustees announces that the annual meeting of the congregation will be held immediately following a single 10:15 worship service on Sunday, June 2, 2013. (Official time for the start of the meeting is 11:30 a.m.) Congregants will be seated at tables in Fellowship Hall for a buffet brunch as the meeting begins. Awards will be announced and raise our voices in…

Hi everyone

I would like to spend this week's update recapping our tours of the new addition from this past Sunday.

On behalf of the Building and Architecture Committee and our volunteers, thank you so much for stopping by and checking out the progress we are making! We couldn't have asked for better weather as we threw open the doors to the construction and welcomed you to take a look around. We heard nothing but positive feedback and saw the look on many faces that indicated…

I was in Boston to attend the meetings, as President-designate of the UU Ministers Association.  As I was out walking the streets of Boston this morning about 8am, I became part of the…

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington shares in the grief from the bombing of the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon. We pray for the healing of the scores of people wounded. We pray for comfort for the families and friends of the three who were killed,with hope that the other severely injured people recover. We pray for the tortured souls that chose to lash out violently in their pain and anxiety, rather than trust in the ways of peace.

We give thanks for the first responders,…

Today, I was part of an 18-member delegation from VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) speaking with Sen. Mark Warner on the Senate's immigration reform bill. Because we know he's an ally of reform, we specifically wanted to know how we can leverage the power of our congregations to the get the bill passed. From the 25 minutes we had with him, here are some of the highlights:

-- As I introduced myself as one of the ministers at UUCA, Sen. Warner noted that…

Hi everyone

This Sunday the members of the Building and Architecture Committee will open up the new addition for your viewing pleasure. The crews have made tremendous headway this spring and there is an opportunity to see firsthand how the spaces are shaping up.

In between services and immediately following the 11:15am service you will be able to access the upper level via the blue doors in the foyer of the Sanctuary (they've been boarded up for some time now). There will not…

Hi everyone

There are quite a few interior projects happening this past week.

• Work began on the chillers as crews dug ditches outside for new pipe runs. The entire chiller project is expected to take 3 weeks. In the meantime, our hopes for moderate temperatures outside were not met this…

The Board will hold a regular open business meeting at UUCA on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:15pm.  All are invited to observe.  Here is a tentative agenda as of April 8.  

   1.  Call to Order (7:15pm)

   2.  Check-In; Reading from recent article by Rabbi David Wolpe; Chalice Lighting; Board Covenant

   3.  Consent Items and Reports:

         -Minutes of 2/15 Meeting (approved previously);

         -Construction Update;

         -Financial Update;

 …

Hi all

Most noticeably this week is beginning of our landscaping plan. A sight for sore eyes, crews began planting trees and bushes around the islands and natural areas of the parking lot. After months of staring at dirt, the green was quite refreshing!

You should also take a minute to…

The Board has been busy this year renewing its commitment to policy-based governance.  This has included training sessions and a restatement of the Board's policies.  Two major sections of the revised policy manual have now been completed. Follow this link for a copy.

                       

The…

From Carlton Elliott Smith, M.Div

I've heard it said time and again since I've been at UUCA: I love my Covenant Group. How great it is that for more than a decade, UUCA's small group ministry program has touched hundreds of lives. Members and friends of the congregation sign up and agree to meet at least monthly with the same group of eight to ten people. Inside those groups are opportunities to listen, learn and grow as an individual and as part of a larger whole. Being part…

Hi Everyone

After a brief hiatus, your weekly Improvement Update is back!

Over on our new addition, worker's started the foundation waterproofing. The Building/Architecture Committee knew this was an important step for us given the history of the Activity Room, so we asked that a product rep join us in reviewing the installation. I'm happy to report that everything is going as planned.

New windows below the Sanctuary are currently being installed. Not even the…

Hi everyone

I'm sorry there wasn't an update last week. I'm afraid the massive snowstorm kept me from being able to get to my computer....

All joking aside, the weather has still been too wet for any substantial work happen in the parking lot.

Work has been moving briskly over at the new addition. Work completed int he last month:

• Completed cinderblock to roof at Staircases
• Began masonry wall on Service area
• Replace forts electrical panel…

Monday night's meditation class will have a special guest speaker -- Tara Brach, teacher of Buddhist meditation and clinical psychologist. Tara has practiced and taught meditation for over 35 years, with an emphasis on vipassana (mindfulness or insight) meditation. She is the senior teacher and founder…

Ever wonder what good governance has to do with vibrant transformational church life?

Want to learn more about how the Board has been revitalizing our governance structure?

Want to deliberate with other members about how the way we govern ourselves reflects the covenantal basis of our Unitarian Universalist faith?

Please join members of the Board…

• On Saturday, March 9, 8:30am to 12:30pm, Mark Hicks from Meadville Lombard is giving an open workshop at UUCA called "Leaning Toward Beloved Community."  Mark Hicks Workshop

• On Sunday, March 10, 12:30pm to 3:00pm, the Board and Laura Park from Unity Consulting will be giving an open workshop at UUCA called "Future Oriented Governance…