This Month
May
- May Day Celebration, Sun., May 1
- Outreach Collection Recipient Nominations Due, Thu., May 5
- Women’s Book Discussion Group, Tues., May 17, 1 PM
- NCGH Meal Packing, Sun., May 22, after service
- Ice Cream Social, Sun., May 22, 12 PM
- nUUners Discussion Group, Mon., May 22, 11 AM
Upcoming Events
- Congregational Meeting and Brunch, Sun., Jun 12
- TAC Pride Picnic, Sat., Jun 25, 12 PM
- Family Matinee Movie, Sat. Jul 16, 2 PM
See what happened at our past events – check out our Event Photos page
Coffee Hour Every Sunday
All members, friends, and visitors are welcome to stay after service each week for greetings and coffee hour at approximately 11 AM. Grab yourself some refreshments and join in discussion about the service or catch up with your church friends.
Tuesday Talks
Join us virtually for some casual adult conversation & connection (Formerly known as Tipsy Tuesday.) Each month we will choose a new conversation starter. Plan to listen and share your current concerns and joys. We will have an hour to chat on the second Tuesday of every month at 8 pm. Bring something to drink, your secret candy, a craft project, or all of the above! Join the Zoom Meeting here (Meeting ID: 919 8758 5256). Questions? Contact the DSD ([email protected]) or see the AUUC Parenting Facebook page.
Pastoral Care Team
The Pastoral Care Team is committed to engaging proactively with our fellow congregants at AUUC to provide care for one another. We do this with trust, empathy, confidentiality, and vulnerability. Please feel free to contact any member of the team if you need to talk to someone. We can help connect you to support resources in the congregation and wider community. The Pastoral Care Team members are: Connie D, Ken H, Mark R, Ann S, and Amy T. Our contact email is [email protected]g.
Nominations for 2022-23 Outreach Collections are OPEN
The Social Justice Committee invites you to nominate an organization to receive one of next year’s Outreach Collections. If you would like to suggest and sponsor an Outreach Collection next church year for a non-profit that is special to you and supports our UU principles, please submit an online nomination form by Thursday, May 5, 2022.
An open letter to victims, families, and the community of the Buffalo hate crimes
In response to the tragic racist attack that took the lives of 10 people and injured 3 others, Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church expresses our deep condolences, righteous rage, and commitment to anti-racist activism. No one should be hunted just for the color of their skin. We want you to know that you are not alone; we recognize the renewed fears and traumatic wounds that are creating suffering throughout the Black community during this time. We stand with you in denouncing hate including “The Great Replacement Theory,” “White Nationalism,” anti-semitism, xenophobia, white supremacy, and racism in all its myriad forms.
As a community of faith, we believe in cultivating welcoming, inclusive, diverse, multicultural communities. We believe in building a Beloved Community: where each person is valued, where racial equity is ensured, and peace reigns. To do this, we have been learning about our country’s racist history, current struggles of BIPOC with inequitable laws in our society, how to stand up to racism, and to use white privilege to speak out against white supremacy. We are joining with other local advocates for racial justice and writing to our representatives to demand racial justice for all. We have taken a Pledge to End Racism and will continue to work for a more inclusive and anti-oppressive community. Our church welcomes all who want to work with us to dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions. May we make it so.
Resources on Ways to Support the Buffalo Shooting Victims
https://www.ny.gov/resources-services-residents-impacted-buffalo-shooting
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoLke7Om8g/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Additional Resources
https://psychology.uga.edu/coping-racial-trauma
Written by the Racial Justice Co-Leads and supported by the Social Justice Committee at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church in Burke, VA.
Clarifications to Current COVID Policies and Practices
At the Board meeting on May 4, the Board affirmed the following clarifications to our current COVID policies:
- With young children under 5 able to attend Sunday Services, we will reinstate our practice of putting out a small children’s area with quiet toys. Children over 2 years old are expected to remain masked.
- Singing with masks on is permitted.
- We are eager to restart post-Service coffee outdoors and have enough volunteers to run it, but we will need someone to manage the volunteer schedule and ensure coverage. If you’re called to be that person contact Rev Lev by email [email protected]
True Accotink Colors PRIDE Picnic
When: Saturday, June 25, 12 to 4 PM
Where: AUUC parking lot
Accotink Talent Show – POSTPONED
Do you have a talent that you’d like to show off? Singing, dancing, magic, stand-up comedy, ventriloquism, or something else? Contact Brad at [email protected] The Accotink Talent Show will be on TBD. This is a family event. All ages are welcome to perform or watch.
AUUC Campout
Whether you like sleeping in a tent, “glamping” in a cabin or in a RV there’s a place for you at Pohick Bay on October 8 to 10. Pohick Bay is a beautiful site with lots of activities that are fun for the whole family. If camping is not your thing, Pohick Bay is only a half hour away so you can come for the day and then drive home whenever.
If you want your pick of a campsite, ask anyone on the committee for the details and make plans! For those who may want to rent a cabin, those reservations for two-night stays will open on Aug 9, but will be limited.
If you are interested in camping please contact the Community Events Committee as soon as possible for instructions on how to book your campsite, [email protected]
Rentals Returning to AUUC
Just as churchgoers are coming back to in-person services at AUUC, the church is now ready to welcome back individuals and groups who want to rent space for ceremonies, classes, special events, and other activities.
Renting for one time events/activities
As we well know, AUUC strives to be a welcoming place for all of our regular parishioners, families, and friends, so we have always made AUUC spaces available to these individuals at a reasonable cost so they might have an appropriate place to have their weddings, bar or bat mitzvahs, graduation ceremonies, or memorial events.
Further, we have always welcomed “non-AUUC” individuals and families for the same kinds of activities.
So if you are planning such an event in the near – or far – future, or if you know someone else who is anticipating such an event, you are encouraged to look into the possibility of having that event at AUUC. You can start by checking the AUUC calendar maintained on the AUUC website at accotinkuu.org/calendar/. Inquiries and reservations for specific dates and times can be directed to the Congregational Administrator at [email protected] or at (703)503-4579.
Renting for longer-term activities
Just as AUUC is now available for one-time special event/activity rentals, the church is also prepared to host individuals and organizations sponsoring regular (once a week, once a month, etc.) meetings, classes, or other types of get-togethers over a more extended period of time. As you probably know, we have been fortunate in the past to be able to host regular meetings for a variety of groups, including exercise groups, dance groups, bible study groups, and yoga groups. The church is always ready to discuss with such groups how we might best meet their needs for meeting space.
Again, our Congregational Administrator can advise interested parties on whether, and how, AUUC can meet their needs for meeting space on a continuing basis.
Chancel Flower Pictures
Are you looking for a way to help support our Sunday service but don’t have a lot of time? Throughout the pandemic, we have had a dedicated group of volunteers who helped support Sunday service by sending in pictures of floral arrangements each week. We have enjoyed the rotation of all the beautiful flowers each week and would love to include some images from other members of the congregation.
The process is easy! Simply take a picture of a flower bouquet or garden and send it to Ali at [email protected]. You can send in as many as you like. We will keep them on file to use each week. If you would like you can include a 1 sentence captain or description, but that is completely optional.
May Outreach Collection: Mamatoto Village
Our outreach organization for May, sponsored by the Racial Justice Committee, is Mamatoto Village. Mamatoto Village is devoted to serving Black womxn through the creation of career pathways in maternal health; and providing accessible perinatal support services designed to equip women with the necessary tools to make the most informed decisions in their maternity care, parenting, and lives.
By offering creative solutions to combating health disparities for moms, babies and their families, Mamatoto Village’s innovative approach increases awareness, fosters a space for resilience and building upon women’s strengths, and encourages the family to adopt healthy lifestyles that promote community transformation. Mamatoto believes that the right to health and self-preservation according to one’s own will is a basic human right. Therefore, If women, due to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or citizenship status, lack access to the information and tools they need to preserve their lives; the lives of their children; and long-term interests, that is considered a violation of their rights as humans. Mamatoto Village is dedicated to promoting reproductive justice in the best capacity possible. Additionally, Mamatoto believes that women can be strengthened by other women from their communities to give rise to a more cohesive and supportive environment for childrearing and family wellness. See more at https://www.mamatotovillage.org/
Donations may be made online through the AUUC website anytime during the month; Click Donate, then check “Monthly Outreach Offerings”. Or you may mail a check to AUUC; make checks payable to AUUC with a note ‘outreach’ in the memo line. Outreach collections are sponsored by the Social Justice Committee.
Welcome to AUUC
The Greeters Team would like to reach out to welcome you and to provide more information on AUUC. Please provide your contact information to [email protected]. We look forward to connecting with you!
Stay Connected
Help from AUUC Tech Team
The AUUC Tech Team is here to help you access Zoom and other technologies! Please email us at [email protected] for help, and we will be glad to talk by phone or online to guide you through. Technology may have challenges, but it also brings an exciting opportunity for AUUC to stay well connected; we hope you will be as charged up as we are to learn new things and get connected!
Weekly Email
AUUC sends out a weekly email update, “This Week at Accotink.” If you are not receiving this email message each Thursday evening, please send a message to [email protected] and ask to be put on the distribution list.
DSD Office Hours
Ali is available for meetings and chats by appointment on Tuesday-Friday as well at least 3 Sundays a month. Email [email protected]. For Zoom info email [email protected].
Connecting our Kids and Youth
Please see your “This Week” email with information about kids Coffee Hours, Youth Activities, and Parent Support Group meetings.
Connect with the AUUC Community on Facebook
Join and use the private Facebook group “Accotink UU Church Community.” It is there for AUUC Members and Friends to share announcements and discussions related to our church community. In these difficult times, use it for ISO (In Search Of) and Offering Help (if there is something you or your family needs help with or if you can offer to do a specific errand). Many of us are frequently on Facebook so the odds are that such postings will get prompt attention and responses. Facebook group – Accotink UU Church Community: www.facebook.com/groups/
Please Subscribe to the AUUC YouTube Channel!
During this time of virtual worshiping, all of our sermons will be uploaded to YouTube for later viewing. Please be aware that they are not shown publicly on AUUC YouTube channel. If you would like to watch these videos at anytime, use this direct link tinyurl.com/auucvideos. We also need at least 100 subscribers to have a custom URL for our new YouTube channel so please click on the red Subscribe button. Thank you!