In (fill in name) We Trust
Date and Time: 10/27/2019 9:15am and 10/27/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
The measure of any relationship is trust, often before love! Trust makes life more predictable and generally easier and creates more happiness. So why don’t we trust more? Should we trust more? This service featured the MVUC choir performing “Love is the Teaching” – the Covenant of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church arranged and set to music by member Steve Bogart.
Eating for the Health of the Planet
Date and Time: 10/20/2019 9:15am and 10/20/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Climate Action Team: Plant-Based Diet Group
The Buddha, Confucius, and Pythagoras. Leonardo da Vinci and Leo Tolstoy. Gandhi and Gaudi. Percy Bysshe Shelley and George Bernard Shaw. Plant-based diets have had no shortage of notable champions, long before omnivore Michael Pollan famously simplified the conundrum of eating: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” is the key. (Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming) We will consider how we can all meet this challenge.
Celebration of Life for Ken Bohannon
Date and Time: 10/13/2019 3:00pm
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
Condolence cards can be sent to Linda Bohannon. Donations in Ken’s memory are requested to go to your favorite organization.
How Do White People Talk About Racism Anyway?
Date and Time: 10/13/2019 9:15am and 10/13/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker & Steve Bogart
When it comes to racism, some of us, okay most of us, have some issues. How DO we talk about racism without getting defensive, guilty, angry, fearful and disbelieving? How do we engage more constructively?
Forgiveness and Other Intentional Acts of Grace
Date and Time: 10/06/2019 9:15am and 10/06/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
On Yom Kippur, the Jewish faith offers us all a reminder of the importance of penitence and forgiveness. What do Unitarian Universalists do to bring atonement and grace into this world? The Theme of the Month is Intention.
Called Out and Sent Forth
Date and Time: 09/29/2019 9:15am and 09/29/2019 9:15am
Presenter: Tyler Coles
We all create certain expectations of our lives. Yet how often do we doubt ourselves, and our callings, in the wake of the unexpected? In these moments, when fear becomes the guide, we must find the fortitude to trust our internal wisdom to guide us along our life’s journey.
Happiness and Loneliness in the Age of E-Friendship
Date and Time: 09/22/2019 9:15am and 09/22/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
We are social beings, bonded together in word and indeed throughout history. Can we maintain our mental health using social media, and how do social media impact the 21st century liberal church?
The Human Asteroid
Date and Time: 09/15/2019 9:15am and 09/15/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
Humanity has hit the planet like a slow-moving asteroid. How do we live generously in a life of minimal impact? In this age of climate crisis, how do we offer our children the life they cannot have?
Celebration of Life of Marge Witting
Date and Time: 09/14/2019 2:00pm
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
With deep sorrow, we share the news of the passing of longtime member Marge Witting following a brief illness. Condolence cards can be sent to her son Bill Witting, 200 North Maple Ave., Apt. 101, Falls Church, VA 22046.
A Celebration of Life will be held at MVUC on Saturday, September 14, 2:00 pm in the Chapel. Marge was a major contributor of her time to the church, and we will forever miss her wisdom and humor.
Gathering of the Water, Gathering of the People
Date and Time: 09/08/2019 11:15am
Presenter: Reverend Dr. Kate Walker
In our liturgical calendar, Unitarian Universalists welcome each other back from our summer recess, back to our regular worship using the metaphor of water as the bonding agent reminding us of our spiritual home. Please bring a small amount of water from home or travels, to add to our Water Blessing.
We also welcome our new Intern Minister Tyler Coles.
Do You Whistle While You Work?
Date and Time: 09/01/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Eric Pourchot and Friends
For Labor Day, join us for a mostly-music service celebrating jobs, joy, and justice. Think Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, with some Broadway, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen, and Susan Warner thrown in. There are many songs about working on the railroad, whaling, and herding cattle. Are there songs about program management, accounting, and other modern occupations that could inspire us? Songs bring us together, songs provide relief from repetitive tasks, and songs can tell our history.
Presented by Steve Bogart, Linda Doyle, Eric Pourchot and MVUC’s own “Not Our Day Job” Band
(There is no homily associated this service, which was centered on music and readings for Labor Day.)
The Cost of Free Speech
Date and Time: 08/25/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
While the U.S. Supreme Court has established some accepted restrictions on our First Amendment of the Constitution, we find ourselves struggling over deeper layers of impact in the worldwide instant digital age. How do Unitarian Universalists balance free speech with emotional harm, particularly when those harmed are marginalized and oppressed?
Building Hope
Date and Time: 08/18/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
Younger generations are calling for us to look at and abandon the relentless pursuit of an ever-upwards, optimistic expectation of human advancement. Instead, we are called to carve out hope amidst the daily struggles with pain and the discovery of joy. This is not a smooth ride! Life brings us bumps, bruises and crashes, along with breathless beauty and extraordinary acts of love. How we manage this journey matters for the future of all. Unitarian Universalists do not have easy answers, but we do have sustaining hope.
Question Box
Date and Time: 08/11/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
This is the annual Sunday when I welcome written questions from those in attendance. A wide variety of topics is welcome, although I hold the right to defer to actual experts.
The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me
Date and Time: 08/04/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Kären Rasmussen
Maybe you remember Kermit the Frog as he sang the song “Rainbow Connection.” This lovely song talks about daydreaming, stargazing and wonders why there are so many songs about rainbows. Join Rev. Rasmussen for this service about how to reach back to those summertime days when we actually had time for a little dreaming. It’s about the lovers, the dreamers and me.
Conflict is Unavoidable but Combat is Optional
Date and Time: 07/28/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Rebekah Savage
Reverend Rebekah Savage:
Kingdom Come
Date and Time: 07/21/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Keary Kincannon
As the pastor of the New Hope United Methodist Mission church on Route One, Rev. Kincannon will share his thoughts about hosting the VicHop Homeless Shelter every winter as well as the broader call to serve our neighbors in need.
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew
sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and
Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax
collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a
doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire
mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners.”
Keary Kincannon is the founding pastor of Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church. In 1995 he was appointed by Bishop Thomas Stockton to start a congregation that served the poor and marginalized residents living along the impoverished Route 1 Corridor of Fairfax County. Starting from the back of Keary’s car, today, Rising Hope is a center of healing and transformation serving thousands in the community with the love and power of Christ. In 2016 Rising Hope’s food pantry was included in a “National Geographic” book “Feeding America: Stories of Hunger and Hope.” The national hunger advocacy organization “Feeding America” made Rising Hope’s food pantry the center of a national ad campaign promoting support for local food pantries. In February 2017 Rising Hope made national news when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided and arrested immigrant guests staying at the church’s hypothermia shelter. Senator Mark Warner invited Pastor Keary to be his guest at President Trump’s first joint address of congress as a protest of the President’s immigration policies. Rising Hope has been featured on the PBS program Religion and Ethics, ABC’s 20/20, the Washington Post, Sojourners magazine, the Virginia Advocate, and the UMW ‘s Response magazine. Keary Kincannon is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan University and Wesley Theological Seminary, where he received both his Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry in John Wesley and the Poor. He has been married to Judy Borsher for 29 years and they have a 26 year old daughter, Kaitlyn.
Deep and Wide: Our Seventh Principle
Date and Time: 07/14/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Angela Hiebert
Our Seventh Principle, affirming the interconnected web of all existence, is unique to us among American religions and heartbreakingly relevant to our global problems today. Have we understood it in its depth and beauty?
Quiet Looking—-An Activity
We usually look at nature too quickly and without sufficient attention. You can experience a more meditative, prolonged look at nature by trying this activity:
First, find a partner. (Working with a partner enables both of you to offer witness and helps keep the activity on track.) You and your partner should then find a natural place.
You walk, look, and ONLY say to each other, “I see_____, or “I notice_____.”
This activity should be done for at least 15 minutes but can continue up to an hour.
You will find that it is a real eye-opening experience. Because we don’t usually do this, it may feel awkward at first. Persevere. And don’t become conversational.
Stay in the actual reporting of your immediate perceptions. This activity can put you in a place of deepened visual awareness and prepare you for the further deepened awarenesses and understandings that often follow.
How Is History Like a Used Car?
Date and Time: 07/07/2019 10:00am
Presenter: David Keegan
Would you buy a used car without looking under the hood? Do we ever look under the hood of the history we tell ourselves? Can we afford not to? Join us as we consider how we might tune up our history.
True Confessions of a UU Cherokee
Date and Time: 06/30/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Pam Tinker
Living within a society whose world view is different can make interactions difficult to navigate. Cherokee citizen and MVUC member Pam Tinker, will discuss why she chose Mount Vernon Unitarian Church as a faith community although it has not always been an easy fit. Could our community be more inclusive of indigenous people by understanding their differing World View beginning with Origin Stories that are greatly different than those of the dominant Christian-based society.
A Hidden Jewel
Date and Time: 06/23/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Peg Bartel
A quote from Rumi – ”I was a hidden jewel and I longed to be known.” Rumi is referring to the unfolding of God through the evolution of creation.
Moral Injury and Soul Repair
Date and Time: 06/16/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
In a world that feels like a daily assault is taking place on our soul and heart, how do we create space for both healing and regenerative energy? How does the pain of violence impact our boys and men? An important question on Father’s Day.
Note: We regret that an audio recording of this sermon was not successfully made.
Let There Be Music! Let There Be Love!
Date and Time: 06/09/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker and Mark Zimmerman
Come join our choir and military woodwind quintet for a special service on the power of music and power of love! Music makes us laugh, music creates peace, and music speaks the language of love. Come enjoy and worship with us!
What Makes UU?
Date and Time: 06/02/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
**10:00 am service only **
How do we come to understand our beliefs within a lifestyle and culture that values external authority? How do we honor reflective time as much as productive time so we can explore our deepest beliefs about the world and existence? We’ll welcome our 8th graders into the Youth group in our annual Bridging Ceremony.
Several MVUC members and friends shared their statements of faith: Bonnie Iredell, Alison Tobin, Betty Jo Middleton, Ralph Slawson, Glenn Chappel, and Marty Bredeck. They can be heard at the beginning of the recording.
Celebration of the Life of Wendy Burns
Date and Time: 06/01/2019 10:00am
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
A Celebration of Life for Wendy Burns will be held on Saturday, June 1, 10 am in the Chapel. Condolences can be sent to her children Eric, Greg and Laura, at 1212 Priscilla Lane, Alexandria, 22308. Memorial gifts are welcome to MVUC – Endowment Fund.
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