"NEWS FLASH: We have just learned that we will not get temporary occupancy of the new wing until the middle of the week of Oct. 17 (at the earliest). This means that all plans to move our things out of the Narthex this Saturday and Sunday are postponed. Stay tuned..."
9:45am & 11:15am "Of Velvet Revolutions and Quantum Leaps"
Rev. Dave Johnson, Interim Minister
Some revolutions are brought into being through verbal and physical violence. Other revolutions emerge without coercion or brutality. We shall honor the Czech revolutionary Vaclav Havel, born eighty years ago in Prague. Havel’s skills as a writer, political dissident, and statesman brought about the “velvet revolution” in the Czech republic. What lessons might we learn from Havel’s life? Our choir will sing (in Czech!) an anthem by the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.
During the 11:15 service WUU’s Lay Pastoral Care initiative will be re-introduced to the congregation.
Thursday, October 13
10:00 am, Meditation, Sanctuary
2:00 pm, DBT/Construction Meeting, Parker House
Sunday, October 16
9:15 am, Worship, Sanctuary
11:15 am, Worship, Sanctuary
12:30 pm, Pathway to Membership Part 1, Fahs House
12:45 pm, Our Spiritual Lives, Parker House
4:00 pm, Little Free Pantry Meeting, Fahs House
Monday, October 17
6:30 pm, Ministerial Search Committee, Parker House
7:00 pm, Buddhist Meditation, Sanctuary
Wednesday, October 19
12:00 pm, Book Discussion Group, Sanctuary
4:30 pm, Theology for Our Secular Age, Parker House
7:30 pm, Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
Thursday, October 20
10:00 am, Meditation, Sanctuary
7:30 pm, Program Council Meeting, Fahs House
9:45 am & 11:15 am
"I'm Spiritual AND Religious" Rev. David Hicks MacPherson, Guest Minister
At a time when many faith communities are losing members, especially their youth, I hear people saying, "I'm spiritual but not religious." What possibilities might this circumstance offer to Unitarian Universalism? That means us!
Rev. MacPherson is minister emeritus of First UU Church of Richmond. He has served churches from Massachusetts to Wyoming. Glen Morgan's horn concertino will be performed.
We are winding up the organization phase of this year's circle dinners. If you haven't signed up and wish to be included they should please email Dave and Virginia Banks at dfbanks@earthlink.net or call us at 757 258-8632 as soon as possible-Sunday is the final day for registration.
What is a circle dinner? These are potluck dinner parties of UU friends and acquaintances of all ages—single folks or families. Approximately one dinner is held each month and it is a great way to meet newcomers and old timers! Circles are organized each fall, but new members can be added at any time. Most circles meet together in members’ homes for a potluck dinner, but each year one or two circles organize to meet in restaurants for lunch or dinner.
The deadline to register or update your address is October 17th..
The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is November 1st.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot in person is November 5th.
The on-line site to check your registration, where you vote, sample ballot, etc., is vote.virginia.gov. or call 800.552.9745, or TTY 711. Additional information is available in the narthex. Need a ride? Call 757-508-3795 and leave a message.
The League of Women Voters will hold a 1st Virginia Senate Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 13, and a 93rd House of Delegates Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 19. Both forums will be held in the Williamsburg Library Auditorium at 7:00 PM.
If you are interested in learning more about the Little Free Pantry project and how we can help mitigate food insecurity for our neighbors in need, please join us for a kickoff meeting on Sunday, October 16th at 4pm in the Fahs House. For more information, feel free to contact Kim Barbarji at kbarbarji@cox.net.
Food For FISH (Our local community food & clothing pantry)
FISH is asking for canned stews/soups and baking items. Place your donations in our Fish Wagon and our wonderful coordinator, Ivonne Luchs, will gather donations and transport them to FISH.
Please make sure packages are sealed and all "use by" dates are current. Thank you all!
Austen will be out of town this Sunday, please direct any questions regarding Religious Education on Sunday to our Deputy DRE for the day, Susan Walkley.
WUU Nursery Information Update:
October 9th until we move into the new space: nursery in the hallway of Fahs & the playground as weather permits
Our primary priority is the safety of all children. We believe we can both provide fun and safe nursery care using the hallway of Fahs House as well as playground time, but if this does not suit your family’s needs, please know that you and your infant are welcomed into the sanctuary at Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists.
Please contact Austen at austen@wuu.org with any questions.
Opportunities for Exploration and Spiritual Growth: Fall 2016
Please Note Updated Schedule:
“Theology for Our Secular Age”
Four Wednesdays, 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm: October 05, 12, 19, 26: Parker House
Rev. Dave Johnson, facilitator
Introduction
Theology is the process of using language to describe certain kinds of experience; it’s what happens when the silence ends.
Freedom—absence of coercion—is politically necessary but not religiously sufficient.
What we have in common with other members of our group makes us a kind and helps create a sense of unity. Each member of a kind is also a unique instance; its identity is based on its difference from others, creating a sense of diversity.
In a secular age, people have options—to believe or not to believe, to be part of a community of faith or not. By most accounts, religion poses the greatest threat to our shared future, rather than providing the greatest source of hope.
The goal of this course is to sketch a third way between competing fundamentalisms of the left and right; to suggest how we might begin to think about faith and religion, as well as religious community and ethical conduct, in a different way/ Copies of the syllabus are available from the Minister
“Our Spiritual Lives”
Three Sundays, 12:45 – 1:30 pm: October 09, 16, 30: Parker House
Rev. Dave Johnson, facilitator
Introduction
Just what is a “spiritual” journey – or experience – anyway?? How might I know whether I am currently on one, or whether I may have had one in the past? What is the outcome supposed to be (if there are outcomes)? Is spirituality an achievement – perhaps offering self-selected “merit badges”? Why should (or might) such questions matter to me, in getting through the day? These are among the questions we will explore for three Sundays: October 09, 16, and 30. Join the fun. No homework. Just show up.
The Ministries and Faith Development staff offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Mark H. Edmiston-Lange who died on September 21, 2016 at the age of 64.
Mark was born on January 12, 1952, to Barbara Rudd Lange and Samuel Charles Lange. He grew up in Newburgh, NY, and knew even as a teenager that he wanted to become a Unitarian Universalist minister. He graduated from Marlboro College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, and went on to receive a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 1978.
Rev. Edmiston-Lange was ordained to the ministry in 1978 by the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County, PA, and served that congregation for the next six years. He was then called to serve as minister to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, OH from 1984 to 1993. It was in 1993 that Mark married his beloved wife Becky. Rev. Edmiston-Lange then served for two years as interim minister to the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists of Williamsburg, VA. In 1995 he started Jubilee Project, a short-lived rock-and-roll Unitarian Universalist congregation in the Washington, D.C. area. Afterwards he served as interim minister to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, MD.
Finally, he and Becky accepted a call to serve as co-ministers to the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston, TX, where Mark passionately served from 1999 until his death.
Rev. Edmiston-Lange dedicated much of his time to Unitarian Universalism, and served the denomination and the larger community in various capacities. He served as a Ministerial Settlement Representative while at Akron and on the board of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. A highlight of his life was participating in 1989 in the 108 mile *Via Crucis* March protesting U.S. policies in Central America with his daughter, Kara, who turned 12 on the march. He served on the Board of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, and chaired its Interfaith Relations Task Force. Rev.
Edmiston-Lange was instrumental in founding the Texas UU Justice Ministry, and served on the steering committee of UU Voice for Justice—an organization dedicated to spreading the UU message throughout the Houston area. In 2008 he became the Vice-President of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association’s Southwest Chapter, and then served as its President from 2009 to 2011.
Mark’s hobbies included hiking, gardening, birding, white water canoeing, home remodeling, and dancing—all of which he shared with his beloved Becky.
Rev. Edmiston-Lange was also an avid scholar of evolutionary psychology and neurobiology, believing that when human beings understand themselves as evolutionary creatures bound by the same laws of nature as the rest of the universe, only then will they be able to live in harmony with one another
and with the earth.
Tim Brennan, Treasurer and CFO of the UUA, said of Rev. Edmiston-Lange, “Mark represented the UUA at many corporate annual meetings when we had shareholder resolutions on the proxy. Many of these were at oil and gas companies. He was always ready to say ‘Yes,’ and stood for our values in venues that were not always sympathetic. A real loss.”
Elliot Gershenson, President Emeritus of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, called Rev. Edmiston-Lange “a warrior for social justice and a personal hero.”
Rev. Edmiston-Lange is survived by his wife Rev. Dr. Becky Edmiston-Lange, his daughter Kara Honthumb, his son Aaron Lange, his brothers Guy (Sallie) and Russell (Allyne), and his nephews Tom and Nathaniel.
A memorial service was held on Saturday October 8, at 2:00pm, at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 1900 Bering Drive, Houston, TX 77057.
Our Pathway to Membership class is an ideal way to learn who we are as Unitarians Universalists and also a way to learn more about our WUU congregation. If you are new and would like more information about us, or are considering becoming a member, or are already a long-time member and would like a refresher, then this is the class for you. The class will be held in 2 parts, Sunday October 16 and Sunday October 23, 12:30-2:30pm. We will meet in the Fahs House.
Lunch will be served - please let us know of any special dietary needs. Child care will also be available if requested by October 2.
Have you thought about singing in the choir? Want to sing but too many conflicts? This is your chance! On October 30, The WUU Tabernacle Choir sings. ONE rehearsal at 10:30 before the service. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Jamie Bartlet jcbart@wm.edu
Building Our Future 2016-Construction
There has been a lot going on here on the WUU Campus. Click Here to see the latest photos.
