Summer Learning Adult Religious Education
Michele Grove, who is working on her UU Religious Education Credentialing, is offering classes and workshops this summer to explore Unitarian Universalism on a deeper level. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for any of the classes, please call . You can also sign up on the bulletin board in the sanctuary foyer.
Journey Towards Wholeness
Sundays, June 22 and July 13, 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Bring a lunch.
Exploring the Issues of Race in our Church and Community. See a full description of this class on the sanctuary foyer bulletin board.
World Religions.
Thursdays, August 14, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This class is using Huston Smith's World Religions and some amazing DVDs. The August class will cover Christianity and Judaism. Discussion will be a main element of our exploration.
All Ages Intergenerational World Religions Workshop
Date TBA - Fall? - Contact Michelle if interested
Families come in all ages, shapes and sizes. Michele's workshop is an opportunity for people of all ages to interact and learn together through activities, stories, food and play. Lunch will be provided as a part of exploring other religious cultures.
Public Labyrinth Walk
August 10, 1-3PM in the sanctuary. Free and open to the public
The public is invited to try walking meditation in two different labyrinths, which are suitable for all ages.
The indoor labyrinth is a Petite Chartres pattern, a smaller version of the 12th century labyrinth on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. The outdoor labyrinth is the older, Cretan pattern. Both labyrinths were created by church members.
Unlike a maze which is a puzzle with many possible choices, a labyrinth is a single path to walk on a winding way into the center and out again. Some people walk labyrinths regularly as a spiritual experience or moving prayer. Labyrinth walking can also help with relaxation, stress relief and even problem solving.
Today, labyrinths are often found in homes, hospitals, public gardens and most commonly, in churches. However, labyrinths are not unique to Christianity; they are part of many religious traditions. Some patterns even date back to prehistoric times.
For more information about labyrinths, talk with Diana Foley who's a Certified Labyrinth Facilitator through Veriditas, a California-based non-profit whose mission is spreading the practice of labyrinth-walking globally. The name Veriditas means green growing things and was taken from the works of medieval mystic and composer Hildegard von Bingen.
The organization's web site is www.veriditas.net.
If you enjoy walking our labyrinths, please become a Labyrinth Keeper.
Labyrinth Keepers will take turns setting up the monthly public labyrinth walks and sharing their enthusiasm with visitors; create new ways to enjoy and promote our labyrinths; and those who are able will also help maintain them. If you'd like to be a Labyrinth Keeper, contact Diana Foley
Women's Spirituality Group
August 6, 7 p.m. in the Martin House
Recovering a Sense of Abundance
This year the Women's Spirituality Group is discussing The Artist's Way: a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. The book is filled with activities to help participants discover or recover their creative self. The book is available in bookstores and libraries, but it isn't necessary to have a copy to participate in the group.
This month, the group will discuss "Recovering a Sense of Connection", the seventh chapter of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Read the chapter and do as many of the tasks as you wish. All women of UUCH are welcome and encouraged to attend the Women's Spirituality Group, which usually meets the first Wednesday of each month. For more information, contact Donna Catling.
Book Discussion Group Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen combines his serious concerns about the environment and Florida's Everglades with humor and satire. Be prepared for corruption, revenge, sleaze, and lots of laughs.
The September book is Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.
The UUCH Book Group welcomes all enthusiastic readers to its monthly meetings on the second Wednesday at Donna Catling's home. Contact Donna for more information.
Queen of Heaven Circle Celebration
Saturday, August 16, 5 p.m. in the sanctuary
Lughnasadh
Join the Queen of Heaven Circle as they celebrate Lughnasadh, the Celtic harvest festival, which takes its name from the Irish god Lugh. The festival is called Lughnasadh in Ireland, Lunasdál in Scotland, and Laa Luanys on the Isle of Man.
Lugh dedicated this festival to his foster-mother, Tailtiu, who died from exhaustion after clearing a great forest so that the land could be cultivated. When the men of Ireland gathered at her death-bed, she told them to hold funeral games in her honor. As long as they were held, she prophesied Ireland would not be without song.
Lughnasadh has an older name, Brón Trogain, which refers to the painful labor of childbirth, appropriate for this time of year when the earth gives birth to her first fruits so that her children might live.
As with all Queen of Heaven Circle celebrations, participants are asked to bring canned food donations for the church's food bank collection and a dish to share at the QOHC meal.
The Queen of Heaven Circle is an earth-based spirituality group, which meets monthly at UUCH. Although the group's name is feminine, men are welcome.
Garden Group
The re-activated garden group met in May to discuss ways to improve the church grounds, including planters with trellises in front of the sanctuary between the windows, decorative rain barrels, and mulch around the Martin House.
The proposed site for the memorial garden is the grassy area bordered by the grape arbor and the driveways. Among the ideas for this area are mulch instead of grass, benches under the arbor, perennials and bulbs, and possibly a solar-powered fountain.
The Garden Group is open to any interested gardeners. For more information, contact Sylvia Kremp
Mystery Book Group
Tuesday, August 19 at 7 p.m. at the Ruskie's home.
Continuing the group's current theme of mysteries abroad, Robert Wilson's The Vanished Hands is set in modern Spain, where Wilson explores the theme of trust and betrayal.
In September, the mystery-lovers will discuss Cara Black's Murder in Belleville, which is set in France.
The Mystery Book Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at Dodie and Howard Ruskie's home. Contact them for directions.
Green Sanctuary Committee
Next meeting, Sunday, August 10, 12:15 p.m. in the Martin House.
If you want local foods for your own table, try the local farmers' markets. City Market, 25 W. Church St., is open on Saturdays from 5 a.m. until noon. During the summer, an outdoor market is open the first and third Thursdays of the month on the Hagerstown square. You'll find the Washington County Farmers' Market at Prime Outlets, Wednesdays 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
If you want to learn more about other locally grown food in Md., Va., and W.Va., go to futureharvestcasa.org. In Pa., try buylocalpa.org .
Green Sanctuary is a UUA program that encourages congregations to practice eco-spirituality and live our seventh principle-respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
The UUCH Green Sanctuary Committee meets once a month to discuss topics of interest and plan programs that support a Green Sanctuary. Everyone is welcome.
Our church already has many programs that support this initiative including worship services and celebrations of the earth that enlighten us about caring for our environment; religious education that heightens our awareness of our environmental, social, and consumer responsibilities; programs that address environmental justice issues and encourage our involvement; and choices that promote sustainable living like purchasing fair trade products at church on Sunday.
For more information, contact Janet and Gordon Bartels.
Western Maryland Vegetarian Society Potluck
Next potluck meeting: Early September... check website for details
Location: TBA
The Western Maryland Vegetarian Society Potluck meets regularly to share good food and conversation.
For more info, visit the Website at http://www.westMDveg.org
or contact Tara at info@westmdveg.org or 301-393-8874.
