WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP - Rev. Mykal O. Slack, Julia Earp (Worship Associate) and Eleanor Bruneel
GREETING EACH OTHER - with music by Justin Furnia on Piano
CHALICE LIGHTING - Anastasia and Sophia Vieira
SONG OF COMMUNITY #188 “Come, Come, Whoever You Are” - Congregation and Justin Furnia (Piano)
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING - Julia Earp
Rainbow Youth Alliance
This week’s Share The Plate partner is the Rainbow Youth Alliance (RYA). RYA supports gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning teens and their friends and allies. RYA’s vision is a future in which these “rainbow teens” are able to live as themselves in safe, nurturing environments where they are respected, listened to, and given valuable information and skills. UUCR is an active sponsor of RYA and regularly hosts RYA events. Especially in these times when malignant forces are aligned to deny basic civil rights to LGBTQ youth, RYA’s work is critical.
RYA provides adult-facilitated, peer-to-peer support for high school youth between the ages of 13 and 18. Support includes group meetings that follow a relaxed format with a primary focus on providing a safe space where rainbow teens can be themselves. Through guided discussions, games and other activities, the goal is for teens to connect with one another in a supportive atmosphere and share their thoughts, goals, and sometimes concerns. Trained adult facilitators help the groups to review expectations and progress to sharing questions or experiences that can spark healthy group discussion. RYA is a place for rainbow teens to find a community of mutual interests and support, and to learn information relevant to their own lives.
In addition to UUCR, RYA is sponsored by the BHT Foundation, a community-based organization that provides financial support to non-profits serving the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in the Baltimore/Washington area, and the Safe Spaces Project, an organization that helps support its namesake program across the country.
Online giving options include: Realm or Paypal, at https://uucr.org/give;
Or you may mail a check to UUCR at 100 Welsh Park Dr, Rockville MD, 20850
OFFERTORY ANTHEM “Make Them Hear You” - GMCW Rock Creek Singers
WORDS OF INSPIRATION - Rev. Mykal O. Slack
SONG OF PREPARATION - Children, Youth, and Congregation
REFLECTION - Thomas Coughlin
BLESSING OF THE RYA ADVISORY COUNCIL - Rev. Dr. Rebekah A. Savage and Rev. Mykal Slack
TIME OF RENEWAL, SHARING, & PRAYER - Rev. Mykal Slack
CLOSING WORDS - Rev. Dr. Rebekah A. Savage
CLOSING SONG “True Colors” - GMCW Rock Creek Singers and the UUCR Community Choir
POSTLUDE “Nearer My God” - GMCW Rock Creek Singers
Thank you to our members and congregants who make this service possible!
Worship Steward: Mary Drake
A/V Tech: Bill Newhouse (Audio) and Karl Irikura (Video)
Ushers / Greeters: Sharon Fitzpatrick, Lauren Secco, José Clemente, Beth Steel, Ginger Dixon, and Len Taylor
Hospitality: Sue Hedges, Dave Fitzpatrick, Lynne Shaer and Chris Hager
Come, come, whoever you are
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving
Ours is no caravan of despair
Come, yet again come
Go out and tell our story
Let it echo far and wide
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
How justice was our battle
And how justice was denied
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
And say to those who blame us
For the way we chose to fight
That sometimes there are battles
That are more than black or white...
And I could not put down my sword
When justice was my right
Make them hear you
Go out and tell our story
To your daughters and your sons
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
And tell them, in our struggle
We were not the only ones
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Your sword can be a sermon
Or the power of the pen
Teach every child to raise his voice
And then, my brothers, then
Will justice be demanded
By ten million righteous men
Make them hear you
When they hear you
I'll be near you
Again
by Alexandra (Ahlay) Blakely
If I'm gonna fall
and if I'm gonna change,
may it serve the whole --
may it turn a page.
And if I'm gonna fail,
and if I'm gonna learn,
may it serve the whole –
may it serve the future ones!
I, too, deserve belonging.
I, too, deserve to heal.
I, too, deserve aliveness –
I deserve to court the shadows here.
(2x)
I, too, deserve belonging.
I, too, deserve to heal.
I, too, deserve aliveness –
I deserve to court the shadows here.
(2x)
Lift me up, oooh, lift me up
Let the light from the lighthouse lift me up (2x)
Hold me close, oooh hold me close
Let the light from the lighthouse hold me close (2x)
Shine on me, ooooh shine on me
Let the light from the lighthouse shine on me (2x)
You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh, I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small
But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors
Are beautiful like a rainbow
Show me a smile then
Don't be unhappy
Can't remember when
I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
Your true colors
Are beautiful like a rainbow
Can't remember when I last saw you laugh
If this world makes you crazy
You've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors
True colors are shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors
Are beautiful like a rainbow
Interested in any of the events or groups below? Visit the Event Registration table in Fellowship Hall following the service to learn more and register today!
Our next Midweek Vespers is on Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30p, led by Ray Gonzales with music by Wayne Crump!
Fall Congregational Town Hall – Please join your UUCR Board for our Fall Congregational Town Hall meeting on Sunday, October 26 at 11:45 AM. The Board will update the congregation on the board’s priorities for this year as well as other topics. To be sure all voices are heard, the final 30 minutes of the Town Hall will be “open mic” where we encourage congregants to share their wisdom and suggestions with the Board of Trustees and all attending. Childcare will be provided.
Action Auction Donations are being accepted through November 11th! Visit uucr.org/actionauction for more information. Questions? Contact actionauction@uucr.org.
Samhain with Wheel of the Year - November 2nd at 5p - Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark season. It is at this moment when the veil between worlds is thinnest. We gather together to honor our ancestors, both ancient and near, during this ritual. Please bring photos and mementos of loved ones to place on our altar as we honor those who came before us this evening. All are welcome to join, starting with our multi-generational potluck at 5:00 pm, and the service beginning at 6:00 pm. A dessert social will follow the service at 7:00 pm. Childcare is available with advance registration. Please join us as you are able. Dressing according to the weather with layers is highly encouraged as we will be outside. Ritual clothing optional.
UUCR LGBTQ+ Portrait Project: Call for Participants - We are excited to share a new art project celebrating the vibrant LGBTQ+ community within UUCR. The project will feature portraits of congregants, taken with care and creativity, as a way of honoring our shared stories and presence in this community. - The portraits will be created by our creative team of UUCR congregants Sal LaFianza and Lara Klopp, and the collection will be shared as both an art installation and an archive of pride, visibility, and belonging. We’re looking for volunteers! If you identify as LGBTQ+ and are part of UUCR, we would love to include you in this portrait series. Participation is completely voluntary, and every photo session will be handled with respect and care. Youth are encouraged and welcome to participate with a caregiver or parent's permission. We can’t wait to see the ways it will celebrate our community and spark connection. To participate or learn more, please reach out to Rev. Rebekah or Rev. Mykal or UUCR congregants Sal LaFianza or Lara Klopp.