Our Greetings to You
Welcome to the web site of the Universalist National Memorial Church, "a liberal Christian church in the heart of the city." We hope to answer your questions, spark your curiosity, and encourage you to visit with us in person.
Our church building is at 16th and "S" Streets, NW,
where the
Washington, DC neigborhoods of Dupont Circle and Logan Circle meet.
Sunday worship starts at 10:30 a.m. (summer schedule, through Labor Day).
The Rev. Lillie Mae Henley is our eighth settled minister. You can read a selection of her sermons here.
From the heart(land)...
Some of my time away was spent at a monastery in Sand Spring, Oklahoma. Actually, it used to be run by the Benedictine nuns, but was sold to a group of locals who are making the “Forrest of Peace” into an ashram and eclectic, contemplative retreat.
Three times a day, six o’clock in the morning, noon, and at six o’clock in the evening, they “sit” for thirty minutes and then have a standard liturgy of native American, Buddhist, and Christian readings. Three days was not long enough, but by the last day, I was beginning to let go of my busy world here and thinking about replenishing and nurturing my spirit.
Then I had three days at the Christian Universalist Association’s first annual conference and three days with one of my spiritual advisers/life coach. In-between I had 5 wonderful days with my nephew Darin and his young family which includes Kelly, his wife, and Jared, 8, and Vanessa, 6.
All in all, I had a great time, and will begin a summer of planning with the worship committee and our new interim music director Darryl Winston. I am grateful for our collaborative ministry.
See you in church, Pastor Lillie
July 2008 Anchor newsletter
From the heart(land)...
New "Anchor Production Team"
Sunday Services for July
Do you want to know how to...
Vespers at UNMC?
Children/Youth Religious Education
Sharing Our Plate
Upcoming Events
Leland Place
In Sympathy
Chancel Flowers
Adult Religious Education in July
Growth amd Outreach at UNMC
Website Ministry
Six New Members
New Directory Available
Escape to Vermont?
UNMusiC Notes
Capital Fringe Festival 2008
Love God, Love the Earth
A sermon preached by Rev. Henley, June 29.
Let us sit quietly, close our eyes for a moment, and allow ourselves to reach into the recesses of our memories, looking for a time to remember when we when we were out-of-doors. There will probably be an image that comes to your mind that often comes into your thoughts. Perhaps, it is a place where you allow your mind to wander to—often. The image is probably very real to you.
Is there water,
Or mountains, woods,
Or forest.
A pond, or creek, or wide delta river.
Is there sand,
Or dry, hard-packed desert earth,
Or rocks of many colors.
Is there the sound of a sea gull,
Or a gaggle of geese honking above,
Or the quiet stealth of a deer in the woods?
Is it as if it were yesterday? Do you smell the water or the woods, or feel the humid air or a dry breeze? Is there the sound of silence, or rushing water, or crashing waves? How often do you go there, to that place, why do you “go there?” When?
"When I Die Sing The Old Rugged Cross"
A collaborative service by Rev. Henley and Deacon Lisa Harris who wrote the following poem “When I Die” especially for this service.
“When I Die”© by L. Michelle Harris, June 1, 2008
Dying is the hard part
To exhale every desire and dream
Every love and hate
Every memory and grudge.
Better it would be if
Death just comes
Like love
Surprising and complete
Then dying isn’t necessary.
Better it would be if
Death comes late
Death of one too young
Is a burden to the living.
Death itself is a mystery
But I have hope
Hope that I’ll be free of all struggle
Hope that I’ll be greeted by
my ancestors
Hope that Tupac still has voice
And an eternal rhyme
Background for a bid whist game
That never ends.
And to those left to commit
What remains of me to earth
And memory
I don’t ask much of you.
Just that you keep it short
Keep it sweet.
Let one saxophone play
Precious lord take my hand.
Let one person speak
And say only this:
She Loved.
from the heart...
Our last service of the regular church year is Sunday, June 8. We will be recognizing the volunteers who have given of their time and talents to the church this past year. We will welcome five new members and celebrate communion.
Many of us will be traveling this summer. The pastoral prayer each week will include a petition for those who are traveling. If, in your journeys, you experience an especially moving landscape or any other event which you would like to share, take a digital photograph and send it to the church email address, office@universalist.org We will include the image in a summer Anchor or maybe even in one of our weekly UNMC list serve messages.
June 2008 Anchor newsletter
From the heart...
Sunday Services for June
Do you want to know how to...
Pray for Peace
Children/Youth Religious Education
Sharing Our Plate
Deacons Invite Congregation to Sing for Our Own Nonagenarian!
Upcoming Events
Washington National Wagner Society
Leland Place
Volunteer Opportunity
Capital Fringe Festival 2008
Building and Grounds
Third of a Series of "Must-reads" on Religious Experience
Chancel Flowers
Adult Religious Education in June
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Sermon preached by Rev. Henley May 25, 2008
Bobby McFerrin wrote “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in 1988. It was a number one hit for two weeks. I bet every one of us has said that phrase more than a time or two—even if we weren’t born when the song was popular! If McFerrin had a dollar for every time someone said, “Don’t worry, be happy,” I am sure he would be as Forrest Gump might say, a “gozillionaire” by now. When I read our scripture for today from Matthew, I thought about McFerrin’s song.
…
in your life expect some trouble
when you worry you make it double
don’t worry be happy
McFerrin doesn’t say there will not be any trouble, he says there will be trouble, but when you worry, you make it double! And Jesus knew that we have trouble in our lives, “… Each day has enough trouble of its own,” but he said, “…Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” In other words, be present with God, be God-centered, and God will take care of our worries.
UNMC bookstore benefits PDF
Through Amazon.com's affiliate program, a small portion of the sales price of any item that you purchase after clicking the link below will benefit the church's Pastoral Discretionary Fund, which the minister can use to address unmet needs of church members and the wider community.
Visit the UNMC bookstore at Amazon.com
Here's how the Amazon.com affiliate program works:
When you click any Amazon.com link on the church web site, you'll be taken to the appropriate page on the Amazon.com site, and Amazon.com will note that you arrived there from the church web site. Any purchase that you make -- books, music, household items, clothes, etc. -- will result in a small percentage going to the church, designated for the Pastoral Discretionary Fund.
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