September 5, Rev. Christine Brownlie and Worship Associate Kathy Welch: Celebrate Labor Day by Committing to Build More Humane Workplaces. We try to build our values into our family lives, but we sometimes fail to actively consider how to do that at work. Sometimes we serendipitously stumble into an event or circumstances when we must make a moral decision. Let's look at ways that we can live our values in our workplace — even in tough circumstances.

September 12, Rev. Christine Brownlie and Worship Associate Jane Mahone: Islam-a-phobia. As we mark the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the deliberate crashing of United Airlines Flight 93, our country is seeing an increase in public displays against Islam. Today we’ll learn how the interfaith initiative, “Standing on the Side of Love” is finding ways to address this issue, and how we might join this effort.

The UUC Choir will sing Love Is Little, a traditional Shaker hymn.

Please join us for our Second Sunday Potluck following the service. To ensure enough food for all, whenever you are bringing a dish for the potluck, please remember that in a sense, we are all each other's hosts, and therefore it is our joint responsibility to see that enough food is present to feed all, including those who are new or who have forgotten to bring a dish. While we are grateful for all contributions, we would encourage you to bring sufficient food for yourself, your family or guests, and two additional adults. We do ask parents to monitor the amount of food that their children take so that there is as little waste as possible. If your last name begins with A through Bq, please bring a beverage and plan to arrive by 9:30 to set up for the potluck before the service and to assist with moving items from the kitchen to the tables as the potluck occurs. Plates and silverware should not be set out until all are ready to eat, so as to proceed in an orderly way.Instructions are posted in the kitchen for set-up and clean-up.People from the Membership Committee will be on hand to direct and assist with set-up and serving. If your last name begins with Kf through Z, please bring a main dish. If your last name begins with Br through Ke, please bring a side dish or dessert. A general announcement will be made asking for people to help with cleanup.Don’t forget your list of the ingredients in your dish to assist those with food allergies.

Don’t forget to bring your non-perishable food donations (canned meats, fruits, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, rice, beans, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, sugar, etc.) for the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry. The donation basket is in the lobby just outside the

During the service and potluck, we will have the opportunity to “Meet the Board.”

September 19, Rev. Christine Brownlie and Worship Associate Jim Kern: It’s Not Easy Being Green! In the past few years, our Congregation has taken several actions to become more “green.” Can we do better? I’ll bet that we can! Perhaps in ways that we have yet to imagine.

September 26, Rev. Kelly M. Sisson and Worship Associate Amado Ohland: Twelve Steps to Recovery. Rev. Sisson is the Minister for Spiritual Direction and Studio Arts at the Roanoke Rescue Mission. After more than 25 years of local church ministry, she traded in congregational life for prostitutes and addicts. “So far, it is a good deal!” Coordinating the Recovery Arts Program for the RRM, she will discuss lessons all faith communities could learn from Twelve-Step Communities.

The UUC Choir will sing at the service.

The Fourth Sunday Collection will be donated to the local, ecumenical Stop Hunger Now event at Virginia Tech, sponsored by the Blacksburg United Methodist Church. Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world. This combined university/community project will take place in the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires Student Center at VT on Saturday, October 2. Volunteers will participate in a meal packaging program for the benefit of Haiti Crisis Relief, serving at either 11 AM or 2 PM for two-hour shifts. A total of 285,000 meal kits, each of which feeds 8 people (over a million meals altogether), will be packed and sent to Haiti. Interested people should sign up in advance at the VT-Engage website in early September. Although the cost of the food for this event ($78,000) has already been raised by the Blacksburg United Methodist Church and the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, funds collected from other local churches such as ours will be given to provide additional Haiti refugee relief in conjunction with the meal packages. Watch for further information at the UUC about this event and how to participate. We hope you'll be able to support this special event by giving your gifts of time, money, or both.

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Sunday Circle

The Sunday Circle meets on the first and third Sundays of the month beginning at 8:45 AM. All are welcome to join us for stimulating conversation. The group meets in Room A.

September 5: Carl T. Hansen, UUC member, will present a discussion based on the book entitled A Fierce Discontent — The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America 1870–1920. In addition, some time will be used to finalize the schedule for the fall.

September 19: James Copeheaver, UUC member, will discuss The Ten Commandments: Past, Present and Future. Do they have any relevance to the modern world? And, particularly, for UUs?