Soul Matters theme:
Cultivating Relationship
Unless otherwise noted, services are led by the Rev. Andrew Clive Millard and take place at 11am on Sundays per the UUFP’s phased plan for resuming in-person programming . You can connect via Zoom at https://uuma.zoom.us/j/920676087 or you can dial-in to 646-876-9923 (Meeting ID: 920 676 087)
October 3: “ Serving the Mission, Saving the World” (in person and on Zoom)
Join us for a very special Sunday service to celebrate who we are as a congregation, the journey we have taken to get here, and our commitment to funding our Vision for our future.
Let's launch our once-in-a-lifetime Capital Campaign with lively music, the stories of our journey, inspiring messages — and some surprises!
Are you a UU superhero? Find out at this outdoor, in-person service on the UUFP grounds — and live on Zoom — starting at 11:00 a.m. on October 3rd.
(If you plan to attend in person, please bring your mask. You are welcome to bring a lawn chair, though seating will also be provided. In case of inclement weather, the service will take place on Zoom.)
October 10: “ A Life in Community Organizing: Empowering Virginians for Justice”
(on Zoom)
Jay Johnson will speak about the mission and growth of Virginia Organizing and the experiences that compelled her to join its leadership. Virginia Organizing is a non-partisan state-wide grassroots organization dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. Virginia Organizing especially encourages the participation of those who have traditionally had little or no voice in our society. By building relationships with individuals and groups throughout the state, Virginia Organizing strives to get them to work together, democratically and non-violently, for change.
Janice “Jay” Johnson served as Chair of Virginia Organizing for five years until taking on the role of Treasurer. She feels a great sense of pride in the growth of Virginia Organizing during these years, including its work on health care, restoration of voting rights for former non-violent felons, and election protection. Jay committed to Virginia Organizing after attending a board meeting where she was impressed by the passion and seriousness with which members went about their work. During Governor Mark Warner’s term, Jay devoted much time to reforming Virginia’s tax system.

Janice “Jay” Johnson
Concurrently, she and many others statewide pushed successfully for policy change in housing and redevelopment. In subsequent years, Jay worked with Virginia Organizing on strategic assessment and organization by state legislative districts. Jay was born in Hampton but has lived in Newport News for the past thirteen years. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Wilson College in Chambersburg PA, she returned to the Hampton Institute for a Master’s Degree in guidance counseling. Tirelessly, Jay pursued careers in professional Girl Scouting, social work and entrepreneurship, and finally spent fifteen years with the City of Hampton’s youth department. When Jay is not organizing, she enjoys involvement in a book group and is an avid traveler. Mostly, Jay loves to be surrounded by friends.
October 17: “Building Relationships, Protecting the Earth” (on Zoom)
Kendyl Crawford will speak about the history, mission and vision of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light. In a dialogue with members of the Social and Environmental Justice Committee, we’ll discuss VAIPL’s current initiatives and campaigns and the characteristics that make this organization unique. We’ll also talk about the values that brought Kendyl to the work of environmental and climate justice, and she’ll share with us the reasons she has hope in the environmental movement.
Kendyl Crawford is excited to be at the forefront of congregational organizing efforts taking place in Virginia around the issue of climate change, which has far-reaching justice and moral implications, as the Co-Director of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light. As the former Richmond Conservation Program Manager for the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter, she worked on community organizing around climate change and toxic pollution with communities around the state. Kendyl received a bachelor’s degree in Marine and Environmental Science from Hampton University in 2012. She also has a Master’s of Science in Environment, Science and Society from University College, London where she conducted research on social movement organizations mobilizing around air pollution in London on a Marshall Scholarship. In 2018, Kendyl received a Master’s of Nonprofit Studies at the University of Richmond and was chosen to be Student Commencement Speaker representing her class.

Kendyl Crawford
October 24: “For the Common Good: Honoring the Kinship of Our Neighbors and All Creation” (on Zoom)
This Fall, through a partnership between Interfaith Power & Light (DC, MD. NoVA), the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, faith communities across the region are lifting up environmental stewardship, climate justice and our work together for the common good. The goal of this year’s “Climate in the Pulpit, in the Minbar and on the Bimah” is to recognize that good relationships among all living beings are foundational for healthy and resilient communities. Through our shared climate, our shared need for clean air and water, and our shared democracy, we are bound together in kinship with our neighbors throughout the interdependent web.
October 31: “Radical Reformation” (on Zoom)
October 31 isn’t just Hallowe’en; it’s Reformation Day! In 1517, the German priest Martin Luther issued his Ninety-Five Theses protesting some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church, reportedly nailing them to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. This launched the Protestant Reformation, resulting in many non-Catholic sects, with its left wing, the Radical Reformation, producing the Mennonites, the Baptists and the Unitarians.