August 1, Carter Turner, former UUC member and Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Radford University, and Worship Associate, Kathy Welch: Religious Interpretations of Pain and Suffering. Chronic pain is unfortunately something most of us will experience during our lives. How do some religions explain pain, and how is religion used to alleviate it?

August 8, Rev. Karen Day and Worship Associate, Jane Mahone: Radical Nourishment: Food for the Soul. How do our choices of food and companions feed or starve our whole selves?  We'll explore ethical eating through real experiences of neighbors growing and sharing food. Rev. Day is a UU minister living in Floyd and has been a guest speaker at the UUC many times.

Please join us for our Second Sunday Potluck following the service. If your last name begins with Tp through Z, 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 A through Ke, please bring a main dish. If your last name begins with Kf through To, 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 Food Pantry. The donation basket is in the lobby just outside the Meeting Room doors.

During the potluck, we will celebrate Kristine Reid’s service to the UUC as our DRE for the past 11 years.

August 15, Rev. Christine Brownlie and Worship Associate, David Warner: Why I Am a Unitarian Universalist. I’ve been a UU for 40 odd years. This way of the spirit has not always provided an easy path, but I am glad that I found and followed it. I hope this sermon will encourage you to think about your journey.

August 22, Rev. Christine Brownlie, When Something Bad Just Won’t Go Away. This has been the summer of the great oil spill that just won’t go away, along with the countless terrorist bombings, the shaky economy and assorted other woes. Some of us feel despair, some of us shrug our shoulders and turn off the news because we feel there’s nothing we can do. I will share my thoughts of other, more constructive strategies.

The Fourth Sunday Collection: Our collection (all cash and designated checks) will benefit the Valley Interfaith Child Care Center. This center, located in Blacksburg, offers high-quality, affordable, fully state-licensed care for the children of low-income working families in the New River Valley.

August 29, Rev. Christine Brownlie, Ingathering. An Intergenerational Service. The Water Ceremony is a UU tradition, in which we bring water from our travels or our kitchen tap that symbolizes our summer travels, whether they took us to someplace on the planet or some spiritual destination. We will mingle these waters in a bowl, share our adventures, and rejoice at the gathering of our beloved community.

The UUC Choir will sing at the service.