Northern Virginia Ethical Society President's Blog

April Adventures!

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:39:18 GMT

April is a time for new adventures, like getting outside for a walk, going on trips, and giving generously, including volunteering and donating to worthy causes. I hope you will consider giving generously to NoVES during our April Pledge drive, as we continue to grow as a society and try to connect with our local community. If we work together, we can provide a place of refuge for those worn out by the world we live in, including ourselves!

Besides donating funds, this might be the month for you to consider helping NoVES by volunteering your time on a committee or perhaps sponsoring a summer event. Please talk to any board member if you can help NoVES out in any way. Our time together is precious and we need to support each other as we continue to make NoVES a warm and welcoming place!

Marching Together in March!

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:09:45 GMT

It is time again for us to join together and march to fight the unethical behavior occurring in our government. NoVES members will be gathering on March 28 for another No Kings March. Even thought it is tiring to have to keep marching for a more ethical government and world, my hope is that as we continue to move forward, it will strengthen our society also.

When we march together, it renews my spirit to see so many people from all walks of life united for this important cause. For those unable to march, there are many other ways to support the movement and help bring about positive change for our country. More information about where we will meet for this event and other ways you can help will be coming soon, so please read each week's NoVES newsletter and check the NoVES website often for updates. Let's make March a month that makes a difference!

From your president,

Chris Van Dyke

February Fight for our Freedom

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:38:18 GMT

After the recent weeks of freezing temperatures and frustrating events, we must continue the fight in February for freedom in our country. It may be too cold for many of us to protest outside, but we can email or call our elected officials to protest the unethical actions we see happening in our country every day. We can also participate in online discussions and trainings to prepare us for what is forthcoming, so we can be fearless in our fight for freedom. None of us can do it all, but all of us can do something. I urge you to find out what is possible for you to do to continue this fight for our freedoms. As Felix Adler, the founder of Ethical Culture movement said:

"The freedom of thought is a sacred right of every individual man, and diversity will continue to increase with the progress, refinement, and differentiation of the human intellect." Felix Adler

Let us continue to work together to fight for our freedom in February and beyond!

From your NoVES President,

Chris Van Dyke

Happy New Year to NoVES!

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:00:55 GMT

Happy New Year to all NoVES members and friends! It was not easy, but we made it through 2025 together and have many reasons to celebrate! NoVES has been meeting in person twice a month with 15-25 people in attendance in person, which is an increase from last year. We participated in meaningful service projects, including preparing food for families at the Ronald McDonald house and marching at NO KINGS Day. We gathered for several fun events such as the Labor Day Picnic, Zoom Trivia and the Winter Festival. Members have been pitching in so many ways, helping to set up and clean up at Green Hedges School for meetings, bringing snacks, suggesting great speakers and donating to worthy causes every month. Everyone's help has been greatly appreciated!

The renewed energy at NoVES has been so rewarding. By working together, we have made a difference in our society and our community. Let's keep going and make 2026 an even better year!

Happy New Year from your NoVES President,

Chris Van Dyke

December Delights and Donations-

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:07:41 GMT

December Delights and Donations-

Please join NoVES in December for several delightful events and help out with donations to important causes. We will start the month on Dec. 7 with a hybrid platform (both in-person and zoom available). Melissa will talk about developing a cozy and comforting atmosphere for ourselves as we deal with these difficult times. Please bring cash or checks to purchase Gift Cards to donate to help victims of Domestic Violence and other crimes. (you can also purchase some for yourself!)

On Sunday, Dec. 14, Jim will lead another game of Trivia to challenge our knowledge of current ethical events, which usually leads to lively discussions. There will also be a NoVES meet-up at a delightful Celtic concert that same afternoon, that will not only soothe our spirts but will also raise donations for FACETS, a local group that brings comfort to others in our community. Check the calendar for details.

On the third Sunday of the month, Dec. 21, we will have an in-person only Solstice Sunday gathering filled with delights, including music, poetry and more. On the last Sunday of the month, Dec, 28, you are free to design your own comforting and cozy morning as NoVES will be closed. We hope your year will end on New Year's Eve with whatever you need most- anything from quiet and coziness to dancing and delicious delights!

Happy Holidays to all NoVES members and friends!

From your President,

Chris Van Dyke

NoVES November News and Notes

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 12:13:15 GMT

NoVES November News and Notes

After a long year of protesting and fighting for our human rights in this country, It was exciting to see the good news of the results of the election this week! Thanks to all our members and friends who have been working so hard to defend our democracy and to protect the rights of all humans in this country. Although I know there is still a long way to go and much more to do, I hope we can all take a moment to breath, relax, and celebrate, knowing that there is hope for the future. After that respite, then we can continue our efforts towards making our society a more caring and cooperative community!

Next, please mark your calendars for the upcoming joint Stone Soup and Salad event on Sunday morning, November 23, 2025. Our Northern Virginia Ethical Society will be participating again with the Washington and Baltimore Ethical Societies The gathering will take place at the WES building. Please check the Noves.org website for updated details of the event closer to the date. It is important to join forces with fellow Humanists to show solidarity and strength. We are all individuals, but we have more power to create greater positive change in the world when we work together. I hope many of you will be able to attend!

One last important note- NoVES has a Facebook Page again! If you are a Facebook member, please help us out by following our page and liking, sharing and/or commenting on events that are listed there. While you are there, please also search for other Ethical Societies that have Facebook pages and do the same. The more we do this, the better the reach of our pages will be so that those looking for for an Ethical Society can find one! We would like to be on other social platforms, so if any member has expertise with other sites like Instagram or Discord, and has time to help us set up a site, please contact me or any board member to get this started.

Thanks as always for everything that each member and friend of NoVES has been doing already to help keep our society up and running. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Chris Van Dyke

NoVES President

Sunday Platform Set-up Teams Return

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:22:06 GMT

The fall season has started, and NoVES is back in full swing for the year. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make September events go smoothly, especially all the NoVES board members. At each meeting we have been increasing the number of people who attend, so that is good news for NoVES!

For October, we need help from the membership to continue our stride towards rejuvenation. The first step involves reviving teams for set-up of the Green Hedges School for our Platform meetings. The board took care of this for September, but now we are asking our members and friends to participate in this important job. As we have done in the past, we will divide the work by alphabet. Here is the plan for the year ahead:

1^st Sunday of the Month- Members whose last names start with A-M

3^rd Sunday of the Month- Members whose last names start with N-Z

For each meeting, the members in each group are asked to arrive by 10:15am. We want to have the room set up by 10:30am. The set up of the room involves putting out chairs and setting up the greeters table, front table and coffee/food tables. We also ask these members to bring snacks for the coffee table. There will be a board member at each meeting that will help members with any questions about the work that needs to be done. The set-up will go much faster and be more fun with many people helping!

If you are unable to come early for your normally assigned week, please either switch with a member from the other group, or come to the next in-person platform and assist that group. If we all arrive early once a month, this will help us to greet visitors better and have more time to visit together. If you are not able help set up due to personal reasons, we hope you can bring a snack and help with clean-up. Everyones help is greatly appreciated. NoVES is stronger when all its' members and friends work together to make Sunday Platforms successful!

September 2025- June 2026 Schedule Update

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:05:33 GMT

September 2025- June 2026 Schedule Update

The NoVES Board had a retreat earlier this month and has set up the schedule for the fall. After much consideration, we have come up with the following plan for Platform meetings for the 2025-2026 year:

1st Sunday: Hybrid Platform- in-person at Green Hedges and Zoom option

2nd Sunday: Zoom Platform only- online discussion on special topics

3rd Sunday: In-person Platform only unless there is a trained Zoom host volunteer available- check schedule to confirm if Zoom is available

4th Sunday: Social Action or Special Event - date and location of each event will vary- check NoVES Calendar and Newsletter for updates each month

5th Sunday: AEU Shared Platform - Zoom only (this year the 5th Sunday happens only in November, March and May)

Please come in person as often as you can this year- NoVES needs you!

August Anticipation

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:08:55 GMT

August Anticipation

After attending the awesome American Ethical Assembly in Philadelphia last weekend, I am filled with anticipation for our August events. The NoVES calendar has a variety of activities listed and hopefully everyone can attend at least one of them. We would love to see our members and friends this summer at any of the events, but especially hope everyone can join us at the Annual Labor Day Weekend Picnic on Sunday, August 31, 2025 in Lake Fairfax Park. Details of all the events are on the NOVES Calendar page:

https://noves.org/Events

I am also getting excited about our upcoming NoVES year. The NoVES board is working on finding speakers on interesting topics, organizing fun social events and finding useful service projects. But we need your help! The Board will meet on August 16, so if you have any ideas for speakers, topics, events, or projects, please contact a Board member. Our first platform meeting will be on Sunday, September 7, 2025. We hope to see you there!

NoVES Needs You!

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:15:42 GMT

As we celebrate our country's freedom on July 4th, it calls to mind an old saying, "Uncle Sam Needs You"! Well, I would like to borrow it and say "NoVES Needs You!". Our organization relys on volunteers to get everything done and they are crucial to our survival. And volunteering has its benefits- it can bring you closer to other members, give you a chance to learn new skills and provide a fulfillment to know you are helping this organization to not just survive, but thrive!

Below is a list of some of the current volunteer needs of the society:

Sunday Sound System Setup team- 3 more volunteers needed- are you good with tech and computers? We need people to set up our sound system once a month so we can offer zoom participation for our meetings.

Bookkeeper- 1 volunteer needed- do you have basic office and banking skills? We currently have a temporary interim bookkeeper, but need someone to take on the responsibility as soon as possible

Platform Committee- 3 volunteers needed- are you good with people and calendars? We need a team to find speakers and organize the yearly schedule.

Festival Planning- 2 volunteers needed- are you creative and artistic? We need people to help our festivals be fun and inviting.

Publicity- 2 voluneers needed- are you savvy about platforms like Instagram and Tiktok? We need someone young (or young at heart) to help us navigate these exciting platforms for getting our name out there

If you or one of your family members or friends can help us out, please contact Chris Van Dyke or any board member. And if there is something else you would like to contribute, please let us know. Remember, NoVES needs you as much as you need NoVES!

June Jobs and Joys

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 11:28:22 GMT

As summer approaches, June can be a joyous time for many as people celebrate graduations, the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation. But before the fun starts, Noves members have an important job to complete. We need elect our board members, approve the budget and vote on a by-law change. By now, all members should have received a letter with the details of this process. (If you have not, please contact a board member). To complete these important duties, we need as many members as possible to join together on June 8th at our online virtual membership meeting at 11:00am. At this meeting, we will also talk about the future of NoVES and strategize what we can each do to make next year a more successful one, so please bring your ideas and energy!

Once this important job is done, the following week will be a time of great joy! We will meet in person on June 16 at 11:00am (no Zoom option) so we can all celebrate the amazing accomplishments and achievements of our members and friends. We will also induct the new NoVES board. After these ceremonies, we will gather for an indoor picnic and games, and just enjoy being together. I hope you will join us for both important meetings!

Chris Van Dyke, NoVES Board President

May Musings

Fri, 02 May 2025 01:33:52 GMT

May is an important month for many reasons- holidays like Mother's Day and Memorial Day happen, as well as many other big events like the May Day March in Washington, DC. It is also a very important month for the Ethical Society, as we celebrate the formation of the Ethical Society almost 150 years ago in May, 1876. We may not be a huge movement, but I believe that we offer something that is needed by many people, a place to meet together to discuss how we can be more ethical human beings and where we can find support through both joyous occasions and difficult life challenges.

For myself and the board, one of those challenges this month is completing the budget for our next fiscal year. As we work on the budget in May, it is important for us to confirm the pledges from each member, or to confirm if any member is unable to pledge due to financial or other difficulties. Many thanks to those who have already responded to the pledge campaign. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes and fill out the pledge form online, or follow the instructions in the last NoVES newsletter. If you have any questions about pledging or have difficulties using the online form, please contact me or anyone else on the board as soon as possible. Your efforts to support our society are vitally important and make a difference!

From your President,

Chris Van Dyke

April Actions!

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:51:30 GMT

April is a great time for renewing our spirits, attending events and advocating for others. At NoVES, on the Sunday, April 6, we will have an in-person only activity, the Annual Spring Festival. This year the theme is Potluck and Poetry- come celebrate the start of spring and bring along some food as well as Spring poems, songs or flowers to share. On April 13, we will meet on Zoom only to discuss "An American Dream Deferred". We will not meet on zoom or in person on April 20, so members can have time with their families and friends. Finally, on Sunday, April 27, we will have a hybrid meeting lead by Kristen Hayden and our older teens. They will talk about the mission and current status of La Mano Amiga, a non-profit started by one of our Sunday School Graduates, Jessica. We will be collecting donations through-out the month of April to donate to this worthy cause. More details of these meetings can be found on the NOVES.org website and in the weekly newsletter.

Also throughout April, there are opportunities to participate in Ethical Actions. These are now listed on our webpage, NOVES.org, so please check it often to see what new events have been added. Thanks to Iris Woodard for gathering this information for us, so that we can take part in any way we can to resist the negative events happening around us, and advocate for positive changes. There are other activities such as zoom coffee hours every Tuesday at 10am and a Happy Hour to support La Mano Amiga on Thursday, April 24th from 6pm-8pm. The link to get tickets is below

https://ticketstripe.com/events/1856106978836828

Whatever actions you take this April, if you are a member, please take the time to renew your membership with NoVES by pledging whatever you can by April 30, 2025. This will help the board to create our 2025-26 budget, so that NoVES may continue providing platforms for our members and friends, and advocating for the rights of all humans. If you are not a member yet, we hope you will consider joining NoVES. Applications are available at in-person meetings. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any board member or our leader, Randy Best.

March Forward in March!

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 22:13:58 GMT

March Forward in March!

With spring around the corner, March feels like a great time to start marching forward with our lives. For some of us, that might be literally joining in something like the DC March for Science on March 7, but for others it may be marching to our own drummer and doing what we can to make this world a better place. Whether it is participating in a stream clean up, planting seeds to grow spring flowers, or writing post cards to remind our government officials of important topics, each person's contribution can make a difference in our community and world. My hope is that we will continue to march forward together as an Ethical Society, in whatever ways we can.

For me, I find great comfort in joining others in marches as it strengthens my spirit to see so many people united for an important cause. If you want to join in the DC March for Science on March 7 with other NoVES members and friends, please sign up on the Noves webpage or RSVP to me at chris@cmvd.us. More information about where we will meet for this event in DC will be coming ASAP, so please check the Noves.org page for updates!

From your president,

Chris Van Dyke

February Feelings

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 14:09:06 GMT

We have all been through a very bleak month of cold weather, chaos in our government and unfathomable tragedies in our nation. I have been feeling frustrated and deflated, and can hardly watch the news anymore. But there have been some bright spots of hope along the way, including seeing so many coming out for the People's March in DC, and attending a successful Democracy Day in Richmond. There is much more to do, but it is a start.

But through all of this turmoil, the most important part for me has been to see how people have been reaching out and providing assistance. I have witnessed so many NoVES members helping each other through it all, and it makes me feel very happy. I hope during the month of February that we can gather together and find even more ways to support each other and our community. And if you are a member or friend of NoVES in need of support, please reach out. We are all in this together!

From your president,

Chris Van Dyke

Happy New Year to NoVES

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 20:31:13 GMT

As we welcome 2025, many are wondering what this year will be like. While we can't control what happens, we can all do what is possible to make this year as good as it can be. Your NoVES board has been working hard to find more ways that we can help to bring out the best in NoVES, our local Virginia community, and our nation.

January 5- To build our community, we will start the new year on with an in-person only Winter Festival. We will gather to share our feelings about winter through readings, enjoy a potluck lunch together, make some crafts and talk about the year ahead. More information is in the last NoVES newsletter and online.

January 12 - this will be a zoom only event to discuss "Forgiving Others", an important topic to address as we navigate working towards a better NoVES Society.

Saturday, January 18- everyone is encouraged to join the People's March in Washington, DC, to affirm our commitment to human rights. This march will send a message to the incoming administration that there are many Americans that are still fighting to further human rights. A meeting place will be announced on the website, so please register if you want to get the latest updates.

Sunday, January 19- we will work on helping our local Fairfax community. Speakers from SURJ, a No VA chapter of a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice, will talk with us about what we as a society can do to help this important cause. We hope members and friends of NoVES will show up in person to listen to these speakers, but a zoom option will be available.

Tuesday, January 21- The next event will be participation in Democracy Day in Richmond. This is a day to lobby our state government representatives with a clear message in support of campaign finance and ethics reform, ranked choice voting, and access to the ballot. Iris and I have already signed up to go and we hope some others of you will join us at this important event.

For those unable to participate in these special events, there are other ways you can be supportive. If you have time to volunteer for NoVES, we have many committees that can use help such as the Sunday morning Platform team, the Sound Team, the Membership committee and more. Please talk to any board member if you can help out. And if you are unable to participate in these events, but have the resources to help out financially, that is always appreciated by these organizations.

Whatever you choose to do, just know that the actions of one person can make a difference and will be greatly appreciated. And to those who have been working already to make NoVES the best, many thanks for all you do, And Happy New Year to all NoVES Members and Friends from your President, Chris Van Dyke

December Delights

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:32:09 GMT

As 2024 draws to a close, it is time to review, reflect and recharge ourselves. We start the month on Dec. 1 with an in-person talk (with a zoom option) by Randy Best to help us keep calm and carry on during these turbulent times. The following week on Dec. 8 we have a zoom only event to view some short videos and talk about the gift of giving- especially how we can enrich our lives by giving to others.

The third Sunday, Dec. 15, is our annual in-person All Music Platform, with additional fun of a Chili potluck and cookie Decorating! Yum! There will be a zoom option available, but this is one event you really want to come to in person, if possible, to hear the live music and to enjoy the tasty treats! On the fourth Sunday, Dec. 22, there is no platform meeting for the society, but members are encouraged to commit random acts of giving, including giving the gift of their time, talents and contributions to other organizations and people in need.

The final Sunday, Dec. 29, we will have an All-Society Platform (zoom only meeting) hosted by Hugh Taft-Morales, called Gathering Light in our Times. You will need to register for this event to get the zoom link sent to you- the link to register is in the Platform section at NoVES.org.

Check out the Noves Website for details of these platforms and more delightful events that will be offered during the holiday season. We hope you will join in as many as you can, and celebrate the end of the 2024 year with your NoVES family.

November NoVES Notes

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:04:35 GMT

This November we will be stretching our boundaries together, starting with an in-person/zoom platform on Nov. 3 by Randy Best to explore how to make Ethical Apologies. He will also lead a decompression discussion on Nov. 7, to help us get through this stressful election season. On Nov. 10, Melissa Sinclair will lead a zoom only discussion to learn about Canyon Chorus. On the Nov. 17, we will have a in-person meeting with a guest speaker, Terry Smith, from WES. He will talk about The Foundation of Applied Ethics. We will end the month on Nov. 24 with a joint Stone Salad/Soup event at WES that will include Washington and Baltimore Ethical Society members! Check the calendar for more details about these events, and many other activities that are being offered this month.

During November, we will be fundraising for Britepaths, an organization that provides food, financial assistance, financial education and workforce development services for clients in the Northern VA Area. We hope you will give as generously as you can to help this worthy cause.

October is Voting month!

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:56:02 GMT

The Fall season has started and now the attentions of the Ethical Society are turning to voting. We are offering several meetings to talk about voting issues, and will be collecting funds to support the ACLU to hep further in its pursuit of ending voter discrimination. Please join us in person or on zoom when available to learn more about voting issues and what we can do to improve the process.

We will also take a look at the history of European Witches as we near the celebration of Halloween. I am looking forward to finding out more about this interesting topic presented by one of our members, Tom Nyilasi.

And whatever you do, be sure to make a plan to vote! If anyone is in need of assistance to vote, please contact any board member of NoVES so we can help find a way to make it happen for you! Every vote counts!

September is Banned Books Month

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 20:09:46 GMT

As the school year starts, NoVES will start back with in-person meetings on Sept. 8, 2024. Since September is National Banned Books month, we will be learning about the ethical issues regarding book bans, reading some of these banned books and finding out what we can do to help stop this process when it occurs. Please join us in this important exploration!

Black History Month

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 22:54:54 GMT

One of the things I think is important as an humanist is to learn about and to support and all people so that we all can live in a better world. I will try to highlight all the populations that are given special months and weeks and days through-out the year and please, share with me (and the rest of NoVES) other ways we can bring out the best in ourselves.

This is a collection of articles, videos, books, and sites that might be of interest to you (and perhaps your family):

Monthly NoVES board meetings

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 01:40:14 GMT

Something what brought to our attention recently and that is that the NoVES Board meetings used to have an invite to all members in the newsletter. Somewhere along the line in the last couple years, that custom got dropped. Can I blame COVID-19, because I think that is the main reason the announcement got dropped?

The NoVES board meets approximately once a month. Recently it has been on the third Saturday of the month at 10 via Zoom. While the meeting is open to everyone, there is always an executive session for Board members only. 99% of the time this is a formality so that we make sure to have it, but it is a time when sensitive topics might be brought up that we would want to limit the audience usually to protect the privacy of someone.

So, with that said, Saturday at 10am until 1pm is the scheduled board meeting for NoVES.

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86250435076?pwd=Ry9iR0Y4bVlFVmJXZHQrbkVnNDl4dz09

Meeting ID: 862 5043 5076

Passcode: 885527

Day of Service

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 00:39:43 GMT

"Every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral.... Every now and then I ask myself, 'What is it that I want said?' I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King Jr., tried to love somebody."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We are meeting this Sunday on MLK's actual birthday. I find that special that we are meeting on this day and if you can't make it this Sunday, I hope it's because you are doing something for this day of service.

MLK would have been 94 years old this year. He was taken too soon, but he did love somebody and he did give his life serving others. We can honor him by DOING for world. But what? What can we do that matters?

I want to remind you that service comes in big and small packages. Sometimes all you can give is a listening ear. Sometimes it's a helping hand, or a donation - large or small. We need ALL of it. We need people to do the work and people to support the work financially. Every thing you do to help another person, matters.

We can't all be Martin Luther King, Jr., but we can do good for this world. I know I want to do more. There are times I can manage to do a lot and at other times I can do very little, but if I keep it an aim or goal to always strive for living my core values, I will find ways to do SOMETHING.

Happy New Year!

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 01:31:55 GMT

Welcome to the New Year everyone! I hope I'll have a chance to talk with several of you at the Winter festival so that we can start talking about what we hope for this spring! I know that we want to have a Spaghetti dinner and we want to plan for our 35th anniversary year, but we can plan more and dream for more and I would love to hear it!

Humanlight

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 18:10:01 GMT

The AEU is a cohost of the third annual HumanLight virtual Celebration.

It is happening (today) December 17th at 4 pm.(it is a bit confusing because on the sight it also used December 23 for a date - as that is the "actual" day that you might want to celebrate on our own or with your own group.)

This is a new festival to me, but it might be something you feel fits your values and idea of how to celebrate this time of year. It's not one of the other fesitival during the season, but a new one.

Want to know more? Read the FAQ here. But to participate, you do need to register which you can do here on the HumanLight site.

Why is our winter festival in January?

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 16:19:00 GMT

I love winter events because they help break up the cold, dark months of the year, but there is such a crowding of events between Thanksgiving and the New Year that it gets a bit frenzied, but that is how the calendar is laid out in our country, so we deal with it year after year.

That was how it used to be at NoVES too. When my family first joined NoVES, there was a fall festival just before Thanksgiving and a winter festival just before the winter solstice. The last festival was is always some time in the spring.

I don't remember the year, but about a decade ago NoVES was ready for it's winter festival the week before school's winter break, but we got a notification from the school that there had been a flood in the school the night before and we wouldn't be able to use the school next day.

There was nothing we could do except to call off the festival until after the New Year.

Initially, we were all sad that everything had to be delayed and we were sad about moving our festival further away from winter solstice, but the flip side to it was that members got a break in the schedule by not forcing another event into a packed December. And having a winter festival in January is definitely celebrating it in winter and the side benefit is that more people could attend (weather permitting) and it makes it less like the religious holidays in December. It is truly celebrating winter. The darkness is beginning to lift as we experience more light.

So what started as an unfortunate event turned into a positive change for the society.

There are other winter events NoVES will be hosting and participating in. I hope to see you there.

What we are thankful for

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 02:02:52 GMT

At the Stone Salad festival there were tabletop decorations where people could write what they were thankful for. After I gathered all the trees to be reused for future years, I took each of the leaves off the tree, I decided to write down what everyone wrote to share with people who were not able to attend the festival in person this year. I hope you find it as heartwarming as I did. This is what people wrote in random order. I am thankful for:

My family (x3)
Water
Festivals
Me
My home
Helping
Mommy (spelled Momy)
People
Books
Fun
Trees
Love
Long Conversations
Home
Good food
The seasons
Amy, Jeannie, Joe, and Butters
Hugs
Everyone in the world

I hope reading that put a smile on your face. Remember there is no platform at Green Hedges this Sunday. See you in December.

Reminders

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 03:56:32 GMT

These are reminders about the next two weeks at NoVES.

This Sunday is Stone Salad. And like the story, it's a ~~Soup~~ Salad made from stones. (Don't worry, the stone is reused from year to year and it's thoroughly washed.)

Every family unit is to bring items for the meal. Salad items will go in salad and other items will be on tables along the sides of the room.

So, my family's last name is Sinclair (if you have more than one family name, use the one first alphabetically) That means my family needs to bring two salad items - let's say zucchini and cooked yams. And I need to bring breads and spreads. Ball-Anderson family needs to bring washed and torn salad greens and salad dressing. Of course, if you want to bring other items too, you can.

Additionally, remember to bring cash to contribute to Food for Others and another food bank in Maryland.

I'm curious how the spread will be this year! It's never the same year to year.

I also need to remind everyone that we will be closed the following Sunday, November 27th for Thanksgiving weekend.

Preparing for Stone Salad on November 20th

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 19:34:42 GMT

I have been trying to track down the roots to our fall festival where we create a Stone Salad the Sunday before Thanksgiving. From what I have gathered from a long-term member, this festival, began at the Washington Ethical Society, but it's exact origins are unknown. This founding NoVES member believes it began in the children's program at WES, and it probably began sometime in the late 1960s. That Society used to plan a United Nations Day event in October, but at some point that was dropped and a Stone Soup Festival took its place.

NoVES began as an off-shoot of WES almost 35 years ago and the founding members of the society brought the Stone Soup tradition with them. However, there was one big issue. NoVES didn't have a kitchen to prepare a soup! How could they make Stone Soup? The founding Leader of NoVES, Susan Bagot, wrote the continuation of the Stone Soup story where the soldiers went to the next village to make a Stone Soup, but found there was no wood to build a fire, so they decided to create a salad in a similar way to how they had created the soup. And voila! A new tradition was born!

It's a cute story and I love the creative twist. Not only that, it's a fantastic salad with tons of flavor with all the ingredients. There are some rules to Stone Salad so that everyone can enjoy eating the salad. The salad is assembled ingredient by ingredient, going alphabetically. And there was: Artichokes! Asparagus! Avocado! on down the alphabet to Water chestnuts! Yams (cooked)! and Zucchini!

The kids LOVE making this salad - waiting for the letter(s) of their ingredient(s) to be asked up to the bowls!

There are always helpers at the front that have bowls set aside for allergenic and special diet ingredients. There will be a bowl set aside with no cheese added to the salad. One for no wheat/bread added to the salad. And one for no nuts added to the salad. The salad is vegetarian, so we ask that no one contribute any meat.

While salads are great, it wouldn't be a full meal if we didn't have salad dressings on the side, breads, and desserts too! Oh, and some peanut butter for those eaters who don't want salad at all!

Lastly, Stone Salad is all about working together as a community to build something together. Let's work together so that all of our members who want to attend are able to get to NoVES to take part in the festival. If you need a ride or able to take someone to and from the festival, please contact Melissa Sinclair by November 17th so that she can make arrangements with everyone.

Vote now... and then what?

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 04:01:38 GMT

This coming week will be a difficult one for many in our community as we wait for election results. Whatever the result, we will continue to work to do better for the world. It might just be temporarily harder to achieve.

This election might give us a good idea of where we need to put our efforts going forward individually and as an organization. Send me ideas, programs, and activities you would like to see NoVES put their support behind so I can bring it to the Board.

All-Society Platforms

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 03:18:49 GMT

Over the last several years the American Ethical Union (AEU) has been hosting more events via Zoom. Besides being useful for Platforms, it's been a great way for people to learn about other Societies. It's also interesting to experience how everyone holds their weekly platforms.

Currently, the plan is to have All Society Platforms on 5th Sundays of the month (sometimes depending on schedules). This coming Sunday is one of those occassions.

The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island was able to invite Former US Senator and current president of the American Constitution Society, Russ Feingold as the Platform speaker. You can read about the platform here.

We have had several All-Society Platforms in the last couple of years due to COVID, but this is a new experience for all societies to plan and experience a platform in a hybrid format together. This means that we will have Zoom active at Green Hedges as always, but instead of having it be a live speaker, it will all be held over Zoom.

Of course, if you wish, you can Zoom in from home and listen and particicate that way, but if you choose this option, you will be missing the opportunity to have discussion groups in person as well as having the time to mingle during social hour. Everything will go on as a usual Sunday which means Sunday School will be in session!

And remember 5th Sundays mean that if you missed your week to contribute goodies, now is the week to make up for it! (That includes me! I forgot my bag of goodies on the counter at home last week, so I'll be bringing in some homemade goodies. My son Henry and I will make our popular cut out sugar cookies decorated for Halloween.)

Hard asks

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 03:13:09 GMT

It takes a lot of people to make Sunday mornings (especially) to work, but the shared work makes it lighter for everything. And the beautiful part of that volunteering to be part of the Sunday morning/afternoon platform preparation, is that you become a bigger part of the community.

I get it. It's hard to volunteer. Some of us are pulled really thin in a lot of directions, but most of the work that needs done on Sundays (especially) are small asks. Here is a list of things we need help with:

Sound/Audio set-up
Tables/chairs set-up
Greeters table set up
Coffee/snacks table set-up
NoVES signs put up at Green Hedges
Platform speakers
Platform chairs
Story for all Ages book selectors
Story for all ages readers
Musicians (and those to recruit musicians or those to select recorded music)
Sunday School teachers
Charity selection committee
Newsletter editor
Board members
Festival and event planners
Auction committee
Books committee, etc.

(and I know I missed some tasks!)

And then, when platform is done for the day, we need to pack it all up and clear out of the building to be ready for next week.

I've done the soft asks (though this is also a soft ask too), but I will be asking individuals where they would like to help. It might be doing something you've done for years and you wish to continue, or it could be something new, but you will be asked by me.

Thoughts on the President's Council Retreat

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 02:51:55 GMT

This week has been one of adventure for me. For months I had been hoping to get to Pittsburgh to ride the Great Allegheny Rail Trail, but life and circumstances kept getting in the way. Then, I found out very recently that there was a President's Council Retreat I should go to in Pittsburgh. I needed to make both happen. And I did! (email me or talk to me on Sunday about the bike ride and take a ride with me!)

I'm new to the President's Council, as you all know. I really didn't know what to expect. I wanted to show a positive face and to learn. You all are relying on me to serve NoVES well and I want to live up to that expectation.

And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with what we discussed and with the ideas we walked away with. Like we experience with virtual meetings versus meeting in person at NoVES is true for the President's Council as well. There was an energy. The meeting was led completely by President of the AEU Board President, Carolyn Parker. The other board members were active and helped plan the retreat in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

30 plus people gathered from around the US to learn about "what's next" and to plan. The event was so successful, we all agreed we should do it again in a year.

Materials are all being shared over the next few days as the AEU Board gathers all the info gained during the retreat. I will share them as I get them.

(And come get an Ethical! button this Sunday)

Being Part of a collection of Ethical Societies

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 01:00:40 GMT

As soon as I type this up and hit submit, I will be driving to Pittsburgh for this year's President's Council Meeting with the American Ethical Union. It will be the first time for me to attend in this role.

By the time this is put in the newsletter, I will have been in Pittsburgh for 2 days. I hope I will find it useful and that I will be able to gather information for everyone back at NoVES.

I will miss seeing you all this Sunday, but I hope you enjoy the Platform and the other activties that are happening in the next few days (Walk, Happy Hour, etc.)

Until next week.

Putting the Puzzle Together - Sunday Mornings and Committees

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 00:50:30 GMT

Now that we are up and running, we need to slowly and efficiently add in committees and Sunday morning prep to the schedule. (How nice does it feel for it to happening again?)

With there being a 2 year hiatus of meeting in person, we have shuffled some things around to fit the Zoom format and we have gained and lost committees because of it. So, please let the president, Melissa Sinclair know what committee you would like to be a contributing member too.

Please note, that not all committees are listed here. These are the bare minimum needed to get us going. We will be adding more as we go along and see the need.

For now we need people to be on the:

Sound Team/Audio-Visual Team (to set up and take down weekly)
Sunday School Committee (to work with the Director of Ethical Education)
Charities Committee (for selecting the charity for each week or month)
Platform Committee (for finding and recruiting platform speakers)

And then, we are returning to asking for contribution to the Snack Table as follows (please note, this is the schedule from pre-COVID days, so this schedule might be amended if needed). Also, the week you bring in snacks is also your week to help with Sunday Morning Set-up and Tear-Down.

SET-UP TEAMS:

First Sunday of the month: A-D,
Second Sunday: E-J,
Third Sunday K-R,
Fourth Sunday S-Z

(if your family has more than one last name, choose the first alphabetically for your family).

This Sunday, conveniently is First Sunday for the month of October, so we ask families whose last names start with A-D to contribute to the snack table and to held with set-up/tear-down.

Trying new things and welcoming back old friends

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 02:19:35 GMT

This coming week we are continuing the trend of trying something new. This Sunday we are having a discussion platform versus a traditional presentation. Let's see how how we like this format. I think it will be a great way to be more welcoming to newcomers who are trying to get to know us! Plus, it will probably help us gather more ideas for future discussions.

Speaking of newcomers, people are finding us and members we haven't seen in awhile (thanks to COVID) are returning. Oh, that makes me so happy!

Keep the feedback coming for ideas you have for activites.

See you on Sunday (with my bike, again!) Speaking of the bike - I've been thinking of a fall bike ride especially with teens. Please let me know if there is interest.

It was so nice to have platform in person!

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 03:07:20 GMT

Platform was wonderful this past week despite some dust and rust and a few slow starts because of the terrible weather and horrible traffic. You could tell that we were hungry for each other's company.

How nice was it to see people face to face and to see so many people on Zoom too? It really lifted my spirits to see you all!

So what about this week? Well, this week is the President's vision for the coming year. My plan is to have this platform to be interactive (much like Randy did a bit of that last week too).

Sure, I have ideas for this coming year, but I'm just one member. I want us to talk about: festivals, parties, other activities, books, food, etc.

Having this break from the routine platform the last 2 years gives us an opportunity to try new things (as we have been. Like, how wonderful it has been to have the Zoom option?). It doesn't mean we would forgo the old style, but we can add in bits and pieces to jazz it up or make it more accessible.

I absolutely love brainstorming, so I'm really looking forward to people's ideas! See you on Sunday!

It's opening Sunday this week!

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 01:44:37 GMT

It's finally here! It's opening Sunday September 11! I hope to see many faces like we at the opening picnic this past weekend!

We will have Zoom participation available to all, but we hope to see many faces in house too. There will be baked goodies, coffee, and a warm welcome. So bring yourself, a friend, your kids, and help us start the programming year.

After platform, (weather permitting) some of us will be riding our bikes along the local bike path just near the school too. Maybe we'll grab lunch and/or a something to drink.

The board is still looking for input from members on where we want to put our energy this year. I had a chance to talk with several people at the picnic, and at the House 6 Humanist Happy Hour event, but I would love more input so that we can offer several things this year.

Let's celebrate ideas at the picnic!

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 01:04:41 GMT

I hope we will have a great turnout for our Labor Day weekend picnic on September 4th from 1:30 - 4:00pm at Lake Accotink Park, Picnice Area #4 because I want to hear your ideas and wishes for the upcoming year!

Opening Sunday is September 11th and I hope many of you can make it! Randy will be speaking, and the amazing Sound Team will be making the Zoom link possible so that we can have many people attend from near and far, and the Sunday School classes will be starting too.

It has been so long that we have been sheltering at home and doing things mostly virtually, which has been great, but it would be lovely to meet face to face, to share ideas in person, and to grow our small community so that we can sustain ourselves. I'll even bring something delicious to share for the social hour. Oh, how I miss having opportunities to bake for a group! (And I'm working on low-carb recipes to add to some of the Celiac friendly recipes I have too!)

The following week, September 18th, I'll be giving the platform address and I hope to detail some of your ideas and wishes for the year as well as sharing my ideas too (which are many). I'm enthusiastic and I'm ready for the challenge of the year and I hope you all are too. Surviving Covid-19 has been so hard for everyone and every organization, but part of survival is celebrating too!

I hope to see many of you at the picnic!

End of summer picnic!

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 02:19:24 GMT

Where: Lake Accotink Park, Picnic area #4

When: Sunday Sept 4, 2022 1:30 - 4:00

I'm really looking forward to the picnic this year. Once again we are at Lake Accontink which has not only a pavavillion, but LOTS of things to do. Gotta a bike? Bring it! Want to take a walk? Take one with a friend. Want to play a game? Bring one or join in on a game session.

Invite a friend, bring some music and let's celebrate the end of summer together! Next week I'll talk about opening Sunday!

The Strength we Are

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 03:58:24 GMT

As this blog post is arriving in all of your email boxes, the NoVES Board is having their monthly meeting. How nice it will be to plan for times we can be together for the picnic, Sunday School, Educational classes, and events again.

We can't know what tomorrow or the next day will bring for sure and we need to be mindful for all possibilities, but it feels so good to be planning for meeting as a larger group again.

We made it everyone. The struggle was real organizationally and personally, but we are here and there is so much promise and hope for the year. Stay tuned for upcoming events!

Gearing up for a new programing year!

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 02:03:40 GMT

This is going to be a somewhat unorthodox opening letter from the new Board President of NoVES, but in many ways, it's actually perfect.

I, Melissa Sinclair, have been a member of NoVES for 17 years and being a member has been "home" for my family since moving to Northern Virginia. And it is my honor to take my turn as Board President of NoVES for this programming year.

My partner and I found this Society while looking for a community for our children to grow up in, but more importantly, for a place for us to build a community. We were ready to form lasting/caring friendships with life-minded people.

We knew of the Ethical Society from years before when we were looking to find someone to perform our wedding. We were intriqued by the notion of an Ethical Society.

Once we found NoVES, we became members in all sense of the word, as you do when you join a small organization. We taught Sunday School, we served on the board, we ran the auction, we helped with Sunday morning set-up, etc. We enjoyed the Halloween parties and the concerts and we loved that we could work together in community to go to protests, marches, and other events to help this world be a better place.

We welcomed our second child while at the society and we watched our oldest go through the the entire Sunday School program, and most importantly, we got to know all members. They have become our friends.

We have watched the society change over the years, but what I have noticed and loved most of all is seeing the beauty of this community supporting each other.

Most recently I have watched the community survive the pandemic through adapting to the times without losing the close connections. Members have helped each other through broken bones, recovering from COVID, moving, and so much more.

Two weeks ago several of our youth, including my youngest, went to the Quest camp. I was one of the two volunteer parent drivers. It was so wonderful to spend those hours with those kids who I have had the pleasure to see grow.

My teen got ill on the ride home from that trip. It turns out it was a 2 week-long virus (not COVID) he caught while at camp. He's still recovering as are my partner and I, but you know what I realized while we were under the weather? I realized that if I needed anything - someone in this society or other Ethical Societies would help us. We weren’t truly alone. We had community. The importance of that cannot be under estimated or under stated.

I have a lot of hopes for this upcoming programming year and I will detail that in a more orthodox President's blog post will follow next week once my family has completely recovered from this awful virus. But I wanted to send something for my inaugural blog post because we have something special at NoVES and we need to celebrate it, nourish it, and expand it.

Melissa Sinclair
NoVES Board President

NOVES Affiliates with American Humanist Association

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 13:33:27 GMT

NoVES is pleased to become an affiliate of the American Humanist Association. This will connect us with other Humanist groups in the local area who share our values.

The AHA uses extensive local and national media contacts, for lobbying and coalition efforts on Capitol Hill, and the efforts of grassroots activists, this affiliation will ensure that the humanist point of view is represented—the idea that you can be good without a belief in a god

Resolution on Medical Aid in Dying

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:08:14 GMT

Posted by Iris Woodard

https://aeu.org/resource/2020-supporting-death-with-dignity/

Proposed by the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, amended and passed by the 105th AEU Assembly in August 2020

Whereas the American Ethical Union and the Humanist Association were founded on the principles of the dignity and worth of each person, reverence for life, and freedom of belief among others.

A resolution was passed by the AEU in 2003 in support of decriminalization of the furnishing of a prescription for a lethal dose of drugs by a physician to an adult patient with full decision-making capacity.

Whereas nine states and the District of Columbia support Death with Dignity by allowing terminally ill patients to have control over their end of life. These states include Oregon (26 years), Montana (10 years); Washington (11 years), Vermont (7 years), California and Colorado (4 years), Washington DC (2 years) and New Jersey, Hawaii, and Maine (1 year).

Whereas the currently accepted definition of terminal illness is generally that the person is afflicted with an illness, condition, or disease that has no cure and will imminently lead to death.

Therefore Be it Resolved that The American Ethical Union urges its member societies and affiliates and their members to take action in support of Death with Dignity legislation in each state when appropriate. Such legislation would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adult state residents legally to obtain a prescription for medications to end their life peacefully, in a dignified way, at the place and time of their choosing. Such legislation would permit qualified terminally ill patients to choose to end needless suffering by advancing the time of their approaching death. It would also provide peace of mind for many residents in having access to the option of aid in dying, even if they do not exercise that option. Such legislation should include protection for physicians who supply such prescriptions.

Recommended actions, both for individuals and for member Societies and affiliated organizations, include contacting elected representatives in their state legislatures asking that they support such legislation; joining an action network, such as Compassion and Choices; and signing a pledge to support such legislation.

Statement on attacks of School Boards

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 17:19:59 GMT

Recently there have been attacks on School Boards in two of our local counties. I refer you to local news articles for details of these events. But I do not understand why civility and respect have deserted our society. I am sure there are multiple factors, but I am profoundly saddened by these events. I wish to make this statement as President of our Board of Directors

NoVa Ethical Society honors the worth and dignity of each person. People should be treated with respect and dignity no matter what their race, religion, or sexual orientation. We find these types of attacks despicable and offensive. We call upon people of all faiths and beliefs to stand in solidarity with our School Board members who have done a great job during a most challenging school year. Every human has meaning and worth. Please act so as to bring out the best in everyone.

Iris Woodard

Letter in support of Statehood for Washington DC

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 00:28:26 GMT

In January the Board of Directors voted to support legislation to grant the status of statehood to the City of Washington DC. Below is the letter submitted to Legislators. NOVES will be listed as a supporter of this legislation.

House Committee on Oversight and Reform

Representative Carolyn Maloney - Chair,

Representative James Comer - Ranking Member

Senate Committee on Homeland Security - Senator Thomas Carper

Dear Chairman Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, and Senator Carper,

As you hear testimony and consider H.R. 51, and S.R 51 the Washington, DC Admissions Act, we urge you to uphold the founding principles of our democracy and our deeply held values and support full and equal representation for the people of Washington, DC. The more than 700,000 residents of the District deserve the fundamental right to self rule.

After the events of the week of January 6, 2021, it is clearly apparent that Washington DC needs the ability to manage itself and provide adequate protection for its residents. Because the National Government is located within the city, there are many activities that have impact on the streets and residents of Washington DC. The Mayor needs to be able to independently plan security and call up additional forces, without having to wait for permission from the Federal Government.

This is not simply a matter of extending representation to the residents of Washington, DC, more than half of whom are people of color. States are the fundamental basis for our system of government and to deny a population the ability to form a state denies them the ability to fully participate in self-governance. Any solution short of statehood would simply continue the two-tiered system of citizenship present in our democracy today,.

The NoVA Ethical Society (NOVES) is a Humanist religious organization that meets in Vienna, Virginia. We are affiliated with the Washington Ethical Society through our joint membership in the American Ethical Union. NOVES has members who reside in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. Our religious belief is in the value and worth of each human being. We strongly support changes that would provide equality and fairness under the law to every resident of this country.

AEU Statement on events in Washington DC, Jan 6, 2021

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 23:57:52 GMT

NOVES endorses the following statement

Statement Regarding the Events of January 6

Originally posted on AEU website Jan 7, 2021

Yesterday, we watched in shock and horror as a violent mob attacked the US Capitol, forcing their way inside and occupying areas of the building for hours in an attempt to disrupt the certification of electoral votes submitted by the states. By the end of the day, 4 people were dead, 52 members of the seditious mob were arrested, and 14 police officers were injured. It took the assistance of many additional federal law enforcement personnel and the National Guard to remove the attackers from the Capitol and clear the way for the Joint Congress to resume its work.

Fortunately, the Joint Congress was resolute and refused to let the interruption derail our democracy, working through the night to certify the electoral vote counts for all of the states. However, this episode was an attack on democracy itself, instigated by a sitting president whose actions have severely undermined respect for and trust in the very system that put him in office.

Mr. Trump has shown only contempt for the democratic process and is a danger to our country. People who are in a position to remove Mr. Trump from office ought to proceed in haste as this president has repeatedly shown readiness to incite violence and mayhem, and also continues to demonstrate an obsession with the electoral results to the seeming exclusion of other national concerns. Our democratic system of government must be protected from his influence.

As Ethical Humanists, we are called upon to repudiate the anti-democratic tendencies that have gained an unwelcome foothold in public life. Our country will need us to elicit the best from one another and ourselves in the months and years to come.

Board in Brief April 19, 2020

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:20:51 GMT

The Board met via zoom on Saturday April 18. Several important decisions were made

All future events presented on Zoom will also be listed on the NoVES web page. If you do not get an email with information about how to access the call, you can find it there. We are trying to keep call details somewhat private to avoid “Zoom Bombing” www.noves.org/calendar
The Society will remain closed through June. We are having weekly zoom platforms and all are invited to attend. As a side note: the Spring Festival was great on Sunday with puppet shows, great music, an entertaining children’s story and time to connect with each other.
The General Membership Meeting date has been moved to June 7 - the first Sunday in June. It will be a zoom meeting so watch for details. We will be voting on Board members, a continuing resolution to maintain our current budget through the summer, and some gender friendly language changes for the Bylaws.
If you are interested in running for the Board or wish to submit a nomination, please send an email to Bonni VanBlarcom (bonninoves@yahoo.com ) . We ask that if you are nominating someone, please speak to them first and be sure they are willing to serve.
Anyone who has experienced financial impact because of the social distancing guidelines should let our treasurer, Heather Macdonald, know. We are flexible about pledge payments if we know about your circumstances. Heather continues to check the post office box for mailed pledge payments.
Everyone stay healthy but stay in touch, This community is strong together. See you soon, Iris

President's update 4/18/20

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 14:36:53 GMT

On behalf of the Board, I hope everyone is staying healthy and sane (?). I am personally finding it harder to maintain this social isolation. I am bored with movies and fed up with zoom calls. But I persist knowing this will pass eventually. As of today, I am unaware of any of our members being sick with Coronavirus or any other issue. If something happens, please let me know. I have been grocery shopping for some folks in senior living facilities and would be happy to help in other ways. The Caring Committee remains alert and ready to assist. If you need groceries, a ride to the doctor, or refills of medication please call.

It looks as if the social restrictions will remain in place at least until June. The Board is meeting on Saturday April 18 (via Zoom) to make arrangements to hold our annual membership meeting and Board elections without meeting face to face. We will share that plan with you as soon as possible, We now have our own Zoom subscription with unlimited time and participants allowed. If you have ideas for a zoom activity please reach out to Iris Woodard, or Randy Best. We will facilitate anything that helps us stay in touch with each other - story reading, book discussions, movie discussions, social time among friends, etc.

Here is an interesting article from the Washington Post. If you have a subscription you can read about how humanist groups are participating in Congress’s first caucus for nonreligious belief seeking a larger role in promoting science. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/04/09/congress-freethought-caucus-science/

Finances: Our community will continue to have financial commitments even though we are not meeting in person. We will continue the salary of our paid staff, and have other payments due, though we will suspend our charity contributions until in person meetings resume. Your pledge payments can be sent to Northern Virginia Ethical Society, P.O. Box 984, Vienna, VA 22183. Someone will be checking the post office weekly. Please note: Though you can find your pledge balance on the website, please do NOT use this method for submitting payments. The Wild Apricot platform does not accept partial payments, so you will be charged your entire balance.

A letter to Congregation Adat Rayim

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 21:27:32 GMT

The following letter will be available for people to sign on March 8:

Hello,

We are writing to you as members of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society. NoVES is a humanistic religious community affiliated with the American Ethical Union. NoVeS meets in Vienna, Virginia. Our prime life principle is to act so as to bring out the best in ourselves and in others. Ethical behavior is central to that principle and our beliefs.

We wish to express support for the Vindman Family. It takes a true hero to have the courage to speak truth in the face of possible negative consequences. We wish to thank both Vindman brothers for their military service to an adopted country. They epitomize the traits that we expect of our military. Thank Alex especially for his courageous public actions and testimony.

Our community stands in solidarity with all who show courage and live ethically in the world. Thank you to the religious family that supports you.

Board in Brief - Sept 2018

Sun, 29 Sep 2019 22:31:58 GMT

The Board met on Sat Sept 28, 2019. There was a lot to discuss. We had an update on pledges from Hank Gassner. There are still 14 people who have not submitted a pledge for the program year 2019 - 2020.

We have a number of restricted funds in our budget. One is called the Tribute Fund - money that people have donated in honor of or in memory of a life event. For example, a donation in memory of a friend who passed, or the christening of a grandchild. The Board uses this money for special expenses, such as money for the Sound Team to purchase a new tablet so that we can continue our Facebook live-stream of platforms, or the printing costs of the song books that were prepared this summer. This fund is important in making money available for unusual purchases. Donations are always welcome.

We had a long discussion about a Membership Committee. We see two areas that both need focus. The first area of focus is Publicity to let people know about all our activities and events. We hope to attract people who might be interested in joining our group. The second area of focus is integration or assimilation. We want to welcome visitors and make sure they connect with others who share similar interests. Brad May and Jim Perdue are co-chairs of this committee and are looking for people who might be interested in being Ambassadors - greeting and chaperoning visitors. Please speak to one of them if you think you might like this job.

Melissa Sinclair has generously volunteered to be the point of contact for all calendar and publicity coordination. We publish events on different platforms (Facebook, MeetUp, posters in libraries, NoVES web calendar) depending on what they are and whether our group is the sponsor or a participant. If you have an event that you think might be of interest to our group, please reach out to Melissa.

Lastly, the Board is working on updating the Membership List. Once completed, we will post on our website so that you can print a hard copy if you wish. Stay tuned.

Ethical Action update

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 16:49:05 GMT

Members of NOVES visited a representative from Senator Kaine today. Iris Woodard and Eugenia Burkes had a very productive talk with Urooj Mughal, Kaine's Regional Director. We explained who NOVES is, and how we are a Secular Humanist Organization that believes in the worth and dignity of every single human being. We talked about how this approach leads us to a strong position on preserving voter rights, in as many ways as possible.

We asked how citizens can help Senator Kaine ensure that America is led back to a position of compassion and ethics. She suggested that we become activists in as many ways as possible. Canvas voters, demonstrate with issues, and make donations to the candidates who represent our values.

Remember that Virginia votes every year, and 2019 is a particularly important election. All the local representatives, from state government to school board to Commonwealth Attorney are on the slate this fall. You can vote either by absentee if you meet one of the 20 qualifications, or in person on Nov 5.

Please tell us how you are living your ethical values each day.

Meditation at NoVES: Just as I wish to, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness.

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 01:55:37 GMT

Brad, Randy, Vanessa and kids, and I met this morning at Green Hedges School before platform for meditation. We found comfortable seating, turned off the fluorescent lights, and let the natural light come in as we prepared for a 25 min guided meditation. “Just as I wish to, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you live with ease and happiness” was one of the mantras we were instructed to extend to someone we love, someone we like, someone neutral, and to all living beings. Sooner than I expected, our meditation was over and I found myself (lol) calmer and better equipped for the day.

We plan to continue the meditations every Sunday before platform from 10:15- 10:45 am Classroom #9. We invite all members, guests, and friends to join!

Ethical Action Blog - January 7, 2019.

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 01:33:42 GMT

From Iris Woodard on behalf of the Ethical Action Committee.

The Virginia General Assembly begins its annual meetings this week. Last Saturday, I attended a session at the Fairfax County Government Center. All the representatives from Fairfax County listened to citizen presentations about issues of interest. There was lots of the usual topics, such as teacher pay, minimum wages, gun control, funding for ESL and special needs classes. Representatives from ARC made impassioned pleas for increased funding for Priority 1 Housing Waivers. One young lady has been on the waiting list for 13 years. Other issues included Immigrant rights, stop Fairfax County Jails from reporting arrests to ICE, free community college for all state residents and many more.

You can access the full list of bills pending at this site: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604

The group OneVirginia2021 presented a plan for a judicial panel to draw voting lines to correct the current gerrymandered map.

Read about this initiative here: https://www.onevirginia2021.org/

The group VARatifyERA is advocating that Virginia should be the 38^th state to ratify an amendment to the US Constitution mandating equal rights under the law. Read about this initiative here: https://varatifyera.org/

As Mechelle Hankerson reports today, an apparent major early issue will be tax conformity and a larger debate about tax policy. Battle lines between Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who has a suite of budget increases that count in part on collecting more tax revenue as a result of federal tax reform, and Republicans in the General Assembly, who are pushing tax changes to allow Virginians to keep much of that money, appear to be drawn.

These and many other issues are very important to our daily life. It is imperative that each of us take the time to express our opinion about these and many other issues. I will be bringing the postcards to Platform meetings each week. It is up to each of you to identify your representative and communicate to them how you feel about issues = either by phone or in writing.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT ONE ISSUE EACH WEEK FOR THE 10 WEEKS OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. No citizen can afford to be silent.

Membership Meeting Vision/Budget Statement

Sun, 20 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

I now wish to address all members of our Society, whether they are here or not. This address is also appearing on our website as we speak. I have been authorized to deliver this on behalf of the majority of the Board whom I represent today along with the membership who voted us to act as your duly appointed representatives.

Whatever the outcome of this vote which begins when I finish, I would ask you to remember this. All of you support NoVES in one way or the other. Many of you also volunteer your precious hours for NoVES. Your Board too is comprised of unpaid members who are enormously dedicated to seeing our Society grow as well as remain and flourish as a place for young and old to support each other in ethical thought and action. We have spent hours over the last year to come to this point where we offer a budget and vision for the next and coming years.

We know that not everyone here agrees with this budget and the vision which goes along with it. We know that some of you say we need more time to discuss a vision, maybe another year, maybe more. Some even say we do not need a new vision, as we already have one.

To all those of you who hold these contrary views to this budget, we who propose this budget say this; we respect your views; we are glad you voice them. We want you and others to be engaged as deeply as possible in the affairs of our Society. We bear no grudge or ill will to anyone.

We do not take our work lightly. To the contrary, those who submit to you this budget gave up many hours of our precious time over many months, away from our family, professional, and personal lives, to prepare and deliver this budget proposal and vision. We can assure you it was done in good faith. Like everything else, we know it is less than perfect, but we can confidently say that your Board has worked no less hard at this than any Board in the past. Nor do we expect that any future Board can look back and say we presented this budget lightly and with little consideration of the consequences. In fact, we believe this budget will open the path to an even more vigorous and dynamic society. And we are prepared to execute it for results we believe in, if it is approved.

NoVES is and will always be a place with different views and also views which sometimes are in conflict. We have many issues where feelings differ. They include the role and commitments we expect of a leader, the type of membership we wish to attract and retain, whether and how fast we should grow, and where we should invest our precious volunteer time and our limited funds across many different interests. We must periodically check our beliefs as a Board against what all of our members say, each of who comes to NoVES at some point in their lives, stays for whatever time, and at some point departs. We are a society which will always grow in different ways.

I would also urge everyone to try to view the recent difficult conversations we have had both within the Board and within NoVES in a positive light. NoVES like every Ethical Society will always face open-ended questions about our nature as a humanist organization, the roles and expectation we have of any Leader, and the budget priorities we pursue. We need to continue to listen to and tolerate diverse views. Which is why I have also reached out to the AEU to help NoVES in a continuing conversation once an incoming Board is in place. I believe with the mediation of the AEU that NoVES can continue an open, respectful conversation which simply cannot end with this membership meeting because these are issues which will remain with us, whatever the outcome of today’s meeting. I hope the incoming Board and all our members will welcome such an effort to encourage open and respectful thinking about important questions we all wrestle with, and not just at the Board. This mediation can only work if a wide diversity of views are represented. It can only be done if members step forward to do that. And it cannot be led by the Board, by a Leader, or any select group of members all adhering to the same views. That would defeat its purpose.

And so, it is once again time to test the beliefs of your Board against the will of our membership. This is why we are here today. We must allow all members to have duly noticed opportunity to exercise their views through vote, whether or not they actually choose to do so. And we can never limit that future choice to only those who do come here today to vote, even if it seems inconvenient to some to hold a new membership meeting if our budget is not passed. Members must have the opportunity to vote for the budget they want and for the Board they believe will execute it with heart and mind. If we do otherwise, we compromise a sacred principle of due representation which governs not only us, but so many other institutions which are built on the vision that everyone has the right to voice and vote.

Therefore, if you as a membership majority choose not to vote in favor of this proposed budget, we must also give you the opportunity to have a new Board which can propose an alternative which can then be duly noticed to all members. If such is the case, those of us on your current Board who have supported this proposed budget, will yield our place once we have completed any transitional matters.

Our resignation from the Board would not be based on any desire to disrupt or subvert. It is instead a good faith desire to ensure there can be continuity as well as change. The continuity will come from the current majority remaining for a very short while (perhaps 48 to 72 hours) to allow for a smooth transition. The change will come from the newly constituted and/or elected Board to pursue and notice a new budget to the membership and to then execute it, if approved.

Our majority remains committed to executing our proposed budget and vision, should it be agreed by our membership. We have every confidence we have the opportunity to do so and to make NoVES an even more dynamic place. However, we will only do so if a decided majority of the membership also shares this vision by endorsing our budget.

We say all this not to be divisive, but to be inclusive. We want each and every member of our society, whether they are here or not, whether they come to platforms or not, whether they support this Board or not, each and all of them must receive due notice about exactly what their Board proposes to do with their contributions. And they must have the opportunity to vote for their Board whom they believe can not only propose, but also carry the budget through execution. Only by doing all of this can not only the By-Laws of this Society be faithfully executed, but the will of our membership be conducted without fear of a majority vote or favor to simply minority interests. Anything less will subvert what we are as a society; legally, operationally, and also ethically.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak and for serving on your Board. We now commend this vote to you.

Best,

Jeffrey

Change: Taking the First Step even when you don't see the Whole Staircase

Wed, 02 May 2018 15:39:37 GMT

I hesitated to start this blog post with the almost banal truism that NoVES is immersed in a social environment of change as never before. Yet there is no doubt all of us face unparalleled times. At national and local levels, we see leadership and elites being questioned as never before, wisely and unwisely. Rules and norms are being flouted at a rate which would probably stun the author of the phrase "defining deviancy down" Senator Pat Moynihan, the great politician-intellectual, who warned us about such dangers. On a positive note, women, youth, and minorities are finding voice in politics and leadership at an unprecedented rate.

As an Ethical Society, NoVES cannot look inward and ignore such changes. However, this does not necessarily mean we need to change in every way with the environment around us. There is no doubt we should resist the trend of lowering the bar on our ethical, moral, and legal standards. NoVES should instead model standards of conduct and governance which foster engagement and transparency to the maximum extent sought by our norms and permissible by our rules.

Nor should we remain complacent as to who we are becoming as a Society. As we seek to grow as a Society, we should seek, expect and welcome more millennials, women, and minorities to join our ranks and for them to assume positions of leadership in our community, including our various committees and the Board. We are blessed to find ourselves in a geographic situation where we share one of the most dynamic, diverse, and thoughtful loci of socio-economic change in the country, arguably even in the world. This should be a huge reservoir to draw upon as we seek not only growth in line with our values, but also greater collaboration and networking with others who are also committed to seeing more equitable, broad-based, and sustainable prosperity in our global society.

Finally, reasoned argumentation should always have a place of pride in our discourse. At NoVES, we have attempted in a modest way to respond to change by developing a new 2018-20 Vision which we have engaged at the Board, shared with our committees, and also with our Society. This is a living document which broadly frames key directions which we seek to pursue as we move forward in coming years towards becoming an even more vibrant focal point of humanist thought and action. As NoVES President, who has been proud to be part of these efforts, I hope more and more of our members will engage further in the Society and take advantage of numerous opportunities through which we can all contribute to our activities both within and outside our Society and which place us in line with the values we seek.

I know that some ask, and quite legitimately, details of how each and every aspect of our change will unfold. We should indeed plan and discuss such questions as much as we can. At the same time, change can only come about if we invite it as a mindset, but without abandoning our key values of treating all with dignity and respect.

Change is especially not easy when it seeks to change traditional ways of behaving and in conducting the affairs of any institution. Yet, compelling change cannot be avoided in turbulent times. If we stand on our principles, I think NoVES too can be guided by the wise words of Reverend Martin Luther King: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Best,

Jeffrey

Looking to the Horizon as We Seek to Expand it

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 20:53:35 GMT

If it is not already obvious, it bears reminding how blessed NoVES is to be centrally located in the growing and diverse metropolitan area of Washington, DC. Not only are we adjacent to the seat of our country’s federal government, but the progressive and cosmopolitan milieu of our community affords multiple opportunities to benefit from synergies with many other individuals and groups.

This realization was concretized for me recently when Cherie, the boys, and I joined several other NoVES families and members at the ‘March for Our Lives’ event alongside groups of secular youth and other Ethical Societies. It was a remarkable demonstration of NoVES’s connection in time and in space with the larger world beyond our congregation.

Clearly this will not be our only such opportunity for such engagements. The rest of 2018 promises to be one where we continue to join diverse voices to translate our Ethical Culture concerns and values into action. Marches & rallies are just one such way to interact. Since earlier this year, we have been utilizing a multiplicity of web and social media channels to track, support, comment upon, and originate civic action through cyberspace to complement what we have been actively doing in meeting with elected officials and through rallies and campaigns.

We are also seeking to enrich our outreach with other Meetup groups having similar interests. Moving forward, some of our adult enrichment and other activities have the prospect of becoming leveraged with the energy and co-branding with fellow humanist, secular, and other groups. Additional opportunities could include community service projects with these same groups in our area.

I look forward to this aspect of our 2018-2020 Vision being turned into the reality of a closer and richer set of relationships with other groups across a range of activities. We are looking forward to various committees taking the lead in defining such new programs as we seek out and find ways to adapt and stretch our budget resources and to provide our membership with additional opportunities for interacting with fellow members as well as with individuals with like-minded interests outside of NoVES.

All of this necessarily requires a greater commitment as well as a more efficient organization and utilization of our membership volunteer capacity. The board is united in its commitment to our Vision and the administrative efforts required to achieve it and I am confident the increased synergies with other individuals and organizations will yield an overall increase in our membership volunteer capacity. I continue to encourage our membership to actively engage the collective efforts of our Society, to seek out that which energizes you, and to work to create a community that helps us grow as individuals, challenges us to question, encourages us to accept others, educates us on a wide variety of topics, propels us to social action, and supports each of us in creating the kind of world we want for ourselves and our children.

Best,

Jeffrey

Pledging: An Investment in Our Values

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 00:41:29 GMT

With our 2018-2019 pledge campaign now in full swing, I want to reiterate and expand upon what I stated in my testimony before the membership at our most recent Sunday platform. For many it is difficult or uncomfortable to speak of money matters and, to some degree, I fall squarely in that camp. With that said, I also recognize the importance of pledging to the continued vitality of NoVES. Without the generous contributions of the NoVES membership, we simply would not exist as an organization.

Our current year projections indicate approximately 90% of our Income will have come from member pledges. What does that income provide? Sixty-Seven percent (67%) goes to compensate our staff (the Leader and DEE); Sixteen percent (16%) pays the rental of our meeting space at Green Hedges; Ten percent (10%) is associated with our American Ethical Union (AEU) apportionment. The remaining seven percent (7%) covers our insurance, website, & PO Box costs as well as Platform, Festivals, Sunday School, & Administrative expenses.

Our Vision anticipates increased budget emphasis for the Sunday School program and in our Adult Enrichment, Civic Action, and Membership Outreach efforts. The Vision also anticipates an additional paid staff to help maximize the efficiency of our volunteer capacity by reducing the amount of more mundane administrative efforts being required of our volunteers.

For Cherie and I, NoVES is the place that reflects our values in word and in deed. It also teaches those values to our children. It supports social justice and humanitarian causes important to us and provides opportunities for friendship, growth, leadership, and connection. NoVES and Ethical Culture helps us to strive to be better people by encouraging us to be more than we might be on our own. Pledging to NoVES is an investment in my family and in yours: in our character development, in our capacity to grow, in our relationships with others, and in our collective ability to make a difference.

Please reflect on what NoVES means to you, the vision of how you wish NoVES to evolve, and pledge early and generously to help make that vision a reality.

Best,

Jeffrey

Vision: The Art of Seeing what is Invisible to Others

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 01:57:59 GMT

Over the past several months, the board and a number of NoVES members has been developing a ‘Vision’ of what NoVES can become in the next 3 to 5 years. Part of the Vision is a commitment to growth in membership; part of it is a recognition of our unique position geographically, demographically, and a political climate wherein we should be on the forefront with our values and activism. Another part of the vision is a recognition that a growth in NoVES necessarily moves us from a smaller, familial model of society to a larger, congregational model. A substantial step in this model change is to organize our administrative efforts to more efficiently support it. The Vision includes administrative steps, several of which have already been implemented, to allow the board to function more efficiently and further empower our committees and individual membership. The Vision also includes identification of areas for increased engagement with membership, visitors, and other organizations.

In substance, the above articulation appears altogether promising and judicious. Yet we must recognize change can often bring about a sense of uncertainty. Uncertainty may come from having grown accustomed to things as they are or a belief that something of value may be lost. Understandably, some of us may have concerns about being able to efficiently adapt to change, whether it is, for example, working with new technology or with new partners with civic action. Whether you feel uncertainty or not, a simple reminder may be helpful. Our Vision is really just a recognition that as special as NoVES already is for each of us, it can be all of that and more for an even greater number of fellow members.

I firmly believe ethical humanism is more than just a commitment to values; it is a commitment to action. This Vision represents a call for collective action on the part of NoVES to be even more than we already are. To borrow the words of Rosabeth Moss Kanter, “A Vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to be something more.”

The real challenge ahead is to translate our Vision into a set of executable plans supported by appropriate volunteer and financial resources. As the old adage in the construction industry aptly states, ‘It is not enough to simply plan the work, one must also work the plan.’ In the coming weeks, we hope to work with our various committees to fine tune the core targets we seek to achieve in the next budget year and the associated resources required. Only then can what we have now as a broad Vision be turned into a workable plan of action.

The Vision ‘matrix’ in its current stage can be found here. It includes broadly defined areas of ‘Membership’, ‘Society Governance’, & ‘Resources’ along with associated goals, strategies, tactics, and execution elements.

The board looks forward to each of you joining us as we take the next steps to turning this Vision into concrete time and resource bound actions in the near future.

Best,

Jeffrey

The Excitement of Change

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 06:17:52 GMT

I continued to be excited about the change occurring within NoVES. This past month has seen a marked change in the energy in and around our Sunday School program brought about by the hire of a Director of Ethical Education (DEE). This well spring of energy has not come just from our new DEE, Kimberly Nyilasi, though Kimberly does bring much zest and dynamism to the position, but I see it also in the activism and vitality of the member parents. The Navigator programs, service projects, Sunday School activism, and opportunities for community among Sunday School families is being warmly embraced by all and the list of ideas, classes, and events being considered and/or planned for the near future is ever growing.

Our Adult Enrichment activities continue to scale up with a variety of content currently being offered and planned on a growing basis including Penny University, Book Group, Open Mic events, Film Screenings, and small group discussion events. Civic Action also continues to expand with the recent addition of a Twitter Account ‘@NovesEthicsActs’; our commitment to the March 24^th, March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. in coalition with the Secular Student Alliance; the continued efforts of NoVES membership relative to Immigration reform; and planned engagements with the Secular Coalition for America on voting and other political initiatives. Individuals who have and continue to contribute their efforts and energies to organize these Adult Enrichment & Civic Action events include our Leader-Randy Best, Eugenia Burkes, Mike Plampin, Jaime Argandona, Andrew Orlans, Govind Nair, Penny Anderson, Dave Robie, and Iris Woodard (I apologize if I left anyone out).

The NoVES website, Facebook page, Meetup page, & new Civic Action Twitter Account continue to grow in their utility and influence with new content being added daily across each platform. Many of our membership have noted this welcome uptick in Social Media/Web-based content and see it as a vital component of a growing commitment towards greater engagement with other organizations and the broader community. Individuals who contribute their efforts and energies to maintain our Social Media presence include Marcella Simon, Jeremy Weiss, Govind Nair, Jaime Argandona, Kimberly Nyilasi, and Brad May (again I apologize if I left anyone out).

As always, I encourage each member to engage and participate in all that NoVES has to offer by suggesting ideas for content and/or by volunteering your time to continue to help make NoVES a growing and vibrant community.

In closing, I must also mention the Sunday Platform Bulletin. Our new Sunday Bulletin editor, Bonni Van Blarcom, has provided a fresh perspective and look by adding content to the bulletin and organizing it to be packed with even more useful and pertinent information.

Best,

Jeffrey

Passing of the Torch

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 14:31:34 GMT

One of the unfortunate downsides to the passage of time is the inevitable ‘passing of the torch’ that occurs across a host of contexts in our lives. One of those ‘passing of the torch’ moments takes place this month for NoVES with the release of the final issue of our newsletter with Andy Stanton as editor.

Andy has served off and on as NoVES’s newsletter editor since first taking on the role in 1997 and it is altogether fair and accurate to say he has been singularly responsible for producing/editing more editions of our newsletter than any other person. In addition to his editing efforts, Andy has contributed countless newsletter articles as a board member, committee member, and as President. Though he now resides in St. Louis, I am hopeful we will have the opportunity to continue to experience Andy’s newsletter article contributions.

On behalf of the board and the whole of the NoVES community, I thank Andy for his many hours of service in the preparation of NoVES’s newsletter over the years. It represents a significant and noteworthy contribution to the vitality, continuity, and endurance of NoVES.

In recognition and appreciation, the following is an excerpt from an article penned by Andy as our President in November 2015. It was and is an article that has stuck with me as a reminder that Ethical Culture is not just a set of ideas, but a call to action.

“Ethical action has long been an important component of Ethical Culture. Our guiding principle, “deed not creed” is a reflection of this. In 1877 the New York Society, under the leadership of Ethical Culture founder, Felix Adler, started the District Nursing Department, which organized a team of nurses who visited the home bound sick in poor districts. A year later, in 1878, the Society established a Free Kindergarten for working people's children. The kindergarten provided basic necessities for the children when needed, such as clothing and hot meals. It evolved over time into the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, which is still in existence today. In 1897 John Lovejoy Elliott, one of Adler's associates in the New York Society, began The Hudson Guild, a settlement house in New York's impoverished Chelsea district, which provided a variety of programs and services, including after-school care, professional counseling and community arts programs. The Hudson Guild is still ongoing and provides valuable services to the poor. Many other projects and programs have been run by Ethical Culture societies throughout the country and have provided help to people in need. Ethical Culture has also been involved in non-economic reforms as well as international reform movements.

Throughout the Northern Virginia Ethical Society's existence (we began in 1983), we have recognized the importance of ethical action and have engaged in many such activities. For instance, when my daughter was in the teen program she helped out at a D.C. shelter once a month. We have given gifts to needy families through a Secret Santa program. We have engaged in letter-writing campaigns to members of Congress on various issues. For the past several years the Society has donated a portion of our collection to worthwhile causes, leading other Ethical Societies to follow our example. I am pleased to see us renewing our emphasis on ethical action and I hope all of us will get involved in ethical action activities over the coming months.”

Best,

Jeffrey

NoVES's New Director of Ethical Education (DEE)

Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:27:37 GMT

I was delighted to announce today at our Winter Festival the hire of a NoVES Director of Ethical Education (DEE). Effective February 1, 2018, our new DEE will by NoVES member Kimberly Nyilasi. In my humble opinion, Kimberly's energy, enthusiasm, and creativity make her an ideal DEE and I am excited about the prospects of our Sunday School program moving forward.

Kimberly has been active on a number of NoVES groups/committees and is a current member of the Board of Directors. Kimberly will continue on with several of those groups/committees (e.g. Navigators, Children's Story, & Sunday School Committee) as they are integral to the DEE position. In order to be able to place greater focus on her new staff position and our NoVES children's ethical education, she will be stepping down as a member of the Board of Directors and will no longer be on the Festivals Committee, the Leader Advisory Committee, or the Platform Set-up Team.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank Kimberly for her service to NoVES on the board and elsewhere and fully recognize our loss in these areas is more than worth the incredible gain NoVES and our children have achieved with her hire as our DEE.

Best,

Jeffrey

Welcome to NoVES's new website, etc.

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 23:03:32 GMT

By now many of you have become aware of this new website which has been in operation at www.noves.org since Tuesday, December 19, 2017. As indicated in the email announcement prior to its launch, it offers all the functionality members have come to expect from our previous site while adding a variety of more intuitive and collaborative functions such as access to individual member pledge data (both total pledged and total paid to date amounts); a more user friendly membership directory (with direct email function); a directory of the NoVES Board of Directors and Staff; a directory of NoVES Committees with their descriptions and contact information; access to blogs maintained by NoVES’s Leader and President; enhanced integration with content from our NoVES Facebook page; a 'NoVES in the News' page; and a host of other functions to enhance communication between our membership and with visitors.

The board encourages each member to further explore this exciting new collaborative communication tool and to begin to actively utilize it to enhance your interactions with fellow society members. It is a 'work in progress' with additional content anticipated to be added. If you identify any typos or errors or have any suggestions for added content, please advise the communications committee at communications@noves.org.

This new website is an initial step towards a broader effort (e.g. a Vision) to increase NoVES’s influence as a whole. An additional step towards this ‘Vision’ has already been established by the board in its meeting of October 2017 wherein the following motion was approved, "The Board resolves to systematically pursue as a strategic goal the increase by June 30, 2020 of the total membership in NoVES to 150 members. Accordingly, the board will actively encourage the NoVES Membership Committee in particular, as well as all Committees, and also all NoVES members, to continue to propose and act on initiatives which contribute to identifying, recruiting, inducting, and retaining existing and new members to achieve this membership target. The Board will regularly review progress towards achieving this goal and consider any additional support which may contribute to achieving this goal."

The board is actively working to further articulate the ‘Vision’ and I have spoken with several NoVES members to date about it as well as shared a draft outline document of what it might entail (e.g. the ‘NoVES Vision 2020’). The primary intent of this document is to succinctly outline a Vision of what NoVES collectively seeks to achieve in terms of greater influence between now and July 2020 and moving forward. It goes without saying, greater influence should not, would not, and cannot come at the cost of sacrificing NoVES's or Ethical Culture's core humanist values.

I encourage any member interested in contributing thoughts and ideas or learning more about the ‘NoVES Vision 2020’ to contact me at president@noves.org.

Best,

Jeffrey