July 20-26, 2025

Highlights of Virtual SUUSI

Monday Concert: Friction Farm

Friction Farm, the duo of Christine Stay and Aidan Quinn, combines storytelling, social commentary and humor to create songs of everyday life, local heroes, and quirky observations as well as songs of travel, environmental concerns and songs for children too. With Aidan on guitar and vocals and Christine on bass and vocals these touring performers have charmed SUUSI audiences and endeared themselves to us repeatedly over the years.

www.frictionfarm.com.

Tuesday Concert: Diedre McCalla

Deidre McCalla came of age in the fiery blaze of NYC's folk heyday - a time when Greenwich Village clubs were filled with the likes of Dylan, Baez, and Ochs; a time when Motown ruled the top of the charts and the streets of America screamed with anger and civil unrest. Her first album, Fur Coats and Blue Jeans, was released when Deidre was 19 and a student at Vassar College. With a theater degree tucked under her belt and an acoustic guitar tossed in the back of a battered Buick station wagon, Deidre McCalla hit the proverbial road and never looked back. www.deidremccalla.com

Wednesday Concert: Lara Herscovitch

As described in The Boston Globe, Lara Herscovitch brings “a luminous voice and a buoyant stage presence… big-hearted lyrics embrace the sum of life… Herscovitch’s music blows on the embers of a lagging spirit or a dormant creative life.” Sound Waves Magazine described her music as “expertly written prose… songwriting at its best… good for your ears AND your soul.” The wisdom in her artistry comes from decades of humanitarian work in education, community development, environmental protection, and justice system reform. LaraHerscovitch.com

Thursday Concert: Lea Morris

"While she often draws comparisons to other female phenoms like Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco, Lea’s sound seamlessly blends gospel, jazz, country and R&B into her own style" - SoulFolk.

Having shared the stage with luminaries including Odetta, Mavis Staples, Dar Williams and Anthony Hamilton, Lea performs at an array of venues, and has become well known and loved in Unitarian Universalist communities. www.thisislea.com

Worship Services

Morning Worship: Monday-Friday, 9-9:45am

Monday: Worship led by Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long

Tuesday: Worship led by The Covenant Accountability Team

Wednesday: Digging into the Depths of Gratitude led by Friction Farm

Thursday: Worship led by Adrian Graham

Friday: Gratitude for Basic Goodness in All Living Things led by Rev. Jan Taddeo

Evening Worship: Sunday-Thursday, 7-7:45pm

Sunday (Ingathering): Gratitude for All That Is Our Life led by Rev. Kimberley Debus

Monday: Vespers: Gratitude for Rest and Love led by Members of All Souls DC

Tuesday: Gratitude for the Sorrows We Must Bear: Memorials, led by the SUUSI Worship Team

Wednesday: Worship led by SUUSI Teens

Thursday: Gratitude for Each New Things: Life's Bridges, led by the SUUSI Worship Team

On Tuesday evening, we will remember all those we have lost from our SUUSI community since we last met in person. If there is someone we should include, please send photographs, names, and the date they died. We will also make space to grieve others who have died during the pandemic, whether from COVID-19 or other causes; we will invite names to be shared during the service.

Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long

Adrian Graham

Rev. Jan Taddeo

Teen Program Seeks Staffers

Want to hang out with the most amazing folks on campus? The Teen program is still hiring adult staff who would like to hang out with the teens. We know that online registration is closed, but if you haven't registered for SUUSI yet we can still make a Teen Staff position happen - you'll be hired and screened in advance, and then register onsite when you arrive. Don't let the legendary SUUSI Teen Dorm close for lack of adult staff! Email teens@suusi.org today.

Video Series: Gratitude for SUUSI's Covenant

Our coming together as a multi-platform SUUSI gives us a chance to consider deeply what it means to be in community with one another. What does beloved community look like? How do we make space for those who have different identities? What does it mean to actually hold each other in covenant? Transforming Love Collective's Alex Kapitan has been in conversation with many familiar SUUSI faces, and over the next few weeks, we will make those video conversations available to both in-person and virtual attendees.