 |
Channels
a weekly newsletter
|
|
SERVE THE HUNGRY
Your help is needed at Preble Street Resource Center. Choose a meaningful New Years resolution, and sign up for a shift to serve a dinner to those in need of a meal.
|
Christmas Eve Services
This Christmas Eve we offer two joyous holiday celebrations: an early service at 6:30pm for children, families, and those who enjoy more active worship, along with a quieter, meditative, and musical service at 10:30pm.
|
Saturday, December 31, 7pm
New Years Eve Clam Drop
Move over NYC ball drop - the Yarmouth clam drop is the New Years Eve tradition to come out for. Look out for Steamer, Yarmouth's famous clam mascot, to be lowered from First Universalist's steeple at 7pm. Come ahead of time for cookies and hot chocolate - it's free and family-friendly!
|
|
WORSHIP 
On Christmas Eve, December 24, opt for our early service at 6:30pm or late service at 10:30pm.
There will be a virtual service delivered to your inbox for Christmas Day and no service on New Years Day. Please join us on New Years Eve at 7pm for the Clam Drop to bid adieu to 2016 and welcome in 2017.
|
|
NEW BEGINNINGS FOR 2017
As we embrace the new year, we welcome in change. At First Universalist, that means adapting to the needs of this community. With that in mind, here is our schedule going forward:
| Date |
Time |
Program |
| First Sundays |
9:30am |
|
| First Sundays |
11:45am |
|
| First Sundays |
11:45am |
|
| Second Sundays |
9:30am |
|
Like all good rules, this one needs an exception. There will be no Answering the Big Questions in January, and other programs will occur as follows:
|
|
YOU ARE THE HOLIDAY MIRACLE
Yule, the winter solstice, is a reflection of duality, cycles, and seasons, and a belief that as the Holly King is overcome by the Oak King, we all partake in the miracle of renewal.
Hanukkah, the festival of lights, commemorates a time of miracles when the faith of the Jewish people sustained them to reclaim their holy temple and keep the light of the menorah burning for eight days.
Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' humble birth in a manger, offers a reminder of the miracle of birth and the desire for saviors to heal the scars of humanity.
Here, at First Universalist, we see the love you give to others, the space you create to hold one another's joys and sorrows, and the generosity and spirit you entrust to this community. You are the holiday miracle.
|
|
UU JOKES PRESENTS:
GOD REST YE UNITARIANS -
BY CHRISTOPHER RAIBLE
God rest you Unitarians, let nothing you dismay
Remember there's no evidence there was a Christmas Day
When Christ was born is just not known, no matter what they say
O tidings of reason and fact; reason and fact
O tidings of reason and fact.
There was no star of Bethlehem; there was no angel song
There could have been no wise men for the journey was too long
The stories in the Bible are historically wrong
O tidings of reason and fact; reason and fact
O tidings of reason and fact.
Much of our Christmas custom comes from Persia and from Greece
From solstice celebrations of the ancient Middle East
We know our so-called holiday is but a pagan feast
O tidings of reason and fact; reason and fact
O tidings of reason and fact.
|
|
WEATHER CANCELLATION INFORMATION
First Universalist services and event cancellations are announced by 7am on our website
and on WCSH Channel 6 (television station).
|
If you are experiencing a crisis, including needing a hospital visit, you may call Rev. Jennifer on her cellphone: 207.356.1467 any time. Please note that Friday and Saturdays are typically her days off - Rev. Jennifer does not check email on these days, but will answer any crisis or emergency calls.
|
To have your announcement included in Channels, please send an email to Gwen Matthews at
gwenatfirstu@gmail.com by Wednesday at 12pm.
|
To find out more about the church, our programs, opportunities, and events:
For photos, jokes, articles, and inspiration:
|
|
|
Photos in this email are courtesy of:
Creative Commons via Pixabay.com
|
Logo and graphics are courtesy of:
The Unitarian Universalist Association
|
|
|
|
|
|
