WORSHIP AT HOME
VIRTUAL UU ROAD TRIP
This summer, we are excited to take a virtual UU road trip. Each Sunday we'll visit a UU congregation and have the opportunity to experience how they do worship services. Check your inbox on Sunday mornings for your next destination!
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUMMER CIRCLES: WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU!
At First U we witness each other’s lives as the years come and go. And USUALLY in the summer, we lose track of each other, right? If that’s where you are and want to be, we hope it’s beautiful and nourishing. However if you’ve been feeling a little isolated (!?!) and might like a bit more conversation, and to even make new friends, we have a place you can go: Summer Circles.

This is not a project, or a fundraiser, or even Small Group Ministries. There is no curriculum or agenda, unless you create one. It’s simply gathering (in Zoom space) with friendly curiosity, and sharing your day and thoughts. Maybe it’s asking others what they think about something. It’s just for July and August. It’s just for you and people who have time to share, sort of ‘front porch’ style.

To join, write to the Congregation Connections Committee via Sarah at sarahcoffinwitte@gmail.com. What blocks of the day and week would work best with you? We’ll try to get things launched on that basis, as soon as we can. Monday night people, Friday morning people, etc!
FELLOWSHIP & VESPERS
Sundays at 7:30 pm & 8:00 pm
Join your church friends on Zoom on Sunday evenings first for a friendly time of fellowship from 7:30 - 8:00 pm, and then transition into a facilitated Vespers discussion, Adult RE style, 8:00-8:30 pm. We can share our thoughts about the morning's worship service, and also reflect on a reading that was included in the morning email. Readings will highlight the voices of UU ministers of color. Please join us for either or both! A link to attend will be sent out on Sunday mornings along with the virtual UU road trip.
PASTORAL CARE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
Do you need a shoulder to cry on?  Do you want to discuss the meaning of life? Do you want to share some news, good or bad? Do you just need to hear a friendly voice?

Rev. Frieda is still here for you! Well, not physically here, but just a phone call away!  While she and her family prepare for their move to Fort Worth, TX at the end of the month, Rev. Frieda is available by appointment in 20 or 30 minute blocks on the following days*:
  • Mondays between 10 and 11 am
  • Wednesdays between 5 and 6 pm

To schedule a time to chat by phone, please email jslandsman@gmail.com and indicate which day works best for you.

*In case of a pastoral emergency during July, Rev. Frieda can be reached at 508-207-7566
RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION
FUN FOR FAMILIES
We're fortunate in Maine to have an abundance of beautiful summertime activities, but sometimes families can still find themselves looking for something to RE-inspire.

This week, we encourage you to check out Camp Kindness Counts with a free digital Kind World Explorers guidebook with activities and sample conversations for ages 4 - 12. Camp Kindness Counts exists to provide parents with research-informed resources to raise kind, resilient kids.
PEACE & JUSTICE WORK
VOLUNTEERING AT PREBLE STREET
Our next first Tuesday to volunteer at Preble Street is August 4, 3 - 6 pm. Help to feed some of Maine's most vulnerable people who continue to rely on Preble Street for food and other resources. Contact Ruth White ( rwhite7@maine.rr.com) with any questions or if you would like to sign up. Thank you!

Preble Street is changing, bringing new and different opportunities for volunteers.
  • There will no longer be breakfast, lunch, or dinner given out at the Soup Kitchen door or served in the dining room.
  • The Resource Center Soup Kitchen will transition to a permanent food production facility, creating and packing meals to be distributed to area shelters.
  • A new program — Street Outreach Collaborative — will help caseworkers connect with people living outside. This program will deliver two meals daily to people experiencing homelessness who are not staying at a shelter.
  • In addition to the three daily volunteer shifts — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — where volunteers help to create and pack meals, we will also need a contingent of volunteers to help deliver and distribute these meals.
  • Clients will still be able to access emergency food pantry supplies Tuesday through Saturday, and volunteers will continue to sort donations and create food boxes.
FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE
Pastoral Emergencies
If you have a pastoral emergency, you can contact Rev. Frieda Gillespie on her cell phone at 508-207-7566. Saturdays are typically her day off, but she will answer calls for pastoral emergencies.
Submit Your Announcement
To have your announcement included in this newsletter please email the information to Gwen Matthews at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com by Wednesday at 12 pm.
  First Universalist Church of Yarmouth | 207-846-4148 | office@uuyarmouth.org | www.uuyarmouth.org