VESPERS IN AUGUST
Please note that Vespers will be held on Sundays, August 18 and 25 at 6:00 pm with a potluck at 6:30 pm. All ages are welcome to these short, sweet gatherings. We often meet in the Peace Garden for these summer evening services when the weather is nice.
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FROM THE WORSHIP COUNCIL
Welcome to the start of another Church year… We are entering into our second year of Interim Ministry with Frieda Gillespie continuing with us, grateful for this time to explore our way forward. After a day and a half retreat, we have decided to experiment a bit with the order of worship over the next several months, hoping it will make us all more aware of our words and silences. We are looking for ways to deepen our worship experiences and our connections with each other. As you are greeted by changes in parts of the service, we hope that you will welcome this opportunity to explore and grow! At the same time, PLEASE feel free to give feedback to the Worship Council members during coffee hour or by email.
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LOBSTER BAKE & COOKOUT TO SUPPORT YCHI: SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 5 - 7:30 PM
You are invited to the 5th annual Lobster Bake & cookout to benefit the Yarmouth Compassionate Housing Intiative (YCHI)*. Saturday, August 17 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm at St. Bart's, 396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth. Tickets are available by calling 846-9244 or emailing
ychiyarmouth@gmail.com. Lobster dinner $25 Chicken $20 Kids 12 and under $10
If you would like to make a contribution to this event in support of our immigrants being served by YCHI, please contact Marge 846-4765 or
mjtbean@aol.com.
*YCHI, a collaboration of First Universalist, St. Bart's, and the Latter Day Saints, has been supporting asylum seekers in Maine since 2015.
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YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT ASYLUM SEEKERS IN MAINE
Provide a room, make a meal, drive, or provide childcare
through
YCHI (Yarmouth Compassionate Housing Initiative)
: Do you have room(s) to spare to host a family for emergency or short-term housing? Can you support hosts with meals, driving, playtime, etc? Contact YCHI at
ychiyarmouth@gmail.com
. The greater Portland area, including Yarmouth, is committed to finding appropriate housing for all newly arrived asylum seekers. Your home can make a huge difference, and you will be supported with many volunteers who are already participating in YCHI projects. Note that hosting all these families in homes means the Portland Family Shelter system can focus on other homeless populations for which they are well positioned to serve well.
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NEW! IN CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS
We have some exciting new programs happening this Fall that we'd like to share with you:
- In the Nursery, we will have books, coloring pages, and activities relating to our UU principles. Little ones visiting the nursery will have the opportunity to play and learn.
- In Children's Chapel, we will be going on a Faithful Journey, learning how Unitarian Universalism translates into every day actions and life choices. On this faithful journey, we will be learning about the Seven UU Principles.
- In Junior Youth Group, we will be focusing on community building, small group faith exploration, and faith-in-action.
- In Senior Youth Group, we will be partnering with other local yoUUth!
- First Tuesdays of the month will be open to families from 3 pm - 7 pm with faith-in-action activities for people of all ages. Parents will also have the option of going to serve dinner at Preble Street Soup Kitchen while their children engage in faith-in-action programming, play games, and eat dinner.
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REGISTER FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS ONLINE
This year, there is the option to
register online for children and youth programs! There will also be paper copies available at the church. Please register your children soon to participate in church programs.
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OWL FACILITATOR TRAINING
First Universalist & First Parish Portland will be hosting an OWL facilitator training for grades 7 - 12 on October 4 - 6, 2019. You can
register for the training online or contact Gwen Matthews at
gwenatfirstu@gmail.com to discuss participating as an OWL facilitator. You can also
learn more about Our Whole Lives program at First Universalist.
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SEARCH COMMITTEE NEWS
Your Ministerial Search Committee has begun its work! The committee has had a productive weekend retreat with our consultant Margaret Beckman. We now have a comprehensive overview of the enormity of the task, and a timeline for our work, as well as the roles each of us will play. The congregation will have several very important roles in this process during the fall months. In early September, you will be asked to complete the Congregational Survey, a very important collection of data about who we are and what we think about our ministry. There will also be Cottage meetings and focus groups to gather everyone’s opinions. Please stay tuned for more information, and be ready to be a very active participant. Your voice is needed and very important!
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CONSIDERING MEMBERSHIP? NOW IS THE TIME!
You can
join as a member of First Universalist and vote on our ministerial candidate in June! Your vote and your voice will help determine who becomes our called, settled minister.
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FAITHIFY CAMPAIGN FOR TRANSYLVANIA STUDENT FOLK DANCE GROUP
First Parish in Concord, MA’s Partner Congregation Committee (PCC) is hosting the Vadrózsák Néptánccsoport (Wild Roses) Student Folk Dance Group to tour New England from October 24 - November 5. They are partnering with several other Unitarian Universalist congregations, including First Universalist, to bring this group of 25 travelers from their partner congregation of Székelykeresztúr, Transylvania. First Parish in Concord needs to raise $36,000 to bring them here; they currently have $21,000 available so far. They have started a Faithify campaign to help raise some of the remaining needed funds. You can help them to provide hospitality with your donation at Faithify:
https://faithify.org/projects/bring-transylvanian-youth-
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Pastoral Emergencies
If you have a pastoral emergency, you can contact Rev. Frieda Gillespie on her cell phone at 508-207-7566. Please note that most weeks she will be in Yarmouth Sunday - Tuesday and working from her home office in MA Wednesday - Friday. Saturdays are typically her day off, but she will answer calls for pastoral emergencies.
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Submit Your Announcement
To have your church or community event included in this newsletter or in print on Sundays please email the information to Gwen Matthews, Program Assistant, at
gwenatfirstu@gmail.com
by Wednesday at 12 pm
to have it included in that Friday's edition of Channels or the Sunday Morning News.
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