WORSHIP
SERVICE WITH A SMILE
Sunday, December 5, 2021, 10:30 am - online only this week!
Rev. Hillary Collins-Gilpatrick, Minister
Sam Chandler, Music Director
Gwen Matthews, Director of Education & Communications
Mack Jones, Children's Teacher & Youth Facilitator
To join online: To access the online service, please use this Zoom link and enter the passcode WORSHIP. A Sunday morning email will also be arriving with the Zoom link, order of worship, and a link to the offering.
MINISTER'S MESSAGE
Dear First U Friends,

Our theme for the month of December is “Opening to Joy.” 

I thought of this theme multiple times this past Tuesday, “Giving Tuesday,” a day on which I, like surely many of you, received an endless barrage of messages in my inbox from non-profits requesting that I make a donation for their good works. Our theme of the month came to mind because most of these emails did not open with joy, rather they opened with a litany of things going terribly wrong in our state, country, and world. 

By the end of the day I found myself craving joy – a litany of things going awesomely well, or at least a handful of simple things sparking joy in the lives of those I love. 

So how about this, as we open our month of Opening to Joy, will you take a few minutes to reflect on what’s making you happy these days and then send me (firstuminister@gmail.com) a list of 2-5 things sparking joy for you right now? Next week I’ll print them here; it can be our collective litany of joy that we all can explore, embrace, and engage together. 

To get us started, here’s a list of five things bringing me great joy right now:

  1. Red berry season. Anybody else have a secret red berry bevy out in a bog somewhere that you respectfully forage a red berry bouquet from every year around this time? One of my favorite late fall rituals.
  2. Watching Tizzy, my recently adopted greyhound who until September lived her life between metal crates and racetracks, try to make sense of the ocean. 
  3. The Beatles: Get Back. Alexis and I (both of us bigtime Beatles fans) are about halfway through this eight hour documentary on the making of Let It Be, which might just be my favorite Beatles album. Major takeaway so far: Wow, I actually think I like Ringo the best. 
  4. Wingspan. I am easily overwhelmed by these engine building, “take up the whole table” games, but Wingspan won me over. The point: you are a bird enthusiast and your goal is to help as many birds thrive in particular habitats as possible. It’s a fun and beautiful game that’s easy to grasp. If you want to play sometime, you know how to reach me. 
  5. My local public library. How cool is it that we all share free books with each other? I’ll never get over my love of the public library. When covid shut everything down last year, it was walking around the public library that I missed the most. Since then, my love and awe for the library has only increased. 

I could go on … I haven’t even gotten to my multi-year-long vices of Taylor Swift, Alexia Tater Tots, and astrology deep dives, but one has to draw a line somewhere in their Channels message. 

Friends, now it’s your turn - what’s sparking joy for you? 

Yours in an ode to joy,
Rev. Hillary 
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
MINI-HOLIDAY FAIR THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4TH
The mini holiday fair is being held outside this year, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm this Saturday, December 4th, and features soups to go, jams and jellies, and a few crafts.
ICE SKATING SOIREE
December 12, 3 - 4 pm
Come one, come all, to an ice skating soiree at LL Bean's free ice skating rink. There's free skate rentals, free hot cocoa, heated benches, and festive decorations. Spend some time together with your First U friends and enjoy this outdoor activity on Sunday, December 12th from 3:00 - 4:00 pm. Questions? Email Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com.
INTERESTED IN JOINING A SMALL GROUP?
Small Groups are regularly occurring monthly or bi-monthly meetings of a small number of committed folks from our church who gather to check-in with one another, explore spiritual practices, and ponder theologically enriching questions. Our First U Small Groups are very meaningful to many people in our community and currently we have several openings in our current small groups for new members, as well as opportunities to create new groups. 

Please email Rev. Hillary (Firstuminster@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining a group or learning more about Small Groups at First U. All are welcome to join! 
RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION:
ADULT PROGRAMS
ADULT RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION OFFERINGS
Our newly formed Adult Religious Exploration Council is up and running and hoping to provide you with opportunities to explore, embrace, and engage.

You can check out the Adult RE webpage for upcoming offerings, like the Women of the Dawn book read, happening on December 5th following the service.

Take the Adult RE Survey to let us know more of what you would like to happen in Adult RE this year and coming years.

Have a workshop or course you would like to offer? Fill out the Adult RE Proposal Form.

Have other questions or ideas? Contact members of the Adult Religious Exploration Council: Cathy McKenna, Anne Turner, Andrew Tonks, Dale Shields, and Director of Education & Communications, Gwen Matthews.
ADULT READ FOR DECEMBER: WOMEN OF THE DAWN
December 5th after church (on Zoom)
Interested in learning more about the complex and fascinating history of the Wabanaki people in Maine? Next month your Adult RE Council will be hosting a discussion of Women of the Dawn by Bunny McBride. This historical imagining of the lives of five Wabanaki women from the beginning of French settlement until today offers surprising insights and opens up a wealth of questions for those of us learning about this often forgotten part of our history. Please join us on December 5th on Zoom: click to join.
NEW GROWTH FROM OLD ROOTS COURSE
Four Sessions: Week of January 14th - Week of February 6th
Given the busy holiday season, we postponed the book group on pre-orthodox, early Christianity. We have also changed the book to be read. So, to continue the discussion of a non-orthodox look at the life and teachings of Jesus, please join an on-line, four-session reading of Karen King’s The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle. We will meet once a week from about January 14 to February 6 for an hour and a half on a day and time to be negotiated. Please email Andrew at andrewftonks@yahoo.com with your interest.
A CRITICAL EXPLORATION OF
THE THUNDER: PERFECT MIND AND THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Sunday, January 9, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
We will meet in person after church on Sunday January 9, from 12-1:30, to critically examine and creatively respond to excerpts from the earliest canonical gospel, Mark, and an extracanonical Coptic poem, The Thunder: Perfect Mind. Both texts feature powerful speakers who claim intimate access to the divine and speak to the complexities of life under the Greco-Roman empire in the ancient Mediterranean and North Africa. The excerpts we study will help us defamiliarize canonical Mark and open up questions about how both we and ancient people use story, poetry, and collective experience/gathering/experiences in community to question, confront, and negotiate with the powers that be. 
RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION:
CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS
HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5th
In lieu of Children's Chapel this week, we'll be having a Time for All Ages in the service - with laughter yoga!

For junior and senior youth groups, we'll be meeting outside and planning our warm clothing drive - plus, resurrecting an old favorite game: four square. There will also be some snacks and a fire pit, too. Friends are welcome!
DECEMBER TAKE HOME ACTIVITY KITS
Pick Up: Sunday, Dec. 19th & Wednesday, Dec. 26th
Take home winter activity kits (plus a few treats!) for children and youth will be available for pick up on Sunday, December 19th after the Solstice Service and Wednesday, December 22nd from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.
UPCOMING PLANS FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS
This year, you can view a schedule of children and youth programs in advance and learn about timing of programs, topics/themes, and facilitators each week. Please also see below to view the December RE calendar.




Please note: These plans may be updated as the fall progresses.
REGISTER FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH PROGRAMS
Please fill out this online registration form for all children and youth who will be participating in programs at First Universalist. Thank you!
COMMUNITY NEWS
To register for the CareStart Pop Up Clinic, print and fill out the registration form before you arrive.
FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Rev. Hillary: On Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:00 pm Rev. Hillary will be holding an outside drop-in space at our church picnic tables. All are welcome to come by and check-in. (Weather permitting.) Throughout the week, Rev. Hillary will be holding office hours for individual conversations. These conversations can be on Zoom, over the phone, or in-person. Please reach out to Rev. Hillary directly to schedule a conversation, firstuminister@gmail.com. Note that Rev. Hillary is not available to meet on Saturdays and Mondays. See you soon!

Gwen: Once covid-19 numbers have moved down out of the "very high risk" zone, Gwen will be holding in person office hours from 1 - 3 pm on Wednesdays.
Pastoral Emergencies
If you experience a pastoral emergency please contact Rev. Hillary Collins-Gilpatrick, who can be reached on her cell phone: 207-740-3753. Please note Rev. Hillary is in the office Tuesday - Friday for non-emergency opportunities to talk.
Submit Your Announcement
To have your announcement included in this e-newsletter please email the information to Gwen Matthews, Director of Education and Communications, at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com by Wednesday at 12 pm.
 First Universalist Church of Yarmouth | 207-846-4148 | office@uuyarmouth.org | www.uuyarmouth.org