Join the Worship Service on Zoom

Enter password: COMMUNITY

Dear First U Friends,

This Sunday we offer a lyrical Gathering Sunday Service wherein members of our First U community and beyond will share poems they’ve written and poems they’re turning to for guidance and solace as they make sense of the past year. What a wonderful way to conclude this month of beloved community.

This February has been a month in which we lifted up our individual belovedness by taking time to wash our dishes and really feel our daily experiences, a month in which we gathered with UUs from across the world to side with love, a month in which we reflected together on how love might just be all we need, and now, a month in which we honor one another’s poetic expressions of faith, acceptance, grief, and peace. 

And, my friends, I must tell you that this theme of Beloved Community extended beyond our Sunday worship hours this month.

For instance, following our Love Is All You Need service this past Sunday, church leaders and I gathered on the First U steps to ring the bell and welcome four new friends as they signed the book and joined our community! And then -and then! Our Coming of Age class gathered on the sunny and shell-y shores of Winslow Park for a session on “spiritual practice.” Together we spent the afternoon honoring the beauty of nature by making mandalas along the shoreline. Though we left them all there for the tide to wash away, here are a few photos of the mandalas our CoA students and leaders created.

Yours in the spiritual practice of building beloved community,

Rev. Hillary 

It is with great joy and fellowship that we have welcomed Debbie Starkel, Kelsey Goldsmith, Mary Chaney, and Ryan McKisson into membership at First Universalist. All have come to the grounds of First Universalist to safely sign our membership book with Rev. Hillary. Please check Channels in future weeks to learn more about our newest members!

Want to join in welcoming our new members? We're looking forward to a Zoom new member celebration on Sunday, March 7th, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm. We also hope to celebrate our new members again in the fall - hopefully with an in-person worship service!

Interested in joining in membership? If First Universalist feels like your spiritual home, if you want to become part of this vital, liberating, institution, if you want to declare your commitment to siding with love, creating peace, and welcoming all, you, too, could join in membership! Learn more about the benefits of membership, eligibility requirements, and covenant.

If you have questions or are ready to sign the book, contact members of Congregation Connections (Sarah Witte, Martha Hutchinson, Cindy Guernsey, or Brenda McKee), Gwen Matthews (gwenatfirstu@gmail.com) or Rev. Hillary (firstuminister@gmail.com).

At First Universalist, there is a tradition to celebrate Pi Day (3/14) with an embrace of science, math, and delicious pies. In an effort to keep that tradition alive, we're planning a pandemic style mini pie exchange.

That's okay! We believe that folks will make extras and you can still come pick up a mini-pie to enjoy. Trust that some days, you're the pie-maker, other days, you're the pie-eater - and both roles are vital to the pie experience.

Email Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com with any questions.

Follow First Universalist on Facebook or on Instagram for photos, updates, news, and more. Just click the icons below.

To join the Zoom meeting, click here and enter password: YUM

To join via phone, dial: 1-646-558-8656

enter the meeting ID: 917 0538 2202 and pass code: 075311

Join Anna on Zoom where we wrap up our worship theme for the month, Beloved Community. Click for Children's Chapel and enter password: CHAPEL.

An online version of coffee hour connection and a chance to reflect on the themes that arose during the Worship Service. Click for the Social & Learning Hour and enter the password: COMMUNITY.

For 9th - 12th graders, this year, SYG meets once per month for fun, connection, and community building. Sign on to Zoom with Joanna and Ben. Click for Senior Youth Group and enter password: SPIRIT.

Our junior youth group will be on hiatus for the rest of February and most of March, but we plan to spring forward with our re-launch of project-based JYG activities and workshops. Look for more details coming soon about the exciting new offerings!

Parents, grandparents, caregivers help to shape a child’s healthy understanding of both their own gender and the gender diversity out in the world. This workshop, co-facilitated by Rev. Hillary and Gwen, calls participants to explore their ideas and feelings about gender and the values about gender they are teaching their children or grandchildren, explicitly or implicitly. The workshop introduces cultural and biological issues at play in gender identity and gender expression. Participants will find spiritual grounding for becoming comfortable with gender topics and integrating gender into conversations with their children or grandchildren. Not a parent, grandparent, or caregiver? You're still welcome to come learn with us!

Please register in advance for this Zoom meeting.

Richard Blanco, Maine poet who read his Poem “One Today” for President Barrack Obama’s second Inauguration in 2013 recently sent out an email identifying unknown but notable Black poets. Click to read the poets who Richard Blanco respects and sees as effective poets.

First Universalist voted to endorse the spirit of the 8th Principle and the journey toward justice continues!

Many of you have expressed a desire to continue learning and exploring how to be an anti-racist with others going forward. Several in the Cottage meetings described that it would be easier to learn and take action when we are learning and taking action together.

To facilitate this, soon the AWG will be sending out a sign-up tool to create small groups in which you can engage in further dialogue and learning about racism and anti-racism.

You may choose to use content the AWG has presented in Channels or choose material you have discovered on your own. The AWG will also provide organizational suggestions, discussion questions and even tech support if you need it!  It will be up to you, however, to decide how to meet (Zoom, Facetime, phone, etc.) and for how long.

Look for the link to sign-up in an email coming soon! We look forward to engaging with you in this effort!

If you were not part of the AWG Cottage Meetings and would like to be part of this next round of discussions, please email Dale Shields at shields.dale1@gmail.com.

This week’s offering is shared with the Family Relief Fund of Black Owned Maine, a Portland-based non-profit. This Fund provides one-time grants of up to $250 to area Black & Brown business owners to help cover costs such as child care, utilities, food, housing, medical payments and transportation. The Fund is part of the mission of Black Owned Maine to serve Black & Brown owned Maine businesses as a comprehensive resource, providing tools such as an online business directory, and podcasts and interview opportunities to address issues they face.

Please offer your gift by clicking the "Make Your Offering" button below (to contribute via GiveButter), dropping a check or cash in the mail, or sending via your bank's bill pay feature.

Want to get money out of politics? Our healthcare is one area that money replaces "we the people" when policies are made. Learn more about Health Care and Democracy by attending a League of Women Voters Maine webinar, Wednesday, March 3 at noon. FMI and to register: click here. There is no cost to this webinar.

"As UUs, our commitment to democracy is not just political or moral, it is fundamentally theological. It grows from our understanding that we are all part of one creation, interconnected.  These theological values of human dignity and interdependence are why we know everyone needs a voice in the matters that affect their lives." - Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

How can we approach the end of our life with a healthy and open attitude We can take action now to organize our documents, making sure our legal, financial, and medical affairs are in order. We can create a blueprint of our wishes for others to follow so that even in an emergency they will know what we want. And we can prepare ourselves for leaving our body by resolving and/or deepening relationships; reducing the amount of "stuff" that we carry with us, both physical and emotional; and sharing the wisdom and knowledge we have gained so that we know our purpose in life has been reached.

Join Johanna Munson, end-of-life navigator and death doula, for free discussions about end of life issues on Zoom on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, 2 - 3 pm, EST (next sessions: March 11th, March 25th). Email Johanna to receive the Zoom link to attend: johanna@johannamunson.com.

This three week online training (Saturdays 3 pm-5 pm March 13th, 20th, and 27th) is for parents, especially parents of trans youth, hoping to build their knowledge on trans inclusive sex education, intimate partner violence awareness/prevention, and trans youth. The facilitators will be covering topics such as relationship building with trans youth, being trauma informed with young trans survivors, and answering the question "What if I mess up?" 30 slots are available for participation. Click here for more information and registration.