Sundays, July 24, 31, and August 7, 14, 21, 28, at 5:00 pm

Whether you were on the beach or in the berry patch, playing games or hosting guests, come find the peace of our Summer Vespers practice at First Universalist. We gather on Sundays at 5 pm for a half hour of reflections and sharing of joys and concerns, then enjoy a freestyle potluck supper of whatever we had handy! Bring kids, bring guests, bring your self, and scoop up some friendly centering at the end of your summer Sunday. FMI write to Sarah Witte sarahcoffinwitte@gmail.com.

PLUS: New this year - Children's Vespers! A Children's Vespers service will be offered at the same time as the Sunday Evening Summer Vespers for adults. Children will get to participate in a short, engaging, ritual, For more information, contact Gwen Matthews at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com.

Rev. Hillary will be offline and on vacation from Friday, July 1st through Monday August 1st. While she is away, Rev. Elaine Peresluha, who currently serves as the Interim Minister of First Parish Portland, will be on call and available for pastoral emergencies. You can reach Rev. Elaine at minister@firstparishportland.org or 207-300-3661.

This year, First Universalist's participation in Clam Fest will be to offer accessible parking for people with physical disabilities. Enjoy the festivities!

Channels will be on hiatus on August 5. Channels will be published on Fridays, as usual, all other summer Fridays. As always, please have any announcements for Channels sent to Gwen on Wednesdays at 12 pm. Thank you!

Marni plans to start up yoga for members and friends of First U again in September. Stay tuned for updates!

Assisting with Children's Chapel is a rewarding way to live and share your Unitarian Universalist values with children ages four to nine. Children's Chapel is a mix of activities, games, celebrations, activities, stories, and group discussion that allows all children to chime in with their big questions and helps them to find their own answers. As an assistant, you'll support our professional children's teacher, Mack Jones, during Children's Chapel, but will not be responsible for advance planning or gathering materials.

Consider...

Questions? Contact Gwen Matthews, Director of Education and Communications, at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com.

This coming church year, we're confident that we'll actually be able to open and staff our nursery! 

With that on the horizon, we are currently in search of approximately six teens (ages 13+) who would be willing to be paid nursery assistants during our Sunday worship services, 10:30 am - 11:30 am, to work approx. two Sundays per month (can be more or less, depending on availability) - and, if interested, may also be on call to provide childcare for other events.

Please direct anyone who is interested or who would like more information to contact Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com.

This summer, the Adult RE Council invites you to read Mill Town: Reckoning With What Remains by Kerri Arsenault.

About the book: Kerri Arsenault grew up in the small, rural town of Mexico, Maine, where for over 100 years the community orbited around a paper mill that provided jobs for nearly everyone in town, including three generations of her family. Kerri had a happy childhood, but years after she moved away, she realized the price she paid for that childhood. The price everyone paid. The mill, while providing the social and economic cohesion for the community, also contributed to its demise.

Book discussions: With all that this book contains, the Adult RE Council is inviting you to two discussion sessions in August, one to cover the first half of the book and one for the second half. These book discussions will be held on Thursday, August 11, 4:30 - 5:30 pm, and Thursday, August 25, 4:30 - 5:30 pm, and will be facilitated by the Adult RE Council.

As we face the fall of Roe v Wade, we know that there will be a huge need for local organizing, resource sharing, and collective action as abortion becomes criminalized in various places. By signing up for this three-part series put on by the UUA’s Side with Love Organizing Strategy Team, you are committing to being a part of organizing a team in your congregation that will organize the congregation for specific action(s) in support of abortion access and Reproductive Justice in your community. Everyone who signs up for this series is expected to bring at least one other person from their congregation, with whom you will apply the learning from these sessions immediately in your own context. Facilitated by Revs. Ranwa Hammamy and Ashley Horan of the UUA’s Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team.

Participation in all 3 sessions (July 21, July 28, & August 4th) is required. Register HERE.