Supper and Spirit

Join us at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 5, for Supper & Spirit. We will explore the story of the three kings in the scripture Matthew 2:1-12. Come for community, good food, and the hope-filled spirit of the season! All are welcome! Sign-ups are not required but are helpful for numbers! Click HERE to sign up.

Seekers Joining Together

Mondays from 5:00-6:00 PM via Zoom

beginning Monday, January 6, 2025

This is your personal invitation to join our book group at a new time, on a new day of the week, with a new name. The Book and Meditation Group has gathered together for over fifteen years on Tuesday mornings at 6:45 a.m. Originally, we met at the church in the teen beanbag room, then the old library, and after reconstruction in the new library until COVID. In 2020, we regrouped via Zoom. The time has always been a bit daunting for folks who do not enjoy getting up before sunrise. Meditation has been a daunting idea for others. So, we have changed the time and the name. Now is the perfect opportunity to join this group of dedicated seekers as we continue to explore how we personally can make a difference in our challenging world.

Our book group will be listed as Seekers Joining Together in the weekly church emails and monthly newsletters, which will include the Zoom link.

Beginning January 6, the book we will explore together is nonfiction, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World by Sharon Brous. She is the senior rabbi of a trail-blazing Jewish community in Los Angeles.

The Amen Effect reads as an extended philosophical and spiritual conversation about the perils of alienation and tribalization and the importance of the “true, heart-felt encounter.” While the book is rooted in religious teaching, one need not adhere to a religious tradition to appreciate its wisdom. In fact, one of Brous’s strengths as a writer is her seemingly effortless ability to bring together many voices, ancient and recent, Jewish and not, to weigh in on how to navigate sorrow — our own and others’ — and how to heal.”

There is never any homework or need to prepare for this group; as seekers, we take turns reading aloud, but no one ever has to read if they prefer just to listen. We frequently stop to discuss a passage whenever someone wants to share. Books generally take us several months to complete. Our discussions are loving, honest, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, but we are always grateful for the time we have shared together. We hope you will join us in the new year to enrich your journey and share your wisdom with us. If you have any questions, please contact one of us. We would so welcome you to join us on Mondays at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom as we all journey together.

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85848363676

Passcode: 1766

Nancy Adams – nancyroweadams@gmail.com

Barbara Fritz – bfritz105@gmail.com

Vicki Haugen – vicki.haugen@gmail.com

Marty Helman – martyrotary@gmail.com

Mary Neal – wjwmbn@gmail.com

What is environmental justice? And why should we care?

A small group of interested folks gathered after church several weeks ago to ponder these questions together. Among them was our pastor, a few retired clergy, a couple of folks with backgrounds in environmental science, and others connected with various organizations locally or just curious. The common element was concern about global warming and a willingness to discover resources that might be available to guide us as a congregation, as individuals, and as members of our various local communities to be responsible caregivers to “Mother Earth.”

With all that is currently happening in our world… wars, hunger, disasters, disease, political unrest, and refugees displaced seemingly on every continent… what is environmental justice but one more thing to worry about? And how is it an issue for us as people of faith? In Psalm 8 the author ponders the wonders and order of creation, and especially that humans were created “only slightly less than angels” and set us to “rule” over this divine handiwork. Unfortunately, that power and responsibility have too often been used only for profit, with little regard for long-term consequences.

At the most basic level, our call as people of faith is “to love our neighbor” – neighbors of every kind! This love is also our mandate to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). Environmental justice has everything to do with our faith! If you look closely at everything happening in our world, environmental justice is not just one more issue. It is the underlying issue to them all. The desire for and care of the earth’s resources – land, water, soil for crops, minerals for energy and development of products, creatures for food and labor – these are the building blocks of life, community, nations … as well as wealth and power. This is actually what the struggles are about.

But what can I do, we ask? Well, that is just what our group is asking and we intend to share with you the actions, small as they may seem, that can make a difference and help us to do our part. Watch for future articles through church bulletins and newsletters. We intend to find doable and impactful suggestions for us all.

On behalf of the “Creation Justice Team,” Sandy Daly

Poinsettia Dedications 2024



It is a Christmas tradition for congregants to purchase poinsettias in honor of loved ones, and the poinsettias are displayed in the sanctuary during the Christmas season. Congregants may also donate to a charitable fund in honor of loved ones. This year, the Deacons chose the Boothbay Schools Children’s Holiday Fund, which helps local families needing assistance with holiday meals and gifts for their children.

In memory of my parents, brother, and husband

Debbie Watson

In memory of Bob and Gene Shepard

Barclay Shepard

In loving memory of Earle Smith

Arlene Smith

In celebration of our grandchildren

Betty & Ted Repa

In honor of our grandchildren, River, Saylor, Henry, and Graham

Peggy & I.J. Pinkham

In memory of Pat Yetman

Vicki Haugen

In celebration of Cailey and her pet friends

Lee Corbin & Jon Dunsford

In memory of Marjorie and Jack Hoffman

and

Marcia and Bob Foulger

Sarah Foulger & Russ Hoffman

In memory of Jan Hakanson Jedson

Eric & Sandi Hakanson

In memory of Richard Plunkett

Susan Reynolds

In memory of Arlene Downes and Ellen Lewin

Sandra Leonard & Shawn Lewin

In memory of Sybil and Miner Long and George Massar

In honor of Mary Massar

Ella & Jeff Long

In honor of family, past and present

Ed and Karen Parker

In memory of George W. Range

Douglas Light

The Christmas tree is given in memory of Pete Mundy, who loved Christmas and this church, from his wife, Jackie Mundy.