Led by Rev. Hillary, this will be a spiritually nourishing time of quiet, centering, and prayer. It will be followed by a time for fellowship. All are welcome to join! A link to participate will be sent out on Sunday morning.

Like many of you, my growing projects got more attention than usual this summer, and due to the fact that we were living remotely and unable to see many friends, these sunflowers became companions of mine. I mean, they were about as tall as me, if not taller, and some had heads as big as mine! They were living beings I would visit, check on, and care for each day. And yes, they were also very good listeners when I needed to someone to talk to besides Alexis and Smokey.

Though we moved before I could see many of them bloom, we did safely transport our “trough suns” to Maine where they were tenderly transplanted into a raised bed upon arrival. Everyone was intact and I was excited that I’d be able to see them through to bloom. With room to finally stretch out their roots, by mid-August the flowers had doubled in size. I was so happy they were happy. We had to head back to New Hampshire to finish up our move, I gave them a good drink and told them I’d see them in a week.

When I returned – devastation.

 

Either weather, bird, chipmunk, or neighbor had come and wreaked havoc on the bed. The sunflowers were bent over, some clipped at the stalk. A couple were left standing tall, but many lay broken and wilting on the ground – there for who knows how long. 

I couldn’t help but weep.

And then I couldn’t help but get to work. I braced the bent stalks with sticks, accepted the loss of ones that were clearly goners, and picked up one clipped stalk from the ground, brought it inside and put it in a vase.

“That one looks pretty dead,” Alexis remarked as I placed it in a sunny window.

“I just want to see what happens.” I replied.

For days the unbloomed flower sat wilting in the vase. “I think we need to let this guy go, Hill.”

“Not yet, just let’s see.”

I cut the stalk shorter and trimmed the leaves, hoping it could better shore up some life-power.

I made sure it was in the sunshine in the morning, I made sure it was in the evening light. Within a couple days, I couldn’t tell if it was just me and my idealistic thinking, but it seemed to be standing a little taller.

 

As I waited for the coffee to percolate this morning I went over to check on the little guy, and gasped.

Patience is needed and power is needed. Seek out the sunlight and keep yourselves hydrated. As UUs our faith calls us to keep on living, keep on caring, keep on learning how to care about the lives of others. Weep when you need and trust that I’m weeping alongside you for the devastation of so many living beings in this world – the bodies of black men and women, the forests

on fire, the cities flooding, the torn families of refugees, the people fueled only by hate. We will weep when you need, and then, together, we will shore up our power and get back to work.  

 

Yours in life and unexpected aliveness,

Rev. Hillary

Real, old fashioned USPS snail mail is heading to your mailbox soon - be on the lookout for a letter from First Universalist!

Your minister, Rev. Hillary, and staff, Gwen, Sam, and Andrea, are joyfully hard at work planning for our coming church year. Even on Zoom, your minister and staff are finding ways to connect and to assist First U in fulfilling our mission to explore - embrace - engage and be a spiritual seeker.

Our senior youth group will be engaging on a year-long, in-depth, faith-filled journey known as Coming of Age, facilitated by myself, Rev. Hillary, and Joanna Landsman. What helps to make this meaningful and expansive is the role of mentors for our youth. Please email me (gwenatfirstu@gmail.com) if you would like to know more about being a mentor for this program.

Our vision of Adult RE this year are session-based discussions, workshops, or book groups that allow for a wide breadth of enriching topics. While some of these sessions will be led by Rev. Hillary, we are seeking you - your knowledge, your wisdom, your insight - and asking you to lead three or four sessions. Perhaps you can share a grounding meditation practice, facilitate discussions on death and dying, lead workshops on spiritual journaling, or host a book discussion on social justice movements. Please email me (gwenatfirstu@gmail.com) to discuss your ideas and possible scheduling.

Because of this new Coronavirus, our long standing relationship with Preble Street has changed. For years we have had a dedicated slot on the first Tuesday of each month providing several volunteers, usually between 5 and 7 people. Many of our regular volunteers are in their seventies or eighties and felt unable to continue volunteering for health reasons. We have had two wonderful new volunteers step up recently but they have young families and are not always available on our specific Tuesday.

We are no longer able to promise even two volunteers on our specific day so we no longer have a “dedicated spots” just for First U. I urge anyone able to volunteer to sign up to volunteer for any shift on any day at Preble Street if they are able. There are breakfast, lunch and dinner shifts available each day, every day of the week. Volunteers are greatly needed. Please check out their website. Three volunteers prepare bag meals each shift and have no contact with the public. While volunteering at Preble Street, social distancing and masks are required.

If you are interested in volunteering and have any questions, please contact me (Ruth White - rwhite7@maine.rr.com) and I can put you in touch with a current volunteer who can tell you all about how it works. When things return to our new normal we will reevaluate our relationship with Preble Street and hopefully be able to again volunteer wholeheartedly with them.

The Anti-Racism Working Group have purchased, for the use of First Universalist members, friends, and attendees:

Recommended donations for bumper stickers are $5 each, yard signs with a metal stake are $12, and copies of AntiRacist Baby are $12. Checks should be made out to the First Universalist Church and sent to the church with a note on the line for bumper sticker, yard sign, or book - or some combination of the three.

Anyone interested should contact Sarah at sarahcoffinwitte@gmail.com and she can arrange with you to pick up or drop off the bumper sticker, yard sign, or book. If we run out of bumper sticker or yard signs we will order more.

You can now submit your online request for an Absentee Ballot for the November election!

Ballots will be mailed out about 30 days before the election; but putting in your request now helps your town clerk’s office anticipate the absentee ballot volume they will face in the month before the election.

Don’t wait, put your request in now! (Request Absentee Ballot).