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Enter password: WORSHIP

Dear First Universalist Friends, 

I write to you at 10am on Wednesday, January 20th. The world being what it is and the news cycle being what it is, I recognize that a lot could happen between now and Friday when this message will be sent out. 

Despite this possibilities of “what could be,” and “what might happen,” one thing I believe will still ring true come Friday are the intentions I offered in a prayer this morning during our vigil for peace. I share this prayer again with you here today:

We greet this day with gratitude, 

We greet this day with open minds and hearts, 

We greet this day with a prayer for peace, goodwill, and healing in our broken, beautiful, beloved country.

Friends, we gather at the cusp of a new age in our country,

We gather with our beloved community to center ourselves and strengthen ourselves.

We gather to offer our prayers, meditations, our clear energy to this important moment -

We pray that the changes set forth this week will bring healing, health, and equity, 

And an end to the oppressions of white supremacy, poverty, greed, pollution, and fear based hatred throughout our entire nation.

These are our dreams and demands for our leadership – new and incumbent.

These are the dreams and demands we commit ourselves to work towards. 

These are our dreams and desires we have for the generations who will follow us. 

In order to arrive fully to this new age

Much work, visioning, healing, and ethical action must occur –

And so, we pray for our leaders, 

May they be courageous and wise, may they be filled with loving-kindness. 

We pray for our country, both “sides” of it, may all be filled with loving kindness,

We pray for ourselves, let us have the stamina, clarity, and embodied ethic of love to see this vision through. 

My friends in this moment, we pray for a peaceful transition of power, 

We pray that those who feel compelled to act with violence are soothed; their rage defused. 

We pray that those who may feel threatened today - and everyday - feel safe and supported,

We pray that this day furthers a necessary transformation in our country.

A necessary transformation based in healing, equity, 

And liberty and justice for all. 

Let it be so. 

Yours in the transformative work of being a good ancestor,

Rev. Hillary 

To help us feel more connected and as a way to see more of each other's faces, we're going to be putting together another collage of your photos to play during the service on Sunday mornings. Want to have your photo included? Send your picture(s) to Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com. Please send in your photos by Sunday, January 24.

All are welcome to join in at the MIDYEAR MEETING on Sunday, January 31st, in the Fellowship Hour from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The Zoom link will be provided that morning as usual.

We will hear reports from Rev. Hillary Collins-Gilpatrick, President Joanna Landsman, and Stewardship Chair/Treasurer Marge Titcomb.

We will then hear a motion which has been drafted by the Board: “We endorse the spirit of the 8th Principle being developed by the UUA, committing ourselves to work together for diversity and against racism and oppressions of all kinds.” We will hear a second, discuss the motion and take a vote. Only members may vote, although all are welcome to participate in the discussion.

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 continue our theme for this month: Imagination. Click for Children's Chapel and enter password: CHAPEL. Want to learn more about Children's Chapel? Visit our website.

Join Gwen on Zoom for a check-in, games, and community building - just some good FUUn! Click for Junior Youth Group and enter password: YOUTH. Want to learn more about JYG? Visit our website.

All are welcome to this virtual coffee hour wherein we connect with each other and reflect on the themes that arose in Sunday's worship service. Click for Social & Learning Hour and enter password: COMMUNITY. Want to learn more about ways to connect at First U? Visit our website.

Join Alexis and Gwen on Zoom as we continue with Coming of Age where during this session we think about good and evil. Click for Coming of Age and enter password: SPIRIT. Want to learn more about Coming of Age? Visit our website.

Are you considering donating your stimulus check? The Faith in Action Council recommends these organizations. If you click on the name of the org, it will take you to their website where you can learn more about their work and mission.

And here are the orgs we’ve supported so far this year with our Half Plate Sunday Offering:

And of course, you can always donate to the good works of our church and to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund, given primarily to those struggling from the economic consequences of the pandemic this year.  

WHAT: the next 3D event focuses on Brain Health!

WHEN: 7:00 pm Zoom on Saturday, Feb. 27. Watch the 3 short films anytime before then.

During this interesting time in our lives, what is one of our greatest resources? "Brain health!" -- says Dr. Daniel Amen, referring to information revealed by ground-breaking research, technology, and treatments focusing on the human brain. People of all ages and with many conditions are being helped by these insights, he says. An unexpected bonus is that they erase the stigma often associated with such words as "mental health", "depression", "ADD", and "addiction". 

You are warmly invited to explore these and other ideas with us at the next virtual 3D event on Saturday, February 27. Three free short films will be available for you to watch at home anytime before our Zoom discussion at 7:00 pm on Sat., February 27. In addition to Dr. Amen, we'll be hearing lively and fun presentations by Dr. Wendy Suzuki (another neurologist) and Elizabeth Amini (of Anti-Aging Games.com). More info next week in Channels.

Save the date -- and see you for a fascinating discussion shortly after Valentine's Day!

The proposed 8th Principle will call UU’s “...to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” The UUA is developing the wording of the 8th, and planning to vote on it at the General Assembly in 2022.

First Universalist's Anti-racism Working Group (AWG), part of our Faith in Action Council, has been hosting small group conversations and coordinating with Rev. Hillary on worship and fellowship, so we can be ready to embrace and "endorse the spirit of the 8th Principle" at our Midyear Meeting on January 31st. (Our Cottage Meetings are all filled up - which is AMAZING!)

Here is the specific motion on which we will be voting:

If you’d like to speak with Rev. Hillary or a member of the AGW about any of this, please reach out. There will be many more learning and exploring opportunities in the months and years to come. We welcome you to check out the anti-racism page on our website that describes how “endorsing the spirit” will be part of First Universalist’s mission.

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This month’s offering is shared with the Restorative Justice Institute of Maine (RJIM). RJIM promotes a cultural and systemic shift to how Mainers approach wrongdoing by advancing the use of restorative justice across the state. Its community-driven projects include the Youth Justice Program for young people at risk and the Restorative Schools Program, recognizing the fact that students learn how to be in community inside our schools. Currently RJIM is working with Yarmouth youth and residents, following up on an incident last month, as it aims to forward a movement that builds safer and more peaceful communities from which we all benefit.

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.

Star Island is looking for summer staff applicants for our 2021 season. If you are not already familiar with Star Island, we run a seasonal religious and educational conference center off the New Hampshire coast and hire approximately 100 people (18 or older) to work from mid-June to mid-September. As our roots are linked to the UU and UCC faiths, working on Star offers a unique employment opportunity in a beautiful location. While many of our seasonal staff are college age or young adults, we welcome all ages to come spend the summer working on Star. The deadline to apply is January 25.  For more information about working on Star Island, please visit our website.

Have you ever wanted to visit Alaska? If so, WhaleCoast Alaska 2021 is for you! Four Alaska UU congregations invite you to experience our unique environmental and spiritual tour program this summer, when it will be safe to travel again. See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs, with friendly homestays and awe-inspiring tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bears, caribou, whales, bald eagles, sea lions, etc. Visit Denali National Park. Experience Native Alaskan culture. WhaleCoast Alaska is an inspirational way to visit our beautiful state. Complete info at: www.WhaleCoastAK.org. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t want to miss!