Watch the Worship Service on YouTube

If we grow our annual commitments for the coming church year by combining last year’s annual contribution with our special RISE UP contribution (an increase of 15%) as we are able, then we will be able to have any and all fundraising events (when it is safe to do so) purely for JOY and JUSTICE, putting our Faith into ACTION!

Be a beautiful annual! Be a faithful perennial! Find FAQs, Giving Table, and place to Plant your seeds of hope with a commitment on our website or send an email to Marge (mjtbean@aol.com) or Sarah (sarahcoffinwitte@gmail.com).

Watch the video.

Dear First U Friends,

Oh, how sweet it was to see so many of you last Sunday at our Pi Day Mini-Pie Exchange. A multi-generational crowd of new friends and long term members all turned up for pie and fellowship. In keeping with the math theme, Gwen and I did a rough pie count before we set them out for pick-up and you all made over 60 pies! That’s a lot of mini-pies! And, I will add, pretty much all of them were swiped up by the end of our exchange. (Yes, Gwen and I had the terrible job of divvying up the remaining few pies between us...poor us.) 

Since we’ve all been living such introverted lives, I wasn’t sure if all the social excitement of Pi(e) Day was going to knock me flat by mid-afternoon. To my amazement, quite the opposite occurred. On my drive home I felt so energized from our time together - just buoyant with a feeling of connection. It felt nourishing - and I hadn’t even eaten any pie yet.

Along with holding worship in the sanctuary (what a concept!), making dinner with friends, and just not being so anxious all the time - one of the things I’m most excited to experience when our quarantine finally lifts are all the subtle feelings of connection. These feelings would be nothing special had we not just gone through a year apart - but I just know that the sensations of touch, of collective laughter, of eye contact, of shared quiet, of sitting close to one another, of telling wild gestural stories together, of waving across the room - will be electric with feeling. We will feel so alive.

Doubtless, the intensity of these feelings will be fleeting as we re-discover the rhythms of our routines and expectations. But oh, like the first blush of spring when our senses are so heightened to the return of the red-wing black birds, the trickle of melting, the growing red buds of the maple trees - the first few weeks of our return together, whenever that happens, will be nothing short of sensational. I hope we really feel it. 

In the meantime, know that First U has you covered with opportunities for connection. Next week we begin an Adult RE class on “Navigating End of Life Questions,” which will provide ample opportunity for deep conversation and reflection with friends from our congregation. More information and registration links for this course can be found in this week’s Channels below. Plans are also in the works for Easter celebrations, Flower Communion, and opportunities for collaboration with our neighbors next door at First Parish. As I mentioned in my first sermon of the month, a feeling of connection also can emerge through acts of generosity, and with that, I want to remind you that we are still in the midst of our Annual Campaign. If you are able, why not consider pledging to grow joy and justice with us? 

Oh. We’re just like the crocus and tulip stalks peeking out of the ground these days, aren’t we? So ready to emerge from our long hibernation apart. 

Just a little longer, my friends, just a little longer. No need to bloom too soon, we must let nature - and medicine - take its course. Many blessings upon those of you who are fully vaccinated - may you really feel all the feels and find great nourishment there. And blessings upon those of us who must still wait, may we remain patient, curious, caring - and careful - until it’s our time. 

Yours in almost spring,

Rev. Hillary 

When we make time to ponder our feelings about death, and give some attention and energy to planning for it, two shifts happen:

Many of us have a hard time with death, and that’s understandable. Death marks a major disruption to so many elements of our lives- relationships, security, identity, and more. Thank you for having the courage to take a deeper look. Each Zoom session includes: presentations, breakout rooms with thought-provoking prompts, and opportunities to have these meaningful conversations.

3/25: Where do we start the conversations around death and dying?

4/1:  What can we do now to prepare ourselves and our loved ones?

4/8:  How will we exit this world?

At the end of the 3 sessions you will have:

Our hope is that you will leave these sessions with a sense of joy that you are part of a community that will help see you through these life passages, and a feeling of peace when the time comes for you or a loved one you have assisted.

Offered by: Johanna Munson, End-of-Life Navigator, with Rev. Hillary Collins-Gilpatrick, and Sarah Witte.

COST: Suggested donation is $10-25 for each class.

Please note: We encourage you to attend all three sessions, but it is not required. If you can’t make the first, we’ll schedule a session to fill you in so you’re ready for the second and third.

SIGN UP: Please CLICK HERE to reserve a spot BY MARCH 21.

FMI on Johanna, please join her Facebook group or write to her at johanna@johannamunson.com.

Through reflection, conversation and connection, First Universalist identifies goals for the calendar year for each council and committee.

This week we’re excited to share the goals of the CONGREGATION CONNECTIONS COMMITTEE, which is currently comprised of Sarah Witte, Cindy Guernsey, Martha Hutchinson, Brenda McKee, and Gwen Matthews.

For more detail on these goals, please see the full 2021 Goals document at our website. If you would like to join this group, please let us know! Contact Sarah at sarahcoffinwitte@gmail.com.

What brings you joy? My family, both near and far, bring me immense joy. I'm very close to my Mother (SC) and my sister (GA), both of whom live too far away!

What are you most proud of? I'm very proud of and grateful for my three children who are now all in their 20s and becoming such interesting and inspiring adults.

Why did you choose First Universalist as your spiritual home? My spiritual home is actually within my Yoga practice, but what I experience at First Universalist is that I can be in a strong community with others and all practices are welcome.

Where do you find a sense of calm or peace? I find it in Nature and in a daily ritual of practicing all 8 limbs of Yoga. In short, these encompass living well in community, taking good care of oneself, doing poses, breath work, meditation, all in the context of devotion to God. I also study the ancient religious texts in which I see the roots of our 7 UU Principles (soon to be 8, I hope!).

What are you most passionate about? I am most passionate about being a lifelong learner and finding ways to create community that uplift us all.

What brings me joy… family, music, baking and growing vegetables

Why I chose First U …. I wanted ‘church’ in my life, but could not believe the statements and prayers of sin and such that were part of churches that I attended as a child; I could not believe that any person was born into ‘sin’; Tom Chulak and his wife Diane opened new channels of possibility for worship and community that was and still is spiritual and supportive, and even playful at the right times!

A sense of calm… always the ocean and nature

Most proud of … ? a family that is not necessarily like me but each loving, hard working, and passionate about what they do

Join Anna on Zoom where we discuss and learn about a commitment to change. Click for Children's Chapel and enter password: CHAPEL.

Coffee hour connection and a chance to reflect on the themes that arose in the worship service. Click for the Social & Learning Hour and enter the password: COMMUNITY.

Join Rev. Hillary, Joanna, and special guest, Lily, on Zoom where we will explore the sources of UUism and learn about congregational life. Click for Coming of Age and enter the password: SPIRIT.

Junior youth group members (5th - 8th grade), bring yourself and any friends to the outside of the church on Sunday, March 28, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, to craft your own Blue Man style instruments together. Join Ben, Christy, and Gwen as we have fun creating and then attempting to play our instruments. Please RSVP by March 22 if you plan to attend and/or bring friends as we need to know how many materials to bring (gwenatfirstu@gmail.com).

- We ask all to wear masks and will have hand sanitizer available.

- Parents, please drop off your youth at the church at 1:00 pm and return promptly at 2:30 pm.

Plus, save the date for April 11th and May 23d, both at 1:00 - 2:30 pm, for more junior youth group fun!

Come to participate in a traditional Easter egg hunt outside at First Universalist. We will be hiding (empty!) Easter eggs and children/youth will be able to trade the eggs they find in for a (full!) Easter giftbag. The egg hunt will be color coded by age group with progressive difficulty in hiding spots.

Want some Easter cheer? Everyone is welcome to come out on Easter Sunday to say hello and chat while the children/youth hunt for eggs. We'll also have a chance to hang up some Easter and springtime wishes in a tree. Rev. Hillary, Gwen, and members of the RE Council and Congregation Connections will all be there, too.

What time should I arrive? Come at 12:00 pm if you want to help hide the eggs! Come at 12:30 pm if you want to hunt for the eggs! We'll finish up with everything around 1:00 pm.

The anti-racist learning groups began on March 10th and, by the end of March, 20 church members will be participating. Most groups meet once a month, exploring content that members would like to learn and identifying content to more fully understand.

If other church members are interested in joining an anti-racist learning group you could join an existing group or if we have enough members we can start another group.  Please consider signing up for an anti-racist learning group by contacting Dale Shields at shields.dale1@gmail.com.

What you read, what you watch, what you discuss, etc. is your choice, but to get started we suggest you can begin with content put into Channels in the past several months or books you have already read.

To explore further, here are some other resources:

In honor of our second principle, justice, equity and compassion in human relations, this week’s offering is shared with Presente! Maine, serving the Latinx community, who are historically excluded from public benefits. Presente! Maine addresses immediate needs of food, housing, and healthcare, and offers survival services to combat racism and poverty, and leadership education to transform systems and power structures that impact the Latinx community.

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.