Watch the Worship Service on YouTube

From “Aimless Love” by Billy Collins

Dear First U Friends,

Last Sunday, on Valentine’s Day, we joined thousands of folks from our big, beloved, international, UU community and participated in the UUA’s Side with Love service. This Sunday we bring this big, expansive, all-encompassing theme home and celebrate love in our beloved community right here at First U. We’re calling it the “Love Is All You Need” service, and it will be led by members, families, and friends of our congregation each of whom will share a reflection based on the prompt - yep, you guessed it - “love is all you need.”

And well, here’s the thing, when I initially dreamed up this service with the Worship Council a couple months ago, “love is all you need” seemed like a solid bedrock from which to create a worship service. As the date drew nearer though, and I waded deep in the waters of the anti-racism work that shaped our January services, I started to second guess myself. Is love really all you need? Is it really, John? Really, Paul? George, Ringo, is it really? In our broken, beautiful world having love in our lives does not guarantee food on the table, clothes, heat, clean water, or electricity; resources I think we can agree are what we need to survive. The more I thought it over, the theme started to feel irresponsible; the romantic notion of a cisgender, middle class, white woman who has all her basic needs met. 

But then I came back to this beloved community concept. Beloved community is a society in which all are accepted and loved for who they are. This was MLK’s aspirational vision for a world in which injustice, inequity, fear, and violence would cease to exist - why? Because the awesome power of love - love beyond all love, “a new dimension of love” as he put it - would be engaged and embraced across the world. “This is the love that may well be the salvation of our civilization,” he preached. 

And so, when I think about the love in Rev. Dr. Martin’s beloved community, I can’t help but feel that this love might just in fact be all we need. We’ve just got to get to work changing the way our societies, cultures, and relationships operate to get there. I think one big step we can take along the way is to acknowledge, get to know, and yes, really feel, the love in our lives; love in all of it’s messy, big, expansive, confusing, wondrous, strange, beautiful manifestations. 

And so, this Sunday, we listen to friends from our beloved community as they lift up these manifestations of love in their lives, May their stories and wisdom lift our awareness to the love in our lives, and help us on our way to building a world where love truly is all we need. 

Yours in lovingly chasing away the Blue Meanies,

Rev. Hillary 

Small Groups are regularly occurring monthly or bi-monthly meetings of a small number of committed folks from our church who gather to check-in with one another, explore spiritual practices, and ponder theologically enriching questions. This year all Small Groups are meeting online and many are using monthly Soul Matters theme based materials to structure their gatherings. Our First U Small Groups are very meaningful to many people in our community and currently we have several openings in our current small groups for new members. Please email Rev. Hillary (firstuminster@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining a group or learning more about our Small Group ministry. If there is enough interest, it is possible new Small Groups could also be organized at this time.

At First Universalist, there is a tradition to celebrate Pi Day (3/14) with an embrace of science, math, and delicious pies. In an effort to keep that tradition alive, we're planning a pandemic style mini pie exchange.

That's okay! We believe that folks will make extras and you can still come pick up a mini-pie to enjoy. Trust that some days, you're the pie-maker, other days, you're the pie-eater - and both roles are vital to the pie experience.

Email Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com with any questions.

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 Rev. Hillary and Gwen on Zoom where we learn all about our 8th principle: including ideas like equity and celebrating our differences. Click for Children's Chapel and enter password: CHAPEL.

An online version of coffee hour connection and a chance to reflect on the themes that arose during the Worship Service. Click for the Social & Learning Hour and enter the password: COMMUNITY.

Our Coming of Age group meets this week in-person at Winslow Park in Freeport where we'll explore different spiritual practices including movement, meditation, and connecting with nature. Rev. Hillary, Joanna, Ben, Alexis, and Gwen will all be in attendance, too.

Our junior youth group will be on hiatus for the rest of February and most of March, but we plan to spring forward with our re-launch of project-based JYG activities and workshops. Look for more details coming soon about the exciting new offerings!

Parents, grandparents, and caregivers help to shape a child’s healthy understanding of both their own gender and the gender diversity out in the world. This workshop, co-facilitated by Rev. Hillary and Gwen, calls participants to explore their ideas and feelings about gender and the values about gender they are teaching their children or grandchildren, explicitly or implicitly. The workshop introduces cultural and biological issues at play in gender identity and gender expression. Participants will find spiritual grounding for becoming comfortable with gender topics and integrating gender into conversations with their children or grandchildren.

Please register in advance for this Zoom meeting.

Please note the date change: Saturday, February 20, at 7:00 pm*

Why BRAIN HEALTH? With all the big news in the world these days, where do we start if we want to help? I suggest the following three TED talks. Check out Wendy Suzuki's epiphany, Elizabeth Amini's offer, and Daniel Amen's insights. Like me, you may find hope here regarding all sorts of topics--from school shootings and domestic violence to crazy politicians and the way we've been caring for our planet. The good news starts with the fact that we each have a brain. Let's put them together and have a conversation?

You are warmly invited to join us at the next virtual 3D event. Watch our selected 3 films (14 min. each) anytime before the Zoom discussion at 7:00 pm on Sat., February 20. Please sign up by emailing Mariana at catalpa.girl@gmail.com so we can send you the Zoom link. See you for a fascinating discussion soon after Valentine's Day!

“Our imaging work... taught us that mild traumatic brain injury was a major cause of psychiatric illness that ruin peoples’ lives, and virtually no one knew about it because they would see psychiatrists for things like temper problems, anxiety, depression and insomnia, and they would never look [at a brain scan], so they would never know [it was due to a physical injury].” -- Dr. Daniel Amen

*Why the date change? So you have the opportunity to attend the New Day Rising National Conference! (see below)

First Universalist voted to endorse the spirit of the 8th Principle and the journey toward justice continues!

Many of you have expressed a desire to continue learning and exploring how to be an anti-racist with others going forward. Several in the Cottage meetings described that it would be easier to learn and take action when we are learning and taking action together.

To facilitate this, soon the AWG will be sending out a sign-up tool to create small groups in which you can engage in further dialogue and learning about racism and anti-racism.

You may choose to use content the AWG has presented in Channels or choose material you have discovered on your own. The AWG will also provide organizational suggestions, discussion questions and even tech support if you need it!  It will be up to you, however, to decide how to meet (Zoom, Facetime, phone, etc.) and for how long.

Look for the link to sign-up in an email coming soon! We look forward to engaging with you in this effort!

If you were not part of the AWG Cottage Meetings and would like to be part of this next round of discussions, please email Dale Shields at shields.dale1@gmail.com.

During the zoom meeting after last Sunday’s UUA Service questions were raised about “What are microaggressions?"

Here are three resources which explain microaggressions:

This week’s offering is shared with the Family Relief Fund of Black Owned Maine, a Portland-based non-profit. This Fund provides one-time grants of up to $250 to area Black & Brown business owners to help cover costs such as child care, utilities, food, housing, medical payments and transportation. The Fund is part of the mission of Black Owned Maine to serve Black & Brown owned Maine businesses as a comprehensive resource, providing tools such as an online business directory, and podcasts and interview opportunities to address issues they face.

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.

How can we approach the end of our life with a healthy and open attitude We can take action now to organize our documents, making sure our legal, financial, and medical affairs are in order. We can create a blueprint of our wishes for others to follow so that even in an emergency they will know what we want. And we can prepare ourselves for leaving our body by resolving and/or deepening relationships; reducing the amount of "stuff" that we carry with us, both physical and emotional; and sharing the wisdom and knowledge we have gained so that we know our purpose in life has been reached.

Join Johanna Munson, end-of-life navigator and death doula, for free discussions about end of life issues on Zoom on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, 2 - 3 pm, EST (next sessions: February 25th, March 11th, March 25th). Email Johanna to receive the Zoom link to attend: johanna@johannamunson.com.

This three week online training (Saturdays 3 pm-5 pm March 13th, 20th, and 27th) is for parents, especially parents of trans youth, hoping to build their knowledge on trans inclusive sex education, intimate partner violence awareness/prevention, and trans youth. The facilitators will be covering topics such as relationship building with trans youth, being trauma informed with young trans survivors, and answering the question "What if I mess up?" 30 slots are available for participation. Click here for more information and registration.