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We are coming up to the last Sunday in March and if we were all together we could have a huge cheer for the Growing Joy and Justice Annual Campaign that wraps up at the end of the month.

Can you cheer, wherever you are? First Universalist! WOW! and THANKS!

We have raised $124,000 which is only $26,000 short of our goal. And YES YES YES, if you have not yet told us your commitment for our next year, please do, via website or email (to Marge or Sarah). YOU can get us to the goal!

It says a lot about the good feelings and the good work happening here this year that so many of us have committed to making it an even more amazing year of JOY AND JUSTICE. Thank you!

Dear First U Friends,

Last week I had the joy of taking a walk with Rev. Kate Dalton, the Senior Minister of First Parish Church - aka, the church across the street from First U. Though we’d crossed virtual paths a bit this year, this was the first time we’d met in real life, and I’m happy to say, we really hit it off!

Among the many topics we discussed during our walk, Rev. Kate and I contemplated opportunities for collaboration between our neighbor churches. She shared that a group of First Parish congregants were planning to attend the “Revolutionary Love'' Conference April 15-18th and perhaps some First U folks might be interested in attending as well. If so, we could organize joint discussion groups about the conference later this spring. 

Cool!

A quick word about the Revolutionary Love Conference: It’s fantastic. 

The Revolutionary Love Conference is an annual event hosted by Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan’s East Village. The church is a pioneer in weaving the arts with activism and faith, and the Revolutionary Love Conference is their celebration of the transformative power of art, justice, and love. Middle Collegiate’s Senior Minister is Rev. Jacqui Lewis, a powerhouse of a speaker, facilitator, and justice-leader. 

The line-up of speakers at the RLC is always spectacular, and this year is no exception. Just a few of the artists, activists, and faith leaders speaking this year include: Rev. William J. Barber, Sister Simone Campbell, Van Jones, Valerie Kaur, Krista Tippett, and angel Kyodo williams, - but really, the list goes on and on. 

Typically the conference is held in person, and, sure, I know we are all sick of Zoom, but the fact that events like this are now virtual and widely available to all (and recorded for later listening!) is a true gift. 

If you would like to attend, email me (firstuminister@gmail.com). We will combine our registration with First Parish so we can offer the group rate to interested folks - $50 per registrant. If this poses a financial burden for you, please let me know. Financial assistance is absolutely available. 

Yours in making new friends,

And yours, always, in revolutionary love,

Rev. Hillary 

First U is invited to join First Parish in attending the Revolutionary Love Conference, a virtual conference to build a just, antiracist society through the power of fierce love (about the conference). This year’s conference will feature transformative artists, justice-oriented public servants, inspirational educators and faith leaders from many traditions (see the full speaker list). They have curated a dynamic weekend of conference programming to help ignite your imagination, and give you the courage to love and dream fiercely. The speakers and facilitators will give you new tools to shift the cultural narrative, so we can collectively shape a new story that brings us closer to justice (the conference schedule). The conference is live but all ticket holders will also have access to recordings of the entire conference. Tickets to attend this four day conference are $50 - contact Rev. Hillary if you're interested in participating and receiving this group rate.

The vision: A small lending library for children and families, housed in the Kitty Corner, that focuses on books related to UU values. We'd start out small, maybe fifty books, and include books that highlight justice, diversity, peace, and inclusion. We'd curate books from our current collection and add new titles, too.

When we're back in the church building, children could find a cozy spot and read books during coffee hour, teens might volunteer to read-aloud, grandparents might discover new books to share with their grandchildren, and Peace Play could welcome families into the space during the week. Like other libraries, we'd also house some quiet toys in the section.

How to help launch: We need just a few good folks for a small number of roles to get this project launched. Do any of these appeal to you? Contact Gwen at gwenatfirstu@gmail.com if you'd like to get involved or have other ideas you'd like to share.

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 BOARD OF TRUSTEES. Your Board of Trustees for this church year includes Joanna Landsman, Jen Civiello, Marge Titcomb, Sarah Witte, Joe Dreher, Nancy Dix, Stew Guernsey, and Andrew Tonks.

For more detail on these goals, please see the full 2021 Goals document at our website.

What brings you joy? Leather clogs, cheap coffee, and college ruled spiral bound notebooks. Old refrigerators, second chances, and full moons. Mostly: Jumping off the couch to dance around with my daughters as the credits roll - the perfect capstone to our weekly Friday night pizza and movie tradition.

Why did you choose First Universalist as your spiritual home? I had sworn off religion but wandered in one Christmas Eve in pursuit of candlelight ... Then stopped by a few weeks later to check out a more traditional service and fell in love with the benediction.

Where do you find a sense of calm or peace? Outside! (But not like hiking the AT or marathoning or some other uber athletic pursuit.) I feel most like myself traipsing through tall grass, on a lowkey camping trip, paddle boarding, mowing the lawn, picnicking, or biking around town with my kiddos.

What are you most proud of? My daughters, Rosemary and Millicent.

What are you most passionate about? Being a [good] mom.

We moved to Maine in 2003 and set about to find a UU church that we loved as much as our Chicago church. We visited First Parish in Portland to ask them for advice on which church to attend. The woman who met with us said, “well, there is the Yarmouth church but you probably wouldn’t like it because it’s filled with aging hippies.” We instantly knew this was the church for us and have been committed ever since. As retired social workers, the dedication to service for others was important to us and First U shared our values. Right now, especially, the vesper service brings us joy and a sense of calm because we feel enveloped in this caring community. We are often asked why we didn’t attend the Brunswick church because we live in Harpswell. We just tell people we have found our spiritual home.

Join Anna on Zoom where we embrace a commitment to compassion. 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.

We'll be meeting live, in-person, outside at First Universalist this Sunday to make DIY Blue Man style instruments. Join Ben, Christy, and Gwen as we have fun creating and then attempting to play our instruments. Rain date, if needed: Sunday, April 25, 1:00 - 2:30 pm.

Join Joanna and Gwen on Zoom to solve the mystery of Project Octave! This is a virtual escape room social justice adventure. Click for Coming of Age and enter the password: SPIRIT.

Junior youth group members (5th - 8th grade) are welcome to bring yourself and any friends to Wolfe's Neck Center to learn about regenerative agriculture, a continuation of our focus for this past church year on the interdependent web of all existence. At Wolfe's Neck, we’ll dive into the innovative regenerative practices they use in their dairy and vegetable production farming operations, and how it has the power to create a healthier planet for future generations. If the weather cooperates, we'll also have the opportunity for some hands-on assistance with weeding, raking, and/or garden clean-up tasks.

Please RSVP by April 5 so we can let our tour guide at Wolfe's Neck know how many participants to expect.

Please note:

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.

One of our First Universalist members is seeking a housing rental for herself and her two children in the Yarmouth area. If you have rental space available or know of someone who does, please make a connection! Contact Val Gifford at valredpath@gmail.com.