August 2023

A Note from Alyssa

Happy August, and happy heat! After a long, cool, rainy start to the summer, we’ve finally experienced a little sun and warmth. Hopefully your gardens are enjoying it, and those of you who are heat-averse or simply not fans of sweating have someplace to cool off. (The ocean? A lake? A resting place with a good fan, heat pump, or air conditioner?)

This August, I’m spending time preparing for a new program year at Woodfords – and for the first time during my tenure with all of you, I’m taking a week of my study/professional development time to attend a conference in person! (In past years, all the conferences and learning events I normally might have attended were either moved online or else cancelled due to the pandemic.)  

While remote, “head on a screen” digital gathering platforms are wonderful tools (I thank God for them!), there is nothing – for me, at least – that can beat fully-embodied learning and sharing with others. I’m therefore looking forward to meeting new colleagues and making new connections in person. (And even as I write that, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m also a bit nervous. I haven’t been to a large conference like this in over four years, and I know that it will feel a bit strange to be surrounded by thousands of other humans. It’s a good thing that I’ve got trusty masks to serve as helpful travelling companions!)

Between August 14 and August 20, I will be out in Chicago, attending The Parliament of the World’s Religions (www.parliamentofreligions.org) The Parliament is the world’s premiere interfaith convening. Every few years, it brings faith and religious leaders, academic and industry experts, and institutions and grassroots organizers from around the world together to engage in interfaith dialogue and action. Attendees represent more than 200 spiritual traditions and come from more than 80 nations. For the sake of geographic fairness, the conference rotates between host cities around the globe; since it is taking place in Chicago this year, I can go without having to pay for airfare to, say, Barcelona, or Melbourne, or Cape Town(!).

The theme of this Parliament is “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights,” and the event’s list of featured luminaries – which includes the UCC’s own Rev. Traci Blackmon – includes an incredible lineup of speakers and leaders from a broad spectrum of faith and wisdom traditions. I look forward to learning from as many of them as I can, as I attend sessions and workshops about faith and democracy, climate action, interfaith understanding, peace and justice, science and religion, and other topics.

Truly, it shall be a smorgasbord for the mind and spirit.

As many of you know, I currently serve as the board president of the Maine Council of Churches. My ministry with the Council grows out of a long-standing, deep love for ecumenical work and building and strengthening interfaith networks and connections. I feel so privileged to live in a world filled with so much wisdom that is captured not only within my own faith tradition of Christianity, but is also woven in, through, and between all of the world’s wisdom and spiritual traditions.

I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to attend The Parliament of the World’s Religions this year … and so thankful to Woodfords for understanding the importance of continuing education and lifelong learning for its pastors. Thank you, Church, for helping make this incredible opportunity financially possible for me by underwriting some of my expenses. I promise that I will bring back lots of stories and learnings … and I look forward to sharing them with you.

In the meantime, please pray for me while I am away, and I’ll pray for all of you, too. 

In faith, with love –

Rev. Alyssa

August Worship

This month, we’re continuing our “Bumper Sticker Theology” worship series. 

Every day, on bumper stickers throughout the nation, people make statements about what they believe and value. Bumper sticker content spans the range of human emotions in expressing humor, cynicism, irony, hope, anger, compassion, grief, and practically any other feeling you can imagine.

During Woodfords’ “Bumper Sticker Theology” worship series, we’re exploring some of the theological statements that may appear on automobile fenders. Theology comes from the Greek roots theos (“God”) and logos (“treating of”), and the Greek word theologia originally meant “an account of the gods.” In modern times, the word theology often refers to the “study or science of God, God’s nature and attributes, and God’s relations with humanity and the universe.”

Thus, when people plaster statements about God on their cars, they are publicly making theological statements about their beliefs regarding who/what God is, and how God operates (or doesn’t) in the world.



This month, worship will provide opportunities to explore some of these bumper sticker-sized theological sound-bites. In lieu of traditional sermons, we’ll share communal conversation about different theological ideas. (How much you participate is entirely up to you. There will be no pressure.) The services will be casual and informal, filled with music and reflection and prayer. 

Championing Justice

Greetings from the Championing Justice Team!

This month will just be a reminder to all that there are many volunteer opportunities to help people in our community and as summer will soon be moving into fall, I thought it a good time to tell you just a bit about some of them. Portland is a great city, but with any city comes challenges, particularly for those less fortunate in our community. 

Wayside Community Meals- We hold a luncheon in Memorial Hall each Monday for anyone in the community. Meals consist of fruit and green salads, soup, sandwiches, dessert, and beverages. You can help in preparing the meal that Wayside sends, serving the meal or clean up! There is also a meal at Deering Center Community Church on Thursday evenings that Woodfords helps at once a month. Contact Steve Gray if you’d like to help. 

Family Promise provides temporary housing for families, primarily immigrant families. We recently had to send off the families who were living in our basement due to boiler installation. They are now housed at Williston-Emmanuel downtown. Contact Linda Anderson, Kristen Crean, Amy Johnson or Pam Meader if you would like to help this wonderful program.

Project Feed, housed in our basement for many years, continues to provide packaged food, and some fresh food as well for those in need. Contact Steve Gray if you’d like to help. 

Something you can do on your own is make up bags for the unhoused. We have done this as a group and may do so again, but in the mean-time you can get large zip lock bags [zipper type] and put in a bottle of water, nonperishable snacks such as packaged nuts, bars and perhaps a dollar or two. I hand them out to those men and women who hold signs on street corners asking for help. Easy to put bags together and safely hand out from your car.

These are just a few of the volunteer offerings and if you know of others you can contact anyone on the Championing Justice team. You are also welcome to join the team! 

Suzanne D’Bourget for Championing Justice Team

Woodfords Senior Program

Twenty-six Woodfords Seniors picnicked in the beautiful setting of Roberta Barker’s 117-year old family camp on the shores of Sebago Lake on July 21. WSP provided the picnic spread – augmented by Roberta’s yummy shrimp platter, onion dip and incredibly addictive cranberry and sherbet punch. A very loud shout-out of thanks to Roberta for her generous hospitality and TLC! Thank you on behalf of all the Woodfords Seniors who enjoyed a marvelous day at the lake.

On September 8, Woodfords Senior Program will host a Lunch and Learn on recycling and earth care. Bring your bag lunch and questions for our speakers from EcoMaine and the BTS Center. Bring your own ideas and suggestions to share with others. Let’s also make it an opportunity to practice “being green” – please bring your lunch in reusable containers, cup or water bottle, utensils and cloth napkin. See how little disposable “trash” you generate. We will gather at 11:45AM in Memorial Hall. Dessert and beverages will be offered. 

Please reserve September 10 on your calendar for Senior Sunday Worship and our annual 90^th Birthday celebration. Woodfords Seniors will lead a worship service of their own creation that day, followed by a birthday celebration for all members of the congregation who are 90+ years young. Invitations are forthcoming.  

News

Survey from Convergence

Woodfords is Gathering Important Data This Summer

Over the past year, Woodfords has enjoyed a wonderful celebration of its 150^th anniversary. Now, having celebrated the church’s past, we are turning our eyes toward the future. This summer, we are kicking off a strategic visioning process designed to help our community discern God’s future call. Convergence Consulting Group is assisting us in this work. (If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because this is the same organization that worked with Woodfords back in 2018-2019.)

The congregation recently voted to sell the Parish House and collaborate with Community Housing of Maine to develop affordable housing for older adults. In the aftermath of last autumn’s courageous decision, we must ask: Now what? Where do we go from here? How is the Spirit moving among us? How might the Holy One now be calling Woodfords and Woodfordians to serve and minister to members of our faith community, our neighbors (new and not-so-new), and the wider Portland community in forthcoming decades?

You soon will receive a request to fill out a survey designed to help us learn more about congregational vitality and Woodfords community members’ hopes for the future. When your survey invitation arrives, we hope that you will participate in this opportunity to share your experiences, ideas, and hopes. As we build Woodfords’ future, it is important to glean insight from as many people as possible. Your voice matters! 

Quiet Week at Woodfords: July 31 - August 4

From our family and professional lives, we all know the experience of having too much to do and too little time in which to do it ... of having to delay working on important strategic projects to deal with routine tasks and unexpected crises that demand immediate attention.

Between July 31 and August 4, the rhythms of church management will slow down, and staff will have opportunities to catch up on work and focus on strategic projects.

What does this mean for the Woodfords community?

During the quiet week, staff members will set aside many of the daily and weekly tasks that can disrupt flow and focus:

·   Routine communications pieces (such as weekly announcements) will not be published.

·   Staff members will monitor phone calls and messages but may wait to respond to non-emergency matters.

·   Staff members will check messages at least once a day.

·   If you call the office, please leave a message. If the matter you need to discuss is time-sensitive and cannot wait until the quiet week has ended, please include that fact in your message.

·   staff members will not be available for drop-in visits or non-scheduled, non-emergency meetings. (Please plan to visit another time in order to avoid the frustration of stopping by only to discover that the person you'd like to see is unavailable.)

·   staff members may choose to work remotely some of the time to further minimize the distractions that accompany working in a building shared with vibrant mission partners and exciting activity. (And we are thankful for all of it!)

What about worship and pastoral care?

Woodfords' quiet week will not affect worship or pastoral care. Sunday worship will take place as it usually does, and Rev. Alyssa will be available for pastoral care emergencies and concerns. If you need to speak with Alyssa, do not hesitate to call. If she does not answer the phone, leave a message, and she will get back to you as soon as possible.

Women’s Retreat Postponed Until Spring

Touch Base with Rev. Alyssa If You’d Like to Help Plan It

Woodfords Women’s Retreat originally was scheduled for September 29 through October 1, but it needs to be postponed until spring. Our host site – the Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford Pool – has now closed.

When Rev. Alyssa sent out a survey asking people whether they wanted to keep the retreat in autumn (but find another site) or to move the retreat to spring, most respondents were fine with either option, but several women indicated that they preferred waiting. 

Given this preference, and the fact that Rev. Alyssa has had a difficult time finding an alternate location that could host all of us September 29 through October 1, the women’s retreat will be postponed until next spring (which, incidentally, is the time of year when Woodfords traditionally held the retreat in pre-COVID days.) We understand that some will be disappointed by this delay, but it just means that we’ll have additional time to find an ideal location and plan the best retreat yet!

If you would like to serve on the 2024 retreat planning team, please be in touch with Rev. Alyssa. 

Events and Opportunities

Podcast Conversation: 7pm on August 9

About the conversation: Woodfords’ podcast discussions are casual and guided by the participants. Bring your questions, and feel free to eat as we talk. Members of Woodfords community, as well as the wider community, are welcome to participate. Feel free to invite a friend. We hope that people will have a chance to listen to the podcast before the session and bring questions/comments/responses to contribute to the conversation – but everyone is welcome to attend and participate, even if they don’t have a chance to listen to the podcast ahead of time.

About the Podcast

The Thrilling New Science of Awe

with Dacher Keltner

CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST LINK

One of the most fascinating developments of our time is that human qualities we have understood in terms of virtue — experiences we’ve called spiritual — are now being taken seriously by science as intelligence — as elements of human wholeness.

Dacher Keltner and his Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley investigate the primary experience of awe in human life — moments when we have a sense of wonder, an experience of mystery, that transcends our understanding.

These, it turns out, are as common in human life globally as they are measurably health-giving and immunity-boosting. They bring us together with others, again and again. They bring our nervous system and heartbeat and breath into sync — and even into sync with other bodies around us.

Join us for this fascinating conversation about experiences of transcendence.

Zoom Information

·   Web link - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88453228641

·   Phone number - +1 646 931 3860

·   Meeting ID - 884 5322 8641

November 11-12: Valo Retreat for Teens

Recommended by the Maine Conference, UCC

Valo Maine is planning a weekend retreat for teens across Southern Maine’s faith communities on November 11th - 12th. The focus of the retreat will be on bolstering emotional well-being, and the program is open to young people in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The retreats are secular in nature, with an emphasis on bringing people together across faith and belief systems to engage in rich and meaningful conversations and connections. 

The cost of this one-night retreat would be $300 per young person and would include lodging, meals, and the guidance of two trained Valo guides. The program requires a minimum of 10 teens across faith communities to participate. 

If you know of a teen who would like to participate but finds the cost prohibitive, please let Rev. Alyssa know. Woodfords has scholarship funds available.

Interested? Email meg@valomaine.org to sign up.

To learn more information about Valo click HERE.

Ongoing

Caregivers Circle 

Meetings are held monthly. 

If you're interested in attending, kindly contact Rev. Charlotte Bell by calling her at 603-582-0117. 

HAPPY AUGUST BIRTHDAY

Calvin Hale 08/03

Chloe Murray 08/05

Robert Crean 08/06

Rebecca Barrows 08/08

Rachel Beyer 08/10

Anne Jordan 08/10

Lori Campbell 08/11

Brad McCurtain 08/12

Maret Freeman 08/14

Charlotte Murray 08/14

Judith Flaker 08/15

Barbara Sawyer 08/16

Robert Meader 08/17

Silvio Morales 08/17

Nicholas Nadzo 08/17

Camille Nelson 08/17

Mary Jeton 08/18

Simon Hale 08/19

Barb Klegin 08/20

Milo McCambridge 08/20

Johanna Koster 08/23

Abigail Belanger 08/24

Martha Gilliss 08/26

Alison Troxell 08/26

Emily Py 08/28

Flynn Ross 08/28

Laura Fries 08/31

HAPPY AUGUST ANNIVERSARY

Leon & Joan Strout 8/15 70 years

Gordon & Barbara Thomson 8/17 60 years

Barry & Susan Nelson 8/21 52 years

Robert & Pamela Meader 8/11 50 years

Alan & Linda Nye 8/05 45 years

Robert & Jane Frey 8/21 41 years

John & Lynne England 8/03 38 years

Thomas & Lori Campbell 8/31 38 years

Charles Melcher & Margo Halverson 8/26 28 years

Amy & Scott Segal 8/01 25 years

David & Elizabeth Humphrey 8/20 24 years

Fred & Beth McKeeman 8/27 18 years

Searching for a Spiritual Home?

If you would like to learn more about becoming a member of our spiritual community, Rev. Alyssa would love to hear from you (alodewick@woodfordschurch.org). Through low-key, no-pressure conversation, she can tell you more about Woodfords and answer any questions you might have.

Just getting to know Christianity? Never been a member of a church before? Have no worries! You may be a cradle-born member of the UCC, or you may be discerning how you feel about organized religion. Either way, we value you and understand that our community not be the same without you. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, Woodfords welcomes you! 

Have Something on Your Mind?

Want to Talk about a Joy or Concern?

Have a Prayer Request?

If you would like to schedule time for a pastoral care conversation with Rev. Alyssa, do not hesitate to be in touch (alodewick@woodfordschurch.org). She would be happy to talk via Zoom or the phone, or to have an in-person visit.

Also, Alyssa is always open to receiving prayer requests. Drop her a line with a description of what you’d like her to pray for – and don’t forget to indicate if you would also like your prayer request to be added to the Woodfords prayer list. (Alyssa’s default is to consider all prayer requests she receives confidential, unless the requestor explicitly says otherwise.)