Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast, Maine

Neighborhood Caroling December 22 at 6 pm

Paul Eagle — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 18:50:06 +0000

Join other members and friends of UUCB in singing Christmas carols on the evening of Friday, December 2. Beginning at 6 p.m., the group will sing around the neighborhood near the church and then return to the church for hot chocolate and cookies. All ages are welcome. Dress appropriately for the weather and sidewalk conditions.

New Year’s By the Bay at UUCB

Paul Eagle — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 23:46:29 +0000

UUCB will again be on Belfast’s New Year’s by the Bay schedule December 31. The new sanctuary will be a venue for performances, and the church will also be a food venue, selling hot soups, beverages, bread, and desserts as a fundraiser. Volunteers are needed to bake desserts, set up tables, clean up, serve, and help in the kitchen. Contact Michael Bowe, email hidden; JavaScript is required .

A performance in the old UUCB sanctuary during a past year’s New Year’s By the Bay:

Refreshments Needed for Solstice Celebration

Paul Eagle — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 23:42:00 +0000

This year’s annual Winter Solstice Celebration will be Saturday, December 16, a 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of our newly renovated church. Traditionally there is “feasting” on finger foods and cider after the program of entertainment is over. Please help fill the tables by donating cookies, brownies, snack bars, or other baked goods (gluten free or with gluten), or a gallon of cider, or by helping to set up or clean up. Thank you! – Arthur Richardson

Renewing Welcoming Congregation Status

Paul Eagle — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 23:39:47 +0000

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast has an exciting opportunity to collaborate with our sister churches of Ellsworth and Castine to renew our Welcoming Congregation (for LGBTQ et al folks) status. A lot has happened in the world since our first go around with this and there is so much more information for us to learn and share. I am interested in being a part of this process and would love to find folks who are still on or who are interested in being on the Welcoming Church committee with me.

Please e-mail me if you are interested in this endeavor.

Thank you! – Lindsey Piper, email hidden; JavaScript is required .

Annual Winter Solstice Celebration December 16 in UUCB Sanctuary

Paul Eagle — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 21:05:20 +0000

The 21st annual Winter Solstice Celebration, presented by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast, will take place on Saturday, December 16th at 4:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary. It will feature music, dance, storytelling, poetry and other seasonal entertainment for all ages. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Belfast UU minister’s discretionary fund, which helps needy residents of the Belfast area.

Snow date for this event is Sunday, December 17 at 4:00 p.m.

The Winter Solstice Celebration marks the shortest day of the year, December 21, when in the Northern Hemisphere the sun is at its southernmost point in the sky. The The Winter Solstice has been a time of significance to people around the world for many centuries, marking the sun’s return and a hopeful turn towards spring renewal and rebirth. It has been observed in many ways by various cultures, including festivals, rituals, silliness, and special music and dances. The Winter Solstice Celebration will draw from many of those traditions. Highlights of the event include the Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast Choir, the Highland Mary Morris dancers, a dance by the Sword Sisters, an original Mummer’s Play, and other entertainment.

Seating is limited, so arrive early. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children and youth ages 6 to 18, and $25 for a family; children under age 6 are free.

For more information, contact Joanne Moesswilde at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

A personal journey – What is denominational service?

Paul Eagle — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:53:46 +0000

Thursday, October 5th, I began my first experience working at the denominational level, as a part of the UUA’s nominating committee. Eight of us, gathering at the UUA’s national headquarters in Boston, spent an intense two and a half days evaluating applications, clarifying needs, working on job descriptions, and working through the national bylaws. It was a rewarding and educational experience, one that gave me a new understanding of Unitarian Universalism as a whole.

How did I get here? In 2015, I really wanted to go to General Assembly, and I began looking at ways I could possibly be useful enough to perhaps garner some financial assistance from the UUA. I filled out their volunteer application, looked at the different committees, wrote some essays, included my references, and promptly forgot about it altogether as the realization of traveling with a one year old hit me. It was bad timing.

However, what I didn’t know then is that volunteer applications remain in review for two years, and that I would be contacted in November of 2016 to see if I was still interested. I was informed that my years of being the youth advisor were what led the nominating committee to choose me as a unique voice with local leadership experience.

Purpose, time commitment, and specific needs vary from committee to committee, but there are some very intentional UUA efforts to recruit all types of diversity. As a white bisexual female, I am far from a minority. At 38, I am younger than many, and that plus my income class and location helps fulfill a an underrepresented voice. The smallest percentage of volunteers are persons of color who come from the Midwest and southern areas of the country. It is part of the nominating committee’s job, in a leadership development capacity, to reach out in various ways to those populations. It is the UUA’s goal that cost should not interfere with service, which I think we need spread – volunteering to serve on a committee or even the Board of Trustees does not require disposable income. They do require time; as a member of the nominating committee, I am part of a three day fall session every year for my three year term, and am also required to work at General Assembly every year. As my committee finalizes the job descriptions for each service capacity, I will be able to share more specifics; links and details will be available for me to share online.

My “homework” after the fall session includes things that are challenging, as well as things that utilize my established strengths. I took minutes during the entire session, which is something I learned to do well during the latter part of planning for the Guatemala service trip with the youth. Prior to that experience it was most definitely a weakness. My writing skills have also proved useful in writing committee specific job descriptions. Challenges include having phone conversations with individuals who I am encouraging to reapply who have not been chosen for the limited positions available this year. No one likes delivering bad news, but I don’t even like talking on the phone. But I see this as inspiration to get better at it.

Ultimately, I had the opportunity to bond with seven other extraordinary individuals, all from different backgrounds, who bring different strengths to the discussion table. After spending a fall session with them, I am inspired. I am surrounded by clergy, seminarians, DREs, and laypeople, all with a devotion to Unitarian Universalism. I am part of a shared journey, one that for me began with, and still includes, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast. – Jessica Falconer

A word from our Collaborative Ministry Intern, Amy Fiorilli

Paul Eagle — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:44:27 +0000

This month has sped by! I have now met with my fabulous Intern Committee. I am so lucky to have these five souls from each congregation, to support me, challenge me and help me navigate the incredible adventure that is this internship.

There has been a lot of cross pollination among the congregations this month and that makes me so happy. We had a service in Ellsworth led by Belfast’s very own Mandi Thomas. It was a joy to be her worship associate and the service was profoundly moving. Individuals from Belfast also attended and participated in that service. It felt as though we were all sharing in one mission, appreciating each other and taking care. I had the incredible honor of assisting a member from Castine to bring her vision of a service to life. Johanna Sweet created a spiritual journey through poetry. It was incredible, utilizing several readers from the Castine congregation, she brought us all into a story with power and passion and deep social relevance. When we work together, what we create is nothing short of magic.

In addition to board meetings and committee meetings and supervisions with our wise and loving ministers I also started a Spiritual Discussion Group in Belfast. We’ve had two meetings and these conversations have nourished me, grown me, and inspired me. There are eleven of us meeting now every other week and when we get together I am reminded of why I chose this path. People are amazing. In our own way, we are all loving, funny, brave, imperfect, struggling, smart people. We need each other. We need to listen to each other. We need to praise each other and share with one another. We need to ask for help and we need to believe we are worthy of receiving it.

I can’t wait for another month of growth, of love, of letting go and grabbing on…with you, my people.

In gratitude,
Amy Fiorilli, Collaborative Ministry Intern
(207) 930-0007, email hidden; JavaScript is required

November 26 – November “Fourth Sunday” Potluck

Paul Eagle — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:36:17 +0000

The monthly congregational potluck for November will be held on the fourth Sunday, November 26, after the service and hospitality. This is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so feel free to bring your Thanksgiving leftovers to share! All of us attending the potluck will share in the setup and cleanup — many hands make light work!

See you there! Your friends from Congregational Life

November 2017

Paul Eagle — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:19:51 +0000

We certainly have been busy these first few months! They have flown by! A gentle reminder, if you are a parent/guardian and you haven’t registered your child for RE we ask that you please take some time to do that. Forms are at church, in the classrooms and have been mailed home.

If you need another set sent to you, contact Danielle at email hidden; JavaScript is required .

If your child/ren are between the ages of 9-12 they are invited to participate in a multi-church Pre-Teen sleepover, hosted by our church on Saturday, November 18-November 19. The cost is $15 per child (to cover food and guest speaker). Registration information can be obtained by Danielle. Send her an e-mail. Registration is due by Nov. 12!

Danielle Bannister, Director of Religious Exploration, DRE
email hidden; JavaScript is required
505-5383

Welcoming ourselves and each other at Program Council

Paul Eagle — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:16:43 +0000

With the goal of deepening our connections to one another, the folks who attended Program Council on September 25 explored what it means to “be a people of welcome.” Sixteen or so people joined together to share a meal (not a potluck!) and to engage on the theme of “Welcome,” suggested by the Membership committee. With the first phase of our building project finally complete, our congregation is now able to get reacquainted with our new/old home and spend our energy being together, exploring who we are and want to be, and forging and reforging our connections to one another and to our surrounding community. While still unfinished, our building is fully functional, allowing us to begin to imagine what opportunities it offers us for living out our faith.

While Program Council has traditionally had more of a cross-committee planning focus, in keeping with the vision of being less busy and more reflective this year, your Council decided to hold the meetings in the evening, and to provide a meal, a chance for deepening reflection, and the opportunity to discuss a missional question. The idea is to provide a focus for the congregation and our committees so we can be more intentional about the “why” of what we do, not just the “what.”

After a chalice lighting and some time to silently reflect, we each shared a single sentence describing what “Welcome” means to us. It was incredibly moving to hear how people distilled the idea so beautifully! We then brainstormed “principles of welcome,” such as listening, accessibility, open-heartedness, respect, etc. Breaking into small groups, we talked about ways that we could promote the principles of welcome in our congregational life, including worship, but also committee meetings and activities. Coming back together, we shared some of these ideas with the goal that we can all find ways to encourage our congregation, as Deane put it, to BE an open house. We can live into this practice, of course by welcoming any visitors but also (of course!), by warmly welcoming one another, whenever we meet.

Program Council this year is open to everyone regardless of whether you are currently connected to a committee. Please join us at our next gathering on November 20, from 5:30-8:00 PM, supper provided.
– Sarah Nicholson