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

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

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

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.

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

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

See you there! Your friends from Congregational Life

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

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