July/August Parish Messenger

Go to our Parish Messenger page for a PDF version of this and other newsletters.

Rev. Justine’s Message

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
~ Mary Oliver from “The Summer Day”

Dear Ones of UUCB,
I hope this finds you enjoying some moments of rest and relaxation, reconnecting with family and friends, getting outside. I have been grateful to have these moments to pay attention to the beauty around me, to have coffee with Dale every morning, to read works of fiction that I hadn’t found time for before now, to be “idle and blessed.”

As I write this, there is great unrest in the world with the recent assassination of the President of Haiti and rising violence and continued uncertainty in Afghanistan following the departure of the United States military troops. My heart aches for the people of Miami: those awaiting news of loved ones missing in the building collapse and those engaged in the grim task of searching the rubble first for any signs of life and now for remains that will allow families an opportunity to say a final goodbye. So much sorrow and suffering alongside of beauty, strength, commitment, and love. In this time of greater stillness, I find myself feeling both sorrow for all the suffering in the world and deep gratitude for the beauty and love that surround us all. At times I am reminded that even our own aching heart can be a source of hope because it reminds us of our connection to one another; as Freud said, “we grieve because we love.”

In the coming weeks and months we will return to gathering in person in our sanctuary, to being able to see and touch one another. We will also find ourselves needing to pause to remember, honor, and grieve the ones we have lost over the past 18 months. In this community of faith we can experience both joy and sorrow, and what a blessing it will be to experience the fullness of that in community.
I wish you peace and joy in this summer season. I will be back in town in August, preparing for the year ahead. Our in-gathering service will be on Sunday, September 12th. It will be so good to be with you.

Peace and love to you,
Rev. Justine

UUCB Services in July and August

Sundays at 10:00 on YouTube.com ( search “UUCB-av)
followed by our virtual coffee hour on Zoom

July 4 — Until Love Wins. The service was provided by the UUA from the 2021 General Assembly. This moving and all-inclusive service was from the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. The service was led by Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Jen Crow, and Rev. Karen Hutt.

July 11 — My Story. UUCB member Ed McCartan talks about his experiences as an artist, a social justice advocate, and a spiritual leader. Jud provides some Irish music.

July 18 — Going to the Well of Living Waters. Nancy McDonald Ladd, Senior Minister of River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Md, leads a service based on the gospel of John 4:1-26. The service is offered by Meadville Lombard Theological School which Rev. Justine Sullivan attended.

July 25 — Jud Caswell and Friends offer a service of music.

Aug 1 — Small Steps, Big Step. Led by Maurice Namwira. Maurice lives in Bath with his wife and 7 of his 10 children and is employed as a case worker for the Head Start program in Brunswick. He was born and educated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he worked as both a Christian minister and as an administrator for a human rights organization.

Aug 8— Origin Stories. In this service, led by the Rev. Erika Hewitt, we’ll hear five origin stories that might be surprising. Rev. Erika Hewitt serves the Unitarian Universalist Association as Minister of Worship Arts. She lives in Bath.

Aug 15— Think Globally: UUSC Trip to El Salvador. Rev. Justine Sullivan shares highlights from a trip she made to El Salvador with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in January of 2020.

Aug 22— Act Locally: Go and Do Likewise. Rev. Justine offers a re-imagining of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Aug 29— Sometimes a Light Surprises. Grace Lewis-McLaren stirs up some memories and shares them in the context of our recent common experiences. Grace is an organist, pianist and composer who has “graced” UUCB since the mid 70s.

Joys and Sorrows

Mike and Ben Heath are appreciative of all the love and support they have received since Val’s death on June 10. There will be a memorial service at UUCB on September 25. Here is a link to Val’s obituary.
https://www.funeralalternatives.net/obituaries/obit-details.php?Heath-2500

Sue Kennedy is recovering well at home after a recent fall. Jack and Sue’s daughter Wendy stayed with them to provide support during Sue’s recovery, and our pastoral care team has been in touch. Cards and good thoughts would be welcome.

Monica Hamkins suffered a stroke in May and is now in rehab at a nursing home in Western Massachusetts. She is recovering well and joining the Zoom coffee hours. She would love to hear from folks.

Susan Snow is back home and recovering well from the extensive back surgery she had in April. Thank you to all those who brought meals and to those who called and sent cards while Susan was in the hospital.

Julie and Doug Dahmer are ecstatic that they were finally able to fly to California to meet their adorable 9-month-old granddaughter, Livi. All are doing well.

Religious Exploration

For their last RE meeting of the church year, the children met at Krueger Park on the Bernier Family’s property in Topsham where they decorated pots, planted basil seeds, and played games together.

Our youth, combined with the youth from First Parish UU Portland, met in person for the first time
at Wolfe’s Neck in Freeport. It was a good time filled with laughter AND
we counted over three hundred lady slippers

UUCB Board Update

From the Outgoing Board Chair, Glenn Williams

When I first wrote to you as Board Chair in the summer of 2018, we were planning a getaway retreat at David Kew’s camp on East Pond. It was a great spot to do work and to have fun, and we returned in 2019. We planned to make it an annual event, but by the summer of 2020, everything had changed. Actually, we experienced quite a few changes in the years leading up to the time of Covid.

A few highlights:

In February of 2019, representing the Board of Trustees, I signed a Boundary Agreement with our neighbors to the south. This was the culmination of a long process of establishing the fact that the church owns the grassy area between the two buildings.
In May of 2019 our long-time beloved minister declared that she would be retiring at the end of the following church year. Thus began the process of searching for an Interim Minister to begin in August, 2020.
Our long-time Director of Religious Education resigned in 2018, and after a brief period of leadership by a Consulting Sunday School Coordinator, we were very pleased to begin the current arrangement of sharing our Director of Religious Exploration with First Parish Portland in June of 2019.
On March 12, 2020, the Executive Committee decided that we needed to cancel church services until further notice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are now in a very different place. We have been remarkably successful over the past 16 months, all things considered. We have completed our first year of interim ministry, selected a Settled Ministry Search Committee, and plan to begin in-person worship services on September 12, 2021. We will also be back at David’s camp for an in-person retreat on September 26^th!

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your Board Chairperson for the past three years. I’m grateful to all the Board members who have joined in doing the work, especially David Kew for his willingness to fill the vice-chair role and to be our new Chairperson. I look forward to working with the new Board next year as I complete my second 3-year term.

Glenn Williams

From the Incoming Board Chair, David Kew

The weather’s really been something this spring. A few days ago I was deciding whether or not to install our lone window air conditioner, and today I’m sitting in our 3 season cabin looking over East Pond wondering if I have another pair of warm socks that I can dig up somewhere. The seasons are changing – though not in the way we’re used to them doing so – too dry, then too hot, then too rainy, and now too cold.

The seasons are changing at UUCB too. Glenn Williams and the board of trustees led us through the retirement of our beloved minister, selection of Reverend Justine as our interim minister, the closing of the church building, transition to online service, and have prepared us well for the future. In reflecting on his 3 years as Chair, Glenn said that while each year the board was made up of a different group of people, he found that each group was dedicated to the work of the church and made his job enjoyable.

At the recent annual meeting you voted in a new slate of board of trustees candidates, and I am honored to have been selected as board chair. I look forward to working with a similarly dedicated and talented board during the next year.

As we look forward, we will need to decide when and how to open the church. We have an able team of people led by Bill Clark using current data, guidance from the UUA, and common sense to lead us toward our planned reopening on September 12.

This past spring the church selected a search committee to look for our next settled minister. As we move into the fall, Irene Austin, Stephanie Bernier, Nathan Haynes, David Juhlin, Mary Larson, Betsy Roper, and Tom Rumpf will be hard at work presenting our church to interested ministers and developing a list of candidates that they feel could be a match for us. We are lucky to have this dedicated team to do this important work on our behalf.

In September the board of trustees and Reverend Sullivan will meet for a retreat. We’ll look for ways to continue to use UUCB’s strengths to reach out into the broader world, and we’ll assess our weaknesses to help us decide where change could positively affect our future.

There is more work than I can mention that will be done by church members and friends through committee work. Building and Grounds will need to make sure the facilities are ready to see people again. Music needs to determine what music looks like as we reopen. Worship needs to transition from online services to in person services, RE will need to decide how to deal with a fall where adults are vaccinated and many children are not. Social Justice has learned so much from seeing how a pandemic affects the least fortunate among us. Membership and our Caring Committee’s work helped keep us together this last year and a half and will be just as important moving forward. And there is so much more.

Just as the changing seasons have not been quite what we’re used to this year, Church may not be quite what we’re used to either. So, be patient with each other, have faith that everyone’s intentions, are good, and let’s work together to transition effectively to a (hopefully) post-pandemic year for UUCB.

Board Chair,

David Kew

Have Jewelry for the UUCB Fair Jewelry Table?

Spring cleaning? Summer sorting? Keep your eyes out for jewelry you no longer want. At some point we WILL have another fabulous Jewelry Sales Table as part of a church fair or festivities. As always, its success depends on the donations of costume jewelry from all of you. The jewelry team will clean and polish your long-loved treasures, and then will present them beautifully for someone else to purchase and love. You can hold onto it for now, or drop it off at Lisa Durrell’s, or let her know if you’d like it picked up. If you’d like to be part of the Jewelry Team (we might even be able to have a sorting bee this summer!), please email Lisa Durrell,

The Worship Committee is looking for new members!

This is an exciting time for the Worship Committee as we transition from on line services back to the Sanctuary. Be part of a new creative Worship Committee group and help us capture the best of what we’ve done in the past and develop new forms for presenting our services.

Pat Moore ()

Have you considered making a legacy gift to UUCB?

from Carol Evans

Over the last year, we are increasingly aware of how much UUCB means in our lives. Our love for our church community, the services and the social outreach work, move us to be as generous as possible with our time, talent and treasure. This was true even in a year when we could not be together.

But have you thought about how you can have an impact after your life is over? It is easier than ever now to leave a bequest to UUCB.

A small team including Pat and Bill Spock, Jessica Tracy and Carol Evans researched and learned about planned giving with the help of the UUA. We then created a brochure and Bequest Intention Form for church members and friends. The Trustees have enthusiastically approved a legacy giving initiative for our church.

If you hear “legacy giving” and think it is something for people older or wealthier than you, you’re not alone. However, this can be a meaningful idea for people of all ages and economic statuses.

Three common misconceptions about planned giving:

Legacy gifts are complicated and confusing. They don’t have to be. There are many types of planned gifts: Most are simple and affordable, like a gift in your will or trust. You just need to find the one that best meets your needs.
Legacy gifts are only for those who are wealthy. Anyone can make a legacy gift, whether their assets are very small or very large. Gifts of all sizes can help make a difference to our church. You may choose to target a particular aspect such as worship and religious exploration, social outreach and working for justice or even our wonderful building.
Wills are only for older adults. Having a plan for the future is important, no matter what age you are. An estate plan makes your wishes known and provides your loved ones with peace of mind.

Should you be interested in further information, please email Carol Evans ) or contact Shirley Bernier, UUCB Office Administrator at (207) 729-8515 or

Concerts for a Cause

After cancelling 13 concerts during Covid, we will be starting up slowly again in November. We have 2 concerts scheduled so far: Novel Jazz Band on November 13 and our own Jud Caswell on January 8. I hope to see everyone there to support our musicians, our charities, and our own church budget. Other concerts are in the works.

We DID manage to have one online concert with David Wilcox and earned $300 which we divided 3 ways between our charities (ILAP and Midcoast Hunger) and the church. The Concert Committee has chosen to support the same two charities for the 20210-22 series.

NOW HIRING
Concerts for a Cause Refreshment Organizer

$30 per concert, plus
free admission to the concert for you and a friend,
and all the leftover goodies you can eat

Recruit donations of refreshments from church members

Make sure that we have enough coffee/tea the night of the concert. You will be reimbursed for anything you need to buy.

Set up the refreshment table and beverage table at least one hour before the concert.

Place donation baskets on the refreshment table.

Receive refreshment donations in the kitchen and plate the goodies in classy-looking trays.

Make the coffee & tea and fill pitchers with water.

Monitor the coffee and water and cups to make sure we don’t run out.

Remove empty plates and replace them with other goodies as needed.

After the concert, bag up some of the refreshments for the musicians, save some of the healthy choices for coffee hour the next day, and freeze the rest. (Alternatively, you can take the leftover goodies to the Gathering Place, Tedford Housing, or the Teen Center when they are open)

Wash all dishes and put them away.

Empty compost, recycling, and garbage bags if full.

Make sure the kitchen floors are clean for the morning service.

(The Concert Committee will help you with some of these tasks when they have finished their other duties.)

Contact Sue Michaud if you are interested:
207-729-4857 or

Charities with a Soul

July’s Charity: The Gathering Place

The mission of The Gathering Place (TGP) is to provide a safe, welcoming, and comfortable space for individuals to gather in downtown Brunswick where we offer our guests respect, encouragement, companionship, support, and hope. The Gathering Place exists so that individuals in need will have a welcoming, safe, and supportive environment in which to spend their day-time hours.

We navigated the uncharted waters that COVID-19 presented. Now with vaccines widely available, we have joyfully welcomed the return of our longtime volunteers. At The Gathering Place we are happy to welcome people when they need us most. For someone who has no other place to go, feeling truly welcome is important – more important than we can imagine. Every individual served through The Gathering Place deserves a chance to be a contributing, valued member of our community. As we begin to move forward post-COVID, we have hired a Community Navigator to help our guests access services and resources that have long been unattainable. TGP’s Community Navigator meets our guests and community members where they are. This includes meeting with unsheltered individuals at their campsites or in the community, bringing needed, available resources to individuals and families, and acting as a source of information related to navigating helping systems or being connected to resources. This addition to our team allows TGP to serve our guests with even more depth than we could previously provide and along with our returning volunteers, give all a sense of optimism for the coming months.

The Gathering Place works everyday to support its mission of providing hospitality, support and respect to all who pass through our doors. We are an example of what happens when a community opens its heart to offer its most vulnerable neighbors the idea of home.

The Gathering Place is open Mon-Friday from 8:30am-3:00pm and we are located at 5 Tenney Way (off Union Street). Want to help? Come volunteer! Come by or give us a call and find out more at 729-0288 or visit our website at brunswickgatheringplace.org.

August’s Charity: Tedford Housing

Tedford Housing’s mission is to empower people to move from homelessness to home. Our programs include two emergency shelters, supportive housing units, and homeless prevention and outreach services. We serve individuals and families in every facet of our work, in order to best serve those experiencing homelessness and those on the brink of homelessness. We serve 10 people in our emergency adult shelter, and 6 families in our emergency family shelter. Tedford has 37 supportive housing apartment units in Bath, Brunswick, Augusta, Lewiston, and Auburn. We have a growing homeless prevention and outreach program to reach those on the brink of homelessness and those that we cannot yet serve in the community. In fiscal year 2020, Tedford’s programs served a total of 715 people in Maine.

Working for Justice

Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network

UU congregations and individuals are creating Advocacy Networks, including MUUSAN, because they realize that, vital as they are, worship services, good works, and study groups are not enough. In a denomination that is characterized by social activism, we are called to bring our values to bear in the public arena: in the State Legislature, the news media, the development of policy, and the pursuit of justice. UUCB is consistently on the frontlines, working with MUUSAN and other advocacy partners to raise awareness of legislation that will benefit our community and our state. The recently launched communication tool to get word to interested congregants on bills that needed support seemed to work well. We will review the process and make decisions about ongoing methods. Thanks to all who helped create this and those who participated.

The work of MUUSAN’s four issue groups was especially robust this legislative season. And it isn’t over yet! There are still bills on the table that are yet to be voted on, approved by the Governor, vetoed by the governor, or passed into law without the Governor’s signature. The Maine House and Senate will return to work on July 19 to take up unfinished business. Below is a list of bills that have become law as of 7/8/21.

CLIMATE CHANGE

LD 1659 – An Act to Create the Maine Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator (Green Bank Bill) – Signed into Law

LD 1682 – An Act to Require Consideration of Climate and Equity Impacts By the Public Utilities Commission – Signed into Law

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

LD 1417 – An Act Regarding Campaign Finance Reform – Signed into Law

HEALTHCARE

LD 1045 – An Act to Support Universal HealthCare – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 759 – An Act to Amend the Child Endangerment Laws to Include Certain Unauthorized Access to a Loaded Firearm – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 1392 – An Act Directing the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention To Release Annually Public Health Data Regarding Certain Fatalities and Hospitalizations – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

RACIAL, NATIVE & IMMIGRANT JUSTICE

LD 2 – An Act to Require the Inclusion of Racial Impact Statements in the Legislative Process -Signed into Law

LD 159 – An Act to Extend Time Limits for Placing Land in Trust Status Under the Maine Indian Claims Settlement – Signed into Law

LD 1226 – Resolve, Directing the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Maine Tribal Populations to Examine Restorative Justice – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 1593 – An Act to Provide Pathways to Rehabilitation, Reentry and Reintegration Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 1617 – An Act to Establish and Practice Restorative Justice – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 1201 – Resolve, Directing the Maine State Housing Authority to Engage Stakeholders in an Examination of Fair Chance Housing Policy Options – Became Law Without Governor’s Signature

LD 149 – An Act to Facilitate Licensure for Credentialed Individuals from Other Jurisdictions – Signed into Law

LD 1684 – An Act to Expand and Strengthen Maine’s Workforce by Expanding English Language Acquisition and Workforce Training Programs – Signed into Law

Immigrant Justice

As asylum seekers continue to try to build meaningful lives in our local communities, the efforts of volunteers and local government move from providing emergency support for everyday basic needs (safety, food, clothing, language, furniture, temporary housing, transportation and urgent health care) to questions of how to make possible long-term independence and self-sufficiency in housing, health care, education and employment. The asylum seekers who arrived in summer of 2019 are only now, finally, getting their work permits and able to begin the difficult transition from dependence on government benefits to growing an income that will support their families. Again, Maine’s legislature has been discussing bills that would make that growing independence possible. (See websites for MUUSAN (mussan.org) and ILAP (Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project – ilapmaine.org). Many UUCB members and friends are volunteering in the midst of this transition.

Indigenous Awareness

WFJ encourages UUCB to learn about the ongoing struggle of Maine’s Wabanaki tribes for the sovereignty long allotted to tribes all across the country and to become informed about the past and present atrocities associated with the taking of Indigenous children from their homes and placing them in Boarding Schools. This year’s legislature has grappled with the issues related to sovereignty in a series of bills that are listed on the MUUSAN (Maine UU State Advocacy Network) website (muusan.org). Basic information and commentary about both tribal sovereignty and Indian Boarding Schools can be found on the MIAG website (miag-group.org) under educational resources.

Habitat For Humanity 7 Rivers Maine

For the 2021 Spring Walk To Build: UUCB crossed the finish line with $10,120 in donations!

In addition, Team UUCB earned $5,000 in the Team Challenge. Points were earned by completing tasks like volunteering, engaging in social media and reaching walk milestones. The funds were distributed to the teams from the pool of business sponsor donations and allocated on the basis of the points accrued by each team.

The total raised by HFH/7RM during the 2021 Spring Walk to Build was $46,029

A huge THANK YOU to our fundraisers: Anne Spencer, Betsy Williams, Carol Briggs, Carol McCoy, Caroline Evans, Cuffy Chase, Dexter Kamilewicz, Ed McCartan, Gretchen Kamilewicz, Irene Austin, Joanne Allen, Joel Austin, Mike Heath, Pat Moore, Sally Horne.

The fundraisers express their appreciation to the 112 people who donated to Team UUCB in support of the 2021 Walk to Build!

The Teen Center

After a week of cleaning and sorting supplies, the Teen Center reopened on June 28 to six new youths as well as some of the regulars. Some of the teens reported receiving their first COVID 19 vaccination.

A young woman who had been a member of the Center for 7 years stopped in to tell Jordan that she was graduating. When she returned the following day, Jordan gave her an album of photos of her.

With UUCB funds, the Center will offer a “walk to town” outing for the teens in July and August. The gift cards donated at Christmas were used to purchase two table-top easels. Thanks to a donation of paint brushes and paints, the artistry will continue.

The teens have been busy playing video games, Twister and board games, and when the weather is cooler and dryer, they’ll be playing basketball outside. They have also been enjoying some cooling snacks — watermelon, popsicles, ice cream and their new thing – root beer floats.

WFJSC Celebrates the Passage of Two Gun Safety Bills

submitted by Lynn Ellis

UUCB has been committed to raising awareness of gun violence as a public health crisis. Many of us on the Working for Justice Steering Committee have engaged for years in bringing to the congregation information on the issue. This includes some of us being involved in legislative action to support legislation in Maine that will protect and safeguard our children and others impacted by the risk of gun violence. This year, in the 130^th legislative session we accomplished that goal by moving two important gun safety laws into place. This was a collaborative effort with partners from MUUSAN, Maine Moms Demand Action, Maine Gun Safety Coalition, Maine Council of Churches Public Policy Committee, and the newly formed Maine Gun Safety Caucus. There is more to do, but let’s pause a moment and celebrate the progress we made this year.

I share with you the press release (edited) from Maine Gun Safety Coalition:

Maine Gun Safety Coalition Applauds Enactment of Two New Gun Safety Laws

Today the Maine Gun Safety Coalition (MGSC), Maine’s longest standing and only state-based organization dedicated to protecting Mainers from gun violence, is applauding the work of the state legislature’s Gun Safety Caucus, which, along with coalition partners, secured the enactment of two new gun safety laws.

LD 759, the state’s first firearm safe storage law, will prevent the kind of tragedies we have seen repeatedly these past few months across our state, by amending the existing child endangerment laws to specifically forbid adults from allowing children under 16 to access loaded, unsecured firearms. LD 1392, sponsored by Rep. Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, will require the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention to provide an annual, public report on firearm deaths and injuries across the state, with specific information including whether the incident was intentional, accidental, or a suicide, and the age of the victim.

MGSC Executive Director Geoff Bickford stated: “Today we celebrate the fact that not one but two gun safety measures have become law in Maine as a result of the legislature’s work this spring. Both of these bills will unquestionably save lives in different ways. This is a major step forward for a state whose leaders have long resisted protecting its citizens from firearm related tragedies and violence, even though Maine’s firearm death rate is significantly higher than that of our neighboring states. We are thankful that the voices of the vast majority of Mainers who support common sense gun safety measures have been heard loud and clear.”

Membership

HUUman Reunion

At last we all were able to gather after the long Covid winter. On Saturday, June 26, over 50 people came to the beautiful Harpswell property owned by Janice Thompson and Jeremy Jones. The day was perfect. We grilled our food and enjoyed the multitude of side dishes that everybody contributed. With our chairs spread all over the lawn we caught up with one another and even enjoyed a musical sing-a-long with Carol McCoy and Betsy Roper.

Thank you to the Membership Committee for making this happen, to all who attended and a special Thank You to Janice and Jeremy.