Minister’s Message | UUA: Unitarian Universalist Association | April Services | Religious Exploration | Board Update | Pledge Drive Update | Tedford Fundraiser Update | Worship Committee | Ministry Committee| Working for Justice | Charities with Soul | 2023-24 Charities with Soul Nomination Form | Teen Center |MUUSAN | Immigrant Justice | Indigenous Awareness | Concerts for a Cause | CALENDAR |Classifieds | Art Gallery | Parish Messenger Deadline |

Minister’s Message

Talkin’ About A Revolution

This is the recurring line of a powerful song by Tracy Chapman. In it, she points to the hopeful notion that things are starting to change, and the great disparities that separate the rich from the poor (as one example of inequity) can still be overcome. This song, both dated and still relevant, is a great illustration of the theme of our reflections in April – i.e. RESISTANCE. Chapman says that the revolution will take place because “poor people gonna rise up”… and stop standing, crying, and sitting around waiting for the tables to turn. She notes the power that is present when ordinary people come together to participate in their own liberation, by resisting the systems and structures that harm them and keep them down.

Resistance can be thought of as a negative thing, however, this will not be our primary focus. Like Chapman, we will be looking at resistance as something that – if engaged intentionally and strategically – can assist us in making necessary changes to our own individual lives and our larger world.

One excellent example of the power of sustained resistance was evidenced at the Maine State House last month during the historic State of the Tribes address. This hasn’t taken place since the first and only time it happened over 20 years ago, and this is the only time that all of the Wabanaki tribes did so together. This address was full of gratitude and hopeful projections of future partnerships and progress; as well as accounts of the complex and shameful history of indigenous disenfranchisement, and the ways that history continues to disadvantage tribes today.

There are a few special opportunities this month that you won’t want to miss.

• On April 11th, we are serving as the host for a Community Sing with Toshi Reagon, as part of her work as the Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow at Bowdoin College and Parable Path Maine. (Find MUCH more information about this under SAVE THE DATES!)
  
  
• The Poetry Express event we are organizing for April 22nd is thanks to a generous grant from the Maine Humanities Council, and will engage us and our larger community in an exploration of resistance poetry. And of course, we’ll celebrate together the season of Easter and the emergence of Spring!

When describing the revolution, Tracy Chapman says, “It sounds like a whisper.” Let’s keep in mind that it is not only in epic manifestos and grand public protests that we can resist the injustice that seems so relentless. Rest, silence, compassion, generosity in sharing, our own relentlessness in being hopeful and working together … all of these can be forms of resistance to pessimism, resignation, hopelessness, and despair. Whether our resistance sounds like a whisper, a whimper, or a wail … let’s think about it, and how we might best leverage it as a power for good.

 

 

 

 

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UUA: Unitarian Universalist Association

WHAT DOES ARTICLE II HAVE TO DO WITH YOU/UU?
This is a big year for the Unitarian Universalist Association. At our General Assembly this summer, we will elect a new UUA President and take the first vote on proposed changes to Article II of the UUA Bylaws. For those who might be inclined to think bylaws are boring, this is where our foundational and identifying documents are contained, which spell out the values, principles, and purpose of our faith. This is the year when the Article II Study Commission has released their report, and placed this on the agenda for our shared discussion and discernment.

 

 

If you’d like to understand more about this and/or share your thoughts about proposed changes, please join us: Wednesday, April 19th at 5:30 pm.

Contact: Rev. Kharma

 

 

 

 

 

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April Services Theme: Resistance

• APRIL 2nd – Resistance is NOT Futile!
  

  Rev Dr Kharma Amos, Music led by Nell Britton and the UUCB Pick Up Choir
  Resistance is NOT Futile! Our Soul Matters Theme for the month of April is RESISTANCE. Join us as we reflect on the positive and transformative role that resistance can play in creating the world we want to live in.

• April 6, 6:00pm – MAUNDY THURSDAY Service
  

  Led by Rev Dr Kharma Amos, Ed McCarton, Rev Diane Fisher, Stephen Wood
  (**NOTE: Choir will begin at 7:15 this evening)
  Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) is the day during Holy Week on which Christians remember and observe the final meal Jesus shared with his followers. This celebration of community is an important part of the events leading up to Easter, and for many it represents a core tenet of Jesus’ own spiritual practice—open table fellowship with others. Whether or not you identify as Christian, you are invited to join us as we celebrate communion together in the spirit of Jesus – the table is open, all are welcome to participate.

• APRIL 9th – Resisting Resignation \ Practicing Resurrection
  

  An Intergenerational Service led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos and Toben Cooney-Callnan. Music by Nell Britton and the UUCB Choir
  As we celebrate Easter, join us as we reflect on the special kind of joy that can emerge when we resist becoming resigned to death, defeat, hopelessness, injustice, apathy, etc. Resurrection insists that the story of life and liberation is not over … no matter how much those in power broadcast the message that they have won. Join us for this intergenerational celebration of life’s resilience and the sacred power of community.

• APRIL 16 – What is a Memory
  

  Led by guest Rev. Jane Dwinell, Music by Nell Britton and the UUCB Pick Up Choir
  With dementia affecting 6 million people in the US, memory becomes a focus. What is memory? How is it important?The Rev. Jane Dwinell is a retired UU minister who lives in Vermont with her garden and her two cats, Pogo and Tubby. She and her late husband, Sky Yardley, are the co-authors of “Alzheimer’s Canyon: One Couple’s Reflections on Living with Dementia”. Her ministry focused on serving our small congregations, and she is the author of “Big Ideas for Small Congregations”.

• April 23 – Resisting Climate Change, a Celebration of Earth Day

  Led by Rev Dr Kharma Amos, Music by Jud Caswell
  It is the 53rd anniversary of the inaugural Earth Day, now a movement working to diversify, educate, and activate the worldwide environmental movement. Join us as we celebrate our planetary home, and call attention to the work of active resistance required to address climate change.

• April 30 – Being Here Now
  

  Led by Rev Dr Kharma Amos, Music by Nell Britton and the UUCB Choir
  In a reading in our hymnal, Kathleen McTigue urges us to “resist the headlong tumble into the next moment” so that we can really notice, receive, and be grateful for life. As we finish up a month of reflections on the theme of resistance, that’s the type of resisting we’ll be doing today–simply being who and where we are together. Life has so many gifts to offer, and we often pass them by unaware. That’s something we can change with intention and practice. Let’s..

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Religious Exploration

Spring has begun which means that Easter is on the horizon. For many people, Easter means that it’s time to start decorating eggs. In the Ukraine, Easter egg decorating is an important art form known as pysanky that dates back centuries. For the second year in a row, the Schinhofen Family has generously offered to host an afternoon of passing on the pysanky tradition. To learn more about the pysanky tradition and their desire to pass it on to folks at UUCB, I sat down with the Schinofens to learn more about what pysanky means to them as a family.

David Schinhofen learned the art of pysanky from his mother Mary. “My mom made beautiful eggs. There was always a general excitement about making eggs. It was that same excitement you’d get opening Christmas presents from under the tree. It tied us together as a family but also connected us to the community around us. It didn’t matter what religious background you came from, everyone could connect to pysanky. It’s very Unitarian Universalist that way. Easter in Pittsburgh is glorious! The colors, the flowers- and you’d see that beauty in the eggs. We’d invite friends to come decorate too. We lived in a neighborhood that was primarily Jewish and the Jewish holidays weren’t just a day. They were like full seasons of celebration. Pysanky helped make Easter a lasting celebration for us. Our kitchen was a place where gathering together would happen- mom at the stove, the smell of beeswax. I never mastered the art of pysanky but it allowed me to get creative in my own way.

Making eggs was a time for the family to come together. Decorating this way put us in a peaceful, contemplative state. Mom would stay up into the morning, after we’d all gone to bed, just making eggs. Each year I’d bring my teacher an egg for Easter.” Mary Schinhofen grew up with the pysanky tradition as it was passed on from her grandmother who grew up in the Ukraine and later migrated to the United States. “My grandmother would take linen cloths, wash them and set them out in the sun to dry. She would go out to the chicken coup and select the perfect eggs from the nests. She’d pick them up with the linen cloths, clean them, and then set them aside in a special place for Easter. My grandparents were very poor. My uncles would make kitskas (wax styluses for beeswax) from green wood sticks from elderberry bushes and tin Colmans mustard lids. My mother would sit at our gas stove softening beeswax. The small of beeswax is the smell of Easter for me. In Ukraine, people bake bread and take the bread and their eggs in baskets to be blessed by priests on Holy Saturday. These eggs were sacred. If someone wanted to marry another, they would give an egg like one would give an engagement ring. If you were feuding with another family, you could give them an egg as a peace offering to end the feud. Blessed eggs were put in the rooms of an ill person to help them heal.”

The Ukrainian tradition of pysanky goes back thousands of years and it has a legend attached to it. Mary told me, “The legend of pysanky says that, chained up, at the far end of the world, is the Dragon of Evil. The dragon has the power to pass on plagues, war, and destruction. As long as people continue making pysanky eggs and passing them on as gifts of love and community, the chains stay sound and strong. But, when people become selfish and unkind, the chains weaken and break and plague, war, destruction enter the world. With the war in Ukraine, it seems like maybe not enough people are passing on the love and community. I passed this tradition onto my children like it was passed onto me and I am grateful that they are passing it on to others.”

Kristen really appreciated that David passed down the art of pysanky to Izzy at a very early age. “David was fearless! He put an egg right in Izzy’s hand at age one! He held the kitska and they just started decorating together.” Mary is grateful for how the tradition has evolves as it gets passed on. “There are different patterns of pysanky that vary from village to village. The tradition began as pagan and evolved. Sun patterns mean both the pagan celebration of the sun and the Christian celebration of Jesus ‘the son’ and the details of the patterns would change depending on where you learned the art. I learned patterns as they were passed onto me.” Izzy has started planning out her designs on paper before committing them to wax. In one drawing she shows me, Izzy has drawn wheat stalks framing her design. When Mary explains that wheat stalks are a sacred Ukrainian symbol, Izzy is surprised as she wasn’t aware of that as she was planning her design. Mary tells her, “This tradition is such a part of your ancestry that perhaps you are tapping into the memories of thousands of years of pysanky”.

Kristen Schinhofen did not grow up with the pysanky tradition. She learned it from David who passed it on to her early in their relationship. “This is really different from the egg dying that I grew up with. It is about taking your time and really connecting with the art of the tradition. In our second year doing pysanky together, we invited others from the community where we lived- fifty or so people coming together, creating together- taking time to pause and to create beauty in the world. Sharing that love with the community- it’s like the legend says- pysanky spreads love. One of my favorite parts of Easter is opening up the boxes and uncartoning eggs from Easters past. One year, when we opened the cartons, several eggs had broken. It’s also a lesson in letting go- favorite eggs break.”

Mary also sees pysanky as a practice in letting go. “You can spend hours perfecting your design only to have a blob of wax drop and ruin the whole thing. Or the dye might not come out the way you think it should. Or, you can make the most beautiful egg and then drop it. You go into it not knowing how it will work out.” Her granddaughter Izzy Schinhofen likes another aspect of letting go that pysanky offers. “I take after Grandma. I love art. I love spending time going ‘scribble, scribble, scribble’ on an egg, not sure how it’s going to look, and then getting to see your scribbles become a design in the end product. I love spending time with family and friends expressing creativity.”

Join us for the tradition of Pysanky
with the Schinofen Family
Sunday, April 2nd at 11:30am

Please RSVP to Toben if you plan to attend

You can also contact Toben for more details.

 

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UUCB Board Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a snapshot of what the Board has been working on:

• Working to ensure the church operates within all applicable copyright laws.
• Working to re-engage our post-covid church community in the many activities, groups and committees that work together to form our vibrant, productive community. By the time you read this, you may even have joined one of these groups as a result of our March 26th Volunteer fair! Cheers to you! (If not, speak to a member of the board to learn more about where your welcome skills and time can be put to great use!)
• Actively supporting the Tedford Capital Campaign which is currently in full swing
• Actively supporting our Spring Auction preparations
• Considering best practices for historical records archiving, review & update our current archiving policy and practices
• Ongoing review of safety issues like emergency exits & procedures, locking doors during services, etc.
• Considering a potential resolution supporting MUUSAN’s resolution supporting Tribal Sovereignty. Formal proposal likely at Annual Meeting. More info to come from the Working For Justice committee.
• Thinking ahead to Rev. Kharma’s Installation Service (currently planned for Saturday, 9/2)
• Continuing to keeping our eye on Covid and up-to-date best practices with respect to public gatherings.

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Pledge Drive Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tedford Fundraiser Update

Since its establishment in 1987, Tedford Housing has been supported by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick. This has taken place both through our active participation in the Brunswick Area Interfaith Council, which founded the organization, and our direct fundraising and partnership efforts over many years.

We are pleased to celebrate with Tedford the development of a new emergency shelter to house those experiencing homelessness in our community. The proposed approximately 17,568 square foot new facility will replace Tedford’s existing aging buildings and increase the adult emergency housing capacity from 16 to 24 beds and the family emergency capacity from 6 families to 10 families. You can learn more about the shelter’s plans here.

Recently, Rev. Kharma and Cuffy Chase attended a meeting for Faith Leaders in our community hosted by First Parish UCC, at which many of us gathered to learn more and begin thinking about how our congregations could support this joint community effort. Each congregation is being asked to consider their own context and determine the best way to participate.

The Board of Trustees of UUCB would like to announce our decision to participate with a specific fundraising campaign later this year. We have already raised $6,275 towards our goal of $10,000 to dedicate a family room in honor of Rev. Sylviaour Minister Emerita. While we will launch our fundraising efforts later, we are inviting those of you who already know you want to support Tedford to do so through UUCB so that your contribution will count towards our naming gift. If you are able to contribute, receiving or knowing about your gift in the next two weeks will really help us with our planning. We will be very proud to have one of the Family Units at the new Emergency Shelter as the Rev. Sylvia Stocker unit, and of course to continue to collaborate with Tedford in the future.

If you weren’t present for worship when we talked about this idea and heard directly from Rev. Sylvia about what this project means to her, you can review the video here. (That portion of the service begins at the 24:55 time mark).

 

If you are interested in donating early to this effort, which will help us immensely as we plan our own fundraising efforts, you can donate to UUCB by indicating “Tedford Shelter” in the memo line of your check or letting us know in another way that your donation is intended for this. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Board of Trustees.

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From the Worship Committee

Time to Plan Summer Services!

UU Principals in Action is the theme chosen for our summer services this year. What principal has jumped out at you as you have lived your life? More than one? So many of you have interesting, meaningful things to share about where your energies using the UU Principals have led and are still active your life. We would

love to hear about them this summer!

Our minister Kharma will be using her vacation and study time to be away from our pulpit for the summer, starting June 25. She will return for our Homecoming Sunday, September 10. The Worship Committee will be bringing in some guest ministers but mostly, we want to hear from our members, and that just could be

you! You do not need to do this alone! Pairs or groups of people can do a service together. A member of our committee will work closely with you to help plan, choose readings, music and whatever assistance you might need. Many of you have had wonderful, deep thoughts or experiences that we would like to hear.

Your sharing will help inspire all of us.

If this is a possibility for you, please talk to a member of the Worship Committee – Stephanie Bernier, Louise Gephart, Ward Clark, Sue Sargent, Lucy Ijams, Pat Moore or Mary Larson. We also just might be contacting you!

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From the Ministry Committee

Late last year, the Trustees, with the help of Rev. Kharma Amos, formed a Committee on Ministry. The church has previously had such a committee, as it is recommended by the UUA. The members are Rev. Amos, Irene Austin, Cathey Cyrus, Penny Elwell, Carol Evans and Tom Rumpf.

The Committee has been working for several months to understand and articulate our role and plan for the work ahead. We are now ready to share with church members and friends some things on which we’ve agreed.

Late last year, the Trustees, with the help of Rev. Kharma Amos, formed a Committee on Ministry. The church has previously had such a committee, as it is recommended by the UUA. The members are Rev. Amos, Irene Austin, Cathey Cyrus, Penny Elwell, Carol Evans and Tom Rumpf.

The Committee has been working for several months to understand and articulate our role and plan for the work ahead. We are now ready to share with church members and friends some things on which we’ve agreed.

Description

The Committee on Ministry is a committee of the Board of Trustees. It provides oversight and support to the minister and to the larger ministry of the church, promoting growth and healthy relationships within the congregation. The Committee is charged with observing and assessing the conduct and progress of the larger ministry in the service of fulfilling the church mission. Its meetings offer a safe place for trusted and confidential discussion and counsel.

The Committee encourages the minister’s professional development, following UUA guidelines.

Responsibilities

• To support the minister in carrying on effective ministry serving as a confidential advisory group for the minister and as a communication channel between the minister and the congregation.
• To keep the minister advised of conditions within the congregation as they affect relationships between minister and members.
• To explore with the congregation, as needed, the nature and scope of the work of the larger ministry, including a clarification of role expectations and realistic priorities for the minister and for the members.
• To work with the minister on goals for continuing education and other professional development and to advocate such plans to the Board of Trustees, including the allotment of appropriate funding if needed.
• To complete a Committee on Ministry assessment as part of the minister’s UUA Preliminary Fellowship Renewal process, as applicable.
• To be available to the Board of Trustees to discuss the ministry of the church, and to report expeditiously to the Board with any critical concerns.
• To engage the congregation in a periodic assessment of the vitality of our larger ministry.

In addition to these commitments, we wrote a covenant for our own work together.

We also talked about our role in helping to plan for Kharma’s installation service which will take place in the fall. That will be both a formal ceremony marking Kharma’s settled ministry with us as well as a celebration of a milestone in our church life.

Please feel free to reach out to us!

Kharma Amos:

Irene Austin:

Cathey Cyrus:

Penny Elwell:

Carol Evans:

Tom Rumpf:

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Working For Justice

April Charity with Soul is Wabanaki REACH

Contact: Stephen Wood

Wabanaki REACH is a Native-led non-profit organization working toward truth, healing, and change. REACH provides educational programming about our shared history, trauma and its continued impacts on us today. Our most visible piece of work to date has been the establishment of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission whose work is documented in the Emmy award winning documentary, Dawnland: A Documentary About Cultural Survival and Stolen Children (2018) [www.dawnland.org] “Wabanaki” in the language of the indigenous people refers to both people and place – the Tribes (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, and Maliseet) located in their ancestral homelands of present-day Maine, and the land itself.

REACH work is carried out in neighborhoods, prisons, schools, faith communities, workplaces, universities; and in civic, political, conservation, environmental, and peace and justice groups. Each year, our workshops reach hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of people. Our wellness work in Maine tribal communities focuses on restorative practices, healing strategies, and decolonization. It includes Peace and Healing Circles with Native men and women incarcerated in Maine prisons; food security, gardening and decolonizing our diets; and trainings in tribal communities, such as Indigneous Peacemaking, whose ripple effects are immeasurable. Last year in response to the global pandemic Wabanaki REACH created a giving program and raised funds to directly support 95 tribal households located in Maine with emergency relief. Our giving program is called “Grandmother’s Love” and highlights Wabanaki cultural values of caring, sharing, and helping one another in times of need. Wabanaki REACH envisions a future when Maine and Wabanaki people join together to acknowledge truth and work collectively toward equity, healing, and positive change. We aspire to restore right relations, responsibility, compassion, love, reciprocity, abundance, and joy.

Our Charities with Soul are supported exclusively with contributions to the “plate” passed every Sunday during the service or virtually.

Three ways to give:

• At uubrunswick.org, click “Donate Online” Choose the “Plate” option
• Text the amount of your donation to (855) 962-0440, and follow the prompts to complete your donation

• Mail a check to: PO Box 129, Brunswick ME 04011, Memo Line: “plate”

 

2023-24 Charities with Soul Nomination Form

Please use the form below to nominate a charity to be considered for one of the remaining five months. Each parishioner may submit one or two nomination forms.

 

23/24 Charity With Soul Nomination Form

Completed nomination forms may be

• electronically scanned to Shirley Bernier at
• mailed to the church office at PO Box 129 Brunswick ME 04011. placed in the box marked Charities With Soul Forms
• These forms must be received by April 18, 2023.

Ballots consisting of all charity nominations will be available to the congregation for voting in May. The five charities having the greatest vote totals will be announced at the June Annual Meeting and published in the June Parish Messenger.

~ The Working for Justice Steering Group

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Teen Center

 

 

 

 

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Indigenous Awareness

Contact person: Cathey Cyrus

Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network (MUUSAN) has asked all twenty-six UU congregations in Maine to sign the MUUSAN resolution supporting the inherent sovereignty of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine.

This resolution will be sent to state legislators, Governor Mills, and Maine’s congressional delegation, thereby voicing UU values to all law makers considering bills relating to the issues of self-determination for the Wabanaki tribes in Maine.

UUCB’s Working for Justice Steering Group (WFJSG) voted to be signatories of the MUUSAN resolution. Hoping to raise awareness in the larger congregation, as well as in the wider community, of the importance of tribal sovereignty to all of us living in Maine, WFJSG invited Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation Ambassador, to be part of a March 8 zoom discussion of tribal sovereignty. This event (https://vimeo.com/curtislibrary/whytribal2) was organized in collaboration with Curtis Library and Midcoast Indigenous Awareness Group (MIAG). Following the UUCB Sunday March 12 worship service, Meret Bainbridge of First Parish in Portland and an active member of MUUSAN, answered questions about tribal sovereignty and guided over 24 attendees on methods to impact related legislation by talking with legislators and writing testimonials.

June 11 Congregational Vote

MUUSAN and WFJSG have asked the UUCB Board to support of the MUUSAN tribal sovereignty resolution. This requires a congregational vote at the June 11 UUCB Annual Meeting. In anticipation of that vote, we urge the congregation to become knowledgeable about this issue by reviewing available information. In addition to the recording of Ambassador Dana’s presentation (https://vimeo.com/curtislibrary/whytribal2), WFJSG encourages you to listen to Ambassador Crofton-MacDonald’s presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tALAt8ifOXU) and to read the executive summary of a recent Harvard report about the negative impacts of the federal Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 (MICSA) https://wabanakialliance.com/harvard-report-release/. Informational handouts are available in Fellowship Hall, and WFJSG anticipates additional opportunities for discussion between now and June 11.

 

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Immigrant Justice

Contact person: Cathey Cyrus

The town of Brunswick and local immigrant support groups are preparing for the arrival of up to 60 new Mainer families. Our anticipated new neighbors will not begin arriving before June when preparations are completed, including housing now being built at the Landing. They will be settled at the approximate rate of 12 families each month. Planning meetings are ongoing among local service groups including The Emergency Action Network (TEAN), Midcoast New Mainers Group (MCNMG), and the town of Brunswick. Faith communities will eventually be given more details about how best to offer support, but we are asked to wait for direction from the local planners.

                  

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Habitat for Humanity – 7 Rivers

Contact person: Cuffy Chase

The Habitat for Humanity/7RiversME SPRING WALK TO BUILD 2023 has been scheduled for Sunday, May 7 and will be an in-person event again this year! It will start at Grace Episcopal Church in Bath, go past one of our earlier building sites on Middle Street, continue to Corliss Baptist Church and then return to Grace Episcopal Church via Washington Street. We anticipate a rest stop along the way. Registration is from 12-1pm with the Walk starting at 1:00.

We need folks to be actual “walkers” and others interested in making donations in support of walkers. You can provide support by donating to individual walkers or to Team UUCB at church or online. A link to the donation site will be provided in late March. Please check This Week at UUCB for further information.

Walker signup and donor support information will be available at the church on Sundays beginning April 2 and will continue through to May 7. Please contact Gretchen Kamilewicz or Cuffy Chase for further details.

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“Our Power” Information Session

Contact person: Steve Eagles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Concerts for a Cause

Save these dates!

Profits raised from this season’s concerts support the

Brunswick Area Teen Center and Maine Family Planning.

 

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Mark Your Calendar!

First — A recap of the March “Golden Age of Pop” Dance Party!

 

April 7 (Friday) @ 5 PM – Revival of UUCB Seder Dinner

 The Jewish holiday of Passover officially begins on Wednesday, April 5th, at sundown and lasts for eight days. At UUCB, we will be celebrating Passover on Friday, April 7th from 5 to 7 pm. Look for a sign up sheet after church.

According to Sienna Dode, UUCB used to have an annual Seder Dinner organized by Mike Rubin and his wife Dot. This conversation took place at one of our first Chalice Circle meetings, and quite off the cuff, Sienna suggested that our Chalice Circle should try to revive this tradition and organize a Seder for our service project. Several of us liked the idea and after checking with Kharma and the Chalice Circle steering committee, it was decided to give it a go.

Why should UUCB revive an old Jewish tradition? Our Chalice Circle believes the story of Passover, the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, is important for everyone. It is the story of a people who united to overcome terrible times of toil and slavery to gain freedom and relates to the issues of freedom, social justice and equality we still face today.

We invite you to come to the UUCB Seder. It will be a great opportunity to share a meal with your UU family, while you participate in such Jewish traditions as the sharing of Matzah, singing of Dayenu, and commemorating the 10 plagues.

Following the guided ceremony, there will be a potluck meal with some traditional foods provided. If anyone is interested in helping with organizing, please contact Jim Spicer  ().

APRIL 11th (Tuesday) at 6:00pm – Community Sing Along with Toshi Reagon

 

Songs of The Living is free,
open to all,
and will take place in-person
at Unitarian Universalist Church,
1 Middle St, Brunswick, ME 04011

 

 

*** PRE-Registration strongly encouraged via this Eventbrite link (Registration will be CAPPED at 70!): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/songs-of-the-living-a-community-sing-with-toshi-reagon-tickets-601024579697

 

Songs of The Living Community Sing-along: Led by Toshi Reagon, this community sing-along will teach participants songs from Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower the Opera, exploring the beautiful restorative power that resides in our collective voices.

Participants who are able to attend the Opera performance at Merrill Auditorium, April 14th will be invited by Reagon to lend their voices at key points from their seat in the audience.

A world-renowned musician and songwriter, Toshi Reagon is Bowdoin College’s Joseph McKeen 2022-23 Visiting Fellow. Reagon has previously been named Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Creative Futures Artist-in-Residence with the Carolina Performing Arts organization; other recent projects include her involvement in the Met Civic Practice Partnership; and Parable Path artist residencies at the University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Strathmore College, and Emerson College, from which she received an honorary doctorate in 2022. Additionally, in 2021 Reagon received the Religion an Arts Award from the American Academy of Religion, The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, and the APAP Award of Merit for Achievement in the Performing Arts.

This event is a part of Parable Path Maine, a framework for community organizing and artistic engagement based on Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. This initiative is led by multi-hyphenate musician Toshi Reagon and is supported by Maine Humanities Council, Indigo Arts Alliance and Bowdoin College.

APRIL 22nd (Saturday) at 6:00pm – Poetry Express Performance!

UUCB is Collaborating with the Maine Humanities Council to offer their Poetry Express Program. The mission of Poetry Express is to connect communities through poetry and performance as a catalyst for deeper engagement with poetry. Poetry Express is a collaborative poetry performance program that enables organizations and individuals to bring communities together.

Seven participants were selected to take part in two workshops with Portland Poet Laureate, Maya Williams, who will work with them to help them write and perform poems. The Poetry Express Program culminates with participants putting on a performance of their poetry that is open to the local community.

The theme for the Poetry Express Workshop taking place at UUCB is Resistance. The community Poetry Express performance will be held April 22nd at UUCB 6:00pm-8:00pm. We hope you all will join!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APRIL 23rd (Sunday) at 11:30am – UUke Jam Session

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APRIL 23rd (Sunday) at 11:15am – HOLIDAY FAIR CHAT

11:15-12:15 ~ May Sarton Room

For new and longtime UUCB folks to learn about the Holiday Fair and share ideas!!

Who is interested in having a few summer gatherings for sign making, creating crafts to sell, sorting jewelry, something else? Ideas for marketing? Want to volunteer at some level? The Holiday Fair builds Church Coffers, Community, and Connections. Why wait until fall to start? Questions? Contact Lisa Durrell, Fair Elf, .

APRIL 27th (Thursday) – Women’s Group gathering

Join us for lively, informal conversations at our newly formed Women’s Group. Our first gathering is on Thursday, April 27th at 1:00 PM, in the MerryMeeting Bay Rm.

• We will discuss a variety of topics and share insights on how we became the women we are today.
• We plan to meet on the fourth Thursday of each month.
• For more information: JUDY STRANO (732) 320-6093

MAY 2nd (Tuesday) – Women’s Potluck Luncheon

Save the date!! On Tuesday, May 2, at noon there will be a women’s potluck luncheon at the Dipper Cove Clubhouse on Orr’s Island. More information will follow in the coming weeks and directions to the clubhouse will be given to those attending. We have had luncheons here in the past and it is a lovely spot for a get together, right on the ocean. All women are invited whether you are a member or not. For more information, please see Gretchen Kamilewicz, Penny Elwell, or Leigh Peranteau

MAY 6th (Saturday) – ELLIS PAUL / Concert for A Cause

MAY 13th (Saturday) at 5:30pm – UUCB Auction

Download your Auction Donation Form here!

 

Here are some ideas to inspire you!

June 10th (Saturday) – PORCH PARTY MAMAS / Concert for A Cause

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Classifieds

TAX HELP is Available!

View the original .pdf of this flier here: Flyer_2023_Midcoast CA$H

Cookbooks!

UUCB Cookbooks will be available at the Visitor’s Table for several weeks. You may even find a recipe for one of the delicious soups you had at SoUUp’s On in February — Look for the “chef’s hat.” Cookbooks make great gifts!

From the Nominating Committee – Seeking a New Treasurer!

Cindy Parker has done an outstanding job as Treasurer for the past three years. Unfortunately, that means she will be “termed out” at the end of June, and we are looking for a replacement. The person assuming this position must have been a member of UUCB for at least a year as of June 2023. You don’t need to be an accountant! Organizational and computer skills are required, but Cindy will be happy to mentor a new Treasurer for the first year.

If you have interest in helping the church in this way, contact Glenn Williams () and we’ll talk about next steps.

Parish Messenger Newsletter – Volunteer Editors Needed

If you have any desktop publishing experience, and enjoy making eye-catching newsletters, please consider joining the Parish Messenger Team.  We take turns each month to create the newsletter, so the more members on the team, the less work there will be to do.  This would also include creating the online  Messenger.  Training is provided, and help will be there when you need.

Our goal is  to help church members and friends know what’s going on in the church and to think of
the Parish Messenger as a means to get visitors and newcomers a way to learn what UUCB is all about.

Allen Avenue UU Church’s Office Administrator position

We’re searching far and wide knowing there’s a person out there who is the perfect fit for Allen Avenue UU Church’s Office Administrator position in Portland! In fact, they might be someone who is part of your network of church members, friends or professional connections. Please take a few minutes to look at the job description on our church website:

https://www.a2u2.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Job-description-Office-Admin-final-3.7.23.pdf

Then, please pass it along to anyone you know who might be interested. (Contact: Rev. Tara Humphries Unitarian Universalist Minister (207)-756-9919 My pronouns are they/she)

Are you doing some SPRING CLEANING?

The Holiday Fair Jewelry Room always welcomes your lovingly used costume jewelry. We will be starting to sort and card donations in early summer. A jewelry donation box will generally be found in the back of the church. Want to join the jewelry team? Contact Lisa Durrell at

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Art Gallery

April Artist: Barbara Bean Fabric & Florals

Fabric and Florals is the April art show by Points of View artist Barbara Bean. Barbara’s solo show demonstrates how she is mixing media – paint, ink, and fabric – to express new directions with old materials and to tell a story of a journey that is still in progress.

By combining paper, paint, ink, and fabric, Barbara’s works speak to one another. They tell a story of a journey that is still in progress by mixing media to express new directions with old materials.

Works by Barbara Bean will be on display April 1-30 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick.

• Visit the gallery Tues – Fri from 10am – 4pm.
• Press the intercom button to be buzzed in or call 207-712-8343.

• To see more of Barbara’s work visit http://povartistsmaine.com/

Children’s Art Display – Submissions Wanted

Calling all UUCB children and teens! We would love to show your 2-dimensional artwork in the Fellowship Hall and May Sarton Room during the month of May!

• The Gallery Committee invites all pre-K through high school students to share paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and/or collages.
• The deadline for entering work is April 22nd.
• Please contact Joanne Allen for more information.

ATTENTION All UUCB Artists:

Please share your artwork with our community in July and August! If you are a beginner, amateur, or professional artist, we want it all.

• We invite you to submit one large piece, or 2-3 small pieces.
• The art must be ready to hang with a wire in the back.
• Include a tag with your name and a title for your work
• If you wish to sell the work, add a price!

We must have the work by June 23rd. For more information contact Joanne Allen at

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May Parish Messenger Deadline

 

 

 

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