Minister’s Message | Scam Alert | January Services | Religious Exploration | Pastoral Care | Membership | Board Update | UUCB Auction | Safety Committee | Spiritual Type Workshop | Choir Workshop | Sacred Ground Program | Working for Justice: | Teen Center | Indigenous Awareness | MUUSAN | Charities with Soul | Concerts for a Cause | Art Gallery | Our Larger World: | General Assembly | UUA Elections | Addressing Abelism | Parish Messenger Deadline
Minister’s Message
Dear Friends,
One of my colleagues has a spiritual practice every new year. He spends time reflecting on what he hopes to bring into the new year (i.e. what he longs for, what he thinks the world most needs, what he wants to see made real, what he wants to manifest, etc.). By the end of the year, he boils it down to one word, which he tries on for a while before deciding for certain that this will be his word for the year. And all year long, he uses this word as a mantra and focus for living. I swear that this year his word was “calm” … he really did bring a sort of Zen vibe into all of our meetings. And, not just for that year! That’s the brilliant part of his practice! Living with a guiding concept for a whole year can change a person for good (and for the long term). The results of my friend’s annual focus on such things as calm, love, generosity, friendship, simplicity, etc. are evident in his spirit. These are all words that others would use to describe him all the time, not only when it is his yearly mantra.
I have always admired this practice, but this is the first year I’m thinking of trying it on myself. I wonder if you’d like to join me?
This January, we’ll be focusing on the theme of “Finding our Center” … and not to get too far ahead of the game, this is a great opportunity to think about what it is we want to be centered on in the coming year. I think my friend’s practice to discern and give intention to his deepest longings could be a centering activity – daily even. Imagine waking up to the post-it note on your mirror … before you see your tired face, you see the word Depth … that’s the reminder to intentionally avoid skating on the surface of life, and to reflect more deeply on one’s experiences of the world. Say you’re in line at the grocery store and the person in front of you is working your last nerve because you’re in a hurry and they, clearly, are not. What if the thought you brought yourself to was your word – let’s say it was Depth – you might begin to think beyond the surface of this annoyance and consider what might be going on with that and summon some reserves of compassion. You might begin to re-frame this sluggish encounter as an opportunity for you to slow down and think more deeply about the things you’re grateful for – maybe that you can go to the grocery store,or that you ran into a neighbor and shared a smile, or that they weren’t out of your favorite leafy greens. You see my point, I hope.
I’m writing this well before the new year, so I haven’t done my work to discern a word for 2023. I’ll let you know what it is when I do, as a way of adding some accountability to my best intentions. Many people make new year’s resolutions. I don’t often, because they generally last about 3 days and I spend the next 362 days feeling guilty for failing. (Yes, I am overstating this for effect.) This practice of coming up with one word, though … one word that I can hold in my heart, speak to myself when I’m a hot mess, and breathe into when I need centering …seems like it might be a good one this year.
If you think you might like to join me in this spiritual practice this year, I’d really love to know what your word is when it comes to you. If you’re open to sharing, please do!
For all of you, I pray that 2023 will bring you joy, connection, love, and the assurance that you are a precious gift.
Happy New Year!
Kharma
Scam Alert
Ministers and churches have been frequent targets for spammers. And, there is no way to do much about it. What happens is that people put a spam (but believable) email address, and then they email groups associated with the church asking for gift cards, money, or phone calls back because of some “emergency” where the minister needs help getting help for someone in need. It’s utter rubbish, and most people are onto the scam … however, not all.
NOTE: Rev. Kharma and UUCB will NEVER send you a personal email asking you for emergency assistance, gift cards, or cash. If you receive such an email claiming to be from Rev. Kharma (whose actual email is ), please ignore it or report it as spam.
January Services: Finding our Center
Jan 1 —Stepping in to the New Year
Led by the Worship Committee. Harp music by Louise Gephart.
Join the Worship Committee for stories, poems, and music as we contemplate stepping into the new year .
Jan 8 – Finding Our Center
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos . Music by Nell Brtiton and the UUCB Choir
Our Soul Matters theme for January is “Finding Our Center,” and today we’ll kick off our reflections on this topic for the month. As individuals, it can be very helpful to have something that centers us amidst the chaos and constant change of life. Let’s talk about how we can discern what that might be for us, and develop strategies for coming back to center when we need to so that we can stay true to ourselves and our values.
Jan 15 — Centering on the Wheel of Life
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos and guest potter, Jeffrey Lipton. Music by Nell Brtiton & the UUCB Choir.
Join us for a demonstrative service of worship that will incorporate lessons from the potter’s wheel on the topic of Centering. Maine local artist and potter, Jeffrey Lipton (who also grew up as a part of the UUCB community) will be throwing a pot during the service, and we’ll reflect on some practical wisdom for spiritual centering. This service is intergenerational.
Jan 22 — Finding OUR Center
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos. Music by Nell Brtiton and the UUCB Choir.
As we continue our reflections on the Soul Matters theme of “Finding our Center,” let’s reflect collectively on finding OUR center (i.e. what is it that centers us as a spiritual community?).
Jan 29 — Expanding our Center
Led by Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos & Toben Cooney-Callnan. Music by Nell Brtiton and the UUCB Choir.
Join us as we focus on the role that centering plays in building the beloved community. Specifically, in a dialogue sermon, our Minister and Director of Religious Exploration will reflect on the practice of centering underrepresented voices. This is an important and complicated practice that requires intention and a willingness to stretch, which can include discomfort. But as we expand our center to include more diverse voices, we can also expand and deepen our own sense of self, community, and the sacred. Let’s talk about how.
Religious Exploration
A New Year’s Gratitude List
Toben Cooney-Callnan, Director of Religious Exploration
One of my favorite spiritual practices is to reflect on all of those things that I am grateful for. I thought that I’d share part of my list with you all.
I am grateful for children and the way that they see the world
For growing opportunities (even the ones that hurt)
Thank you to the body for the mysterious way it keeps itself going
To the sound of my cats’ collar bells tapping their glass water bowl
I’m grateful that the sound of children laughing makes up most of life’s sound track
For being someone trusted with such preciousness
Thank you to simple things like drinking coffee with friends
To every poem Mary Oliver ever wrote
I am grateful for “do-overs”
For “Come as you are”
Thank you to morning lighty for always starting fresh.
Pastoral Care Notes
- Joanne and Jon Allen celebrated the dedication of their granddaughter Cora on December 4 at the Bangor UU Church.
- Sue and Steve Loebs reported with relief that the new regimen of chemo their daughter Sarah Werkman began when the experimental drug she was on stopped working seems to be having good results.
- Please keep in your thoughts Nancy Dorian, who is recovering from a fall in a rehab facility in Yarmouth.
- Susan Snow thanks everyone from the bottom of her heart for their support and compassion. She is finished her regimen of chemo and radiation but says she wouldn’t have made it without the support of the congregation, who delivered meals, gave rides, and sent cards, sustaining her through a very tough time.
- Sue Michaud reported with great joy that her hysterectomy was a big success, and she’s feeling back to her old self. The cancer is all gone, and no further treatment is necessary. She thanks all the people who reached out to her before and after the surgery.
To share your joys & sorrows:
- Write them in the book in the fellowship hall when you arrive for Sunday service
- Send them by email to
- All joys & sorrows are read by a pastoral care associate during Sunday worship service.
Membership
UUCB Board Update
Most of us learned in grade school that January is named for the Roman god Janus. Janus is the god of doorways, gates, and thresholds; and was often shown with two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward. I feel like Janus as I write this column, taking a break during a brief trip to Atlanta to help with grandchild care, leading up to Christmas. I’m looking forward to an early celebration with little ones tearing off Christmas paper before I fly home to sing with the Choir on Christmas Eve, one of my very favorite activities to anticipate. But I’m also looking backward and thinking about what we at UUCB have accomplished since our Homecoming in September, as well as what lies ahead for us in the new year.
And what a very lot has been accomplished! We have welcomed our settled minister, Rev. Kharma Amos and her wife Diane Fisher, and already can’t imagine our community without them. Sunday morning attendance is high, music is everywhere, and events are fully subscribed. With Robin Hansen’s leadership, we took a leap of faith that we could safely hold our first Holiday Fair since the pandemic. Her confidence was justified: every bit of food and almost everything else for sale went out the door in record time, and the Fair netted about $7400, almost $2000 more than our last event. Best of all, we worked together, made new friends, and felt like “we’re back!” Even more recently, the Board’s appeal for someone to organize Coffee Hour has been heard, and the willing group of Mary Ann Gesner, Linda Mallard, and Steve Martin is gathering forces to make it happen. Be on the lookout soon for an invitation to sign up for a Sunday this winter.
On a slightly different note, the inverter that converts direct current (DC) electricity, which is what our solar panels generate, to more usable alternating current (AC) electricity, has failed and needs replacement. The Building and Grounds Committee has located a company to replace and install the new inverter for $5000–just the kind of expense that was anticipated when our Long-Term Maintenance Fund was set up a number of years ago. To authorize this expenditure we need a vote of the congregation, so please plan on attending the Congregational Meeting immediately after church on Sunday, January 8.
With gratitude and best wishes for the New Year,
Cindy Parker, for the Board of Trustees
UUCB Auction
From the Safety Committee
Could our present wonderful church building burn as its predecessor did?
Please read some reasons why that is very unlikely at https://www.uubrunswick.
The Safety Committee and Fire Department believe that periodic fire drills are worthwhile anyway, and we hope to introduce them in the new year.
Read some reasons why that is very unlikely at https://www.uubrunswick.
What’s Your Spiritual Type? Why Does It Matter?
Saturday, January 14th
Join us on Saturday, January 14th from 9:00 – 12:00 noon for a half-day workshop to discover your spiritual type and what that might mean for you. What’s a spiritual type? Much like we all have “personality types” and knowing more about our type (as well as others’) can help us more meaningfully engage with others across our differences, we also have a “spiritual type” that can help us do the same with regard to spirituality. Led by our Minister, Rev. Dr. Kharma Amos, and our Director of Religious Exploration, Toben Cooney-Callnan, this workshop offers several potential benefits, including (a) personal awareness and growth (b) a broader understanding of the various ways that people engage spirituality (c) information that could be helpful as you create your own plan for spiritual practice (d) more …
Please RSVP to if you are planning to attend so we make the best arrangements for space.
Rev. David K. North
Choir Workshop and Worship Leader
February 18 & 19th, 2023
We are very excited to be introducing UUCB to the Rev. David K. North, who will be our guest minister and choir director for the weekend of February 18-19, 2023. Saturday, we’ll be having a choir workshop open to anyone, and participants in that workshop will provide music for our Sunday worship, at which David will provide a sermon with song.
David North has been the Director of Mosaic Harmony, an interfaith choir in the greater Washington DC area, for 26 years. Mosaic Harmony, which is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion, seeks to inspire audiences to embrace ALL people. Rev. Kharma, a longtime friend of David’s and a former member of Mosaic Harmony, says, “Think UU words set to black gospel music.” Click here for a sample of a song David wrote, called One Humankind.
David has been sharing his ministry in word and song his entire life. He has been the director of many musical groups, including the Southern Illinois University Gospel Choir; the Youth for Christ Fellowship Mass Choir of Washington, DC; the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington Gospel Choir; and David North and the Gospel Celebration. David has been singing and performing professionally for more than 50 years. He has been the Music Director of Mosaic Harmony since 1996. David has produced and performed on multiple recordings and has been a soloist at the Kennedy Center with the Men and Women of the Gospel. In addition,he has played the lead role of Oedipus in The Gospel at Colonus at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and at the H Street Playhouse of Washington, DC. David cares for all people, having worked as a social worker for 21 years and having served for over 29 years in ordained pastoral ministry. He feels a special calling to be a “bridge person” in interfaith opportunities, and he loves writing music that communicates peace, unity, and harmony.
Sacred Ground Program
Small-Group Conversions about Race, Racism and How We Can Do Better
We all want to see improvements in the racial disparities in our society, but it is difficult to make meaningful progress in our splintered culture. The Sacred Ground program uses discussion groups led by trained facilitators to create a space for deep dialogue across difference.
Groups of 6-9 participants and two trained facilitators meet for 90 minutes over the course of ten monthly sessions. During this time they watch and discuss films exploring the history and impact of race and racism in American society. We have run 10 interfaith groups thus far, including about 75 participants from many different backgrounds. These groups have been so well-received that we are starting additional groups in the new year. We are planning the following circles:
- 2nd Tuesday of the month (starting January 10) from 7-8:30 pm on Zoom
- Mon or Tues (exact dates soon to come) at 4pm at Curtis Library in Brunswick
- Additional circles as participant interest dictates – please register even if the above options don’t work for you so we can include you in a future circle!
Sacred Ground is for anyone who wants to engage with others to build a stronger understanding of race and racism. You are welcome here!
Learn more and register by visiting the St. Paul’s website at https://stpaulsmaine.org/learning-sacred-ground-new/ or by contacting the Program Coordinator at / (207)295-7856.
Working For Justice Justice
Teen Center
The Teen Center continues to be a popular place. The teens enjoyed decorating the Center and preparing for their December 20th holiday party. Another activity was
making tree ornaments.
The Brunswick community, including UUCB members, has been very generous in providing money, pizza and a holiday cake for the party. Some of the donations were used to purchase gift cards to Regal Movie Theater, Gelato Fiasco, and Amazon.
Thank you to everyone who supports the Teen Center.
Indigenous Awareness
The UUCB Working for Justice Steering Group (WFJSG) continues to discuss and learn about the issue of sovereignty for the Wabanaki Tribes of Maine as it decides whether to sign on to the MUUSAN resolution of support for that sovereignty. The WFJSG will hold a special Zoom meeting to further the discussion on January 5, 2023, from 4:00 PM-5:00 PM. Attending to answer questions will be Melanie Sturm, the point person for Indigenous issues at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Others in the congregation interested in attending can contact Betsy Williams at to receive the Zoom link in advance of the meeting.
Of special interest and importance is the recently released report from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development: Economic and Social Impacts of Restrictions on the Applicability of Federal Indian Policies to the Wabanaki Nations in Maine. You can access the report (and at least check out the short Executive Summary) at: https://ash.harvard.edu/publications/economic-and-social-impacts-restrictions-applicability-federal-indian-policies
More information about the tribes and sovereignty is available on the Wabanaki Alliance website: www.wabanakialliance.com.
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MUUSAN – Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network
With November’s election behind us, we are looking forward to identifying new bills in the 131st legislative session that MUUSAN’s four Issue Groups (Democracy in Action; Health Care; Climate Change; and Racial, Native and Immigrant Justice) will support. If you are interested in the path of a bill, from idea to passage and enactment, watch this 50-minute video produced by the League of Women Voters of Maine: https://www.lwvme.org/Webinars (scroll down to Advocacy in the Maine Legislature Session 1).
Save the Date
MUUSAN Network Zoom Meeting: Saturday, January 21st from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
We are happy to announce that this network meeting, open to all, will feature the six legislators in the 131st session who are Unitarian-Universalists. They will address issues and bills they hope to work on, what being a UU brings to their work, and the value of faith-based advocacy. Register at MUUSAN.org.
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Charities with Soul: January’s Charity with Soul
Good Shephard Food Bank
As the largest hunger-relief organization in Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank supports Mainers facing hunger by sourcing nutritious food and distributing it to nearly 600 partner organizations across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, health care centers, and senior programs. The Food Bank also supports the network of partners with capacity-building and innovation grants that improve and promote equitable and dignified access to nutritious food across the state. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 29 million meals through its network of partners, and strategically invested $4.2 million in grants to the network of partners. The Food Bank leads a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education, and strategic partnerships and is currently leading a $250 million Campaign to End Hunger in Maine.
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”
Concerts for a Cause
Bold Riley
Sat, Feb 4 @ 7:30 pm
UUCB Concerts for a Cause will host Bold Riley at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 4, 2023, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick.
Bold Riley is a folk quintet hailing from western Maine and known for full vocal harmonies, uplifting originals, and a joyful reimagining of traditional tunes and covers. Fiddle, guitar, banjo, accordion, bass and percussion provide a wide range of instrumentation for listeners. Band members Michael Hayashida, John Gunn, Julia Edwards, Erin Sampson and Dennis Boyd take turns singing lead, and a strong sense of community drives the energy of their music.
In 2019, the band released their first full-length album, “Kinship,” which was recorded mixed, and mastered by Jud Caswell at Frog Hollow Studio. The album showcases a refined list of originals peppered with a few key covers. The result is truly Bold Riley: family, love, and hope.
As an added bonus, our own Jud Caswell will be joining Bold Riley for a couple numbers.
$20 in advance and $25 at the door. Students/Children $10. Available at the church office, Gulf of Maine Books or online at Ticketstripe.com/boldriley.
Profits raised from this season’s concerts support the Brunswick Area Teen Center and Maine Family Planning.
We Need Refreshments
Please stop by the Concert Table after church services to buy your tickets and/or to sign up to donate some refreshments for intermission. Or contact Sue Michaud at . We earned $150 with refreshments at our last concert, really helping our bottom line.
Art Gallery
January Artist: Robin Brooks
Robin Brooks is a collage and mixed media artist living near the coast of Maine. She has lived in Maine since 1987 and has taught art in Maine schools from Calais to Topsham. She finds inspiration in the natural world and the simple things that we often overlook or take for granted. Seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary is part of her practice.
“My artwork is about empathy—for ourselves, our stories, and for the planet. Through encountering imagery that moves us we can connect deeply with our shared humanity and feel our connection to the natural world. You can find my artwork in the 2021 Women Artists Datebook published by Syracuse Cultural Workers and at venues in the midcoast area. In addition to my studio art practice, I enjoy bringing art and tai chi into the lives of children and adults. I am a member of UMVA’s Artist Rapid Response Team, ARRT.”
Our Larger UU World
UUA General Assembly
June 21 – 25, 2023
In Pittsburgh or Online
General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Participants worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to have voting delegates.
GA provides an amazing opportunity to be with thousands of other UUs from across the world. This year will include some significant business, including:
- The election of a new President (The presidential search committee has nominated Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt as their candidate. Read their statement here.)
- Significant revisions to the foundational documents of the UUA, including our UU Principles, Sources, etc. that will be presented by the Article II Study Commission (see article also included in PM).
UUCB will have voting delegates. If you are already planning to attend GA or are willing to consider it, please let us know. We want to be sure to be engaged in the dialogue and participate in these decisions that will shape our living tradition.
Here is a video of the 2022 General Assembly in Review.
For more information about 2023 General Assembly, including registration details, please visit uua.org/ga.
UUA Elections Announcement
The UUA Presidential Search Committee (PSC) has nominated the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt as candidate for UUA President, for the 2023-2029 term. Rev. Dr. Betancourt is an experienced leader and theologian in Unitarian Universalism, including formerly serving as a professor at Starr King School for the Ministry, and as Interim Co-President of the UUA in 2017.
The President of the Unitarian Universalist Association is the primary public and spiritual leader of Unitarian Universalism, as well as the UUA’s Chief Executive Officer. They are tasked with helping to lead our Association on a path to Beloved Community, in which people of diverse backgrounds, identities and theological beliefs can thrive.
The UUA Board of Trustees issued this statement in support of the PSC’s nomination.
Presidential Election Process
Member congregations of the UUA, through their delegates, elect the UUA President. The campaign for President will take place throughout the first half of 2023 and culminate with an election at our multiplatform General Assembly, online and in Pittsburgh, PA, June 21-25. Voting will open in early June.
Elections of the leaders who serve the members and congregations of the Association are at the heart of our Unitarian Universalist fifth principle and our commitment to the democratic process. Although the PSC nominated two leaders to be candidates for President, one of those nominees declined the nomination. Learn more about the PSC’s application and nomination process in this statement from the Committee.
Additional candidates may run for President by petition. Petitions may be submitted, according to the procedures described in the UUA Bylaws and Rules, by February 1, 2023. Learn more about the nomination by petition process as laid out in the UUA Bylaws and download petition forms.
The current UUA President, Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, will serve until her successor takes office. As with the current President, the next UUA President will serve a single six-year term and will not be eligible for re-election.
Candidate Biography: Rev. Dr. Sophia Betancourt
Raised in New York City as the child of immigrants from Panamá and Chile, and the grandchild of a seventh-generation Unitarian, Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt knows the strength that comes from building lasting community at the meeting point of difference. She is an unabashed Universalist. The teachings of unearned grace, an all-embracing love, relational accountability, and dignity that surpasses all violent forms of oppression lie at the core of her understanding of life, living, and service in faithful community.
Rev. Dr. Betancourt has served Unitarian Universalism for more than twenty years as a religious educator, minister, scholar, member of the UUA national staff and many volunteer committees at regional and denominational levels, and as interim co-president of the UUA in the spring of 2017.
Learn more about the candidate in this profile from UU World .
Our entire Association will be impacted by the outcome of our presidential election, and congregational participation is vitally important. Follow the UUA online to stay up-to-date on the election and join us virtually at General Assembly 2023.
UUs Commit to Addressing Ableism
The UUA and EqUUal Access have announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support our Unitarian Universalist faith communities’ work for accessibility and inclusion, and expanding our commitments to disability justice. The MOU builds on the historic partnership between the two organizations. It ensures that the UUA will provide more resources and staff to address ableism within Unitarian Universalism and to support equity in the engagement of disabled people in society as a whole.
“We are thrilled to move forward together with the UUA on the work defined in this memorandum of understanding,” said EqUUal Access Board of Directors in a statement. “It has taken a long time and much perseverance by those doing disability advocacy and disability justice work to arrive at this important milestone. We look forward to our collective efforts to establish disability justice as a priority for our association, its congregations, and the broader communities we are part of.”
With the MOU, the UUA and EqUUal Access agreed to:
- Build up the use of an anti-ableist lens in Unitarian Universalism, and provide resources to UU faith communities for this work;
- Invest in the leadership of disabled people, and build up the capacity of the UU disability community to create by-us-for-us spaces; and
- Advance disability justice as a core aspect of the UUA’s justice and organizing.
“This MOU creates a strong, transparent and accountable foundation for our relationship with EqUUal Access for years to come,” said Carey McDonald, the UUA’s Executive Vice President. “It puts resources into our commitment to countering ableism, advancing disability justice, and promoting full inclusion in UUA spaces and in our local congregation and communities. We are grateful to EqUUal Access for their long-term partnership, and recognize that expanding the UUA’s support of historically marginalized communities is a core recommendation of the 2020 Widening the Circle of Concern report from the Commission on Institutional Change.”
Deadline for Parish Messenger Articles
Copy deadline for the Parish Messenger is generally the THIRD SATURDAY of the month. Please submit articles for the FEBRUARY 2023 issue by JAN 21st.