Parish Messenger April 2021

Articles in this edition:

Minister’s Message

“Hate can have no safe harbor in America.”
~ President Joseph Biden, March 18, 2021

As I write this, I have just listened to our U.S. president utter those words, “Hate can have no safe harbor in America.” It is a relief to have the president speak out against hate after our collective experience of an administration that fanned hate’s flames. And of course, it is heartbreaking that it is necessary to say these words.

Once again an alienated white man with a gun has murdered people, eight people, six of them women of Asian descent. The Asian and Pacific Island communities have endured hatred before in the history of this nation, but over the last year of this pandemic, hate crimes against Asian and Pacific Island people have risen. A recent encounter in San Francisco’s Chinatown was captured on video. A white man walked up to an elderly Chinese woman and punched her in the face. She grabbed a board and walloped him hard. The camera caught him being wheeled away on a stretcher, bleeding and bewildered, the woman crying out, distraught that she should be attacked in this way for no reason. We might cheer her on for fighting back, but I share her question – why would he do this to me?

President Biden didn’t just repeat the now-familiar phrase, “hate has no home here,” that visionary statement of a more peaceful world. No, he said, “Hate can have no safe harbor” here. It is a recognition that hate has in fact had a home here, has put its feet up and made itself comfortable. Hate has been allowed to prosper and grow. Like a virus, it needs a host to survive and do its bidding, spreading itself through human contact. The president’s pronouncement is a call to action, a charge to us all to resist hate, to be on the side of love.

The transition team and I have had the honor of meeting with dozens of you over the past several weeks. We listened while you shared with us the stories of UUCB at its best. There will be more such opportunities over this interim time, so don’t worry if you weren’t able to participate this time around. This congregation overflows with creative, committed, and talented people, and together you have built and are building a beautiful and caring community of faith.

Although technically Spring began in March, April is truly the month of Spring here in New England. Soon everything will be green! The crocuses and daffodils will be in bloom, the trees beginning to leaf out, peepers singing along with the birds – such a beautiful time. We can see the edge of a new horizon and with vaccinations becoming more plentiful, soon we will be able to be together again. What joy that will bring. Hold on, Dear Ones. Hold on.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

Blessings,
Justine
Rev. Justine Sullivan, Interim Minister, UUCB
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UUCB Services in April

Sundays at 10:00 on YouTube.com

April 4 — Easter Service, Rev. Justine Sullivan
April 11 — Finding Your Path: Reflections by members of the UUCB Adult RE group, led by Toben Cooney Callnan, our UUCB Dir. of Religious Exploration.
April 18 — Earth Was Given as a Garden, Rev. Justine Sullivan
April 25 — Earth Day, the service by the Youth Groups of UUCB and First Parish, Portland

UUCB Grief Group Forming

We’ve all experienced multiple losses over this past year, losses we need to grieve, but this is most especially if you have lost someone during this pandemic, or maybe you find the isolation has increased the burden of earlier losses. Let’s gather in a sacred circle on Zoom (we’ll start online). If you are interested, write to and let me know if you could do: First and Third Fridays at 4 or First and Third Saturdays at 10, 2, or 4. OR if none of those works, suggest another time or two. — Justine

RE-flection

It’s now been a full year of online Religious Exploration meetings.

Zoom can be a challenging platform for connecting with others. Last Spring our first several Zoom meetings were interrupted by Zoom glitches and poor WiFi connection but that didn’t keep us from trying to be together! Knowing that Zoom wasn’t going to work for everyone, RE packets became part of how we helped families connect with UUCB and their UU identity. Most recently, we launched a Pen Pal Program to connect kids from UUCB with kids from First Parish UU Portland. It’s not easy to work for connection but week after week the amazing RE kids and their families made the effort.

A year later, we have a solid group that attend our RE meetings regularly. They’ve gotten to know each other better and they’ve gotten to connect with other local UU kids. It certainly hasn’t been the same as when we’re all together with our hearts in the same room, but it has been an act in dedication and resilience.

I truly love that we are a people that grow together when facing a challenge. It’s been a source of comfort and strength to be able to be a part of the effort to stay connected to each other and our UU values throughout this immensely challenging year.

In faith,
Toben

Some Good News for Gathering

Circle Suppers coming back! In the light of the recent changes in CDC guidelines, it appears that for those who are fully vaccinated and two weeks beyond their second dose, it is possible to gather with others in small groups. This will be a big boost for many of us, providing a much needed opportunity to gather with others.

We plan to go forward with Circle Suppers beginning in April. The proposed dates are: Saturdays April 10th, 17th, 24th and May 1st. Additional dates will be made available as we move into the summer months.

These suppers, arranged by the Membership Committee, provide a great opportunity for both long-time and new members to get better acquainted in a comfortable small group setting. Groups of 6 to 8 people attend. Suppers are informal, “pot-luck” style with the host providing the main course and others bringing appetizers, sides and desserts. Beverages may be provided by both the hosts and guests.

We’ll be looking for both hosts and participants. For questions and to sign up to either host or attend as a guest, contact Debbie Zorach, 607-9127, or Leigh Peranteau, 725-4874, l.

UUCB Board Update

Settled Minister Search Team

We have our Team! At a special meeting after church on Sunday, April 18th the Board will be presenting the following group of seven members for congregational approval as our Settled Minister Search Team:

Irene Austin
Stephanie Bernier
Nathan Haynes
David Juhlin
Mary Larson
Betsy Roper
Tom Rumph

This is a very solid team, and we feel confident that they will handle the job very well. They have a lot of work to do between now and when we announce our candidate for Settled Minister in early-mid April of 2022!

The Special Congregational Meeting will be held immediately after the church service on April 18th. We will use our regular coffee hour Zoom link for the meeting. So please come and help celebrate this step on our path.

Interim Ministry Appraisal

As we are entering the last quarter of our first year with Justine as our Interim Minister, the UUA asks that the Board provide an Interim Ministry Appraisal. This is not just an assessment of the Minister’s work. It is also an assessment of our congregation’s work in managing the challenges of the interim period. The Board has been very pleased on both accounts. In her working directly with the Board, Justine has provided strong leadership and wise counsel. We have also gotten very positive feedback from members (and kudos to the Interim Minister Search Team). The combination of interim ministry and pandemic is a double challenge for congregations everywhere, and we have many indications that UUCB continues to be strong in this difficult time.

Covid Response Team

The Covid Response Team met on March 15th. There are no new directives in terms of reopening the church building. As we’ve all seen in the news, we are clearly not “out of the woods” yet. It is encouraging that many people are getting vaccinated, but many have not yet been able to do so. We should be aware that people in younger age groups may feel frustration at being left out when their happily vaccinated older friends make plans to get together.

Initial movement toward reconnecting in person will be limited to small groups and outdoor meetings. Circle suppers in private homes and pastoral visits to vaccinated people (with masks) are being considered. President Biden has targeted July 4 as a time when we might be “closer to normal.” We need continued patience until then and beyond.

Glenn Williams
Chair, UUCB Board of Trustees

April Charity with Soul: Maine Family Planning

Maine Family Planning (MFP) was founded in 1971 by a group of grassroots activists dedicated to the idea that everyone should have equal access to excellent sexual and reproductive health care. MFP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and its mission is to ensure that all Maine people have access to high-quality, affordable reproductive health care, comprehensive sexual health education, and the right to control their reproductive lives.

Today, MFP carries out its mission through four primary programs:

Clinical: MFP directly operates 18 community clinics in Maine that offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care, all at a sliding fee scale, including at no cost to patients. In addition, MFP serves as the state and federal grantee for Maine’s family planning network, distributing pass-through funds to school-based health centers, Planned Parenthood affiliates, and federally qualified health centers in Maine. Serving mostly low-income Mainers.
Prevention: MFP develops comprehensive, up-to-date sexual education curricula and trains care providers and educators working with youth throughout Maine, including youth in foster care and other vulnerable populations.
Family Support: MFP operates the Maine Families Home Visiting program in Hancock County and the WIC Nutrition Program in Washington and Hancock Counties, providing critical support networks and resources to new parents and caregivers.
Policy advocacy: MFP advocates for common-sense, evidence-based policies at the State and Federal level when it comes to issues of sexual and reproductive health care and rights.

Maine Family Planning is honored to have the support of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, and we encourage all to join us in this important work! MFP is active on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and MFP’s Director of Development, Mareisa Weil, can be reached at . Thank you!

PLEDGE DRIVE UPDATE

The 2021-2022 pledge drive is approaching the final turn and is rapidly nearing the finish line of MARCH 31st. To those of you who have already made a pledge, many, many thanks! To those of you who have yet to take that step, please join us and help support our church! UUCB NEEDS YOU TOO!

Food for thought…

The following words are from the Pledge Drive testimonial of Bonnie Wood that she delivered at the service on March 14.

“When we make our annual pledge to the UUCB we know that our money will be spent in ways that are meaningful to us.”

I’m not sure we can say that about every other institution that we give to.

Thank you — The UUCB Pledge Drive Team

Youth Group Discusses The Hate U Give

The RE youth group of UUCB and First Parish Portland led us in a thoughtful discussion of the young adult novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas on March 28.

The book’s story is told from the perspective of Starr Carter, a teen who lives in a poor, mostly Black neighborhood, and attends a white prep school. She navigates between the two worlds of her neighborhood and her school until this uneasy balance is shattered by the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer.

The youth group challenged us to think about Starr’s dilemma – whether, for instance, to honor her father’s wish to remain in the family’s home and neighborhood or seize opportunities such as continuing to attend the largely all-white private school. Posing questions like these brought us to a greater appreciation of the lives of Black families struggling to survive and raise their children safely. We thank the RE youth for their leadership of the discussion.

Immigrant Justice

Fundraising for local asylum seeker legal fees continues.

The Emergency Action Network (TEAN) and Mid Coast New Mainers Group (MCNMG) continue their major fundraising effort to raise $100,000 to aid new Mainers in Midcoast Maine with the legal expenses anticipated in their efforts to achieve asylum seeker status

If you wish to contribute to this legal fund, donations can be mailed to TEAN at 4 Chestnut Road; Brunswick, ME 04011. Designate your donation to the Bath-Brunswick Asylum Seeker Legal Fund. If you would like to see the more detailed fundraising letter or are interested to volunteer as an asylum seeker mentor, tutor or family support team member, please contact Cathey Cyrus who is a MCNMG steering group member.

Gun Violence Prevention and Education

Each December our UUCB Working For Justice Gun Violence Prevention and Education group organizes a vigil in memory of lives lost each year to gun violence. We began following the tragic shooting of school children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. AND, we do so much more. In our partnership with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America we join them in supporting evidence based strategies to combat gun violence at the local, state and national level. We also work in collaboration with MUUSAN as we follow gun safety legislation in the Maine Legislature.

We are currently following several bills listed below. Some of us will testify at public hearings and attend work sessions as well as contact our Representative and Senator asking them to support bills that strengthen our safety or oppose bills that threaten our lives. We are fortunate in Brunswick to have both of our state legislators as strong advocates of gun safety measures. If you would like to join us in passing these common sense measures please contact Lynn Ellis; and I will assist you in getting involved.

— Lynn Ellis

Gun safety bills in the legislature now

LD 759 An Act To Amend the Child Endangerment Laws
LD 805 An Act to Allow Municipalities to Prohibit Firearms at Voting
LD 976 An Act To Clarify the Definition of “Machine Gun”
LR 1945 An Act To Prohibit Untraceable and Undetectable Firearms
LD 999 An Act Regarding Background Checks in the Sale of Firearms Portland
LD 1068 An Act To Restrict Access to weapons Pursuant to Court Order in Cases of Harassment.

Tribal Sovereignty

A major issue before the Legislature now is Native American tribal sovereignty and gaming.

The issue is simple: The Federal Government has granted all American Tribes sovereignty on the issue of gaming. Maine is the only State that has failed to honor the precedence of Federal law, and instead has chosen to continue paternalistic and demeaning control over Native Tribes, since Maine law permits gaming.

If you want to know more about the issue and the tribal sovereignty bills now before the Legislature, just let Rob Stuart know your interest.

Habitat for Humanity Annual

Fundraiser

It is that time of year again when Habitat for Humanity 7Rivers Maine has its annual fundraiser to raise much needed funds for its building and weatherization projects.

The pandemic has certainly affected Habitat as it has many charities. However, there is hope that the weatherization teams can start up again soon. A house in Boothbay was completed, finally, and the young family moved in in November. We got a virtual tour of the house with the family, and their little boy was so proud of his new room and the bathroom! It makes us realize why we are walking and fundraising. The ReStore has been busy and now there are five UUCB members working there: It is a fun place to work if you are looking for volunteer opportunities.

So from May 2nd to June 30th you are invited to join us in the effort to help create home ownership and home weatherization improvements in the Mid Coast. We have a team of 14 walkers/fundraisers so far and would love to have you to join us in this fundraising effort. So far our UUCB team consists of: Carol McCoy, Carol Briggs, Anne Spencer, Cuffy Chase, Joanne Allen, Betsy Williams, Caroline Evans, Mike Heath, Ed McCartan, Sally Horne, Irene and Joel Austin, and Dexter and Gretchen Kamilewicz. Our team has consistently been one of the top fundraisers, and we would certainly like to keep it that way.

Because this event is still a “virtual walk” there are several avenues open to you should you choose to join the effort as a part of the UUCB team.

Gretchen and Dexter Kamilewicz are planning for interested UUCB walkers to meet on Sunday, May 2, at 1:00 at the home of Dexter and Gretchen on Orr’s Island and do a walk around the nearby Bowdoin College Coastal Studies Center with refreshments and socializing after the walk. (Time and date flexible depending on the weather).
As was the option last year, you may do whatever “walking” you prefer either alone or with others.
You may also choose to gather a few friends to walk, hike, bicycle or kayak? at the location of your choosing.

Bottom line…..Habitat 7Rivers Maine needs YOU

If you have questions or wish to be included as a walker in this fundraiser, please contact
Gretchen at 833-5125, ; Cuffy at 721-0042,

Thank you.

MUUSAN and Your Power of Advocacy

For MUUSAN, the Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network, every word is important in the name, but the driving force is in the two words “Advocacy” and “Network.” Important legislation only passes (or is blocked) if people advocate for it and if the network is strong and well organized. Advocacy is faith in action. Statistically, people with institutionalized, faith-based relationships are in the minority in Maine as in much of the country. Our impact, however, is significantly larger than our numbers.

Here is the first step you may take once you have decided you want to become an advocate and make a measurable difference: call your town office and learn your state Representative and state Senator district numbers if you don’t know them already, and their names, and especially their phone numbers. Go ahead and call them, introduce yourself, and ask if they mind you calling them about particular legislation (of course they will be delighted!).

Next, think about the issues that matter most to you and what you would like to hear about and advocate for. Email your interests to Rob Stuart, at . We will add your name to a UUCB list of people interested in the same issues. When your interest area(s) come up in legislation, you will receive email alerts with details of the bill(s) and some talking points. You can then call your Representative and Senator and in a very friendly way share your thoughts and opinions on how you would like to see the vote go—much easier than inviting friends over to dinner—unless you want to advocate with them as well! You are also encouraged to sign up with MUUSAN, attend the bi-monthly sessions, and join the interest group of your choice. The next meeting is Saturday, May 8 from 10am to noon.

Thank you for considering the importance and power of your advocacy role.

Teen Center News

Attendance is picking up at the Teen Center, increasing from 2.5 to 4 teens a day on average. A few of the teens can ride their bikes now particularly since other transportation is not available.

The Annual Fund has reached $52,479.06 but the search for more is ongoing. Jordan will be applying for a grant from First Parish Church to go towards staffing costs.

Some of the teens who have “graduated” from the Teen Center have come back for visits. One of the “graduates” even asked to volunteer at the Center.

The teens continue to have a wish list: a rack for behind a bike seat, and a men’s bike in decent riding condition. A teen who bought a used electric guitar now needs a small amplifier, and another one needs a used computer board.

As always Jordan and the gang want to thank all of you for your support of the Teen Center.

Charities with Soul Nominations

UUCB shares its Sunday monetary offering each month with a charity whose work supports some facet of our mission statement, which includes being a spiritual community, welcoming everyone, nurturing one another, working for justice, and caring for the earth.

Seven legacy charities are supported each year:

Four Directions Development Corporation
The Gathering Place
Habitat for Humanity
Midcoast Hunger Prevention
Oasis Free Clinic
The Tedford Shelter·
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Each year the congregation chooses five more charities to support in our monthly Charities with Soul offerings. One goal is to have the full year selection of charities help us round out comprehensive support of our mission.

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

Completed nomination forms may be electronically scanned and sent to Lynn Ellis , or mailed to the church office at PO Box 129 Brunswick ME 04011.

These forms must be sent by April 15, 2021.

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.