MINISTER'S COLUMN
Last summer we spent a few days along the coast of Maine at Port Clyde and Monhegan Island. My nephew is a photographer and he woke up early each morning looking for quiet shots along the dock before tourists got in the way. One of my favorite photos is of a buoy floating calmly in the water. No matter what the weather conditions or the daily commotion on the docks, the buoy floats effortlessly enjoying the day as it is. It's much harder for us to take the same approach, but if we can, it pays off in increased mental buoyancy and lightness of being. Always remember, you can't keep a good “buoy” down. Enjoy the summer!! FROM YOUR MODERATOR - Fred Griffith Happy Summer! As our church year comes to an end we will see a break in our scheduled Sunday church services. That does NOT mean that there will be any break in our fellowship and circle of caring. Check out the summer activities schedule and you will see a bunch of events that will help us to keep in touch as we have fun together. Let me also remind you that we can easily stay in touch with each other through the UU Houlton Community email list on Yahoo Groups! To see messages and/or join the group, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuhoultoncommunity/ Over the course of the summer, we anticipate construction to be done which should take care of our foundation problems. Toward this end, the two big beautiful maple trees in the front yard were just cut down. As beautiful as they were, they were filled with rot and posed a danger to the building. We will enjoy them again this coming winter when they help to heat the parlor for our services! As the construction is completed, we will be working on the landscaping and preparing for the future. In addition, this summer, we hope to get the steeple repaired; grading done that will help with drainage from the building, and repaint parts of the building that are in need. In addition, the WiFi Café should finish all of the steps needed to be ready to open when we return. When we resume services the Sunday after Labor Day weekend, we will begin the year in which we focus on the bicentennial of the founding of our fellowship. Imagine if you will, a scant 35 years after the founding of this country, a handful of settlers in northern Maine got together to worship together. This worship was not one based on fear and dogma, but one based on love and an exploration of one’s personal relationship with the Divine, no matter how one defined it. What a radical thought! For two hundred years, generations of residents of this area have banded together in fellowship and mutual support. We have worked together in covenant with our principles, working for justice, and respecting ourselves and others in the free exploration of our own spirituality. In celebration of this anniversary, we will be digging through the archives to find and share events from the past that relate to our present day search for truth and meaning. We have a service planned and written by Rev. Martha Newman to share, which has NEVER been presented to any congregation before. In addition, we are planning other special activities to celebrate our bicentennial. We want to make sure that we focus on those activities which will be most meaningful without creating a high level of stress for those who are organizing them. The extent of those activities will be determined by the level of interest shown and number of volunteers. It is amazing how much personal satisfaction and belonging can result from volunteerism. Not only does it help one feel good about oneself, but it increases the extent to which one feels a “part” of the church community. It really helps to make the church “yours” rather than just a place that you attend. If you would like to offer your services in support of our church community please contact me at 532-2455 or Rev. Dave at 446-6858. Have a wonderful summer! Love, Fred THE MINDFUL MINUTE #33 How often do you find yourself in one of those pure and blazing spaces where life shines through? Be open to it sometime! NO WORRIES ABOUT TOP KILL At the Glick rural mailbox 652 this summer, you will not have to worry about top kill or junk shots in sending your pledge letters. We have a big mailbox on the Back Ridge Rd. Here at our house in Littleton, your contributions to the church operating budget or gifts to The Cup wifi café project will be gratefully received. Little known fact: Did you know that the zip code for Littleton is the same as for Houlton (04730)? Buried in this email is my address for mailing your pledge checks. Thank you for your support of the church this coming summer. All kidding aside, may BP or Transocean or whoever can do the job, help to heal Earth's gushing wound under the sea. May we all have a wonderful summer in the sun, tending our own gardens and doing our good work. With love and respect, Sue Glick, Treasurer QUILT RAFFLE FUNDRAISER There is still time to get your tickets on the Autumn Aurora quilt. This is a queen size quilt, made by Leigh Griffith and quilted by Lois Morin. You can visit http://burbank.mfx.net/~griffith/Leigh/church.htm to see a photo and to purchase a book of 5 tickets using Paypal. Of course they'll also be available at church on Sunday. Your last chance before the drawing will be at the craft fair in Monument Park on July 3rd. FLOWER COMMUNION & COOKOUT Our traditional flower communion service is this Sunday, June 6th. Please bring a fresh cut flower to contribute to the communion basket. This Unitarian tradition originated in 1923 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Norbert Capek asked his parishioners to bring and receive flowers as a symbol of their shared life as a spiritual community. Please come and join us for this special service. Flashy shirts are also encouraged for the occasion. Our cookout is at Dave & Linda's house in Monticello this year next to the beautiful Meduxnekeag River. Car-pooling, as always, is encouraged. Please bring something to add to the pot-luck and a grill will also be available. There will be swimming, extreme croquet, bocce, and horseshoes for those up to the excitement. Fun for all, but be sure to bring the bug dope! 4th ANNUAL PLANT FLING Remember! Our plant exchange will take place this Sunday after the service and before heading to Dave and Linda's for the barbecue. Please bring your extra vegetable and flower seedlings, plant cuttings or thinnings. DAY TRIP TO BAXTER STATE PARK On Sunday, August 1st we will be heading to South Branch Pond in Baxter State Park. Canoeing and hiking are readily available for those interested and it's a beautiful spot for a picnic and games. We'll meet for breakfast at the Brookside Inn (8AM) before we hit the road (9AM). Join us for breakfast only or spend the whole day. HOME CONCERT In April the duo Castlebay performed in our sanctuary as part of our Unitarian Concert series. Now Castlebay will return, this time for a private concert at the home of Laney and John Lloyd in Ludlow and we are all invited. Castlebay has been musically weaving together the heritage of New England and the Celtic lands since 1987. Members Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee have loved and researched traditional music for most of their lives and blend history, legend and experience into their personable performance style. Their concerts feature poignant ballads sung in Lane's ethereal soprano and Gosbee's rich baritone interspersed with joyous dance tunes played on Celtic harp, guitar, fiddle and tin whistle. Castlebay treats the audience to a musical journey through time and across the Atlantic. The duo also presents special theme concerts on various aspects of Celtic lore, nautical life or Colonial America. You can read more about them at www.castlebay.net
Date: Friday, August 20 OTHER SUMMER EVENTS POSSIBLE There were some other suggestions for summer get-togethers which never got worked into the schedule. As the summer progresses plans may solidify for these events. Please keep your eye on our changing calendar page, make sure that you are on Rev. Dave's email list, join our UU Houlton Community Yahoo group (see below) or otherwise keep in touch for news of last minute planned events. Please click here for the currently scheduled events. E-MAIL/INTERNET DISCUSSION LIST: UU HOULTON COMMUNITY An email discussion mailing list is a tool for a group of people to exchange messages via email. Any subscriber to the list can send messages that are received by all the subscribers, creating an email-based group conversation. The UU Houlton Community Yahoo Group has been created for members and friends of the Unitarian Society of Houlton. So far we have 21 members. Please take a look at the webpage. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuhoultoncommunity/ If you'd find it useful and wish to join just click the "Join This Group" button, or contact Rev. Dave if you have questions or need further instructions. OTHER UU ONLINE RESOURCES www.uuhoulton.org |
