Rev. David Hutchinson, Minister, 446-6858
Rev. Martha Newman, Minister Emerita
Sarah Lovejoy, Moderator, 532-2831
Ann Rheinlander, Treasurer, 532-3383
Karen Klahr, Newsletter, 532-4051
Church Phone, 532-9269

Newsletter - August 2003

First Church of Houlton,
Unitarian-Universalist
61 Military St.
Houlton, ME 04730

MINISTER'S COLUMN

	God had infinite time to give us
	so He cut it up into a neat succession
	of new mornings,
	and, with each, therefore,
	a new idea,
	new inventions,
	and new applications.

			- Ralph Waldo Emerson
			  Journal   May, 1869
At the start of each day there is the danger for us to assume that today is going to be like yesterday. And although our routines and schedule, are indeed, very close from day to day and week to week, if we look closely we soon realize there are slight variances even to what we thought were the same. Our slice of toast may be toasted just a bit darker or there might be a little more jam spread to the corner. There are no two days alike. There are no two moments alike. Emerson encourages us to look in-between the moments to see where the fresh and the new begin.

As we commence our new church year at the Houlton Unitarian Society (year#194!!), we continue to look forward and back and in-between to discover meaning in our individual lives and in our spiritual community. The photograph below was taken in the Fall of 1902 during the construction of our current church building. I'm not sure if the proud gentlemen in the foreground were the contractors or members of the church building committee, but these ancestors are a part of our Unitarian history in this place. November will be a special month as we celebrate the centennial of our church dedication which took place on November 24, 1903. There is also an organ and special music concert on Sunday afternoon, November 2nd, commemorating the centennial and in memory of Janet White. Our archive group will be working hard this Fall piecing together our living history. Anyone interested in helping out on this project can contact me and I will refer you to the right people!!

The past and the future always meet in-between the moments.       In Ministry,   Dave

INGATHERING SERVICE
On September 7, we will once again open our church year with a water ceremony. Bring a small container of water from a special place you may have visited during the summer (or from a source closer by!!) and we will pour them into a sacred bowl sharing our waters and our stories together. It is a simple ritual that captures the energy and life adventures of our spiritual community.
FALL CALENDAR

Sept 7
 Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Sept 13
 Coffeehouse in the basement, 7-9:30pm
Sept 14
 Sunday service - Richard Silliboy
Sept 21
 Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Sept 28
 Sunday service - Linda Rowe
Oct 4
 Saturday Meditation group in the parlor, 8am
Oct 5
Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Oct 11
 Film Night in the parlor 6P.M.
Oct 12
 Sunday service - LT Rheinlander
Oct 18
 Coffeehouse in the basement, 7-9:30pm
Oct 19
 Sunday service - Leigh Griffith
Oct 26
Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson (Tennebrae Service)
Nov 1
 Saturday Meditation group in the parlor, 8am
Nov 2
 Sunday service - Sarah Lovejoy
Nov 2
 Centennial Organ Concert/ Janet White Memorial - 4pm in the Sanctuary
Nov 8
 Film Night in the parlor 6P.M.
Nov 9
 Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Nov 15
 Coffeehouse in the basement, 7-9:30pm
Nov 16
Sunday service - Ann Rheinlander
Nov 23
Centennial Celebration (in the sanctuary) - David Hutchinson
Nov 30
Sunday service - Karen Klahr
Dec 6
 Saturday Meditation group in the parlor, 8am
Dec 6
 Film Night in the parlor 6P.M.
Dec 7
 Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Dec 13
 Coffeehouse in the basement, 7-9:30pm
Dec 14
 Sunday service by Jerry Levine
Dec 21
 Sunday service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Dec 24
 Christmas Eve service - Rev. David Hutchinson
Dec 28
Sunday service - Fred Griffith
Jan 3
Saturday Meditation group in the parlor, 8am
Jan 17
 Coffeehouse in the basement, 7-9:30pm

WORDS OF THANKS
  • A belated thanks to Bill Lowell for arranging and financing our church's internet domain name.
  • To Pat and Joe Hogan for hosting our gathering at Drew's Lake.
  • To Jim Holden for his gift of a clock, given in memory of his parents, A.F. (Allie) Holden and Leah Holden.
  • To SACAP for donating $77 to cover our losses for the Amphitheater Coffeehouse.
  • To Harry and Marilyn Roper for a generous donation.
  • To Doris Raymond for donation in memory of her husband Don.
  • To all of you who made payments on your pledge during the summer and helped us keep ahead of our bills.
  • To Leigh Griffith for doing at least 90% of the work on our banner for the GA banner parade.
    GENERAL ASSEMBLY
    Our minister and 4 of our members attended the 2003 UUA General Assembly. Held, this year, in Boston, it was the largest GA ever with more than 7550 UUs attending. On Thursday night at the opening celebration our newly created banner was part of the banner parade and was among the hundreds that were displayed around the convention center for the weekend. There were many workshops and presentations to choose from, including talks by Robert Reich, Wendy Kaminer, Jonathan Kozol and Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, who delivered the annual Ware Lecture.

    Ann Rheinlander attended the Women & Religion workshop, called The Gender Knot, based on a book by the same name. She reports: The focus of the workshop was on the perceptions of gender roles of the young adult population. As always our hope for change resides in the young. It is for us, their elders, to point out the possibility of change along with the mutual benefits to all. For me, I could honestly look around and see those younger women and men as well and hear their stories; and I knew the vast distance that has been crossed in only one generation. It was a great comfort to hear, in even a small way, that my story, my life had changed their story, their life, from what it would have been a generation earlier. The circle continues and grows ever larger and ever more inclusive.

    Karen attended rehearsals and sang with the 183 voice GA Choir at the Monday night Closing Celebration. She also visited the UU Musician's Network exhibit and came home with lots of great music.

    Sue and Bruce were our delegates and attended the plenary sessions where five Actions of Immediate Witness were passed with the intent to address recent events. They called for the U.S.Congress to:

  • conduct open bipartisan hearings to examine the justification for the invasion of Iraq
  • restore funding for AmeriCorps
  • pass proposed legislation that would mandate studies of the effects of depleted uranium on the environment and the health of those exposed to it
  • appropriate complete funding for studies of global HIV/AIDS, and
  • to continue support for women's rights and reproductive freedom, including participation in the March for Reproductive Freedom scheduled for April 25, 2004 in Washington, D.C.
    These actions, along with a new Statement of Conscience on economic globalization, are posted at http://www.uua.org/actions.
    UPDATING THE CHURCH DIRECTORY
    Bruce will be updating the Church Directory of everyone's addresses, e-mails, and phone numbers and would like to put out a new Directory by the end of September. Please inform him of any changes or corrections or new listings. His number is 538-9264.
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