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MUUFLETTER for December 2014
Newsletter from Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
SUNDAY SERVICES SCHEDULE
Always at 10:30 a.m.
Porter Meeting Hall, Skidompha Library
Entrance on Elm St., Damariscotta
Dec. 7- “Are We a Church, or Aren’t We?”Rev.
Leela Sinha, guest minister. We are a people born
of obstinacy, resistance, and rebellion. We stand on
principle and have little time for injustice. But where
does ill-advised solidarity become a refusal to use
our power for good? We’ll reflect on the power of
our history, and our history with power.
Rev. Leela Sinha is a UU community minister
affiliated with First Parish church in Portland. Her
ministry is a coaching and consulting practice specializing in embodied leadership and public speaking,
grounded in a theology of pleasure. She offers talks,
customized workshops, and blogs at bodyofpleasure.
com.
Dec. 14 - Please join Rev. Erika Hewitt for a
thoughtful exploration of a timely topic.
Dec. 21 - “Intergenerational Celebration of the
Solstice ” by MUUF members. There will be readings, special music by the MUUFles, a brief reflection, and our annual “cookie swap.” If you can, bring
a few cookies to exchange - if you can’t, there will
be plenty for all. Also, please bring (if you are willing and able): holiday plants (greens, poinsettias,
blooming cacti, etc.) and any other Christmas or
holiday items with which to adorn our worship space.
If you are interested in helping to plan this service,
please contact Sandra Barth at 633-6005 or email
her at sbarth@myfairpoint.net.
Reminder - This is Food Pantry Sunday and also
the day that our non-pledge cash collection is for a
worthy charity.
Dec. 24 - A Christmas Eve service, gathering in
the Skidompha Atrium at 4 p.m. “Opening the
Stable Door” In the ancient Bethlehem narrative,
one of the most subversive elements is the innkeeper with a full house who opens his stable to a
young, pregnant couple. In this “candle”-lit Christmas Eve service for all ages, Rev. Erika Hewitt
will honor the ways that we invite ourselves to be
changed, personally and as a community, by opening
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Minister’s Message
I love Christmas and all of the
traditions that go with it — including Advent, the 4-Sunday journey
of expectation that leads up to
Christmas Eve. Besides setting up
and decorating a tree, my most
cherished holiday ritual is selecting
an advent calendar, and opening a
tiny window every day.
On a separate page of this
newsletter, you’ll find an advent calendar (of sorts)
that I created for you (sorry, there’s no chocolate
included here, as many advent calendars contain!).
My wish is to invite you to move towards Christmas
in grounded, ease-filled way.
Whether you travel afar at the end of this month
or stay right here, and regardless of how you celebrate the winter holidays, I wish you and your family
a happy, safe, and meaningful transition back into
the lengthening days.
With a merry heart,
Rev. Erika
P.S. As part of my service to the Fellowship, I’m granted
leave time every year so that I can fill my spiritual and
emotional well, returning to you with new energy and
vision. To that end, I’ll be away for four weeks from
January 28th through February 25th. While I’m engaged
in that time of study, writing, and renewal, I’ll arrange for
a local UU minister to be on call for pastoral emergecies.
Coming in JANUARY:
Wednesday Meetings with the Minister
3:30 - 5:00 p.m., Carpenter Room
Join Rev Erika for one, two, or all three of her discussion groups in January! Erika has selected three
topics for group discussion. We begin with a few
minutes of chatting and check-in, and then hear a
few quotes to get us thinking about the given topic,
guided by questions. In Novem-ber, our conversations went to deep and surprising places. Don’t miss
this second round of en-gaging exploration.
Jan 7th — WHAT COURAGE LOOKS LIKE
Jan 14th — AGING
Jan 21st — DIFFICULT DECISIONS
SUNDAY SERVICES, continued
The PRESIDENT’S CORNER:
Season’s Greetings!
or entering the figurative doors that we encounter.
The MUUFles and Kevin Kiley will offer special music.
Please stay for refreshments and fellowship following
the service.
Once again we are entering that
time of year when things both slow
down and speed up, of endings
and beginnings. In December we
descend into the longest night
of the year with the Winter Solstice, but that event also marks
the renewal of the sun and the return journey back
towards summer. The shortening days and dropping
temperatures make us want to hibernate, but at the
same time the holiday preparations (shopping, if you
like), celebrations, concerts, and events make it one
of the busiest times of the year. Before self-imposed
-- or sometimes weather-imposed -- isolation and
our long winter’s nap, we gather with friends and enjoy community. For the Fellowship, we move towards
the end of the year with our own holiday observances, including our annual Christmas Eve service.
We also head into the New Year with our course
charted by the Fellowship members and their valuable participation in November’s Annual Meeting.
The 2014 Meeting named the Fellowship leaders for
next year, and approved our working budget. I am
very pleased to be returning as your President, and
look forward to working with new Board members
Jennifer Ober (VP), David Bailey (Treasurer), and
trustees Suzanne Carlson, and Dwight Harvie, along
with returning members Steve Cole (Secretary) and
trustee Tim Goltz. The Board bids farewell to outgoing members Nan White, Robert Lightfoot, and
Nancy Holmes with deep appreciation for all their
work.
Most of all I thank you, members of the Fellowship
for your wisdom and faith in supporting the Fellowship’s vision and approving the 2015 Budget. The
numbers aren’t exactly what we want, but we have a
clear idea of where our efforts are needed most. The
need for creative fundraising is apparent, especially
if we scale back the Blueberry Festival, so I welcome
all to pitch in. And let us all strive to increase membership, and thereby pledges.
I wish you and yours the joy of the season.
Dec. 28 - Giving Thanks, Letting Go and Looking Forward with your worship associates.
Jan. 4: Fellowship member Mimi Moore reflects on
the joys and sorrows in her life.
Hospitality Schedule
Dec. 7 Dec. 14 Dec. 21 Dec. 28 Jan. 4 -
Refreshments/Greeters
Kate Pennington (Green Pod)
Ann Foskett (Blue Pod)
Nancy Holmes (Red Pod)
The Obers (Purple Pod)
Sandra Barth (Indigo Pod)
This New Year’s Eve,
Ring Out the Old and Welcome the New in fine style
by participating in our
MUUF Community Supper service,
at the Newcastle Second Congregational Church
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
December 31, 2014.
Cooks (your contribution can be dropped off beforehand), servers, and clean-up crewed requested.
Please contact Sue van Alsenoy at 207 380-7716 or
s.van.alsenoy@pandora.be
Please turn in your pledge to Bob Lightfoot if
you haven’t done so already. He will continue to
maintain a set of professional accounting ledgers
in 2015 as an assistant to the incoming treasurer.
Statements will be prepared for you by the end of
Janbuary.
In peace,
John
Snow Cancellation Policy
Fellowship cancellations will be posted on our
facebook page and website, uumidcoast.org.
We will have an outgoing announcement on
Midcoast UU Fellowship’s new phone number
announcing cancellations when they happen.
The phone # is: 207 315-1628. (call for a
Cabin Fever Day!
recorded message!)
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A MUUF Special Event - Jan. 10
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library
Pot Luck Lunch - games, etc.
Beat the Winter Blahs!
!
Rev. Erika’s Advent Calendar
14: Unplug, power down, and head to bed
early for a long, nourishing night of sleep.
1: Begin again. Make a mistake? Begin again.
Lose your way? Begin again. Forgive yourself
and others; begin again.
15: Every time you hear a phone ring, pause
and give thanks for something.
2: Tonight or later this week, light a chalice
and offer thanks before eating a meal.
16: Sing out loud: in the shower, in your car,
or with someone who wants to sing along.
3: Appoint yourself a Secret Agent of
Kindness for a day and see what happens.
17: Put the phone down every time – every
time – you interact with a cashier, a sales
clerk, or any other human being. 4: Remember those whose needs are greater
than your own. How can you share
something you have with them?
5: Make a connection by saying hello to
those you pass on the street or in stores.
18: Eat the foods that will make you feel
energetic, strong, and healthy. Eat as if your
health depended on it. Eat as if the health of
the planet depended on it. 6: Email or call someone to say “thank
you” (whether they’re expecting it or not).
19: Resist trying to improve yourself – or
others.
7: Bundle up and head out into the world to
find beauty in nature. 20: Ask yourself: when was the last time you
danced? Put on some music and start moving.
8: Choose a household chore and approach it
with mindfulness, instead of rushing. Be as
present as you can.
21: Mark the winter solstice by going out into
the darkness and seeking out lights that make
you feel merry.
9: Box up something you’re ready to let go
of and pass it on to someone for whom it
might bring joy.
22: Care for the gift of your body: set time
aside to stretch, move, or breathe.
23: Ask for what you need: a hug, an
invitation, a listening ear, a moment of
someone’s presence.
10: Practice the power of Showing Up: pay
full attention to the people, beings, and tasks
before you.
24: Enjoy the beauty of music, story, song,
and the radiant candlelight at our 4:00 p.m.
service.
11: Whenever the thought of giving comes to
you, give. Give time, words of appreciation,
help, or material wealth.
25: Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
12: Snuggle up with your favorite holiday
movie or book. (Popcorn is optional.)
13: Look up into the night sky and find a
“star of wonder” to gaze at.
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