The Universalist Church Of Westbrook
A Universalist Unitarian Congregation
719 Main St.
Westbrook, Maine 04092
www.uuwestbrook.org
February 4, 2007
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From Dan, our out-going Moderator, lots of good news recently! We broke even last year. Banner Year!! Brian Morrison is the new Moderator and Sherry Morrison serves as Membership & Fellowship Chair and also as Religious Education Chair. Sam and Carter Morrison are our first two students, but we have at least one in the wings and a baby to sit. Religious Education is progressing. Maureen and Joshua Patrick are our newest members, and Maureen has taken the Publicity Chair position with great zeal and excellence. You'll just have to visit soon to hear more good news.”
And from Brian, our new Moderator: Am I committed enough to this Church? It sure has been a struggle for us over the years. Is it worth it? Do I care if the Church stays open? Are my children’s lives enriched by coming here (sometimes kicking and screaming) on Sunday mornings? Am I nourished spiritually in this congregation? Does Westbrook need a comforting place where people on different spiritual paths can worship together with compassion? Is this beautiful building a place that more people should see the inside of? Do I dream of hearing a choir of UU angels full of the spirit in that balcony? Have other members of our intimate congregation become more like family members? Do I have a duty as a lifelong UU to support the UU church in my town? The answer to all these questions is a resounding "YES!"
Maybe you've asked yourselves similar questions about what this church and congregation means to you. Let's keep asking questions of each other and of ourselves. This great place is full of promise and possibilities.
With care, Brian
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On January 28th, Carlyle Lewis stepped once again into the pulpit to deliver a sermon entitled "Dear Lord, Help Me Find My Keys." Through a discussion of the frustration of losing and then finding his keys, Carlyle explained that we all have personality traits and states of mind that get locked up in our heads and hearts, and sometimes we lose the keys that unlock those parts of ourselves. Carlyle then reminded us in his kind and gentle way that we all have "keys on our spiritual key-rings" that we can use to unlock our hearts and minds, and on our way out of the service, each of us was handed a real key to symbolize those precious spiritual keys.
On February 4th, Brian Morrison sent out energetic words of connectedness with a discussion of the Free Hugs campaign at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4. Check out the video to see this great example of compassion and connection. The title of Brian’s sermon was “Why Me?” and detailed his own questions upon becoming Moderator, as well as several questions we must all ask ourselves from time to time about the meaning of our church and spiritual experiences.
See you soon!
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The Annual Meeting was held on January 28th. Dan Glover passed the torch of Moderator to Brian Morrison. The Annual Report was ratified without difficulties, as were several nominations of different positions in the Church leadership. Dan will be our new Treasurer, as Luc Bergeron regrettably needed to step down from the position. Gini Worthen will continue to head up the services and music department, Sherry Morrison will be handling Religious Education with the assistance of Joshua Patrick, and Maureen Patrick has stepped into the position of Publicity chairperson.
Please remember that services may be held downstairs during January and February to help cut down on heating costs.
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If anyone has any Joys or Concerns they wish to share with other congregants, please drop us a line. Submissions may be made anonymously as well. Please specify whether or not you would like your name printed.
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Carlyle Lewis has been awarded, by nearly-unanimous vote, the title of Minister Emeritus. Also, Dan Glover has been awarded the Congregational Leadership Award, in recognition of his outstanding service to the Church and our spiritual community. Both awards were "voted" upon by emails and phone calls so that the respective recipients would be none the wiser.
Congratulations to Carlyle and Dan!
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Our church family is growing! We are very pleased to welcome several new faces recently.
Stephanie Carter and her three-month-old daughter Samantha have been to services several times, and we look forward to seeing them, as well as Stephanie's husband Benjamin and their three-year-old son, Alex.
Ted and Julie Vallee and their one-year-old son Joshua have attended services recently. Joshua was christened by Carlyle Lewis on December 24th, 2006.
Finally, another Joshua has joined the Church. Joshua Patrick and wife Maureen have signed the membership book and are looking forward to becoming integral members of the congregation.
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Sherry Morrison has taken on the task of furthering the RE program. Under her and Dan's supervision, Sam and Carter Morrison cooked up a fantastic lunch for all in attendance at the Annual Meeting. Sam and Carter also bussed tables and collected donations to offset costs of snacks and coffee for after services.
On February 4, Josh Patrick joined Sherry and the kids, and helped Sam, Carter, and Alex to make Valentine’s Day cards. They also discussed several aspects of spiritual growth and awareness.
In upcoming weeks, Sherry and several others will be looking into expanding the RE program in hopes that more people will come to services if they know their children will remain occupied with quality activities.
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There is a Bean Supper tentatively planned for February 24 at 4PM. If you would like to help out, or if you would like to donate food or funds to the Supper, please contact us. All assistance will be greatly appreciated!
In the next few weeks, we will be creating a list of activities we would like to host at the Church. One idea being considered is a Crafting Fellowship - a group dedicated to creating handmade items for the needy in our community and beyond. If you have a skill or talent you think would make a good activity for Church and community members, or you would like to be part of our outreach program, drop us a line!
Services for the remainder of February will be conducted by: Rev. Dr. Judith Blanchard (Feb. 11th), Rev. Nancy Salisbury (Feb. 18th) and Rev. Bill Gregory (Feb. 25th).
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If you have suggestions and/or comments for the Church, the newsletter or other area of Church life that you would like to see addressed, please drop us a line. Submissions may be made anonymously or not, but please specify if you would like your name printed.
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What's UUp in Westbrook? is a new venture, so please be patient as it evolves into a more cohesive newsletter. Please send contributions to Maureen Patrick via email to uuwestbrook@yahoo.com, or to her via postal mail at 18 Vivian St, Westbrook ME 04092. Questions, comments and other email correspondence can also be sent to this email address, and your messages will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
The deadline for submissions to What's UUp in Westbrook? is the last Friday of each
month. Please make sure all notices, suggestions, and topics for articles are
submitted to uuwestbrook@yahoo.com by or before that date.
In the interests of saving paper and heading us in the direction of being a more "Green" church, please consider receiving your copy of What's UUp in Westbrook? via email. If you would like to participate in the email newsletter, please send Maureen a message at the above email address. Also, please remember to add uuwestbrook@yahoo.com to your spam email filters - we want you to receive your newsletter!
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.
-The Buddha