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What it means to be a people of Blessing
"I guess after plan A fails, I need to remember there's a whole alphabet."
We all need to remember that "there's a whole alphabet" out there. We all get stuck wanting things a certain way. We all, at times, focus so intently on the few things going wrong that we completely miss the dozens of things that are going right. Tunnel vision too often takes over our days.
For our Unitarian Universalist faith, this is the central tragedy of the human condition. We respect those who frame our problem as sin and tainted souls, but it's nearsightedness that our religion is most worried about. For us "a life of blessing" is less about securing eternal reward or forgiveness; it's more about widening our view.
There's a lot at stake when it comes to this wider view. When the world seems stingy to us, we are stingy to others. Those who feel blessed have little trouble sharing blessings with others. Our tradition takes this calculus seriously. As UU minister Rev. Don Wheat puts it "The religious person is a grateful person, and the grateful person is the generous person."
So this month the question in front of all of us is not simply "Do you notice the blessings all around you?" It's also, "How are the blessings in your life leading you to bless others?" There is indeed a whole alphabet out there. May we notice it, and help each other do the same.
Please engage with the theme materials on our website and in your small groups. Reflect on the questions and invite someone for tea or coffee to have a conversation and deepen your experience.
May you enjoy insights and find peace through your explorations. May this season of warming earth and returning life bring you the joyful blessings of hope.
As always, with love and abundant blessings to you,
Barbara
Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord
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Worship Services - Sundays at 10:30am
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Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord
This morning our High School Youth Group returns from New York City and shares their experiences from a two-day service learning project.
Elise deMichael
On this Mother's Day, Elise deMichael, member of the Sermon Seminar program, will present "Mother, a Blessing ... or Not." This sermon will include a history of the holiday, some personal reflections about her mother and on being a mother, the differences in mothering, and a riddle.
Kali Fyre, Ministerial Intern, & Sandy Frades Animals can literally transform our lives, make us healthier, give us new perspectives, and bring immense joy. We learn so much from them. Come and celebrate our furry, hairy, winged and scaled friends at our Blessing of the Animals service. Animals of all shapes and sizes are welcome. (Those that bite, sting or scratch should be constrained.) If you can't bring your animal, bring a photo! We will also light candles for those animals that have died since our last Animal Blessing service last May. This worship will be held downstairs in Barnum Hall.
Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord and Rev. Tamás Tófalvi Rev. Tamás Tófalvi, the minister from our partner congregation in the village of Székely Szentmihály in the Transylvanian region of Romania will join Rev. Barbara in leading worship.
Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord with Rev. Tamás Tófalvi Memorial Day is known as a patriotic holiday - a time to decorate the graves of veterans with American flags. Many families also gather to bring flowers to the graves of loved ones and then enjoy reunions and picnics. This Sunday, we celebrate this mix, acknowledging that friendship is always better than war and a sense of family can bridge distance and difference. Come join us for the second in our series of worship services with the minister of our Transylvanian partner congregation. Join the picnic potluck immediately after the service.
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Lifespan Religious Education
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We are so glad to have Jamie Ferrier as our RE Administrator. This year she has picked up many RE tasks. More importantly, she enjoys working with our children and youth. At this time, the 2016-17 UUCM budget includes more hours a week so that Jamie can do even more RE tasks. We are happy that it gives her two weeks paid personal time.
- May 1:
- 5th-8th grades will be in the worship service to support the High School Youth Group just returning from their service trip to NYC
- 4th graders may attend the service or join the Spirit of Adventure Circle.
- Nursery through 3rd grade meet as usual
- May 8: Regular Circles with Rev. Barbara visiting each Circle
- May 15: Blessing of the Animals multigenerational worship service (Nursery available for the very young).
- May 22 & May 29: Regular Circles
- Children's Choir
- The High School Youth Group meet most Sunday evenings at 5:30-7:30pm.
- OWL 7th-9th grades will meet through May 8.
- May 6 at 6pm to May 7 at 11am: Sleepover at UUCM. Come at 6pm for dinner, games and fun with a Waffle Bar breakfast in the morning. Pick up at 11am. Sleepover leaders: Megan Hopkins & Jeff Hoye. Breakfast Providers: Crista Burrel & Sandy Frades
- May 8: Crop Walk. Sign up to walk in the Crop Walk together. See Susan Deschesne for Sponsor Forms. Bring a lunch to eat at the church before the walk at 1pm.
- See what's coming this summer
Direct RE inquiries to Sandy Frades, REC chair (sandyfrades@comcast.net or 603-673-2955 or cell 603-533-2995) or Jamie Ferrier, RE Administrator ( office@uucm.org or 603-673-1870) or talk to a committee member: Erna Johnson, Kim Lavine, Barbara McKusick Liscord, Debbie Maloney, Sue Olsen, Donna Ryan, and Beth Soederberg
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UUCM  News & Activities |
During the June 5 service, there will be a slide show of UUCM activities which occurred during the past year. Please email your best photos to Candy Shirey ( candyjshirey@comcast.net) |
Please plan to attend Circle Suppers, an event for all ages. Meet with and get to know other members and friends of UUCM.
- Church members will host adult-only or multigenerational suppers at their homes.
- Hosts will provide beverages and the main dish.
- Guests will bring appetizers, salads, and desserts.
Sign up at Coffee Hour, or email David Wheeler at intersel@aol.com
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Registration at 1:00pm at St. Patrick's Church
Walk kickoff at 2:00pm
Please call Susan Deschenes at 673-4347 if you'd like to participate in the Walk. Click here to donate
- 25% of the funds raised in the Walk are designated to fight local hunger, through SHARE in Milford and the Wilton Open Cupboard food pantry.
- The other 75% benefits Church World Services, a small nongovermental organization that works to fight hunger throughout the world, including in the United States. You can designate that 75% be sent to the UUSC.
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 Rev. Tamás Tófalvi, minister of our Partner Church in Romania, along with his wife Kinga and Fanni, their 8-month old daughter, will be our guests in Milford from May 19-June 9. You will have plenty of chances to meet them during their visit. Please put these dates on your calendar. - Tamás will lead worship with Barbara on May 22 and they will attend Sunday services at UUCM.
- On May 29th, there will be a picnic lunch immediately following the service in the Shelley garden, next door to UUCM.
- On June 4th, the Partner Church Committee will host a farewell dinner in Barnum Hall.
We plan to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to witness the life and workings of our congregation, including attending a small group ministry, youth groups, Friday Guys, Craft Group, etc. Tamás will also be meeting with the Council to share ideas of how the partnership can be strengthened. Their time here will include two brief mid-week trips, to Maine and New York City. They will also have lots of time to explore southern NH. |
UUCM will host this very special interfaith event of songs by the community for the benefit of the community. Participants include our own UUCM choir, the First Congregational Church Choir, the Church of Our Saviour Church Choir, Acoustic Breezes, and the Anam Cara Community Singers. We can model coming together from different beliefs to serve a common cause (and have fun doing it). Contact Linda Goodman ( linda.purpleturtle@gmail.com 673-6567) for more information.
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This important congregational workshop is for EVERYONE - for worshippers, sermon seminar participants (past, present and future), lay leaders, and the Worship and Religious Education committees.
Join us for an exploration of these questions and more as we consider the whys and the hows of worship that moves us:
- Why do some worship services fill us up while others fall flat?
- How might we approach designing worship that leaves people of all ages with a sense that they have just experienced and been a part of something of worth?
This workshop will help us to create and lead a more embodied worship experience by:
- Exploring what kinds of worship elements "work" and why.
- Deconstructing the myths about multigenerational worship.
Dinner will be provided. Childcare available upon request.
For more information contact: Nancy Baker, Sandy Frades, Emily Jones, Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord, Sue Olsen, and Kim Sweeney
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Are you getting excited about going to Ferry Beach again this year? We surely hope so. Y ou can find registration forms and a scholarship request form at Ferry Beach 2016. Please don't hesitate to ask for a scholarship if you need one to attend Ferry Beach.
This will be GREAT fun!
If you have any questions, please call or email suzedesch@gmail.com
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 Spring Fling Fundraiser for UUCM
Saturday May 14th 8:30am to 1pm
Help make our Spring Fling a big success:
- Bring pots to the church by May 8th at the latest for people to put their perennials in (approximately 8-10" pots or larger - leave in Barnum Hall by SHARE table).
- Sell your items on your table at this multi-family yard sale in front of UUCM (or in Emerson if it rains)!
- Bake cookies, bars or muffins for UUCM to sell.
- Dig up your perennials for UUCM to sell.
- Come and buy things!
Stop procrastinating and clean out your basement, attic, spare room
or whatever. You can raise money for UUCM and for yourself. UUCM will organize the Yard Sale, do the advertising, and provide an excellent selling location! You setup your table, sell your stuff, and clean up your area after the sale. As a minimum, 20% of your profits go to UUCM.
There is a signup sheet in Barnum Hall where you will find more details about the event and can sign up for a selling table. Or you can contact Sandy Frades (673-2955 or sandyfrades@comcast.net). |
- Linda Goodman and her partner have closed their Purple Turtle eBay online store. - All remaining clothing will be sold on May 13/14 in Barnum Hall.
- Mostly Women's clothing (XS - Plus sizes) and some men's.
- Many with original tags.
- 50% proceeds to UUCM
Contact Linda Goodman (linda.purpleturtle@gmail.com)
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Just ONCE this year! Give it a try! (You might like it.)
Volunteer at the Nashua Soup Kitchen
Every month we need 3 volunteers to help Meghan Hoye (424-3431 or meghan_jeff@comcast.net) serve Sunday lunch at the Nashua Soup Kitchen. When: 2nd Sunday of every month (next on May 8) Time: 10:30am-2:30pm Duties: Setup, simple food prep, serving, cleanup Who: Adults and youth 14 and older (accompanied by a responsible adult) Learn more: Talk to an NSK volunteer: John & Marty Miller, Jeff Hoye, Marti Kennedy, Dona Eaton, Barbara Coan Click here to volunteer for one or more Sundays. Thanks so much!
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, 5:30-6:30pm
Our suppers are becoming ever more popular! To learn more or to join the pool of volunteers, please contact Nancy Danzinger, UUCM Community Supper Coordinator, (ndanzinger@comcast.net, 673-9561), Barbara Smith (673-6629, brbsmith@me.com), or Dona Eaton (donageaton@gmail.com, 673-7526).
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Keep for future reference!
Monthly newsletter - 20th of the month - Send to NEWS@UUCM.ORG
Weekly update - Every Monday - Send to OFFICE@UUCM.ORG |
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May: Barbara Smith, 603-673-6629, brbsmith@mac.com
June: Audrey Fraizer, 603-345-9809, fraizer@myfairpoint.net
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Please leave contributions in the SHARE basket in Barnum. This month's needs: Canned Fruit, Flour, Sugar, Boxed Mixes & Baking Supplies, Coffee & Tea
Please observe UUCM's Food Allergen and Alcohol policies on the UUCM Policies webpage.
Weekdays before 6pm and Saturdays before 5pm: Park only behind the church or in the circular driveway in front (and NOT in front of the Garden Door). For more parking information (including a printable map), click here.
In the Members & Friends section on the UUCM website, you will find the latest directory, committee listings, and info about people who've moved. Or you can get a directory from the UUCM office. If your contact information is incorrect, email office@uucm.org with 'Directory Changes' in the subject line.
Minutes from Council meetings (http://uucm.org/members/governance/governance-council/), plus Treasurer's reports, newsletter archive, services provided by UUCM members & friends, rides to the airport or bus terminal, recipes, how to buy or consign clothing and goods with the proceeds going to UUCM -- plus links to hundreds of shopping sites where your purchase benefits UUCM, and much, much more!
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