UU Climate Justice Revival
For the first time in…ever…the entire UU ecosystem is organizing for climate justice action. We all know how desperate the situation is, but even those of us who have been climate and environmental activists for a long time feel powerless. But, there’s power in numbers and thousands of UUs around the world are getting ready to join hands in September for a denominational Climate Justice Revival. Sponsored by the UUA, UUMFE, UUSC and a whole lot of other UU organizations—as well as our own leaders and thinkers on this subject—this Revival is designed to kick-start our activism and ongoing engagement in climate justice work.
These kinds of things don’t happen often. Our churches all stand alone and apart. Collaboration is difficult, let alone a decision for every UU congregation to join in this Revival at the same time. We’ll all have the same materials, our leaders were trained with other UUs, and when it’s over, we’ll be part of the national conversation moving our climate work forward. It’s exciting just on the face of it, and the day itself is looking like a lot of fun.
September 28, 2024 - Interactive workshops
September 29, 2024 - Worship followed by an advocacy hour
This is an all-church and all-ages event. All of us will learn new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice and have the chance to weave together the threads that have always linked our deepest commitments. The UU Climate Revival will equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform our congregations through climate justice. See more details at the UU Climate Justice Revival website and FAQs.
Please sign up today by clicking below!
DAY 1
Revival Activities
Facilitated Dialogue for Adults
Collective Visioning
Making Connections
Building Capacity
Nourishing Relationships
Charting a Course
DAY 2
Multigenerational Celebration
Worship Service
Advocacy Hour with UU the Vote, UUs for Social Justice, UU Service Committee
Did you miss Sunday service? Watch it here!
We are sad to announce the passing of Joan Underwood this summer, a long-time member and friend. Our thoughts are with her partner, Jeff, and her children.
Registration is not required, but the event page will give more details about the event.
See everything happening at UUNB on the calendar on our website. Updates are shown immediately, so you will always know what is planned.
Join the Social Justice Committee tonight at 6:30 pm for the first meeting of the church year.
All vendor fees are due no later than October 31. All spots are $35 and are on a first-come-first-served basis and are not confirmed until payment is received.
Confirmed Vendors:
Crust Punks NBMA - Sourdough bread and cookies
Caitlyn Gifford - Hand-sewn stuffed animals and greeting cards
START YOUR PLANT CUTTINGS!
We hope to have a plant sale again during the Holiday Market, so start your plant cuttings.
September 15: Inviting the New (Celebrating change and our new values)
Riddle Activity {Article II}
September 22: Inviting in Practices (Chalice Lighting & Covenant Making)
Rise Up Oh Flame Hymn#362 {Sign Language}
September 29: Inviting People (Sharing Our Faith)
Climate Justice Revival
Way Cool Sunday School Volunteers Encouraged
You can join our team by volunteering your time to work with the children and families of the program! Simply fill out the proper documents and roll up your sleeves. All volunteers must have a upto date CORI on file.
How Can You Help Your Child Benefit From the RE program... Way Cool Sunday School?
encourage regular attendance
volunteer time
discuss lessons after class
check out our “honor system” library
Join the RE Team {meets once a month}
Sample Schedule:
11:00 First Fifteen {Sanctuary, Stories for All Ages}
11:15 Sunday School {Tryworks, Maja Capek, Garden}
12:00 Dismissal {You are responsible for your children}
Please email Yasmin to express your interest - flefleh@gmail.com
Local UU News
Welcoming A New Minister to UU Middleboro
The First Unitarian Universalist Society of Middleboro is pleased to welcome our new
minister, the Rev. Beau Rivers. Rev. Beau will begin her ministry in Middleboro on
August 1, and she will lead her first worship service at Ingathering on Sunday, Sept. 8 at
10:30 am. All in the community – adults and children – are invited to join us for this
service to meet and greet our new minister!
Rev. Beau is a first-generation American, the daughter of French-Canadian immigrants, and a descendant of the Wollostoqiyik, First Nations of Canada. She grew up in Lewiston, Maine, and settled in Portland after obtaining her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Southern Maine.
Prior to her call to ministry, she had two successful careers: the first in retail management and the second in community-based social work. Her life and ministry are informed by a deep, life-long meditation practice and her love for the Earth and the life it supports.
Rev. Beau earned her Master of Divinity from The Andover Newton Theological School
and brings many skills to the ministry of pastoral care, community building, and long-range planning. She is eager to engage in an ongoing search for truth and meaning with people of all ages and is passionate about social justice in the public sphere, interfaith coalitions, and support for our immigrant and Native American neighbors.
Rev. Beau believes that when we honor the interdependence and plurality of all life we
reflect our commitment to create a more equitable world. The source of our collective
liberation, then, is a generosity of the heart that comes through the transforming power
of love. These are the core values of Unitarian Universalism. The need to exercise these values in today’s political climate is urgent and we can achieve greater results when we act in community. In the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. Beau invites you to come, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
The First Unitarian Universalist Society of Middleboro, or UU Middleboro, is located at
25 South Main Street, Middleboro. For over 125 years we have served the local communities with meaningful and thought-provoking sermons, uplifting music, and support for social programs. Our Sunday worship services take place at 10:30 am in the sanctuary and are live-streamed on our YouTube channel. For further information, visit uumiddleboro.org or contact the church office at 508-947-1935.
Celebrate 25 years of AHA! this Thursday, September 12. Party like it's 1999!
See this list of events here.
How It Began
New Bedford convened a Regional Community Congress which brought together six sectors of society: business, education, health and human services, arts and culture, the environment, and communities of faith. Working together, the vision of New Bedford as a vital regional hub of commerce and culture was launched, and a new identity was born. The result was the AHA! (Arts, History, Architecture) project and New Bedford’s free Downtown Cultural Night was launched, starting on the second Thursday of July, 1999. Why Thursdays? Thursday was the chosen evening in honor of the late shopping night offered in New Bedford from 1940’s through the 1960’s with the intention of bringing vibrancy to downtown.
SouthCoast Lessons at First Unitarian Church Now Enrolling
It's officially Fall at Southcoast Lessons even if the calendar calls for 2 more weeks of Summer! In a lot of ways this marks the beginning of our year and we're kicking it off with a full slate of group classes. There's something here for every age and skill level. As is always the case, the central focus at SCL is music for joy and community connection. Come and learn music in a way that's designed to keep fun at the heart of the journey. And, of course, meet some great people who share your interests on the way! Classes held at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, 71 8th Street.
Classes include:
Guitar/Ukulele
Beginning Fiddle
Clawhammer Banjo
String Band
Youth String Band
Play Party Kids
Banding Together (youth)
Rock Band
Rising Fiddle
Cranky Box and Panorama Art
Youth Piano/Keyboards
Rock Band
Ear Learning Strategies
Tunes on the Fly
& Not Strictly Bluegrass
To learn more and to sign up, visit www.southcoastlessons.com/classes
A new whale of a statue will raise awareness of marine debris
National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and New Bedford Whaling Museum to unveil innovative new sculpture
New Bedford, MA – The Water We’re Swimming In, a sculpture created by artist Elaine Alder made of marine debris collected off the coast of Massachusetts, will be unveiled on Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. at Captain Paul Cuffe Park, located on the corner of Johnny Cake Hill and Union Street, part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum campus. The exhibit is a partnership between New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the New Bedford Whaling Museum to bring attention to marine debris issues in New Bedford.
In 2020, the NOAA Marine Debris Program partnered with the National Park Service to raise awareness of the sources and impacts of marine debris and encourage action to prevent the problem. This five-year partnership supports the development and installation of outreach and educational exhibits in coastal national parks, including New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.
"We are grateful to partners NOAA and the New Bedford Whaling Museum for helping the park highlight the global issue of marine debris on our shores, particularly here in Massachusetts,” said Jennifer Smith, superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. “As a national park that tells the story of the 19th century whaling industry, adjacent to a 21st commercial fishing port, this sculpture will help our community focus on the impacts of marine debris and the role humans play in protecting ocean ecosystems. Alder’s exquisite sculpture will create awareness about the threat of marine debris and hopefully inspire people to be stewards of conservation.”
“The exhibit represents a partnership between agencies, organizations and artists dedicated to conservation of coastal and marine environments," said Demi Fox, Northeast regional coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program. "We hope that it encourages visitors to reflect on ways they can prevent marine debris in their everyday lives.”
Lindsay Compton, the park’s Artist-in-Residence program coordinator, prepared the proposal soliciting a national artist for the project. Elaine Alder, a multi-disciplinary artist, submitted a proposal for a sculpture of whales, breeching and playing in the water.
“Elaine’s proposal brought a vibrant and hopeful lens to the challenge of marine pollution. Through their art, we envision a future where healthy North Atlantic right whales symbolize our collective commitment to a cleaner ocean and a more optimistic approach to tackling the preventable issue of marine debris,” said Compton.
“The Whaling Museum and our Captain Paul Cuffe Advisory Group are grateful to the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park who saw Captain Cuffe’s legacy, and the park dedicated in his name and honor, as a strong foundation for inviting visitors to examine complex topics that are shaped by our past, remain critical today, and inform a sustainable future. This exhibit will remain in place for three years, highlighting the importance of collaboration and our collective responsibility to protect the marine environment from the threats of marine debris,” said Amanda McMullen, president of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
The Water We’re Swimming In will be installed in Captain Paul Cuffe Park on the campus of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The park was dedicated in 2018 to honor Captain Cuffe, an Afro-Wampanoag trader, whaler and civil rights advocate. It encourages visitors to think about the relationships between indigenous communities and the environment.
Our Mission is to encourage diversity and mutual acceptance and work for positive change in ourselves and our community.
"We envision a congregation in which we practice the principles of our faith. We seek to enjoy peaceful reflection and inspiration in intellectually and spiritually satisfying church services. We aim to embrace the people and efforts of our church community by supporting our children and their programs, our committees and their goals, our staff and their efforts on our behalf, and each other."
Our Promises
Each person is important.
Be kind in all you do.
We help each other learn.
We search for what is true.
Each person has a say.
Work for a peaceful world.
The web of life’s the way.
Build the beloved community, free from racism and oppression.
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford
71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 994-9686
Administrator ext. 10
Minister ext. 13
Karen cell: (508) 441-9344
Thrift Shop ext. 12
Board Members & Officers
Steve Carmel, President
Charles Morgan, Vice President
Deborah Carmel, Treasurer
Cora Peirce, Clerk
Trustees
Committee Chairs
Staff
The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
(508)994-9686 ext.12
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