WIND September 19opencuf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WIND-September-19.pdf · In our current time of turmoil and questioning, ... Monthly Movie Night will resume in October! Weekly

Come meet and vote on prospective Minister

The search committee has completed its search and has a recommendation to the congregation.

After examining over 20 applicants, skype-interviewing half a dozen, and spending an entire day interviewing two candidates in person, we have an enthusiastic recommendation for you.

They will be here on September 22. There will be a meet-and-greet from 9-10 am in the Gathering Place. The candidates will give parts of the service from 10 -11:15 am. Then we will hold a congregational meeting and take a vote on whether to call them.

If there is a positive vote we will hold a celebration during Coffee Hour in the Gathering Place. So please put this on your calendars!

I cannot yet release their names in a document that goes on the internet like the WIND - because they won’t be able to tell their colleagues and current congregations until after our vote on September 22nd -and they do not want their current colleagues to be surprised by the news. I will send (by traditional paper mail) a one-page biography around September 15th for you to have a chance to preview their qualifications and abilities. But in the interim I can give you a few generalities.

The “candidate” is actually a married couple who will each contribute 50% time to the church for the 100% person we were seeking. The search committee is excited by the opportunities this co-ministry presents including different strengths each brings, variety in sermons, and lower risk of burnout. Both are ministers with over a decade of experience (and ordained in two different mainline Protestant faiths). They will be coming from the Midwest and bring their children who will attend Orono schools. They both have a passion for social justice. The search committee found them warm and engaging, enjoyed their sermons, and heard glowing references. In short, we think they are a great fit and we feel lucky to have found them.

Come cast your vote on September 22nd!

Brian McGill, President of the Trustees

The

Church of Universal Fellowship September 2019

82 Main Street Orono, Maine 04473 207-866-3655 email: [email protected] web address: churchofuniversalfellowship.org

Trustees’ Message 1 Around CUF 2 Deacons’ Notes 3 Religious Ed 3,4 Harvest Fair 4 Fundraisers 5 Coming Up 6 Music with Mission 7 Letter from Malawi 8

2

Around CUF . . .

Thank you to Randy and Lyn—for folding the bulletins all summer, for decorating the bulletin boards, and to Randy for all the other things he does around the church property while he summers in Maine. Thank you to Trudy Tremblay--for the new flat screen TV and DVD player in the Library….to Jasper McGill--for scanning Beverly Antonitis' artwork and posting it to the CUF web page (soon)…and to Reverend Lorna for funding Jasper’s summer scanning job. Thank you to Betty, Judy, Leah, Nancy, Cathy, and all the others who weeded and watered the flower beds…to Erin Ellis who caulked the shower stall in the CUF bathroom…to our altar flower providers…to our summer musicians and summer hospitality providers… Thank you to Alyssa, Kate and Raechelle for providing Nursery care during the summer….and to Pam Colson Power for bringing treats to the office! Welcome to Sonja Birthisel and Avi Rude our new YAWP teachers and Pam Frace our new Nursery Care Provider… Ask Rachel Dobbs about her seminary journey and Nora Dobbs about her trip to Austria and her visiting CISV partner…. Ask the Ellis family about their camping adventures…Judy Kuhns-Hastings about her time in Arizona….Sarah Marx and Eli McGill about their trip to Iceland…..Jesse Walker about her time as crew of a schooner in Maine… Celine, Barbara, Beverly and Judy Kuhns-Hastings about their trip to Northport to visit with Alma…

Catch up with Sue Sullivan about Rory's year "down under" in Australia and Tasmania.

Talk to Claude Westfall about his “Honor Flight” to Washington, D.C (and check out the neat article about him in the BDN on the bulletin board outside the office!)

Welcome our new members who joined in June!

Robin Climo and Carly, Pam Colson-Power, Stephen Cousineau and Emilie, Mary and George Knightly, Annie and Matt Powers with Nora, Grace and Owen, Avinash Rude, Betsy, Bill and Joanie Trefts.

Words of love and encouragement to:

Terri McRae 128 Fern Street, Bangor, ME 04401

Jack Clisham

22 Union Street, Orono, ME 04473

Cards of condolence on the death of Corinne R. Baker

Mother of Mark Baker 24 Vista Way, Glenburn, ME 04401

Cards of condolence on the death of

Dennis Mann Father of Warren Mann

PO Box 61,Passadumkeag, ME 04475

Father of Marina Mann 310 East State Street

Ithaka, NY 14850

Cards of condolence on the death of Margaret Radke

Mother of Lori Bessette 80 The Highlands

Rochester, NY14622

Mother of Eileen Nokes 887 Zion’s Hill Road Dexter, ME 04930

Mother of Sharon Radke 3717 Modoc Place Davis, CA 95618

Mother of Kathryn Radke PO Box 214

Petrolia, CA 95558-0214

Mother of Frederick R. Radke 21 McKinley Drive

Falmouth, ME 04105

Cards of condolence on the death of Deane Lawrence Hutchins, M.D.

Husband of Virginia Hutchins 30 Community Drive, Apt. 165

Camden, ME 04843

3

Notes from the Deacons 1. Just a reminder to mark your calendar for September 27 at 6 PM for our celebration of Rev. Lorna's retirement. Please see the notice on page 6 of this WIND for more information and details. It will be quite a night and we hope you will be there.

2. Many of you received the sign-up form for Hospitality and Greeters for fall 2019. This new app (Signup Genius) allows you to sign-up for one or both of these events online. If you haven't signed up yet and would like to do so, please let Ed Brazee know at 207/576-8401 or [email protected]. Thanks for your consideration.

3. You may have noticed that our Salad Sunday, originally scheduled for September 29, has been cancelled. We are fortunate to have Lorna's celebration event on September 27 as the gathering time for our church early in the fall.

4. The Deacons' Worship Team has been working throughout the summer to arrange coverage for Sundays until our new minister arrives later in the fall. Fortunately we have a number of excellent ministers ready to fill in. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know specifics.

Ed Brazee, Chair, Board of Deacons.

News from the Children & Youth Programs

– New Nursery Caregiver, “Which Way is Up?” and Teacher/Volunteer Training on Sunday Sept 29th

Welcome back! I hope summer has treated you well, and allowed for

lots of time with family and friends, as well as lots of connections to the wonderful natural world in Maine!

As we move into the fall there are a plethora of exciting things happening at the CUF.

First of all, we have a new Nursery Caregiver, Pam Frace. Pam is the mother of 4 and the grandmother of 6 with a 7th on the way any day now. She worked at Parkside Children's Learning Center in Bangor from 2011-2015, where she served as both a nursery and three-year-old classroom teacher. In addition to working with children, Pam loves walking on the beach and collecting sea glass. We are very happy to be welcoming her to the CUF.

A big thank you to our 3 summer nursery teachers – Alyssa Urquhart, Kate Crane, and Raechelle Edmiston Cyr – as well as to our outgoing Nursery Caregiver from last year, Amy Bernier. All 4 have volunteered to substitute in the nursery classroom at some point in the future, so you will assuredly see them there or upstairs in a worship service sometime soon. Please take a moment to let them know how much you appreciate their service to our youngest CUFers! The CUF elementary and middle school youth have just finished a summer curriculum entitled “Welcoming and Celebrating Refugees and Immigrants.” A huge thanks to all of our teachers – Judy Whitney, Raechelle Edmiston-Cyr, Rachel Dobbs, Nancy Leavitt, Abby Jernigan, Sandy Feher, Erin Ellis, Robin Climo, and Matt Powers - for making that curriculum such a success.

Starting on Sunday September 8th, the Elementary Classroom will begin a mystery curriculum to be revealed during the service. (Sorry, but we don’t want to ruin the Children’s Time!). Based on New and Old Testament Stories, as well as picture books and stories shared by all of you (more on that soon!), we will explore one of the oldest commandments in the Bible. Join us on the 8th to hear more about it.

YAWP’s theme this year will be “Which Way is Up”. YAWP leaders Sonja Birthisel and Avi Rude write, “Together the YAWPers will explore concepts of right and wrong based on our shared values. In our current time of turmoil and questioning, we hope to encourage the YAWPers to develop understanding and independent thinking, and to engage ethically with the world. We plan to draw discussion prompts and activity ideas from the Bible, other religious texts, and UUA Tapestry of Faith resources including their "Amazing Grace" curriculum.

4

Children and Youth Program Continued: We intend to continue YAWP's strong tradition of putting faith into action through service to the CUF and the wider community, and also plan to help the YAWPers learn more about adult life at church by "staying downstairs" as a group to attend the full church service one Sunday per month.”

As you can see, there will be lots and lots going on! And all that activity requires lots of teachers and volunteers. So . . . If you have any interest in participating as a head teacher, assistant teacher or volunteer this year - and/or if you would simply like to learn more about our children and youth programs - please join us for our Annual Teacher and Volunteer Training right after church in the Vestry on Sunday Sept 29th. Training will begin at 11:30am with a potluck lunch and will wrap up by 1:30pm. Sign-up sheet for both attendance and food can be found at: bit.ly/volunteerandteachertraining You do not need to bring food in order to attend the training, nor is attending the training a commitment to volunteer, so please come along if you possibly can! Please RSVP to Sarah if you would like childcare for your children during the training. See you in church! Sarah

Adult Spiritual Growth Schedule

Fall 2019 Events—All Welcome! More events added soon!

Sept 9, Monday, 7:00 pm Book Night! Host: Trudy Tremblay Book: The Soul of America: The Battle of Our Better Angels By Jon Meacham Monthly Movie Night will resume in October! Weekly Bible Study will meet at Reverend Emily Taylor’s home. Date and time will be announced soon.

CUF Fall Harvest Fair is Coming! The Fair date will be announced soon…

Does your garden have an abundance of produce? The CUF Fall Harvest Fair is looking for: ~garden produce (onions, garlic, potatoes, squash, etc.) ~herbs dried or fresh (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.) ~dried flowers (e.g., hydrangeas) ~houseplants ~jams, jellies, relishes and lots of cookies and breads ~handcrafted items, collectibles, odds and ends

Last year the Silent Art Auction was a welcomed addition—we might expand this year to include other unique items in the auction. The popular “Cookie Walk” needs lots and lots of different cookies. This is also the perfect time to down-size and weed out items no longer in use and donate them to Collectables (No large items, please). The “Jewelry Table” would benefit from those earrings and pins you no longer wear. Items can be dropped off at the church office (clearly marked for the Fair) any time (the sooner the better). It is also helpful to bring in “Collectables” early so that they can be priced. The “Food Table” welcomes jams, jellies, pickles, fudge, candy, breads, cakes, pies, bars, biscuits, anything you enjoy making. Extra produce from your garden is also welcome. There is no better way to fully enjoy the Fair than to volunteer to work at a table for an hour or two. Plan to stay for lunch provided by "The Choir Cafe" and allow time to peruse other tables.

Please call Judy Whitney 942-0974 or tell Steffi at the CUF Office if you can help.

Come to PL’s Women’s Retreat from Friday, 9/20 to Sunday, 9/22

Pilgrim Lodge in the Fall is a magical place. There will be meals, snacks, campfires, movie-time, early swims, walks, yoga, hikes, paddle boarding, kayaking…Come have some fun! We will also have time for Spiritual Practice with our director Melinda! For more info please check the Gathering Place bulletin board or call Pamela Burnham 318-6468 by September 10th.

5

The Hannaford Grocery Card Fundraiser

SUPPORT OUR CHURCH BUY A HANNAFORD GIFT CARD

• Buy your gift card at CUF. Sundays after church or during the week, when the office is open. • We sell $100 gift cards to you (cash or check). You can buy as many as you want. It does not cost you

anything extra. • The church gets $5.00 for each $100 card we sell. • Gift cards are like cash. • Use them to buy your groceries, meds. etc. at Hannaford. • When you do your shopping, present your gift card to the cashier. • Your purchase total will be deducted from the card. • The remaining gift card balance will print on your sales receipt. • You can use any funds remaining on your card again the next time you shop. • You can also buy many other gift cards at Hannaford in various denominations with your Hannaford Gift

card. • Questions: Contact Steffi – 866-3655 or Irene – 866-2879

HATE CHANGE? HERE’S YOUR ANSWER! You might have noticed the special container in the Gathering Place to collect pocket-change. This fundraiser supports various music programs at CUF. Music with a Mission was created to support CUF's music programs, but along with all of you, our Worship Team would very much like to have EVEN MORE music! Please bring your change to support CUF’s music!!!

Nancy Leavitt Plant Sale ~ Fall 2019 Herbaceous Peony Roots for planting will be available after church on Sundays, September 15th and 22nd. There will be a range of colors to choose from—coral, white, pinks and red! Donations accepted for the CUF endowment fund. Questions? Contact Nancy at 827- 6088 or [email protected]

Welcome back to the Choir – Check us out!! The CUF Choir is back and singing! Rehearsals are Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m., and Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. If you have ever thought you might like to join this wonderful CUF group, now is the time. Come try it out and we guarantee you will want to stay! If you have questions, feel free to talk with Fran Vogt or any member of the choir!

Thank you to Summer Music! A huge amount of gratitude to all who offered their talents for “special music” during our summer services. Nora Dobbs, Brett Ellis, Rachel Dobbs, Fran Vogt, Susan Heath, Nancy Leavitt, Thomas Griffith, Tricia Griffith, Eli McGill, and Alyssa Urquhart, we are blessed to have you among us. What a talented congregation we have! Also, a special thank you to Laura Artesani and Mark Baker for supporting these amazing musicians with your gifted accompaniment!! Goodness abounds at CUF!

6

Looking for a few new Ringers! Do you enjoy making music? Or making friends and having fun?

CUF’s Hand Bell Choir is looking for a few new ringers this year.

The Bodwell Memorial Hand Bell Choir is resuming rehearsals Thurs, Sept. 19th at 6:30 pm in the MacKenzie Room. Please come that evening if you would like to see what it is like in the Bell Choir or would like to try out the bells. No pressure to join

the group. Just come and have fun! You do not need to have any musical ability to enjoy playing the bells.

More info? Please contact Rachel Dobbs at 573-9044.

You Are Invited!! Come celebrate the Ministry of

Reverend Lorna Grenfell at CUF! Please join us at the potluck dinner on Friday, September 27th at 6:00 pm

in the CUF Vestry! A sign-up sheet for potluck food is on the

bulletin board in the Gathering Place. Dessert and beverages will be provided!

The Board of Trustees wishes to thank all who

so generously donated to the “Connected Church” fund!

With your help we are ready to purchase two new office computers!

Yoga with Rori

Rori Knott, Kripalu trained yoga instructor and CUF member, is

resuming the weekly gentle yoga practice this fall. No prior yoga instruction required. Class will offer modifications and props to help all bodies feel comfortable with yoga movements. Please bring a yoga mat and small cushion for a few minutes of quiet centering.

Friday, Sept. 20th from 10 am to 11:15 am in the MacKenzie Room.

Questions? Please contact Rori at 745-3142 or email [email protected]

Orono Middle School Backpack Program Update

The CUF Social Justice Team will be continuing our Backpack program at Orono Middle School, a supplemental nutritional program that sends home

food to needy children and their families every Friday during the school year. In addition, students without a snack during the school day can stop by the school office and grad a granola bar to get them through a long afternoon. This year, the number of families stands at eight with 17 children receiving extra nutrition, a number that includes younger sibs who also benefit from the food sent home every Friday. This number is likely to increase, as school staff identify additional need during the school year. Parents and school staff continue to express their appreciation for this effort. Cathy Marquez & the CUF Social Justice Team

CUF supports Orono to Africa! CUF’s May Benevolence Offering and the Annual Church Picnic ticket sales in June raised a total of $1779. The proceeds were equally shared with these two Orono to Africa projects: Malawi: Former Orono resident and now missionary in Malawi, Marquita Hill has sent an extensive report and pictures from Othakarhaka. The whole report is in a clear binder in the Gathering Place. Please also see the last page of this WIND. Mozambique: CUF supports a new medical student, Neiva, on his journey through medical school. More information on Neiva and the situation in Mozambique after cyclone Idai coming soon. Many thanks to Emily and Dewey Hasbrouck of Moe’s Original BBQ in Bangor for catering the church picnic again this year!!

7

Thank you to all who came to the fabulous Broadway and Beyond – Music with a Mission on July 26!

We sent a check in the amount of $432 to Partners for Peace!

YES! The next Music with a Mission Concert – ‘One Light Many Candles’

with Noel and Betty Stookey is on Saturday, September 14, at 7 pm in the Sanctuary!

We are very excited to bring this offering to CUF. The program will support both CUF and the Maine Multicultural Center based in Bangor. Betty Stookey describes 'One Light, Many Candles' as a multi-faith program in word and song reflecting the diversity and integrity of individual faith seeking a global spiritual community. Elizabeth and Noel Paul Stookey have been working

together for over 50 years, as husband and wife, as parents, as business partners and activists, and as two people constantly questioning how the spiritual forms the day-to-day realities of life-in both a small personal way and a larger global way. Noel is a singer-songwriter and the “Paul” of Peter Paul and Mary and has been writing songs that reflect on the political, cultural, sociopolitical and spiritual dynamics of all of our collected stories for decades. Betty is an ordained minister who has ministered and counseled many, including, as chaplain of a school, over a thousand students of many faiths ranging from Buddhist and Christian, to Muslim and Jewish. Betty’s work as minister/chaplain and Noel’s talent as a singer-songwriter come together now in a mutual multi-faith vision. Believing that no one religion can ‘own’ God, that God has many names, and that each person’s path is a valid one, Betty and Noel bring the belief that religious faith which is based on love assumes unity and that when we expand our spiritual comfort zones we are opening a path to understanding and peace. Tickets ($25 advance purchase- $30 at the door) available at the Church of Universal Fellowship,

Store Ampersand in Orono, all Bull Moose locations, and on Event Brite. Get them before we sell out!

Have you sometimes wondered how our beloved CUF tower clock works?

Thanks to John Hackney and his friend Herb Crosby you can now virtually visit the clock tower and watch how the clock is wound and set to the correct time. Very fun and educational short movie -- and doesn’t involve climbing up all of those steps yourself!

Use the link below or go to the CUF website https://youtu.be/k2ko4uNEMEI

8

Letter from Marquita Hill about Othakarhaka, Malawi (One of our Orono to Africa benevolences)

Dear friends, I have all these images in my mind of the people in our 12 Malawian villages (over 30,000) and I have wanted to share those images with you. So I prepared a “show,” A Photo Journey With OTHAKARHAKA photo album. But I have zero experience in working with photos, so this turned out to be sort-of beautiful, but messy. However, Don Lightfoot formatted it – more than that! -- and significantly improved it. It’s for reading online because it’s too long for me to print out and send copies; especially with color photographs. However, I hope to get it online soon. After all these words, my major hope is that you like The Photo Journey. I didn’t (couldn’t) go to Malawi this summer, but am planning an April trip. Meanwhile, we must send the bi-yearly payment to Othakarhaka. The first payment happens in early September because that’s when our 42 students go back to secondary school Sixty have graduated so far. Family Planning is a program, which started less than 2 years ago. Within a year it had over 12,000 clients. Ted Mwango, a person with a great deal of family planning experience is its administrator. You’ll see him in the album. And, OK – instead of “only” serving our 12 villages – stretched itself to serve 15 villages. That's because so many people want access to family planning. You probably know that we do our best to make all OK programs self-sustaining, but that wouldn’t work with family planning! Meanwhile, we started out spending ~$4,000 a year on this program, but more is needed. However, as with other OK programs it has many incredible volunteers. In the album you see Ted Mwango as manager of another new program: Palliative Care He and Ida got a grant for that purpose from the K2 Foundation in Canada. It too is serving 15 villages. It’s a badly needed program that I would never have thought of starting, and wouldn’t have had the money for if I had. So, I’m so pleased they have the grant. And Ida? You’ll see her in the album. If you contribute, please know your money is well spent… Make a check out to BPC with a notation in the lower left saying: Hill Malawi program… I take checks to Blacksburg Presbyterian Church (BPC) where the book keeper keeps our records – for free; and the church Treasurer wires the money. And once the money is in Malawi, any check requires 3 signatures before it can be cashed. Both my address and that of BPC are below. Many thanks! Marquita Marquita Hill, 1014 Highland Circle, Blacksburg, VA 24060-5617 Blacksburg Presbyterian Church (BPC), 701 Church St SE, Blacksburg, VA 24060-5213 Please see the photo album that Marquita sent in the Gathering Place!