Dear ones – I hope this finds you well and enjoying the sunshine this week. It was wonderful to see many of you Sunday at church, and we were sorry that the technology did not cooperate with our ability to Zoom. If you haven’t yet seen it, I re-recorded the sermon and reading on being a wetland, for those who tried to Zoom and couldn’t hear. Feel free to watch and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5fQ9Kuw39o. It’s a busy time of year here at the church. There has been a hum this week of folks coming in and out to prepare for the yard sale, drop off items, work on building projects ..read more

Greetings, church – How are you faring in this post-eclipse world?! If you traveled, I hope you are home safe. If you stayed home, I hope you got out to see what even outside of the path of totality was pretty wonderful! We even had a Spiritual Enrichment Group viewing here in the A2U2 parking lot. I had a volunteer obligation on Monday afternoon so stayed here in Portland, missing the totality viewing, but I was amazed by a few different things. First, of course, was the eclipse itself and the way the sun looked through those magical little paper glasses. Equally amazing to me, though, as som ..read more

Happy snow day, all! My goodness… what a “spring” we are having. Today I have a meditation to share with you from Robert Walsh, entitled “Easter Week 1982”. Yes, Easter has passed… but I think this piece will resonate with you even still. The light green shoots of blossoms-to-have-been are out of sight under the drifting snow. Gale force winds are rattling the old house. The temperature is far below freezing. Nature is not cooperating with preparations for Easter. The storm evokes the spiritual quality of Good Friday… New life will appear, but not without strife, not without some losses to the ..read more

Blessings to you, A2U2 community! What an eventful spring-in-Maine weekend we just had. I hope you all fared OK without power. And a big shoutout to those involved in the get-the-word out about canceling service on Sunday as well as those who checked on the building, pump batteries, etc, to prevent flooding. Thank you!!! I traveled South last weekend with stops in Connecticut and Delaware and led worship on Sunday at the UU Congregation of Southern Delaware. I always enjoy visiting other UU churches to see how they do things. UUSD sends their greetings to you! I also love coming home and retur ..read more

REGISTER NOW FOR FERRY BEACH RETREAT!! Silly Quilly Seagull has flown back to Ferry Beach after delivering invitations to join in the fun on the first weekend in May.  Silly Quilly misses you all and can’t wait to see you again!  Silly Quilly says now is the time to register! You won’t want to miss out on a joyful experience for the whole family—or just you—with time to enjoy great conversations, walking the beautiful beach, fun activities, good food, fresh air, and discovering our “roots and wings” of being together! To register for the whole weekend, Friday, May 3- Sunday, May ..read more

Dear friends, May this spring weather find you well! I saw the first flowers of spring in my new neighborhood earlier this week and the sunshine has been a delight. Yesterday, Wednesday, brought perfect weather for an outdoor rally outside the State House for housing justice. As our lawmakers are making decisions about budget proposals, we gathered in support of funding for eviction prevention, rent relief, and emergency shelter funding. We gathered, believing that we have the resources in Maine to keep our neighbors and their children housed and fed. As it always is, it was an inspiring morni ..read more

Dear friends, I hope this finds you well on a rainy spring-like Thursday. Mud season in Maine is upon us! As some of you know already, I spent a chunk of the last week moving and settling into my new long-term home in Portland. This has invited me into the spiritual practice of dealing with STUFF. Furniture. Boxes. So. Many. Books. The apartment I chose to be my new home is very small. This was a purposeful decision. I want to practice simplicity in my life… and I’m hoping to feel a bit less controlled and encumbered by my belongings. If you’ve ever been in my office at A2U2 (if you haven’t, p ..read more

Dear friends – This past Sunday after worship we held the final membership class, New to A2U2. Church leaders from various areas of congregational life joined us to share about what they do and what it means to them. The room was full, and it was a delight to hear from so many people about the spiritual practice of doing church. At the end of our session, 7 newcomers signed our membership book. A few others couldn’t be there in person or plan to sign at a later date. So please join me in giving a warm welcome to Tim Schick, Shirley Curry, Sally Littlefield, Bill Burge, Dale Reynolds ..read more

Greetings all, I hope the week is treating you well! I missed you on Sunday as I always do when I’m out of the pulpit. But I also cherish my weekends off, because it’s an opportunity to worship from the pew instead of behind the pulpit. I attended the Ash Wednesday service at Hope Gateway Church last week as well as the Sunday service over at First Parish. It’s refreshing to see how others do worship and … I always feel excited to return. This week in church we’ll be reflecting on the role of doubt in our Unitarian Universalist tradition and in our own lives of faith. For m ..read more

Dear A2U2, How wonderful to be together on Sunday burying the seeds of our intentions in the dirt and reflecting on the coming of spring. This week we’ll travel back in time and celebrate Epiphany a month late! I rescheduled the service from our snow day in early January. So, though the magi have long since arrived at the manger after a lengthy journey following the star, we will be receiving our “Star Words” and thinking about what it is in this life that guides us and helps us to navigate the choppy waters of our days. What is your holy GPS? The first UUA Common Read discussion is ..read more