Farewell!

On June 15, our congregation gathered to say a final goodbye to our ministers of 14 years, Revs. John Manwell and Phyllis Hubbell.  People of all ages sang together, listened together and shared flowers in our ritual of flower communion.  Revs. John and Phyllis said a special goodbye to the children and Becky helped hand out letters they had written directly to each child of the church.  (If your children weren't there on Sunday, they will be receiving their letters in the mail in the coming month.)  Each letter contained the gift of a tiny starfish, in reference to the story they shared in their last Story for All Ages for the children of First Unitarian:

Once a man was walking along a beach that was covered with starfish and in the distance he could see a young girl walking back and forth between the edge of the water and the starfish on the sand.  As the man approached, he saw that she was picking up individual starfish and tossing them back into the sea.  

The man was struck by the futility and enormity of her task.  There were far too many starfish.  There was simply no way she could reach them all in time.  He said to the girl, "There's no way you can save all these starfish."

The girl looked at the man for a moment and then bent down to pick up a single starfish and threw it into the ocean.  "I saved that one didn't I?"

At the end of the service the congregation spread out into a circle along the walls of our historic sanctuary in what has come to be a truly beautiful manifestation of our vitality as we squeeze each member of the community into the circle.  We sang together the song of farewell that all of our children are familiar with, "Go Now In Peace."  

In the words of this song:  

May the Love of God Surround You, 

Everywhere You May Go...

Rainbow Block Party!

Join your First Unitarian neighbors for a RAINBOW block party, 12-4 pm on Saturday, June 14, at the church.

Sponsored by the Neighborhood Circles Network, there will be something for everyone at this festive event! We've arranged to block off Hamilton Street so that the party in Enoch Pratt Parish Hall can [legitimately] spill over to the street.  

Bring a potluck item to share.  Grills will be set up on Hamilton Street (Bring your own item to grill). Beverages, paperware, and plastic cutlery will be provided.

If you are willing to sponsor an activity or game - a songfest, face painting, cookie decorating, candle making, juggling tutorial, or whatever else you can imagine - contact Becky (redirector at firstunitarian dot net).  

See you there!

 

My Soul

by the children and youth of First Unitarian Church of Baltimore

My soul is my life light.

It fills my body and defines my personality.

My soul can fly to heaven.

It is creative and goofy and bright.

My soul has emotions.

It makes me athletic, musical and funny.

But sometimes I have soul-less times.

When I've lost a game I tried my best at,

When my cat was attacked and hid while he died,

When they poke the animals at the circus,

When everything seems sad,

I don't believe in a soul.

Other times, so many different things feed my soul.

Drumming,

Holding kittens,

Playing video games,

Being with friends,

Dancing,

Learning ancient magic,

Getting a hug from my mom,

Running a race,

Sitting by a candle,

Getting a cat,

Imagination,

Friendship,

Action,

Fills my soul.

Your soul is inside.

Your soul is your conscience.

Your soul is everywhere.

Life is your soul.

RE Sunday Photos

Last Sunday's special intergenerational Religious Education service was a great success, including something for everyone!  A gallery of photos is available online by clicking here: RE Sunday Photos.

Congregants graciously thanked the Religious Education teachers and all were serenaded by the choir's lovely rendition of "We Give Thanks."   Service leaders read a poem created from the words of children and youth in RE classes about what a soul is.  While listening to the poem, congregants made some fantastic creations with salt-dough [messy!] and brought them forward to share.  Moving homilies, personal stories and ceremonial candle lighting made for a meaningful worship experience.  Music created by our youth and performed by youth, youth leaders and the choir, was a wonderful treat!  

Special thanks to all those who participated in making this a fantastic worship experience for everyone!

RE Sunday

Spectacular things are afoot for this Sunday!  June 1 will be a special intergenerational service at the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore.  Join us at 11:00 am for a service entitled "Our Active Soul," created by and led by child, youth, and adult members of the Religious Education program.  We will be appreciating this year's RE teachers, dedicating children who were not dedicated in the congregation as infants, exploring what we mean when we talk about "soul" or "spirit", and enjoying music created by some of our youth.  

After the service, the festivities continue.  Valeri McNeal has arranged to lead a special tour of the church for kids and families.  To take the tour, meet Valeri at the back of the sanctuary after the service.

Also following the service, join the congregation in the parish hall for a [surprise...shhhhhh] celebration of Rev. John's birthday, featuring cake and punch.

Be sure to arrive by 11:00 — you won't want to miss a minute!  

See you on Sunday!

Church Tour for Kids!

Valeri McNeal has offered to host a special church tour for families after the service on June 1, RE Sunday.  Designed to consider the interests of kids ages 6-10, this should be a fun and interesting tour for people of all ages.  I hope you'll join her for this 30-minute tour of our historic church!

Progress!

There was rejoicing from sea to shining sea today as the California Supreme Court struck down the ban on same-sex marriage in a 4-3 vote.  Chief Justice Ronald George wrote in the majority opinion, "The Califonia Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples."

The fight lives on, but for today, let us rest for a moment in the fresh breeze of the radical assertion that we are all equal under the law.

Blessed be!