UU Middleboro
A Church that Puts Love at the Very Center of Our Life Together
Our mission: To create and sustain a welcoming and caring community that embodies our UU principles, inspires spiritual growth without dogma or creed, and promotes and serves racial and social justice.
![[Photo by Eneko Uruñuela on Unsplash]](https://uumiddleboro.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Photo-by-Eneko-Urunuela-on-Unsplash-768x512.png)
Liberating Love
Rev. Michael Hall preaching
These are times we feel beset by personal or social conditions. They leave us questioning: What am I to do? What is the meaning and purpose of my life, never mind 8 billion lives? Is there really anything meaningful that holds us together? If you are feeling the post-holiday blues or, worse still, a full-on existential crisis, make sure to join us this morning as we welcome former FUUSM member Michael Hall back to our pulpit.
Rev. Michael F. Hall has been an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister since 2012. After serving the Keene, NH congregation for 12 years, he accepted a position as the contract minister of the UU Congregation of Franklin, NH. Michael is enjoying the ministry he shares with the congregation in Franklin, while having almost too much fun doing pulpit supply all over New England! Rev. Hall lives in Keene, NH, with his family, including three opinionated pets.
Welcome
If you are looking for a spiritual home, come in and experience our open minds, open hearts, and open doors. For over 125 years, the First Unitarian Universalist Society has been serving individuals and families in Middleboro and surrounding towns with great music, meaningful and thought-provoking sermons, and opportunities to give back. We are committed to spiritual growth and lifelong learning with religious exploration that promotes creativity, integrity, and compassion. We work together to build a world that is more loving and more just for all people.
Matthew Mission Food Pantry Request
The Matthew Mission Food Pantry needs your help. For the remainder of January and throughout February we’re asking you to donate toilet paper for those in need. These donations can be left in the Parlor at the church. Thank you!
Volunteer Opportunities
There are volunteer opportunities available in January and February. We believe that participation in a worship service will help us build community and work together to meet our individual and Society goals. You may use the sign-up sheets on the Parlor table to support these ministries, or you may click below to sign up online.
Announcements from Rev. Beau
Membership Committee Needs You!
Do you feel called to warmly greet new visitors, sit beside them during worship, accompany them to coffee hour, and introduce them to people with similar backgrounds or interests? To learn more about how you can support this vital ministry, please contact Rev. Beau at minister@uumiddleboro.org.
Book Discussion Group on Zoom
The UU Book Club continues to meet on the third Monday of the month. Book Club members will be emailed the Zoom link a few days before each meeting. The book for January is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.
New Moon Meditation on Zoom
This month’s New Moon falls in the sign of Aquarius, the cosmic equivalent of the “world wide web”. Aquarius helps us to expand and magnify our vision beyond personal concerns in order to disseminate our wisdom more broadly. https://zoom.us/j/91347227142
The Year Compass Workshop
Andrea Priest and Rev. Beau will offer an afternoon workshop called The Year Compass on Sunday, February 2, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. The Year Compass offers a workbook to help participants reflect on the past year and set their intentions for the new year. Through a series of carefully curated questions, the first half of the workbook helps participants review, learn from, and celebrate the past year, while the second half of the workbook invites participants to dream, plan, and prepare to get the most out of the new year.
![[Photo by Eneko Uruñuela on Unsplash]](https://uumiddleboro.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Photo-by-Eneko-Urunuela-on-Unsplash-110x110.png)
Current news posts
Dear Friends and Members of UU Middleboro,
It is with mixed feelings that I announce my retirement at the end of this church year in June. Being your music director is a joy, a creative mixture of music making and music teaching. I am eager, however, to embrace the freedom of retirement to read more, travel a bit, tackle some new music, explore some new horizons. The time has come for me to step down and to let someone else take up the baton.
Near the end of her December 29 Sunday worship service, Adrienne Williams asked the congregation, “What can we do, what can you do, for freedom? What do you think?” Here are the responses:
We can make a difference. Be there. Listen. Be awake.
Adjusting Our Priorities
Last August, when the Parish Committee (PC) began the church year by setting goals for 2024-2025, the top priorities were: (1) to integrate Rev. Beau into the church; (2) to address the need for major restoration of the building’s exterior; (3) to strengthen our committees; and (4) to have fun. The PC and the congregation have made progress on all of these goals during the past 4 months and this will certainly continue into 2025. But rapid changes in our social and political environment have significant implications for our church and our denomination. Protecting our church family and property is now a top priority for the PC, and supporting vulnerable people in our community and beyond becomes a top priority for our Minister, our Social Justice Team (SJT), and the UU Association.
My Hope for You in the New Year Joyce Rupp, adapted I hope… …the single most significant dimension of life is your relationship with the Spirit of Life and Love, who never ceases to sing love songs to your soul. …you daily find meaning, purpose, and vitality in all you do. …you treasure your loved ones and let them know how precious they are to you. …you make choices and decisions that reflect your truest self. …you look in the mirror at least once a day and smile in happy amazement. …you remember relationships are what count above all else,
After all the hullabaloo of December holidays, the thought of a shift into quiet contemplation is MOST welcomed! It’s cold, but the light is returning, slow & steady. We have heat in our homes, food in our bellies, fresh water, friends, family, and the constant wonder of exploration. It’s good to be a part of our beloved community, UU Middleboro! Many of you know Erik Lindgren who is a friend of our church as well as a personal friend. Erik is an explorer of that crossover between genres of music: classical and rock, spiritual and light jazz, contemplative and wild.
The program we are sharing this year explores the interdependent web of life. Our Sunday morning RE program occurs during the church service and has an open enrollment. We are very excited to have a new outdoor space that we share with the church and are hopeful to grow flowers and plants as we continue to explore nature. We do nature walks, crafts, tell stories and share ideas about our local environment, animal habitats and native plants. We consider our role in sustainability.
The Cash in the Plate for the first week of January will go to World Central Kitchen. The Cash in the Plate for the remainder of January will be donated to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.
