A Safe Space for Children Are you looking for a safe space to bring your children on Sunday mornings where they can grow socially, emotionally and spiritually?  Please consider joining us on a Sunday morning.  Enrollment is available at any time during the school year. Please join us in person or look for the registration link and/or register below.

Rev. Beau Rivers preaching With the approach of the winter holidays, we begin to contemplate how we might honor and celebrate the ones we hold dear. Media outlets inundate us with wonderful gift ideas to tempt our wallets with the promise of happiness. The seduction of consumerism is so great, it often leads to the depletion of our financial resources. This service will explore the essence of gift giving and the possible meaning of true happiness.

This month’s Full Moon falls in the sign of Gemini.  Hopefully we have taken a cue from the natural world these past few weeks and have made good use of our time in the rich, fertile dark to prepare for the great influx of Light that will pour down at Solstice as the Sun is reborn.

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The Book Discussion Group meets on the third Monday of the month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. We discuss various genres of books. The Zoom link is sent to Book Discussion Group members a day or two before the meeting. Please contact Lois Aldrich (lois.aldrich63@gmail.com) if you would like to receive the Zoom link. New and old members are welcome. We choose and announce the book of the month when we meet.  If you enjoy reading, please pick up the book and join us!

Do you enjoy hand crafts such as knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, quilting, etc.?  We are resurrecting our hand crafting group.  We gather once per month to work on our projects, offer support, and also make prayer shawls for folks in the congregation in need of comfort.  Come experts and newbies (we can help teach you) and gather for handwork, snacks, and conversation.  The Hand Crafters Group is meeting the third Monday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Avis Clay Parlor

The Wheel has come full circle arriving at Winter Solstice. We have spent our time since Samhain held in the dark, lovingly incubating new ideas and possibilities to offer to the light as the sun is reborn. Tonight we will gather to honor the gifts of the dark and to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun as he rises higher and stronger in the sky each day. Although Winter will last until Ostara, the promise of new life and new growth has been achieved, and we can be assured of the renewal of hope and of bright new beginnings. Tonight

Members of this team are trained to offer lay pastoral counseling. They may also provide meals; visits; phone calls; cards; transportation to medical appointments, the grocery store, church, or social outings; help with yard work; music; or respite/break time for caregivers. Contact: Susan Curtiss

The Chalice Choir is a volunteer group that meets in the Parish Hall on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30. This choir sings every other Sunday from a wide variety of choral anthems, most set in four parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Membership is open but limited. Please contact Susan Hotchkiss for more information.

Please submit your Order of Service information for the Winter Solstice Service to office@uumiddleboro.org by 12:00 noon.

The Meditation Group meets every Wednesday afternoon in the church parlor to practice quiet meditation. It is open to those new to meditation as well as experienced meditators. Contact: Holly Begley or Diane Reed

All members and friends are invited to attend the Parish Committee meeting.

The mission of the Social Justice Team of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Middleborough is to help the congregation take actions that create positive change in people, in our communities and in the world.  Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal theology of engagement.  We covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all people and to promote respect for the interdependent web of creation of which we are a part.  We draw inspiration and truth from experiencing each other and the world around us.  We witness both the beauty and brokenness of our world, and we choose to do social justice

Friday, December 6, 2024 – Friday, December 20, 2024   Deadline to submit offerings is Sunday, December 1st  Back by popular demand, we’re once again planning a holiday fundraiser centered on crafts and services.  It’s a chance to pick up some great items, be creative, connect with others, and have some fun! We’re seeking offerings that might include: – Handcrafted and other items/gifts for sale – Craft classes or do-it-yourself craft kits/materials – Gift baskets, gift cards – Meals, treats, baked goods – Help with end of year/holiday preparations – winter storage, decorating – Help with shopping, transporting items – Valentine’s

See Patty Simon.

We continue scheduling weekly ½ hour vigils on Saturday mornings from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon on the church lawn.  All are invited to join in.  Contact Dody Adkins-Perry (adkinsperry@gmail.com) with any questions.