As memories of summer fade in the cool air of Autumn, the rhythm of nature invites us to turn our focus inward. Buttoning up the garden, putting away the air conditioners, and debating on how soon we should turn up the heat remind us winter is coming. I am grateful for this time of year when I can don my favorite sweaters to enjoy the crisp morning air and feel the warm afternoon sun on my face. My delight in the beauty of brightly colored leaves and clear blue skies somehow make it easier to let go of Summer and prepare to embrace the quiet beauty of Winter in New England.
Greetings UU Middleboro! As your new minister, I look forward to greeting you warmly as we gather Sunday, September 8th to celebrate the start of the new church year and the beginning of our shared ministry! I want to thank members of the Search Committee (Jim Bonnar, Vi Fairweather, Lois Aldrich, Andrea Priest, and David Kraemer) for their tireless dedication in the search process and for recommending me to the Board as your next minister.
Has it really been two years already? When I think back on the 3-day drive from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Middleboro, that certainly seems ages ago. But when I think back on the first time I stepped into my office, the first time I met Val and Kelly and Susan, that doesn't seem so long ago at all. I made arrangements to meet Val at the church to pick up my key, but I did not know who she was or what she looked like, so when I heard noises coming from the sanctuary, I went up to introduce myself to a very nice and lively woman. Only several minutes into the conversation did I realize that I was speaking not with Church Administrator Val Ortelt, but with Music Director Susan Hotchkiss. And so the potentially awkward process of finding my way began. Staff and church members ensured that it went as smoothly as possible, though.
Request for Use of Sanctuary & Parish Hall by Seventh-Day Adventist Haitian Refugees As most folks reading this know, a fairly large group of refugees from Haiti (178 persons) have been lodged at the Quality Inn in Middleboro for the past several months. In keeping with our desire to provide ministry to the larger community, especially those in the most need, we have been searching for ways to help. On March 31, a group of four ministers representing the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, whose members are among the Middleboro Haitian refugees, approached me with a request to use our facilities for their weekly Saturday worship services and social time. Our Social Justice Team expressed warm support of the idea, providing certain concerns are satisfactorily addressed.
Expressing Thanks We have much to be grateful for at UU Middleboro, from Sunday services that engage the mind and heart to coffee hour times for socializing, to those who care for the Memorial Garden, those who make sure the building remains in good repair, those who rehearse on Tuesday evenings to be able to be in good voice for singing in the choir on Sundays.
My friends in South Central Kentucky have been posting pictures of flowers, crocuses and daffodils, on their social media pages for weeks now. Here in southeastern Massachusetts, we’ve been watching the snow melt ever so slowly over that same period of time. Now February has come to an end, and March holds the promise of Spring, a real Spring “with flowers and everything” as the youngest among us might say. By the end of the month, Spring will have made real progress. There will be more light in the day each and every day, earlier sunrises and later sunsets. We will be encouraged to look
Early in my ministry at UU Middleboro-- I don't remember now, just when-- I devoted a Sunday service to the importance of covenant in church life. I remember making a distinction between contract and covenant, a distinction that is too often not acknowledged and too often misunderstood. We all have experience with contracts, legal agreements that bind one party to another, that delineate lines of responsibility and limit liability. They are essential in our larger society for ensuring that each party is protected from malfeasance and that each party's interests are protected. Their function is to make clear the limits of one's responsibilities.
A covenant works differently.
And suddenly, it’s January! And another new year. You might remember that our English word for the first month of the year derives from “Janus” the name of the Roman god usually portrayed with two faces, one looking back, the other looking forward. The god of beginnings, gates, transitions, doorways, passages, and endings. So, maybe it would be a good idea to take a hint from Janus and look back for a few minutes on the life of the church in 2023 and a look forward for what we hope to see in 2024. The event that stands out most starkly for me in terms of our achievements, is the semi-annual meeting we held in November.
December, 2023 Ah, the holiday season! The Christmas cards and holiday displays that were already crowding the aisles of department stores and Dollar Stores before Halloween have finally (already!) appeared in stores and homes and public spaces at a time that feels more appropriate. Already the “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays!” battles have begun online– and at certain political rallies. And, so, we get ready for the mixed blessings that the holidays bring.
Details of the ongoing tragedy in Israel and the Gaza strip have dominated newscasts and newspaper headlines in the 25 days since the surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7 killed 1,400 Israelis and injured hundreds of others. Israeli military forces responded with retaliatory strikes that killed more than 8,000 Palestinians in the Gaza strip, including 3,000 children, numbers almost impossible to comprehend. I confess I have not followed the progress of the conflict closely. News coverage has often focused on the carnage and destruction with graphic images prevailing. It’s very disturbing to see images of the victims and the wailing mourning of the survivors. And such images do little to illuminate the history, culture, and ideology behind the attacks and counterattacks.
