As we go from community to our own separate journey over the summer, whether they be far or near, we consider the journey, what it means, how to deepen it, and what we will bring back to the whole when we come together again in September. We will explore this theme through poetry; including a recitation by our own prize-winning poet reciter, Ava Beringer. This service will be broadcast from the sanctuary via zoom without an in person congregation.

Come join us in person, outside (weather permitting) or via Zoom to celebrate this historic Unitarian ritual that lifts up the blessings of unity in diversity. Bring a flower or two to share if you’re able to join us in person. Bring a flower or two to your share with others on Zoom if you’re joining in from home. A highlight of this special day will be a celebration of the amazing gifts of volunteers and staff. 

June is PRIDE month. We celebrate the many ways people express gender and sexuality in our culture, many of which transcend cultural norms, male and female. Now more then ever it seems important to understand the issues facing people who don’t fit neatly into the gender binary of male and female. Learning from each other and expanding our understanding of the full range of human experience is an important way Unitarian Universalists can honor the worth and dignity of all people. Finding a spiritual home where you feel seen in the fullness of your humanity is what being a Welcoming Congregation is really all about.

The Annual Meeting will be held

immediately following the service.

Memorial Day ushers in the official beginning of summer but it was born of the need to remember well those Americans who died in the course of their military service. Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to mourn those losses as a nation. But there are other “national losses” we’re facing. How can we remember well those 1 million souls lost to the Corona Virus and the victims of gun violence that plagues our nation?  Memorial Day invites us to lament all of these “national losses,” honor the dead and advocate for peace. 

Shamanic sound healer Kristen Miller discusses and demonstrates how sound can be used to heal ourselves and the world. Drawing on history and practical examples, Kristen shares some of the ancient sound healing practices from Nepal and Tibet.

Yes, it’s May! The days are longer and warmer now. In many UU congregations this is the time of year we begin to wrap things up for the more leisurely pace of summer. But the last couple of years have been anything but business as usual at NSUU. We’ve survived, even thrived in some ways during the pandemic but so much has changed – so much is changing. What’s next? That’s up to you, the congregation. 

 Mayday is an international distress signal that was adopted by the British because it sounds like the French m’aider, which means “help me.” It’s time for every person who cares about this congregation to respond to this distress call – to help answer some big questions: Who are we now? What are we here for? Who do we hope to become and what will it take to get there?

This service will provide some thought-provoking inspiration for a Congregational Conversation following the service at 11:30am. The Board needs to know what you want, what you’re willing to invest your time, treasure and talent in service to the future of NSUU.  

Join the Green Sanctuary Team and guests for our annual Earth Day Celebration. The seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism calls us to affirm and promote the interconnected web of all existence of which we are a part. There has never been a more important time to deepen our sense of connection with all that is and the reciprocity of our relationship with the Earth. The Earth will only take care of us if we take care of the Earth.  

This Easter we’ll explore what it might mean to wake from the dead; to the wonder of life renewing itself, in the natural world and in the human heart. What is it that has the power to wake us up? To startle us? To open our eyes, our minds, our hearts to new ways of seeing and being in the world? 

Rev. Marcus Lisle is an Interfaith Minister who works full-time as a chaplain at Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA, and is a member of the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He will weave many stories of the remarkable and mystical ways the spiritual realm has intervened, guided and shaped his spiritual journey from Florida to Maine.

If Unitarian Universalism had poet laureates. one of the most beloved would be Mary Oliver. We’ll explore the words and images that have helped so many look at life just a little more closely, seeing a little more deeply that which connects us to all that is. If you have a favorite Mary Oliver poem, please bring it with you to share. 

Women’s History month seems like an opportune time to honor the many contributions Unitarian, Universalist and UU women have made in helping realize this vision. Looking back, we can see how these rebels and trailblazers helped pave the way for the visionaries of today. 

Terry Tempest Williams writes,

To sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy.
The birds still remember what we have forgotten,
That the world was meant to be celebrated!

Join us to celebrate spring and the opportunity to be together. We will be together for the first time in two years, in our beautiful sanctuary in the woods, a balm for the soul. May our joy be a healing force in the world. 

This will be our first multi-platform service. You may attend in person or continue to attend on-line through the link on the website at nsuu.org. Masks and proof of vaccinations are required for in-person attendance. You can send your vaccination record to Nancy in the office at nsuu@verizon.net or bring it with you on Sunday morning.  

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics and peace.

He passed from his physical body on January 22nd, 2022 at the age of 95. He reminded us that his body would reintegrate but that he would live on in his teachings and our actions for peace. We will be his continuation. This seems like an especially good time to remember his teachings, renewing our commitment to be peace as we hope for peace in the world.  

Aging! For some of us, it’s the worst thing possible, full of aches and pains, loss of mobility, fear of dying – or death, the ending of our beautiful self. For others of us, aging is the best time of life, full of new discoveries, having the kinds of experiences that our work, whether in an office or caring for children at home, prevent. It’s all “golden” years of opportunity. But the reality is, growing old isn’t always the easiest time, so what shall we do about that?

Ordained in 1968, Reverend Olav Nieuwejaar served the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Milford (NH) for twenty-four years, the last twelve with his wife, Jeanne, as co-minister, leaving that position in February 2000. Returning from Cambridge, England, where he was Interim Minister of the Unitarian Church of Cambridge during the spring of 2000, he served (again with his wife) as the Interim Co-Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, Long Island, NY for two years. He has served the Northern New England District in many capacities over the years, and, from 2002 to 2006, was Co-District Executive with Jeanne. After retirement in 2996, he served as the District’s Ministerial Settlement Representative. He is a lifelong Universalist. He grew up next door to a small New England village Universalist church, where he met his future wife, the minister’s daughter.

At the Congregational Meeting following this Sunday Service, the Board will announce the slate for your Ministerial Search Committee.  They will be representing you, the Congregation, in selecting a candidate that can work with you live more fully into your mission and vision.  What will you do with this opportunity?  What’s your charge to the Search Committee?  What kind of minister are you looking for?  How might a new minister help you live more fully into who you are and who might become – as a congregation?  Rev. Strecker will explain the search process and share a few observations based her experience about the exciting adventure that awaits! 

In a world where devastation is palpable every day, it is often difficult not to default to despair and fear. Though this despair is so present, I find there is hope in letting oneself grieve. Join me in investigating the importance of not defaulting to fear and despair, but to find space to grieve and then move from grief to justice work, sustaining ourselves and our communities. 

Imbolc is the Earth-centered celebration of the first stirrings of new life. Believe it or not, this is the time of year when seeds begin to germinate, and the sap starts to rise in the trees. These signs of new life are so subtle, we hardly notice them, but they’re there. 

We’ve been celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday since 1986. It’s traditionally been a time to remember and celebrate Dr. King’s leadership and legacy during the Civil Rights Movement. This year, Dr. King’s family is asking us not to celebrate the past but to fight for voting rights in the face of legislation that threatens the very heart of our democracy. This year, it seems appropriate to honor Dr. King’s legacy by finding ways to put his words into action once again. 

Bonnie Anderson will be our guest pianist this morning. She will be playing selections written by African American women composers.  

The theme we’ll be exploring this month is “Living With Intention”.  On this, the first Sunday of the new year, we’ll look at the difference between making resolutions and living with intention. Living with intention is a process that invites us to begin again, in each moment, by listening to the still, small voice within.  To come back to ourselves and what we value, again and again – making choices for life.  It requires time, space and attention and it’s a wonderful, contemplative practice to cultivate during the heart of winter.