Welcome

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Our church celebrates freedom of belief and welcomes individuals and families of all backgrounds and faiths. Unitarian Universalism does not advocate a particular creed. We come together because of our shared commitment to values and to ways of living, not to religious dogma. See “What Is UU?” for more about the long history and tradition of Unitarian Universalism. The Strafford Universalist Society is the second oldest in Vermont and fourth oldest in the nation. We hope you will join us.

 Happenings

Barrett Hall Wednesday Feb. 4th at 6:30 p.m.

A Community Read of the Book “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World “by Robin Wall Kimmerer will be taking place in January with a discussion of the book on February 4 at 6:30pm at Barrett Hall in South Strafford.

In “The Serviceberry” (only 112 pages), indigenous scientist and author of the book Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer shows another way of living based on gratitude and generosity, a way that recognizes our dependence and relationship to the natural world.  In contrast, our current economy is rooted in scarcity, competition and hoarding of resources, and our national policies are based on transactional relationships, quid pro quo dealmaking and payback, and these threaten our future.

Copies of the book  to take out are at the Morrill Memorial and Harris Library. It can also be purchased at local bookstores or online, as well as a lovely audio version read by Kimmerer herself. (ONLY 2 HOURS)  Please consider reading The Serviceberry and sharing your thoughts about it with others on February 4th.

The Community Read of the Serviceberry is sponsored by the Universalist Society of Strafford and Strafford Climate Action.

For more information contact John Freitag at jfreitag7@live.com or 802-765-4003

 

Some Highlights of the Past Couple Years

Water Service and Potluck – November 16

Members of the Strafford UU gathered for a lay-led water service, particularly appropriate in this summer/fall of record drought. Everyone brought a small bottle of water to share in a common bowl along with a story of why this water, whether from well, pond, lake, ocean, or stream was meaningful to them. The service was followed by a potluck.

Annual Gathering of Upper Valley UUs

This annual event is held at the First Universalist Church of Barnard and followed by a picnic and fellowship at Silver Lake State Park.

The Sound of Silence

Silent Meditations were held weekly in the beautiful space within the Universalist Church from June to October, consisting of a 20-minute silent mediation followed by a time of sharing and then a final 5-minute silent meditation.  Participants bring their own meditative practice or just sit and enjoy a silent time of peace and reflection with others.

Celebration and Rededication

Many years ago Fred Wolfe connected with Greg Gorman to explore an ambitious project to clean, restore, and repair the stained glass windows in the church. The first step was to identify which windows were in the worst repair and what efforts would need to be taken to ensure their beauty would last for future generations. Over the past decade plus, the members of our church have fundraised and shepherded this project to fruition. We have even replaced the “Jesus” window at the front of the sanctuary with a new flaming chalice that speaks to our spiritual tradition and values. On July 16, 2023 Upper Valley UUs gathered with us for a celebration and rededication service for our sanctuary and its marvelous windows led by Re. Paul Sawyer.

 

Book Discussion – Braiding Sweetgrass

An Evening with Jim Rooney – Full Set

An Evening with Gus Speth – A Life of Service

Staying Connected

Daily Inspiration

Strafford UU member John Freitag sends out a daily inspiration often with poems or readings from our UU hymnal or collections such as Life Prayers and The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy, as well as poets that speak to our New England weather and heritage like Robert Frost, David Budbill, and Emily Dickinson, and Native American poets like Joy Harjo and Joseph Bruchac. If you are interested in starting your days with something other than the news, send him an email at jfreitag7 at hotmail.com

On-line Services

There are many on-line options for connecting with the UU community, including this one where several of our members participate:

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley – Worship service every Sunday at 10 via Zoom.

There are many more to check out in this list provided by the UUA.

For those looking for UU resources for quiet individual reflection, the UU website offers many resources to explore such as this searchable on-line library.