Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition. As such we’re called to review our principles to ensure they and we remain relevant. Our principles were last revised in 1987 when the 7th principle affirming and promoting the interconnected web of all existence was added. More recently there has been discussion about adding an 8th principle addressing racism. Other changes have been proposed in different forums. The UUA has appointed a commission to do a wholesale review of our 7 Principles. This service will include a review of their progress to date, the process by which changes will be made and how we can be more involved.  

Small Group Ministry is a vital part of many Unitarian Universalist congregations, including ours. When intentional committed groups of people meet regularly to reflect on and discuss significant life topics, they create their own container for caring, honesty, and creativity. Participants build deep connections with one another and with the things they hold sacred.

Come learn some of the history of Small Group Ministries at Northshore Church, hear from several of us who have participated, and see if Small Group Ministry might be for you.

This year marks fifty-five years since the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. As we honor his life and legacy it’s important to understand the context, what Larry Ward, PhD calls the “Racial Karma” of the United States and how it continues to manifest today as a path towards transformation and healing. 

Bonnie Anderson will be the guest pianist this Sunday. 

Vietnamese Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh says that we can create true peace that can be a powerful force in our lives and in our world.  On the leading edge of a new year – with the strains of Christmas’ refrain of “Peace on Earth – Good Will to All People” still ringing in our ears, how can we cultivate peace – in our lives, in our world?  

The only thing that we can really count on is change. It’s just the way life is.  We have no idea what’s coming, nor can we bend the future to our will.  In truth, we live our lives in the interim, betwixt and between life and death. 

 What we can do is learn to navigate transitions; the inner process that accompanies change.  Moving from endings through a liminal time when things that were no longer are and things that will be are not yet — and embracing the possibilities for new beginnings.  Becoming more conscious of this process can help us let go of what was without grasping prematurely for something new.

Nov. 6th at Noon

If you are a drop of water, then you will evaporate halfway; 

but if you go as a river, you will surely reach the ocean.

                                                                                    Thich Nhat Hanh

The Water Ceremony celebrates our connections with one another and with the Earth. We return to our beloved sanctuary in the woods on September 11th, bringing water from many sources that speak to us of those connections. Water symbolizes the power of community as drops gather to form rivulets that meet and merge to form mighty rivers flowing together to the sea. Bring a little water that has special meaning for you to pour into a common bowl. 

You can also send a picture of a watery place to Gary Nelson at ammodytes2000@yahoo.com. Gary has graciously agreed to create a slideshow of those places that quench our thirsty souls for our service. 

This service will include special music provided by the NSUU Singing Group under the direction of Georgia Bills, our new Music Director. 

In the interest of protecting the most vulnerable among us, we ask that you wear a mask inside the building. 

The Board invites everyone to join us after the service

for coffee and ice cream treats as we kick off this new church year.

Feel free to bring a bag lunch as well!  

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.