Past Worship Services

A Tribute to the Celebration of Holi

While the holiday is Hindu in origin, Indian people in all regions of the country and of many faiths enjoy it together, so it fits well with our UU spirit of inclusiveness. This service will be intergenerational, so no RE classes will be held. Rather than merely delving into the holiday intellectually, we will practice its customs together. Weather permitting, we’ll begin with a Holika Dahan bonfire, continue with an indoor portion of music and dance (yes!) and end with the traditional throwing of gulal, or colored powder. IMPORTANT: If you would like to participate in the color throwing, please wear old clothes or, even better, a white tee shirt that will show off the colors. Celebrators of Holi typically wear white. (You can buy white tees at Michael’s or JoAnn’s for a couple of bucks; I have a few for people who forget or don’t receive this message in advance.) The powder generally washes out, but please don’t wear silks or fabrics that can’t be washed.

Beth Esmond has been a member of MMUUF for more than 25 years. She and her husband own a communications firm and live in Jericho with their very tiny dog. Beth previously led a Holi service about 10 years ago with Friederike Keating and both of their daughters, Josie and Katerina, who were celebrating their Coming of Age that year.

Finding Calm in the Midst of Chaos

Most everyone is feeling unsettled these days. What can be done to not be swept away in the mania? Mary Kintner will explore ways to keep your balance.

Mary Kintner has an undergraduate degree in social welfare and nursing, and is a doctor of Chiropractic. She has been meditating and teaching yoga since the 1970s. Mary is coasting into retirement but still doing chiropractic, massage, teaching yoga and educating people about diet and nutrition. She loves to be outdoors and lives with her polydactyl cat, Polly.

,

What exactly happened to the UUA Principles and what do the new Values mean for our Fellowship?

A year ago, the UUA approved changes to Article II of the UUA bylaws including the creation of new Values in place of the Principles. Confused? Come to the service to learn more about the changes and join us in a discussion about our individual thoughts about the Values and how our Fellowship might incorporate them.

Catherine Stevens lives in Jericho with her husband and their two dogs. She recently retired as a resource development director for non-profits and is looking for an opportunity to continue helping on a project basis. She and her husband like to travel, to learn about other cultures and history. Closer to home, she travels to Mills Riverside Park almost daily to enjoy nature with her dogs. Catherine is a member of the MMUUF and has served on the Sunday Service Committee for 15ish years.

Kristen Hayden-West is a member of the Mt. Mansfield Unitarian Fellowship where she serves on the Membership and Sunday Service committees. Beyond her work as a Curriculum Designer for the State of Vermont, and her side hustle flipping thrifted items on eBay, she enjoys being active outside and getting together with friends and her two adult children.

Gratitude, Meditation & Movement: Finding focus when everything feels like too much!

Practicing gratitude in the face of caring for parents with chronic illness, adapting to a new community, and finding time to write, meditate and teach yoga can be challenging at times. Sarah will share some of her favorite readings & tools, teach a short meditation, and offer you ideas to consider bringing a practice of gratitude into your life.

Sarah Ward, is a friend of MMUUUF, and was a member for over twenty-five years.  She now lives in Woodstock, VT with her husband Scott, her mother, Bonnie, and their two dogs, River & Pippin.  Sarah teaches yoga and meditation at Artistree Community Art Center in Pomfret, and writes fiction.  She is currently working on a historical fiction novel about a murder that happened in her home town of Piermont, NH in 1875. She loves writing, reading, swimming, traveling and sharing a cup of tea and a long chat with a friend.

Tending to Home in an Uncertain Time

MMUUF fellowship member Mike Sweeney will share his thoughts on what it means to have a strong sense of home, his experiences of losing and rebuilding a sense of home for himself and his family, and the importance of doing the human work in our spiritual and other local communities to tend to our collective home as a way to cultivate strength and protection during an uncertain time.

Mike Sweeney currently serves as the fellowship’s treasurer and religious education director and enjoys singing in the fellowship’s “Last Minute Choir.” He is also a justice of the peace in Jericho and chair of the Jericho Democratic Committee. Mike has had various jobs through the years, but his most important have been as a homemaker for his family and dad to his two now teenage children.