“following the trail…” 2025
A couple of weeks ago I shared a photograph of the wooden foot bridge over Cook Brook on the Houlton River Walk Trail. Well, earlier this week I hiked part of the trail again and took a few more pictures. While there are fewer leaves on the trees and the views along the river have opened up, the experience of walking on a nature trail that is so close to a downtown never ceases to amaze me. Except for momentary glimpses of structures and the occasional sound of vehicular traffic you would never know civilization was so close by.
On this particular day it was a short hike. I started at the Riverfront Park entrance, hiked to the Highland Avenue Bridge, crossed over to the east side trail and stopped at the Jimmy Brook footbridge and took today’s photo. You can look on the trail map below and follow my path to the “you are here” marker and that’s as far as I went. After taking some photos and sitting for a break in the Adirondack chairs at the top of the Jimmy Brook overlook, I headed back the same way that I came.
Usually I prefer taking a loop trail so I don’t retrace my steps, but, of course, what’s interesting about going back the same way you came is that it is not the same. Simply by reversing directions everything has changed in how you experience the trail. It doesn’t look the same! This is why it’s always a good idea to turn around once in a while when you’re hiking a trail, to see what it looks like, so if you do return the same way, it will look familiar.
I find hiking the River Walk Trail a meditative practice. You don’t have to cover a lot of ground or reach a certain heart-rate in order to have a “good hike.” Simply walking along at a comfortable pace noticing the entirety of the experience is enough. I remember hiking the trail around Walden Pond years ago. It was not a long or arduous hike, what made it notable was the significance of the location and the history associated with it. It was a meditative hike. Hiking anywhere can be a mindful and spiritual experience, the River Walk Trail is that for me (as long as I’m not in a hurry). Again, one of Houlton’s treasures.
Sunday Service this week is led by Leigh and Fred Griffith. For years now, Leigh and Fred have offered a Samhain service on the Sunday closest to All Saints Day. Part of the service this year focuses on ancestors. They invite those attending the service to bring in a photograph or special item associated with an ancestor to place on a designated table in the front of the parlor.
Our YouTube Channel content for this week is a continuation of our theme on Covenant and Transition. As it turned out, by the time I finished telling the story about the “flattened travel mug” and corresponding details regarding my earlier than expected retirement plans and other related UUHoulton events of the past 25 years, I had only finished the introduction of the talk. It looks like I’ll finish part two of the talk in a couple of weeks…
An excerpt from the bulletin says, “Covenant is a core concept that once defined, extends to find connection to wide and various application. Covenant agreements are relational based and are the starting point to construct what follows. Covenant is a connector that coordinates the many parts. All things taken together, it becomes a practice.”
The title of the talk is “The Practice of Covenant; Introduction.”
We hope you can join us for one of the services online or in-person.
Enjoy the weekend!
In Ministry,
Dave
DON’T FORGET TO TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ON SATURDAY NIGHT
THIS WEEK’S YOUTUBE SERVICE:
HERE IS THE SERVICE LINK FOR THIS WEEK’S YOUTUBE SERVICE
(Please note it won’t be active until 10AM on Sunday morning)
HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK FOR SUNDAY COFFEE HOUR:
Topic: UUHoulton zoom coffee hour & check-inTime: Nov 2, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/88367146935?pwd=FMLh0d3YQFsbryp23umdSJnll3anKV.1
Meeting ID: 883 6714 6935Passcode: 499589
Trivia Sunday Challenge(check out the new time slot!)November 2, 12:30 – 2:30PM
Just a quick reminder that we’re changing up the time of our monthly trivia competition — no one likes being out and about in the cold and dark that is coming, so we’ll test our wits during the cold and light! From ancient times to the 80s (and beyond), our questions cover the gamut — science-nerdy, bookish, and steeped in pop culture! There are categories for everyone — check it out this Sunday at 12:30! (Plus a great lunch and coffee drinks on tap…thanks to Chef Joyce and our rock-star baristas!)
Holiday Craft SaleSaturday, November 15th 9:30AM – 2PM
You know the holidays are coming when the UU announces its annual craft fair! Come join us on Saturday, November 15th from 9:30a-2p to find unique gifts for those on Santa’s list.
And local crafters, we welcome you to vend at the event – contact Leigh Griffith (207-694-5732) for all of the details.
Calendar of Events @UUHoultonNov 2 Sunday Service: Leigh & Fred Griffith Nov 2 Monthly Trivia Event at The Cup 12:30-2:30PMNov 5 Climate Group Meeting 6PM in the cafeNov 9 Sunday Service: David HutchinsonNov 10 UUHoulton Board Meeting 4PM in the parlorNov 11 Meditation Group 5PM (online)Nov 15 LGBTQ+ Luncheon 12 Noon (upstairs coffee room)Nov15 Holiday Craft Fair 9:30AM – 2PM Located in the Church Fellowship Hall
Nov 16 Sunday Service: Group LedNov 23 Sunday Service: David HutchinsonNov 25 Meditation Group 5PM (online)Nov 30 Sunday Service: Bill WhiteDec 7 Sunday Service: David HutchinsonDec 7 Monthly Trivia Event at The Cup 12:30-2-30PMDec 9 Meditation Group 5PM (online)Dec 13 LGBTQ+ Luncheon 12 Noon Dec 14 Sunday Service: Dale HoldenDec 21 Sunday Service: David HutchinsonDec 21 Winter Solstice Celebration (time to be announced)Dec 24 Candlelight Christmas Eve Service 4PM (followed by a potluck in the fellowship hall)
Prophetic Witness: Unitarian Universalist Ministers, Laypeople Demand End to Inhumane Treatment of Migrants in New Jersey
UUs share why their religion calls them to show up for protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics despite the potential for arrest or physical harm.
ETHAN LOEWI 10/21/2025
Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner braced herself as Newark, New Jersey, police officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, some with their faces covered by masks or bandanas, approached.
Behind Tanner—who serves at the Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, New Jersey—and the fifty or so other clergy members with her at the protest on May 12, 2025, loomed the hulking gray form of Delaney Hall, surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire. Delaney Hall is a for-profit ICE detention center run by the GEO Group, one of the two largest private prison operators in the United States, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
The clergy, among them eight UU ministers, blocked the flow of traffic in and out of Delaney Hall, attempting to disrupt operations as much as possible. The group sang hymns and protest songs together, including the civil rights anthem, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.”
Demonstrators who spoke with UU Worlddescribed the conditions within Delaney Hall as not just immoral but illegal, saying that ICE has denied family visitation rights, prevented state officials and members of Congress from inspecting the facility, and not released the names of people being detained.
When the law enforcement officers and federal agents drew closer, Tanner recalls, they reached down to separate her from the others who were sitting in a row, arms linked in solidarity. Tanner and the rest of the clergy were pulled apart from each other and forcibly taken from the gate, she said.
While no clergy were arrested at the event, two activists were, according to The Jersey Vindicator. Protesters described the scene as frightening and stressful, and they feared they would be arrested as police rushed and surrounded them.
In the fight against the Trump administration’s agenda of mass incarceration and deportation of migrants, Delaney Hall is one of many flashpoints. These kinds of demonstrations joined or led by leaders from different religions are part of a broader faith-based resistance movement challenging ICE’s tactics. In some cases, as in Newark, the actions are met with force.
Despite the risks, Tanner said she felt called by her religious beliefs to oppose the detention center and its reported practices.
“This just can’t happen under our watch,” said Tanner. “They’re creating these detention facilities that are like concentration camps where basic human rights are being denied.”
“This just can’t happen under our watch,” said Tanner. “They’re creating these detention facilities that are like concentration camps where basic human rights are being denied.”
When reached for comment by email, GEO Group referred UU World to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE. A DHS public affairs officer responded to UU World’s questions about the May 12 protest—which happened about five months before the magazine emailed for comment—and related issues, with a statement asserting that ICE “will not comment on articles or events that are more than six months old.”
“Allegations and politically driven claims about ICE’s Delaney Hall Detention Facility made six months ago or more do not accurately represent the current conditions at the facility,” according to the DHS statement. “ICE never purposely puts others in danger.”
Though the agency made no mention of the clergy members, it argued that “public safety is of the upmost concern and extreme individuals causing chaos, ensuing violence or obstructing operations outside of our gates will be thwarted.”
Newark Police Department emailed UU World a statement asserting that during the May protests, it provided “public safety services and crowd support” and dealt with mostly traffic incidents.
“Police response was aimed at ensuring the safety of protesters outside the facility, which is located along a high-traffic thoroughfare,” according to the police statement.
Tanner and other Unitarian Universalists expressed outrage at the federal government’s actions and described their resistance to ICE as a matter of moral, spiritual, and legal urgency.
“Our religion called us to this place, to expose this evil,” said Tanner.
Prophetic Witness at a Dangerous Scene
Some UUs at Delaney Hall described the protest as an act of necessary prophetic witness against ICE.
Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, who serves at the UU Congregation of Montclair, New Jersey, said her UU faith drives her to “struggle against” the treatment of immigrants at the facility.
“We are witnessing incredible acts of hate being perpetuated by our government, across our nation and to the most vulnerable among us,” Sammler-Michael said.
Erol Delos Santos, a graduate of Union Theological Seminary who is preparing for the UU ministry, said he was inspired to protest ICE after witnessing the agency’s wave of arrests and deportations in other parts of the country, such as the arrest of legal U.S. resident and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil.
“We are witnessing incredible acts of hate being perpetuated by our government, across our nation and to the most vulnerable among us,” Sammler-Michael said.
“I felt like I had to do something,” said Delos Santos, who is a first-generation Filipino immigrant. “All it would take for ICE to arrest me is for me to not have ID with me that day.”
At the Delaney Hall protest in May, Delos Santos said, ICE agents trying to break the line of protesters grabbed and pushed him aside.
Delos Santos said he felt a moral and spiritual imperative to protest ICE, even at the risk of arrest and physical harm.
“Immigrants are the driving force of this country,” he said. “And it’s not fair to be able to lock people up for no reason.
A Pattern of Violence Against Protesters—and Members of Congress
Three days before the clergy protest, on May 9, another confrontation with ICE officers at Delaney Hall led to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
Baraka and three members of Congress, including New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver, attempted to tour and inspect the detention center and were told to leave, according to NBC News.
“The situation devolved when ICE ran out of the gate and roughed up the congressional delegation,” said Tanner, who was there during Baraka’s arrest.
ICE agents were “being incredibly rough,” pushing and shoving the congressional delegation, and Tanner said she witnessed “an arm jab to the shoulder of one of the congresspeople.”
Federal prosecutors accused Baraka of trespassing. He was released that same evening. The charges against him were later dropped.
As of October 16, McIver faces charges of felony assault and having resisted and impeded law enforcement officers, which she says are baseless and politically motivated, reports the Associated Press. She has pleaded not guilty and faces up to seventeen years in prison if convicted.
“If they will put their hands on members of congress,” said Walker, “we have to ask the question: What are they doing behind closed doors where nobody can see?”
Charlene Walker, executive director of Faith in New Jersey, a nonprofit that helped to coordinate the interfaith clergy protest, was present at both events. Walker, who attends the Beacon UU congregation, said police at the May 12 demonstration dragged her away from Delaney Hall by her leg.
“I feel like I should be more traumatized than I am,” said Walker. “But there’s something about standing in righteousness, in my faith, and saying that we can’t tolerate our neighbors being disappeared that I think has given all of us some level of strength.”
Regarding Baraka’s arrest, Walker said that ICE was intentional and aggressive in targeting the mayor and congresspeople.
“If they will put their hands on members of congress,” said Walker, “we have to ask the question: What are they doing behind closed doors where nobody can see?”
‘There is Something that Everyone, Every Single Person, Can Do’
Following the protest, Walker said the situation remains morally and legally dire.
Some lawyers have still been denied visits at times per a NJ.com report, and detainees reportedly have faced inhumane conditions such as hunger. In June, four detainees escaped Delaney Hall amid unrest caused by a lack of meals, according to ABC News.
Sammler-Michael emphasized the value of nonviolent resistance and partnership with other groups and faith communities.
“We should not try and do the work alone,” she said, “and I would say that there is something that everyone, every single person, can do.”
Prophetic witness at Delaney Hall has continued since May. Local congregations and nonprofits regularly lead vigils.
Outside the barbed wire fence of Delaney Hall, people of diverse faiths and religious backgrounds remain present: praying, singing, and fighting for the rights of those locked inside.November greetings from Christoph and Deb!
Prayer List
For those working for social justice and societal change
Pray for peaceful action and democratic process in our nation
The war in Ukraine continues
Prayers for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Prayers for those affected by recent governmental (and policy) changes in DC
Prayers for the peace process in the Middle East
Prayers for Karen who fell recently and is recovering
Prayers for L a young lady in Florida fighting cancer
Prayers for those affected by the current US Government shutdown
Prayers for those affected by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean
The Four Limitless Ones Prayer
May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
May we be free from suffering and the root of suffering.
May we not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering.
May we dwell in the great equanimity free from anger, aggression and delusion.
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