October 12, 2024

Aroostook Apple Day     (photo by Roxanne)

Aroostook Apple Day is here! Activities begin at 10AM with apple and fruit displays, workshops, cider pressing and more (see details posted below). The cafe will be open at 9:30AM if you want to come early for coffee and check out our selection of apple-themed goodies. Apple/butternut squash soup is on the menu for lunch along with broccoli cheddar rolls, apple walnut gouda rolls and pepperoni rolls. There are also drink specials at the espresso bar and spiced hot cider. This is an event great for children and adults alike. Join us for Apple Day!

This is also Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend. Our Sunday Service reflects this with a First Peoples’ theme and a lecture by Isaac St. John, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI). Isaac is an archeologist and cultural historian working to study and preserve the traditions of the local Maliseet Tribe. Isaac’s lecture is titled “A Tale of Two World Views” and he discusses the differences between the Indigenous and Western worldviews of the environment and self. Q&A will follow the presentation. One of the related topics is the recent river restoration project on the Meduxnekeag River and the Maliseet Tribe’s involvement. The minister has a short slide show to accompany the discussion. After coffee hour there is a group outing to the new Welcome Center at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Staceyville. The Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters hosted a “first look” special event on August 17 and 18, and although the center isn’t officially open, we have secured 15 reserved spots to visit on Sunday afternoon. Please see details below. We will organize a car pool during coffee hour and figure out our strategy. 

YouTube Channel content for this week 

is a continuation of our theme for the year with Part Two; Love at the Center. Unitarian Universalism has a long history of theological reflection and diversity of thought. As we know, nothing stays the same, and that includes our ideas about theology and religious community. We will explore two aspects of UU Theology as it relates to the recent change in article II of the UUA Bylaws. Perhaps this sounds dull, but once we get past the procedural language it gets quite interesting. We also have organ music during the service and I have more “show and tell.” We hope you can join us for one of the services online or in-person.

In Ministry,

Dave

Aroostook Apple Day
October 12     Saturday  10AM-2PM 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Houlton & The Cup Cafe,   

61 Military Street, (aka US Route 2), Houlton, Maine

AROOSTOOK APPLE DAY sponsored by the Southern Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District will be held at Unitarian Church and Cup Cafe on Military St in Houlton. Aroostook

Apple Day celebrates northern fruit orchards with classes on fruit growing and orchard care, lots and lots of apples to taste, apple and pear displays, and cider pressing. You can view class descriptions, speakers, and times listed below. Aroostook Apple Day is FREE and open to the public. The Unitarian’s Cup Cafe will be offering up harvest pastries and lunch for purchase, as well as drinks from their coffee bar. Event partners include MOFGA, Fedco Trees, and Maine Farmland Trust, who will be on hand to chat about keeping agricultural lands working lands.Menu @The Cup
Apple/Butternut Squash Soup  *vegan

Jumbo Broccoli Cheddar Roll  *vegan

Pepperoni Cheese RollsApple Walnut Gouda RollsHot Spiced Apple Cider

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Granny Apple Spritzer

ACTIVITIES

Fruit Variety Displays

Samples of the many apple and pear

varieties grown in Maine will be on display. If

you have unique or favorite varieties to

share, please bring some.

Apple Tasting

This is a great opportunity to taste different

varieties of apples grown in Northern Maine.

If you have varieties you would like others to

taste, please bring at least six of each variety

so they can be placed on the tasting table.

Please bring the fruit in a bag labeled with

the variety name, your name, and your

address so that if someone wants to learn

more about the fruit they can contact you.

Cider Pressing

Bring your own apples or pears to press,

along with containers to take your cider

home. Volunteers will be on hand from 10

am – 1 pm to help you press your own fruit.

Please bring only fruit from a tree that has

been washed, no drops please

.

Visit with Maine Farmland Trust

Come visit with some of the staff of MFT and

learn what you can do to keep agricultural

lands working and help farmers and

communities thrive.

WORKSHOPS

Things I Wish I’d Known

with Mark Coté

10:00 am – 10:45 am

An introduction to growing fruit trees with a

focus on apples. Mark will cover basic

information about tree planting, growth, and

care, including skills and lessons learned

over several years as an orchardist. The

discussion is intended for novices but will

include information of value for many levels

of experience, including resources and

references for further study and assistance.

Espalier Orchard: Suitable for Framing

with Claus Hamann

11:00 am – 11:45 am

Ever wonder about an alternative to big

trees with hard-to-reach fruit? How about a

smaller-footprint orchard, raising kernel and

stone fruit like grapes on a frame or trellis,

known as an espalier orchard? Fruit trees are

suitable for framing, and ergonomically

good for older and little humans. Come find

out about your future espalier orchard!

Proactive and Preventative Approaches to

Fireblight Management

with C.J. Walke

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm

C.J. will cover fireblight biology, how to spot

signs of infection, and identify other pest

damage that can be confused with fireblight.

He will also share how fireblight is managed

in MOFGA’s orchards (though not always

successfully!), including cultural methods

and materials approved for organic

production.’’

Selecting Cultivars for Your Orchard

with Laura Sieger

1:00pm – 1:45 pm

Laura will discuss what traits you might

consider when planning for new trees or

grafting other varieties into your existing

orchard. We’ll discuss many of the classic

New England apples that grow in Maine, as

well as more modern cultivars and some wild

and seedling selections. The discussion will

be geared mostly towards home/hobby

orchardists, but everyone is welcome.Sunday ServiceOctober 13   Indigenous Peoples’ Day Service 

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Tekαkαpimək: 

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument encompasses 87,500 acres in Penobscot County, Maine and is made up of 13 parcels of land donated by Elliotsville Plantation Inc. & Roxanne Quimby, owner of Burt’s Bees. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is located in present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation. The monument is at the center of connecting watersheds and has diverse and extraordinary scenic resources and views that are accessible to visitors. Spread across a wild landscape offering spectacular views of Katahdin, Katahdin Woods and Waters invites discovery of its rivers, streams, woods, flora, fauna, geology, and the night skies that have attracted humans for millennia.

Purpose

The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station will provide a location for orientation and information of visitors to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Exhibits designed from a Wabanaki worldview provide an introduction to the monument’s landscape and its significance.

Who is building the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station? 

Elliotsville Foundation is building the contact station under reserved rights attached to the deed for the Three Rivers parcel. Construction is being coordinated with the National Park Service and Wabanaki Nations of Maine, namely the Penobscot Nation, whose ancestral lands these are, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and Motahkomikuk.

What services will be available at Tekαkαpimək Contact Station? 

National Park Service employees and volunteers will staff an information desk where visitors can obtain park brochures and the park passport stamp. Restrooms and a water fountain will be available while the building is open. The station contains exhibits that provide information from an indigenous perspective about the natural and cultural history of the area now within monument boundaries. Accessible walking paths, benches, and picnic tables will be available. 

East of the parking lot, a gathering location known as the Eastern Lookout faces the rising sun and a view of all Wabanaki homelands. A deck on the west wing of the station allows for views of Katahdin, known as the “greatest mountain” in Wabanaki languages.

During the month of October we are designating our weekly Pishke donations for two specific projects; on October 13 our donations will 

go to the Maliseet Tribe Food Bank and on October 20 and 27 our donations will go to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund for recent hurricane victims. The Pishke is our UUHoulton effort to collect funds for local needs in our community and our own group as well as

specified social justice needs. Our shared life benefits us all.

UUA Disaster Relief Fund

​​Disasters impact our congregations and their communities with increasing rapidity. From natural disasters like wildfires that scorch everything in their path and hurricanes that bring destruction through winds and water, to widespread human caused disasters like the collapsing infrastructure that we saw in Flint’s water crisis, our congregations, our people, and our communities sustain the impact. Your donation to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund allows the UUA to respond flexibly on your behalf to tragedies that overtake us.

Your donation allows the UUA to respond flexibly to current disaster needs as well as to new emergency situations as they arise.

The Disaster Relief Fund disburses grants to UU congregations and recognized UU non-profit entities.

Our Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant between the UUA and congregations, between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community partners. Through this work, we are able to embody our faith and values.

With your donations, we are able to provide assistance to congregations, their members, and their communities. Disaster Relief Fund grants are designed to respond to widespread damage that has received a disaster declaration from FEMA or local government sources. Some of the expenses Disaster Relief Fund grants can be used for are:

• Damage to congregations’ buildings, and relocation to temporary locations
• Damage to members/friends homes, and relocation expenses,
• Donations to local partner organizations that serve the community at large, particularly those who would not be eligible for other funding

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 hourTime: Oct 13, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/87336332721?pwd=PZwnNux5R5wVRzdMSQDWoaWtLHPHtS.1
Meeting ID: 873 3633 2721Passcode: 313710

Calendar of Events @UUHoulton

Oct 12     Aroostook Apple Day      10AM-2PM     UUHoulton Church & The Cup Cafe     sponsored by Southern Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District

Oct 13 Sunday Service:   Isaac St. John   Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians       “A Tale of Two World Views” Trip to New Welcome Center at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Oct 14 UUHoulton Board Meeting   7PM in the cafeOct 19     LGBTQ+ Luncheon   12 Noon in the cafe

Oct 19     Houlton Coffeehouse   7PM Oct 20     Sunday Service:  David Hutchinson

Oct 22 Meditation Group  4PM  (online

)Oct 27 Sunday Service:  UUHoulton CUUPS Group   

Nov 3 Sunday Service: Brigitte RiversNov 5 Meditation Group   4PM  (online)

Nov 10 Sunday Service: David Hutchinson

Nov 16 LGBTQ+ Luncheon  12 noon

Nov 17 Sunday Service: Pledge Drive Kick-Off Sunday    Group-Led Service   Potluck Meal Following the Service

Nov 19 Meditation Group  4PM  (online)

Nov 24 Sunday Service: David Hutchinson 

Virtual Offering Plate
If you would like to send in your pledge or donation simply drop an envelope in the mail. The address is listed below.  You can also send your donation electronically with our payment system on the church website.  Simply go to uuhoulton.org and click “Donate” on the menu and it will explain how the system works. You can set up a regular monthly payment plan or donate in single transactions.  Thank you for your generous support!  
UU Church of Houlton

61 Military StreetAroostook Apple Day preparations in the kitchen:

(Apple Walnut Gouda Rolls)

Apple/Butternut Squash Soup

Prayer List
For those working for social justice and societal changePray for peaceful action and democratic process in our nationThe war in Ukraine continuesPrayers for those in Palestine and Israel as the war continues Prayers for the worsening humanitarian crisis in GazaPrayers for those affected by the tragic school shooting in Georgia.Prayers for those recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Florida, North Carolina and the South EastPrayers for peace in the Middle East as war has broken outPrayers for those recovering from this week’s hurricane Milton in Florida

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.