Due to the impending storm and personal illness, this week’s Sunday Service is cancelled. Please see today’s Support Page for more details and we hope to see you next week! 
Please take care and stay off the roads if possible during the storm.

Valentine’s Day

This week has the feel of winter. Our snowfall amounts have been slow to accumulate thus far, but at this point (with recent snows) we now have the look of winter to go along with the feel. Right now we are in-between storms; our Saturday activities look like they will happen as planned, but Sunday is another story. MaryAlice Mowry is scheduled to lead the Sunday Service on the topic “Hope – The Valentine that Keeps on Giving” with special music by Rosalind Morgan. But MaryAlice is not feeling well, and the weather forecast for Sunday is not looking favorable. Taking both of these factors into consideration we have decided to cancel the Sunday Service for this week. MaryAlice will lead the service (and Ros will sing) on the following Sunday, February 23. I will send out an additional “service cancellation” notice just in case the notification was missed in today’s Support Page. 
Please take care and stay off the roads if possible during the storm.
Happy Valentine’s Day weekend!

In Ministry,

Dave

LGBTQ+ Luncheon

February 15      Saturday at Noon

We hope you will join us this Saturday, February 15 from 12:00 – 2:00 PM for NOA’s LGBTQ+ potluck luncheon open to all generations and allies! If you would like to bring a dish, you’re more than welcome to but there is no cost to attend. There will be plenty of food to share!We will have a card/note writing area set up at the luncheon for any folks interested in writing letters of care and support to LGBTQ+ youth!We hope to see many of you there! If you have any food allergies, dietary preferences, and/or accessibility needs/requests and feel comfortable sharing, please contact izzy@equalitymaine.org!

HOULTON COFFEEHOUSE
February 15,  Saturday Evening             7-9 PMThe Cup Cafe,   61 Military Street 

FEATURE:  Jann Bonkowski Votaw

Open-Mic Starts @7PM

Coffeehouse is this weekend with Jann Bonkowski Votaw as our feature. Jann plays music from the 50s through the 70s, a bit of country and a lot of old time rock and roll…she puts on a good show! There’s also open-mic that starts at 7PM for aspiring musicians, poets and stand-up comedians.

You won’t find a better stage (or more supportive audience) to try out your material. We have ginger soup with sweet potato noodles and clam chowder on the menu. You can’t go wrong with either choice.The fizz bar will also be open and our full line of coffee drinks available on the espresso machine. There’s a Cherry Garcia Latte special for Valentine’s Day; cherry, chocolate sauce, two shots of espresso and textured milk. 

Come early for supper and hang out before the show. Cafe doors open at 5:30PM.

See you at the Cup!

Feel the buzz…Happy Valentine’s Weekend from the staff at The Cup Cafe!Menu
Ginger Soup (with sweet potato noodles)Clam ChowderCherry Garcia LatteLove Tonic #9 Spritzer
In Celebration of Music, Poetry and the Arts…

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)
There is no YouTube service this week due to a technical difficulty. Please check out other services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBqT7LyWvxNQ2DbXvvNKHvA

HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK FOR SUNDAY COFFEE HOUR:

There is no zoom coffee hour this week due to the storm and service cancellation.

Calendar of Events @UUHoulton

Feb 15 LGBTQ+ Luncheon     Noon

Feb 15 Houlton Coffeehouse    7-9PM    Feature: Jann

Feb 16 The Sunday Service is cancelled due to the storm

Feb 18 Meditation Group  (online)  4PM

Feb 23 Sunday Service:  MaryAlice Mowry

March 2   Sunday Service:  David Hutchinson

March 4 Meditation Group  (online)   4PM

March 5 Climate Group Meeting in the cafe   6-7PM

March 9   Sunday Service: David Hutchinson

March 15 LGBTQ+ Luncheon    Noon

March 15 Houlton Coffeehouse    7-9PM

March 16 Sunday Service:  Keith Helmuth & Stuart Kinney

March 18 Meditation Group   (online)   4PM

March 23 Sunday Service:  Annual Meeting         (Abbreviated Service Followed by Potluck & Meeting)

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 Street, Houlton, ME, 04730

The Strange Context of Hope

by David Hutchinson

In our world

the momentum of circumstance

can generate a centrifugal force

well beyond our means of control.

Control is a perhaps misplaced sense of security,

thinking we actually know what’s going on

or what’s going to happen next.

In ordinary times the flux in circumstance

may not even register as anything noteworthy; 

the usual ups and downs of time and history.

In extra-ordinary times the events of the day

are pursuant to an extreme;

Yet these extremes are highly unstable.

The  inevitable force of return

yearns for a central balancing point;

a place where the hearts of all can reside

without anxiety

without fear

without avoidance.

Hope naturally arises on the edge of extremity.

When the force of circumstance

exhausts itself of itself

hope is the energy of return.

In these days that lie ahead

May hope be our means and our end.

A way of being in this world.

A peace and a harmony that

we carry and can distribute to all.

Amen.The Higher Causeby David Hutchinson

A belief in a higher cause  

is sometimes the only belief 

that remains intact when confusion determines the rule of the day 

and competing voices vie for common agreement.

But what do we do when there is no agreement? 

Where do we turn when there is no direction? 

An appeal to conscience is our constant. 

It is our one solution. 

It is an ally in the center of turmoil. 

It is an asset when all else fails. 

It is our means to seek clarity when 

        we do not know what to think and 

        we do not know where to turn. 

Love is the constant. 

It is the higher cause 

        and it will endure long after the temporary confusion 

        of the day has passed. 

UUA Joins Multifaith Lawsuit Asserting That ICE Policy Violates the First Amendment

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) joined more than two dozen Christian and Jewish religious denominations and associations on February 11 in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s new policy that allows immigration raids, arrests, and other enforcement actions at houses of worship.

Filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the case, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al., was filed on behalf of the religious organizations by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection(ICAP) at Georgetown University Law Center.

“As Unitarian Universalists, fighting for justice and liberation for all people is at the heart of our faith tradition, which recognizes the spark of the divine inherent in every person,” said UUA Executive Vice President Carey McDonald. “Our sacred spaces must continue to offer sanctuary to those who face oppression, violence, or alienation, including immigrant communities.”

Throughout human history, houses of worship have been regarded as protected spaces for persons who entered them for sanctuary. For years, including during the first administration of President Donald J. Trump, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) restricted any immigration enforcement in or near places of worship. But on January 20, 2025, the day Trump was inaugurated for his second term, a DHS memo rescinded that “sensitive locations” protection for houses of worship as well as for schools and hospitals.

During the first week of the current Trump Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over 4,500 people, with at least one enforcement action occurring on Sunday at a church in Georgia during a worship service, according to the lawsuit.

The suit asserts that subjecting places of worship to ICE enforcement actions without a judicial warrant substantially burdens their right to exercise their religious beliefs in violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Such action interferes with the religious activities of the plaintiffs and their ability to fulfill their religious mandate to welcome and serve immigrants, the plaintiffs assert.

“Plaintiffs and their members are Baptist, Brethren, Conservative Jewish, Episcopalian, Evangelical, Mennonite, Quaker, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reconstructionist Jewish, Reform Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, United Methodist, Zion Methodist, and more,” the complaint states. “They bring this suit unified on a fundamental belief: Every human being, regardless of birthplace, is a child of God worthy of dignity, care, and love. Welcoming the stranger, or immigrant, is thus a central precept of their faith practices.”

“Our sacred spaces must continue to offer sanctuary to those who face oppression, violence, or alienation, including immigrant communities.”

“Plaintiffs represent millions of Americans across dozens of denominations rooted in the Jewish and Christian faiths,” said Kelsi Corkran, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and ICAP Supreme Court director. “They have come together to file this suit because their scripture, teaching, and traditions offer irrefutable unanimity on their religious obligation to embrace and serve the refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in their midst without regard to documentation or legal status. The Department of Homeland Security’s abrupt decision to rescind the sensitive locations policy and subject places of worship to immigration enforcement action is a clear violation of Plaintiffs’ rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”

Other plaintiffs include the Mennonite Church USA, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Episcopal Church, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Latino Christian National Network, and the Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Christ.

In a statement, the UUA said it is proud to be a plaintiff, adding, “We join this multifaith coalition to challenge the ending of ICE’s sensitive locations policy, and oppose any interpretation of law which would allow immigration raids in houses of worship and religious ceremonies.”

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 peace in the Middle East

Prayers for those in need or homeless during this winter season

Prayers for those affected by the terrorist event in New Orleans

Prayers for those affected by the recent fires in Los Angeles

Prayers for this affected by the tragic aircrash in Washington DC

Prayers for those affected by recent governmental (and policy) changes in DC

Mac’s surgery was rescheduled to next week. Keep him in your prayers.

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.