WEST PARIS — September heralds the start of a new season and church year as we resume worship services following summer break. Welcome back! Please join in on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome! An exceptional schedule of speakers awaits.

September 8, “Water Communion” led by The Reverend Fayre Stephenson. Our summer sabbatical will end and the new church year will begin at our traditional Water Communion, a joyous service of ingathering. Those attending will bring a small amount of water from a place that is special to them. At the appointed time during the service, one by one, we’ll pour our water into a large bowl. As we add the water, we’ll tell those gathered why the water is special to us.

September 15, “The Gift and Cost of Free Will” led by guest speaker, Michael Carter who will explore both how humans came to possess this amazing gift of free will and considers how much this gift has cost us. Mike is basing his sermon on the scripture readings Genesis 2; 16-17; Genesis 3:7-13; and Matthew 4:1-11. Mike has been a teacher of history, philosophy, psychology, and education at the high school and college levels for over 35 years. He has been a Church Moderator, Assistant Moderator, and the Chair of the Board of Spiritual Life (Head Deacon) at the First Congregational Church of South Paris.

September 22, “Rising to Our Vision” led by The Reverend Fayre Stephenson. Most of us have a personal vision – an image in our mind of how we would like to live. Like individuals, congregations have visions and missions to guide us. Our visions are our goals for the goodness we seek as human beings. At this service we’ll explore how living with joy and gratitude can lead to fulfilling our visions.

September 29, “The Healing Power of Laughter”… and the benefits of laughing in a group led by guest speaker, Michael Miclon. Mike is the Executive/Artistic Director of Johnson Hall in Gardiner, where he produces over 50 performances annually as well as waterfront concerts and Johnson Hall’s artist in the schools program.  Mike is also leading the charge on the renovation of the second and third floors of the historic Johnson Hall Opera House.                                                         
As an entertainer, Mike has built an international reputation that has brought him to some of the finest theaters and special events across the United States and Europe, with such highlights as the Kennedy Center and the White House in Washington D.C., The Keller Theater in Germany, The Victoria Jungfrau Hotel in Switzerland and the Festa Americana in Italy. He began his career in 1982 at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Benny and Denise Reehl of the New England New Vaudeville Revue, formerly the Buckfield Leather and Lather Traveling Variety Show. Michael continued study in 1985 with Mime Master Tony Montanaro at the world renowned Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, Maine.
Mike continued the tradition by taking on Matthew and Jason Tardy and later Casey Turner as his apprentices.  All three continue to work full-time as professional performing artists.
In 1998 Mike and his wife Kimberly opened the Oddfellow Theater in their home town of Buckfield Maine.  Mike was the Executive/Artistic Director and produced over 50 shows per year.  The flagship show was Miclon’s own Early Evening Show, a spoof of late-night talk shows.  This show is now the longest running live variety show in Maine and launched the careers of Grammy winner Ray LaMontagne and EepyBird (The Diet Coke & Mentos Guys).
As a film-maker, Mike has created videos and short films in ten countries on four continents for corporate and humanitarian groups since 2000. He went on to create two short films which he co-wrote, filmed, edited and starred in with film-maker and visual artist Michael Raymond called Hit & Run Art. In 2006 Mike became the Director of Photography and creative consultant for EepyBird, who have received two Emmy nominations and four Webby Awards, and whose videos have been seen over 150 million times. In 2011 Boo Dog Films began filming Richard3, a feature-length comedy of Shakespeare’s Richard III which was premiered at the Emerge Film Festival in 2014.

For more information about the church and services, please contact Marta Clements, 674-2143, mclements96894@roadrunner.com, or Bob Clifford at 674-3442, bobarlen@megalink.net. To learn more about Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, please visit http://www.uua.org/.

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