First Universalist Church of West Paris is back from its summer break with a schedule of worship services beginning Sunday, Sept. 11.
Worship services are held at 9 a.m. every Sunday at 236 Main St., with music by Tom Coolidge, followed with a coffee hour, according to a news release from the church.
• Sept. 11, Water Communion, led by the Rev. Fayre Stephenson. The summer sabbatical will end and the new church year will begin at the traditional Water Communion, a service of in-gathering. 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, water will be poured into a large bowl. As water is added, each will tell those gathered why the water is special.
• Sept. 18, Ethan Whitaker, author of a book on one man’s journey to see “Every Bird in Maine.” The speaker will describe his great adventure. Other parts of the service will be led by the worship service committee. Whitaker is a 1980 graduate of Bates College. Soon after graduation, he purchased an early personal computer, taught himself to program, and launched a 40-year career in software development.
In 2021, he undertook a Maine Big Year, an unofficial contest to identify as many species of birds as possible within the geographical borders of the state. Whitaker eclipsed the old state record by seven birds, with a count of 324. The Big Year took him to Aroostook County multiple times; he climbed mountains, took dozens of boat trips and drove more than 60,000 miles.
His Big Year adventure is documented in his book “Every Bird in Maine.” Whitaker and his wife Ingrid divide their time between homes in Wiscasset and Cape Elizabeth. There will be a book signing during coffee hour for those interested in purchasing “Every Bird in Maine.”
• Sept. 25, Forgiveness: Where Truth and Love Meet, with Stephenson. During the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 25) and Yom Kippur (Oct. 4), Jewish brothers and sisters will make peace with those they have wronged and those who have wronged them. The task is about truth and wholeness, not about the comfort of forgiveness.
For more information, contact Marta Clements at 207-674-2143 or mclements96894@roadrunner.com, or Bob Clifford at 207-674-3442 or bobarlen@megalink.net.
To learn more about the Unitarian-Universalist Association, visit uua.org.
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