WEST PARIS — Sunday worship services are held at 9 a.m. at the First Universalist Church of West Paris, followed by refreshments. Services are provided by a combination of guest speakers, the Worship Service Committee and the Rev. Fayre Stephenson, who leads worship services at least twice a month.
Feb. 4: “Living By Love,” led by Stephenson. Stephenson will ask, “What must we do to live by love?” “Must we stop being angry or confrontational?” “Must we swallow our disappointment and our judgment?” “Who or what can show us the way?” The sermon will seek answers to these timeless questions.
Feb. 11: “Grateful Living,” led by guest speaker, the Rev. Scott Campbell. Campbell is a retired United Methodist pastor living on Paris Hill with his wife, Lin, and two grandsons. He served churches in Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; and Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was an adjunct faculty member at Harvard Divinity School for 20 years. His Maine roots go back to the early 1960s when his parents bought a home in Winthrop. He regularly attends the First Congregational Church in Paris.
Feb. 18: “Doer of the Word,” led by Stephenson. On Feb. 9, 1866, abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, an African American free woman, spoke to an enthusiastic audience in Norway (or maybe Paris). Using Carla L. Peterson’s book, “Doers of the Word,” as a guide, the service will be an exploration of Harper’s life and its lessons as people continue to experience racism.
Feb. 25: “Gratitude,” led by guest speaker, Davy Sturtevant. As a native North American white male, born the last child of a World War II veteran and a nurse/homemaker, Sturtevant has enjoyed a privileged place in the world. Still, he has found happiness, tranquility and peace to be elusive. A practice of radical gratitude has proven useful to him and he will share his experience with gratitude and its rewards through song and story.
For more information about the church and services, contact Marta Clements, 207-674-2143, mclements96894@roadrunner.com, or Bob Clifford, 207-674-3442, bobarlen@megalink.net.
To learn more about Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, visit www.uua.org/.
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