This past week brought fresh waves of grief to our nation and to our local community. Even as many families gathered around candle-lit tables and held hands to give thanks, other families were in darkest mourning for those whose hands they will never hold around a holiday table again. And what do we do with […]
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The Conversation: Prayer apps are flooding the market, but how well do they work?
THE CONVERSATION — Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation app that claims over a million downloads, has raised over US$52 million in investments. Prayer apps are not new. Silicon Valley startups popularized mindfulness and meditation apps as early as 2010, although many have criticized those apps for being spiritually shallow. Hallow’s young founders – devout lay Catholic millennials – are among those who felt […]
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Four Sundays of Advent at First Congregational Church in Wiscasset
The Advent Season at First Congregational Church of Wiscasset begins on at 10 a.m. Nov. 27 with the traditional Hanging of the Greens representing Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. On each Sunday, a candle on the Advent wreath will be lit. The center candle will remain unlit until Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. […]
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Newly restored steps at St. Mary Church in Bath dedicated Nov. 21
All are welcome to gather for the celebration and dedication of the newly restored front walkway and steps at St. Mary Church, located on 144 Lincoln St. in Bath, at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. Refreshments will follow in the church hall. The repairs were covered by the Knights of Columbus Council 249, which […]
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The Conversation: What Americans hear about social justice at church – and what they do about it
THE CONVERSATION — On June 5, 2020, it had been just over a week since a white Minnesota police officer, Derek Chauvin, killed George Floyd, an unarmed, African American man. Protests were underway outside Central United Methodist Church, an interracial church in downtown Detroit with a long history of activism on civil rights, peace, immigrant […]
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The Conversation: What the world can learn from the Buddhist concept of loving-kindness
THE CONVERSATION — As the world deals with the trauma caused by COVID-19, World Kindness Day, observed on Nov. 13 annually, is a good opportunity to reflect on the healing potential of both large and small acts of kindness. Indeed, it was the kind acts of essential workers that helped save many lives. As a scholar […]
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Rev. John Allen appointed senior pastor at First Parish Church
The congregation of First Parish Church of Brunswick, United Church of Christ, has celebrated the arrival of Rev. John Allen, as its new senior pastor. Rev. Allen joins First Parish as the 24th senior pastor in its 304-year history. The Senior Pastor Search Committee recommended Rev. Allen after a yearlong search, calling him “an authentic, […]
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Faith Notes: Keeping gift giving simple
When I saw boxes of candy canes and foil wrapped Santas lining the shelves of my grocery store one week before Halloween, I wasn’t surprised. There are many signs of how far society has fallen from what was once considered sensible. And yet, I thought, have we really come to this? Blitzing through our days […]
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Faith Notes: Seven steps to manage the stress of caregiving
A news story on NPR this week featured Kitty Eisele, the host of “Demented,” a podcast about caring for her elderly father. She mentioned that one in five American adults currently provides unpaid care for an elderly or disabled family member. Having been in that position once before, I found myself temporarily in it again […]
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The Conversation: How do you spot a witch? This notorious 15th-century book gave instructions – and helped execute thousands of women
THE CONVERSATION — Books have always had the power to cast a spell over their readers – figuratively. But one book that was quite popular from the 15th to 17th centuries, and infamously so, is literally about spells: what witches do, how do identify them, how to get them to confess, and how to bring […]