Worship Service: "Resilience" – a lay-led service from Soul Matters by Martha Morgan and Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Strong

Our monthly lay-led worship service comes from the Soul Matters Sharing Circle – a network of Unitarian Universalist congregations. The February theme is "Resilience."

While resilience has a lot to do with what is inside us, it equally depends on what is between us. This is where our Soul Matters framing is so important: we are indeed a people of resilience. Forget solo act; think community choir! We survive our pain by having the strength to tell others about it. We find the courage to make our way through the dark only when we sense we are not alone. Internal and individual grit only gets us so far; empathy, assurance and love from others gets us the rest of the way. Resilience has everything to do with the water within which we swim and the web of connections that surround us. Resilient people arise from resilient relationships!

So friends, this month, let's look around as much as look within. Let's let up on all the "grin and bear it" talk and instead grab the hand that is reaching our way. Let's help each other remember that resilience arises not so much when we dig deep but when we remember we don't have to do it all on our own!

hospitality: Livvy Tarleton

Worship Service: "My Trip to Kenya" by Dr. Lisa Rosenfelder

The trip started with a visit to Lake Naivasha, and a week's service work at the Mattaw Children's Village. The trip finished with several days at the Maasi Mara Natural Park.

Dr. Lisa is a veterinarian at the Cheshire Animal Hospital in Keene NH.

• Lake Naivasha on Wikipedia
• Mattaw Children
• Maasai Mara on Wikipedia
• Veterinary Team at the Cheshire Animal Hospital

musicians: Lizards in the Hayloft

hospitality: Karen Contryman

The Roadworn Ramblers in Concert – POSTPONED

The Roadworn Ramblers concert at the Congregational Church has been POSTPONED due to illness in the band.

A new date will be announced soon.

Worship Service: "Love of God is Not Without Its Trials" by Rev. Ian White Maher

Love of God is not without its trials, its sufferings, its loneliness, its tortures. But the great myths also indicate how much God suffers also. In a cultural context, where the monotheistic God is understood to be omniscient (all-know), omnipresent (everywhere), and omnipotent (all-powerful) how refreshing to experience God as stumbling through the relationship with us as well; experiencing frustrations and hurts but ultimately willing to go to great lengths to be with us.

hospitality: Liz Strong

Visiting the First Parish Church of Groton – "Feed Your Enemy's Children; Learn Their Word for Home" by Rev. Elea Kemler

Once a month during snow season, we attend a worship service at a nearby UU church.

Carpools leave Ashby Common at 9:15 am for the service beginning at 10:00 am.

Worship Service: "Wisdom" – a lay-led service from Soul Matters

Our monthly lay-led worship service comes from the Soul Matters Sharing Circle – a network of Unitarian Universalist congregations. We will experience and explore the theme of wisdom.

"Wisdom is a gift. We pass it on to each other like a precious jewel. None of us want others to make the same mistakes we did, so we generously share our advice.

In other words, wisdom connects us. It's not just something we collect to uplift ourselves. It's something we pass on so we can all make it through together. Or to put it another way, wisdom and kindness are more closely linked than we acknowledge.

To honor this, we're invited this month to remember the wisdom we've received."

Worship Service by Rev. Ian White Maher

Worship Service by Rev. Bruce Taylor

Worship Service by Rev. Ian White Maher

Worship Service