Williston-West Church

Twenty-eight years ago, while serving as co-pastor of the Mount Desert Larger Parish, a young man came to worship at the Somesville Church where I was preaching that morning. He was a graduate of the University of Virginia, spending time on MountDesert Island, seeking direction for his life. I don’t remember the topic of the sermon and neither does he, but he was inspired to come back. This led to his entering Bangor Theological Seminary.

25 years ago I journeyed to Auburn, Ohio where I preached his ordination sermon. He was 29 and I was 33. This past week I journeyed to Hallam, Pennsylvania where I preached at the 25th anniversary celebration of his ordination. He is now 54 and I am 58.

Rev. Jean Alexander, one of our Conference ministers, was quoted in the newspaper of the Biblical Witness Fellowship as saying at the March, New England UCC Women’s Celebration, "the church is more like a hospice, with mostly middle aged people and older, we don’t have balance, don’t have vitality; we lose something that is life-giving." She also commented that at present the UCC has only 157 ministers under the age of 35.

Rev. David Moyer of Wisconsin in his report to the Conference lamented the challenge of even finding pastors to fill pulpits. "Nearly 65% of our ordained clergy are over 50, and 25% are over 60, while only 8% are under 40. We have churches that need pastors…my work with search committees is becoming more difficult every year."

Rev. Dr. William Imes, was also quoted in The Witness as saying at his inauguration as the ninth president of Bangor Theological Seminary (the seminary John and I attended), "We are three years to a crisis and seven years to doomsday."

It was a wonderful thing for me to celebrate and reconnect with John at this milestone in his life. Thank you for making the time possible for me to do so. It was a wonderful celebration of our mutual calls to Christian ministry and how our lives had been brought together through the church.

We do have balance in our church and from the joy of all the babies in our congregation we are defying the odds and will for some time. So amongst all the good news we share there is a challenge out there for us who want to see the church alive and well as we move further into the 21st century.

I wonder if any of our little ones will be "called" into ministry. What would you think if your son or daughter told you that they had received a "call" to ordained ministry? What can we do for our youngest generation to equip them to hear God speaking to them when their time comes?

The United Church of Christ is truly a unique denomination whose witness must not be lost nor compromised. May God bless us with the courage to put personalities aside that the Greater Glory may continue to transform us and call us into happy wholeness. That is the witness that will give our children the greatest gift of all - to know that they are precious and loved by God. But we can’t give it until we know it for ourselves and live it out in their presence.

John and I were not an anomaly in our time. I do hope that our witness as a Christian people may make that true again.

We all do each other injury from time to time. Any relationship that hopes to continue free of resentment and guilt must include a mechanism for forgiveness. Otherwise, the rancor and the sharp memory of offense go on and on, undermining closeness and threatening love.

Without forgiveness, there can be no healing, no rebirth of hope, no letting go of the past, and no starting over. In a relationship, forgiveness is the generous act of one who values reconciliation more than resentment, union more than angry division, and the possibility of a new beginning more than the mileage gained from clinging to one’s outrage.

Despite its value, forgiveness is a difficult act. When you forgive a debt, you relinquish all claims to what is owed you. Similarly, in forgiving an injury, you relinquish all claims against that person. The indebtedness is cancelled. The slate is wiped clean. You derive no more advantage from having suffered an injury. Yet, as we all know, it is very tough to give up that stubborn, prideful insistence –" you owe me"!

Real forgiveness is not be confused with the self-deprecating attitude that essentially says, " I don’t count; therefore what you did to me doesn’t really matter." Nor is it to be confused with the mindless tolerance that declares, " Oh, that’s OK -- just don’t do it again" (knowing full well the other person is going to). On the contrary, genuine forgiveness takes strength. It involves knowing that one has been done an injury. Yet, in the name of a higher value, refusing to gain ego benefit from it.

What does it take to forgive? First, you have to abandon the sense of self-righteousness and moral superiority that set you above the other person. This task is accomplished by confronting and accepting your own capacity for screwing up and hurting others. In the process, you gain humility; and humility opens your heart, so that your compassion embraces even the person who has hurt you. Gaining humility also disposes you to understand the other person and what motivated him to act with injury toward you. Understanding is crucial, since it is difficult to forgive what you don’t understand.

The one who forgives is strong, possessing much strength of character. Nevertheless, forgiveness is sometimes a fearful act of vulnerability. There you stand, with both your hurt and your compassion – knowing that this person has been harmful to you; and yet, you reach out, wanting to repair the damage and be close again.

So there is a tension that continues – you remember (to forgive is not to forget) and, quite possibly, you still hurt. But you open to the other person anyway, and you permit yourself to hope again.

On the other hand, you may sometimes decide not to forgive. Ask yourself: what do I lose by forgiving this person? You may conclude that to forgive an injury may cost you your determination not to be harmed again no matter what. In that case, you may decide that you are justified in refusing to forgive.

It is important to remember that real forgiveness cannot be part of a quid pro quo deal. Forgiveness is a profound moral act, the significance of which does not depend on promises to reform from the other side. However, in the context of a desire to rebuild a relationship such as a marriage, the attitude of the partner who committed the wrong is obviously as important as the attitude of the one wronged. Then, one partner’s willingness to forgive may need to be balanced by the other’s sincere desire to be forgiven.

Is the person in the wrong genuinely asking for forgiveness and genuinely committed to change? (Would you, for instance, want to forgive an infidelity that was going to be repeated again and again?)

To acknowledge – sincerely, not glibly – that you have injured another and to ask to be forgiven requires at least as much courage as to forgive. Involved in requesting forgiveness are the understanding and the admission that, in harming another, you have separated yourself from that person.

In asking to be forgiven, you stand still apart, and you ask to be accepted back, knowing that your request may be refused. Many are. Nevertheless, the request for forgiveness and the granting of it often rejoins even the relationship that has been badly torn apart.

September is always a busy month for Christian Education. Last Sunday, we had our families in Sunday school for enrollment. We had a great turn out and lots of support for the program. Over the past two years we have really focused on including the whole family in the Christian education process. It is essential to provide for the spiritual needs of the children and families at Williston-West. Our goal is to gain a reputation as a church that is invested in our children and families.

As you can see by the dramatic growth in our younger classes, this strategy is working. If you are interested in becoming involved in a really dynamic part of our church please let us know. We still need teachers in December, and there are many ways to participate: do a craft project, provide a special guest, musical participation, make a special snack, provide supplies, ask to be involved. We would like to give a special thanks to Phil Crane for giving an introduction at our kick-off! Sunday.

Our next Christian Education Committee meeting is scheduled for October 3 and all are welcome. Finally, we would welcome any donation of snacks and juice boxes for the Sunday school, and are also looking for hand puppets for the younger group - and art supplies are always needed. Thanks for your continued support.

I am a long-time fan of the Beatles and remember the conflicts that ensued when the band broke up. For a loyal follower and fan the breakup was bad enough. Reading about the animosity between them was worse. I recall that the late George Harrison recorded a song called the ‘Sue Me, Sue You Blues" to describe his reaction to the whole affair.

I was thinking of that song recently when I heard a story on the radio about victims of abuse from Catholic priests. The story talked about a settlement the Church made with a number of victims. It sounded like a sizable amount per person to me. But lawyers for some victims not a part of the settlement said it was not enough. After all, the Church still has assets such as churches, schools and land that they can sell. That was a troubling statement to me and two questions came to mind:

1) Exactly what is enough? And….
2) Why does making enormous sums of money appear be the only way to help people get over their internal struggles?

Maybe I’m being a little harsh here, perhaps appearing to lack the appropriate sympathy, but I don’t think this is the case. I grew up a Catholic and still consider myself one (although the church may view me differently these days). I am also a father. Having four daughters I am grateful that – to my knowledge – none of them have suffered the kind of abuse these victims have. I believe in justice and feel abusers should be punished. But I am not a fan of punishing the entire Catholic Church for the sins of the priests.

Perhaps the bishops and cardinals protected the priests for too many years, and yes, many of the church hierarchy live in far too great a splendor while far too many of the faithful are struggling. Bringing the church to its knees is not the answer. Perhaps bringing the church leaders to their knees in a plea for forgiveness is.

I guess the words that stick in my head came from our pastor on Sunday, September 8, when he spoke of "restoration, not retribution". How do we do that? How do we as Christians reconcile our anger with a desire for justice and the personal need for forgiveness? How do we get beyond retribution and begin to restore ourselves, rather than use our energy to punish others?

It’s interesting that if I bump into someone I can quickly say "sorry"; yet when I do something more hurtful it becomes more difficult to use the same word. To ask forgiveness means acknowledging a wrong and that is often the hardest thing to do.

So why is forgiveness, one of the basic foundations of faith, such a difficult thing? Why, for so many of us, did it become easier to lose a friend or leave a marriage – or leave a church – than it was to deal with forgiveness? Why have so many of us allowed pride and anger to overwhelm us? Pride that keeps us from admitting a wrong – and asking forgiveness - and anger that keeps us from forgiving others. Unfortunately, we are the ones most hurt by our stubbornness.

Again on Sept 8, our church bulletin had the following meditation on the front page. It is called the UCC Prayer of Reconciliation. Did you see it? I’m glad it didn’t slip by me because it is a powerful statement and hits me closer than I want it to:

Sign up on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for this 5-week study.
The group will meet in the Clark Room on the following dates: October 3, 10, 17 & 24 and November 7 at 7:00PM. The assignment for the first session is the Introduction and Chapters 1 & 2.

If you are not already a member of Williston-West and think that you would like to join the Church, please call the Church office at 774-4060 and let us know. Explorers’ classes will begin on Wednesday, October 9 at 7:00PM in Pastor Kelley’s study. New members will be received into the Church on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24.

Our first meeting will be Monday, October 14 at Cape Elizabeth United Methodist Church. The business meeting will be at 11:30, followed by the luncheon at 12:30 ($6.00). At 1:30, the program will be lead by The Reverend Casey Collins.

Please make luncheon reservations with Madeleine Bates through the Church office before October 8th.

A special "thank you" to Sumner Moulton for the many hours of work that he has put in fixing doors, hinges, and many other tasks. The work that he has done has freed me up to take care of other projects. Thank you also to our pastor for the beautiful job of building the new steps exiting Fellowship Hall.

Want List: If anyone has any extra tools hanging around, be it saws, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc., we could sure use anything you might wish to donate to the Church.

For most of you the retreat probably seems many moons ago, yet the generosity of the Williston-West community is still very fresh in my mind. To all of you who lugged coffee, pinto beans and salsa to Jonesport, America, I offer a heartfelt thank you. The food and the contributions to the Maine Migrant Health Program (MMHP) made a tremendous difference in the lives of the workers who travel to Washington County for the blueberry harvest. The retreat coincided with the start of the harvest, and during those first two days alone the MMHP's food pantry distributed food to 200 workers and their family members. Many of the farm workers and their families have expended all of their financial resources to make it to Maine, or they arrive with very little left over. With over 85 % of our clients living below the poverty level, the workers and their families are all too familiar with going without life's necessities -including food, housing and healthcare. Consequently, the food is not only appreciated but also essential, as the majority of the rakers will not receive a paycheck for perhaps two weeks following their arrival in Maine.

The MMHP's primary role with farm workers is to insure that they have adequate access to health care and through a variety of means we address this issue as best we can. The Program's mobile medical unit visits children at the harvest school and Migrant Head Start during the morning, has drop-in hours at the Rakers' Center and then travels to the larger camps during the evenings. In addition, we send nurses and outreach workers out to campgrounds, trailer parks and more remote camps all in an effort to make our services as low-barrier as possible. Yet, we also recognize that health is influenced by other significant factors: nutrition, living conditions, the environment, education, and economic status. Moreover, we also know that unless families are fed, clothed and housed, any other need is truly insignificant. It is for these reasons that we also operate our food pantry and the Rakers' (resource) Center. Over the years, thousands of workers have used the services a! vailable at the Center, which besides the food pantry includes legal services, job training, Social Security, Head Start, WIC and Migrant Education.

The devastating accident of last week has raised quite a bit of awareness to the issues facing migrant workers. As the accident tragically illustrated, migrant workers often work in remote areas, deal with potentially dangerous or difficult work conditions and, because of distance to home and language and cultural differences, can live in social isolation. The hardships faced by migrant workers and their families are profound. My thoughts and prayers have been with the 14 men who lost their lives, and the families left behind in Honduras, Guatemala and northern Maine. Although I do not share their background, culture or language, they were not so different from me in that they were seeking to do the best for themselves and their families. This is the case for so many of the migrant workers who make their way to Maine, whether they plant trees, rake blueberries or pick broccoli.

Farm workers' labors and their presence often go unacknowledged, yet the Williston-West community, through the generous gifts from the food drive, truly reached out to this community in need. Thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of Maine's migrant farm workers and their families.

One-third of this all-church offering undergirds the work of the Council for American Indian Ministry. There are nineteen UCC congregations on reservations and an urban, intertribal congregation in Minneapolis.

Two-thirds of the offering supports justice advocacy and direct service projects, including the UCC’s Hunger Action Ministry, poverty reduction efforts, just – peace programs, and community grants. Through your generous gifts to Neighbors In Need on October 20, you will show your compassion by living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Nine hundred and sixty million people in the world are illiterate –two-thirds of them are women. In the rural areas of some developing countries, 95% of the women cannot read or write. In Senegal, only 1 in 4 women is literate.

Middle East: CWS is attempting to assist Palestinian families in the West Bank and Gaza by providing food parcels for 10,000 families – about 60,000 people. The food parcels contain rice, cooking oils, sugar, tea, tomato paste, green peas, white peas, powdered milk, spaghetti and noodles.

CWS Micro-Enterprise Loans are life- changing "tools of hope" in the lives of low income and internally displaced women in Montenegro and Serbia. The Serbian Sisterhood Association is proud of a new bakery oven in Berane,

Montenegro. Wood-fueled, and constructed from 10 tons of material brought from Serbia, the bakery will produce 1,000 loaves of bread a day.

Half the loaves will be used to feed the most vulnerable families in the community. The remaining loaves will be sold to produce income that will make the bakery self-sustaining.

Colombia: Since 1996, more than 1.62 million Colombians have been displaced from their homes. CWS Project Counseling Service is providing 6,710 persons - 1,430 families - with food, health kits, cooking utensils, income-generating programs, housing construction, legal assistance, and mental health and social support. The Rural Integrated Development Program is assisting 250 female-headed households with food needs in four communities in Putamayo.

The Maine Time Dollar Network has been a part of Portland since 1998. Since its move into the East End neighborhood, over 15,000 service hours have been traded between members.

The Portland West Time Dollar Program, which is part of the Time Dollar Network, provides valuable neighborhood connections and services at little cost (Time Dollars) while building community at the same time. Every hour of service equals one Time Dollar. This program is a resource for members who are in need of a service and who prefer to have a qualified neighbor provide this service than hire a contractor who does not fit into their budget or schedule. Instead of money, this program issues Time Dollars: every hour of service you provide credits a Time Dollar to your account. You can then redeem these "dollars" for other services within the program.

Some of the services provided are haircuts, transportation, household chores, bike repair, and various instructional services. You do not need to live in the West End to participate in this program.

For further information, please call Michelle or Liz at 207-775-0105, or you may contact Audrey Tanner (WWC) through the Church office.

The news is out…and the momentum is building. It’s only a matter of weeks until our annual SILENT AUCTION. Numerous items have already been pledged, but we need many, many more. So, this week we will be calling and asking for your help…and just to tweak your interest, here are two of the early items: a complete, all-you-can-eat lobster dinner for four catered at the location of your choice…and…a one-year membership at Portland’s #1 health club, Life Styles. Get your thinking caps on…we’ll be calling for that one special item that only YOU can get. Or contact us through the Church office.

Friends of ours have moved away…all the way to Madison, Wisconsin. The move was necessitated by a job change…not because they really wanted to leave Maine (who would want to leave Maine?). We had a little reception for them at our church - then they were gone. The following poem is part of what we received in a thank you letter and I thought that it was worth sharing with you:

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We may be getting closer to naming the newsletter. Eric has come up with a few ideas and we hope to surprise you all with a decision for November’s newsletter. I guess the real surprise is that we might actually make a decision!

Time will tell.

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Summer has rushed by and autumn will soon regale us with all its colorful glory.

I pray that the beauty of this season is not disfigured by the atrocities of war, and that we find a way to live at peace in the world…and within ourselves.