For the week of August 5 by Mary Wilkins Haslinger in memory of her grandmother, Margaret Dodge Morrill, and grandfather, Gayden Morrill.

For the week of September 2 by Dorothy and Howard Fairweather in loving memory of Howard's mother, Molly Fairweather.

The church is on Route 88, just past Applecrest Farms: take Route 95 North to Route 107 East to Route 1 North. Go through Seabrook to Hampton Falls. Turn left on Route 88 at the center of Hampton Falls. Go about 3 miles down Route 88 to the church just past Applecrest on the right. Parking is in the rear of the building.

Also note that the annual Bake Sale is Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Hampton Falls church.

Call Vicki Dyer at (978) 465-0602, x401, to make your reservation.

August 8 - Aimée & Jaguar (Romance/Drama) - Berlin 1943/44 -- Felice, an intelligent and courageous Jewish woman living under a false name, belongs to an underground organization. Lilly, a devoted mother of four, though an occasional unfaithful wife, is desperate for love. An unusual and passionate love between them blossoms despite the danger of persecution and nightly bombing raids. The Gestapo is on Felice's trail. Her friends flee, she decides to sit out the war with Lilly. One hot day in August 1944, the Gestapo is waiting in Lilly's flat...

August 15 - Better Than Chocolate (Romance /Comedy) - Two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced and decides to move to Vancouver and join the household. Soon after, Lila is befriended by Judy, a transsexual about to undergo a sex-change operation. Complications ensue as the conservative Lila learns the truth about Maggie, Judy, and their diverse group of friends.

August 22 - Guys and Balls (Comedy) - A battle for gay rights is fought on a small-time football field in this comedy drama from Germany. Ecki is a talented soccer goalie who plays with a semi-pro team in a small German town, but he finds himself on the outs with his teammates when he fails to block a kick that costs the team the league championship. Ecki's relationship with the team goes from bad to worse when they discover he's gay, and they give him his walking papers. Furious, Ecki challenges his former team to a special match in which they'll face off against an all-gay team he'll assemble for the occasion. The homophobic team agrees to the match, but Ecki soon discovers finding ten capable gay footballers is no easy task, and making them into a competitive team is even harder.

The Visioning work began in earnest in the autumn of 2006 when the entire congregation was called together to imagine its collective dream for our future church. About 200 of our members participated in this collective visioning, an astounding turnout by all accounts, and a testimony to the commitment we have to each other and this beloved community. Every idea that was presented was captured and compiled onto a list called Mission Objectives that was used throughout the entire Visioning process.

That November another first took place when over 60 of us enjoyed unseasonably warm weather at the Ferry Beach, Maine retreat center working on and crafting a Mission statement. It was a marvel to behold as groups labored to honor the collective ideas and remain inclusive in spite of the many different voices that spoke. In the end a beautifully crafted statement of our church's mission surfaced from this organic process.

With the Vision and Mission statements completed the Vision Committee turned its attention to the Church Leadership and the integration of these statements into the church governance. During the Spring of 2007 the Vision Committee worked with most of the working committees of the church to use the new Vision and Mission statements. This included the creation of Vision and Mission statements for each committee, guided by the data collected from the Congregation's Vision and Mission workshops. Each committee that created Vision and Mission statements now has a focus for the work they do that is aligned with the Congregation's vision and mission. This ensures that the great work we did during the last church year will be carried forward by those who are most actively engaged in the activities of the church. The Parish Committee now has new tools for supporting and guiding the work of the committees as well as a compass for leading us forward into our collective future.

As a congregation we should be proud of the work that was completed. It is not an easy task to bring together several hundred voices and honor each one, and yet that is the task that the Vision Committee took upon itself when the Parish Committee commissioned this work. Although the Vision Committee's work is complete, the Congregation's work has just begun. The words that were crafted into Vision and Mission statements bear witness to the collective purpose of this beloved community, and are an indelible statement of our commitment to this purpose. Just as it took an entire congregation to labor in its creation, so it will also take an entire congregation to hold its collective feet to the fire in bringing reality to the ideals we have set in motion.

People will judge. This is an inescapable fact. The human brain likes order, simplicity, and labels. Yet at the same time, the brain is such a complex mechanism that to quantify it is almost impossible. The human brain is capable of spontaneity, something that resists order and classification. This is why we judge people based on first appearance. Our brains are trying to sort and order something that cannot be sorted or ordered. That said, it stands to reason that many of the judgments that we make are false.

I like to think of myself as a compassionate, open-minded kind of guy. I have a few friends who might disagree, but on the whole, that's how I view myself. Yet still, when I see someone I don't know, there is a small part of me that tries to label him or her based on very superficial things such as clothing, speech, looks, and attitude. If I make the effort to get beyond this, however, and get to know the person, I often find that my judgments were completely wrong.

Another reason that we judge is that human nature fears the unknown. People generally don't like what they don't know. Many of our childhood fears that seem silly now stemmed from this. We assumed, as kids, that the closet monster was there, simply because we didn't know what was really there. We fear that the person we are encountering won't like us, or accept us, or acknowledge us, or will just be different from us. In order to get around actually having to meet the person, we often apply a label to him or her.

Yet, for whatever reason we judge, the end result is the same. We create pre-conceived notions about people, and those tend to stick. The expression is that "the first impression is always the most important." Unfortunately, this is very true. I say unfortunately because when you form predetermined ideas about people, you strip them of their inherent worth and dignity. You may think that just because that guy is wearing that shirt or because that girl talks a certain way, you know all there is to know about that person. In reality, you know nothing.

If all people have the same inherent worth, then each person should be given an equal opportunity to be celebrated and accepted. If everyone talked the same, was the same race, and wore the same clothes, it would be much harder to make premature judgments about people. Of course by no means do I advocate such extreme measures, but I think my point is clear. Forming unfounded opinions about people dehumanizes them in a way that no person deserves.

I do it, too. I'm the first to admit, that despite my dislike of practice, I find myself judging from time to time. I think we all have had experiences in our lives in which we have unfairly judged someone. You aren't a bad person because you do this, you are just human. But you can correct your mistakes. It is possible to repair the damage that judging does. If I had to choose something that I want you all to leave this place with, it would be this: Instead of removing the inherent worth and dignity of a person, try and celebrate it by getting to know them. The more we do that, the less we will judge.

Former FRS members Sylvia Vriesendorf and Axel Magnuson, with Joan, a co-worker of Sylvia's, were in an airplane accident on Saturday, July 14, 2007. They were taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Sylvia and Joan have broken bones and lacerations, Axel has a serious cut on his skull. You can find more about their recovery at www.caringbridge.org/visit/axelandsylviamagnuson. Hospital information:

We would like to thank you for the donation that was recently received towards the Fuel Assistance Program that we have at the Salvation Army.

Each year we are able to help individuals and families stay warm because we are able to help with paying the bill. This is in part because of the generosity of the community on which we serve.

May God bless you all, James Purvis, Captain

from Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry
Please convey our sincere thank you to the Social Action Committee and the congregation of the First Religious Soceity UU of Newburyport for the generous gift of $697.50 to support the work of the UU Urban Ministry. Your commitment to the mission and programs of this ministry means a great deal to our organization, staff, and most importantly, to the women, men, and youth whom we serve in Boston's inner city.

The innovative approach your committee and congregation has made to funding community organizations is noteworthy and your choice of the UU Urban Ministry as recipient for April is deeply appreciated.

In faith, Rev. John Hickey, Senior Minister and Executive Director

They are most in need of the following items: Canned spaghettios, or canned ravioli, or similar products for lunches; canned soup - especially chunky soups and chicken noodle; juice boxes, or large cans/bottles of juice; jelly; snack foods - granola bars, cookies, graham crackers, fruit roll-ups, raisins, etc.

The staff and families at Pettengill will greatly appreciate our support.

A moment can be quick, like a shock, a sudden thunderbolt abruptly pulling us back into reality, after the realization that, yes, we have indeed forgotten the keys. Or a moment can be slow, like a distant, elusive scent, wafting through the breeze, drifting slowly along as we have a conversation with a long lost friend. A moment can be joyful, like a child running home to greet his new-found freedom, after that long last day of school, ambling along to find us at a birthday party. Or a moment can be sorrowful, like a painful memory appearing alongside us at the funeral of a lost loved one. But whatever shape a moment may take, be it lighthearted or somber, lucid or murky, peaceful or full of hatred, when strung together, they create an inexorably intertwined and entangled web, each strand comprising the life of a human being as he or she confronts the strife and the new challenges that await us every morning as we wake up and interact with one another, each human contact crossing another strand in this web of friendships, families, and communities. And now, as I welcome you to this moment, I invite you to go with me on a journey to reflect upon my philosophy and how it has been influenced and has been changed by the moments of my momentary life. When we are born, and begin to make our first perceptions of the world around us, we often expect to see that the world is just an extension of our innermost selves, a reflecting pool where we will discover all of the innocence and warmth that was present inside of us. Philosophy was simple when we were younger: God lived in heaven and watched over all of us, and violence and hatred and warfare were the stuff of hellish nightmares.

As human beings, we are blessed with the inherent ability to not only analyze our surroundings but to impose our will upon them. We do not merely see, we do not merely behold our world and resign ourselves to the sentiment of our own intangibility, we shift, we adapt, we change our world to suit our vision of what our world should be. There are two ways in which this power may be applied; with faith, and without faith. This faith is not in God, or in fate, but in humanity. Those with faith will adapt with the world as they change it. These people do not see humanity as some warped reflecting pool, that must be shifted and molded into their own image, but as an extension of their soul, full of infinite wonder and mystery whose minor blemishes can be cured through self-correction. Those without faith see only the imperfection of humanity and believe that it must be purged. These people hold the world accountable for their own spiritual and mental shortcomings and will often lash out at it as if it were some beast that needed to be tamed.

These are your jihadists, your bigots, your racists, and your sexists. But more than that, these are your alcoholics, your dead-beat parents, your disgruntled bosses, your strident teachers and anyone who has lost the faith. These people try to dignify their own demanding, self-righteous, egotistical views of perfection by annihilating the inherent worth and dignity of those who are imperfect. They put the golden standard upon their shoulders and hold the world responsible for its weight. Those without faith fail to recognize that humanity's greatest strength lies not within the similarities, but in the differences between human beings.

But friends, let not these lost souls ignite passion in your hearts, for righteous passion that is uncontrolled lays waste to humility and burns away your faith. Unfocused passion does naught but instill more passion. So show not these faithless wanderers your own rigid view of perfection, but the forgiveness of a kindred spirit. Show not that bigot, that racist, that sexist disdain that does naught but destroys your faith and fuels their passion, but show them that you are human, and as such have worth and dignity that can neither be taken away, nor can be relinquished.

However, Star Island has been closed until the beginning of August due to electrical updates, therefore losing valuable revenue that helps support the island and make it available to our organization.

A website has been created by Star Island conferees as a central location to help organize fund raisers for the island. Please visit http://www.saveourstar.org and spread this information.

Information about Save Our Star
Save Our Star is a joint effort on behalf of Star Island Conferees from YAC , YRUU, and Dover Yoga , to raise funds for Star Island in its time of need. Star Island has been closed for the majority of the 2007 conference season due to mandatory upgrades and repairs. The cost of these repairs, coupled with the loss of revenue from canceled conferences, has put a serious financial strain on our beloved island. Over the next six months, it is our mission to host various events (concerts, poetry readings, theater, and other artistic ventures) throughout the United States to help the Star Island Corporation recoup some of their loss. Please visit our events page to see all of our fundraising efforts. We welcome additions and suggestions to this list and look forward to banding together in the spirit of Star Island. Email Events to sos@saveourstar.org.

The 2007 Star Island Annual Fund
We are facing many challenges at Star this year, and we need your support now more than ever to pay for important electrical and fire safety work and to help offset the enormous losses in room and board due to our delayed opening. Please support the Star Island Annual Fund to the fullest extent you are able and help secure Star Island for generations to come. We accept credit cards in monthly, quarterly, or annual installments via our secure online form or through the office at (603) 430-6272; or you can email Karen at kmuldoon@starisland.org