November 2026, News & Views
Updated: 2 days ago
Have you ever noticed how beautiful a person is after they’ve wept? It’s as if they are made new again by the baptism of tears. -Toko-pa Turner
Table of Contents
Minister's Studio
Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion. -bell hooks
This month our Soul Matters theme is Healing. As we approach the midterm election, we can feel how very broken our country is and understand how much healing we need. When we think of healing, we often picture a return to how things used to be—a body restored, a relationship mended, or a past peace recaptured. But true healing is rarely a simple return to what was. Instead, it’s the brave and tender process of learning how to carry our scars without letting them define the boundaries of our joy. And we need joy, people!
In our Unitarian Universalist tradition, we recognize that healing is both deeply personal and inherently communal. We do not heal in isolation. Our brokenness invites us into a deeper covenant with one another, reminding us of our interconnectedness. We all are imperfect, have done damage, have been embarrassed, have felt alone; those things build foundation of empathy. When we create spaces of radical acceptance, we allow each other to drop the armor of perfection and simply exist in our beautifully flawed humanity.
Healing doesn’t require us to erase our pain or pretend that our trials leave no mark. Like the Japanese art of kintsugi—where broken pottery is repaired with gold—our fractures can become the very places where grace, resilience, and deeper empathy shine through. Like Rumi said, “the wound is where the light enters you.”
This month, let’s be gentle with ourselves and with one another. Let’s remember that seeking help is an act of sacred courage, and offering a listening ear is a form of ministry we all share. May our sanctuary continue to be a laboratory of hope and a refuge of comfort for all who enter.
A Very Happy Thanksgiving and Brightest Blessings-Karen
Soul Matters: Welcome to Healing
Jewish teaching includes frequent reminders of the importance of a broken-open heart, as in this Hasidic tale: A disciple asks the rebbe: “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place its words upon your hearts’? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?” The rebbe answers: “It is because, as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks and the words fall in.- Parker J. Palmer
Oh how we want to escape our pain.
Worry, loss, death, exhaustion, anxiety, economic instability, the unraveling of our democracy, the destruction of our planet, the ever-present trauma of racial injustice. It’s all overwhelming. We want to stitch up our protective coverings as soon as we can, so our exposed and tender nerves can rest. We want the pain behind us as soon as possible.
But what if the work is to travel toward it? What if proximity to our pain, not distance from it, is the real route to healing?
This seems to be what Parker Palmer is trying to tell us. And what our faith teaches us as well.
Here’s what else Palmer has to say: “When the heart is supple, it can be “broken open” into a greater capacity to hold our own and the world's pain. When we hold our suffering in a way that opens us to greater compassion, heartbreak becomes a source of healing, deepening our empathy for others who suffer and extending our ability to reach out to them.”
This doesn’t just reframe pain and healing; it also helps us reimagine our relationship with vulnerability. Maybe vulnerability isn’t the cause of our pain, like some chink in our armor. Maybe, instead, it is the first and needed step toward healing our pain. Or, to put it another way, maybe vulnerability isn’t so much the problem as the ticket that allows us to get on healing’s train.
If this is true, then our instructions this month seem to be this:
Forget eliminating your pain; lean into it! Don’t run from it as fast as you can; befriend it. Hold it in your frightened and tender hands until you realize it’s more malleable than you thought. Until you realize that your strong and courageous hands can shape it. That you can take its sharp edges and mold them into pathways that connect you with other people’s pain. That you can transform it from a weapon that has wounded you into a bridge that connects you to the beautiful, broken hearts of others.
When we do this, we may discover that pain can be more than a cage cutting us off from the world. It can also become a tool that makes room, carving open an entirely new space to live in. A space where we are more deeply connected to each other than we imagined possible.
This of course doesn’t mean the hurt goes away. But it does mean we end up feeling larger, more whole, and more tightly held by the holy web that reminds us we are never alone.
And maybe that is the most important healing of all.
Soul Matters Playlist on YouTube
Soul Matters packets will no longer be attached to the newsletter and will be placed on the members-only page here. If you need the password, please email admin@uunewbedford.
Way Cool Sunday School
We continue our curriculum theme, Wheel of the Year. The children observed the fall equinox in Sept. and Hallows in October. We discussed why we create sacred space each Sunday by lighting the chalice on our altar and taking time to breathe. Sacred space is a safe place for us to explore and learn about our spiritual life. The children were invited to contribute to our Sunday School altar with objects they find or bring from home. We also discussed creating their own sacred space at home. This could include items that have meaning to them and can be as small as a corner or table top where they can go to have quiet time. Makenna shared, “I come here because it makes me feel safe and it’s really fun and calms me down.”
This month’s theme is Healing. We will focus on the importance of having healthy relationships, caring for ourselves and observing the wonder of everyday gifts that are often taken for granted. We will also discuss how giving thanks helps us to have a healthy outlook on our life and world. We will share things we are grateful for and explore gratitude and wonder at the many gifts we receive from our world and our relationships. We are grateful for the volunteers that participate in Sunday School. Please reach out if you are interested in helping with the programming or just spending a Sunday with us.
Third Space Thursday programming will continue the theme of healing and gratitude. Youth are invited to gather with us on November 5 for community and a craft which includes stitching. On Nov 12, we will participate in AHA! with a Thanksgiving Tree activity. On November 19—the last Third Space Thursday of the month—we will gather with our friends from Arnold St. for a neighborhood dinner and discussion on activating a Third Space for the community at the church. Please register here by Monday, November 16, so we can plan for dinner. The following Thursday is Thanksgiving. May you and your family enjoy the companionship and bounty of the holiday.
For more information, check the church calendar or contact Mary.
Mary Rapoza, Director of Religious Education
Church News
Witches' Ball
Thank you to all the volunteers, staff, and church members who made the Ball a huge success! We raised about $2,200 dollars in tickets, raffle, and food donations combined.
Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by Peter Pereira Photo by JDC Photo by JDC Photo by JDC Photo by JDC
Newsletter Frequency
After looking at the anaytics for the last few News & Views, I have decided to only do a monthly newsletter at least until January. It takes a lot of time to compile the weekly newsletter, and if people aren't reading it, it doesn't make sence for me to dedicate time to it. If there is an important announcement that members need to know, I will send it out by email in real-time.
Thanks for your understanding,
Jessica
Your Garden Committee invites you to wear your old clothes to church Sunday November 15
We are holding our annual Fall Garden Clean up/ leaf raking after church on Sunday, November 15 and could use your help!
Wear your garden clothes and bring your garden gloves (and rakes if you have them)& after a short coffee hour head out to the garden for a little garden service project.
Taking to heart the church’s budget shortfall, we are hoping for your help too with our Holiday Greens Fundraiser. As part of the "Third Space Thursdays" in December we will host a Wreath Making Workshop on Dec. 3, from 6-8pm. We will teach you how to make some festive arrangements for sale at the church’s holiday fair.
Bring along your gardening gloves & clippers to help you make festive baskets, door swags, and wreaths and discover the joy of working together to create beautiful holiday greens arrangements.
Co-Chairs of the Garden Committee
Bet & Mary
Thrift Shop Extended Hours of Operation
The Thrift Shop will now be open from 10 to 2 PM on Tuesdays and Saturdays, as well as from 5 to 7 PM on AHA! Nights.
The Thrift Shop can be reached by phone at (508)994-9686 ext.12
Thanksgiving Potluck
The annual Thanksgiving Potluck will take place on Sunday, November 22 after church. Please reach out to the Hospitality Committee at hospitality@uunewbedford.org if you would like to bring a dish.
November Services
Calendar & Events
Please share these events with your family and friends, and consider attending yourself. We would love to see you! (This calendar also includes committee meetings and rentals)
FREE Events Happening at UUNB
Being Human takes place every Friday at 11 AM. Please use the parking lot door.
Registration is preferred for Third Space Thursdays.
Fundraisers
In Our Community
The United States Votes this Tuesday, November 3! This is probably one of the most important elections and this election will decide our country's trajectory for the next two years. Please get out and VOTE!
See a copy of your ballot, your polling location, and more before you head to the polls: www.vote411.org
From Our Friends at the SouthCoast LGBTQ+ Network
Join us for a Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil to honor the trans people lost this year. The vigil includes speakers and placards, and their names will be read. All are welcome.
Friday, November 20, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
First Parish Church in Taunton, 76 Church Green, Taunton
Click on the image to learn more.
Our Mission is to encourage diversity and mutual acceptance and work for positive change in ourselves and our community.
"We envision a congregation in which we practice the principles of our faith. We seek to enjoy peaceful reflection and inspiration in intellectually and spiritually satisfying church services. We aim to embrace the people and efforts of our church community by supporting our children and their programs, our committees and their goals, our staff and their efforts on our behalf, and each other."
Our Promises
Each person is important.
Be kind in all you do.
We help each other learn.
We search for what is true.
Each person has a say.
Work for a peaceful world.
The web of life’s the way.
Build the beloved community, free from racism and oppression.
Unitarian Universalist New Bedford
71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (508)994-9686
Administrator ext. 10
Thrift Shop ext.12
Minister ext. 13
Minister & Staff
Rev. Karen LeBlanc
Minister
(508)994-9686 ext. 13
Office Hours: Tues-Thurs
10 AM to 1 PM
Randy Fayan
Director of Music
Does Not Hold Office Hours
Jess DeCicco-Carey
Administrator
(508)994-9686 ext. 10
Office Hours: Mon., Wed., Thurs. 10 AM to 1 PM
Mari Fay-Martin &
Sam Angelinni
Way Cool Sunday School
Teachers
Officers & Trustees
Jack Vitale
Vice-President
Elise Rapoza
Secretary
Niko Tarini
Ed Rooney
David Labrie
Mary O'Beirne
Updated Bylaws
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