The Compass, January 14, 2026
- Jan 14
- 13 min read
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. Albert Camus
Soul Matters: Finding Your Question
This list of questions is an aid for deep reflection. How you answer them is often less important than the journey they take you on.
So, read through the list of questions 2-3 times until one question sticks out for you and captures your attention, or as some faith traditions say, until one of the questions “shimmers.” Or as we like to say, “Read over them until one of the questions picks you.”
Then reflect on that question using one or all of these questions:
What is going on in my life right now that makes this question so pronounced for me?
What might my inner wisdom be trying to say to me through this question?
How might this question be trying to wake me up or get me to realize something through this question?
How might Life or my inner wisdom be trying to offer me a word of comfort or challenge through this question?
1. As a kid, did you resist the rules, or did you follow them? How might you see an echo of that
earlier self in your life today?
2. Of all the moments of your life where you found the courage to accept change instead of resist it, which one are you most proud of?
3. Is there a time from your past where you wish you would have found a way to resist the fear of failure?
4. Have you been following the path of least resistance for so long that you no longer notice?
5. Is it time to heed the warning that “What you resist, persists”?
6. Has joy ever been an “act of resistance” for you?
7. Has your resistance to change grown or eased as you’ve gotten older?
8. How might resistance be calling you to rest?
9. What song, book, or movie has inspired or supported your resistance efforts?
10. Our self-focused culture is not designed to encourage activism and other-centered resistance. Who do you have to thank for you becoming someone who counter-culturally cares about and works for needs greater than your own?
11. How is your corner of the world calling you to help save it?
12. What small step could you take in the next month or two to make your resistance more radical?
13. What’s your question? Your question may not be listed above. As always, if the above questions don't include what life is asking from you, spend the month listening to your days to find it.
Our first Gathering of 2026 featured music from Rev. Mykal Slack, teachings about noncooperation from Nicole Pressley, and an exciting discussion with UUs active in the campaigns to stop Avelo Airlines and AT&T from contracting with ICE.
Be sure to join us on February 9 for Faith Over Fear - Stories from faith leaders at detention centers.
Reimagining the World As It Could Be: January 2026 Update from Side With Love
Love At The Center: Reimagining the World As It Could Be: Mon, Jan 19, 2026 through Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Update: January 12
Across the country, people are rising to meet this moment with courage, imagination, and deep care. They are neighbors, teachers, shop owners—people across the political spectrum and across religions and beliefs—rejecting the cruelty and lies of this administration. In congregations, in streets, in courtrooms, and in community meetings, you have shown again and again that faith is not passive. Our faith is a living promise to one another and to the world we imagine together.
As we witness the violence of hatred and oppression, we often hear that "cruelty is the point." But so is the chaos—the demand for constant reaction, the relentless alarms of the news cycle and social media feeds, and the ways this urgency seeps into even the most intimate parts of our lives.
To be honest, I have felt demoralized in those harsh, hollow moments when life feels reduced to a scoreboard of legislation, elections, and Supreme Court decisions. In this whirlwind, I have felt unsteady. I have doubted my commitment when it feels like I haven't done enough. I have questioned my leadership, fearing the responsibility of having a plan or response in a moment like this, knowing that what we do (for better and for worse) has real consequences in people's lives, shaping both our present and our future.
That fear is not accidental. The chaos and the cruelty are meant to distract us and push us inward, convincing us that our individual actions are too small to matter against a force that seeks to dominate land, bodies, and the very idea of liberty and justice for all. It is true that a single phone call to an elected official may feel insufficient. A single prayer for compassion and healing may feel fragile in the face of legacies of harm. Our generosity, as so many struggle to afford food and housing, does not add up to the relief and care that our communities deserve.
On their own, these acts can feel painfully small. But none of us is meant to carry this alone. When our actions are woven together—across congregations, movements, and communities—they become something else entirely: a shared moral force capable of interrupting cruelty and insisting on love and liberation.
We must share in all of it—the heartache, the frustration, the hope, and the collective action that binds our souls to one another and moves us to manifest the world we long for. The truth is, there is a mass awakening underway. As we reject the lies of scarcity and supremacy, we are called to illuminate another truth—that we can live and thrive in mutuality and abundance, in the world as it could be. This is deep spiritual work, and it requires practice.
Let us turn towards one another and greet the reality of this new world that is emerging through our collective vision and action.
If hope is a discipline, then spiritual practice is how we cultivate that discipline. Our practices—how we breathe, how we gather, how we move, how we discern—shape who we become and what we can build together. They determine whether we can sustain the work, remain faithful to one another, and keep returning to love when the world tries to corrode our spirits.
This year's 30 Days of Love invites us to slow down and return to the heart of how we do our organizing work faithfully. Our theme, Reimagining the World as It Could Be, calls us to root ourselves in spiritual discipline and creative possibility, trusting that how we show up for the work will shape the world we are building.
Each week, beginning on January 19, we will reflect on and offer practices inspired by how our Side With Love team organizes our work and practice:
Imagining Thriving – nourishing our freedom dreams and expanding what we believe is possible.
Grounding in Context – understanding the histories, conditions, and truths that shape our communities and this moment.
Nurturing Community – tending to relationships, belonging, and the sacred web that holds us.
Mobilizing for Action – moving together with courage and strategy, allowing action itself to be a teacher.
Exploring Possibilities – opening ourselves to emergence, creativity, and transformation as we make the future together.
Each Monday during 30 Days of Love, our weekly offering will be available at 9am Eastern and can be accessed from the 30 Days of Love 20206 landing page.
Over these five weeks we will move from imagination to action, returning again and again to the spiritual practices that keep us on a faithful path and resist the ways these times can corrupt the spirit. At a time when fear, violence, and extraction dominate our politics and our planet, we practice another way. We cultivate a love that is not fragile—it is fierce. It grounds our organizing, fuels our imagination, and sustains our communities.
We're grateful to journey with you. May these 30 Days of Love deepen our capacity to believe in one another, to act courageously, and to reimagine the world as it could be.
In faith and solidarity,
Nicole, Side With Love
People of Purpose
UUNB Members Step Up to Protest
Photos provided by Sippican Week
Over 200 gather to voice opposition over ICE
Mari Huglin, reporter@sippicanweek.com
Jan 11, 2026
MATTAPOISETT — Over 200 people from across the South Coast showed up to an anti-ICE rally in front of Salty the Seahorse in Mattapoisett, Sunday, Jan. 11.
Protests took place all over the country in response to the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old United States citizen who was shot and killed by an Immigration Customs Enforcement — better known as ICE — agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
The protest was organized by members of five Democratic town committees from Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, Fairhaven and Acushnet.
Protesters lined 4 corners of North Street and Country Street on Route 6 with homemade signs, chants and flags.
“Any local community needs to be involved because it starts at the grassroots,” said Mattapoisett Democrats Chair Nicki Demakis.
Demakis said the day was about visibility to hold ICE accountable, but also to show how important it is for people to vote.
“ICE has to be held accountable just like every other law enforcement organization in the country. There's a thing called due process,” she said.
Demakis hopes voters turn out in November, especially young people or people who skipped voting in the last election.
“I have nieces and nephews that are in their 20s and I'm hoping that demographic, that voter cohort, can show up and turn things around,” she said.
Jordan Johnson, an 18-year-old from Wareham, runs the social media for a non-profit citizens activist group Wareham for Law and Democracy. He said he showed up because what happened to Renee Good was "entirely unjust and illegal.”
Johnson added it is important for the community to be vocal to raise awareness and let people know action can be taken.
“Protesting is the first step, but it's not the only step,” he said. “You need to be calling your representatives. You need to be making sure you're voting in midterms and local elections.”
Frances Feliz-Kearns of Mattapoisett brought her teen son to the protest and said she showed up to show her neighbors and community the behavior by ICE is unacceptable.
“Immigrants are welcome here. This is a country that was built by immigrants. I myself am a daughter of an immigrant,” she said.
Feliz-Kearns said she was there to show solidarity with marginalized communities as she is part of one herself.
She hopes more people will attend future protests, but also educate themselves on what is going on in the national and local governments.
There were no counter protestors in support of ICE or President Donald Trump at the event.
The Rochester Democratic Town Committee chairman, who preferred to remain nameless, helped organize the event. The 75-year-old said he comes from a family of immigrants who escaped Yugoslavia and the Nazis.
He said remaining silent is unacceptable and that community members need to use all the power they have to fight injustice.
“It's giving people an opportunity to express their rage and their concern, so that's what's important,” the chairman said. “You can't stay silent at this time.”
Management students strengthen regional partnerships through capstone consulting projects
Experiential learning course highlights Charlton's community impact as well as student learning by experience
Students in the management capstone course at UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business spent the fall semester partnering with organizations across the SouthCoast—applying classroom concepts to real-world challenges in strategy, sustainability, nonprofit operations, and workforce development. The course, taught by Associate Teaching Professor Jacqueline Einstein, connects students with community partners to deliver meaningful, actionable solutions.
Eight student teams—comprising 28 seniors—worked with clients ranging from local nonprofits and regional initiatives to a Fortune 500 company. As a designated service-learning course supported by the Leduc Center for Civic Engagement, the capstone emphasizes hands-on consulting, stakeholder communication, and mission-driven project management. Students presented their final deliverables in December to representatives from each partner organization.
"This course continues to be one of our most impactful experiential learning programs," said Charlton College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula. "Our students graduate with the confidence, professionalism, and real consulting experience that employers value—while also strengthening SouthCoast organizations that are essential to our regional economy."
Student teams worked on projects with organizations including Fastenal, the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District, Be the Solution to Pollution, World Central Kitchen, the Southeastern Massachusetts Visitors Bureau, the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Groundwork, and Tryworks Coffeehouse and Auditorium at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford. Each project addresses a specific organizational need, from sustainability and recycling initiatives to tourism promotion, conservation outreach, cultural programming, and entrepreneurial development.
For Einstein, the projects highlight the value of applied learning and collaboration that define the capstone experience.
"This course challenges students to think critically, communicate professionally, and adapt their knowledge to real organizational needs," said Einstein. "Seeing students grow in confidence and capability as the semester progresses is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching this course."
Dean Annavarjula praised Einstein’s legacy of experiential learning leadership.
"Professor Einstein has shaped generations of business leaders," he said. "Her commitment to applied learning, service, and student success has elevated the Charlton College of Business in countless ways. We are deeply grateful for her contributions."
Jessica has been a community partner in Prof. Einstein's class on various projects since 2022. This is her fourth time representing UUNB.
Watch the final video that the students put together below.
To donate to the restoration of the Tryworks Auditorium, click here.
Social Justice Committee Meetings: New Day!
Join the SJC virtually on every other MONDAY at 6:30 PM. Be part of the change you would like to see in your community and beyond. View the online calendar to view the dates.
One of our members, Gilly Cabral, has been moved to hospice and would love to see some familiar faces. Please consider visiting him at Vantage, 200 Hawthorn St., Room 218, New Bedford. If he is not in his room, you can find him in the library at the facility.
Great News!
So far, we have received funding for the 42nd Annual Jazz Concert from Acushnet ($200), Mattapoisett ($500), and Dartmouth ($500). We are still waiting to hear if we will be awarded grant funds from the New Bedford LCC. Thank you to Jessica for applying for funding support!
Sunday Service
Social Justice Committee Meetings: New Day!
Join the SJC virtually on every other MONDAY at 6:30 PM. Be part of the change you would like to see in your community and beyond. View the online calendar to view the dates.
What does it mean to be a people of Resistance?
January 18: Resisting Racism (MLK Day), Unstoppable: Women Who Changed the World, Fannie Barrier Williams
January 25: Resisting "Monkey Mind", Breathing is My Superpower—Read Aloud by Reading Pioneers Academy
This month, we highlight our UU value of Justice, with its call to “dismantle racism and all
forms of systemic oppression.” In doing so, we celebrate and remember inspirational UU leaders like Fannie Barrier Williams, whose courage and advocacy for equity continue to inspire us today.
Please share these events with your family and friends, and consider attending yourself. We would love to see you!
FREE Events Happening at UUNB
Being Human takes place every Friday at 11 AM. Please use the parking lot door.
We are excited to announce a FREE 4-session class on understanding US Government, taught by Fairhaven resident and local attorney Ellen Nelson, Esq.
Registration is required. See the event details by clicking on the "Register Now" button below.
Save the date! You won't want to miss this.
Periodically, throughout the next 10 months, we will highlight legislation that will appear on the Massachusetts ballot in November 2026, so you can be an educated voter when the time comes to cast your vote. We will not endorse candidates, as this could jepordize our nonprofit status. However, we will highlight issues that align with our UU values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity.
Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts
In 2024, Massachusetts passed its strongest gun safety law in a decade, cracking down on ghost guns and modernizing safety regulations. Now the gun lobby wants to overturn this updated law with a repeal referendum on the November 2026 ballot.
Vote Yes for a Safe Massachusetts is building a powerful state-wide response to protect this law on the 2026 ballot and keep our communities safe. Join us to defend progress and save lives from gun violence.
HOW DOES THE CURRENT LAW KEEP MASSACHUSETTS SAFE?
THIS LEGISLATION, AN ACT MODERNIZING FIREARM LAWS:
Regulates untraceable ghost guns for the first time.
Strengthens the Commonwealth’s firearms licensing laws.
Updates and expands our Extreme Risk Protection Order laws to better prevent suicides and mass shootings.
Seeks to identify expanded funding opportunities for community violence intervention.
Enhances gun violence data collection so we can identify the source of firearms in our most impacted communities.
Bans devices and modifications that turn semi-automatic weapons into fully-automatic machine guns.
Prohibits the carrying of firearms in polling places and government buildings.
Ensures gun dealers are inspected regularly and accurately.
THESE ARE PROVEN, EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES THAT SAVE LIVES.
Learn more: https://www.yesforasafema.com
Gun violence is preventable - and Massachusetts proves it. We have the lowest gun death rate in the country because we’ve taken action with an effective combination of strong gun safety laws, community-led solutions, and evidence-based research. This comprehensive law that is now at risk combines all of these approaches, giving us an updated toolkit to prevent gun violence in all its forms. Because of this law, the GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard gave Massachusetts an A grade for the very first time this year!
Dear Friends,
You are invited to join Humanity at Work and Pilgrim United Church of Christ at an event celebrating One Year of Resistance on January 25th from 2-5 p.m. at 635 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Humanity at Work strives to collaborate with community partners to create opportunities for and provide resources to marginalized individuals and families who have been harmed by immigration enforcement.
Pilgrim United Church of Christ has a rich history of and commitment to social justice, love, and service in the local community and beyond.
The celebration will include music, poetry, food, and inspiration for all. A donation of $25 is suggested per ticket. Please give what you are able. All proceeds help to continue this important work. Space is limited; please order tickets while they last. (See flyer below.)
We hope that you will join us! If you have questions about the event, please email: newbedfordunited@protonmail.com .
In Solidarity,
Shelley Quintin
Volunteer Organizer, Activist
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.
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford
71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 994-9686
Administrator ext. 10
Minister ext. 13
Karen cell: (508) 441-9344
Thrift Shop ext. 12
Board Members & Officers
Steve Carmel, President
Charles Morgan, Vice President
Deborah Carmel, Treasurer
Elise Rapoza, Secretary
Trustees
Camilla Brooks
Niko Tarini
Mary Rapoza
Jack Vitale
Committee Chairs
Staff
Rev. Karen Leblanc, Minister
Yasmin Fle-fleh Vincent, Director of Religious Education
Randy Fayan, Director of Music
Jessica DeCicco-Carey, Administrator
Tony, Gonsalves, Facilities Manager
John Manning, Sunday Sexton
Mari Fay-Martin, Sunday School Teacher
Sam Angelini, Sunday School Teacher
The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
(508)994-9686 ext.12
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The Infinity Productions 'contributions' to the project seem to have been overlooked.
A series of concerts, open mics, and positive public relations should have been worth more than omission.