The Compass, March 27, 2025
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Did you miss Sunday service? Watch it here!
Save The Date For Our Next Congregational Date!
The congregation is invited to participate in a clean-up at Fort Taber with our guest speaker for the April 13th Sunday service, Mary Lou Nicholson, from Be the Solution to Pollution.
Meet in the parking lot near the Military Museum, 1000 S. Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford.
Please wear closed-toe shoes and bring a reusable water bottle.
Cookies and brownies are provided.
March Services: The Soul Matter Theme is Trust
Gail Fortes, Executive Director of the YWCA is guest speaker.
For too long, Indigenous voices have been ignored in Massachusetts policies. Now, we have the chance to make real change. Our Indigenous-led coalition is pushing for five critical bills that will protect Native heritage, improve education, and end outdated racist practices. Your voice can help get them passed!
The Indigenous Legislative Agenda includes 5 priorities:
Remove Racist Mascots: Prohibit Native American mascots in Massachusetts public schools.
Honor Indigenous People's Day: Replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate Indigenous resilience and survival. The change acknowledges the true histories of colonialism, genocide and racism that Native peoples have experienced and continue to face.
Celebrate and Teach Native American Culture & History: Ensure that schoolchildren in Massachusetts learn about Native American history, culture, and current issues.
Protect Native American Heritage: Ensure Native American funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony held in governmental or non-profit collections are not sold for profit.
Support the Education and Futures of Native Youth: Improve educational outcomes and opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students.
We are working to build support and get as many legislators as possible to co-sponsor the bills.
Be a voice for change! Ask your state legislators to protect Indigenous rights today. Act now! Click here to urge your state legislators to co-sponsor these 5 important bills today!
Thank you,
The Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda Coalition
Learn more about the Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda at our website, MAIndigenousAgenda.org
Our Sunday school is a collaborative effort.
Everyone works together to share their skills, time, and energy to enrich our programs. We use the “Spirit Play” curriculum to share goals and objectives for the younger children. Children spend the first fifteen minutes in the sanctuary, and then we head upstairs to the classroom space. You are welcome to accompany your child.
The RE (Religious Education) Team meets monthly to determine the programs, policies, and events for the children, youth, and adults. Parents are encouraged to join the RE Team.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with the Director of Religious Education, Yasmin Flefleh-Vincent, for further information, questions, or comments about our Sunday School.
March 30: Trusting Our Inherent Worth, Viola Liuzzo
Please share these events with your family and friends and attend 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.
A $5 suggested donation to participate. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Open Mic is FREE and open to the public. Doors open at 3:30 PM for a 4:00 PM start. Open Mic will occur on the first Sunday of each month through June. All donations from this event will benefit the church, so please tell your family and friends.
Ticketed Events
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
Tickets are $20; no one is turned away for lack of funds. Follow the link in the event to the Bread & Puppet website to reserve your seats.
Save the Date! Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
Order forms are available in the sanctuary and the Parish House for those wishing to buy concert tickets with a check. Please place the order form and your check in an envelope and either mail it to the office, drop it in the mail slot on 8th Street, or stop by the office during office hours.
The calendar on our website shows everything happening at UUNB. Updates are displayed immediately, so you will always know what is planned
Community Leaders to Hold Press Conference Condemning ICE’s Militarized Raid on New Bedford’s Families
WHAT: A coalition of Immigrant Rapid Response composed of community leaders, advocates, and impacted families will hold a press conference to denounce the recent violent and unlawful ICE raid in New Bedford, where agents forcibly entered a private home without a warrant and held a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old at gunpoint. Speakers will call for immediate accountability, an end to ICE's aggressive and inhumane tactics, and the urgent need for stronger protections to safeguard immigrant families from state-sanctioned terror.
WHEN: Saturday, March 29, 2025, at 11:00 AM
WHERE: Steps of City Hall Building (133 William St, New Bedford, MA 02740)
WHO: Speakers will include:
● Impacted family members and witnesses
● Community organizations and leaders
Organizations supporting this action: Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, Coalition for Social Justice, Community Economic Development Center, COSECHA New Bedford, Democratic City Committee, Greater SouthEastern Mass Labor Council, Mujeres Victoriosas, NAACP New Bedford Branch, New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools, United Interfaith Action, Women’s Alliance.
WHY: This latest ICE raid is part of a troubling increase in militarized immigration enforcement in New Bedford, which instills fear in immigrant communities and violates basic human rights. Local leaders and residents are calling for an end to these aggressive tactics and urging lawmakers to take action to protect immigrant families from such violence.
Contact:Marlene Cerritos-Rivas, mcerritosrivas@gmail.com
Jacob Chin, jacob.w.chin@gmail.com
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
Cora Peirce, Clerk
Trustees
Committee Chairs
Staff
The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
(508)994-9686 ext.12
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