The Compass, March 18
- Mar 19
- 6 min read
Local Cultural Council Support
We are so excited to report that UUNB has been awarded grants from the New Bedford, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett, and Acushnet Local Cultural Councils to support the 42nd Annual Jazz Concert!
Sunday Service
After church this Sunday, March 22, organizers of the No Kings march on the 28th will be meeting at UUNB to recruit singers and work on protest songs. Please consider joing us and giving your input or participating.
Arts & Culture Nonprofit Meetings Scheduled
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford is forming an art & culture nonprofit! We will be facilitating a series of meetings to discuss details, board members, grants, and more.
Meeting Four: April 1, at 7 PM on Zoom
All interested individuals are encouraged to join the conversation.
Garden Committee Update
The garden committee will be scheduling a garden refresh somtime in mid-April. Please watch the newsletter for updates.
Volunteers Needed!
Are you looking for more ways to get involved? We have a few upcoming events that need volunteers. A HUGE thanks to those who have already reached out to express interest.
Beltane, May 3, 2026
We need people to plan the event, recruit volunteers to set up and break down.
We would like to include a child's Maypole this year, which means setting up two Maypoles
Musicians
Food planning
Karen can not do everything for this event. In order to make this happen, we need YOU! Please reach out to minister@uunewbedford.org to express your interest.
Jazz Concert, June 28, 2026
We need organizers and planners for food. Are we doing a bake sale? Providing sandwiches? Providing drinks? We need one person to be the point of contact and main organizer of food.
Volunteers to help with gift baskets and selling raffle tickets.
We are looking for a group of individuals to revive the Strategic Plan. An initial survey and outline were completed in 2020-2021, but a plan was not finalized. We want to analyze the findings and create a comprehensive 5-year plan. Interested parties would meet via Zoom. Please email admin@uunewbedford.org to express your interest.
March Thrift Shop Sale
Fill a bag of winter clothing for $2! (excludes jeans)
March 22: The Power of Paying Attention To Our Relationship with Water
March 29: The Power of Paying Attention to The Wisdom Within
Holy Week!
when your heart falls and your soul
A poem in response to the outbreak of war, written after the bombing of Iran by the U.S. and Israel. JULIÁN JAMAICA SOTO 3/16/2026
When your heart falls and your
soul weeps at the outbreak of
yet another war, remember this:
you are not alone, either in grief
or in rising up. We are together as
a choir, singing an unbroken song
of peace. When the death of
schoolgirls floods your body with
anger that is unable to be soothed,
you are not wrong. Reach out. We
are here to witness and resist. Part
of the system and yet we never,
not ever comply in advance. Lift
your spine, relax your jaw, lower
your tongue from the roof of your
mouth; we still have truth to speak.
Let your feet fall heavy on the Earth.
She will hold you. War is intentional
breaking of the net that holds Us all.
We refuse. We reject it. And hearts
awash in a sea of tears and fury, we
bring them beating, bare and brave
To this day. And now we all are called:
to craft a peace that holds every (single)
one, ancestors who did more with less,
bless us.
Click the image below for General Assembly Information
This year's guest speakers are Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington & Crystal Simone Smith, Poet, Professor, Duke University Beacon Press.
Click on the photo below to watch the 2025 Ware Lecture with Imara Jones.
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.
No Kings 3: Power Belongs to the People
UUNB will open its doors on March 28th to bring resistance singing and comfort. Stay tuned in the coming days for details about how you can get involved. We will be looking for people to lead songs and offer hospitality. I see a potluck in the future.....
Open Mic is back, hosted by Kwang & Tonianne! Open mic will take place on the LAST Sunday of each month.
Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell Launch State Portal to Report ICE Misconduct
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today announced the launch of a new online portal that allows Massachusetts residents to report alleged misconduct by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating within the state. The portal is available at mass.gov/fedmisconduct.
The portal provides a centralized place for individuals, families, attorneys and community members to document incidents involving members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agencies that enforce civil immigration laws. The portal is designed to help the state identify patterns of potential misconduct, support affected residents, and inform possible legal or policy actions by the state.
“We’ve seen across the country and here in Massachusetts that the tactics of ICE under the Trump Administration have been putting everyone at risk. The people of Massachusetts deserve to know that their rights will be respected, their safety protected and their concerns about misconduct taken seriously,” said Governor Healey. “This new reporting portal will help us gather information, support residents and ensure federal agents operating in our state are following the law.”
“The core duty of law enforcement, including federal law enforcement, is to keep our communities safe. But what we have seen from ICE in recent months across the country is the opposite: aggressive and reckless tactics that spread fear and chaos in our communities,” said Attorney General Campbell. “As my office works to ensure residents are protected and have access to the legal assistance they need, I encourage everyone to use this new reporting portal if they see concerning ICE activity in their communities.”
The portal will allow members of the public to share information about incidents involving potentially unlawful activity by federal agents in Massachusetts, including videos and photographs. Information submitted through the portal may help the state identify patterns of potential misconduct, inform possible legal action or policy recommendations, and connect affected residents with legal advocacy organizations.
Today, AG Campbell also released updated ‘Know Your Rights’ guidance designed to help immigrants, families, and communities understand their rights and the basic legal framework for ICE actions. Notably, the updated guidance includes timely information about holding federal immigration officials accountable, the role of U.S. Customs and Border Protection given their increased activity in recent ICE surges, the rights of protestors, and new executive orders at the state and local level. The updated guidance can be found on the AGO’s Immigrant Resources webpage and read in its entirety here.
The launch of the portal follows several actions taken by Governor Healey to hold ICE accountable and to increase transparency and accountability around federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts.
Earlier this week, Governor Healey requested that Signature Aviation stop supporting deportation flights out of Hanscom Field in Massachusetts. She also demanded that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE provide greater transparency and accurate information regarding immigration arrests and detention practices in Massachusetts, including information about who is being detained, the legal basis for those arrests, and where individuals have been taken and are being held.
In addition, the Governor has filed legislation to prohibit ICE operations in sensitive locations such as courthouses, schools, child care programs, hospitals, and places of worship, and signed an executive order requiring judicial warrants for entry into non-public areas of state facilities, limiting the use of state resources for civil immigration enforcement, and restricting participation in federal 287(g) agreements absent a clear public safety need.
From the League of Women Voters Massachusetts
Walt's Mobile Closet Returns to UUNB
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
We earned a 2026 Candid Silver Seal of Transparency! See what your donations help us accomplish.
Use this link for unlimited access to our profile. Keeping our profile up to date helps us gather support; enabling funders and donors to find us and learn about our impact.
Comments