Unity United Methodist Church

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Unity United Methodist Church Pastor Don Banton --
Visit our website for information about Worship Services, Events, and Newsletter info. Morning Worship: Sunday 10:00A.M.

United Methodist Women meet the first Wednesday of each month 1 pm.

08/01/2020

JOIN US!
Sunday, August 2, at 10 AM -
OUTDOOR PRAISE SERVICE - MUSIC, WORSHIP & COMMUNION
Led by Pastor Don Banton
Meet on the Church lawn. MASKS and Social Distancing required. The church has chairs, but you are welcome to bring your own chair if you prefer.
We look forward to worshiping together safely and sharing this special service. ALL ARE WELCOME!

06/17/2020

Say ‘no’ to peace
if what the mean by peace
is the quiet misery of hunger,
the frozen stillness of fear,
the silence of broken spirits,
the unborn hopes of the oppressed.

Tell them that peace
is the shouting of children at play,
the babble of tongues set free,
the thunder of dancing feet,
and a father’s voice singing.

Say ‘no’ to peace
if what they mean by peace
is a rampart of gleaming missiles,
the arming of distant wars,
money at ease in its castle
and grateful poor at the gate.

Tell them that peace
is the hauling down of flags,
the forging of guns into ploughs
the giving of fields to the landless,
and hunger a fading dream.

By Brian Wren, printed in “Bread for Tomorrow,” ©Christian Aid 1992, edited by Janet Morley, pg. 130 – 131.
Offered by Rev. Rick McKinley, Conference Director of Congregational Development

06/16/2020

June 16, 2020
A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis
During these difficult days, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar and the members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
________________________________________
Today’s prayer
Genesis 21:14-20a
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.
Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him."
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
God was with the boy, and he grew up.

The cries of Ishmael shake me to my core.
The cries of Hagar cut me to the quick.
How could any mother, any father watch their child die right before their eyes?
How could anyone watch as their neighbor, their sibling dies?
It is unbearable. It is unthinkable.

I hear the cries for Mama.
For those in the hospital struggling with CoVID, isolated from loved ones.
For those struggling to make it in this economy.
For those on the streets struggling to breathe, for their very existence.
For those separated from loved ones due to famine or war.

I know you are the God who hears.
I know you are the God who sees.
Take our brokenness.
Hear our cries.
Be with us. Amen.

By Rev. Megan Stowe, Central Massachusetts District Superintendent

06/15/2020

June 15, 2020

A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis

During these difficult days, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar and the members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.

You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.

Today’s prayer

Holy One in Three, you have heard
and you are hearing.
You hear each of us.
You see each of us.
You have loved us, and you are loving us.
you have loved me, and you are teaching me to love
all the others who you love, all of them.
All of us.

You are complete and you are ongoing.
You have done and you are doing.

I lift my arms and stretch them to you
Like a toddler yearning to be picked up
and held close.

I lift my arms and stretch them to you
aching with the power, grieved outrage,
of a sonless mother.

I lift my arms and stretch them to you
drinking in the grace you pour.
Lift me as a vessel of your salvation.
For you have freed me to be
the next in line of my ancestors,
a servant of my own volition
choosing to serve Love.

I lift my arms as they thrum with praise,
With the life only you can give.
With the hope only you can complete.
Thank you for who You have been.
Thank you for who You are.
Thank you for who You will be.

By Rev. Dr. Karen Munson, Mid-Maine District Superintendent
In response to Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

06/13/2020

Merciful God, forgive us.
We are bound to sin and cannot break free.

We have spoken when we should have stayed silent.
Forgive us.

We were silent when we should have spoken up.
Forgive us.

We acted when we knew better.
Forgive us.

We were idle when we should have acted.
Forgive us.

For all the wrong we have done, for the good we failed to do,
have mercy on us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Adapted from www.calvaryfw.org
Shared by William V. Burnside II, Conference Treasurer

06/12/2020

June 12, 2020
A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis
During these difficult days, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar and the members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
________________________________________
Today’s prayer

O God,
We are —
health care providers,
clerks and lawyers,
engineers and waitresses
teachers and students
children and parents,
farmers and artists
sinners and saints ....
We are
young and old
lay and clergy
wealthy and poor
over-indulged and underserved
strong and frail
hopeful and dejected
We are
summoned ...
to cast out evil
to cure disease
to go to the lost
to proclaim good news
We are
confronted ...
with a pandemic
with racism
with too many instances of police brutality
with corruption and abuses of power
with empire that cares not for the least
but for self-preservation
We are
the baptized
given authority, bestowed with gifts ...
to live and lead in this time of uncertainty
to eradicate racism in all its manifestations
to heal the environment
to be present in the world’s suffering
Grant us
humility to learn and unlearn
wisdom to relearn and retool
the will to change
the ability to serve in a digital age
Hear us
our pleas
our confessions
our hopes
our desires ...
we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
By Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
Scriptural Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:8

06/11/2020

June 11, 2020
A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis
During these difficult days, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar and the members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
________________________________________
Today’s prayer
Psalm 116: 1-2 12-19 Romans 5: 1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)
O God of light and love, the One who gives us life, and provides all the resources with which our lives can be meaningfully sustained; we stand in special need of an extra measure of wisdom, grace and love. We perceive ourselves to be your human family, and we boast in the hope of your glory. Help us to see your love for all people, so that we may become more loving ourselves. Help us to be more understanding of human weakness, for we know that through the power of Christ, all things shall be made equal.
We confess that we are in trouble. We are needlessly hurting one another. We therefore join our hopes and concerns, in a common prayer to be nurtured in finding a solution to the problems we bring upon ourselves and others. We come as a hurt, ashamed, and frustrated child might come to a parent. Forgive us for failing to make the ideal of justice, the way of life for all of your children. Forgive us for permitting the differences that make us a mosaic people, to become stumbling blocks of division. Forgive us for not always being successful at using our potential responsibly.
Show us O loving God, the way to mutual respect and trust. Show us the way to a perception of one another that transcends gender, race, of nationality. Enable us to see value in those different from us, equal to that which we envision for ourselves. Nurture us to a maturity that wants for others, that what we wish for ourselves. Nurture us in growth toward a more perfect expression of love to all people, in all places, at all times.
We pray for those whose lives have been so needlessly, and callously lost, and we care for those who have lost persons special to them. We pray for those stripped of human dignity. Through growing wisdom, enable us to find ways to help that which makes a difference, and may we be faithful to your intent.
Through penitent spirits help us to find ways to demonstrate the way of love through the expression of our own life. Remind us that suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; and character, produces hope. And that hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. May we find our sense of calling and purpose, and may our personal witness be an example for others.
It is in the Spirit of the One who showed us the great value and power in love that we offer this prayer together. Amen

My Life Flows On
Refrain: No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that Rock I’m clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation. I hear the clear, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation. (Refrain)
Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing. It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? (Refrain)
What though my joys and comforts die? I know my Savior liveth. What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth. (Refrain)
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing! All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing? (Refrain)

My Life Flows On: The Faith We Sing pg. 2212. Words and Music Robert Lowry.
By Rev. Dr. David V. Calhoun, District Superintendent, Connecticut/Western Massachusetts

06/11/2020

By Rev. Dr. David V. Calhoun, District Superintendent, Connecticut/Western Massachusetts
Psalm 116: 1-2 12-19; Romans 5: 1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)
O God of light and love, the One who gives us life, and provides all the resources with which our lives can be meaningfully sustained; we stand in special need of an extra measure of wisdom, grace and love. We perceive ourselves to be your human family, and we boast in the hope of your glory. Help us to see your love for all people, so that we may become more loving ourselves. Help us to be more understanding of human weakness, for we know that through the power of Christ, all things shall be made equal.
We confess that we are in trouble. We are needlessly hurting one another. We therefore join our hopes and concerns, in a common prayer to be nurtured in finding a solution to the problems we bring upon ourselves and others. We come as a hurt, ashamed, and frustrated child might come to a parent. Forgive us for failing to make the ideal of justice, the way of life for all of your children. Forgive us for permitting the differences that make us a mosaic people, to become stumbling blocks of division. Forgive us for not always being successful at using our potential responsibly.
Show us O loving God, the way to mutual respect and trust. Show us the way to a perception of one another that transcends gender, race, of nationality. Enable us to see value in those different from us, equal to that which we envision for ourselves. Nurture us to a maturity that wants for others, that what we wish for ourselves. Nurture us in growth toward a more perfect expression of love to all people, in all places, at all times.
We pray for those whose lives have been so needlessly, and callously lost, and we care for those who have lost persons special to them. We pray for those stripped of human dignity. Through growing wisdom, enable us to find ways to help that which makes a difference, and may we be faithful to your intent.
Through penitent spirits help us to find ways to demonstrate the way of love through the expression of our own life. Remind us that suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; and character, produces hope. And that hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. May we find our sense of calling and purpose, and may our personal witness be an example for others.
It is in the Spirit of the One who showed us the great value and power in love that we offer this prayer together. Amen

My Life Flows On
Refrain: No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that Rock I’m clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation. I hear the clear, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation. (Refrain)
Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing. It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? (Refrain)
What though my joys and comforts die? I know my Savior liveth. What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth. (Refrain)
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing! All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing? (Refrain)

My Life Flows On: The Faith We Sing pg. 2212
Words and Music Robert Lowry

06/10/2020

June 10, 2020
A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis
During these difficult days, Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar and the members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
________________________________________
Today’s prayer
Loving God who made earth and heaven,
the wide world is your creation
every creature blessed
every one of us reliant on another
Help us to care for each other
as you care for us
Help us to remember each other
as you remember us
Help us to love as you love
Amen
________________________________________
Beth DiCocco, Conference Director of Communications

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13 Depot Street
Unity, ME
04988

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+12079483473

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