Services for March

Resilience. A tree doesn't know what makes leaves start in spring, or why branches bend when wind beats the withered shreds of leaves away. It must wait naked, whipped with wind and cold-blinded, bearing winter's pain with no cause to trust that spring will come again. Trees nonetheless survive the cold to thrive with new life when the weather warms. We humans complain about the weather despite our sure knowledge that spring will reliably arrive. Yet in human affairs we are less certain. Will our metaphorical spring eventually come, perhaps not with the Earth’s rotation but in that spiral of human history that transforms human values? In that arc that bends toward justice? We cannot know. But (unlike trees) we can move—with one right action after another, in community, with hope and resilience. We bend the arc. We bring the spring.

~ Rev. Jaye

Back to the Future

Rev. Jaye Brooks
March 1

This month our learning and worship theme is Attention. In this service, Rev. Jaye asks what aspects of the Fellowship’s past and present are inspirational for the Fellowship’s future. Has the vision for this Fellowship stayed the same? Changed? or thanks to our vitality and enthusiasm, gained new energy?

Paying Attention

Doug Hertzler and the Worship Team
March 8

As we consider what things demand our attention, we welcome Doug Hertzler, a colleague of Brenna Kupferman, who will share his experience working with neighboring communities on the challenges that our times present.

Second Sunday Collection
A potluck luncheon follows the service

Attention Matters

Rev. Jaye and Sara Wecht
March 15

This service for all ages welcomes everyone to consider and honor the Jewish holiday of Purim (March 2-3) and the Islamic celebration of Eid-al-Fitr (March 19-20).

The Year Turns

Carol Milliken
Saturday, March 21

TThe Buffalo Trace Society offers a Spring Equinox Celebration, led by Carol Fireheart.

What We Love, We Empower

Rev. Jaye Brooks
March 22

It’s natural, when we love something or someone, that we pay attention to what we love—whether it’s a person, a sport, a hobby. And when we pay attention to what we love, we instinctively empower it. When we consider this UU Fellowship, it’s worth asking whether this community has garnered our love—and if so, how does that love empower this Fellowship? Everything we turn our attention to seems in the midst of changed and transformation. What does that mean for our UU Community?

The Sound of Freedom: Miriam’s Song and Our Song

Rav Meeka Simerly
March 29

Rabbi Meeka Simerly serves as the Rabbi of Temple Adas Shalom in Havre de Grace. She will bring the Temple’s Torah scroll to show us Song of the Sea along with her sermon.

Born in Haifa, Israel, Rabbi Meeka Simerly was raised in a secular Zionist home, she moved to California in 1995 to study music, where she rediscovered her Jewish identity and developed a deep commitment to Reform Judaism—an experience that shaped her spiritual, academic, and professional path.

She is the author of several scholarly and creative works, including her thesis, Naomi Shemer’s Artistic Expression: Poetry, Prayer, or Both? published in Emotions in Jewish Music; and Voices in the Wilderness: Emerging Roles of Israeli Clergy Women (Gaon Books, 2015). Her most recent book, A Mother to Many, Creating a Meaningful Childless Jewish Life explores the experiences of childless Jewish women and men and amplifies voices often overlooked in communities that place sacred value on fertility and parenthood.

  When not teaching, writing, or leading her congregation, Rabbi Meeka enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Dave Simerly, and their dogs, as well as reading print books, solving crossword puzzles (including Hebrew cryptics), horseback riding, hiking, creating art with oyster shells, incorporating Jewish symbols and colors into her artwork, appreciating good beer, engaging in creative projects, and practicing Pilates.