United Baptist Church
The United Baptist Church invites its members to attend the annual meeting of the Damariscotta Association of the American Baptist Churches of Maine on Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Nobleboro Baptist Church. This association is made up of seven American Baptist churches in this region.
The Damariscotta Association annual meetings are conducted to maintain the fellowship of American Baptist churches in this area. All members are welcome to attend. There will be a time of fellowship, devotions, and singing, and the annual business meeting will take place.
Weekly Bible study is held at the home of Candace and Damon Hilton, of Jefferson, on Bunker Hill Road at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. We are using the book “Thirty Life Principles,” by the Rev. Charles Stanley. These weekly meetings are a lively discussion on how we can deepen our spiritual lives by delving into the Bible.
Osprey update
My dear grandson, Elias, spent time with us over the April school vacation and we enjoyed being together. There is nothing that compares to the heart and soul and energy of a 7-year-old boy! Elias, ever the captivated naturalist, studied the place where the osprey had nested and raised their young for several years. With the harsh winds of late winter, the nest fell, yet the birds continue to frequent the place that they called home.
Elias wondered aloud if they would rebuild, and we wondered with him. We make our way to a spot at the back of our lawn where we can observe the osprey without raising their alarm calls. The pair are still in the area, and seem to be spending the nights perched there as if the urge to rebuild is still too daunting to consider. We hope with the warmer weather will encourage them to begin again.
What I’m reading
I think I’ll share now and then in this column a book or two that I’m reading in the hope that it will inspire my readers. I like to have a recommendation from a reader about what they’ve enjoyed. Currently, one book that I’m captivated by is “Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides,” by Adam Nicolson. This book is not one that I can “breeze through”; in fact, I find myself re-reading passages aloud to Perry and discussing not only the writing style but also the content.
At age 21, Nicolson inherits three tiny islands in the Shiants, in the Outer Hebrides. As the back cover of “Sea Room” shares, the island is 600 acres of puffins and seals, and “with a name meaning ‘holy or enchanted islands,’ the Shiants for millennia were a haven for those seeking solitude.” The book is a plethora of information about the natural beauty of these tiny islands and the archaeological history of the place, as well as the “heritage of a once-vibrant world of farmers and fishermen.”
From the age of Vikings and the tradition of monks seeking the solace of living alone in an extreme environment to live out their faith, the Shiants are a place of wonder. The writer shares with his readers a window to explore the gift of what islands “bestow on its inhabitants: a deep engagement with the natural world.” If you love islands, as I do, you might enjoy this book.
