From Our Minister

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Writer and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor once told a story about reading the newspaper. She described a map of the world marked with symbols for war, earthquake, famine — black lines separating this country from that, this people from

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Last month, the White House released its 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy. The 16-page document names three categories of threat the federal government intends to “neutralize” and “cripple”—drug cartels, Islamist terror groups, and — I am quoting directly — “violent

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Lately, I’ve noticed how quickly I can move from my better self to my worst impulses. I’ll be honest: I am not always the person I want to be. I can leave a moment of genuine warmth and community, feeling

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine There are children in our community who ration their water-intake. Not because their families can’t afford it. Not because of drought or disaster. They ration their water-intake so that they can make it through the school day without having to

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine It’s a familiar scene: you’re walking down the sidewalk, glancing at your phone to send a quick text or catch up on socials, when suddenly the ground seems to leap up and meet you. You’ve tripped over something you never

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Resilience is a word in frequent use these days, as so many people struggle to survive. Psychologists Suniya Luthar and Dante Cicchetti define resilience as a dynamic process of positive adaptation in the face of significant adversity or trauma. We

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Last week, a colleague—the Rev. Kenny Callaghan, Pastor of All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis—arrived at his church on the day that Renee Good was murdered by an ICE agent. He heard the sounds of whistles and honking,

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine Our congregation’s theme this season is “Choosing Hope,” something admittedly easier said than done, especially when the world is on fire. I am inspired by the witness of countless oppressed communities who have courageously chosen love as a response to

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. In part, that’s because Generating Gratitude has been a theme of reflection for our congregation this month. It may also have something to do with the fact that “Thanksgiving” is upon us.

By Rev. Dr. Kharma R. Amos, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine In 2008, religious historian Karen Armstrong received the TED Prize, an award given to visionary leaders whose work can change the world. Her wish was to create a Charter for Compassion—a global effort to restore compassion to the heart of