Brunswick Downtown Association

Now is the Time for Sacred Ground: Interfaith Conversations About Race
2026-01-11, 2026-01-12, 2026-01-13, 2026-01-14, 2026-01-15, 2026-01-16, 2026-01-17, 2026-01-18 and 20 more dates | Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME, 04011, United States
In times like these, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, angry, helpless, or unsure of what to do. With so many urgent and painful challenges unfolding, it can seem like nothing we do makes a difference. Sacred Ground offers space to learn, reflect, and better understand how we got here — and how we can move forward together. This 11-session, film- and readings-based dialogue program helps participants connect the dots between our country’s history and today’s realities, offering the tools needed to engage effectively in the work of racial healing. This program offers not only knowledge and skills, but community — a shared sense of purpose and a reminder that you are not alone in hoping for a more just future.
We have four interfaith groups starting this fall at Curtis Library and hope you will join one. As you look at the dates below, don’t worry if there are one or two meetings of your chosen group that you can’t attend – life happens! Please join the conversation.
GROUP A: Thursdays 1:30 – 3:00pm (9/25, 10/9, 10/30, 11/20, 12/11, WINTER RECESS, 3/19, 4/9, 4/30, 5/21, 6/11, 7/2)
GROUP B: Thursdays from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. (9/25, 10/23, 11/20, 12/18, 1/22, 2/26, 3/26, 4/23, 5/21, 6/25, 7/23 OR 8/27)
GROUP C: Wednesdays from 1-2:30 PM (10/1,10/22, 11/12, 12/3, 1/ 7, 2/4, 3/4, 3/25, 4/15, 5/20, 6/10)
GROUP D: Wednesdays from 10-11:30 AM (10/9, 10/29, 11/19, 12/10, 1/7, 1/28, 2/25, 3/18, 4/8, 4/29, 5/20)
Learn more and register at https://stpaulsmaine.org/learning-sacred-ground-new/
or contact our Program Coordinator at SacredGroundME@gmail.com
Please note: While this program began in The Episcopal Church, these groups are specifically designed to be interfaith and are NOT religious in nature.

Humor - Not Just a Laughing Matter
2026-01-21 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church St, Brunswick, ME, 04011, United States
Midcoast Senior College presents its free speaker series, Winter Wisdom, sponsored by The Highlands of Topsham. Experts recommend a healthy diet and ongoing exercise to enhance our well-being in the aging process, but what about the role of humor? We’ve all heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine,” but what is it about humor and laughter that makes us feel so good? Susan Flewelling Goran spent her 50-year nursing career caring for critically ill patients and their families as educator, director, author, and clinical specialist. A frequent speaker at regional, national, and international conferences, she was known for her use of humor and creativity for enhanced learning for both professional and lay audiences.

The 300-Year Invasion - The Vikings Influence on Ireland
2026-01-28 13:00 - 14:30 | Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church St, Brunswick, ME, 04011, United States
Midcoast Senior College presents its free speaker series, Winter Wisdom, sponsored by The Highlands of Topsham. In the last decade of the 8th Century raiders from the North appeared off the coast of Ireland and sacked the unsuspecting monastery at Lindisfarne, the first stroke in what would become a centuries-long conflict. The Norsemen came first to raid, and later to settle, but the meeting of the two cultures would change both Irish and Viking history forever. Award-winning author James L. Nelson will discuss the origins of this invasion and its consequences, along with the story of how he came to write his Viking series, The Norsemen Saga. Nelson has written and published 28 historical novels and non-fiction books, ten of which are Northmen sagas.
