June 21, 2026
Jennifer Bacmeister presents a sermon written by
Rev. Tess Baumberger, First Universalist Church of Essex (MA)
“All the Tiny Muscles”
Claudia Marshall, Worship Leader
Garret Kaplan, Accompanist
Gina Romeo, Flute, Member-Musician
“When my son was in his infancy, and I a new mother, I remember watching him struggle to learn to sit up on his too-round baby bottom, wobbling precariously… sitting, standing. Though I in my healthy adulthood take them for granted, they require coordinating all the tiny muscles hugging around your torso, working in unison… It seems to me that those we love and who love us, all those brilliant bits of shining love, are many tiny muscles supporting our lives, wrapped around our bodies, our selves, like a hug, moving in the arms and legs of our lives, allowing us to sit and to stand, helping us just to exist, to live. We so often aren’t conscious of how much they support us until they become sick, or die, or leave our lives in other ways…”
About Our Speaker
Jennifer Bacmeister has been a member of BBUUC since 2001. She has served in many roles, including Worship Committee Chair, Building Task Force, Religious Education teacher, and Board Vice President. Jennifer is an accomplished Toastmaster, one of those rare individuals who genuinely enjoy public speaking. After years of being a Worship Leader, she added writing sermons to her skill set. She has spoken at UU churches in Huntsville, Alabama, and right down the road in Palatka, as well as to our congregation. When not crafting services as a worship leader or writing sermons, Jennifer enjoys tending her backyard chickens, spoiling her grandchildren, and sewing (not always in that order!)
About the Sermon Author
Since her ordination in 2003, Rev. Tess Baumberger has served congregations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and worked as a chaplain in hospital and hospice settings. She is both “a professional listener” who accompanies people through difficult times and a poet who enjoys creating worship. She likes helping people discover and develop their gifts for leadership to serve the health of the congregation and the cause of justice in the wider community.
About our Member-Musician
BBUUC member Gina Romeo has a Bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance from the University of Florida and a Master’s degree in Music Therapy from Florida State University. She currently works as a music therapist for a local private practice and uses a variety of instruments including voice, guitar, piano, and ukulele to help her clients meet social, motor, and cognitive goals. Gina and her husband Adam Ray have two daughters, Rosemary and Juniper.