March 2025 kicks off First Parish's Stewardship Drive, with brief testimonials on Sundays, and enthusiastic appeals throughout the month to help the church reach its financial goals for supporting the work of the church. As the Canvass committee sows the seeds to grow financial support, the March newsletter details how Religious Ed is sowing actual seeds (as part of their curriculum — and for the May 17 Spring Fair), and Social Justice is sowing the seeds to sustain justice and democracy! All this plus music and fellowship.   Read More

This February 2025 newsletter details opportunities for fellowship, support, and resistance — although, as Rev. Erin says in her newsletter message, "Even in this time of resistance it is important to think about the moments in our lives when surrender is an act of claiming power." The theme for this month is Surrender. Through our parish activities, and those of the larger community, which include music and workshops and civic action, we explore the unexpected nature of surrender.  Read More

Rev. Erin's message for January 2025 begins by quoting Frederick Douglass: “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Justice is our worship theme for the month. See if Erin's questions resonate with you: What is your experience of justice in your life? What does the common good look or feel like? How do you contribute to the work of justice and the common good? What inspires you to work for justice? How have you witnessed others around you create the common good? This month's newsletter also announces the renewal of our Caring & Concerns tradition; a workshop on Gender in the 21st Century"; and another all-ages game night to lighten our spirits!  Read More

December's message from the Minister: "As we near the end of a very long year and look to the beginning of another, may we wake to life with our hearts open to love. I wish us all happy and calm holidays." Look to this newsletter for updates on preparations for the Snowflake Fair, for a Solstice blessing, for information on pageant and Christmas Eve services, for social justice activities, and other goings-on in parish life. Have a wonderful holiday season!  Read More

November's worship theme is "Courage", as we head towards the conclusion of this long and unsettling election season. This month we will celebrate the values that hold us together in love— through the Sunday sermons, in our social justice activities that both mourn and celebrate the complicated facets of our democracy, and through the fellowship we find in gathering together. Look to the newsletter for details on all the events that will bring us through the election and towards a holiday season of peace.  Read More

Welcome back to church! The joyful work of reconnecting and welcoming is our focus this month, beginning with the annual water ceremony and Blessing of the Backpacks, as the congregation reconvened on Sept 8 after the summer break. We also welcomed Tricia, our new Religious Education coordinator, who will start RE on Sept 15. We're gathering again in the next weeks for game night and preparation of homemade goods to be offered at December's Snowflake Fair fundraiser — all great opportunities for people to gather and get to know each other better. There are many other opportunities for fellowship and committee leadership; reach out to the Parish Committee to see what might be a good fit for you.   Read More

The work of the church continues whether we gather on Sundays or not! The Search committee is diligently learning and gathering information in the ministerial search process. Social Justice co-hosted a successful Pride Breakfast at the end of June and continues now to work on voting rights issues. Fiddidlers are crafting, as well as canning all the fresh fruit and veggies that the summer is yielding. (And Erin got married - congratulations!) Details in the newsletter!  Read More

The end of the church calendar year in June is marked by Pride Month celebrations, notifications about General Assembly and UU summer camps, but also the continuation of governance, social justice, and fellowship. June 9th is Flower Communion and Annual Meeting. Happy summer!  Read More

Spring comes to First Parish, in the familiar form of Spring Fair preparations (planting! digging!) and the Annual Meeting— and in large part, planning for even bigger activities in June (Pride month, General Assembly, and the final services of the church year). Social Justice begins its Welcome Renewal activities this month; those and other parish activities detailed in the newsletter bring us together as a congregation and in the wider community.  Read More

April's theme is Grace. Rev Erin quotes Matthew Fox for this month's newsletter: “Community is another source of grace. In community we are meant to grace one another; to be sources of grace; healers by way of grace." Our community offers these sources, with information in the newsletter: the April 21 kickoff of our Welcoming Renewal program, that demonstrates 'our ongoing commitment to being welc...  Read More

March is bursting with sprintime energy at First Parish: another spirited, intergenerational Game night; the 15th Blue Boat Coffeehouse (the first since the pandemic); Canvass kickoff; a show of support for Trans Visibility Day; gearing up for the Spring Fair in May; the start of an 8-part anti-racism workshop; a member's book launch; the kickoff of UU Mass Action initiatives for both local social...  Read More

February for First Parish is a time for both reflection and for taking action. Our theme is Silence, for this cold winter month “when we share the silence of sacred space.”  The newsletter provides options for engaging in quiet learning about (or actively engaging with) social justice issues with the UUA Side with Love programming or with BLUU; about denominational policy as the GA approaches; or ...  Read More