Posts with the category “newsletter”

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

The New Year brings a little peace back to First Parish after the busy-ness of the Snowflake Fair, and the children's pageant and the holiday services. We move into a time of introspection now, guided by Rev Erin, in keeping with our ministerial search process. Continuing social justice work and parish activities can be explored in the newsletter.  Read More

December at First Parish UU starts with the flurry of activity of the Snowflake Fair! Everyone's contributing their talent, time, and treasure to our annual fundraiser, which looks to be as polished and festive as ever — and as successful, we hope. Then the season of Advent ushers in a time of reflection. At this time, Rev. Erin is preparing the congregation for the work ahead in the new year. She says: : "The interim years are 'a time for looking back and for looking ahead, for uncovering who you have been and discovering who you want to become together.' An interim period is intentional time you have given yourselves so that you can do the best you can to ensure a solid foundation as you create your next chapter together." In the coming month, First Parish members will learn more of the specifics of what a two-year interim period is like, and what happens when. Sometime in January or February, there will be more small group conversations similar to the ones conducted last fall.  Read More

Over the last weeks, we have discussed ways the testimonies, memories, and wishes collected during Rev. Erin's intro conversations could be used as a basis for our church's future understanding and growth. In November, we continue this work even as the busy-ness of the holidays approach, and as we engage with Erin's worship theme for the month, Gratitude: "What are you most grateful for right now, and why? What does 'having enough' mean to you? What practices help you to express gratitude; for others, for life, for the earth, for the Sacred?"   Read More

October finds First Parish setting its pace for the season ahead... We are creating connections between ourselves, and connections with our Interim Minister. We are making time for reflection on the questions posed by Rev Erin for this month about how we recognise and even cultivate reverence, awe, and humility. We are setting goals, rolling out our social justice initiatives, rallying help in meeting community needs, and fundraising so that we can continue to do all of the above (currently, with the help of Grandma's Can-Canners and a team of elves!).  Read More

This September brings unsettled weather, and the potential for an unsettled beginning to our first church year in a decade without our settled minister... but another potential beginning is apparent, as you'll see in this month's newsletter— the First Parish community is well into planning many ways to renew our connections and recall ourselves into covenant, beginning with opportunities for small...  Read More

Summers are quieter at First Parish, but there's still lots going on as we gather for relaxed lay-led services and plan ahead for fall activities. Our new Interim Minister, Rev. Erin Splaine, begins work August 1, committees continue their work, and we continue to gather as a community — the newsletter contains all the details! Click here to access the newsletter....  Read More

June's newsletter details several upcoming celebrations (parades, lobster rolls, inspiring speakers, ice cream!), which include our Pride-month activities, celebrating our Religious Education youth, and of course bidding farewell to Pam's family and her remarkable 10-year ministry at First Parish.  Read More

May's newsletter brings announcements of a flurry of end-of-year activities. The Spring Fair approaches; Religious Education celebrates the children; First Parish celebrates Pam Barz and begins a search for our interim minister... all in addition to the parish's ongoing social justice and community activities.   Read More

In this October newsletter, you'll find information on all the activities under way in this new church year: Sermons; music programming; how you can schedule a time with Pam Barz to 'minister to' your needs; Religious Education classes and extra programs like Coming of Age and Youth Group; social justice activities centered on getting out the vote, and on Indigenous People's rights; and many volunteer opportunities!  Read More

The end of summer brings us, as Rev Pam Barz puts it in the Sept newsletter, a sense of opportunity, and of coming home. With that in mind, the church year begins with a new goal set by the Council of Leaders from feedback from the congregation: “Our goal is to celebrate the rich spectrum of artistry within our congregation, cultivate a sacred space to explore and share these gifts, and create a radiant and vibrant community. Guided by all the elements of our Great Covenant, we can create beauty and transformative change.” Many ideas had come out of the urgent needs left by the Pandemic’s isolation. People wanted to revitalize the bonds of community and love within our core, to spread our welcome outward to new members, to dramatically improve and enable communication both within the church and out to the town and beyond, to increase transparency among the working bodies of the church, and to enhance the welcoming quality in the church’s spaces, both tangibly and intangibly. Religious Education classes are starting, as is the adult RE fall discussion series "Faith Like a River". All details are in the newsletter!  Read More

In this August newsletter, Rev. Pam writes of reconnecting with each other as we head into a new church year and return to the sanctuary. She's been inspired by reading The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt and the novel Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson. During the summer, Pam met with members for spiritual check-ups, to talk about what we're dreaming about for our own lives and for the church. She says two themes came up often in those conversations - "gratitude for the work and presence of our church in the crazy, disorienting, disturbing times we live in, and desire for more connection with one another in exploring the “why’s” and the “what’s” but also just in having fun together." Going into the fall, our newly formed Council of Leaders is considering how to focus our energy in these areas, and the worship series for autumn is on the “Quest” — to live into these goals. Read details in the newsletter about registration for the adult and youth Religious Education programs, book discussions, voting rights action by the Social Justice team, and more.  Read More

Summer is a great time to practice loving, understanding, and doing justice. The long days invite us to bask and reflect. Our summer services are less formal with time for conversation, art, music, games. Our theme this summer is “Feed Your Soul.” There are links in the newsletter to Fall RE registration; social justice initiatives being planned through UU the Vote; and an invitation to a reading group discussion about slavery in Scituate (sparked by our Juneteenth service). Words from the minister for this month of July: On Friday June 24 following the Supreme Court decision taking away the right to an abortion, members of the First Parish community gathered at the church, along with people in the area who saw it announced on Facebook and through Bans Off Our Bodies. We grieved; we raged; we shared stories; we named our fears; we lit candles; we sang. Our gathering didn’t change the reality, but it made us better able to deal with it. We remembered we were not alone. And that connection gave us hope - hope which increased the next morning at the Scituate Pride parade and program as we remembered that we can and have made the power of Love more real in our world. In our tradition the power of church comes not from our belief in a certain truth or doctrine but in our understanding that together we embody Love in ways we cannot do on our own; together we increase our understanding of what is important in ways we cannot do on our own; together we “do justice” in the words of the prophet Micah in ways we cannot do on our own.  Read More

June is the end of our regular church year. RE classes and scheduled activities take a summer break—but we jump into action in other ways. This month's newsletter describes the "Spiritual Practice" theme driving our summer lay-led services (for which volunteers are needed, for sharing any spiritual activity that grounds you); the Adult Faith programs for the summer, which include Spiritual Autobiography, and another Brene Brown small-group discussion series. The newsletter also includes a celebration of what the kids and teachers achieved in Religious Ed this year, and a farewell message from our RE Coordinator Eileen Knight ("As I reflect back on my 3 years as RE Coordinator, I'm in awe of this wonderful community of children and adults who hold each other up spiritually, champion all human, animal and earthly rights, and embrace change with open hearts and minds.")  Read More

At this time of year, towards the close of the church year, the activities at First Parish involve a good deal of looking back and looking ahead, all while continuing to do the work needed in the present. This newsletter informs the community on the upcoming Spring Fair and its celebration of spring growth and the beauty of Kay Shaw's artwork, and on the continuing work of the Social Justice team and community organizations. We look back on all the religious education program has accomplished with the youth of the church, and prepare to review ALL the other programming offered this year, as the Annual Meeting approaches. The Meeting will acknowledge past accomplishments, propose funding for future challenges, and decide on changes to the by-laws in order to help church governance work more effectively. At this time of self-assessment, Pam's message asks us to reflect on how we as a church can root ourselves more deeply in Love as we offer its warmth to others.  Read More

Rev. Pam Barz is back from her sabbatical: "I am looking forward to our reconnecting. I’ll be sharing some of what I learned and pondered during my sabbatical in sermons this month, but I’d love to hear what you’ve learned. What insights have you had into your own life, our church, the world? How would you like to live out those insights? As the time of planting draws near, where would you like to put your energies for growth?" This April newsletter offers some ideas for putting energies into our parish community's growth! — such as being inspired to act for climate justice on Earth Day and beyond, teaching in the youth program, preparing for the Spring Fair, digging into the resource lists to educate yourself on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples, donating to alleviate suffering in Ukraine, and donating to support the works of this church.  Read More

This month of March is ushered in with many joys and sorrows: The gift of music, the gift of Rev Danielle's guidance, the generosity during our pledge drive to support our work together—but also the sorrow of watching war in Ukraine and suffering across the world. Activities at First Parish this month offer resilience: Sermons on the community work of Boston's UU Urban Ministry, on how Unitarian Universalism can be a faith that saves lives, and how it can be a faith that supports us in healing from trauma. The children's classes explore "miracles" in our world, and Nick Page will visit us to lift up all ages with the joy of his song-leading.  Read More

February's newsletter highlights lots of increased activity, the most important of which is our return to the sanctuary—with covid restrictions in place, but gathering again nonetheless (the youth program remains virtual or on hiatus). We also have launched the annual pledge drive, with great expectations for success in supporting our church with the resources we need for all that goes on at First Parish. We are a self-sustaining church with no denominational financial contribution to our staff, building, or programs. In Social Justice news, Black History Month will be recognised, and we continue educational activities to broaden our knowledge and perspective regarding Indigenous Peoples. February can be a difficult month for many. Interim minister Rev. Danielle notes "I am reminding us all that this month we may need to reach out to our friends, neighbors and church members to check in on their well being. I invite you to make a call, write and send a note, send an email or text to someone who may need it. It could make a big difference."  Read More

This January of 2022, we find ourselves again returning to virtual services in order to keep our congregation and families safe and healthy. Rev. Pam Barz begins her sabbatical time, which runs from Jan through March, on retreat, considering questions she poses to us as well: As we asked throughout our Advent and Christmas services, how will we ‘House the Holy’ in 2022? How will we offer our time and our love to strengthen what we care about, especially during this time when we might be worrying about the health of our friends, the health of our society, and the health of our environment? This month's newsletter also provides information about our interim minister and guest worship leaders, and a description of this spring's social justice activities raising awareness of issues important to Indigenous Peoples.  Read More

This season of Advent, we are facing so many challenges in the context of the never ending pandemic. In this December newsletter, Pam speaks of the need to recognize—not mask— the darkness. She writes that she is reading "Haphazard by Starlight" by Janet Morley, a collection of poems and reflections on pieces by authors such as Philip Larkin, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. Although these are poems about darkness - the darknesses of the self, the season, and the society - some offer the hope of light breaking in; others encourage the reader to sit with and in the darkness. Worship services are focused on the Advent themes of hope, peace, love, and joy. Activities in the church this month include holding the Snowflake Fair fundraiser; supporting the Sponsor a Woman campaign; collecting childrens' hats and mittens for Cradles to Crayons, and adult-size white socks for Haley House.  Read More

This November newsletter describes the highlights of a very busy month. Read about our masked-and-distanced return to the indoor sanctuary; the crafting of a Land Acknowledgement; an introduction to the Rev Ms Danielle, who will be our sabbatical minister this coming spring; a description from Pam about the focus of this last session of her sabbatical; and about the services and activities that will bring the children and adults through Thanksgiving and into Advent.  Read More

October's beautiful weather has uplifted our outdoor services and the outdoor children's program activities! This newsletter describes a busy fall calendar under way, with indoor and outdoor services, gatherings, and social justice opportunities, as well as planning sessions for even more ahead. Although our calendars may be fuller than they have been in a long time, Pam's message here asks if the effects of the pandemic still have you feeling as if you are "languishing." An antidote to languishing, she says, is opening ourselves to moments of flow - those times when you are so focused or immersed that you lose track of minutes and of worries - she invites you to make those moments more likely by taking on meditative practices which invite flow.  Read More

September begins a new church year, with lots of activities, even though we celebrate outside, for now. The worship theme for the month is 'Courage'; the newsletter details all the upcoming opportunities to find courage and hope together, by moving forward and making positive change. School and church school begin; book discussions and social justice activities are under way — we reconvene, and renew our commitments and intentions.  Read More

Our August newsletter details the lay-led services continuing on the theme of 'play'; describes the UU workshop that our music director will be attending on the trauma stewardship possible through music ministries; and announces a September book discussion group. Pam's note addresses ongoing pain in our communities and asks: what can we conjure together, to care for our First Parish community? Cli...  Read More

In July, we look ahead to summer services rooted in 'exuberant play!' The newsletter looks back on June's activities: the UUA's General Assembly, and several social-justice and service events.Click here to open the newsletter. ...  Read More

In June, for Pride Month, we celebrate that 'Here All Belong"! Read Pam Barz's dreams for building on the momentum we have created— to root ourselves more deeply in love, and to embody our love in justice. What are your dreams for this community?  Read More

For May, we transition from our theme of the Spiral Dance into a time of celebration: For the love that "brings us forth" for Mother's Day; for the children and youth; remembering those who have died serving our country, on Memorial Day Sunday. And some words about the Annual Meeting, which is a BIG celebration of all we are and can be. And more...  Read More

In April, we explore our worship theme “Dare to Dance Again” reflecting on what it means to dance together. We have seen in history and in recent months ways we are not “dancing together:” racism, economic disparity, and other injustices impair our steps. Also introducing a poetry series... and more.  Read More

Read about how our March worship services will reflect on healing for ourselves and our world, as we mark one year of pandemic living; Earth Day; the Canvass; and an important community conversation.  Read More

Exploring hopes and regrets at the turning year; what true freedom looks like this MLK Day; shared services with Westminster Church (RI); reflecting on the Jan 18, 1634 anniversary of our founding...and more.  Read More

Read about the Snowflake Fair, Caroling, Men's Ministry, and more: ...  Read More

Read about the Snowflake Fair, Christmas Flowers, and Unity Club Dinner:...  Read More