This Week in Worship

Sunday, November 5, 2017 @ 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse

November Worship Theme – Presence

Minister Rev. Lisa Ward

Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher, coined the phrase, “be here now”, in his 1971 book of the same title. Be Here Now. This is a surprisingly powerful offering. It is a way to break the pattern of our being taken over by thoughts. When I find myself missing or regretting something in the past, or hoping for or dreading something in the future, and I’m lucky enough to recognize that I am immersed in thought, I often say these words.

I must admit, though, that saying “be here now” once, or even twice, rarely redirects me to the present moment. So I’ve added some self- instruction which does often work. “Be here now”, I say, and I continue out loud: “Be who I am, now….Be where I am, now….Be that I am, now.” That usually shifts perception. One phrase or the other wakes me up to the moment. It may not last long, but I now trust the tool, the ability to regroup.

This month’s worship theme is “Presence”. An essential aspect of spiritual deepening and resilience is to center oneself in the moment, to have a full experience of living in the moment, to know that life is here for us to live, not to control.

Blessings Be,
Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Laurel Whitehouse, Director of Religious Exploration

• Nursery and toddler care is available every week in the Link hallway from 10:15 to 11:45 am. This year our caregivers are Daisy and Grace. Stop by and say hello!
• Religious Exploration for Sunday, October 1: Preschool children through grade 8 will attend the first part of the worship service in the Meetinghouse and then move to the Children’s Church. Please note that our Children’s Church service ends at 11:40 am.
• Once a month children in preschool through grade 8 gather together for a worship service in the Children’s Church after we leave the Meetinghouse. This week’s Children’s Church worship will explore UU Source #4: Christian and Jewish teachings. We will be learning about the Bible stories of Creation and Noah’s Ark.
• See the Youth Yacking column for news on programming for grades 9 through 12 this week.
• Register your child or youth! The Religious Education Committee requests all families to register their children and youth. Paper registration forms are available on the RE bulletin board in the Link hallway.

 

The Coming of Age Program is in the final stages of planning and coordination. We expect to launch this valuable program soon. The goal of the Coming of Age program is for youth to explore big questions, reflect on their beliefs, and solidify their confidence to make decisions based on their values. Each youth is paired with a mentor and they travel a spiritual

Youth Yacking!

Sara Elizabeth Santa Cruz, Youth Advisor

First I would like to send a big shout out thanking everyone who participated in making the Haunted Hallway last week a raging success! It was amazing, and you should all be very proud.

This week’s youth programming:

Youth Chat, 10:30am – 11:30am

This week’s Youth Chat will continue the conversation from 2 week’s ago about Youth Group social action goals. This will center around not only the social action items and goals the First Parish Youth Group is passionate about but also on how to identify positive social action initiatives.

CAT (Community & Activity Time), 12pm – 2pm
Our CAT time will focus on continued community building through group games and improvements to the youth room!

News and Announcements

Social Action Potluck

Saturday, November 4 at 5pm @ Parish Hall

Please bring a potluck dish to share to this family friendly evening where there will be storytelling and arts and crafts for kids. Come learn about volunteer opportunities in racial justice work, greening our environment and anti-poverty work. Come join Social Action committee members as they explain the work they are doing and the ways you can get involved. For more information please contact Debbie Alsebai at alsebai@verizon.net or 617-696-1276.

Don’t forget to turn back your clocks Saturday night!

Sunday, November 12 – Potluck Social Hour

The Hospitality Committee is trying out Potluck Social Hours again this year. It was a great success when Tucker Smith
brought this idea to First Parish.

On Sunday, Nov 12th, Claudia Wellington will set up the coffee, tea and cider for Social Hour. If the spirit moves you, bring a coffee cake, some cheese and crackers, fruit or anything else and add it to the table. Knowing First Parish, we’ll end up with an interesting buffet indeed! Our goal is “No Stress.”

We’ll try this model occasionally throughout this church year. Look for notices of other upcoming pot-luck social hours in the Link and
the Order of Worship.

Interested in learning more about First Parish Milton?

A First Parish Orientation and Path to Membership Program is currently being planned. Please let Kiki Giatis know if you are interested in attending. We want to schedule a time that will work will work for optimum attendance.

12th Annual Christmas Tree Sale

Pre-order your grade A1 premium Fraser Fir Christmas trees today! Trees are $65 and payment with pre-order is preferred. Trees will be cut down the last week in November and will be available for pick up Saturday, December 2nd at First Parish.

Pick up a preorder form in the Parish Hall on the information tables or from the bulletin board in front of the office. Place completed form and check in the gray box outside of the office.

First come, first served.

December Ushers Needs

December 10th  – Christmas Eve Services

Please email Mallory Digges if you are willing to be an usher on December 10.

We are still looking for ushers for the December 24, Christmas Eve Services

• 2 ushers – 10 am Worship
• 2 ushers – 5 pm Worship (Pageant)

Saturday, November 4 at 5pm @ Parish Hall

Social Action Potluck

Saturday, November 11
Fair Foods, Inc.
Meet at FP at 10 am

Saturday, November 11
Serve Lunch at Father Bill’s

Wednesday, November 15
Courageous Conversations – 4pm
First Congregational Church

Thursday, November 16
The Green Team
7:30pm – Jennie Mulqueen’s Home

Thursday, November 16
Social Action Committee Meeting
7:00pm – Library

Sunday, November 19
Thanks for Giving Interfaith Service
4pm – St. Elizabeth’s Church, Milton

Social Action Committee News

Check out the Social Action Calendar at the information tables in the Stebbins Parlor and Parish Hall Foyer.

The Next Social Action Committee meeting is Thursday, November 16
7:30 PM to 9:00PM in the Library.

Sign up during social hour to volunteer with Social Action on upcoming Saturdays:

November 11, 2017
December 9, 2017
January 13, 2018
February 10, 2018
March 10, 2018

Fair Foods Inc. rescues surplus fruits and vegetables from Boston industry source and distribute the food to those in need. (www.fairfoods.org)

The Social Action Committee is looking for volunteers to prepare and serve meals at Father Bill’s in Quincy on the following dates:

Lunch, Saturday, November 11, 2017

For more information contact Peter Schneider.

Next Courageous Conversation:

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 7:00PM -9:00PM
At First Congregational Church, 495 Canton Avenue, Milton MA, 02186

The Courageous Conversations Team, in partnership with the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association, Milton Reflecting, and Milton for Peace, invites you to a monthly series of dialogue-centered programs on racism and privilege designed to address racial healing and justice in our town. Now more than ever, we must engage in this critical work of recognizing and dismantling racism in our society.

The Green Team

The next Green Team will meet at Jennie Mulqueen’s house on Thursday, November 16 from 7:30-9pm.
There are still slots open on the team. Email Jennie for questions.
Together we can make a difference.

Kiki’s Corner

Our Caring Committee responds to needs of our congregants. They are looking to expand the network of care. You may join this network by completing a Caring Committee Volunteer Form. Look for the pink form on information tables and next to the grey box. The ask is often for rides, meals and simple home repairs. And if you are so moved, you might consider joining the Committee! Thanks to Amanda Tobey (chair), Amy Norton, June Scott, Christine Dumais and Mark Whall, our current Caring Committee members.

The church lost electricity during Sunday night’s rain and wind storm. This stopped our steeple clock. It has been reset this week and will be adjusted over the weekend as daylight savings time ends. We have, however, noticed it has been losing time. We have a call out to our clock technician. He takes care of both the steeple clock and meetinghouse clock repairs.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow First Parish on Facebook and get updates, poems, announcements and more. You’ll be glad you did!

REMINDER THE LINK DEADLINE IS TUEDAYS

“Brevity Matters” – Peter Bowden, Social Media Guru and wise UU

Deadline for submissions is Tuesdays. You need to address email to both office@fpmilton.org and director@fpmilton.org to assure your announcement will be included in the weekly Link. Written announcements for the Sunday Order of Worship are derived from the announcements for The Link. We, from time to time, will also publish non-church events with a connection to a member of the church. Your submission may be edited due to space requirements. We recommend that you submit no more than 1 – 2 paragraphs.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Other times by appointment

MINISTER OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday – Thurday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Other times by appointment

The Church office is closed on Fridays

SUMMER SUNDAYS

June 25 – September 3
Worship, 9:30 am in the Children’s Church
Silent Prayer & Meditation, 8:30 am in the Children’s Church
No Religious Exploration Program , Nursery Care, Choir Rehearsal

Beginning Sunday, September 10

Worship, 10:30am in the Meetinghouse
Choir Rehearsal (most Sundays) at 8:45 am
Silent Prayer & Meditation, 9:00am in the Children’s Church

EVERY THURSDAY

Silent Prayer & Meditation, 6:30pm in the Children’s Church

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The link to SignUp Genius is:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d44aca728a02-sunday?1472051612751