Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 8/17/2017

Weekly Link 8-17-17

Church

This Week in Worship

August 20, 2017 – “Body Wisdom”

In Interplay, a common phrase is “unlock the wisdom of your body”. We are embodied creatures, we humans. There is much we know in our cells.

Worship Leader– Rev. Lisa Ward
Musician – Peter Smith

Rev. Lisa Ward, Minister

Society is reeling from the events of Charlottesville, VA last Saturday and the aftermath responses amongst politicians, on social media and in the news. Vigils and protests, justifications that run the gamut; denial, shame, blame and calls for action. There will be a vigil tonight at 6:30 in front of Milton’s town hall at the gazebo. Part of the event will include the peeling of our bells simultaneously with the bells of First Congregation. Interdependence, shared resolves a call to awaken.

There are at least three rivers of response flowing in many of us: 1) Shock, dismay and disgust at the rhetoric pouring out and poisoning the airwaves, justifying bigotry, hatred and contempt; 2) Fear of the violence and tactics of domestic terrorism, the murder of Heather Heyer and the deaths of Virginia State troopers H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates in the line of duty; and 3) A weariness or urging to respond someway, somehow.

Some things to consider, friends. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We need each other to find a new way of being together. Our colleagues, family and friends of color remind those of us who are white to shake off our shock of something that they have lived with all their lives. Transformation is incremental, let us come together, deepen our values, address the malignant systems of racism, homophobia, anti-semitism, misogyny and hate to find that land of the free and home of the brave for all peoples.

First Parish Milton is a community that has the unending potential to embody grace, welcome, love and justice. May it be so.

In Faith,
Rev. Lisa

News and Announcements

Summer Office Information

  • Office Hours for the summer generally are Monday – Thursday 10 am – 2 pm. (This may vary depending on vacation schedules).
  • If you are coming to the church office, please let us know in advance. We may not hear the doorbell with the window unit air conditioners purring.
  • The Link will continue to be published weekly. There will be no written announcements at Summer Services. The deadline remains Tuesday.
  • Check Kiki’s Corner for information on the staff’s comings and goings for the upcoming week.

Monday, August 21 – Thursday, August 24 and beyond

Staff/Office Updates

  • The office will be closed on Thursday, August 24. We are catching up on various appointments apparently all on the same day.
  • Rev. Lisa, Kiki Giatis, Kathy Tracey and Kevin Harnden are in Monday – Wednesday.
  • Laurel is on vacation through August 28. Kiki will be on vacation from August 24 – August 31.
  • The office will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 4.

Give Light: Spiritual Nurture for Climate Activism program

Thank you to the many folks who have come out to Fred Small’s workshop as well as the two follow up visioning sessions. I need to cancel our final session because at present there is no one signed up and it is also the night before the first day of public school in Milton. Nevertheless, there is still time to join up and/or lend your voice to the visioning process for FP Milton UU. If interested, please email Jennie Mulqueen before August 25 to schedule a time to meet up. We are looking to begin our first Green Team meetings in September and look forward to doing important work.

Thank you!

Jennie

Religious Exploration

Laurel Whitehouse,
Director of Religious Exploration, restaff@fpmilton.org

Religious exploration programming for children or youth will resume in September. Enjoy your summer, everyone!

Upcoming Summer Worship Services Schedule through September 3
Time: 9:30 – 10:30 am
Location: Children’s Church

August 27, 2017 – “The Physicality of Grace”

To piggyback the previous sermon, yet standing on its own, we can feel and find grace in the living of our lives. It comes over us, passes through us, alights upon us. Let us welcome grace into our days.

Worship Leader– Rev. Lisa Ward
Musician – Tim Steele
Worship Associate – Mallory Digges

September 3, 2017 (Labor Day weekend) – “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”

First Parish member Leslie explores what it is that gives us hope and keeps us going.

Worship Leader– Leslie Macpherson Artinian
Musician – Tim Steele

Social Action Committee News

Upcoming Events

UU Urban Ministry has volunteer opportunities that are continuing this summer. FP Milton has participated in their Fair Foods and Jericho Road Roxbury program for several years. Details below. Check out their flyer on all UU Urban Ministry programs and volunteer opportunities, Flyers are available in the Children’s Church or take a look on line at http://www.uuum.org/ or contact Marvin Venay.

UUUM

FAIR FOODS continues to be an amazing opportunity for your UU congregations to come out and volunteer on Saturdays. Many of you are coming in good numbers, but we still have room for many others too. Please consider carpooling to head into Roxbury on a Saturday from 10:30 am to 1:30/2 pm. Even a couple of hours of service to unload, package and distribute is welcomed!

JERICHO ROAD ROXBURY (14 Non Profit Orgs in NEED) in areas like:

  • Marketing/Re-branding
  • Fundraising
  • Grant Writing o Organizational Structure

FMI|Marvin Venay

Kiki

Kiki’s Corner

We have done some updates to our website www.fpmilton.org over the past few weeks. We have made the website more secure in general and you will notice our Facebook feed appears on many of our website pages. We have also added a pop up to sign up for The Link. All the articles around “church shoppers” say that a seeker will check out the website before coming throught the doors. We have tried to have a good presence on Facebook which also feeds in to our Twitter account. Please explore the website and if you notice something not right, drop me an email. We are always looking for content, graphics and pictures. Like our Facebook page, First Parish Milton or Follow us on Twitter @FPMilton.

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

SIGN UP GENIUS (formerly known as the Planner)

The link to SignUp Genius is:

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