This Week in Worship

10:30 a.m. in the Meetinghouse — Sunday, January 22, 2017

This month’s theme: Potential

Message from Rev. Lisa

I hope that many of you have already met Kathy Tracey, our administrative assistant. Upbeat and responsive, Kathy navigates the various avenues of communication for First Parish. Assisting Kiki Giatis and myself, she tends the master calendar, produces the orders of worship, sends out the link and juggles the room rentals. Kathy manages to also fit in, as a half-time employee, answering the phones, pitching in on daily office logistics and offers, as a born and bred Miltonian, helpful information about the town. All this with a smile!

Writing out the above list reminds me that so much goes into administrating the church for it to be of service to the members of the congregation and the community at large. With Kiki’s adept supervision as Director of Congregational Life, Kathy’s skills help us come together and find our way through. It is a pleasure to come to the office with such support.

Blessings Be,

Rev. Lisa

TO ALL WHO ARE MARCHING, SUPPORTING THE MARCHERS, SENDING GOOD WISHES TO THE MARCHERS IN BOSTON AND DC:

• May you feel supported in claiming the dignity of all lives
• May you have faith in your voice and in your ability to listen
• May you trust in peaceful means and be vigilant about your safety
• May you stay hydrated, and honor the needs of your body

Religious Exploration

Laurel Whitehouse
Director of Religious Education

• Nursery care will be available from 9:00 am to noon for infants and toddlers.
• Our Whole Lives class begins at 10:30 am in the Children’s Church.
• Preschool children through grade 7 will attend the first part of the worship service in the Meetinghouse and then move downstairs to their classrooms.

Please note that classes end at 11:40 am. Children in second grade and younger need to be met in their classroom by a parent.

Older children will be released at the end of class to go to Social Hour in the Parish Hall.

• Preschool through grade 1: Spirit Play in the Preschool classroom
• Grades 2 through 5: Spirited Adventure in the Activity Room
• Grades 6 and 7: Friends and Neighbors in the Primary classroom
• Grades 8 and 9: Our Whole Lives class
• Youth Chat will meet from 10:30 to 11:30 am and Youth Group will meet from noon to approximately 1 pm. Both groups meet in the Youth room upstairs.

Save the date: Spaghetti Dinner and Game Night

When: Friday, February 3, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Don’t miss it! Youth Group-sponsored Spaghetti Dinner includes pasta, meatballs, salad and bread for $5 per person (gluten-free pasta available).

Proceeds will help fund youth group participation in a spring service trip led by CityReach Boston.

News and Announcements

• All Church Council has been rescheduled from this coming Sunday (1/22/2017) to Sunday, March 12, 2017. Details to follow soon.
• We are forming a group to provide additional floral arrangements both in the meetinghouse and parish hall from time to time. If you are interested in being part of the group – or at least hearing more about it, please come meet on Sunday, January 22 at 11:45am in the library. Myrtle Flight is coordinating this new initiative. If you would like more information or want to let Myrtle know you are interested, please call her at: 617-361-8595
• Father Bill’s meal prep and serving is lunch on January 28th. Please contact Peter for more information!!! Sign up at the Social Action table on Sunday.

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE

News from Stewardship:

As we mentioned last week, the Stewardship Committee’s goal is to generate a congregation-wide, year round, conversation about stewardship at First Parish, and for that we are hoping for buy-in from as many of you as possible. We want to begin by having everyone in the congregation talk with one another about how we identify ourselves as a spiritual community, what we value, and how we each demonstrate our values to one another and to the larger community. To that end, we are scheduling some evening and daytime opportunities for you to be involved in directed conversations around stewardship. The evening and after church dates below are definite, the daytime dates and times will be finalized in the next week – a couple in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. We are aiming to create as many opportunities for conversation as possible so that all can participate. Please get one of these on your calendar.

Dates:

• After Church – Sun., Feb 5; Sun., Feb. 26
• Evenings – Wed., Feb. 8; Mon., Feb 13; Thurs.; Feb 23; Tues., Feb. 28
• Daytimes – TBD, 3-6 of the following dates: Mon., Feb. 6; Thurs., Feb.9; Tues., Feb.14; Thurs., Feb 16; Wed., Feb 21; Fri., Feb. 24; Mon., Feb 27

Social Action Committee Meeting is Sunday, February 5th at 8:30am in the Parlor! Hope to see you there!

RENEWAL HOUSE – JANUARY TOILETRY DRIVE

Thank you for your generosity in supporting Renewal House in last week’s collection. Your donations will go directly towards goods and services for clients and their children. Please consider giving to the toiletry drive, which will be held through the end of January. Baskets are located in the church entrance (the narthex) and the Parish Hall foyer.

Renewal House is a domestic violence shelter for individuals and families who are fleeing violence or abuse. Since 1980, Renewal House has provided temporary emergency shelter and advocacy services to more than 1,000 individuals and families escaping domestic violence. Renewal House is run by the UU Urban Ministry in Roxbury, MA. (uuum.org)

Sign up during social hour at the SAC table to join for our next volunteer date taking place on Saturday February 11, 2017.

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

WOMEN’S MARCH IN WASHINGTON

The bus is full.
Special thanks to Debbie Alsebai and Rev. Lisa for organizing.

WOMEN’S MARCH IN BOSTON

Thanks to Elise Henricks for her contributions as “informal organizer” for the Boston march.

Kiki’s Corner

The Master Calendar

Calling on Committee Chairs and Other Meeting and Event Planners to help us show off our activities here at church.

Please send an email to Kathy Tracey and me to provide your Commmittee meeting dates, times and locations (even if it is offsite) from now until mid June.

Our master calendar is available on the home page of our website. Our website is often viewed by potential visitors as well as long time members.

We are also want to publish an All Church Calendar in the next few weeks to highlight how vibrant our congregation is!

STAY CONNECTED

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

EVERY SUNDAY

Worship, 10:30am in the Meetinghouse

Silent Prayer & Meditation, 9:00am in the Children’s Church

THE SUNDAY PLANNER

Please consider volunteering for important Sunday worship positions like ushering, hosting social hour, providing flowers for worship, and lighting the chalice. Sign Up Here!

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

• Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 3 pm
• Other times by appointment

MINISTER OFFICE HOURS

• Tuesday – Thurday 10:00 am – 3 pm
• Other times by appointment

The Church office is closed on Fridays.