Rev. Lisa Ward has been our settled minister since August of 2016. Ordained in 1992, Rev. Lisa has served congregations in New York City, Queens, White Plains, NY and Harford County, MD. A graduate from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, she has engaged in social justice initiatives throughout her career… 
This Week in Worship
October 31, 2021
“Mysterious Connection”.
Facilitated by: Rev. Lisa Ward
Worship Associate: Elise Henricks
Music: Tim Steele
This will be a hybrid service. You are welcome to join us in the Meetinghouse (masks required for those over 5 years old and childcare will be available). If you prefer, you are welcome to join us via Zoom.
Please see the zoom link below. Please log in at 10:20, to give some lead time for the service at 10:30. You will be muted, but you can communicate through the chat box. If you do not have zoom on your computer, please download it ahead of time. It is free.
Staying Warm in the Meetinghouse
As the autumn days grow colder, we recommend you dress warmly for worship in the Meetinghouse. In order to keep our air circulating, we will need to keep a few windows open. Remember that our forebears worshiped through the winter with little heat, using an occasional foot stove (heated tin box) or other local remedies.
Might you have an extra throw to donate or lend as long as we need to keep the windows open?. You can bring one by on Sunday morning or in the office on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
Amazing, all the different ways this pandemic is inviting us to all be in this together and to connect in creative ways.
This Sunday’s collection will go to the service and ministry of First Parish.
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First Parish would like to thank you for donations to the following organizations:
Fair Foods $1,043
UU Urban Ministry $999.19
Right Question Institute $514.05
As we begin to gather back in various forms of hybrid situations, exciting opportunities to expand our reach and welcome are occurring. This last week the second annual Creepy Carriage House was once again peopled with many volunteers to create a public offering of family friendly fun. We invited the youth group of First Congregational Church (the other church on the Green) to join in on designing, building and performing the spooky skits together. Adult volunteers from both churches shared in the fun and orchestrated a safe and organized welcome to passers by. R.G. Wilson-Lyons, acting minister of First Congregational and I are looking forward to more opportunities to come together on projects.
We are also poised to start the Our Whole Lives Curriculum for youth. A shout out to Transitional DRE Molly Nolan who worked with a team of DRE’s in the greater Boston area to facilitate a mandatory training in order to have this curriculum offered this year. Many thanks, also, to our newly trained OWL facilitators, Laura Reis and Jeff Della Rovere, for dedicating time and heart to this important program. Our Whole Lives, through a holistic, age appropriate curriculum, helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, sexual health and behavior. We reached out to local UU and UCC Congregations who may not have the ability to offer the program this year. We are happy to welcome two youth and their parents from United First Parish Church in Quincy. Another important outreach and practice of welcome.
And as we are gearing for the winter holidays, a great opportunity for the entire church of all ages to engage together in a project is brewing. (see note below) Because we will not yet be able to have a safe pageant inside, we’re taking it on the streets, so to speak. We’ll be creating an outdoor pageant on our Campus. This is an ambitious project, yet there’s something, no matter how small, that all ages can do before, after or during the outdoor worship. Get your creative juices going and join in on this family friendly endeavor.
Thanks for all you do for this faith community.
Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa
JOIN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT ON OUR CAMPUS
We will still be dealing with the limitations of COVID during the holiday season. But that is no reason to keep children and families (of all ages) from participating in our Christmas Pageant. So this year we will celebrate our Christmas Pageant, the earlier Christmas Eve service outdoors! This is a congregation wide opportunity to embark on a project for all ages, with strong visibility and welcome.
There are many ways to help to plan, set-up, and/or participate. To volunteer to share in this family friendly celebration, please contact the office at office@fpmilton.org
Religious Exploration
Thank you to the many people who helped make this year’s Creepy Carriage House a success. Charles Franich kept us organized and moving forward with help from Tony Dutzik, Tracey Robinson, Rebecca Stiles, Deb Larson-Venable, Julie Blackburn, Dana Clancy, Suzanne Glazer, Linda Carney-Goodrich, Karl Pastore, Brigitte Miller and Wendy Garpow and Rev. RG Wilson-Lyons from First Congregational and youth from First Parish and First Congregational. Everyone worked together to make a fun, festive and scary evening. Good work, great fun!
Molly B. Nolan, Transitional Director of Religious Education
MUSIC THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday Dottie Pitt, Penny Knight, Claudia Wellington, and Chris Pitt will be singing a moving anthem called “I Do Not Sleep” by Gene Grier. It is freely based on a text by Mary Frye and adapted by David Lantz III. Jennifer Sgroe will be singing the exquisitely beautiful and beloved art song by Richard Strauss, “Allerseelen” (All Souls Day).
Table of Contents
For Events, News and Announcements
1. Prison Book Program
2.Imaginarium Meeting
3.Membership Event: Cooking with Debbie and Steve
4.Hospitatlity Event: Annual Harvest Gathering
5.Milton Diversity Equity & Inclusion Survey
6. Sunday Service- Production Help Needed
7.Meditation
8.Yoga
9.UU Urban Minsittry
10.S & EJ Committee News
Share the Plate
For almost 50 years, the Prison Book Program, a non-profit located in Quincy, has been sending free books to individuals in prison as everyone deserves the freedom to read. With each hand-selected book, are several ways to support this important program:
Book Drive: Between now and December 15, you may donate gently used and new paperback books in the following categories:
Nonfiction: dictionaries (in all languages), thesaurus, almanacs, trade skills, business, hobbies, self-help, sports, spirituality and books by LGBTQ authors and people of color.
Fiction: Westerns, thrillers, mysteries, science fiction.
Purchase Books. You may purchase a book for a specific person with a special request. If interested, contact Katie Vhay at katievhay@msn.com
Donate! On Sunday, November 7, the collection will be designated for the Prison Book Program.
To learn more about the program, visit prisonbookprogram.org
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
Imaginarium
Meetings are generally on the Fourth Thursday in the Meetinghouse (masks required at this time)
7:00pm-9:00pm (next meeting: October 28)
The Imaginarium is a group that explores our monthly worship themes through discussion, stories and creative play. We meet once a month, crafting ideas and experiences inspired by the themes. Come, enjoy the shared wisdom, creativity and connection. Each meeting stands on its own. Interested? contact the office: office@fpmilton.org
From Membership Committee
We are having our next Cooking With Steve and Debbie on 10/29
On Friday, October 29th, from 6:00pm-7:30pm, you can join us via Zoom and watch them make Jack-O-Lantern (healthy!) stuffed peppers and Spooky Mummy Calzones. You can cook along with us or just watch the fun. Recipe for peppers is below. If you want the recipe for the calzones, you can write to Debbie and request it:
Halloween stuffed peppers recipe
Questions: Ask Leslie! lesliecmacpherson@gmail.com
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Harvest Gathering
brought to you by the Hospitality Committee
Joy is the harvest when we cultivate gratitude………
Please join us for the re-imagined First Parish Harvest Gathering
Saturday, November 6th, 6:00 – 8:00-ish
In Person, All Welcome, In the Courtyard !
Our time-honored Harvest Supper will be back in person but minus the supper (again)!
The Hospitality Committee will provide hors d’oeuvres and drinks, fire pits and fun.
What better way to spend a Saturday evening this fall?
Bundle up, bring the family and come on down!
Did you know Milton has an Equity & Justice for All Advisory Committee? To assist the Committee’s work advising the Town Select Board, we have prepared a survey aimed at better understanding Milton resident attitudes on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. If you are a Milton resident, please take part in the survey below:
https://forms.gle/r2EedQ2upkE8zCEU8
You may share this with your Milton network; this is an individual not household, survey – as long as residents are over the age of 18, multiple individuals in a household may take the survey.
Sunday Service Production Team- Help Needed!
We are looking to expand our Sunday Service Production Team at First Parish with an additional adult mentor and a fourth youth team member. This team is doing things at First Parish that we’ve never done before to make sure Sunday Services reach our community wherever they are.The mentor will work with Eric Miller to make sure our hardworking youth are supported and help with technical updates, answering questions to church staff, and coordination. Someone with a good knowledge of computers will be very helpful in understanding the production system. The youth team member would learn how to run a broadcast production with audio, video, and lighting! Someone who is a Freshman or Sophomore in high school this year would be ideal to join our current team that is made up of a Senior, a Junior and a Sophomore. This is a PAID position for the youth, with approximately 3 hours of time expected on a rotating basis on Sundays for $60/week.Every team member does not work every Sunday. Please contact Susan at manager@fpmilton.orgfor more information, or encourage candidates to to contact her directly.
Meditation
All are welcome to join for 30 minutes of silent meditation/prayer on:
Thursday evenings at 6:45 pm-7:15 pm
Sunday mornings at 8:30am-9:00am
Newcomers and friends welcome.
Please contact Tracey at tdr02186@gmail.com if you have questions or want to join us!
Classes with instructor Elyse Siegmann!
Online via Zoom (see link below) till further notice
This is a NEW Zoom link!
6:30 pm Monday evenings
“Do you love our historic meeting house?? This is a program for you!! For those interested in old Boston churches, architecture, and the Urban Ministry, zoom on in – starting Monday Nov 1!”
The Treasures of the Meetinghouse series
Episode 1
November 1st 6:00pm-7:30pm
In the first installment of the “Treasures of the Meetinghouse” series, city archaeologist Joe Bagley will join us for: An Archaeological Tour: Behind – and Beneath – the Landscape Restoration at First Church
From S & EJ Committee
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Eleventh Hour Calling Stand Out & Stand Up for Climate
The Social & Environmental Justice Committee and Sustainable Milton are collaborating to launch a new, public-facing action on the eleventh day of every month, supporting a national movement. Your presence, creative signage / messaging, and First Parish’s church bells will demonstrate to our community (think about commuters on Canton Avenue!) that we care about the climate emergency, environmental justice, and municipal planning. This event repeats monthly and welcomes all ages and organizations to participate — such as Sustainable Milton (co-sponsoring), Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition, Milton ChangeMakers, and Milton Interfaith Clergy Assoc. congregations. Bring your: positive, encouraging, motivating, colorful signs/banners! flashlights/headlamps! light-colored/reflective clothing! Spread the word! Show up!
Thursday, November 11, 6-6:30 p.m.,
First Parish Church, along Canton Avenue
Calling all Father Bill volunteers!
Next date is MONDAY, November 8th
Volunteers acquire food and pack 10-20 lunches and deliver to the church between 12:45 pm-1:00 pm on Delivery day (every other Monday).
One team lead drives all the lunches to the shelter in Brockton.
Sign up on our Mainspring Sign up-please indicate number of lunches you will bring.
If you require more information or have questions please contact Peter Schneider at peterlschneider@gmail.com
Fair Foods is a non-profit program that rescues fresh produce that
would otherwise be wasted and uses it to feed our communities. We volunteer together unloading and sorting food and packing bags once a month.
The next volunteer date is Saturday, November 20th
If you want to volunteer, please sign up on Sign up Genius by Thursday
evening before the event. Start time and locations vary depending on Fair Foods’ needs, but typically start at 8:30 a.m. at their warehouse in Roxbury.
Other volunteer opportunities are also available at Fair Foods on weekdays
from early morning until mid-afternoon.
Any questions or for more information contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com
Sign up to volunteer on Sign up Genius
STAY CONNECTED
Follow First Parish on Facebook and get updates, poems, announcements and more. You’ll be glad you did!
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Other times by appointment
MINISTER OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday – Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Other times by appointment
The Church office is closed on Fridays
Sundays through mid June
- Worship, 9:30 am in the Meetinghouse
- Choir Rehearsal (most Sundays) at 8:45 am
SIGN UP GENIUS (formerly known as the Planner)
The link to SignUp Genius is: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d44aca728a02-sunday1
You can sign up for one our our Sunday volunteer positions.