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… 
Table of Contents
- This Week in Worship
- Message from Rev. Lisa
- This Week in Religious Exploration
- Events and Meetings
- News and Announcements
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Beyond First Parish
This Week in Worship
“Living into the New Year”
Worship Assistant: Elise Henricks
NO SOCIAL HOUR THIS WEEK
Music: Tim Steele
Audio: Colin Glazer
Sunday’s offering will go to the service and ministry of First Parish.
Masks are optional for vaccinated people in the meetinghouse; masks are still required for those who have not been vaccinated. Respect and consideration should be given to all regardless of their masking choice.
Here we come to a new year and the ritual infusion of hope for days to come. It is a threshold time in our society for resolves and resolutions, best intentions and aspirations.
Since the pandemic, now nearly three years in our ways and walking, changes are constantly affecting the way we gather, work or plan travel. We may resolve to have a certain thing happen in this next year that will be dashed by new restrictions, or made irrelevant by changed circumstances. This has always been true, but now we know it more, we’ve lived it in real time.
So our resolutions could be centered more on attitude and outlook, rather than accomplishment or progression. Our resolutions could train us to meeting the day as it is and find the possibility therein.
This way, we could honor the incremental changes that our intentions give rise to and enjoy the journey as much as the destination. This way, we are not wanting or less than, but simply learning and held by the present moment. We do not want to pass time by while waiting for a certain moment. We want to live into each moment and find a fullness therein.
At least that’s my new year’s hope.
Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa
Music For Sunday
For the first day of 2023 Jeff Stoodt will be singing “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” by Benton Overstreet and Billy Higgins. Also singing a solo will be Daon Drisdom: “When the Song of the Angels is Stilled” by Elizabeth Alexander, with a text by Howard Thurman, a theologian and civil rights activist who was the first black dean at a mostly white American university, Boston University. While serving as dean at BU he was a mentor for Martha Luther King, Jr.
Religious Exploration
Service on January 1st will be multi generational.
On January 8th, our workshop series continues with a visit from the Ecotarium with their “Turtle Travels” program. Please mark your calendars, and invite friends!
How do turtles survive in different habitats? How might their behavior change when humans move in? Meet a live turtle, handle real turtle biofacts, and gather information about turtle adaptations and life cycles in this interactive program! We will also take on a real-world conservation issue to develop a parcel of land while still keeping the needs of local turtles in mind.
Events and Meetings
From Membership Committee
First Parish Membership is starting up our walking group again.
Dianna Wilson will gather interested walkers at 12:15 pm on Sunday, January 15th at the entrance to the Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester. Contact Dianna for more information: diannaw710@gmail.com or 857-251-2485
Milton Interfaith Clergy Association
ANNUAL REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING,JR. CELEBRATION
“A time comes when silence is betrayal“
6:30 pm- 8:00 pm
Concord Baptist Church
News and Announcements
Service Information for Christopher Pitt
Visiting hours with the family will be from 3:30-6:30 on Tuesday, Jan 10th in the Parish Hall.
A celebration of Chris’s life will be held at 1:30pm on Wednesday, Jan. 11th in the Meetinghouse.
For further information and updates visit the website: cspittmemorial.org
11th Hour Calling
Monthly Stand Out for Climate Action & Justice
Wednesday, January 11, 6:00 p.m. -6:30 p.m.
First Parish Church lawn
Standing out publicly states that we care about the climate emergency; community action; environmental justice;100% clean, renewable energy to power our lives; and municipal response planning wherever we live. Show up, drum, chant, learn. BYO posters and percussion. It will be dark: dress reflective/neon; headlamps; flashlights.
What’s all this talk about an 8th Principle?
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation, First Parish in Milton affirms and promotes seven principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides. Our congregation’s Racial Justice Task force is supporting a movement within the UUA to adopt an 8th principle focused on racial justice. To that end we will hold a series of listening circles in January where members and friends can learn about the proposed principle. We hope you can join us.
Sign up on-line (URL to be announced)
Sunday, January 15 – 12:00 Parlor
Wednesday, January 18 – TBD, Zoom
Sunday, January 22 – 12:00 Parlor
Thursday, January 26 – TBD, Zoom
Sunday, January 29 – 12:00 Parlor
A Souper Supper of Gratitude
Saturday, January 21st, 5 to 9pm in the Parish Hall
The Stewardship Committee of First Parish invites you to mark your new 2023 calendars for Saturday, January 21st, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, when we are planning a congregation-wide gathering to celebrate our mutual support of First Parish with music, soup, and expressions of gratitude for the work so many of us are doing to keep First Parish a vibrant beacon of hope.
Our plan is to keep the meal simple but hearty—soups, salad, and bread, plus a few appetizers and desserts. We’ll have some entertainment, and through the evening we will open the microphone for folks to voice their gratitude to anyone they would like. The liquid refreshments will include wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, and we hope to have childcare available.
So start now to think about whom you would like to recognize. We will keep you posted as details develop.
The Stewardship Committee—Charlie Franich, Mallory Digges, Eric Miller, and Mark Ostrem
The office is closed on Monday, January 2, 2023 in observance of the New Years Day holiday.
Volunteer Opportunities
Hospitality Committee in Need of Social Hour Hosts
The hospitality commitee needs your help for 2023! We’d like to continue to offer hot beverages and snacks after Sunday services each week. Thank you in advance for your help!
Please consider signing up in sign up genius if you are interested. And as always thank you to all those who have helped in the past.
Social & Environmental Justice Committee in Need of Reps for Info Table
Weekly S&EJ information table in the Parish Hall. Beginning at the close of Sunday services until 12 noon.
Fair Foods
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, January 14th.
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 at 70 Amory Street in Roxbury.
Other volunteer opportunities are also available at Fair Foods, especially on Friday and Saturday mornings. Contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com or 617-291-4685 with any questions or for more information.
First Parish Milton volunteers provide bagged lunches to MainSpring adult shelters in Brockton twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. Members of the Social & Environmental Justice committee will make the delivery to Brockton.
Volunteers are needed to acquire food and pack 10 lunches and deliver to the church between 12:45 pm-1:00 pm on Delivery day. One team lead drives all the lunches to the shelter in Brockton. Please note how many meals you are making in comments. We are looking for 70 lunches for each delivery day. Lunches should include sandwich, fruit, drink, snack/chips and sweet/cookies.
The next delivery day will be on Wednesday January 4th and then every other Wednesday throughout the year. We will meet in the lower parking lot between 12:40 and 1:00 PM.
If you haven’t made lunches in a while OR if you are a new volunteer, sign up on MainSpring Sign Up Genius or contact Pat Gallivan at pl.gallivan@verizon.net for more info.
Thanks to all the volunteers that have made this program a success for more than two years !!
Beyond First Parish
GIFT BOOKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
“Milton Grows!”is a year-long programming initiative of Milton Public Library. Two book discussions will take place in 2023: January 11th 7pm-8pm will feature Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland and special U.N. Climate Envoy).
The second, March (date TBD), will be Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy (professor of “bugs,” author. lecturer).
These inspirational books are aligned with our congregation’s social and environmental endeavors so consider gifting, or getting, or checking them out! Register on the EVENTS tab at Milton Public Library’s website.
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.