Table of Contents

• This Week in Worship
• Message from Rev. Lisa
• This Week in Religious Exploration
• Events and Meetings
• News and Announcements
• Social & Environmental Justice Committee (SEJC)
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Beyond First Parish

This Week in Worship

“In Defiance”

Worship Assistant: Tom Kemp

Greeters: Liz O’Rourke and Amy Kavadlo

Flowers: Tom Kemp

Audio: Atticus D’Alessandro

Social Hour: Marianne & Brian Cummings and Laurie McCorry

Please join us for service at 10:30am.

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.

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This week’s offering will be given to the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition.(MFFC) was founded in 2006 by a group of Mattapan residents who were concerned about the health of the Mattapan community. Their goal is to increase access to healthy food and promote an active living for Mattapan residents. Major accomplishments include – advocating for the completion of the Neponset River Greenway Trail which opened in 2017, installing wayfinding signs in Mattapan to encourage more walking and biking, and running the Mattapan Square Farmers Market.

As President of the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association (MICA), I am learning more of how this organization is a part of the life of Milton. Mindful of church-state boundaries, MICA is approached by many civic organizations for coalition work. This helps the organization live into its mission:

“The Milton Interfaith Clergy Association cares about the spiritual life of all people in Milton. We strive to increase interfaith understanding. We build partnerships and connections between diverse faith communities, faith leaders, civic leaders, and organizations, so that, together, we can better promote justice for all people. We gather the community to both bear witness to brokenness and celebrate all that is sacred in our midst.”

 One such endeavor is the Community Forum to be held at Pierce Middle School this Sunday afternoon (see notice below). Much like the Dr. Martin Luther King town wide celebration, MICA invites coalition and civic engagement through events and/or vigils that lift up the important soul work we can do together, regardless of particular religious affiliations and/or none at all. It is one of the many organizations that are dedicated to helping Milton thrive.

I am so pleased and honored to be a member of MICA.

Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa

COMMUNITY FORUM

Sunday, February 4, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm

Pierce Middle School, 451 Central Ave, Milton, MA

How Do We Dwell Together in Peace?

Addressing the Turmoil of Perspectives on the War in Gaza and Surrounding Territories

We invite participants to bring your questions, your openness and your willingness to respect differences. This is not a time for answers, pronouncements or divisive judgment. It is a time to listen, to be heard, and to reach toward mutual abiding and shared dignity. 

With co-moderators Dr. Carl El-Tobgui and Jeffrey R. Stone, we will frame this beginning conversation with these values:

• The horrors of war and tactics of terrorism create devastating repercussions
• The practice of peace begins with ourselves
• Diversity flourishes in respectful learning environments

Bring your courage, your curiosity, your grief and your honesty as we engage in this complex and painful situation.

Music This Week

This Sunday the choir will be singing an anthem written by new church and choir member Trisha Tu. The text for this anthem, “Hope”, are the words of Nobel Peace laureate and Chinese political prisoner Xiao Bo Liu. The choir will be joined by guest cellist Jeremy Harman. Grace Allendorf will also be singing “God Bless the Outcasts” by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Plan to arrive early to hear Mr. Harman’s prelude, a sonata movement by Antonio Vivaldi.

Childcare during Choir Rehearsals

Childcare will be available in the nursery starting at 8:30am for caregivers to attend choir rehearsal. If you have any questions about joining the choir, please contact Tim at eliztim95@gmail.com. If you have any questions about childcare, please contact Louise at re@fpmilton.org.

Religious Education

In addition to our traditional youth group, we are excited to be starting a new interfaith youth group called Sacred Expressions for LGBTQ youth and allies grades 6th-12th. This group will meet on the *1st and 3rd* Sundays of the month from 5-6:30 in the FPM youth room and is done in collaboration with our neighbors at First Congregational.

Please spread the word about this group to folks in and outside of the FPM community. For more information and to express interest, please use this interest form and see the attached flyers. In February, Sacred Expressions will meet on February 4th and 18th, while our traditional youth group will meet on February 11th and 25th.

We’re so excited to be offering a UU-themed week of summer fun this year!  Our week will include play, worship, community, crafts, movement, and adventures as we learn more about our faith as Unitarian Universalists. Our community will mainly be folks at First Parish Milton, with plans in the works to bring in friends from nearby UU churches. Everyone is welcome at our week of summer fun, as long as they are fully aware that our week will be centered around UU values and incorporate UU traditions. Details:

-August 19th-23rd from 9-3 (with options for early drop-off at 8 and late pick-up at 4 – a previous communication said late pick-up at 9, which isn’t true. But, if your family needs more flexibility, we can have a conversation.)

-For children entering grades 1-6 (with some flexibility)

-Sliding scale $200-400 (financial support available)

-At First Parish Milton

If your family is interested, please use this form to express interest. More details will be coming in the next month! Email Louise (re@fpmilton.org) with questions. And definitely definitely email Louise if you are interested in helping out with this endeavor :)

Events and Meetings

Valentine Making Party!

(free to attend)  

Come share the love!  First Parish young at heart, families, and friends are invited to come and make Valentines together in the social hall from 5-7pm on Saturday, February 10th. 

There will be lots of crafting supplies to make your own Valentines to take home and share! Pizza and drinks will be available for snacking. 

We hope you will stop by and join us for whatever time works for you and your family! 

Sponsored by the RE Committee.

Save The Date:

Chocolate Auction, Sunday, February 11th @ 11:45 am in Parish Hall

Time to dust off your favorite chocolate recipes!

MILTON COMMUNITY CONCERT UPDATE

Please save the dates for MCC’s final two concerts of the season:

Sunday, February 25 at 3:00 pm:

Milton Community Concerts presents the ninth annual “Sing For Their Supper” benefit concert on Sunday, February 25 at 3pm. This is a free concert, and an offering will be taken to support the Milton Food Pantry and the Milton Residents Fund. Ten outstanding singers will be presenting opera arias and musical theater favorites. One of them was recently featured as the Queen of the Night in a production of THE MAGIC FLUTE in Jordan Hall, resulting in 2.5 million views on Tik-Tok for her performance of a well-known aria. 

Sunday, April 28 at 3pm: “In Community: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Stories”

SAVE THE DATE

First Parish Spring Auction

April 6, 2024

If interested in planning or volunteering at the auction- plan to attend a Zoom Meeting Tuesday, February 6th at 6:30 pm. 

Stay tuned for more information !

It is cold outside but the FP kitchen is full of warmth!

Social Hour Hosts needed for:

Sunday, February 11 (need one more person)

Sunday, February 18 (two hosts needed)

 CLICK HERE to sign up

Haven’t hosted before or need a refresher? No worries! A Hospitality Committee member will reach out to you the week before to answer questions and provide instructions.

ANNUAL BUDGET DRIVE

The Stewardship Committee announces that this year’s Annual Budget Drive has begun! The financial commitments that we hope to secure from our members and friends over the next two months will be used to cover First Parish’s operating expenses for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins on July 1st. Each household will be should have received an email from Stewardship asking for your contribution. Embedded in the email will be a “link” via which you can simply and easily submit your financial commitment for next year. We also include the link here for your convenience.

LINK

If you have already been a financial supporter of First Parish, we are very grateful. Our hope is that you would consider a 3% addition to the amount you contributed last year. If this is your first time making a financial commitment, we will be very grateful for whatever you choose to contribute.

Thank you,

The Stewardship Committee of First Parish in Milton—Charles Franich (chair), Rob Dahl, Mallory Digges, Eric Miller, and Mark Ostrem

Social & Environmental Justice Committee (SEJC)

February 7th is the next date!

S&EJ (Social & Environmental Justice committee) is looking for volunteers the first and third Wednesday of each month to contribute lunches. We hope to deliver 70 lunches twice a month to support shelter guests.

 See updated instructions on the Mainspring SignUpGenius page and signup whenever you can help out.

We are counting on your support!

The next Racial Justice Task Force meeting is:

Wed. Feb 28th

7:00 pm-8:30 pm

Beyond First Parish

Movie Night-“Origin” based on the Isabel Wilkinson novels “Castle”

On Friday, February 2 at 5:15 pm join a group of First Parish friends to see “Origin” based on the Isabel Wilkinson novels “Castle” at the AMC South Bay (25 District Ave., Dorchester). The movie is 2:15 hours long. Tickets are $14.50 or $13.00 Senior, and $11.50 Student. After the film those able will gather for dinner at a nearby restaurant to talk about the film. Carpooling is an option.

The RJTF will be offering First Parish Members and friends a chance to read “Waking Up White” by Debby Irving.

Copies are in the Racial Justice Library and at local public libraries.

The first session will start on Zoom Thursday 2/8 and meet every other week (2/22, 3/7, 3/21) from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We will review 3 chapters each session. Whether this is your first time reading this book or you have read it before it can be eye opening, life changing and surely will generate courageous conversations.

If these Thursday nights do not work for you on Sunday’s February 25 and March 3 we will gather in person after church for informal discussions of the book from 12:0O to 1:00.

Please RSVP Debbie Alsebai at alsebai@verizon.net if you would like to participate in either event.

Join Us UU Urban Ministry Delegate Regional Meetings

Join Rev. Mary Margaret Earl and members of the UUUM Team to discuss how we can work together in new and meaningful ways in 2024 and beyond.

Together, we will discuss how your congregation wants to engage with the work of UUUM, how the UUUM can support you in this partnership, and look at the description of the role of a delegate created with thoughtful input from our Congregational Engagement Task Force – a group made up of delegates and others from member congregations.

Dates & Locations

To make it as convenient as possible for folks from our member congregations to be a part of these important discussions, we have scheduled 3 opportunities throughout the month of February. Join us for one of these meetings [with food/refreshments] with your fellow delegates and volunteers:

Thursday, February 8th (11:30am-1:00pm) at UU Society of Wellesley Hills

Thursday, February 15th (5:30pm-7:00pm) at UU Urban Ministry in Roxbury

Tuesday, February 20th (11:30am-1:00pm) at First Parish in Lexington

If you know in advance that you will be joining us please RSVP to development@uuum.org. But if you decide to be there last minute, you are still more than welcome. Please share this invitation with anyone who might be interested. A promo flyer is attached (JPG and PDF) and we encourage delegates and anyone interested to join us. Hope to see you!

SPECIAL TOWN ELECTION – REMINDER TO VOTE *
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2024

On the ballot: MBTA COMMUNITIES ZONING ARTICLE 1.

Registered Milton voters will decide at the polls whether to amend the town’s General Zoning By-Laws to create an “MBTA Communities Multi-family Overlay District” and remain in compliance with state law. Inform yourself with facts (available on the town’s MBTA Community Zoning webpage and a Planning Board Public Hearing presentation from October). Please read and reflect on Article 1 through the lens of our shared UU beliefs and values… and VOTE

First Parish Milton’s Social & Environmental Justice Committee joined Affordable Inclusive Milton (AIM) and Sustainable Milton in supporting these articles to: address an acute housing shortage; expand multi-generational housing options and affordability; expand social and economic diversity; support smart growth through climate-friendly and sustainable development; boost the town’s tax-base through increased residential and mixed-use properties.

Note: Voters may apply for a mail-in ballot by contacting Milton’s Town Clerk That webpage contains an application to request a mail-in ballot, if they will be away or wish to vote from the comfort of home in winter time, as well as the actual language for Article 1

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.