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 Virtual Worship
Sunday, February 21, 2021 10:30am
““Tension and Release: A Music Lesson”“
Facilitated by: Matt Meyer
Worship Associate: Penny Partridge
Music: Matt Meyers
Audio Engineer: Brynne Mershon
Virtual Social Hour Host: Steve Yakutis & Guy PughPlease 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.
Please be on the lookout for an Order of Worship which will be emailed to you on Friday, 2/19
Sunday’s offering will go toMass Interfaith Power and Light.
The mission of Interfaith Power & Light is to be faithful stewards of creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. This campaign intends to protect the earth’s ecosystems, safeguard the health of all creation, and ensure sufficient, sustainable energy for all. We will continue having a social hour after services. Just stay on the Zoom worship call. It will be good to worship together. Do join us on Sunday if you can!
On March 14, 2021, we will mark the 1 year anniversary of “distanced” life co-existing with the Covid-19 virus. To commemorate a year filled with great loss, hope, community and innovation- we invite you to submit a photo for our next photo collage. The photo should be of anything you wish that speaks to what your life experience in this Covid year has been. Photos are due to Elise Henricks- please send to elisemhenricks@gmail.com- by March 7th, for inclusion in our March 14th service. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Rev. Lisa will be on vacation from Feb. 15 through the 22nd.
Religious Exploration
Family Spirit Circle: Family Spirit Circle packets were delivered last weekend on the theme of connecting to the spiritual wisdom inside each of us. What are the ways that you connect to mystery and wonder? What practices or activities in your day bring you to your personal center and calm your spirit?
Email fpmiltonre@gmail.com if you need the family spirit circle newsletter or would like to be added to our distribution list of RE families.
Minecraft for All Ages: Our ongoing Minecraft group meets on Sundays at 4:30 pm and is open to anyone who enjoys playing this absorbing game. Sessions are recorded and the recordings are retained for six weeks. Two youth must be present for the server to be opened.
Please email fpmiltonre@gmail.com if you would like to participate. You will need a copy of Minecraft (Java preferred but we have a server for Bedrock players as well) and an account. Let us know if you need help getting set up.
Middle and High School Youth: Our hoped-for hike did not occur this past Monday due to low enrollment and slippery trail conditions. We will reach out again as April vacation and milder weather approach to schedule another hike for youth. The Youth Visionary Volunteers remain committed to offering opportunities for fresh air, exercise and a chance for social connection during these isolating times.
[In-person religious exploration programs are suspended until we are able to gather together safely. There will be no Sunday morning nursery care, classroom programming, or youth group activities at First Parish Milton while worship services remain virtual only. Fear not! Religious exploration is continuing as we experiment with new ideas and approaches in this time of liminal space.]
MUSIC THIS WEEK
This Sunday we welcome back Matt Meyer to lead our worship and our music. Matt has joined us numerous times in the past with his drumming and songleading. Also a reminder that the streaming for our MLK concert on 1/31 will only run through February 28th. All you need is a computer; simply login to sparrowlive.com/miltoncommunityconcerts.
Table of Contents
For Events, News and Announcements
1. Church Announcement: Welcome
2. Church Event: Thank you from The Chocolate Auction Team
3. Volunteers Needed for Father Bill’s & Mainspring
4. Church Event: Building Spiritual Resilience Class
5. Church Event: Grief Group
6. Chruch Event: Racial Justice Conversations
7. Church Event: Weekly Meditation
8. Stewardship Committee News
9 Membership Committee News
10. Social and Environmental Justice Committee News
Events, News & Announcements
Our guest minister for 2/21 is Matt Meyer, a lifelong UU with a long background as a musician (with a degree in hand drumming) and worship leader. Matt lives in Boston but takes the good news of Unitarian Universalism to congregations all over the country.
He is also the Director of Operations for Sanctuary Boston, which offers contemporary worship gatherings on Wednesday evenings (sanctuaryboston.org); and a founding organizer of the UU Songleaders Convergence for lovers of community singing (https://www.facebook.com/groups/448191915775809).
Matt will be sharing with us his children’s story, “Desmond Gets Free,” about to be published by Skinner House Press. To follow Matt, get news of his book, or receive resources and information for music and worship, please go tohttps://rhythmrevelations.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=345002de5972bf4d46b933227&id=6684fc8355 Matt Meyer’s sermon for 2/21/21: “Tension and Release: A Music Lesson” Our favorite songs, whoever the artist or whatever the style, were created in a strange alchemy of study and inspiration, of strict practice and of letting go. Spiritual practice is a similar combination of dedication, muscle memory, and perhaps a little divine inspiration. Join us for a musical exploration of learning to risk, building the muscle memory of courage, and the spiritual practice of relationship when things around us are changing fast.
The 23rd Annual First Parish Chocolate Auction – and the 1st on ZOOM – was held this past Sunday, on Valentines Day itself, and it was a blast! 22 items, including two baked items presented in miniature pews handmade by Karl Pastore using wood from former First Parish pews! 35 zoom bidding screens. Proving once again the remarkable resilience and creativity of our congregation in unusual times.
Many thanks to all who participated, including bidders, bakers, buyers, carpenters and the Chocolate Auction Delivery Team (Rev. Lisa, Lisa White, Tracey Robinson, Marie-Laure Brown, Laura Reis, Andrea Geyling-Moore, Ruth Hannon/Charlie Franich, Mary Blanchette/Jim May and Beth Gray-Nix), who immediately after the auction picked up all the items donated from the homes of those who had donated them and delivered them to the high bidders!
As always, a great time was had by all, AND we raised $2,200, all of which will be added to the congregation’s Solar Panel Legacy Project to contribute almost 3 solar panels to our solar power installation. Congratulations!! Next year in person?
Your humble Chocolate Auction Organizers,
Chris Pitt (auctioneer)
Dottie Pitt (everything else)
Father Bills and Mainspring Program
Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, February 24th. As of today we have no volunteers signed up. Won’t you please consider signing up. Go to
Mainspring SignupGenius – please indicate number of lunches you will bring.
Building Spiritual Resilience Class
6 session class – Sundays 4:00pm-5:30pm 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28
First session February 21stDeadline to register is this Saturday Feb 20th
Timothy Ellis, our field education student, is teaching a 6-week class about identifying and building up our spiritual resources to be able to face struggle and difficulty without looking away. Building the spiritual endurance and resilience to face harm, struggle, and oppression without looking away can help us to work against injustice and build stronger and more enduring relationships. Through the class, we’ll explore where we already have spiritual resilience, look at times when we find it lacking, and identify sustainable spiritual practices to support us moving forward. There will be an emphasis on how this is used in justice work, but it can of course be applied to all parts of life and relationships. All levels or non-levels of engagement with justice work are welcome.
Please email timothy_ellis@hds.harvard.edu to sign up or with any questions.
Grief Support Group
Four Tuesdays: Feb 23, March 2, 9 & 16
7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Facilitator: Rev. Lisa Ward
When we lose a loved one through death, the world is different, our lives shift in meaning, our ground is shaken. We can feel isolated by our grief. We can also feel a lack of strength or initiative to find a way through. One way to help adjust to the new reality and find our inner resources is to share our journey of loss and recovery with others.There are many ways that we grieve and many kinds of losses. This group is focused on loss due to the death of a loved one. The loss can be recent or from years gone by. We ask participants to commit to at least three of the sessions, no new participants after March 2.
Please contact Rev. Lisa: minister@fpmilton.org if you can attend.
Racial Justice Focus GroupConversations by Zoom with Rev. Lisa, Timothy Ellis and Debbie Alsebaimeets on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays monthlyAll are Welcome!
Next Session: Wednesday, February 24th, 7:00pm – 8:30 pm
This focus group has been meeting since August. Each session is rich with stories, insights, questions, learning, re-learning, sharing of resources, sharing of wisdom. Each session stands alone, so you are welcome to attend at any meeting. Consistent attendance helps deepen trust and exploration. Dismantling systemic racism in ourselves and communities occurs incrementally, discovery by discovery. We recognize the importance of this life-long journey toward transformation and that it is a shared endeavor. Contact the office to receive the zoom link: office@fpmilton.org.
Meditation continues ….
All are welcome to join for 30 minutes of silent meditation/prayer on:
Thursday evenings at 7:00pm
Sunday mornings at 9:30am
Newcomers and friends welcome.
Please contact Tracey at tdr02186@gmail.com if you have questions or want to join us!
COMMITTEE February is Stewardship Month! Thank you to the 35 members who have pledged for FY-22 that begins July1, 2021. If you have not yet pledged, a member of the Stewardship Team will bechecking in with you to answer any questions you may have. Just click on this link to make your FY-22 Pledge: Click on this link to pledge
Poetry SalonFebruary 23rd 7:00pm-8:30pm Come and share the beauty of language with others from First Parish. If you are a poet, bring your work. If not, read from others. What is your favorite poem? Bring your favorite beverage. Let’s relax and enjoy some of the wonder of words. Contact Leslie if you have questions: lesliecmacpherson@gmail.com
Hope to see you there !
Cooking and Laughs with Debbie Alsebai & Steve YakutisFriday, February 26 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Fresh Spring Rolls, Mango smoothies and Pineapple, Mango, Chicken & RiceRecipes and Ingredient lists available by emailing Debbie Alsebai at alsebai@verizon.net(Ingredient packages available for those interested for $10.)Delicious, Safe and Fun for families, foodies, couples and singles! Zoom link will post next week
FROM THE
Social & Environmental Justice Committee
CCTRJ is excited to begin another Zoom book club. This time we will be reading “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson.
CCTRJ Book Group
Come join us every other Thursday – with the next being Feb 18, 2021 at 7PM. Other dates are Mar 4, 18, April 1,15, 29 Thursdays, 7pm
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The Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition invites the community to explore how climate change will alter the Blue Hills and surrounding communities. Experts from organizations in and around the park will reveal how the warming climate will affect the watershed, woodlands, birds, food production and other flora and fauna of the Blue Hills area. To sign up for the Zoom link, visit https://www.bluehillsclimateaction.org/get-involved
The series’ aim is to raise public awareness about the local impacts of climate change and
showcase the groups in the Blue Hills area working to address them. Each lecture will take place at 6:30 pm on the dates listed below. The issues and organizations featured in the series are:
Thursday, February 18
Recording Blue Hills Weather: What do the Climate Trends Tell Us?
Blue Hills Observatory and Science Center
The Blue Hill Observatory is the longest continually operating weather observatory in the entire country. This makes it an excellent climate study resource. Don McCasland, Program Director at Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, will discuss the long-term homogeneous methods the center uses to collect climate data. The data, dating back to the mid-19th century, reveals
important trends of warming temperature, shorter winters, greater extremes, and how it relates to climate data from other sites.
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Save the Date for next oneThursday, March 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m. A Local Farm’s Approach to Climate ChangeBrookwood Community Farm How most food is grown and transported has significant impacts on theclimate and global warming. Join us to learn more.
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February Zoom Event
When: Monday night, February 22, 2021
Where: via Zoom
What time: 6:30-8:00pm
Local Hidden Figures: Our Own Community Members Share Their Stories
When: Monday night, February 22, 2021
Where: via Zoom
What time: 6:30-8:00pm
Come hear some of our respected elders share stories of their life experiences Register HERE
The wonderful volunteer crew !
Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, February 24th. Volunteers acquire food and pack 10-20 lunches and deliver to the church between 12:45-1pm on Delivery day. One team lead drives all the lunches to the shelter in Brockton.
If you can help, please contact Peter Schneider at peterlschneider@gmail.com for instructions or if you already know the drill, signup on our schedule Mainspring SignupGenius – please indicate number of lunches you will bring.
Crew at Fair Food Warehouse 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 on the 2nd Saturday of every month, starting at roughly 9 a.m. Next session is Saturday, March 13th. If you want to volunteer please signup on Signup Genius by Thursday evening before the event. Start time and locations vary depending on Fair Foods’ needs, but volunteering typically takes place at First Parish Dorchester, 10 Parish St. in Dorchester, near Fields Corner, or at Fair Foods’ new warehouse in South Boston. Please wear a mask and bring gloves if you have them. Any questions or for more information contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com