This Week in Worship

Sunday, February 8 @ 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse

Worship Led by Rev. Colin Bossen

We are happy to have the Rev. Colin Bossen back in our pulpit this Sunday. He is an award winning preacher, scholar and social justice organizer. After six years in the parish, Colin is currently working on his PhD at Harvard University. He is studying the relationship between theology and social movements.

The Chocolate Auction will follow the service on February 8th!

Interim Thoughts from Rev. Hank Peirce

I have arrived at the age where my friends are starting to turn fifty. While I have until November before I celebrate mine, I’m spending the weekend in Plymouth, VT with some old friends. These old friends of mine are people I met as a teenager at the Unitarian Universalist youth conference on Star Island. What a gift this faith has been to me, it is the place where my parents met, where Rebecca and I met and through which I have been blessed with such good friends.

This week you will be blessed by having another friend of mine, the Rev. Colin Bossen who also grew up in this faith, leading the service. I hope that you have a wonderful time hearing Colin and enjoy the Chocolate Auction afterwards!

Peace,
Rev. Hank

The Worship Theme for February is Love

February 15th – Getting a Settled Minister – Laura Graham

Laura is a layperson from the Concord church and is the Mass Bay District’s Ministerial Settlement Representative,. She is a lively and engaging speaker and she will address the congregation on the process of calling a new settled minister.

Please stay after the service for a question and answer period with Laura.

Feb. 22nd Love Wins! Rev. Hank Peirce
Evangelical minister Robb Bell has started a fire in the evangelical world by promoting a new brand of universalism. We’ll hear about his understanding of how God’s Love saves all people. Today is a multi-generational worship service.

Religious Exploration

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Spring Semester of RE Starts

Children will go directly to their classrooms on Sunday morning

• Spirit Play Pre K – 1st grade down stairs in the activities room.
• Passages 2nd graders downstairs classroom market “Primary”.
• SGM 3rd & 4th Gradersfirst classroom at the bottom of the stairs.
• SGM 5rd & 6th Graders meet in the parlor.
• Neighboring Faiths 7th Graderswill meet in the library.
• OWL 8th Graders will meet in the Children’s Church (Class runs from 10:00am – 11:30am)
• NO Youth Chat or Youth Group – All youth are expected to attend the worship service!
• The Nursery is available for children ages 4 and younger.

Spaghetti Dinner and Intergenerational Games Night

Sponsored by the Youth Group and Membership Committee

This Saturday, February 7th, the Youth Group and Membership Committee invite everyone to a Spaghetti Dinner and Game Night, 5:30 to 9 pm. It will be a wonderful night of food, fun, and fellowship! There will be board games and ice-breakers for all ages as well as a full pasta dinner complete with dessert. There is a requested donation of $5 per person or $12 per family.

We hope to see you there!

From Richard Venable of the Parish Committee:

As in previous ministerial searches, First Parish will form a search committee to select a nominee for the congregation to elect. The Parish Committee has determined that we will follow a process of selecting the members of this committee that the UUA has developed. (Details of the process are being distributed through the bridging meetings.) A successful selection requires (1) a re-thinking of what we as a congregation hold most dear, and (2) full representation from all sectors of our congregation. This is the phase that we are in now, so it is important that each one of us step up and share our thoughts.

Last small group meeting is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 as an evening potluck. It is in these meetings that we make our thoughts known about whom we are as a congregation and where we hope to go. Responses will be recorded without attribution. In addition, we hope you will attend an important All Church meeting on Sunday February 15 immediately after the worship service with UUA’s Ministerial Settlement Representative Laura Graham.

 

Why Pledge?

There are many ways we give to support the work of our church. We give time, talent, and many of us give financially through the collection plate or periodic donations. But making a pledge through the annual Stewardship Campaign is one of the most powerful ways you can make a difference. Why?

* Pledging enables us to plan – The Finance Committee is already planning First Parish’s budget for the 2015-16 church year. By making a pledge now, at any level, you let church leaders know that they can count on your support when deciding the ministries and programs we can run next year.

* Pledging makes a statement – As we search for a settled minister, candidates will be asking, “what kind of a church is this?” Pledging – especially this year – sends the message that we are a community that takes our stewardship responsibilities seriously and is committed to seeing our church grow.

* Pledging deepens your relationship with our church and our faith – By making a pledge, you make an investment in the future of First Parish and Unitarian Universalism. That’s powerful! And it feels really good!

If you’ve never pledged before, it’s easy – just pick up a pledge form at the office, fill it out, sign it and return it. And you can even fulfill your pledge electronically. If you have any questions, contact the church office or a member of the Stewardship Team.

Music News

VALENTINE’S DAY WEEKEND CONCERT @ Sunday, February 8

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Sunday afternoon, February 8th at 4:00. The Meetinghouse will be the location for the next Milton Community Concert: “Opposites Attract: Classical Meets Jazz”. This concert will feature world champion jazz accordionist Cory Pesaturo and classical soprano Bethany Worrell in a program designed to kick off your Valentine’s Day celebration. Cory has performed four times at the White House and is the only person ever to have won first prize in international competitions for digital, acoustic, and jazz accordion. Tickets are $20 (no advance purchase) and free for 18 and under. For more information visit: miltoncommunityconcerts.com

SAVE THE DATE!
The next Milton Community Concerts are scheduled for March 15th and May 16th.

News and Announcements

February 8 – 17TH ANNUAL CHOCOLATE AUCTION
St. Valentine’s Day, when we celebrate the patron saint of Chocolate, is once again just around the corner. At First Parish, that means it’s CHOCOLATE AUCTION time again!

Items to be auctioned are brought to the Parish Hall before church on the morning of the Auction, where they will be on display before the service and immediately after, before the Auction starts. Each item will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Children are permitted to bid, but only under the direct supervision of a parent, please. There will also be a Kids’ Raffle! All of the proceeds of the Chocolate Auction are donated to support the work of a local nonprofit service organization – to be announced shortly. This is a unique, fun and yummy way to raise funds for worthy local social action. Be there! Bring a guest – the more bidders, the merrier!

Any questions at all, call or email Chris Pitt.

The Link – Submission Deadline Tuesdays at 5 pm. Please email the information to both Kiki and Miriam to ensure it makes the publication. Please note your announcement may be edited due to space constraints. We encourage brevity (one to two paragraphs max.) The Link goes out as an email blast on Thursdays and generally posted on our Facebook page First Parish Milton UU and our website by Saturday

SNOW CLOSINGS OF THE OFFICE AND CAMPUS. In general we are closed when the Milton Public Schools are closed. We are part of the Channel 5, WCVB-TV, snow closing network as First Parish Milton. We will also post on our First Parish Milton UU Facebook page. A header will appear at the top of our homepage. Your safety matters, so do what is best for you even if we are open.

We try to keep some shovels and snow melt near the doors. Please feel free to help us out if you notice an area in need of additional shoveling or could use more snow melt. Kevin Harnden, our sexton, is the sole person handling the removal in the walkways. He has been doing a marvelous job keeping the walkways cleared. Please help out when you can.

SOCIAL ACTION/SOCIAL JUSTICE OPPORTUNITIES

Father Bill’s. We have three additional dates for cooking and serving at Fr. Bill’s.
The dates are: Saturday Feb. 28th, Sunday March 22nd, and Saturday March 28th. The Youth Group is interested in the 3/22 date but you can always feel free to join the group. If interested, please contact Pat Gallivan via email or at 617-696-6406.

UU Urban Ministry. Are you interested in helping the Urban Ministry? Here are some opportunities. Rev. Rebecca Hinds, has set the following communication. Please contact her directly for more specifics. If you have interest in organizing a group and need help spreading the details (via Link, Order of Worship Announcement), let Kiki Giatis know.

Bethany House, our transformational living community for young adult women, is in high need of furniture right now. Desks, desk chairs, beds, bedside tables, and dressers. If you know anyone in your congregation who might be able to donate one of these items please help us out by spreading the word.

In addition, the Bethany House residents are planning a Spread the Love event for February 14th. They will be filling backpacks with necessities and distributing them to the homeless on the streets of Boston. We are collecting winter hats and gloves, toothbrushes and toothpaste, mouthwash, wipes, candy, granola bars, socks, etc. If you or a group from your congregation would like to collect and donate some of these items we would greatly appreciate it!
Finally, our Roxbury Youth Program is going on a series of college visits over February School Vacation again this year. We are looking for congregations to donate bagged lunches for the youth on one or more of the following days: Feb 17, 18, or 19. If you or a group from your congregation would like to prepare bag lunches for the youth please let me know asap!

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!