This Week in Virtual Worship

Sunday, March 14, 2021 10:30am

March Theme: Courage

“Perseverence“

Facilitated by:  Rev. Lisa Ward

Worship Associate:  Joe Ayoub

Faith Reflection: Jennie Mulqueen, Atticus & Sophie D’Allesandro

Music:  Tim Steele

Audio Engineer: Madeleine Miller 

Virtual Social Hour Host: Chris Pitt

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.

Please be on the lookout for an Order of Worship which will be emailed to you on Friday, 3/12

Sunday’s offering will be dedicated to the services and ministry of First Parish.

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!

I write today on, what has been coined, the “coronaversery”.  A year ago today, the World Health Organization announced that the Corona virus was a global pandemic.  Two days later, March 13, the United States entered into shut down mode.  At the time folk thought it would be for two weeks or so.  Here we are, a year later, having experienced depths of fear, grief, disruption and innovation that none of us had encountered before.  I would like to think that we can be the wiser for it, rather than calling it a “lost year”, and that our attention to interdependence and the web of existence can lead us towards deeper understanding of ways toward a just, equitable and healthy world.

This time has also been named a triple pandemic threat:  the Corona virus, racism and economic disparity.  Having to face how it all works when the shut down and survival responses pulled back the curtain, so to speak, we see more clearly the urgency of systemic change.  All this occurred while we navigated our own lives, challenged by the changes, hurt by the losses, curious by the new, and grateful for each other.

Which brings me to this wonderful congregation.  There have been so many ways that you have expressed gratitude, compassion and strength for one another. There’s been laughter and tears, ad-hoc zoom training, patience around technology glitches, hope for each other’s lives and willingness to be there when needed.  You have found a way to keep on keeping on as the treasure that you are.

You’ve also stepped up in the stewardship campaign.  At the end of the worship service this Sunday, we will have the Hot Fudge Sunday zoom celebration, in lieu of the pledge parade, to toast each other for this year and years to come with your support and faith in each other.

I hope to see you at service this Sunday, as we mark a year in the pandemic and celebrate each other’s support of our faith community.

Blessings Be,  Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Family Spirit Circle: Family Spirit Circle packets will be delivered this weekend on the theme of Creativity. There are many definitions of creativity, which is appropriate because there are so many unique and individual ways to be creative! Think of the many times each day that you use your imagination to shape your choices and actions, from choosing clothes to wear to doodling to putting together a sentence to dancing down the sidewalk or humming a made-up tune.

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: The Youth Visionary Volunteers are looking into potential service initiatives for youth in March and April. Details on these ideas will be shared as soon as dates and times firm up. 

We welcome suggestions for youth programming opportunities, especially regarding possible social justice youth activities.

[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 week Jennifer Mulqueen will be singing an American folk song called “How Can I Keep From Singing”, arranged by Jay Althouse. Often attributed to being a traditional Quaker or Shaker song (although both have used it widely), it was originally a Christian hymn written by a Baptist minister, Robert Wadsworth Lowry. Grace Allendorf and Jennifer Sgroe will be singing a duet by Z. Randall Stroope called “Inscription of Hope”, based on a text found written on a wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany where Jews were hiding from the Nazis during World War II.

Table of Contents

For Events, News and Announcements 

1.   Chruch Event: Racial Justice Conversations

2.   Church Event: Weekly Meditation

3.   Stewardship Committee News

4.   Stewardship & Worship Committee News 

5.   Membership Committee News 

6.   Social and Environmental Justice Committee News 

Events, News & Announcements

REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR ON SATURDAY NIGHT TO “SPRING AHEAD” 

Racial Justice Focus GroupConversations by Zoom with Rev. Lisa, Timothy Ellis and Debbie Alsebai meets on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays monthly

All are Welcome!

Next Session: Wednesday, March 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 NEW TIME

All are welcome to join for 30 minutes of silent meditation/prayer on:

Thursday evenings at NEW TIME 6:45 pm-7:15 pm 

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   Thank you to the 81 members who have pledged for Fiscal 22, that begins July 1, 2021. We’re almost there ! This Sunday, March 14th is Commitment Sunday, the culmination of Stewardship’s annual budge drive. By now, we have delivered to all households who pledged by March 7, a special jar of Stewardship Chocolate Sauce, which we will enjoy together at the end of this Sunday’s worship service in the “Hot Fudge Sunday” celebration. If you haven’t pledged yet, it’s not too late to join in the celebration-you’ll just need to provide your own chocolate sauce.   Please take a moment to make your pledge RIGHT NOW if you have not already done so. Click on this link to pledge

FROM THE Stewardship and Worship Committee

A Chance to Participate!  You may have noticed the testimonies of appreciation from fellow First Parishoners on the Blue Screen during the Offertory portion of the WorshipService each Sunday. This was initiated by the Stewardship Team, and theWorship and Stewardship committees collectively have decided to continue this aspect of the service, if there is interest. If you would like to “publish” your appreciation of anything that is happening at First Parish or of something at First Parish that has impacted you or surprised you in a positive way, please send your 2-3 sentence“appreciation” to Dottie Pitt at: philoumar75@gmail.com As “appreciations” come in, we will make every effort to include one in each service.  We will identify you by first name and last initial only in order to protect your privacy.

FROM THE Membership Committee

Rescheduled from February, master of ceremonies and veryfunny guy CHRIS HART will lead us in some improv activities. Come join thefun! Saturday, March 20th at 7:00 pm

Our next Poetry Salon will be on Thursday night, March25th at 7:00 pm. Come with beloved poems – either yours or another’s. Bring your favorite beverage and let’s share the love of language together.

COOKING WITH DEB AND STEVE

The next Friday Fun Cooking night will be on March 26, from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Lasagna and pasta will be on the menu. Email Debbie ahead of time for recipes and ingredients list: debalsebai@gmail.com

Zoom link coming

Questions about any of these? Email Leslie: lesliecmacpherson@gmail.com

Getting to

Zero

“Getting to Zero” declares our intention. First Parish Milton’s Social and Environmental Justice Committee plans to propose this intention — to become Net Zero by 2035 — for a vote at the church’s Annual Meeting in May 16.  In advance of the annual meeting, we will learn together through a 3-part virtual discussion series:   what it means to become “net zero” and how to live more sustainably.  This is a critical issue, not only for our church but for our community, climate, and planet.  Each session stands on its own, so we invite you to zoom in to as many sessins as you can.  Join us on this educational journey so that you will be prepared to vote on May 16.  Save the dates: Wednesday March 17th 6:30pm-7:30pm

Getting to Zero 101:  The Big Picture

Zoom link  Wednesday April 21st 6:30pm-7:30pm

Getting to Zero 102:  What’s involved & learning from other congregations

Zoom link  Wednesday May 5th 6:30pm-7:30pmGetting to Zero 103:  Process and next steps

Zoom linkFrom your Social & Environmental Justice Committee

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 March 18th, 2021 at7PM:  Part 4: The Tentacles of Caste

Other dates are  April 1st, 15th, and 29th. Thursdays, 7pm

Link to join 

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A Green Medley

Online Speaker Series for March:

Climate Change in the Blue Hills

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, March 18

Birds and Climate Change

Mass AudubonAlthough the rise of sea levels due to climate change have fairly direct impacts on coastal bird populations, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns also raise less obvious challenges for breeding birds in the Blue Hills and Massachusetts as a whole. This presentation, by Dr Jon Atwood, Director of Bird Conservation for Mass Audubon, will give an overview of the impacts that changing climate conditions will likely have in bird populations in the Blue Hills, and suggest steps to address these problems.

Link

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save the date for the Next one !

Thursday, April 1

Managing Climate Impacts on Diverse Plant Collections

Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum

The Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum is a 25 acre property that lies within the much larger Blue Hills and Neponset River ecosystem.  The arboretum’s plant collection includes a very broad range of both native and non native species. This allows a unique opportunity to study the impacts of a changing climate on a variety of species. Arboretum Director Debbie Merriam will highlight some of the observations of the cascading impacts of a changing climate on plant species and its management strategy to adapt to these changes.

ZERO CARBON HOME

How to cut your heating bill, electric bill and carbon footprint to zero,by someone who has done it Thursday, March 25, 7:00-8:30 p.m\

Attendance is free but pre-registration is required through EventBright https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zero-carbon-zero-bills-for-milton-2-tickets-142258786861 David Green, presenterAll attendees will receive a free electronic version (for iPad or Kindle)of David Green’s practical guidebook, *Zero Carbon Home  *Co-sponsored by First Parish Milton UU & Sustainable Milton

Spread the word………….. it’s a useful, digestible primer for homeowners

The wonderful volunteer crew !

Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, March 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.

Next session is This 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 typicalltty start between 8:00 and 10 a.m. at Fair Foods’ warehouse in South Boston. Please wear a mask and bring gloves if you have them. Signup on Signup Genius  Any questions or for more information contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com