This Week in Worship

Sunday, March 22 @ 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse

Have you been wearing your button? Last Sunday in church the young people handed out buttons that read Black Lives Matter, and I asked you to wear them for a week. I then asked you to observe how others reacted to your button, if at all. I also asked you to observe how you felt and thought about wearing it. Most of us who are white are rarely aware of our race, while those who are racial minorities are constantly reminded of theirs. It’s a function of the invisible privilege of being white. On Sunday we’ll hear from two of our own who will discuss what observations they have made.

Mark May 10th as the date of the annual Mother’s Day March put on by The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. More information will be coming soon.

See you in church,

Hank

p.s. I want to just make you all aware that Miriam our Religious Educator and office administrator has returned to using her last name, Saavedra.

The Worship Theme for March is Brokenness

March 22nd – The Art of Wrestling – “The scriptures tell of Jacob spending all night wrestling with and angel. How many nights have you spent awake struggling with issues that seem to have a hold on you? And how do you know when you are through?”

March 29th – Palm Sunday: From Nomads to Pilgrims – How do we transform ourselves from individuals to a religious community? How do we put together our broken lives in a way that not only serves us, but God? This is the journey we are on from nomads to pilgrims.

Religious Exploration

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Spirit Play (Pre K – 1st grade) will meet in their classroom.

Passages 2nd graders will go directly to their classroom.

Small Group Ministries 3rd – 6th Graders will begin in the Meetinghouse before being dismissed to their Religious Education class. The class will be creating Grass Heads, dont’t miss it!

Neighboring Faiths 7th Graders will meet in the library.

OWL 8th Graders will meet in the Children’s Church (Class runs from 10:00am – 11:30am)

Youth Chat students will go directly to the youth room.

The Nursery is available for children ages 4 and younger.

Common Hearth – RE Event

Please Join us for an Evening of Fun and Information at First Parish.

When: March 27th, 6pm – 8pm

What: a quick dinner followed by a parenting seminar by Beth Greenawalt entitled: “Deepen your Loving Connection with your Child”

Bring the kids: Miss Julie from Petit Papillon Yoga will take them through a fun yoga workshop.

Follow this link for more information.

This is a free event and all are welcomed!

Youth Group Happenings…

Hey First Parish Members!!

The Youth have a bunch of great activities coming up both fun and social action and wanted to reach out to the rest of the congregation to see if anyone would like to join them on their adventures. Here are some ways to reach out and be with the youth …

Father Bill’s – Sunday 3/22/15

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Help guide youth in preparing the meal in the First Parish kitchen:
3:45 PM to 6:45 PM Drive Youth to Father Bill’s in Quincy, chaperone while at Father Bills, drive youth back to First Parish.

Laser Tag in West Roxbury – Saturday night to Sunday morning 3/28/15 @ 9:15 PM to 2:45 AM Chaperone’s/Drivers can hang out and play laser tag with the youth for $10!!

Community Serving in Jamaica Plain – Friday 4/3/15 @ 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Meet at First Parish and ride with youth to Community Servings where everyone will help create take-out meals for people not able to leave their homes.

If you are interested in any of these great opportunities to work/play with the youth please call or email Debbie Alsebai at 617-696-2176.

Best, Debbie

Volunteers needed!

Need folks to sign up for hosting Social Hour and USHERING during services. Take a minute, look at your calendar and sign up.

It’s as easy as follow this link and adding your name to an open slot.

Let’s work together to do our part and help Sunday’s run smoothly. This is an easy way to provide service to the congregation.

Ostara is a celebration of the Spring Equinox.

It marks the time when days and nights are of equal length and the sun begins to win out over the dark. Many religions celebrate holidays during this time of year, including the Hindu Holi, Jewish Purim, Sikh Hola Mohalla and Christian Easter. Ostara or Eostre is the Anglo-Sazon goddess of dawn, the coming of spring, new growth and fertility.

Join the Great Blue Hill CUUPS circle as we celebrate the end of winter (at least astronomically) with song, prayer, blessings and ritual planting.

Ostara will be held in the Parish Hall on Saturday, March 21st at 7:00pm. All are welcome to join in the ceremony and in our traditional pot luck social hour following. For more information, contact Mark Whall.

First Parish Transition Team

Who:

• Brian Kelley
• Jen Leggett
• Gillian Najarian
• Patricia Ostrem
• Ian Torney

Purpose:

To support both the congregation and the interim minister through the two year transition to our next settled minister.

How will we do that?

We will serve as advisors to the interim minister, helping him settle in and get to know the congregation, both as individuals and as a whole, and to be extra sets of eyes and ears for him as we go through our transition process together.

We will serve as ambassadors to the congregation, helping them understand the process of transition as set by the UUA, as well as the specific First Parish plan for the two-year transition period as set by the Parish Committee.

We will serve as ambassadors for the congregation, being a liaison to both the minister and the Parish Committee with parishioners’ suggestions, thoughts, and concerns about the transition.

Please reach out to any of us at any time with questions, comments, and concerns. But don’t hesitate to reach out to Hank directly! He’d love to hear from you, too.

10th Annual UU Advocacy Day

REGISTER NOW ADVOCACY DAY, TUESDAY, APRIL 14 Register by April 1st and the appointment with your legislator will be made for you. Check out their website for more information on Advocacy Day as well as their other activities.

Upcoming programs from the New England Region of the UUA.

Saturday, April 18 from 9:00am to 3:00pm – The Future of Small to Mid-Size Congregations:A WORKSHOP FOR CONGREGATIONAL LEADERS CONSIDERING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR CHURCH’S FUTURE
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, MA

Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 1 pm – 4 pm – Combined District Annual Meetings Saturday at First Parish Church in Weston

Kiki’s Corner

I will be out of the office from Wednesday, March 18 – Sunday, March 29. Check in with Miriam on anything that needs immediate attention. Otherwise, drop me an email and I will respond it it when I return. Happy Spring to All!

Spirit and Action Moving Forward on Race and Justice

This three-part series, sponsored by the UU Urban Ministry, will create a sacred space to:

• Learn about the history of race in America
• Creatively reflect on the ways we are impacted by racism
• Move into addressing racism in our interactions with others, in ways that create love and justice

Session 1 – March 30, 7pm – 8:30pm

For more information, click here.