Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 3/27/2020

Weekly Link 3-27-2020

This Week in Virtual Worship

Sunday, March 29th, 2020

“The Hero Complex”

Please be on the lookout for an Order of Worship which will be emailed to you on Friday, 3/27. First Parish is adding the offering to the service with a new way to give- text to giving! More info coming!

We will be live streaming online on Sunday. At 10:30 am we will begin a “Facebook Live” video. You do not need to have a Facebook account to watch the video (you can ignore Facebook’s request to open an account).Just click on the link below and scroll down the page a little and at 10:30 am you will see a live video come up.

https://www.facebook.com/FirstParishMiltonUu/

We will also record the livestream and post it on youtube.  Our account is FP Milton. Please note that if you search for First Parish Milton, you will get old content.

We are in the process of merging the accounts.    It will be good to worship together. Do join us on Sunday if you can.

Minister

Rev. Lisa Ward

minister@fpmilton.org

Isn’t it fascinating, that when we are prevented from our familiar ways of connecting we are finding and feeling new ways to be “in touch” with one another?  Part of this is not knowing what we had until it ‘s gone and part of this is realizing the abundance of conneciton we are capable of.

We can connect through voice and visual gestures, prayer and virtual hugs, song and shared silence, letters and namaste bows.  We can feel connected — all of us — in this shared circumstance, and in need of each other — all of us — to take care of ourselves and each other

Of course, as we shelter in place, we can have an overload of connection, so it’s important to be mindful of finding space, or even pockets of solitude, when we need.  Do this on a regular basis if you can.  Take walks, create privacy zones in time or place in your home, make creating respite a priority in your daily plans.  Easier said than done, I know.

I have begun offering a video blog< “Strength in Spirit”, simple and brief offerings of ways to carve out resiliency and or respite in your day.  You can find them on our youtube site.  Search for FP Milton.

Keep in touch, reach out for respite, honor yourselves and each other.

With love, Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

We hope to offer opportunities for parents, youth, and children to connect, share, laugh and renew their spirits. Feedback is encouraged about what types of virtual programming would be helpful and when the best times might be to schedule such programs. Our aim is to offer multiple short programs throughout the week so that families feel connected to each other and to the heartbeat of First Parish Milton. A tentative schedule of programs for each age group will be available soon. Virtual hugs to you all. ~ Our bodies may not be touching, but our hearts are still connected.

Virtual Youth Chat starts today! All youth should have received a Zoom link to join an online Youth Chat session at 7:30 pm this evening, March 26. Please let Laurel know if you need the link info. We expect this session to last approximately one half hour to give youth

an opportunity to connect and share what is on their hearts in this moment.

We will be offering Virtual Youth Chat twice each week. The next session will be on Sunday, March 29, at 1 pm.

Interested in a virtual Netflix movie night? Let Laurel or Sara Elizabeth know!

In response to finding social connections during physical distancing, we are forming small groups to maintain social connections. Each group will have a facilitator to help shape our shared presence in the group online. These sessions will be held using Zoom. The facilitator will send out a link to the session. If you need help using zoom, check out the tutorial. The topics of these groups will stem from our Sunday worship themes and develop naturally among the groups. This is a good way for us to deepen in faith with one another. We will keep these groups as long as physical distancing is needed, so while only one date is listed, we are expecting it to be a standing “meeting time” for group participants. It is good to be with one another.  Please review the available slots on signup genius and sign up!

Events, News & Announcements

HOW CAN WE HELP OTHERS and STAY SAFE???

IT TAKES A VILLAGE…

The FPM Social and Environmental Justice (S&EJ) team is brainstorming how

FPM can safely continue our justice work during these challenging times. 

For many service agencies, funds and supplies are more critical

than hands-on volunteers – especially due to physical distancing

safety restrictions and non-essential staffing and business closures.  

Here are some ideas we are working on:

   Mainspring/Father Bill’s has a chronic need for bagged lunches for the shelters in

 Quincy and Brockton.  We are planning a cooperative approach – stay tuned.

  •     Milton Community Food Pantry – supplies in highest demand include:

FOOD- Cereal, canned soup and canned fruit (but not peaches)

TOILETRIES – shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc.

CLEANING SUPPLIES – Paper towels, cleaning products, hand sanitizer (ha!)

Drop off om Saturday, April 4 between 8:30-10:30 am. At Parkway United Methodist Church at 158 Blue Hills Parkway, Milton.  Go to side door on in-bound driveway.

  •     More frequent Sunday collection plate donations:  we have proposed to the Parish Committee that we make weekly Sunday contributions to organizations serving the homeless, children without schools, and other social service organizations who are particularly impacted by the current health emergency.  Stay tuned…
  •     Elizabeth Stone House – more info soon on ways we can help
  •     S&EJ’s newest “contributing member”, Katie Vhay, offered up several links to look for ways to take action from the safety of your own home:

Boston volunteering

Take action from home

Advocate for prisoners

(scroll down on this website to letters to send to officials):

Send YOUR ideas and thoughts to the S&EJ co-chairs:  Pat Gallivan and Tracey Robinson pl.gallivan @ verizon.net or tdr02186 @ gmail.com

There is a SEVERE SHORTAGE of all types of blood products

(Whole, “Power Red,” Platelet, AB Plasma, etc.)

Milton is conveniently located between TWO American Red Cross Blood Donation Centers:

Dedham – 180 Rustcraft Road

Weymouth – 208 Main Street

ONE MUST SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO DONATE — easy online

https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&range=10&zipSponsor=02186

“There is no substitute for human blood, and it is the blood that is already on the shelves that saves lives.” and, “It is important to note: there is no evidence that this coronavirus is transmissible by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases of transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus, including coronavirus.” (Boston Children’s Hospital Blood Donor Center)   

Many hospitals have blood donor centers on-site, for example, Children’s Hospital Boston’s “give pints for half-pints” program:

https://www.childrenshospital.org › ways-to-help › donate-blood

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