This Week in Worship

10:30 a.m. in the Meetinghouse — Sunday, April 2, 2017

This month’s theme: God

Message from Rev. Lisa

This Sunday, April 2nd, is the First Massachusetts Open Mosque Day. Mosques throughout the commonwealth are opening their doors from 3-6 pm to welcome people to venture in and learn about the spiritual life and culture of their Moslem neighbors. Breaking down barriers begins with knowledge of one another. This is a simple, profound offering to close the distance of the unfamiliar and counter suspicion with welcome.

There are many things going on these days designed to demonstrate and deepen cultural values of peace, justice and compassion as executive orders and national legislative initiatives signal the promotion of fear, scarcity, suspicion, competition, disregard of the environment and disdain for avenues of information and truth. There’s also the gift of government, demonstrated in the scuttled repeal of the Affordable Care Act, that demonstrates the necessity to find a way to honor that we are all in this together. Throughout my years of advocacy, I have met many public servants in government who sincerely dedicate their lives to the betterment of their constituents. Keeping our voices and choices alive help public policy makers know who their constituents are.

It is hard to know where to put one’s energy these days, especially when the daily juggle of our busy lives leaves little room for new initiatives. That’s where First Parish can assist you: encouraging us to ground our choices in our faith values and to practice, engage and enrich those values in beloved community. What we do here is welcome the greater wisdom of each other and the spiritual sustenance of our faith to abide with us in the living of our lives. It is a gift we give to ourselves and all those we meet; a gift which sends ripples of hope into our world.

Blessings Be,

Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Laurel Whitehouse
Director of Religious Education

What’s happening in religious exploration this weekend?

Nursery care will be available from 9:00 am to noon for infants and toddlers.

On April 2 preschool children through grade 7 will attend the first part of the worship service in the Meetinghouse and then move to their classrooms. Please note that classes end at 11:40 am. Children will be walked over to join Social Hour in the Parish Hall at the end of class and need to be met there by a parent.

• Preschool through grade 1: Spirit Play in the Preschool classroom
• Grades 2 through 5: Spirited Adventure in the Activity room
• Grades 6 and 7: Friends and Neighbors in the Primary classroom
• Grade 8: Invited to attend Youth Chat today
• Our Whole Lives class (parental permission required) will not meet this Sunday. Next class will be on Friday, April 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Activity Room downstairs.
• Youth Chat will meet from 10:30 to 11:30 am in the Youth room upstairs.
• Youth Group will meet from noon to approximately 1 pm in the Youth room upstairs.

City Reach Donations Needed!

Donations being collected until Thursday, April 27. There is a sign and collection box in the Parish Hall.

In preparation for the Youth Group’s social justice service trip, we are collecting donations for the homeless population that CityReach serves year round. We are collecting the following:

• NEW Socks! Need lots!
• NEW Underwear! Larger sizes preferred!
• New or Lightly Used Bags! (Backpacks, fanny packs, tote bags, etc)

Please contact Sara Elizabeth Santa Cruz, the Youth Advisor, if you have any questions.

College Age Care Packages

Reminder: this Sunday is the final week to donate items and funds for the college age care package project! We welcome baked goods, coffee gift cards, money for postage, and any other donations for us to send and make our First Parish connected youth feel a little more connected to home.

Please contact Sara Elizabeth Santa Cruz, the Youth Advisor, if you have any questions.

News and Announcements

When: Saturday, April 1st at 7pm

In the First Parish Meetinghouse

Milton Community Concerts presents “Black and Green for Rosie’s”, a free benefit concert to support Rosie’s Place, the first women’s shelter in the US, based in Boston.

Vocalists Pauline Wells and Robert Honeysucker will present a program of African-American songs, including spirituals, and Irish folk music. These two popular local singers are also close friends and are looking forward to singing together for a good cause.

Come enjoy a fun evening of music and fellowship. A free-will offering will be taken.

Passover Seder

Friday, April 7 from 6:30 to 8 pm in the Parish Hall.
All are welcome to the multigenerational Passover Seder Interfaith Haggadah service.

A Passover-style potluck dinner will take place during the service. All are welcome. Please RSVP to the Evite that was sent this week.

Please join us for a Passover Seder celebrating old and new traditions. Our family friendly seder with a UU spin will feature an overview of the holiday, fun songs and good company. We will share a Passover style meal, including Boston Market chicken, mashed potatoes and traditional matzoh ball soup.

To complete our potluck, please consider bringing a vegetable main or side, salad, fruit salad, or dessert. Some ingredients to skip for this meal are bread, pasta or baked goods since flour is the missing ingredient for Passover.

HERE WE HAVE GATHERED: A WORSHIP WORKSHOP

When: Saturday, April 8th
Time: 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Meet in the Meetinghouse

Wonder how worship works? Want to experiment with ways toward wonder? Open to all interested, we will explore the elements of worship, try our hand at various worship styles and suggest monthly themes for next year’s full service year (Sept 2017 through June 2018).

First Parish Friends – Summer is coming!

In summer, our worship continues and we move the services to our Parish Hall. We will again have a variety of services that draw on the strengths of our Worship Committee and others in the area. This year as we begin to create a schedule, we are starting by asking if YOU would like to lead a service. It could be either as an individual or as a group. For each Sunday, there will be an assistant from the Worship Committee on hand to help you and we will also be there to guide you in the planning process.

If you have been to the summer services, then you know that they tend to reflect the more relaxed nature of the season. Sometimes we get a chance to experiment with creative ideas which are ideal for a small group – such as outdoor services or a labyrinth walk – or just try something different. The format could be anything from an all-music morning to a service devoted to meditation practices or a traditional UU service. Do you have a sermon in you – something you could tell us about? What can YOU share with the First Parish community?

Sound interesting? Intrigued? If so, either speak to a member of the Worship Committee or email Leslie, Worship Committee Chair.

SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE

Upcoming Events

Most Sundays, the Social Action Committee will have information available on their table during social hour.

Social Action Committee Meeting is Sunday, April 2 @ 8:30 AM in the Parlor.

Next volunteer days are April 8 and May 13!

When: Meet at FP Milton at 10:30 am

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers from First Parish Milton needed to make and serve meals to the clients at Father Bill’s on Sunday, April 23

Contact Peter for more information.

Courageous Conversations

Next Session: April 30, 2017
Where: St. Michael’s Church in Milton MA

Kiki’s Corner

REMINDERS:

Committee Chairs Reminder: Please let me know about needs for members on your committee as soon as possible. . Also your Annual Meeting report is due on Friday April 21.

If you have not yet submitted your pledge for FY18, here is the link to the online pledge form. Thank you for your generosity.

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!

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

• Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 3 pm
• Other times by appointment

MINISTER OFFICE HOURS

• Tuesday – Thurday 10:00 am – 3 pm
• Other times by appointment

The Church office is closed on Fridays.