This Week in Worship

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Worship at 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse

Palm Sunday Service with Communion Service

The Mission Composing Team, formed during our church-wide potluck in March, has crafted a mission statement for member consideration. The team approached this entrusted project through research, review of collected data from the congregation and mindful wordsmithing to arrive at a succinct and expansive statement. A one question survey, with room for comment, was sent to members last Tuesday. Please contact the office if you did not receive the email.  A final version of our proposed mission will be drafted by April 28th for the Warrant announcing our annual meeting.  It will then be presented at our Annual Meeting for an up or down vote on May 19th. 

The proposed mission statement:

*We welcome all to build a just and healthy world with love and compassion.*

Now is the time to offer your response to the composition of the mission statement. You can contact me or discuss the drafting with the composing team: Elise Henricks, Tracey Robinson, Lisa White, and Bebe Williamson.  I will also be available in the Meetinghouse after church service for the next two weeks for feedback and discussion.

It’s important to remember that a mission statement is the overview, the aspiration of our shared engagement as a faith community. Basically, it’s the “what” of our organization, and its purpose. The next step, once the mission statement is established, would be the “how”, charting out specific actions or angles to embody the mission.

As I have mentioned before, there are three basic aspects to the life of a faith community:  spiritual, social and service. So, in approaching the statement, I suggest these guidelines:

Does a word or phrase point to a faith endeavor you want to deepen? (Spiritual)
Is there ample room for community engagement? (Social)
Does it point to a vibrant relationship with the world outside our walls? (Service)

It is good to form this community together.

Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Nursery and toddler care is available every week in the Link hallway from 10:15 to 11:45 am. Our caregivers are Tanisha and Bella. Stop by and say hello!

Religious Exploration for Sunday, April 14: Preschool children through grade 8 will attend the first part of the worship service in the Meetinghouse and then move downstairs for a special craft session to prepare “Good Eggs” for our Easter service and posters for the upcoming Town of Milton Spring Clean-Up Day on April 27. Please note that our activities end at 11:40 am.

Register your child or youth! The Religious Exploration Committee requests all families to register your child or youth before attending classes. Please use this link to our online form: RE Registration Form (or paper registration forms are available on the RE bulletin board in the Link hallway).

Youth Yacking for April 14, 2019

There will be no youth programming this weekend due to public school vacation week.

Thanks to everyone who contributed cash for postage, baked goodies, snacks or other items for the care packages for the recent high school graduates of First Parish Milton. Fourteen boxes bursting with flavor and fun are on their way to our young adults!

MUSIC SELECTIONS

This week the choir will be singing a joyous Palm Sunday anthem, “Hosanna” by Christian Gregor, involving two antiphonal choirs. Guest soprano Elaine Daiber will be singing a unique and beautiful arrangement of “Let Us Break Bread Together” by Richard Walters. 

Events, News and Announcements

Please join us for a Passover Seder on Friday, April 26th, from 6:30 to 8:00pm, celebrating old and new traditions.  Our family 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 chicken, potatoes and traditional matzoh ball soup. 

To complete our potluck, please consider bringing a vegetable main or side, salad, fruit salad, or dessert. In keeping with Passover traditions, we will be avoiding bread and other baked goods

On Sunday, April 28th at 3pm Milton Community Concerts presents,”A MESSAGE OF MUSIC”, a FREE benefit concert featuring the Boston City Singers Tour Choir. This concert of jazz, gospel, and African folk songs will be given by this choir of 35 singers, ages 12-18, from many parts of Greater Boston. An offering will be taken to support fundraising for their upcoming tour of the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also performing will be the Croatian musical ensemble PAJDASI. This concert will take place in the First Parish Meetinghouse, and a reception will follow. Visit bostoncitysingers.org ormiltoncommunityconcerts.com.  

The Caring Committee Needs Help!

The Caring Committee is looking for 4 new members. This committee facilitates care giving within the First Parish Community, providing such services as meal delivery, rides, emergency child care, and visits. As a member of the committee, you would not provide all of these services; rather, you would help to ensure that the need has been met. It’s a wonderful way to make new connections – whether you’ve been a member for 2 months or 20 years! We meet monthly. Direct questions/interest to Amanda at amandatobey@gmail.com

Tenebrae Service in the Children’s Church at 7:30pm.

A meditative service with diminishing light to recognize the death of Jesus.

Planning Meeting for the First Parish Yard Sale 

Sunday, April 14 at noon in the Activities Room

Our second annual yard sale will be held on Saturday, June 22, from 9 am – 1 pm. Those of us who worked on or attended the event last year had a great time.  We’re looking forward to doing it again!    

This is one event, where “the more the merrier” is completely true.  We’re looking for volunteers.  Can you help by: 

• joining the organizing committee
• donating furniture, sporting equipment, toys, clothes, household goods, etc. that are in good shape but are no longer useful to you.
• staffing the drop-off hours working at the yard sale
• cleaning up after the sale and distributing the unsold items

Whatever you can do, we’ll appreciate your help!

If you want to get involved, but aren’t available for the April 14th meeting, email Jen Pinkus (jennifer.pinkus@gmail.com).

Keep watching this space for more information over the coming weeks. 

First Parish has a new bike rack! Thanks to the building talents of Hale Smith, our bike rack is ready for riders! Thank you to Peter Schneider from the Green Team & Beth Gray-Nix from Building & Grounds for working together to make it a reality! The bike rack is located to the right of the meetinghouse, where our accessbility ramp is located. 

Circle Social

Springtime on the Porch — Good Friday, April 19, 5:30-ish 

Hosts: Tasha and Michael Bello

Wine, Cheese, Appetizers & Conversation — Bring something to share

6 adults; no resident pets; in Randolph (address/directions will be provided). Sign up on sheet on Membership bulletin board outside church library.

Courageous Conversations is a monthly series of dialogue-centered programs on racism and privilege designed to address racial healing and justice in our town. Each month the Courageous Conversations leadership team in partnership with the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association brings together a diverse group of people representing a wide array of life experiences, circumstances, and choices. All events are open to the public—anyone can attend a meeting whether or not they have attended in the past.

Service Project: Blessing Bags

Topic: Join Courageous Conversations towards Racial Justice in a service project to assemble Blessing Bags for unhoused individuals. In addition to helping assemble the bags which is open to all family members young and old we are also looking for donations of individual sized personal care items like shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Qtips, bandaids, individual snacks and juice boxes.

When: Friday, April 19th, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Where: Parkway United Methodist Church, 158 Blue Hills Parkway, Milton, MA 02186

 Guest Speaker Byron Rushing

When: Wednesday, April 24, from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Where: Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Ave, Milton, MA 02186

Topic: Byron Rushing will deliver an overview on the topic, “Slavery and the Culture of Race in the Americas: Amnesia and Anamnesis.”

UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Spokane, Washington

June 19-23, 2019

“The Power of We”

General Assembly is the annual business meeting of our denomination, and it’s a whole lot more. Inspirational worship services, informative workshops, entertaining programs, and a bustling exhibit hall help make GA an unforgettable experience for the thousands of Unitarian Universalists that attend. Attendees leave with a renewed sense of energy, inspiration, and innovative ideas to take back to their congregations and communities.

Visit uua.org/ga for

• Programming Information

• Registration and Housing

• Financial Aid Information

• Volunteer Opportunities

Green Gleanings

April ~ Celebrating Earth Day/Arbor Day AND National Poetry Month

The Tree (an excerpt, by Jones Very)

I love thee when thy swelling buds appear

And one by one their tender leaves unfold.

As if they knew that warmer suns were near,

Nor longer sought to hide from winter’s cold;

And when with darker growth thy leaves are seen

To veil from view the early robin’s nest,

I love to lie beneath they waving screen

With limbs by summer’s heat opprest…..

STAY CONNECTED

Follow First Parish on Facebook and get updates, poems, announcements and more. You’ll be glad you did!

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Other times by appointment

MINISTER OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday – Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Other times by appointment

The Church office is closed on Fridays

Sundays through mid June

• Worship, 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse
• Choir Rehearsal (most Sundays) at 8:45 am
• Silent Prayer & Meditation, 9:00am in the Children’s Church

EVERY THURSDAY

Silent Prayer & Meditation, 7:00 pm in the Children’s Church (Note new time)

SIGN UP GENIUS (formerly known as the Planner)

The link to SignUp Genius is: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d44aca728a02-sunday1

You can sign up for one our our Sunday volunteer positions.