This Week in Virtual Worship

Earth, Teach Me

Our youtube account is First Parish in Milton UU.  Please subscribe by hitting the subscribe button on our Youtube channel and you’ll get notifications of when new videos are posted.

Please be on the lookout for an Order of Worship which will be emailed to you on Friday, 4/17.  We’ve added the offering to the service with a new way to give- text to giving! 

Sunday’s offering will go to the  AFAB-KAFANM Fund (details below).  You can donate anytime between April 16th and April 19th. See below for  text donation instructions.  It will be good to worship together.

Do join us on Sunday if you can.

Below in the Link: 

1. Minister’s Message

2. RE Message

3. Clapping for Medical Professionals

4. Sunday Donation Info

5. Meditation Options

6. Green Gleanings- Trees for Earth Day

7. Volunteer Opportunities

8. Laptop Offer

Minister

Rev. Lisa Ward

minister@fpmilton.org

Masks.  They are all the rage.  And a good thing, too.  We are able to visualize interdependent care with the increased use of masks.  It’s hard to take that first step of yet another thing to do, but once we feel the communal rhythm of doing the most that we can, there is a comfort that all of us are in this together.  And what a gift the mask makers are giving, offering their craft for such a vital, pervasive need.

Milton now has over 100 positive corona virus cases.  It is expected that that number will rise in the near future. Neighboring towns are registering in the hundreds as well.  I share these numbers simply to help emphasize that the physical distancing and health protocols are essential.  It is up to all of us to do what we can to mitigate the spread and try to keep from overwhelming the already taxed medical system.  Take care of yourselves and  each other. 

We do not know how this shared experience will help shape our lives.  There are hopeful signs that the intricacy of our interdependent web is more deeply recognized.  News stories and featured articles ponder how to improve our health system for all, how to be more mindful of fuel consumption and pollution for the sake of all, and how to address economic disparity which hurts us all.  There is so much we can learn with the frame of “all in this together”.  Within the challenge of these times let us also  ponder the possible wonder of that reality.

Sending love, Rev. Lisa

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 First Parish in Milton UU.

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration

Options for Parent and Children: Our aim is to offer multiple short virtual programs throughout the week so that families feel connected to each other and to the heartbeat of First Parish Milton. We are trying out the following options:

Parent Connection: Sundays at 7:00 pm

Show & Tell: Wednesdays at 3:30 pm

Storytime: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00

Middle School Hangout: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 pm

See the RE family newsletter for more information about each option and the Zoom links to join in. Each session is password protected, participants will be admitted via waiting rooms, private chat will be turned off, and screen sharing and white board use will be restricted to the co-hosts. We will ensure that two adults are present before children or youth are added from the waiting rooms. Please let Laurel know if you need the family newsletter.

We are all learning and adapting to new ways of connecting and sharing. I welcome feedback about what feels possible and helpful as we experiment with virtual RE.

~ Our bodies may not be touching, but our hearts are still connected.

Virtual Youth Chat: All youth should have received Zoom links to join two online Youth Chat sessions each week. Each session will give youth an opportunity to connect and share what is on their hearts and we will play fun group online games. Please let Laurel know if you need the link info.

Bi-weekly sessions are on Thursdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 1:00 pm. 

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

An Invitation far and wide:

#ClapBecauseWeCare

Friday, April 17th at 7:00 PM

Let’s come together to show our appreciation for all front-line workers: healthcare professionals, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, cooks, food pantry workers, and more. Come out onto your front step, or open your window, and applaud, ring a bell, or bang some pans together for five minutes to express your appreciation.  Church bells will be rung as well. Post a video of your celebration on social media with the #ClapBecauseWeCareMiltonand make sure that the video is set to ‘public.’ Milton Interfaith Clergy Association will be compiling these into a video to share with healthcare workers and others on the front-lines. Let’s do this EVERY Friday at 7:00 PM, starting now and until we come through on the other side of this.

Events, News and Announcements

Last Sunday’s Donations

Last Sunday, we collected donations for the Boston Resiliency Fund.

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to donate $614.87.

From today (4/16) through 4/19, we are accepting donations for AFAB-KAFANM.  The Association of Haitian Women in Boston is a community-based grassroots organization in Dorchester that empowers low income women and children. This disenfranchised community deals with poverty, poor healthcare, and overcrowded conditions. Please help AFAB do their life line work.   

HOW TO GIVE: Simply text (617) 539-7576 with the amount that you’d like to give. Do not add words, simply put the amount. You’ll get an automatic text message back, asking you to do a 1-time set up to create an account with your credit card/debit number. After the one time set-up, you can simply text the number with an amount to give, and it’ll be automatically debited from the account of your choosing. This is contained and safe — it goes directly to a designated First Parish account. We will write one check of the compiled donations to the organization.

Meditation returns

We have resumed a group meditation practice which will be available 

online Sunday mornings at 9am and Thursday evenings at 6pm.  

This is a time for us to gather together, in spirit, 

even if we are not physically in the same space.  

This is a time for quiet reflection:

Some of us practice mindfulness meditation, 

others take time to rest in silent prayer, 

some choose to simply ease into a shared and peaceful quiet.   

If you are interested in joining us please email Tracey Robinson at tdr02186 @ gmail.com and I will send you an official invitation.

Green Gleanings

Special Invitation from Social & Environmental Justice Committee

EARTH DAY / ARBOR DAY TREE SEEDLING GIVEAWAY

Come ‘n’ Get Yours (following socially-distanced protocols, below)

Free & Handsome Native Tree Species

Nyssa sylvatica **

WHO: First Parish Milton community only (this is NOT a public event; see Rule #1)

** WHAT: healthy Tupelo (Black Tupelo / Blackgum) seedlings

WHERE: Carriage Barn, First Parish Milton

WHEN: Saturday, April 18 – Monday, April 20

WHY: to honor 50 years of Earth Days (1970-2020)

WHY: planting trees is one nature-based solution to climate change

RULE #1: maintain proper social distancing — if someone is picking up ahead of you, wait your turn — in your car — exchange friendly waves only.

RULE #2: plant as soon as possible or cover the roots with a mulch (leaves,

compost, bark) and keep watered until planting.

RULE #3: wash your hands at home

Tree seedlings, bags, and detailed information sheets about the tree / how-to-plant will be available to all interested; take 1 or more (to share with others).

Thanks to Karl Pastore and Beth Gray-Nix for idea; Karl for sourcing (MA. Tree Wardens & Foresters Assoc.); Social Justice & Environmental Committee for “wherewithal.”

The Tree

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 thy waving skreen

With limbs by summers heat and toil opprest;

And when the autumn winds have stript thee bare,

And round thee lies the smooth untrodden snow,

When nought is thine that made thee once so fair,

I love to watch thy shadowy form below,

And through thy leafless arms to look above

On stars that brighter beam when most we need their love.

Volunteering in a changing world

IT TAKES A VILLAGE….

The Social and Environmental Justice Committee has found several opportunities for volunteering – check these out:

FPM Mainspring Lunch program We are asking volunteers to make and contribute 10, 15, or 20 lunches – whatever you can manage! Contact Peter Schneider peterlschneider@gmail.com to sign-up, for detailed instructions, or if you have questions

Boston Cares is the largest volunteer agency in New England.  Its mission to organize opportunities for volunteers is an essential part of a strong and vibrant community – especially important during times of crisis. As a leading volunteer mobilizer, Boston Cares stands ready to recruit, train, and place volunteers in community roles, working with partners to identify and promote community needs. 

Interfaith Social Services of Quincy is dedicated to improving life for South Shore families in need.  ISSQ relies on volunteers, donors, and community partners to deliver compassionate, client-centered programs focused on hunger, mental health and emergency assistance.  

Brookwood Community Farm is looking for greenhouse helpers for spring planting!! BCF strives to restore underutilized farmland for agricultural purposes, while maintaining and cultivating the ecological richness and diversity of the land. The farm is committed to involving local communities through a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, educational, volunteer, and employment opportunities.  

Reminders from last week’s LINK:

Check out community donation programs:

Milton Food Pantry

Next donation drop off on April 18th at 8:30am at Parkway Methodist Church on Blue Hill Parkway.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• TOILETRIES – shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc.
• FOOD- Cereal, canned soup and canned fruit (not peaches)
• CLEANING SUPPLIES – Paper towels, cleaning products, hand sanitizer

Contact Cynthia Guise for details

Elizabeth Stone House – 

Contact Jim May to coordinate drop-off at his home in Milton

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Diapers – all sizes
• baby wipes
• toilet paper
• cleaning supplies
• arts and crafts for kids
• coloring books and crayons
• Twin bed sheets (new in original packaging only)

Are you interested in a laptop to join in on Zoom presentations or to check out our virtual worship services ? 

One of our parishoners is giving one away ! It’s an older HP with Windows 7.

Please contact Sherri in the office to arrange for pick-up.