Rev. Lisa Ward has been our settled minister since August of 2016. Ordained in 1992, Rev. Lisa has served congregations in New York City, Queens, White Plains, NY and Harford County, MD. A graduate from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, she has engaged in social justice initiatives throughout her career… 
Table of Contents
- This Week in Worship
- Message from Rev. Lisa
- This Week in Religious Exploration
- Events and Meetings
- News and Announcements
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Beyond First Parish
This Week in Worship
“Soulful Travel”
Worship Assistant: Lisa White
Faith Reflections: Roberta Williams & Russ Tremaine
Music: Tim Steele
Audio: Casey Miller
Social Hour: Franc Graham
Sunday’s offering will be given to YMCA of Greater Boston. The YMCA of Greater Boston is dedicated to improving the health of mind, body, and spirit of individuals and families in our communities. They provide welcoming, belonging and opportunity for all. Anthony Attride, Executive Director from YMCA-Dorchester will speak.
I came upon a quote by Jean Bolen that speaks to this time of year, full of transitions: “Courage is a willingness to act from the heart, to let your heart lead the way, not knowing what will be required of you next, and if you can do it.”
Graduation, retirement, job beginnings and endings, seasonal openings and closings – all these take a leap of faith into the unknown. Unlike the training that COVID thrust upon us, fielding disruption, these transitions are more often ventures, times of mindful change, times of marking a step in our journeys.
What I like about the quote is the affirmation that what we need is already within us to navigate our lives. When facing a new adventure or a new way of life or a change of pace, we have resources that we can call upon. It is good to remember that most of the cells in our bodies are replaced within seven years. We are quite practiced, on a cellular level, with change.
All we need is trust in our natural ability to navigate the new, willingness to ask for help when needed, and the courage to learn what we did not know before.
May all your transitions be held in what the poet Kahlil Gibran named “life’s longing for itself”.
Blessings Be, Lisa
Music For Sunday
This Sunday we say farewell to soprano Jennifer Sgroe, a Hunsaker soloist for the past six years. We will miss her immensely, and we are grateful to her for her many wonderful contributions to our worship. Jennifer has written a Letter (please click on it) for the congregation.
Jennifer will also be offering a very special solo for this Sunday, a piece that she recently premiered called “Courage”, by Lauren Spavelko, on a text by Elizabeth Gilbert. Jennifer, it is with great appreciation and love that we at First Parish say farewell and all best wishes to you on your journey.
The Meetinghouse Choir will also be singing an anthem about community and caring by Tony Alonso, called “How Good It Is”.
Religious Exploration
Middle School Youth Group Program
The Middle School Gaming Group will meet on June 11th- please note the date change.
If your registered junior youth is interested in the Sunday evening gaming group, please email bridget@sitkoff.net. Friends are welcome, but will need to register with the RE program (at https://forms.gle/723pwAZSM9LHnXoAA – choose Youth Group or Junior Youth Group as your program option).
Events and Meetings
REMINDER!
Open to ALL!
Friday, June 2nd
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Please join the Committee Chairs to discuss how committees can advance church priorities (8th principle, climate change, RE programming) in the upcoming church year.
On Sunday June 11th, we will join together in pot luck community immediately after our service, outside in the church courtyard.
This year, we are making it even more fun by asking you to offer a bit of entertainment. Could you sing a song ? Can you tell jokes ? Would you read a poem ? What about a skit ? A magic act? Juggling? Let’s add a bit of fun to our gathering. We will also be applying temporary tattoos and blowing bubbles!
Please use the link and let us know if you can bring something to eat or have something to perform!!
Looking forward to this First Parish tradition!
Flower Communion
Sunday, June 11th
This is a time when congregants bring a flower to share. We gather the flowers in the beginning of the service, then invite people to bring home a different flower, as an offering of shared beauty and blooming!
News and Announcements
Legacy Giving Program
The First Parish Legacy Giving Program will be launching this month with a faith reflection on June 4 from Bebe Williamson and Russ Tremaine. Informational materials will be available on the First Parish website and in a Legacy Giving brochure, and an Estate Planning workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, 7pm via Zoom with estate planning attorney Christopher Suh. Please register in advance by using this SignUp Genius.
A legacy gift is a commitment to make a future donation to First Parish Milton. Members of the parish or the community provide that donation to First Parish through their will or estate planning. The program follows best practice guidelines available from the UUA. Legacy gifts ensure the vital, continual legacy of First Parish, and donations of any size are welcome. Please contact the First Parish office with questions, or members of the Legacy Giving Committee: Mike Bello, Andrew Maloney, Bebe Williamson, and Allison Zippay.
Climate Action Update
As promised at the Annual Meeting, we have posted a summary progress report for our Getting to Zero initiative for 2022-2023. Thanks to collaboration with Buildings & Grounds, Social & Environmental Justice, and the Parish Committee we had a productive year of planning and activity. We are also posting the results of our Climate interests survey. Check it out on the website to see the Climate Action Report and Climate Change Survey Results.
Summer Services at First Parish UU 9:30 am
(in Meetinghouse except 8/13 and 9/3)
6/18 Dan Di Angelo- Father’s Day
6/25 Carole Bundy and friends -“Let the Mystery Be”
7/2 Jeff Stoodt- What is America to me?
7/9 Elise Henricks – Kindness of Strangers
7/16 Laurie Macintosh – See No Evil
7/23 Ellen Barr- Fresh from General Assembly
7/30 Jennie Mulqueen- Song into Prayer
8/6 Katie Vhay – Joy
8/13 Chris Clifford- Worship in the Woods (Outdoor location t.b.a.)
8/20 Leslie MacPherson – Why are UU? An Elevator Speech Refresher
08/27 Chris Clifford-Kindness
9/3* Elise Henricks – Our Labyrinth (outside in courtyard)
Join us virtually from anywhere; but if you can, please come in person.
* Not available virtually.
Saturday, June 24, 9am – 1pm
The First Parish Yard Sale is almost here
DONATION drop-off information
We are looking for clean, gently-used furniture, sporting equipment, toys, clothes, books, lawn and garden items, household goods, bicycles, and more…
Please assist our volunteers by organizing your items by category.
DROP OFF times: First Parish – Parish Hall
- Sun: June 11, before or after church
- Thurs: June 15, 4pm-7pm
- Sun: June 18, before or after church
- Mon: June 19, 4pm-7pm
- Tues: June 20, 10am-noon
- Wed: June 21, 3pm-6pm
- Thurs: June 22, 10am-noon
If these times don’t work for you, please email Jen Pinkus (jennifer.pinkus@gmail.com) to arrange an alternate drop-off time. We may also be able to arrange to pick up your items!
Can you help? We need volunteers to:
- staff the donation drop-off hours
- help set up and organize on June 22-23
- staff the tables and help with set-up or clean-up on the day of the yard sale (June 24)
If you can commit 2 hours or 20, we’d appreciate your help ! Please sign up via Signup Genius or email Jen Pinkus
The event is open to the public – rain or shine – spread the word!
First Parish Milton volunteers provide bagged lunches to MainSpring adult shelters in Brockton twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. Members of the Social & Environmental Justice committee will make the delivery to Brockton.
Volunteers are needed to acquire food and pack 10 lunches and deliver to the church between 12:45 pm-1:00 pm on Delivery day. One team lead drives all the lunches to the shelter in Brockton. Please note how many meals you are making in comments. We are looking for 70 lunches for each delivery day. Lunches should include sandwich, fruit, drink, snack/chips and sweet/cookies.
The next delivery day will be on Wednesday June 7th and then every other Wednesday throughout the year. We will meet in the lower parking lot between 12:40 pm and 1:00 pm.
If you haven’t made lunches in a while OR if you are a new volunteer, sign up on MainSpring Sign Up Genius or contact Pat Gallivan at pl.gallivan@verizon.net for more info.
Thanks to all the volunteers that have made this program a success for more than two years !!
Fair Foods is a non-profit program that rescues fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted and uses it to feed our communities. We volunteer together unloading and sorting food and packing bags once a month.
The next volunteer date is Saturday, June 3rd.
If you want to volunteer, please sign up on Sign up Genius by Thursday
evening before the event. Start time and locations vary depending on Fair Foods’ needs, but typically start at 8:30 a.m. at their warehouse at 70 Amory Street in Roxbury.
Other volunteer opportunities are also available at Fair Foods, especially on Friday and Saturday mornings. Contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com or 617-291-4685 with any questions or for more information.
Beyond First Parish
STAY CONNECTED
through Social Media
Follow First Parish on Facebook! “Like” our page www.facebook.com/FirstParishMiltonUu
REMINDER THE LINK DEADLINE IS TUESDAYS
You need to address email to both office@fpmilton.org and manager@fpmilton.org to assure your announcement will be included in the weekly Link. We, from time to time, will also publish non-church events with a connection to a member of the church. Your submission may be edited due to space requirements. We recommend that you submit no more than 1 – 2 paragraphs.
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We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the Neponset tribe of the Massachusett people, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations.