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

“Blessing Our Way”

Worship Assistant: Penny Partridge

Faith Reflection: Brigitte Miller

Greeter: Jen Grant

Music: Tim Steele

Audio: Atticus D’Alessandro

Social Hour: FP Picnic

Sunday’s offering will be given to the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) whose purpose is to secure the health and well-being of the environment and of future generations. It advocates for policy that meets the scale and urgency of our environmental challenges. Maritta Cronin, Board Member, will speak.

In Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout the denomination, the flower communion, or ceremony, is a cherished ritual in Spring. This year is the 100th anniversary of the first flower communion, initiated by Rev. Norbert Capek on June 4, 1923, in the Unitarian Church in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

The Czechoslovakian church welcomed people of many faith groundings, including agnosticism, so he knew the traditional Christian communion service of bread and wine would not resonate with the congregation. He also knew that a common experience and sacred sharing would strengthen bonds in this diverse community. 

Čapek took cues from the beauty of the countryside and the delight of flowers. He asked his congregants to bring a flower to church and place it in a vase. At some point in the service, there would be a blessing of the flowers, as symbols of unity in diversity and beauty of being, and an invitation for congregants to take a flower that they had not brought.

Čapek was later arrested by the Nazi Gestapo in 1942 and taken to Dachau where he died. He continued the flower ceremony even in the concentration camp, garnering whatever life from the earth they could find to affirm, even in devastation, that beauty can be found and held. 

So, one hundred years and one week alive, we will celebrate the flower communion this Sunday. Come, share in community and bring a flower to honor the beauty within and without.

Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa

Rev. Lisa’s Summer Schedule:

June 15 – July 15: a mix of 2 weeks of vacation and work away (General Assembly, Pittsburgh, and Minister of the Week at Star Island, New Hampshire)

Aug. 4-13: work away: Minister of the Week at Chautauqua Institute, New York

Aug. 27 – Sept. 4: Vacation

Music For Sunday

This Sunday the Meetinghouse Choir will be singing a fun arrangement of “Turn the World Around” by Harry Belefonte and Robert Freedman, arranged by Larry Farrow.

At the close of the service we are renewing a tradition which has been on hold for three years. For the postlude we will be singing the Hallelujah Chorus from MESSIAH as a way of celebrating the close of a wonderful church year. Anyone is welcome to join the choir for this, even if it’s been awhile since you’ve sung it. I will have plenty of copies of the music available. No rehearsal is required for singing, but if you’d like to join the choir for a rehearsal plan on dropping by at 9:45 in the Meetinghouse. 

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

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!

11th Hour Calling Season Finale:

Monthly Stand Out for Climate Action & Justice

& Stand Up for Milton LGBTQ Pride

Sunday, June 11th 4:00 pm-4:30 pm

535 Canton Avenue (next to Town Hall)

** note time-change

This month, join regulars from numerous local organizations who have stood out for climate action since November 11, 2021 (19 months) at an earlier time. We will multitask in support of Milton Pride Day’s Parade when its cars pass by First Parish Church. This offers a visible way to doubly message passersby. Gather, drum, ring, sing, chant, wave. BYO posters and percussion. Wear rainbow colors.

We care about the climate emergency, environmental justice, and human respect. We stand out to uphold:

 Rights of LGBTQ individuals, especially youths and their families

— it’s not too late to enroll.

Re-aligning Milton’s Building Code to build smart, renewable, and fossil-free to reduce our town’s greenhouse gas emissions

 Composting in Milton Public School cafeterias (aka Waste Diversion Pilot Program)

Gratitude to all participants

Charitable Giving and Estate Planning Workshop June 21

The Legacy Giving Committee invites you to attend an informational workshop on Charitable Giving in the Context of Estate Planning scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, 7pm via Zoom with estate planning attorney Christopher Suh. Please register in advance by using this Sign Up Genius. This is the Zoom link for the presentation.  

Attorney Christopher Suh has more than two decades of experience specializing in trusts and estate planning and charitable giving. Chris is known for distilling complex legal and tax concepts into plain English! Chris was awarded the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. He is active in various networking and professional groups such as the Boston Estate Planning Council. Chris has a JD from the University of Southern California and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.  He is with the Wagner Law Group www.wagnerlawgroup.com.

 A legacy gift is a commitment to make a future donation to First Parish Milton. The most common legacy gift, of any amount, is a bequest in your will. For more information or with questions, please contact the FP office, or members of the Legacy Giving Committee, Mike Bello, Andrew Maloney, Bebe Williamson, Allison Zippay.

News and Announcements

*Please note there will be no Yoga on June 12th & 19th*

Meditation continues …

Meditation continues to meet on zoom through the summer. We practice silent meditation for 30 minutes.

Sunday morning from 8:30-9am 

Thursday evening 6:45-7:15pm. 

Contact Tracey Robinson tdr02186@gmail.com for zoom link info. 

We would love you to join us.

LAY LED SERVICES IN JUNE

Don’t forget- Summer Services start at 9:30am in the Meetinghouse!

Our summer services begin on Father’s Day, June 18th. Dan Di Angelo, who lost his father in the last year, will be remembering and honoring his father. Music will be provided on the piano by Dan’s former wife Deb, who will be playing some of Dan’s dad’s favorite classical pieces. Let us gather to think about our fathers and to support Dan, who will be leading a summer service for the first time.

Our June 25th service will be led by a guest from the Medford UU congregation, Carole Bundy. She will be joined by two other Medford UUs, who make up the singing trio, Molly, Will and Carole. The service is about mystery and living with unknowns. It will include the Iris DeMent song, “Let the Mystery Be” – with Molly Ruggles, the Director of Music for the Medford UUs, on the piano.

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 Wednesday during the normal church year. Our last lunch delivery for this year will be on June 21st. We will take a break during the summer. Please signup to make lunches for 6/21 if you are able to help!! 

Stay tuned for plans for next year on how we can continue to support Father Bills & MainSpring. 

Thanks again to all the volunteers that have made this program a success for the last 2 1/2 years!

Sign up here

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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 – 1:00 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, 9:30 am in the Meetinghouse
• Choir Rehearsal (most Sundays) at 8:45 am

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.