This Week in Summer Worship

Sunday, July 27

10:30am in the Parish Hall

Worship leader Joe Ayoub and music by Peter Smith

ACTION: It’s Not the Thought That Counts

Summer Worship

Slowing down is one of the special gifts of summer. Coming to summer worship allows you to slow down and savor the relationships we usually need to speed by during other times of the year – church staff, fellow congregants and even ourselves.

Summer worship will also offer some new ways of being together in celebration and prayer – something a little different from our beloved traditional liturgy and just right for the sense of freshness and possibility that summer brings.

Summer Worship will be held from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall.

All children are welcome to attend Summer Worship.

Nursery available to children under 4

Upcoming Services:

August 3 – Notable Quotables. Throw a quote at Melinda and she will expand on its theme. Any favorite quote or saying will do. Just bring it to the service and see what happens. (Books and quotes will also be available that day if you forget to bring one.

Worship leader: Melinda Collins

August 10 – The Alchemy of Marriage: What does marriage have to offer us once the fairy tale bubble has been burst? Worship Leader: Melinda Collins

August 17 – The Power of Song: In this age where music is constantly streaming and a part of the background, has the individual song lost its power? In this service we’ll reflect upon the various kinds of deep spiritual connections that can be made with music.

Worship Leader: Jeff Stoodt

August 24 & 31 Rev. Hank Peirce

News and Announcements

Blessingway & Potluck

Sunday, July 27, 5pm to 7pm in the Parish Hall

Come for a final good-bye and blessing of our dear Parisa as she makes this big transition from leading our congregation to working as a multicultural guru. A Blessingway ritual comes to us from Native Americans and is more or less a “crunchy granola” fete during which each person is given an opportunity to bless the honoree.

Whether you have had a chance to say a formal goodbye or not, this is an opportunity to embolden and inspire. Parisa is especially looking for wisdom and blessings for balance and crossing borders for the Blessingway. We would love for the blessings to come for the whole family as they make this adventure together, please bring a poem, reading, song, dance that speaks to this wondering and vulnerability.

Also, this lovely ritual ends with a pot luck feast of favorite foods. Parisa’s family favorite foods include watermelon, guacamole (or anything with avocado), summer salads, fruit, beans and rice.

Meditation

Wednesdays evenings and Sunday mornings

Meditation continues every Wednesday evenings at a new time 6:00pm-6:30pm as well as Sunday from 9:00am-9:30am both meet in the Children’s Church. All are welcome to join us and enjoy some peaceful, restful quiet.

Happenings

Ashmont Hill Chamber Music

Artistic Director Marybeth Alger Presents:

Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time

Thursday, July 31st at 7:00pm

6:30pm pre-concert lecture by Aaron Wunsch, music historian, The Juilliard School

First Parish in Milton
535 Canton Ave, Milton, MA

Tickets $20

Religious Exploration

We Need You to Register your Children!

On-Line Registration is open!

The RE committee and I are working hard putting together class list and recruiting teacher volunteers for our 2014-2015 RE Year. We ask that all parents with children returning to the program take a moment to register. Having an accurate count of children helps us greatly in the planning stage!

You can sign up on-line on the member’s page of our website!

Password: miltonuu

Please feel free to contact me at the office with any questions or concerns. or by phone at 617-698-6329.

Thanks!

Miriam
RE Assistant

VOLUNTEER!

Sign up to teach a Religious Exploration unit in the fall or spring of next year. We are a cooperatively run program and we are always in need of volunteers to teach, lead a single workshop, be a mentor to a youth in Coming of Age, chaperone a youth sleepover. The sky is the limit!

We offer plenty of guidance, training and support, so please don’t be shy. The kids have so much to teach and share, make this part of your spiritual journey!

We especially need folks who do not currently have kids at home to sign up. If you are interested please contact Miriam.

OFFICE UPDATES

Summer Office Hours:

Monday, July 14 – Thursday, Aug 28 Hours 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (Monday – Thursday)

The staff will be around during the summer. We will be working on some projects best suited to be done during the summer, taking vacation or getting some training. Rev. Parisa Parsa will be leaving at the end of July. Rev. Hank Peirce joins First Parish in mid-August. We are happy to make appointments with you outside of these hours, just call or email us.

We are committed to sending out The Link each week. If you have news you want to share with the congregation, please submit via email by Tuesday at noon.

Summer Clean Out: During July and August, we plan to do some clean up and purging in the office and around the campus. If you have something you have left behind, check the lost and found box or check where you might have left it. Otherwise, it will either be donated or thrown away.

Kiki’s Corner

Summer News

Organ Repair Update. Thanks to the success of the variety of organ fundraisers and donations, the organ repair is in process. In late June, the repair was begun by having the blower removed and off to the workshop of Joe Sloane, our organ specialist and tuner. As of July 24, the lumber was delivered for the new storage room in the basement. We are moving right along!

FREE CYCLE FP MILTON STYLE! We have a typewriter we are willing to give away to anyone who will pick it up on or before August 21.

We are clearing out some office spaces and storage areas tucked away around the church. We will likely have some other items to ”freecycle”. The item must be picked up on or before Thursday, August 21st. Stay tuned for good stuff, free.

We are getting our office computers and network updated. We are delighted with the work so far. Thanks to the Leggett family for recommending our consultant and thanks to Matt Najarian for his work to get some computers donated to us. It will make a world of difference. We know there may be occasional blips in communications or access to files over this transition period. Please be patient with us.

Regards,

Kiki

STAY CONNECTED

Follow First Parish on Facebook! “Like” our page www.facebook.com/FirstParishMiltonUu 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!