Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 8/10/2023

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Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 8/10/2023

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

Chris Cliffords will be leading us on a Sunday morning walk in a less traveled part of the Blue Hills. No Zooming to this. *See note below from Chris.

Summer worship starts at 9:30 am

Facilitated by Lay Leader: Chris Clifford

My name is Chris Clifford and I am hoping you will join me for summer worship in the woods.

Not the meditative pace of forest bathing but definitely not trail running.

On Sunday August 13, 2023 anyone interested is invited to join me on a short walk in one of the less traveled segments of the Blue Hills reservation. 

We will meet at 9:30 on Ridgewood road less than a mile from First Parish and travel a loop on quiet paths. We will see remnants of past habitation and the resilience of nature. This is a walk, not a hike but sturdy footwear, long pants, water, and bug spray are necessary. The walk is suitable for young and not so young and if you are willing, shine or rain. 

Parking is readily available at the trailhead. I will have my silver Honda CRV parked there at 9AM.

This week’s lecture series at Chautauqua Institute (where I have had the good fortune to be serving as UU minister of the week) is entitled: “The National Parks: How America’s ‘Best Ideas’ is Meeting 21st Century Challenges.” Tuesday’s lecture was given by Kevin Fedarco and Pete McBride, a writer and photographer for National Geographic, who hiked 750 miles across the Grand Canyon; a challenging, sometimes treacherous journey, which took 71 days.

Each lecture centers around the urgent fact of our interdependence as humans on this earth. Here’s a short list of some of the lessons they shard from the canyon:

Ø We must shift from being consumers to being stewards.

Ø Practice humility: find the wonder, the grandeur in life all around us. 

Ø Quietude is an essential presence in our lives. This is nearly extinct in our human sphere. Find ways to make room for silence.

Ø We are asking too much of a limited resource (earth), illustrated so poignantly in running the Colorado River dry. 

Ø Respect our ancestors who roamed the earth, passing on vital knowledge of living in and with nature.

What is hopeful is the emphasis on seeing clearly our footprint in the world. What is urgent is our understanding that the steps we need to take now must be informed by mindful interdependence.

This I pray. Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration

Happy New Year ! As we approach a new year of Religious Education, you are invited to fill out the RE registration form for children and youth of all ages. The calendar for the upcoming year is currently a work in progress and will be complete in the next couple of weeks. If you have questions in the meantime, please reach out to Louise at re@fpmilton.org

News and Announcements

Save the Date! First Parish is having a Welcome Back Brunch on September 24th, after church. More information and sign-ups will be coming, but we wanted to get the word out now. Hospitality and Membership are joining forces to welcome everyone back for our church year. What tasty dishes can YOU make??? Start thinking!

Sunday Service

First Parish is in need of volunteers for worship assistants, greeters, and social hour hosts.

If interested in signing up please use Signup Genius link.

We have appreciated your help in the past and hope you can help again.

Thank you in advance.

THE REST OF THE SUMMER SERVICES 

9:30 a.m. Meeting House except for 8/13 and 9/4 

You probably know if you’ll be coming to Chris Clifford’s unusual summer service this Sunday. It’s a walk in the woods you will already have read about in this Link and previous ones. I (Penny P.) can’t wait and would love to see you there. Maybe it’s the start of a new tradition for us. You could be there from the beginning. 

On 8/20, Leslie MacPherson will catch us up on what to say when people ask us about Unitarian-Universalism. This will be the condensed version of Leslie’s “Elevator Speech” seminar, given during Covid on Zoom. An easy way to get educated and to touch base with each other: “Why R U U?” 

On 8/27, Chris Clifford will be back with a more traditional service (in the Meeting House, not the woods) about kindness. Who doesn’t want more of that? Or more about that? Chris is a stalwart member of the Worship Committee and the kind man who likes to help kids ring the bell up in the bell tower. 

Finally, on 9/4, Elise Henricks will lead our traditional outdoor Labor Day Weekend service. Many of you heard Elise talk about this service, and labyrinths in general, during our “Highlights of the Summer Services” last spring. The First Parish labyrinth will be laced together and laid out in the Courtyard between the Meeting House and the Children’s Chapel. Especially if you have never walked a labyrinth, this is a great opportunity.

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, September 9th.

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.

Sign up here!

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 Milton

Support Local Youth Farmstand

This year we “shared our Sunday collection plate” with a local organization: Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition. Please consider supporting their Vigorous Youth Farmstand program. Stop by their farm stand at the Mattapan Community Health Center on Blue Hill Ave in Mattapan Square on Thursday afternoons through August 10th.

This year we “shared our Sunday collection plate” with a local organization: Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition. Please consider supporting their Vigorous Youth Farmstand program. Stop by their farm stand at the Mattapan Community Health Center on Blue Hill Ave in Mattapan Square on Thursday afternoons through August 10th.
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, July 22nd. 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. Sign up here!

Rev. Lisa:

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

Aug. 27 – Sept. 4: Vacation

Susan DeMinico:

In office on Tuesday & Thursday – Off Mondays and Fridays, 1/2 day remote Wednesdays.

On Vacation 8/18-8/29.

Sherri Moldaver:

Mon-Thurs in office 8:30 am-1:30 pm

Kevin Harnden

Monday-Friday in office 8:30-11am

Tim Steele returning in the Fall

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.