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… 
This Week in Worship
August 15, 2021
“Making Meaning: Handcraft as a Spiritual Practice”
How can we nourish the creative spark that we all possess and bring it into the light?
Elise will share some of her own journey as a “panthusiast of the needle arts” and its relevance to spiritual practice. There will be creating during the service, so we encourage all who can to attend in person.
If you would like to pick up supplies to do the activity at home, please let Elise know at elisemhenricks@gmail.com, and she will make materials available to you. Otherwise, please try to have a piece of paper or card stock and either fabric or markers available during the service.
Worship Associate: Franc Graham Music: Franc Graham, Karl Pastore & Claudia Wellington Audio Engineer: Eric Miller Service will be held live in Meetinghouse as well as on Zoom. Please see the zoom link below. Please log in at 9:20, to give some lead time for the service at 9:30. You will be muted, but you can communicate through the chat box. If you do not have zoom on your computer, please download it ahead of time. It is free. Please note this is a NEW summer services only Zoom link! Sunday’s offering will be dedicated to the services and ministry of First Parish.  Our administrative assistant, Sherri Moldaver, and I just added signage to the pews in the Meetinghouse as a reminder for us to sit in every other pew as a covid precaution. We need these reminders because we are habitual creatures and we long for the end of restrictions. I must admit, my days regularly include deep sighs and occasional guttural moans, knowing that we have a ways to go with the arrival of covid variants and the lack of near universal vaccinations. But for the most part, I’ve come round to the recognition, after the scare of a vaccinated neighbor contracting covid and the pursuant contact tracing and testing, that this is the “new normal”, for now. What helps me return to mask wearing and distanced encounters, even when vaccinated, is gratitude for having people I want to be with and support. I can live this life rather than postpone it. It is true that we are habitual creatures, but we are also creative creatures. One lovely example can be found now among the pews. At our June picnic, many congregants created peace flags sharing wisdom for hope and life’s wonders. They are now helping mark the necessary pew vacancies. Come by and take a look some time. The artwork and the sentiments are uplifting. Instead of forging our way through until we get what we want, we can feel our way through learning, laughing, loving, leaning into support, and claiming, with masks and distanced hellos, the desire to live this time together. One note for office visits. We would love to see you, so do drop by. In the interest of safety for the staff and extended families, we request that you wear masks in our office spaces. Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa  Religious ExplorationChildren, Middle School and High School: Programming will resume next fall. Wishing all families a summer full of moments of connection, beauty, and spiritual renewal!
Table of Contents For Events, News and Announcements 1. Meditation 2. Yoga 3.Worship Committee News: Summer Worship 4. UU Urban Ministry presents Jazz on the Green Summer Concert Series 5. SJ&E Action Committee News 6. Office Summer Schedule  Meditation All are welcome to join for 30 minutes of silent meditation/prayer on: Thursday evenings at 6:45 pm-7:15 pm Sunday mornings at 8:30am-9:00am Newcomers and friends welcome. Please contact Tracey at tdr02186@gmail.com if you have questions or want to join us!
Yoga classes are now hybrid ! 6:30pm on Monday evenings You can come into Parish Hall with guest yoga instructor, Jayne Ogata. Or if you choose to continue with Zoom, link below:
2021 Summer services Lay Leaders & Themes 8/22 Joe Ayoub, TBA 8/29 Robert Johnson and “The Buddha and the Universe” 9/5 Elise Henricks and Penny Partridge, Our Labyrinth _______________________________________ Jeff Stoodt spoke about the role organized religion can play in social change in the service he led on August 8th . He is sharing the sermon and the sources he used for anyone curious to pursue the subject further. Sermon & Sources for 8-8-21 Service.pdf From S & EJ : Social Action Committee News
On Saturdays between now and October 30, consider shopping at Mattapan Square Farmers Market. This is one way to support local farmers and vendors and meet neighbors across the Neponset River. Its location near Mattapan Square is convenient. Its organizers, Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition, offer volunteers a variety of Saturday market tasks, too. Call MFFC’s office at 617-696-2900 or check its informative website Sign up to volunteer
“Your Ideas Wanted! As you may know, the Social & Environmental Justice (S&EJ) committee recommended, and the Parish Committee agreed to expand the “Share the Plate” program (formerly known as the “Third Sunday Donation” program) to two Sunday collections each month for the 2021-22 church year. S&EJ and other First Parish members expressed a keen desire to increase our generosity to organizations that focus on issues regarding climate change, racial, economic, immigration and social justice and civic engagement. S&EJ recommends that First Parish continue to support recent donor organizations while expanding the list of worthy organizations. In the spirit of inclusivity, we ask you for your ideas. Here are the parameters:
The S&EJ committee will review all suggestions and submit a list to the Parish Committee for its approval. Please submit your ideas to Lynne Stack (lmstack258@gmail.com) by August 31st. In advance, thank you for your ideas and continued generosity to the world beyond First Parish!”
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. 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 between 8:00 and 10 a.m. at Fair Foods’ warehouse in South Boston. Any questions or for more information contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com  Lunch Program on break this Summer The Social & Environmental Justice team will be discussing future plans for supporting Mainspring at our summer retreat. Many thanks to all the generous volunteers who have helped make the lunch program a success over the last 14 months. You are the best! 
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