Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 8/20/2015

Weekly Link 8/20/2015

Church

This Week in Worship

Sunday, August 23

Summmer Worship @ 10:30 am in Parish Hall

Worship Leader: Rev. Hank Peirce

The television host Stephen Colbert lost two of his brothers, and his dad, in a plane crash when he was 10 years old. And yet he is so full of joy, and antics, and abiding religious faith. Here’s what he said about it. “And the world,” he said. “It’s so…lovely. I’m very grateful to be alive, even though I know a lot of dead people.” That act, that impulse to be grateful, wants an object. That object I call God.”

This week our faith lost a great minister and the world lost a wonderful man, the Rev. Terry Burke. Terry had been the minister of the First Church at Jamaica Plains for 31 years until his retirement last year. As I prepare to attend his funeral on Wednesday morning I will be grateful for his life, his passion for justice and for the kindness he showed to all he met. And even while I am sad at his loss I am grateful to God for Terry and for the lives that we all share in this world. May we all meet the world with such gratitude.

See you at church,
Rev. Hank

The Nursery is closed for the summer. All children are welcomed to attend the service.

August Worship Schedule:

  • August 23rd Worship Leader – Rev. Hank Peirce / Music – Joel Hiller
  • August 30th Worship Leader – Rev. Hank Peirce / Music – Tim Steele

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration Teachers Needed!

“Children are deeply religious beings on every level. Intellectually they think and conceptualize on matters of good and evil, of God and prayer, of life and death. Emotionally they feel deep compassion and empathy, as well as unbounded hope and deep despair. Spiritually they enjoy a sense of awe and wonder that far exceeds our adult possibilities; they have insights of transcendence, even mystical experiences.”
~The Gift of Faith by Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar

As the formal church year approaches we begin our search for Sunday School volunteers. We invite you to come along on a spiritual journey, consider being a guide, a teacher of sorts. You will be truly enriched!

To volunteer as an RE teacher or for questions, please contact the office for more information.

We need all children and youth to register for Religious Exploration classes, so if you have a child or youth coming back in the fall. PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILD TODAY!

News and Announcements

Phone and Internet Service a Problem

We have been experiencing intermittent problems with our phone and internet service. It is connected to a larger problem in the area on August 20. Please check in with us on Monday if you haven’t receiived an email response or have been unable to connect by phone.

September is just around the corner. Pull out your planner, phone or other device and save the dates for September and October.

  • Sunday, September 6 – Worship Begins again in the Meetinghouse
  • Sunday, September 13 – Ingathering!
  • Saturday, September 19 – First Parish Orientation
  • Sunday, September 27 – RE Classes begin
  • Sunday, September 27 – All Church Council
  • Saturday, October 3 – The Return of the Harvest Supper
  • Sunday, October 4 – Membership Sunday
  • Sunday, October 4 Celebrate Milton
  • Friday, October 30 – First Parish Halloween Party

Reminder re electronic pledges. We are now in a new fiscal year. If you have traditionally filed a form with the office to do electronic withdrawal, the form expired June 30, 2015. You can contact the office for another form. You may go to our website, and click on the Donate button on the home page to set up electronic withdrawal. You may also set up automatic bill pay through your own bank or write us a check. Questions? Please contact the office.

Thursday, August 20th

Our own Franc Graham will be performing at Mary M.B. Wakefield Charitable Trust this coming Thursday. Follow this link for more information.

CELEBRATING JUNE SCOTT

Check out this wonderful article in the Patriot Ledger, July 25, 2015, on June Scott. The article highlights the difference Visual Vitality Consulting Inc. is making. The company June Scott was inspired to create after “First Parish asked members to create a personal plan for community service”. Visualvitality.org is a company that performs practical site assessments and helps business be more welcoming to those with disabilities. The article will be posted on our bulletin board or you can go on line to read it at: http://www.patriotledger.com/

A Thank You Note to the Milton Alliance First Parish Church (the women’s group) for an Easter package. (1949)

7 Moss Street, Salford 7 (England)
22.4.49 (April 22, 1949)

Dear Ms. Baker,

I am writing to thank you for the lovely parcel which arrived this week. It was a lovely surprise and the contents were very much appreciated. The cookie mixture was quite a novelty, as we have nothing like it over here. We can get packets of mixture, but we have to add our fat and sugar, so they are not much use now that flour is off the ration.

We have two little girls, Catherine is 3-1/2 and Janet is nearly 2 and they were very pleased with their sweets, especially as they arrived during the last week of present ration period, when we are usually without sweets. Anyway, they are coming off the ration on Sunday, as they will be able to have a few more.
It appears from the label on the parcel that it has come from a church. I shall be glad if you will thank the people concerned and tell them how delighted were to receive it.

We belong to a Congregational Church and next week we are producing “Yeoman of the Guard”. The Society is made up mainly of members of the Church and we produce it in our school with a full orchestra. It will be a busy week, by everybody enjoys themselves and the proceeds are for the Church funds.
Enclosed is a photograph of our two children last summer.

Thank you once again for the very exceptional parcel.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Jessie Watters

KikiKiki’s Corner

Office Update

The office is open Monday – Thursday 10:30 am – 2 pm through September 3. We will be closed Labor Day, September 7. Rev. Hank Pierce, Kiki Giatis, Miriam Saavedra, and Kevin Harnden have been both working and taking time off this summer. Tim Steele and Sara Elizabeth Santa Cruz will return in September. Kiki, Miriam and Kevin are not in the office on Sundays through Labor Day.

Best to check with us if you are planning to drop by the office.

Social Media – Planning for September. We are in the midst of making some updates to our web page. This currently is a work in progress. So if you notice something that is not write let me know specifically what it is. We are looking for updated contact from our committees. Write something about what you do, annual events, etc.

We are asking everyone in the congregation to complete a Social Media Waiver. It will soon be in the members page of the website and paper forms are available at church. This is a best practice for social media photographs and videos (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). As we get release forms back, we are in a good position to update and add photos to things. This is done for the protection of both you and the church.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow First Parish on Facebook 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!