Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 8/31/2017

Weekly Link 8-31-17

Church

This Week in Worship

Summer Services 9:30 a.m. – Children’s Church

Last Summer Worship Service – Sunday, September 3
“Hope is the Thing with Feathers”

First Parish member Leslie explores what it is that gives us hope and keeps us going.

Worship Leader– Leslie Macpherson Artinian
Musician – Tim Steele

Chris CliffordA message from your Parish Committee Chair, Chris Clifford

In the ongoing effort to live our faith values, the Parish Committee unanimously voted to make the two restrooms in the parish hall gender neutral.

The facilities are already ADA equipped, provide infant changing tables and for all intents and purposes provide single a use space so there will be little or no effect for most folks. We plan to have new signage in place for our Ingathering Sunday, September 10, 2017.

As a welcoming congregation, this is a small change but a firm statement about who we are and who we aspire to be.

News and Announcements

Office Updates
August 28 – September 4

  • Rev. Lisa is back on her regular office schedule – Tuesday through Thursday.
  • Laurel is on vacation through August 28.
  • Kiki is on vacation through September 4.
  • The office will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 4.
  • If you are coming to the church office, please let us know in advance. We may not hear the doorbell with the window unit air conditioners purring.
  • Announcements for the Link and the Order of Worship for Ingathering Sunday are due on Tuesday, September 5.

Fair foodsFair Foods, Inc.

Our first Saturday will Be September 9. Please plan to meet in the First Parish parking lot by 10am.

First Parish volunteers will meet at First Parish on the 2nd Saturday of the month from September – June, travel to Roxbury together to help distribute food for Fair Foods,Inc. Please plan to meet in the First Parish parking lot by 10am.

Fair Foods is a non-profit food rescue organization dedicated to providing surplus goods at low or no cost to those in need. Since 1988 we have rescued and delivered millions of pounds of fresh produce and quality building supplies to low income communities throughout New England and around the world.

Rev. Lisa will be sorting out the library to increase user-friendly reference in the next couple of weeks. If you are interested in helping, please contact her at minister@fpmilton.org

Religious Exploration

Laurel Whitehouse,

Religious exploration programming for children or youth will resume in September. Enjoy your summer, everyone!

Start off the church year by coming to a Welcome Back Family Potluck & Ice Cream Social

When: Saturday, September 16 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Parish Hall.

Ice Cream provided!! Bring your favorite topping!! Feel free to bring your favorite potluck dish or if you need direction:

A-F = Appetizers

G-M = Salad or Sides

N-Q = Drinks

R-Z = Entrees

Questions contact Debbie Alsebai or David Leggett

It is the time of the Autumn Equinox. The fields are nearly empty because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Pagans celebrate Mabon as one of the eight Sabbats and the 2nd Harvest on the wheel of the year (celebrations based on the cycles of the sun).

It is Thanksgiving! It is time to respect the impending dark while giving thanks to the sunlight. And what better way to give tribute to the Sun, than to share the wonderful memories of our Summer!

Please join The Great Blue Hill CUUPS on Saturday, September 23rd. at 6 PM at First Parish in Milton. Keeping in our new(er) tradition of a Water Ceremony, bring with you a small vessel of water that holds positive energy, a happy memory of your summer that just passed. It doesn’t have to be from that particular place but bestow upon it that energy and bring the story behind it with you.

As always, our celebration will conclude with a feast from our gardens, fields and vines so please bring a dish and drink to share!

Social Action Committee News

Upcoming Events

Give Light: Spiritual Nurture for Climate Activism program

Thank you to the many folks who have come out to Fred Small’s workshop as well as the two follow up visioning sessions. I need to cancel our final session because at present there is no one signed up and it is also the night before the first day of public school in Milton. Nevertheless, there is still time to join up and/or lend your voice to the visioning process for FP Milton UU. If interested, please email Jennie Mulqueen before August 25 to schedule a time to meet up. We are looking to begin our first Green Team meetings in September and look forward to doing important work.

Thank you!
Jennie

Check out the Social Action Bulletin Board for the most recent need for volunteers.

FMI|Marvin Venay

Kiki

Kiki’s Corner

I am on vacation the week of August 28 and will return after Labor Day.

We have done some updates to our website www.fpmilton.org over the past few weeks. We have made the website more secure in general and you will notice our Facebook feed appears on many of our website pages. We have also added a pop up to sign up for The Link. All the articles around “church shoppers” say that a seeker will check out the website before coming through the doors. We have tried to have a good presence on Facebook which also feeds in to our Twitter account. Please explore the website and if you notice something not right, drop me an email. We are always looking for content, graphics and pictures. Like our Facebook page, First Parish Milton or Follow us on Twitter @FPMilton.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow First Parish on Facebook and get updates, poems, announcements and more. You’ll be glad you did!

REMINDER THE LINK DEADLINE IS TUEDAYS

“Brevity Matters” – Peter Bowden, Social Media Guru and wise UU

Deadline for submissions is Tuesdays. You need to address email to both office@fpmilton.org and director@fpmilton.org to assure your announcement will be included in the weekly Link. Written announcements for the Sunday Order of Worship are derived from the announcements for The Link. We, from time to time, will also publish non-church events with a connection to a member of the church. Your submission may be edited due to space requirements. We recommend that you submit no more than 1 – 2 paragraphs.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Other times by appointment

MINISTER OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday – Thurday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Other times by appointment

The Church office is closed on Fridays

SUMMER SUNDAYS

June 25 – September 3
Worship, 9:30 am in the Children’s Church
Silent Prayer & Meditation, 8:30 am in the Children’s Church
No Religious Exploration Program , Nursery Care, Choir Rehearsal

Beginning Sunday, September 10

Worship, 10:30am in the Meetinghouse
Choir Rehearsal (most Sundays) at 8:45 am
Silent Prayer & Meditation, 9:00am in the Children’s Church

EVERY THURSDAY

Silent Prayer & Meditation, 6:30pm in the Children’s Church

SIGN UP GENIUS (formerly known as the Planner)

The link to SignUp Genius is:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d44aca728a02-sunday?1472051612751