This Week in Worship

Sunday, September 6 — Summmer Worship @ 10:30 am in Parish Hall

Music: David Won and Tim Steele

At this morning’s service we are happy to welcome tenor David Won. He will be sharing two musical selections which will also be heard this Friday as a part of the 9/11 commemoration ceremony at the Statehouse. He will also be singing a recital at First Parish on Saturday, November 21st at 7pm.

Worship Leader: Rev. Hank Peirce

This is going to be a great year at First Parish and let me tell you what folks have been doing to make it so. Last Saturday the Worship committee held an all-day retreat to plan our services for the year, while the Religious Education committee and the Parish committee each held their planning retreats last month. The Search committee has been working all summer and you can read more about them below. Leslie MacPherson Artinian has been busy getting the Choose or Be Chosen up to speed, so that we have flowers, ushers and hospitality for Sunday mornings. Sara-Elizabeth has been at work getting the youth group organized and Tim has been working with soloists, specifically David Won, who is giving us a preview of what he will be singing at the Commemoration of September 11th at the State House. Miriam, Kiki and Kevin are practically spinning plates they have been doing so much in preparation of the new church year!

All this to say that folks here are excited and ready for this coming church year. We will be back in the Meeting House this Sunday for the Blessing of the Backpacks and to hear David Won sing. Please remember that Sunday the 13th is Homecoming, when we gather back as a whole community after the summer, which we will kicking off with the annual pancake breakfast at 9:00!

Happy Labor Day,

Rev. Hank

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The Nursery will reopen Sunday, September 13th. All children are welcomed to attend the service.

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Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration Teachers Needed!

Religious Exploration Teachers Needed!

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!

Teacher Training is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 9am-12pm

If you are not sure about teaching RE we invite you to attend the training, ask questions and come see all the exciting things we are doing!

For more information or to RSVP to attend Teacher Training please email me at: office@fpmilton.org

Thank you!

Miriam Saavedra (Religious Educator)

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

News and Announcements

Event: Mandatory Parent Meeting for Parents of Youth Group Members (9th – 12th grade)

Date/Time: Saturday, September 12, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

The official beginning of the church year is in about 2 weeks on September 13th!

We kick of the year with our traditional pancake breakfast, hosted by the youth group.

Saturday September 12th will be an orientation for youth and parents followed by the sleep over. In order for a youth to attend this sleepover or any future sleepovers, there needs to be a parent present at this meeting.

The joint staff, parent, and youth orientation will be at 5:30pm – 7:30 and include a potluck style meal. Please bring a dish to share while we prepare for the new year! The youth group sleepover will follow immediately afterwards. If a parent cannot attend this meeting, please contact Rev. Hank Peirce.

It is important for all youth to be registered for RE in order to attend the sleepover and future events.

FIRST PARISH CHOIR UNITE!

Calling all singers: Come add your voice to the First Parish Meetinghouse choir!

Our first Choir Sunday is September 13th. Rehearsals are on Sunday morning at 8:45 in the Meetinghouse. No audition necessary, no long-term commitment required. Come try it out. For more information contact Tim Steele. And if you would like to contribute to the music at First Parish in any other way please contact Tim.

First Parish Orientation

Saturday, September 19, 2015 — 9:00 am – 12 noon

Want to learn more about First Parish in Milton?

Are you interested in becoming a member? Just curious? Come join us for First Parish Orientation/New Member Class on September 19th. Rev. Hank will talk about Unitarian Universalist and First Parish Milton history and have you tour all over the campus. We will share our spiritual journeys and talk abou the path to and responsibilities of membership. We will be reaching out to those that either have expressed an interest or have been coming over the past 6 months or so. But know everyone is welcome, just contaact the office to say you are coming.

THE RETURN OF THE HARVEST SUPPER!

The Hospitality Committee is bringing back this popular First Parish tradition! A fun-filled family event of food and fellowship on Saturday, October 3rd, from 6:00PM on. What better way to kick off the new church year? Mark your calendars now, more details to follow.

Pull out your planner, phone or other device and save the dates for September and October

• Sunday, September 6 – Worship 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 – Harvest Supper
• Sunday, October 4 – Membership Sunday
• Sunday, October 4 – Celebrate Milton
• Friday, October 30 – First Parish Halloween Party

Website Updates:

• Updates – 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 right or not working, let Kiki know the specifics. We are looking for updated information from our committees. Write something about what you do, annual events, etc. We will add it to the website.
• Social Media Waiver – We are asking everyone in the congregation to complete a Social Media Waiver. You can find it on the Members page 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.
• 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.

Dear First Parish Families,

I’m currently teaching Music Together classes at First Parish every day. Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners and the adults who love them.

First offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement.

Music Together classes are based on the recognition that all children are musical. Children birth through age six along with their parents and caregivers engage in songs, chants, instrument play, movement and dance for 45 minutes a week for 10 weeks. Each family takes home a songbook, a quality CD and downloadable music and a DVD Parent Handbook.

We are currently enrolling families for our Fall session starting Sept. 14th. You can check out our website for more information and try out a free demo class HERE.

Thanks,

Jennifer Grant

The Search is On!

Greetings to all of our First Parish family from your Ministerial Search Committee. We have been hard at it for a little over a month and are thrilled to be working with one another. We just wanted to say hello as the summer winds down and let you know some of what is in store for this fall.

We will be asking a lot of you all during September and October so that you can let us know as clearly as possible the profile that you envision for our next minister:

1. First up will be our Congregational Survey, which we will be making available online in the next few weeks. We expect each member and friend to complete the survey by
September 27th and will be relying heavily on your responses to shape both our Congregational Profile and the Profile of the Minister we will be seeking. We really can’t do this without your help.

2. Then we will be visited by a team from the UUA Transitions Office on Sunday, October 18th for a workshop on Beyond Categorical Thinking. All are encouraged to attend.

3. And then we will be scheduling a series of “cottage meetings” in late October to allow each of you to elaborate on your vision and hear those of your pewmates.

We have an initial deadline of November 30th to submit our Congregational Profile (who we are), our Ministerial Profile (our ideal minister), and a draft of our Compensation Package (to be developed by our 3-person Negotiating Team). At that point our information will be “unveiled” for prospective ministers to review. Then a month later in early January we will learn of the ministers who are interested in us, and the fun really begins!

So buckle up and get ready for a roaring start to our coming church year. We look forward to seeing you all on September 13th, if not before. In the meantime we hope you have a stimulating/relaxing rest of this glorious summer.

Warmly…

Your Ministerial Search Committee:

Debbie Alsebai, Charlie Franich, Franc Graham, Elise Henricks, Jim May, Brigitte Miller, and Tracey Robinson.

Kiki’s Corner

We are heading towards the beginning of the program year. The parking lot has been repaved, there is a new dishwasher in the kitchen. We are making preparations for the meetinghouse to look its best as worship moves from the Parish Hall to the Meetinghouse on Sunday, September 6. We have tackled some ongoing housekeeping and technical issues over the summer.

We will be closed Labor Day, September 7. Office hours beginning September 8 are 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. We are usually around other times. Just call and set up a time to meet. Welcome Back Sunday (September 13) is not far away.

Committee Chairs – Remember our Pancake Breakfast Tradition – please bring a pound of coooked bacon for the Pancake Breakfast on September 13th at 9 am. This is your first committee project of the year!

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!