This Week in Worship

October 3, 2021

“Head, Hands, Heart “

Facilitated by: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl

Worship Associate: Tom Kemp

Music: Tim Steele

Audio Engineer: Madeleine Miller

This will be a hybrid service. You are welcome to join us in the Meetinghouse (masks required for those over 5 years old and childcare will be available). If you prefer, you are welcome to join us via Zoom. 

Please see the zoom link below. Please log in at 10:20, to give some lead time for the service at 10:30. 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.

Sunday’s offering will go to the UU Urban Ministry.

Next week , October 10th is the Annual Blessing of the Animals. 

Stay tuned for more details !

Some time ago, I was training for a long bike ride – 300 miles over 5 days – way more than I had ever done before. I was preparing to drive to a place that I hoped would be at least a 35 mile training day. As I was loading my bike on my car, a bald eagle soared over my head. I stopped and marveled at the beautiful sighting, feeling blessed and hopeful. About an hour into my work-out, I saw a bald eagle again. I fancied it was the same one somehow on a similar path that day, somehow blessing my journey. 

 So when I got home I found the Medicine Cards book on my shelf and turned to the passage about Eagle medicine.  

“Eagle soars,” comes a reading in this book by Jamie Sams and David Carlson, “and is quick to observe expansiveness within the overall pattern of life…Eagle represents a state of grace achieved through hard work, understanding, and a completion of the tests of initiation which result in the taking of one’s personal power…Eagle teaches you to broaden your sense of self beyond the horizon of what is presently visible.”

Whether or not that was a message for me to receive, I decided to embrace it and thought of eagle soaring now and then during the long ride that I eventually participated in.  Messages of affirmation are all around us for anyone willing to see them. Eagle didn’t soar just for me, but “eagle soaring” is a part of you and me.

Next week (October 10) we will once again have an animal blessing as part of the worship service. With covid protocols, we will need to have the actual blessing outside, near the end of the service. Animals and companions are welcome to be in the Meetinghouse during the service, then we will all join the RE classes outside for the blessing. There is much we can learn from our animal friends; the ones who live with us and the ones who abide in the larger world.

Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Things are coming together in Religious Exploration. We have decided to pause the Time for All Ages in worship until the children can be in the Sanctuary more freely. Therefore, Religious Exploration will begin when worship begins and ends when worship ends.  

To provide shade when the sun is shining and to protect us in light showers, we need a Tent Team to arrive by 9:30 to put up the tent. With 4 people, it takes about 5 minutes to get the tent out into the courtyard (we store it just inside the door from the courtyard near Parish Hall) and put it up. The Tent Team needs to stay until Hospitality starts closing up shop. It takes 5-10 minutes to get it down and back to the storage location. If you can assist the Religious Exploration Ministry in this important role, please contact Molly Nolan at dre@fpmilton.org.

This week in Religious Exploration for Children & Youth both the morning classes will be taking up the theme for October, Cultivating Relationships. We will be including cultivating relationships with the other animals who live on planet Earth. The afternoon class will continue their exploration of justice making in Heeding the Call .

Save the Date!!!  Creepy Carriage House is scheduled for the evening of Saturday 23 October. This event is put on by youth and adults of the congregation. If you would like to help organize the event or participate on the day of, please contact Charles Franich at pemaquid@aol.com or Molly Nolan at dre@fpmilton.org

Molly B. Nolan, Transitional Director of Religious Education

MUSIC THIS SUNDAY

Come a bit early this Sunday and listen to the Meetinghouse Choir sing two selections outdoors in front of the Meetinghouse (weather permitting)during the prelude to the service. These two welcoming songs will be combined into one anthem: “Let Us Walk as Friends Together” and “We’re Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table”. Hunsaker soloists Grace Allendorf and Daon Drisdom will be singing a fun duet arrangement which also combines two familiar songs: “Peace Like a River” and “Amazing Grace”.

Safety Guideline Reminders 

• All members of the congregation are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated . The science indicates that this is the most important action we can take to keep ourselves and our community safe.

• Updated mask recommendations for Sunday worship :

• Masks are required in the meetinghouse for all , regardless of vaccination status ; please continue to wear your mask when sitting in your pew .
• Masks are optional for children 5 years and under .
• Worship leaders may remove masks when speaking in the front of the meetinghouse; each worship speaker /soloist should have a dedicated microphone and podium ; social distancing between worship leaders should be maintained throughout the service .

• Social distancing ( at least 6 feet) will be required in the meetinghouse ; seating will be limited to alternate pews .

• Special requirements for choir members: because of the close proximity among singers in the choir , vaccines will be required for all active choir members , including soloists. Special mask s for vocalists will be provided by the church and will be required f or all singing performers in the meetinghouse.

• We are asking everyone attending worship to sign in for every worship service . This will facilitate contact tracing if needed.

• All worship participants are asked to leave the meetinghouse directly after the service . Social hour will be held outdoors in the courtyard until further notice.

Table of Contents

For Events, News and Announcements 

1.Volunteers Needed

2.First Parish Connections

3.Upcoming Meetings

4.All Church Council Meeting

5.Meditation

6.Yoga

7.S & EJ Committee News

The Meetinghouse is made holy by your presence each Sunday….and we need people to make coffee!

Each Sunday, First Parish relies on the help of many to make the shared experience of worship happen.

We need help with the following:

Hospitality: Due to Covid complexity, First Parish is providing grab and go snacks, and beverages after services. We do not need volunteers to bring food this year, unless you’d like to.

We need volunteers to:

• Set up table outside for coffee and snacks

• Brew coffee and tea- and bring outside on our new bussing cart!

• Clean up afterwards!

Greeters: Greeters welcome folks into the Meetinghouse and help us fill out Covid contract tracing sheets.

Ushers: Ushers hand out Orders of Worship, help folks find their seats and fill out the offering collections sheet at the end of service.

Tent Crew: help us put up the tent for RE/social hour before church. 

To sign up, please use sign up genius.

We need volunteers for this Sunday and beyond.

If you’ve never volunteered for these jobs before, we can provide instructions!

Thank you for your commitment to First Parish!

Ever wish you had a way to connect with everyone at First Parish to . . .

find a babysitter, pet sitter, or house sitter? Request recommendations?Make an announcement? Extend an invitation? Share information (recipes, etc.)? Do you have something to give away ? (a la Buy Nothing pages)

Introducing First Parish Connections!

First Parish Connections is a new Facebook group that allows us to connect directly with each other for community support and service coordination.

This is a private group, open to members and friends of FPMU.

To join, log into your Facebook account and in the search box, type “First Parish Connections.”

You’ll need to answer a security question, and then wait for your membership to be approved. Once you’re a member of the group, please read and adhere to the guidelines—then get started connecting!

Questions? Please contact the office at office@fpmilton.org, Leslie MacPherson at lesliemacpherson@gmail.com or Lisa White at lisawhite1250@gmail.com

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Racial Justice Focus Group

Next meeting by zoom: Wednesday, October 13th

 7:00pm-8:30 pm

This group is geared toward deepening awareness of systemic racism in our lives and society. We discuss issues, share experiences and strive to reframe our understanding away from white dominant culture toward diversity, equity and inclusion. This year we will be focusing on the 8th Principle Project, an initiative within the UUA to claim an anti-oppressive faith culture with the accountability of action. All are welcome to attend when you can. Come share in this vibrant, fulfilling journey toward a just and healthy world. Contact the office, office@fpmilton if you are interested in attending.

Imaginarium

Meetings are generally on the Fourth Thursday in the Meetinghouse (masks required at this time)

7:00pm-9:00pm (next meeting: October 28)

The Imaginarium is a group that explores our monthly worship themes through discussion, stories and creative play. We meet once a month, crafting ideas and experiences inspired by the themes. Come, enjoy the shared wisdom, creativity and connection. Each meeting stands on its own. Interested? contact the office: office@fpmilton.org. 

Grief Support Group

Four Tuesdays: Oct. 19 & 26, Nov. 2 & 9

7:00pm – 8:30 pm

Through Zoom at this time, (in person pending)

Facilitator: Rev. Lisa Ward

When we lose a loved one through death, the world is different, our lives shift in meaning, our ground is shaken. We can feel isolated by our grief. We can also feel a lack of strength or initiative to find a way through. One way to help adjust to the new reality and find our inner resources is to share our journey of loss and recovery with others. There are many ways that we grieve and many kinds of losses. This group is focused on loss due to the death of a loved one. The loss can be recent or from years gone by. We ask participants to commit to at least three of the sessions, no new participants after Oct. 26.

All Church Council Meeting

Friday, Oct 15th

6:30 pm-8:00 pm

Several times a year, we gather for our All Church Council. All committee chairs or representatives are encouraged to attend. The gathering is open to all church members and friends. This is an opportunity for church leadership to connect and discuss goals and challenges for the year. 

We will be holding the meeting over Zoom

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!

Classes with instructor Elyse Siegmann! 

Online via Zoom (see link below) till further notice

This is a NEW Zoom link!

6:30 pm Monday evenings

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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.