Your Weekly Link – News and Updates 3/7/2019

Weekly Link 3/7/2019

Sunday, March 10th, 2019

Worship at 10:30 am in the Meetinghouse

“The Art of Interdependence”

Minister

Rev. Lisa Ward

In the latest UU World magazine, this year’s theme for our annual UUA General Assembly has been announced: “The Power of We”.  Other compelling articles about the work of justice and the finding of a spiritual home fill the pages.

This weekend, here at First Parish, we are giving ourselves several opportunities to venture into  “the  power  of we”. On Friday,  from 6-9 PM, we will image together and discern together what our congregation’s mission might be, what our present power of we might be. Come join in the potluck  dinner and discussion.

On Saturday,  we’re  hosting a UUA workshop on stewardship, learning ways to invest in congregational life. People from many local congregations will be attending.

And on Sunday, as part of our worship service, we will celebrate our shared commitment to the life of this faith community  in a joyful pledge parade, where we offer, in sealed envelopes, our own projected contributions for next year’s  operating budget.

Abundance abounds, shared meaning abounds. It is good to be together.

In Faith, Rev. Lisa

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We’re getting busier!

Do you have an upcoming meeting or gathering and need to book a room at the church?

Contact our Church Calendar Keeper, Megan Benders, at office@fpmilton.org to reserve space.

Religious Exploration

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Last Sunday the children learned about the plight of the monarch butterflies caused by the overuse of pesticides and the reduction of habitat. The group created 31 postcards to send to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service asking that monarch butterflies be added to the list of protected species. Information about how you can do the same will be available at social hour this Sunday.

Nursery care will be available from 10:15 to 11:45 am in the Link hallway for infants and toddlers up to age 3.

On Sunday all children from preschool through grade 8 will begin in the Meetinghouse and then move to their classrooms.

Religious Exploration classes will be meeting this Sunday, March 10. Preschool through grade 2 will be enjoying the Spirit Play program in the Preschool classroom. This week’s story will be “The Stone and the Temple,” a tale from the Islamic tradition. Grades 3 through 5 will be exploring the Holidays and Holy Days curricula, meeting in the Kitchen. This week they will be learning about the Mardi Gras and Lent, and making “King Cake.” Grades 6 through 8 will be continuing the Friends and Neighbors curriculum, meeting in the Activity room. The class will have an introductory lesson on Confucianism and Shintoism.

Our Whole Lives Program (Grades 8 and 9, parental permission required): The Our Whole Lives class will meet on Sunday, February 10, from noon to 1:30 pm in the Children’s Church. Please drop off and pick up your youth from the front of the building so they can use the Children’s Church entrance as all other external doors will be locked.


Register your child or youth! The Religious Exploration Committee requests all families to register your child or youth before attending classes. Please use this link to our online form: RE Registration Form (or paper registration forms are available on the RE bulletin board in the Link hallway).

MUSIC THIS WEEK

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Music by  Stuart M. V. S. Ryerse

This week’s musical selections center around the theme of communal interdependence. This theme is found in the words of Woody Guthrie’s immortal anthem about the land that was made for all to share, it is symbolized in the use of many different instruments throughout the service (piano, recorder, mandolin, guitar, voice), and it is exemplified in the construction of two different fugues, one by J. S. Bach and one that I wrote, which are by definition made up of several independent and interdependent melodies that form a beautiful collective whole. Most importantly, it is found in every manifestation of music itself, which requires an interdependent balance of performers and listeners in order to come to life.

Events, News and Announcements

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On March 7th only, Thursday night meditation will be meeting at 6:30pm instead of our normal 7pm in the Children’s Church. 

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TOMORROW NIGHT!

COME ONE COME ALL

To the All Church Potluck and Workshop on

CRAFTING OUR CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT

MARCH 8TH

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Parish Hall

Bring a dish to share

Please enter building through social worker entrance.

 We will be sharing stories, lifting up the data from the feedback in our recent surveys and listening circles, and hearing each other’s priorities to focus in on what we want to do or create as a faith community

COME DREAM TOGETHER, MUSE TOGETHER, FIND OUR WAY TOGETHER

Rsvp at office@fpmilton.org or via the sent evite.

First Parish has a Podcast!

With many, many thanks to the talents of Eric Miller

You can now listen to each week’s sermons via podcast! Podcasts will typically be made available within 48 hours of the service.  We will have podcasts available to download on both ITunes and Google Play!

To subscribe to the First Parish podcasts on Apple devices, open the iTunes Store, click the Search button at the bottom of the app and type in “fpmilton” and tap “Search”. (This search should get you only one listing.)You will see available episodes as well as the Podcast itself, to subscribe to get every new Sermon, tap the bigger image instead of the episode and it will take you to the Apple Podcast app and you then click “Subscribe”.

To get the First Parish Podcast on your Android device, launch Google Play Music (you may need to download this app) and type “fpmilton” in the search bar. You will get a list of Videos at the top and, right below the videos, you will see the Podcasts section. The only podcast listed will be for First Parish. Tap the Podcast and then tap “Subscribe” on the next page.

Now every new sermon will automatically become available to you and you can catch up on ones you’ve missed or re-listen to your favorites!(You may have to download the Podcasts app if you don’t already have it on your phone.)

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First Parish Needs Your Support!

What does that mean in addition to participating in the spiritual life of the community, coming to church, or doing the work of one or more of our committees?

It means making a financial commitment to our wonderful faith community and the work we do in and out of church.  Right now, we are asking for pledges for the year beginning July 1, 2019 (FY20). Our budget goal for pledges from the congregation for next year (FY20) is $211,000.  We already have $138,000 committed from our Sustaining Contributors (households that annually pledge $3000 or more).We need to raise $73,000 from the rest of the congregation to reach our goal – and of course a little extra wouldn’t hurt.

Where do you fit in?

–      Could you possibly become a Sustainer?  Your commitment is only for this coming year.

–      Could you possibly commit to giving some percentage of your household income (say, 1% or 2%)?

–      If this year’s pledge is close to a stretch, could you possibly stretch just a little further and increase your current pledge by 10%?

–      Your Stewardship Committee does not tell anyone how much to pledge.  Every pledge is welcomed and appreciated, regardless of the amount.  We do ask simply that everyone pledge.  Whatever amount you decide is right for your household, it is your participation that is most important.  All should contribute in any amount they can to the operation of our faith community.

–      This year’s average pledge from non-Sustainers was $989.

Please consider your financial contribution as seriously as you do your participation in all other aspects of the life of First Parish, and give to the best of your ability.  For your review, you can find our draft budget for fiscal year 2020, as well as the pledge form, under the donations section in the members section of the website. The password is miltonuu.

Join us during the Worship Service on Commitment Sunday, March 10, as we ceremonially bring our pledges forward to a common chalice at the front of the Meetinghouse, to celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to all we can accomplish together.

Thank you for your commitment and for all you continue to do for First Parish!

The Stewardship Committee

    Charlie Franich, Chris Hart, Eric Miller, Chris Pitt, Dottie Pitt

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SPIRITUAL WRITING WORKSHOP

First Wednesdays: 7 pm – 8:30 pm (Next workshop April 3rd, 2019)

Children’s Church, First Parish in Milton

Facilitator: Rev. Lisa Ward

There are many paths that awaken the heart.  What helps in the journey is finding words to guide you along the way. These words are in you. Come find your voice through writing exercises.  We will compose invocations, meditations, prayers, hymns, benedictions, and readings.  You do not have to be experienced at writing, simply bring your experiences.  Ages 16 and older welcome. 

Please RSVP to Megan at:  office@fpmilton.org.  Plan on one more session.

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Integrated Stewardship that Engages All Workshop

Hosted by New England Region UUA

Saturday, March 9th, 2019

Parish Hall, 9:30am- 3pm

A workshop designed for board members, stewardship & finance committees, religious professionals, and new leaders who want to align their efforts to spark the generous gifts of their community to bless the world.

As First Parish has agreed to host this session, registration can be waived for a small number of attendees. Let us know if you wish to attend!

For more details or to register, click here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/integrated-stewardship-that-engages-all-registration-53023407439

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Fifth annual “Sing For Their Supper”

On Saturday, March 16th at 7pm Milton Community Concerts presents the fifth annual “Sing For Their Supper” free benefit concert. It will take place at First Parish of Milton, 535 Canton Avenue. Ten local opera singers will be performing a variety of songs, arias, and musical theater selections to raise money for the Milton Food Pantry and the Milton Residents Fund.

Admission is free; an offering will be taken. (Snow date is March 23).

Visit https://www.miltoncommunityconcerts.com/

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Courageous Conversations is a monthly series of dialogue-centered programs on racism and privilege designed to address racial healing and justice in our town. Each month the Courageous Conversations leadership team in partnership with the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association brings together a diverse group of people representing a wide array of life experiences, circumstances, and choices. All events are open to the public—anyone can attend a meeting whether or not they have attended in the past.

Join the March Courageous Conversations event

History of the School to Prison Pipeline​

March 18th, 2019

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Church of Christ, 330 Edge Hill Road, Milton, MA 02186.

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There will be no yoga class on Monday, March 18th, 2019.

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UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Spokane, Washington

June 19-23, 2019

“The Power of We”

General Assembly is the annual business meeting of our denomination, and it’s a whole lot more. Inspirational worship services, informative workshops, entertaining programs, and a bustling exhibit hall help make GA an unforgettable experience for the thousands of Unitarian Universalists that attend. Attendees leave with a renewed sense of energy, inspiration, and innovative ideas to take back to their congregations and communities.

Visit uua.org/ga for

• Programming Information

• Registration and Housing

• Financial Aid Information

• Volunteer Opportunities

Green Gleanings

Lent, a a faith discipline observed by many Christians for 40 days in preparation for Easter, began this week on Ash Wednesday.  Involving prayerful reflection and self-discipline, some people give up certain habits during Lent — going without meat, for example.  The “Carbon Footprint Factsheet” compiled by U. Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems reports that over one year, an individual “eating a vegetarian meal one day a week could save the equivalent of driving 1,160 miles,” and “replacing all beef consumption with chicken… leads to an annual carbon footprint reduction of 882 pounds CO2 equivalent.” Do the math: 1 person…1000 people…100,000 people… one million…

What can you/your family do?  Embrace “Meatless Mondays” regularly, and mindfully reduce your consumption of red meats on other days, favoring other sources of protein.  Now that’s a green action!

Look for a tasty vegetarian entree recipe, Easy Green Pie, on our bulletin board.  

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How do I create an account on Signup genius??

By creating your own account you can log in and sign up for Sunday Service Participation opportunities, swap your dates with other congregants, or enroll in signups created by the Church.

Here’s how to creat your own account:

-Go to https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=c.Login

-Then click on new account. (Located below the facebook login option)

-Enter your own email and password.

-Click on the search button/magnifying glass icon that in the right top corner.

-A page should appear that says ‘search for a signup’. 

-Enter the office email (office@fpmilton.org) and click the “I’m not a robot button’. Then the church’s signups will appear.

-Be sure to go back into your email account and open the email from Sign up Genius, subject line “Welcome to SignUpGenius”. Then click on the orange button that says “Activate my account.” Otherwise you won’t be able to log in again.

That’s it! You’re all set to use SignupGenius!

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Snow Closing Information

Just a few reminders about how First Parish handles Sunday worship and weekeday office closings. On Sundays, we will make a snow closing decision by 8 a.m. Look for cancellations in several places:-First Parish Milton Website-First Parish Milton UU Facebook page

-Channel 5/WCVB television & website

If the Milton Public Schools close for snow, so does the First Parish office. 

If you don’t see cancellation information, we are open.

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 – 2:00 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, 10:30 am 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, 7:00 pm in the Children’s Church (Note new time)

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.