Table of Contents
- Message from Rev. Lisa Ward
- This Week in Worship
- This Week in Religious Exploration
- This Week in Music
- Events and Meetings
- News and Announcements
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Beyond First Parish
Message from Rev. Lisa Ward
This Sunday is Unity Sunday, a cherished annual event begun in 1915, when First Parish in Milton and First Congregational Church share the pulpit as a gesture of unity in response to the historical congregational split that prompted the forming of two separate, rival churches in 1834. The spirit of interfaith collaboration and shared presence on the Town Green has been expressed in many ways throughout the years.
It is such a pleasure to find opportunities to share in ministry with Rev. R.G. Wilson-Lyons of First Congregational Church. The spirit of collaboration began to branch outside of Unity Sundays with the Rev. John Allen who moved onto another pastorate last year. The Rev. R.G. Wilson-Lyons welcomed the growing initiative. This year both of our youth groups put together the Creepy Carriage House for Halloween. We invited Congregational youth to attend our “Our Whole Lives” classes. Although there were no eligible youth this year, the invitation was well received.
And on May 1, we will be launching the Rainbow Youth Alliance. The Rainbow Youth Alliance (RYA) is an intentional gathering space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens and their teen allies to build community, ask questions, express their concerns, discuss issues of importance that affect their lives, and simply have fun together. RYA will meet twice a month on Sunday evenings from 5-6:30PM in the teen center of First Congregational Church. A parallel parent and caregiver support group will meet at First Parish in Milton at the same time. In May and June we will be creating the structure of the groups together, with trained youth leaders and parent volunteers. We hope for a town-wide launch next fall. Feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more. (minister@fpmilton.org).
I hope to see you this Sunday!
Blessings Be, Rev. Lisa
This Week in Worship
This Sunday is our annual “Unity Sunday”, when First Parish and First Congregational worship together, a tradition of more than 100 years. The Rev. R.G. Wilson-Lyons and Rev. Lisa Ward will be co-leading the worship service here at First Parish. This is a multi-generational service: all ages are welcome. Nursery care for ages 5 and younger will be available.
“Earth Day’s Calling”
Facilitated by: Rev. Lisa Ward & R. G. Wilson-Lyons
Worship Assistant: Elise Henricks
Music: Tim Steele
Audio: Colin Glazer
Social Hour Hosts: Bill & Deb Kelley
Worship Services are hybrid.
Join us in person or on 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 be given to MA Interfaith Power & Light. Mass Interfaith Power and Light is a membership non-profit dedicated to helping faith communities become better stewards of the earth. Partnered with EnergySage, MIP&L works toward environmental justice and sustainability.
This Week in Religious Exploration
This Week in Religious Exploration
Thank you to all our egg-fillers, egg-hiders, and especially egg-finders for a successful egg hunt last week! If you have empty plastic eggs at home from this hunt (or other hunts!), we are happy to take them back to reuse in future years. You will find a bin labeled waiting for your unneeded eggs!
This Sunday, RE classes (Soul Matters Schoolhouse and OWL) will not be in session – we encourage children to join their families for Unity Sunday. Nursery care will be available for young children. Classes resume in May as we explore the theme of nurturing beauty.
Save the date for RE Sunday – we look forward to sharing a peek into our RE classrooms during worship on Sunday, May 22nd. We encourage all children who have participated in RE classes this year to be in attendance!
This Week in Music
This Sunday Grace Allendorf and Jennifer Sgroe will be singing a haunting duet called “I Believe in the Sun”. The text for this duet was found written on a wall of a cave near Cologne, Germany where Jews hid during World War II. Grace Allendorf will also be presenting a lyrical solo called “Loveliest of Trees” by John Duke, with text by A.E. Housman. In addition a string quartet featuring Patricia Ostrem and Penny Knight on violin, Guy Pugh on viola da gamba, and Ruth Hannon on cello will present a piece called “Prayer for the Children of Ukraine”.
Events and Meetings
Louis D. Brown 26th Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace
For several years, members and friends of First Parish Milton have participated in this walk and have collected donations to support this important event. After a two year pause due to Covid, walkers will again be meeting in Dorchester to join numerous groups & individuals to march to end violence. Additional information on the walk (distance, route, meeting place etc.) will be provided over the coming weeks.
There will be two ways to provide financial support to Louis D. Brown. The organization will be accepting on-line donations and First Parish has registered as a donor team – First Parish UU Milton. The second way to support this work will be at the May 1st Sunday service at FP Milton. A speaker from LDB will be speaking at this service and proceeds from passing the plate will go to LDB.
To donate on-line, begin by going to the Louis D. Brown Mother’s Day Walk website page. Under the 26th Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace heading, you should select Donate. Now, scroll to Choose Your Recipient and select Team. Enter our team information: First Parish Unitarian Universalist Milton and then complete your donation info.
A brief history of this walk and the work of the organization is attached.
Any Questions regarding this event can be directed to the FP Social & Environmental Justice Committee. We hope to see you on the walk.
Pat Gallivan
Annual Tree Giveaway
If you signed up for a tree or shrub, please pick it up at the Carriage House after church on Sunday, 4/24. If unable to to pick it up then contact Mary Blanchette at mbpa@comcast.net.
First Parish Crafternoon
Join us for a First Parish Crafternoon!
Some of us who do handcrafting are getting together on Saturday 4/30 from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Parish Hall to share what we’re making and hang out together. If you have a hand project you’re working on, like knitting, sewing, crocheting, drawing, embroidery, please join us and bring it along. This is not necessarily an instructional session, but tips and tricks can certainly be shared! We’ll talk about whether we might want to have some future shared projects or teaching sessions, and if we’d like to make this a regular thing. All are welcome, whatever your knowledge or skill level. Even if you don’t have a project but would like to bounce around ideas, please join us!
Contact Elise Henricks at elisemhenricks@gmail.com with any questions.
Milton Community Concerts Presents:
“Gamechangers: A Musical Celebration”, Saturday, May 7th at 7:00 pm, at First Parish in Milton, a free benefit concert! A free-will offering will be taken to support Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc, an agency providing life-changing services for homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth. An incredibly talented and versatile group of singers will be presenting a program of music ranging from jazz to opera. Narrators will be Lisa White and Jeff Stoodt. Save the Date!
Yard Sale
The Yard Sale will be June 18th, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.Start your spring cleaning and organizing your treasures for donation. We’ll be collecting items from June 4th – June 15. Much information more to come…
Social and Environmental Justice
Important Notice:
Movie Night scheduled for Friday, April 22nd has been postponed. This event will be rescheduled at a later date.
The Racial Justice Focus Group invites you to join us in understanding the Widening the Circle of Concern UUA report.
In a nutshell, the report, which reads more like a book than a report, is about addressing the White Supremacy Culture within Unitarian Universalism.
Explore with us why we are engaging in studying the recommendations in the report with the intent of taking action toward implementing the recommendations. For example, many UU churches, have placed BLM signs on their front lawns, now many are adopting or in the process of deliberating adoption of the 8th principle which is about building a “beloved” community and dismantling racism and other systems of oppression within ourselves and within our communities. These are great first steps, but what does it mean to actually “live” the 8th principle?
We meet on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 7-8:30PM. All are welcome. Contact Rev. Lisa for the zoom link: minister@fpmilton.org.
If you can’t stomach yet another zoom meeting, we encourage you to at least pick up a copy of the report to read on your own and provide suggestions or feedback on what recommendations speak to you. Several copies are available at the office. You can also access a pdf, with audio access, here: https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/cic/widening.
News and Announcements
Worship Committee-Summer Services
We now have lay leaders for about half the summer services. Some people are signing up in pairs to share what is usually done by a leader and a Worship Associate. Two people planning a service together can be both less intimidating and more fun. Have you thought what you might like to share on a summer Sunday? Feel free to contact Katie Vhay (katievhay@msn.com) or Penny Partridge (ppartridge9@icloud.com).
Volunteer Opportunities
Ramadan Food Drive
When : Friday, April 8- Friday, April 29
Where: All Milton Public Schools (bins in school lobby)
First Parish Milton, UU – 535 Canton (bin at carriage house near lower lot)
Congregation Beth Shalom – 18 Shoolman Way (bins in lobby, April 8-15 and 25-29)
Who: YOU! Anyone can participate!
Why: Join your Muslim neighbor! Ramadan is a very special time of year for Muslims to do good deeds. It is important to practice gratitude and give to those struggling to put food on their tables.
How: Donate food, dry goods, and hygiene items. All items must have ingredient labels with current expiration dates.
Most needed items:Canned meat or tuna;Mac and cheese; Cereal or oatmeal;Pasta and sauce; Peanut butter & jelly; Canned fruit and vegetables; Healthy snacks for kids; Dry or canned beans; Juice boxes; Condiments; Shelf-stable milk; Salad dressing; Rice; Cooking oil/olive oil; Canned soup; Diapers, wipes; Personal care items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, unscented bar soap, shampoo, body wash.
Donations to be distributed to local food pantries and social services. This project is brought to you by Milton Muslim Neighbors, Milton Interfaith Clergy Association, and Milton Public Schools. For more info, please contact Amal at amalkimawi@gmail.com.
Social Hour Host Needed
Our in-person courtyard social hour is back. Hosts are needed May 8th and May 22nd.
Ushers and greeters are needed during service.
We have appreciated your help in the past and hope you can help again. Please sign up here if you are interested.
Main Spring Lunch Program
The next volunteer date is May 4th.
Fair Foods
Fair Foods is a non-profit program that rescues fresh produce that wwould otherwise be wasted and uses it to feed our communities. We volunteer together unloading and sorting food and packing bags once a month.
The next volunteer date is Saturday, May 14th.
If you want to volunteer, please sign up on Sign up Genius by Thursday
evening before the event. Start time and locations vary depending on Fair Foods’ needs, but typically start at 8:30 a.m. at their warehouse at 70 Amory Street in Roxbury.
Other volunteer opportunities are also available at Fair Foods on weekdays from early morning until mid-afternoon.
Any questions or for more information contact Tony Dutzik at tdutzik@gmail.com or 617-291-4685.
Beyond First Parish
Celebrate the Moms in your life – AND support the Peace Garden at the UU Urban Ministry at the same time.
The Urban Ministry will send a card for every $25 donation if you provide the address.
If you are interested in visiting the new Peace Garden at the Urban Ministry, talk to Tracey or Mary.
Green Up the Blue Hills!
May 1, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Meet: Temple Beth David of the South Shore
1060 Randolph Street, Canton, MA
A great event for the whole family! Help keep the forest healthy! Enjoy music, refreshments, crafts, and activities for children!
Click here for more information and to register for this great event
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.