Our Vision

We aspire to be a beacon of liberal faith, strong community and transformative service, rooted in love. 

Our Mission

Liberal Faith: We commit to participate side-by-side across generations  in worship, religious education, social activities, environmental protection,

and social justice work—learning, sharing, and growing together. 

Strong Community : We commit to care for one another, nurture the light that shines within each of us, and support each other’s individual search for truth and meaning.

 

Transformative Service: We commit to pursue diversity, justice, equality, reason, and discourse;

provide inspiration through music, creativity, and the arts;

and work cooperatively to affect positive change in our community and beyond.

Worship Celebrations

All services begin at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary.

Children and youth begin in the sanctuary with the adults to share in the opening of worship, and then leave with their teachers for Religious Education. Nursery care is available upstairs for children over

18 months, but children are welcome to remain with parents.

Easter Sunday April 1             Sunrise Service at the Lighthouse

Greet the Easter dawn in this annual service led by the Scituate clergy. This year First Parish will be well represented, with Pamela Barz offering the sermon; Cathy Kang and Richard Kermond leading music; and Robbie Murdock and Oliver Jones offering a fanfare for brass at the end. The service begins at 6:15. Parking at the Lighthouse is limited, so carpooling or parking at Sand Hills and walking down is recommended.

 

A Wrinkle in Resurrection    

Back at church at 10:30 a.m., we will celebrate Easter with flowers, choir, music for trombone and organ. Pamela Barz preaching. During the service, children are invited to take part in a circle dance.

 

Children will receive Easter flowers at the end of the service and then will be invited to join in an Easter egg hunt, organized by Leslie Beldotti with the help of our 6th-8th graders. There will also be a Spring Petting Zoo, thanks to Elieen Donaldson and the Scituate 4-H group.

 

The choir will sing Lord of the Dance . Our guest trombonist is Win Lawson. Kate Glennon will greet you, and Joe and Liam Glennon will be your ushers. Carol Sullivan and Jean Shildneck will host coffee hour.

Sunday April 8     Saying No. And Saying Yes – The Rev. Ms. Mary Margaret Earl

We welcome Mary Margaret Earl, Executive Director and Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, back to our pulpit this morning. She writes about her sermon:  “There is much we must stand against in these times. Many of us over the past year have marched and kept vigil to say No to hate. But changing course means also means seeking ways to say Yes to transformation.”  Carol Sullivan-Hanley will assist her in the service. 

The Choir will sing When the Poor Ones. Meryl Pinette will donate the flowers on the communion table in honor of Phyllis Pinette. Lin Haire -Sargeant and Howard Mathews will be your ushers and Jen Bokavich will host coffee hour. We are in need of greeters.

 

In this ministry, Ms. Earl has worked to strengthen bonds between UUs and the Roxbury neighborhood where the UUUM operates. She is on the Moral Movement Massachusetts leadership team, which strives to reclaim what it means to be religious in the public square. Prior to her arrival at the UU Urban Ministry, she spent 10 years at a faith-based nonprofit in RI serving the homeless community, She is past president of the Board of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, recipient of the Heroes of Faith Award from the Rhode Island State Council of Churches for her interfaith work, and is a longtime vegan committed to standing up for nonhuman animals.

 

Sunday April 15                   Earth Day: Justice for Each Generation

We will celebrate Earth Day a week early in this multigenerational service on the risks needed to care for our Earth. Adults and youth are needed to participate in a short play in the service. Please let Pamela Barz know if you would like a part. After the service we will go outside for our annual Spring grounds clean up. Please come in your gardening clothes, bring work gloves, rakes, and other tools. Mary Beaulieu, Charlie Ruddy, Bob Murdock and Sarah Murdock will host coffee hour. We are in need of greeters and someone to bring flowers.

Sunday April 22                    Staying Safe/Staying Open

 How do we balance the competing calls of risk and safety? Pamela Barz preaching. Mary Beaulieu and Charlie Ruddy will be your ushers. The choir will sing Riversong. Wendy and George Wierzbowski will host coffee hour. We are in need of greeters and someone to bring flowers.

Sunday April 29                   Journey to a New World

This morning we will dedicate our new church sign, which was made possible by a grant from the Lothrop Family Foundation, made up of the descendants of John Lothrop, the English Puritan minister who brought the first congregation of the First Parish in Scituate over from England. What vision led them to leave the world they knew? What journeys are we invited to make, individually and as a congregation, as we live out our vision of being a beacon of liberal faith, strong community, and transformational service? Pamela Barz preaching. The Choir will sing Now Sing We of the Brave of Old. Milena Davidova will host coffee hour. We are in need of greeters and someone to bring flowers.

Following the service, members of the Lothrop Family Foundation will join us for a festive coffee hour. We are looking for donations of finger sandwiches and cookies; please speak with Kate Glennon ( [email protected] ) or Milena Davidova ( [email protected] ).

Ministries of Hospitality

There are many opportunities for ministry each Sunday as we greet, create space for conversation, and add color to our worship. Please sign up to serve in the Sloop Room or online at the following:

Sign up to be a Greeter:  http://www.signupgenius.com/greeters

Sign up to bring flowers for the communion table:  http://www.signupgenius.com/sundayflowers

Sign up to host coffee hour:  http://www.signupgenius.com/coffeehour

From the Minister  

As I write, it is April 4, the 50 ^th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to support striking sanitation workers. On April 3 in Dr. King’s final sermon he talked about the risks he was taking and why he took them: he acknowledged that this visit might be dangerous, but that he had “been to the mountaintop” and “seen the Promised Land.” He had a vision of where they were going and trusted that like the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt, those still dealing with the legacy of slavery in this country would reach a state of freedom and equality. The risks, in his view, were worth it to make that vision a reality even if he himself didn’t reach it. 

 

As we begin a worship series on risk this month, I invite you to think about where you have taken risks in your life in the past. What hope gave you the courage to take the risk? For without hope, without a dream of what might be, there is no reason to step or leap or inch toward change. What hopes and dreams are inviting you forward now and what risks might be involved?

 

See you in Church,   

Pamela

 

Minister’s Schedule 

Pamela Barz is available for appointments on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Tuesday is her day off.  You can reach her at [email protected] or 781-412-4233.

Religious Education News

Nursery/Kindergarten Picture Book World Religions

Jen McGonagle Dziedzic and Jen Bokavich are helping this age group learn about world religions through picture books. In April they will learn about Buddhism and Islam.

Grades 1-3, and 4-5 A World of New Friends

Aynsley Forsythe and Chuck Jones are teaching the grades 1-3 group. Spencer Howe and Dawn Brindley-Howe are teaching grades 4-5. They are learning about Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam.

Grades 6-8 Building Bridges

The 6-8 grade group will continue with the Building Bridges curricula, learning about different world religions with Brian and Patty Sutton. In April they will explore Islam and will attend as a group the open house at the Islamic Center of New England in Quincy on Sunday April 8. The open house runs 3-6 p.m. Parents and siblings are welcome too. Please let Brian and Patty know if you plan to attend and would like to arrange car-pooling ([email protected] and [email protected]) The Suttons can take three people with them. The Islamic Center is located at 470 South Street, Quincy.

SciCoRock Youth Group (Billy Timmins, advisor)

Updated calendar:

Sunday April 8th - meeting 5-7 p.m. in Norwell

Sunday April 22nd - meeting in Rockland 4- 6PM

followed by Youth -led service at 6PM - all are invited!

Sunday May 6th - meeting Norwell

Friday May 18th - Sunday May 20th - CON in Providence

Sunday June 3rd - end of year celebration - 1pm - 5pm - Billy's house. Incoming 8th graders as well as alumni will be invited.

Saturday June 9th - Pride Parade Boston

here is a link to the calendar -->   http://tinyurl.com/SciCohRockCalendar

Church Matters

Notes from Beth Dubuisson, Music Director

 

Thank you to Win Lawson who added an incredible celebratory note to our Easter Service with his wonderful trombone music!.

 

Choir session six will begin April 22nd and continue through May 20th. Please join us at rehearsals Sunday mornings at 9 am. 

 

Our anthems for April are:

 

April 8th : When the Poor Ones, by Jose Antonio Olivar. In this beautiful Spanish song “We see God, here by our side, walking our way” as we sing of compassion for others.

 

April 15th : No choir rehearsal or anthem.

 

April 22nd: Riversong by Andy Beck. In honor of Earth Day we sing of a river running to the ocean and setting our spirits free.

 

April 29th: Now Sing We of the Brave of Old  by Albert Dawson with music by Palestrina. We honor John Lothrop and the brave men and women who risked their lives to sail to the new world.

 

SINGERS: Join us for this choir workshop this May!  Members of our choir and I will be attending this festival. We’ll be car-pooling from church. Registration fees will be covered by First Parish music budget. Lunch included! We need to register by Monday May 14, so please let me know if you'd like to attend.

 

Cycle of Song : UU Choir Festival Sat, May 19, 2018          10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

 

Come celebrate the release of Cycle of Song: Anthems for Small UU Church Choirs (Vol. 1) with composer/conductor/UU minister Jason Shelton!

 

This collection of eight brand new anthems for the seasons of the church year is written with the needs of the smaller choir in mind. We'll spend the day exploring this new music with Jason, ending the day with a public performance of the pieces.

Jason Shelton is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, singer, multi-instrumentalist, workshop and retreat leader. He served the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, for 19 years and he is now a freelance minister of music, working to grow our capacity to sing our UU faith.

Location: Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill, Haverhill MA

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Spring Church Sale - June 2, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm  

This year we plan to enhance the First Parish Spring Sale with the addition of crafts and brunch to the usual offerings of plants, bake sale and yard sale. 

 

Please email Alma Morrison with any question, or if you would like to help!  [email protected]

Coffee Hour

Thank you all who signed up to bring snacks for coffee hour. You are awesome! Please have patience while we get a coffeemaker system going, as we lost our built-in machine. Marche Kellerhals and Carey Eyerly

Trash Pick-up

Thanks to Jean Shildneck's efforts, trash pickup by Graham Waste will be on schedule every other Tuesday, beginning April 3. -Carey Eyerly

We Look Forward to:

May 6                             FPUU member Lauri Klein preaching

May 9                             Unity’s Spring Dinner

May (date TBD) Blue Boat Coffeehouse

June 2 Spring Fair

Opportunities for Liberal Faith

Community Book Discussion: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

As we continue our discussions of race and privilege, our next gathering will focus on the best-selling young adult novel, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Several copies of the book are available at the church and many are in the library system. The tentative date for discussion is Tuesday May 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Book Group Room

 

Sci-Co-Rock Service April 22, 6-7 p.m., at Channing Church in Rockland

Our combined youth group will offer their annual youth service on Sunday April 22. They invite the congregations of all the participating churches to join them in this always thought-provoking and inspiring event. Families of 6-8 graders are especially encouraged to attend. If you would like to car-pool from First Parish, please let Pamela Barz know.



Inquirers’ Learning Circle

This is the new name for the adult education program which has been deepening their understanding of world religions and the history of the Bible over the past four years. The next course of study will be to read and discuss Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker.   Parker (a UU minister and scholar) and Brock (a UCC scholar) combine memoir and theology to look at the ways Christianity has used images of violence and suffering to imprison people. The book, written in 2001, has renewed relevance with the #MeToo movement. Copies are available used on Amazon. The class will meet on Mondays April 23 (to discuss the Prelude and Part 1); May 21 (Part 2); and June 18 (Part 3 and Postlude). The group is limited to 12 people and is filling up: please speak with Pamela Barz soon if you would like to participate. 

 

Knit for Peace

Participants in the knitting (and other fiber arts) retreat in February decided they didn’t want it to be a one-time event, so a monthly drop-in group is beginning on the last Sunday of the month, 3-4:30 p.m. in the Library Book Group room. We met in March and will meet again on April 29. After this month’s gathering, the group will take a summer break and resume in October. Please let Pamela Barz know if you have questions.

Wednesday mornings: Craft and Conversation

Join the Fididdlers in at the church any Wednesday between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to participate in crafting and conversation.

Monday Night Meditation

Would you like to incorporate meditation into your spiritual practice? Would you like to learn how to meditate? Would you like to add the energy of others to your already existing practice? You are invited to come to First Parish’s bi-monthly meditation sessions on Monday nights from 7-8:30 p.m. April sessions are Monday 4/9 and 4/23 . Email Brian or Patty Sutton with any questions at [email protected] or pa [email protected] .

Opportunities for Strong Community

Canvass Update

We are in the midst of our Canvass for pledges for the 2018-2019 year. Thank you to those of you who have already returned the pledge cards. To those who have not, there is still time!  

We are are doing well so far, but still have a ways to go to meet our goal so that we can fund our programs for ministry, music, and religious education. Your contribution matters! Help us reach our goal!

If you have any questions please ask anyone on the Canvass Team - Alma Morrison, Claire Sherman, Kate Glennon, Marche Kellerhalls, Jean Shildneck, Mark DaSilva, Ann Svensen, Sheri Nidositko, Pamela Barz, Cathie McGowan, Vicki Davis, and Erica Boyle

A Very Unbirthday Party!

The social committee will be hosting A Very Unbirthday Party at Coffee Hour on April 22. We will celebrate everyone’s birthdays from the past year with cakes, old fashioned party games and good cheer. Please email Jen McGonagle at [email protected] if you can bake a cake for the occasion.

- Jen McGonagle, Co-Chair Social Committee

Walk and Talk

The Caring Committee is again hosting "Walk and Talks." Care to be on an text list that will include all interested in weekly and random walks? Weekly walks are generally Sunday afternoon, random walks will week night evenings and Saturdays. If somebody would like to lead AM walks I welcome a fellow organizer. Some weeks we will just meet at Sandhill’s parking lot as we have met in the past. Other weeks Norris, Wampatuck and other nice places. Come get some fresh air, good conversation and exercise. Kids welcome ! 

Please respond to Caring Committe Co-Chair Tracey Timmins at 781-267-0171 .

Celebrating the "Beacon" that is our New Sign

On Sunday, April 29, after the regular service, we will be officially dedicating our new sign with some special guests. You're invited to gather outside for a blessing directly after the service, followed up by a brunch-like coffee hour. Special guests will join us from the Lothropp Society, who so generously provided us with a grant to make our sign a stronger symbol of welcomeness to the community. Anyone interested in our founder, John Lothrop, whose covenant in 1634 with other early settlers created the meeting house that became First Parish UU, or other Scituate history, will enjoy the good company of some real experts! - Kate Glennon, co-chair Publicity Committee

Opportunities for Transformative Service

Men’s Ministry

All men and boys in the congregation are invited to participate in the Men’s Ministry monthly breakfast and service projects. In April, they will meet on Saturday the 7 ^th at 8:30 a.m. at Alan Donaldson’s home and then do some work for community members. RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Contact coordinator Chuck Jones ( [email protected]) if you plan to attend. 

Scituate Food Pantry Needs our Help!

Post Office Food Drive Saturday May 12, 2018  

Last year the Scituate Food Pantry provided over 220 Scituate families (abouth 450 individuals) with more than 6,300 bags of food last year! The annual Post Office Drive is our major source of food donations.

 

We need volunteers age 15 or older on Saturday, May 12th to help us sort and pack the donations at the Masonic Temple @ 344 Country Way that day. Those who have not volunteered before need to attend a brief training session either Wednesday, May 9th at 7pm or Thursday, May 10th at 10am.

 

There are two shifts on May 12th, the day of the drive: 1pm to 4pm and 4pm to 7pm (the second shift is when the most help is needed).

 

If you would like to part of this amazing effort to help your community in this important way, please send an email to [email protected] indicating your shift preference.

 

On behalf of our clients and families, thank you in advance for your help!

 

Food Pantry - Volunteer Schedule and Food of the Week for April 8th

April is First Parish's month to help staff the Scituate Food Pantry. Thank you to all who have volunteered to serve. We still need someone on Thursday April 26th, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Please sign-up by clicking on the following link April 2018 Scituate Food Pantry Schedule, sign-up at church on the sign-up sheet, or contact Alan Donaldson at 781-378-1562 if you can help.

We are also collecting food at church to deliver to the food pantry at the end of the month. Our goal is 400 items! To help you remember to bring an item regularly to church on Sundays, we are continuing the food of the week drive. On Sunday April 8th, we are asking for shampoo and toothpaste (the food pantry is out of these necessities).

Thank you - Alan Donaldson, FPUU representative to the Food Pantry

Around the Parish

Thank UUs : to Jenn Mackey for agreeing to teach OWL to our 7-9 ^th graders next year and for spending a weekend being trained as a teacher… to all who worked on the Blue Boat Coffeehouse on March: musicians set up crew, bakers, table staff, and clean-up crew.… to Frank Kilduff for his work on the church doors… to Erica Boyle for coordinating repairs to the leaky roof… to the members of the Men’s Ministry who cleaned up the glass from a storm window broken in the March 2 storm …  to Marche Kellerhals for coordinating the Easter flowers… to Leslie Beldotti for coordinating and overseeing the Easter egg hunt and to Eileen Donaldson for bringing the Spring baby animal petting zoo… to Cathy Kang, Richard Kermond, Oliver Jones, and Robbie Murdock for offering their music at the Easter sunrise service despite frozen fingers.. to Win Lawson for bringing his trombone music to services in March and April… to March Ushers : Julianna Dunn, Mark Matthews, Sarah and Bob Murdock, Meryl Pinette, and Lin Haire-Sargeant ; March Greeters : Sophie Bokavich; and Coffee Hour Hosts : Eileen Donaldson, Carey Eyerly, Chuck Jones, and Mark Meadows who warmed us all with these ministries of hospitality.

Happy Birthday April!

April Calendar