Read about Potluck Supper/Game Night, Spiritual Autobiography Class, and Bottles and Cans...



The Sloop's Log
 January 2018

Newsletter of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate
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 commun ity 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.
Sunday January 7           Where the Light Leads
 ​As we leave the Christmas season, how can we keep our eyes on the star, following the path of hope, peace, love, and joy into the new year? Pamela Barz preaching. Spencer Howe will offer an astronomical chalice lighting. The second session of the Religious Education program begins. 

Eileen Donaldson is providing the flowers for the communion table. The McGonagle-Dziedzic family are hosting coffee hour. We are in need of greeters.
 
Sunday January 14        What Love Sounds Like
As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we also mourn the ways that racism is still embedded in our culture and the structures of society. We will reflect on what this looks like in our lives and community today and how we might help to work towards that society where children are judged by the content of their character not by the color of their skin. Pamela Barz preaching. Joy Tarr Kingsbury will light the chalice. The Choir will sing When Our Heart is In A Holy Place. The Corbo family will greet you. Eileen Donaldson will host the coffee hour. We are in need of people to bring flowers.
 
Sunday January 21        Beyond Tolerance
On January 13, 1568 King John Sigismund of Transylvania, the first and so far only Unitarian king anywhere, issued the Edict of Torda, the first declaration of religious tolerance in the history of the world. Four hundred and fifty years later, we will consider the significance of that Edict and the limits of tolerance. Pamela Barz will be preaching and, to help us actually practice getting beyond tolerance to engagement, Allyson Gall will join her, speaking on Being Jewish ( .2%) in a World of 7.3 Billion People. Allyson retired to Scituate a few years ao after serving as NJ State Director of American Jewish Committee, the leading Global Jewish advocacy organization and works to build inter -religious alliances to promote human and civil rights for all, combat anti-Semitism and extremism, and help others to understand Israel. She is now active in the Sierra Club, Congregation Sha'aray Shalom in Hingham, and caring for four grandkids. Allyson will be available for conversation and questions after the service. The Choir will sing Velvet Shoes. The Murdock family will host the coffee hour. We are in need of people to bring flowers, and greet.

Sunday January 28           Music as an Act of Compassion
We are very excited to welcome Nick Page to lead our worship this morning. A Unitarian Universalist, Nick Page is a Boston based composer, conductor and author who is best known for his song leading. In the 1980’s he was a conductor with the Emmy Award winning Chicago Children’s Choir.  Since 1990, he has led Boston’s Mystic Chorale and guest conducted around the word including at three of the four Carnegie Halls (Pittsburgh, New York, and Scotland). His choral works have premiered everywhere from Lincoln Center to humble school cafeterias.  He is the author of three books and has close to one hundred published choral pieces.  The Choir will join him in the service, singing Gonna Get Through The World (Woody Guthrie/ the Klezmatics); We Pray (Nick Page); and There’s Honey in the Rock (Guy & Candie Carawan/Nick Page). Please invite friends to join you at this special service. The choir will sing There’s Honey in the Rock. Mary Beaulieu and Charlie Ruddy will host the coffee hour.
We are in need of people to bring flowers, and greet.
         
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  

Take a jar; fill it almost to the top with small pebbles and then try to fit in seven larger stones. Have you seen this done? I think I did it during a Time for All Ages last year. It’s clear that the stones won’t fit on top of the pebbles. “There’s no room,” the children (and adults) say. But if you empty out the pebbles and put the stones in first, the pebbles fit back in around them. It is, of course, a story about making time in your life for what’s important.
 
I think about it at the turning of the year when so many of us make resolutions. Resolutions are hard to hold onto unless they become a priority. Just like the stones in the jar, we can’t fit exercise or meditation or the cooking of healthful dinners or time with friends on top of our already too-full lives. The only way we can achieve what we want is to put it in first – get it on the calendar; make the commitment; incorporate it first into the routine. Where we spend our time is how we spend our lives.
 
I think of this story as we get ready to have Nick Page lead worship in Scituate on January 28. I had heard of Nick for years from my friend Suzi who sang in the Mystic Chorale under his direction. She loved Nick and the music he drew from the singers and always invited Chuck and me to come to their performances but – you know how it goes – we were living in NH with twin babies, then toddlers, then busy children, and we just never made it down. In 2013, a few months before we moved to Scituate, Nick Page led worship at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, NH, which we were attending. Because of Suzi, we attended; it was a wonderful, joy-filled, inspiring service, and I let Suzi know all about it. Once again we promised to attend a concert of the Mystic Chorale. But – we moved and were dealing with all the changes and busy-ness that followed. And then Suzi was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2016. I still regret that we didn’t dump out the pebbles and make space for the long promised trip to hear her sing with Nick and the Chorale she loved.
 
So as you go into the new year, I wish you the resolve to make the space in your days for what is most important, for what will give you joy, meaning, and fullness of life. If you’d like to talk about how to do that or how to discern what is important to you, please remember that I am here.

***
 I will be away January 22-26 at the UU Ministers’ triennial Institute and participating in the workshop on Think like a Filmmaker: Sensory -Rich Worship Design for Unforgettable Messages with Worship Consultant Marcia McFee. Come to the meeting of the Religious Services Committee on January 29 where I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned and how it might fit our worship at First Parish. But I’ll definitely be at Nick Page’s service in Scituate on the 28 th. I hope you’ll join me.

See you in Church,   
Pamela

Minister’s Schedule in January
Pamela Barz will be attending the UU Ministers’ Institute January 22-26; Stephanie Stewart will know how to reach her in case of emergency. Other weeks this month, she 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 pamela.merrill.barz@gmail.com or 781-412-4233.




Religious Education News




We are beginning our second term, winter term, which runs from January 7th through March 3rd. Students in grades 1-5 (World of New Friends) will be learning about Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, and Christianity, over the coming weeks with teachers Julianna Dunn and Ruth Kuhn (Grades 1-3) and Kate Glennon and Ann Svensen Grades 4-5). Jenn Mackey and Carol Sullivan Hanley will be exploring stories and celebrations of Epiphany, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Hindu festival of Holi, the Jewish festival of Purim and other topics in Picture Book World Religions with the Pre-K and K group. The junior high group, grades 6-8, will continue learning about the religions of the world with Patty and Brian Sutton

If you would like to teach in the Spring semester, March 11 - June 10, please speak with Brian or Patty Sutton, Co-Chairs of the RE Committee.

SciCoRock Youth Group
Our youth group is hosting the next CON of the year. it will be held from Jan 26th at 7:30 pm until 9:00 am on Sunday Jan 28th at Channing Church in Rockland.

here is a link to the flyer. all forms are on the flyer
Church Matters

Notes from Beth Dubuisson, Music Director

Happy New Year!
 
Please join us in singing for our 4th choir session Sunday January 14th through February 11th. You don’t need to have sung before to join us. If you’d like to try singing with the choir, sing with us these next 5 Sundays and see what it’s like.

 
Our anthems in January :
 
January 14th- When Our Heart is In A Holy Place  by Joyce Poley

January 21st- Velvet Shoes by Randall Thompson
 
January 28th-  There’s Honey in the Rock-  Spiritual adapted from version Guy & Candie Carawan learned from Mrs. Alice Wine of John's Island, South Carolina, adapted by Nick Page
 
                                Gonna Get Through the World by Woodie Guthrie and the Klezmatics
                                http://nickmusic.com/?page_id=76
 
Nick Page, song leader, composer, conductor and author, will be leading our service Sunday January 28th .
 
Nick Page is both a natural and a schooled musician, with a boundless enthusiasm and ability for awakening song. He is a collector of folk tunes from around the world, and a gifted teacher. Sing with Nick !” Alice Parker
 
Nick Page embraces the whole world in his soul and in his music. He is a skillful, passionate, and respectful interpreter of world music who backs up his work with knowledge and context. As composer, teacher, and songleader, Nick inspires people through song like few others, empowering them in the process .” Emily Ellsworth, Glen Ellen Children’s Choir

To read and hear more about Nick Page visit nickmusic.com
 
There will be a  Blue Boat Coffeehouse on Saturday February 10th, 6pm-9pm. Come hear some great local talent! 
 
****
Religious Services Committee
Think spring! The Religious Services Committee invites you to a planning session for Easter and Earth Day services on Monday, January 29th at 7:00 pm at church. All are welcome to come and share their ideas about what this time might look like in our activities and services. If you have ideas, but can't make the meeting, please email Jenn Mackey, Chair of the Religious Services Committee, at jenn_mackey@comcast.net. We are always happy to hear your thoughts! 

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 .

Potluck Supper and Game Night - Saturday January 27th
Get ready to get your game on! The Men’s Ministry and the Social Programs Committee are co-hosting a potluck supper and game night for all ages on Saturday, January 27 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to share (main dish, salad, bread, or dessert) and, if you have a game you’d like to lead, bring that too. Questions? contact Jen McGonagle Dziedzic, jenmcgdz@gmail.com , or Milena Davidova, yogabliss@gmail.com , Social Programs Co-Chairs.

Blue Boat Coffeehouse
Happy 2018! Mark your calendars because there are two Blue Boat Coffeehouses coming up: Saturday, February 10 th from 6-9 pm and Saturday March 17 th from 6-9 pm. We are looking to possibly have another event in late April or early May and still dreaming of something for the summer.
 
We will certainly send out food requests for these events. Please allow me to thank everybody at our incredible church once again for making these events beyond special. Any thoughts or concerns or wonderful ideas, please contact a member of the Blue Boat Team: Billy Timmins, Cathie McGowan, Kate Glennon, or Ann Svensen.
We Look Forward to:
February 10th Blue Boat Coffeehouse
February 25th               Knitting (and other Hand-Arts) Retreat
March 14                 Unity/Alliance Spring dinner
April 8                     Guest preacher Mary Margaret Earl, UU Urban Ministry
Opportunities for Spiritual Deepening
Community Book Discussion /Unity Council:
Race. Image. Reality
In January, the Community Book Discussion will join the Scituate Unity Council on Thursday January 18, 6:30-8 p.m. in the Gates Dining Commons to discuss issues of racism in the Boston area, using articles from the recent Spotlight series in the Boston Globe. Participants are encouraged to read any or all of the following articles:
 
Next month we will discuss Jesmyn Ward's memoir The Men We Reaped on Tuesday Februay 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the Library's book group room. All are welcome at either event.

In A New Year, Take a New Look at Your Life
Pamela Barz will offer a class in Spiritual Autobiography for adults from 12:30-2 p.m. on Wednesdays January 17 and 31, February 7, 14 and 28. The class uses writing and drawing exercises to look at your life as a spiritual journey. Taking the class broadens your understanding of what it means to be spiritual and how spirituality has been integral to your journey in ways you might not have expected; it also provides life-long connections and friendships with your classmates. It is especially helpful at life turning-points, but is valuable at any point. If you are interested in signing up or in learning more, please contact Pam (pamela.merrill.barz@gmail.com). The deadline for registration is January 14. There is no fee for the class.

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. January sessions are Monday 1/8 and 1/22 . Email Brian or Patty Sutton with any questions at brsutton@hotmail.com or pattysutton@gmail.com .

Gatherings for Craft and Conversation  

Fididdlers
Drop in at the church any Wednesday between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to participate in crafting and conversation. Currently the group is working on a variety of bird-themed ornaments and decorations for the Snowflake Fair.
Opportunities for Ministry
Bottles & Cans Collection in January  
​It is our month to sort bottles and cans at the Transfer Station. This effort is one of our biggest fund-raisers: last year it added almost $4,000 to our budget. So please sign up to work a shift this month.  Shifts are on weekday afternoons, 12-3 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays; and Saturdays and Sundays 9-12 and 12-3 through January 31. People are also needed each day to take the day's collection to the redemption center in Cohasset using Howard Mathews special bottles&cans trailer. Staffing the site may be a bit messy, but it can be fun spending time with a church friend or getting to know a new one, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a difference not only for the church budget but for the earth. Please sign up here:   http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040549aaaf2fa13-bottles2
Men’s Ministry
The Men’s Ministry will meet on Saturday January 6 for breakfast at 8 a.m. at the home of Alan Donaldson (24 Satuit Trail) and then will do some work for Alan and Eillen. They are also cohosting the Potluck Supper and Game Night on January 27. Please e-mail Chuck Jones ( charles_a_jones@yahoo.com) if you have suggestions for projects, or if you’d like to be on his e-mail reminder list. 

Host a Coffee Hour
To make our coffee hour one of community, please sign up to bring very simple snacks to enjoy after each service. You don't need to supply beverages - the Coffee Hour Co-Chairs keep supplies of coffee, tea, half-and-half, and juice. Please sign up the online SignUp Genius or on the paper signup sheet in the Sloop Room. 

Please help with this ministry of hospitality. Thanks so much!
Marche Kellerhals and Carey Eyerly, Coffee Hour Co-Chairs
Around the Parish
On Sunday December 17 First Parish members Pauline Mitchell, Kay & Jack Shaw, and Yvonne Twomey were serenaded by the First Parish Surprise Carolers (Jenn Mackey, Mark, Bren, and Emory Matthews; Jen McGonagle and Emilia and Ellie Dziedzic; Ann, Matthew, and Patrick Corbo; Sarah and Robbie Murdock; Chuck Jones and Pamela Barz) under the direction of Elizabeth Dubuisson. They also caroled in the Harbor before going back to the church for cocoa and cookies.
Thank UUs: to Kate Glennon for writing, directing, and producing another wonderful pageant... to Marche Kellerhals for coordinating the Christmas flowers, to Jean Shildneck and Meryl Pinette for arranging them in the sanctuary, and to all who donated flowers…. To Christmas Eve readers:  Nicolai Bokavich, Doug and Emilia Dziedzic, Heather and Dawn Brindley Howe, Noah and Richard Kermond (4 p.m.) and Kate Ballinger, Mackenna Berkeley, Alan Donadson, and Julianna Dunn (7 p.m.)… to all our special musicians throughout the month of December:  Margot Bertola, Donna Culley, Caroline and Wesley Hine, Miles Jones, and Riley Nidositko… to the Advent sign makers:  Jenn Mackey, Mark, Bren, and Emory Matthews; Ann, Patrick, and Matthew Corbo; Cathy Kang and Richard, Grace, and Noah Kermond; Jen, Nicolai, Sophie, and Nina Bokavich; and Ruth Kuhn…. To Jen McGonagle and Doug Dziedzic for their creative consult and assistance with the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve service… to Laura Carson-Laciner, Kim Dickinson, and Hal Stokes for reading and assisting with the New Year’s Eve morning service.
Happy Birthday January!

Yvonne Twomey            
Mary Kingsbury                      
Devon Smith                          
Gail Anderson                       
Janie Culbert                        
Jan 1
Jan 26
Jan 27
Jan 28
Jan 28
January Calendar
Wed. 3rd
10:30 am Fididdlers

Sat. 6th
8:00 am Men's Ministry

Sun. 7th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE
5:00 pm Youth Group - Scituate

Mon. 8th
7:00 pm Meditation

Wed. 10th
10:30 am Fididdlers
7:00 pm Parish Committee Meeting

Sun. 14th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE

Mon. 15th
7:00 pm New Testament Class

Wed. 17th
10:30 am Fididdlers
12:30 pm Spiritual Autobiography Class

Thurs. 18th
6:30 pm Community Book Discussion
Gates Middle School
Fri. 19th
7:00 pm Scituate Ceilidh

Sun. 21st
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE

Mon. 22nd
7:00 pm Meditation

Wed. 24th
10:30 am Fididdlers

Fri. 26th- Sun 28th
Youth Con. Rockland Channing Church

Sat. 27th
5:00 pm Potluck Supper & Game Night

Sun. 28th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE

Mon. 29th
7:00 pm Religious Services Committee

Wed. 31st
10:30 am Fididdlers
12:30 pm Spiritual Autobiography Class