68th Annual Arts Festival 

May 8-17, Opening Night: Thursday, May 7, 5 - 8 pm

Open every day from 10 am to 8 pm; Sundays, 10 am to 4 pm

The lawn signs are out. The street sign is up. The social media is flowing. Cushing Hall is full of acrylics, oils, pastels, mixed-media, pottery, jewelry, wood carvings, greeting cards, resin tables, and so much more. The art submissions exceeded our expectations this year, and we have expanded the displays into the Sanctuary. We are ready to greet our visitors and shoppers! 

Thank you to everyone for stepping up and filling in where help is needed. Opening weekend is generally covered but as we get into next week and our final weekend, there are still plenty of spots available to get in on the action. If you are unable to work a shift, you can support the show in other ways by providing requested food and beverage donations for our evening social hours listed at the top of the Sign-up Genius.

Click here to see open shifts or sign up to donate for our evening social hours.

Thank you to all who have offered their time, financial support and donations. This event is only successful with all of your generous input.

For any questions, contact Gayla at gayla@gaylagodbydesign.com, or Lisa at lisahullshetty@gmail.com

Second Sunday Collection for May

The Second Sunday collection this Sunday, May 10, will go to the Hope Floats Healing Center in Kingston. “Hope Floats is a bereavement and educational center for adults, children, teens, and their families who are grieving, dealing with illness, or facing other life challenges. Our free support services bring hope and healing to those in need.” In 2025 more than 1,300 individuals, including 685 children and teens, took part in support groups, pizza parties, summer camp and Family nights at the Hope Floats Healing Center - all free of charge.

To learn more about Hope Floats, visit their website

Please give generously to this worthy charity.

Investing in Our Shared Future -- Pledge Drive Update

By now you should have received your pledge letter which included an insert on our three-year vision for Second Parish. We hope that the vision for the future is inspiring and motivates you to make a pledge of financial support for the coming year. We're seeking $105,000 in pledges - a thoughtful 8% increase that launches our foundation year with Reverend Liz and our new programming.

Pledge commitments were due to Baba Shetty last week so we can create a realistic budget for approval at our Annual Meeting. If you haven't responded, please do at your earliest convenience!



Thank you !

Second Parish Book Group

We had a lively discussion of The Poisonwood Bible at our Sunday book group. We all agreed there is much to glean from this lengthy, brilliant work by Barbara Kingsolver, and our discussion was only limited by time. If you have not read anything by Barbara Kingsolver, we highly recommend you give one of her many books a try, and maybe start with The Poisonwood Bible.

The end of the church year is busy, so we did not schedule a book group meeting in May or June. However, we would like to compile a summer reading list by asking interested church members to suggest two of their favorite books for our list - just two of your most favorite. These can be new or old, fiction or nonfiction. We will list the books with the member’s name who recommended them. Please send your recommendations to Peggy (pvmosher@gmail.com) or Lisa (lisahullshetty@gmail.com) by the end of May, or talk to us at coffee hour.

Fill the Pew for the Food Pantry

This month the Food Pantry has asked for cookies and pasta sauce. Please add a couple of items for the pantry when you do your food shopping and bring them to church on Sunday. Let's fill the basket in the front pew to the brim!

Thank you!

Second Parish in Hingham, Unitarian Universalist

685 Main Street

Hingham, MA 02043

(781) 749-1671

E-mail: secondparish@yahoo.com

Website: www.secondparish.org 

Church Office Hours: Mon, Tues and Thurs, 9:00 am - Noon

The Weekly Update is published each Friday. To submit an article, send an e-mail to news@secondparish.org or to leadershipboard@secondparish.org 

by Wednesday evening.