What's Happening
at First Parish -
Our Weekly Newsletter

July 17 - 27, 2019


 We aspire to be a beacon
of liberal religion, strong community,
and transformative service.

We aspire to be a Beacon of…..
 … Liberal Religion
Summer Services   To the Stars

Sunday July 21: A Reflection on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing

During my time reflecting on the moon landing of July 20, 1969 I came across the quote from the editor of the New York Times where he came out and said they did not know what to say in the paper the next day! The editorial board decided on a bold headline, a factual recap of the landing events and a poem. The moon landing was so complex, in so many ways, that trying to understand what just happened would take an extraordinary effort. So they published the largest bold headline in their history and they commissioned a Pulitzer Prize winning Poet, Archibald MacLeish, to lead their moon landing front page.

On Sunday, I will share my thoughts on the moon landing and we will also have some musical guests. The acoustic duo of Will and Dave will join us Sunday morning. They are accomplished musicians. Will is a prolific songwriter and will share some of his songs with us.

Sunday July 28 : Cosmic Webs
Sunday August 4:  Wisdom from Deep Space 9

Read last Sunday's Reflection here:


Church Office Summer Hours
The church office will be open on Wednesdays from 10:00 – 12:00 pm, except for August 21 when the office will be closed. Regular hours will resume in September.

Enjoy the Summer!
Religious Education 2019-2020
In our three year rotation of themes (World Religions, Bible stories, and UU history, tradition, and practice), this coming year is our UU year. We are taking a slightly different approach this year, with curriculum September-January focused on history and tradition, and then in the spring using the hands on curriculum In Our Hands , a peace and justice curriculum which will involve the RE participants and discussing what they can do to make a difference in the world and choosing projects, depending on their age groups, to carry out.

In the fall, preK-2 will learn about the church and their place in it with the curriculum Chalice Children ; grades 3-5 will travel in time to learn about our UU ancestors and perhaps visit Concord, MA, to learn more about Emerson, Thoreau, and the Alcotts. The junior high group will look at values and ethics through the framework of the TV series Buffy the Vampire . High school students are invited to participate in our Coming of Age program, the UU version of a confirmation or a bar or bah mitzvah. Senior high students are also invited to participate in the SciCohRockWell youth group.

Teachers and leaders are needed for all these programs and for In Our Hands in the Spring. Teachers are asked to make a 10 Sunday commitment over the course of the year.

For planning purposes it would be very helpful if you could register your children at you earliest convenience, using the form ( please click here ) and either scanning it and sending it back to the church office, mailing it, or dropping it off. You may also pay the RE registration fee on-line ( click here for payment ) , or mail or bring in your check. If the fee is a hardship, please speak with Bill or Pam and it will be waived.
... and Transformative Service
Calendar for July 17 - 28


Wed. 17th
10:30 am Fididdlers

Sun. 21st
9:00 am Worship


Wed. 24th
10:30 am Fididdlers

Sun. 28th
9:00 am Worship

Save the Date

July/August

Summer game night

Weeding and ice cream gathering

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.