We aspire to be a Beacon of…..

 … Liberal Religion

From the Religious Education Director

A few parting thoughts as I write my last Religious Education article for “What’s Happening.” I have been blessed to be a part of the First Parish Religious Education program. What makes it so strong, besides having such wonderful children, is the commitment the adults make to serving the church. You all take the covenant seriously: “Love is the spirit of this church and service is its law.”

I did want to make sure parents knew that the younger aged children’s classes can be found on line at the Unitarian Universalist web site: tapestry of faith wonderful welcome and chalice children.

Our other two classes for grades 3-5 and 6-8 have fantastic curricula and are generating a lot of participation with the children. The “Time Machine” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” are the lessons they are working on.

Wow, it is time to say good-bye! I feel like I just learned where the light switches and the thermostats are. Thank you all so much for your support and love. You will be in good hands with Eileen taking over.

Peace, Bill

Do You Love a Victorian Christmas?

Then help to plan our worship in December! As part of our focus on our Unitarian Universalist tradition in Religious Education our worship for the Advent and Christmas seasons will look at A Christmas Carol, by the English Unitarian Charles Dickens.  As the chimes marked the turning of Ebeneezer Scrooge from resentment, fear, and isolation to renewed life, joy, passion, generosity, humility and love, so can these seasons be a time of renewal for us. 

Please join the Religious Services Committee on Monday October 21 at 7 p.m. at the church as we brainstorm what this series might look like, feel like, sound like, maybe even smell like in our sanctuary!  Please speak with Pamela or the chair of the Religious Services Committee, if you have thoughts or ideas.

Remembering our Beloved Dead

Every year during our celebration of the Universalist holy day All Souls, we remember the good news that our family and friends who have died are still connected to us in the Love which holds us all, and we read aloud the names of loved ones who have died since last All Souls Sunday. If you have lost family or friends this year and would like to have them remembered, please send their names to the church.

Community Book Discussion on Diversity

Our next "read" will be There, There by Tommy Orange. Published in 2018, it follows a large cast of Native Americans living in the area of Oakland, CA, as their paths take them to a community pow wow . There, There was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Literature. The New York Times headlined their review of the book: "Yes, Tommy Orange's New Novel Really Is That Good" ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/books/review/tommy-orange-there-there.html ). John Scopelleti, Chair of the English Department at Scituate High School, will lead the discussion of the book on Wednesday October 23, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Scituate Town Library. There are many copies of the novel in the OCLN system.

The book explores the themes of Native peoples living in urban spaces, and issues of ambivalence and complexity related to Natives' struggles with identity and authenticity. There There was favorably received, and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. ^[2] The book was also awarded a Gold Medal for First Fiction by the California Book Awards .

... Strong Community

All Church Potluck Supper

What more could you want for an evening! On Saturday October 19, 5:30-7 p.m., children, youth, and adults are invited to a potluck supper at First Parish to thank our Director of Religious Education for the past 14 months and to say good-by to him and his wife as they leave us. Please bring a main dish, salad, dessert, bread or beverage to share. 

Notes from the Parish Committee

Synergy Sunday, September 29, 2019

Approximately 25 members and friends gathered in the Sloop Room after worship on Sunday, September 29 for our first Synergy Sunday meeting of the year. Childcare was provided.

 

Members of the Parish Committee reported on the work that the Parish Committee has undertaken over the past year and a half to assess the church’s governance structure that was put into place in 2012. As PC Co-Chair reported in an Update from the Parish Committee in a recent edition of the What’s Happening newsletter:

 

First Parish is filled with deeply committed, talented people who hold common values and truly care about our church, one another, and our world… We want our structure to create more opportunity for more people to find joy in participating in church life!

 

The Parish Committee wants to make sure that our by-laws help us carry out our mission rather than getting in the way of that mission. The PC is currently drafting a revision to the by-laws, and will propose revised by-laws to the membership for consideration by the end of this church year. If approved, the new by-laws will significantly simplify our governance structure and add more flexibility to the way we “get church done.” For example, the current by-laws require that all of the work of the church be undertaken by committees that have strict minimum membership requirements and burdensome reporting requirements. Going forward, we want a more nimble, flexible, and responsive structure that will allow the work of the church to be undertaken by committees, teams, or individuals - whichever is most appropriate for the needs of the church from year to year. The Parish Committee will create a Governance Policy document that it will update each year to make sure that the church runs smoothly and that lines of communication remain open between Annual Meetings.

 

Members of the Parish Committee are grateful to everyone who attended Synergy Sunday and for the feedback and suggestions they provided during the lively conversation that followed the report on the governance and by-laws review work that the PC has been undertaking.

 

The Parish Committee meets on the third Wednesday of the month. Meetings are open to all members of the church. Please join us if you have questions or suggestions, or if you would like to learn more about church governance. If you have suggestions regarding our by-laws (which are available on the church website), please let us know! Our next meeting is tonight, Wednesday, October 16, at 7pm at the church.

Secretary, Parish Committee

Minister's Community Office Hours

Join Pamela Barz for conversation at the Lucky Finn on Thursday October 31, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Bring your ideas, your thoughts, your questions. Have friends who might be interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and First Parish - bring them along!

SNOWFLAKE FAIR, Sat. Dec. 7, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Seven weeks from Saturday!

Calling crafters of all kinds!          

You are among the key elements of this Fair.  Please let us know what you have been creating, or what you plan to start making very soon. If you have a great idea and would like a helper or two, please let us know and we’ll see if we can match you up with someone else who likes to make holiday stuff. Items that sell well are small handmade items, little plants in decorative containers, imaginative items of shell, stone, glass, cloth, wood, wool, natural plant materials, and even plastic!  Think gifts. . . . .

-Team Snowflake

First Parish Needs Your Help!

Thank you to all who responded to last week's requests for help. Here's how you can serve our church and strengthen our community this week. 

We need:

Sign-up for the Bottle and Can Fund Raiser!

The opportunity came up for First Parish to partner with St. Luke’s church, next month, for what we affectionately know of as “Dump Duty.” We have signed on for November 1 ^st through November17th.

For those who are new to this fun activity, it means sorting the redeemable bottles and cans at the transfer station and turning them in at the redemption center in Cohasset. Shifts are usually 3 hrs, but we can vary those to fit a sorter’s schedule. We make sure that an experienced sorter will be with newcomers, to show them the ropes. 

The Men’s Ministry is taking the lead on this, however we will be asking for help from all of the willing folks from our church.

There will be more discussion and reminders about this in the upcoming weeks. In addition, First Parish is signed up for the month of March 2020. 

Bottles & Cans Coordinator

Teams Hosting Coffee Hour This Year

This year we are trying to make hosting coffee hour easier for everyone by eliminating the sign-up sheet. We will try this for the year and see if it works!

We randomly created fifteen teams so each team will host coffee hour two times during the year. More people will lessen the work and expense. More people doesn’t mean “more food”! Let’s bring simpler snacks which makes clean-up easier.

The full list will go out in a separate mailing. If you do not see your name on any team and you want to be included, please let us know and we will include you. Also, if you feel you cannot serve in this way, you may ask to be removed from the teams list.

If you can’t be there on the date, you could supply some snacks and give them to a team member to bring to church.

Each team consists of four to six people. Duties include setting the table, putting snacks on serving plates, make the coffee and heat tea water, wash the dishes and put the trash in the shed. The team will also bring a quart of half and half and juice. We will send out a more details of how to set up.

Thank you for trying this!!! Please call or email if you have a question.

Pizza and Game Night - Friday October 25, 6:00 to 9:00

Come enjoy a night of pizza, potluck and games. Bring a game or two that you enjoy or a deck of cards. We’ll order pizzas (pass the hat), or you can bring whatever you want to eat. Please bring non-alcoholic drinks.

Peter Krasinski and The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Saturday November 2, 2019 at 7:30 pm

AN UNUSUAL MUSICAL EVENT! HISTORIC PIPE ORGAN MEETS THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME!

 

We are proud to present another unique and extraordinary event for all ages at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Scituate on Saturday evening, November 2: concert-quality music, a classic Hollywood silent film, and the pleasure of hearing the peal of the church’s unique, antique pipe organ. The event will be held  from 7:30 to 9:00 pm., and is by cash admission of $15 per person (16 and under free).

 

Award-winning silent film improv organist Peter Krasinski will once again bring his story-telling artistry to interpret the classic silent movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, performing on the church’s historic and recently-renovated 1906 Hook & Hastings pipe organ. Mr. Krasinski skillfully adds an extra thrill with his brilliant rendition of plots and characters … an event not to be missed!! A dark church, dramatic organ music and Quasimodo … an unusual and wonderful experience on a Saturday night!

Here is a link to the flyer, please print it out and post it in stores and businesses which accept community notices, and anywhere else people might be interested. Hunchback Flyer

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Shopping at Thrift Stores

In our spirit of reusable entities , I am willing to take a field trip to four of my favorites next Wednesday, October 23rd. I am willing to meet folks at the church at 12:30 pm and provide transportation with the hope of returning about 3:00 pm. Anyone interested can contact me. I will be willing to do it again on a Saturday in the next few months too for those who aren't free on weekdays. 

Transformative Service

Scituate Food Pantry -Volunteers Needed for October

The month of October is our church's time to support the Scituate Food Pantry. We are called upon to provide one person on Tuesdays 9:30-12:30 and/or Thursdays 3:00-6:00 pm each week of October. The work is mainly dating donated goods and filling orders for clients. There is some lifting and bending required. On the month that we provide volunteers to the food pantry, we are requested to either have a fund raiser or a food drive.

The Scituate Food Pantry also provides an opportunity for High School students to do  Community Service. High school students will be "working" at the Pantry on Wednesday afternoons from  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm. The students will be dating the donated products and helping with other related jobs.

Church volunteers have been bringing donations to the Pantry on Tuesday mornings. Going forward, the Pantry would like the donations to be brought to the Pantry on Wednesday by 3:00 pm so that the sorting and dating can be done by the students.

 

The Food Pantry requests the following for the holidays:

Holiday Foods Needed

 Stuffing mix

Mashed potatoes box

Turkey gravy

Cranberry sauce

Yams can

Corn can

Fruit cocktail

Jello

Quick breads or muffin mix

Brownie or cake mix

Our plan this month is to collect and build a wall of food across the chancel in the sanctuary. Please contact me at church or at 781-378-1562, if you have any questions. 

Thank you! Food Pantry Representative

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.