Newsletter  October 22 & 29, 2015

My maternal grandmother, Verna Grace, died on an Easter Sunday morning.  I went to the Unitarian Universalist church I had been attending for several months, not knowing exactly what I needed or what to expect.  While I remember little about the service I do remember this.  The minister's message was about eternal life. . . and he made it plain.  Eternal life means that we live on in the ways our life touches the lives of others.  The grace of the moment when what you get is exactly what you need washed over me.  
 
On Sunday November 1 at 12:45 you are invited to a story circle to honor the Rev. Terry Burke.  We will gather in the sanctuary for an hour's time to share memories of Terry's ministry and his impact on our lives.  The good we do, the difference we make, the hope we leave behind is visible in the ways others remember us, the ways others are touched by what we have done.  
 
You may also share memories on the First Church website.   Send your remembrance to  firstchjp@aol.com to be added to the In Memoriam page.

In faith,
Tracey

WORSHIP SERVICES
  
Service October 25  - The sermon for this Sunday is prompted by Ellen McGuire's choice of a choir anthem that is aleatoric.  As I understand it, the composer provides a framework and some direction to the singers and they are, at specified moments in the piece, given the opportunity to improvise.  This got me thinking about how faith does something similar - providing a framework and some direction and leaving us free to improvise.  I like to think this is what  James Luther Adams (20th century Unitarian theologian) may have been pointing to when he said "church is a place where you get to practice what it means to be human," where, among other things,  we improvise and take risks and experiment.

The music will be aleatoric, or chance-based (from the Latin "alea", or game of dice), meaning that some element of the compositions is left to chance.
  
Religious Education
The next two weeks we will be working more with the Tapestry of Faith Wonderful Welcome curriculum. We have lots of exciting projects to get to, including a scavenger hunt, drawing our self portraits, reading stories, and playing games. 

We will also continue working on what it means to be in community not only with the others in the class but with everyone at church. Last week we read a story where a grandmother encouraged her grandchildren to "treat everyone like Elijah" by being welcoming and doing good deeds. 

For questions, comments or concerns about religious education please contact Andrew at:  Andrew.Leigh.Coate@gmail.com.


Service November 1
This service honors the traditions of All Souls and All Saints days and the spirit of Dia de los muertos.  We will create an altar honoring those who've gone before, ancestors from many places in our lives who continue to bless our living.   Please bring a memento of someone you wish to honor as the service will include time for them to be placed on the table at the front of the sanctuary.  (You may reclaim your memento following the service.)  "So Great a Cloud of Witnesses" is the theme of Tracey's reflections for the morning.  Those who wish to take part in our monthly Communion are invited to gather in the sanctuary at 12:15.

Día de los muertos  is a festive celebration in memory of those who have died. Its origins in Mesoamerica go back over 3,000 years, even though it was shaped by two Roman Catholic holidays: All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2). In Spanish, All Saints Day and All Souls Day are known as El Día de Todos los Santos and El Día de los Muertos, respectively. In southern and central Mexico, Día de los muertos entails many traditions: building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.  

Coffee Hour
  A time of fellowship will follow the worship services in the Dining Room. 

 
Church Kitchen 

Please help by taking note of a few reminders:  

  • Dish towels pile up in the "dirty" bin on shelf. Please take a turn bringing them home to launder and return to the basket on the stove.
  • "Good" dishes should be washed and returned to their place in the pantry. 
  • Coffee in the pantry is meant for coffee hour use only.
  •  The kitchen is chaotic at times so please do not hang out there unless you're directly involved in food prep or clean-up.  Thank you
YOU'RE INVITED!


JP Forum
What We're Fighting for Now is Each Other: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Climate Justice
Thursday, Nov 19th, 7pm - 8:30 pm in Parish Hall.
We are facing catastrophic climate change and yet our political system is incapable of responding. The powerful fossil fuel industry is blocking policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and continuing to build fossil fuel infrastructure even though science is clear that we should keep coal, oil and gas in the ground.
A growing movement for Climate Justice is adopting nonviolent direct action and strategies of active resistance. What will you do to protect the earth and one another? At this program, we will celebrate the publication of Wen Stephenso n's new book and hear from three leaders featured in the book who have co-founded the new Climate Disobedience Center
Tim de Christopher, climate activist and co-founder of Peaceful Uprising, also known as "Bidder 70," served 21 months in 2012 and 2013 in prison for bidding on oil and gas leases in Utah to block their development.
Wen Stephenson,  Nation 
Marla Marcum, co-founder, Better Future Project and 350Mass., and co-founder, Climate Summer.
Jay 0'Hara, Quaker, and captain of the Henry David T, a lobster boat that blockaded coal ship, the Energy Enterprise, in front of the Somerset, MA coal plant. 
RSVP on   Facebook here... 

Fluent in Faith  Monday, October 26, and November 2 at 7:00-8:30pm
This program is an opportunity to explore how our values, our beliefs, our faiths are expressed in word and deed.  How fluent are we in speaking about our faith to one another?  How fluent are our lives in living out our values in the day to day and in the big things that come our way?  Tracey Robinson-Harris will facilitate these conversations. Please let Tracey know if you plan attend - email her at
 
ministerjpuu@comcast.net   
or leave a message at the church 617-524-1634.


 
First Church History Talk
Sunday, Nov.1, 2015 at 9:30 am:  George Wardle, our church historian, will provide a presentation on the history of our congregation.  It began here as the Third Parish of Roxbury on the pond plain in the Jamaica or western end of that town with the construction of a building in 1769.  Stories from the long history since then will be provided in answer to questions from those who attend.  Come learn about the many events, struggles, and successes that this congregation has experienced.  It is especially of interest now as we prepare for the search for a new minister.  


Food Pantry  1st & 3rd Thursdays, 11 a.m.-12 noon each month. Thank you all for supporting us with food, money, winter clothing, and kind words. We need all of this to keep going with this wonderful and continually growing project.
Jane Zerby
Food Pantry 


Yoga at First Church  will be held  Oct 28, Nov 4, 11, 18 in the parish hall from 6:30pm to 7:45pm. 
This is a compassionate yoga class.  We will work to strengthen muscles, relax our minds, and appreciate all that our bodies can do for us.  Class will be conducted by Margaret Suby and Carol L. Bell, both certified yoga teachers.  The cost of the class is $10 to $15, (your choice). Note: We will not meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.  Please email Carol at
clb5208@gmail.com  by Monday to confirm your attendance for Wed.  We cannot hold class for less than 3 yogis.  Thank you. 




ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PRAYER AND MEDITATION?
A NEW GROUP IS FORMING THIS MONTH AT FIRST CHURCH

Our new monthly prayer and meditation group facilitated by Lyra O'Brien meets in the Morse Room from 6:30 - 7:45 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Our next meeting will be November 17.  For information, call or e-mail Lyra at 617-259-7205 or lyraden@comcast.net .
 
EMBRACE OUR FUTURE:

The First Church Capital Campaign  

An update on the campaign is coming to this space soon!