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 February 4              We Worship with our Lips  

 ​Our word worship comes from the Old English word weorthscipe, meaning “worthiness, acknowledgment of worth.” So “to worship” is to ascribe worth to something. This Sunday begins a two-part series looking at the ways we worship and its imoportance for our lives. Pamela Barz preaching. This is Boy Scout Sunday and our current scouts will light the chalice and take part in the story for all ages. All Boy Scouts, present and past, are invited to come in uniform. The choir will sing Kum ba Yah. Lisa Lewis is providing flowers for the communion table. Ann Corbo and Jean Shildneck are hosting coffee hour. Charlie Ruddy and Mary Beaulieu will greet.

 

Sunday February 11           We Worship with our Lives

Worship isn’t just something we do on Sunday mornings in church. How we allocate our time, how we spend our money, how we care for the world around us. Do your days reflect what you hold as of ultimate worth? This is our Stewardship Sunday.  Pamela Barz will preach and will be joined in the service by members of the Finance and Parish Committees.  The Choir will sing All You Need is Love. Mary Beaulieu and Charlie Ruddy are providing the flowers for the communion table. Anna da Silva is hosting coffee hour. We are in need of greeters.

Sunday February 18                       Listen to your Life

This morning we begin a worship series to lead us into Easter with its celebration of the power of new life. How do we open spaces in our lives so we may feel and respond to that power? In this morning’s service for all ages we will focus on creating those spaces physically and spiritually. Pamela Barz, preaching. Alma Morrison and Ray Des Roches are providing flowers for the communion table. There will be a Committee Sunday Potluck instead of coffee hour. We are in need of greeters..

        

Sunday February 25            Listen to your Art

The Reverend Ms. Judy Campbell, UU minister, poet, fiber artist, and author of the Olympia Brown mysteries, will join Pamela Barz this morning in leading a service on creativity. After the service, from 1-4 p.m. she and Pam will lead a Knitting (and other handwork) retreat; more information on that is in our “Spiritual Deepening” section. The Choir will sing Give me Wings. Billy and Claire Timmins will greet. We are in need of flowers for the communion table and someone to host coffee hour.

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  

In worship, do you respond more to thrust, shape, swing, or hang?

Coming out of the UU Ministers’ triennial Institute and the workshop on Think like a Filmmaker: Sensory -Rich Worship Design for Unforgettable Messages with worship consultant Marcia McFee, my mind is full of thoughts on worship: ideas for things we might try, but also appreciation for the richness of the worship we already have at First Parish, especially all that our choir and music director bring to us week after week. We’ll be trying to integrate their music more into the words we use, as well as bringing in other musical elements, such as drums and bells, and visual elements, tying what we see in the sanctuary even more to what is happening in the sanctuary. For instance, for our series Listen, on the communion table you’ll see each week one of the ikebana arrangements our 6-8 ^th grade class made under the direction of Patty Sutton as part of their exploration of Buddhism. Ikebana represent humankind rooted in the earth but reaching for the sky – they remind us of roots and wings, body and spirit, the now and the what-may-be. Their simplicity of form draws our focus, serving as a meditative focus and helping us to “listen.” 

 

If you are excited by idea of bringing together what we see, say, sing, hear, touch, and do to make our worship go even deeper, please come to our brainstorming session for our Easter series “Signs of New Life” on Monday February 5 at the church. And if you are curious to know if you respond more to thrust, shape, swing or hang, I’ll be explaining those categories and what they tell us about our communal worship on Sunday February 4. If you miss the service, you can read the sermon along with other past sermons at http://firstparishscituate.org/ministers-reflections.

See you in Church,   

Pamela

 

Minister’s Schedule 

Pamela Barz will be away over the school vacation week, Monday February 19-Saturday February 24. Other weeks 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

Our world religions curriculum continues.

In February, nursery and kindergartners will learn about the ancient Celtic celebration of Imbolc, the origins of Valentine's Day, and the Hindu festival of Holi. Jenn Mackey and Carol Sullivan are their teachers.

The two World of New Friends groups (grades 1-3 with Julianna Dunn and Ruth Kuhn; grades 4-5 with Kate Glennon and Ann Svensen) will explore Eastern and Western Christianity.

 

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 or be part of the RE Committee, please speak with Brian or Patty Sutton, Co-Chairs of the RE Committee. There will be a meeting of the committee later in the month, date to be determined.

SciCoRock Youth Group

The next regular meeting is February 11, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Norwell.

Future meetings: 

Feb 25 - Channing Church 5-7pm

Mar 11 - Scituate 5-7pm

Mar 24 - 25 CON Sharon

Apr 8 - Norwell 5-7pm

Apr 22 - Channing Church 5-7pm

May 6 - Walk for Hunger

May 18 - 20 Bridging CON - Providence

June 3 - Scituate

The calendar for youth group  http://tinyurl.com/SciCohRockCalendar

Church Matters

Notes from Beth Dubuisson, Music Director

What a wonderful worship service with singer, composer Nick Page! The choir and I really enjoyed singing with him. He regaled us with wonderful stories, including how he once washed dishes with Pete Seeger!

 

Choir session Four continues with 2 more dates:

 

February 4th: Kum ba Yah.   This is a beautiful arrangement by Samuel Cooper.

February 11th: All You Need is Love.  Famous Beatles song!

February 18th: No choir rehearsal or anthem!

February 25th: Give me Wings arranged by Mark Patterson.

Choir session Five will be 6 weeks long with a break in the middle. Feb.25-March 11th.

Then March 25th-April 8th.  Please join us ! We rehearse Sunday mornings at 9:00.

 

There will be a  Blue Boat Coffeehouse on Saturday February 10th, 6pm-9pm. Come hear some great local talent!  

****

Religious Services Committee Meeting Rescheduled to February 5th, 2018, at 7:00

Think spring! The Religious Services Committee invites you to a planning session on Monday, February 5th at 7:00 pm at church. We will be sharing ideas on our theme "Signs of New Life" for Easter and the following Sundays, including Earth Day and the dedication of our new sign. Please come and share your ideas about how we mght express this theme visually, and through words and rituals. 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 .

Blue Boat Coffeehouse

The Blue Boat Coffeehouse is back ... and dreaming of the Blue Ridge Mountains!

On Saturday, February 10, from 6:00-9:00 pm, our sixth Blue Boat Coffeehouse highlights the incredible talent of local adults and youth - and provides a fun, safe, sober evening out for the whole community - while raising funds for the Scituate Appalachian Service Project!

Scituate ASP  has been in operation for 13 years. Though sponsored by the First Trinitarian Congregational Church of Scituate, it is open to teens and adults from the Scituate area, no matter the church affiliation or faith. Every summer, a group of teens and adults travels to the poorest counties in Appalachia to work on repairing the homes.

Suggested donation is $5. Baked goods and other refreshments will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going to Scituate ASP.

For information and the latest line-up of performers like “The Blue Boat Coffeehouse” on Facebook.

New, Improved Late-Spring Sale or Fair!

We plan to upgrade the annual spring plant, bake and used-item sale this year with the addition of a brunch menu and possibly spring-and-summer-themes craft items. Plants will include seedlings you’ve started, as well as donations from your gardens. Dates under consideration are either Saturday May 19 ^th or June 2 ^nd.   Please send your input and suggestions to help make this work. If you’d like to be in on the ground floor of developing this Fair into a better, fun, exciting, and more successful fundraising event, please contact Alma Morrison ( almamorrison8298@gmail.com) with ideas and offers of help. 

Learning session on canning jellies and/or pickles?

The “can-can” ladies (Donna Brindley, Alma Morrison, Vicki Davis, and Claire Sherman) want to thank you all for continuing to return Mason jars – empty and clean – to the hamper in the front coat closet. Each jar and ring lid combination returned represents about a dollar saved, as we make goodies for Grandma’s Cupboard at the Snow Flake Fair. And yes, we do welcome salsa jars with the one-piece pressure circle lid top.

 

Please let us know if you would like to have a future learning session on canning jellies and/or pickles, in the church kitchen. It’s fun, and a lot easier than most people realize. We periodically make a batch of something in the kitchen. How about strawberry jam to start – many people’s favorite! California strawberries will be coming to local markets in February!

 

Call (781-738-5404) or email me ( clairesherman@comcast.net) if you are interested. And thanks again for returning empty jars!

 

-Claire Sherman

Trash and Recycling

Once again, the church has trash and recycling collection. There is now one bin for trash and two bins for single stream recycling in the garage. And now that we have new garage doors that work easily, thanks to Frank Kilduff’s efforts, coffee hour hosts no longer have to take the stuff home for disposal. With our new compost bin behind the memorial garden, our trash stream has considerably decreased: only dirty plastic/paper/glassware (i.e. that has food on it) needs to be thrown away. Thank you all for being careful to do this. - Alma Morrison

New Young Adult's AA Group at First Parish

As part of our ministry to the community, First Parish has been asked to host a new AA group specifically for young people. The group will meet on Tuesdays from 7-8 pm.

We Look Forward to:

March 14                Unity/Alliance Spring dinner

April 8                    Guest preacher Mary Margaret Earl, UU Urban Ministry

April 29                  Dedication of our new sign

Opportunities for Spiritual Deepening

Community Book Discussion: The Men We Reaped

On Tuesday February 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the Library's book group room we will discuss Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward's memoir of the five year period in which five men in her life died from accidents, suicide, drugs, and the effects of poverty. In this powerful book she asks the question “why?.” Jesmyn Ward is the first woman to win the National Book Award twice: for her novels Salvage the Bones (which was the focus of a previous discussion) and Sing, Unburied, Sing, and is the recipient of a 2017 MacArthur “genius grant.” After the group read Salvage the Bones, the participants decided they wanted to read more of her writing. There are many copies of Men We Reaped in the OCLN library system. Get a copy and join the conversation! 

Knitting and Fiber Arts Retreat

Knitters and practitioners of other fiber arts are invited to participate in a contemplative afternoon on Sunday February 25, 1-4 p.m. at First Parish. Judy Campbell and Pamela Barz will offer readings, times of conversation and of silence in this afternoon of retreat from the busyness of our lives. There is no fee, but space is limited, so please register soon by contacting parish administrator Stephanie Stewart, FirstParishScituate@verizon.net. You are welcome to invite friends to join you.

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. February sessions are Monday 2/12 and 2/26 . Email Brian or Patty Sutton with any questions at brsutton@hotmail.com or pattysutton@gmail.com .

Wednesday mornings: Craft and Conversation

Join the Fididdlers in at the church any Wednesday between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to participate in crafting and conversation.

Opportunities for Ministry

Men’s Ministry

All men and boys are invited to gather monthly on the first Saturday morning for breakfast and a service project. On Saturday February 3, they will meet for breakfast at Alan Donaldson’s home at 8 a.m. (24 Satuit Trail in Scituate) and then help members of the community with repairs. Even if you are not able to stay for the project, you are welcome to come for breakfast and conversation. Contact coordinator Chuck Jones ( Charles_A_Jones@yahoo.com) for more details or with suggestions for future projects.

Around the Parish

We extend our sympathy to Mark Matthews and to Jenn, Bren, and Emory on the death of Mark’s mother on January 25... Donna Cogliano will begin a new course of chemotherapy on February 8 and would welcome visitors in the days following to keep her company, chat, and play games. You can sign up to "hang with Donna" here on her Sign Up Genius page.

Thank UUs:to all who staffed our turn at “bottles & cans” in January. Many worked multiple shifts during the month, but especial thanks go to Erica Boyle, Frank Kilduff, Howard Mathews, Nancy Mathews, and Mark McGuiness who, not taking coordinating time into account, gave in total 140 hours of their time this month to this effort. Also taking their turn(s) were:  Pamela Barz, Jessica Boyle, Kenzi Boyle, Mark Boyle, Carmel Callan, Vicki Davis, Ray Des Roches, Eileen Donaldson, Julianna Dunn, Joe Glennon, Chuck Jones, Miles Jones, Oliver Jones, Cathy Kang, Marche Kellerhals, Joe Kellerhals, Richard Kermond, Pam Molinari,  Alma Morrison,  Bob Murdock, Robbie Murdock, Sarah Murdock, Jean Shildneck, Laura Smith, Carol Sullivan-Hanley, Ann Svensen, and Joe Williams. With all their work and the benefit of five weekends and many football games, we brought in $4,200 for the work of First Parish…. to Howard Mathews for having a new sign made to announce our presence at the Transfer Station... to Frank Kilduff for repairing the sanctuary door... to those who prepared desserts throughout January for the weekly Scituate senior luncheon: Laura Smith, Gail Anderson, Mary Beaulieu, Carol Sullivan, Carmel Callan, Jean Shilneck, Sarah Murdock, and Roxanne Greim... to Spencer Howe and Cathy Kang for composing these chalice lightings :

Spencer's chalice lighting from January 7, 2018:

Follow a Star

This Joy of light,

inspires us all.

Astronomers gaze in true wonder,

at stars revelations through Ether.

Loving pursuit of things strangest,

and enjoying a long quest,

to dispel dust and find a ponder,

which can only be had

through struggle and fight,

making a home run

by striking a curve ball.

Cathy 's chalice lighting from January 28, 2018:

We Are

Quantum science says everything is made of energy.

Energy is vibration, the source of sound.

And sound with intention is music.

Everyone, therefore, is an instrument of the Universe.

 

Suffering is an energy disturbance, a black hole in the heart.

Music fills the void with love.

 

So when we love, we are music.

Happy Birthday February!

February Calendar

Lost and Found

There are many items in our lost and found, among which is a white cotton woven jacket, size 6. It has been hanging in the coat closet for months. Does anyone know to whom it belongs? If no one claims it, I would like to adopt it and give it to a certain size 6 person, and will make a donation to the church if I do. Call (781-738-5404) or email me ( clairesherman@comcast.net) if it is yours.

-Claire Sherman