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The First Religious Society Newsletter
The Steeple Biweekly
Scroll down to find these news sections.
- Sunday Services
- Calendar of Events
- Within Our Community
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- Beyond Our Doors
- Journey of Faith
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Sunday Services
Monthly theme: Faith
December 17 - 10:30am - Pageant from the Pews - Multigenerational Service
-Julie Parker-Amery, Rev. Susan Milnor, and So Many More. Come one, come all, and participate in our fun-loving, low-stress telling of the nativity story. Of course, we will end with the FRS tradition of singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
December 17 - 7:15pm
- Candlelight Service - Candlelight Choir, Teen Choir, Young Church Choir, Dana Maiben, Rev. Susan Milnor. As always, music from the three choirs and from guest musicians, Christmas carols, and readings will mark for many that the season is truly here. Come enjoy both the music and the beauty of the candlelit sanctuary.
December 24 - 10:30am - The Still of the Morning - Rev. Susan Milnor.
Our morning service will offer a respite from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. With gentle readings and reflective harp music by our own Aster Shepherd, and a simple meditation or two, we will enter the quieter spirit of the winter holidays. A contemplative service for adults while Young Church spends the entire hour in the Lower Meeting Hall watching Charlie Brown's Christmas.
December 24 - 5:00pm - Christmas Eve Service - Rev. Susan Milnor.
With all the usual joy, we will celebrate on this Christmas Eve with carols, song, reading, story. Of course, we will end by lighting our candles in the dark and singing "Silent Night." All ages welcome.
December 31 - 10:30am - Gong Meditation and Relaxation.
Zach Field returns to FRS to help us bring in the new year with peace and calm. The soothing sounds of pitched gongs distract the mind as Zach leads us in meditation. Zach's percussion studio,
Zach Field Drum Studios
, and music school, the Musical Suite, are both located at the Tannery in Newburyport.
Collection for a Cause
Half of December's unpledged cash collection plate donations will go to the
Salvation Army Fuel Assistance Program. For October, $1,253 went to Community Action/Headstart; for November, $1,066 went to the Amesbury Holiday Program.
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Calendar of Events
Sunday, December 17: Fair trade sale.
During Coffee Hour. One more sale! Fair trade gift items from Mayan Hands will be available one last time. A portion of your sales is donated to the church. For more information, contact Eileen Fitzgerald or visit
mayanhands.org.
Wednesday, December 13: Alliance holiday luncheon.
Bradford Tavern, Rowley, noon. Private room, handicapped accessible, separate checks. Yankee Swap is optional-bring a thrifty and nifty wrapped gift. RSVP to Patty King
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Thursday, December 14: JAM's monthly meeting.
Conference Room, 5:30pm.
Tuesday, December 19: Short Story Group.
Lower Meeting House, 12-1pm. The story for discussion will be "Three Million Yen" by Yukio Mishima. Attendees are welcome to bring a lunch. (This group meets regularly the first and third Tuesdays of every month.)
Sunday, December 17: Meet the Artist.
Tiny Gallery, 12-4pm. Ann McCrea invites the community to her "Art & Poetry" exhibit and sale.
Wednesday, December 20: Retired Ladies lunch.
Hart House, Ipswich, noon. Special time; call Peg Mays to reserve or carpool.
Sunday, January 7: Wilson Music Series: Vox Lucens.
Sanctuary, 4pm. This concert marks the return of former FRS Music Director Jay Lane. His group is a small (currently 13-member) vocal ensemble that came together in 1998 to explore the Renaissance sacred and secular a capella repertoire.
Contributions will be gratefully accepted at the door: suggested $20, seniors $10, children and students free. No one will be turned away.
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Within Our Community
Pledge statements
Please check your email for a statement of your pledge giving for the 2017-18 year (through December 7). If you didn't receive it or if something looks amiss, please contact Kristen Fehlhaber, Director of Finance and Administration.
FRS renews its welcome to LGBTQ
Last week, thanks to the enthusiastic and dedicated efforts of six FRS members, the Unitarian Universalist Association renewed our official status as a Welcoming Congregation for LGBTQ people. FRS first obtained that status over twenty years ago. In his letter approving our application for renewal, the Rev. Michael Crumpler of the UUA wrote, "Sincere congratulations on your ongoing commitment to serve the LGBTQ+ community in and beyond Newburyport... It is clear that FRS understands that becoming recognized as a Welcoming Congregation is a commitment rather than an end point." Read more...
From a friend of LGBTQ
The LGBTQ and Friends Committee is reactivating the Welcoming Congregation presence in our church. This has also served to renew FRS's recognition within the UUA as a Welcoming Congregation. It has required each of us on the committee to update our understanding of our changing world as it increasingly acknowledges and embraces differences in lifestyles of LGBTQ and straight (heterosexual) folks.
Annual Toy Drive: fulfill a child's wish
If you've taken a wish for a child residing at Kelleher Gardens in Newburyport, please remember to return the toy to the vestibule by Sunday, December 17. Thank you.--Barbara Garnis, Community Human Services Committee
Honor a loved one with the Memory Wreath
Everyone, kids included, is invited to go up to the front of the sanctuary before or after a Sunday service and tie a bow on the Memory Wreath, in memory or in honor of a loved one. The wreath will be up for the the month of December. Ribbons are already provided in the basket under the wreath.
Search Committee ready for next phase
The second phase of our search for a new minister is coming to an end. The discernment process, where we sought to understand our community better and to figure out what we are looking for in a settled minister, occupied us last year and into the fall.
For the last couple of months, the Search Committee's focus has been on creating the Congregational Record and our Information Packet. Read more...
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John Harwood leads a tour.
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FRS opens its doors for Newburyport tour
About 500 people visited FRS on a snowy December 9. They were touring the Meetinghouse as part of the Custom House Maritime Museum's annual Holiday House Tour. Tour guides highlighted our almost three centuries of history and the UU principles that guide us now. As hoped, some visitors said they'd be coming back. You can experience a short version of the tour on our website.
Giving provides 30 kids with holiday shopping
Many thanks to all who contributed gifts, gift wrap, money, or time to our "Gift of Giving" event. It was a huge success with over 30 kids from Kelleher Gardens shopping for holiday gifts for their parents. Special thanks to Rochelle Perry-Platine and Susan Ricker for their help hauling and decorating, and to volunteers Ann Haaser, Annie Maurer, Barbara Garnis, Carol Kilty, Ann Power, Jeff Bard, and Patrice O'Brien.
Read more...
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Journey of Faith
Bruce Deveau shared his Journey of Faith on December 3.
It was nearly 20 years ago, at South Church UU in Portsmouth, and I was sitting in a group led by our minister, Rev. Marta Flanagan. She proposed an exercise. It seemed simple enough. She said, 'Draw a picture of the God of your youth.'
Uh-oh.
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The deadline for the December 26 Steeple Biweekly is Friday, December 22 at noon.
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First Religious Society |
info@frsuu.org | 978.465.0602 |
frsuu.org
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