We Commit Ourselves and Our Resources to  Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community  and Help Heal the World.

May 20, 2018 10:00 am Youth Sunday: Interbeing  Rev. Christina Sillari ORDER of SERVICE

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Upcoming Worship Services

May 27 | 10am Music Sunday Scott Wheatley

June 3 | 10am UU Principles Rev. Christina Sillari

June 10 | 10am Flower Communion Rev. Christina Sillari

Welcome Newcomers!  We hope you'll find a spiritual home full of love, tolerance, and justice at First Parish. Parents are welcome to bring your baby or toddler upstairs to the Nursery for childcare on Sunday. School-aged children are welcome to join the Religious Exploration program for the day.  Please join us for coffee hour in the Parish Hall after service, and use a  YELLOW MUG  to help us welcome our newcomers. Thanks for coming!

RE Announcements The First Parish Youth Group (students in 9-12th grades) have organized a special service for Youth Sunday this week! Children will remain in the Meeting House for service today, except for the two O.W.L. classes, which will begin in their respective classrooms. Nursery Care is available. FMI about RE at First Parish, please contact, Toben Cooney-Callnan, Director of Religious Exploration, at dre@firstparishportland.org.

Please Welcome the following NEW MEMBERS to First Parish!

Jennifer Bell Taylor lives in Portland and is happy to join First Parish. She works as an ecologist and enjoys nature, fiber arts, reading, and mayonnaise. She is learning to play the organ andis passionate about health care reform. Carl Cappello   was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and spent much of his career working as an administrator in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health. He also worked for Maine DHHS. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from Yale University. He enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren, singing, working out at the gym, reading and walking/hiking. He is learning to play the piano.

Jill Carroll moved to Piper Shores in Scarborough last May from Sherborn, MA to be near her daughter and family in Cape Elizabeth. Her younger daughter and family live in Portland, OR. She was an active member in her UU Church for 51 years. Jill enjoys travel, exercise, music and the many opportunities offered in her new life in Maine. Keeping in touch with her family, including 5 grown-up grandsons, and old friends is very important to her. Claire Cowan grew up in NH and spent the last 20 years exploring different parts of the country before settling in Portland last December. She does energy efficiency research and program development for a nonprofit called Seventhwave. She loves to stay active with running, yoga, biking, and swimming, and she's excited to be able to hike real mountains again after 12 years in the Upper Midwest.

Jane Ellingwood is a life-long Mainer. For the past eight years, she has been a college English teacher, and is close to earning a PhD in Education. Since moving to Portland in December, she has had fun exploring the city. During her spare time, Jane enjoys writing creatively and playing her flute. Margaret McIntosh was born in Portland. She grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. Margaret taught grade school in the Chicago Public schools. She is retired and enjoys reading, knitting, and biking. Margaret is married and has two sons and four granddaughters.

Michael Pancook grew up in Oklahoma, but after high school lived in a number of places from Washington, DC, to San Francisco. His wife, Claire, and he moved from Madison, Wisconsin, to Portland in December. He works on health policy and, in his spare time, enjoys reading novels and American history and being outdoors. your images to supporting resources. Jenna Simmons has lived in Maine most of her life and loves it here. She loves art, gardening, singing, and cooking- especially baking. When she is not working with plants at her retail job, she enjoys attending events downtown and shopping locally. She has a cat named Sadie and a goldfish named Sunny.

Heather Trickett loves art, music, animals, learning, traveling, and discussing politics. Heather sings in the choir at First Parish, creates collages to nourish her artistic side, and often entertains the idea of living on a goat farm. She's also a fan of the Harvard comma. , biking, hiking and just generally being outdoors. He works for a small family-owned business in Portland as an Office Manager. Christina ‘Christie’ Watts grew up in New Jersey and moved to Portland with her husband in 2011. She is currently a student at SMCC studying Dietetics. In the past, Christie has worked as a nanny and in the school setting. In her free time, Christie enjoys cooking, yoga, paddleboarding, canoeing, and hiking.

Lynne Anderson lives in Portland with her husband, Dick. She moved to Maine to be closer to her family and grandchildren, and decided to stay in Maine after falling in love with this gorgeous state!

Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Garnett has lived in South Portland for many years. She is a Nurse Practitioner currently working for UNE Medical School in their Mature Care Program. Betsy also enjoys yoga and teaches a yoga class weekly. She is currently semi-retired and in her free time enjoys fostering dogs for the Portland Animal Refuge League, walking, reading, hiking, camping and traveling. Peter Ronan grew up in Massachusetts and has lived in Texas for the past 20 years before moving to Maine 4 years ago. His interests include reading, biking, hiking and just generally being outdoors. He works for a small family-owned business in Portland as an Office Manager.

Important Dates for FP Leaders in preparation for the Annual Meeting on June 10th ASAP- Committee Charters due; submit to liaisons on the Program Council Committee. May 22- Deadline for the committee paragraphs to be published in the Annual Report; submit to Sheila Sullivan office@firstparishportland.org. May 22- Let the Program Council know of any leadership changes in your committees.

Share the Plate Nominations for 2018-19 Starting in August, First Parish will have a special collection for a different nonprofit organization each month under its Share-the-Plate program. This is your opportunity to nominate an organization to be considered for a one-time contribution. You are invited to attend the FIA meeting at which selections are made. ( Please note that FIA will make the final selections and that state or local organizations will be given preference.) Simply complete the form linked below, and return it to the BOX in the Parish Hall, or email it to Marianne Hill, hillmarros@aol.com, no later than June 10. Extra forms can be found in the Parish Hall.  Thank you!

Share the Plate Nomination Form

Pride Parade Planning:  Calling All LGBTQI Folks and Allies!  May 20 th  | 11:15am | Grade 2-3 Classroom (upstairs) The Portland Pride Parade is on  Saturday, June 16 th , and we'd love for First Parish to be enthusiastically represented! Please join Toben to help get organized for this fun & important event. FMI, please email Toben at  dre@firstparishportland.org .

Storytelling Evening Third Monday of Every Month May 21st | 7-8pm | Parish Hall May Theme: Rocky Roads We're looking for Storytellers! Please join us for this monthly Moth-style event. Optional Teller's workshop the Saturday prior to each event, from 10:30am-12:30pm, to shape stories and get comfortable with them. Up to 7 tellers per month. Please join us! FMI or to register, please contact Kali Bird Isis at  abrushwithfire@gmail.com or 208–9995.

Breathing & Meditation for Healing & Transformation May 22nd | 5:30-6:30pm in the Meeting House Join Rev. Christina every Tuesday evening in exploring your internal landscape, reducing stress, and opening up to healing energy through guided breathing and meditation. Members: free. Nonmembers: $10 drop-in.

First Parish Book Group May 28th | 7pm | Parish Hall Fourth Monday every month The next selection is  Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance  by Barack Obama. Please join us!

Journeying and Healing through Sound Fourth Monday of Every Month May 28th | 7-8pm | Meeting House Join Reverend Christina for a monthly exploration of using sound as a tool to shift your perspective, relax your body and mind, and receive knowledge and wisdom. We will use singing bowls, drumming, toning, and recorded sound to enter altered states of consciousness for the purpose of peace, clarity and healing.

First Parish Member Mixer June 1 st  | 5:30 – 7:30pm| Parish Hall Please just us for fellowship, fun, and friendship at our Member Mixer! This is a great time to socialize and connect with other Members. Light appetizers and drinks provided. Make an evening of it, and stay for the Concert for a Cause at 7:30pm!

Concerts for a Cause: Refuge in Rhythm– featuring  Aarondippidy June 1 st | 7:30pm | Meeting House Aarondippidy is a band (featuring First Parish RE teacher, Aaron Pomeranz) that combines world music with folk, funk, hip-hop and old-school music from different cultures around the world. Part of the proceeds from this concert will benefit the  Portland Refugee Center,  a local non-profit that  aspires to create evolving conversations and experiences that utilize our different talents and abilities, enhance our connectedness, and further the effectiveness of human kindness.

Do you love to knit or crochet?   Join our Prayer Shawl Ministry  First and Third Wednesdays June 6th & 20th 5:00-7:00pm | Youth Room Prayer Shawls were originally developed by women studying feminist spirituality, as a way to combine passion for crafting with passion for service. Our mission is to create shawls imbued with love and support for members in need. All ages and skill levels welcome. Bring your own supplies or use those provided.  FMI: Jenna Nunziato  jennanunziato@gmail.com .

First Parish Annual Meeting June 10 th | 11:30- 1pm | Meeting House This meeting is a critical function of our self-directed and self-funded church, where we members make our own decisions and elect our own leaders. This year’s agenda includes the following exciting opportunities for your active engagement in the business of our church: election of new leaders and trustees; review and vote on a First Parish Statement of Conscience, developed by the Faith in Action Committee; volunteer awards; committee reports; and more. All welcome!

Healing the Wounds of Turtle Island July 13 th – 16 th in Nibezun, Passadumkeag, Maine No matter where we come from, we all carry the wounds of historical trauma within us. Please help support Healing Turtle Island, a gathering and ceremony led by indigenous activist Sherri Mitchell with spiritual elders from around the globe. Free and open to all, along the waters of the Penobscot River. Donations greatly appreciated .  http://healingturtleisland.org/

May Share the Plate Recipient: Gateway Friends Each month, First Parish shares its abundance by making a $300 contribution to an organization whose work is helping to further our mission of healing the world. Every church member is invited to nominate an organization to receive this gift. The organization selected for Share the Plate this May is Gateway Friends.  Gateway Friends hosts Welcome Centers in Portland and Lewiston for New Mainers. At these centers, New Mainers can receive support and learn about services available; they can meet and socialize. The Portland center has hosted youth educational events, most notably a youth leadership racial justice workshop that was run by New Mainer youth.

Spring Fling Dinners This year's Spring Fling Dinners have sold out! Many thanks to John & Jane Schaberg for organizing a great selection of dinners, and to all of this year's hosts. Enjoy!

UU Go -- it's not just for singles anymore!   Join this group of active folks looking for ways to  get together for hikes, movies, theater, chats over dinner or coffee, bowling, dancing at Bubbas, etc. No meetings, just get-togethers with like-minded folks who have a shared spiritual home here at First Parish. To join in, email Patty Renaud .

Flowers for Sunday Service Please help brighten up the Meeting House on Sundays! Sign up to donate flowers in the Parish Hall- look for the poster on the coat rack .

Office Notes Large Print Orders of Service are now available every Sunday! Ask an Usher, or look for them at both entrances to the from the Meeting House. Be sure to ask for a Bulletin when you pick up your Order of Service on Sunday, so you don't miss out on any First Parish news or events! Click the link below for our semiannual Stone Soup Newsletter . Print copies are available in the Parish Hall.

Stone Soup Newsletter

ONGOING MEETINGS and GROUPS

SHARE THE PLATE RECIPIENTS

OFFICE HOURS

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425 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04101   207-773-5747    Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community  and Help Heal the World