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

May 19, 2018
10:00 am

RE Sunday:
Right Relationship
Toben Cooney-Callnan &
Reverend Christina Sillari
Upcoming Worship Services
May 26 | 10am
We Forgot to Remember
Rev. Charlie Grindle
June 2 | 10am
Music Sunday
Scott Wheatley
June 9 | 10am
Spiritual Longing
Rev. Christina Sillari
Don't Miss Out!

Have you ever wondered why you didn't know about some First Parish events?Did you know that most email browsers cut our weekly eNewsletter off after a certain length? Click on the "View Entire Message" link at the end of each eNews to be sure you don't miss out!
RE Announcements

Please join us for
RE Sunday on 5/19!
Children should arrive
at 9am ready to rehearse.

Childcare for babies and toddlers is available every Sunday in the Nursery (upstairs in the Parish House).

FMI about RE at First Parish, please contact, Toben Cooney-Callnan, Director of Religious Exploration, at dre@firstparishportland.org.
Please Join Us This Sunday!!
 Pete Seeger’s 100 th Birthday Concert
to Benefit the Poor People’s Campaign
May 19 th | 7:00pm | First Parish Meeting House 

Come help us celebrate the life and work of Pete Seeger on the 100 th anniversary of his birth! The concert will feature Annie Patterson & Peter Blood (creators of Rise Up Singing). This concert is a benefit for  Maine Poor People's Campaign  to support the crucial work they are doing for a more just and equitable society. Click HERE FMI. Adults: $20; students: $10. 
Service begins with you!  

In August the First Parish Youth Group is going on a service trip to West Virginia. We need your support to raise enough funds to make this trip accessible to all of our Youth Group members.  Visit our Faithify campaign  www.faithify.org   and enter “First Parish Youth Group Portland,   Maine” into the search field to learn more. 

Please donate by June 16 th  
in order to help us reach our $2,500 goal.

Thank you for your generosity!! FMI please contact Toben Cooney-Callnan, Director of Religious Exploration, at dre@firstparishportland.org.
Committee Reports Due May 20 th
for the Annual Report

In preparation for the Annual Meeting on June 9th, Committee & Team leaders are asked to email their Committee Reports (approx. 150 words) to Sheila in the Office by May 20 th -- office@firstparishportland.org .  Thank you!
Coffee Hour Hosts
May 26 th & June 9 th

Please contact Hannah Herbold if you can substitute as Coffee Hour Host on upcoming Sundays,  May 26th  and June 9th. Ongoing support is also appreciated! Simple routine includes brewing coffee and plating refreshments from 9:15-10am, and cleanup from 11:30-12pm. hherbold@yahoo.com or (207) 233-2147. Thank you!
Only Six tickets left for the
Spring Fling Dinners!
 
Tickets will be on sale during Coffee Hour this week. Welcoming congregants open their homes to a small and intimate dinner party for this Spring Fling fundraiser. We charge $35 per seat for dinner and all the funds go to the church. It’s fun and it builds community.

Please email John Schaberg at johnschaberg@outlook.com (or call- 303-7203) with the above information if you would like to host, or if you have any questions. 
Family Matters Class Series

Class 5: The Relationship between the Partners
May 25 th   | 10:30-12:00 | Community Room

Class 6: The Role & Importance of Grandparents
June 8 th   | 10:30-12:00 | Community Room

Explore the nature of safe and nurturing relationships that facilitate curiosity, comfort, and joy among all family members. Future classes will explore: discipline, couple relationships and the role and importance of grandparents. (Click the link below to READ MORE about each class). Taught by new First Parish Member Dan Hughes. Free to members; $5 for non-members. Contact Dan for registration and class details: dhughes202@gmail.com or 717-673-6119. 

Justice Bean Supper Dance
Saturday, May 25 th | 6-8:30pm in the Parish Hall


John Schaberg will DJ after-dinner DANCE romp. 
$10 per person. Bring friends and family!
Contact angus@angusferguson.com or 749-6618
to RSVP and volunteer to help. 
Joys and Sorrows Circle
June 2 nd | 11am | Back Corner of Parish Hall

The Pastoral Care team is offering an alternative method of experiencing Joys and Sorrows through these listening circles . Open to all to create space for sharing our largest griefs and greatest joys. Length of the circle determined by the level of interest. There will be no discussion during the sharing circle.  
MAINE WALKS WITH HAITI
10th Annual 5K WALK/RUN
June 8th | 8:30 am | Back Cove Park, Portland

ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD • HAITIAN ART • CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
FREE T-SHIRTS TO FIRST 50 REGISTRANTS

Free for walkers (pledges encouraged) • Timed run for runners
Register & create a pledge page at WWW.KONBITSANTE.ORG.
First Parish Annual Meeting
June 9th | After service | 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: report on the results of the Accessibility Project Feasibility Study; election of new leaders and trustees; committee reports; approval of the First Parish budget, and more. All members are encouraged to attend this important event.
Breathing and Meditation Class

Wednesdays | 5:30-6:30pm
in the K-1 Classroom
 (upstairs in Parish House)


Come and explore breathing techniques to nurture your mind, body and spirit. Pranayama is an ancient practice from India used to heal dis-ease, prepare for meditation, and access spiritual realms. All are welcome to join in these powerful tools of transformation. Taught by Rev. Christina. Free to First Parish Members; $10.00 non-members.
Please Welcome the following
NEW MEMBERS to First Parish!
Jill Babcock: Act 1: Trenton, NJ, place of birth where I was raised in a traditional Reform Jewish home. Grew up a non-believer, married a Catholic, raised two children in NY metropolitan area. Act 2: Divorced, moved into Manhattan and life began all over. At 45 I returned to school and received my RN license. I attended my first FP service when my grandchildren sang with the children’s choir. I have found my tribe......and so, Act 3 of my life begins. 
Lindsay Chard first started attending First Parish at the age of five. She participated In RE, Youth Group and the OWL program, and joined First Parish as an associate member at the age of fifteen. She currently works in Development at the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Lindsay is delighted to return to First Parish as an adult and recommit to this wonderful and special community.
Liz Crane lives in Portland with her husband Tom, who has been an active member at First Parish for several years. Liz and Tom have two daughters who live in New York City. Liz is a social worker and has a private practice in South Portland. She is an avid squash player, meditates and works out regularly, and she is interested in holistic alternatives in both mental and physical health care. 
Rich Hooks Wayman , his husband Aaron, their six children, and their ferocious chihauhau (aka "Moose") moved to Portland in 2018. Rich serves as the CEO for Volunteers of America Northern New England. He has spent most of his career as a public interest lawyer, policy analyst, and nonprofit executive devoted to ending child poverty and homelessness. Rich has been a UU member for over 13 years and continues his life-long quest to find the perfect chocolate malt.
Michelle Lamb works in wealth management and financial planning in Portland. She grew up in Falmouth, went away to college at Brown, traveled in Europe where she met her Australian husband, and they now live back in Falmouth with their two sons. She is currently raising her kids to be part of the UU tradition, following in her late mother’s footsteps, and is very happy to be part of such a wonderful, welcoming, and informed church community.
Cecily Merrill navigated much of her childhood in First Parish Church. She started in the nursery and continued through her teenage years when she acted as the president of the youth group. Cecily and her husband, Wyatt Dumas, recently moved back to Portland with their almost three-year old daughter Eleanor tobe closer to family. Cecily will continue her involvement on the Worship Committee as well as direct the Nativity Pageant this December.
Susanna Preziosi grew up in New Jersey and spent many summers in Maine. Susanna is a clinical and forensic psychologist who has practiced and taught in a variety of settings; she currently works as a therapist with college students. She has enjoyed reconnecting to her music roots as part of the First Parish Choir. Susanna loves planning adventures abroad when she has the privilege to do so and is looking forward to exploring more of her new home state this summer.
Philip Ptacin was born and raised in Chicago, found his wife in Chicago, and then spent 40 wonderful years in Battle Creek, Michigan. Moved to Portland one year ago to bring the family closer together geographically . Phil is a family physician working in Biddeford. Interests: working out, learning Spanish, movies & theatre, meditation, traveling, reading, hanging with his wife and family.
Maria Ptacin was born, raised and educated in Poland (masters in physics). Emigrated to the US, and met the love of her life in Chicago. Was an educator in Poland and did research in Chicago at Northwestern Medical Center. Moved to Michigan and raised three children and opened a fine dining restaurant in Battle Creek, Michigan - turning a hobby into a business. Interests: reading, movies, theatre, getting together with family and friends, traveling and music.
Debbie Schulz has been married to Jim Schulz for many years, and they have two grown children and two grandchildren. Debbie recently retired from nursing after 41 years in Oncology nursing. She now spends her time walking her dogs, repairing her house, knitting, gardening and visiting National Parks. She attended Episcopal church with her grandmother as a child. She has been a Unitarian Universalist most of her adult life.
Jim Schulz  graduated from Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and married his high school sweetheart, Debbie Schulz, at the Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. Jim was in the US Navy, where he trained to be a submarine reactor operator. They joined the Unitarian Church of Sharon in the late eighties and were part of that congregation until recently. Jim is now a pensioner and is looking forward to seeing what that means.
Jennifer Stenberg moved to Maine from NH with her husband, Jim, and two daughters in 1997. She has always worked in the healthcare sector; most recently a registered nurse in family practice. In addition to enjoying yoga, meditation, and nature, Jen also loves learning about other cultures through travel, is passionate about women's health & rights issues and exploring her own creativity.
Do you love our
Stone Soup Newsletter?

We are looking for a volunteer or two to take ownership for First Parish's Stone Soup Newsletter , currently published twice a year. Please contact Sheila in the Office for more information: office@firstparishportland.org.
New!
SIGN UP to VOLUNTEER
at First Parish!

Check out and SIGN UP for a wide variety of volunteer opportunities --Community Dinner, Ushers, Sunday Drivers, Flowers, Tours, etc.-- at our new SignUp Genius site! Or link to the Volunteer Sign Up via the Volunteer Page on the FP website. If you have any questions about our online Volunteer Sign Up, please email Laurie Hasty, Membership Coordinator, at membership@firstparishportland.org .
Office Notes

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!

Large Print Orders of Service are available every Sunday! Ask a Greeter, or look for them at both entrances to the from the Meeting House.
425 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04101   207-773-5747  

 Nurture the Spirit, Grow in Community 
and Help Heal the World