What's Happening
at First Parish -
Our Weekly Newsletter

November 27-December 8, 2019


 We aspire to be a beacon
of liberal religion, strong community,
and transformative service.

We aspire to be a Beacon of…..
 … Liberal Religion
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Bah Humbug
We begin our Advent series "God Bless Us Everyone" looking at the transformation of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol , and how Scrooge's transformations might speak to our own lives and our world today. Pamela Barz, preaching. Each service this month will include a dramatic reading by the December Dramatists.
 The choir will sing Watchmen, Sing Noel.

Sunday, December 8, 2019
Hope from Heartbreak
As the Ghost of Christmas Past helped Scrooge understand his own past differently and so free himself for new life in the present and the future, how may understanding our past help us to forgive ourselves and live more fully? Pamela Barz preaching. The choir will sing an English Advent Carol .
Decorating the Sanctuary for December Services: New Date
Friday November 29, 2019 at 1:00 pm
The Religious Services Committee will be decorating the Sanctuary for December Services on Friday, November 29, starting at 1 pm . Everyone is invited to join in the decorating. What a festive way to spend the day after Thanksgiving!
From the Minister
During the service on November 24, we came up with an "Alphabet of Gratitude" for our life at First Parish. What would you add?
A Apple communion, Administrator, Angels,
Animal Blessing
B Beauty, Blessings, Bells
C Church, Caroling, Choir, Coffee hour, Chalice  
D Dishwasher, Dump Duty
E Series on the Environment, Easter services
F Fididdlers, Fair, Friends
G Guests, Giving
H Hope, Harpsichord
I "Inherent worth and dignity"
J Series on Joy
K Knitting, Kindness, Kites
L Learning, Love
M Music, Men’s Ministry, Meditation, Music Director,
Minister
N  New people
O Organ
P Prayers, pulpit, people prayer shawls piano pews
Q Questions
R Religious education RE Coordinator
S Services, Sermons, Suppers, Stewardship, Seekers,
Sanctuary, Stained glass window
T Tears, Time Travel curriculm
U  Unitarian Universalism, Unity Club
V Vision, Voices
W  Welcoming, Warmth
X only letter we couldn't fill
Y Youth, Youth group 
Z Zack
... Strong Community
Around the Parish
Donna Cogliano
1958-2019
May Light perpetual shine upon her.

We offer our sympathy to Donna's family and her many friends. 

Snowflake Fair is only ONE week from Saturday!
Saturday, December 7 th  - 9:00am to 2:00pm




Greetings from the Snowflake kitchen! - We need one more person to make clam chowder and two more to make corn bread. Many thanks to those who have already signed up to contribute soup or time. Just a few reminders: Please make certain to prepare your soup in advance and deliver it to the Church COLD no later than 8:30 am. The Scituate Board of health requires that we bring all products in a chilled condition, so we need time to bring it up to temperature and maintain that temp in order to serve it. If you bring it warm we must turn you away and we would hate to do that! People ask for soup as early as 10 am so we need it early! Also, if you have a crockpot to lend us please do so even if you’re not making a soup. We have about 15 different soups to heat up and serve and this is the most efficient way to do that. When you arrive be prepared to quickly note on our big board what your soup is and what’s in it. People always ask! Is it spicy or mild? vegan or meat? gluten-free? etc.. And finally, please do not bring anything extra from our already fixed menu to prepare or serve. The kitchen is extremely busy in the morning with a lot of folks bustling around with various duties and we simply don’t have time to accommodate any special extra treats. 

Thanks again everyone.
 
Wreath decorations – We are looking for is small holiday decorations in good condition that could be re-used on the wreathes. There is a container in the Sloop Room for you to drop them off. See below for more information about our wreath decorating, Wednesday Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. 
 
Baking and cooking - we need more fudge of all varieties – white, butterscotch, dark and milk chocolate and all shades in between. And lots of cookies, squares, cupcakes, shortbreads, breads, pies, and cakes. And more cookies. Take a small decorated loaf pan from the Sloop Room if you need one. Holiday wrappings on the foods are especially inviting. And please, still more cookies.

Jams and Jellies - Another helper needed to staff the table.

Holiday Plants - One more person needed to staff the table.

Vintage Jewelry - One more person needed to staff the table.

How to drop your contributions off at the church before the Fair.
The week before the Fair we will mark the pews to indicate where to leave materials for each table, e.g. Fudge & candy, Crafts, etc. We encourage you to bring stuff ahead of time

Questions? Contact the table head.

  -Many Thanks from Team Snowflake
Kids' Activities at the Snowflake Fair

We're looking for help with kids' activities at the Snowflake Fair! For years we had free Kids' Crafts and a low cost Kids' Shopping Room upstairs during the Snowflake Fair, and we want to bring these activities back! They're fun for the kids, and give parents time to shop downstairs! I am looking for staff the day of the event - adults to help me staff the Kids' Crafts room, and middle school and high school aged youth to staff the Kids' Shopping Room. Our youth get to price the items and bargain with kids who come in to shop. It's fun! We need three adults to help staff the Crafts Room, splitting the day into two shifts. Also, we need sheets to cover Erdman belongings.



We're also looking for DONATIONS - Easy, no mess craft items for the craft room. And items that can be sold for under $5 in the Shopping Room. New or gently used decorative items, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, candles, small toys, gadgets, unwanted stocking stuffers, etc. are all welcome.Thanks!
Wreath Decorating
On Wednesday December 4, decorate festive wreaths, 6:30-8:30 p.m. All materials are provided and no experience required. Children are welcome to assist an adult. No particular expertise is needed to participate.
Unity Club Dinner – All Women of the Church are Welcome!
Wednesday December 11, 2019 at 6:30 pm
Welcome Ladies t o our holiday Pot Luck Get Together . Come enjoy friendship, good food, and some laughs. Please bring your favorite appetizer or dessert to share, a donation for the Food Pantry, and yourselves!
 
See you on Wednesday, December 11th at 6:30!

 -Unity Club
First Parish Needs Your Help!
Here's how you can serve our church and strengthen our community this week. Please contact us if you can help.
We need:
  • Coordinator(s) for our new Soup + Song community suppers
  •  Adults to help with Pageant Prep in December
  • RE teachers for January and February
  • Clockwinder for the sanctuary clock
  • Readers for both Christmas Eve services
Teams Hosting Coffee Hour This Year
This year we are trying to make hosting coffee hour easier for everyone by eliminating the sign-up sheet. We will try this for the year and see if it works!

We randomly created fifteen teams so each team will host coffee hour two times during the year. More people will lessen the work and expense. More people doesn’t mean “more food”! Let’s bring simpler snacks which makes clean-up easier.

If you do not see your name on any team and you want to be included, please let us know and we will include you. Also, if you feel you cannot serve in this way, you may ask to be removed from the teams list.

If you can’t be there on the date, you could supply some snacks and give them to a team member to bring to church.

Each team consists of four to six people. Duties include setting the table, putting snacks on serving plates, make the coffee and heat tea water, wash the dishes and put the trash in the shed. The team will also bring a quart of half and half and juice. We will send out a more details of how to set up.

Thank you for trying this!!! Please call or email if you have a question.

The Parish Committee
Transformative Service
Soup + Song
On Sunday November 3 a group gathered to talk about Pamela Barz's suggestion of offering a community soup supper with music. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the proposal and we decided to give it a try, hosting a community vegetarian soup supper with music on the second Sundays of January, February, and March 2020. We need a couple of people to serve as coordinators for the suppers - if you are interested, please speak with us if you can help.
STRIDE with the Scituate Unity Council
The newly reorganized Unity Council has a new name: STRIDE (Scituate Together for Representation, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity) and will hold their first meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00pm at the Scituate Town Library, with pizza available at 6:30 p.m.
Come meet the co-chairs, learn about the mission of this organization, and--most importantly--hear from SHS students about their experiences at the high school. This is an excellent opportunity to show your support for our high school students of color and the particular challenges they face as members of our community. Members of First Parish have been involved with the Unity Council since its beginning; let's continue to join with others for this important work. For planning purposes, RSVP's are appreciated (especially if you're coming for pizza.) To RSVP or to be put on the mailing list, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/MPoP6zkPXqgthkBm6 
Calendar for November 27-
December 8, 2019

Fri. 29th
1:00 pm Decorating the Sanctuary

Sun. 1st
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE

Mon. 2nd
5:00 pm Pageant Prep Meeting
7:00 pm Committee on Ministry

Wed. 4th
10:30 am Fididdlers
6:30 pm Wreath Decorating

Fri. 6th
9:00 am Snowflake Fair Setup - all day

Sat. 7th
9:00 am Snowflake Fair

Sun. 8th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE
5:00 pm Youth Group

Save the Date



December 7th
Snowflake Fair

December 11th
Unity Christmas Dinner

December 15th
Christmas Music Sunday

December 22nd
Pageant

December 22nd
Community Solstice Service, 4 p.m. at St. Luke's

December 24th
Christmas Eve services at 4 and 7 p.m.
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 community and beyond.