What's Happening
at First Parish -
Our Weekly Newsletter
November 6-16, 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 November 10, 2019
No Other Gods: Are the Ten Commandments Relevant In a Secular World? Anne Robertson, guest preacher
Especially since Alabama Judge Roy Moore literally carved the Ten Commandments into stone and insisted on their public display, the Ten Commandments have had a prominent and divisive place in our cultural, religious, and legal debates. But does that have to be the case? Is there anything in that ancient moral code that could find resonance with those who long for a just world in the 21st century? Might that relevance extend beyond church walls? We’ll take a look. The choir will sing
Let There Be Light .
|
|
Sunday November 17, 2019
Touched by Grace
Pamela Barz will reflect on what she learned on her mini-sabbatical. The choir will sing
Season of the Grateful Heart.
|
|
|
From the Religious Education Coordinator
Greetings from the Religious Education Office!
Many of you might have seen me around town but can’t quite place where you might know me outside of church. Allow me to fill in the blanks. Besides taking this new position of Religious Education Coordinator, I also have a full time job at the Scituate Town Hall.
I’m also a walker. You might have seen me walking down to the Lighthouse or through Cohasset Village. Both towns have such gorgeous landscapes; the sights are just magnificent. Maybe now you can place me. When you do see me, please give a wave!
-Eileen Knight, Religious Education Coordinator
|
|
SNOWFLAKE FAIR – Just Over Four Weeks Away!
Saturday, December 7, 2019
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
This is our most fun fund raiser of the year! People are signing up on the board in the Sloop room.
Have you
signed up yet to be part of the fun?
- Decorate Wreaths - we supply the wreaths, you decorate the greens. It will be held on Wednesday evening December 4th, 6:30-9:00.
- Bake, Cook, and make Jams! We can sell even more than you can make!
- Craft! Knit, sew, bead, paint, felt, construct, etc. We can sell giftable and wearable holiday items -holiday themed or otherwise.
- Plant! Share your house plants, herbs, bulbs and air plants for holiday giving.
- Look in your bureau for quality costume and vintage jewelry.
- Go with a buddy to help advertise the fair by posting flyers around town on the weekend before Thanksgiving (November 23rd and 24th).
- See sign-up sheets at the church for set-up, staffing, and clean-up - all very necessary!
SHOP! Even if you can’t do any of the above, please come by and bring your friends to shop. We offer some of the best hand-crafted and home-made fair items in town, including trees and wreaths!
-Team Snowflake
|
|
Honoring Our Seventh Principle at this Year's Snowflake Fair
In honor of our seventh UU principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence," we are trying to make this year's fair as kind to the earth as we can. We are so happy to have the dishwasher installed in time to be able to use it for our lunchtime chowders and chilis! We can also make our fair items more sustainable and earth friendly through re-gifting, re-using, and upcycling.
We are looking for donations in the following categories:
- For our Jewelry table: Quality costume and vintage jewelry. Donations can be left at the church the week before the fair with the coordinators name on them.
- For Wreath Decorating: Pine cones, shells, and other natural materials, plus small decorative items and ornaments that can be upcycled and used on this year's wreaths. There is a bin in the Sloop Room to collect these items in advance of our wreath decorating party on December 4th
- For our Kids' Shopping Room: Small, new or gently used giftable items that we can sell at prices ranging from 25 cents to $2. Holiday and non-holiday decor items, jewelry, ornaments, candles, small toys, stocking-stuffer type items, flea market, TIOLI, or consignment shop finds, for women or men. We haven't had a Kids' Shopping Room upstairs in a few years, but it is really fun for the kids, and along with a Kids' Craft Activity Room, it frees up parents to spend more time (and money!) down in the Sloop Room. Please let us know in advance what you will be able to provide, as we will have to cancel this activity if there isn't enough support for it. The items themselves should be brought to the church the week before the fair.
- For our Crafted Goods tables: Crafted items made from upcycled goods.
|
|
Beaded "Snowflake"-Angel Ornament Craft Night -
November 14th 7:00 pm
Want to contribute to the Snowflake Fair but not sure how? Come to the Beaded Angel Ornament craft night for some fun and conversation. Thursday Nov 14th 7:00 PM . No experience needed! Supervised kids welcome. Totally easy for them to do to! If you have any scraps of wired ribbon bring it along!
|
|
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 annual Thanksgiving Soup Lunch on 11/24 - Sign up at: Thanksgiving Soup Lunch
- Soup-makers for the Thanksgiving lunch- sign up at: Thanksgiving Soup Lunch
- Coordinator for Christmas Eve flowers. This role involves working with Cindy Simon's at R &C Farm to select the varieties, working with the administrator to publicize the list to the congregation in early December, placing the order, and picking up the flowers and arranging them in the sanctuary. It sounds more complicated than it is and is a great way to contribute beauty to First Parish.
|
|
Sign-up for the Bottle and Can Fund Raiser!
The opportunity came up for First Parish to partner with St. Luke’s church, next month, for what we affectionately know of as “Dump Duty.” We have signed on for November 1
st through November17th.
For those who are new to this fun activity, it means sorting the redeemable bottles and cans at the transfer station and turning them in at the redemption center in Cohasset. Shifts are usually 3 hrs, but we can vary those to fit a sorter’s schedule. We make sure that an experienced sorter will be with newcomers, to show them the ropes.
The Men’s Ministry is taking the lead on this, however we will be asking for help from all of the willing folks from our church.
There will be more discussion and reminders about this in the upcoming weeks. In addition, First Parish is signed up for the month of March 2020.
Howard Mathews, Bottles & Cans Coordinator
|
|
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
|
|
Pizza and Game Night - Friday November 22, 6:00 to 9:00
Come enjoy a night of pizza, potluck and games. Bring a game or two that you enjoy or a deck of cards. We’ll order pizzas (pass the hat), or you can bring whatever you want to eat. Please bring non-alcoholic drinks.
|
|
The Blue Boat Coffeehouse is back … and we'd like to help feed our friends & neighbors!!
On Saturday, November 16,2019, from 6:00-9:00 pm, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate is proud to present our (lucky)13th Blue Boat Coffeehouse to highlight the incredible talent of local adults and youth while raising funds for a local non-profit organization ... the Scituate Food Pantry.
This community organization, sponsored by the Scituate Clergy Association,
is run by an all-volunteer staff and distributes food to eligible families from a facility located at the Scituate Masonic Temple. The Pantry works with churches, clubs, schools and individuals throughout the town to bring awareness of the issue of hunger in our community. Since 1993, they have assisted over 500 families totaling approximately 1100 people. Currently, The Pantry serves 250+ families who are eligible to receive a monthly order of nutritious non-perishable foods, with special attention paid to those with dietary restrictions. They also distribute extra food during the holidays, providing the ingredients for a traditional meal at Thanksgiving, including a turkey, while available.
The Scituate Food Pantry receives no government funding but relies solely on the generous donations of businesses, organizations, schools and the people of our community.
Please help us help our community by attending our coffeehouse AND bringing a canned or boxed food item.
|
|
A Note of Thanks
Thank you to the Unitarian Church’s congregants for their extraordinary generosity to the Scituate Food Pantry. Multiple crates were brought filled with the requested Holiday foodstuffs that were donated to the Food Pantry.
It is very obvious that the Church members have a deep sense of helping those less fortunate members of our community. They are certainly putting into action the idea of “love thy neighbor”. Their generosity will help to make the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas very enjoyable for our clients and their families.
May all of the Church members have very happy holidays.
Thank you.
-Scituate Food Pantry
|
|
Calendar for November 6-17, 2019
Wed. 6th
10:30 am Fididdlers
7:00 pm RE Committee Meeting
Sun. 10th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE
5:00 pm Youth Group - Rockland
Mon. 11th
7:00 pm Meditation
Wed. 13th
10:30 am Fididdlers
Thurs. 14th
11:00 am Infant Massage
7:00 pm Beaded Workshop
Sat. 16th
6:00 pm Blue Boat Coffeehouse
Sun. 17th
9:00 am Choir Practice
10:30 am Worship and RE
|
|
Save the Date
December 4th
Wreath Making
December 7th
Snowflake Fair
December 15th
Christmas Music Sunday
December 22nd
Pageant
December 22nd
Community Solstice Service, 4 p.m. at St. Luke's
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
