In the midst of ongoing and unthinkable tragedy, our FRS church community is here for you. We have support available for those looking to debrief on the recent mass shooting particularly, or if you are looking to understand how to talk with your children. Please email Reverend Rebecca at RevRebecca.Bryan@frsuu.org if you are interested or if we can help.

November 1, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Sunday Worship Service
• Special Congregational Service of Remembrance
• View Last Sunday's Sermon by Rev. Rebecca
• Young Church News
• Vigil for Change Tonight in Market Square
• Looking Toward the 4th Century
• FRS Fall Auction
• Folk Concert: the last optimist [?] and the Lied To's this Friday!
• 1619 Project: A Discussion Series
• Newbury Food Pantry Donations
• Snapshot from last week at the FRS
• Fellowship Programming
• Download the FRS October Worship and Events Calendars
• Thank a UU
• Call on Parish Friends
• Beyond Our Doors

Annual Ministry Theme: Interconnectedness

November Ministry Theme: Diversity

Sunday, November 5, 2023

10:30am, in person and streamed on YouTube

The Winds Must Bring Change

Guest Speaker Patricia D. Rocker is the tribal Speaker and Council Chairwoman for the Whale Clan members of the Chappaquiddick Tribe and an Advisory Council member of the Mass Center for Native American Awareness. She will be speaking about Indigenous Peoples’ understanding of how to live in partnership with nature, and how that is what’s needed to create change.

Attend on YouTube: http://bit.ly/FRSyoutube

November Shared Collection Partner – Essex County Habitat for Humanity

Large print Orders of Service, hymnals, and earphones for sound amplification are available. Please ask ushers to provide them.

All are invited to join us in this special Service of Remembrance. We will name our members and friends who have died since April 2022, recognizing the impact of these losses to the FRS community.

This reflective service will include poetry, music, and silence, inviting contemplation and comfort. Everyone is welcome to attend. Rev. Rebecca will be leading the service along with Alan Seale, Doug Latham, and others.

To submit a name to be included in the service, please go to the active Service of Remembrance list here and enter the information requested (name, date of death, contact person) or, alternatively, email that info to Rev. Rebecca at RevRebecca.Bryan@frsuu.org. All names are encouraged, and people do not need to have been a member of FRS to be included.

View Last Sunday's Sermon by Rev. Rebecca

https://youtu.be/KMvPlnhkHFs

Young Church News

Our Crossing Paths youth group had a wonderful visit to Central Congregational Church in Newburyport last Sunday, following this month's exploration of Christianity. Central Congregational, just a few blocks away on Titcomb Street, has historical ties to FRS, as it was founded in 1767 as the Third Religious Society after 53 people amicably separated from FRS over a disagreement about the successor to Rev. John Lowell. After a service celebrating All Saints Day, which focused on our ancestors and their continued impact on and connections to us, the youth and guides engaged in a Q & A with Rev. Dr. Chris Ney. 

Support the FRSUU Little Free Diverse Library!

We’ve all heard about book bans across the U.S., and increasingly these bans focus on books that feature protagonists of color or characters who reflect the LGBTQ+ experience. How can you take action?

By donating to the Little Free Diverse Library! 

To access the LFDL Wishlist on Amazon click on the yellow button below. You can purchase books here OR get title ideas and purchase books at a local bookstore! Book donations can be put directly into our library, or in the collection basket located in the vestibule. Thank you!

If you are interested in getting involved with the FRSUU Little Free Diverse Library, please reach out to August Doherty Mead (he/they) at augustdoherty@gmail.com.

The Congregational Insight Team will host a series of workshops to hear your ideas and together develop strategies to realize your dreams and wishes for our beloved community.

Please plan to attend one of the following workshops:

Wednesday, November 1 from 6-8pm

Sunday, November 5 from 12-2pm

Sunday, November 19 from 2-4pm (Zoom only)

Wednesday, December 6 from 6-8pm

Sunday, January 21 from 2-4pm

Sunday, January 28 from 12-2pm

Click on the black button below to register.

GRATEFUL GATHERING, THE FRS AUCTION 

November 17 at 6:00pm

Newburyport Community Center, 331 High Street, Newburyport

Tickets are $45 per person ($55 at the door)

Some items available to bid on are:

 A 5 Night Stay at “Sky Pastures,” My Family Cottage

donated by Ray Wilson

Murder Mystery at the Manor Dinner Party

donated by Tina & Greg Benik

Buy the Postlude!

donated by Justin Murphy-Mancini

TO PURCHASE TICKETS

By credit card: scan the QR code below or click on the blue button.

By check: stop by the auction table after worship service or mail the check to the office and provide your email address and we will send you the ticket(s) via email.

If you would like to attend and cannot afford the ticket price, please contact either Vern Ellis at vellis@ellisdesign.net or Rev. Rebecca at revrebecca.bryan@frsuu.org about financial assistance.

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

for a fun and festive time.

https://bit.ly/VolunteerSignup-Auction

If you would like to participate in the planning the auction, our meetings are on Zoom, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, https://bit.ly/FUUNTeamZoomMeeting

Folk Concert: the last optimist [?] and the Lied To's

When: Friday, November 3 from 6-9pm in the FRS Sanctuary

Markus Belanger from the last optimist [?] shares:

My new favorite author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, writes in Braiding Sweetgrass, “gratitude plants the seed for abundance.” These words have helped me open up to the little moments of wonder that surround us all. I know they have been there all along but for too long the volume has been turned up so loud on the Groundhog Day channel of warmongering monarchs, Middle East unrest, senseless gun violence, and political propaganda, that it’s been hard to notice. While I care passionately for peacekeeping, justice, and human rights – I’ve realized that I can’t sustain those fights without filling the cup. I’ve started actively seeking connection, places of respite, solace, and a return to happier days. I’m playing a lot of music, and this seems to be some light I can share and some cups I can help fill.

I’d like to invite you out to a show on November 3 if you live anywhere close to Newburyport, Massachusetts. I’ll be playing my new album seed water sun at the UU church downtown on 26 Pleasant Street. My good friends, Susan and Doug, of the Lied To’s will join me for an all-ages show from 6-9pm. We hope you can slow time a bit – carve out a moment in your busy life for some music – and come out.

Members of the FRS Anti-Racism Initiative invite you to join us for the third episode of the 1619 Project documentary series, titled “Music.” This episode explores the role of Black American music as foundational to American pop culture and reflects on the Black American struggle for freedom and liberation throughout American history. It spotlights different eras and genres of Black American music in light of the social and cultural realities that influenced the music of the time period. The episode also discusses the legacies of racism in American music and pop culture, tracing their origins back to blackface minstrel shows that began during slavery.

Some questions you might consider before viewing:

1. What is culture? How do you define your culture? How important is culture to you?
2. What is the relationship between politics and culture? How can societal norms be reflected in culture? How can culture be used as a tool for resistance?
3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to?

If you’d like to watch the episode at FRS, you can come to the Lower Meetinghouse for a viewing on Friday, November 3 from noon-1:15pm. You can also opt to watch the episodes at home (they are available on Hulu). Please let us know if you cannot make either of the church viewings and do not have access to Hulu and we’ll see what we can do to help.

A Zoom discussion will be held for this “Music” episode on Monday, November 6, from 7-8 pm. Please click here to register for the discussion or contact Julie Parker Amery at julie.amery@frsuu.org to receive the Zoom link.

Please note that you can join any or all sessions. Registering will simply allow you to receive the Zoom link for any discussions you wish to attend. We hope that you’ll join us to learn about the 1619 Project and how it may inform our own spiritual growth and understanding of systemic racism and social policies in the United States.

Downtown Newburyport's Trick or Treat last Friday night was a lot of fun. At the FRS, Justin hosted a spooky organ music concert that was a lot of fun! Parishioner Paula Renda brought her mom (center), and she was in for a treat when she met these three witches.

Newbury Food Pantry Donations

The Community Outreach Group of FRS is sponsoring a food drive to benefit the Newbury Food Pantry during the month of November. Donations can be left on the right shelf at the back of the church as you exit. While the number of guests has increased significantly at the food pantry, the Greater Boston Food Bank has reduced their delivery by 20%. Your donations are gratefully appreciated especially at this time of need. Their wish list includes: hearty soups, rice and pasta sides, instant coffee, quick bread and baking mixes, hot and cold cereals, peanut butter, jelly, gluten free products, and toilet paper. Any questions, please contact Linda Buddenhagen at 978-463-0882.

The Joy of Giving

Get your donations ready! Again this year we will be collecting new/unused gifts so the children of Kelleher Gardens can holiday “shop” for the important adults in their life. Do you have lotions, gloves, decorations, tools, hats, jewelry, etc. that you’ve been given and never used? Can you pick up one or two small items while out holiday shopping? We also can use gift bags of all sizes (no gift wrap, please). 

Throughout November, please leave donations at the back of the sanctuary.

Please contact Nancy Crochiere at ncrochiere@comcast.net with questions.

We are collecting donations of pillows for our pews. The pillows should be new or clean - "gently used" - with no exposure to cat/dog hair due to allergy sensitivities.

There will be a drop-off table and sign, "Pew Pillow Donations," in the Lower Meetinghouse, in the enclosed entryway of the entrance/exit located next to Rev. Rebecca's office.

Thank you for your generosity and ongoing loving support of all endeavors at the FRS!

Download the FRS October Worship and Events Calendars

Click on the gray buttons below:

Call on Parish Friends!

Do you know of anyone in our church community who could use a helping hand or an encouraging word? If so, please reach out to the FRS Parish Friends. For example, a member may need a ride to an appointment or appreciate a card to let them know we hold them in our thoughts. Or any other temporary support such as a family with a new baby who may welcome a meal! If so, please contact Susan Ricker at parishfriends@frsuu.org. You may also reach out to the church office at info@frsuu.org or call 978-465-0602.

Changing the Conversation on Mental Health with Justice John T. Broderick, Jr.

When: Thursday, November 9, 6–7:30 pm, Newburyport Senior Center, 331 High Street

John T. Broderick, Jr. is a former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court who has dedicated himself to shining a spotlight on the mental health crisis with deep compassion and empathy by sharing his family’s story. Please join us for this important community gathering.

For questions, contact Susannah Abbott, Director of Development, at sabbott@linkhouseinc.org.

Minister–The Reverend Rebecca Bryan; Affiliate Minister–Rev. Stan Barrett; Affiliate Minister–Rev. Helen Murgida; Affiliate Minister-Rev. Jane Tuohy; Minister Emeritus–The Reverend Harold Babcock. Staff: Director of Church Operations–Rob Authier; Office Administrator–Diane Carroll; Director of Children's Ministry–Mara Flynn; Director of Church Music–Justin Murphy-Mancini; Director of Church Music Emerita–Barbara Owen; Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration–Julie Parker Amery; Sexton–Donny Rogers; Director of Congregational and Community Engagement–Cynthia Walsh. Parish Board: Chair–Jim Supple; Vice Chair–Tina Benik; Finance Chair–Renée Wolf Foster; Governance Chair–Tom Himmel; Endowment Treasurer–Kim Kenly; Finance Treasurer–Bob Higgins; Stewardship Chair–Vern Ellis; Parish Clerk–Kathy Desilets; Lori Clark, Caitlin Creps, Laurie Evans-Daly, Minnie Flanagan, Liss Larsen, Annie Maurer.

First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist | 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport MA 01950

978-465-0602 | frsuu.org