January 18, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Sunday Worship
• Journeying Toward Spiritual Wholeness
• Volunteer to provide a soup for Justice Sunday
• A Visualization of Peace Photo from Rebecca Lobb
• Save the date: Our Parish's 300th Anniversary Planning Meeting
• A Program in Honor of Barbara Owen
• Upcoming Fellowship Programming
• Weekly Wellness Programming
• Monday Night Meditation
• Tuesday Spiritual Practice
• Wednesday Guided Relaxation
• Beyond Our Doors: Events in the greater Newburyport area

Annual Ministry Theme: Peace

January Ministry Theme: Change

Journeying Toward Spiritual Wholeness

"We covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions."

Language for the new 8th Principle, currently adopted by more than 200 UU congregations in the United States.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Anti-Racism Service

10:30am in the Sanctuary and on YouTube

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

The Anti-Racism Initiative social justice team will lead a service reflecting upon anti-racism efforts of the past year and introducing you to the UUA’s 8th Principle. Through story and song, we will explore what it means to view Beloved Community through the lens of racial justice.

Building on the stories that Ghlee Woodworth shared with us on January 15, we invite you into some of our own stories of transformation through racial justice work, bookended with the traditional song, “Guide My Feet.”

Susan Fasoli will share our journey of past, current, and future anti-racism work on the path to spiritual wholeness, and the power of the 8th Principle.

Eileen Costello will talk about her experiences as a Cuban American. Julie Menin will explore the challenges of allyship in the workplace. Sandra Thaxter will speak of the deep impact her experiences in Africa had upon her understanding of whiteness. Vern Ellis will invite us to continue the journey.

Lea Pearson and Justin Murphy-Mancini will play an excerpt from the Afro-American Suite by Undine Smith Moore, and we will all be interweaving singing with the stories.

As Rev. Rebecca said on Martin Luther King Sunday, MLK would probably be thrilled that we are uplifting and doing our own work, rather than talking about how great he was. 

Join us for the second of three January services celebrating racial justice.

The FRS Anti-Racism Initiative social justice team formed in 2020 in response to Rev. Rebecca’s call for our congregation to respond to racial injustices of the time, particularly anti-Black racism and brutality. Our initial overarching goal was to work with the FRS board and members to become an anti-racist congregation. During the last two years, we have formed subgroups focused on balancing internal anti-racist work with external social justice action to combat racism. We have held Living the Pledge workshops to educate ourselves and others about systemic racism and how to be an ally to BIPOC individuals, those who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Recently, we have begun to explore ways in which the UUA’s 8th Principle Project may inform our anti-racism efforts and guide our journey toward Spiritual Wholeness.

To learn more about actions of the FRS Anti-Racism Initiative team, click here.

Please also join us for Justice Sunday on January 29th to reflect upon our FRS antislavery history and learn why the 8th Principle Project is important to BIPOC individuals. Together, we look forward to exploring how the UUA’s 8th Principle may promote spiritual wholeness and guide the intersectionality of our work with other FRS social action groups.

Justice Sunday Soup and Salad Signup 

On Justice Sundays we gather in fellowship for soup, salad, and discussion! This is a great way to learn more about our social justice work at FRS, connect with people, and enjoy a lovely meal.

To sign up to bring a soup on one of our Justice Sundays, please click on the purple button below!

Photo submitted by Rebecca Lobb: "The Farm at Rest"

Save the date: Our Parish's 300th Anniversary Planning Kick-off Meeting

When: Sunday, February 12 from 11:30-12:30pm in the Lower Meetinghouse

Come learn, share ideas, bring your questions, and consider getting involved in the planning for our 300th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2025!

Walk With Me Film Screening

When: Sunday, January 22, 2pm, 102 Bridge Road (Route 1), Salisbury.

As a memorial for Thich Nhat Hanh, Internal Arts New England will host this film screening followed by a discussion forum with Matthew Daniell, of North Shore Insight Meditation Center, and Reverend Rebecca.

This event is both in-person and online. Tickets for the in-person event are $20 and can be purchased here.

Dancing on a Volcano

The story of Nadja Merino-Kalfel

When: Thursday, January 26, 6:30pm, Nock School Auditorium, 70 Low St., Newburyport

In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, attend a free screening of this riveting documentary highlighting one family's dramatic escape from Nazi-occupied Europe. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Jesse Kalfel, Nadja's son.

This free event is hosted by Newburyport Human Rights Commission and

Congregation Ahavas Achim.

The Art of Loving Wisely: A Buddhist Meditative Approach

When: Saturday, January 28, 10am-12:30pm, Internal Arts New England

To love and be loved widely is one of the greatest joys and also one of the greatest challenges of being alive. Often wise love feels like a fleeting gift that we can't control. True enough, but it also expresses qualities of the heart that can be discovered and cultivated intentionally. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness and loving kindness can positively affect the quality of how we relate to ourselves, those close in our lives, and all those we encounter in our daily lives. In this half-day workshop, guided and silent sitting meditation sessions will be combined with walking periods and time for discussion.

New and experience meditators alike are welcome to attend, as we explore Buddhist-inspired skill sets to help us to love wisely, and live deeply in the present moment.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Newburyport Black History Initiative

Dedication of Inaugural Historic Sign

When: Wednesday, February 1 at 4pm

Save the date! The Newburyport Black History Initiative (Geordie Vining, Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, and Cynthia “Cyd” Raschke) will host a ceremony Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 4pm to celebrate the installation of the first NBHI historic interpretive sign in Newburyport. The event will be held outdoors on the Clipper Rail Trail just south of Low Street on a former railroad bridge that today is part of the rail trail. 

The February 1 event will introduce “A Black Neighborhood in Historic Newburyport.” This panel is located near a once-thriving but now long-gone African American neighborhood nicknamed “Guinea Village,” a historic village Ghlee Woodworth has featured in her publications. Back in the day, local people called the adjacent railroad bridge “Guinea Bridge,” a name that lingered into the 1980s even though its history had been forgotten. Cyd is grateful to the FRSUU for supporting her efforts to install this panel which now will be one of many upcoming signs to focus on the stories of Black Americans who lived and worked in Newburyport from the pre-Revolutionary War era to the early 20th century.

Once a month we will publish a list of thanks to all who help to make our day a little brighter and our community stronger!

If you would like to thank another parishioner, please email cynthia.walsh@frsuu.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; Audio-Visual Engineer–Rob Close; Director of Children's Ministry–Mara Flynn; Director of Church Music–Justin Murphy-Mancini; Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration–Julie Parker Amery; Sexton–Donny Rogers; Director of Congregational and Community Engagement–Cynthia Walsh. Parish Board: Chair–Tina Benik; Vice Chair-Jim Supple; Finance Chair–Renée Wolf Foster; Governance Chair–Tom Himmel; Endowment Treasurer–Kim Kenly; Finance Treasurer–Laurie Evans-Daly; Stewardship Chair–Vern Ellis; Parish Clerk–Kathy Desilets; Holly Cashman, Marissa Dewey, Minnie Flanagan, Michelle Kimball, Annie Maurer, Tom Stites.

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

978-465-0602 | frsuu.org