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Beltane is the ancient pagan festival which welcomes the coming of Spring. Come and learn about the mythical figure of “The Green Man, hear some ancient tales,” and dance the spiral dance with us in Parish Hall. All are welcome to participate in the dance as you are able.
This Sunday, we welcome versatile multi-instrumentalist, Dan Meyers who will be playing uilleann pipes, Armenian duduk and tin whistle. Dan is a flexible and engaging performer of both classical and folk music; his credits range from premieres of contemporary chamber music, to headlining a concert series in honor of Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival, to playing Renaissance instruments on Broadway for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Company. Mr. Meyers is a founding member of the early music/folk crossover group Seven Times Salt. Soloist Chelsea Cannon and minister of music Rip Jackson will be joining in presenting beautiful celtic pagan music to celebrate the ancient Gaelic May Day festival Beltane. Chelsea will sing Enya’s mystical song “On your Shores” (from her hit 1988 album Watermark).
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The DEIR Comment Toolkit is here!
Together, we have been working tirelessly to prevent a massive expansion of private jet facilities at Hanscom Field. The proposed project would add capacity for super-emitter private jets, consume an expected 5.5 million gallons of aviation fuel annually, and emit a staggering 255,000 new tons of CO2e per year.
In their Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), the developers make the astonishing claim that this expansion will decrease flights, decrease emissions, and help meet Net Zero goals. These assertions are deeply flawed and misleading.
The public comment period for the DEIR is now open, and we have until May 10th to make our voices heard. It is crucial that the MEPA (Office of MA Environmental Policy Act) receives a flood of comments opposing this project and exposing the DEIR's flawed arguments.
To help you craft a powerful, unique comment, we have prepared a comprehensive Public Comment Toolkit, available at spje.org/DEIRtools. This toolkit provides:
- Background information
- Step-by-step guidance to make the process as easy as possible.
- Resources for strengthening your comment
- Resources for spreading the word
Please take this action to express your objection to this climate atrocity. The number of comments matters, and so does submitting an informed critique. Our toolkit is designed to help you make the greatest impact possible with your comment.
The SPJE Campaign and CAT
|  | This Sunday, April 28, after church, will you spare 15 minutes to join us in writing to young people in Michigan? Each pre-printed letter needs us to add a short sentence about why we vote. These young people are a group critical to this fall’s election. We supply the pre-printed letters, envelopes, pens, and stamps. We ask you for a few minutes of your time and a small donation to cover postage. Preserving our democracy will take each of us. Please join us. In the Common Room. Questions? Ask Debbie Armstrong or Marty Kvaal. |  | |
How are young people driving change, staying resilient, and keeping hope alive in the face of climate crisis? Join this interactive conversation to hear high school students and young professionals talk about how they feel, what they think, and what they’re doing about climate change.
For participants who can arrive at 6:30 pm, Roaming Buffalo Wabanaki will lead us into a space of heart-centered connectedness to all living things that depend on the planet and a healthy, stable climate to thrive and survive. They will draw on Indigenous wisdom and teachings to help us prepare for our community conversation.
Register online at LexLyceum.org/events
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CHILDREN'S RE
There is no Children's RE this Sunday. Instead, please join us in the Sanctuary where we'll be celebrating Beltane, an ancient pagan festival which welcomes the coming of Spring. Come and learn about the mythical figure of “The Green Man," and hear some ancient tales.
Caroline and Annelie
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THIS SUNDAY!
An Evening of Sacred Chant: A Millennium of Soaring Mystical Sound
Directed by Rip Jackson
Sunday, April 28, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Come and center inward, touching your deepest, truest self, as you are enfolded in the peaceful, healing, transcendent music of sacred chant—mystical music ancient and modern from Western, Eastern, and African traditions—performed by the First Parish Festival Choir and guest soloists, and directed by Rip Jackson. The evening’s candlelit program will include Gregorian chant, antiphons by Hildegard Von Bingen, Medieval polyphony, Renaissance masterpieces, Russian Orthodox hymns, Hebrew Sephardic chants, Hindu mantras, African sacred music, and modern mystical a capella music. The concert will take place on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM at First Parish in Lexington. There will be a sound bath at 7:15 before the concert. A free-will offering will be received, and public parking is available in the rear of the church. For more information, email
music@fplex.org.
Chant Concert 2024 Livestream
Chant Concert 2024 Facebook Event
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Welcome Grow Native!
Ed. note:
You may have noticed recent activity as we welcome our new tenants who are moving into Staples room downstairs. They will be officially in residence by May 1st.
Grow Native Massachusetts is relocating its office to First Parish in Lexington and we are so pleased to become a part of this community! Grow Native is a small, educational nonprofit. Our mission is to inspire people to action on behalf of native plants and the diversity of life they support. We offer accessible resources and free and paid programs that empower individuals to make an impact in their own yards and communities. By reestablishing native plants in our gardens, we support the ecological systems that sustain us all. Please check out our website at grownativemass.org, ask questions at info@grownativemass.org, and come downstairs to visit us.
| From left, Helene Sroat, Meredith Gallogly, & Heather Pruiksma | From choir rehearsals to Soul Matters, Building Bridges to Meditation Group, Urban Ministry to Democracy Team, Climate Action Team to Youth Groups and all of the other wonderful ways to get involved here at First Parish, please check the church calendar. | Submissions for The Weekly Update are due by the end of day, Mondays. To submit an article or information for consideration, please use this form. | |
