Annual Ministry Theme: Unity
February Ministry Theme: Integrity
“It takes courage to create a meaningful life of integrity. It also requires good company. And practice.”
-Shelly Francis
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Table of Contents
- Sunday Worship
- Information on Sunday's 30-Minute Social Following Worship
- Update from the Reopening Team
- Sunday's Wilson Series Concert
- Listen to the Morning Show Interview with Rev. Rebecca
- An Ask from our Annual Pledge Campaign Chairs
- What Questions Do You Have For FRS's Afghan Resettlement Working Group?
- Upcoming Events
- Weekly Wellness Programming
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photo: James Baldwin (1924-1987) |
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Sunday Worship
February 13, 2022
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Bear Witness: Save Lives
10:30am on Zoom only
As we build Beloved Community, it is vital that we are able to share our stories and trust that people will be still and bear witness to us, acknowledge, and accept what we share. We must be present with one another with an empathy that honors our different life experiences. Guest speaker CB Beal will share about the spiritual practice of bearing witness, and trusting others to bear witness to us, with a particular focus on gender.
CB Beal (they/them) is a fat, white, queer and non-binary UU religious educator, storyteller, and speaker. CB was the 2019 recipient of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Angus H. MacLean Award for Excellence in Religious Education. They make their home in a farmhouse factory library loft in western Massachusetts and consult with individuals and organizations to increase consent culture, equity, and justice in the world. You can find them online at Justice and Peace Consulting. About CB – Justice and Peace Consulting.
Attend Service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 936 5374 9041
Passcode: 729630
One tap mobile:
+13017158592,,93653749041# US (Washington DC)
+13126266799,,93653749041# US (Chicago)
All Worship Services will be online only until February 20, 2022.
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30-Minute Fellowship on Zoom Following Sunday Worship Service (same Zoom line as Worship Service)
Reverend Rebecca and CB Beal will be joining!
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Reopening Team Update
At its meeting on February 9th, the Reopening Team was able to relax some of the recent restrictions over FRS church services. Starting on February 20, the church will be open to live attendance for up to 200 people (150 downstairs and 50 upstairs). As before, there will be a large number of ushers making sure that social distancing is maintained.
To attend services, you must wear a mask and be vaccinated. Those who are unvaccinated are welcome to attend the service online. Children may attend the service as well and will, after the service gets started, go down to the Lower Meetinghouse for Young Church.
Starting on February 27, the choir will be singing in person at the front of the church. No congregational singing is being planned at this point. That will be taken up at the next Reopening Team meeting, on February 23.
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Don't Miss Choral Ensemble Carduus
On Sunday, February 13th
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Jean C. Wilson Concert Series 2022: Carduus
When: Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 4pm livestreamed on YouTube
The winter portion of the Wilson Music Series concludes with the Boston-based choral ensemble Carduus. They will present a program of Renaissance vocal music featuring the Missa fortuna desperata of Josquin des Pres.
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An Ask From Our 2022-2021 Annual Giving Campaign Chairs |
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We are reaching out to introduce ourselves to you as FRS’s Annual Giving Campaign chairs for 2022-2023. It is that time of year and we are very excited to be part of this critical initiative for the church. We are hoping that you will consider being a steward for this year’s Campaign, the theme of which is “Act with Courage. Transform Our World.”
What does it mean to be a steward?
- One hour training via Zoom (training dates - two to choose from- will be announced soon).
- Emailing, calling, and/or texting an assigned list of members to ask them to make a pledge (the total number of people you are asked to call will depend on how many stewards we get, but the range is likely to be between 10-15 calls).
- Working as a team and sharing your ideas and talents to help FRS achieve its Pledge Goal which in turn will enable us to achieve our goals as a congregation!
As you know, the Annual Campaign is the time during which we ask our members to commit to pledge for the next fiscal year. But for the pledges we receive during the Campaign, FRS would not be able to operate on a day-to-day basis.
The Campaign will officially kick off with our first Giving Sunday on March 6, 2022 and will be followed by two more Giving Sundays. Most of your calls will take place during that time frame.
The more Stewards we have join the effort, the more successful our Annual Giving Campaign will be! We are excited to be working on the Campaign and hope you will join us.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Also, if you know of anyone who might be willing to help, please pass this along. This is a great way for newer members to get involved and meet more people!
Please let us know if you are willing to help by emailing Tina at tiben1989@gmail.com or by calling Tina’s cell at 401-263-4076 or Greg’s cell at 401-480-2782.
With gratitude and excitement,
Tina and Greg Benik
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The Morning Show on WJOP 96.3 FM Discusses Afghan Resettlement Efforts in the Greater Newburyport Area with Rev. Rebecca and Rev. Mercer from St Paul's |
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Host Mary Jacobsen interviews Rev. Rebecca and Rev. Dr. Jerred Mercer, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, about their decision to welcome and provide aid to the Afghan evacuee families. Hear about how the wider community in Greater Newburyport has been providing help, as well as opportunities to continue helping, and ongoing, long-term goals to provide permanent homes and livelihoods for adults and schooling for children. |
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What Questions Do You Have About FRS's Afghan Resettlement Work? |
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During Sunday Worship Service on February 20, FRS parishioners from the Afghan Resettlement Working Group will be providing an update on FRS's work in supporting the Mirzayee family's resettlement. If you have a question that you would like to submit in advance of this discussion, please click on the link: https://forms.office.com/r/Xr94sAq5Ek
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Community Human Services Gift Card drive!
If you’ve gone food shopping lately, you know that feeding a family is getting more expensive! Community Human Services will be having a Market Basket Gift Card drive during February for our Afghan guests. Cash donations also welcome.
Other churches in Newburyport will be having similar gift card drives in the coming weeks, as we collectively support our growing community of Afghan families!
At our in-person services on February 20 and 27, members of the Community Human Services committee will be in the vestibule collecting gift card and cash donations. You can also mail donations to Cynthia Walsh at First Religious Society, 26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950.
Many thanks for your continuing kindness and support!
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Sources Of Our Faith: Monthly Discussion Group with Reverend Rebecca
When: Wednesday, February 9 from 6:30–7:30pm on Zoom
Tonight we will gather to check in on last week and to explore the second of our sources of faith: words and deeds of prophetic people.
Please come having reflected upon the following questions:
Who is one prophetic voice that informs your faith journey? How did that voice become so important to you? What is difficult about following them and what is fulfilling? When do you turn to their words?
What is the relationship between your spirituality or faith journey and social justice?
How is UUism similar to, or different from, other religious experiences when it comes to this source of our faith? Does this attract you to our faith or does it make it more difficult?
To join by Zoom:
Meeting ID: 484 818 6518
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,4848186518# US (Chicago)
+19292056099,,4848186518# US (New York)
Sign-up is not required; however, those who register for the series will receive a package of daily readings for the month.
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Friday Book Group
When: Friday, February 18, from 10-11:30 am on Zoom
On Friday, February 18, we will discuss the introduction and chapter 1&2 from our new book that we are just beginning. We will be reading White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson by Brenda Wineapple.
For our upcoming meeting we will finish our discussion of The Brothers Karamazov.
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Program Council Meeting
When: Wednesday, February 16 from 6:30-7:30pm via Zoom
Everyone is invited to attend!
The role of the Program Council is to provide a venue for all church groups to share activities, projects, and opportunities within our church community, as well as to provide detailed updates on initiatives impacting the entire church community.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 932 9153 3085
Passcode: 267148
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,93291533085# US (Washington DC)
+13126266799,,93291533085# US (Chicago)
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How To Save a Planet
A Climate-Change Podcast Discussion Series
When: Thursdays (February 24-April 14 - no session on March 24), 7-8pm on Zoom
Climate change. We know. It can feel too overwhelming. But what if there was a show about climate change that left you feeling... energized? One so filled with possibility that you actually wanted to listen?
Join Julie Parker Amery and members of CAP (Climate Action Project) for a discussion of smart, inspiring stories that explore climate change from various perspectives, and specific steps we can take to start to make a difference. Each week we'll listen (independently) to an episode of the series, then come together to discuss, and check in with whatever actions we've taken from the week before. We'll also covenant to spend time engaging with the natural world on our own each week—through walking, photography, watching the sunrise, reading poetry, whatever it is that will connect us with the beauty and wonder of our Earth.
Topics might include: What are the causes of wildfires and what can we do to address them? Are electric vehicles really better for the environment? Is recycling all that it's cracked up to be? How will we reach President Biden's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035? How does climate action relate to Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, and gender justice?
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This Land Is Their Land Book Discussion
When: Wednesday, March 2 at 7pm (in person, or on Zoom—TBD based on COVID protocols)
Didn't get to the Community Read book in the fall? It's not too late! We'll be having a discussion of this book about the Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the "first Thanksgiving" in early March.
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Soul Stories
When: Sundays (February 27-April 10) from 3:30-5pm (in person, pending COVID protocols)
"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." ― Muriel Rukeyser
We are made of stories, and it's by sharing our stories that we come to know each other at a deep level. In this program, we'll have prompts each week to work with to help us mine the stories of our lives, then come together on Sunday afternoons to share them.
If you have questions about any of the above programs, please contact Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration, at julie.amery@frsuu.org.
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Weekly Wellness Programming |
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Click on the boxes below to learn more about these wellness programs! |
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Thank Our UUs
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!
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Minister–The Reverend Rebecca Bryan; Ministerial Intern–David Livingstone; Affiliate Minister–Stan Barrett; Affiliate Minister–Helen Murgida; 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–Holly Cashman; Vice Chair–Tina Benik; Finance Chair–Tim Fountain; Governance Chair–Juliana Beauvais; Endowment Treasurer–Kim Kenly; Finance Treasurer–Micah Donahue; Parish Clerk–Kathy Desilets; Vern Ellis, Minnie Flanagan, Michelle Kimball, Lucy Litwin, Annie Maurer, Jim Supple, Renée Wolf Foster.
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First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist | 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport MA 01950
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