Annual Ministry Theme: Unity
November Ministry Theme: Learning
“I am still learning.”
- Michelangelo
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Sunday, November 21, 2021
Worship Service (10:15am on Zoom only)
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Second Annual Northshore Unitarian Universalist Thanksgiving Service
ZOOM ONLY **Please note the different start time of this worship service**
SPECIAL TIME: 10:15am, via Zoom
What should we do with our bounty?
Join with fellow UUs for this special Thanksgiving service on Zoom that will bring together UU congregations from the North Shore. Reverend Rebecca, Justin Murphy-Mancini and members of the choir will participate, along with their gifted colleagues from Danvers, Essex, Marblehead, Salem, and Swampscott (Greater Lynn) congregations. The title of Rev. Rebecca’s reflection is “When More is Not Enough.”
All ages welcome!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 977 1564 9180
Passcode: 418945
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
– Buddha
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Printable Sermon Transcripts on the FRS Website!
If you've ever wished you could print a copy of a sermon at home, now you can! On each sermon page there is now a button you can click to open a printable version of that sermon.
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Join us in remembering Reverend Bertrand Steeves, FRS Minister Emeritus
Saturday, November 20th, 2pm
The service will be in-person in the sanctuary and livestreamed via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 951 5548 3606
Passcode: 711338
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Holding Space: Making Room for Light and Silence
An online holiday series
Zoom service on December 1st from 6:30–7:15pm
Join Reverend Rebecca for a contemplative gathering where we can come together to center ourselves and set our intentions for this month of holidays.
Participants will then receive a weekly email offering poetry, reflections, and a contemplative prompt for the month of December.
Sign up here to participate!
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Holiday Gift Programs: Fulfilling Family Wishes
Each year the Community Human Services Committee supports two programs during the holiday season: Family to Family led by Newburyport Youth Services and YMCA of Greater Newburyport, and Emmaus House in Haverhill. We hope you will consider supporting these programs again this year.
The Family to Family program has 100 more families in need this year than last year. We are asking you to consider being an elf to help support this effort. To learn more about how you can participate, go to https://newburyportyouthservices.com.
The Emmaus House program is asking for help in providing holiday gifts for the families residing in their shelters. This year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Emmaus has created a registry at Target. All the family wish items are listed on the registry. Items can be purchased and then sent directly to Emmaus.
To view the registry and participate, click here!
Parishioners Barbara Garnis and Ann Power will be available after Worship Service on Sunday, November 28 to answer any questions, or you can email Barbara for Family to Family questions at barbaragarnis@comcast.net or Ann for Emmaus House questions at amp486688@gmail.com.
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Exploring Elderhood Together
Thursday, November 18, 1-2:30pm via Zoom
Care through the End of Life
Nancy Kidd, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), FRS member, and hospice social worker, brings us her two decades of experience helping individuals and families address the important practical and spiritual considerations of the end of life.
You’ll learn about advanced directives, health care proxies, powers of attorney, do-not-resuscitate orders, and how to use decision-making “packages” like the Five Wishes, a set of web-based forms that legally certify our most personal decisions. Finding the right balance of medical treatments and palliative care will also be addressed, as well as helpful approaches for difficult conversations to ultimately assure that your last moments reflect your wishes.
This is a live presentation via Zoom (see link below) and will include a Question & Answer discussion time and small-group breakout sessions.
No registration is required.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 966 8876 5086
Passcode: 517079
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52nd Annual National Day of Mourning
When: Thursday, November 25, 2021 at noon ET
Participate in person at Cole's Hill, Plymouth, MA or via livestream.
Since 1970, Indigenous people and their allies have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers.
Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the erasure of Native cultures. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide.
Click here for more information.
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Newburyport's Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture
When: Friday, December 10, 2021 at 7pm, in-person at Old South Presbyterian Church, Newburyport and simulcast live on YouTube
Newburyport celebrates William Lloyd Garrison’s legacy on his birthday. Every year, we invite a well known author, historian, or public speaker to talk about Garrison’s life, and how it is still relevant today.
The talk focuses on the legacy of slavery, its continuing impact on the United States, and current issues around diversity, inclusiveness, and LGBTQ acceptance.
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Community Read
This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman
This year, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day and the 400th Anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, the FRS is partnering with Theater in the Open, the Museum of Old Newbury, the Newburyport Public Library, and Jabberwocky Bookshop in a Community Read of This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving by David J. Silverman. The book is an Indigenous-centered history of the years leading up to 1621, and the painful and bloody dissolution of ties between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. By reading this book, we hope to better understand our history and how the marginalized community of the Wampanoag were affected, and continue to be affected, by the colonization of Massachusetts.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The five partnering organizations have come together to provide copies of This Land is Their Land in Little Free Libraries around Greater Newburyport—including our own in front of the Parish Hall. Starting on October 11th, which is now officially Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Newburyport, you can pick up a copy from a Free Little Library, from the Newburyport Public Library, or purchase your own copy at Jabberwocky. You can also explore the additional resources that we've compiled here:
While the Community Read for this year is geared toward a more adult audience, we want everyone in our community to be able to participate in these conversations in a meaningful way. History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner and illustrated by Dylan Meconis will be our Youth Community Read—for young readers to begin to learn the real history of the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, and the First Thanksgiving. Ideal for readers aged 7 to 12.
A discussion for FRS members and friends will be held on Thursday, December 2 at 7pm. Register here to receive the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/FRSThisLandIsTheirLand. Contact Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration, with any questions: julie.amery@frsuu.org.
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Each week at FRS there are a variety of wellness activities offered for parishioners by parishioners. Click on the buttons below to learn more and check out "The Latest News" button to learn more about upcoming events! |
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Request Your FRS Name Tag Here!
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Meetings and Events on the FRS Church Calendar
Please contact Office Administrator Diane Carroll about your meetings and events so that they can be included on the public church calendar. Even if your meeting will be via Zoom only, it’s important to have the meeting listed so that the calendar reflects all the happenings at FRS.
If you need to reserve physical space for a meeting or event, please submit your reservation request via our online reservation form: https://www.frsuu.org/calendar/. Diane will contact you to confirm your reservation.
- Meeting/event name
- Meeting date (or dates if recurring)
- Meeting start and end times
- Zoom link if you would like that included on the calendar
- Contact information if you would like that included on the calendar
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Take a moment to thank a fellow parishioner. Once a month, The Steeple will publish a list of thank you's highlighting brief messages expressing thanks to someone who made a difference in your day! Send your "Thank a UU" submission to cynthia.walsh@frsuu.org.
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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 Coordinator–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; Tina Benik, 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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