Annual Ministry Theme: Unity
April Ministry Theme: Wholeness
"It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.”
– Voltaire
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Table of Contents
- Sunday Worship
- 30-minute in-person fellowship following worship
- Special Congregational Service of Remembrance
- Invitation to New Member Sunday
- Every Pledge Counts!
- Greetings from the Governance Committee
- Welcoming Congregation Workshop
- FRS Spring Auction: Tipping Our Hats to Love
- Opportunities to Connect and Engage
- Forest Walks and Meditation
- A Community Art Project at FRS
- Let’s Make Pysanky (Ukrainian Decorated Eggs)!
- Upcoming Events
- Exploring Elderhood Together
- Climate Justice Rally
- The 26th Mother's Day Walk for Peace
- Ways to Support the Greater Community
- "Drive-By Collection" of Adult Incontinence Products (Depends)
- Weekly Wellness Programming
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Sunday Worship
April 24, 2022
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Sunday, April 24, 2022
Beyond the Binary: It’s Not Simple
10:30am, in-person and livestreamed on YouTube
We live in a world dominated by binary thinking, including in gender, politics, and beliefs. What are some of the costs of thinking in binary ways, and what gifts lie beyond it if we choose a different path? What might it look like to live beyond the binary and what does doing so ask of us? Reverend Rebecca will be preaching.
To attend services, you must 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 be invited to go down to the Lower Meetinghouse for Young Church.
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30-Minute Fellowship Following Sunday Worship Service
Join us in person (weather permitting)
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Special Congregational Service of Remembrance
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 5pm
In-person and on YouTube
All are invited to join us in this special Service of Remembrance. We will name our members and friends who have died since 2020, recognizing that we were not able to be together to mourn these losses during COVID.
This reflective service will include poetry, music, and silence, inviting contemplation and comfort. Everyone is welcome to attend. Reverend Rebecca will be leading the service along with Julie Parker Amery and others.
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Please consider making your Annual Pledge today! |
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Greetings from the Governance Committee! |
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As we approach the Annual Meeting of the First Religious Society on June 12, we are seeking nominees to fill three open positions:
- Chair of the Finance Committee (serves on Parish Board)
- Finance Treasurer (serves on Parish Board)
- One Trustee of the Endowment
Please contact Juliana Beauvais at jbeauvais99@gmail.com if you are interested in serving or would like to suggest nominees.
Over time, a self-governed church community like ours should periodically reflect upon and update its governance documents. We are at such a point in our history. The Governance Committee, in collaboration with the Parish Board, is proposing numerous changes to the bylaws, each of which will be voted on at the Annual Meeting. The changes center around three main areas:
- Create a Stewardship Committee based on a three-year trial period
- Move to gender-neutral pronouns
- Align discrepancies in written bylaws with actual church operations to provide greater flexibility
Please see a complete list of proposed amendments to the FRS bylaws here!
The full current bylaws and Parish Board Manual with adopted policies are available on the FRS website - click here!
Following the service on May 1, we will be offering congregational listening sessions - one virtual and one in-person - about these proposed bylaw changes. This will be an opportunity to ask questions, provide input, and learn more about why these changes are being proposed and why now. Look for upcoming invitations to these sessions.
Regards,
The FRS Governance Committee
Juliana Beauvais (Chair), Maureen Adams, Lori Clark, and Renée Wolf Foster
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Welcoming Congregation Workshop
Constellations of Gender – April 24, 12:30-2:30pm
This interactive workshop will explore varieties of how people experience gender. We will use the framework of Preemptive Radical Inclusion as a way for individuals and congregations to be present, bear witness, and identify actions that will embody love.
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Distribution of Sunday Shared Collection Allocation for 2022-2023 Church Year
The Community Human Service Committee has the responsibility of scheduling the organizations that will receive one half of the unpledged donations collected at Sunday services each month.
Prior to establishing the schedule for next year, we would like to solicit recommendations from the congregation. If you would like to submit a recommendation for an organization serving the Merrimack Valley, please click on the link below to complete the form by Friday May 20, 2022.
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SAVE THE DATE:
FRS Spring Auction will take place on June 10th!
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Photo: Sam and Michelle Kimball, and Renée Wolf Foster, FRS Spring Auction Chairs meet with parishioners at last Sunday's post worship service social |
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Plans are in the works for a night filled with merriment and fellowship! Join us on the evening of June 10 at the Newburyport Community Center for sweet and savory foods, beverages, music, and fun.
We are currently looking for donations to auction!
Do you have a vacation home or a unique experience you can offer as an auction item? Tickets to events? Love to cook? Host a dinner party in your home!
To submit a donation, please click on this link:
You can also look out for Michelle and Renée at Sunday's social after worship service!
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Opportunities to Connect and Engage |
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Forest Walks and Meditation
When: Fridays, April 29, May 13 and 27, from 9-10:30am
Maudslay State Park, Newburyport
Much research in recent years has brought to light the benefits of being in nature mindfully, using all the senses, giving rise to practices such as Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) in Japan and Scandinavia. Join us for four such walks, experiencing the emergence of spring. Walks will be silent and will include a number of mindfulness practices, and will be followed by tea and conversation.
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"Where do we come from? Where are we going?"
A Community Art Project at FRS
You are invited to participate in a new community art project this spring! The project title "Where do we come from? Where are we going?" is borrowed from a famous painting by Paul Gauguin. It may speak to you on a personal level about your roots and your vision, or you may prefer to amplify the theme to reflect on history, the state of our community, and the future of the world. All interpretations are welcome.
How does the community art project work?
You will have several weeks to respond to the theme by using writing, photography, visual art including painting, collage, fiber art, found objects, or more. You may choose quotes and images by others (attributed) or your own originals. If you wish to respond to the theme musically or with a short performance, we will try to accommodate you.
Please pick up an unfinished wooden frame/shadow box after church beginning on April 10th and take it home to finish with your interpretation of the theme. One per person, please. We will collect all contributions at the church by May 8 for a group exhibition, exact location and time TBD. On April 10th during the 30-Minute Social, you can also visit with some of our creative members who will help get you inspired by sharing ideas and materials!
Everybody is an artist! All ages are invited.
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Let’s Make Pysanky (Ukrainian Decorated Eggs)!
When: Saturday, May 7 from 9am-noon in the Lower Meetinghouse
Eliza Goodell has over twenty years’ experience creating beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how to make these lovely eggs using a stylus, beeswax, and dyes. The class includes a demo and discussion of the symbols used in this ancient Ukrainian folk art. You will then have time to complete one to two eggs. Beginners are welcome and no artistic talent is required.
Suggested donation is $20 to cover costs (but nobody will be turned away. Please pay what feels right for you). We will also take up a collection for Ukrainian relief efforts.
Class limited to twelve.
Questions? Contact Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration at julie.amery@frsuu.org.
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Exploring Elderhood Together
When: Thursday, April 21 at 1pm via Zoom
RIGHTsizing Your Life and Space
If you're trying to figure out next steps for how and where you want to live, you're not alone. These questions can loom large for anyone—especially later in life. There is much to consider about housing itself, not to mention what to do with a lifetime's accumulation of everything from "stuff" to important and treasured belongings. It can be overwhelming.
Beth Munro and Corinne McKeown have helped scores of people get started or get unstuck—not to "declutter and downsize," but to "RIGHTsize" their lives. RIGHTsizing looks to the future, plays to your strengths, and helps you reassess and redefine your life and space.
This program will cover a variety of housing options and highlight emerging living trends. It will also help you make decisions that are comfortable, meaningful, and realistic for you about what to keep and what to release. Along the way, we'll share some fun ideas, tips, and resources to support you moving forward. Whether you are moving or not, RIGHTsizing can be for you.
Speakers: Beth Munro, MAE, Personal Organizer, Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and Corinne McKeown, Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Author, Artist
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 966 8876 5086
Passcode: 517079
Dial in by phone: 301 715 8592
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Climate Justice Rally
When: Friday, April 22 from 1-5pm at Market Square and Waterfront Park
This community-wide event is sponsored by the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist in collaboration with community partners. This is a family-friendly event for all ages with speakers, music, activities, and more, open to all neighboring communities. For more information, visit: https://www.frsuu.org/earth-day-climate-justice-rally/
Think globally, work locally, act personally!
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The 26th Mother's Day Walk for Peace
When: Sunday, May 8, 9-11:30 am, in Dorchester
The Annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace started in 1996 so that mothers of murdered children could receive support and love from their neighbors. Twenty-six years later, Walk for Peace continues to be a powerful way to honor loved ones who have been murdered and also to celebrate and embrace our shared responsibility in creating more peaceful communities, where all families are valued.
A robust interfaith community, including many UU churches, supports the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace and has affirmed the following:
·the sacred worth and dignity of each person
·that one life lost to homicide is one life too many
·that a unified religious voice is urgently necessary
·that the Golden Rule embedded in all world religions compels us to act toward others as we would wish they would act toward us – with love and compassion
·that peace is foundational within each of our respective religious traditions
The walk is the major fundraiser for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Dorchester which supports families suffering from loss related to violence. The Peace Institute is a survivor-led organization, which provides services, advocacy and training. This year’s theme for the annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace is Building Together for Generation Peace. The focus is on investing in youth and working to create a future for them within more peaceful communities.
For us here in Newburyport, this event is an opportunity to walk together with mothers and families who have lost loved ones to violence, and to share love and compassion for those who have suffered. Violence doesn’t belong to any particular neighborhood and the responses and solutions belong to us all. Please join Lark and Annie Madden and others from FRS who are planning to be there. Of special note, our ministerial intern David Livingstone will join us. If you cannot make it to Dorchester, you can participate virtually, and/or support an FRS walker.
You can register here on the FRS Team page:
For more information about the logistics of the walk, scan the QR code below with your mobile device:
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Ways to Support the Greater Community |
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"Drive-By Collection" of Adult Incontinence Products (Depends)
When: Saturday, April 30 from 11am-1pm at the back door of Central Congregational Church, 14 Titcomb Street, Newburyport
All donations will be given to Community Services of Newburyport, Inc. for free distribution to our local neighbors. We are requesting donations of incontinence products for men and women in any size and/or gift cards from CVS to purchase products. These products can be quite costly and many people have difficulty paying for them, as they are not covered by insurance. If people do not have the funds to purchase these necessary items, it may impact their ability to leave their homes and increase their isolation.
Please start clipping coupons to purchase these items! Central Church is happy to accept your donations!
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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–The Reverend Stan Barrett; Affiliate Minister–The Reverend 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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