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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Sunday Worship Service
- Justice Sunday
- 10th Anniversary of Sandy Hook Meditation
- Good News to Share!
- Candlelight Services
- Christmas Poinsettias
- Historic Church Tours and Cookies for Peace
- FRS Youth Group Fundraiser
- A Visualization of Peace Photo from Linda Buddenhagen
- Co-creating Joy this Holiday Season
- UU Wellspring
- Steeple Mugs Are Back!
- Ways to Donate and Volunteer
- Upcoming Fellowship Programming
- Community-Wide Events
- December Worship & Events Calendars
- Weekly Wellness Programming
- Monday Night Meditation
- Tuesday Spiritual Practice
- Wednesday Guided Relaxation
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Annual Ministry Theme: Peace
December Ministry Theme: Earth
“Time spent among trees is never time wasted.”
-Anonymous
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Sunday Worship Service
December 11, 2022
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Sunday, December 11, 2022
Annual Christmas Pageant
10:30am in person and YouTube
After two years on Zoom, the annual Christmas Pageant will be back in person featuring over 20 participants of ALL ages! We hope you’ll join us for this special multigenerational service, as we playfully retell the nativity story, and enjoy our choir singing cherished carols and hymns - including the FRS version of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” led by Tim Fountain!
Attend on YouTube: http://bit.ly/FRSyoutube
Join us for coffee and hot cocoa following service.
This Month's Sunday Shared Collection
This month’s Shared Collection partner, Community Action Inc. Energy Program, provides heating assistance, based on household income and size, to residents of Amesbury, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury. Need help? You can check if you are eligible and make an appointment online at www.communityactioninc.org. Let's keep all our neighbors warm this winter. Thank you.
Half of each Sunday’s collection not designated as a pledge supports a local partner working to transform our region.
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Join us for Justice Sunday with Soup and Salad
When: December 11 at noon in the Lower Meetinghouse
In recognition of the 10th Anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting, our Justice Sunday program will focus on legislative initiatives that can be taken to help end gun violence in the United States.
This Sunday's program is titled "Gun Violence 10 Years Later: Remembrance, Reality and Action" and will be facilitated by Annie Maurer, FRS parishioner and advocate for ending gun violence.
This Sunday's soup and salad luncheon will also serve as a fundraiser for the FRS Youth Group service trip to Pine Ridge Reservation.
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10th Anniversary of the Sandy Hook School Shooting
Meditation with Reverend Rebecca
When: Wednesday, December 14, 9-9:15am, via Facebook Live
Join Reverend Rebecca on Facebook Live for a time of meditation and silence as we remember the lives lost and send love to survivors.
https://facebook.com/frsuu
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The FRS congregation voted unanimously to extend the use of Parish Hall for the Mirzayee Family until June 30, 2024, if necessary.
The feeling was spectacular as the congregation resounded in their affirmation of the continued use of Parish Hall as a temporary home for our Afghan refugee guests. The family will continue to move toward independence, with support from our FRS and community volunteers. Thank you all and rejoice in this expression of our Unitarian Universalist faith and principles.
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Photo: Mara Flynn leading Young Church in a chalice lighting
We are thrilled to let you know that Mara Flynn will remain with us as our Director of Children’s Ministry through June 2023 (unless a full-time employment opportunity comes along that cannot be delayed). We are grateful for the extended transition which is a win for everyone.
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Annual Candlelight Services
Saturday, December 17, 7pm
Sunday, December 18, 7pm
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A Newburyport tradition since 1925, the annual Candlelight Service returns to the FRS sanctuary this December! The Candlelight Chorale is excited to share music for the Christmas season live and in-person. The ensemble has been working hard since October to prepare this special program.
The selections will feature classics of the Christmas season, including Gustav Holst’s Four Old English Carols alongside music written by Unitarian Universalist composers, including FRS’s very own Barbara Owen, who led the music for this service for over 30 years. We are excited that congregational singing will return for the first time since 2019! Make sure to get ready for the joyous singing of “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” as well as many other well-loved carols.
The Candlelight Chorale hopes that you will join them in person on Saturday, December 17 or Sunday, December 18 at 7pm in the sanctuary.
To keep both singers and congregation safe from serious winter illnesses this year, masks will be required. If you would rather attend virtually, both performances will be livestreamed.
As we near 100 years of Candlelight, we are grateful to be able to continue this tradition in new ways as we respond to the changing world.
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Christmas Poinsettias
Order your Christmas poinsettias in memory or in celebration of friends or loved ones. The cost is $25 for a large plant. A list of donors and their dedication messages will be included in the Candlelight Service and Christmas Eve Service programs. You may pick up your plant after the Christmas Eve Service to enjoy in your home.
The deadline for orders is Sunday, December 11th.
Questions? Contact Diane Carroll, diane.carroll@frsuu.org.
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Help us spread the word about FRS's Historic Church Tours and Cookies for Peace church fundraiser on December 9th. Click on the blue button below to download a pdf of the poster (above) and ask to post in your local library, coffee shop, or community bulletin board! | |
FRS Youth Group Fundraiser | |
The first fundraiser of the year for our youth justice trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation is now underway. Look for the colorful envelopes on display in the vestibule and take one. The envelopes are numbered 1-100. By taking an envelope, you’re pledging to donate the number on your envelope in dollars. (So, for example, if you take the envelope with a 48 on it, you’re offering to donate $48 towards our trip costs.) Put a check or cash in the envelope and return it either to the basket by the display, to a trip participant, or to Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration. Every envelope counts—even the low numbers! Your support will help get our youth to the reservation to learn about history, justice and culture, while doing work projects and getting to know some of the Lakota people. Thank you! |
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Photo submitted by Linda Buddenhagen, "Reflecting Peace" | |
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An Invitation from Program Council
This year's annual ministry theme is peace and we invite you to submit a photo that best represents your visualization of peace - a personal representation or a broader representation of peace in the community or the world.
You can email your photo to cynthia.walsh@frsuu.org or text your photo to 978-701-5352. Please provide a photo caption and your name.
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Co-Creating Joy this Holiday Season
First offered in the depths of the pandemic in 2020, our “Co-Creating Joy” program has been so meaningful for participants, that we offer it again, for the third time. We invite you to participate in this program designed to spread a little joy.
How will it work? First, indicate your interest in participating by December 15 by signing up here: bit.ly/FRSCo-CreatingJoy
You will be randomly assigned another participant for whom you will leave a small token of joy. Be creative! It could be a baked good, a photograph or piece of art you've created, a copy of a favorite poem, a book that you find especially meaningful, even found objects from nature. Please do not purchase anything extravagant. Let the gift be an expression of you!
You, in return, will be the recipient of someone else's joyful giving. All exchanges will ideally be in December—but after the holidays is a fine time, too! We can help transport if necessary.
Questions? Contact Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration at julie.amery@frsuu.org.
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UU Wellspring is Coming to the FRS | |
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When: Starting in January!
Second and Fourth Mondays, 4-6pm
“Wellspring was not only faith-changing, but life-changing… seeds were planted during that year. I didn’t know it, but those seeds were growing in me and things were changing deep within...” –FRS member Lea Pearson in her Journey of Faith (12/4/22), speaking about the Wellspring program.
UU Wellspring is a 10-month spiritual deepening course for Unitarian Universalists, used in congregations across the continent since its development in 2005. The program begins in January 2023, meeting twice a month (excluding July and August). Participants experience deep listening and spiritual reflection in a small group of about ten, inspiring personal and community transformation. Participants read, view, and respond to pre-session assignments that are focused on spiritual topics and UU Theology.
In addition to the meetings, participants engage in a spiritual practice of their choosing, and find a spiritual companion to meet with outside of the sessions.
Some of the themes explored in this first offering of Wellspring include: Everyday Theology, Your Own Prophetic Voice: Vulnerability and Courage, Nature as Spiritual Guide, Good Without God, and UU Perspectives on Death and the Afterlife. To learn more about the Wellspring program, you can check out the website here: https://uuwellspring.org/.
This program will be offered in person and will meet the second and fourth Mondays of the month, beginning January 9, from 4-6pm. If you’re interested in participating or would like to learn more, please email Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration at: julie.amery@frsuu.org.
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Steeple Mugs are Back!
And just in time for the holidays. The FRS Men’s group will be hosting a table before and after church where you can purchase beautiful 15 oz. coffee mugs, printed with a graphic of our beloved steeple against a cobalt blue night sky. No inflation here! They are being offered at the same price as two years ago: $10 each. Supply is limited, so we suggest you purchase early. If you cannot make it to church or want to reserve yours, contact Bruce Deveau at bdeveau2@comcast.net or 978-314-1354
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Ways to Donate and Volunteer | | |
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Seeking Volunteers to Help Assemble Daily Muse Booklets
We’re seeking assistance with assembly of our Daily Muse booklets; with six or eight people, it will likely take just an hour. Please join us in the Lower Meetinghouse at noon on Thursday, December 8, to attach pages to rings. Whatever time you can devote will be greatly appreciated! Just show up if you can; it’s a great way to get to know other FRS members and friends as we chat and work together.
Questions? Julie Parker Amery at julie.amery@frsuu.org
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Habitat for Humanity
When: Saturday, December 17
FRS Habitat is a team of volunteers building homes for qualifying families affiliated with Habitat for Humanity.
The FRS team joins these Habitat families and other volunteer groups on the third Saturday of the month at Habitat’s building site at 22 Old County Road, Salisbury. No specialized skills are needed.
Click here for more information.
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Upcoming Fellowship Programming | |
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Retired Old Men Eating Out (ROMEO)
When: Tuesday, December 13 at 11:30am at the Poet's Inn at Whittier Tech
ROMEO meets at a different area restaurant on the second Tuesday of every month. Join other retired guys for lunch and sociability. The check is split equally, so please bring small bills.
The Officer of the Day is Ken Kretsch, 978-561-1979, kpkretsch@hotmail.com. Reservations are required, so let Ken know if you are going to attend. The holiday buffet is carefully planned for the number of guests expected.
There is a guard at the gate to the school. Tell her or him you are attending a luncheon hosted by Ken Kretsch at The Poet’s Inn.
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Serenity in the Sanctuary: Peaceful Contemplation
When: December 20-24, noon, Sanctuary
Take Peace! Beauty, peace, and calm can be found in the midst of holiday madness. The
Sanctuary will be open for short programs of poetry, guided meditation, silent meditation, and blessings.
Take refuge in reflection, centering practices, and silence. We can help each other remember what is important, true, and lasting and be in community. Take care of yourself this holiday season.
All Welcome!
This program is hosted by Rev. Jane Tuohy, Rev. Rebecca, and service leaders.
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Tuesday Short Story Group
When:1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, Lower Meeting House (Zoom option available)
Click here for more information.
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Friday Book Group
When: Fridays from 10-11:30am, Lower Meetinghouse Room A and on Zoom
We meet weekly and read both fiction and non-fiction books chosen by the participants. Each book is read and discussed over a period of several meetings, with the reading for each determined by the group.
We have just begun reading the novel ON BEAUTY by Zadie Smith. For our meeting on Dec. 9, we will be reading through page 125 (which completes the first chapter). New and used copies of the book are readily available!
For more information, click here.
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The 3rd Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture, delivered this year by historian Kabria Baumgartner
When: Saturday, December 10, 2022, 7pm at Old South Presbyterian church, 29 Federal Street, Newburyport or livestream on YouTube
This lecture will examine the lesser-known role that Garrison, and his radical antislavery newspaper played in teaching Black youth communication arts skills that they used to advance the antislavery movement and their own careers in diverse occupations.
For more information click here.
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December Worship & Events Calendars | |
Weekly Wellness Programming | |
If you would like to publish an announcement or event in the Steeple,
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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. | |
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First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist | 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport MA 01950
978-465-0602 | frsuu.org
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