Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Arbella-June Newsletter 2008
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
June 2008
for calendar of events please go to our website: fpwatertown.org and go to the member page for the calendar
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
“My Bad or Yours? Mark W. Harris
Have you heard the phrase “my bad”, meaning my mistake? Not long ago I ordered a slice of pizza with a side salad, paid for it, took it back to the office, and discovered I only had the salad. The young clerk at the pizza shop recognized me as I came through the door, acted apologetic, and blurted out, “My bad.”
He took responsibility for his mistake. That can be a hard thing to do. Can you admit a my bad or do you try to make it a your bad?
Greeters: Jane Knuttunen and Nancy Dutton
Social Hour: Kyle and Kelly Morton
Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
Youth Sunday Worship Service
In addition to our youth leading us in worship, we will celebrate some special “rites-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds, “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds, and recognizing the high school graduation of Cody Urban. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website at www.chalicedreamer.net.
Greeters: Youth Greeters
Social Hour: Beth and Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
Flower Celebration and All Church Picnic Mark W. Harris
Our final service of the church year always features that great UU tradition of Flower Celebration, which comes to us from the Czech Unitarian martyr Norbert Capek. Please bring a cut flower to church. This day also marks
our annual all church picnic. Please bring a dish to share for the feast that follows the service. And plan to help us celebrate with an Environmental Fair. You will be able to purchase CFL bulbs, and Canvas FPW grocery bags as well as participate in a hands on discussion on alternatives to gas lawn mowers.
Greeters: Anna and Mike Anctil
Social Hour: All Church Picnic
Mark your calendars for Summer Worship dates at First Parish.
The full schedule will be mailed to you.
The dates for the lay services are:
July 13, 20, 27
August 3, 10, 17
All services begin at 9:30 a.m.
Captain’s Log
I finally feel as though life has calmed down a little after the flurry of delivering four Minns Lectures in two weeks.
Now I simply have to write the final one for General Assembly. The Minns Committee treated Andrea and me to a lovely dinner at Stellina’s after the fourth lecture given here in Watertown. Thanks to the 15 or so FPW members who attended one or more lectures, and especially to Martha Scott, David Morrison and Bobbie Brown who put on a pre lecture reception.
We have a few short weeks to finish our church year and say goodbye to Roberta and Mark C. I will be sad to see both go, but also am happy that they can further their career goals and feel a sense of personal fulfillment. Mark will see the Fellowship Committee of the UUA in the fall, and then begin a church search. He is smart, witty and Italian!, but most important, committed to our ministry and our congregations. I wish him all the best.
You have probably heard rumors that we will not have an intern next year. Our first round of interviews did not produce a candidate. Rather than pursue the process further, I thought it might be a good time to take a sabbatical (three months) in the winter/spring of 2009. It will be a sabbatical in residence in Watertown, as Andrea and I need to pick up the pace of working on our book contract. (An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions). At this writing I am thinking I will take three more months in 2010, and then return to having interns again. It is strongly recommend that ministers not have interns if they are on sabbatical. Ministers typically receive one month of sabbatical leave for each year of service. So I will complete two sabbaticals (each spread over two years so it is three months each year) by the end of 14 years of service. (More details in the fall).
This should give the new DRE time to settle in to the position before I take some time off to write. Mark C. and I talked about his sermon on goodbyes before he gave it. I told him it was the kind of topic that elicits responses whether it was a good sermon or not! Sometimes it works that way. Goodbyes are hard, especially when it is with someone who has given so much to make our congregation a thriving institution. I can only hope that my relationship with the new DRE approaches the kind of positive rapport I experienced working with Roberta. She has helped build a solid RE program and reinvigorated youth group, but also has provided a wonderful presence in many aspects of church life here. We are all grateful for what she contributed.
Heading into summer we will feel more pain than usual, but we can also look ahead to the excitement of a new church year in the fall. If you just say the words “Founded in 1630,” you instantly realize that our congregation has always survived change and thrived again.
Andrea and I will spend our usual time in Maine. I am teaching a UU History course at Ferry Beach, and both of us are preaching in Rockland, ME. July is my vacation month, with August on call. During the summer, please use our home email: themanse@comcast.net. I hope you have relaxing summers. We hold you all in our hearts wherever your travels take you.
Mark
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
I cannot believe I am writing my final Arbella column! It feels very sad that my time working as your Director of Religious Education will soon be coming to a close. And yet it is hard to get too swept up in the sadness knowing that change can often bring great things for all of us! You will likely soon be welcoming a new DRE who will probably be bringing strengths different than mine. She (or he) could lead you on a fabulous religious education journey you never imagined.
Before I go, I wanted to share my top 10 favorite things that I love and will miss about First Parish …
1. The compassionate community! When someone is in need, many FPW members and friends are reaching out with a helping hand. When someone needs a friend, many of you are there with a smile. When I ask anyone why they keep coming to FPW, they almost always say the “community”. It is easy to see why.
2. The commitment to making our world a better place. Seeing all the social justice work done by our small congregation is energizing. It offers all of us hope that we can make a difference in our world today!
3. The diversity in our community. It is great to come together with others who are different from us. Being in community with different people also translates into getting a variety of important work done for our church and our world. Each of us likes helping with different projects and that collectively translates into an amazing amount of volunteer power.
4. The RE committee. Their collective efforts have brought a wide variety of gifts to our RE program. Some people give me the credit for how great our program is, but it is in large part because of all of their talent and dedication. I know that in the hands of their wonderful leadership, First Parish’s RE program will continue to grow, thrive, and prosper!
5. The joy of working with others. Not only do I believe that projects led by more than one person are better because you get different insights and perspectives guiding the work, but it is more fun too. The laughs and camaraderie we have shared have been priceless!
6. Our teenagers. I love how vital our Youth Ministry has grown to be! I am inspired by the many ways our youth have become deeply involved in our congregational life and it has been wonderful to witness how welcomed their participation is. Knowing teenagers so committed to making our world a better place gives me real hope for our future.
7. Our children. Each and every precious one of them! Their smiles. Their giggles. The sweet things they do. Their willingness to help others. Their incredible way of inspiring adults to see the world from new perspectives. And their way of really opening our hearts to the beauty and love in our world!
8. The music. The glorious sound of children singing in our sanctuary always opens my spirit like nothing else. It compliments the harmony that we enjoy from our youth and adult choirs. And all of the amazing musicians that share their talents with us.
9. Charlyn Bethell. I try to avoid focusing on any one person in my public writing because so many of you deserve my thanks and praise. But I feel that Charlyn’s dedication to First Parish is just remarkable. For the entire five years I’ve worked as your DRE, she has served as the RE Committee chairperson and acted as my supervisory liaison. She’s been an incredible mentor, teacher, and friend!
10. The FPW staff team. You all already know what a great minister we have in Mark Harris. I have grown in so many ways through my work with him. And then we get the unique situation of kind of having two ministers for the price of one with Mark’s wife, Andrea Greenwood, doing so much quietly behind-the-scenes to benefit our church community. And then we have Patty Devore bringing us exceptional music, Nancy Dutton keeping us efficiently organized, Alan Flynn reliably taking care of building needs, Barry Greess compassionately advising our youth, Charlyn Bethell leading our children and youth in joyful singing, and Brigitte Bender tirelessly handling our rentals. FPW is super lucky to have such dedicated staff. It has been so nice to work with this talented team!
These examples of what I love about First Parish highlight that I have many terrific memories from my time working as your DRE. While I will be staying a member, it just won’t be the same not being here on Sundays. Knowing that I will still see you all and that the memories will stay with me forever are making saying goodbye easier. The love, support, and fond memories that you all gave me are precious gifts that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I thank each and every one of you for them!
Ferry Beach
Don’t forget that Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a nice variety of conferences for youth, families, and adults to nurture your UU spirit while enjoying a fun vacation on the beach. See Roberta for more details or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Clean Up Day
A special thanks to all those who helped out with our annual spring clean-up day on May 10. Workers included: Bob Shay, Michael McCarthy, David Benson, Nick Haddad, Martha Scott, Susan Lind-Sinanian, Will Twombly and Mark Harris.
Gay Pride Parade
The year’s parade will be held on June 14. There will be a service at 11am at the Arlington St. Church in Boston followed by the parade at 12pm. If you would like to participate with First Parish see David Morrison and remember to wear your FPW t-shirt if you have one.
Donor Recognition
The Finance Committee wishes to thank all the members and friends of First Parish listed below who have so generously made pledges to support the life of our church in the 2008-2009 church year. This year we exceeded our financial goal for the canvass, and as importantly, have achieved almost 100% participation in the canvass. If you would like to join the community of people who through their financial contributions enable First Parish to continue to play its important role in all of our spiritual lives, please feel free to speak to our Minister, Mark Harris, or Bob Shay, Finance Committee Canvass Coordinator about making a pledge to First Parish.
Pledge Name
Allendoerfer, Karen
Altamari, Michael and Roberta
Anctil, Mike and Anna
Beck, Barbara
Bender, Brigitte
Benson, David & Dutton, Nancy
Berney, Carole
Bethell, Charlyn & Urban, Guy
Bloom, Ann
Boenau, Marilyn
Brown, Gretchen
Brown, Roberta
Burns, Ginger and Neil Zarin
Button, Kathy
Chamberlin, John & McSweeney, Sara
Chipman, Eric
Collins, Marianne & Michael
Cudhea, Peter
Dansereau, Paul & Miller, Julie
Day, Paul & Mulvaney Day, Norah
Demb, Sue & Joe
Dickinson, Chuck
Dussault, Diane
Emerson, Carmen
Erickson, Johanna
Felty, Jim
Fitts, Judi
Flint, Susan & Haddad, Nick
Glover-McDade, Anna
Goodwillie, Tom and Tesi Kohlenberg
Greess, Barry & Cleary, Jeanne
Hansberry, Barbara & Leon, David
Harrington, Anne
Harris, Mark & Greenwood, Andrea
Hart, Kyle & Johanna
Hebeisen, Brian and Elizabeth Strekalovsky
Howe, Mary
Howe, Virginia
Johnson, Christopher & Repp, Ken
Kamm, Roger & Judy
Katz, Carole
Knight, Anna
Knuttunen, Jane
Kuder, Sue
Latner, Betty
Libbey, Meryl
Lind-Sinanian, Susan
McCarthy, Michael
McDonald, Valy
Merkl, Jean & Gorman, John
Montesino, Paul
Morton, Kelly and Kyle
Mountain, Joani
Oliva, Celeste and Joe Garland
Parsons, Beth
Pierce, Lee
Portz, John & Montague, Meredith
Proskauer, Charmian
Refior, Wendell
Rhoda, Randy
Ryan, Eileen
Schlivek, Mary
Scott, Martha and David Morrison
Shaw, Jill and Barbara Farrell
Shay, Missy & Bob
Shepard, Diane & Thom
Tappan-deFrees, Elizabeth & Isabel
Turner, Patricia
Twombly, Will & Sue
Urban, Martha
Vogel, Jerusha and Ken
Warren, Kathy & David
Rummage Thanks
Many thanks to those who helped out with our annual Rummage Sale, especially our co- chairs Jane Knuttenun and Sue Kuder. We had a final profit of $1,421,10. Here are the folks who helped. Thanks to them and others who may have assisted (let us know if we missed you!): Eileen Ryan, Missy Shay, Ginger Burns, Barbara Farrell, Jill Shaw, Carole Katz, Joani Mountain, Meredith Montague, Kathy Button, Joanna Erickson, Marianne and Michael Collins, Barbara Hansberry, Susan Flint, Will Twombly, Gretchen Brown, Beth and Izzy Tappan-deFrees, Jan Klein, David Morrison, Channing Mendelsohn and Mark Harris
Here is a FPW rummage review from Yelp.com. Folks may find it amusing and affirming!!!
##########
Oh, hell yes, the First Parish of Watertown Unitarian Universalist
Church rocks! Today was my official "Garage Sale Crawl", usually done
once a year to remind me why I despise bargain hunting in people's
front yards... and the rainy weather made me realize even sooner why I
can't stand arguing over getting a used shirt for 25 cents instead of
50. So, I was heading home, and just as I was beginning to renounce life,
love, and goodwill -- there it was! "Rummage Sale May 3rd,
35 Church Street, 10 AM - 3 PM" -- My car practically steered
itself into the parking lot, where I parked and was promptly yelled
at by the bank employee guarding the four bank spots. So I moved
the car, and walked my grumpy self into the basement of
F.P.O.W.U.U.
Immediately friendly faces asked me if I was looking for anything in
particular, and directed me to the corner of the room where all the
baby clothes were stacked. I filled my bag full of cheap-o crib sheets,
fleecy jackets, and baby blankets, and walked out only spending $11.
Since most of you yelpers have an anti-breeding stance, I have no
worries that I'll be able to go here and get baby things without you
all stealing my bargains.
Oh, I didn't go to the service here, but I'm sure it's nice too.
New Members
On Sunday, May 18 we were pleased to welcome four new people into membership. Here are their bios:
Paul V. Montesino. writes “May you live in interesting times," is a phrase loosely attributed to the Chinese that was used by Robert Kennedy in 1966. I don’t know where those words came from, but I believe I have lived through those times myself. I was the son of a man who was imprisoned for his political convictions against a dictatorship. Educated the first ten years of my life by a top Jesuit educational institution where I was not shy to express my opposition to the middle age oppression of the Inquisition, I was witness to the destruction of every religious and civic institution in my society and its replacement by a communist dictatorship.
I came to Boston in the 1960s and have lived in Watertown since 1972. First as a senior banker and later as a college professor where I have taught more than six thousand students, I have always been involved in community affairs of one kind or another, first in my high school in Cuba, and later on behalf of my business and college or my personal beliefs in America. I am also a Watertown Library writer in residence of record and my writings on behalf of people who, as David Henry Thoreau would describe “live lives of quiet desperation,” are part of my literary history. Whether against the current war in Iraq even before it started, or a Cardinal who sacrificed integrity for expediency or many other causes that try to impose unfairly on those who cannot shake that quiet desperation, my writings have always been on record and can be easily located if you have the patience to Google them under my name.
It is that long journey that brought me to the doors of First Parish of Watertown. But don’t take me too seriously. There is also a light part in my life: It is the joy of having my grandchildren nearby that really “makes my day.” Eat your heart out Clint Eastwood.
Carmen Emerson is a native of Helena, Arkansas, and comes to Watertown by way of Nashville, Tulsa, Waterloo, New Orleans, and Orlando. She and husband, Jim, married 22 years ago after working together in a community theatre production of "Damn Yankees." She has been a UU since 1989, when she joined the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, where she served on its teaching parish committee, its committee on ministry, and as president of its board of trustees. She also worked as office administrator for the Florida District UUA. After a 25-year legal career as a paralegal and manager of a bonds/securities law firm, Carmen answered a call to ministry and is currently a student at Andover Newton Theological School. She is currently completing a ministerial internship at the UU Service Committee, and looks forward to volunteering in FPW's religious education program in the 2008-09 church year."
Matthew and Katherine Callabro were both born and raised in Rochester, NY. They met in High School, both went to Penn State for college, and were married in 2006 after they graduated. They moved to Boston almost two years ago, and just moved to Watertown (down the street on Summer St.) nine months ago. Matt is an Auditor working for KPMG, and Katherine is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University.
Katherine was raised in the United Church of Christ faith. Katherine was first introduced to Unitarian Universalism through some of her fellow graduate students at BU. She was drawn to the open environment that encouraged freedom of thought concerning religious values and the emphasis of searching for truth instead of simply accepting a set of approved beliefs. While her UCC church was very liberal, Katherine still found it limiting in using reason to explore faith, often feeling a sense of guilt for raising doubts about the nature and existence of God. When the UU faith was presented to her, she was surprised and pleased to find that so many others had many of the same ideas about how to explore religion. In a way, she was a UU long before ever learning about it.
Matt, on the other hand, was raised as a Catholic, and was much more reluctant to participate in any kind of church related activities after his experience. His natural inclination to question and doubt that which seemed improbable, such as transubstantiation, lead him to spend much of his time in the principal’s office for disrupting Sunday school classes. Also, he disliked the judgmental nature of the church, including the condemnation of other religions and sexual orientation. However, his experience thus far at First Parish has been a welcome contrast to his prior expectations, because the church accepts all faiths and backgrounds, while maintaining a cerebral outlook on life and religion.
In addition to the intellectual stimulation from attending services, Matt and Katherine are excited to become more involved in the social and community aspects of the church. The environment that they have found here is what originally attracted them to Boston in the first place; they can’t wait to start building their life in the Watertown community, and particularly in the First Parish Congregation.
Bring back water
Please remember to collect some water from the place where your summer travels take you. Near or far please fill a small container with water from the place you visit so that you can share the life flowing spirit of your summer adventure. Our Water Service will be on Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 a.m.
Watertown Community Solar Challenge
The deadline to participate in the Solar Challenge has been extended to June 30th. The goal is to reach 150 donors who can give $100. We only need approximately 20 more people, organizations or businesses to donate. You need not be a Watertown resident to participate as you can use First Parish’s address of 35 Church St. Watertown MA 02472. Let's meet the challenge! We have forms at church or contact Mike Anctil or Brian Hebeisen for more information.
Do You Have Concerns About How FPW Makes Use of our 'SPACE'?
The Parish Committee has started a 'Space Use Task Force' to evaluate such concerns because we have become aware of problems that staff are having related how church office and classrooms are currently beingused. We are investigating these issues fully with staff, but also want to find out if there are additional issues that concern congregation members.To that end, Ken Repp and Isabel Tappan-deFrees will be leading an open forum on this issue on Sunday June 8th from 12:30 - 1:30. The purpose of this meeting is to document existing concerns.
Ultimately, our goal is to be able to make both short and long term suggested plans for improving how the First Parish building works for all of us. We invite you all to come share your concerns...
Making a Mark
By Mark Caggiano
On Sunday, June 2nd, I will have the honor of performing my first memorial service. It is not a true funeral, but a service for a Harvard reunion. The most interesting aspect of the service for me is the class for which it is in remembrance: the Harvard Business School Class of 1948. The majority of these alumni were World War II veterans, and the largest majority of them have died. They are older than my parents. Many have lead fascinating lives over a tumultuous period in American history. But they are also regular people with regular lives, now gathering together to relive old times and perhaps to remember those who are no longer amongst them. Planning for the service has been educational, both in trying to pull together a meaningful worship experience for a group of non-UUs and learning about their experiences through the years.
Learning about what makes a group of people function is the most important part of being a minister to them. When you know too little, you cannot find the right place for your message. In other words, you cannot know what it is they will find meaningful. If you take the time to learn something about the people – their achievements and their failures, their highs and their lows – you can provide them a memorable experience as they attempt to remember those that have come and gone.
As I reflect upon my time here in Watertown, my experiences have been much like my planning sessions for the upcoming reunion. Almost two years ago, I was a new face in the church. I was not Darrick, Jim, Sue or Fayre. That was not good or bad, but it was different. We had to spend some time learning about each other. We did that at committee meetings, potlucks and of course Sunday mornings. Some of you heard my bad jokes and hopefully all of you have forgiven me for them. I heard from some of you about your ups and downs during the week and had ongoing conversations to check in. Others inquired into my life and my family. My daughter Alyssa sang with the choir when she could and my teenage son Nick sat in the front row trying not to look too bored. We all shared together cookies and coffee, but we also shared so much more. This was all a part of having a meaningful relationship together, a meaningful and long-lasting worship experience.
I have enjoyed my time here in Watertown. In truth, I stumbled upon a notice for the internship here at the last minute and applied under the working assumption that I was too late. But I met with Mark and I met with the Parish Committee. Like any relationship, we put our best feet forward and I was happy to find out that the church was even better than self-advertised. I hope I have lived up to the church’s expectations, as I value my time here enormously and have tried to be a minister to you in my newborn, fumbling way.
But as I mentioned a few weeks ago, it is important to mark clearly the time of one’s parting. Some of us will surely meet again, but it will be a new beginning, a new time together. I will be a minister, an old friend, or maybe even a lawyer (hopefully not). Like old classmates, we will come back together with nostalgia, some funny stories and perhaps a bit of sadness. Time will pass, but we can remember what it meant to be together. This is the way of things.
You truly have something wonderful here on the shores of the Charles River and I was blessed to have been a part of it for a short while. Thank you for being here and for being you. I will remember you always.
Goodbye.
Mark C.
Lost and Found
Over the year we have accumulated in the church office an array of items that have been found throughout the church. During these last Sundays we will have them available at social hour for you to see if there is anything that belongs to you.
Summer Worship Services
We are still trying to finalize our summer worship schedule. During the summer months of July and August we will hold six lay led services, all of which begin at 9:30 a.m.
Sometimes the services follow our standard Order of Worship, and sometimes the leader takes us on a very different path.
The dates this year for the lay services will be: July 13, 20, 27 and August 3, 10, 17.
If you are interested in leading a service, please contact Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 orLesHons@verizon.net).
DRE Survey Input
We have been receiving applications for the position of Director of Religious Education and are now interviewing candidates. We would like to invite First Parish members and friends to help us by sharing any thoughts you may have about the R.E. program or about what makes a good DRE -- anything that you would like us to bear in mind as we proceed with the search. Feel free to contact Charlyn Bethel, chair of the DRE Search Committee.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Fund Raiser for AIDS Program
Eliza Petrow, the daughter of FPW member Beth Parsons will be showing a film about a program she recently started in rural China. The program- under the AIDS Orphan Salvation Association and in partnership with Dr. Kay Johnson of Hampshire College- provides treatment, care and support to HIV+ children, many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The program received generous support from DC-based Medical Care Development International to carry out the program for the first 12 months; however, additional HIV+ children in need of assistance have been identified and we require continued financial support to sustain and expand the program from June 1, 2008 onward.
Please join us for pizza from 6:30-7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at First Parish to be followed at 7:00 by a viewing of the Oscar award winning short-documentary (39 minutes), "The Blood of Yingzhou District," which features several of the kids in the program. Eliza will also provide a brief overview of AIDS in China, and will discuss the effectiveness and importance of the program. (If you wear glasses, be sure to bring them so you can read the sub-titles and see the photos clearly).
Donations to support the program are encouraged and welcomed. All donations are tax deductible and will be handled by the US-based Alliance for Children Foundation. 100% of proceeds will go to the program.
Cyclone Relief
UU Service Committee and the Unitarian Universalist Association have launched a humanitarian relief fund to help survivors of the cyclone that struck Myanmar (formerly Burma) on May 3. This was our special charitable offering for May. We also wanted to extend the opportunity to donate to this special offering to others who could not be in church on May 18. So far we have collected $559. Checks can be made out UUSC/UUA Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund. Please send checks to church within the next week, and we will send all the checks from FPW at one time.
With wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, Cyclone Nargis pummeled Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta resulting in 134,000 dead or missing people.
World news reports are chronicling the tension between the international aid community, which wants to roll out a massive disaster response, and the Myanmar government, which wants to control all aid delivery. Given that situation, many concerned people are asking whether it makes sense to contribute to the relief effort. Since the storm struck, organizations with offices on the ground in Myanmar have, in fact, been leading critical and effective recovery work behind the scenes of the international aid debate.
Two UUSC program staffpersons were in Myanmar just before the cyclone struck, and are now in communication with NGO contacts there to support these vital relief efforts. Because of the relationships formed in Myanmar and our existing partner relationships in southeast Asia, UUSC is now able to work with organizations on the ground delivering relief directly to affected groups. To read more on UUSCs response please visit www.uusc.org
A number of concerned constituents have asked if UUSC will be launching a relief fund to aid Chinese earthquake survivors. After careful consideration, UUSC has decided not to do so since the Chinese government is mounting a robust relief effort and we feel it is important to concentrate on Myanmar where the situation is still desperate.
Escape To Vermont
September 26 – 28, 2008 Fourteenth Annual B&B Weekend offered by the UU Church of Rutland, VT. Enjoy the beauty of Vermont, UU hospitality, and a choice of guided activities: hiking, kayaking, bicycling, antiques/arts, cider making, soaring tour, touring historic sites and quaint towns, and much more. Registration by August 1, $250 (single) and $450 (double). After August 1, $300 (single) and $500 (double). For more information contact uufoliagevermont@yahoo.com or (802) 353-7969.
www.rutlanduu.org
Arbella
June 2008
for calendar of events please go to our website: fpwatertown.org and go to the member page for the calendar
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
“My Bad or Yours? Mark W. Harris
Have you heard the phrase “my bad”, meaning my mistake? Not long ago I ordered a slice of pizza with a side salad, paid for it, took it back to the office, and discovered I only had the salad. The young clerk at the pizza shop recognized me as I came through the door, acted apologetic, and blurted out, “My bad.”
He took responsibility for his mistake. That can be a hard thing to do. Can you admit a my bad or do you try to make it a your bad?
Greeters: Jane Knuttunen and Nancy Dutton
Social Hour: Kyle and Kelly Morton
Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
Youth Sunday Worship Service
In addition to our youth leading us in worship, we will celebrate some special “rites-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds, “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds, and recognizing the high school graduation of Cody Urban. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website at www.chalicedreamer.net.
Greeters: Youth Greeters
Social Hour: Beth and Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 11:00a.am.
Flower Celebration and All Church Picnic Mark W. Harris
Our final service of the church year always features that great UU tradition of Flower Celebration, which comes to us from the Czech Unitarian martyr Norbert Capek. Please bring a cut flower to church. This day also marks
our annual all church picnic. Please bring a dish to share for the feast that follows the service. And plan to help us celebrate with an Environmental Fair. You will be able to purchase CFL bulbs, and Canvas FPW grocery bags as well as participate in a hands on discussion on alternatives to gas lawn mowers.
Greeters: Anna and Mike Anctil
Social Hour: All Church Picnic
Mark your calendars for Summer Worship dates at First Parish.
The full schedule will be mailed to you.
The dates for the lay services are:
July 13, 20, 27
August 3, 10, 17
All services begin at 9:30 a.m.
Captain’s Log
I finally feel as though life has calmed down a little after the flurry of delivering four Minns Lectures in two weeks.
Now I simply have to write the final one for General Assembly. The Minns Committee treated Andrea and me to a lovely dinner at Stellina’s after the fourth lecture given here in Watertown. Thanks to the 15 or so FPW members who attended one or more lectures, and especially to Martha Scott, David Morrison and Bobbie Brown who put on a pre lecture reception.
We have a few short weeks to finish our church year and say goodbye to Roberta and Mark C. I will be sad to see both go, but also am happy that they can further their career goals and feel a sense of personal fulfillment. Mark will see the Fellowship Committee of the UUA in the fall, and then begin a church search. He is smart, witty and Italian!, but most important, committed to our ministry and our congregations. I wish him all the best.
You have probably heard rumors that we will not have an intern next year. Our first round of interviews did not produce a candidate. Rather than pursue the process further, I thought it might be a good time to take a sabbatical (three months) in the winter/spring of 2009. It will be a sabbatical in residence in Watertown, as Andrea and I need to pick up the pace of working on our book contract. (An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions). At this writing I am thinking I will take three more months in 2010, and then return to having interns again. It is strongly recommend that ministers not have interns if they are on sabbatical. Ministers typically receive one month of sabbatical leave for each year of service. So I will complete two sabbaticals (each spread over two years so it is three months each year) by the end of 14 years of service. (More details in the fall).
This should give the new DRE time to settle in to the position before I take some time off to write. Mark C. and I talked about his sermon on goodbyes before he gave it. I told him it was the kind of topic that elicits responses whether it was a good sermon or not! Sometimes it works that way. Goodbyes are hard, especially when it is with someone who has given so much to make our congregation a thriving institution. I can only hope that my relationship with the new DRE approaches the kind of positive rapport I experienced working with Roberta. She has helped build a solid RE program and reinvigorated youth group, but also has provided a wonderful presence in many aspects of church life here. We are all grateful for what she contributed.
Heading into summer we will feel more pain than usual, but we can also look ahead to the excitement of a new church year in the fall. If you just say the words “Founded in 1630,” you instantly realize that our congregation has always survived change and thrived again.
Andrea and I will spend our usual time in Maine. I am teaching a UU History course at Ferry Beach, and both of us are preaching in Rockland, ME. July is my vacation month, with August on call. During the summer, please use our home email: themanse@comcast.net. I hope you have relaxing summers. We hold you all in our hearts wherever your travels take you.
Mark
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
I cannot believe I am writing my final Arbella column! It feels very sad that my time working as your Director of Religious Education will soon be coming to a close. And yet it is hard to get too swept up in the sadness knowing that change can often bring great things for all of us! You will likely soon be welcoming a new DRE who will probably be bringing strengths different than mine. She (or he) could lead you on a fabulous religious education journey you never imagined.
Before I go, I wanted to share my top 10 favorite things that I love and will miss about First Parish …
1. The compassionate community! When someone is in need, many FPW members and friends are reaching out with a helping hand. When someone needs a friend, many of you are there with a smile. When I ask anyone why they keep coming to FPW, they almost always say the “community”. It is easy to see why.
2. The commitment to making our world a better place. Seeing all the social justice work done by our small congregation is energizing. It offers all of us hope that we can make a difference in our world today!
3. The diversity in our community. It is great to come together with others who are different from us. Being in community with different people also translates into getting a variety of important work done for our church and our world. Each of us likes helping with different projects and that collectively translates into an amazing amount of volunteer power.
4. The RE committee. Their collective efforts have brought a wide variety of gifts to our RE program. Some people give me the credit for how great our program is, but it is in large part because of all of their talent and dedication. I know that in the hands of their wonderful leadership, First Parish’s RE program will continue to grow, thrive, and prosper!
5. The joy of working with others. Not only do I believe that projects led by more than one person are better because you get different insights and perspectives guiding the work, but it is more fun too. The laughs and camaraderie we have shared have been priceless!
6. Our teenagers. I love how vital our Youth Ministry has grown to be! I am inspired by the many ways our youth have become deeply involved in our congregational life and it has been wonderful to witness how welcomed their participation is. Knowing teenagers so committed to making our world a better place gives me real hope for our future.
7. Our children. Each and every precious one of them! Their smiles. Their giggles. The sweet things they do. Their willingness to help others. Their incredible way of inspiring adults to see the world from new perspectives. And their way of really opening our hearts to the beauty and love in our world!
8. The music. The glorious sound of children singing in our sanctuary always opens my spirit like nothing else. It compliments the harmony that we enjoy from our youth and adult choirs. And all of the amazing musicians that share their talents with us.
9. Charlyn Bethell. I try to avoid focusing on any one person in my public writing because so many of you deserve my thanks and praise. But I feel that Charlyn’s dedication to First Parish is just remarkable. For the entire five years I’ve worked as your DRE, she has served as the RE Committee chairperson and acted as my supervisory liaison. She’s been an incredible mentor, teacher, and friend!
10. The FPW staff team. You all already know what a great minister we have in Mark Harris. I have grown in so many ways through my work with him. And then we get the unique situation of kind of having two ministers for the price of one with Mark’s wife, Andrea Greenwood, doing so much quietly behind-the-scenes to benefit our church community. And then we have Patty Devore bringing us exceptional music, Nancy Dutton keeping us efficiently organized, Alan Flynn reliably taking care of building needs, Barry Greess compassionately advising our youth, Charlyn Bethell leading our children and youth in joyful singing, and Brigitte Bender tirelessly handling our rentals. FPW is super lucky to have such dedicated staff. It has been so nice to work with this talented team!
These examples of what I love about First Parish highlight that I have many terrific memories from my time working as your DRE. While I will be staying a member, it just won’t be the same not being here on Sundays. Knowing that I will still see you all and that the memories will stay with me forever are making saying goodbye easier. The love, support, and fond memories that you all gave me are precious gifts that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I thank each and every one of you for them!
Ferry Beach
Don’t forget that Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a nice variety of conferences for youth, families, and adults to nurture your UU spirit while enjoying a fun vacation on the beach. See Roberta for more details or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Clean Up Day
A special thanks to all those who helped out with our annual spring clean-up day on May 10. Workers included: Bob Shay, Michael McCarthy, David Benson, Nick Haddad, Martha Scott, Susan Lind-Sinanian, Will Twombly and Mark Harris.
Gay Pride Parade
The year’s parade will be held on June 14. There will be a service at 11am at the Arlington St. Church in Boston followed by the parade at 12pm. If you would like to participate with First Parish see David Morrison and remember to wear your FPW t-shirt if you have one.
Donor Recognition
The Finance Committee wishes to thank all the members and friends of First Parish listed below who have so generously made pledges to support the life of our church in the 2008-2009 church year. This year we exceeded our financial goal for the canvass, and as importantly, have achieved almost 100% participation in the canvass. If you would like to join the community of people who through their financial contributions enable First Parish to continue to play its important role in all of our spiritual lives, please feel free to speak to our Minister, Mark Harris, or Bob Shay, Finance Committee Canvass Coordinator about making a pledge to First Parish.
Pledge Name
Allendoerfer, Karen
Altamari, Michael and Roberta
Anctil, Mike and Anna
Beck, Barbara
Bender, Brigitte
Benson, David & Dutton, Nancy
Berney, Carole
Bethell, Charlyn & Urban, Guy
Bloom, Ann
Boenau, Marilyn
Brown, Gretchen
Brown, Roberta
Burns, Ginger and Neil Zarin
Button, Kathy
Chamberlin, John & McSweeney, Sara
Chipman, Eric
Collins, Marianne & Michael
Cudhea, Peter
Dansereau, Paul & Miller, Julie
Day, Paul & Mulvaney Day, Norah
Demb, Sue & Joe
Dickinson, Chuck
Dussault, Diane
Emerson, Carmen
Erickson, Johanna
Felty, Jim
Fitts, Judi
Flint, Susan & Haddad, Nick
Glover-McDade, Anna
Goodwillie, Tom and Tesi Kohlenberg
Greess, Barry & Cleary, Jeanne
Hansberry, Barbara & Leon, David
Harrington, Anne
Harris, Mark & Greenwood, Andrea
Hart, Kyle & Johanna
Hebeisen, Brian and Elizabeth Strekalovsky
Howe, Mary
Howe, Virginia
Johnson, Christopher & Repp, Ken
Kamm, Roger & Judy
Katz, Carole
Knight, Anna
Knuttunen, Jane
Kuder, Sue
Latner, Betty
Libbey, Meryl
Lind-Sinanian, Susan
McCarthy, Michael
McDonald, Valy
Merkl, Jean & Gorman, John
Montesino, Paul
Morton, Kelly and Kyle
Mountain, Joani
Oliva, Celeste and Joe Garland
Parsons, Beth
Pierce, Lee
Portz, John & Montague, Meredith
Proskauer, Charmian
Refior, Wendell
Rhoda, Randy
Ryan, Eileen
Schlivek, Mary
Scott, Martha and David Morrison
Shaw, Jill and Barbara Farrell
Shay, Missy & Bob
Shepard, Diane & Thom
Tappan-deFrees, Elizabeth & Isabel
Turner, Patricia
Twombly, Will & Sue
Urban, Martha
Vogel, Jerusha and Ken
Warren, Kathy & David
Rummage Thanks
Many thanks to those who helped out with our annual Rummage Sale, especially our co- chairs Jane Knuttenun and Sue Kuder. We had a final profit of $1,421,10. Here are the folks who helped. Thanks to them and others who may have assisted (let us know if we missed you!): Eileen Ryan, Missy Shay, Ginger Burns, Barbara Farrell, Jill Shaw, Carole Katz, Joani Mountain, Meredith Montague, Kathy Button, Joanna Erickson, Marianne and Michael Collins, Barbara Hansberry, Susan Flint, Will Twombly, Gretchen Brown, Beth and Izzy Tappan-deFrees, Jan Klein, David Morrison, Channing Mendelsohn and Mark Harris
Here is a FPW rummage review from Yelp.com. Folks may find it amusing and affirming!!!
##########
Oh, hell yes, the First Parish of Watertown Unitarian Universalist
Church rocks! Today was my official "Garage Sale Crawl", usually done
once a year to remind me why I despise bargain hunting in people's
front yards... and the rainy weather made me realize even sooner why I
can't stand arguing over getting a used shirt for 25 cents instead of
50. So, I was heading home, and just as I was beginning to renounce life,
love, and goodwill -- there it was! "Rummage Sale May 3rd,
35 Church Street, 10 AM - 3 PM" -- My car practically steered
itself into the parking lot, where I parked and was promptly yelled
at by the bank employee guarding the four bank spots. So I moved
the car, and walked my grumpy self into the basement of
F.P.O.W.U.U.
Immediately friendly faces asked me if I was looking for anything in
particular, and directed me to the corner of the room where all the
baby clothes were stacked. I filled my bag full of cheap-o crib sheets,
fleecy jackets, and baby blankets, and walked out only spending $11.
Since most of you yelpers have an anti-breeding stance, I have no
worries that I'll be able to go here and get baby things without you
all stealing my bargains.
Oh, I didn't go to the service here, but I'm sure it's nice too.
New Members
On Sunday, May 18 we were pleased to welcome four new people into membership. Here are their bios:
Paul V. Montesino. writes “May you live in interesting times," is a phrase loosely attributed to the Chinese that was used by Robert Kennedy in 1966. I don’t know where those words came from, but I believe I have lived through those times myself. I was the son of a man who was imprisoned for his political convictions against a dictatorship. Educated the first ten years of my life by a top Jesuit educational institution where I was not shy to express my opposition to the middle age oppression of the Inquisition, I was witness to the destruction of every religious and civic institution in my society and its replacement by a communist dictatorship.
I came to Boston in the 1960s and have lived in Watertown since 1972. First as a senior banker and later as a college professor where I have taught more than six thousand students, I have always been involved in community affairs of one kind or another, first in my high school in Cuba, and later on behalf of my business and college or my personal beliefs in America. I am also a Watertown Library writer in residence of record and my writings on behalf of people who, as David Henry Thoreau would describe “live lives of quiet desperation,” are part of my literary history. Whether against the current war in Iraq even before it started, or a Cardinal who sacrificed integrity for expediency or many other causes that try to impose unfairly on those who cannot shake that quiet desperation, my writings have always been on record and can be easily located if you have the patience to Google them under my name.
It is that long journey that brought me to the doors of First Parish of Watertown. But don’t take me too seriously. There is also a light part in my life: It is the joy of having my grandchildren nearby that really “makes my day.” Eat your heart out Clint Eastwood.
Carmen Emerson is a native of Helena, Arkansas, and comes to Watertown by way of Nashville, Tulsa, Waterloo, New Orleans, and Orlando. She and husband, Jim, married 22 years ago after working together in a community theatre production of "Damn Yankees." She has been a UU since 1989, when she joined the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, where she served on its teaching parish committee, its committee on ministry, and as president of its board of trustees. She also worked as office administrator for the Florida District UUA. After a 25-year legal career as a paralegal and manager of a bonds/securities law firm, Carmen answered a call to ministry and is currently a student at Andover Newton Theological School. She is currently completing a ministerial internship at the UU Service Committee, and looks forward to volunteering in FPW's religious education program in the 2008-09 church year."
Matthew and Katherine Callabro were both born and raised in Rochester, NY. They met in High School, both went to Penn State for college, and were married in 2006 after they graduated. They moved to Boston almost two years ago, and just moved to Watertown (down the street on Summer St.) nine months ago. Matt is an Auditor working for KPMG, and Katherine is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University.
Katherine was raised in the United Church of Christ faith. Katherine was first introduced to Unitarian Universalism through some of her fellow graduate students at BU. She was drawn to the open environment that encouraged freedom of thought concerning religious values and the emphasis of searching for truth instead of simply accepting a set of approved beliefs. While her UCC church was very liberal, Katherine still found it limiting in using reason to explore faith, often feeling a sense of guilt for raising doubts about the nature and existence of God. When the UU faith was presented to her, she was surprised and pleased to find that so many others had many of the same ideas about how to explore religion. In a way, she was a UU long before ever learning about it.
Matt, on the other hand, was raised as a Catholic, and was much more reluctant to participate in any kind of church related activities after his experience. His natural inclination to question and doubt that which seemed improbable, such as transubstantiation, lead him to spend much of his time in the principal’s office for disrupting Sunday school classes. Also, he disliked the judgmental nature of the church, including the condemnation of other religions and sexual orientation. However, his experience thus far at First Parish has been a welcome contrast to his prior expectations, because the church accepts all faiths and backgrounds, while maintaining a cerebral outlook on life and religion.
In addition to the intellectual stimulation from attending services, Matt and Katherine are excited to become more involved in the social and community aspects of the church. The environment that they have found here is what originally attracted them to Boston in the first place; they can’t wait to start building their life in the Watertown community, and particularly in the First Parish Congregation.
Bring back water
Please remember to collect some water from the place where your summer travels take you. Near or far please fill a small container with water from the place you visit so that you can share the life flowing spirit of your summer adventure. Our Water Service will be on Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 a.m.
Watertown Community Solar Challenge
The deadline to participate in the Solar Challenge has been extended to June 30th. The goal is to reach 150 donors who can give $100. We only need approximately 20 more people, organizations or businesses to donate. You need not be a Watertown resident to participate as you can use First Parish’s address of 35 Church St. Watertown MA 02472. Let's meet the challenge! We have forms at church or contact Mike Anctil or Brian Hebeisen for more information.
Do You Have Concerns About How FPW Makes Use of our 'SPACE'?
The Parish Committee has started a 'Space Use Task Force' to evaluate such concerns because we have become aware of problems that staff are having related how church office and classrooms are currently beingused. We are investigating these issues fully with staff, but also want to find out if there are additional issues that concern congregation members.To that end, Ken Repp and Isabel Tappan-deFrees will be leading an open forum on this issue on Sunday June 8th from 12:30 - 1:30. The purpose of this meeting is to document existing concerns.
Ultimately, our goal is to be able to make both short and long term suggested plans for improving how the First Parish building works for all of us. We invite you all to come share your concerns...
Making a Mark
By Mark Caggiano
On Sunday, June 2nd, I will have the honor of performing my first memorial service. It is not a true funeral, but a service for a Harvard reunion. The most interesting aspect of the service for me is the class for which it is in remembrance: the Harvard Business School Class of 1948. The majority of these alumni were World War II veterans, and the largest majority of them have died. They are older than my parents. Many have lead fascinating lives over a tumultuous period in American history. But they are also regular people with regular lives, now gathering together to relive old times and perhaps to remember those who are no longer amongst them. Planning for the service has been educational, both in trying to pull together a meaningful worship experience for a group of non-UUs and learning about their experiences through the years.
Learning about what makes a group of people function is the most important part of being a minister to them. When you know too little, you cannot find the right place for your message. In other words, you cannot know what it is they will find meaningful. If you take the time to learn something about the people – their achievements and their failures, their highs and their lows – you can provide them a memorable experience as they attempt to remember those that have come and gone.
As I reflect upon my time here in Watertown, my experiences have been much like my planning sessions for the upcoming reunion. Almost two years ago, I was a new face in the church. I was not Darrick, Jim, Sue or Fayre. That was not good or bad, but it was different. We had to spend some time learning about each other. We did that at committee meetings, potlucks and of course Sunday mornings. Some of you heard my bad jokes and hopefully all of you have forgiven me for them. I heard from some of you about your ups and downs during the week and had ongoing conversations to check in. Others inquired into my life and my family. My daughter Alyssa sang with the choir when she could and my teenage son Nick sat in the front row trying not to look too bored. We all shared together cookies and coffee, but we also shared so much more. This was all a part of having a meaningful relationship together, a meaningful and long-lasting worship experience.
I have enjoyed my time here in Watertown. In truth, I stumbled upon a notice for the internship here at the last minute and applied under the working assumption that I was too late. But I met with Mark and I met with the Parish Committee. Like any relationship, we put our best feet forward and I was happy to find out that the church was even better than self-advertised. I hope I have lived up to the church’s expectations, as I value my time here enormously and have tried to be a minister to you in my newborn, fumbling way.
But as I mentioned a few weeks ago, it is important to mark clearly the time of one’s parting. Some of us will surely meet again, but it will be a new beginning, a new time together. I will be a minister, an old friend, or maybe even a lawyer (hopefully not). Like old classmates, we will come back together with nostalgia, some funny stories and perhaps a bit of sadness. Time will pass, but we can remember what it meant to be together. This is the way of things.
You truly have something wonderful here on the shores of the Charles River and I was blessed to have been a part of it for a short while. Thank you for being here and for being you. I will remember you always.
Goodbye.
Mark C.
Lost and Found
Over the year we have accumulated in the church office an array of items that have been found throughout the church. During these last Sundays we will have them available at social hour for you to see if there is anything that belongs to you.
Summer Worship Services
We are still trying to finalize our summer worship schedule. During the summer months of July and August we will hold six lay led services, all of which begin at 9:30 a.m.
Sometimes the services follow our standard Order of Worship, and sometimes the leader takes us on a very different path.
The dates this year for the lay services will be: July 13, 20, 27 and August 3, 10, 17.
If you are interested in leading a service, please contact Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 orLesHons@verizon.net).
DRE Survey Input
We have been receiving applications for the position of Director of Religious Education and are now interviewing candidates. We would like to invite First Parish members and friends to help us by sharing any thoughts you may have about the R.E. program or about what makes a good DRE -- anything that you would like us to bear in mind as we proceed with the search. Feel free to contact Charlyn Bethel, chair of the DRE Search Committee.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Fund Raiser for AIDS Program
Eliza Petrow, the daughter of FPW member Beth Parsons will be showing a film about a program she recently started in rural China. The program- under the AIDS Orphan Salvation Association and in partnership with Dr. Kay Johnson of Hampshire College- provides treatment, care and support to HIV+ children, many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The program received generous support from DC-based Medical Care Development International to carry out the program for the first 12 months; however, additional HIV+ children in need of assistance have been identified and we require continued financial support to sustain and expand the program from June 1, 2008 onward.
Please join us for pizza from 6:30-7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at First Parish to be followed at 7:00 by a viewing of the Oscar award winning short-documentary (39 minutes), "The Blood of Yingzhou District," which features several of the kids in the program. Eliza will also provide a brief overview of AIDS in China, and will discuss the effectiveness and importance of the program. (If you wear glasses, be sure to bring them so you can read the sub-titles and see the photos clearly).
Donations to support the program are encouraged and welcomed. All donations are tax deductible and will be handled by the US-based Alliance for Children Foundation. 100% of proceeds will go to the program.
Cyclone Relief
UU Service Committee and the Unitarian Universalist Association have launched a humanitarian relief fund to help survivors of the cyclone that struck Myanmar (formerly Burma) on May 3. This was our special charitable offering for May. We also wanted to extend the opportunity to donate to this special offering to others who could not be in church on May 18. So far we have collected $559. Checks can be made out UUSC/UUA Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund. Please send checks to church within the next week, and we will send all the checks from FPW at one time.
With wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, Cyclone Nargis pummeled Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta resulting in 134,000 dead or missing people.
World news reports are chronicling the tension between the international aid community, which wants to roll out a massive disaster response, and the Myanmar government, which wants to control all aid delivery. Given that situation, many concerned people are asking whether it makes sense to contribute to the relief effort. Since the storm struck, organizations with offices on the ground in Myanmar have, in fact, been leading critical and effective recovery work behind the scenes of the international aid debate.
Two UUSC program staffpersons were in Myanmar just before the cyclone struck, and are now in communication with NGO contacts there to support these vital relief efforts. Because of the relationships formed in Myanmar and our existing partner relationships in southeast Asia, UUSC is now able to work with organizations on the ground delivering relief directly to affected groups. To read more on UUSCs response please visit www.uusc.org
A number of concerned constituents have asked if UUSC will be launching a relief fund to aid Chinese earthquake survivors. After careful consideration, UUSC has decided not to do so since the Chinese government is mounting a robust relief effort and we feel it is important to concentrate on Myanmar where the situation is still desperate.
Escape To Vermont
September 26 – 28, 2008 Fourteenth Annual B&B Weekend offered by the UU Church of Rutland, VT. Enjoy the beauty of Vermont, UU hospitality, and a choice of guided activities: hiking, kayaking, bicycling, antiques/arts, cider making, soaring tour, touring historic sites and quaint towns, and much more. Registration by August 1, $250 (single) and $450 (double). After August 1, $300 (single) and $500 (double). For more information contact uufoliagevermont@yahoo.com or (802) 353-7969.
www.rutlanduu.org
Arbella-May Newsletter 2008
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
May 2008
For the calendar of events, please go to the calendar(new) on the members page.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday May 4, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
“Fasting and Feasting” Mark W. Harris
I was speaking to a colleague a couple of months ago, and he was telling me about the history of fasting. Suddenly, I was intrigued. I had also wanted to follow up my war sermon a few weeks ago with a personal response. Now I am ready to suggest that others might wish to join me in some form of weekly or monthly fasting (food or otherwise). Perhaps you might want to fast from driving or buying stuff or whatever. What might fasting do for us spiritually?
Greeters: Michael McCarthy and Randy Rhoda
Social Hour: Charmian Proskauer and Anne Harrington
Sunday May 11, 2008
“Goodbyes” Mark Caggiano
As Mark C. prepares to leave us, he will preach on what it means to say "Goodbye" as a spiritual practice.
Greeters: Beth Parsons and Meryl Libbey
Social Hour: Will and Sue Twombly
Sunday May 18, 2008 at 11: 00 a.m.
“Life-Long UUs” Lay Service
In the past we have had some from among us share why they are UUs. Most of us have chosen this faith. There are some among us, however, who were reared as UUs. What impact has that had on how they have experienced their lives? Why have they stayed with it for so long? Today, Beth Tappan-deFrees and Guy Urban will be sharing with us their reflections on their experiences of being life-long UUs.
Leader of Worship: Beth Tappan-deFrees
Greeters: Lee Pierce and Raz Mason
Social Hour: Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Sunday May 25 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
“Magic, With Salt” Andrea Greenwood
Who doesn't love a magic trick? What a concrete reminder of mystery; an instant road back to wonder. And yet one's ability to perform magic tricks is probably in inverse relation to one's belief -- if you really believe in magic, you are not truly capable of understanding that there is deception involved. What, then, are we to make of stories in which women disappear, or are transformed? Do we believe, or learn a few tricks of our own.
Greeters: Diane Shepard and Jane Knuttunen
Social Hour: Eileen Ryan and Beth Parsons
Captain’s Log (from the minister)
I gained weight over the winter. I often gain weight over the winter, and then vow to become more active as spring and summer weather comes. This usually works to some extent, but this year I am determined to do something else. It is not just about the weight. It is about the religious implications of consuming all the time with an insatiable appetite for food, stuff, gasoline, etc. I have decided to take on the ancient spiritual practice of fasting once a week. Usually I am not a devoted follower of any spiritual discipline, although I am comfortable with both prayer and meditation. But fasting is suddenly intriguing me.
I wanted a follow up to my war sermon a few weeks ago with some personal response that many of us could make, and now I am ready to suggest that others might wish to join me in weekly or monthly fasting, and that we donate our food savings for the day to some good cause. I am still working out those details, but I am hoping to elicit others who might want to fast. Many years ago when I was a student minister in Sheffield, England, I would go to a monthly luncheon for OXFAM. We would pay for our lunch, but then only receive a glass of water.
I also think we might consider other kinds of fasting as well. There is the whole question of consumption, and global warming. Do you want to fast from buying things, or television, or driving our cars for a day or more? The town of Arlington has a program where residents are asked to fast from TV for a week. I hope this sermon on May 4 will elicit some conversation on the subject.
Several people asked for the closing words from the “Cost of War service that were from Dwight D. Eisenhower. Here they are:
“Every gun that is made,
every warship launched,
every rocket fired signifies,
in the final sense,
a theft from those who hunger and are not fed,
those who are cold and are not clothed.
The world in arms is not spending money alone.
It is spending the sweat of its laborers,
the genius of its scientists,
the hopes of its children.
I gave many of you the opportunity to hear a little bit about the genesis of my forthcoming Minns Lectures in my recent sermon (it is now posted on the website) Here are the details of lectures 2-4 to be given in May. I hope to see you at one or more.
Lecture 2: “Brahmin Culture for the Masses” on Thursday, May 1, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge -This lecture will look at the alliance of business, Harvard College, Brahmin culture, and liberal religion. How did class determine our history and who became involved with the Unitarian movement? We will also look at a few people who wanted to spread the Unitarian faith to the masses in more evangelical styles, including Margaret Fuller’s brother, Arthur.
Lecture 3: “Universalist Piety and a Classless Heaven” on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 7:00 pm - King's Chapel Parish House, 64 Beacon St., Boston - This lecture will examine the Universalist faith and its appeal to a broader number of classes in society through its message of equality. If all are equal in heaven, then nobody is saved unless everybody is saved.
Lecture 4: “The Science of Salvation” on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 7:00 pm First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown - This lecture will look at the relationship between liberal religion and the eugenics movement. Where did the birth control and euthanasia movements have their origins?
The lectures have been a lot of work, but the light is at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully some UUs will find some fruitful thought, knowledge or inspiration.
Mark
Annual Dinner - Thanks -
A special thanks to all those who made the annual dinner a success. Thanks to Mark C. for hosting, Izzy Tappan-Defrees for putting the talent show together (and all those who showed off their talents), our “sound men” Michael Collins and Michael McCarthy, and finally the Fellowship Committee for coordinating another fabulous dinner. Now we know we had much to celebrate as we exceeded our canvass goal of $110,000 with a pledge total so far of $112,000 with 70 units pledging. Thank you all.
Do you have household hazardous waste to dispose?
As Waltham residents, we can go to the Hazardous Waste facility in Lexington any weekend with our licenses as our only ID. The city requests that we take only full cars. We have not been able to collect that as a single home except one time. We'd be happy to organize to help you rid yourselves of your household hazardous waste some weekend this summer if you too do not find that you have enough to justify a separate trip to Lexington. Please email us (edefrees@aol.com or izzyt@rcn.com) if you are interested in being included and when we figure out a weekend, we'll be in touch with you.
Poem from Chalice Lighting 4/27/08 read by Isabel Tappan-deFrees
“Crossing a Creek” Martha Courtot~1975
Crossing a creek
Requires 3 things
A certain serenity of mind
Bare feet
And a sure trust
That the snake we know
Slides silently
Underwater
Just beyond our vision
Will choose to ignore
The flesh
That cuts through
Its territory
And we will pass through
Some people think crossing a creek
Is easy
But I say this ---
All crossings are hard
Whether creeks, mountains
Or into other lives
And we must always believe
In the snakes at our feet
Just out of our vision
And we must practice believing
We will come through.
Dance Steps
Our own FPW members Fatima Hussein and Susan Lind-Sinanian will help lead us through some Arabic Dances (with variations) on Sunday, June 1 after church in the Parish Hall. Bring your dancing shoes and join us!
Annual Meeting Notes from Finance Committee:
First and foremost, thank you to all members who attended, questioned and voted at 4/27’s meeting! Thank you also to all who paid pledges in 2007 – 2008 and all who have pledged for 2008 – 2009. To quote the Treasurers, the unnoted budget items – all the time and materials each of you contributes to First Parish are crucial to the church’s meeting a budget… so thank you for that, too.
In the 2008 -2009 budget, we increased the expected income on the pledge line (due to the amount of pledges) so we could meet our annual Building Fund contribution. We were able to give all paid staff a 3% salary increase and make equity adjustments in a couple of jobs to better reflect the UUAs salary targets for our geographical region.
We have increased our Fair Share dues to the Mass Bay District (with rising membership go rising dues, so this is a great increase to have to absorb!). Fuel oil for the parsonage and the meeting house have increased, but the Green Sanctuary Committee and Buildings and Grounds have worked to contract with an oil-purchasing group for churches that should help offset some of that. All in all, we are in stable condition.
40% of our operating budget is from pledges. Without each of you, we would not be able to have the quality church programs and staff we have. A couple of follow-up notes from our canvass: we build our budget on the promise of money (a pledge), in other words, we have a budget, now we have to raise the money! One new request for this fiscal year: to assist with planning, please try to pay your pledges for 2008 – 2009 by 2/28/09 rather than the end of March. If you can manage to do that, it helps our end-of-year cash flow and new year’s budget planning considerably. However, if you have a life circumstance that means you can no longer meet your pledge, please talk to John Portz.
Finally, an especially huge thanks goes to the quiet under-heralded volunteer efforts by John Gorman and Jean Merkl as our co-treasurers to keep the budget up-to-date and answer endless questions. And, of course, to Nancy Dutton, the Church Administrator, who works to keep us all organized!
Newsletter by Email
Do you have email? Do you get the newsletter in snail mail?
Save a tree!
Save a stamp or two! (rates are about to go up again!)
Get your newsletter faster!
Email fpwatertown@comcast.net if you could start getting your newsletter on email rather than paper. (If you're addicted to news-in-print, you can always print it from email... but that wouldn't be so green, huh?)
New Comers and New Members
Breakfast --
This coming Sunday, May 4, there will be a Newcomer’s Breakfast for all new people at First Parish. If you are new this year, and have not attended a previous breakfast, please come. It begins at 9:30 a.m.
New UU Classes -
On Sundays, May 11 and May 18 at 9:30 a.m. Mark Harris will offer a New UU class. It is an introduction to the history and traditions of our UU faith, and to First Parish. All are welcome at either or both sessions.
New Member Welcome -
Those who have joined First Parish as official members during the past few months are officially welcomed into the church at this service. Would you like to join First Parish? Please speak to Mark Harris or fill out an “Intent to Join Card” found in our pamphlet rack. Those scheduled to be welcomed at this service so far include Carmen Emerson, Paul Montesino, Ginger Burns and Neil Zarin.
Miscellaneous – Fellowship Committee
We had a very successful Bring a Mug Sunday on Earth Day. We have at least 60 mugs. Thank you . If you would like to bring a mug in to be used at Social Hour. Please feel free to add it to the racks. Fellowship Committee members hope to be available to help with logistics over the next few Sundays.
District Annual Meeting/ GA/Summer Conferences
Mark Harris and Randy Rhoda represented First Parish at the Mass Bay District Annual Meeting held at the First Parish of Concord in April. Mark will also be attending General Assembly this year. This is the UUA’s annual meeting. He will deliver the last of his Minns Lectures there (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida). If you are interested in the GA, please speak to Mark. In Roberta’s column you will see a notice about her being a Ferry Beach booster. There are also other UU Summer conferences and institutes. Roberta is coordinating Middle School Camp at Ferry Beach, and Mark Harris is teaching a course in UU History at Ferry Beach in July (under the auspices pf Meadville Lombard Theological School). Mark and Andrea and two of their boys are pictured on the cover of the Ferry Beach brochure. Do you want to know about other opportunities? Carole Katz can tell you about Star Island, and Mark can also inform you about others as well.
Brainstorming for Social Action
We know that many First Parish members and friends are interested in Social Action, and support the church’s Social Action work. We also know that everybody has time constraints that limit the time they can devote to activities outside of work, home and family. The Social Action Committee, with the support of the Parish Committee, is considering a new approach to its work. Rather than spending valuable time in committee meetings, we want to experiment with a project-oriented approach to social action. By this we mean planning activities of a discrete nature that the church community can participate in, from planning a Comedy Night to volunteering at the Boston Food Bank to participating in rallies concerning the genocide in Darfur. We need you ideas, and we need and your support. On Sunday, May 18, after church, please help with Social Action by spending a few minutes brainstorming for task-oriented projects the church could participate in during the next church year. We will of course continue with the on-going projects the Parish has been engaged in over the years, including the giving boxes, gifts for the grow clinic at Christmas, the spring concert, and the monthly charitable offerings. This could be a good opportunity to help the church fulfill its social action mandate.
The Social Action Committee
Calling interested moviegoers
Any takers for a grown-up movie night at the Embassy Theatre in Waltham? We could grab a bite beforehand at the Pub (or we could take-in to the movie!). Date is Tuesday May 20. Email Izzy and Beth izzyt@rcn.com! Or call at 781-893-1695. Movie will be determined when the lists for the week come out.
The following Recycling Rules were shared by David Morrison and Brian Hebeisen at the Earth Day service. Extra “green” copies are available at church.
New Curbside Recycling Rules for Watertown
Paper
Place in paper bag (not plastic) or tie with string. Put bag next to or on top of bin.
Newspaper
Magazines, phone books, catalogs
Paperback books
Cardboard - flatten & bundle smaller than 36”x36”
Paperboard (cereal, cracker, shoe boxes, etc)
Junk mail (remove non-paper items)
Envelopes (windows ok), office paper
paper bags, manila envelopes, file folders
NO – dirty paper or milk cartons
No – Dirty pizza boxes
Containers
Rinse and place inside of bin
Glass bottles/jars – remove lids, corks, neck rings
No broken or other glass such as window glass, dishes, glasses, Pyrex
Tin, Steel and aluminum food cans and lids,
Deposit and non-deposit beverage cans
Clean aluminum foil
Remove labels, may flatten
No cans containing paint hazardous material or aerosol
Plastic containers – food, beverage and detergent containers labeled 1 – 7
NO styrofoam, plastic bags or motor oil
Drop-off Recycling
Grove St. Fri and Sat 9 am – 4 pm
Yard Waste
TVs and Computer Monitors
Office Paper
Mixed Metals
Used Clothing
Hazardous Waste drop-off (in Lexington)
Need to contact Town for dates and free voucher to use the facility (617-972-6446)
Paints, Pesticides, Cleaners (bleach, etc),
Auto Care Products – oil, gas, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.
Fluorescent bulbs including CFLs
Other
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
website for RE families: www.chalicedreamer.net
Most of you have already heard the sad news that this will be my final year working as your Director of Religious Education. I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from many of you. I can’t respond to all of the emails, but please know that each one is very much appreciated! What surprised me most was how many of you said “congratulations”. Because this journey started from a family need, I didn’t initially think of it as something that warranted congratulations. And yet, it did turn into a professional success story and therefore it does deserve that sentiment. While you all seemed to know that, I was still obsessing about my loss. It’s been an emotional time of considering how much I will miss my Sundays here in Watertown with you. But you’ve inspired me to look forward to the adventures that await me.
For those of you who don’t know, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered DRE positions at three wonderful congregations. It wasn’t easy to pick between them, but I ended up choosing to go to Sudbury. I was most attracted to Sudbury because my position included being both DRE and youth advisor (and I’ve been feeling particularly called to youth ministry work lately). I’m also inspired by the congregation’s focus on spiritual development. I could definitely consider that a growing area for myself. It seems that we offer each other a nice “yin yang” type balance as we were each looking for someone with the other’s strengths. Since I’ll be staying a member here in Watertown, I’m sure you’ll hear plenty of stories about my work in Sudbury.
I know this transition will be hard for some of you, but I want to remind you that the beauty of this community is all of you. This community will continue to grow and thrive and prosper! Our religious education program is not great because of the work done by me alone; it is fabulous because of the dedication and talents of so many of you. I have spent the last few years working hard with the RE committee to put the leadership of our programming in the hands of our community. We have many committed volunteers doing amazing things behind the scenes to make many aspects of our program so vibrant. Their excellent work will carry you through this transition as you select and begin working with a new DRE.
One of those volunteers is Tom Goodwillie, who coincidentally wrote a guest piece for our newsletter a few weeks ago. It’s a perfect example of the great work our volunteers are already doing!!
R. E. and Me, by Tom Goodwillie
I taught in church school for the last three months. I was with the 8 to 11 year olds, who were working with various stories and themes from the Bible. In a typical week I led a smaller group within that class, doing drama exercises or games related to that week's material. I loved the whole experience so much so that I just had to write something about it.
Working with the kids was great. They were full of surprises. They could be funny, sweet, difficult -- occasionally impossible -- and I kept coming back for more.
Then there was the pleasure of collaborating with the other volunteers and Roberta. I mean working together in class, and I also mean conferring between Sundays about how it went last time and what to do next time.
I also have to tell you about my amazing mother. Improvisational drama in the classroom has been her life's work, and she's still doing it at age 81. I have always appreciated and admired that side of her, but until recently it was not really a part of my life. Now, of course, I have been sharing what we are doing in R. E. and asking Mom to help me think about how to do it better. She and I have both been getting a big kick out of connecting with each other in this new way.
Here are some samples of what went on in class:
Once we told the story of Ruth. I had three kids for drama. After telling them the story, with emphasis on "Whither thou goest, I will go", it was time to think about how to act it out. OK, so you're Ruth? And you're Naomi? So I guess you could be Ruth's husband who dies, or her new husband at the end of the story, or how about both? No, don't worry, everybody, we don't have to act out any weddings. Yes, you may overplay the death scene as much as you wish _
One week, instead of giving them the usual sorts of playful activities, we made the whole group sit for an hour and talk about some problems they were having -- what Roberta called "respect issues". It was no fun, but it did yield some interesting conversation, and I think it may have even had some of the desired effect. For me, it also led somehow to the thought that it can be good for boys if some of their teachers are men.
Here's another session that was hard work but worth it. I was trying to get an improvised variant of the Good Samaritan story out of the small and obstreperous group who had chosen drama that week. It took every ounce of energy and authority that Cody and I could muster to keep bringing their attention back to where it needed to be, but in the end they did a great job and had a great time. That was one of my favorites.
Another favorite session, by contrast, was a piece of cake: We gave them a game to play, an impossible building project based loosely on something in Exodus. The kids had a blast. There was not much for the rest of us to do but watch and enjoy their happy collaboration.
I know I will want to teach again next year, maybe the age 11 to 14 group or maybe the 8 to 11 again. I have also joined the R. E. Committee, mainly because the process of fine-tuning our plans from week to week has given me an appetite for curriculum development. I have a lot to learn about this, and I think I also have a lot to offer. I definitely have some ideas about next year.
Whether it's the year-to-year process of creating a curriculum together, or the week-to-week process of planning a class together, or the moment-to-moment process of working with the kids, this R. E. stuff is giving me something I need. At this point in my life I can't imagine a better way of making a contribution to First Parish and being nourished in return.
Youth Sunday is coming in June:
The seasons are rushing by and we are only a month away from our wonderful annual Youth Sunday service coming on June 8. In addition to sharing rich and inspiring worship with our youth leaders, we will celebrate some special “rite-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds and “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds. In addition, we will honor the high school graduation of Cody Urban, whom First Parish has watched grow into an amazing, confident, and compassionate young man. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out our descriptive brochure at church or the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website.
Social Action news from RE:
This month will be special “environmental” programming for most of the children and youth in our RE program. They will be doing a wide variety of activities regarding making our world a “greener” place. Stay tuned for service projects you can help them with!
Ferry Beach
In case you don’t know, Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a wide variety of conferences to nurture your UU spirit as you also enjoy a fun vacation on the beach. They have great programs for youth, families, and adults. See Roberta for more details or check out the brochures at church. Or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Are We a Welcoming Community?
(from Elizabeth Tappan-deFrees)
WHAT!? Of course we are!!! We have a rainbow flag, we Greet our Neighbor, we have a Welcomer at Social Hour, a sign-in book… we have welcoming red doors on Church Street and a supportive spiritual community open to many beliefs and backgrounds… we have committee meetings to reflect on how we could be better!!
A couple of thoughts have crossed my mind, aided by comments at some of those meetings. I thought I’d share them. This is particularly for those of us who have truly found a church home at First Parish, who attend with some regularity and have church friends.
QUESTIONS:
1) Where do you park?
2) Where do you sit?
If you are newly at First Parish, or trying us out, your first impression is our parking lot. Many of us know this is a work-in-progress and needs some adjustment, but the first step to being more welcoming can be made each Sunday as the drivers among us decide where to put our cars. For those of us who know what to expect when we arrive at church and do not need assisted parking… how about the CVS lot? Or even Summer Street? Being welcoming starts at giving a visual welcome that includes a parking place. While we determine how to make that more obviously welcoming in terms of set-up, making a choice not to fill up the lot before newcomers and visitors arrive is a good start.
Then… you enter the sanctuary. Again, for those of us who already feel like First Parish is our home, think like a newcomer. As you enter the side doors from the Church Street entrance, try and imagine what it feels like to have to cross a pocket of easily accessed but full chairs to the empty chairs on the far side… often in the front or back? If a few more of us could cross the sanctuary and fill the seats on the fireplace side, the sanctuary would more easily welcome new people who might want to quietly come in and observe our routine.
Being a welcoming community does not mean simply offering a pleasant space, it also means taking a moment to make the space feel welcoming. Most of us believe it does feel so. And we are right. But it needs to be more so. We each need to make an effort to fully welcome visitors by the simple actions of thinking about parking and sitting. Our family has tried it the last couple of times we’ve been at church – it’s really not as traumatic as I believed it might be!! If you are a brave soul, who hasn’t fallen into a habitual parking and seating arrangement, kudos!!! For the rest of us, here’s a challenge to see if you can help us be more welcoming.
Notary Public at FPW
FPW Member David Morrison wanted to inform folks that he continues to be a Notary Public. His commission is good until December 4, 2009, if you ever have a need.
Making a Mark
(from Mark C., student minister)
During my studies at Divinity School, I have revisited the works of one philosopher many times and in many contexts: Immanuel Kant. For many, philosophy is rather boring stuff or self-indulgent navel-gazing divorced from the real world concerns of most people. I have been drawn to it over the years not because it is always exciting, or even relevant, but because it at least tries to get down to a fundamental way of understanding the universe and our place in it.
Kant is a special figure because his ideas permeate the social epoch known as the Enlightenment. He was revolutionary because he turned the discerning eye used in the sciences and mathematics toward metaphysics and philosophy. One Kantian tenet of enduring distinction was that there are essentially two worlds or spheres of concern – the noumenal and the phenomenal. Noumena refers to things in themselves, not their shadow or their abstraction, but the actual thing. Conversely, anything that is perceived through our senses is a phenomenon. Most would agree that they have never seen a thing in and of itself. We see it through fallible human eyes that can be tricked and distracted, and which cannot see all that could be seen. This Kantian distinction then proceeded to muck up much of theology.
Why? Because the sphere of inquiry shrank from the whole universe of possibility to the specifically knowable, i.e. the testable, repeatable, etc. Science is about experimentation, and you cannot experiment on the divine or the heavens, at least not reliably in keeping with scientific method. Kant did not deny that the noumenal existed, but he just did not think it was anything that human beings could effectively study. From this point you had a cottage industry amongst German philosophers volleying the words of Kant back and forth trying on the one hand to salvage an idea of divinity, such as with Schleiermacher and Hegel, while on the other Feuerbach and Marx tried to move away from such matters and squarely into the strictly human realm of ideas.
As the philosophers fiddled, science kept moving on in unexpected ways. The invisible universe of the subatomic became critically important to science, yet walled off from the thinking of the average person. We rely upon the firmness of the chair we sit upon, but science describes it as a whirl of electrons and neutrons and protons in various configurations making up the primary substance of the world around us. It is no less firm in our use, but perhaps less so in our minds if we pay attention to such learned matters.
Then, along came troublemakers like Albert Einstein with outlandish theories about time and space – nonsense about relative passage of time, gravity wells and other mystical creatures of scientific hyperbole. Of course, Einstein’s relativity is now accepted as scientific fact. Science also accepts ever more counterintuitive notions of the universe, with ever-smaller particles being found or theorized. But science is not the same as “us”. As science begins to tell us more and more about the unseen world, we have begun to take a lot on faith because we cannot be the theoretical physicist, microbiologist, math whiz, etc. I personally know nothing about high level physics or mathematics, so I must rely upon others to explain it all.
But if physics and math are getting a lot more fuzzy, what does that do to the crisp German theories of old? Kant relied upon science to split the universe asunder, so what happens when Einstein seems to sew it back together?
Quantum mechanics is not the basis for reclaiming the noumenal sphere, but it is something to think about as we decide what is going on around us. When we hazard to guess about the thing in itself, its ultimate nature or truth, we go down a road with caution signs put up by Immauel Kant centuries before. Paying attention to those signs is important. But the intriguing murkiness of modern physics also beckons us forward, as we see the crazy wisps of Einstein’s hair in the distance.
Summer Worship Services
During the summer months of July and August each year, we have a little break from our regular schedule. While Mark enjoys some well-deserved time away to recharge his battery, members of our congregation share some of their spirituality and insights with us by leading one of the summer worship services. These have been so well received over the years that last year we expanded the number of lay services to six. The services are more casual and the attendance is lighter than during the regular year. It’s a good opportunity to share in a comfortable way surrounded by friends. Sometimes the services follow our standard Order of Worship, and sometimes the leader takes us on a very different path.
The dates this year for the lay services will be: July 13, 20, 27 and August 7, 14, 21.
If you are interested in leading a service, please contact Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 or LesHons@verizon.net). If you would like to know what it’s like to take on one of these services, you could speak to Chris, or one of the other members who have done so in the past: Jeanne Cleary, Kyle Hart, Carole Berney, Charlyn Bethel, Wendell Refior, Roberta Altamari.
Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear what you have to say!
Fund Raiser for AIDS Program
Eliza Petrow, the daughter of FPW member Beth Parsons has invited us to the following event:
Location: Vineyard Church
170 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
When: Thursday, May 8, 7:00PM to 9:00PM
Phone: 617.331.3765
Dear Friends (and friends of friends),
I hope you can come to a fundraiser I am organizing to support a program I recently started in rural China. The program- under the AIDS Orphan Salvation Association and in partnership with Dr. Kay Johnson of Hampshire College- provides treatment, care and support to HIV+ children, many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS. We received generous support from DC-based Medical Care Development International to carry out the program for the first 12 months; however, additional HIV+ children in need of assistance have been identified and we require continued financial support to sustain and expand the program from June 1, 2008 onward.
Please join us for light refreshments from 7:00-7:30pm, followed by a viewing of the Oscar award winning short-documentary (39 minutes), "The Blood of Yingzhou District," which features several of the kids in the program. I will also provide a brief overview of AIDS in China, and will discuss the effectiveness and importance of the program. (If you wear glasses, be sure to bring them so you can read the sub-titles and see the photos clearly).
The event will be held at the Vineyard Church in Cambridge. The Vineyard Church is accessible on the Red Line and is about a 15 minute walk from the Porter Square T. The church has limited parking in the lot. If possible, Cambridge residents please use street parking. For non-Cambridge residents, street parking is available per a consideration by the City of Cambridge on the following streets: Notre Dame, Middlesex, Sargent and Rindge. Carpooling is encouraged.
Admission to the event is $10. Donations to support the program are encouraged and welcomed. All donations are tax deductible and will be handled by the US-based Alliance for Children Foundation. 100% of proceeds will go to the program.
If you plan to attend please be sure to RSVP so that we can arrange to have enough refreshments for all guests. If you will require childcare, please let me know in advance and I will have babysitters on-site.
Please feel free to pass this invitation on to friends who may be interested.
Thanks in advance for your support and I hope to see you May 8th!
Eliza at 617-331-3765
elizapetrow@post.harvard.edu
Open House at Fowle House
The Historical Society of Watertown invites us to the Grand Opening of the newly restored Edmund Fowle House, 28 Marshall Street, Watertown on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The opening ceremony will be at 11:45 a.m., and the house is open from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. This house has undergone a major restoration, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the 2nd oldest house in Watertown.
Arbella
May 2008
For the calendar of events, please go to the calendar(new) on the members page.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday May 4, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
“Fasting and Feasting” Mark W. Harris
I was speaking to a colleague a couple of months ago, and he was telling me about the history of fasting. Suddenly, I was intrigued. I had also wanted to follow up my war sermon a few weeks ago with a personal response. Now I am ready to suggest that others might wish to join me in some form of weekly or monthly fasting (food or otherwise). Perhaps you might want to fast from driving or buying stuff or whatever. What might fasting do for us spiritually?
Greeters: Michael McCarthy and Randy Rhoda
Social Hour: Charmian Proskauer and Anne Harrington
Sunday May 11, 2008
“Goodbyes” Mark Caggiano
As Mark C. prepares to leave us, he will preach on what it means to say "Goodbye" as a spiritual practice.
Greeters: Beth Parsons and Meryl Libbey
Social Hour: Will and Sue Twombly
Sunday May 18, 2008 at 11: 00 a.m.
“Life-Long UUs” Lay Service
In the past we have had some from among us share why they are UUs. Most of us have chosen this faith. There are some among us, however, who were reared as UUs. What impact has that had on how they have experienced their lives? Why have they stayed with it for so long? Today, Beth Tappan-deFrees and Guy Urban will be sharing with us their reflections on their experiences of being life-long UUs.
Leader of Worship: Beth Tappan-deFrees
Greeters: Lee Pierce and Raz Mason
Social Hour: Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Sunday May 25 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
“Magic, With Salt” Andrea Greenwood
Who doesn't love a magic trick? What a concrete reminder of mystery; an instant road back to wonder. And yet one's ability to perform magic tricks is probably in inverse relation to one's belief -- if you really believe in magic, you are not truly capable of understanding that there is deception involved. What, then, are we to make of stories in which women disappear, or are transformed? Do we believe, or learn a few tricks of our own.
Greeters: Diane Shepard and Jane Knuttunen
Social Hour: Eileen Ryan and Beth Parsons
Captain’s Log (from the minister)
I gained weight over the winter. I often gain weight over the winter, and then vow to become more active as spring and summer weather comes. This usually works to some extent, but this year I am determined to do something else. It is not just about the weight. It is about the religious implications of consuming all the time with an insatiable appetite for food, stuff, gasoline, etc. I have decided to take on the ancient spiritual practice of fasting once a week. Usually I am not a devoted follower of any spiritual discipline, although I am comfortable with both prayer and meditation. But fasting is suddenly intriguing me.
I wanted a follow up to my war sermon a few weeks ago with some personal response that many of us could make, and now I am ready to suggest that others might wish to join me in weekly or monthly fasting, and that we donate our food savings for the day to some good cause. I am still working out those details, but I am hoping to elicit others who might want to fast. Many years ago when I was a student minister in Sheffield, England, I would go to a monthly luncheon for OXFAM. We would pay for our lunch, but then only receive a glass of water.
I also think we might consider other kinds of fasting as well. There is the whole question of consumption, and global warming. Do you want to fast from buying things, or television, or driving our cars for a day or more? The town of Arlington has a program where residents are asked to fast from TV for a week. I hope this sermon on May 4 will elicit some conversation on the subject.
Several people asked for the closing words from the “Cost of War service that were from Dwight D. Eisenhower. Here they are:
“Every gun that is made,
every warship launched,
every rocket fired signifies,
in the final sense,
a theft from those who hunger and are not fed,
those who are cold and are not clothed.
The world in arms is not spending money alone.
It is spending the sweat of its laborers,
the genius of its scientists,
the hopes of its children.
I gave many of you the opportunity to hear a little bit about the genesis of my forthcoming Minns Lectures in my recent sermon (it is now posted on the website) Here are the details of lectures 2-4 to be given in May. I hope to see you at one or more.
Lecture 2: “Brahmin Culture for the Masses” on Thursday, May 1, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge -This lecture will look at the alliance of business, Harvard College, Brahmin culture, and liberal religion. How did class determine our history and who became involved with the Unitarian movement? We will also look at a few people who wanted to spread the Unitarian faith to the masses in more evangelical styles, including Margaret Fuller’s brother, Arthur.
Lecture 3: “Universalist Piety and a Classless Heaven” on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 7:00 pm - King's Chapel Parish House, 64 Beacon St., Boston - This lecture will examine the Universalist faith and its appeal to a broader number of classes in society through its message of equality. If all are equal in heaven, then nobody is saved unless everybody is saved.
Lecture 4: “The Science of Salvation” on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 7:00 pm First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown - This lecture will look at the relationship between liberal religion and the eugenics movement. Where did the birth control and euthanasia movements have their origins?
The lectures have been a lot of work, but the light is at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully some UUs will find some fruitful thought, knowledge or inspiration.
Mark
Annual Dinner - Thanks -
A special thanks to all those who made the annual dinner a success. Thanks to Mark C. for hosting, Izzy Tappan-Defrees for putting the talent show together (and all those who showed off their talents), our “sound men” Michael Collins and Michael McCarthy, and finally the Fellowship Committee for coordinating another fabulous dinner. Now we know we had much to celebrate as we exceeded our canvass goal of $110,000 with a pledge total so far of $112,000 with 70 units pledging. Thank you all.
Do you have household hazardous waste to dispose?
As Waltham residents, we can go to the Hazardous Waste facility in Lexington any weekend with our licenses as our only ID. The city requests that we take only full cars. We have not been able to collect that as a single home except one time. We'd be happy to organize to help you rid yourselves of your household hazardous waste some weekend this summer if you too do not find that you have enough to justify a separate trip to Lexington. Please email us (edefrees@aol.com or izzyt@rcn.com) if you are interested in being included and when we figure out a weekend, we'll be in touch with you.
Poem from Chalice Lighting 4/27/08 read by Isabel Tappan-deFrees
“Crossing a Creek” Martha Courtot~1975
Crossing a creek
Requires 3 things
A certain serenity of mind
Bare feet
And a sure trust
That the snake we know
Slides silently
Underwater
Just beyond our vision
Will choose to ignore
The flesh
That cuts through
Its territory
And we will pass through
Some people think crossing a creek
Is easy
But I say this ---
All crossings are hard
Whether creeks, mountains
Or into other lives
And we must always believe
In the snakes at our feet
Just out of our vision
And we must practice believing
We will come through.
Dance Steps
Our own FPW members Fatima Hussein and Susan Lind-Sinanian will help lead us through some Arabic Dances (with variations) on Sunday, June 1 after church in the Parish Hall. Bring your dancing shoes and join us!
Annual Meeting Notes from Finance Committee:
First and foremost, thank you to all members who attended, questioned and voted at 4/27’s meeting! Thank you also to all who paid pledges in 2007 – 2008 and all who have pledged for 2008 – 2009. To quote the Treasurers, the unnoted budget items – all the time and materials each of you contributes to First Parish are crucial to the church’s meeting a budget… so thank you for that, too.
In the 2008 -2009 budget, we increased the expected income on the pledge line (due to the amount of pledges) so we could meet our annual Building Fund contribution. We were able to give all paid staff a 3% salary increase and make equity adjustments in a couple of jobs to better reflect the UUAs salary targets for our geographical region.
We have increased our Fair Share dues to the Mass Bay District (with rising membership go rising dues, so this is a great increase to have to absorb!). Fuel oil for the parsonage and the meeting house have increased, but the Green Sanctuary Committee and Buildings and Grounds have worked to contract with an oil-purchasing group for churches that should help offset some of that. All in all, we are in stable condition.
40% of our operating budget is from pledges. Without each of you, we would not be able to have the quality church programs and staff we have. A couple of follow-up notes from our canvass: we build our budget on the promise of money (a pledge), in other words, we have a budget, now we have to raise the money! One new request for this fiscal year: to assist with planning, please try to pay your pledges for 2008 – 2009 by 2/28/09 rather than the end of March. If you can manage to do that, it helps our end-of-year cash flow and new year’s budget planning considerably. However, if you have a life circumstance that means you can no longer meet your pledge, please talk to John Portz.
Finally, an especially huge thanks goes to the quiet under-heralded volunteer efforts by John Gorman and Jean Merkl as our co-treasurers to keep the budget up-to-date and answer endless questions. And, of course, to Nancy Dutton, the Church Administrator, who works to keep us all organized!
Newsletter by Email
Do you have email? Do you get the newsletter in snail mail?
Save a tree!
Save a stamp or two! (rates are about to go up again!)
Get your newsletter faster!
Email fpwatertown@comcast.net if you could start getting your newsletter on email rather than paper. (If you're addicted to news-in-print, you can always print it from email... but that wouldn't be so green, huh?)
New Comers and New Members
Breakfast --
This coming Sunday, May 4, there will be a Newcomer’s Breakfast for all new people at First Parish. If you are new this year, and have not attended a previous breakfast, please come. It begins at 9:30 a.m.
New UU Classes -
On Sundays, May 11 and May 18 at 9:30 a.m. Mark Harris will offer a New UU class. It is an introduction to the history and traditions of our UU faith, and to First Parish. All are welcome at either or both sessions.
New Member Welcome -
Those who have joined First Parish as official members during the past few months are officially welcomed into the church at this service. Would you like to join First Parish? Please speak to Mark Harris or fill out an “Intent to Join Card” found in our pamphlet rack. Those scheduled to be welcomed at this service so far include Carmen Emerson, Paul Montesino, Ginger Burns and Neil Zarin.
Miscellaneous – Fellowship Committee
We had a very successful Bring a Mug Sunday on Earth Day. We have at least 60 mugs. Thank you . If you would like to bring a mug in to be used at Social Hour. Please feel free to add it to the racks. Fellowship Committee members hope to be available to help with logistics over the next few Sundays.
District Annual Meeting/ GA/Summer Conferences
Mark Harris and Randy Rhoda represented First Parish at the Mass Bay District Annual Meeting held at the First Parish of Concord in April. Mark will also be attending General Assembly this year. This is the UUA’s annual meeting. He will deliver the last of his Minns Lectures there (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida). If you are interested in the GA, please speak to Mark. In Roberta’s column you will see a notice about her being a Ferry Beach booster. There are also other UU Summer conferences and institutes. Roberta is coordinating Middle School Camp at Ferry Beach, and Mark Harris is teaching a course in UU History at Ferry Beach in July (under the auspices pf Meadville Lombard Theological School). Mark and Andrea and two of their boys are pictured on the cover of the Ferry Beach brochure. Do you want to know about other opportunities? Carole Katz can tell you about Star Island, and Mark can also inform you about others as well.
Brainstorming for Social Action
We know that many First Parish members and friends are interested in Social Action, and support the church’s Social Action work. We also know that everybody has time constraints that limit the time they can devote to activities outside of work, home and family. The Social Action Committee, with the support of the Parish Committee, is considering a new approach to its work. Rather than spending valuable time in committee meetings, we want to experiment with a project-oriented approach to social action. By this we mean planning activities of a discrete nature that the church community can participate in, from planning a Comedy Night to volunteering at the Boston Food Bank to participating in rallies concerning the genocide in Darfur. We need you ideas, and we need and your support. On Sunday, May 18, after church, please help with Social Action by spending a few minutes brainstorming for task-oriented projects the church could participate in during the next church year. We will of course continue with the on-going projects the Parish has been engaged in over the years, including the giving boxes, gifts for the grow clinic at Christmas, the spring concert, and the monthly charitable offerings. This could be a good opportunity to help the church fulfill its social action mandate.
The Social Action Committee
Calling interested moviegoers
Any takers for a grown-up movie night at the Embassy Theatre in Waltham? We could grab a bite beforehand at the Pub (or we could take-in to the movie!). Date is Tuesday May 20. Email Izzy and Beth izzyt@rcn.com! Or call at 781-893-1695. Movie will be determined when the lists for the week come out.
The following Recycling Rules were shared by David Morrison and Brian Hebeisen at the Earth Day service. Extra “green” copies are available at church.
New Curbside Recycling Rules for Watertown
Paper
Place in paper bag (not plastic) or tie with string. Put bag next to or on top of bin.
Newspaper
Magazines, phone books, catalogs
Paperback books
Cardboard - flatten & bundle smaller than 36”x36”
Paperboard (cereal, cracker, shoe boxes, etc)
Junk mail (remove non-paper items)
Envelopes (windows ok), office paper
paper bags, manila envelopes, file folders
NO – dirty paper or milk cartons
No – Dirty pizza boxes
Containers
Rinse and place inside of bin
Glass bottles/jars – remove lids, corks, neck rings
No broken or other glass such as window glass, dishes, glasses, Pyrex
Tin, Steel and aluminum food cans and lids,
Deposit and non-deposit beverage cans
Clean aluminum foil
Remove labels, may flatten
No cans containing paint hazardous material or aerosol
Plastic containers – food, beverage and detergent containers labeled 1 – 7
NO styrofoam, plastic bags or motor oil
Drop-off Recycling
Grove St. Fri and Sat 9 am – 4 pm
Yard Waste
TVs and Computer Monitors
Office Paper
Mixed Metals
Used Clothing
Hazardous Waste drop-off (in Lexington)
Need to contact Town for dates and free voucher to use the facility (617-972-6446)
Paints, Pesticides, Cleaners (bleach, etc),
Auto Care Products – oil, gas, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.
Fluorescent bulbs including CFLs
Other
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
website for RE families: www.chalicedreamer.net
Most of you have already heard the sad news that this will be my final year working as your Director of Religious Education. I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from many of you. I can’t respond to all of the emails, but please know that each one is very much appreciated! What surprised me most was how many of you said “congratulations”. Because this journey started from a family need, I didn’t initially think of it as something that warranted congratulations. And yet, it did turn into a professional success story and therefore it does deserve that sentiment. While you all seemed to know that, I was still obsessing about my loss. It’s been an emotional time of considering how much I will miss my Sundays here in Watertown with you. But you’ve inspired me to look forward to the adventures that await me.
For those of you who don’t know, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered DRE positions at three wonderful congregations. It wasn’t easy to pick between them, but I ended up choosing to go to Sudbury. I was most attracted to Sudbury because my position included being both DRE and youth advisor (and I’ve been feeling particularly called to youth ministry work lately). I’m also inspired by the congregation’s focus on spiritual development. I could definitely consider that a growing area for myself. It seems that we offer each other a nice “yin yang” type balance as we were each looking for someone with the other’s strengths. Since I’ll be staying a member here in Watertown, I’m sure you’ll hear plenty of stories about my work in Sudbury.
I know this transition will be hard for some of you, but I want to remind you that the beauty of this community is all of you. This community will continue to grow and thrive and prosper! Our religious education program is not great because of the work done by me alone; it is fabulous because of the dedication and talents of so many of you. I have spent the last few years working hard with the RE committee to put the leadership of our programming in the hands of our community. We have many committed volunteers doing amazing things behind the scenes to make many aspects of our program so vibrant. Their excellent work will carry you through this transition as you select and begin working with a new DRE.
One of those volunteers is Tom Goodwillie, who coincidentally wrote a guest piece for our newsletter a few weeks ago. It’s a perfect example of the great work our volunteers are already doing!!
R. E. and Me, by Tom Goodwillie
I taught in church school for the last three months. I was with the 8 to 11 year olds, who were working with various stories and themes from the Bible. In a typical week I led a smaller group within that class, doing drama exercises or games related to that week's material. I loved the whole experience so much so that I just had to write something about it.
Working with the kids was great. They were full of surprises. They could be funny, sweet, difficult -- occasionally impossible -- and I kept coming back for more.
Then there was the pleasure of collaborating with the other volunteers and Roberta. I mean working together in class, and I also mean conferring between Sundays about how it went last time and what to do next time.
I also have to tell you about my amazing mother. Improvisational drama in the classroom has been her life's work, and she's still doing it at age 81. I have always appreciated and admired that side of her, but until recently it was not really a part of my life. Now, of course, I have been sharing what we are doing in R. E. and asking Mom to help me think about how to do it better. She and I have both been getting a big kick out of connecting with each other in this new way.
Here are some samples of what went on in class:
Once we told the story of Ruth. I had three kids for drama. After telling them the story, with emphasis on "Whither thou goest, I will go", it was time to think about how to act it out. OK, so you're Ruth? And you're Naomi? So I guess you could be Ruth's husband who dies, or her new husband at the end of the story, or how about both? No, don't worry, everybody, we don't have to act out any weddings. Yes, you may overplay the death scene as much as you wish _
One week, instead of giving them the usual sorts of playful activities, we made the whole group sit for an hour and talk about some problems they were having -- what Roberta called "respect issues". It was no fun, but it did yield some interesting conversation, and I think it may have even had some of the desired effect. For me, it also led somehow to the thought that it can be good for boys if some of their teachers are men.
Here's another session that was hard work but worth it. I was trying to get an improvised variant of the Good Samaritan story out of the small and obstreperous group who had chosen drama that week. It took every ounce of energy and authority that Cody and I could muster to keep bringing their attention back to where it needed to be, but in the end they did a great job and had a great time. That was one of my favorites.
Another favorite session, by contrast, was a piece of cake: We gave them a game to play, an impossible building project based loosely on something in Exodus. The kids had a blast. There was not much for the rest of us to do but watch and enjoy their happy collaboration.
I know I will want to teach again next year, maybe the age 11 to 14 group or maybe the 8 to 11 again. I have also joined the R. E. Committee, mainly because the process of fine-tuning our plans from week to week has given me an appetite for curriculum development. I have a lot to learn about this, and I think I also have a lot to offer. I definitely have some ideas about next year.
Whether it's the year-to-year process of creating a curriculum together, or the week-to-week process of planning a class together, or the moment-to-moment process of working with the kids, this R. E. stuff is giving me something I need. At this point in my life I can't imagine a better way of making a contribution to First Parish and being nourished in return.
Youth Sunday is coming in June:
The seasons are rushing by and we are only a month away from our wonderful annual Youth Sunday service coming on June 8. In addition to sharing rich and inspiring worship with our youth leaders, we will celebrate some special “rite-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds and “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds. In addition, we will honor the high school graduation of Cody Urban, whom First Parish has watched grow into an amazing, confident, and compassionate young man. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out our descriptive brochure at church or the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website.
Social Action news from RE:
This month will be special “environmental” programming for most of the children and youth in our RE program. They will be doing a wide variety of activities regarding making our world a “greener” place. Stay tuned for service projects you can help them with!
Ferry Beach
In case you don’t know, Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a wide variety of conferences to nurture your UU spirit as you also enjoy a fun vacation on the beach. They have great programs for youth, families, and adults. See Roberta for more details or check out the brochures at church. Or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Are We a Welcoming Community?
(from Elizabeth Tappan-deFrees)
WHAT!? Of course we are!!! We have a rainbow flag, we Greet our Neighbor, we have a Welcomer at Social Hour, a sign-in book… we have welcoming red doors on Church Street and a supportive spiritual community open to many beliefs and backgrounds… we have committee meetings to reflect on how we could be better!!
A couple of thoughts have crossed my mind, aided by comments at some of those meetings. I thought I’d share them. This is particularly for those of us who have truly found a church home at First Parish, who attend with some regularity and have church friends.
QUESTIONS:
1) Where do you park?
2) Where do you sit?
If you are newly at First Parish, or trying us out, your first impression is our parking lot. Many of us know this is a work-in-progress and needs some adjustment, but the first step to being more welcoming can be made each Sunday as the drivers among us decide where to put our cars. For those of us who know what to expect when we arrive at church and do not need assisted parking… how about the CVS lot? Or even Summer Street? Being welcoming starts at giving a visual welcome that includes a parking place. While we determine how to make that more obviously welcoming in terms of set-up, making a choice not to fill up the lot before newcomers and visitors arrive is a good start.
Then… you enter the sanctuary. Again, for those of us who already feel like First Parish is our home, think like a newcomer. As you enter the side doors from the Church Street entrance, try and imagine what it feels like to have to cross a pocket of easily accessed but full chairs to the empty chairs on the far side… often in the front or back? If a few more of us could cross the sanctuary and fill the seats on the fireplace side, the sanctuary would more easily welcome new people who might want to quietly come in and observe our routine.
Being a welcoming community does not mean simply offering a pleasant space, it also means taking a moment to make the space feel welcoming. Most of us believe it does feel so. And we are right. But it needs to be more so. We each need to make an effort to fully welcome visitors by the simple actions of thinking about parking and sitting. Our family has tried it the last couple of times we’ve been at church – it’s really not as traumatic as I believed it might be!! If you are a brave soul, who hasn’t fallen into a habitual parking and seating arrangement, kudos!!! For the rest of us, here’s a challenge to see if you can help us be more welcoming.
Notary Public at FPW
FPW Member David Morrison wanted to inform folks that he continues to be a Notary Public. His commission is good until December 4, 2009, if you ever have a need.
Making a Mark
(from Mark C., student minister)
During my studies at Divinity School, I have revisited the works of one philosopher many times and in many contexts: Immanuel Kant. For many, philosophy is rather boring stuff or self-indulgent navel-gazing divorced from the real world concerns of most people. I have been drawn to it over the years not because it is always exciting, or even relevant, but because it at least tries to get down to a fundamental way of understanding the universe and our place in it.
Kant is a special figure because his ideas permeate the social epoch known as the Enlightenment. He was revolutionary because he turned the discerning eye used in the sciences and mathematics toward metaphysics and philosophy. One Kantian tenet of enduring distinction was that there are essentially two worlds or spheres of concern – the noumenal and the phenomenal. Noumena refers to things in themselves, not their shadow or their abstraction, but the actual thing. Conversely, anything that is perceived through our senses is a phenomenon. Most would agree that they have never seen a thing in and of itself. We see it through fallible human eyes that can be tricked and distracted, and which cannot see all that could be seen. This Kantian distinction then proceeded to muck up much of theology.
Why? Because the sphere of inquiry shrank from the whole universe of possibility to the specifically knowable, i.e. the testable, repeatable, etc. Science is about experimentation, and you cannot experiment on the divine or the heavens, at least not reliably in keeping with scientific method. Kant did not deny that the noumenal existed, but he just did not think it was anything that human beings could effectively study. From this point you had a cottage industry amongst German philosophers volleying the words of Kant back and forth trying on the one hand to salvage an idea of divinity, such as with Schleiermacher and Hegel, while on the other Feuerbach and Marx tried to move away from such matters and squarely into the strictly human realm of ideas.
As the philosophers fiddled, science kept moving on in unexpected ways. The invisible universe of the subatomic became critically important to science, yet walled off from the thinking of the average person. We rely upon the firmness of the chair we sit upon, but science describes it as a whirl of electrons and neutrons and protons in various configurations making up the primary substance of the world around us. It is no less firm in our use, but perhaps less so in our minds if we pay attention to such learned matters.
Then, along came troublemakers like Albert Einstein with outlandish theories about time and space – nonsense about relative passage of time, gravity wells and other mystical creatures of scientific hyperbole. Of course, Einstein’s relativity is now accepted as scientific fact. Science also accepts ever more counterintuitive notions of the universe, with ever-smaller particles being found or theorized. But science is not the same as “us”. As science begins to tell us more and more about the unseen world, we have begun to take a lot on faith because we cannot be the theoretical physicist, microbiologist, math whiz, etc. I personally know nothing about high level physics or mathematics, so I must rely upon others to explain it all.
But if physics and math are getting a lot more fuzzy, what does that do to the crisp German theories of old? Kant relied upon science to split the universe asunder, so what happens when Einstein seems to sew it back together?
Quantum mechanics is not the basis for reclaiming the noumenal sphere, but it is something to think about as we decide what is going on around us. When we hazard to guess about the thing in itself, its ultimate nature or truth, we go down a road with caution signs put up by Immauel Kant centuries before. Paying attention to those signs is important. But the intriguing murkiness of modern physics also beckons us forward, as we see the crazy wisps of Einstein’s hair in the distance.
Summer Worship Services
During the summer months of July and August each year, we have a little break from our regular schedule. While Mark enjoys some well-deserved time away to recharge his battery, members of our congregation share some of their spirituality and insights with us by leading one of the summer worship services. These have been so well received over the years that last year we expanded the number of lay services to six. The services are more casual and the attendance is lighter than during the regular year. It’s a good opportunity to share in a comfortable way surrounded by friends. Sometimes the services follow our standard Order of Worship, and sometimes the leader takes us on a very different path.
The dates this year for the lay services will be: July 13, 20, 27 and August 7, 14, 21.
If you are interested in leading a service, please contact Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 or LesHons@verizon.net). If you would like to know what it’s like to take on one of these services, you could speak to Chris, or one of the other members who have done so in the past: Jeanne Cleary, Kyle Hart, Carole Berney, Charlyn Bethel, Wendell Refior, Roberta Altamari.
Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear what you have to say!
Fund Raiser for AIDS Program
Eliza Petrow, the daughter of FPW member Beth Parsons has invited us to the following event:
Location: Vineyard Church
170 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
When: Thursday, May 8, 7:00PM to 9:00PM
Phone: 617.331.3765
Dear Friends (and friends of friends),
I hope you can come to a fundraiser I am organizing to support a program I recently started in rural China. The program- under the AIDS Orphan Salvation Association and in partnership with Dr. Kay Johnson of Hampshire College- provides treatment, care and support to HIV+ children, many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS. We received generous support from DC-based Medical Care Development International to carry out the program for the first 12 months; however, additional HIV+ children in need of assistance have been identified and we require continued financial support to sustain and expand the program from June 1, 2008 onward.
Please join us for light refreshments from 7:00-7:30pm, followed by a viewing of the Oscar award winning short-documentary (39 minutes), "The Blood of Yingzhou District," which features several of the kids in the program. I will also provide a brief overview of AIDS in China, and will discuss the effectiveness and importance of the program. (If you wear glasses, be sure to bring them so you can read the sub-titles and see the photos clearly).
The event will be held at the Vineyard Church in Cambridge. The Vineyard Church is accessible on the Red Line and is about a 15 minute walk from the Porter Square T. The church has limited parking in the lot. If possible, Cambridge residents please use street parking. For non-Cambridge residents, street parking is available per a consideration by the City of Cambridge on the following streets: Notre Dame, Middlesex, Sargent and Rindge. Carpooling is encouraged.
Admission to the event is $10. Donations to support the program are encouraged and welcomed. All donations are tax deductible and will be handled by the US-based Alliance for Children Foundation. 100% of proceeds will go to the program.
If you plan to attend please be sure to RSVP so that we can arrange to have enough refreshments for all guests. If you will require childcare, please let me know in advance and I will have babysitters on-site.
Please feel free to pass this invitation on to friends who may be interested.
Thanks in advance for your support and I hope to see you May 8th!
Eliza at 617-331-3765
elizapetrow@post.harvard.edu
Open House at Fowle House
The Historical Society of Watertown invites us to the Grand Opening of the newly restored Edmund Fowle House, 28 Marshall Street, Watertown on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The opening ceremony will be at 11:45 a.m., and the house is open from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. This house has undergone a major restoration, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the 2nd oldest house in Watertown.
Arbella-April Newsletter 2008
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
April 2008
For the calendar of events go to our website at fpwatertown.org and use the calendar marked new.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday April 6, 2008
“The Cost of War” Mark W. Harris
In March we passed the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. In conjunction with the UUSC, we will mark Justice Sunday, and ask what has the war cost us in terms of resources and relationships, and assess how this conflict has affected each one of us.
Greeters: Jean Merkl and John Gorman
Social Hour: Brian Heibesen and Elizabeth Strekalovsky
Sunday April 13, 2008
“Confessions” Mark Caggiano
Mark will explore his personal theological musings, after three years of Divinity School and four decades of living.
Greeters: Ken Repp, Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Teodor Ellsworth and Jim Felty
Sunday April 20, 2008
Earth Day Celebration
Mark W. Harris
An intergenerational service where we celebrate our connections with the interdependent web. Look for a story, some music from the Folk Song Society, some special fun for all ages, and don’t forget to bring a mug, as we consider and act on our connections to the earth. Maybe a take home tree to plant?
Greeters: John Chamberlain & Sarah McSweeney
Social Hour: Celeste Oliva and Barbara Hansberry
Sunday April 27, 2008
Sharing the Minns Lectures
Mark W. Harris
This year I am the Minns Lecturer. Four of the five lectures will be given in this area. Please come! (one will be in Watertown; see elsewhere in newsletter) My subject matter is Class. It is often said we are a class bound faith. Is it true? How do our ideas about religion restrict who it is we appeal to.
Music: Frank Grimes,
Greeters: Jan Klein and Dede Dussault
Social Hour: Roger & Judy Kamm & Virginia Howe
Captains Log
What a whirlwind! Our last month at church has been one activity after another. The good news is that we had a whole lot of fun and entertainment. From Comedy Night to Canvass Dinners to Easter pancakes to our Benefit Concert, a good time was had by all (our many thank yous are noted elsewhere). While the church has had a good year, I know it has been a challenging year for many individuals. Members have struggled with the grief of saying goodbye to a parent, struggled with their own illnesses and set backs, and continued to be concerned by a world plagued with issues of war and peace and a floundering economy. So I hope you were able to take a break from the trials of life, and enjoy some good times with friends old and new this past month.
Now the month ahead is a more serious time for First Parish. We need to see how our budget shapes up, and thus we urge those of you who have not made pledges for fiscal 2008-09 to please do so today. Your continuing support for the church is vital. At the end of the month we will have our annual meeting. Committee chairs are urged to send us annual reports. We have many accomplishments to be proud of ; the Personnel Committee is nearly finished with its work; the Green Sanctuary committee has 12 action items that deserve your participation; we have 130 new chairs on the horizon; there will be discussion of space needs and much more. Do we really need to think about more space?
Well, look around. The parking lot is confusing on a given Sunday. The church school lacks classroom space. The minister shares an office with the nursery. The sanctuary is full when the children are present. These are good problems to have, but it does mean that we may not be very welcoming to someone who wants to park, go to church or bring a child to our church school. What can we do? Close our doors and say, go away! This is a nice church, but let’s keep it just for us! Well, hopefully we will want to share our faith and our sense of community so that we can grow and prosper. As they say, if you are not growing, you are . . .
What about growth? Not long ago I was looking at an old UUA directory, the denominational phonebook that lists all the congregations and ministers. I was the editor of this publication when I worked at UU headquarters. The edition I was look at was from 1988, twenty years ago. Our congregation listed 55 members that year, and now we are more than double that with 115 reported this year, and current numbers at about 125 with 60 registered in the church school. In a time when mainline churches are mostly floundering, we offer a faith that stands for freedom and hope against superstition and fear, a faith that says divinity is within each of our hearts, a faith where children are affirmed, and not saddled with guilt, where those who are refugees from other faiths are welcomed and not rejected for all the “heretical” theological and personal beliefs they hold to be true, where we believe in each other and how we live in the world and not in some dogmatic words to be followed without doubt or question.
Twenty years ago when that directory was published this was a small church that struggled to survive, and probably did not believe it could do much, but survive. Now every Sunday there are more than 100 people in the building. We have doubled in membership. We are giving one offering every month to a charitable cause. It seems to me when there is a need in Watertown someone calls me and asks how can First Parish help? With two Capital Fund Drives, a Welcoming congregation, and a soon to be Green Sanctuary, you are movers and shakers of our own gospel of creating a community of love and care. In April, as the annual meeting approaches, let us celebrate all that we have done and can do in the years ahead.
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to John Gorman, Jean Merkl and family at the recent death of John’s mother, Mary. A service was held in Needham, MA.
Our deepest sympathy to John Chamberlain and his family at the death of John’s mother in California in January. A service was held in Connecticut.
Our deepest sympathy to John Buchanan and his family at the recent death of John’s father. A memorial was held in Concord, MA
A warm welcome to those people who have either signed an intention to be a member form or transferred from another church. It is good to have you with us. All will be welcomed in
May :Carmen Emerson, Paul Montesino, Neil Zarin and Ginger Burns.
ANNUAL DINNER IS COMING!!
First Parish’s Annual Dinner and Talent Show will be held on Saturday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. People attending are requested to bring a dish – main dish, salad, dessert, appetizer, etc. Children are encouraged to come. Build Your Best Dish! – to represent our Canvass Theme – “Sustaining Today & Building for Tomorrow”
Izzy Tappan-deFrees is coordinating the talent show. Please contact her for more information or to donate your talent to the show.
We hope that everyone will attend this fun filled evening - where the food is good and plentiful, and the talent is …talented.
The Fellowship Committee
RUMMAGE SALE May 3:
The First Parish Rummage Sale will be Saturday, May 3 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. We are looking for quality donations! We like books, records, audio and video tapes, DVD’s, children’s clothes, linens and white goods, kitchen and household items, small electronics and appliances (in working order), arts and crafts, bric-a-brac, sporting goods, toys and games, small furniture, etc. etc. We don’t accept adult clothing, and we can’t take computers, electronic components or TV’s because of disposal problems. Otherwise, whatever you want to recycle that you think someone else would like is what we want! Drop off times are at the church Friday evening, May 2 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday morning, May 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will need lots of help setting up Friday night and Saturday morning, selling on Saturday and cleaning up Saturday afternoon. Please see Jane Knuttunen ( knuttun@rcn.com ) or Sue Kuder (skuder@cmlaw.net ) if you can help, or with questions.
(N.B. Each year we worry about disposing of items that do not sell. This year we are asking the Vietnam Vets to take away what is left over. Although they pick up every Tuesday in Watertown, they will not pick up at a church…just at private residences. So, we need people to volunteer to take 2 – 3 bags of stuff home, and put them out for the Vietnam Vets on Tuesday. We can arrange the pick-ups… we just need to volunteers to take bags home. Again, please let Jane or Sue know if you could help out in this way).
Newcomer Breakfast
If you are new to First Parish, there is a special event coming planned just for you! Twice a year our Fellowship Committee hosts a Newcomer Breakfast. All those who are new to the church (more or less) are invited to come meet others for this special meal which always features our FPW array of tasty foods and warm friendships. The breakfast will be on Sunday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m. Newcomers will receive an invitation, but if we miss you somehow, please come! This breakfast will be followed by two weeks of New UU classes, sessions meant to introduce newcomers to First Parish and its history and organization.
Thank you one and all
Our first annual Easter pancake breakfast was a nice gathering. About 50 people (young and old) attended and enjoyed the pancakes, sausage and fruit. A special thanks to all who helped out or made contributions: Will and Sue Twombly, Judy and Roger Kamm, Martha Scott, Nancy Dutton and David Benson, Jeanne Cleary( our shopper) and Barry Greess and Nathan (our other shopper and master pancake flipper), Jill Shaw and Barbara Farrell, and Izzy Tappan deFrees. Other donations: Missy Shay and Kelly Morton. It was fun to cook and prepare together. Let’s do it again!
Our first annual Comedy Night made $350 for the Social Action committee. Special thanks to Paul Day and Mark Caggiano for making these arrangements.
The annual benefit concert this year was given to support the Matenwa Community Learning Center in Haiti. The full house at the concert raised $1,000 for the school after the performers were paid. This is nearly the equivalent of an entire year’s salary for one teacher. Thanks to those who helped out: Kyle Hart, Paul Dansereau, Holly Cachimuel (who spoke on behalf of the church), Patricia Fox, David Morrison, Martha Scott and the two Marks. Also thanks to those who baked goodies for the intermission refreshments.
Fluorescent Bulb Concerns
(from Green Sanctuary)
I've heard there's mercury in CFL bulbs. Should I worry?
Several members of the church have recently spoken up about their concern that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain a small amount of mercury, which is toxic. While many of us are making the switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs we need to be fully informed about CFLs. Many products used in the home, office, and school contain mercury: thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, barometers, tube fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, electrical switches, and thermostats to name a few. All compact fluorescents contain trace amounts of mercury ˜ but don't worry! CFLs contain far less mercury than other items in the house: CFLs (4 mg), thermometers (500 mg), older thermostats (3,000 mg). Plus, using CFL bulbs actually prevents more mercury from being released into the air by power plants. A power plant emits about 10 mg of mercury to produce the electricity needed to run an incandescent bulb, compared to only 2.4 mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same amount of time. Also, most of the mercury in a CFL is recycled if the bulb is disposed of properly.
How should I dispose of my burned-out bulbs?
CFLs cannot go into the regular trash. First Parish is looking into having a collection box for used CFLs at the church. In the meantime, CFLs can be safely disposed of at the Watertown hazardous drop-off site in Lexington (Please use the Lexington site for all your toxic trash!) Also, some hardware stores will accept used CFLs. No mercury is released unless the bulbs are broken so it is important not to break the bulbs. If you do, here are some suggestions for cleanup. Thank you so much. These bulbs are tremendous energy savers, but you need to dispose of them properly.
Should a CFL break, take these simple precautions. Open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape.Do not use a vacuum or broom. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Use disposable rubber gloves if desired. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag and dispose of at one of the sites mentioned above.
If a CFL breaks on a rug or carpet, first remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag in the outdoor trash.
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
website for RE families: www.chalicedreamer.net
On Easter Sunday, Nathan Greess and Dominique Altamari shared a chalice lighting that they wrote together inspired by the first four lines from an Emily Dickinson poem. Several people asked that it be printed in the Arbella, so here it is …
“Hope” is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without
The words and never stops --- at all
“Peace” is the calm in everyone
The urge to just relax
For people to walk hand and hand
And find their inner soul
“Love” is that little spark of joy
The light to guide you through the dark
Because one spark starts a flame
Of everlasting love
“Life” is taking the first step,
The start of something new
After every end is a new beginning
You just have to take a chance
“Hope” is a thing with feathers
“Peace” is your inner soul
“Love” is a spark of joy
“Life” is a new beginning
Just take a chance
In March, I attended a training for religious educators on working with youth. As with most of these trainings, I find them to be both inspiring and affirming of the work we are already doing here in Watertown. For a small congregation with a new youth group, we are already witnessing the amazing evolution of a youth ministry.
The focus of our training was on ministry with youth. Ministry meaning “caring for and about, being attentive to: deserving our caring, thought, prayer”. With meaning “mutual ministry, theology of equity in power relations”. Youth meaning “focus on junior and senior high”. This is all a clear shift away from the outdated visions of youth groups. It’s not enough to just have a social forum for teens to get together. We need to have a ministry dedicated to meeting the unique needs of our youth. And while Watertown is already doing that quite well, I thought I’d share some of the basics with you both to affirm what we are already doing and inspire us to continue our meaningful work. Also, many of the basic theories for youth ministry are very relevant for the other ministries.
I learned two basic theories that I really wanted to share with you. One is for creating a balanced program. A youth ministry should include activities inspiring growth in five areas – worship, social action, activities and fellowship, learning, and leadership. These areas don’t need to be in equal proportions, but all should be represented in the activities. A sixth area, youth adult relations, is ideally inter-woven throughout all of these five areas. Throughout the year, our youth have participated in activities in all of these areas. But have you? First Parish has a wide variety of programs that fall within these areas. Do you participate?
The most intriguing part to consider was youth adult relations. I’ve seen some very nice connections growing between our youth and various adults in the community. It is well known that a strong youth ministry benefits the entire congregation in countless ways! I think the Watertown community as individuals and as a congregation has an excellent attitude towards our youth ministry. From Lee Pierce spending countless hours leading Our Wholes Lives for our Junior High youth and folks like Chris Johnson, Ken Repp, David Morrison, and Charlyn Bethell doing special projects with our youth to many of you enthusiastically participating in the projects the youth have brought to us, I really appreciate the respect and kindness everyone has shared with our youth this year. And that doesn’t even take into account the many dedicated others working wonders with our younger youth (they will be thanked later this year!). I would love to see even more connections continue to grow as our youth ministry does! Anyone who would like to get more involved with activities our youth are doing this year or next, please let me know.
Speaking of youth adult relations, I want to publicly acknowledge that we have been extremely lucky to have Barry Greess working this year as our Youth Advisor. He has been a trustworthy, compassionate, and fun leader for our youth. He helps create a ministry that is both safe and enjoyable for our teens. While he does receive a stipend for his work with our Senior High group, he has been working double time volunteering another four hours every Sunday morning to help with our Middle School group. It really is incredible to realize how much talent, energy, and time Barry has been dedicating to our youth ministry all year. If you see him, thank him on behalf of our entire community! And if you see his wife, Jeanne Cleary, or his son, Nathan Greess, thank them too for giving up so much family time so that he can do this for us!
The other youth ministry theory that I thought was worth sharing was regarding building community. Community is built in steps starting with “bonding”, moving to “opening up”, and “affirming”, and then “stretching”, finally “deeper sharing”. This theory is appropriate for groups of all types. All the members of a group won’t feel comfortable opening up until some low-risk bonding activity has been shared. Likewise, all of the members of a group won’t feel comfortable stretching and deeply sharing until activities promoting bonding, opening up, and affirmation have happened. This process needs to happen in each meeting, but you can move through introductory activities quicker once a group has been together long term. It seemed obvious as I learned it, but then I realized how many times I start a group with check-in before I give people the opportunity to bond with a “lower risk” activity. It’s really valuable to know these basic blocks for building community. It enables us to create healthier groups that honor each member. How might we use this theory in all of our groups at First Parish?
Once again, I’m finding working in our children’s and youth ministries to be very inspiring on many levels! We’ve got lots of energy and good things happening! From great kids to work with to awesome adults to collaborate with, we have a wonderful community here!!
Youth Sunday is coming in June:
The seasons are rushing by and we are only a few months away from our wonderful annual Youth Sunday service coming on June 8. In addition to sharing rich and inspiring worship with our youth leaders, we will celebrate some special “rite-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds and “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds. (Youth these ages will hear from Roberta soon regarding specific details for preparing for these ceremonies.) In addition, we will honor the high school graduation of Cody Urban, whom First Parish has watched grow into an amazing, confident, and compassionate young man. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out our descriptive brochure at church or the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website.
A special type of Easter basket!
A big thank you to all of the children and adults who brought supplies on Easter Sunday (March 23rd) to make an Easter basket for an animal shelter! The donations flowed out of our donation box! We are accepting supplies through April 6, so you still have time to donate if you want to. Food, toys, leashes, collars, blankets and towels for dogs and cats are needed. This is a great first service project for young children and perfect for animal lovers! For more details about the shelter, check out www.buddydoghs.com
Social Action news from RE:
Coming for the month following our intergenerational Earth Day service on April 20 will be special “environmental” programming for all children and youth in our RE program. They will be doing a wide variety of activities regarding making our world a “greener” place. Stay tuned for service projects you can help them with!
Popcorn Theology for Youth and Adults: Babel
On Sunday, April 6 from 6pm to 9pm: Youth Group sponsored intergenerational movie screening and discussion of the movie, Babel ... (When an American couple vacationing in Morocco fall victim to a random act of violence, a series of events unfolds across four countries that demonstrates both the necessity and impossibility of human communication). You are invited to bring your dinner or dessert to munch on while we watch the movie.
Recycling our clothing for Charity!
Join us on Thursday, April 10th at 7:30pm as we talk about one thing that many Americans buy too much of … new clothes. First, let’s learn about where our clothes really come from by watching a documentary, China Blue. Will we be inspired to think twice when we purchase new clothes? And considering the economic injustice, human rights, and environmental implications, are we better off reducing, reusing, and recycling our clothes more often? In that spirit, everyone is invited to bring nice clothing they no longer want, to pass along to someone else in our community. All clothes brought can be purchased for $1 each with all monies going to the charity that the group picks to support. (This event is intended for adults and youth in 9th grade or above.)
Ferry Beach
In case you don’t know, Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a wide variety of conferences to nurture your UU spirit as you also enjoy a fun vacation on the beach. They have great programs for youth, families, and adults. See Roberta for more details or check out the brochures at church. Or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Vagina Monologue ticket refunds
Many of us were disappointed that the performance of the Vagina Monologues didn’t happen. If you bought a ticket, Roberta was given the money that First Parish folks paid. See her to get your refund.
Annual Meeting and Reports
Our Annual Meeting of First Parish will take place on April 27 following the church service. Luncheon fixings will be available. All Committee chairs are reminded to prepare and submit an Annual Report on the activities of their committee during the past year. Those reports should be sent electronically to Nancy Dutton by Sunday, April 13.
Brother/Sister, Can You Spare a . . . MUG?
Do you drink coffee, tea, or juice at home in paper cups? We doubt it! Might you have some extra mugs in the back of your cupboards, going to waste? Time to recycle them by donating them for general use during future social hours. On Sunday, April 20, at the Earth Day intergenerational service, the Fellowship Committee will be circulating through the aisles with our festive “mug cart” to take up a collection of standard-sized mugs in our effort to reduce paper cup consumption during First Parish’s social events. We calculate needing about 50 mugs, so please just bring in ONE, if you do have an extra.
We hope to gradually transition to a paper-less social hour. We will store the mugs in special dishwasher racks that can then be stacked in our short cycle, energy-saving commercial dishwasher at the end of the social event. Fellowship Committee members will be available to help orient social hour hosts to this new-fangled process of not washing dishes by hand. Energy experts assure us that our dishwasher uses far less energy and water than hand-washing, so our experiment has received the green stamp of approval. Thanks for participating in this experiment to reduce First Parish’s resource consumption!
Amateur Historian (continued, part 2)
by Kathy Button
. . . the story I really want to tell you – and then I will get back to Thoreau – is about Anita Diamant and her 2005 novel, “The Last Days of Dogtown”. Allow me to quote a passage:
“A birdsong split the night silence and Judy Rhines held her breath, listening to the torrent of melody. She wanted to turn and ask, “It’s too late for mockingbirds, isn’t it?’” (p. 171)
When I read those lines, alarms went off inside my head. “It’s not too late for mockingbirds, it’s too early!” . . .
“Dogtown”, set in Cape Ann, takes the reader back to 1814. Hmmm, I didn’t think mockingbirds had reached that far North in that era. My dogged determination that drives me nuts wouldn’t allow me to stop my quest for some sort of proof. I found what I needed in “The Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts”, by Charles Wendell Townsend. His 1903 notes about Mimus polyglottos read: “Accidental visitor from the south. One was taken at Nahant in June, 1852.” So there! But in the supplement, dated 1920, Townsend goes on:
“In the original Memoir, I had collected only six records for the Mockingbird for Essex County. Four of the birds were shot. In the last dozen years the bird has become almost a resident, for individuals have been observed in various places in the County at all times of the year.” (p.16) I emailed Anita Diamant with the results of my research. Her reply was full of surprise. When I met her in person, she said, “Oh, you’re the one.” Because the room at the Needham Public Library had already reached its legal limit, we missed an opportunity to here Diamant read from “Dogtown”. She told the audience about this person who emailed her about mockingbirds. Sigh. But I did get her autograph for my copy of the book.
Enough digression and then I shall return to Thoreau. Without reading the first draft of “Walden”, which I understand was less than half the size of the 1854 published version, I rather suspect he did not include the line about the mockingbird. The whole Conclusion seems like an afterthought, an unfinished afterthought. In 1854 he mentioned mockingbirds in his Journals. On August 10, 1854, he jots an entry, “Mr. Loomis says that he saw a mockingbird at Fair Haven Pond to-day.” A few days later, on August 18, he goes on,
“I think I saw a mockingbird on a black cherry near Pedrick’s. Size and like of a catbird, bluish-black side-head, a white spot on closed wings, lighter breast and beneath; but he flew before I had fairly adjusted my glass.”
The mockingbird appeared in an earlier entry of the Journal, from June 14, 1851. At that point, Thoreau probably had only heard about the song bird: “Men talk of the rich song of other birds, the thrasher, mockingbird, nightingale. But I doubt, I doubt. They know not what they say.” So in the space of three years, from 1851 to 1854, the mockingbird made further inroads into New England.
“Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds and Other Late Natural History Writings”, which came to light in 1993, contains other references to mockingbirds and their food habits. Apparently, Henry David found many more opportunities to observe Mimus polyglottos in the years before he died in 1862.
(Another little aside, and then I must write my conclusion. A few years ago Mr. Mocker trapped himself in netting I had put over my strawberries. He whined like a baby when I wrapped him in a towel while I cut the plastic to free his legs. Did he thank me when I released him? No, he shot away. If I were a Nineteenth Century naturalist, I might have taken the opportunity instead to bring Mr. Mocker to the taxidermist. I shudder at the thought.)
CONCLUSION: That one phrase, “…the mocking-bird is rarely heard here”, speaks volumes about the expanding ranges of wild creatures, more than a century before the phrase “global warming” reached our consciousness. Re-reading “Walden” has also taught me that his books cannot be separated from his journals. “Walden” in all its weirdness makes more sense when studied along side his daily musings. Thanks to the power of “Google Books”, JSTOR, and all the other internet tools available to the compulsive reader, “Walden” is even more accessible than ever. The fourth time I re-visit “Walden” I shall be able to enjoy going over snibbets of the text, and leave behind that dogged determination to read every word.
2008 Minns Lecture Series
Unitarian Universalism and Class
A Faith for a Few?
by Mark W. Harris
Minister, First Parish of Watertown, Unitarian Universalist
Rev. Harris is the minister at the First Parish of Watertown. He is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Untarian Universalism and of the UUA pamphlet "UU Origins: Our Historic Faith." He is also an adjunct professor at Andover Newton Theological School and Starr King School.
Lectures are free and open to the public.
Lecture 1: A Class-bound Faith?
This lecture will introduce the subject. Why have Unitarian Universalists historically been associated with upper
or upper middle classes? Drawing on Richard Niebuhr’s The Social Sources of Denominationalism, we will examine the choice of religion as it pertains to class. What is the relationship between economic success and salvation? Which side did the liberals take in the Great Revival of the 1740s, and what does that have to do with maintaining the social order? This lecture will also look at different kinds of class, such as education and economic.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 7:00 pm
First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St., Boston
Lecture 2: Brahmin Culture for the Masses
This lecture will look at the alliance of business, Harvard College, Brahmin culture, and liberal religion. How did class determine our history and who became involved with the Unitarian movement? We will also look at a few people who wanted to spread the Unitarian faith to the masses in more evangelical styles, including Margaret Fuller’s brother, Arthur.
Thursday, May 1, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge
Lecture 3: Universalist Piety and a Classless Heaven
This lecture will examine the Universalist faith and its appeal to a broader number of classes in society through its message of equality. If all are equal in heaven, then nobody is saved unless everybody is saved.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 7:00 pm
King's Chapel Parish House, 64 Beacon St., Boston
Lecture 4: The Science of Salvation
This lecture will look at the relationship between liberal religion and the eugenics movement. Did liberals believe they were a better class of people? Were they the saved? And if so, did they believe that inferior peoples should not reproduce? What are the origins of the birth control movement?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 7:00 pm
First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown
Lecture 5: A Faith for a Few?
This lecture will ask, what are some of the historical ramifications of our faith? How is class reflected in our worship and our words? Do we believe we are the best people, liberals who can save the world? What has been our relationship to issues of race, and why have we been more successful with the gay and lesbian community in attracting newcomers? What would an anti-classist UUA look like?
UUA General Assembly, June 25-29, 2008, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
UU Niagara Experience
Join UUs from around the country in Niagara Falls, July 20-23, 2008
Come experience the wonder of Niagara Falls including some great educational opportunities while being taken care of like royalty. The UU Church of Niagara is conducting a four day UU Niagara Experience which is a lifetime opportunity to encounter the Falls up close from every perspective. Spend four days with us exploring the rich history and natural beauty around the Falls. For information visit our web site : http://www.uunex.net/
Historic 40th Walk for Hunger, Sunday, May 4 Details to follow!
Charles River Cleanup
The Ninth Annual Charles River Clean-up takes place this year Saturday, April 26, from 9 AM to Noon. Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety once again will be focusing on the park next door to Boston Scientific on Pleasant Street west of Bridge Street.
Adult RE Class - Islam
On April 27th, May 4th and May 18th, at 7pm Mark Caggiano will be holding three classes on Islam. Topics of discussion will be the Qur’an, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the main themes of Islam. The group will also examine the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam as well as some of the mystical practices of the Sufis. If you are interested in attending please contact Mark Caggiano or sign up on the bulletin board downstairs in the Parish Hall. He will be photocopying packets of materials and needs a head count.
Making a Mark
by Mark Caggiano
One of my areas of concern at First Parish has been to work with our Social Action Committee. We have had many accomplishments, some obvious and some less so. My hope is that others will continue to help with these important projects even after Mark has left the building.
We have our ongoing “Giving Box”. Canned and dry goods are collected and taken to the Watertown Food Pantry. One decision of Social Action this year was to focus our collections on the food pantry rather than confuse people about what they can bring in – is it tooth paste or tuna fish this week? One small project that people could do to help this effort is to bring the food over to the pantry once per month or so. The pantry is located just around the corner at St. John’s Methodist on Mt. Auburn Street.
We also have our upcoming annual cleanup effort for the Charles River. On April 26th we will gather at a location, to be determined, to help clean up our river. This event is coordinated by Social Action and the Green Sanctuary Committee. Please come on down to help with a little muscle and a lot of good will. Details to follow.
We have also been raising money for many causes. Our First Annual Comedy Night was a great success, and our very first fundraiser for the committee itself. The Folk Song Society Benefit Concert on March 29th was well attended and well enjoyed, raising $1,000.00 for the Matenwa Community Learning Center. Also, our monthly charitable offerings have been a great success for groups ranging from MassEquality to the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center. We appreciate your generosity.
One new effort in the works is a weekend foray into Boston to work at the Boston Food Bank. A crack team of First Parish stalwarts will go to the Food Bank to sort food for distribution to food pantries throughout the Greater Boston Area. Special thanks to Sue Kuder for her efforts in organizing this. Once we have the time and the date in place, we will need you to come and to help us make a difference for those in need. We hope you can spare some time for this worthy cause.
Even with these successes and plans in the works, the Social Action Committee still needs your support. We need volunteers to work on the committee to help us with our planning efforts. Most importantly, we need people to work on specific tasks, limited engagements for marvelous undertakings. Please consider working with the Social Action Committee as a member or as a project leader. Either way, you will be making a difference in Watertown and the wider world.
Womensphere Spring Gathering
Aging with Grace and Spirit
Saturday, April 19, 2008
9:30am-3pm
First Universalist Society in Franklin
262 Chestnut Street, Franklin, MA
Womensphere organizes sacred circle gatherings for women of the Ballou Channing District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our spring gathering will be a day spent celebrating the wonderful journey that aging can be. Our panelists are six wise and spirited women in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Cost is $27 including lunch. A limited number of scholarships are available. To register or for more information, please contact Kate Gillis, 401-823-7929, ksgillis@netzero.net
Survey for GLBTQ Youth and Adults (ages 14-35)!
The UU church is committed to celebrating free expression of sexual/gender orientation and many congregations have very actively welcomed gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer members. I am a social work graduate student who was once a GLBTQ youth in the UU, and I'm conducting a survey with the support of the Mass Bay District of UU Churches as part of my community practice project which is a requirement for graduation in the Masters program at Smith College School for Social Work. My objective is to understand the experience of GLBTQ youth in the UU community, including to what extent GLBTQ youth feel supported in the church, what has contributed to their experience, either positive and/or negative, and whether or not there is a need for additional programs/services. Whether you identify as a GLBTQ youth or if you are an adult who was part of UU during your adolescent and young adult years, I invite you to take part in this anonymous on-line survey and share your experience in the UU church as a GLBTQ youth. Just go to this website to obtain more information and to do the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/UUqueeryouth
Thank you so much for your help, I very much appreciate it!
Sandra DiPillo
Arbella
April 2008
For the calendar of events go to our website at fpwatertown.org and use the calendar marked new.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday April 6, 2008
“The Cost of War” Mark W. Harris
In March we passed the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. In conjunction with the UUSC, we will mark Justice Sunday, and ask what has the war cost us in terms of resources and relationships, and assess how this conflict has affected each one of us.
Greeters: Jean Merkl and John Gorman
Social Hour: Brian Heibesen and Elizabeth Strekalovsky
Sunday April 13, 2008
“Confessions” Mark Caggiano
Mark will explore his personal theological musings, after three years of Divinity School and four decades of living.
Greeters: Ken Repp, Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Teodor Ellsworth and Jim Felty
Sunday April 20, 2008
Earth Day Celebration
Mark W. Harris
An intergenerational service where we celebrate our connections with the interdependent web. Look for a story, some music from the Folk Song Society, some special fun for all ages, and don’t forget to bring a mug, as we consider and act on our connections to the earth. Maybe a take home tree to plant?
Greeters: John Chamberlain & Sarah McSweeney
Social Hour: Celeste Oliva and Barbara Hansberry
Sunday April 27, 2008
Sharing the Minns Lectures
Mark W. Harris
This year I am the Minns Lecturer. Four of the five lectures will be given in this area. Please come! (one will be in Watertown; see elsewhere in newsletter) My subject matter is Class. It is often said we are a class bound faith. Is it true? How do our ideas about religion restrict who it is we appeal to.
Music: Frank Grimes,
Greeters: Jan Klein and Dede Dussault
Social Hour: Roger & Judy Kamm & Virginia Howe
Captains Log
What a whirlwind! Our last month at church has been one activity after another. The good news is that we had a whole lot of fun and entertainment. From Comedy Night to Canvass Dinners to Easter pancakes to our Benefit Concert, a good time was had by all (our many thank yous are noted elsewhere). While the church has had a good year, I know it has been a challenging year for many individuals. Members have struggled with the grief of saying goodbye to a parent, struggled with their own illnesses and set backs, and continued to be concerned by a world plagued with issues of war and peace and a floundering economy. So I hope you were able to take a break from the trials of life, and enjoy some good times with friends old and new this past month.
Now the month ahead is a more serious time for First Parish. We need to see how our budget shapes up, and thus we urge those of you who have not made pledges for fiscal 2008-09 to please do so today. Your continuing support for the church is vital. At the end of the month we will have our annual meeting. Committee chairs are urged to send us annual reports. We have many accomplishments to be proud of ; the Personnel Committee is nearly finished with its work; the Green Sanctuary committee has 12 action items that deserve your participation; we have 130 new chairs on the horizon; there will be discussion of space needs and much more. Do we really need to think about more space?
Well, look around. The parking lot is confusing on a given Sunday. The church school lacks classroom space. The minister shares an office with the nursery. The sanctuary is full when the children are present. These are good problems to have, but it does mean that we may not be very welcoming to someone who wants to park, go to church or bring a child to our church school. What can we do? Close our doors and say, go away! This is a nice church, but let’s keep it just for us! Well, hopefully we will want to share our faith and our sense of community so that we can grow and prosper. As they say, if you are not growing, you are . . .
What about growth? Not long ago I was looking at an old UUA directory, the denominational phonebook that lists all the congregations and ministers. I was the editor of this publication when I worked at UU headquarters. The edition I was look at was from 1988, twenty years ago. Our congregation listed 55 members that year, and now we are more than double that with 115 reported this year, and current numbers at about 125 with 60 registered in the church school. In a time when mainline churches are mostly floundering, we offer a faith that stands for freedom and hope against superstition and fear, a faith that says divinity is within each of our hearts, a faith where children are affirmed, and not saddled with guilt, where those who are refugees from other faiths are welcomed and not rejected for all the “heretical” theological and personal beliefs they hold to be true, where we believe in each other and how we live in the world and not in some dogmatic words to be followed without doubt or question.
Twenty years ago when that directory was published this was a small church that struggled to survive, and probably did not believe it could do much, but survive. Now every Sunday there are more than 100 people in the building. We have doubled in membership. We are giving one offering every month to a charitable cause. It seems to me when there is a need in Watertown someone calls me and asks how can First Parish help? With two Capital Fund Drives, a Welcoming congregation, and a soon to be Green Sanctuary, you are movers and shakers of our own gospel of creating a community of love and care. In April, as the annual meeting approaches, let us celebrate all that we have done and can do in the years ahead.
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to John Gorman, Jean Merkl and family at the recent death of John’s mother, Mary. A service was held in Needham, MA.
Our deepest sympathy to John Chamberlain and his family at the death of John’s mother in California in January. A service was held in Connecticut.
Our deepest sympathy to John Buchanan and his family at the recent death of John’s father. A memorial was held in Concord, MA
A warm welcome to those people who have either signed an intention to be a member form or transferred from another church. It is good to have you with us. All will be welcomed in
May :Carmen Emerson, Paul Montesino, Neil Zarin and Ginger Burns.
ANNUAL DINNER IS COMING!!
First Parish’s Annual Dinner and Talent Show will be held on Saturday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. People attending are requested to bring a dish – main dish, salad, dessert, appetizer, etc. Children are encouraged to come. Build Your Best Dish! – to represent our Canvass Theme – “Sustaining Today & Building for Tomorrow”
Izzy Tappan-deFrees is coordinating the talent show. Please contact her for more information or to donate your talent to the show.
We hope that everyone will attend this fun filled evening - where the food is good and plentiful, and the talent is …talented.
The Fellowship Committee
RUMMAGE SALE May 3:
The First Parish Rummage Sale will be Saturday, May 3 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. We are looking for quality donations! We like books, records, audio and video tapes, DVD’s, children’s clothes, linens and white goods, kitchen and household items, small electronics and appliances (in working order), arts and crafts, bric-a-brac, sporting goods, toys and games, small furniture, etc. etc. We don’t accept adult clothing, and we can’t take computers, electronic components or TV’s because of disposal problems. Otherwise, whatever you want to recycle that you think someone else would like is what we want! Drop off times are at the church Friday evening, May 2 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Saturday morning, May 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will need lots of help setting up Friday night and Saturday morning, selling on Saturday and cleaning up Saturday afternoon. Please see Jane Knuttunen ( knuttun@rcn.com
(N.B. Each year we worry about disposing of items that do not sell. This year we are asking the Vietnam Vets to take away what is left over. Although they pick up every Tuesday in Watertown, they will not pick up at a church…just at private residences. So, we need people to volunteer to take 2 – 3 bags of stuff home, and put them out for the Vietnam Vets on Tuesday. We can arrange the pick-ups… we just need to volunteers to take bags home. Again, please let Jane or Sue know if you could help out in this way).
Newcomer Breakfast
If you are new to First Parish, there is a special event coming planned just for you! Twice a year our Fellowship Committee hosts a Newcomer Breakfast. All those who are new to the church (more or less) are invited to come meet others for this special meal which always features our FPW array of tasty foods and warm friendships. The breakfast will be on Sunday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m. Newcomers will receive an invitation, but if we miss you somehow, please come! This breakfast will be followed by two weeks of New UU classes, sessions meant to introduce newcomers to First Parish and its history and organization.
Thank you one and all
Our first annual Easter pancake breakfast was a nice gathering. About 50 people (young and old) attended and enjoyed the pancakes, sausage and fruit. A special thanks to all who helped out or made contributions: Will and Sue Twombly, Judy and Roger Kamm, Martha Scott, Nancy Dutton and David Benson, Jeanne Cleary( our shopper) and Barry Greess and Nathan (our other shopper and master pancake flipper), Jill Shaw and Barbara Farrell, and Izzy Tappan deFrees. Other donations: Missy Shay and Kelly Morton. It was fun to cook and prepare together. Let’s do it again!
Our first annual Comedy Night made $350 for the Social Action committee. Special thanks to Paul Day and Mark Caggiano for making these arrangements.
The annual benefit concert this year was given to support the Matenwa Community Learning Center in Haiti. The full house at the concert raised $1,000 for the school after the performers were paid. This is nearly the equivalent of an entire year’s salary for one teacher. Thanks to those who helped out: Kyle Hart, Paul Dansereau, Holly Cachimuel (who spoke on behalf of the church), Patricia Fox, David Morrison, Martha Scott and the two Marks. Also thanks to those who baked goodies for the intermission refreshments.
Fluorescent Bulb Concerns
(from Green Sanctuary)
I've heard there's mercury in CFL bulbs. Should I worry?
Several members of the church have recently spoken up about their concern that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain a small amount of mercury, which is toxic. While many of us are making the switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs we need to be fully informed about CFLs. Many products used in the home, office, and school contain mercury: thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, barometers, tube fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, electrical switches, and thermostats to name a few. All compact fluorescents contain trace amounts of mercury ˜ but don't worry! CFLs contain far less mercury than other items in the house: CFLs (4 mg), thermometers (500 mg), older thermostats (3,000 mg). Plus, using CFL bulbs actually prevents more mercury from being released into the air by power plants. A power plant emits about 10 mg of mercury to produce the electricity needed to run an incandescent bulb, compared to only 2.4 mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same amount of time. Also, most of the mercury in a CFL is recycled if the bulb is disposed of properly.
How should I dispose of my burned-out bulbs?
CFLs cannot go into the regular trash. First Parish is looking into having a collection box for used CFLs at the church. In the meantime, CFLs can be safely disposed of at the Watertown hazardous drop-off site in Lexington (Please use the Lexington site for all your toxic trash!) Also, some hardware stores will accept used CFLs. No mercury is released unless the bulbs are broken so it is important not to break the bulbs. If you do, here are some suggestions for cleanup. Thank you so much. These bulbs are tremendous energy savers, but you need to dispose of them properly.
Should a CFL break, take these simple precautions. Open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape.Do not use a vacuum or broom. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Use disposable rubber gloves if desired. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag and dispose of at one of the sites mentioned above.
If a CFL breaks on a rug or carpet, first remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag in the outdoor trash.
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
Roberta@chalicedreamer.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
website for RE families: www.chalicedreamer.net
On Easter Sunday, Nathan Greess and Dominique Altamari shared a chalice lighting that they wrote together inspired by the first four lines from an Emily Dickinson poem. Several people asked that it be printed in the Arbella, so here it is …
“Hope” is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without
The words and never stops --- at all
“Peace” is the calm in everyone
The urge to just relax
For people to walk hand and hand
And find their inner soul
“Love” is that little spark of joy
The light to guide you through the dark
Because one spark starts a flame
Of everlasting love
“Life” is taking the first step,
The start of something new
After every end is a new beginning
You just have to take a chance
“Hope” is a thing with feathers
“Peace” is your inner soul
“Love” is a spark of joy
“Life” is a new beginning
Just take a chance
In March, I attended a training for religious educators on working with youth. As with most of these trainings, I find them to be both inspiring and affirming of the work we are already doing here in Watertown. For a small congregation with a new youth group, we are already witnessing the amazing evolution of a youth ministry.
The focus of our training was on ministry with youth. Ministry meaning “caring for and about, being attentive to: deserving our caring, thought, prayer”. With meaning “mutual ministry, theology of equity in power relations”. Youth meaning “focus on junior and senior high”. This is all a clear shift away from the outdated visions of youth groups. It’s not enough to just have a social forum for teens to get together. We need to have a ministry dedicated to meeting the unique needs of our youth. And while Watertown is already doing that quite well, I thought I’d share some of the basics with you both to affirm what we are already doing and inspire us to continue our meaningful work. Also, many of the basic theories for youth ministry are very relevant for the other ministries.
I learned two basic theories that I really wanted to share with you. One is for creating a balanced program. A youth ministry should include activities inspiring growth in five areas – worship, social action, activities and fellowship, learning, and leadership. These areas don’t need to be in equal proportions, but all should be represented in the activities. A sixth area, youth adult relations, is ideally inter-woven throughout all of these five areas. Throughout the year, our youth have participated in activities in all of these areas. But have you? First Parish has a wide variety of programs that fall within these areas. Do you participate?
The most intriguing part to consider was youth adult relations. I’ve seen some very nice connections growing between our youth and various adults in the community. It is well known that a strong youth ministry benefits the entire congregation in countless ways! I think the Watertown community as individuals and as a congregation has an excellent attitude towards our youth ministry. From Lee Pierce spending countless hours leading Our Wholes Lives for our Junior High youth and folks like Chris Johnson, Ken Repp, David Morrison, and Charlyn Bethell doing special projects with our youth to many of you enthusiastically participating in the projects the youth have brought to us, I really appreciate the respect and kindness everyone has shared with our youth this year. And that doesn’t even take into account the many dedicated others working wonders with our younger youth (they will be thanked later this year!). I would love to see even more connections continue to grow as our youth ministry does! Anyone who would like to get more involved with activities our youth are doing this year or next, please let me know.
Speaking of youth adult relations, I want to publicly acknowledge that we have been extremely lucky to have Barry Greess working this year as our Youth Advisor. He has been a trustworthy, compassionate, and fun leader for our youth. He helps create a ministry that is both safe and enjoyable for our teens. While he does receive a stipend for his work with our Senior High group, he has been working double time volunteering another four hours every Sunday morning to help with our Middle School group. It really is incredible to realize how much talent, energy, and time Barry has been dedicating to our youth ministry all year. If you see him, thank him on behalf of our entire community! And if you see his wife, Jeanne Cleary, or his son, Nathan Greess, thank them too for giving up so much family time so that he can do this for us!
The other youth ministry theory that I thought was worth sharing was regarding building community. Community is built in steps starting with “bonding”, moving to “opening up”, and “affirming”, and then “stretching”, finally “deeper sharing”. This theory is appropriate for groups of all types. All the members of a group won’t feel comfortable opening up until some low-risk bonding activity has been shared. Likewise, all of the members of a group won’t feel comfortable stretching and deeply sharing until activities promoting bonding, opening up, and affirmation have happened. This process needs to happen in each meeting, but you can move through introductory activities quicker once a group has been together long term. It seemed obvious as I learned it, but then I realized how many times I start a group with check-in before I give people the opportunity to bond with a “lower risk” activity. It’s really valuable to know these basic blocks for building community. It enables us to create healthier groups that honor each member. How might we use this theory in all of our groups at First Parish?
Once again, I’m finding working in our children’s and youth ministries to be very inspiring on many levels! We’ve got lots of energy and good things happening! From great kids to work with to awesome adults to collaborate with, we have a wonderful community here!!
Youth Sunday is coming in June:
The seasons are rushing by and we are only a few months away from our wonderful annual Youth Sunday service coming on June 8. In addition to sharing rich and inspiring worship with our youth leaders, we will celebrate some special “rite-of-passage” ceremonies. This year, those ceremonies include “First Chalice” for our 8-year-olds and “First Mentor” for our 11-year-olds. (Youth these ages will hear from Roberta soon regarding specific details for preparing for these ceremonies.) In addition, we will honor the high school graduation of Cody Urban, whom First Parish has watched grow into an amazing, confident, and compassionate young man. If you aren’t familiar with these wonderful ways that we honor our growing youth, check out our descriptive brochure at church or the “rites-of-passage” link on our R.E. website.
A special type of Easter basket!
A big thank you to all of the children and adults who brought supplies on Easter Sunday (March 23rd) to make an Easter basket for an animal shelter! The donations flowed out of our donation box! We are accepting supplies through April 6, so you still have time to donate if you want to. Food, toys, leashes, collars, blankets and towels for dogs and cats are needed. This is a great first service project for young children and perfect for animal lovers! For more details about the shelter, check out www.buddydoghs.com
Social Action news from RE:
Coming for the month following our intergenerational Earth Day service on April 20 will be special “environmental” programming for all children and youth in our RE program. They will be doing a wide variety of activities regarding making our world a “greener” place. Stay tuned for service projects you can help them with!
Popcorn Theology for Youth and Adults: Babel
On Sunday, April 6 from 6pm to 9pm: Youth Group sponsored intergenerational movie screening and discussion of the movie, Babel ... (When an American couple vacationing in Morocco fall victim to a random act of violence, a series of events unfolds across four countries that demonstrates both the necessity and impossibility of human communication). You are invited to bring your dinner or dessert to munch on while we watch the movie.
Recycling our clothing for Charity!
Join us on Thursday, April 10th at 7:30pm as we talk about one thing that many Americans buy too much of … new clothes. First, let’s learn about where our clothes really come from by watching a documentary, China Blue. Will we be inspired to think twice when we purchase new clothes? And considering the economic injustice, human rights, and environmental implications, are we better off reducing, reusing, and recycling our clothes more often? In that spirit, everyone is invited to bring nice clothing they no longer want, to pass along to someone else in our community. All clothes brought can be purchased for $1 each with all monies going to the charity that the group picks to support. (This event is intended for adults and youth in 9th grade or above.)
Ferry Beach
In case you don’t know, Roberta is a Ferry Beach booster. That means she is happy to answer any questions you might have about this awesome UU summer vacation experience. (as are many other First Parish youth and adults who have been to Ferry Beach and love it!) They have a wide variety of conferences to nurture your UU spirit as you also enjoy a fun vacation on the beach. They have great programs for youth, families, and adults. See Roberta for more details or check out the brochures at church. Or check them out on the web at www.ferrybeach.org
Vagina Monologue ticket refunds
Many of us were disappointed that the performance of the Vagina Monologues didn’t happen. If you bought a ticket, Roberta was given the money that First Parish folks paid. See her to get your refund.
Annual Meeting and Reports
Our Annual Meeting of First Parish will take place on April 27 following the church service. Luncheon fixings will be available. All Committee chairs are reminded to prepare and submit an Annual Report on the activities of their committee during the past year. Those reports should be sent electronically to Nancy Dutton by Sunday, April 13.
Brother/Sister, Can You Spare a . . . MUG?
Do you drink coffee, tea, or juice at home in paper cups? We doubt it! Might you have some extra mugs in the back of your cupboards, going to waste? Time to recycle them by donating them for general use during future social hours. On Sunday, April 20, at the Earth Day intergenerational service, the Fellowship Committee will be circulating through the aisles with our festive “mug cart” to take up a collection of standard-sized mugs in our effort to reduce paper cup consumption during First Parish’s social events. We calculate needing about 50 mugs, so please just bring in ONE, if you do have an extra.
We hope to gradually transition to a paper-less social hour. We will store the mugs in special dishwasher racks that can then be stacked in our short cycle, energy-saving commercial dishwasher at the end of the social event. Fellowship Committee members will be available to help orient social hour hosts to this new-fangled process of not washing dishes by hand. Energy experts assure us that our dishwasher uses far less energy and water than hand-washing, so our experiment has received the green stamp of approval. Thanks for participating in this experiment to reduce First Parish’s resource consumption!
Amateur Historian (continued, part 2)
by Kathy Button
. . . the story I really want to tell you – and then I will get back to Thoreau – is about Anita Diamant and her 2005 novel, “The Last Days of Dogtown”. Allow me to quote a passage:
“A birdsong split the night silence and Judy Rhines held her breath, listening to the torrent of melody. She wanted to turn and ask, “It’s too late for mockingbirds, isn’t it?’” (p. 171)
When I read those lines, alarms went off inside my head. “It’s not too late for mockingbirds, it’s too early!” . . .
“Dogtown”, set in Cape Ann, takes the reader back to 1814. Hmmm, I didn’t think mockingbirds had reached that far North in that era. My dogged determination that drives me nuts wouldn’t allow me to stop my quest for some sort of proof. I found what I needed in “The Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts”, by Charles Wendell Townsend. His 1903 notes about Mimus polyglottos read: “Accidental visitor from the south. One was taken at Nahant in June, 1852.” So there! But in the supplement, dated 1920, Townsend goes on:
“In the original Memoir, I had collected only six records for the Mockingbird for Essex County. Four of the birds were shot. In the last dozen years the bird has become almost a resident, for individuals have been observed in various places in the County at all times of the year.” (p.16) I emailed Anita Diamant with the results of my research. Her reply was full of surprise. When I met her in person, she said, “Oh, you’re the one.” Because the room at the Needham Public Library had already reached its legal limit, we missed an opportunity to here Diamant read from “Dogtown”. She told the audience about this person who emailed her about mockingbirds. Sigh. But I did get her autograph for my copy of the book.
Enough digression and then I shall return to Thoreau. Without reading the first draft of “Walden”, which I understand was less than half the size of the 1854 published version, I rather suspect he did not include the line about the mockingbird. The whole Conclusion seems like an afterthought, an unfinished afterthought. In 1854 he mentioned mockingbirds in his Journals. On August 10, 1854, he jots an entry, “Mr. Loomis says that he saw a mockingbird at Fair Haven Pond to-day.” A few days later, on August 18, he goes on,
“I think I saw a mockingbird on a black cherry near Pedrick’s. Size and like of a catbird, bluish-black side-head, a white spot on closed wings, lighter breast and beneath; but he flew before I had fairly adjusted my glass.”
The mockingbird appeared in an earlier entry of the Journal, from June 14, 1851. At that point, Thoreau probably had only heard about the song bird: “Men talk of the rich song of other birds, the thrasher, mockingbird, nightingale. But I doubt, I doubt. They know not what they say.” So in the space of three years, from 1851 to 1854, the mockingbird made further inroads into New England.
“Faith in a Seed: The Dispersion of Seeds and Other Late Natural History Writings”, which came to light in 1993, contains other references to mockingbirds and their food habits. Apparently, Henry David found many more opportunities to observe Mimus polyglottos in the years before he died in 1862.
(Another little aside, and then I must write my conclusion. A few years ago Mr. Mocker trapped himself in netting I had put over my strawberries. He whined like a baby when I wrapped him in a towel while I cut the plastic to free his legs. Did he thank me when I released him? No, he shot away. If I were a Nineteenth Century naturalist, I might have taken the opportunity instead to bring Mr. Mocker to the taxidermist. I shudder at the thought.)
CONCLUSION: That one phrase, “…the mocking-bird is rarely heard here”, speaks volumes about the expanding ranges of wild creatures, more than a century before the phrase “global warming” reached our consciousness. Re-reading “Walden” has also taught me that his books cannot be separated from his journals. “Walden” in all its weirdness makes more sense when studied along side his daily musings. Thanks to the power of “Google Books”, JSTOR, and all the other internet tools available to the compulsive reader, “Walden” is even more accessible than ever. The fourth time I re-visit “Walden” I shall be able to enjoy going over snibbets of the text, and leave behind that dogged determination to read every word.
2008 Minns Lecture Series
Unitarian Universalism and Class
A Faith for a Few?
by Mark W. Harris
Minister, First Parish of Watertown, Unitarian Universalist
Rev. Harris is the minister at the First Parish of Watertown. He is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Untarian Universalism and of the UUA pamphlet "UU Origins: Our Historic Faith." He is also an adjunct professor at Andover Newton Theological School and Starr King School.
Lectures are free and open to the public.
Lecture 1: A Class-bound Faith?
This lecture will introduce the subject. Why have Unitarian Universalists historically been associated with upper
or upper middle classes? Drawing on Richard Niebuhr’s The Social Sources of Denominationalism, we will examine the choice of religion as it pertains to class. What is the relationship between economic success and salvation? Which side did the liberals take in the Great Revival of the 1740s, and what does that have to do with maintaining the social order? This lecture will also look at different kinds of class, such as education and economic.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 7:00 pm
First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St., Boston
Lecture 2: Brahmin Culture for the Masses
This lecture will look at the alliance of business, Harvard College, Brahmin culture, and liberal religion. How did class determine our history and who became involved with the Unitarian movement? We will also look at a few people who wanted to spread the Unitarian faith to the masses in more evangelical styles, including Margaret Fuller’s brother, Arthur.
Thursday, May 1, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge
Lecture 3: Universalist Piety and a Classless Heaven
This lecture will examine the Universalist faith and its appeal to a broader number of classes in society through its message of equality. If all are equal in heaven, then nobody is saved unless everybody is saved.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 7:00 pm
King's Chapel Parish House, 64 Beacon St., Boston
Lecture 4: The Science of Salvation
This lecture will look at the relationship between liberal religion and the eugenics movement. Did liberals believe they were a better class of people? Were they the saved? And if so, did they believe that inferior peoples should not reproduce? What are the origins of the birth control movement?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 7:00 pm
First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown
Lecture 5: A Faith for a Few?
This lecture will ask, what are some of the historical ramifications of our faith? How is class reflected in our worship and our words? Do we believe we are the best people, liberals who can save the world? What has been our relationship to issues of race, and why have we been more successful with the gay and lesbian community in attracting newcomers? What would an anti-classist UUA look like?
UUA General Assembly, June 25-29, 2008, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
UU Niagara Experience
Join UUs from around the country in Niagara Falls, July 20-23, 2008
Come experience the wonder of Niagara Falls including some great educational opportunities while being taken care of like royalty. The UU Church of Niagara is conducting a four day UU Niagara Experience which is a lifetime opportunity to encounter the Falls up close from every perspective. Spend four days with us exploring the rich history and natural beauty around the Falls. For information visit our web site : http://www.uunex.net/
Historic 40th Walk for Hunger, Sunday, May 4 Details to follow!
Charles River Cleanup
The Ninth Annual Charles River Clean-up takes place this year Saturday, April 26, from 9 AM to Noon. Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety once again will be focusing on the park next door to Boston Scientific on Pleasant Street west of Bridge Street.
Adult RE Class - Islam
On April 27th, May 4th and May 18th, at 7pm Mark Caggiano will be holding three classes on Islam. Topics of discussion will be the Qur’an, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the main themes of Islam. The group will also examine the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam as well as some of the mystical practices of the Sufis. If you are interested in attending please contact Mark Caggiano or sign up on the bulletin board downstairs in the Parish Hall. He will be photocopying packets of materials and needs a head count.
Making a Mark
by Mark Caggiano
One of my areas of concern at First Parish has been to work with our Social Action Committee. We have had many accomplishments, some obvious and some less so. My hope is that others will continue to help with these important projects even after Mark has left the building.
We have our ongoing “Giving Box”. Canned and dry goods are collected and taken to the Watertown Food Pantry. One decision of Social Action this year was to focus our collections on the food pantry rather than confuse people about what they can bring in – is it tooth paste or tuna fish this week? One small project that people could do to help this effort is to bring the food over to the pantry once per month or so. The pantry is located just around the corner at St. John’s Methodist on Mt. Auburn Street.
We also have our upcoming annual cleanup effort for the Charles River. On April 26th we will gather at a location, to be determined, to help clean up our river. This event is coordinated by Social Action and the Green Sanctuary Committee. Please come on down to help with a little muscle and a lot of good will. Details to follow.
We have also been raising money for many causes. Our First Annual Comedy Night was a great success, and our very first fundraiser for the committee itself. The Folk Song Society Benefit Concert on March 29th was well attended and well enjoyed, raising $1,000.00 for the Matenwa Community Learning Center. Also, our monthly charitable offerings have been a great success for groups ranging from MassEquality to the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center. We appreciate your generosity.
One new effort in the works is a weekend foray into Boston to work at the Boston Food Bank. A crack team of First Parish stalwarts will go to the Food Bank to sort food for distribution to food pantries throughout the Greater Boston Area. Special thanks to Sue Kuder for her efforts in organizing this. Once we have the time and the date in place, we will need you to come and to help us make a difference for those in need. We hope you can spare some time for this worthy cause.
Even with these successes and plans in the works, the Social Action Committee still needs your support. We need volunteers to work on the committee to help us with our planning efforts. Most importantly, we need people to work on specific tasks, limited engagements for marvelous undertakings. Please consider working with the Social Action Committee as a member or as a project leader. Either way, you will be making a difference in Watertown and the wider world.
Womensphere Spring Gathering
Aging with Grace and Spirit
Saturday, April 19, 2008
9:30am-3pm
First Universalist Society in Franklin
262 Chestnut Street, Franklin, MA
Womensphere organizes sacred circle gatherings for women of the Ballou Channing District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our spring gathering will be a day spent celebrating the wonderful journey that aging can be. Our panelists are six wise and spirited women in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Cost is $27 including lunch. A limited number of scholarships are available. To register or for more information, please contact Kate Gillis, 401-823-7929, ksgillis@netzero.net
Survey for GLBTQ Youth and Adults (ages 14-35)!
The UU church is committed to celebrating free expression of sexual/gender orientation and many congregations have very actively welcomed gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer members. I am a social work graduate student who was once a GLBTQ youth in the UU, and I'm conducting a survey with the support of the Mass Bay District of UU Churches as part of my community practice project which is a requirement for graduation in the Masters program at Smith College School for Social Work. My objective is to understand the experience of GLBTQ youth in the UU community, including to what extent GLBTQ youth feel supported in the church, what has contributed to their experience, either positive and/or negative, and whether or not there is a need for additional programs/services. Whether you identify as a GLBTQ youth or if you are an adult who was part of UU during your adolescent and young adult years, I invite you to take part in this anonymous on-line survey and share your experience in the UU church as a GLBTQ youth. Just go to this website to obtain more information and to do the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/UUqueeryouth
Thank you so much for your help, I very much appreciate it!
Sandra DiPillo
Arbella-March Newsletter 2008
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
March 2008
The calendar on our website fpwatertown.org is being redone, so some March events may not be listed. We hope by April to have a new, current online calendar.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday March 2, 2008
“Gifts Galore” Mark W. Harris
What if we began to see all of life as a gift? Each day is the beginning of the rest of your life. Would that make us more generous with the gifts we give to others, to churches, to those things we love?
Greeters: TBA, Anne Harrington
Social Hour: John Chamberlain and Sarah McSweeney
Sunday March 9, 2008
A Green Sanctuary Day Mark Caggiano
Mark Caggiano will lead a service which includes participants from the Green Sanctuary Committee, and a presentation of the 12 action items for Green Sanctuary recognition. How can you help make us green? Mark will preach a homily on a related theme.
Greeters: Peter Cudhea, Sachie Karmacharya
Social Hour: John Portz and Meredith Montague
Sunday March 16, 2008
“Life after Life” Mark W. Harris
UUs sometimes turn the idea of life after death to ask the question, is there life after birth? Some say we only learn how to live when we accept our own death. In that context I am reading Drew Faust’s new book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. What are your beliefs about life after death? Is there one? Sermon talk back
Greeters: Tesi Kohlenberg and Tom Goodwillie
Social Hour: Sachie Karmacharya, Susan Lind-Sinanian
Special music: FPW members Karen Allendoerfer and Djalai Babazadeh
Sunday March 23, 2008
“Easter Everywhere” Mark W. Harris
My title derives from a memoir by Darcy Steinke. Steinke feels a kind of spiritual rootlessness in her life, and begins to overcome her sense of loneliness and misery when she experiences Easter everywhere. Could we do that? There will be a story and special music.
Greeters: Marianne and Michael Collins
Social Hour: Jeanne Cleary and Barry Greess
Sunday March 30, 2008
“Lies My Father Told Me” Mark W. Harris
My father always told me to tell the truth . . . in fact, my mother said the same thing. But we encounter times where it may be more moral to lie. Will Twombly asked me about this question, and when and if we can ever lie, and here is my answer!
Greeters: Judi Fitts and Carole Katz
Social Hour: Mike McCarthy and Dede Dussault
Captain’s Log
March is going to be a busy month at First Parish. You have many fine events (comedy night, potluck dinners, pancake breakfast and benefit concert) to choose from, and that is not even counting the Annual Dinner and Talent Show on April 5. I hope you have signed up for a canvass dinner, but if not, please remember that March is Canvass month. If you love being part of this community for the worship experiences, RE, music, fellowship or caring or all of the above, then we need your full support so that these programs can continue under full throttle. Please consider carefully how you will support the church this year, and fill out a pledge form in the next couple of weeks.
The last month or so has been a time when many of us have felt the weight of illnesses in the lives of those we love. One can hope that things will be better in the days ahead, but life offers no assurances of that. We are not safe now simply because we have endured something dreadful the day or week before. I suppose this can make us more cautious about how we go about living, but that might be a mistake. Life teaches us that we never know what lurks around the next corner. This means that now is the time to make amends or tell your loved ones that you love them, and not tomorrow.
This is one reason we cannot say that I am waiting for winter to turn to spring, and I am not really going to do anything or go out until it is nice weather. Easter this year is about as early as it can be. I can even remember after thirty years in the ministry that it is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This year the equinox is on Thursday, March 20, and the full moon is on Good Friday. I have trudged through snow for Easter sunrise services before, and March 23 may bring the same. In New England we know we have to be prepared. The resurrection will come whether it is snowing or not.
This year we are bringing in Easter at First Parish with a pancake breakfast. I would like some help with this come snow or sun shine, and will invite you to volunteer in the next couple of weeks. Sharing a meal together and the events of our lives is what a true communion is all about. We are the divine made flesh through our caring and support of one another. This must happen come winter or spring, rain or shine. Easter happened once, and we celebrate it as a renewal of life and earth, but we know that Easter must keep happening in our lives over and over again. Sure there are big resurrections such as coming back from cancer treatments with a clean bill of health or recovering from an addiction or surviving a terrible loss, but most of us find, even in the middle of winter snow storms that we must deal with the next illness, or the next fight between children, or the latest financial crisis. We use all our wits, and all our love, and all our strength to come back and live and work and love another day. Easter in March is harder to understand perhaps, but it is more reflective of how life is really lived. We can’t wait for the good weather or the perfect time or right life, for we must share what love and hope we have right now. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring, so bring on that March resurrection. We are going to celebrate even if the snow is flying!
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Ric Calleja and his family at the recent death of Ric’s mother.
A warm welcome to Carmen Emerson who has recently become a member of First Parish. There will be a spring new member welcome.
Healing thoughts to our dear members and friends who have undergone operations recently.
News: Our own Paul Day was recently featured on the front page of the Watertown Tab as his alter ego, Billy Bob Neck
Giles Holt was featured on the same front page as Paul in a showcase of his glass blowing skills.
There was also a picture in the TAB of our FPW kids gathered for their social action day.
Comedy Night
Who?
Starring Brian Longwell, Billy Bob Neck and other local comics
Where?
First Parish Church of Watertown UU
35 Church Street
Watertown, MA
When?
Sat., March 1, 2008 at 8 P.M.
Refreshments available at 7 P.M.
Admission $12.00
Why?
Why Not? Also, to support First Parish Social Action
Note: This is not intended as an event for children. No child care will be available
Giving Boxes
Our First
Arbella
March 2008
The calendar on our website fpwatertown.org is being redone, so some March events may not be listed. We hope by April to have a new, current online calendar.
Sermons and Worship Services
Sunday March 2, 2008
“Gifts Galore” Mark W. Harris
What if we began to see all of life as a gift? Each day is the beginning of the rest of your life. Would that make us more generous with the gifts we give to others, to churches, to those things we love?
Greeters: TBA, Anne Harrington
Social Hour: John Chamberlain and Sarah McSweeney
Sunday March 9, 2008
A Green Sanctuary Day Mark Caggiano
Mark Caggiano will lead a service which includes participants from the Green Sanctuary Committee, and a presentation of the 12 action items for Green Sanctuary recognition. How can you help make us green? Mark will preach a homily on a related theme.
Greeters: Peter Cudhea, Sachie Karmacharya
Social Hour: John Portz and Meredith Montague
Sunday March 16, 2008
“Life after Life” Mark W. Harris
UUs sometimes turn the idea of life after death to ask the question, is there life after birth? Some say we only learn how to live when we accept our own death. In that context I am reading Drew Faust’s new book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. What are your beliefs about life after death? Is there one? Sermon talk back
Greeters: Tesi Kohlenberg and Tom Goodwillie
Social Hour: Sachie Karmacharya, Susan Lind-Sinanian
Special music: FPW members Karen Allendoerfer and Djalai Babazadeh
Sunday March 23, 2008
“Easter Everywhere” Mark W. Harris
My title derives from a memoir by Darcy Steinke. Steinke feels a kind of spiritual rootlessness in her life, and begins to overcome her sense of loneliness and misery when she experiences Easter everywhere. Could we do that? There will be a story and special music.
Greeters: Marianne and Michael Collins
Social Hour: Jeanne Cleary and Barry Greess
Sunday March 30, 2008
“Lies My Father Told Me” Mark W. Harris
My father always told me to tell the truth . . . in fact, my mother said the same thing. But we encounter times where it may be more moral to lie. Will Twombly asked me about this question, and when and if we can ever lie, and here is my answer!
Greeters: Judi Fitts and Carole Katz
Social Hour: Mike McCarthy and Dede Dussault
Captain’s Log
March is going to be a busy month at First Parish. You have many fine events (comedy night, potluck dinners, pancake breakfast and benefit concert) to choose from, and that is not even counting the Annual Dinner and Talent Show on April 5. I hope you have signed up for a canvass dinner, but if not, please remember that March is Canvass month. If you love being part of this community for the worship experiences, RE, music, fellowship or caring or all of the above, then we need your full support so that these programs can continue under full throttle. Please consider carefully how you will support the church this year, and fill out a pledge form in the next couple of weeks.
The last month or so has been a time when many of us have felt the weight of illnesses in the lives of those we love. One can hope that things will be better in the days ahead, but life offers no assurances of that. We are not safe now simply because we have endured something dreadful the day or week before. I suppose this can make us more cautious about how we go about living, but that might be a mistake. Life teaches us that we never know what lurks around the next corner. This means that now is the time to make amends or tell your loved ones that you love them, and not tomorrow.
This is one reason we cannot say that I am waiting for winter to turn to spring, and I am not really going to do anything or go out until it is nice weather. Easter this year is about as early as it can be. I can even remember after thirty years in the ministry that it is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This year the equinox is on Thursday, March 20, and the full moon is on Good Friday. I have trudged through snow for Easter sunrise services before, and March 23 may bring the same. In New England we know we have to be prepared. The resurrection will come whether it is snowing or not.
This year we are bringing in Easter at First Parish with a pancake breakfast. I would like some help with this come snow or sun shine, and will invite you to volunteer in the next couple of weeks. Sharing a meal together and the events of our lives is what a true communion is all about. We are the divine made flesh through our caring and support of one another. This must happen come winter or spring, rain or shine. Easter happened once, and we celebrate it as a renewal of life and earth, but we know that Easter must keep happening in our lives over and over again. Sure there are big resurrections such as coming back from cancer treatments with a clean bill of health or recovering from an addiction or surviving a terrible loss, but most of us find, even in the middle of winter snow storms that we must deal with the next illness, or the next fight between children, or the latest financial crisis. We use all our wits, and all our love, and all our strength to come back and live and work and love another day. Easter in March is harder to understand perhaps, but it is more reflective of how life is really lived. We can’t wait for the good weather or the perfect time or right life, for we must share what love and hope we have right now. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring, so bring on that March resurrection. We are going to celebrate even if the snow is flying!
Mark
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Ric Calleja and his family at the recent death of Ric’s mother.
A warm welcome to Carmen Emerson who has recently become a member of First Parish. There will be a spring new member welcome.
Healing thoughts to our dear members and friends who have undergone operations recently.
News: Our own Paul Day was recently featured on the front page of the Watertown Tab as his alter ego, Billy Bob Neck
Giles Holt was featured on the same front page as Paul in a showcase of his glass blowing skills.
There was also a picture in the TAB of our FPW kids gathered for their social action day.
Comedy Night
Who?
Starring Brian Longwell, Billy Bob Neck and other local comics
Where?
First Parish Church of Watertown UU
35 Church Street
Watertown, MA
When?
Sat., March 1, 2008 at 8 P.M.
Refreshments available at 7 P.M.
Admission $12.00
Why?
Why Not? Also, to support First Parish Social Action
Note: This is not intended as an event for children. No child care will be available
Giving Boxes
Our First