Saturday, October 01, 2005
Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“Seth Goes Home” Mark W. Harris
Last spring we sold our valuable portrait of First Parish minister, Seth
Storer. Storer was minister here for half of the 18th century, 1723-1773.
In July I saw the portrait at its new home in Rockland, Maine. Long ago
Storer was uprooted from his family home in Maine for safety issues, and
lived in a time of great anxiety. What does his life teach us about living
in times of terror, natural disasters and upheaval?
Greeters: Jane Knuttunen and Kimberly LeBlanc
Social hour: Kelly and Kyle Morton, Kathy Button
Sunday, October 9, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“Spiritual Imagination” Darrick Jackson
Our imagination is a powerful tool. It can help us engage in a deep
spiritual experience. We can also use our imagination to integrate our
spirituality in our everyday lives.
Greeters: Judi Fitts and Karen Allendoerfer
Social Hour: Linda Letourneau and Patricia Fox
Sunday, October 16, 2005 at 11:00 a.m
“Cheat, Cheat Never Beat”
Mark W. Harris
How do we live with integrity in times where we are fed half truths or
outright lies? As a kid I learned the adage that you never win by cheating,
but it often seems like everyone is trying to beat the system. Even
baseball has had its steroid scandal where some of its greatest players are
cheating to maximize their performance. Can we be honest anymore and
succeed?
Music: Jennifer DeVore (Patty’s daughter), cellist will be our guest
musician.
Greeters: Kimberly and Louis LeBlanc
Social Hour: Djalai Babazadeh and Steven Gustin
Sunday, October 23, 2005 at 4:00 p.m..
"On the Way” - John Buehrens
The preacher for Our Special 375th Anniversary Service will be the Rev. Dr.
John Buehrens. John served our Unitarian Universalist Association as its
president from 1993-2001. He has previously served churches in Knoxville,
Dallas and New York City, and is presently minister at the First Parish of
Needham. Buehrens has written extensively on the Bible and has spent some
time studying our history in order to present his sermon.
Music: There will be an open choir sing.
Greeters: Elaine McArdle and Michael McCarthy
Social Hour: Meredith Montague and Bob and Missy Shay
Sunday,October 30, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“The Buddhist Path “ Mark W. Harris
Many years ago someone gave me a leaf from the Bo Tree, where it was said
Buddha became enlightened. Many UUs have become attracted to Buddhism in
recent years. Is this because it is a major religion that is often
characterized as non-theistic, and we are tired of wrestling with old
dogmas? While I am not one who uses labels very much in trying to
articulate my UU faith, I am inaugurating a series on some of the paths UUs
are taking to help them discern where there spiritual wanderings might take
them.
Greeters: Valy McDonald and Susan Guidrey
Social Hour: Barbara Beck and Charmian Proskauer
This month our congregation will celebrate its 375 anniversary with
several events. I hope you have marked your calendar for the concert,
lecture and special anniversary service. This should be an exciting month.
We are also looking pretty spiffy just in time for the celebration. The
church exterior was painted over the summer, covering all the peels, and
showing off our great Charles Brigham architectural details. The 375th
banner is up, the bushes are trimmed, the sign is lighted, and moreover, the
sign will be refurbished, too. Please see all the kudos inside. Looking
good! Someone said to me that the church looks better than it ever has!
One of our goals for our building is not always be playing catch up with
maintenance and repairs. We want to prepare now for what will need to be
done in the future before it leaks, breaks down, deteriorates or looks like
our 1960’s bathrooms. Later on this year I am going to preach, by request,
on being prepared. Not a boy scout memoir, it begins with a reminder of the
tragedy of not being prepared for this recent hurricane disaster.
Most of us have pondered the grim truth that politicians and people
did not take the warnings seriously enough. Even before the event, people
ignored warnings of how increased carbon emission effect the temperatures,
or how it was predicted that New Orleans might well suffer such a disaster.
No one paid any heed. The questions of whether we are prepared for natural
disasters or terrorists attack, also lead to the question of how much we
prepare for anything in our lives. I suppose we usually don’t want to think
about most of the things we might prepare for.
Certainly I am speaking about major life events like illness or death,
but preparations are also vital when it comes to healthy church life. The
fiscal conservatives may think of some of these issues as they prepare the
budget As I stated before, we must prepare for future problems rather than
having to respond with crisis mode. Should we be thinking about new windows
or solar panels to help prepare ourselves for outrageous fuel bills?
This summer I learned an important lesson about how we prepare for new
people to enter our doors. I have always made the presumption that we had a
small sanctuary because its physical size was much smaller than any I had
previously served. I believed, “we can’t fit very many people in here.”
Last year I conducted a memorial service where people were lined up against
the walls. This reinforced my belief. When Andrea conducted a memorial
service this past summer, she anticipated a big crowd. What to do? Move to
another location? She decided she would be prepared by setting up the
sanctuary with a lot more chairs than we ever do. We had slowly moved away
from the stage, provided enough room between rows for an elephant, and often
hidden away the folding chairs. The result was we always talked about
growth in numbers, but have never been prepared for it from the simple
vantage point of having enough seats. We have the kids in the sanctuary a
lot. This tells people we affirm children, but on the other hand, if
everyone is in there at the beginning, it looks as if we are full, and new
people may feel unwelcome. Preparing for welcoming new people might include
having the kids come in less, or having two services, or it might include
the very simple solution of setting up more chairs.
The problem with preparation is that often we simply don’t see what we
need to do, or we don’t want to see. We end up concluding that we can’t do
it or won’t make the effort to do it. All we needed was someone to say, you
can fit a lot more people in here. You just think its small, and therefore
prepare for the same. Even if we say we want more people, there may not be
any evidence that we are preparing for more people. As we celebrate 375
years, may we think together of ways we can prepare to celebrate 375 more.
Day off: This year my day off will be on Tuesday, so that most Tuesdays I
will not be in the office. However, Nancy will usually be there in the
morning that day, so all days of the week will be staffed.
Thanks to everyone who donated to the collection for Katrina victims and
gave to the UUA- UUSC Relief Fund. We have collected about $1,300 so far.
We also donated a large number of items (clothes, toys, etc) to the relief
effort carried out by Paul and Norah Day’s neighbor. We all wanted to find
ways to help respond to this immense tragedy.
Mark
Last minute call for the concert -
October 1 at 8:00 p.m.
Fall lecture with David Hall, Bartlett Professor of New England Church
History at Harvard Divinity School
Sunday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. He has written extensively on religion and
society in seventeenth century New England and England, including The
Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth
Century, and Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in
Early New England. His topic will be “The Puritans and the Native
Americans: An Uneasy Relationship”
Don’t forget the events at the new Arsenal Arts Center on Saturday, October
22
Special Sunday Celebration - October 23, 2005.
375th Anniversary Worship Service with Rev. John Buehrens, former Unitarian
Universalist Association president, preaching,
Service at 4:00 p.m.
Buehrens is presently minister at the First Parish in Needham and the author
of the recent Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers
and Religious Liberals (Beacon, 2003). First Parish Choir will sing. First
Parish Churches in Waltham and Weston will be invited (daughter
congregations) with their ministers participating. First Parish’s Historic
Silver (housed at the Museum of Fine Arts) will be on display
FPW 375th Birthday Party - 5:00 p.m. If you can help with food for our
celebration, please speak to Meredith Montague.
Annual Service Auction
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which
will be held on Saturday, November 12. We will again conduct a silent
auction starting on Sunday, October 30 and continuing for one additional
Sunday, bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review
and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 12, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the
Social Hall (6:00 p.m.). After the dinner, bid sheets will be collected,
our auctioneer will call for any further bidding. At that time
approximately 20 items that are silent auction only will have the winners
announced. What we hope is an additional 30 items will then be sold at a
live auction to the highest bidder. Children are welcome, and child care
will be available throughout the evening.
While we encourage everyone to attend the
Auction and Potluck, you do not need to be present to be the winning bidder.
To begin with, though, we need services and goods to be auctioned. Items in
the past have included: a painting of your house, a homemade French dinner,
baby-sitting, a weekend getaway, computer help, theater tickets, gardening
help, etc.
If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete
the following form. Describe the service or good clearly (color, size,
number of hours, etc.). If you are donating an object, a picture or sketch
would also be helpful.
We will post last years items on the bulletin board in the social hall for
you to review. If you have any questions, please call Jean Merkl.
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 12 , 2005
Name ________________________________
Phone Number _________________________
Email _______________________________
Minimum Bid (if any): ___________________
Item or Service to be auctioned (Please describe exactly as you would like
it to appear in the Service Auction Brochure):
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Please return this form by October 24 to the Service Auction mailbox on the
church office door, mail or email to the church (attention Service Auction),
or give to Jean Merkl.
Last month we did not have the details on Gretchen Brown’s new grandson.
Here they are: John Alexander David, was born on June 26, and his parents,
are William David and Amelia Brown. Congratulations!
A warm welcome to our newest church members: Susan Guidrey and Valy McDonald
who signed the book on September 25.
By Roberta Altamari
The New Year has begun and we are off to a fabulous start. The best
news is that despite the loss of one of our most active families this
summer, the number of registered children and youth has increased by one.
Two new families have joined us! We look forward to welcoming a few more as
our anniversary season is celebrated and word about how great our community
is spreads.
With this continuing growth, I thought it would be a good idea to
review the responsibilities we have as individuals to being respectful
members of our community. The kids sometimes call these "rules", but
whatever they are called ~ it's important for each of us to consider how
essential they are to creating a safe and respectful environment for every
member of First Parish.
1. Be friendly and welcoming to all! You don't have to be friends
with everyone at First Parish, but you do have to be respectful and
friendly. This includes saying hello and sharing pleasant conversation with
everyone here. It also includes inviting anyone around to join any
activities that are being done at First Parish. And remember to choose
activities that are very safe for everyone participating and nearby.
Being friendly is especially important when you meet a new family.
Say hello to visitors and introduce them to others. If your conversation
reveals an interest they have, try connecting them to someone in our church
community who has the same interest. If a new family has a child of a
similar age to yours, consider planning a playdate. Creating a friendship
can be very valuable for feeling connected here.
2. Remember that you are one guest at our social hour (or other
social event). Please be considerate towards the other guests. Take only a
small portion of each food (especially the favorites) so that everyone gets
to try some. Following basic rules like taking turns and sharing makes it
an enjoyable event for everyone attending. And role models important
etiquette that our children need to learn.
3. Show respect for First Parish's building and property. The
sanctuary is a very special space, so please treat it as such. There can be
no playing, running, or eating/drinking upstairs. There is a playground
that is perfect for such activities. Also, if you use any space at church,
please leave it in better condition than you found it. If we want our
church "home" to stay nice, each one of us must respect the space now.
4. We must remember how much work needs to be done to keep First
Parish thriving and healthy. Just like we encourage everyone to pledge
their financial share during canvas season, we also need to donate our fair
share of time, energy, and talents. I went to the Faire on the Square (on
the last Saturday of September) and chatted with Martha Scott and David
Morrison for a short while. I left to attend to the needs of my children
and returned a while later to see them still staffing the First Parish
table. I asked them who was coming later to take relieve them and they
surprised me by answering "no one". They tried to find help, but no one was
able to take a turn so they planned to cover the entire day.
While I think it's great that we have church members as dedicated as
Martha and David, I believe that we must consider the importance of
"sharing" the workload. This is a subject that comes up in most of our
committees when a small group of people does most of the work. We need to
figure out how to inspire one another to donate more time and energy.
Fellowship Committee realized this when they decided to start assigning
Social Hour hosting to individuals instead of committees. While individuals
might be shocked at having the once a year task of hosting a Social Hour
handed to them, I think it is much better than previous years when we would
see one person hosting for three, four, or more weeks.
Our Religious Education program will always need many volunteers. A
healthy program is not one in which a few people donate many hours of their
time, but one in which many people donate a few hours of their time. We
need lots of volunteers to each make a small commitment. We need YOU! We
have super easy jobs and we have inspiring jobs, so we can match you with
the perfect volunteer role.
It is with sincere and loving hopes for a year of increased connection
and commitment in our community that I close with these words from
Christopher Logue.
"Come to the edge."
It's too high.
Come to the edge."
We might fall.
"COME TO THE EDGE."
And they came.
And she pushed them.
And they flew.
Sunday, October 2nd
Molly and Emma Day will be hosting their "Art Auction" during Social Hour to
benefit Katrina disaster victims. Please be generous in your bidding.
(Help from Roberta for this project was won in our last service auction.
The next one will be in November.)
Saturday, October 15th at 6PM
Intergenerational potluck and Sing-a-long. All ages are invited for this
evening of fun, socializing, and singing. Need not be a "good" singer to
join us ... only need to be willing to enjoy singing. Bring your favorite
song if you feel inspired to do so.
Sunday, October 16th
Please bring birthday gifts to give to Birthday Wishes, a non-profit
organization that hosts birthday parties for children living in homeless
shelters.
Planning ahead ...
We will again be collecting your surplus Halloween candy for Birthday Wishes
to use in their goodie bags and piñatas at their birthday parties for
children living in homeless shelters. What a fabulous way to get that candy
out of your home!!
Several people have gone above and beyond the necessary, and we want to
express our deep appreciation to them. First, we are grateful to Michael Mc
Carthy for virtually living here this summer as he carefully pruned our
bushes out front. In that wake of that effort David Benson somehow put all
his muscle into trenching a ditch out to the sign so that it could be
lighted for the first time ever. And it is ! Thanks so much David.
Meredith Montague has spearheaded the effort to see that new curtains are
hanging in the sanctuary. And they are beautiful. At various times she has
been joined by Nancy Dutton and Missy Shay. Finally, thanks to David
Morrison and Martha Scott for staffing our table at Faire on the Square.
They, along with the Growth Committee, are responsible for the great 375th
banner. Thanks to all these FPW members for their special efforts.
Worship Announcements / Joys and Sorrows
Mark Harris or (Darrick, if he is not teaching the OWL curriculum) will be
happy to read or make an announcement for you on Sunday morning. Please
email the church by Friday or speak to Mark on Sunday before church. We do
not take announcements from the floor, and try to keep non- church
announcements to a minimum. We generally do a good job as a church of not
making joys and sorrows into an announcement period. Thank you sharing any
joys or sorrows that are part of your life during the church service. These
are meant to be brief personal milestones or important events in your lives.
We also welcome the lighting of candles in silence.
The list of greeters for the church year follows. Your willingness to take
on this task is very much appreciated by our entire congregation! Please
take note now of when you are listed. Your children and/or other family
members are welcome to join you as greeters. If you are not able to attend
church on your assigned date, please try to switch with another person by
consulting the Members and Friends of First Parish directory. If all your
resources are exhausted, you can try the Fellowship Committee Chair Bobbie
Brown at 617-926-0468 or rbrown@hbs.edu. The Fellowship Committee will be
sending out a reminder letter or email message to you just before your
assigned date. It will include an updated "Greeter How-To List." A copy of
the how-to list is also kept in the drawer of the table under the ministers'
name plaque in the sanctuary.
October 2 Jane Knuttunen and Kimberly LeBlanc
October 9 ( Columbus Day weekend) Linda Letourneau and Patricia Fox
October 16 Kimberly and Louis LeBlanc
October 23 Elaine McArdle and Michael McCarthy
October 30 Valy McDonald and Susan Guidrey
November 6 Sarah McSweeney and John Chamberlain
November 13 (Veterans' Day weekend) Jean Merkl and John Gorman
November 20 (Thanksgiving Sunday) Jeff Miller and Aurora Sherman
November 27 (Thanksgiving weekend) Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
December 4 Meredith Montague and John Portz
December 11 David Morrison and Martha Scott
December 18 Kathy and David Warren
December 25 No greeters needed
January 1 (New Year’s Day) Ann Bloom and Marilyn Boenau
January 8 Joani Mountain and Beth Parsons
January 15 Norah Mulvaney Day and Paul Day
January 22 Kathy Button and Holly Cachimuel
January 29 Paula Carnese and Cornelia Janke
February 5 David Benson and Nancy Dutton
February 12 Charmian Proskauer and Randy Rhoda
February 19 Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
February 26 Eileen Ryan and Ingrid Sayied
March 5 Denise Carver and Paula Chase
March 12 Bob and Missy Shay
March 19 Diane and Thom Shepard
March 26 Marianne Collins and Deborah Stein
April 2 Elisabeth Strekalovsky and Jacqui Sweeney
April 9 Elizabeth and Isabel Tappan- deFrees
April 16 Sue and Will Twombly
April 23 Karen and Paul Umbrello
April 30 Chela and Nicholas Tawa
May 7 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethell
May 14 Martha Urban and Barbara Beck
May 21 Kyle and Kelly Morton
May 28 Henry Clark and Catherine D’Arpino
June 4 Carole Berney and Karen Allendoerfer
June 11 Djalai Babazadeh and Steve Gustin
June 18 Brigitte Bender and Jeanne Cleary
This year, in response to comments from parishioners, the Fellowship
Committee is assigning Social Hour hosts to individuals rather than to
committees. Here is the list for 2005-2006. As with Greeter assignments,
if you cannot prepare Social Hour on your assigned day, please swap with
someone else on the list. A reminder letter with the Social Hour guide will
be sent out two weeks before your assigned date. We take this opportunity
to suggest that, while we all appreciate the sumptuous spreads that have
been offered in the past, it’s OK to simplify the variety and amount of
foods offered. Thanks to all for sharing in hosting Social Hour.
First Parish of Watertown
Social Hour Assignments
2005-2006
September 11
Bobbie Brown
Gretchen Brown
September 18
Carole Berney
Diane Shepard
September 25
Bobbie Brown
Jan Stein
October 2
Kelly & Kyle Morton
Kathy Button
October 9 (Columbus Day Weekend)
Judy Fitts
Karen Allendorfer
October 16
Djalai Babazadeh
Steve Gustin
October 23 (375th Service at 4 p.m.)
Meredith Montague
Missy and Bob Shay
October 30
Barbara Beck
Charmian Proskauer
November 6
Kathy and David Warren
November 13 (Veteran’s Day Weekend)
Sarah McSweeney and John Chamberlain
Marilyn Boneau
November 20
Paula Carnese
Holly Cachimuel
November 27 (Thanksgiving Weekend)
Cornelia Janke
Denise Carver
December 4
Joanne & Kyle Hart
Norah & Paul Day
December 11
Marianne & Michael Collins
Sue Demb
December 18 (Pageant Sunday)
Jean Merkl & John Gorman
December 25
No assignment
January 1
Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
January 8
Nancy Dutton and David Benson
January 15 (Martin Luther King Weekend)
Charlyn Bethell and Guy Urban
January 22
Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
January 29
Paula Chase
Michele Klosterman and Ed Drozd
February 5
Johanna Erickson
Anna Glover
February 12
Jim Felty
Teodor Ellsworth
February 19
Patricia Fox and Linda Letourneau
Mary Ellen Howe
February 26
Jean Cleary & Barry Greess
Barbara Hansberry
March 5
Janie & Brian Howland
Andrea Karls
March 19
Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
March 26
Judy & Roger Kamm
April 2
Anne Harrington
Virginia Howe
April 9
Anna Knight
Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
April 16
Jane Knuttunen
Elaine McArdle
April 23
Chela and Nicholas Tawa
April 30
Michael McCarthy
Aurora Sherman & Jeff Miller
May 7
Martha Scott & David Morrison
May 14
Randy Rhoda
Deb Stein
May 21
Joani Mountain
Beth Parsons
May 28 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Eileen Ryan
Karen and Paul Umbrello
June 4
Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Martha Urban
June 11
Sue & Will Twombly
June 18
Kim LeBlanc
Kim and Louis Leblanc
You have been asking me when will we sing again! Here's the good news!
The FPW Open Chorus will sing at the 375th celebration on October 23rd at
4:00 P.M. We will need many voices for this exciting event so please plan
on joining us. We are singing music of William Billings (bio following). I
have asked the choirs at the Weston and Waltham churches to join us in
singing. There will be 2 rehearsals and a performance.
Monday, Oct 17th, 7:00 P.M. in the sanctuary
Sunday, Oct 23rd, 2:30 P.M. rehearsal ....service at
4:00 P.M.
Bring kids on Mon, we will have babysitters!
A note about William Billings
William Billings was born in Boston in 1747. He was poor and uneducated
and a tanner be trade. However he was fascinated with singing and writing
hymns and be the time he was 24 years of age he produced his first songbook,
"The New England Psalm Singer". Billings refused to be daunted by his lack
of technique. Rules hampered him and
he enthusiastically made up his own as he went along.
He was a picturesque character, blind in one eye, an arm withered, legs
of different length, and a rasping voice to add color to his
slovenly appearance. He was hopelessly addicted to tobacco and was
constantly inhaling handfuls of snuff. (He died when he was 54 years old).
And yet he was so wrapped up in the making of music that he gave
up his tanning business to become the first American composer to make music
his profession....as a result he died in poverty.
His best-known tune was "Chester", and was in wide use well into he
19th century. He was a fervent patriot during the Revolutionary War and
wrote many patriotic songs with fiery verses:
Let tyrants shake their iron rod
And Slav'ry clank her galling chains,
We fear them not, we trust in God,
New England's God forever reigns.
Not only did Billings claim God exclusively for New England,but he
paraphrased the bible. The 137th psalm became"Lamentation over Boston" when
the city was occupied by British troops:(we are singing this on Oct 23rd)
By the rivers of Watertown, we sat down;
Yea we wept as we remembered Boston.
When he died in 1800, there was no money to provide a tombstone. He
lies in an unmarked grave in the little graveyard on the Boston
Common.
Billings made a lasting contribution to our musical life by his
activities in forming singing societies and church choirs.The singing class
formed in Stoughton, Mass., became the Stoughton Musical Society, and
continued an active existence until it grew into the oldest singing society
in America. His introduction of the pitch pipe eventually did away with the
faulty pitching of tunes that caused so much poor singing in churches. His
use of the cello in church services was a daring innovation.
Patty
This summer was extremely busy. I spent almost half of the summer traveling.
I definitely think that the time spent was worth it, even though it was
exhausting. The summer started with my wedding on June 18th. It was a
wonderful celebration with many family and friends. I will definitely
treasure that experience. A few days later, I left for General Assembly in
Fort Worth, TX. I had a wonderful time being surrounded by thousands of UUs.
I am excited about the new supplement to the hymnal, and I hope to use some
of the new hymns this year. I also will not forget joining in a conga line
in the middle of the closing celebration. This was a great time of seeing
people that I’ve only talked to via phone or email, or that I only see at
continental events.
I returned home for one day and was off to Atlanta for General Synod, the
biannual meeting of the United Church of Christ. I spent most of my time in
the exhibit hall, manning the Andover Newton booth. My husband, Jim, was
also manning a booth, so we were able to spend some time together. The UCC
delegates work really hard and don’t seem to have many opportunities for fun
or growth, as we do for GA. I like the way we do it better.
I returned for a week and headed off again to join Jim at his staff retreat
at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire. It is an opulent historical
hotel, and I felt a little out of place there, but I had a good time. While
Jim was in meetings, I had plenty of time to read the new Harry Potter
(which had just arrived before we left), go on a nature walk, and take naps.
>From there, we drove up to Montreal for our honeymoon. If you have not been,
I highly recommend the trip. I loved the European feel, mixing English and
French language and culture. There is plenty of opportunities to visit
several types of museums, cultural events, and fine dining establishments.
We had a ball.
Two weeks after our honeymoon, I was off again to Iowa to attend 3
Continental UU Young Adult Network (C*UUYAN) conferences. I first went to
Expressions of Color, a conference for Young Adults of Color. We had a
wonderful time of community building and visioning. I then went to Opus, the
C*UUYAN Spiritual retreat. I had such a great time communing and sharing
with outstanding young adults. This year we had an international contingent,
with 2 young adult seminarians from Transylvania, and 7 young adults from
England attending. I had a great time learning about Unitarianism in other
countries. It was also nice to relax and have fun. Following Opus was
ConCentric, the annual business meeting and leadership development
conference for C*UUYAN. As the outgoing steering committee facilitator, this
conference was a lot of work for me. I spent much of my “free time” in
meetings or consultations about the business being presented. Things worked
out in the end, and so I can say that it was a successful conference.
Although I have enjoyed my time on the steering committee, I am glad that my
term is over and I can move on to other things. It was definitely a busy
summer but I enjoyed every experience I had.
You may have noticed that I have not been present at worship very often.
This is because I am spending two Sundays a month at Waltham teaching Our
Whole Lives with a joint Watertown and Waltham group. I will talk more about
the curriculum next month.
Rhythms of Renewal - October 29th Jazz Concert celebrates the 25th
anniversary of Renewal House. This event will be held on Saturday, October
29 at the First Church of Boston. Renowned jazz vocalist Jan Shapiro, and
premier saxophonist Stan Strickland will perform, and former Globe columnist
and author Linda Weltner will be keynote speaker. Tickets are $50.00 per
person. Call the UU Urban Ministry for more info - 617-318-6010, ext. 203.
Quilt Show
Come to Rising Star Quilters 18th annual Quilt Show and Sale to be held on
Oct. 1 (10:00-4:00) and Oct. 2 (11:00-4:00) at Belmont High School. Missy
Shay is the featured quilter and will have 13 quilts displayed, and will be
giving a gallery talk both days. Hope to see you there!
“Seth Storer Goes Home”
This month I will use the sale of the Seth Storer portrait as a theme for
one of my sermons. By now most of you know that First Parish owned a
portrait of the Rev. Seth Storer by Robert Feke, one of the most prominent
colonial portrait artists. This portrait had been given to First Parish in
1930. It had always been attributed to John Smibert, another famous
colonial painter. This beautiful portrait had hung in the vestry, the
minister’s office and the conference room over the years. No one ever
really knew its worth.
Finally, the Parish Committee decided that if the painting was valuable,
perhaps it should be cared for in a museum. Thanks to the efforts of Martha
Scott, Childs Gallery in Boston worked to identify the true artist, and had
the painting cleaned. They determined the Feke attribution, and helped
finalize the sale, a sum of $50,000 that has been returned to our trustees
to help pay for the last Capital Fund Drive.
The buyer of the portrait was the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine,
which Mark had contacted, knowing of their interest in art related to Maine.
Storer, who was our long term minister - 1723-1773, was born in Maine, and
the portrait’s date, c. 1745, made it the earliest known portrait of a Maine
native, and the oldest painting at the Farnsworth. Storer had come to live
with a Cambridge family in the early 1700’s after his sister was taken
captive by native Americans and removed to Canada, never to return. Storer
came here for his own safety, as the Maine frontier was too dangerous.
After school at Harvard, and a lifelong ministry he Watertown, he never went
back to Maine. Now he has!
Men’s Group
The Men’s group will hold its next meeting on Sunday , October 23 at 9:30
a.m. Jeff Miller will bring the food. Do we have a facilitator and topic
for the meeting? Speak to Mark.
Covenant Group
The Sunday Covenant group welcomes new members to its next meeting, Sunday,
October 30 at 4:00 p.m. Our topic will be “Reconsidering Jesus - Who was,
is he to us?”
October 2005 Newsletter
Sermons and Topics
Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“Seth Goes Home” Mark W. Harris
Last spring we sold our valuable portrait of First Parish minister, Seth
Storer. Storer was minister here for half of the 18th century, 1723-1773.
In July I saw the portrait at its new home in Rockland, Maine. Long ago
Storer was uprooted from his family home in Maine for safety issues, and
lived in a time of great anxiety. What does his life teach us about living
in times of terror, natural disasters and upheaval?
Greeters: Jane Knuttunen and Kimberly LeBlanc
Social hour: Kelly and Kyle Morton, Kathy Button
Sunday, October 9, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“Spiritual Imagination” Darrick Jackson
Our imagination is a powerful tool. It can help us engage in a deep
spiritual experience. We can also use our imagination to integrate our
spirituality in our everyday lives.
Greeters: Judi Fitts and Karen Allendoerfer
Social Hour: Linda Letourneau and Patricia Fox
Sunday, October 16, 2005 at 11:00 a.m
“Cheat, Cheat Never Beat”
Mark W. Harris
How do we live with integrity in times where we are fed half truths or
outright lies? As a kid I learned the adage that you never win by cheating,
but it often seems like everyone is trying to beat the system. Even
baseball has had its steroid scandal where some of its greatest players are
cheating to maximize their performance. Can we be honest anymore and
succeed?
Music: Jennifer DeVore (Patty’s daughter), cellist will be our guest
musician.
Greeters: Kimberly and Louis LeBlanc
Social Hour: Djalai Babazadeh and Steven Gustin
Sunday, October 23, 2005 at 4:00 p.m..
"On the Way” - John Buehrens
The preacher for Our Special 375th Anniversary Service will be the Rev. Dr.
John Buehrens. John served our Unitarian Universalist Association as its
president from 1993-2001. He has previously served churches in Knoxville,
Dallas and New York City, and is presently minister at the First Parish of
Needham. Buehrens has written extensively on the Bible and has spent some
time studying our history in order to present his sermon.
Music: There will be an open choir sing.
Greeters: Elaine McArdle and Michael McCarthy
Social Hour: Meredith Montague and Bob and Missy Shay
Sunday,October 30, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
“The Buddhist Path “ Mark W. Harris
Many years ago someone gave me a leaf from the Bo Tree, where it was said
Buddha became enlightened. Many UUs have become attracted to Buddhism in
recent years. Is this because it is a major religion that is often
characterized as non-theistic, and we are tired of wrestling with old
dogmas? While I am not one who uses labels very much in trying to
articulate my UU faith, I am inaugurating a series on some of the paths UUs
are taking to help them discern where there spiritual wanderings might take
them.
Greeters: Valy McDonald and Susan Guidrey
Social Hour: Barbara Beck and Charmian Proskauer
Captain’s Log
This month our congregation will celebrate its 375 anniversary with
several events. I hope you have marked your calendar for the concert,
lecture and special anniversary service. This should be an exciting month.
We are also looking pretty spiffy just in time for the celebration. The
church exterior was painted over the summer, covering all the peels, and
showing off our great Charles Brigham architectural details. The 375th
banner is up, the bushes are trimmed, the sign is lighted, and moreover, the
sign will be refurbished, too. Please see all the kudos inside. Looking
good! Someone said to me that the church looks better than it ever has!
One of our goals for our building is not always be playing catch up with
maintenance and repairs. We want to prepare now for what will need to be
done in the future before it leaks, breaks down, deteriorates or looks like
our 1960’s bathrooms. Later on this year I am going to preach, by request,
on being prepared. Not a boy scout memoir, it begins with a reminder of the
tragedy of not being prepared for this recent hurricane disaster.
Most of us have pondered the grim truth that politicians and people
did not take the warnings seriously enough. Even before the event, people
ignored warnings of how increased carbon emission effect the temperatures,
or how it was predicted that New Orleans might well suffer such a disaster.
No one paid any heed. The questions of whether we are prepared for natural
disasters or terrorists attack, also lead to the question of how much we
prepare for anything in our lives. I suppose we usually don’t want to think
about most of the things we might prepare for.
Certainly I am speaking about major life events like illness or death,
but preparations are also vital when it comes to healthy church life. The
fiscal conservatives may think of some of these issues as they prepare the
budget As I stated before, we must prepare for future problems rather than
having to respond with crisis mode. Should we be thinking about new windows
or solar panels to help prepare ourselves for outrageous fuel bills?
This summer I learned an important lesson about how we prepare for new
people to enter our doors. I have always made the presumption that we had a
small sanctuary because its physical size was much smaller than any I had
previously served. I believed, “we can’t fit very many people in here.”
Last year I conducted a memorial service where people were lined up against
the walls. This reinforced my belief. When Andrea conducted a memorial
service this past summer, she anticipated a big crowd. What to do? Move to
another location? She decided she would be prepared by setting up the
sanctuary with a lot more chairs than we ever do. We had slowly moved away
from the stage, provided enough room between rows for an elephant, and often
hidden away the folding chairs. The result was we always talked about
growth in numbers, but have never been prepared for it from the simple
vantage point of having enough seats. We have the kids in the sanctuary a
lot. This tells people we affirm children, but on the other hand, if
everyone is in there at the beginning, it looks as if we are full, and new
people may feel unwelcome. Preparing for welcoming new people might include
having the kids come in less, or having two services, or it might include
the very simple solution of setting up more chairs.
The problem with preparation is that often we simply don’t see what we
need to do, or we don’t want to see. We end up concluding that we can’t do
it or won’t make the effort to do it. All we needed was someone to say, you
can fit a lot more people in here. You just think its small, and therefore
prepare for the same. Even if we say we want more people, there may not be
any evidence that we are preparing for more people. As we celebrate 375
years, may we think together of ways we can prepare to celebrate 375 more.
Day off: This year my day off will be on Tuesday, so that most Tuesdays I
will not be in the office. However, Nancy will usually be there in the
morning that day, so all days of the week will be staffed.
Thanks to everyone who donated to the collection for Katrina victims and
gave to the UUA- UUSC Relief Fund. We have collected about $1,300 so far.
We also donated a large number of items (clothes, toys, etc) to the relief
effort carried out by Paul and Norah Day’s neighbor. We all wanted to find
ways to help respond to this immense tragedy.
Mark
375th Anniversary Events
Last minute call for the concert -
October 1 at 8:00 p.m.
Fall lecture with David Hall, Bartlett Professor of New England Church
History at Harvard Divinity School
Sunday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. He has written extensively on religion and
society in seventeenth century New England and England, including The
Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth
Century, and Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in
Early New England. His topic will be “The Puritans and the Native
Americans: An Uneasy Relationship”
Don’t forget the events at the new Arsenal Arts Center on Saturday, October
22
Special Sunday Celebration - October 23, 2005.
375th Anniversary Worship Service with Rev. John Buehrens, former Unitarian
Universalist Association president, preaching,
Service at 4:00 p.m.
Buehrens is presently minister at the First Parish in Needham and the author
of the recent Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers
and Religious Liberals (Beacon, 2003). First Parish Choir will sing. First
Parish Churches in Waltham and Weston will be invited (daughter
congregations) with their ministers participating. First Parish’s Historic
Silver (housed at the Museum of Fine Arts) will be on display
FPW 375th Birthday Party - 5:00 p.m. If you can help with food for our
celebration, please speak to Meredith Montague.
Calendar
Annual Service Auction
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which
will be held on Saturday, November 12. We will again conduct a silent
auction starting on Sunday, October 30 and continuing for one additional
Sunday, bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review
and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 12, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the
Social Hall (6:00 p.m.). After the dinner, bid sheets will be collected,
our auctioneer will call for any further bidding. At that time
approximately 20 items that are silent auction only will have the winners
announced. What we hope is an additional 30 items will then be sold at a
live auction to the highest bidder. Children are welcome, and child care
will be available throughout the evening.
While we encourage everyone to attend the
Auction and Potluck, you do not need to be present to be the winning bidder.
To begin with, though, we need services and goods to be auctioned. Items in
the past have included: a painting of your house, a homemade French dinner,
baby-sitting, a weekend getaway, computer help, theater tickets, gardening
help, etc.
If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete
the following form. Describe the service or good clearly (color, size,
number of hours, etc.). If you are donating an object, a picture or sketch
would also be helpful.
We will post last years items on the bulletin board in the social hall for
you to review. If you have any questions, please call Jean Merkl.
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 12 , 2005
Name ________________________________
Phone Number _________________________
Email _______________________________
Minimum Bid (if any): ___________________
Item or Service to be auctioned (Please describe exactly as you would like
it to appear in the Service Auction Brochure):
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Please return this form by October 24 to the Service Auction mailbox on the
church office door, mail or email to the church (attention Service Auction),
or give to Jean Merkl.
Among Us
Last month we did not have the details on Gretchen Brown’s new grandson.
Here they are: John Alexander David, was born on June 26, and his parents,
are William David and Amelia Brown. Congratulations!
A warm welcome to our newest church members: Susan Guidrey and Valy McDonald
who signed the book on September 25.
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
By Roberta Altamari
The New Year has begun and we are off to a fabulous start. The best
news is that despite the loss of one of our most active families this
summer, the number of registered children and youth has increased by one.
Two new families have joined us! We look forward to welcoming a few more as
our anniversary season is celebrated and word about how great our community
is spreads.
With this continuing growth, I thought it would be a good idea to
review the responsibilities we have as individuals to being respectful
members of our community. The kids sometimes call these "rules", but
whatever they are called ~ it's important for each of us to consider how
essential they are to creating a safe and respectful environment for every
member of First Parish.
1. Be friendly and welcoming to all! You don't have to be friends
with everyone at First Parish, but you do have to be respectful and
friendly. This includes saying hello and sharing pleasant conversation with
everyone here. It also includes inviting anyone around to join any
activities that are being done at First Parish. And remember to choose
activities that are very safe for everyone participating and nearby.
Being friendly is especially important when you meet a new family.
Say hello to visitors and introduce them to others. If your conversation
reveals an interest they have, try connecting them to someone in our church
community who has the same interest. If a new family has a child of a
similar age to yours, consider planning a playdate. Creating a friendship
can be very valuable for feeling connected here.
2. Remember that you are one guest at our social hour (or other
social event). Please be considerate towards the other guests. Take only a
small portion of each food (especially the favorites) so that everyone gets
to try some. Following basic rules like taking turns and sharing makes it
an enjoyable event for everyone attending. And role models important
etiquette that our children need to learn.
3. Show respect for First Parish's building and property. The
sanctuary is a very special space, so please treat it as such. There can be
no playing, running, or eating/drinking upstairs. There is a playground
that is perfect for such activities. Also, if you use any space at church,
please leave it in better condition than you found it. If we want our
church "home" to stay nice, each one of us must respect the space now.
4. We must remember how much work needs to be done to keep First
Parish thriving and healthy. Just like we encourage everyone to pledge
their financial share during canvas season, we also need to donate our fair
share of time, energy, and talents. I went to the Faire on the Square (on
the last Saturday of September) and chatted with Martha Scott and David
Morrison for a short while. I left to attend to the needs of my children
and returned a while later to see them still staffing the First Parish
table. I asked them who was coming later to take relieve them and they
surprised me by answering "no one". They tried to find help, but no one was
able to take a turn so they planned to cover the entire day.
While I think it's great that we have church members as dedicated as
Martha and David, I believe that we must consider the importance of
"sharing" the workload. This is a subject that comes up in most of our
committees when a small group of people does most of the work. We need to
figure out how to inspire one another to donate more time and energy.
Fellowship Committee realized this when they decided to start assigning
Social Hour hosting to individuals instead of committees. While individuals
might be shocked at having the once a year task of hosting a Social Hour
handed to them, I think it is much better than previous years when we would
see one person hosting for three, four, or more weeks.
Our Religious Education program will always need many volunteers. A
healthy program is not one in which a few people donate many hours of their
time, but one in which many people donate a few hours of their time. We
need lots of volunteers to each make a small commitment. We need YOU! We
have super easy jobs and we have inspiring jobs, so we can match you with
the perfect volunteer role.
It is with sincere and loving hopes for a year of increased connection
and commitment in our community that I close with these words from
Christopher Logue.
"Come to the edge."
It's too high.
Come to the edge."
We might fall.
"COME TO THE EDGE."
And they came.
And she pushed them.
And they flew.
Announcements:
Sunday, October 2nd
Molly and Emma Day will be hosting their "Art Auction" during Social Hour to
benefit Katrina disaster victims. Please be generous in your bidding.
(Help from Roberta for this project was won in our last service auction.
The next one will be in November.)
Saturday, October 15th at 6PM
Intergenerational potluck and Sing-a-long. All ages are invited for this
evening of fun, socializing, and singing. Need not be a "good" singer to
join us ... only need to be willing to enjoy singing. Bring your favorite
song if you feel inspired to do so.
Sunday, October 16th
Please bring birthday gifts to give to Birthday Wishes, a non-profit
organization that hosts birthday parties for children living in homeless
shelters.
Planning ahead ...
We will again be collecting your surplus Halloween candy for Birthday Wishes
to use in their goodie bags and piñatas at their birthday parties for
children living in homeless shelters. What a fabulous way to get that candy
out of your home!!
Special Thank Yous
Several people have gone above and beyond the necessary, and we want to
express our deep appreciation to them. First, we are grateful to Michael Mc
Carthy for virtually living here this summer as he carefully pruned our
bushes out front. In that wake of that effort David Benson somehow put all
his muscle into trenching a ditch out to the sign so that it could be
lighted for the first time ever. And it is ! Thanks so much David.
Meredith Montague has spearheaded the effort to see that new curtains are
hanging in the sanctuary. And they are beautiful. At various times she has
been joined by Nancy Dutton and Missy Shay. Finally, thanks to David
Morrison and Martha Scott for staffing our table at Faire on the Square.
They, along with the Growth Committee, are responsible for the great 375th
banner. Thanks to all these FPW members for their special efforts.
Worship Announcements / Joys and Sorrows
Mark Harris or (Darrick, if he is not teaching the OWL curriculum) will be
happy to read or make an announcement for you on Sunday morning. Please
email the church by Friday or speak to Mark on Sunday before church. We do
not take announcements from the floor, and try to keep non- church
announcements to a minimum. We generally do a good job as a church of not
making joys and sorrows into an announcement period. Thank you sharing any
joys or sorrows that are part of your life during the church service. These
are meant to be brief personal milestones or important events in your lives.
We also welcome the lighting of candles in silence.
FIRST PARISH GREETERS 2005-2006
The list of greeters for the church year follows. Your willingness to take
on this task is very much appreciated by our entire congregation! Please
take note now of when you are listed. Your children and/or other family
members are welcome to join you as greeters. If you are not able to attend
church on your assigned date, please try to switch with another person by
consulting the Members and Friends of First Parish directory. If all your
resources are exhausted, you can try the Fellowship Committee Chair Bobbie
Brown at 617-926-0468 or rbrown@hbs.edu. The Fellowship Committee will be
sending out a reminder letter or email message to you just before your
assigned date. It will include an updated "Greeter How-To List." A copy of
the how-to list is also kept in the drawer of the table under the ministers'
name plaque in the sanctuary.
October 2 Jane Knuttunen and Kimberly LeBlanc
October 9 ( Columbus Day weekend) Linda Letourneau and Patricia Fox
October 16 Kimberly and Louis LeBlanc
October 23 Elaine McArdle and Michael McCarthy
October 30 Valy McDonald and Susan Guidrey
November 6 Sarah McSweeney and John Chamberlain
November 13 (Veterans' Day weekend) Jean Merkl and John Gorman
November 20 (Thanksgiving Sunday) Jeff Miller and Aurora Sherman
November 27 (Thanksgiving weekend) Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
December 4 Meredith Montague and John Portz
December 11 David Morrison and Martha Scott
December 18 Kathy and David Warren
December 25 No greeters needed
January 1 (New Year’s Day) Ann Bloom and Marilyn Boenau
January 8 Joani Mountain and Beth Parsons
January 15 Norah Mulvaney Day and Paul Day
January 22 Kathy Button and Holly Cachimuel
January 29 Paula Carnese and Cornelia Janke
February 5 David Benson and Nancy Dutton
February 12 Charmian Proskauer and Randy Rhoda
February 19 Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
February 26 Eileen Ryan and Ingrid Sayied
March 5 Denise Carver and Paula Chase
March 12 Bob and Missy Shay
March 19 Diane and Thom Shepard
March 26 Marianne Collins and Deborah Stein
April 2 Elisabeth Strekalovsky and Jacqui Sweeney
April 9 Elizabeth and Isabel Tappan- deFrees
April 16 Sue and Will Twombly
April 23 Karen and Paul Umbrello
April 30 Chela and Nicholas Tawa
May 7 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethell
May 14 Martha Urban and Barbara Beck
May 21 Kyle and Kelly Morton
May 28 Henry Clark and Catherine D’Arpino
June 4 Carole Berney and Karen Allendoerfer
June 11 Djalai Babazadeh and Steve Gustin
June 18 Brigitte Bender and Jeanne Cleary
Social Hour
This year, in response to comments from parishioners, the Fellowship
Committee is assigning Social Hour hosts to individuals rather than to
committees. Here is the list for 2005-2006. As with Greeter assignments,
if you cannot prepare Social Hour on your assigned day, please swap with
someone else on the list. A reminder letter with the Social Hour guide will
be sent out two weeks before your assigned date. We take this opportunity
to suggest that, while we all appreciate the sumptuous spreads that have
been offered in the past, it’s OK to simplify the variety and amount of
foods offered. Thanks to all for sharing in hosting Social Hour.
First Parish of Watertown
Social Hour Assignments
2005-2006
September 11
Bobbie Brown
Gretchen Brown
September 18
Carole Berney
Diane Shepard
September 25
Bobbie Brown
Jan Stein
October 2
Kelly & Kyle Morton
Kathy Button
October 9 (Columbus Day Weekend)
Judy Fitts
Karen Allendorfer
October 16
Djalai Babazadeh
Steve Gustin
October 23 (375th Service at 4 p.m.)
Meredith Montague
Missy and Bob Shay
October 30
Barbara Beck
Charmian Proskauer
November 6
Kathy and David Warren
November 13 (Veteran’s Day Weekend)
Sarah McSweeney and John Chamberlain
Marilyn Boneau
November 20
Paula Carnese
Holly Cachimuel
November 27 (Thanksgiving Weekend)
Cornelia Janke
Denise Carver
December 4
Joanne & Kyle Hart
Norah & Paul Day
December 11
Marianne & Michael Collins
Sue Demb
December 18 (Pageant Sunday)
Jean Merkl & John Gorman
December 25
No assignment
January 1
Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
January 8
Nancy Dutton and David Benson
January 15 (Martin Luther King Weekend)
Charlyn Bethell and Guy Urban
January 22
Julie Miller & Paul Dansereau
January 29
Paula Chase
Michele Klosterman and Ed Drozd
February 5
Johanna Erickson
Anna Glover
February 12
Jim Felty
Teodor Ellsworth
February 19
Patricia Fox and Linda Letourneau
Mary Ellen Howe
February 26
Jean Cleary & Barry Greess
Barbara Hansberry
March 5
Janie & Brian Howland
Andrea Karls
March 19
Ken Repp & Chris Johnson
March 26
Judy & Roger Kamm
April 2
Anne Harrington
Virginia Howe
April 9
Anna Knight
Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
April 16
Jane Knuttunen
Elaine McArdle
April 23
Chela and Nicholas Tawa
April 30
Michael McCarthy
Aurora Sherman & Jeff Miller
May 7
Martha Scott & David Morrison
May 14
Randy Rhoda
Deb Stein
May 21
Joani Mountain
Beth Parsons
May 28 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Eileen Ryan
Karen and Paul Umbrello
June 4
Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Martha Urban
June 11
Sue & Will Twombly
June 18
Kim LeBlanc
Kim and Louis Leblanc
Musical Musings
You have been asking me when will we sing again! Here's the good news!
The FPW Open Chorus will sing at the 375th celebration on October 23rd at
4:00 P.M. We will need many voices for this exciting event so please plan
on joining us. We are singing music of William Billings (bio following). I
have asked the choirs at the Weston and Waltham churches to join us in
singing. There will be 2 rehearsals and a performance.
Monday, Oct 17th, 7:00 P.M. in the sanctuary
Sunday, Oct 23rd, 2:30 P.M. rehearsal ....service at
4:00 P.M.
Bring kids on Mon, we will have babysitters!
A note about William Billings
William Billings was born in Boston in 1747. He was poor and uneducated
and a tanner be trade. However he was fascinated with singing and writing
hymns and be the time he was 24 years of age he produced his first songbook,
"The New England Psalm Singer". Billings refused to be daunted by his lack
of technique. Rules hampered him and
he enthusiastically made up his own as he went along.
He was a picturesque character, blind in one eye, an arm withered, legs
of different length, and a rasping voice to add color to his
slovenly appearance. He was hopelessly addicted to tobacco and was
constantly inhaling handfuls of snuff. (He died when he was 54 years old).
And yet he was so wrapped up in the making of music that he gave
up his tanning business to become the first American composer to make music
his profession....as a result he died in poverty.
His best-known tune was "Chester", and was in wide use well into he
19th century. He was a fervent patriot during the Revolutionary War and
wrote many patriotic songs with fiery verses:
Let tyrants shake their iron rod
And Slav'ry clank her galling chains,
We fear them not, we trust in God,
New England's God forever reigns.
Not only did Billings claim God exclusively for New England,but he
paraphrased the bible. The 137th psalm became"Lamentation over Boston" when
the city was occupied by British troops:(we are singing this on Oct 23rd)
By the rivers of Watertown, we sat down;
Yea we wept as we remembered Boston.
When he died in 1800, there was no money to provide a tombstone. He
lies in an unmarked grave in the little graveyard on the Boston
Common.
Billings made a lasting contribution to our musical life by his
activities in forming singing societies and church choirs.The singing class
formed in Stoughton, Mass., became the Stoughton Musical Society, and
continued an active existence until it grew into the oldest singing society
in America. His introduction of the pitch pipe eventually did away with the
faulty pitching of tunes that caused so much poor singing in churches. His
use of the cello in church services was a daring innovation.
Patty
A Midshipman’s Musings
This summer was extremely busy. I spent almost half of the summer traveling.
I definitely think that the time spent was worth it, even though it was
exhausting. The summer started with my wedding on June 18th. It was a
wonderful celebration with many family and friends. I will definitely
treasure that experience. A few days later, I left for General Assembly in
Fort Worth, TX. I had a wonderful time being surrounded by thousands of UUs.
I am excited about the new supplement to the hymnal, and I hope to use some
of the new hymns this year. I also will not forget joining in a conga line
in the middle of the closing celebration. This was a great time of seeing
people that I’ve only talked to via phone or email, or that I only see at
continental events.
I returned home for one day and was off to Atlanta for General Synod, the
biannual meeting of the United Church of Christ. I spent most of my time in
the exhibit hall, manning the Andover Newton booth. My husband, Jim, was
also manning a booth, so we were able to spend some time together. The UCC
delegates work really hard and don’t seem to have many opportunities for fun
or growth, as we do for GA. I like the way we do it better.
I returned for a week and headed off again to join Jim at his staff retreat
at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire. It is an opulent historical
hotel, and I felt a little out of place there, but I had a good time. While
Jim was in meetings, I had plenty of time to read the new Harry Potter
(which had just arrived before we left), go on a nature walk, and take naps.
>From there, we drove up to Montreal for our honeymoon. If you have not been,
I highly recommend the trip. I loved the European feel, mixing English and
French language and culture. There is plenty of opportunities to visit
several types of museums, cultural events, and fine dining establishments.
We had a ball.
Two weeks after our honeymoon, I was off again to Iowa to attend 3
Continental UU Young Adult Network (C*UUYAN) conferences. I first went to
Expressions of Color, a conference for Young Adults of Color. We had a
wonderful time of community building and visioning. I then went to Opus, the
C*UUYAN Spiritual retreat. I had such a great time communing and sharing
with outstanding young adults. This year we had an international contingent,
with 2 young adult seminarians from Transylvania, and 7 young adults from
England attending. I had a great time learning about Unitarianism in other
countries. It was also nice to relax and have fun. Following Opus was
ConCentric, the annual business meeting and leadership development
conference for C*UUYAN. As the outgoing steering committee facilitator, this
conference was a lot of work for me. I spent much of my “free time” in
meetings or consultations about the business being presented. Things worked
out in the end, and so I can say that it was a successful conference.
Although I have enjoyed my time on the steering committee, I am glad that my
term is over and I can move on to other things. It was definitely a busy
summer but I enjoyed every experience I had.
You may have noticed that I have not been present at worship very often.
This is because I am spending two Sundays a month at Waltham teaching Our
Whole Lives with a joint Watertown and Waltham group. I will talk more about
the curriculum next month.
Renewal House’s 25th
Rhythms of Renewal - October 29th Jazz Concert celebrates the 25th
anniversary of Renewal House. This event will be held on Saturday, October
29 at the First Church of Boston. Renowned jazz vocalist Jan Shapiro, and
premier saxophonist Stan Strickland will perform, and former Globe columnist
and author Linda Weltner will be keynote speaker. Tickets are $50.00 per
person. Call the UU Urban Ministry for more info - 617-318-6010, ext. 203.
Quilt Show
Come to Rising Star Quilters 18th annual Quilt Show and Sale to be held on
Oct. 1 (10:00-4:00) and Oct. 2 (11:00-4:00) at Belmont High School. Missy
Shay is the featured quilter and will have 13 quilts displayed, and will be
giving a gallery talk both days. Hope to see you there!
“Seth Storer Goes Home”
This month I will use the sale of the Seth Storer portrait as a theme for
one of my sermons. By now most of you know that First Parish owned a
portrait of the Rev. Seth Storer by Robert Feke, one of the most prominent
colonial portrait artists. This portrait had been given to First Parish in
1930. It had always been attributed to John Smibert, another famous
colonial painter. This beautiful portrait had hung in the vestry, the
minister’s office and the conference room over the years. No one ever
really knew its worth.
Finally, the Parish Committee decided that if the painting was valuable,
perhaps it should be cared for in a museum. Thanks to the efforts of Martha
Scott, Childs Gallery in Boston worked to identify the true artist, and had
the painting cleaned. They determined the Feke attribution, and helped
finalize the sale, a sum of $50,000 that has been returned to our trustees
to help pay for the last Capital Fund Drive.
The buyer of the portrait was the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine,
which Mark had contacted, knowing of their interest in art related to Maine.
Storer, who was our long term minister - 1723-1773, was born in Maine, and
the portrait’s date, c. 1745, made it the earliest known portrait of a Maine
native, and the oldest painting at the Farnsworth. Storer had come to live
with a Cambridge family in the early 1700’s after his sister was taken
captive by native Americans and removed to Canada, never to return. Storer
came here for his own safety, as the Maine frontier was too dangerous.
After school at Harvard, and a lifelong ministry he Watertown, he never went
back to Maine. Now he has!
Men’s Group
The Men’s group will hold its next meeting on Sunday , October 23 at 9:30
a.m. Jeff Miller will bring the food. Do we have a facilitator and topic
for the meeting? Speak to Mark.
Covenant Group
The Sunday Covenant group welcomes new members to its next meeting, Sunday,
October 30 at 4:00 p.m. Our topic will be “Reconsidering Jesus - Who was,
is he to us?”