Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Arbella - Newsletter for October 2006
First Parish of Watertown
Arbella
October 2006
Please refer to the calendar at www.fpwatertown.org for schedule of October events and meetings.
Services/ Sermon Topics
Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 11:00am
Breaking the Law - Mark W. Harris
We teach our children not to break laws, and that society needs a system of laws in order that we might live peacefully in community, yet history has often had outlaw heroes who said they were following God¹s law, or some higher moral truth that made it permissible to break the law. Can we in good conscience break the law, and when?
Greeters: John Portz and Meredith Montague
Social Hour: David and Kathy Warren
Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 11:00am
My Journey to Ministry Mark Caggiano
Come hear Mark¹s first sermon as our new student minister for the next two years.
Greeters: Sue and Will Twombly
Social Hour: Karen Allendoerfer and Gretchen Brown
Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 11:00am
Believing, Not Seeing - Mark Harris
Do you have things that you believe in, but cannot see? What are they? God? Gravity? Ghosts? This will be a sermon where I ask the congregation to share, if they are willing, what they believe in, but cannot see. Are we like doubting Thomas who must see to believe?
Music: guest musician, Frank Grimes, viola
Greeters: Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
Social Hour: Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethel
Sunday,October 22, 2006 at 11:00am
Climb Every Mountain Mark W. Harris
Thomas Starr King, for whom my seminary was named was the preacher who saved California for the Union, but he is scarcely remembered today. In fact, his statue may be removed from the U.S. Capitol to be replaced by another California hero, Ronald Reagan. Starr King has two mountains named after him; one in Yosemite, and the other in the White Mountains. He was a Unitarian and a Universalist, and he is coming to visit First Parish. This is an auction sermon.
Greeters: Martha Scott and David Morrison
Social Hour: Chela and Nicholas Tawa
lMusic: Aurora Sherman, soloist
Sunday,October 29, 2006 at 11:00am
Keeping the Dream Alive - Mark W. Harris
Many of us associate the word dream with Martin Luther King, and his famous speech. King¹s dream became his vision for transforming America. What kind of dreams do you have, and how do you make them come true?
Greeters: Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Sue and Will Twombly
Captains's Log
What a nice start to the church year. Attendance has been good, and we have seen a few new faces on Sunday, and added children to our church school registration as well. Our committee goal setting meeting came up with 15 goals for the church. That should keep us busy! Now we can look ahead to the Newcomer Breakfast (November 5) and the church service auction (November 18), and soon Holiday season will be here as well. Busy! My fall has certainly felt that way. Besides getting the church year started Andrea and I have had three boys in three different schools in three different towns. And of course we want to be involved in all of them. Between open houses and meetings and soccer games, we have to leave at least a few hours for our real jobs! May we all have a few hours for walks along the river, fishing, and reflection.
Did I say fishing? A couple of weeks ago, long time member Deb Stein invited my family out to a Fishing Derby at the Concord Rod and Gun Club. Deb has been a faithful member, but now lives at some distance. We still love it when she visits! We had hoped to go on this fishing expedition last year, but it did not work out. We arrived to see an algae infested pond. The entire surface was covered with a green film. This was the result of a very wet spring. It had been years since I had been fishing. Perhaps the last time was when I was Levi¹s age - now 12. That¹s over 40 years ago! Yikes!
The boys had been asking to go fishing for some time, but I had avoided the onerous task of taking them. My father was a fishing fanatic, and I have these memories of rising at the crack of dawn when it was freezing cold some April morn long ago to get to the pond before the fish woke up. They must never sleep in! There I was with the raining pouring down. I was told if it was sunny the fish could see you better, and would be less likely to bite. Some fisherman¹s myth no doubt. A few years ago I bought a book by Linda Greenlaw (one of the few female sword fishing boat captains that Sebastian Junger made famous with his book, The Perfect Storm) called All Fisherman Are Liars. In any case there I would be, trying to put a squiggly worm on this rusty hook while getting cold and wet. What fun! Everyone always speaks of the meditative experience of fishing. They must be the people who have never actually gone fishing. They just think it would be meditative. They¹ve never been with kids who need constant help, and then want to constantly cast their line once they have gotten the help. Just give them two minutes with me, and they will see how meditative it is!
In any case, there I was at this pond. But you know the trees were just beginning to change, and there was a slight hint of yellow and red and orange against the green. and the water was calm. Then there was the matter of the worms. Everyone asked me to cut them and put them on the hooks. I could stomach this gross activity, but I also had done it countless times, so long ago. I could help them. Then it began to come back to me - I had forgotten about the positions of weights and bobbers,but it came back. I was having trouble with casting, but soon learned when to let go, the boys all became quite adept at it. It was wonderful to watch them try and then succeed. It was restful. It was fun. And then Asher got something on his line. ³I think I got one he said. And sure enough he had. At the end he could not quite pull it in, and asked, ³Dad, can you do it?² Suddenly that struggling fish was on the bank of the pond. He caught a fish!
Was this what I dreaded? A few worms and a few fishhooks later, I decided this was awesome. I could do this again. Maybe not everyday. Sometimes the thing we dread the most. That terrible memory we do not want to conjure up again suddenly returns. And it is not so bad as we feared. In fact . .. why did it take so long? Maybe we can embrace those things we think we hate, and realize our memory is false. I had been waiting to return to that which I resisted for so long. It was pretty good! Now how exactly do I get that fish off the hook?
**************************************
I usually try to give details about my job to you at least annually, so you know how to find me or contact me. I keep regular office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I write my sermon on Friday. Tuesday is my day off (Nancy is here that day, so there is not a day that the office does not have coverage). Generally I will be there from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We have to work in school drop offs and pickups. Most days I am at church, but I have a few minister¹s meetings mixed in. I am happy to have you call, e-mail or visit with me about any issue you may have. This can be about something related to the church, religion or your personal situation as well. I can schedule a meeting at any time ( office hours, lunch, evenings, etc.). If you need to reach me, please feel free to call me at home as well. You can e-mail me at the church address, but I also have two other addresses that are entirely private: minister@fpwatertown.org and themanse@comcast.net. I am a good person to talk to if you want to join the church, need more information on Unitarian Universalism (such as Are we Christian or not?) or on First Parish (such as How do I make a pledge?), or need a wedding or child dedication or memorial service for any family member or to discuss whatever is on your mind. I once had a job at UU Headquarters (Director of Information) , where my major responsibility was answering people¹s questions. I love information! Ask me anything.
Mark
October Events to Remember
The Building and Grounds Committee is planning a Fall Clean Up. This will be be held on Saturday, October 14 (rain date October 21) from 9 -1 p.m. Drop in as you can.
Watch for an announcement and sign-ups.
The Women and Work Group will hold their October meeting on October 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. Details to come.
Memorial Garden Plan
Monica Fairbairn, the landscape architectural student, who designed a new memorial garden for First Parish is going to be at First Parish on Sunday, October 1 to present her plan to interested parishioners. If you would like to learn more, please come to a meeting in the conference room at 12:30 p.m. on that day.
Strategic Planning Meeting
What are we going to do as a Parish five, or ten years down the road? Would you like to help formulate a plan for our future? We need your input. A strategic planning meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Coffee, bagels, juice, etc. available) All Parish Council members are invited to participate, and other interested parties and committee members. Parish Council consists of all committee chairs, but we also want others to attend as well. Come join us to help prepare for the days ahead!
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
chalicedreamer@verizon.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
We live in a time of musical excellence. We have an amazing array of musical resources available to us ... both as individuals in our private pursuits and as a community in our religious endeavors. In regard to our UU religion, just look at the wealth of talent offered to us. Our churches often have top quality musicians leading wonderful music programs. Some of those musicians work collaboratively to offer music and other resources for distribution to our churches. Their work recently produced a great UU hymnal supplement and a children¹s hymnal.
The main challenge still left is to bring quality experiences to people who are musically shy. If you can¹t read music, most of the currently available resources are of little help to you ... unless someone guides you on how to get started. I, too, have had to (and continue to) overcome my own musical insecurities. I realized that I need to stop identifying myself as not musical. I might not be musically trained like many people I know, but I am musical. And so are you! Remember that old proverb ... "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance." Everyone is musical!
We need to start right here at First Parish in expanding our musical programming. Thanks to Patty, we have phenomenal music for our Sunday morning worship service. Now we need more! We need more music in our religious education programs. We need more opportunities for musically shy people to engage in musical activity. Music is not merely a recreational pursuit, the spiritual and religious benefits of music are endless. Beethoven once said, "Music is the mediator between intellectual and sensuous life ... the one spiritual entrance into the higher world." And Plato said, "Music training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the secret places of the soul." Music is something we all need in our lives. How can we make sure everyone has opportunities for meaningful musical experiences?
Let¹s think outside the "box" regarding our musical experiences here at First Parish ... whatever that might be for you. There is always more to experience and something new to try. Musical growth is endless. What new musical experience would you like to try? Go ahead and explore. What musical experience are you willing to share with someone else here at First Parish? Let¹s do it. I¹ll lead the way by hosting a potluck dinner and sing-a-long on Saturday, October 21st at 6PM. This gathering is for folks of all ages and talents. Save the date so you (and your family and friends) can join us for a fun, old-fashioned evening of singing together!
The Children's Ministry at First Parish needs YOUR help!
I delivered the following speech at our first worship service of the year. For those of you who missed it or who need to be reminded of it: here it is.
Usually I come to you with glamorous theatrics or creative prose to inspire you to WANT to come join the adventures in our children¹s ministry. But away with the theatrics and away with the creativity, it¹s time for me to get serious and honest. Our children are a very important of our religious community here. They are not just the future of First Parish Watertown, but they are our here and now. Our religious education work can not continue with just the efforts of a few special and generous souls. It literally takes a village and the responsibility falls to every individual member of our community. If left to evenly distributing the help across parents of participating kids only, each family would have to take 8 volunteer turns. That¹s a lot! Parents of participating kids, are you doing your share? Adults who don¹t have children participating, what are you doing to raise our next generation of UUs? Can YOU occasionally give these parents a break so they can come to our worship service to get their spiritual and religious needs met? I challenge each one of you to take a deeper step of commitment. If you haven¹t volunteered yet, please do so. If you usually volunteer only a few times, take a few extra turns. We need help! We need you!! And let me remind you that this is the one volunteer job at First Parish that comes with wonderful benefits: those of you who volunteer often already know what those rewards are.
Volunteering has never been easier. Go to my website at www.chalicedreamer.org and click on the "volunteer guide" link to read the 10 steps for being a volunteer leader and then click the "volunteer schedule" link to see where help is needed. Email me anytime to let me know when you can help!
My hours and how to contact me:
With so much happening this year, I am working carefully with the R.E. committee about how to maximize my time. Since the priority is to have me serving you on the program level, I will be working a very long Sunday each week (between the Sunday morning program and our new Sunday evening offerings like Coming-of-Age).
My typical hours are :
Sundays: 10 hours (usually 9AM to 7PM)
Monday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to10AM)
Wednesday afternoon: 2 hours (usually 1:45 to 3:45PM)
Wednesday night: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10PM)
Friday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10AM)
Saturday: 2 hours (varies based on the type of prep needs for Sunday)
How to contact me:
Call me during any of these times on my cell phone at 617-872-5145 and I¹d be happy to talk to you about any concerns, questions, etc. (I am very rarely reached by calling the church, so please save my cell phone number so you can access me easily.) OR you can email me at chalicedreamer@verizon.net at anytime. I check my church email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and will be sure to reply to your email once I read it. If you have an urgent matter and can¹t wait to reach me, definitely call me on my cell or at home.
Important dates ...
R.E. breakfast chat: October 15th at 9AM
A great opportunity for volunteers and parents to connect and talk about how things are going in our programs. It is also a nice chance to share stories about how to bring our UU faith home and out into the real world. Future chats will happen in January, March, and May.
Potluck dinner and sing-a-long:
October 21st at 6PM
Join us for a fabulous evening of sharing food and music together! We welcome folks of all ages and musical talents: our only goal is to have fun. Feel free to bring family and friends
(they don¹t have to be First Parish members).
For more information :Check out my website: www.chalicedreamer.org, for up to date information about what your children are doing in their small group gatherings, Coming-of-Age and youth group, and volunteer needs.
On Sunday, October 8th, children of all ages will gather together to do community service work on behalf of Birthday Wishes, a non-profit group that hosts birthday parties for children living in homeless shelters. We will package goodie bags for their parties.
How your family can help even more ...
bring a birthday gift to donate
On Sunday, October 8th, we will also package pew packs to send to the UU church in New Orleans. Since they are not yet set up to offer R.E. programs, it's very nice to give children UU theme activities to do when they attend church with their families.
How your family can help even more ...
bring a favorite R.E. book that we can send
Chalice Children special project:
We will again be collecting extra Halloween candy you have for a very good cause. We will be collecting surplus Halloween candy to give to Birthday Wishes to put in piñatas for their kids' birthday parties. So bring all that candy you don't like to church in early November and we'll pass it along for this great program.
Musical Musings
Welcome everyone to another "musical year" at First Parish. I am excited about starting a new and exciting year. This began in earnest on the very first Sunday of church. Two members of the congregation came up to me and want to be included in the music for a service. They volunteered!!! I am so pleased. I hope more of you will come up to me and say you want to play or sing for a service. We have such a supportive congregation and they enjoy it so much when their friends share their talent. The experience will be fun for you I promise!
The FPW Open Chorus has set it's first date to sing! It will be on Nov. 5th. I have lots of wonderful and varied new music for us and
singers are needed. Please plan to join us. Even if you haven't sung with us before, think about joining us this time. Get your feet wet!!!
Rehearsals are Oct. 23rd and Oct. 30th...7:00 in the sanctuary
Rehearsal and performance on Nov. 5th ...9:45 and 11:00
Many thank to Roberta for making the beautiful signs hanging on the sanctuary doors. What a lovely reminder for us to enter with reverence.I will still continue playing the prelude before 11:00 and stopping for the announcements on the hour. I know some of you like this arrangement but I hope all of you will grow to enjoy it. If you are so inclined, you can come early and listen to the music. It will be a quiet time, a time different from the weekly madness of life. Please come and speak to me after the service...anytime. I like to hear how you feel about the music and maybe there is something I could play that you would enjoy hearing.
Patty
Finance Committee Update
Can we Retire the Debt?
Whether you've been attending First Parish for years prior to the sanctuary renovation or you are more recently joining us, you're aware that our sanctuary space is magnificent in its beauty, light, and elegance. It offers a peaceful spiritual space for Sunday services and other gatherings. When we embarked on this project 4 years ago, it was to stabilize a sagging roof and create the gracious half-circle stage. The project evolved into a more thorough renovation of our worship space due to its age and needing repair. At the time, we did a Capital Campaign and, with generous support from church members and friend, made our spiritual space more welcoming than ever. That campaign is over! THANK YOU to all who helped. We are in the last thousands of dollars to complete payment of the loan from the trustees which helped us do this work. We still owe $6700.
In November, the First Parish Players will take you back in time to the sanctuary pre-repair and on November 19th, we will take a special offering to Retire the Debt for once and all. Please take a moment to think about what this space means to you and, indeed, what the entire church facility means to you, since without the roof repair the walls were being pushed out to the point of permanent irreparable damage to the building.
The Finance Committee invites you to participate in the special collection on 11/19 to move this debt toward completion. Whether you were or were not part of the original campaign, we need your financial generosity so we do not have to roll this debt into our 2007 - 2008 budget. THANK YOU!
Mid-fiscal year pledging:
If you are new to First Parish or were not able to participate in the pledge drive last February and March, there is still time for you to contribute to the church operating budget! Our budget year is April to March and now is the perfect time to add your pledge to our income. If you are not currently making a regular pledge to First Parish, please contact Mark Harris to be part of the process.
Social Action
Giving Boxes for September/October
The Watertown Food Pantry is our Giving Box for September/October. Their special needs at this time are: All kinds of condiments and snacks for kids, such as: crackers/cheese,
raisins, granola bars, juice boxes etc. They always need other non-perishable items-soups, tuna fish. etc,
Renewal House
Rev. Susan B. Criscione, Director of Renewal House recently thanked us for our June Giving Box donations to the residents of Renewal House (a shelter for battered women and their children sponsored by the UU Urban Ministry). They are appreciative of our ongoing support and interest in the work of Renewal House. Susan said our donations added greatly to the quality and care of their program. They would like to meet with us so that we might learn more about the realities of domestic violence.
Teen LEEP
In appreciation of our past support of Teen LEEP¹s youth-run bookstore we are invited to their First Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm . It is a video and presentation by youth that will also include poetry and musical performances by youth. It is located at 376 Moody St. Waltham and you will need to RSVP by Oct 3 at 781-788-0035 or email at events@teenleep.org.
Snail or Electronic Newsletters?
How are you reading this newsletter? Did you receive it in your email box? or in your snail mail box? If you are reading it in your snail mail box and have email, we would like you to consider sending a request to the church office (fpwatertown@comcast.net) to receive an electronic version of this newsletter. From a UU environmental standpoint, it saves trees! From a First Parish budget standpoint, it saves
money!! Please let Nancy know if you would like to receive church news through email rather than USPS mail. Thank you~
Among Us
Congratulations to Kim and Lou Leblanc at the birth of their new son Caeden Liam on
September 14.
Helen Wait continues to recover from a broken hip at Oak Knoll nursing facility in Framingham.
Service Auction is coming in November
Do you have something to donate?
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which will be held on Saturday, November 18. What¹s a Service Auction? It¹s when members and friends of First Parish donated services or items, such as making a dozen cookies, a pie, gardening help, computer help, knitting a scarf, a sermon of your choice, and then we bid on each others items! It¹s a great way to get to know each other and raise money for the church.
We will conduct a silent auction on the two Sundays prior to the 18th. Bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 18, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the Social Hall. After the dinner a variety of the items (about 20) will be auctioned off live, all others go to the highest bidder on the sheet.
Children are welcome, and childcare will be available throughout the evening. While we hope you can 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. If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete the following form and leave it n the office door. If you have any questions, please talk to Martha Scott (617-924-5206) or Jean Merkl (617-969-2708).
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 16, 2002
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): ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
FIRST PARISH GREETERS 2006-2007
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 Aurora Sherman at 339-219-3010 or email at roramich@care2.com The Church Office 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 ministers¹ name plaque in the sanctuary.
Date Greeters
Sep-10 Jeff Miller and Aurora Sherman
Sep-17 Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
Sep-24 Nancy Dutton & David Benson
Oct-1 John Portz & Meredith Montague
Oct-8 Sue and Will Twombly
Oct-15 Julie Miller, Paul Dansereau
Oct-22 Martha Scott, David Morrison
Oct-29 Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Nov-5 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
Nov-12 Jane Knuttunen & Bobbi Brown
Nov-19 Judy and Roger Kamm
Nov-26 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
Dec-3 Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Dec-10 Marianne & Michael Collins
Dec-17 Marilyn Boneau, Karen Allendoerfer
Dec-24 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethell
Dec-31 David and Kathy Warren
Jan-7 Barbara Beck and Ann Bloom
Jan-14 Gretchen Brown and Judi Fitts
Jan-21 Holly Cachimuel, Paula Chase
Jan-28 Cornelia Janke & Goyo Carvajal
Feb-4 Denise Carver, Peter Cudhea
Feb-11 Norah Mulvaney Day & Paul Day
Feb-18 Jeanne Cleary and Barry Greess
Feb-25 John Chamberlin & Sarah McSweeney
Mar-4 Sue Demb, Beth Parsons
Mar-11 Teo Ellsworth, Jim Felty
Mar-18 Patricia Fox & Linda Letourneau
Mar-25 Anna Glover and Anne Harrington
Apr-1 Valy McDonald, Jane Knuttunen
Apr-8 Mary Ellen Howe, Elisabeth Strekalovsky
Apr-15 Barbara Hansberry, Eileen Ryan
Apr-22 Michele and Ed Drozd
Apr-29 Martha Urban, Deb Stein
May-6 Diane & Thom Shepard
May-13 Randy Rhoda & Michael McCarthy
May-20 Beth Parsons & Joani Mountain
May-27 Kyle and Kelly Morton
Jun-3 Sachie and Santos Karmacharya
Jun-10 Anna Knight & Sue Kuder
Jun-17 Carole Katz & Jan Klein
First Parish of Watertown
Social Hour Assignments
2006-2007
As was our practice last year the Fellowship Committee is assigning Social Hour hosts to individuals rather than to committees. Here is the list for 2006-2007. 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, it¹s OK to simplify the variety and amount of foods offered. Thanks to all for hosting Social Hour.
Date Social Hour Hosts
Sep-10 Andrea Greenwood, Carole Berney
Sep-17 Jeff Miller, Aurora Sherman
Sep-24 Bob and Missy Shay
Oct-1 David and Kathy Warren
Oct-8 Karen Allendoerfer, Gretchen Brown
Oct-15 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethel
Oct-22 Chela and Nicholas Tawa
Oct-29 Sue and Will Twombly
Nov-5 Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Nov-12 Mary Ellen Howe, Elisabeth Strekalovsky
Nov-19 Martha Scott, David Morrison
Nov-26 Chris Johnson and Ken Repp
Dec-3 Meredith Montague and John Portz
Dec-10 Charmian Proskauer and Beth Parsons
Dec-17 Eileen Ryan, Celeste Olivia
Dec-24 Christmas Eve
Dec-31 Randy Rhoda, Jim Felty
Jan-7 Norah Mulvaney Day and Paul Day
Jan-14 Kelly and Kyle Morton
Jan-21 Joani Mountain, Lee Pierce
Jan-28 Julie Miller, Paul Dansereau
Feb-4 Jean Merkl and John Gorman
Feb-11 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
Feb-18 John Chamberlin & Sarah McSweeney
Feb-25 Valy McDonald, Jan Klein
Mar-4 Patricia Fox and Linda Letourneau
Mar-11 Kim LeBlanc, Karen & Paul Umbrello
Mar-18 Jane Knuttunen, Sachie Karmacharya
Mar-25 Roger & Judy Kamm
Apr-1 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
Apr-8 Cornelia Janke & Barbara Hansberry
Apr-15 Virginia Howe & Anne Harrington
Apr-22 Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
Apr-29 Steve Gustin, Djalai Babazadeh
May-6 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
May-13 Sue Demb & Judi Fitts
May-20 Marianne & Michael Collins, Anna Glover
May-27 Kathy Button, Anne Bloom
Jun-3 Holly Cachimuel, Paula Carnese
Jun-10 Marilyn Boenau & Bobbie Brown
Jun-17 All Church Picnic
The Door is Open
Every once in a great while, a door of opportunity may swing wide open right in front of you, and all you need to do is step forward. It¹s just that simple, and exciting. If you have ever waited, along with 400 other people, for a late bus to arrive in Harvard Station, and then have the door open right in front of you, you know the feeling. Well, the door is open, and there are just three seats that have become available on the FPW Buildings and Grounds Committee. Yes, you think, others have probably already rushed through the door to snap them up. Although we don¹t have 400 members in our congregation, logic says the seats are gone. But, please read on. You may still find your way in.
OK. There is a time for fantasy and a time for reality. The reality is:
1. FPW owns two very old buildings that need regular attention, and
2. The B&G Committee is quite small and needs help.
We need people who will join us at monthly meetings (first Mondays), who can help us identify and prioritize work, who can do some of the work, and who can help arrange for trades people and others to do some of the work for us. The more we can spread out the tasks, the more we can do. As a member, maybe you¹ll take on the task of updating records and routines, or lead the planning for a Saturday workday, or take the parsonage or the furnace under your wing, or dig up a dead bush. Are you regretting the years of lost opportunity? Want to step forward? The door is still open. Call Nick Haddad. Thank you.
Report on the Worship Survey
Last spring the Worship Committee invited your opinions on our services in a worship survey. The results of this survey have provided a lot of food for discussion at our Worship Committee meetings and are forming our agenda for the year. Approximately one-third of the congregation participated in the survey. It was clear from the responses that people were interested, had opinions, and put a good deal of time into giving their feedback. The quality of the responses indicated that this was a worth while effort. The results gave two messages: (1) overall, people are pleased and (2) there were some excellent suggestions for making our services even better.
The cumulative score on the survey was very favorable, with more than 70% favorable responses to the 72 questions. 20% of the answers scored a 3 Neither Agree nor Disagree² and 10% scored lower.
Some of the suggested areas for improvement or for consideration were:
Increased participation by members
Increased attention to teen members
More singing by the adult choir
Some diversification of music
More opportunities for silent meditation
Broaden hymn variety
Are we welcoming enough (especially assistance to those with special needs)
Each of the above items are being addressed in the Worship Committee this year. Patty is already working to bring in diverse guest musicians and to get the choir rehearsing.
It would be good to note that there were a few comments saying that the services were too long. A few years ago the parish made the decision to have the service run from 11:00-12:15. This is to better coordinate with the activities of the children. Usually, we are within that timeframe.
One of the most frequent comments related to increasing the participation of members during the services. While the committee and minister look for new ways to do this, it¹s important to note that very often no one has volunteered to light the chalice. Mark often needs to draft someone at the beginning of the service. This is a way for members to participate in a substantive way in the spirit of the service. Please remember, however, that the message during the Chalice Lighting is to be of a more universal nature, not a purely personal one.
Finally, although Joys & Sorrows scored very high in terms of how much people like it, numerous comments noted that Joys & Sorrows sometimes become announcements or advertisements. Everyone is asked to keep their sharings in the spirit of Joys & Sorrows.
The last section of the survey provided an opportunity for you to give open-ended responses to statements. This section clearly showed the passion and investment that members have in our parish.
The Worship Committee appreciates the time you put into the survey and wants you to know that your opinions have been heard. We did provide a report on the survey before the summer, but if you missed that and would like a copy, they are available in the church office or by emailing Chris Johnson at leshons@rcn.com.
Worship Committee: Christopher Johnson, Chair, Djalai Babazadeh, Eric Chipman, Jeanne Cleary, Marianne Collins, Guy Urban
Lay-Lead Worship Services
Our recent worship survey indicated a great desire on the part of the congregation to see more involvement of members in our services. One way the Worship Committee would like to respond to this is by having more lay-lead services. On December 3 we would like to have a service led by members that includes 3 or 4 individuals sharing about their experience of being a UU. What brings you here? What keeps you here? How does being a UU enhance, guide or inform your life and your decisions? Are you a life-long UU or are you coming from another faith tradition? How has your UU faith inspired you to live a better life? If you are interested in participating in a lay service by sharing some of your insights, please contact Mark or Worship Committee Chair, Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 or leshons@rcn.com).
Historian
By now, many of you have visited the newly renovated and expanded Watertown Free Public Library, and it is a jewel. How wonderful, too, to see all the names of people from First Parish who contributed to the Library Building Project! For those who did not buy a brick for the patio the first time around, the Library Building Committee is offering the community another chance to add your name. The price of a brick is still a bargain at $100 for two lines of text. An additional line costs $15.00 more. Two or more bricks may be grouped together for $10.00 per brick. Yours truly is considering purchasing a series of three bricks to represent the three generations of library trustees in my family. For more information about the brick program, go to the Watertown Free Public Library¹s website http://www.watertownlib.org. Don¹t dilly dally, please. The deadline for ordering bricks is December 31, 2006.
Katherine Button, The Amateur Historian
Understanding Immigration: A Forum in Two Parts
Immigration is a complex, and charged, topic. The World in Watertown is holding two forums in October to explore, and to better understand, the issues surrounding immigration. The first will provide an overview of the issues. Ali Noorani, the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) will speak. He will address current immigration policies and the problems that result from them. And he will debunk some of the many myths that have become part of the debate. He will be joined by Rachel Kaprielian, Watertown State Representative, and Alex Liazos, professor of Sociology at Regis College. Kaprielian will address legislation dealing with immigration, and Liazos, an immigrant himself, will speak briefly about the history of immigration and how it affects families. The second forum will address services that are available to immigrants in Watertown. What works and what does not work. What programs serve immigrants well, and what needs go unmet. Participating organizations include the Department of English for Speakers of Other languages (ESOL) at the Watertown Public Schools, Project Literacy, the Even Start Program, and the Parent-Child Home Program. The first forum, an Overview of the Issues, will take place on Wednesday, October 18, 2006. The second forum, Services Available to Immigrants, will take place the following week on Wednesday, October 25, 2006. Both forums will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room of the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown, from 7:30 9:00 p.m. They are free, and open to the public. Joining as co-sponsors are the Watertown No Place For Hate Committee and Project Literacy.
Action for Justice Project with M.L. Carr
The UU Urban ministry is sponsoring a fall forum , Moving Beyond Violence: We are All Role Models featuring former Celtic, M. L. Carr. It will be held on Sunday, October 22 at 2pm at the First Church in Roxbury. Mark Harris will be attending ,so speak to him if you want to join him.
Tremedal Concerts
presents Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen
Friday, October 13, 8 PM
at First Parish of Watertown
Cindy Kallet is a superb singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Grey Larsen adds the Irish flute, fiddle, and piano to this new duo. Benefit concert for the Watertown-El Salvador Sister City Project.
Tickets: $13 in advance; $15 at the door
Sold at Sandy's Music, 896A Mass. Ave, Cambridge or by mail: send stamped envelope to Alex Liazos, 142 Palfrey St., Watertown. Checks to Watertown-El Salvador Sister City. For information, contact Alex at 617-924-3795
Website: www.tremedalconcerts.org
Arbella
October 2006
Please refer to the calendar at www.fpwatertown.org for schedule of October events and meetings.
Services/ Sermon Topics
Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 11:00am
Breaking the Law - Mark W. Harris
We teach our children not to break laws, and that society needs a system of laws in order that we might live peacefully in community, yet history has often had outlaw heroes who said they were following God¹s law, or some higher moral truth that made it permissible to break the law. Can we in good conscience break the law, and when?
Greeters: John Portz and Meredith Montague
Social Hour: David and Kathy Warren
Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 11:00am
My Journey to Ministry Mark Caggiano
Come hear Mark¹s first sermon as our new student minister for the next two years.
Greeters: Sue and Will Twombly
Social Hour: Karen Allendoerfer and Gretchen Brown
Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 11:00am
Believing, Not Seeing - Mark Harris
Do you have things that you believe in, but cannot see? What are they? God? Gravity? Ghosts? This will be a sermon where I ask the congregation to share, if they are willing, what they believe in, but cannot see. Are we like doubting Thomas who must see to believe?
Music: guest musician, Frank Grimes, viola
Greeters: Julie Miller and Paul Dansereau
Social Hour: Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethel
Sunday,October 22, 2006 at 11:00am
Climb Every Mountain Mark W. Harris
Thomas Starr King, for whom my seminary was named was the preacher who saved California for the Union, but he is scarcely remembered today. In fact, his statue may be removed from the U.S. Capitol to be replaced by another California hero, Ronald Reagan. Starr King has two mountains named after him; one in Yosemite, and the other in the White Mountains. He was a Unitarian and a Universalist, and he is coming to visit First Parish. This is an auction sermon.
Greeters: Martha Scott and David Morrison
Social Hour: Chela and Nicholas Tawa
lMusic: Aurora Sherman, soloist
Sunday,October 29, 2006 at 11:00am
Keeping the Dream Alive - Mark W. Harris
Many of us associate the word dream with Martin Luther King, and his famous speech. King¹s dream became his vision for transforming America. What kind of dreams do you have, and how do you make them come true?
Greeters: Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Social Hour: Sue and Will Twombly
Captains's Log
What a nice start to the church year. Attendance has been good, and we have seen a few new faces on Sunday, and added children to our church school registration as well. Our committee goal setting meeting came up with 15 goals for the church. That should keep us busy! Now we can look ahead to the Newcomer Breakfast (November 5) and the church service auction (November 18), and soon Holiday season will be here as well. Busy! My fall has certainly felt that way. Besides getting the church year started Andrea and I have had three boys in three different schools in three different towns. And of course we want to be involved in all of them. Between open houses and meetings and soccer games, we have to leave at least a few hours for our real jobs! May we all have a few hours for walks along the river, fishing, and reflection.
Did I say fishing? A couple of weeks ago, long time member Deb Stein invited my family out to a Fishing Derby at the Concord Rod and Gun Club. Deb has been a faithful member, but now lives at some distance. We still love it when she visits! We had hoped to go on this fishing expedition last year, but it did not work out. We arrived to see an algae infested pond. The entire surface was covered with a green film. This was the result of a very wet spring. It had been years since I had been fishing. Perhaps the last time was when I was Levi¹s age - now 12. That¹s over 40 years ago! Yikes!
The boys had been asking to go fishing for some time, but I had avoided the onerous task of taking them. My father was a fishing fanatic, and I have these memories of rising at the crack of dawn when it was freezing cold some April morn long ago to get to the pond before the fish woke up. They must never sleep in! There I was with the raining pouring down. I was told if it was sunny the fish could see you better, and would be less likely to bite. Some fisherman¹s myth no doubt. A few years ago I bought a book by Linda Greenlaw (one of the few female sword fishing boat captains that Sebastian Junger made famous with his book, The Perfect Storm) called All Fisherman Are Liars. In any case there I would be, trying to put a squiggly worm on this rusty hook while getting cold and wet. What fun! Everyone always speaks of the meditative experience of fishing. They must be the people who have never actually gone fishing. They just think it would be meditative. They¹ve never been with kids who need constant help, and then want to constantly cast their line once they have gotten the help. Just give them two minutes with me, and they will see how meditative it is!
In any case, there I was at this pond. But you know the trees were just beginning to change, and there was a slight hint of yellow and red and orange against the green. and the water was calm. Then there was the matter of the worms. Everyone asked me to cut them and put them on the hooks. I could stomach this gross activity, but I also had done it countless times, so long ago. I could help them. Then it began to come back to me - I had forgotten about the positions of weights and bobbers,but it came back. I was having trouble with casting, but soon learned when to let go, the boys all became quite adept at it. It was wonderful to watch them try and then succeed. It was restful. It was fun. And then Asher got something on his line. ³I think I got one he said. And sure enough he had. At the end he could not quite pull it in, and asked, ³Dad, can you do it?² Suddenly that struggling fish was on the bank of the pond. He caught a fish!
Was this what I dreaded? A few worms and a few fishhooks later, I decided this was awesome. I could do this again. Maybe not everyday. Sometimes the thing we dread the most. That terrible memory we do not want to conjure up again suddenly returns. And it is not so bad as we feared. In fact . .. why did it take so long? Maybe we can embrace those things we think we hate, and realize our memory is false. I had been waiting to return to that which I resisted for so long. It was pretty good! Now how exactly do I get that fish off the hook?
**************************************
I usually try to give details about my job to you at least annually, so you know how to find me or contact me. I keep regular office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I write my sermon on Friday. Tuesday is my day off (Nancy is here that day, so there is not a day that the office does not have coverage). Generally I will be there from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We have to work in school drop offs and pickups. Most days I am at church, but I have a few minister¹s meetings mixed in. I am happy to have you call, e-mail or visit with me about any issue you may have. This can be about something related to the church, religion or your personal situation as well. I can schedule a meeting at any time ( office hours, lunch, evenings, etc.). If you need to reach me, please feel free to call me at home as well. You can e-mail me at the church address, but I also have two other addresses that are entirely private: minister@fpwatertown.org and themanse@comcast.net. I am a good person to talk to if you want to join the church, need more information on Unitarian Universalism (such as Are we Christian or not?) or on First Parish (such as How do I make a pledge?), or need a wedding or child dedication or memorial service for any family member or to discuss whatever is on your mind. I once had a job at UU Headquarters (Director of Information) , where my major responsibility was answering people¹s questions. I love information! Ask me anything.
Mark
October Events to Remember
The Building and Grounds Committee is planning a Fall Clean Up. This will be be held on Saturday, October 14 (rain date October 21) from 9 -1 p.m. Drop in as you can.
Watch for an announcement and sign-ups.
The Women and Work Group will hold their October meeting on October 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. Details to come.
Memorial Garden Plan
Monica Fairbairn, the landscape architectural student, who designed a new memorial garden for First Parish is going to be at First Parish on Sunday, October 1 to present her plan to interested parishioners. If you would like to learn more, please come to a meeting in the conference room at 12:30 p.m. on that day.
Strategic Planning Meeting
What are we going to do as a Parish five, or ten years down the road? Would you like to help formulate a plan for our future? We need your input. A strategic planning meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Coffee, bagels, juice, etc. available) All Parish Council members are invited to participate, and other interested parties and committee members. Parish Council consists of all committee chairs, but we also want others to attend as well. Come join us to help prepare for the days ahead!
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
chalicedreamer@verizon.net
cell phone: 617-872-5145
We live in a time of musical excellence. We have an amazing array of musical resources available to us ... both as individuals in our private pursuits and as a community in our religious endeavors. In regard to our UU religion, just look at the wealth of talent offered to us. Our churches often have top quality musicians leading wonderful music programs. Some of those musicians work collaboratively to offer music and other resources for distribution to our churches. Their work recently produced a great UU hymnal supplement and a children¹s hymnal.
The main challenge still left is to bring quality experiences to people who are musically shy. If you can¹t read music, most of the currently available resources are of little help to you ... unless someone guides you on how to get started. I, too, have had to (and continue to) overcome my own musical insecurities. I realized that I need to stop identifying myself as not musical. I might not be musically trained like many people I know, but I am musical. And so are you! Remember that old proverb ... "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance." Everyone is musical!
We need to start right here at First Parish in expanding our musical programming. Thanks to Patty, we have phenomenal music for our Sunday morning worship service. Now we need more! We need more music in our religious education programs. We need more opportunities for musically shy people to engage in musical activity. Music is not merely a recreational pursuit, the spiritual and religious benefits of music are endless. Beethoven once said, "Music is the mediator between intellectual and sensuous life ... the one spiritual entrance into the higher world." And Plato said, "Music training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the secret places of the soul." Music is something we all need in our lives. How can we make sure everyone has opportunities for meaningful musical experiences?
Let¹s think outside the "box" regarding our musical experiences here at First Parish ... whatever that might be for you. There is always more to experience and something new to try. Musical growth is endless. What new musical experience would you like to try? Go ahead and explore. What musical experience are you willing to share with someone else here at First Parish? Let¹s do it. I¹ll lead the way by hosting a potluck dinner and sing-a-long on Saturday, October 21st at 6PM. This gathering is for folks of all ages and talents. Save the date so you (and your family and friends) can join us for a fun, old-fashioned evening of singing together!
The Children's Ministry at First Parish needs YOUR help!
I delivered the following speech at our first worship service of the year. For those of you who missed it or who need to be reminded of it: here it is.
Usually I come to you with glamorous theatrics or creative prose to inspire you to WANT to come join the adventures in our children¹s ministry. But away with the theatrics and away with the creativity, it¹s time for me to get serious and honest. Our children are a very important of our religious community here. They are not just the future of First Parish Watertown, but they are our here and now. Our religious education work can not continue with just the efforts of a few special and generous souls. It literally takes a village and the responsibility falls to every individual member of our community. If left to evenly distributing the help across parents of participating kids only, each family would have to take 8 volunteer turns. That¹s a lot! Parents of participating kids, are you doing your share? Adults who don¹t have children participating, what are you doing to raise our next generation of UUs? Can YOU occasionally give these parents a break so they can come to our worship service to get their spiritual and religious needs met? I challenge each one of you to take a deeper step of commitment. If you haven¹t volunteered yet, please do so. If you usually volunteer only a few times, take a few extra turns. We need help! We need you!! And let me remind you that this is the one volunteer job at First Parish that comes with wonderful benefits: those of you who volunteer often already know what those rewards are.
Volunteering has never been easier. Go to my website at www.chalicedreamer.org and click on the "volunteer guide" link to read the 10 steps for being a volunteer leader and then click the "volunteer schedule" link to see where help is needed. Email me anytime to let me know when you can help!
My hours and how to contact me:
With so much happening this year, I am working carefully with the R.E. committee about how to maximize my time. Since the priority is to have me serving you on the program level, I will be working a very long Sunday each week (between the Sunday morning program and our new Sunday evening offerings like Coming-of-Age).
My typical hours are :
Sundays: 10 hours (usually 9AM to 7PM)
Monday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to10AM)
Wednesday afternoon: 2 hours (usually 1:45 to 3:45PM)
Wednesday night: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10PM)
Friday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10AM)
Saturday: 2 hours (varies based on the type of prep needs for Sunday)
How to contact me:
Call me during any of these times on my cell phone at 617-872-5145 and I¹d be happy to talk to you about any concerns, questions, etc. (I am very rarely reached by calling the church, so please save my cell phone number so you can access me easily.) OR you can email me at chalicedreamer@verizon.net at anytime. I check my church email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and will be sure to reply to your email once I read it. If you have an urgent matter and can¹t wait to reach me, definitely call me on my cell or at home.
Important dates ...
R.E. breakfast chat: October 15th at 9AM
A great opportunity for volunteers and parents to connect and talk about how things are going in our programs. It is also a nice chance to share stories about how to bring our UU faith home and out into the real world. Future chats will happen in January, March, and May.
Potluck dinner and sing-a-long:
October 21st at 6PM
Join us for a fabulous evening of sharing food and music together! We welcome folks of all ages and musical talents: our only goal is to have fun. Feel free to bring family and friends
(they don¹t have to be First Parish members).
For more information :Check out my website: www.chalicedreamer.org, for up to date information about what your children are doing in their small group gatherings, Coming-of-Age and youth group, and volunteer needs.
On Sunday, October 8th, children of all ages will gather together to do community service work on behalf of Birthday Wishes, a non-profit group that hosts birthday parties for children living in homeless shelters. We will package goodie bags for their parties.
How your family can help even more ...
bring a birthday gift to donate
On Sunday, October 8th, we will also package pew packs to send to the UU church in New Orleans. Since they are not yet set up to offer R.E. programs, it's very nice to give children UU theme activities to do when they attend church with their families.
How your family can help even more ...
bring a favorite R.E. book that we can send
Chalice Children special project:
We will again be collecting extra Halloween candy you have for a very good cause. We will be collecting surplus Halloween candy to give to Birthday Wishes to put in piñatas for their kids' birthday parties. So bring all that candy you don't like to church in early November and we'll pass it along for this great program.
Musical Musings
Welcome everyone to another "musical year" at First Parish. I am excited about starting a new and exciting year. This began in earnest on the very first Sunday of church. Two members of the congregation came up to me and want to be included in the music for a service. They volunteered!!! I am so pleased. I hope more of you will come up to me and say you want to play or sing for a service. We have such a supportive congregation and they enjoy it so much when their friends share their talent. The experience will be fun for you I promise!
The FPW Open Chorus has set it's first date to sing! It will be on Nov. 5th. I have lots of wonderful and varied new music for us and
singers are needed. Please plan to join us. Even if you haven't sung with us before, think about joining us this time. Get your feet wet!!!
Rehearsals are Oct. 23rd and Oct. 30th...7:00 in the sanctuary
Rehearsal and performance on Nov. 5th ...9:45 and 11:00
Many thank to Roberta for making the beautiful signs hanging on the sanctuary doors. What a lovely reminder for us to enter with reverence.I will still continue playing the prelude before 11:00 and stopping for the announcements on the hour. I know some of you like this arrangement but I hope all of you will grow to enjoy it. If you are so inclined, you can come early and listen to the music. It will be a quiet time, a time different from the weekly madness of life. Please come and speak to me after the service...anytime. I like to hear how you feel about the music and maybe there is something I could play that you would enjoy hearing.
Patty
Finance Committee Update
Can we Retire the Debt?
Whether you've been attending First Parish for years prior to the sanctuary renovation or you are more recently joining us, you're aware that our sanctuary space is magnificent in its beauty, light, and elegance. It offers a peaceful spiritual space for Sunday services and other gatherings. When we embarked on this project 4 years ago, it was to stabilize a sagging roof and create the gracious half-circle stage. The project evolved into a more thorough renovation of our worship space due to its age and needing repair. At the time, we did a Capital Campaign and, with generous support from church members and friend, made our spiritual space more welcoming than ever. That campaign is over! THANK YOU to all who helped. We are in the last thousands of dollars to complete payment of the loan from the trustees which helped us do this work. We still owe $6700.
In November, the First Parish Players will take you back in time to the sanctuary pre-repair and on November 19th, we will take a special offering to Retire the Debt for once and all. Please take a moment to think about what this space means to you and, indeed, what the entire church facility means to you, since without the roof repair the walls were being pushed out to the point of permanent irreparable damage to the building.
The Finance Committee invites you to participate in the special collection on 11/19 to move this debt toward completion. Whether you were or were not part of the original campaign, we need your financial generosity so we do not have to roll this debt into our 2007 - 2008 budget. THANK YOU!
Mid-fiscal year pledging:
If you are new to First Parish or were not able to participate in the pledge drive last February and March, there is still time for you to contribute to the church operating budget! Our budget year is April to March and now is the perfect time to add your pledge to our income. If you are not currently making a regular pledge to First Parish, please contact Mark Harris to be part of the process.
Social Action
Giving Boxes for September/October
The Watertown Food Pantry is our Giving Box for September/October. Their special needs at this time are: All kinds of condiments and snacks for kids, such as: crackers/cheese,
raisins, granola bars, juice boxes etc. They always need other non-perishable items-soups, tuna fish. etc,
Renewal House
Rev. Susan B. Criscione, Director of Renewal House recently thanked us for our June Giving Box donations to the residents of Renewal House (a shelter for battered women and their children sponsored by the UU Urban Ministry). They are appreciative of our ongoing support and interest in the work of Renewal House. Susan said our donations added greatly to the quality and care of their program. They would like to meet with us so that we might learn more about the realities of domestic violence.
Teen LEEP
In appreciation of our past support of Teen LEEP¹s youth-run bookstore we are invited to their First Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm . It is a video and presentation by youth that will also include poetry and musical performances by youth. It is located at 376 Moody St. Waltham and you will need to RSVP by Oct 3 at 781-788-0035 or email at events@teenleep.org.
Snail or Electronic Newsletters?
How are you reading this newsletter? Did you receive it in your email box? or in your snail mail box? If you are reading it in your snail mail box and have email, we would like you to consider sending a request to the church office (fpwatertown@comcast.net) to receive an electronic version of this newsletter. From a UU environmental standpoint, it saves trees! From a First Parish budget standpoint, it saves
money!! Please let Nancy know if you would like to receive church news through email rather than USPS mail. Thank you~
Among Us
Congratulations to Kim and Lou Leblanc at the birth of their new son Caeden Liam on
September 14.
Helen Wait continues to recover from a broken hip at Oak Knoll nursing facility in Framingham.
Service Auction is coming in November
Do you have something to donate?
It's time to start thinking about this year's Annual Service Auction, which will be held on Saturday, November 18. What¹s a Service Auction? It¹s when members and friends of First Parish donated services or items, such as making a dozen cookies, a pie, gardening help, computer help, knitting a scarf, a sermon of your choice, and then we bid on each others items! It¹s a great way to get to know each other and raise money for the church.
We will conduct a silent auction on the two Sundays prior to the 18th. Bid sheets for all services and goods will be available for review and bidding, at tables set up during Social Hour.
On November 18, the Service Auction Potluck Dinner will be held in the Social Hall. After the dinner a variety of the items (about 20) will be auctioned off live, all others go to the highest bidder on the sheet.
Children are welcome, and childcare will be available throughout the evening. While we hope you can 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. If you have a service or good to contribute to the auction, please complete the following form and leave it n the office door. If you have any questions, please talk to Martha Scott (617-924-5206) or Jean Merkl (617-969-2708).
Service Auction Donation
Saturday, November 16, 2002
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): ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
FIRST PARISH GREETERS 2006-2007
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 Aurora Sherman at 339-219-3010 or email at roramich@care2.com The Church Office 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 ministers¹ name plaque in the sanctuary.
Date Greeters
Sep-10 Jeff Miller and Aurora Sherman
Sep-17 Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
Sep-24 Nancy Dutton & David Benson
Oct-1 John Portz & Meredith Montague
Oct-8 Sue and Will Twombly
Oct-15 Julie Miller, Paul Dansereau
Oct-22 Martha Scott, David Morrison
Oct-29 Ken Repp and Chris Johnson
Nov-5 Jean Merkl & John Gorman
Nov-12 Jane Knuttunen & Bobbi Brown
Nov-19 Judy and Roger Kamm
Nov-26 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
Dec-3 Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Dec-10 Marianne & Michael Collins
Dec-17 Marilyn Boneau, Karen Allendoerfer
Dec-24 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethell
Dec-31 David and Kathy Warren
Jan-7 Barbara Beck and Ann Bloom
Jan-14 Gretchen Brown and Judi Fitts
Jan-21 Holly Cachimuel, Paula Chase
Jan-28 Cornelia Janke & Goyo Carvajal
Feb-4 Denise Carver, Peter Cudhea
Feb-11 Norah Mulvaney Day & Paul Day
Feb-18 Jeanne Cleary and Barry Greess
Feb-25 John Chamberlin & Sarah McSweeney
Mar-4 Sue Demb, Beth Parsons
Mar-11 Teo Ellsworth, Jim Felty
Mar-18 Patricia Fox & Linda Letourneau
Mar-25 Anna Glover and Anne Harrington
Apr-1 Valy McDonald, Jane Knuttunen
Apr-8 Mary Ellen Howe, Elisabeth Strekalovsky
Apr-15 Barbara Hansberry, Eileen Ryan
Apr-22 Michele and Ed Drozd
Apr-29 Martha Urban, Deb Stein
May-6 Diane & Thom Shepard
May-13 Randy Rhoda & Michael McCarthy
May-20 Beth Parsons & Joani Mountain
May-27 Kyle and Kelly Morton
Jun-3 Sachie and Santos Karmacharya
Jun-10 Anna Knight & Sue Kuder
Jun-17 Carole Katz & Jan Klein
First Parish of Watertown
Social Hour Assignments
2006-2007
As was our practice last year the Fellowship Committee is assigning Social Hour hosts to individuals rather than to committees. Here is the list for 2006-2007. 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, it¹s OK to simplify the variety and amount of foods offered. Thanks to all for hosting Social Hour.
Date Social Hour Hosts
Sep-10 Andrea Greenwood, Carole Berney
Sep-17 Jeff Miller, Aurora Sherman
Sep-24 Bob and Missy Shay
Oct-1 David and Kathy Warren
Oct-8 Karen Allendoerfer, Gretchen Brown
Oct-15 Guy Urban and Charlyn Bethel
Oct-22 Chela and Nicholas Tawa
Oct-29 Sue and Will Twombly
Nov-5 Elizabeth & Isabel Tappan-deFrees
Nov-12 Mary Ellen Howe, Elisabeth Strekalovsky
Nov-19 Martha Scott, David Morrison
Nov-26 Chris Johnson and Ken Repp
Dec-3 Meredith Montague and John Portz
Dec-10 Charmian Proskauer and Beth Parsons
Dec-17 Eileen Ryan, Celeste Olivia
Dec-24 Christmas Eve
Dec-31 Randy Rhoda, Jim Felty
Jan-7 Norah Mulvaney Day and Paul Day
Jan-14 Kelly and Kyle Morton
Jan-21 Joani Mountain, Lee Pierce
Jan-28 Julie Miller, Paul Dansereau
Feb-4 Jean Merkl and John Gorman
Feb-11 Sue Kuder & Channing Mendelsohn
Feb-18 John Chamberlin & Sarah McSweeney
Feb-25 Valy McDonald, Jan Klein
Mar-4 Patricia Fox and Linda Letourneau
Mar-11 Kim LeBlanc, Karen & Paul Umbrello
Mar-18 Jane Knuttunen, Sachie Karmacharya
Mar-25 Roger & Judy Kamm
Apr-1 Johanna Swift Hart & Kyle Hart
Apr-8 Cornelia Janke & Barbara Hansberry
Apr-15 Virginia Howe & Anne Harrington
Apr-22 Susan Flint and Nick Haddad
Apr-29 Steve Gustin, Djalai Babazadeh
May-6 Jeanne Cleary & Barry Greess
May-13 Sue Demb & Judi Fitts
May-20 Marianne & Michael Collins, Anna Glover
May-27 Kathy Button, Anne Bloom
Jun-3 Holly Cachimuel, Paula Carnese
Jun-10 Marilyn Boenau & Bobbie Brown
Jun-17 All Church Picnic
The Door is Open
Every once in a great while, a door of opportunity may swing wide open right in front of you, and all you need to do is step forward. It¹s just that simple, and exciting. If you have ever waited, along with 400 other people, for a late bus to arrive in Harvard Station, and then have the door open right in front of you, you know the feeling. Well, the door is open, and there are just three seats that have become available on the FPW Buildings and Grounds Committee. Yes, you think, others have probably already rushed through the door to snap them up. Although we don¹t have 400 members in our congregation, logic says the seats are gone. But, please read on. You may still find your way in.
OK. There is a time for fantasy and a time for reality. The reality is:
1. FPW owns two very old buildings that need regular attention, and
2. The B&G Committee is quite small and needs help.
We need people who will join us at monthly meetings (first Mondays), who can help us identify and prioritize work, who can do some of the work, and who can help arrange for trades people and others to do some of the work for us. The more we can spread out the tasks, the more we can do. As a member, maybe you¹ll take on the task of updating records and routines, or lead the planning for a Saturday workday, or take the parsonage or the furnace under your wing, or dig up a dead bush. Are you regretting the years of lost opportunity? Want to step forward? The door is still open. Call Nick Haddad. Thank you.
Report on the Worship Survey
Last spring the Worship Committee invited your opinions on our services in a worship survey. The results of this survey have provided a lot of food for discussion at our Worship Committee meetings and are forming our agenda for the year. Approximately one-third of the congregation participated in the survey. It was clear from the responses that people were interested, had opinions, and put a good deal of time into giving their feedback. The quality of the responses indicated that this was a worth while effort. The results gave two messages: (1) overall, people are pleased and (2) there were some excellent suggestions for making our services even better.
The cumulative score on the survey was very favorable, with more than 70% favorable responses to the 72 questions. 20% of the answers scored a 3 Neither Agree nor Disagree² and 10% scored lower.
Some of the suggested areas for improvement or for consideration were:
Increased participation by members
Increased attention to teen members
More singing by the adult choir
Some diversification of music
More opportunities for silent meditation
Broaden hymn variety
Are we welcoming enough (especially assistance to those with special needs)
Each of the above items are being addressed in the Worship Committee this year. Patty is already working to bring in diverse guest musicians and to get the choir rehearsing.
It would be good to note that there were a few comments saying that the services were too long. A few years ago the parish made the decision to have the service run from 11:00-12:15. This is to better coordinate with the activities of the children. Usually, we are within that timeframe.
One of the most frequent comments related to increasing the participation of members during the services. While the committee and minister look for new ways to do this, it¹s important to note that very often no one has volunteered to light the chalice. Mark often needs to draft someone at the beginning of the service. This is a way for members to participate in a substantive way in the spirit of the service. Please remember, however, that the message during the Chalice Lighting is to be of a more universal nature, not a purely personal one.
Finally, although Joys & Sorrows scored very high in terms of how much people like it, numerous comments noted that Joys & Sorrows sometimes become announcements or advertisements. Everyone is asked to keep their sharings in the spirit of Joys & Sorrows.
The last section of the survey provided an opportunity for you to give open-ended responses to statements. This section clearly showed the passion and investment that members have in our parish.
The Worship Committee appreciates the time you put into the survey and wants you to know that your opinions have been heard. We did provide a report on the survey before the summer, but if you missed that and would like a copy, they are available in the church office or by emailing Chris Johnson at leshons@rcn.com.
Worship Committee: Christopher Johnson, Chair, Djalai Babazadeh, Eric Chipman, Jeanne Cleary, Marianne Collins, Guy Urban
Lay-Lead Worship Services
Our recent worship survey indicated a great desire on the part of the congregation to see more involvement of members in our services. One way the Worship Committee would like to respond to this is by having more lay-lead services. On December 3 we would like to have a service led by members that includes 3 or 4 individuals sharing about their experience of being a UU. What brings you here? What keeps you here? How does being a UU enhance, guide or inform your life and your decisions? Are you a life-long UU or are you coming from another faith tradition? How has your UU faith inspired you to live a better life? If you are interested in participating in a lay service by sharing some of your insights, please contact Mark or Worship Committee Chair, Chris Johnson (781.209.0944 or leshons@rcn.com).
Historian
By now, many of you have visited the newly renovated and expanded Watertown Free Public Library, and it is a jewel. How wonderful, too, to see all the names of people from First Parish who contributed to the Library Building Project! For those who did not buy a brick for the patio the first time around, the Library Building Committee is offering the community another chance to add your name. The price of a brick is still a bargain at $100 for two lines of text. An additional line costs $15.00 more. Two or more bricks may be grouped together for $10.00 per brick. Yours truly is considering purchasing a series of three bricks to represent the three generations of library trustees in my family. For more information about the brick program, go to the Watertown Free Public Library¹s website http://www.watertownlib.org. Don¹t dilly dally, please. The deadline for ordering bricks is December 31, 2006.
Katherine Button, The Amateur Historian
Understanding Immigration: A Forum in Two Parts
Immigration is a complex, and charged, topic. The World in Watertown is holding two forums in October to explore, and to better understand, the issues surrounding immigration. The first will provide an overview of the issues. Ali Noorani, the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) will speak. He will address current immigration policies and the problems that result from them. And he will debunk some of the many myths that have become part of the debate. He will be joined by Rachel Kaprielian, Watertown State Representative, and Alex Liazos, professor of Sociology at Regis College. Kaprielian will address legislation dealing with immigration, and Liazos, an immigrant himself, will speak briefly about the history of immigration and how it affects families. The second forum will address services that are available to immigrants in Watertown. What works and what does not work. What programs serve immigrants well, and what needs go unmet. Participating organizations include the Department of English for Speakers of Other languages (ESOL) at the Watertown Public Schools, Project Literacy, the Even Start Program, and the Parent-Child Home Program. The first forum, an Overview of the Issues, will take place on Wednesday, October 18, 2006. The second forum, Services Available to Immigrants, will take place the following week on Wednesday, October 25, 2006. Both forums will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank Meeting Room of the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown, from 7:30 9:00 p.m. They are free, and open to the public. Joining as co-sponsors are the Watertown No Place For Hate Committee and Project Literacy.
Action for Justice Project with M.L. Carr
The UU Urban ministry is sponsoring a fall forum , Moving Beyond Violence: We are All Role Models featuring former Celtic, M. L. Carr. It will be held on Sunday, October 22 at 2pm at the First Church in Roxbury. Mark Harris will be attending ,so speak to him if you want to join him.
Tremedal Concerts
presents Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen
Friday, October 13, 8 PM
at First Parish of Watertown
Cindy Kallet is a superb singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Grey Larsen adds the Irish flute, fiddle, and piano to this new duo. Benefit concert for the Watertown-El Salvador Sister City Project.
Tickets: $13 in advance; $15 at the door
Sold at Sandy's Music, 896A Mass. Ave, Cambridge or by mail: send stamped envelope to Alex Liazos, 142 Palfrey St., Watertown. Checks to Watertown-El Salvador Sister City. For information, contact Alex at 617-924-3795
Website: www.tremedalconcerts.org
Arbella - Newsletter for September 2006
The Arbella
Newsletter for September 2006
Services and Sermons
September 10 at 11:00 a.m.
Water Service. Mark and congregation.
Our annual water service and ingathering invites everyone to bring a small vial of water celebrating your summer adventures. This can be from a place of distant travel, or the reassuring waters of your local pool or tap. In a few words we ask you to tell us where your travels took you this summer, and what meaning it brought to your life. This is an intergenerational service. Story by Mark
Social Hour: Carole Berney and Andrea Greenwood with assistance from Missy
Shay and Anne Harrington.
September 17 at 11:00 a.m.
“A Faith to Live By” Mark W. Harris
What does the word faith mean to your average Unitarian Universalists? Being non-credal, we
do not have a typical set of faith beliefs. And we sometimes says that faith is a trust or belief in something that just ain’t so! So what is
faith for us? Story by Roberta
September 24 at 11:00 a.m.
“Securing Success” Mark W. Harris
Success is usually not measured by how you are doing as compared to a measured amount of knowledge, but how you are doing in comparison to someone else. As a result, few of us are willing to acknowledge what society deems as failure. Some people have a hard time coming to a church community if they feel they have failed as mothers or parents or in the
work world. There is a perception that rather than supporting others, we tend to judge
them. What is your experience?
Captain’s Log
Welcome back! September breezes are blowing in! We usually talk about September as a return to normalcy. It is a return to a very scheduled life. There is school and work and church. The kids have piano lessons and sports. Everything is very routinized, and therefore somewhat predictable. As a result , we often hear parents of children say, thank you, the chaos of summer is over. We return to sameness. But that is never the way I experience September.
To me September is more about a newness than it is a return to the old. Children almost always have new teachers, and in some cases new schools. This is such a time of adjustment. I always have a hard time adjusting to work again. After two months of not writing a sermon, it feels like I am starting all over again. Even though I have the knowledge of years of doing this, it all still feels very new. I have to find the rhythm. I have to figure out the topics. In that sense it is new. Teachers are meeting new groups of students. It is a time to take on new projects. It is a time to start up.
We had a busy summer. There was the usual joy of being at our cottage for a month, so that we could enjoy the cold Maine waters, beautiful sunsets, picking blueberries and strawberries, mountain climbing, lobster eating and the other wonderful things about summer. We managed to accomplish a few projects at our place, and I read a few books. Three novels included. Unheard of for the nonfiction guy. Back home we enjoyed the Watertown pool, the new library, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and unfortunately a fall from grace for their major league counterparts.
At the end of summer we returned to Ferry Beach where I was the theme speaker at a conference on UUs and Class. We are usually classified as a highly educated, wealthy religious group, but this may be more stereotype than reality. This made me think of how often we embody the perceived truth even when it may not be the truth any longer. I wonder. I see you as . . .We see ourselves as . . . and that perception becomes our truth. It is useful to ponder how class affects each of us. My father was dirt poor, and yet lived out an Horatio Alger Myth. By education and values, we might call him working class, but by the amount of money he earned he became wealthy, and thus upper middle class. How much we have can also affect how much we are willing to sacrifice for a greater good.
All of these reflections bring us back to the start of a new church year, where we hope all kinds of people will come hear our message that we learn more of truth when we listen to and understand others. We learn more of truth when we think of things critically and express honest doubts rather than blindly follow handed down truths. We learn to be a community that lives by what we are, and not what we say we are. I hope you will come join us to learn more of liberal religious truth.
This summer we climbed Bald Mountain, near Camden, Maine. On the way up we saw magnificent ocean views and munched on low bush berries. It was like something out of the book Blueberries for Sal. I was waiting for the bear to appear. Then on the way down, one of our kids ran ahead, and diverted us from the path. We proceeded to get lost. Down, down, down we went, through a haze of bugs and left behind rusted out autos. Until we came to a farm house where the farmer was sharpening his haying tools. Andrea went up to the farmer and said, “sir, we are lost, and were wondering if you could give my husband a ride back to our car. He replied, “Why, little lady, you’re not lost. I know exactly where you are.” And he did. The kind man drove us all back. We were all safe. So, if you are feeling lost amid all the scary news. Come over to First Parish. Together we will find our bearings and reclaim a vision for the world where we are not lost.
Mark
Adult Education
What kinds of Adult Education opportunities would you like to see? We have an ongoing Women and Work group and a covenant group. We will try to reorganize the Sunday covenant group. There will be the usual New UU Class in November. I am thinking that I will lead some kind of Bible for UUs class. Please let me know your thoughts on what you would like to see organized.
Committee Night
All Committee Chairs and others are invited to a Dessert Potluck and Committee information and Planning night. What dreams do you have for the church this year? How are you going to fulfill them? Please make sure your committee is represented. This special Committee night will take place on September 24 from 7-10 p.m. Please bring something sweet to share.
Social Action
Our Giving Box for September and October will be the Watertown Food Pantry.
Special needs at this time include more obscure items like condiments - ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, etc. They also need snacks for children, including crackers/cheese, granola bars, etc. and healthy snacks such as raisins. Please feel free to donate other nonperishable items as well.
We continue to have a weekly pickup of bread from Panera Bakery. This bread is given to the Grow Clinic Pantry at Boston Medical Center. If you are interested in joining the five families/individuals who bag this bread and drop it off, please speak to Andrea Greenwood.
Banner
Our wonderful church banner with the ship Arbella on it was virtually ruined at this year’s Gay Pride parade because of the rain. Although it had been to the parade several times, it apparently had never rained before. Missy Shay who engineered the original group that made the banner says that the Arbella can probably be cut out and attached to a new banner, if someone is willing to do the lettering. Please speak to Mark or Missy if you are willing to take on this project. In the meantime our other banner is in the entry way.
Welcoming Space
Please note the new people friendly space for you to enjoy during social hour.
“Life is Religious if We Make it So”
(from “The Religious Leader” pre-GA 2006)
As UU Parents, we want to accept and encourage our children’s unique search for truth and meaning (Principle 4) But at what age are children old enough to decide for themselves that attending religious education classes will not enhance their spiritual journey? Parents of children and youth may face a child resistant to church attendance at any age.
Children in second through fifth grades are expanding their social awareness. They notice that not everyone worships and believes as their own families do. Depending on the child’s personality, this awareness of difference may spark pride, curiosity, or concern. That concern may be expressed in resistance to church attendance.
Children this age like to fit in, to know where they belong and why. When there is a dichotomy between home and friends, they need to resolve the tension. They need help from the adults in their lives to provide a reason for the differences they are trying to understand.
A great way to reach children of this age is through stories of real people doing heroic deeds. This is the age where every soccer player wants to make the Olympic team, every football player wants to turn professional, and everyone wants to have magical powers like Harry Potter. Children are starting to experience their own power and like to imagine doing great deeds. Religious education curricula, such as Gaia Brown’s UU Super Heroes and Super Heroes, Bible People, are some of the wonderful tools available to teach our UU and Jewish and Christian heritage in a format that matches the developmental stages of children this age.
Parents needs to learn these stories, too, and find ways to share them with their children. If being a UU is limited to the occasional Sunday morning, and never referred to in the course of daily life, then there is no way for a child to find any meaning or pride in his or her religious
heritage, and therefore no motivating reason to attend church.
Many parents don’t know the stories of our common religious heritage because they’ve come from other faith traditions. A good book for the whole family is a Lamp in Every Corner: Our UU Storybook by Janeen Grohsmeyer. The UUA website and their bookstore link also provide many other great books to browse and purchase for home or for church libraries.
Children in upper elementary school still look to their parents for guidance. If parents make it a practice to attend church regularly, then their children will have an opportunity to get connected. If parents show an interest in their child’s religious education by talking to their teachers, connecting with other families in the same age group, learning what their children are learning, then they will be better able to help their children interpret life’s daily scramble, using the lens of the religious values and spiritual depths they want their children to embody.
If parents show, through their own choices for themselves and their families, that the spiritual journey is worth time and effort -- rather than engaging in a power struggle where parent and child both lose -- they will have taught through example that their own super-hero child is worthy of the challenges and rewards of that same journey.
Claire Diehl, Religious Educator
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Valy McDonald at the death of her partner, Susan Guidrey on July 23. Susan’s memorial service was conducted by Mark at First Parish on Saturday, August 5.
Our deepest sympathy to Cornelia Janke whose mother died in June.
Congratulations to Judi Fitts, who was married to David Palmer on Saturday, August 12 at First Parish. The service was conducted by Andrea Greenwood.
Healing thoughts to Helen Wait, who recently broke her hip, and is recovering at a rehab hospital in Framingham.
Our own FPW member Eric Chipman is featured in Springwell’s Summer 2006 Newsletter. It is posted on the bulletin board downstairs.
New Members
In the spring we welcomed three new members of First Parish. Since then, Habis Obyat has also signed the book. Habis will be welcomed later this fall, along with others who we hope will join. Prospective members are asked to sign the membership book. Please see Mark Harris. Welcome to all our new members.
Sachie Karmacharya
On Saturday June 3rd I received my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Bunker Hill Community College! I plan on attending UMASS Boston in the Fall. I work part-time at Starbucks on Mt. Auburn Street and in June I started my new job at a preschool in Charlestown as a lead toddler teacher. I have been married to Santosh Karmacharya (who is from Nepal) since December 20, 2002. We spent 1 month in Nepal together last January. Santosh and I have been living in Watertown since last July. I was born in San Diego California and was raised in Springfield, Illinois. I have one younger brother who is in the Coast Guard in Boston and lives in Lynn, MA. I moved from Illinois to Massachusetts six years ago as a live in nanny. My mom and her husband visited from Springfield, Illinois in June. My mom raised my brother and me UU, though she was raised Christian Science in Missouri. I am very happy to be a new member at the First Parish Church in Watertown!! Santosh and I have enjoyed our Sundays here very much. Thank-you for being so welcoming!
Barbara Hansberry
I am a lawyer by trade and serve as the General Counsel for a small, government watchdog agency - the Office of the Inspector General. The office has authority, backed by subpoena power, to investigate fraud, waste and abuse in any government program funded by taxpayer money. The office is quite successful at the task as measured by the fact that for the last five years the MA Republican Governors have tried to get rid of us by $0 funding the office at budget time!
Barbara is married to David Leon, and their children, Douglas (who will be 10 this summer) and M.E. (age 51/2), have been involved at First Parish for three years. For two years Barbara has enjoyed membership on the Religious Education Committee.
Rebecca Sheehan
Rebecca is a born UU from New Jersey, who recently graduated from U. Mass, Boston. Last year she was a tremendous help with our RE program. So good, in fact, that she has been hired to be the Director of Religious Education at the First Universalist Society in Salem, MA. So even though Becca has her membership with FPW, we will not be seeing her too much on Sundays. Hopefully she will drop in at other times, and maybe on her days off.
Worship Reminders
Welcome back to worship. Here are a few reminders about our Sunday morning gatherings. Most every week we have a time for Joys and Sorrows. Members and friends are asked to share any pertinent significant life events in a brief manner. The candle lighting which accompanies this sharing can also be done in silence. Please remember this sharing is not an announcement time.
Every service also includes a Chalice Lighting.
Members are encouraged to sign up for this in advance on the bulletin board downstairs. This is a time when you can also share a significant life event and/or offer a reading that has been important to you in your spiritual journey. Please make our worship more meaningful with your personal sharing by signing up. We also hope to beautify our sanctuary every week with the addition of flowers. If you can offer to provide flowers for a Sunday worship, please sign up on the bulletin board.
Greetings from the New Student Minister
Greetings from the north (North Andover, that is). I wanted to take a brief moment and introduce myself as the new student minister intern. I am a second year student at
Harvard Divinity School, struggling with course selections and other bureaucratic delights. I am a second career person, having trained as a lawyer, and I still maintain a part-time practice on the North Shore. My two greatest achievements are named Nicholas and Alyssa. Nick is starting high school in the fall, which is a milestone for us both. Alyssa is seven years old and is in second grade. I look forward to meeting you all in person. Best wishes for a wonderful new church year.
Mark Caggiano
Student Minister Committee
Mark will need three volunteers to serve on a Ministerial Intern Committee. Would you like to help support our new student minister in his work with us? Please speak to Mark I or Mark II today (the new designations, or we could use old and new).
Thank you to:
Our FPW members who conducted summer worship: Kathy Button, Jeanne Cleary, Chris Johnson and Roberta Altamari. Also to Carole Berney and Guy Urban, who provided music.
Sue Demb for the addition of the piano in the parish hall. It is tuned and ready for action.
The Weed Crew, who cleaned up the front of the church before Susan Guidrey’s service:
David Morrison, Martha Scott , Jan Klein, Jane Knuttunen, Valy McDonald, Mark Harris.
Faire on the Square
Every year the First Parish has a table at the Faire on the Square, among other community group and churches. Would you be willing to help out by staffing this table for an hour or so on Saturday, September 30 from 10-3. It is a good way to let the public know that we are here with a welcoming congregation that offers fine programming for all ages. Please speak to Mark if you can help staff the table. There will be sign-ups during the month.
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
chalicedreamer@verizon.net ; cell phone: 617-872-5145
Welcome back to another exciting year at First Parish! I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer adventures and is looking forward to starting another season together. I am eager to see you and hear your stories!
My summer again included two weeks at Ferry Beach, a Unitarian Universalist camp right on the beach in Saco, Maine. For the first week, I was staff for Different Drummers (the middle school camp). Imagine it ... being totally submersed in UU middle school culture. And just like last year, the personal and professional growth I got from the experience was very much worth the exhausting amount of work. I followed that with Religious Educators week and found myself energized by the exchange of fascinating ideas and by connecting with some wonderful people, particularly in the Worship Renaissance Module. From the worship rituals we do in our small group gatherings to the way we empower our youth to help create their own programming, I was pleasantly surprised to realize our work here is Watertown is progressive and meaningful. And I am inspired to do even more work in these important areas.
We have lots of exciting new changes for this year. We have new curricula for our older groups. We have new groupings for our kids. We will have "leadership teams" for our small group gatherings. I have a new webpage (at www.chalicedreamer.org) for participating families to easily access scheduling information and more. And then there are the two programs I’m most eager for. The first is that I will get to lead my first Coming-of-Age program. We have 5 youth and 5 fabulous mentors ready for a tremendous year and I can‚t wait to get started! The other is that I discovered a beautiful and affirming 6-week program for pre-teen girls and their mothers that I will offer this fall. (I’m hoping someone might be inspired to offer a similar program for pre-teen boys with their parents). Attend one of our R.E. orientation sessions in September to find out more about all this fascinating programming!
With so much happening this year, YOUR help is needed more than ever before. I am working carefully with the R.E. committee about how to maximize my time. Since the priority is to have me serving you on the program level, I will be working a very long Sunday each week (between the Sunday morning program and our new Sunday evening offerings like Coming-of-Age). With the evening program for me to prepare for, I will be relying on the help of others to get many of our basic tasks done (such as setting up and cleaning our rooms). Let me know when you can help.
My typical work schedule will be ...
Sundays: 10 hours (usually 9AM to 7PM)
Wednesday afternoon: 2 hours (usually 1 to 3PM)
Wednesday night: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10PM)
Friday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10AM)
Saturday: 4 hours (varies based on the type of preparation needed for Sunday)
How to contact me:
Call me during any of these times on my cell phone at 617-872-5145 and I’d be happy to talk to you about any concerns, questions, etc. (I am very rarely reached by calling the church, so please save my cell phone number so you can access me easily.) OR you can email me at chalicedreamer@verizon.net at anytime. I will be checking my church email on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and will be sure to reply to your email once I read it. If you have an urgent matter and can’t wait to reach me, you can call me at home at 617-923-2368.
Important dates for R.E. ... please R.S.V.P. to Roberta which events you plan to attend so she knows you are coming and can plan accordingly.
Coming-Of-Age Orientation: Sunday, September 10th from 5 to 7PM for youth and their mentors and then a brief orientation at 7PM for parents of coming-of-age youth
R.E. orientation for First Parish parents, friends, and volunteers who already know a lot about our Children’s Ministry and just need to know what’s new for this year. One of these sessions is a must for all folks interested in helping this year (so that basically means EVERYONE should be coming except those going to the one for new RE friends because their orientation will include all this):
Sunday, September 10th from 9 to 10:45AM
Sunday, September 17th from 9 to 10:45AM
* If there is interest, we will schedule volunteer trainings for this fall to more specifically address any areas of need that come up during the orientations.
R.E. orientation for newer First Parish parents, friends, and volunteers: Saturday, September 23rd from 9AM to noon. Come find out about our excellent programs planned for this year plus review the basics of what a UU religious education is all about.
Save these October dates ...
R.E. breakfast chat: October 15th at 9AM
A great opportunity for volunteers and parents to connect and talk about how things are going in our programs. It is also a nice chance to share stories about how to bring our UU faith home and out into the real world. Future chats will happen in January, March, and May.
* Potluck dinner and sing-a-long: October 21st at 6PM
Children’s Ministry Schedule for September:
All groups (Principle Activators, youth ages 11 to 14; UU Travelers, youth ages 8 to 11; UU Explorers, kids ages 5 to 8; Rainbow Seekers, kids ages 3 to 5; and Friendship Finders, kids ages 1 1/2 to 3)
September 10: Intergenerational Water Service
September 17: Welcome Back celebration with nature for all children and youth together ** Kids and youth, please remember to collect something from nature that will help tell a story from your summer adventures to share with us
September 24: First gathering of our small group gatherings for this year.
Meetings at the Moon: an affirming spiritual program for pre-teen girls and their moms (the curriculum is intended for girls in grade 5 through 7, but we will welcome any girl who‚s mom thinks this would be a good program for her.) All meetings are Sunday evenings from 4 to 6PM and we hope each family will volunteer to bring the snack for one of the meetings. One or two meetings may need to happen at locations other than the church due to already scheduled rentals, so let me know if you can host a meeting.
September 24: Introduction to Meetings at the Moon
October 8: Becoming a Woman in Body
October 22: Becoming a Woman in Mind
November 5: Becoming a Woman in Feeling
November 19: Becoming a Woman in Spirit
December 3: Celebrating our Meetings at the Moon
... more can happen in early Spring if the group wants to continue.
Youth Group News ...
We’ve got a new Youth Advisor! But your help is still needed ...
We are thrilled to announce that Kyle Morton has signed on to be our next Youth Advisor. Kyle will the primary organizer for our Youth programming, but there are ample opportunities for volunteers to do projects with them (and since they don‚t meet on Sunday mornings, you don‚t have to miss the worship service to work with our youth). Please let Kyle or Roberta know if you have an idea for a fun project to do with the youth OR if you‚d be happy to simply assist with a project that is already planned.
Details are coming about our Youth Group plans for this year. If you know a teenage youth that would be interested in trying our group, please give us his or her info and we will send a personalized invite.
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Community News and UU NEWS
LIBRARY LEFTOVERS
The Watertown Free Public Building Committee is sponsoring a HUGE LIBRARY LEFTOVERS SALE on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, at the PHILLIPS SCHOOL (formerly the temporary library location), 30 Common Street, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It's OFF THE WALLS ALL OVER AGAIN!
There will be tons of books, and all kinds of furniture and shelves-all at the usual FABULOUS BARGAIN PRICES!
SEE YOU THERE!
Intergenerational Chorus
for ages 10 - 110! (5th grade and up)
directed by nationally acclaimed musician
Joanne Hammil
Do you or your teenagers like to sing?
Want to do something special, individually or as a family?
Check out this community chorus for ages 10-adult - All abilities welcomed
Fun *** Easy *** Gorgeous
Tuesday evenings 6:30 - 8:00
at First Parish Church
fee: $190 per person ($165 2nd in family/$140 3rd or more in family)
(partial scholarships available)
We are now accepting enrollments for fall semester
9/19/06 - 1/16/07
Current members come from 16 towns in the Greater Boston area! Come see what we are so excited about! All ages singing together! A non-auditioned, community chorus!
Families, singles, seniors, teens -- anyone who loves to sing:
We sing in a wide range of styles (folk, doo wop, ethnic songs, contemporary and traditional songs),have fun, build community, and make beautiful music!
Questions? Want an enrollment form mailed to you?
Call or e-mail Joanne: 1-800-557-7010; joanne@joannehammil.com
for more info about Joanne and her work: www.joannehammil.com
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council,
a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
"Our Communities, Our Water."
Join UUSC partner Massachusetts Global Action for conference, "Our Communities, Our Water."
What: Renowned author and activist Frances Moore Lappé, who has written and advocated extensively about democratic control over basic services, including water, will be the keynote speaker at the fall conference of UUSC partner Massachusetts Global Action.
When: September 22-24, 2006; Lappé will be the luncheon speaker on Saturday, September 23.
Where: Campus Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.
The conference is cosponsored by UUSC and several other organizations involved in the water justice effort in New England, New York, and eastern Canada. The conference will include workshops, films, and networking opportunities.
For more information, visit Massachusetts Global Action at http://www.massglobalaction.org/home/conf-2006-3q/index.htm.
ESCAPE TO VERMONT
September 22-24, 2006
Twelfth 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, canoeing, visiting the studios of local artists, touring historic sites and quaint towns, and much more. Registration by August 1, $225 (single) and $425 (double). After August 1, $275 (single) and $475 (double). For more information contact uufoliagevermont@yahoo.com or (802)438-2095.
Or . . . FALL IN LOVE WITH VERMONT
A Bed and Breakfast with UUs in Brattleboro - a fund raiser for weekends of October 6-9 and October 13-14. Peak colors, Apple Pie Festival, Newfane Craft Fair. B and B rates; single: $50 double: $75; child: $25. web site: www.allsouls.brattleboro.uua.org or email Kathy Squires at solanasq@together.net or 802-365-7388.
"GREAT UNFINISHED BUSINESS" SEPT. 30, DORCHESTER, MA
The Rev. Roberta Finkelstein will give the keynote address (“The Great Unfinished Business”) at the New MA Universalist Convention’s Annual Conference on Saturday, Sept. 30, at First Parish Church in Dorchester, MA. “When the American Unitarian Association merged with the Universalist Church of America,” she writes, “there were so many logistical issues to attend to, theological issues were left behind. Some among us believe that the vexing theological questions of contemporary Unitarian Universalism (diversity, the language of reverence, various anxieties and reactivities) are the result of that unfinished business.”
Worship (“The Good Luck Legend”) will be led by the Rev. Edmund Robinson and members of the First Church in Belmont, MA. The program will also include a panel of “old-time Universalists” reflecting on how Universalism as they remember it differs from today’s UUism, workshops by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Strong (“Remember Universalism into Life”) and the Rev. Richard Trudeau (“The Tragedy, and the Glory, of Christianity”), and a car-pool to one or more Dorchester Universalist sites led by Phil Lindsay.
The day will run from 8:30 to 4:30 and include continental breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. YELLOW registration fliers have been sent to all UU churches in New England. For full information please go to www.nmuc.org
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Come Join Us for Committee Night
Sunday, September 24 - 7-10 p.m.
Tasty Desserts
How do committees work? What are the duties?
What are our goals for the year?
Let’s make them together!
Newsletter for September 2006
Services and Sermons
September 10 at 11:00 a.m.
Water Service. Mark and congregation.
Our annual water service and ingathering invites everyone to bring a small vial of water celebrating your summer adventures. This can be from a place of distant travel, or the reassuring waters of your local pool or tap. In a few words we ask you to tell us where your travels took you this summer, and what meaning it brought to your life. This is an intergenerational service. Story by Mark
Social Hour: Carole Berney and Andrea Greenwood with assistance from Missy
Shay and Anne Harrington.
September 17 at 11:00 a.m.
“A Faith to Live By” Mark W. Harris
What does the word faith mean to your average Unitarian Universalists? Being non-credal, we
do not have a typical set of faith beliefs. And we sometimes says that faith is a trust or belief in something that just ain’t so! So what is
faith for us? Story by Roberta
September 24 at 11:00 a.m.
“Securing Success” Mark W. Harris
Success is usually not measured by how you are doing as compared to a measured amount of knowledge, but how you are doing in comparison to someone else. As a result, few of us are willing to acknowledge what society deems as failure. Some people have a hard time coming to a church community if they feel they have failed as mothers or parents or in the
work world. There is a perception that rather than supporting others, we tend to judge
them. What is your experience?
Captain’s Log
Welcome back! September breezes are blowing in! We usually talk about September as a return to normalcy. It is a return to a very scheduled life. There is school and work and church. The kids have piano lessons and sports. Everything is very routinized, and therefore somewhat predictable. As a result , we often hear parents of children say, thank you, the chaos of summer is over. We return to sameness. But that is never the way I experience September.
To me September is more about a newness than it is a return to the old. Children almost always have new teachers, and in some cases new schools. This is such a time of adjustment. I always have a hard time adjusting to work again. After two months of not writing a sermon, it feels like I am starting all over again. Even though I have the knowledge of years of doing this, it all still feels very new. I have to find the rhythm. I have to figure out the topics. In that sense it is new. Teachers are meeting new groups of students. It is a time to take on new projects. It is a time to start up.
We had a busy summer. There was the usual joy of being at our cottage for a month, so that we could enjoy the cold Maine waters, beautiful sunsets, picking blueberries and strawberries, mountain climbing, lobster eating and the other wonderful things about summer. We managed to accomplish a few projects at our place, and I read a few books. Three novels included. Unheard of for the nonfiction guy. Back home we enjoyed the Watertown pool, the new library, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and unfortunately a fall from grace for their major league counterparts.
At the end of summer we returned to Ferry Beach where I was the theme speaker at a conference on UUs and Class. We are usually classified as a highly educated, wealthy religious group, but this may be more stereotype than reality. This made me think of how often we embody the perceived truth even when it may not be the truth any longer. I wonder. I see you as . . .We see ourselves as . . . and that perception becomes our truth. It is useful to ponder how class affects each of us. My father was dirt poor, and yet lived out an Horatio Alger Myth. By education and values, we might call him working class, but by the amount of money he earned he became wealthy, and thus upper middle class. How much we have can also affect how much we are willing to sacrifice for a greater good.
All of these reflections bring us back to the start of a new church year, where we hope all kinds of people will come hear our message that we learn more of truth when we listen to and understand others. We learn more of truth when we think of things critically and express honest doubts rather than blindly follow handed down truths. We learn to be a community that lives by what we are, and not what we say we are. I hope you will come join us to learn more of liberal religious truth.
This summer we climbed Bald Mountain, near Camden, Maine. On the way up we saw magnificent ocean views and munched on low bush berries. It was like something out of the book Blueberries for Sal. I was waiting for the bear to appear. Then on the way down, one of our kids ran ahead, and diverted us from the path. We proceeded to get lost. Down, down, down we went, through a haze of bugs and left behind rusted out autos. Until we came to a farm house where the farmer was sharpening his haying tools. Andrea went up to the farmer and said, “sir, we are lost, and were wondering if you could give my husband a ride back to our car. He replied, “Why, little lady, you’re not lost. I know exactly where you are.” And he did. The kind man drove us all back. We were all safe. So, if you are feeling lost amid all the scary news. Come over to First Parish. Together we will find our bearings and reclaim a vision for the world where we are not lost.
Mark
Adult Education
What kinds of Adult Education opportunities would you like to see? We have an ongoing Women and Work group and a covenant group. We will try to reorganize the Sunday covenant group. There will be the usual New UU Class in November. I am thinking that I will lead some kind of Bible for UUs class. Please let me know your thoughts on what you would like to see organized.
Committee Night
All Committee Chairs and others are invited to a Dessert Potluck and Committee information and Planning night. What dreams do you have for the church this year? How are you going to fulfill them? Please make sure your committee is represented. This special Committee night will take place on September 24 from 7-10 p.m. Please bring something sweet to share.
Social Action
Our Giving Box for September and October will be the Watertown Food Pantry.
Special needs at this time include more obscure items like condiments - ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, etc. They also need snacks for children, including crackers/cheese, granola bars, etc. and healthy snacks such as raisins. Please feel free to donate other nonperishable items as well.
We continue to have a weekly pickup of bread from Panera Bakery. This bread is given to the Grow Clinic Pantry at Boston Medical Center. If you are interested in joining the five families/individuals who bag this bread and drop it off, please speak to Andrea Greenwood.
Banner
Our wonderful church banner with the ship Arbella on it was virtually ruined at this year’s Gay Pride parade because of the rain. Although it had been to the parade several times, it apparently had never rained before. Missy Shay who engineered the original group that made the banner says that the Arbella can probably be cut out and attached to a new banner, if someone is willing to do the lettering. Please speak to Mark or Missy if you are willing to take on this project. In the meantime our other banner is in the entry way.
Welcoming Space
Please note the new people friendly space for you to enjoy during social hour.
“Life is Religious if We Make it So”
(from “The Religious Leader” pre-GA 2006)
As UU Parents, we want to accept and encourage our children’s unique search for truth and meaning (Principle 4) But at what age are children old enough to decide for themselves that attending religious education classes will not enhance their spiritual journey? Parents of children and youth may face a child resistant to church attendance at any age.
Children in second through fifth grades are expanding their social awareness. They notice that not everyone worships and believes as their own families do. Depending on the child’s personality, this awareness of difference may spark pride, curiosity, or concern. That concern may be expressed in resistance to church attendance.
Children this age like to fit in, to know where they belong and why. When there is a dichotomy between home and friends, they need to resolve the tension. They need help from the adults in their lives to provide a reason for the differences they are trying to understand.
A great way to reach children of this age is through stories of real people doing heroic deeds. This is the age where every soccer player wants to make the Olympic team, every football player wants to turn professional, and everyone wants to have magical powers like Harry Potter. Children are starting to experience their own power and like to imagine doing great deeds. Religious education curricula, such as Gaia Brown’s UU Super Heroes and Super Heroes, Bible People, are some of the wonderful tools available to teach our UU and Jewish and Christian heritage in a format that matches the developmental stages of children this age.
Parents needs to learn these stories, too, and find ways to share them with their children. If being a UU is limited to the occasional Sunday morning, and never referred to in the course of daily life, then there is no way for a child to find any meaning or pride in his or her religious
heritage, and therefore no motivating reason to attend church.
Many parents don’t know the stories of our common religious heritage because they’ve come from other faith traditions. A good book for the whole family is a Lamp in Every Corner: Our UU Storybook by Janeen Grohsmeyer. The UUA website and their bookstore link also provide many other great books to browse and purchase for home or for church libraries.
Children in upper elementary school still look to their parents for guidance. If parents make it a practice to attend church regularly, then their children will have an opportunity to get connected. If parents show an interest in their child’s religious education by talking to their teachers, connecting with other families in the same age group, learning what their children are learning, then they will be better able to help their children interpret life’s daily scramble, using the lens of the religious values and spiritual depths they want their children to embody.
If parents show, through their own choices for themselves and their families, that the spiritual journey is worth time and effort -- rather than engaging in a power struggle where parent and child both lose -- they will have taught through example that their own super-hero child is worthy of the challenges and rewards of that same journey.
Claire Diehl, Religious Educator
Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Valy McDonald at the death of her partner, Susan Guidrey on July 23. Susan’s memorial service was conducted by Mark at First Parish on Saturday, August 5.
Our deepest sympathy to Cornelia Janke whose mother died in June.
Congratulations to Judi Fitts, who was married to David Palmer on Saturday, August 12 at First Parish. The service was conducted by Andrea Greenwood.
Healing thoughts to Helen Wait, who recently broke her hip, and is recovering at a rehab hospital in Framingham.
Our own FPW member Eric Chipman is featured in Springwell’s Summer 2006 Newsletter. It is posted on the bulletin board downstairs.
New Members
In the spring we welcomed three new members of First Parish. Since then, Habis Obyat has also signed the book. Habis will be welcomed later this fall, along with others who we hope will join. Prospective members are asked to sign the membership book. Please see Mark Harris. Welcome to all our new members.
Sachie Karmacharya
On Saturday June 3rd I received my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Bunker Hill Community College! I plan on attending UMASS Boston in the Fall. I work part-time at Starbucks on Mt. Auburn Street and in June I started my new job at a preschool in Charlestown as a lead toddler teacher. I have been married to Santosh Karmacharya (who is from Nepal) since December 20, 2002. We spent 1 month in Nepal together last January. Santosh and I have been living in Watertown since last July. I was born in San Diego California and was raised in Springfield, Illinois. I have one younger brother who is in the Coast Guard in Boston and lives in Lynn, MA. I moved from Illinois to Massachusetts six years ago as a live in nanny. My mom and her husband visited from Springfield, Illinois in June. My mom raised my brother and me UU, though she was raised Christian Science in Missouri. I am very happy to be a new member at the First Parish Church in Watertown!! Santosh and I have enjoyed our Sundays here very much. Thank-you for being so welcoming!
Barbara Hansberry
I am a lawyer by trade and serve as the General Counsel for a small, government watchdog agency - the Office of the Inspector General. The office has authority, backed by subpoena power, to investigate fraud, waste and abuse in any government program funded by taxpayer money. The office is quite successful at the task as measured by the fact that for the last five years the MA Republican Governors have tried to get rid of us by $0 funding the office at budget time!
Barbara is married to David Leon, and their children, Douglas (who will be 10 this summer) and M.E. (age 51/2), have been involved at First Parish for three years. For two years Barbara has enjoyed membership on the Religious Education Committee.
Rebecca Sheehan
Rebecca is a born UU from New Jersey, who recently graduated from U. Mass, Boston. Last year she was a tremendous help with our RE program. So good, in fact, that she has been hired to be the Director of Religious Education at the First Universalist Society in Salem, MA. So even though Becca has her membership with FPW, we will not be seeing her too much on Sundays. Hopefully she will drop in at other times, and maybe on her days off.
Worship Reminders
Welcome back to worship. Here are a few reminders about our Sunday morning gatherings. Most every week we have a time for Joys and Sorrows. Members and friends are asked to share any pertinent significant life events in a brief manner. The candle lighting which accompanies this sharing can also be done in silence. Please remember this sharing is not an announcement time.
Every service also includes a Chalice Lighting.
Members are encouraged to sign up for this in advance on the bulletin board downstairs. This is a time when you can also share a significant life event and/or offer a reading that has been important to you in your spiritual journey. Please make our worship more meaningful with your personal sharing by signing up. We also hope to beautify our sanctuary every week with the addition of flowers. If you can offer to provide flowers for a Sunday worship, please sign up on the bulletin board.
Greetings from the New Student Minister
Greetings from the north (North Andover, that is). I wanted to take a brief moment and introduce myself as the new student minister intern. I am a second year student at
Harvard Divinity School, struggling with course selections and other bureaucratic delights. I am a second career person, having trained as a lawyer, and I still maintain a part-time practice on the North Shore. My two greatest achievements are named Nicholas and Alyssa. Nick is starting high school in the fall, which is a milestone for us both. Alyssa is seven years old and is in second grade. I look forward to meeting you all in person. Best wishes for a wonderful new church year.
Mark Caggiano
Student Minister Committee
Mark will need three volunteers to serve on a Ministerial Intern Committee. Would you like to help support our new student minister in his work with us? Please speak to Mark I or Mark II today (the new designations, or we could use old and new).
Thank you to:
Our FPW members who conducted summer worship: Kathy Button, Jeanne Cleary, Chris Johnson and Roberta Altamari. Also to Carole Berney and Guy Urban, who provided music.
Sue Demb for the addition of the piano in the parish hall. It is tuned and ready for action.
The Weed Crew, who cleaned up the front of the church before Susan Guidrey’s service:
David Morrison, Martha Scott , Jan Klein, Jane Knuttunen, Valy McDonald, Mark Harris.
Faire on the Square
Every year the First Parish has a table at the Faire on the Square, among other community group and churches. Would you be willing to help out by staffing this table for an hour or so on Saturday, September 30 from 10-3. It is a good way to let the public know that we are here with a welcoming congregation that offers fine programming for all ages. Please speak to Mark if you can help staff the table. There will be sign-ups during the month.
R.E.flections by a chaliceD.R.E.amer
by Roberta Altamari
chalicedreamer@verizon.net ; cell phone: 617-872-5145
Welcome back to another exciting year at First Parish! I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer adventures and is looking forward to starting another season together. I am eager to see you and hear your stories!
My summer again included two weeks at Ferry Beach, a Unitarian Universalist camp right on the beach in Saco, Maine. For the first week, I was staff for Different Drummers (the middle school camp). Imagine it ... being totally submersed in UU middle school culture. And just like last year, the personal and professional growth I got from the experience was very much worth the exhausting amount of work. I followed that with Religious Educators week and found myself energized by the exchange of fascinating ideas and by connecting with some wonderful people, particularly in the Worship Renaissance Module. From the worship rituals we do in our small group gatherings to the way we empower our youth to help create their own programming, I was pleasantly surprised to realize our work here is Watertown is progressive and meaningful. And I am inspired to do even more work in these important areas.
We have lots of exciting new changes for this year. We have new curricula for our older groups. We have new groupings for our kids. We will have "leadership teams" for our small group gatherings. I have a new webpage (at www.chalicedreamer.org) for participating families to easily access scheduling information and more. And then there are the two programs I’m most eager for. The first is that I will get to lead my first Coming-of-Age program. We have 5 youth and 5 fabulous mentors ready for a tremendous year and I can‚t wait to get started! The other is that I discovered a beautiful and affirming 6-week program for pre-teen girls and their mothers that I will offer this fall. (I’m hoping someone might be inspired to offer a similar program for pre-teen boys with their parents). Attend one of our R.E. orientation sessions in September to find out more about all this fascinating programming!
With so much happening this year, YOUR help is needed more than ever before. I am working carefully with the R.E. committee about how to maximize my time. Since the priority is to have me serving you on the program level, I will be working a very long Sunday each week (between the Sunday morning program and our new Sunday evening offerings like Coming-of-Age). With the evening program for me to prepare for, I will be relying on the help of others to get many of our basic tasks done (such as setting up and cleaning our rooms). Let me know when you can help.
My typical work schedule will be ...
Sundays: 10 hours (usually 9AM to 7PM)
Wednesday afternoon: 2 hours (usually 1 to 3PM)
Wednesday night: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10PM)
Friday morning: 2 hours (usually 8 to 10AM)
Saturday: 4 hours (varies based on the type of preparation needed for Sunday)
How to contact me:
Call me during any of these times on my cell phone at 617-872-5145 and I’d be happy to talk to you about any concerns, questions, etc. (I am very rarely reached by calling the church, so please save my cell phone number so you can access me easily.) OR you can email me at chalicedreamer@verizon.net at anytime. I will be checking my church email on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and will be sure to reply to your email once I read it. If you have an urgent matter and can’t wait to reach me, you can call me at home at 617-923-2368.
Important dates for R.E. ... please R.S.V.P. to Roberta which events you plan to attend so she knows you are coming and can plan accordingly.
Coming-Of-Age Orientation: Sunday, September 10th from 5 to 7PM for youth and their mentors and then a brief orientation at 7PM for parents of coming-of-age youth
R.E. orientation for First Parish parents, friends, and volunteers who already know a lot about our Children’s Ministry and just need to know what’s new for this year. One of these sessions is a must for all folks interested in helping this year (so that basically means EVERYONE should be coming except those going to the one for new RE friends because their orientation will include all this):
Sunday, September 10th from 9 to 10:45AM
Sunday, September 17th from 9 to 10:45AM
* If there is interest, we will schedule volunteer trainings for this fall to more specifically address any areas of need that come up during the orientations.
R.E. orientation for newer First Parish parents, friends, and volunteers: Saturday, September 23rd from 9AM to noon. Come find out about our excellent programs planned for this year plus review the basics of what a UU religious education is all about.
Save these October dates ...
R.E. breakfast chat: October 15th at 9AM
A great opportunity for volunteers and parents to connect and talk about how things are going in our programs. It is also a nice chance to share stories about how to bring our UU faith home and out into the real world. Future chats will happen in January, March, and May.
* Potluck dinner and sing-a-long: October 21st at 6PM
Children’s Ministry Schedule for September:
All groups (Principle Activators, youth ages 11 to 14; UU Travelers, youth ages 8 to 11; UU Explorers, kids ages 5 to 8; Rainbow Seekers, kids ages 3 to 5; and Friendship Finders, kids ages 1 1/2 to 3)
September 10: Intergenerational Water Service
September 17: Welcome Back celebration with nature for all children and youth together ** Kids and youth, please remember to collect something from nature that will help tell a story from your summer adventures to share with us
September 24: First gathering of our small group gatherings for this year.
Meetings at the Moon: an affirming spiritual program for pre-teen girls and their moms (the curriculum is intended for girls in grade 5 through 7, but we will welcome any girl who‚s mom thinks this would be a good program for her.) All meetings are Sunday evenings from 4 to 6PM and we hope each family will volunteer to bring the snack for one of the meetings. One or two meetings may need to happen at locations other than the church due to already scheduled rentals, so let me know if you can host a meeting.
September 24: Introduction to Meetings at the Moon
October 8: Becoming a Woman in Body
October 22: Becoming a Woman in Mind
November 5: Becoming a Woman in Feeling
November 19: Becoming a Woman in Spirit
December 3: Celebrating our Meetings at the Moon
... more can happen in early Spring if the group wants to continue.
Youth Group News ...
We’ve got a new Youth Advisor! But your help is still needed ...
We are thrilled to announce that Kyle Morton has signed on to be our next Youth Advisor. Kyle will the primary organizer for our Youth programming, but there are ample opportunities for volunteers to do projects with them (and since they don‚t meet on Sunday mornings, you don‚t have to miss the worship service to work with our youth). Please let Kyle or Roberta know if you have an idea for a fun project to do with the youth OR if you‚d be happy to simply assist with a project that is already planned.
Details are coming about our Youth Group plans for this year. If you know a teenage youth that would be interested in trying our group, please give us his or her info and we will send a personalized invite.
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Community News and UU NEWS
LIBRARY LEFTOVERS
The Watertown Free Public Building Committee is sponsoring a HUGE LIBRARY LEFTOVERS SALE on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, at the PHILLIPS SCHOOL (formerly the temporary library location), 30 Common Street, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It's OFF THE WALLS ALL OVER AGAIN!
There will be tons of books, and all kinds of furniture and shelves-all at the usual FABULOUS BARGAIN PRICES!
SEE YOU THERE!
Intergenerational Chorus
for ages 10 - 110! (5th grade and up)
directed by nationally acclaimed musician
Joanne Hammil
Do you or your teenagers like to sing?
Want to do something special, individually or as a family?
Check out this community chorus for ages 10-adult - All abilities welcomed
Fun *** Easy *** Gorgeous
Tuesday evenings 6:30 - 8:00
at First Parish Church
fee: $190 per person ($165 2nd in family/$140 3rd or more in family)
(partial scholarships available)
We are now accepting enrollments for fall semester
9/19/06 - 1/16/07
Current members come from 16 towns in the Greater Boston area! Come see what we are so excited about! All ages singing together! A non-auditioned, community chorus!
Families, singles, seniors, teens -- anyone who loves to sing:
We sing in a wide range of styles (folk, doo wop, ethnic songs, contemporary and traditional songs),have fun, build community, and make beautiful music!
Questions? Want an enrollment form mailed to you?
Call or e-mail Joanne: 1-800-557-7010; joanne@joannehammil.com
for more info about Joanne and her work: www.joannehammil.com
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council,
a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
"Our Communities, Our Water."
Join UUSC partner Massachusetts Global Action for conference, "Our Communities, Our Water."
What: Renowned author and activist Frances Moore Lappé, who has written and advocated extensively about democratic control over basic services, including water, will be the keynote speaker at the fall conference of UUSC partner Massachusetts Global Action.
When: September 22-24, 2006; Lappé will be the luncheon speaker on Saturday, September 23.
Where: Campus Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.
The conference is cosponsored by UUSC and several other organizations involved in the water justice effort in New England, New York, and eastern Canada. The conference will include workshops, films, and networking opportunities.
For more information, visit Massachusetts Global Action at http://www.massglobalaction.org/home/conf-2006-3q/index.htm.
ESCAPE TO VERMONT
September 22-24, 2006
Twelfth 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, canoeing, visiting the studios of local artists, touring historic sites and quaint towns, and much more. Registration by August 1, $225 (single) and $425 (double). After August 1, $275 (single) and $475 (double). For more information contact uufoliagevermont@yahoo.com or (802)438-2095.
Or . . . FALL IN LOVE WITH VERMONT
A Bed and Breakfast with UUs in Brattleboro - a fund raiser for weekends of October 6-9 and October 13-14. Peak colors, Apple Pie Festival, Newfane Craft Fair. B and B rates; single: $50 double: $75; child: $25. web site: www.allsouls.brattleboro.uua.org or email Kathy Squires at solanasq@together.net or 802-365-7388.
"GREAT UNFINISHED BUSINESS" SEPT. 30, DORCHESTER, MA
The Rev. Roberta Finkelstein will give the keynote address (“The Great Unfinished Business”) at the New MA Universalist Convention’s Annual Conference on Saturday, Sept. 30, at First Parish Church in Dorchester, MA. “When the American Unitarian Association merged with the Universalist Church of America,” she writes, “there were so many logistical issues to attend to, theological issues were left behind. Some among us believe that the vexing theological questions of contemporary Unitarian Universalism (diversity, the language of reverence, various anxieties and reactivities) are the result of that unfinished business.”
Worship (“The Good Luck Legend”) will be led by the Rev. Edmund Robinson and members of the First Church in Belmont, MA. The program will also include a panel of “old-time Universalists” reflecting on how Universalism as they remember it differs from today’s UUism, workshops by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Strong (“Remember Universalism into Life”) and the Rev. Richard Trudeau (“The Tragedy, and the Glory, of Christianity”), and a car-pool to one or more Dorchester Universalist sites led by Phil Lindsay.
The day will run from 8:30 to 4:30 and include continental breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. YELLOW registration fliers have been sent to all UU churches in New England. For full information please go to www.nmuc.org
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Come Join Us for Committee Night
Sunday, September 24 - 7-10 p.m.
Tasty Desserts
How do committees work? What are the duties?
What are our goals for the year?
Let’s make them together!