One of my favorite Broadway shows growing up was “South Pacific.” When Nellie belted out her soul-defining song “Cockeyed Optimist,” I wanted to jump up and shout “Take That, Life!”
Welcome to March: month of wind and women. I’m not sure where that takes us. Historically, March has always been windy, just as women have struggled to be recognized as serious musicians and composers. I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and practicing and pondering “music as cooking.”
MAGIC MARCH! We have been discussing magic as a pagan spiritual practice that combines energy, focus, and intention to effect positive change. We would like to involve the congregation in spreading magic in our local community by practicing random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty by proclaiming our own Magic Month in March. These ideas may help you choose an action for your family to do: Leave flowers on someone’s doorstep. Send thank-you cards to local librarians, firefighters, or teachers. Thank and compliment a grocery clerk or restaurant server. Take up pottery and make gifts for others. Write a
February 28, 2022 We’ve been watching the trends carefully and have determined that given the current state, we’re prepared to begin opening the sanctuary on Sundays for a limited number of individuals to attend Sunday services. Starting on March 6, we’ll have 12 sections designated for units of up to four individuals (families, couples, friends who are comfortable sitting together). All individuals must be fully vaccinated, wear a mask while in the Church building, sign in upon entry attesting to vaccination status, and stay properly distanced from others. There won’t be any singing by attendees, but humming will be welcome.
FUUSM needs a few good recruits to join our Tech Team! From the beginning, it has been our goal to always provide real time remote access to our Sunday services and special events. With impending vacancies both short and long term, we need to bolster the ranks of Tech Team stars able to commit to one or two Sundays a month staffing the equipment. No prior experience is necessary! Throughout the evolution of our remote access development, ease of use has always been a driving factor. While some computer skills would be helpful, they are not necessary. We will gladly
Thanks to all for a great Valentine’s Day lasagna fundraiser. We raised over $700.00! It takes many hands, including Dorine L. who helped with planning and prepping, 6 shoppers (who donated all ingredients), 4 prep helpers and 3 helpers on sale day. Three volunteers made yummy desserts. Thanks to the Council on Aging for their bountiful donation of bread. And, of course, thank you to our shoppers for their purchases. We sold over 28 orders, and the winner is Bet Giddings who served dinner to the entire family. Thanks to Bob W. for publicity, and always a big thanks to
The Rev. Sue Phillips was the first Regional Lead for the UUA’s brand-new New England Region. An experienced minister and administrator, Phillips offered training in organizing and offering lay pastoral care. She would open by reminding us that “Caring for one another is a primary expression of Unitarian Universalist theology. Caring for one another is a foundational ministry of every congregation.” ‘Community’ means being cared for and caring for others, and that means belonging. We make meaning in our relationships. I think caring for one another is the ultimate expression, the core, of what we mean by shared ministry. There are three parts to caring ministry; the
We meet weekly on a virtual platform at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. We are following our faithful footprints. The children have handouts from the curriculum and are coloring in trees, signs and feet for our path through the church. Information about family time ideas is being provided, and we have had a great start to our church school year. The curriculum we are working on has started us on a pilgrimage of faith, exploring how Unitarian Universalism translates into life choices and everyday action. We have already filled out a couple of our footprints with our deeds of the
Get ready for a special treat on Saturday evening, November 6, at 7:30 when we host “A Concert of Negro Spirituals and Art Songs” by bass-baritone Oral Moses and pianist Jakari Rush. This concert is part of a tour funded through the Massachusetts Cultural Council that has been postponed twice due to the Covid pandemic. We are delighted to be able to offer the concert virtually, filmed live from our Sanctuary. The Zoom link will be available Friday, November 5, on the church website. Our church musicians, singers as well as instrumentalists, are practicing hard to share music on Sunday mornings.
Every Sunday morning, while the musicians and the tech team are settling preparations, I light the altar candles and offer a silent prayer from Psalm 19. In Hebrew scripture, it translates as “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” In my heart, it often translates as “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to you, source of my strength and direction of love.” It centers me on what will happen next. Sunday morning is all about
