Weekly Update

The email newsletter of First Parish in Lexington is published on Wednesdays at 4 pm. Submissions are due on Mondays at 10 am. Email submissions or inquiries to the church office.
  • Sunday Service

    Against her better judgment, guest preacher the Rev. Lara Hoke will take a stab at revealing the answer to the biggest mystery of all in her sermon, “So, What Is the Meaning of Life?” Lara has been the consulting minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover since 2009. Lara is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and Cornell University and is a veteran of the US Navy. She has been a healthcare chaplain and has worked for environmental and youth-services non-profits. She lives in Lowell, Massachusetts with her wife Emily Ferrara and their 17-year-old dog, Xena.

    This Sunday, the sanctuary choir will sing Jeremy Geffen’s profound and beautiful song “Mystery” (from Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia) with soloist Elizabeth Walsh and Mark Miller’s poignant setting “I Believe” (words were found etched into the wall of Auschwitz) with soloist Chelsea Cannon. Guest pianist Deborah Yardley Beers will join Rip Jackson in playing Antonín Dvořák’s gorgeous four-hand piano piece “Slavonic Dance Op. 72, No. 2 in e minor.” Deborah will also play 2 movements from Mozart’s “Piano Sonata No. 18 in D major, K. 576.”
  • Spring Forward! Time Change

  • Among Our Own

    We are sad to let you know that Carol Janota has had a stroke. While she is not yet up for visitors, her daughter Molly has told us that cards would be much appreciated. Please send them to Carol at 11 Kenmore Ave, Burlington, MA 01803.

    The memorial service for Phyllis Whitman, a long-time member of First Parish and mother of Susanna Whitman, will be held in the sanctuary of First Parish on Saturday, March 24th at 1:00 PM. All are invited to celebrate and honor Phyllis’s life.

    We are sad to inform you that First Parishioner Mary Lou Touart died on Sunday, February 25th. Her family invites her First Parish friends to an informal memorial service to share stories and memories of Mary Lou on Sunday, April 8th, 2:00-4:00 PM at Brookhaven at Lexington, 1010 Waltham Street. If you wish to get in touch with the family, you can contact Mary Lou’s daughter, Ellen Touart-Grob, at etouartgrob@gmail.com. You can view Mary Lou’s obituary here.

  • The Green Action Corner

    The Climate Action Team will meet on Sunday March 11th at noon in the Parlor. Please join us!

    Agenda items include:  Clean Energy Omnibus bill update; Follow-up from Tuesday, March 6th meeting with Senator Friedman; FP’s UUA Green Sanctuary status; and plans to support the Missa Gaia performance in Apri.

    The Climate Action Team agreed to meet every two weeks for the next two months to coordinate and expand outreach including participation in up-coming demonstrations to stop the Pipe Line extension in the Back Bay, participate in up coming Lobby Days of environmental organizations, and meet with Sierra Club to learn of their action plans.

    This Week’s Action Item:

    Support the Clean Energy Omnibus Bill. The first step is to get it out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Lexington Senator Mike Barrett and Cindy Friedman support this legislation and should be thanked: Cindy Friedman: Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov 617-722-1432  and Mike Barrett:  Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov  617-722-1572.

    Please call the following Senators to tell them that you support the Senate Clean Energy Omnibus Bill and that you have called your own senator:

    Senator Karen Spilka: 617-722-1640,  Chair, Ways and Mean8s Committee

    Senator Harriett Chandler: 617-722-1544, Senate President

  • Unity Group Luncheon

    The next Unity Group luncheon will take place on Monday, March 12th at 12:00pm in Parker Hall. The program will be “An Evening in Naples with Austin Burns.” Austin is the tenor section leader in our Sunday choir. He is a Boston-based performer and composer of original concert programs. He is the founder of Sole Durato, an ensemble consisting of singers, guitarists, and pianists, as well as percussionists. Please bring your own lunch. If your last name begins with J, M, or P, please bring a dessert to share.

  • Stewardship Drive 2018

    First Parish Annual Pledge Drive

    Have you received your pledge card?

    Our Stewardship page is filled with information about why the pledge drive is essential to future of our church community.

    Our annual budget supports everything we do:

    And together our pledges are responsible for funding everything that we want to do in the future!

    March 18th – Join us on Celebration Sunday

    During the Sunday service we will be sharing our commitment to our community, our programs and our future by celebrating our Annual Pledge drive. Members and Friends have received their pledge cards in the mail in the last week of February.

    Please visit our Stewardship page and the Pledge FAQ page to find out more about how to participate in our Pledge Drive.

  • Missa Gaia Tickets Now On Sale

    Tickets for Missa Gaia are now on sale! Click here to order yours today.

    Friday and Saturday, April 13 & 14, 2018, 7:30pm

    This profound work, under the musical direction of Rip Jackson and theatrical and dance direction of Maris Wolff, will be a collaboration between the First Parish sanctuary and children’s choirs, the Vermont Dance Collective, and a world music ensemble of percussionists, guitar, piano, electric keyboards, soprano sax, oboe, cello, and bass. There will be drumming beginning at 7:15pm, and an Earth Fair and reception featuring Lexington environmental organizations in Parish Hall after both performances. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 seniors and $15 for students. Reduced ticket prices are available for those in need.

  • Project Joy

    Sharing our Joyful Moments

    What brings you joy? A family photo, a nature walk, a piece of art, a poem or quotation, flowers, music, the Red Sox, listening to the church choir….

    Project Joy is about making these moments more frequent in our everyday lives and in sharing these with our church community.

    The launch date for Project Joy is April 1st. During that service, we will share with you sample Joy flags and the beginnings of a collage to be placed in the Parish hall. Following the service and during coffee hour we will have supplies available for you to build your own personal joy flag and add to the community collage. The craft tables will be available during coffee hour throughout the month of April.

    We’re very excited about this and are hoping you will begin to think about “what brings you joy” and how you might share that with our church community.

  • Soul Matters

    March’s Soul Matters theme is “what does it mean to be a community of balance? ”

    Often when we think about balance many of us immediately think about calm and rest. Yes, balance has many more meanings than just taking a break from life. Being a people of balance is often the opposite of keeping things calm. For example, in order to move toward a balance of justice, we need to upset the current state of things. Oppressive systems need to be challenged and toppled. Being out of sync with “the way things are” is the first step toward making a better balance for all.

  • March for Our Lives
    No automatic alt text available.Many of our youth are planning to attend the March in support of bringing an end to mass shootings and gun violence in schools. First Parish’s Youth invite everyone to join them in this social justice action. Please contact Lisa Maria Steinberg if you want to join in marching so you can be added to our communication list for those planning to attend. In the coming weeks we will be making plans to travel to, safely attend, and return from the march in Boston.
    March for Our Lives
    March 24th, Noon to 5:00 pm, Boston Common
  • UU College of Social Justice
    Seeking Spanish Speakers to Support Families in Detention
    Do you, or someone you know, speak Spanish fluently? RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services) in San Antonio, Texas, has an urgent need for volunteers to support families as they apply for asylum in the U.S. 

    In many cases, refugees who receive legal advice and representation are approved to pursue asylum, but the need is so high that many families are not represented. The UU College of Social Justice needs your help to translate stories and connect with clients’ families to support individuals fleeing violence and seeking asylum. 

    Volunteers are needed for week-long (minimum) placements on April 1, May 20, June 3, July 8, and August 5. If needed, housing and local transportation will be provided. For more information, visit UUCSJ.org.
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