Weekly Update

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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.
  • Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund

    From the UUA website:

    On Friday night, August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 Storm and brought with it deadly winds and rain to an area of the United States millions call home. Much of the Texas Gulf Coast has been impacted and communities in Louisiana and across the state of Texas are still coping with more days of rain. We’re holding all of those affected in our hearts and prayers and we are in touch with local Unitarian Universalists so we can meet the needs as they arise. To do this, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has joined with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a recovery and relief fund.

    Please give as generously as you are able. Half of all funds raised will go to at-risk populations served by UUSC partners and the other half of the funds will support Unitarian Universalist congregations and members of those congregations most affected by the storm. Those funds will be administered by a group of leaders in the UUA’s Southern Region, which includes the states across the southeast from Texas to South Carolina, and from most of Virginia to Florida.

    Using their eye-to-eye partnership model, UUSC will work with and support local grassroots community partners on the ground in Texas serving at-risk populations who may not be able to access relief services and who are traditionally left out of mainstream response efforts. UUSC and their partners will work to bolster locally led relief efforts that are serving immigrant families, in particular young mothers and their children.

    As the storm passes and recovery begins, UUSC will continue to get updates and work with partners to ensure their needs are met. Your donation to this fund is much appreciated. Thank you.

    To give, click here.

  • Sunday Service

    Humans are relational beings. Our religious tradition values these connections, as well as our individuality. How might we find a balance between our individuality and our interconnectedness?

    Mandy Beal, worship leader

    Mandy Beal is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School (’16) and a candidate for Unitarian Universalist Ministry.  She is the Youth and Connections Ministry Assistant at First Unitarian Church in Worcester.  Prior to that, Mandy completed a ministerial internship at the First Parish in Lincoln.

    Guest musician is Hannah Shields.

     

    Click here to hear last week’s sermon by Lisa Perry-Wood, “Love Calls Us On.”

  • Phase I Capital Campaign Update

    Phase I of the Capital Campaign has been a success thanks to the generous gifts of many at First Parish. As you have seen from the scaffolding, the contractors have been busy all summer installing new sanctuary windows and painting the church exterior.

    If you haven’t yet contributed to Phase I, it’s not too late! We welcome your contribution as there are still compelling reasons to contribute. There are many other urgent building needs in our church:  painting the interior rooms, further upgrades of the bathrooms, perhaps repaying the Steeple Loan. The Capital Campaign Committee will make recommendations to the Board about suggested uses for these additional funds which will, in turn, be brought to the congregation and voted upon at the Semi Annual Meeting in October.

    Please contact David Bovet to make a contribution to the Capital Campaign Phase One by September 10th.

    And we will thank you for your gift with an invitation to a swell party for donors at Reverend Anne’s home on Saturday, September 16th at 4 pm. There will be hors d’oeuvres and dessert, cocktails and wine and entertainment, as Simon has agreed to perform on piano just for us.

    We hope you will want to join us for what promises to be a delightful garden party for Capital Campaign Donors. Please be sure to get in touch with David Bovet before September 10th so that we can include you in our celebration.

    Thank you for all you do for First Parish.

    In Community,

    Deb Lapides

    Capital Campaign Phase I Committee

  • Do you receive the Focalpoint?

    Are you on top of all the First Parish news that’s fit to print? The Focalpoint, our monthly newsletter, provides more and sometimes different information about the happenings at First Parish than is reported in the Weekly Update. If you do not receive the Focalpoint and would like to do so electronically, please email Jane Foley in the office or call her at 781-862-8200 x1.

  • Grounds Clean Up

    On the morning of Thursday, September 7, a bunch of hearty folks, hopefully including you, are going to meet at First Parish to clean up and spruce up the grounds. Please save the date. More details will be provided as the date approaches. Thanks! Now go back to enjoying your summer.

    ~Dave Pollack, Buildings & Ground Committee

  • Plate Donation Program 2017-2018

    As we approach the beginning of the church year, it’s not too early to start planning for this year’s Plate Donation Program. This special collection happens once a month, when money collected during the offertory are donated to local organizations to help support and sustain their programs. We are looking for suggestions from the congregation for recipients of the 2017-2018 Plate Donation program. Are there organizations you deeply care about or are involved with that you would like to see supported by us? We have only one commitment to donating in November to Black Lives UU. Some we are considering for the coming year are MLK Day, The Children’s Room, C4RJ (restorative justice), LexRap, Music Makes Me Happy, and Woburn Council for Social Concern. Please think about the wider community and how we can educate ourselves about it’s needs and awaken others to it’s needs. You can email your suggestions to Carolyn Fleiss, coordinator.

  • Coming in September

    Water Communion during Ingathering Service

    Wherever you are in your life, please bring some water to share, whether from a lake, ocean, or home faucet, for the special Ingathering water communion on Sunday, September 10 at 10:30am. There will be a scavenger hunt during social hour! Discover all the new things at church from a summer of work.

     

    Picnic Potluck

    After the service on Sunday, September 24th, there will be a picnic potluck on the First Parish field (inside if weather doesn’t cooperate). All are welcome to this fun gathering as we begin our church year together! If your last name begins with A through I, please bring a salad or appetizer to share. If your last name begins with J through R, please bring a main dish. If your last name begins with S through Z, please bring a dessert.

     

    Fall Potluck Dinners

    Enjoy a good meal? Looking to get acquainted with others in the church, both newcomers and long-time members? Spend an evening with First Parishioners at our popular potluck dinners!

    Dinners will begin in October, following signups in September. To sign up, visit the piano during social hour, choose which evenings are possible for you, and indicate whether or not you could host a dinner. After signups are complete, groups of 8-10 people will be formed and begin gathering in October in a group memberʹs home on a weekday or weekend evening once a month for four months. The same people remain in the same group for each dinner. There are also options for family potluck dinners where children have their own dinner together, separate from the adults.

    Sign up during coffee hour throughout September. Questions about fall potluck dinners? Please contact Linda Coyne at lindatcoyne2@gmail.com.

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