Hello! I’m Sadie Kahn-Greene, and I’m covering for Lisa Maria for this last week of her maternity leave. Her first Sunday back will be Oct. 2nd. I’ll be there to welcome her back and hope you will be, too! In the meantime, our program is up and running!

We had our first Sunday of religious education for Pre-K to 8th grade while our high school group finished their kick-off retreat in NH. Our youngest class for pre-K to1st grades started with their new curriculum, Spirit Play. As my 5 year old explained, “There were a lot of new things in class, but they were really cool!” I’m delighted that he welcomed the change. I also had a great time working with the 2nd to 8th graders for their Chapel time in Parker Hall. Together we created their group covenant, learned about each other, and played a game that got everyone moving and eager to come back and play again. I’ll be there again next week. I plan to light the chalice with any 2nd-8th graders that would like to help me share their covenant. Their words and commitment to being a cooperative group is inspiring. 

I look forward to welcoming our returning families and newcomers again this Sunday!

Our first Family Fun Games Night and Pizza Party will be on Saturday September 24th from 5-7 pm in Parker Hall. Rev. Anne and I will be there with some group games, board and card games. If you have a favorite game to share, please bring it along! I’m hoping we can make this a regular event. It’s certainly not just for families, so if you like to play games, join us! Please RSVP here or email me at skahngreene@yahoo.com if you have questions.

The Social Action Committee will be collecting monetary donations for the victims of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Rev. Nathan Ryan of the Baton Rouge UU church has recommended checks be directed to Together Baton Rouge, where 100% of funds go to recovery and rebuilding at the local level. Your check can be given directly to Elaine Hylek on Sunday, September 25th OR placed in the designated envelope in the Social Action mailbox outside of the church office. Alternatively, you could also mail the check to Elaine at 4 Ryder Lane, Lexington. All checks will be collected and sent to Together Baton Rouge on October 1. Thank you for your generosity.

For more information, email Elaine Hylek at elaine.hylek@bmc.org or visit the Together Baton Rouge website.

All are welcome to participate in an informal group of members and friends who enjoy fiber arts. We gather in the church parlor each second and fourth Thursday from 2:00 pm to 3:45 pm for a low-key time of fellowship, creativity, and sharing of ideas.

This Thursday, September 22nd, we will begin our special project of simple knitting (e.g., shawls) for the hospital- or home-bound among us.

Just drop by or email Karolyn Eisenstein to join the email list.

Have you noticed the art display in First Parish?  It’s part of the art and culture of Cuba which will be highlighted on the walls of the First Parish gallery this month, and is part of the upcoming Munroe Saturday Nights presentation, “Cuba: Memory, Art and Action – An Evening to Benefit Friends of Caritas Cubana” will open the 2016-2017 season of the Munroe Saturday Nights performing arts series on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 at First Parish in Lexington, 7 Harrington Road at 7:30 PM.

The evening’s program, which will benefit the work of the Friends of Caritas Cubana, will feature readings and musical selections from the Cuban and Cuban/American experience, as well as a presentation from local Cuban Americans sharing their observations from recent trips to Cuba. Participating in the performance are award-winning playwright/actor/director Melinda Lopez, writer Ana Hebra Flaster, and musicians Zahili Gonzalez Zamora and Zayra Pola Ocasio. The photographs of Andrew Child and art by Cuban artists, on display in First Parish’s art gallery, are available for sale by silent auction. There are also photographs by First Parishioner Lew Counts, who visited Cuba in 2001.

Lexington playwright Merrill Meadow will moderate a panel discussion of Cuban and Cuban-Americans, who will reflect on recent changes in the US’s relationship with the island nation and life in Cuba today. Allene M. Diaz, from the Board of Friends of Caritas Cubana will share stories and images of their almost twenty-year-old mission of enhancing the capacity of Caritas Cuba.

To further help those still struggling in Cuba, Friends of Caritas Cubana also invites donations of the following medical and health items:  small sized, unopened, unexpired Tylenol; Benadryl; aspirin; Advil; and Prilosec, or the generic equivalents, as well as Band-Aids, Neosporin and Toothbrushes. A collection bin will be in place at First Parish on the night of the performance to accept these contributions.

The suggested donation for Munroe Saturday Nights events is $10/person. A portion of the donations for the September 24 production will be donated to Friends of Caritas Cubana to further their mission of enhancing the capacity of Caritas Cuba. Reservations are strongly encouraged.  Visit http://www.munroecenter.org/reserve-your-seat.html to reserve your seat.

Come hear Amy Archibald speak at First Parish Lexington on Sunday, September 25, 2016, at noon in Parker Hall. Amy,  COO and veteran travel leader for Communities Without Borders, will share her experiences in Zambia helping orphaned and vulnerable children.

CWB travels annually to Zambia for a two-week service trip; plans are underway for the summer of 2017. Are you interested in finding out more? This may be of particular interest to First Parish Members and Friends with high school and college-aged students.

Highlights from previous trips:

• Experience a multi-dimensional itinerary that encompasses active participation
• Build cross-cultural relationships
• Contribute and distribute school supplies to local communities
• Visit community schools and secondary schools
• Immerse yourself with local Zambians in the compounds
• Assist with health screenings, teaching, and interacting with children
• Create memories that will last a lifetime.

We are announcing the establishment and details of the Al Jacobson / Communities Without Borders Traveling Fellowship at this meeting. You won’t want to miss it!

For more information, please email Margie Gibbons at gibbons5@rcn.com.

The Coming of Age program is a rite of passage for 9th and 10th graders to engage in a process to articulate the understanding of their personal beliefs. A valuable Unitarian Universalist tradition, the Coming of Age process and culminating worship service is cherished as a way to celebrate our youth’s independent minds and their growing understanding of spirituality and faith.

An orientation for the program will take place on Sunday, September 25th from 5:45 – 7:00 p.m. in Parker Hall and is open to all youth in 9th and 10th grades and their parents/guardians. Meet the leaders, find out more about the schedule and expectations, and get your questions answered.

Please RSVP to Katie Camire, Youth Coordinator, at youth@fplex.org.

Rev. Anne now has regular office hours. You can call her in the office during these times at 781-862-8200 x2.

Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Monday and Thursday evenings by appointment.
Tuesday will be a study and writing day.
Friday will be a day off.

To schedule an appointment, please email minister@fplex.org.

Please help our neighbors who rely on the Lexington Food Pantry to feed their families. There are two baskets by the front doors for donations of non-perishable food items, as well as in the bin outside of the church office. You can also make a cash donation by leaving it with the office or forwarding a check to the Lexington Interfaith Food Pantry, P.O. Box 635, Lexington, MA 02420.

Questions? Contact Lynne Yansen.

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