Hello First Parish Friends, We’re excited to share a few of our accomplishments over the past months, as well as some goals and projects for the year to come. Because newsletter space is limited, we include only the highlights of our activities. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! With encouragement from the Green Sanctuary Committee, and the commitment of our amazing sexton, Nathan, we are now using only battery-powered lawn mowers and hedge trimmers at...
Faith Explorers – Be an Explorer – November 3, 2023
No matter what church I’ve attended there’s always suddenly a sermon or two about giving. More like, the trendy way to say tithing. For anyone, like me, whose faith was developed in in Christian community, those words are not without meaning. Specifically I was taught that it meant ten percent of my time or money. In some faith communities, there have definitely been leaders who have taken that very specific number to heart, and it harmed their faith communities. For some people ten percent...
Musically Speaking – November 3, 2023
This month, our theme is Generosity. The First Parish Choir will be singing two anthems that are about sharing our world with others. We sing about reaching people different from us, ideally, with the generosity of compassion and understanding. Here are the two songs: “Why Do We Build the Wall?” by Anais Mitchell This is from the musical, Hadestown, by Anais Mitchell and it is a conversation between Hades and a chorus that are his subjects. Hades is providing the narrative which the subjects...
The View From Here – November 3, 2023
Greetings Church Family, I pray that each of you are well these days. This month, as we reflect on the theme of Generosity, I hope you’ll spend some time thinking and wondering about your spiritual journey of giving and receiving–the generous spirit. Would you say that it’s easier to give and harder to receive? Or the other way around? How does your belief system align with Generosity? What has church given you, and what gifts have you brought to church? One of the things I love about our...