What’s Happening: The First Parish Blog
“Collective Effervesence” – April 12, 2026
Rev. Sophia preaching, with Charlyn Bethell, Jean Gauthier, Carole Katz, Guy Urban and some special musical guests!
The hope of worship is to awaken us to Something More, but this doesn’t just happen on Sundays. Rev. Sophia will reflect on one of her first ‘awakening experiences’ which just so happened to take place at a Grateful Dead show in 1991! Let’s come together and explore Awakening through music, story, and prayer–it will be good to be together. See you on Sunday!
*Collective Effervescence is a term coined by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in his 1912 book “The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.”
Musically Speaking – April 2026
In our worship planning, we, the staff, focus on themes which give us inspirations for creating weekly worship services. This month, it is “Awakening.” It is as if, after being asleep, I wake to something new or something with more depth: appreciation of beauty, being...
“Come and Go with Me” Easter Sunday Worship Service – April 5, 2026
Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Morris Sullivan, and Guy Urban.
We will celebrate the arrival of Spring and renew our commitments to a faith rooted in Jesus’ teachings about love of neighbor, stranger, creation, and ourselves. Spring flowers will bedeck our sanctuary, our choir’s voices will resound, and the joy of community will awaken us all! Take a breath, slow down, and give yourself the gift of church this Sunday.
The View From Here – April 2026
My family and I found ourselves counting down the days to turn the calendar this year–it felt like a little celebration on Wednesday! It’s been a cold and shadowy winter and spring’s impending awakening sure does make me feel like a kid in a candy store. Walking by a...
“We Are Explorers!” – March 22, 2026
Intergenerational Worship led by Kyle Belmont and Rev. Sophia Lyons, with Charlyn Bethell, Kathy Button, Chuck Dickinson, Laura Horn, Sarah McCord, and Guy Urban.
We will look to the celebrated film Moana for wisdom to guide our days, open our hearts, and ignite the explorer in us all. Bring your sense of wonder and the spirit of exploration to church as we look to story, play, and the power of connection across all stages of life to ground us in community (and to have a bit of fun too!). Childcare will be offered downstairs for anyone who needs it.
HRW Benefit Concert – A Night of Song featuring tenor David Rivera Bozon
A NIGHT OF SONG for a good cause is the title of the Benefit Concert sponsored by the Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund this coming Saturday, March 21st at 7 pm in our own church sanctuary. The featured artist is David Rivera Bozon, a tenor singer with pianist...
“The Very Holy Work of Not Running Away” – March 15, 2026
Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Debi King, and Guy Urban.
How do we pay attention to others? How do we show up for one another in the context of care? With life and so much around us feeling precarious, let’s explore how the act of witnessing each other offers transformation, grounding, and healing–after all, isn’t this what church community is all about? There is so much good to be found at FPW–come to worship and rest in the company of good friends. See you on Sunday!
Musically Speaking – March 2026
I am making a bold statement that “music helps us pay attention.” If I am trying to remember something important, I sometimes put that content into a melody and it then stays with me. And then, there is the issue of what we choose to pay attention to. I am humbled by...
The View from Here – March 2026
The title, “The View from Here”, is something I borrowed from a colleague of mine who has used it in her church’s newsletter for several decades. It’s a great header, and a good reminder about what the ministry requires–a regular taking in of that wide, broad view....
Musically Speaking – February 2026
This month, “embodiment” is our theme. What does that even mean—and what does it mean to me, the music director? So, I looked up what “embodiment” means: “a tangible or visible form of an idea, quality, or feeling.” It could mean a realization of what matters and how...