11 a.m. Sunday Service: Join us for our regular Sunday service and a sermon by our church historian, George Wardle, entitled “How We Became Unitarian.” Join us following the service at “Coffee Hour” for coffee and light refreshments. Children’s religious education classes will be held during the service as usual.
5 p.m. JP Forum History Talk: The History Of Jamaica Plain and its First Church. Presented by George Wardle. More information here.
First Church’s annual retreat will be held at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Massachusetts. In a supportive and confidential environment, we will explore the question of how we can live authentically, and how that can bring us closer to each other and to God. Come be part of our Spiritual Facebook!
The retreat will run from Friday evening, March 16th through lunch on Sunday, March 18th. The cost is $200 per person, with some scholarships available.
Terry Burke, Ghanda DiFiglia, and Alice Kociemba will facilitate this retreat. Please contact Mary Brady if you are interested in attending, and with any questions you might have.
All new items will be listed first in each section and preceded by three asterisks (***). Find us online at:http://www.firstchurchjp.org ;
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CHURCH HAPPENINGS
*** Sunday, Jan. 29th***
We welcome our church historian, George Wardle, as guest preacher.
Please join us following the service for coffee and light refreshments. Thank you to Thalia McMillion for hosting Coffee Hour.
5 p.m. – THE HISTORY OF JAMAICA PLAIN AND ITS FIRST CHURCH
Jamaica and West Roxbury were synonymous until the creation of a new parish church on the “Pond Plain in Jamaica ” within the colonial town of Roxbury . An event presenting the connections of Jamaica Plain history and its first church will be held Sunday evening, January 29, 2012, 5:00PM. There will be displays from the church archives, and George Wardle, First Church historian, will describe the historic connections. Jamaica Plain was the Third Parish of Roxbury, it was the downtown of the Town of West Roxbury , and is now a neighborhood of the City of Boston and a postal district. For seventy years, First Church was the only church in Jamaica Plain.
A simple bread and soup potluck will be shared. Please bring two cans of vegetables or non-dairy vegetable soup to be mixed in the soup pot or bring breads, crackers, cheese, or fruits to accompany the soup. Coffee and water will be provided. (Any extra cans of vegetables will go to the Church Food Pantry which provides for those in need.)
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SAVE THE DATE – UPCOMING EVENTS
***Next Sunday, February 5th at 11 a.m.***
Join us with guest preacher Clyde Grubbs, a Unitarian Universalist minister who has served congregations in Indiana, Quebec, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and California. Since August 2010, he has been the minister-at-large of the Tuckerman Creative Ministries for Justice and Healing. Clyde has been a member of the Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) for eleven years and presently serves as one of its co-presidents. He has served on the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association Executive Committee as its portfolio holder for anti-racism, anti-oppression and multiculturalism. He was recently elected as an at-large member of the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees. Before entering the ministry, Clyde worked as a community and labor organizer. He has worked for peace, justice and equality ever since he was in the Unitarian Universalist youth movement, Liberal Religious Youth. He honors his Native American heritage, Texas Cherokee, which informs his spiritual understanding and practice as well as his anti-racist and anti-oppressive commitment.
Friday, February 3rd, 7PM
Rev. Terry Burke, Nancy Nee Hanifin, and Jen Roy will be sharing their experiences walking the Camino pilgrimage at a J.P. Forum event at our church on Friday, February 3rd at 7PM. Join us for “Buon Camino! Pilgrimage in the Modern World.”
Please visit our calendar online at:
http://www.firstchurchjp.org/events/
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WAYS TO CONNECT OR CONTRIBUTE
***New Staff at JP Forum***
Gillian Mason is an Event Organizer and Administrative Associate for the New England regional office of the ISP. In addition to administrative work, she coordinates the Jamaica Plain Forum, a series of cultural and educational events intended to build community in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.
Before joining the IPS staff, Gillian was an adjunct professor of English and American Studies at Boston University, the University of Massachusetts in Boston, and Suffolk University. She has also been an organizer with MoveOn.org and, most recently, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, where she helped to found Massachusetts Scholars for Social Justice. Gillian has a B.A. in English literature from New York University and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University.
***Adult RE Class Postponed***
The Adult RE slated to be taught by Director of RE, Mick Hirsch, in February has been postponed. Further information will be forthcoming as we assess the schedule.
***Committee News***
The Signage/Bulletin Board Committee has another member, Marshall Hawkins and we are looking for suggestions and ideas for the signs and bulletin boards at the church. Please speak with Cathy Baisly if you have ideas.
***Spring Fair News***
The Spring Fair is coming sooner than we think! We are re-thinking whether we should continue doing the yard sale part and we desperately need ideas and volunteers for the weeks before the fair. The Yard Sale itself did not make very much money for the huge effort that went into it. Please, get in touch with Cathy Baisly.
Adult RE: Croning
A new Croning group will start on Thursday, February 16 from 7 to 9 pm and go for 6 weeks. If you are interested in participating and/or want more information, please speak with Margaret.
Church Retreat March 16-18th, Glastonbury Abbey
“Seeking Your True Self: Embracing Your False Self.”
In a supportive and confidential environment, we will explore the question of how we can live authentically, and how that can bring us closer to each other and to God. Come be part of our Spiritual Facebook!
Terry Burke, Ghanda DiFiglia, and Alice Kociemba will facilitate this retreat.
Friday evening, March 16th through lunch on Sunday, March 18th.
Cost: $200 per person, with some scholarships available.
Please contact Mary Brady if you are interested in attending, and with any questions you might have.
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ONGOING CHURCH HAPPENINGS
Building Use
Did you know that you can rent the Parish Hall or a smaller space for a celebration, group meeting or other event?? Contact Monroe Heyman for more details.
Yoga at First Church
Join us throughout the year for Monday for Evening Yoga (6:45 – 8:15 pm) for 90 minutes of stretching, flexing and core strengthening (suggested donation: $15). For you early birds who want to wake up your body while the earth is waking up, try the slow-flow class Thursday mornings, 7:30 to 8:15 (suggested donation: $10). Please try to be on time, out of respect for other attendees. Some mats and props will be available to borrow. Bring a friend! For any questions about yoga, contact Margaret. All donations go to the work of First Church in our community.
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When submitting items for the weekly newsletter, please limit them to 250 words or less. If you have a special event that may need more space, please check in with Julia (Firstchjp@aol.com) for special parameters. If you would like your announcement included in the weekly newsletter, please send them in by Wednesday evenings. Announcements will run for no longer than 3 weeks, unless there are specific date parameters. You may resubmit your item after it has run for the allotted time.
Regular office hours are currently 9 am to 1 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. You may contact the church administrator, Julia, by emailing Firstchjp@aol.com.
Julia Terry, Congregational Administrator
First Church in Jamaica Plain UU
6 Eliot Street
P.O. Box 300186
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-524-1634
Website: www.firstchurchjp.org
A new “Croning” discussion group – for women in the congregation, centered on celebrating the transition of moving into the third stage of life and the wisdom found there – will start on Thursday, February 16 from 7 to 9 pm and run for 6 weeks. If you are interested in participating and/or want more information, please contact Margaret Suby.
Rev. Terry Burke, Nancy Nee Hanifin, and Jen Roy will be sharing their experiences walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage at a J.P. Forum event at our church on Friday, February 3 at 7 p.m. Join us for “Buen Camino! Pilgrimage in the Modern World.”
Join us throughout the year on Monday for Evening Yoga (6:45 – 8:15 pm) for 90 minutes of stretching, flexing and core strengthening (suggested donation: $15).
For you early birds who want to wake up your body while the earth is waking up, try the slow-flow class Thursday mornings, 7:30 to 8:15 (suggested donation: $10).
Please try to be on time, out of respect for other attendees. Some mats and props will be available to borrow. Bring a friend!
For any questions about yoga, contact Margaret Suby. All donations go to the work of First Church in our community.
In November, despite protests from community activists and legal experts, both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts State Senate passed “3-Strikes” bills that could have disastrous consequences for our communities. As this legislation speeds toward a final vote, opponents of that legislation urge that we educate ourselves about the rampant injustice of our criminal justice system and how 3-Strikes provisions perpetuate and magnify that injustice.
Join us in a panel discussion at First Church on the potential repercussions of the 3-Strike law for MA featuring key players in the debate:
Ben Thompson, Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, will moderate.
Come to listen, ask questions, and learn how you can take action! This event is co-sponsored by the Jamaica Plain Forum and The Union of Minority Neighborhoods.
First Church historian George Wardle will discuss the connections between Jamaica Plain history and its First Church at a JP Forum talk this Sunday, January 29, at at 5:00 p.m.
Jamaica and West Roxbury were synonymous until the creation of a new parish church on the “Pond Plain in Jamaica” within the colonial town of Roxbury. Jamaica Plain was the Third Parish of Roxbury, it was the downtown of the Town of West Roxbury , and is now a neighborhood of the City of Boston and a postal district. For seventy years, First Church was the only church in Jamaica Plain.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day early at a soirée of beautiful music and decadent desserts featuring JP’s renowned classical guitarist John Muratore!
Mr. Muratore teaches classical guitar at Dartmouth College and Boston University. He is the coordinator of the guitar program at All Newton Music School and a guitarist with Counterpoint Chorus.
The concert is Sunday evening, February 12, at 7 p.m. at First Church. Attending as a couple is not required! A few non-chocolate and vegan items will be provided as well.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door ($15 advance/$20 door for students & seniors). Proceeds will benefit First Church’s Tower Fund. E-mail fcjpvalentine@gmail.com to reserve your seats!
Nota bene: This event is not suitable for young children.
11 a.m. Sunday Service: Join us for our regular Sunday service, which will include a sermon entitled “Worthship.” Please bring a candle to give away for this service, which will involve a celebration for Candlemas. Join us following the service at “Coffee Hour” for coffee and light refreshments. Children’s religious education classes will be held during the service as usual.
12:30 p.m. Congregational Meeting: Church members are asked to stay after coffee hour for a short congregational meeting, which will include updates from the Strategic Planning Committee and Stewardship Committee, a discussion of the “Garden Project” proposal for the church’s front lawn, and a report from the Finance Committee. Non-members are welcome to attend and observe.
Rev. Terry Burke writes:
Jamaica Plain historian Michael Reiskind says that today, January 19th, is the 350th anniversary of the “laying out” of Centre Street.
Happy Birthday, Centre Street!