We often speak of First Church as a kind of extended, chosen family. There is no time in the year when that feels to me more apt than at our annual Fellowship Dinner. Here we all are, enjoying the reliably wonderful food that George Wardle prepares with scout-like precision, experiencing tomato aspic, breaking bread with friends, laughing together, and singing good-night to Irene. Continue reading
Good news! My friend and UU colleague Jason Lydon is interested in becoming an affiliate minister of our church.
An affiliate minister is an unpaid position which supports the ministry of the church – Rev. Marshall Hawkins is currently an affiliate minister of our church. I have worked closely with Jason on justice issues for several years, and have learned much from him. I am delighted that he wants to work with us! He brings a truly inspiring passion for justice.
Also, as Nancy Ahmadifar who has done prison work with Jason for seven years, recently said to me, “Jason is the person who provides pastoral care for the people doing justice work.” Our Standing Committee recently voted to have Jason as an affiliate minister, and the congregation will need to formally vote in the Fall. Please take the time to read this letter of introduction from Jason and make a point of getting to know this remarkable young man!
Cheers,
Terry
For letter of introduction: Continue reading
Rev. Burke writes:
This week my Wednesday Worship Class featured Ellen McGuire, our Music Director, speaking to us about hymns, music, and how music fits in the flow of our worship service. Thanks Ellen!
Continue reading
11:00 a.m. Church Service: Join us for our regular Sunday service.
Religious Education: Pageant rehearsal! Please have your lines memorized.
12:30 p.m. Congregational Meeting: Please join us for a short meeting to discuss the draft mission and vision statements developed based on the work that we did at our Saturday, November 5 congregational retreat. The Standing Committee has recommended that the congregation vote to ratify those statements.
A note from the Standing Committee:
Most of the space within our Church and Parish Hall feels as if it belongs to all of us. We count on each other to set up chairs and put them back, to organize what’s chaotic, clean what’s messy, and provide what’s needed. There are a few areas within the Church that are more private, such as Terry’s office, the choir loft, and Mick’s storage space. These areas are under one specific person’s supervision and we ask that you seek that person’s explicit permission before doing any cleaning or rearranging. Thank you for your cooperation.
Our Visioning conference the weekend of November 5 brought fifty of us together to imagine and plan our church’s future. In the excitement and enthusiasm of our meetings, we resolved to move ahead with the development and implementation of a strategic plan as quickly as we can.
The meetings held at the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry Church in Roxbury produced a plethora of ideas and commitments. We will be forming task forces to identify and implement specific proposals, working with existing committees and staff members in areas such as our building, social media, religious education, and outreach to new members.
[After the jump, minutes of the October 18, 2011 meeting of the Standing Committee.]