Sunday News for June 13, 2010

Listings with asterisks are classes offered through the Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Renewal.

Parish Notes

Pastoral Care Notes

During coffee hour, please come to the Pastoral Care table in the Parlor to write a “thinking of you” note to a parishioner who is on the pastoral list. (We will mail it for you.) Note cards are wonderful for the recipient, because you can read them more than once, and they are evidence that you are remembered. So please visit Margie at the Pastoral Care table.

Annual Meeting and Summer Services

The Annual Meeting will follow this morning's 10:00 o'clock service, at 11:30 a.m.

Summer Services

Summer services will be at 10:00 o'clock beginning next Sunday, June 20, and will run through September 5. September 13 will be Homecoming Sunday, with services at 9:00 and 11:00 o'clock.

Summer Office Hours

The office at First Parish will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday, June 21, through Friday, September 3. Regular office hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) will resume on Tuesday, September 7. The office will be closed on Monday, July 5, for Independence Day; and Monday, September 6, for Labor Day.

From the Partner Church Committee

The Partner Church Committee invites everyone to attend the official dedication of the Keresztúr Terrace this morning at 11:15. Gary Smith will unveil a special plaque commemorating two decades of our very special partnership. During the dedication, Gary will also present our own Ivan Kristoffy with the (National) UU Partner Church Council's Steward of Partnership Award in recognition of his diligent stewardship of our Keresztúr connection.

Trip Spaces Available

There are still openings for the upcoming Culture and Music Pilgrimage to Székelykeresztúr. Whether or not this would be your first time, if you would like to deepen your understanding of this extraordinary place and its people, Gary and Eliz Smith, the First Parish Choir and the Partner Church Committee invite you to join them in Transylvania from October 24 to November 2, 2010. For further information, contact Rodger Mattlage at 781-259-9639 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Annual Meeting & Pledging

At today's Annual Meeting, we will be reminded about the importance of pledge dollars to everything First Parish does . . . every dollar really does count! For those who have not yet pledged, there is still time to help us craft our home in the world-please send in your pledges NOW. Thank you to the 17 households who have stepped up to help us close the gap between total pledges and our fundraising goal for Annual Appeal 2010. We're making steady progress! If you have not yet responded, please consider making a gap gift as soon as possible. Thank you and have a great summer! -Pamela Hathaway, Development Director

One World at a Time

Having made its official report to the Standing Committee and First Parish staff, the transition study team will make a presentation to the congregation at today's Annual Meeting about its findings from the recent congregation-wide survey and listening sessions, as well as from a special Ministry Area Profile compiled by the Alban Institute.

Here's yet another interesting finding from our survey. When asked what closely corresponds with one's belief about immortality, nearly 56 percent of those who responded felt that a person's memory lives on in the minds of their loved ones. Over 26 percent felt that a person's body dies but a person's spirit or soul lives on, and 10 percent felt that concern for immortality distracts from fully living in the moment. None of the responses subscribed to the conviction that at some point in the future a person's body and soul are resurrected.

Children's and Youth News

Today, June 13-Intergenerational Service

  9:50 a.m.-Regular Classes, Babies-Preschool
  10:00 a.m.-Service
    K-6 Join Their Families in the Sanctuary

Next Week, June 20

No RE Classes