Download The deadline for the next hard-copy edition of The Spire is Monday

December 21, 2011 ELECTRONIC EDITION
Volume X, Issue 9
Sunday Services – 10:00 am
December 24:
Christmas Eve Candlelighting Services - 5 & 7:30 pm
Gather on this magical night with your families and celebrate Christmas with traditional carols,
candlelight, prayer and story. Joy to the world!
December 25:
CHRISTMAS DAY - NO SERVICE IN NORWELL
We have been invited to worship with the First Parish Unitarian Church in Scituate (330 First Parish
Road) on Christmas morning. The service is at 10:30 am. The Church Hill United Methodist Church in
Norwell has a Christmas Day dinner to which all are invited. See Rev. Vicki for details.
January 1:
Poetry Potluck and Come As You Are
On this first day of 2012, come participate in the Burning Bowl ritual and consign to the purifying
flames those things that you do not want to take with you into the new year. Our minister will give a
brief homily on “Goodbye To All That” and invite you to share poems that have special spiritual
meaning for you. Come with the kids in your pajamas if you were out too late the night before.
“IN THE SPIRIT”
If someone asked me what greatest gift of the spirit our congregation possesses, I would respond,
Laughter.
I preach in many different churches and meet with a wide variety of religious groups and where I feel
most at home is where they also have the gift of laughter. Where I feel most concerned is where there is
no laughter and no sense of fun, just a dreary sense of obligation to worship the Lord or to serve the
common good with dead earnestness and formality. Jeepers, I can hardly wait to get out of those places.
Laughter is a gift of those wise enough to keep all manner of things in perspective, to fondly appreciate
the absurdity of the human condition, and to admit that we are not in control. The person who cannot
let go of control cannot laugh. Genuine laughter is the result of surprise, and the willingness to be
surprised is a form of reverence. Laughter and wonder are close cousins.
And so this Christmas, I wish you laughter. You are so good at it, and so generous with it. Bringing the
gift of laughter to a gathering is better than coming with an expensive bottle of champagne. It lightens
tense situations, it helps heal those who are suffering, it brings warmth and kindness to every room.
In faith, hope, love and laughter,
Rev. Vicki
CARING CORNER
Our condolences to Barbara Hickey, whose sister Hilda has passed away after a long
illness.
We are sad to share the news of the death of Persis Sterling, a long-time member of the church. Persis
died at home at the age of 83. A memorial service is being planned for January.
The church office will close at noon on Friday, December 24, and will remain closed through school
vacation week. We will reopen at 9 am on Tuesday, January 3.
Thanks to everyone who donated so generously to the collection of gifts and Second
Sunday Collection for foster children. The social workers are exceedingly grateful
for all the help, especially at such a busy time of year. I want to give a special
thanks to the people who helped to organize this project. Marcia and Scott Babcock
coordinated the list of children and their needs with those willing to purchase gifts.
This is no small task. Dave and Judy Bond helped sort through all the gifts the day
people brought them to church. Cathy Phillips took 6 members of the Youth Group
shopping to fill in where there were some extra needs. It would be difficult to manage this project
without this assistance, and I am grateful to all who contributed in so many ways.
~Betsy Gordon
ALL-CHURCH BIRTHDAY PARTY AND POTLUCK
The Birthday Party Potluck has been set for Saturday, February 4 in the Parish
Hall from 5-8 pm. Kate Sanborn ([email protected] or 781-878-0331) is
going to be the lead person with help from Peg Kitchenham (781-447-5831). We
will again be collecting gifts for a local charitywhich provides birthday parties for
homeless children. We will have a sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall during
January. We will need people to bring dishes for the potluck and to bake cupcakes for decorating. Let
Kate know if you can help.
ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE?
This year’s General Assembly of Unitarian Universalist congregations (GA), our denomination’s
national annual meeting and conference, will be held in Phoenix, Arizona beginning Wednesday
evening, June 20, and ending Sunday afternoon, June 24. There will be business meetings, worship
services, lectures, singing and music. Unlike previous years, this GA has been designated the Justice
GA where “we will hone our skills as social justice advocates and bring the power of our religious
witness to one of the most important civil and human rights issues of our time.” If your passion is social
justice work please consider taking advantage of this unique opportunity and serve our congregation as
a delegate. There are First Parish budgeted funds to defray costs for anyone interested in attending, as
well as scholarships available to young adults (up to age 35) from our district. Visit the
www.UUA.org/GA website to learn more about this unique meeting and/or speak with our minister,
Rev. Vicki Weinstein, or any member of the Denominational Affairs committee (Mary Mercier, Joyce
Pickel, Deanna Riley [chair], Sue Robinson and Dexter Robinson).
GUEST AT YOUR TABLE CONCLUDES
In recent weeks, our Guest at Your Table boxes and Stories of Hope have
taught us about real people engaged in struggles for justice in the United
States and around the world. It has also taught us about our power to change
the world when we share our blessings to support the Unitarian Universalist
Service Committee and the many amazing people they partner with. Guest at
Your Table donations were collected on December 18; however it is not too
late to send your contributions to the church office or to Sue Robinson, local UUSC representative. Be
sure to convert your cash and coins to a check made out to “UUSC”. Remember, your $100 donation
will be matched by our sister UU Congregation in Shelter Rock, NY. We’ll announce the results of our
Guest at Your Table program as soon as possible. On behalf of UUSC, we thank and commend every
person who has chosen to share their blessings through Guest at Your Table.
LEARN TO USHER
Ushering at a worship service is a welcomed volunteering opportunity… and easy
to do once you know how to do it! Come to a brief in-service on how to usher on
Sunday, January 8 immediately following Coffee Hour. Les Taylor, our head
usher, will go through the various steps and printed instructions in the Meetinghouse. Plan to meet at
11:30 am. Hope to see all interested “ushers to be”!
HELEN FOGG SERVICE COMMITTEE
It's not too late to get a truly meaningful last-minute Christmas gift for your loved
ones-the gift of an animal to a poor family somewhere around the world through
Heifer International. Go to their website, www.heifer.org, to choose an animal or
service and an interactive or printable gift card for your honoree.
First Parish Parishioners are the most generous people! We bought gifts for 50 foster children who
might otherwise not get much of anything at Christmas. Then at the Second Sunday service we gave
$847 in the plate, which the Fogg Service Committee raised to $1,500. The agency says they are pretty
set now for Christmas and suggested that Betsy buy gift cards at grocery stores, as the need for
emergency food is great, especially at this time of the year. The food stipend for a foster child does not
start for several weeks. When a child is placed with a family, the family needs to make do without extra
money for the child's food for a while. Small food gift cards will help greatly! Thank you to Betsy
Gordon who delivered the gifts and gave an inspirational Second Sunday talk. Thank you to Scott
Babcock who organized the sign-up sheets and to Judy and Dave Bond who helped Scott and Betsy
gather and inventory the gifts before they were sent on to the social workers. Also, thanks to Cathy
Phillips who took some of our Youth Group members to the Mall to buy presents for those few children
who were not yet signed up for: Aaron Handleman, Anders and Nils Carlson, Molly Twite and Rae
Stephenson.
Our January Second Sunday (January 8) topic will be fuel assistance. The South Shore Community
Action Council (based in Plymouth) covers Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston,
Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth and Scituate, as well as other towns and provides fuel
assistance to people in need.
Merry Christmas to all!
Bev Gardner, Chair
Scott Babcock, Vice Chair
Marcia Babcock, Noel Constantino, Pat Bordewieck, Paul Bourque, Carrie Brandon, Pat Crumley,
Barbara Meacham, Mary Mercier, Dorothy and Bill Montuori, Sue Robinson (Parish Committee liaison),
Amy Stephenson, Jack Wallace and Jane and Stan Wilderoter
For information on the church’s religious education program for both adults and children, please visit
the “RE Everyday” blog at http://reeveryday.blogspot.com.
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS:
Saturday, December 24:
Sunday, December 25:
Wednesday, January 4:
Candlelight Services in the Meetinghouse at 5:00 and 7:30 pm
no services in Norwell
Alliance Board Meeting, Fogg Parlor, 10 am
First Parish Book Group, Fogg Parlor, 7 pm
Sunday, January 8:
Monday, January 9:
Tuesday, January 10:
Wednesday, January 11:
Helen Fogg Service Committee, Fogg Parlor, 11:30 am
Activities Committee, Office, 11:30 am
“How to Be an Usher”, Meetinghouse, 11:30 am
Spire deadline (hard copy) – please send articles to Hope in the Church
Office. Short articles may be included in the body of your email. Longer
articles may be sent as an attachment (with a “.doc” suffix).
Invested Funds Committee, Office 7:30 pm
Preschool Meeting, Fogg Parlor, 7-10 pm
Circle for Compassion, Meetinghouse, 6:45-7:30 pm
The deadline for the next hard-copy edition of The Spire is Monday, January 9th.
For more information, or to review archived issues of The Spire, go to www.firstparishnorwell.org
The full First Parish calendar can be accessed online at the website by selecting “News” then scrolling to the calendar option.