TOP OF THE SQUARE
First Parish Plymouth Unitarian Universalist National Memorial Pilgrim Church 19 Town Square, Plymouth, MA 02360 508-747-1606 www.firstparishplymouthuu.org [email protected]
Reverend Ed Hardy Worship: 10:00 am Sunday
Director of Music, Pianist: Niles Brandon Religious Education Director: Kim Caple Director of Music Emerita: Lynne Wilkinson Office Administrator: Jeanne McKinney
November, 2015 Newsletter
Thanks to a very generous member, we are about to dramatically improve our comfort in the Meetinghouse! Before long, we will be sitting on brand new pew cushions, and those current lumpy, hard, and ancient cushions will be history! We are confident this project will sit well with us all!
Stay tuned for more news. There will be a display of tushy, uh cushy, samples to try out, and a variety of colors to choose from! And everyone will be asked to vote on the design they like best.
Sitting in the Meetinghouse is soon to become a whole new experience!
And while we’re at it, maybe someone else will step up and underwrite matching carpeting!
A huge Thank You! goes out to the donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Pilgrim's Journey
Last night on PBS some lesioned guy being screwed to death by legions of viral invisibility blurted the great cliché of regret: I wish I could be twenty again and know what I know now ...
My own regrets are equally foolish. And, I wonder, how the hell is it I've reached a place where I'd give what's left of my allotment of sunsets and frozen dinners for some unholy replay of just one hour in some nearly forgotten time and place?
~Excerpt from This Is the Time of Grasshoppers and All That I See Is Dying by Adrian C. Louis
Like all of us, my brother is dying, but he has a prognosis, a scientific date, a medical guess. He's resigned. He doesn't want to answer the big questions he never asked-about God, or creation, or good versus evil-for him it is pretty much poppycock. He is not fighting the "good fight" with death, as if cancer were a war, or a battle he has a snowball in hell chance of winning.
He wants simple things-like being able to taste his food. Just one enjoyable bite, might be enough. He loved Casey's Steamed Hotdogs back in Natick. Oh, that we could slide backwards over fifty years or so, and even if we dragged all our knowledge with us, we would probably be as wasteful with the hours as we were in our youth.
Seventy three years and memory has sanded off all the sharp edges, the details, the specifics; he doesn't want details from the past, yet he says, "I love you" with more frequency than ever. I imagine he would tattoo it on my arm if he could. He already, then and now, etched it on my heart. "I love you", was a precious commodity seldom found in our youth. Hard work, good fortune, grace, or just simple coincidence he found along the way what he could seldom could say til now. ~ Rev Ed Hardy
Just like the seasons, people change
Thank you to the Melville and Caple families for their Coastsweep efforts. The kids helped to collect hundreds of trash items that would otherwise have polluted our oceans. The items were also logged by our 'citizen scientists' to help researchers with their efforts to save marine life.
Religious Education is off to a wonderful start! We have over thirty students now registered in our three classes. Thank you to our teachers Diane Stillman, Chris Lennon, Meghan Snee, and Aaron Smith. Students are exploring the theme Creating Love in developmentally appropriate ways. Each week upon returning to coffee hour, your children should be giving you a piece of paper that outlines what we have done for the week as well as some home connections and any schedule changes. Our hope is that you will have some conversations about how you can Create Love as a family. Also, this 'ticket' acts as a way for your child to reconnect with you in the church building, ending the Religious Education time. Please help us in promoting a safe and enjoyable coffee hour experience for all by reminding your child(ren) to walk and stay on the lower level of the building.
Operation Be the Good
Last month we introduced Operation Be the Good to the kids. This month it will be your turn! Find ways you and your family can do small Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) to spread joy in the world. It could be picking up trash on the beach or along your favorite walking trail, paying for a stranger's coffee, or just holding a door open with a smile. Please help us propel this movement by incorporating Operation Be the Good into your routine. Use the cards provided to leave at the scene of a RAK or take a photo and send it to me to add to our collection. Each Sunday we'll highlight a RAK of the week.
Continued
Ukulele with Reverend Ed
Revered Ed and Middle School Street of Music have teamed up to offer free Ukulele lessons to any interested students. The lessons will take place at Middle Street School of Music on .... you guessed it - Middle Street, in downtown Plymouth. Lesson are free of charge but should still be considered a commitment in fairness to all students. Contact Reverend Ed via phone or email with questions or to reserve a spot.
Wednesdays, 4:00-4:45 Middle Street School of Music
Save the Date Friday, December 11 First Parish RE Family Potluck Holiday Party Location: TBD Anyone willing to host?
November Meetings
Parish Committee FIRST PARISH TALENT SHOW! Monday, November 2, 7:00 pm, Parish House Saturday, November 14, 6:00 pm, Kendall
Restoration Committee Building & Grounds Committee Wednesday, November 4, 11 & 25, 9:30 am, Sunday, November 15, 8:30 am Parish House Parish House *Monday, November 16, 7:00 pm, Parish House Worship & Music Committee Buddhist Meditation Tuesday, November 17, 7:30 pm Wednesday, November 4, 11, 18 & 25, 7:00 pm Parish House Parish House PLYMOUTH ILLUMINATE 400 Singing Meditation Saturday, November 21, 4:00 – 8:00 pm Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 pm, Parlor Town Square / First Parish Plymouth
Men's Breakfast PERSEPHONE’S CONCERT Saturday, November 7 & 21, 9:00 am, Sunday, November 22, 3:00 pm, T-Bones, Plymouth Center Meetinghouse
Hospice Choir Women's Breakfast Wednesday, November 11, 18 & 25, 7:00 pm Saturday, November 28, 9:00 am Parlor Friendly’s, Exit 5, Long Pond Road, Plymouth November Worship
November 1 Union Sunday Union Sunday is one Sunday when the congregations of Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth gather to unite in worship. It is a wonderful opportunity to get together, see old friends, meet new friends, and share Unitarian Universalist ideals. This year the service will be held in Duxbury at 10:30am.
The topic of the service will be our First Principle-The Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person. Our guest preacher will be the Reverend Michael Wayne Walker, senior pastor of Messiah Baptist Church in Brockton, Massachusetts. Reverend Walker is a native of Texas, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and has served Messiah Baptist for thirty-three years. On the front of the Messiah Baptist Worship bulletin for several years it said and I paraphrase-"We hold as highest ideals the following texts-The Book of Mark from the New Testament and The People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn." Reverend Walker is not your typical Unitarian Universalist preacher, but if you attended General Assembly this year and heard Cornel West preach, you get the idea. You won't be bored. Rev. Walker is one of the best preachers I know. I recommend him highly and anticipate hearing him speak to the First Principle. I am honored to call him my teacher, my colleague, and my friend; knowing him has made me a better person.
November 08 Do We Speak the Truth in Love? Rev. Ed Hardy Every Sunday we speak our covenant; we say the words, "We speak the truth in love." Do we? Do we "speak the truth in love?" If we don't, what stops us? What keeps us from living our covenant?
November 15 Immigrant Justice Rev. Ed Hardy Every Tibetan lay person, nun or monk I met in New York City, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco and Carmel, California had a story to tell about immigration, about getting here by chicanery or accident, by suffering, by being pushed to margins, and yet, they came. They huddled on our shore for justice and freedom.
November 22 The Mysterious Turkey and Pilgrims, Oh My! A Cast of Thousands and Ed THIS IS AN INTER-GENERATIONAL SERVICE What does that mean-intergenerational? It means fun, singing, laughing, and mystery for all ages. And who would want to miss that? When I say mincemeat pie-my kids say UGH! I might reveal my secret giblet gravy. When I say, I'll bring the gravy-my kids say UGH! When I say, "I'll just sing!" They say DON'T!! Please. Come to this service and experience the whole congregation, every generation, having a good time.
November 23 Thanksgiving Service 7Pm The Thanksgiving Service is the most multicultural, most multiracial, most inclusive service, we perform each year. Many voices celebrate the blessing of this land from sea to shining sea.
November 29 Nancy Day Worship Committee Nancy Day has been writing music all her life and has produced 12 recordings of original music and lyrics since 1980. A prolific songwriter, poet, percussionist and pianist, Day has written musical scores for Claymation films, documentaries, anthems for universities, and for four musicals. Her melodies are irresistible and memorable, and her music is full of truth and hope. Her audiences are left feeling refreshed and wanting more.
Another Wonderful SCRIP Idea ...
th Food Collection Sunday – November 8
Our next Food Collection for the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse is Sunday, November 8. Thank you for your continued generosity! Volunteers Needed!
We would like a few volunteers to take turns taping our weekly Worship Services for broadcast to Plymouth and the greater Plymouth community. This will not only benefit the community, but also potentially attract new members.
Please see Ron Clarke or contact the Church Office at 508-747-1606 or [email protected]
Please join us on Monday, November 23 at 7:00 pm in our Historic Sanctuary for an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.
The Thanksgiving Service is the most multicultural, most multiracial, most inclusive service, we perform each year. Many voices celebrate the blessing of this land from sea to shining sea.
Kudo's to Our First Parish Artists! Plymouth Guild's 48th Annul Juried Art Show
Mixed Media Sculpture
Alexandra Leaver's, "Bathers" Robert Leaver's sculpture, “Art” took a First Place Ribbon also won First Place
Douglas Gray's sculpture, "79 Degrees" won Best in Show
(Background admirers are Jan Palmer Tarbox and Charles Tarbox)
Also caught on camera are Donna Petrangelo and Yoshi Sandbonmatsu
PERSEPHONE'S DAUGHTERS PRESENTS "WINGS" Sunday, November 22, 2015, 3:00 pm First Parish Plymouth Meetinghouse
The women’s chorus from Plymouth, Persephone’s Daughters, will perform its fall concert, “Wings,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 22, 2015 at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 19 Town Square, Plymouth. Director Lynne Wilkinson found inspiration for this concert in Ali Burns’ song, “Why Does the Caged Bird Sing,” a musical reference to Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography. The song and a reading of Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” will be paired in what has become a signature format for the group’s concerts - eclectic songs that center around a theme, interspersed with powerful readings. The words of Mary Oliver will also be heard along with favorite songs like Eva Cassidy’s “Song Bird,” “Wind Beneath My Wings,” the Beatles’ “Blackbird” - and in this concert, Persephone’s goes pop with Little Mix’s “Wings.”
Wings and flight are powerful metaphors for shelter, for freedom, for risk-taking and for the fulfillment of personal potential. In that spirit, the proceeds from this concert will go to GAIA, Global Aids Interfaith Alliance, to sponsor a nursing scholarship for a young woman in Malawi, Africa. GAIA provides tuition, a living stipend, clinical supplies, books and stationary for students, many of whom are also orphans struggling to support younger siblings. GAIA contends that strengthening women as change agents and role models has positive implications for families and communities at every societal level.
During the Thanksgiving season, this is an opportunity for folks to spread their giving wings while gaining inspiration and hope through beautiful music. Persephone’s Daughters is in its 15th year and has donated more than $80,000 to local and international charities.
Tickets are $20; $15 for seniors and students. Tickets will be available at the Plymouth Guild for the Arts, 11 North St., or by calling 508-747-0212. They can also be purchased at the door.
Thanksgiving Week in Plymouth Come join in America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration!
Free Patriotic Concert Friday, November 20, 7:00 pm The Memorial Building, 83 Court Street America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade Saturday, November 21, 10:30 am Opening Ceremonies DCR Pilgrim Memorial Park, 75 Water Street
11:00 am Parade - Plymouth Center, Main Street
Pilgrim Progress, Thursday November 26, 10:00 am
Re-enactment of the Pilgrims' Sabbath procession to worship.
Costumed participants representing the survivors of the first harsh winter of 1621 will march to the beat of a drum down North Street, along the waterfront past Plymouth Rock, and up Leyden Street to Burial Hill where a short Pilgrim worship service will be observed on the site of the original for/meetinghouse.
46th National Day of Mourning Ceremonies Thursday, November 26, 12:00 noon, Massasoit Statue, Cole's Hill Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US thanksgiving holiday. Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers. Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Would you or your friends like to help prepare dinner for National Day of Mourning? The volunteer kitchen crew needs help several days in advance, as well as during the events, and for set-up and clean-up. You don't have to miss the rally and march. It's a great way for newbies and solidarity folks to learn about or lend a hand at NDOM. Thanks for passing along this message. Email [email protected].
We will have a pot luck social following National Day of Mourning rally and march. Please bring juices, desserts and side dishes. Don't bring food that still has to be cooked, but we can warm up cooked food. Drop off food at the downstairs social hall at First Parish in Plymouth UU church in the morning before you go to rally at noon.
6th Annual Holiday Boutique at the Plymouth Center for the Arts
This is a high quality show and gets lots of foot traffic because of the Thanksgiving Parade. There are a limited number of spots where a large display can be set up. The short spots can have items on a table or a display no taller than four feet.