The First Church in Belmont

THE UNITARIAN  April 16, 2013

In This Issue
All-Church Rummage Sale
Berklee Night at the Coffeehouse
First Church Book Group
Reflections from Rev. David Bryce
Music Notes from Alfa Radford
Children's Religious Education
Calendar 

Next Issue: April 23

Deadline: 3pm April 18

 

Wednesday, April 17

12noon   Unit. Alliance. UH.

7:00pm   MemberDatabase. CR.

7:30pm   Women's Gr. Lib.

Thursday, April 18

6:45pm   Nova Choir. Sanct.

7:30pm   Sci&Spirituality. CR.

7:30pm   SGM. Library.

Friday, April 19

7:30pm   TheAuthor'sPath. PH.

Saturday, April 20

3:30pm   Kal�ka Concert. PH.

Sunday, April 21

8:15am   Nova Choir. Sanct.

9:25am   Sr. Choir. Parish Hall.

11:00am COA. Library.

4:30pm   OWL. Library.

6/7pm     YAC/YG. Parlor/UH.

Monday, April 22

6:30pm   Jr; 7 Chan; 7:45Youth

7:00pm   SAC. cl5.

8:00pm   Meditation. Library.

Tuesday, April 23

4:00pm   Jobseekers. Library.

7:30pm   Fiber Arts. cl4.

7:30pm   Women's Gr. Library.

7:30pm   Worship Cte. CR.

Wednesday, April 24

7:00pm   MemberDatabase. CR.

7:30pm   FCBook Gr. Library.

7:30pm   MinProgCte. cl5.

7:30pm   Youth Cte. cl3/4.

 

Looking Ahead

April 26:  Coffeehouse

April 27:  New UU

 

Link to church calendar

This Sunday
Music:  April 21
9:00 Prelude: Scottish Air

Richard Curzi, piano  

11:00 Prelude: Earth is Our Homeland -Melody by Brahms

Alfa Joy Radford, organ

Offertory Duet: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

-Calvin Hampton (1938-1984)

Livia Racz, soprano and Bruce Kozuma, baritone

9:00 Nova Choir: Come, Gentle Spring (from The Seasons)

-F. J. Haydn (1732-1809)

11:00 Sr. Choir: Abendlied

Bide with us -J. Rheinberger (1839-1901)

9:00 Postlude: Dies sind die heiligen zehen Gebot BWV 679 

J. S. Bach Mary Beekman, organ

11:00 Postlude: The Methlick Style arr. William Hardie, Jr.

(c.1856-1944) Richard Curzi, piano  

 

The flowers this Sunday are given by the Lockett family in honor of those who carry the torch of diversity, tolerance, democracy, justice and love into the world.  
  
Ushers: Members of the New Connections Ministry
  
Welcome & Announcements:
Bob Corning & Martha Spaulding

Social Action Corner

ACTION IS OUR PRAYER

 

All-Church Rummage Sale

Saturday, May 4

Check out the flyer

GrowClinic! Grow Clinic!   

It's Spring. Flowers and Children should grow. Won't you help them by buying vitamins this month? Flintstone Chewables and Polysol with Iron Liquid Vitamins. Thanks for helping the Grow Clinic children to blossom. Thanks!

Two Absolute Guarantees!

1.  No snow.

2.  Outstandingly fabulous performance.

Berklee Night at the Coffeehouse will be re-born from the snowdrifts of March into the daffodils of April! On Friday, April 26, at 7:30 in the Parish Hall, see Paige Chaplin and Nikolas Metaxas, two exceptionally talented young musicians already garnering renown at this early stage of their careers. Yes, future stars on our stage! Bring your younger friends and family as well to hear these inspiring and engaging performers. Let's make this a night to remember for all concerned!

The Development of an Artist - Julliette Carignan
April 15, 7:30pm, Parlor

Using visual descriptions of her painting process, Julliette will describe her developmental history as a professional artist, and what she has learned about the creative process. 

First Church Book Group

The Book Group will meet on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30pm in The First Church Library to discuss Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Crossing to Safety is a beautifully written story of two young couples who meet in 1937 in Madison, Wisconsin, when the husbands are professors in the English Department at the university. The story traces the stresses and strains of their marriages and their friendship over the following decades, always circling back to Battell Pond, site of Charity Lang's rustic family compound in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Wallace Stegner tells this story from the perspective of Larry Morgan, a successful writer, looking back over the years and their lives from the vantage point of retirement in 1971. Stegner's sensitive and luminous prose is a delight, and the story has a power that keeps the reader turning pages, hungry for more. The Book Group is always open to new members. Please contact Anne Stuart at [email protected] to confirm attendance if you are interested in participating. Looking ahead: the Book Group will be discussing The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers on May 22. 

Lost & Found

Please take a look at the Lost & Found table in the Lower Hall. All unclaimed items will be donated to the church's Rummage Sale.

Adult Programs Reminder

To receive a weekly reminder of the latest Adult Programs, email Lillian Anderson at [email protected]

 

Click here for the AP Spring brochure 

Early Newsletter Deadline for April 30 Unitarian - 9am, Wednesday, April 24

Musica Sacra

...directed by Mary Beekman, presents a very special concert, A new birth of freedom in commemoration of the 150th anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, on Sat, May 12, at 8pm at the 1st Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St. This concert represents a collaboration between Musica Sacra, singing choral arrangements of songs contemporaneous to the time of the Civil War, and 1st Church's own Jacqueline Schwab, the celebrated pianist in Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War, who will perform her piano arrangements of songs from that era. Tickets are available at www.musicasacra.org or by contacting Mary Beekman. Free parking comes with ticket purchase, and Upstairs on the Square is offering a prix fixe dinner before the concert. Don't miss this exciting event!

 

The Unitarian Newsletter 

Submission Guidelines 

Please submit articles for the newsletter to Susan Street in the following format: 

- Times New Roman font, 10 point. 

- jpeg for photos

- pdf for attached documents 

- [email protected] for e-mails.  

- avoid phone numbers unless their owners don't mind them being published on the FCB website. 

 

 

 

Quick Links





Social Media

Find us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

 

 

Join Our Mailing List
First Church Office
:: 617-484-1054
5 Things To Know This Week
  • Ushers Needed for Spring Term
  • The Author's Path - Dick Lehr, April 19
  • Kal�ka Concert, April 20
  • Men's Spring Potluck, April 26 
  • Volunteers Needed for Church Office
Sunday, April 21          

Earth Day: A Celebration of Our Planet

 

Rev. David M. Bryce

 

9:00 & 11:00 Church Service                           

Childcare for infants and young children

 

We are so blessed to be here on Earth, so blessed to have the variety of habitats and life that fills our planet. Let us both celebrate and commit ourselves to better protect that which surrounds us. 

 

** Next Sunday, April 28 **  

Youth Sunday 
 
  

Sermons in text and audio format can be found at uubelmont.org/sermons

Reflections from Rev. David Bryce, Senior MinisterRev. David Bryce

Yesterday (April 07, 2013) during our Justice Sunday service recognizing the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, I spoke of the importance of honoring our UU values by supporting restaurant workers, including the need for paid sick leave and the need to tie the minimum wage to a living wage.

     Several people asked me for information about particular steps that they could take to support both the UUSC and restaurant workers.

     The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee web site provides a few things individuals can do. That site is: http://uusc.org/ccc/restaurants.

      This page includes links to the web site of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), a UUSC partner organization. That web site contains a few more items.

     Both web sites include the ability to download copies of the National Diners guide and the Diners Toolkit, both produced by ROC and the ability to purchase the book "Behind the Kitchen Door" by Saru Jayaraman.  

     The ROC web site also has information on efforts aimed at raising the minimum wage for tipped workers and on pressing for paid sick leave.

     This is a justice issue, a compassion issue, a UU values issue.

- David

Alfa Radford
Music Notes from Alfa Radford
ANNOUNCING the FALL MUSICAL!
(in case you missed it last week)
It's "THE MIKADO" by Gilbert & Sullivan.
Our Youth and Children's Choirs will present this hilarious spoof which makes fun of 19th century English court life - with characters disguised in gorgeous Japanese costumes. The 1885 opening in London was an uproarious success, and "The Mikado" has enjoyed great popularity ever since.
SAVE the DATES for our Performances! November 7, 8, 9, 10. Stay tuned!
BOUQUETS to the combined NOVA & SR CHOIRS for last Sunday's splendid singing of  "Va Pensiero!"
FIRST CHURCH CHOIRS: New Singers Welcome!
NOVA CHOIR
rehearses Thursdays 6:45-8:00pm (Sings in church twice a month at 9am)
SR. CHOIR rehearses Sunday mornings 9:25-10:45 (Sings every Sun. 11:00 Service)
YOUTH & CHILDREN'S CHOIRS:
CHANCEL CHOIR
(Gr.5-6) Mondays 7:00-7:45pm (except 4/15 & 5/27)
YOUTH CHOIR
(Gr. 7-High Sch.) Mondays 7:45-8:30pm (except 4/15 & 5/27)
CALENDAR ITEMS:
May 12:
Chancel Choir
(Gr.5-6) sings at 9am. Arrive 8:15
May 12: Youth Choir
(Gr.7-up) sings at 11am. Arrive 10:15
June 9: Multigenerational Services:
9am Jr Choir
(K-Gr.4) Arrive 8:30.
11am Chancel Choir
(Gr.5-6) Arr. 10:15.
MORE WONDERFUL MUSIC AHEAD!:
ANNUAL CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT: Sunday, June 2, at 8:00pm.
Save the date!
Music for harpsichord, flutes, voice, and viola da gamba, for the benefit of SPARK (formerly Pediatric AIDS Program) at the Boston Medical Ctr.
"
My life flows on in endless song"- Alfa
Children's Religious Education Information 

Sunday School Program Notes

Reminder: Parents of children in grades 2 and younger must pick up their children. Now that warmer days are here, classes will often end up on the playground. Please check in with classroom teachers so they know you are taking custody of your child. The playground gets crowded and teachers need help making sure every child is safely accounted for at the end of the service.

 

5th and 6th Grade Teachers Needed

We are seeking two teachers for grades 5 and 6 at 11 o'clock this spring. Please let me know if you could help out, even for one or two Sundays. The curriculum is Life's Journey which covers friendship and relationship issues and types of loss.

 

May Day Multigenerational Tea on May 5

The first and second graders invite you to attend a Multigenerational May Day Tea between services on Sunday, May 5. The tea will be held in classrooms 1 and 2 in the RE wing downstairs. Anyone is welcome, but especially those who haven't been down to the RE wing in a while! Come and visit and enjoy some tasty treats served by members of the class. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Let us know if you need transportation to church on the day of the tea.

 

Changes for 2013-2014

On May 1 we will begin registering children for next year's religious education classes using our online registration system. Part of the registration process is committing to teach or to help the Children's RE program in some other way, such as serving on the CRE committee. (New families are not expected to teach during their first year attending FCB.) Ours is a cooperative RE program, and we depend on every family helping out to fill our classrooms with teachers and to accomplish all our goals.

 

Instead of having three terms next year we will have two. Parents will be asked to commit to teach either in the fall or spring semesters. Don't panic! While the overall length of the semester will be longer than the previous terms, our expectation for how many weeks you will be in the classroom has not increased. The Children's RE committee and I feel that the two semester model will allow us to expand on our main pillars and also interweave social action Sundays and other special programs that deepen spirituality and provide opportunities to experience faith in action. (Note: there will be no changes to the grade 5 and 6 or grade 8 Our Whole Lives sexuality classes.)

 

We will be adding more lessons to Our Judeo-Christian Heritage and World Religions curricula and greatly expanding our Unitarian Universalism pillar. Every year we will have a four-week unit on Life's Journey which addresses relationship issues and loss. Children's Worships and special programs will explore Earth-centered Traditions and other themed topics. The children will participate in focused social action initiatives such as Belmont Serves, the Holiday Fair, and an annual food drive for the Grow Clinic and Belmont Food Pantry when these events naturally occur throughout the year. Our new approach enables us to retain all of the current pillar content as we distribute it more effectively over the church year.

- Laurel Whitehouse, Director of Children's Religious Education
 
Among Us
To submit your own virtual candle, contact Jim Staton at [email protected] or call him at 617.484.1054 x207. Guidelines for these submissions are available on the Church website at uubelmont.org/caring-connection.
Church Office Volunteers Still Needed
... from April 26 through May 3. No experience necessary! If you have a free morning or afternoon, please call Susan Street, 617.484.1054 x201.

Ushers Needed for the Spring Term

Please consider volunteering for one of our teams for the spring term that runs through the end of the regular church year (June 9). Team members commit to ushering about once a month at one service. Ushering offers a wonderful opportunity to interact with members and visitors and to provide a valuable (yet time-limited) service to our community. If you would like to usher occasionally but feel uneasy about signing up for specific dates,you may indicate that preference and we will contact you as needs arise to see you if you are available. Here are the dates for each team for the winter term:  

Team 1A    9:00 service on Apr 14, May 5, May 26

Team 1B    9:00 service on Apr 21, May 12, June 2

Team 1C    9:00 service on Apr 28, May 19, June 9 

              

Team 2A    11:00 service on Apr 14, May 5, May 26

Team 2B    11:00 service on Apr 21, May 12, June 2

Team 2C    11:00 service on Apr 28, May 19, June 9

To volunteer, see the sign-up board at community hour or contact David Warner, 617.484.2002 or [email protected].

Upcoming Events:

KAL�KA CONCERT - Sat, April 20, 3:30pm, Parish Hall
The eclectic Hungarian band, Kal�ka is in town, and will stop by First Church to play a family-friendly concert for all ages. Come hear the band members play a selection of songs from their recent album for adults, as well as a playful selection of children's music. 

     Kal�ka has been around since 1969 and is beloved by young and old alike for their voicing of a popular cartoon series. They compose and perform songs based on folk tales and poems by Hungarian and international poets. A full live translation will be provided by our own Livia Racz during the concert!

     The band members are virtuosos on MANY instruments, including guitar, flute, recorder, zither, pan flute, clarinet, double bass, t�rogat� (a precursor of the clarinet), bagpipes, cello, charango, lute, mandolin, 12-string guitar, ukulele, cuatro, viola, kalimba, and plastic toys. Kal�ka has more than 1000 songs and 25 albums so far. The meaning of the band's name is a Transylvanian tradition: "building together in community."

      Proceeds will benefit the September visit by our Transylvanian partners, and the cultural fund of the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts. Tickets for First Church members are $20 for adults, $10 ages 6-10, under 6 free. Special family price $60. Order from [email protected] or see us at Coffee Hour.

ADULT PROGRAMS - Events and Ongoing Groups

Thanks to the many involved committee members, we have created a wonderful array of interesting events and new support groups as well as maintaining our ongoing educational and support programs. Read the Spring adult programs brochure by clicking here.

 

While most of our events do not require prior registration some do. On May 18 from 9-2pm, we are pleased to offer a one-day workshop with Rev. Peter Richardson assisted by Rev. Doris Hunter entitled Journey Beyond God. Since Peter is traveling from Maine, we need a minimum of 10 participants and there is an early registration deadline of April 22. To register contact [email protected]. You can read about the workshop by clicking here

WOMEN'S RETREAT at SENEXET HOUSE - April 26-28

If you would like to join us, there is still availability so please contact [email protected]. Take the time to deepen friendships and renew yourself by attending.
COMING UP:
Evening Happenings 
SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY

Thursday, April 18, 7:30pm, Conference Room

Christine Stone will lead a discussion about her essay on Wisdom.

We are an interchurch group engaged in exchanging thoughts on ideas in science and their influence on our spiritual lives. Each meeting is (usually) independent of previous meetings; therefore, one may join the group at any time without experiencing loss of continuity. Readings may be downloaded from the dropsite http://eftaylor.com/sands ten days to two weeks before each meeting. For more information contact Edwin.

THE AUTHOR'S PATH - Dick Lehr

Friday, April 19, 7:30pm, Parish Hall

What made Whitey Bulger infamous? He has frightened and fascinated us.  Boldly he hid in plain sight for many years and then he was captured. Hear Whitey Bulger's story told to us by First Church member Dick Lehr, author with Gerard O'Neill of the new book, WhiteyFor more information about this event, click here. Refreshments and book signing.
MEN'S SPRING POTLUCK SUPPER

Friday, April 26, 6pm, Upper Hall

First Church men and friends are invited to bring either an appetizer, main dish, salad or dessert AND a beverage of your choice to share. Sign up at coffee hour.