Getting So Close!
Coffeehouse Season Ticket sales have reached 50! Oh, my golly, thank you all so much! Only 12 to go to match last year and 15 to hit our goal of 65 as we complete our 50th year! We know that a number of folks have said they plan to buy. NOW IS THE TIME to get that check (or cash) turned in and take us right up to the finish line. [You know who you are, or who you might be? ... and thanks in advance!] Send your $99 check made out to First Church in Belmont, memo line marked Coffeehouse, to First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Ave., P.O. Box 113, Belmont 02478. Or hand your check or cash to Jim Staton, Anne Selman, Lauraine Dalton, or Janice Zazinski. Or buy a ticket at the November 20 Coffeehouse. And ... MANY, MANY THANKS! You really are the greatest!
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The most current information about upcoming events is on our Facebook page - no account needed!
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| The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist | |
404 Concord Avenue
PO Box 113
Belmont, Mass. 02478
| 617-484-1054
office@uubelmont.org | |
Office hours:
Monday - Friday, 9 - 3
| | Staff directory | | First Church groups & committees | The next issue of The Unitarian will be on November 24. The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Wednesday, November 18.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the deadline for the Order of Service and Unitarian next week will be Monday, Nov. 23 at noon.
| E-mail submissions
(maximum 75 words) to office@uubelmont.org. |
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Sunday Worship - November 22
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Sermon: "Giving With Thanks"
Can we give out of gratitude and be grateful for the opportunity to give? - Rev. David Bryce
- Services at 9 & 11 a.m.; childcare is provided.
- Sunday, November 29: Rev. David Bryce
- Sermon archive
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November 22 is Guest At Your Table Sunday
This year, the UUSC fund-raising program highlights refugees and displaced people. RE students will be distributing GAYT boxes at the services Sunday. Click here for more details.
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From the Senior Minister,
Rev. David Bryce
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Reasons for Religious Communities
People have many different thoughts about what a religious congregation is for, and those thoughts can and often do change over time.
I am one who, at times in my past, attended services to retouch the core of myself; to reconnect with my values and aspirations.
In the 1980s (before I was a minister) when Sunday came around I would bring my daughter to her Sunday school class, would go upstairs to the services and then, immediately after the services ended, would go downstairs to retrieve my daughter and go home.
That is to say, I skipped coffee hour and anything that had to do with community.
I did not attend events, programs or workshops. I did not attend annual fundraisers or performances. None of that.
I wanted my daughter to have religious education and I wanted to have connection with the holy. I felt I had that during the service. I did not feel that the few times I stayed for coffee hour.
This may seem somewhat odd to those who know my history, because in the 1960s, when I was a youth, community was perhaps the most important element of religion for me; it was the core of spirituality.
And yet, in the 1980s that was not so.
By the 1990s, community had once again, for me, become a primary purpose of religion.
I know that others are drawn to congregations by quite disparate reasons.
And even if two people agree on an overall reasons, they might not agree on the details. So, if someone says (as I did above) that they want "connection with the holy" it is not clear what that means for them. Does it mean a sense of God within? Does it mean connection with the human gathering present? Does it mean being touched in the heart by the music? By the words? By the ritual?
Whatever your reasons for attending this congregation, I hope you find that your needs are met. I also hope that, in some way, you are able to help others meet their needs.
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Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
Sunday, November 22
The organist for this service will be our Minister of Music Emerita, Alfa Joy Radford. Details here.
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I noticed that the city crews are vacuuming up all of the leaves on the town green which is adjacent to the church; I'm so glad that I got outside on Sunday with the 1st and 2nd grade classes to play in the piles of leaves there. Part of their lesson, which began with Dr. Seuss's Oh The Thinks You Can Think, involved taking a walk outside and finding things to wonder about ... { click here for more }
Enjoy a date night out or power through your holiday preparations and help our youth go on their biennial Service Learning trip:
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Major Program - Social Action and Adult Programs
- "Growing Up Trans"- Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., Parish Hall
- Refreshments at 6:45 p.m.; Frontline viewing at 7 p.m.
- Co-sponsored by Belmont Against Racism, Belmont/Watertown Amnesty Int'l., Belmont Human Rights Commission, Belmont High School Gay/Straight Alliance
Adult Programs Sunday Program:
- 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life - Sunday, Nov. 22, 12:30 p.m., Library
Ongoing Programs:
- Belmont Alliance and Lunch - Wed., Nov. 18, 12:00 p.m., Upper Hall
- Science and Spirituality - Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., Conference Room
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Ongoing Programs, Special Events & Announcements
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Welcoming ushers are needed to welcome our church community to the winter Sunday services and to light the way into the holidays.
| | In the spirit of the season, please join in the Holiday Gift Program ... |
"Start the Day Strong" at the Grow Clinic by picking up some hot and cold cereals or vitamins
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| | UUSC Team Monthly Note --
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The Holiday Gift Fair is December 6 in the Parish Hall
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