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The Unitarian - September 6, 2016
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Sunday Worship - September 11: Ingathering Ceremony
We join together in our sanctuary to renew ourselves, and to re-dedicate ourselves to one another and to the ongoing life of spiritual growth. Bring water collected from a special place: from your travels over the summer, from a place nearby or from your home; these living waters will flow together as we join hearts together.
Welcome and Announcements
9 a.m.: Ana Hammock; 11 a.m.: Deveaux Duckworth
Senior Choir Anthem: I Come, Ye Servants of the Lord; Christopher Tye (1505 - 72)
Prelude: Mach's mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Gut; Johann Gottfried Walther (1684 - 1748)
Postlude: from Toccata; Georgi Mushel (1909 - 89)
The flowers on the Chancel table this Sunday are given by Michelle and Jeanne Johnson with gratitude for the lay-led services this summer, with special thanks to Ariane Breitenbach Frank.
Welcome Back Reception, Thursday, September 8
The Fellowship Committee and the Parish Board invite you to reconnect with your friends after a long summer break, meet & greet staff, officers, and new church members, and socialize at this informal gathering!
- Thursday, September 8, 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall
- Appetizers and light refreshments to be served
- Bring a bottle of wine to share
- Childcare and entertainment for younger kids
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Reflections from Rev. David Bryce, Senior Minister
As summer winds down we find ourselves entering into an exciting new year. Four new staff members, including an Intern Minister, will bring new energy and ideas to our programs. Those staff who have been with us for a while will continue to provide us with their wisdom and stability.
That mix of stability and renewal is quite apt for the season of autumn. Like every season it is a time of mixed endings and beginnings. School starts up again, and life changes for so many of our children, youth and young adults-and for their families.
It is a time of new jobs-and not just for those who are faculty members or recent graduates.
Even though we are more than two months past the summer solstice and the lessening of daily sunlight, many of our evenings and mornings are only now beginning to have the chill of autumn and the coming winter.
And the leaves of the trees now show the first hints of their coming autumnal beauty and glory.
It is the season when our "religious year" begins, when we have our Ingathering service with our Water Communion.
And so it is that we enter into the time when the beauty and glory of our religious life together in community begins to show itself most brightly.
May we each acknowledge the beginnings and endings, the stabilities and renewals, the ongoing wisdoms and new learnings in our lives and in our hearts.
Welcome back.
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| | Andrea Spencer-Linzie |
From Andrea Spencer-Linzie, Intern Minister
Hello Members and Friends of FCB! I am really looking forward to getting to know you and joining you this coming year as your ministerial intern. I'm ready to learn with you and widen and deepen my spiritual journey.
I grew up in the United Methodist faith tradition, and happily my home congregation was a progressive congregation in NJ. I attended Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ and graduated with a Masters of Divinity in 1988. While my goal was to enter ordained ministry at that time, I chose not to because of the UM denomination's decisions to disallow the ordination of LGBTQ persons. I could not in good conscience support the United Methodist position, nor my ordination in the United Methodist Church at that time. I continued as a member of Methodist congregations until 2000 when I started to attend an UU congregation in Montclair, NJ, eventually joining the UU church in Cherry Hill, NJ, which continues to be my home congregation.
From very early in my life, beginning in high school, I felt called to professional ministry ... click here for more
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| | | Sandy Island boathouse | |
Still a few remaining spaces at Sandy Island! Register now!
12th Annual Sandy Island Retreat, September 16-18, 2016
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From Ana Hammock, Parish Board President
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| | Sana Saeed |
Please join me in welcoming Sana Saeed as the incoming Director of Youth Programs! Sana is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. She was born in Manchester, UK and moved to the US when she was sixteen. As a dual citizen, she grew up in a Pakistani home with the fortune of learning Urdu and Punjabi, as well as English. Her upbringing inspired her love for traveling. Hence, she has traveled to twenty-seven countries so far!
Sana has seven years of experience working on youth leadership development, religious discrimination, interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution with organizations including the Interfaith Alliance, Unitarian Universalist Association, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA, the Interfaith Youth Action Group and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Together with the Children's Religious Education team, Sana hopes to collaborate on supporting the lifespan of youth programming at FCB. Welcome Sana!
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Music Notes
As the beginning of the church year quickly approaches, I would like to call your attention to a few important announcements from the music program and introduce our new Organist and Assistant Music Director.
The many choirs at the church are open to all members of the community, and are always welcoming new singers ... click here for more
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Among Us
Our deepest sympathy to Roger and Lynn Read and family on the recent, sudden death of their 16-year-old nephew, Charles David Read.
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Pilgrim Window Update
The Window Committee would like the church community to know that we're now at the stage where final measurements will be taken just prior to storm window fabrication. Although it may look like nothing has happened since the spring, our engineer, contractor, and fabricator have been working together to design a storm window system which is not only attractive on our historic building but also is sufficient to protect our Pilgrim Window from all types of potential weather and other dangers and to withstand high winds, all the while providing sufficient ventilation for the Window.
The process of repair, reinstallation, and protection has been long, tedious, and at many times, frustrating for many of us. We ask for your continued patience until we can once again delight in our beautiful Window.
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The Adult Programs Committee (Debbie Dobbins, chair) has been working to provide some very interesting programs. Our Fall Adult Programs Brochure will be available on at the services on Sunday, September 11 and on-line in the next Unitarian. We'll look forward to seeing you at coffee hour on Opening Sunday! Here is a preview of some of our fall offerings:
- You'll have the opportunity to hear about the UUA General Assembly that took place in Columbus, Ohio at the end of the June. Alice Trexler, Andrea Spencer-Linzie, our ministerial intern, Downing Cless and Lillian Anderson will reflect on their experiences on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 10:15 a.m. in the Parlor between our two services.
- We'll be having our traditional women's and men's fall potluck suppers on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, respectively.
- The Rev. Jim Sherblom will be with us on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 12:30 p.m. in the Library to discuss his spiritual pilgrimages to Turkey and China.
- Mike Widmer will be speaking on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall to give us his impressions as we approach Election Day.
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We made record distributions to our beneficiaries last year, approximately two thirds of which came from Season Tickets. So join your friends and colleagues in this major social action commitment and wonderful series of musical events and buy your Season Ticket as soon as you can!
You can leave cash or a check for $119 made out to First Church in Belmont, memo line noting "Coffeehouse," in the office drop box, in person at a Coffee Hour in September and October, or by mail to First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Avenue, P.O. Box 113, Belmont, MA 02478. Click here to see this season's amazing schedule!!!
Belmont UU Alliance River Cruise -- Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Please join us for the Belmont UU Alliance Concord River Boat Cruise & Lunch on Wednesday, September 21. Make your reservation early as we have limited seats.
SAC to host benefit concert for asylum-seeking Central American Families: October 1
A benefit concert for Central American asylum-seeking women and their children, recently arrived in the Commonwealth, will be held at the First Church in Belmont in the Parish Hall, Saturday, October 1, at 7 p.m.
We are delighted to present The Loomers, The Blood Mountain Brothers and a special guest appearance by The Yellow Room (Jon Svetkey and Heather Quay).
Imprisoned in Texas for crossing the border, thousands of families are being released due to successful litigation in their behalf. Those now residing in Massachusetts desperately need our help. Tickets will be $25 at the door.
Donate online easily at: iiicenter.org/2016/02/case-manager/. For more information, email Bev Freeman at beverlyjfreeman@gmail.com.
All members are urged to attend an informational session leading up to the congregational fossil fuel divestment vote. The attendees will be able to ask questions to further inform their votes on November 13. Watch for more information and sign-up sheets at fall coffee hours. Sundays Oct. 2 and 23 at 12:30 and Monday Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. (overlapping a children's choir practice).
Read about new members, new initiatives, the return of the Rummage Sale and much, much more!
Grow Clinic!
Beginning First Church's 32nd YEAR of supporting the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center! From your shopping cart to the homes of Failure To Thrive infants and children of Boston's poorest neighborhoods:
- September and October: Protein Power!!! (peanut butter, canned tuna or chicken, canned stews, infant strained chicken/beef/turkey). Collection baskets are in the Lower Hall.
Caring Connection
Lay Pastoral Care Team The Lay Pastoral Care Team works with and supports the senior minister in reaching out to members and friends of the First Church who are adjusting to change, loss, illness or death: uubelmont.org/lay-ministry
New Name Tags for All in September
The Membership Committee is pleased to announce the rollout of a new name tag system that begins the very first Sunday of our Church year on September 11 and WE NEED YOUR HELP!
To help us with this large undertaking of transitioning the entire congregation to new name tags, we ask you to pick up your new name tag at the Membership table in the upper gathering hall either before you attend Sunday service or after the service during coffee hour. Before you leave church, we then need you to hang up your name tag on your preferred alphabetized name tag peg located at either the front entrance to the sanctuary outside of David's office or on the pegs located in the upper gathering area.
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Connect with UU actions, events & resources
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Parish Board
Information and board minutes are online at uubelmont.org/parish-board.
Contact Us
Please send your announcements, news, events, and other submissions to
office@uubelmont.org by noon on Wednesday, September 7. Please note that items may be edited for space and clarity.
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