The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
Reflections from Our Interim Minister, Rev. Clyde Grubbs
We get by with a little help from our friends.
The weekend before Christmas a friend I know from the Occupy Boston movement emailed telling me that the Cambridge City council would be considering a resolution to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. I usually am aware of such efforts but this one slopped by my consciousness. On Monday night I went and testified in favor of this move, an initiative that is supported by the Unitarian Universalist movement and an idea that First Parish has discussed with interest in the past. Columbus was a genocidal slave trader whose adventure in “discovery” was really a prelude to conquest. Celebrating indigenous people can help society learn about sustainability, intergenerational relationship and deep respect for the cycle of nature.
What impressed me was the range of other supporters; there were long time community activists and young people from indigenous communities in South America. There were New England Indians and union organizers, and then there were the representatives of Cambridge redevelopment and other causes who came to the City Council to testify on their issues who lent support. For me this evening was illustrative of an aspect of Unitarian Universalist social justice work which we don’t often talk about. We work on justice issues with other people, well beyond Unitarian Universalism, and in that work we magnify our voices.
What are we doing about the issue of Syrian refugees? Unitarian Universalists are working in broad coalitions and writing letters, and by joining with such a broad array we make a much larger impact than any one congregation can make on its own. Please check in with the Social Justice Council on their efforts. The following is an example of one of the many coalitions that Unitarian Universalists work with; this example relates to the rampant Islamophobia in the United States.
The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
Upcoming Worship Services
January 10 The Warriors Within
Is individualized violence a Constitutional Right? Deconstructing the System of Mayhem by asking what does it mean to say "people have the right to bear arms."
Rev. Clyde Grubbs preaches.
January 17 We Hold These Truths To Be?
Looking at the meaning of rights, in the light of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of beloved community.
Rev. Clyde Grubbs preaches.
January 24 Standing on the Side of Love!
Looking at the Standing on the Side of Love campaign.
Rev. Clyde Grubbs and
Rev. Michelle Walsh preach.
January 31 Mystery and More!
Sanctuary Boston is a community of vibrant worship and connection that meets every first Wednesday evening in the Barn Room. They are a new community grounded in UUism and exploring alternative worship and music. Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen is a founding member of Sanctuary, as well as a Community Minister with First Parish.
Pastoral Care
The Pastoral Associates, supported by Circle of Care volunteers, help to provide care to First Parish members and friends during times of need by providing meals, rides, and other help. Please contact the January PAM, David Light, at: .
January Shared Offering
Congratulations Tuesday Meals!
Each year the Religious Education Program focuses its justice work around one organization, our Justice Partner. We learn about the issues the group is fighting to solve, hold a drive for needed items, and make a visit or have a guest speaker come to us. We sponsor them through a Shared Offering and other fundraisers, and we present about our year’s work at RE Sunday in the spring.
In November our children voted for Tuesday Meals as their Justice Partner for the year, and we are excited to announce them as the January Shared Offering recipient.
The mission of the Tuesday Meals Program is to offer warm hospitality and an evening meal in a safe, dignified environment to anyone in need of nourishment. Doors open for dinner every Tuesday at 5:30pm!
“For the past three years I’ve been sleeping outside even when there is snow and ice. At Tuesday Meals, I know I can get a good healthy meal.” -Mike
For more information about the program, please visit http://www.tuesdaymeals.org/.
We’re excited to work closely with Tuesday Meals this year – through this month’s Shared Offering, and through the many ways our children will engage. Look for more from RE in the coming months as the children cook with our own Pam Cannon, learn about food insecurity in Massachusetts, and Walk for Hunger this May!
The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
Religious Education Corner by Mandy Neff
Happy New Year!
I’m so glad to be back and wanted to thank the whole community for your support and well-wishes for my family during this leave time. I am very grateful!
Right before I left, I attended the LREDA Fall Conference on Religious Education Without Walls. Tim Atkins’ keynote speech was a highlight and he emphasized what he has done at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. The parenting ideas from the Think Orange series had the biggest impact on me. Atkins shared, “There are four times during an average parent’s day that are great faith-building opportunities.”
In the morning, see your role as a Coach -building them up and inspiring them on their way out the door. At drive time, see your role as a Friend – chatting about the day. At meal time, see your role as a Teacher – having discussions about your family’s core values. And at bedtime, see your role as a Counselor – help them deal with fears and go to sleep easily.
Even as an experienced Religious Educator and parent, these suggestions had a lot to remind me. They were a helpful guide for dealing with my own family and guiding us through the hubbub of sports schedules, homework, housework, and cooking a nutritious dinner that 5 people will all enjoy. I know many of you are facing the same thing!
While I was away I was able to spend some of my time focusing on our family’s routines. With a teen and two middle schoolers in the house, routines have become incredibly important again – but they’re not the ones we had for toddlers! With their changing sleep patterns, they’re not bouncing into our room to wake us up – now, they need me to be a wake-up cheerleader in the morning. We have safety limits that now involve technology and passwords, rather than holding hands in the parking lot. And they have taken on new chores and new responsibilities, walking the dog, vacuuming (if not willingly), and loading and unloading the dishwasher. James is fond of saying,” I can’t believe I used to complain about putting away half of the clean silverware!!”
So in 2016, I encourage you to be inspired by Tim Atkins too. Think about the four times you have a lot of contact and influence with your children. Which one is really stressful right now? Which of these roles does your family need a little more of in the coming year? Pick one to try, and give it a committed shot! Remember that a little bit of time and attention each day to your family’s faith builds up to something amazing by the end of 365 days.
Blessings,
Mandy
You can view Tim Atkins’s Keynote at the following link. The Think Orange Family Time section begins at 8:15. https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVi50DI1WZYMARjcnnIlQ;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTY4NwRfcgMyBGZyA3locy1tb3ppbGxhLTAwMgRncHJpZAN0aDl0ZkhkQ1NUZTRhb3ZYQmlFVUFBBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwMyBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDBHFzdHJsAzEzBHF1ZXJ5A3RpbSBhdGtpbnMgdXUEdF9zdG1wAzE0NTIwODQzODI-?p=tim+atkins+uu&fr2=sb-top-search&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002
The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
Wanted: Your old wall calendars!
Those beautiful pictures of animals, landscapes and artwork can come in very handy in the classroom, nursing facility, or the home... especially in under-resourced places short on wall decorations, art supplies, picture books or teaching aids. The RE students have made a drop box for your old or unwanted new calendars which will be in the parlor on Sundays in January. We usually get more than we need, so please help yourself to any that you think you can use – for your own children or home, or for a place where you teach or volunteer (check the list on the box for some creative ideas). In past years, calendars have gone to NGOs and schools in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Chile and Nepal, as well as the Margaret Fuller House, Sancta Maria Nursing Home, two nearby centers for adults with disabilities, and several local schools.
Questions? Want calendars? Contact Mandy at or Elke at .
Black Lives Matter Banner at First Parish
In alignment with our mission, the First Parish Transformation Team and Social Justice Council have asked Standing Committee for approval to display a Black Lives Matter banner above the doors at our Mass Ave entrance. Before Standing Committee votes on this request in January 2016, we want to solicit feedback and input from the congregation.
" #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society" Approximately 60 UU congregations across the country are displaying Black Lives Matter banners with more in discernment. This visibility campaign was organized in February 2015 by the founders of Black Lives UU (please visit UUA: Black Lives Matter
for more information). A BLM banner at First Parish would be a part of our ongoing social justice work and participation in the Black Lives Matter movement:
January 24, 2016 Black Lives Matter leaders presentation - Sponsored by Transformation Team and Social Justice Council
May 2, 2015 - First Parish members participate in Black Lives Matter rally in Mattapan
March 2015 - Courageous Love Award presented to Sydney Fisher and Mary Gashaw for leading fellow Cambridge Rindge and Latin students in the Hands Up Walk Out demonstration in December 2014.
November & December 2014 -- First Parish ministers and members joined protests following the non-indictment grand jury verdicts in the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
September 2014 - A congregational conversation was held at First Parish after the uprising in Ferguson Missouri in response to the killing of Michael Brown and the egregious level of state power aimed at the protestors
Standing Committee plans to vote on the BLM banner request at the monthly Standing Committee Meeting on January 19, 2016. We welcome comments and feedback from the congregation before the meeting by talking to any member of the Standing Committee or via email at .
In Community,
Peggy Kraft, of behalf of the Standing Committee
Standing Committee: Peggy Kraft, Sylvia Wheeler, Linda West, Ernie Sabine
Julie Duncan, Devon Kinkead, Grey Lee, Mark Pickering, Rashid Shaikh
Search Committee Call for Nominations
Dear Member of First Parish,
YOU are invited to nominate yourself or other members for the Ministerial Search Committee who will represent our congregation in finding our next Settled Minister! Any member may nominate themselves or another member for the Search Committee. We intend to have a team that represents our diversity and deserves our confidence. Therefore we would like you to take this important opportunity to consider who has the qualities of a good Search Committee member. Now is the time!
Who will select our Search Committee?
Any member can propose nominees. All nominees will be reviewed and evaluated by representatives of the Standing Committee, with the final slate selected in April based on interviews and the candidates participation in 3 congregational conversations we are planning this winter.
What is involved in serving on the Search Committee?
Serving on the Search Committee will be time-consuming and require overnight travel, diverse skills, strict confidentiality, and the ability to work for consensus.
· Ministerial Search Committee Job Description: http://bit.ly/minister-search-job
What is the timeline of the Senior Minister Search process?
After being elected at the April 2016 Standing Committee Meeting, the Search Committee will be busy until June 2017 at which time they will present the chosen Settled Minister Candidate to our congregation. During that year, they will compile the packet of information about our congregation, review information from ministerial candidates applying for our position, interview selected candidates by phone and in person, travel to “neutral pulpits” to hear selected candidates conduct a service, and finally present one candidate to our congregation for our review and approval vote.
How can I nominate a member for the Search Committee?
A link to the nomination form can be found below. A nomination form can be also be completed on paper and mailed to First Parish, put in the “Nominations” collection box on Sundays, or brought to the Church office. Nominations are due by January 31, 2016. You may nominate more than one member. Self-nominations are also welcomed. Multiple nominations for the same member will be accepted and will be evaluated based on the aforementioned process.
· Ministerial Search Committee Nomination Form: http://bit.ly/minister-search-form
What if I do not choose to nominate anyone?
It is extremely important that the Search Committee represent the entire congregation so we want to make sure that everyone has been informed about the search process and has the opportunity to submit nominations. However, you are not required to nominate anyone.
What if I have more questions about the form or the process?
Standing Committee Members will be present at Coffee Hour after services throughout the month of January 2016 to answer questions. You may also with questions or comments.
Congregational Conversations to Identify our Needs in Next Settled Minister
Please mark your calendars and plan to participate in a series of three Congregational Conversations to help us identify our needs in our next settled minister. In community, we will use appreciative inquiry to discern what we need in a settled minister for our congregation. "Appreciative Inquiry is about the co-evolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them."
These Congregational Conversations will be on Sundays February 28, March 20, and April 10 at 12:30 pm in the Barn Room. Our community is a democracy that functions best with the input of all our members. Please join in this exciting process!
The Meetinghouse News January 2016 8
Transformation Team
Call for Nominations for the First Parish Transformation Team
The First Parish’s mission includes the challenge of transforming ourselves into a multiracial, multicultural, justice-making congregation. We recognize the unique role and impact of racism in the histories and present situations of our country, of Cambridge, and of Unitarian Universalism, and the Standing Committee has charged the Transformation Team (TT) with the role of facilitating our process of transformation. For the last the last six years the TT, along with other FPC leaders, has created opportunities for the congregation to educate itself about racism and multiculturalism as well as take various actions in the community. We also recognize that racism intersects with other forms of oppression that many of us experience.