May greetings to all! Well, it is hard to believe but the Religious Education Committee and I are in full swing planning for all our end of the year activities. As we all enjoy the spring weather, there is still a lot going on with our children and youth this month.

In Children's Church we will continue to learn about our Judeo/Christian heritage. Children in our Spirit Play classroom will exploring the teachings of Jesus through Parable stories (e.g., the Great Pearl and the Mustard Seed [Gospel of Matthew], and the Good Samaritan [Gospel of Luke]). You might hear your kids talking about things that happen in the "desert box" (a large Rubbermaid box filled with sand). The kids love to re-enact any story of Jesus in the desert. Our focus will be on Jesus as a great Spiritual Teacher who delivered a powerful message of love.

With the children and youth in our Elementary and Junior/Senior High School classes we will continue to discuss the prominent Biblical themes of "call" and "journey," two topics that are relevant to kids' lives. We will be asking kids to consider what they feel called to do in the world, and what they do when they find themselves in unfamiliar territory and are unsure of how to go forward - issues that are ever-present in many Bible stories. We will end the session with a discussion of the Bible itself, and what the children/youth think about its relevance for their lives as UU kids today.

Guest at Your Table Update: I am happy to report that because of your extremely generous contributions, the total amount that First Parish will contribute to GAYT this year is $2,655! This includes all the monies collected this year as well as matching contributions from the Shelter Rock UU congregation of Long Island. Check out the graph to see just how far we've come as a congregation in our support of this important social justice work. Just think of the impact our contributions will have on people who are in marginalized, neglected and politically oppressed communities around the world. Thank you to all of you who emptied your pockets, day after day, to help those in need around the globe.

Coming up in May

Friday, May 2 - Come one, come all to our third annual Intergenerational Games Night from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Members and friends from 9 months to 90+ years are invited to gather for a fun night of games, arts, crafts and fellowship. Bring your favorite games, light snack, your best poker face and your Scrabble Dictionary! This is a great opportunity to spend time with church friends, old and new, young and old, so please plan to attend.

Sunday, May 4 - Our Youth Group and their fearless leaders will once again be forming a team to participate in Project Bread's special 40th Walk for Hunger. Be on the lookout for opportunities to sponsor our brave walkers. If you would like to join the team and walk with our youth, please see Jim Sweeney or Chad Hasson. This is a great opportunity to have fun getting to know our youth while raising money and awareness for a great cause. Thank you for your continuing support of our youth!

Saturday, May 17 - At 4:00pm at the Beal House, the Religious Education Committee will be hosting an informational meeting for all parents of youth who will be entering grades 7 to 10 next fall, to discuss the OWL program that we will be offering at First Parish next year. The Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality program, developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. This curriculum covers topics and issues that our children are dealing with in a direct, non-threatening, educational, loving and supportive way. We really believe that our youth are extremely lucky to have the ability to participate in the OWL program, and we are excited to be able to offer this program next year. We hope you will join us for the parent info meeting.

Sunday, May 18 - Children and youth will continue to learn about the importance of water across the globe during our monthly Social Justice Sunday. Through information, worship, and activities, children will learn about the importance of water as a critical, worldwide Social Justice issue. Many thanks to Diane Grant and Vanessa Verkade for taking on this important part of our religious programming. Be on the lookout for ways to get involved in Social Justice work with our kids and youth.

Sunday, May 25 - Memorial Day weekend. There will be NO Children's Programming or Nursery Care.

Blessings,
Dr. Kate Sullivan, Director of Religious Enrichment

There is a theory bubbling up around the edges of the world of science, astronomy and physics, a world of which incidentally I am thoroughly unfamiliar. The theory states that, contrary to majority belief, the Big Bang did not create the universe; it was but one incident in many in a timeless continuum that contains no beginning, no end, no past, no future, no dimension. This may sound scary, but I find it comforting. As a metaphor for the god most of us are seeking, timelessness is not too bad. To believe that some time (there's that word again) in the future we may all be together on a cosmic front porch on a warm evening, sipping from a glass and enjoying our friendship is both joyful and comforting.

Eddie Page, Parish Committee

Our next New Member "Affiliation & Covenant" Sunday is May 4. If you are interested in becoming a formal member of our First Parish community, please contact our minister or either of our co-chairs, Sue Garland or Kristina Cole-Randall.

Circle Dinners are a great way for small groups of new and old friends to sit down and break bread together to build our sense of community. A host provides an entree and others each bring a part of the meal to share. If you're interested, please look for the open signup sheet at Information Island during the coffee hour.

Our NEW Church Directory is almost complete and should be ready for distribution before the end of the church year. Coffee Hour Hosts: Please check the list posted next to the kitchen door in the Beal House to be reminded of your date for hosting and providing refreshments. You may notice that an instruction / guidance sheet has also been posted to clarify expectations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Membership Committee,
Kalina Vendetti

By the time you read this the canvass season will be over. By any measure, this year's canvass has surpassed every canvass in the annals of First Parish! The enthusiasm, cooperation and commitment from the church community were truly humbling. The Finance Committee worked hard to prepare a canvass that would have meaning and connect with everyone.

Our job was made easier by the outstanding church year that we have had the pleasure to experience under the able leadership of Reverend Dan and Nina. People who attended cluster meetings were excited and offered testimony to the gifts that Dan and Nina have brought us by simply being themselves. I see people at meetings with a renewed purpose. Attendance in church is considerably higher than previous years. And now parishioners are putting their money where their mouths are!

We have a few more people who have yet to turn in their pledges for 2008-2009. When we have a final count we will make the announcement during joys and concerns in a church service. I want to thank the people who agreed to host of our canvass cluster meetings this year. They included Kristina Cole-Randall and Roger Randall, who agree to host every year and welcome church members into their home for Thai food. (I always volunteer for that one but was aced out this year by Tom Augello!) Valerie and Mike Nee also always graciously offer their house. New to the canvass cluster circuit were Paul and Kristen Toomey, who hosted an overflow crowd for the last cluster meeting. A large crowd also attended the cluster meeting that we had in the Beal House after services on a Sunday.

Finally, next time that you see Priscilla Brackett, give her a hug! As our collector, she is the keeper of the secrets. Priscilla attends all canvass cluster meetings, prepares information for the canvass leaders, mails out pledge forms to people who are unable to attend a cluster meeting and keeps the Finance Committee informed on the progress of the canvass. Frankly, I don't know how we would do this without her!

The next step for the Finance Committee is to prepare the budget. We have done considerable preliminary work and began to tackle the budget in earnest upon completion of the canvass. We'll be ready to go at the annual meeting, which will be on a Sunday after coffee hour this year.

Thank you to everyone in the congregation who has made this year sort of a renewal for all of us! We are only beginning to reach our potential!

Bob Kostka for the Finance Committee

You know the one we mean, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date." Yes, he's the clever little bunny in the vest with the watch pocket but running around with the watch in his hands as he realizes he's not going to be on time to whatever it is he's going to. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we find ourselves feeling like that white rabbit, arriving at church a little later than we had planned. For those of you who tend to push the envelope on arrival time, you may not be aware that shortly before 10:30am we are treated to musicians playing gathering music so we may enter the sanctuary, quietly greet fellow parishioners, and find our seats to the accompaniment of pleasing sounds rather than the sounds of silence. We have been treated to some lovely music.

The Worship Committee certainly wants to create services that you feel are worth the taking of your valuable time. If you have any suggestions as to how Worship Committee can make the service more inviting, please feel free to share your thoughts with us. We welcome constructive suggestions.

This then creates a perfect segue to invite some new members to join our committee for the 2008-09 church year. More voices bring more feedback. Currently we meet on the second Wednesday of the month. Our meetings last under two hours. Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 14 at 7:15pm (usually in the parsonage). If you would like to join us then to see what we do and how we do it, just talk to any of the current members: Chad Hasson, Bob Kostka, Ann McClenon, Joseph Moylan, Kris Page, or Paula Fisher.

Thank you,
Your Worship Committee

The Women's Spirituality group theme for May will be an Integrated Yoga night. Ana Freire will graciously lead us in this activity on Tuesday evening, May 6 from 7:00 to 9:00pm. We are planning to be in lower Sampson Hall in the RE space where we have been meeting. Ana has many years of experience living with and teaching yoga. She suggests that we wear comfortable clothes and bring a mat or towel to sit upon. All ages and levels of agility are welcome to join us for insight and relaxation.

Future meetings:
June: Kate Sullivan & Nina Benedetto
July: Kristina Cole-Randall
August: Judy Randall and Linda Brookfield
September: Anne Chaffee & Mary Alberti

Exact dates are to be announced. Please consider volunteering to work with someone to co-lead a session sometime soon. Kristina and Judy both need a "friend" to help out in July or August. Give them a call.

Sue Garland

Your bylaws review task force has revised, updated, and clarified this guide to better suit the current working of the Parish. With an aim to minimizing discussion time at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 18, draft copies are available following Sunday worship at Information Island in Sampson Hall. For those who would like to attend, a question and answer session will be held on Sunday, May 4 following the worship service. Please take the copy of the bylaws that contains your family name(s). Those not taken as of May 4 will be mailed to the rest of the members so as to allow them to be viewed before May 18.

Paula Fisher

Lasagna Dinner Recap

The help was also more limited but we were saved by a great group of kids: Liza and Brett McAdams, Martin Page, Nathan Fowler, Emily Pickett and friend Shannon both at the auction and in the kitchen.
Thank you to Kristina Cole-Randall for guarding the door, Dean and Chris Pickett for handling the money, the McAdams family all day everywhere. Judy Randall smiles a lot when George is helping with the auction. For heaven's sake, don't ever quit, George!

Thanks to my faithful salad-makers, Beth McAdams, Lillian Loring and Barbara Holmes, and to my husband Jack, along with Judy Randall and Dianne and James Elksnin, without whom this would never happen and neither would the chocolate sauce. (Are you listening, Martin Page?) Star of the day for the second year in a row goes to Ed and Lillian Loring, who just show up and tell me to go away and organize while they do the mundane stuff.

This was a much smaller "take" than the last two years. It is, however, a very inexpensive fundraiser to produce. Church members, Sunshine Store, and Empire Liquors donated all of the wine, and the beer was donated by the Toomeys, God bless them! A special thank you to Kalina Vendetti who couldn't attend but dropped off two lasagnas anyway.

The 33% financial decrease maybe a reflection of our uncertain economy and many church members were absent due to extenuating circumstances, but maybe it is also time to move on. I am very open to suggestions. Do we continue into our 27th year? You tell me!

Cheers to all of you!
Viv Hennessy

Reviewer's note: "To the ongoing debate over the place of religion in the early Republic, Gary Kowalski has made a vigorous, thoughtful, and eminently readable contribution." Reverend Forrest Church, author of The Separation of Church and State (Beacon Press, 2007).

• The Annual Program Fund will bring in $7,019,739 this year to support programs of our UUA, including congregational services, social justice outreach, professional ministry, lifespan education, the UU World magazine, Skinner Press and all twenty UUA districts. In the case of our districts, each receives back a grant based on 11% of its APF total contribution. So thank you if your society is Fair Share, with contributions of $54 per member. If you are not, then please think ahead to next year and increase it by 20% and become a "Merit Society."
  
  Majority Speaks: Global Perspectives in Mission Conference, Saturday, May 10 at Andover Newton Theological School. An interfaith conference for religious leaders to reflect upon and explore practical ways for international engagement and global partnerships. Information www.ants.edu/calendar/event/majority-speaks-08
  
• UU Statewide Forum on Immigrant Rights, Saturday, May 10, 11:00am to 3:00pm, Arlington Street Church, Boston. Latino lunch included! Mother's Day is a time to honor mothers and families...but inhumane immigration laws and raids are tearing families apart, separating mothers from their children, creating fear and suffering in our immigrant communities. This Mother's Day marks the one-year anniversary of the New Sanctuary Movement, which stands on the side of love for ALL families. We will hear from immigrants and immigrant rights organizations Centro Presente and MA Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. The award-winning 20-minute documentary Detained about the New Bedford ICE raid (Immigration & Custom Enforcement) will be shown. Learn about why President William Sinkford of the UUA and Dr. Charlie Clements of the UUSC have joined the Welcoming Massachusetts campaign (www.welcomingma.org), why the UUA has endorsed the New Sanctuary Movement (www.newsancturarymovement.org), and what you and your congregation can do. Sponsors are the UUA, UUSC and Arlington Street Church. For information go to www.uua.org/documents/aw/080510_welcoming_flyer.pdf.
  
• The UU Urban Ministry's 173rd Annual Meeting will be on Thursday, May 15 from 11:00am to 1:30pm at the First Church in Roxbury, 10 Putnam Street. This is a chance to hear some exciting updates about the UU Urban Ministry and its programs. We are also pleased to announce that Dr. Jeff Howard, an expert in urban education, will be our keynote speaker. Earlier in the day, from 9:00 to 11:00am, we will hold our Third Annual Congregational Teams Breakfast to discuss the ways that congregations can continue to strengthen their connection to the UU Urban Ministry. This is an opportunity to share ideas, receive support, and learn about the many ways that congregations can continue to be involved with this vital social justice ministry. If you plan to attend either event, RSVP to Linda Evans at levans@uuum.org or 617-318-6010 x 203. For more information, contact Rebekah Ingram, UU Urban Ministry Volunteer Coordinator at ringram@uuum.org or 617-318-6010 x 214.
  
• UU Revival Festival, Saturday, May 17, from 10:00am to 3:00pm at First Parish UU, Canton. District staff and leaders have been told that UUs in the district want more opportunities to explore UU faith and their spirituality. We have heard the request and are providing that opportunity. Rather than a conference we decided to do this in the form of old-fashioned revival. There will be thought-provoking sermons on faith, small discussion groups for sharing and talking with other Unitarian Universalists about faith and our personal spirituality. Children will have an opportunity learn about their faith tradition in an experiential setting. Set a day aside to hear about, think about, talk about your Unitarian Universalist faith. Tell others in your church, or your family and friends about this unique event. This event is co-sponsored by the Ballou Channing and Mass Bay Districts.