This candlelight service will be led by our MinIster, The Rev. Tom Rosiello, and our Lay Ministers, and musicians. We will tell the story of Jesus' final days focusing on the Passover meal that he shared with his disciples and what this ritual of "breaking bread together" means to us today. In this service we honor our history and celebrate our Christian roots while reaching beyond to the broader message of community and the ministry of humble service. We will be using the historic communion silver form both the First Parish of Stow and the Universalist Church of South Acton in the service. Whether your religious background is Christian or not, please join us for this beautiful service.
Past Services
Sunday, March 29th, 2015
March ends and April begins with important times of religious observance on both the Jewish and Christian calendars. With the teachings of Passover and Palm Sunday on our minds, we will examine the themes of freedom, liberation, survival and oppression and ask ourselves the difficult question, "Does my freedom come at the price of some else's oppression?” Our music will include songs of freedom and Passover. The Rev. Tom Rosiello will be preaching and leading worship.
Sunday, March 22nd, 2015
RE EXTRAVAGANZA SUNDAY
We are a teaching congregation. That can mean many things. It means that we place great value on teaching our children, not only about religion, but about the ways to live a good life. We are all their teachers and mentors. It also means that we serve as a congregation that helps to teach those preparing for the ministry in our faith tradition. This Sunday we will celebrate both. We will a be joined by Ilene Gillespie (our intern minister for next year) at both services and our minister, Tom Rosiello, will interview her about how she will mentor our youth, what she can teach us and what we can teach her. A great skit from The RE Committee also awaits you. And on top of all that, we will also welcome a "much needed spring!"
Sunday, March 15th, 2015
NEW MEMBER SUNDAY
This Sunday there will be an opportunity at both services to join our church by signing the membership book. When you join the church you become part of a unique community. In this service we will explore the theological concept of the “beloved community” and the important role that community plays, particularly in our church and religious tradition. This will be the last opportunity to join the church in time to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Sunday, March 8th, 2015
Having just returned from Mexico, our minister, Tom Rosiello, will share some of the things he experienced and the lessons we might take from them. Our service will have a "south of the border flavor." At the 9 AM service we will also recognize all those children who have completed our First Chalice Program.
Sunday, March 1st, 2015
URBAN MINISTRY SUNDAY
This Sunday we will focus on the Unitarian Universalists’ Urban Ministry and the role our church plays in it. From youth programs to running Boston's oldest domestic violence shelter, the Urban Ministry transforms lives, not only of the inner city program participants, but also of the volunteers who give generously of their time.
Our Minister Tom Rosiello will be back leading worship and some of FPC's great jazz players will be joining Mike, Sanghee and the choir for some great music making. Our guest preacher will be the new Executive Director and Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, Mary Margaret Earl. Before coming to the Urban Ministry she spent the previous 10 years at McAuley Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit in Providence, RI, that provides food, shelter and clothing to those who were homeless or at risk of becoming so. She also is immediate and past president of the Board of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, and served on the Pro Bono Advisory Board, which brings together large Providence law firms and under-served communities in need of free legal assistance. After both services there will be a forum where you can learn more about our Urban Ministry. You won't want to miss this Sunday!
Sunday, February 22nd, 2015
The 9AM service has been cancelled due to snow. The 11AM service is ON.
Hope is the thing with feathers..." wrote poet Emily Dickenson. But what happens in those times when we can't hear or feel hope fluttering inside us? Does hope really die, or can it evolve? We will explore these and other questions and seek a fuller understanding of what it means to hope.
Janet Parsons is currently serving as the intern minister at First Parish in Waltham. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, and is planning for her ordination in March. Janet's call to the Unitarian Universalist ministry evolved over the past several years, through active lay leadership, as a staff member at a local UU church, and through extensive service work in the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She is devoted to her two young adult sons, to Unitarian Universalism, and to fostering and sustaining community and connection across boundaries.
Sunday, February 15th, 2015
SERVICES CANCELLED TODAY DUE TO SNOW
Led by Mike Pfitzer, Director of Music, FPC
From the hymns we sing in church, to playing an instrument while growing up, to being a concert attendee, many of us have been touched by music's moving power in our lives. Have you ever connected with a beautiful melody or an entrancing instrument? Are you ever moved by the combination of a favorite poem and a choral anthem or solo song? Do you ever feel inspired by singing a hymn that connects to a message from a service or a sermon? At these services, we will explore the many ways in which music moves us. The Youth Choir at 9 AM and the Adult Choir at 11 AM will help steer our journey, members of our congregation will share the ways in which music has impacted them, and we'll sing many of your favorite hymns. If there's a hymn you'd like to hear in particular, please let Mike know by Feb.8. (music@fpc-stow-acton.org)
Sunday, February 8th, 2015
Today's Services are ON Dispite the Snow
The Rev. Susie Phoenix
Al-Anon is a 12-Step program for people who have family members and/or friends who struggle or have struggled with alcoholism and/or addiction. I will focus on Step 2: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” What could that possibly mean in a culture that prizes self-reliance and individualism? What could that possibly mean from a fuzzily spiritual, agnostic, or a-theistic point of view? Does it imply that I’m insane? Let’s dig in and find out!
Susie Phoenix has been a member of FPC since 1991, and associate member in more recent years. She received her Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 2002, and was ordained at this church in 2004. She received accreditation to practice ministry in The United Church of Christ in 2010. She has served 5 churches of varying denominations and blends and has worked in hospice, prison, and nature ministries. More recently she has been working with special needs children as she drives them to and from their programs. She also tends gardens for 7 months a year. For the past 18 months she has been engaged in Buddhist practice and study and has attended many retreats. She is in the process of formulating her own unique, emerging community ministry.
Sunday, February 1st, 2015
On this first Sunday in February, “Generosity Sunday," we will once again celebrate the beginning of the annual Stewardship Drive which provides the resources to support our programs and expanded facilities. Stewardship is a spiritual issue. It is a privilege which allows you to directly link your resources with your most dearly held values. You will have the opportunity to submit your pledge at the service. This year the service will be lay led by members of the Stewardship committee and others including Helen Jones, Michael Paladini, Rachelle Reisberg, Ann Sadler, Bob Selling, and Ann Walker participating. We will have jazz players at both services, and the choir is preparing some special pieces, including the Bruckner Locus Iste, which should make for a great Sunday!
