The Rev. Ken Sawyer
The Rev. Sawyer will be preaching on “Randomness” and the roles of chance and choice in life. Rev. Sawyer is minister emeritus of the First Parish in Wayland, at which he served as senior minister for 38 years before retiring in July.
The Rev. Patricia Hatch
Martin Luther King, Jr. knew how to let his light shine. He had intention, imagination, and commitment. We will reflect on how we can let our own lights shine more brightly with our choices and our dreams.
The Rev. Hatch is an itinerant Unitarian Universalist preacher who has her Master of Divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology.
The Rev. Bill Clark will examine the idea of a life lived with illness and disease. Drawing on his own experience of living with severe heart disease, Rev. Clark will ask the difficult questions, “How do we make sense of a life living with illness and disease? Where can we find meaning in such a life?”
Ministry is The Rev. William Clark’s second career. He worked within the Deaf Culture for 25 years; teaching deaf children, interpreting and teaching ASL. Rev. Clark attended Harvard Divinity School. He has served our UU Congregations in Houston, Texas and Lexington, MA. Following emergency heart surgery in 2007 life changed! He lives in Provincetown and currently serves as a Community Minister affiliated with the UU Meeting House of Provincetown.
The Rev. Elaine Bomford
A morning to appreciate the comic relief that lifts our spirits and keeps us from taking ourselves – and this world – too seriously. The Rev. Elaine Bomford has served UU congregations in Massachusetts and Vermont; she has been preaching in area churches for more years than you might imagine, given her youthful appearance.
Hector Constantzos
Our last service for 2012 is on Sunday, December 30, at 11 AM, in Fellowship Hall. The title is "What makes you glow". The theme is a discussion of everyday compassion.
Stories of compassionate acts always emerge during times of tragedy, like the story that happened across the street from Sandy Hook Elementary. However, acts like these do not happen only when great horror strikes. Acts of compassion happen every day. Ones that light a candle flame in our hearts, and makes us glow. Bring with you an act of compassion that you witnessed, heard of, read about, or just know happened during 2012 and share it with us in this service, or just come to listen to the stories.
This congregation is full of heart. We show it through out the year. Let's spend our final service reflecting on our compassionate beings.
ALL ARE WELCOME
4 PM Family Service "Nativity in a Trunk"
Led by our minister, Tom Rosiello and our DRE, Michele Coté. This service will be oriented towards our children. We will have lots of them participating as we act out the Christmas Story and create a Christmas Tableau. Our Junior Choir and Youth Choir will be performing, and there will be familiar carols for all to sing. We will conclude this service with the traditional candle-lighting ceremony.
9 PM Traditional Christmas Eve Service
Led by our minister, Tom Rosiello. This service will feature traditional Christmas carols and anthems, the reading of the story of the birth of Jesus from the Christian Gospels, and a candle-lighting ceremony. It will be a quieter and more traditional service than the 4 PM service, with beautiful music provided by the Adult Choir, under the direction of Mike Pfitzer, organist/pianist Sanghee Kim, and talented guest musicians. An extended prelude of Christmas music will begin at 8:45 PM. Be sure to come early!
9 Am Service "Keeping Christmas Well"
At the end of Unitarian Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," he writes of the transformed Scrooge, “It was always said the he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge." At this quieter service we will share excerpts from Dickens' famous story and focus on what it means to "keep Christmas well".
11 AM Family Service "Annual Mummer's Play" A Celebration of the Winter Solstice
We will dispel the darkness of the season with lively music and the presentation of our Annual Mummer’s Play under the direction of Pat Sorn. This is a great family service with lots of children participating. Worship will be led by Minister Tom Rosiello, Director of Religious Education, Michelle Coté, Music Director, Mike Pfitzer and Organist/Pianist, Sanghee Kim.
This will be a very special Vesper Service and will include our Adult and Youth Choirs and many wonderful guest musicians performing Christmas Gospel music. The featured work will be "The Ballad of the Brown King" a cantata in Gospel style by Margaret Bonds, one of the first published African American woman composers. We will all join in singing such Christmas Gospel favorites as, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Children Go Where I send Thee". Sanghee Kim and Malcolm Halliday will be at the piano and organ. Some of our great Jazz players will be adding their talents. Caitlin Felsman will join us as vocal Soloist. All the music is under the direction of FPC Music Director, Mike Pfitzer. The service will be led by our Minister, Tom Rosiello. This holiday event is offered as a gift to the entire community. Be sure to come and bring along neighbors and friends. You won't want to miss this one! Child care will be provided for younger children.
We will focus the passage of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke where it says that "there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the Inn." When we tell that part of the story at the early service on Christmas Eve, one of our children plays the role of the Inn Keeper and holds up a big sign saying "No Room." This morning we are going to examine how often we, at least figuratively, do the same. We will explore the ways we as individuals and as a society fail to make room for certain people.
This morning adults, youth and older children will participate in telling the ancient story of Hanukkah as well as how it is celebrated today. The service will include traditional Hanukkah music and a sermon preached by The Rev. Tom Rosiello based on the Hanukkah story entitled "Inextinguishable Hope."
