Sunday, November 20th, 2011
Intergenerational Celebration of Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 20 at 9 AM and 11 AM
This Intergenerational Celebration of Thanksgiving will be led by our minister, Tom Rosiello and our Director of Religious Education, Michelle Cote with help from many members of the congregation of all ages. Mike Pfitzer, our music director and Sanghee Kim, our pianist/organist are preparing “a bounty” of music for both services. At 9 AM the Children’s Choir, under the direction of Pat Sorn, and the FPC Singers will be featured, at 11 AM our Youth and Adult Choirs will be singing, and at both services we will all join together in singing traditional Thanksgiving hymns. The morning message will focus on how we give thanks for our many blessings. The services will conclude with the traditional ritual of breaking and sharing bread. The bread will be baked for us by our junior youth group. Please bring nonperishable food items and toiletries, which will be collected during the service for the Stow Food Pantry.
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
What are you thankful for this year? Come and share a thought, or a thanksgivings reading. Our vesper services include the lighting of candles, readings, sharing, music and silence. This 30-45 minute service is the perfect way to end a busy day, and prepare yourself for a more meaningful Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 13th, 2011
New Member Sunday
This morning’s sermon by the Rev. Tom Rosiello will explore what is happening in our nation and what we can bring to the discussion from our religious tradition. We will look at the “Occupy Wall Street Movement” spreading across the nation and the growing disparity between the rich and the poor in this country. Can we move beyond the “us against them” attitude, and the inability and unwillingness to compromise in our political system? What is happening in our nation, and how should we respond?
There will be an opportunity during this morning’s service for folks to join the church. If you have been attending FPC for a while, and are ready to become a member or have any questions about membership, please contact Nancy Grimes, our Membership Development Coordinator, at 978 897 8149.
Sunday, November 6th, 2011
Daylight Savings ~ Fall Back
It is easy to be grateful for the obvious blessings we enjoy. But there are other aspects of our lives which, at first blush, hardly feel like blessings; but upon deeper examination, actually are. This morning we will focus on how the challenging and difficult times in our lives can also be a blessing to us. In the words of our hymn, “we come with thanks and praise for all that is our life.”
The Rev. Tom Rosiello will lead worship and preach the sermon. We will enter into this topic by sharing the wonderful Hebrew Bible story of Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. At the 9 AM service our youngest singers, the Children’s Choir, will share a song of peace with us and at 11 AM our Adult Choir will sing the beautiful anthem, "Beati Quorum Via” (Blessed are the Righteous) by Charles Villiers Stanford.
Sunday, October 30th, 2011
9AM SERVICE CANCELLED DUE TO STORM, 11AM IS STILL ON
All Souls Day Service
This morning we will remember all those people who have died but whose memory we hold onto dearly. In the tradition of the Mexican Day of the Dead, you are invited to remember and celebrate the lives of the special people in your life who have passed away by bringing a photograph (framed or unframed) with you to church. There will be a time in the service to place them on a special altar table and light a candle of remembrance. The service will be led by Rev. Tom Rosiello.
Sunday, October 23rd, 2011
Association Sunday
We are “pulling out all the stops” for Association Sunday to celebrate the importance of being part of the Association of Unitarian Universalist churches. Our Jazz band, drummers, and choirs will fill the service with exciting music. Worship will be led by the Rev. Tom Rosiello with special guest preacher, the Rev. John Crestwell, a member of the UUA President’s Advisory Council. His sermon is entitled “Why I am a Unitarian Universalist.” He will share an inspiring story of how his faith saved his life. This year all the proceeds raised on Association Sunday will go to support professional education and development for ministers, religious educators and musicians. There will be a special collection taken up for this purpose.
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
October is our Urban Ministry month. Please see page 9 in this newsletter to learn about all the ways you can be part of that ministry. This morning, in a rousing worship service, we will look beyond the confines of FPC and celebrate our connection to the UU Urban Ministry. Our guest preacher will be Sam Williams Chief Operating Officer for the Urban Ministry. Sam will share with us the wonderful work that we as a congregation help to accomplish.
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Vesper Service
Autumn is a time of change. Here in New England, we experience both the beauty of its brilliant colors and a sense of sadness as the summer plants die and the leaves fall. The service will include readings, music, a time to light candles and share thoughts and silence. You are invited to bring a reading or poem about Autumn to the service. This quiet 30-40 minute service is a perfect way to rest and collect your thoughts at the end of a hectic day. The service will be led by our minister, Tom Rosiello and our musicians, Mike Pfitzer and Sanghee Kim.
Sunday, October 9th, 2011
This morning we will explore the importance of particular places in our spiritual life. There are renowned places like the Vatican in Rome, the Temple Mount or the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, or the Ka’ba in Mecca that major religions claim as sacred. But there are other places, not so well known, that each of us individually claim as sacred, places that have had great significance in our lives, places where we go for renewal or inspiration. For centuries pilgrims have made pilgrimages to sacred places. This Sunday we will return to our sacred places in church. Have you visited your sacred place lately either in person or in your heart? This Sunday we will return to our sacred places and have the opportunity to share them with others. Everyone is invited to bring a photo, drawing, painting of, or momento from your sacred place to display in church.
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
This morning we will draw on the Jewish High Holy Days for our inspiration. Much of our music will be from the Jewish tradition and our youth will be performing their own adaptation of the Biblical story of Jonah and the Ninevites. The Rev. Tom Rosiello will preach a sermon entitled "Letting Go" based on the Yom Kippur teaching that once a year we need to take stock of our lives and find ways to "let go" of past hurts, wrongs, and even our guilt of not doing what we ought to have done. Sometimes forgiveness can be the most difficult thing asked of us. Sometimes, because of the magnitude of the wrong committed, it doesn't feel just or right to forgive. Even forgiving ourselves is no easy task. This morning we will focus on the importance of this practice of "letting go" of rancor, hurt, and disappointment so that we can begin our lives anew.
