A Unitarian Universalist Congregation

A Unitarian Universalist Congregation

THE FIRST PARISH IN WAYLAND

NOVEMBER, 2008

THE WAYLAND UNITARIAN

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

• NEWS OF THE

PARISH

• TABLEAU

SCHEDULE

2

• FUTURE PLANNING REPORT

• SAENGERFEST TICKETS

• OUR NEW WEBSITE

3

• ALLIANCE CALENDAR

• MONTHLY LUNCH

• MUSIC NOTES

• AGING PARENTS

• DIVORCE SUPPORT

4

• FOR NEWCOMERS

• POT LUCK SUPPERS

• SPECIAL COLLECTION

5

• A SPLINTER FROM THE BOARD

6

• ERE NEWS 7

• NOTES FROM KEN

• SOCIAL ACTION

8

• UU MATTERS 9

• NOV. CALENDAR 10

MORE THAN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS

Nov. 2– Sermon by Erin Nov. 9– Sermon by Ken Nov. 16– Sermon by Ken Nov. 23– Homily by Ken Nov. 30– Sermon by Ken

Help Undecorate the Tree It is November and soon the tree will appear in the vestry. This year the tree will contain the names of children

who hope to get a gift from Santa, and also the names of

mothers who usually get no gift at all. We expect to re-ceive 200 names with a variety of gifts they are wishing for – there will be something for every kind of shopper. This year, as in the past, we are working with REACH, an agency dedicated to the safety, healing and empowerment of victims of domestic violence. In the past 27 years REACH has helped more than 25,000 survivors of domestic violence through direct services and education. To learn more about their impressive work go to www.reachma.org. This is our chance to bring a little holiday cheer into the lives of others who are in need. For many years, the First Parish community has enthusiastically par-ticipated in this project, and that generosity has been so very much appreciated. Let’s keep up the good work! It is as simple as this: take as many candy canes from the tree as you like and follow the clear instructions on the ornaments. You may select a gift for a child or for a mother. REACH is particularly appreciative of our selecting mothers this year as that is a harder need to fill. If you have no time to shop, please con-sider making a cash donation – we have a willing volunteer who will do the shopping for you. On November 16th and 23rd the tree will be up in the Vestry, loaded with candy canes. Please take an ornament, mark your name on the sign-out

sheet, and return the unwrapped gift(s) by December 7 th. We thank you for your participation, Peggy Holland, Nathalie Thompson, Karen Baker and Marney Ives

The annual Interfaith

Thanksgiving Service will take place this year at 7:00 on Sunday, November 23, at Temple Or Atid on Concord Road. Our own Polly Oliver will direct the joint children's choirs. The address will be by Or Atid

Rabbi Sally Finestone.

People may arrive early with baked goods for the reception after the service, and/or bring non-perishable food for the town food pantry.

Wayland Unitarian is published once a month. Weekly calendar announcements are available in the Order of Service at the Sunday worship services. The

next newsletter deadline is Wednes-day, November 19, 2008 at 1 pm. Please e-mail your copy to Penny Kahn at [email protected] or drop it off in the church of-fice. First Parish is located at 50 Cochituate Road in Wayland, MA at the corner of Routes 20, 126 and 27. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 397, Wayland, MA 01778. Church office hours are Mon. - Fri., 9 am to 1 pm & Sundays 8:30 am - 2 pm. Phone numbers are: (508) 358-6133 & (508) 358-2502 Fax: (508) 358-9179 Our e-mail addresses are: [email protected] (Ken) [email protected] (Erin) [email protected] (Penny) [email protected] (Carol) [email protected] (Oscar) [email protected] (Deborah) [email protected] (Maddie) Our Web address is: www.uuwayland.org. Worship services and Sunday School: Sundays at 10 am. Ministry: (508) 358-6133 unless otherwise indicated Rev. Kenneth Sawyer, (508) 358-6133 x25 Rev. Erin Splaine, (508) 358-6133 x23 Rev. Deborah Pope-Lance, Affiliate Minister Rev. Maddie Sifantus, Affiliate Minister Staff: (508) 358-6133 unless otherwise indicated Penny Kahn, Parish Administrator, x21 Carol Yerby, Director of Religious Ed., x26 Oscar Vasquez, Sexton, x21 Chris Chamberlin, Sunday Secretary, x21 Polly Oliver, Music Director (978) 369-0886 Sandy Hoyt & Ann Moses, Wedding & Memorial Service Coordinators Anne Keyes, Bookkeeper

NEWS OF THE PARISH

A committal and memorial service for Dana Blodgett was conducted by Ken in Manomet (Plymouth) on Sept. 12. Dana’s wife Ellie was church secretary at First Parish for many years. We are sad to report the death of long-time member Ruth MacDonald. A memorial service was conducted by Ken and Erin at the church on October 4. Our sympathy is with her daughters, Susan Keyes, Bronwyn Lamont, and Gwynneth MacDonald-Jackson, their husbands Brad Keyes, Jeff Lamont, and Anthony Jackson, and Ruth's grandchildren, Evan Lamont and Makai Jackson. We are sad to report the death of Myrna Libby, a former member of First Parish. Myrna is survived by her two children Jeremy Bass and Naomi (Bass) Pitskel, both of whom grew up in Wayland and attended First Parish as part of the Sunday School and Youth Programs. A me-morial service was conducted by Erin on the 18th of October here at First Parish.

PAGE 2 THE WAYLAND UNITARIAN

TABLEAU SCHEDULE (because it is never too early)

Sunday November 23rd 11:30 - Noon Costume and Prop Hunting Sunday November 30th - Sunday December 7th Casting Parts Sunday December 14th 11:30 - 1:00 Rehearsal and Costume Fitting Sunday December 21st 10:00 Tableau Service

Volunteers Needed (please see Erin before she signs you up anyway)


Future Planning Report Now Available

This month's splinter on page 6 discusses the release of the draft Future Planning Report, the culmination of a year's work of so many people. This is an exciting milestone, establishing a vision and providing a direction for our community's next endeav-ors. We hope you'll carefully consider the report, now available on the church’s Website, at: www.uuwayland.org/plan

Formal Comment Period Ends November 30 Do you have new ideas for the report? Thoughts about how the report can be improved? Dreams that would make our communities' future even more interesting? Before the report is finalized, we need to hear your com-ments. We want to know if the report reflects what we said to each other last year and if there are other matters you want us, as a church, to consider in the next five years. There are a variety of ways to provide feedback. A) Talk to a member of the Parish Committee, the Future Planning Committee (listed on page 29 of report) or the Ministers. B) Email your comments to [email protected]. C) Attend a Feedback Forum (see below). D) ALL OF THE ABOVE! We would love comments at any time, but to influence the final report recommendations, please submit them by November 30, 2008.

Feedback Forums - Sunday Nov 9 @ 11:30 AM; Saturday, Nov 15 @ 10 AM We will be holding two facilitated feedback sessions. We hope that attendees will have at least skimmed the re-port or its Executive Summary although that is not required. However, the meetings' emphasis will be on answering questions and taking suggestions, not on presenting data from the report. We hope everyone can join us for one of these events. We expect to provide childcare for the Sunday, Nov 9 event. Contact the office if you need childcare for Saturday, Nov 15 and we will try to make accommodations.

Tickets for the annual

Saengerfest concert are now available. This year’s concert will be held at Regis College on Sunday, December 21 at 4 pm. Please contact Skip Sweitzer at (508) 358-4303 for tickets and more information

CHECK OUT OUR NEWLY

REVAMPED WEBSITE!

WWW.UUWAYLAND.ORG

Special thanks to Dave Ryan for all his

work on this.

THIS MONTH AT FIRST PARISH


Monthly Lunch

Every month First Parish folk gather in the vestry at noon for a free lunch and conversa-

tion. In November the date is the 18th -- do come!

Woman’s Alliance

2008/2009 Schedule

Undecorate the Tree November 16 & 23, 2008 This annual gift drive provides gifts to children and mothers in need.

Open House/Tea Sunday, December 14, 2008 Barbara Buell will open her beautiful, historic home for the second year for the Women’s Alliance Open House (which we have renamed since tea has been replaced with punch and spiced wine). This charita-ble event gathers books for children in need.

Retreat Friday, January 30 through Saturday, January 31, 2009 The lay led retreat at the Essex Retreat Center will focus on mind, body and soul.

Rummage Saturday April 4, 2009

Spring Dinner Date and Speaker to be announced

* All events are open to all women at First Parish

Music notes

The Inter-faith Thanksgiving service will be held at Congregation Or Atid on November 23rd at 7:00pm. The children's and youth choirs of partici-pating churches will provide the choral portion of the service. Our children's choir is currently rehearsing a Shaker song as their part of the service. Our adult choir desperately needs basses! We are re-hearsing for Music Sunday (Dec. 7th), which will be the Saint Nicolas cantata by Benjamin Britten. If you are a bass or baritone, please come to our rehearsal this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (tenors also welcome). The children's choir also participates in the Saint Nicolas cantata, which features exciting percussion, string, organ and piano duet. The congregation, too, joins in on orchestrally-accompanied hymns. It is a pleasure to prepare and present this unusual work, but we need more men!

Polly Oliver

THE JOURNEY OF DIVORCE

A 6-week workshop for companionship, learning and support. Co– led by First Parish member Renee Coo-per. The group will meet on Thursday evenings be-ginning November 6 at Renee’s home in Way-land. Cost is $295 and space is limited. Please call Renee at 508-276-1764 or visit www.one-journey.com for more info.

The support group for

parents of children with

special needs will next on Tuesday,

November 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Stokey library. All are welcome!

The Men’s Book Club welcomes all

men of the church who can talk. If you can read even better. We meet the first Thursday of the month at 8 PM in the Stokey Library. For more information call Jack Peters at 508 655 3075 or Bob Mainer at 508 358 4801.

Aging Parents

This group is open to any and all who would like to share with each other the complexity of emotions and logistics faced as our parents age and are begin-ning to deal with end of life issues. We will meet in the Stokey Library at 7:30 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: November 18th, December 16th, January 20th, February 24th, March 17th, April 24th and May 15th.


Welcome, Newcomers!

Newcomers to First Parish are invited

to attend two events:

Introduction to First Parish in Wayland Sunday, November 16th 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Stokey Library This is a chance to hear from our ministers and lay leaders about First Parish history and a little about how the church operates. If you are new to First Parish or if you have been attending for years if not decades this is the afternoon for you. Ken, Erin and the Newcomers Committee will be hosting a fun-filled romp full of information and insight into who we are and what we do here at First Parish. Come for lunch and conversation -- all are welcome! Lunch will be provided and if there is a need, childcare will be available. Please let Penny know if you are interested in coming by calling the church office at 508-358-6133.

Newcomers Potluck Friday, January 9th 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the Vestry Please mark your calendar for our annual potluck supper to welcome newcomers.

This is a social evening when newcomers and old timers can get together for food and fellowship.

Childcare will be available. More information in next month’s newsletter....

The special collection

for November will be on the

23rd, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Except for checks made out to First Parish, it will all go to Renewal House, a shelter for families in crisis in Boston, a project of the UU Urban Ministry of which we are a part.

Friday Pot Luck suppers are a chance to get together and share some of our individual

and group experiences in a casual but structured forum. Our first potluck of the year begins with supper at 6:30 p.m. in the Vestry on Friday November 21. Bring one of a meat or vegetable dish, salad, or desert item, and enjoy the fellowship. The subject of the after dinner program will be assessing the election results and their effects on our continuing involvement in ecological and humanitarian policy advocacy will be . Beginning at 7:30, Nancy Banks of the UU Mass Action coalition and Thaddeus Thompson will summarize the recent activity in Massachusetts cli-mate legislation and discuss plans for augmenting that activity, followed by open discussion of the major ideas and any other suggestions for potential follow up as time allows. Come for fellowship and stay for the discus-sion about our shared concerns in current environmental problems.

A SPLINTER FROM THE BOARD

The first month of the church year has been a busy one for the Parish Committee. As individuals, we have begun to reconnect with church committees; as a group, we have taken up the ongoing work of long-range planning co-ordinated so smoothly and enthusiastically all last year by the First Parish Future Planning Committee (FPFPC), chaired by John Beard and Ken Sawyer. The Parish Committee has reviewed the committee’s report and is now seeking feedback from the congregation as a whole. As you will recall, two years ago the Parish Committee began a proactive process to review our perceptions of ourselves as a church community. This began with interviews of committee leaders and long-term members. Then, last fall, our whole congregation spent extensive time and energy in a Year of Reflection and Planning, identifying together just what about our church is important enough to make special efforts to sustain; what we want to rekindle, revitalize or renew; and finally what is critical to secure for future generations to come. An in-terim report on our year’s work together was approved at our Annual Meeting last spring. The FPFPC’s report, “Creating Our Future”, represents a very ambitious vision for our collective future; it is the summation of the aspirations of hundreds of committee members and planning participants. The report covers a wide range of subjects -- everything from the Sunday School curriculum to the state of our endowment -- and enumerates six areas of common concern and more than 80 recommendations. We want to thank everyone who has helped to bring our planning efforts this far. Still, “Creating Our Future” remains a hypothesis. Before the report becomes a plan, we need to hear from you. We want to know if you feel the report reflects what we said to each other last year and if there are other matters you especially want us, as a church, to consider. In addition, throughout the fall we will need to further test the report’s assumptions, particularly revisiting and revising projected expenses and revenues. For example, we will need to determine what our options are for addressing the facility needs that have been identified and what each option would cost. A small committee of volunteers has been working on this challenge all summer and is now ready to present their findings. This is the part of the report that needs the most additional definition and on Octo-ber 26 members of the FPFPC conducted a “walk through” the Church and Parish House to begin to describe the identified facility needs and some options under consideration. Similarly, we will also need to begin to assess the feasibility of raising the funds required to implement our plans. “Creating Our Future” is ambitious, charting a future vision for First Parish which will dramatically enhance our programs and improve our facilities and, of course, not all of it can be accomplished without cost. The Parish Committee has developed a brochure that summarizes the highlights of “Creating Our Future” which is available in the vestry at coffee hour and at the church office. The full FPFPC report is also posted on the First Parish web site for your review, along with an electronic feedback form where you can write your reactions or questions (forms should be turned in at the church office). Finally, we have also planned two opportunities for the community to gather to discuss the report in detail. These will take place on Sunday November 9 from 11:30 – 12:30 and on Saturday November 15 from 10 – 11 at the church. Please choose one to attend and come with your questions and reactions. Whatever our eventual plan is, our planning work has affirmed a recommitment to our mission and principles. To complete this work we need your continued participation, your feedback, your questions and your enthusiasms. This fall should be an exciting time at First Parish. Join us as we work to “create a future” for First Parish that we can all feel good about. Lynne Cavanaugh


On Columbus Day weekend, 18 children, along with Amy Beckett, Becky Moss and myself, experi-

enced religious exploration in the form of faith in action. We began as we always do with an

Opening Circle which includes introductions, lighting a chalice, sharing joys and sorrows, and a

brief explanation of what we would be doing together that morning. We then set out on our mis-

sion to prepare dinner for 25 homeless men who were guests at the Turning Point Shelter in

Framingham. We divided into four groups: cupcake bakers, casserole assemblers, card makers,

and saplings teaching assistants (okay, not everyone wanted to participate). We collaborated on

how we should divide and conquer and worked collaboratively in teams. Every voice was heard, no

one was asked to do anything that they didn’t want to do, the adults stayed calm and went with

the flow, and the results were amazing. When I met with the card makers, I asked them to think

about what messages would be appropriate. We brainstormed some ideas, gathered art supplies,

and they got to work. After careful consideration, one of the children realized that some of the

lyrics to a song that she had learned in chorus best expressed what she wanted to say to a group

of homeless men. Here is what she wrote:

You are you and I am me No one is the same you see

We're all made so differently And the world goes round and round

The one thing we all share Is the need for love, someone to care

~ from the song You Are You ©2007 by Kevin Roth Star Gazer Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Children are experiential learners. What better way is there for children to learn the first two

of our seven UU principles? (1) Each and every person is important. (2) All people should be

treated fairly and kindly. I look forward to many more wonderful experiences in religious explo-

ration with you and the children of First Parish.

With love for every child,

Carol

ERE Calendar for November

Nov. 2 Fall Term (week 6)

Nov. 9 Special Program: Spirituality Sunday (All Souls Day celebration) Nov. 16 Fall Term (week 7 - last day of fall term)

Nov. 23 Special Program: Community Building Activity Nov. 30 Spirituality Sunday (Thanksgiving weekend)

Learning with Our Hands, Our Hearts, and Our MindsLearning with Our Hands, Our Hearts, and Our MindsLearning with Our Hands, Our Hearts, and Our MindsLearning with Our Hands, Our Hearts, and Our Minds

Religious Exploration ~ a Lifelong JourneyReligious Exploration ~ a Lifelong JourneyReligious Exploration ~ a Lifelong JourneyReligious Exploration ~ a Lifelong Journey



Social Justice All are welcome to participate in two upcoming events at the UU Urban Ministry.

• Monday, November 3 will mark the beginning of a

monthly Anti-Oppression Forum with speakers, discussion, and recommended reading. 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Education and Justice Center in Roxbury. For directions, go to www.uuum.org.

• Sunday, November 24 the Follen Church will be spon-

soring a worship service at the First Church in Roxbury, with State Representative Byron Rushing speaking. 10:30 am. If interested in sharing a ride, contact Chris Nelson at 617-927-3030. And if you would like to join Wayland’s UUUM Congrega-tional Team to help strengthen our connection with the Ur-ban Ministry, our next meeting is Tuesday, November 11 at 7:00 pm. Contact Lois Doerr, Jill Grenon, Chris Nelson, Michelle Roman, or Nathalie Thompson for more information.

NOTES FROM KEN…

* The new "I Read a Book" group got off to a fine start. Seven of us met in my office in October and the books cited were: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon; Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think by John L. Esposito; No God but God: The origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan; Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How We Can Renew Our Global Future by Thomas Friedman; When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist by Chet Raymo; a speach on ra-cism and the election by Richard Trumka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QIGJTHdH50); "Six to Eight Black Men" (live audio version) by David Sedaris; Metrostop Paris by Gregor Dallas; Cross Creek by Marjorie Rawlings; The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan; The Plot Against America and Everyman by Philip Roth; The Big House by George Howe Colt; Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Lar-son; Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to fFght Terrorism and Build Nations -- One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson; Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson; The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Art and Religion by Von Ogden Vogt; and Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. (Thanks to Jane Williamson for keeping track.) The next meeting will be on November 9. All are welcome -- come to my office at 11:30, you can go home for lunch at 1. * In current economic times, many are worried, anxious, fearful, or distressed. We on the staff know of and sympathize with those feelings, and share some of them ourselves. We will continue to try to provide a religious home where feelings are acknowledged and held in care. And Erin and I are always ready to meet with anyone to provide pastoral support. (Thanks to the generosity of donors both current and in the past, we can also help out financially in a pinch.) Happy autumn, Ken

If you use our

beautiful buildings for

meetings, please

remember to: • Turn the heat down before you leave if you have turned it up. • Put all your trash into the trash bin. Do not leave food on counters; it is winter and we do not want to invite small animals to eat in our rooms! • Turn off all INTERIOR lights. Outdoor lights are on timers. Please, please, do not at-tempt to “help” us by reprogramming things. • The church office is locked after hours. Please do not attempt to gain entry through windows or by “picking” the locks. • We ask that you respect staff privacy and do not “borrow” items from desks or drawers without first asking permission.

New England Conference of Unitarian Universalists summary: The Reverend Dr. Laurel Hallman www.hallmanforuuapresident.com and The Reverend Peter Morales www.moralesforuuapresident.org, candidates for Presi-dent of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Con-gregations (UUA), spoke. As chief executive officer, the President of UUA, is responsible to the UUA Board of Trustees for the administrative policies and programs of the Association and is the chief spokesperson for the UUA. The election will be held during this coming year’s General Assembly. The UUA Board of Trustees outlined what policy gov-ernance will be at the UUA and they continued the Ap-preciative Inquiry process begun at the last General As-sembly. The core values grounding the trustees’ work are: Wonder of our inner spiritual lives, connections within our covenanted relationships, and transfor- mation through the possibility of hope in our world. The draft UUA global end/mission statement: Grounded in our covenantal tradition, the UUA will inspire people to lead lives of humility and purpose, connection and service, thereby transforming themselves and the world. The sources of the trustees’ authority: Our member congregations; Generations of Unitarian Universalists; The highest ideals of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists; The vision of beloved community; The spirit of life and love or the holy.

Vote NO urged by UU Mass. Action Network www.uumassaction.org Question 1 is a binding referendum that will eliminate the state income tax and reduce state revenues by 40%. The impact on Massachusetts would be disastrous: funding for education, health care, infrastructure, and public safety would be slashed. The cuts would impact all of us but particularly our children, the elderly and needy.

New England Religious Summit on the

Energy, Climate & Economic Crisis

Thursday, November 20th

Bill McKibben, internationally-known author on climate issues and Methodist, will speak at both events. He has anticipated the major issues of our time and has provided a Christian and sci-ence-based perspective on what we must do in many of his books. 11:00 am – 2:30 pm, Plymouth Congregational Church, Framingham, MA RSVP to Rev. Jack Johnson, [email protected] 617-523-2771 Requested donation of $40 includes lunch and resource materials. 7:00 pm, Wilson Chapel, Andover Newton Theo-logical Seminary, Newton, MA More information: Tina Clarke [email protected] 413-863-5253. Deborah Kelsey

UU MATTERS A.K.A. DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRS


Non- Profit Org.

U.S. Postage PAID

PERMIT NO. 2 P.O. Box 397

Wayland, MA 01778

Phone: 508-358-6133 Fax: 508-358-9179

Email: [email protected]

THE F IRST PARISH

IN WAYLAND

WE ’RE ON THE WEB !

WWW .UUWAYLAND .ORG

NOVEMber CALENDAR

Every week: Sunday 8:45 am- Choir practice/ Choir loft 10:00 am- Worship Service 11:15 am- Children’s choir practice/ Choir loft (start date TBA) 5:00 pm- Middle School youth group/ Vestry (unless otherwise noted) 7:00 pm- High School youth group/ Vestry (unless otherwise noted) Tuesday 9:30 am- Archives/ Nursery classroom Wednesday 7:00 pm- Meditation group/ Stokey Library 7:30 pm- Choir practice/ Choir loft Sunday, 11/2 5-7 pm– Middle School OWL/ Vestry Thursday, 11/6 7:15 pm– Parish Committee/ Ken’s office 8:00 pm– Men’s book club/ Stokey Friday, 11/7- Middle School OWL overnight/ Vestry & Stokey Saturday, 11/8 “ “ “ “ “ “ Sunday, 11/9 11:30 am– “I Read a Book”/ Ken’s office 11:30 am– FPFPC Stokey Tuesday, 11/11 7:30 pm– Parents of Kids with Special needs/ Stokey Thursday, 11/13 7:15 pm– Your UU Faith/ Ken’s office Saturday, 11/15 10 am– FPFPC/ Stokey Sunday, 11/16 11:30 am– Lay Ministers/ Ken’s office 11:30 am– Intro to First Parish/ Stokey Tuesday, 11/18 7:30 pm– Aging parents support group/ Stokey Wednesday, 11/19 1 pm– Newsletter deadline Thursday 11/20 7:15 pm– Your UU Faith/ Ken’s office Friday, 11/21 6:30 pm– Pot luck supper/ Vestry Sunday, 11/23 7:00 pm-High School OWL/ Vestry 7:00 pm– Interfaith service/ Temple Or Atid PLEASE NOTE THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY, 11/28.

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A Unitarian Universalist Congregation