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a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Church Phone: (978) 465-0602 - Minister's Line: (978) 465-6504 - Fax: (978) 462-0384
Web Page: www.frsuu.org - e-mail: frsuu@netway.com
The Rev. Harold E. Babcock, Minister The Rev. Bertrand H. Steeves, Minister Emeritus
Rev. Patrick Price
"The Flaws in Perfection and the Wisdom of Excellence"
This may be a shock, but many of us are aspiring perfectionists, often at great personal cost. We are surrounded by consumer and religious cultures that stress purity and that "failure is not an option." So, how do we transcend the stress and anxiety loops of perfectionism? What are our options for living fuller and deeper lives in a more human and humane world?
The Rev. Patrick Price is a 1995 Graduate of Meadville/Lombard Theological School (UU) in Chicago, IL. Serving as the settled minister to the UU Fellowship of Columbia, SC, from 1995 - 2004, he is now a member of the Thomas Jefferson UUA District Healthy Congregations Consulting Team. The Rev. Price currently lives in Greenville, SC, where his wife, the Rev. Jennifer Innis, serves as Assistant Minister. When he is not consulting, preaching or officiating, he likes to read religion, science, history and fiction. Patrick also enjoys seeing a variety of films, eating dark chocolate and going to the gym.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting this week is donated by Arthur Roy in loving memory of his mother, Olive L. Pearson; his brother, Norman Roy; and his sister, Betty Roy.
Chalice Lighters: Ruth Lang and Pat Skibbee.
Palm Sunday/Stewardship Sunday
Rev. Harold Babcock
"The Virtue of Generosity"
My colleague and Harvard Divinity School classmate Silvio Nardoni has written that, "For my money (pun intended), I believe we should focus on the virtue of generosity more than any other message . . . The goal is to manifest to the world a faith that by gathering together in free religious communities we also gather the financial, moral and spiritual resources to accomplish great things." How committed are we to the virtue of generosity? When Jesus went up to Jerusalem on the original Palm Sunday, he was committed to a message of radical social and religious change. He really wanted to change the world. It cost him his life. That's about as generous as it gets. How committed are we to our liberal religious message of freedom, reason, and tolerance? Our generosity is a pretty good indicator. How much are we willing to give? As it says in the Bible, "By their fruits you shall know them." The sermon will investigate.
Flowers: The flowers for today's service have been donated by Merryl Maleska Wilbur and Nathan Wilbur.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting this week is donated by Mary Rizzo in loving memory of her husband, Frank, and daughter, Lisa.
Chalice Lighters: Kathleen Kondylas.
Current Events Forum: Politics and Religion, led by Harold Babcock.
On Sunday, March 13, at 12:00 noon, all Young Church families who are new to FRS are invited to an informal meeting with the Rev. Harold Babcock in the Lower Meetinghouse. This will be an opportunity to chat with him, meet other families, and ask questions about the First Religious Society.
The annual canvass to support the church will kick-off officially on Sunday, March 19th. Our challenge this year is to get another 50 households to join in active support by making pledges.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to the 63 people who've agreed to be canvassers this year. We still need more, so let these folks be an inspiration to those of you who feel too busy. They are too!
Canvass training sessions are coming up next week:
| * Tuesday, March 15th, at 7:00 p.m. | * Wednesday, March 16th, at 7:00 p.m. |
| * Friday, March 18th, at 10:00 a.m. | * Sunday, March 13th, at 12:00 p.m. |
A Mystery
We, Frank Forrest Morrill's sons, are looking for a memorial album of our father's 90th birthday party, which was held at the Garrison Inn in February 2002. The album contains photographs of the party and birthday cards. Anyone in the church community who knows its whereabouts should call our cousin, Mary Haslinger.
Would you like to help?
Would you like to help decorate the church for Easter? You may order flowers in memory or celebration of friends or loved ones. After the Easter service you may pick up your plants to enjoy in your home, plant in your garden, or give as gifts. A list of donors will appear in the Steeple Biweekly and the Order of Service. Please complete this form and return it with payment to the church office. (Because of the unpredictability of what the growers can offer us, we won't know precisely what kinds of flowers are available until we place our order.)
_______________ # of Easter Plants @ $10.00 = $____________________ Enclosed
Wording: _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
I wish to pick up my plant(s) after the service. _____ Yes _____ No
Name:_________________________________________________________________
Telephone or e-mail: _____________________________________________________
Saturday, March 12, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Parish Hall
Actual Talent from the 2004 Variety Show
The Variety Show is shaping up. Practice is proceeding relentlessly-animal trainers are jumping through hoops, dancers are dancing, strummers strumming, storytellers storytelling, reciters reciting. If you promise to practice, you can still sign up to perform by calling Vicki Dyer at the church office. But whatever the case, be there.
. . . the FRS is a member of the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce? The FRS is promoting rentals of meeting rooms, classrooms, and gatherings with kitchen facilities through this organization. If you or your committee would like further information about this membership, the information is available in the file cabinet next to Vicki Dyer's desk.
Only eleven copies of Maxine Steeves' book Glimpses of the Past remain. The books are available at a cost of $5.00 by visiting the church office or calling Maxine.
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Spring for Us
The auction is now less than one month away-Saturday, April 9, 2005 - at Nicholson Hall, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., and we need your donations. Do you have a special talent, or an old treasure that is someone else's turn to enjoy? Can you cook up a party for some lucky group, or play music after dinner or during a tea? This is a time to shine! You may drop off donations or descriptive donation forms at the church office from March 6 through 20th (9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or call the church at 465-0602 for special arrangements. Donor forms are available at the office, at the information table at church, or by clicking here. If you have questions, please call 465-0602. Be generous, be fun, be there!
from the FRS Human Services Committee
Friendship Table: We will be sponsoring the Friendship Table at the Salvation Army on Thursday, March 17, 2005 (St. Patrick's Day). We will be serving shepherd's pie, salad and dessert. There will be sign-ups on Sunday, March 13, during coffee hour, or you can e-mail me at raddatzfamily@adelphia.net. I expect a large turnout, so I'll need many cooks, as well as servers.
Pettengill House: We are collecting food and personal-care items for the Pettengill House in Salisbury, MA, through the end of March. The collection table is in the vestibule of the church.
from the FRS Social Action Committee
The Social Action Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Meetinghouse. We will be making critical preparations for our spring speaker!
Especially for Parents: Author Susan Linn will be speaking about her book Consuming Kids: TheHostile Takeover of Childhood at the Firehouse Theater on Tuesday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Linn is a psychologist and Associate Director of the Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center and a co-founder of Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children. She will be speaking about consumerism and American childhood. Tickets are available at the Firehouse box office or (978) 462-7336.
Justice Sunday: Together with UU churches across the nation, this month we celebrate Justice Sunday, a time to turn our attention toward the millions of people who do not have access to clean drinking water. The Social Action Committee will have UUSC-sponsored materials available at coffee hour explaining how you can help with this global problem. The Loose Plate offering for March will go to the "Human Right to Water" projects related to the UUSC's Justice Sunday program.
Saturday, April 9, 2005 -- Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry
10 Putnam Street (the home of First Church in Roxbury), Roxbury, Massachusetts
This day long event will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. The program will start at 9:00 a.m. and the Annual Meeting will run from approximately 1:00-3:15 p.m. REGISTRATION IS $35 (includes lunch). Group registering at the same time is 5/$150.
Barbara & Jaco ten Hove: Guest Presenters
Any of us at any time can be significant ambassadors for Unitarian Universalism. In fact we often represent our faith whether we want to or not. In this era it seems increasingly important that we champion our liberal religious values in the ongoing evolution of American culture. To do so we are called to strengthen our own personal convictions and capacities so that we may "walk the talk" ever more effectively. Jaco & Barbara ten Hove will lead us through a stimulating morning of worship, commentary, and interactions designed to improve our individual skills of expression while deepening our grounding as UUs. Barbara Wells ten Hove and Jaco B. ten Hove are a "clergy couple" co-ministering at Paint Branch UU Church near College Park, Maryland.
Sunday, March 20th, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
First Church in Jamaica Plain, 6 Eliot St., corner of Centre and South Streets, by the Monument
There will be a screening of One in Eight: Janice's Journey followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, Silent Spring Institute, Hurricane Voices Breast Cancer Foundation, Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, and the Young Survival Coalition. Panelists will talk about links between breast cancer, health and environmental issues, and audience members will have the opportunity to participate in activities to help make a change. Find out how to take action against breast cancer! The event is open to the public, wheel-chair accessible, and there is no charge; however, donations are appreciated. For more information, please visit http://www.oneineight.net/ or call 617-323-9955.
Sunday, March 20th, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
SGI - New England Culture Center, Waltham, MA
An Interfaith Gathering for Education & Creative Interchange
Sponsored by the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF)
Learn what it's like to be a Buddhist in America from the perspective of the pioneers that brought Soka Gakkai Buddhism to America, a youth born into a Buddhist household, and from one who later in life chose to become a Buddhist. A panel discussion moderated by the Academic Department of SGI -New England.
Soka Gakkai International (SGI)-USA is an American Buddhist association that promotes world peace and individual happiness based on the teachings of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism. Our members represent a broad range of ethnic and social backgrounds from our diverse American society.
This is an opportunity to meet and interchange ideas with members of a diversity of religious groups in open and appreciative dialogue - to tell and to learn!
RSVP: Lee Mohapatra 781-863-2241 or leowers@yahoo.com
