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This Week
From the vault
In honor of Harold Babcock's
tenth anniversary of ministry
to the FRS
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
Tenth Anniversary Celebration
Rev. Dr. Charles S. Stephen, Jr.
"To Shape the World"
From Rev. Stephen: My wife, Patricia, and I have five children and ten grandchildren. We have been married for 52 years and have a summer house in Owls Head, Maine. I review books for two Nebraska newspapers and have a weekly book review program on Nebraska Public Radio. In my Lincoln years I have been president of Planned Parenthood and of the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union.
From Harold Babcock: The Rev. Dr. Charles S. Stephen, Jr. is a native of Melrose, Massachusetts, who spent 35 years as minister of the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was named Minister Emeritus at his retirement in 1996. Dr. Stephen was a member of the UU Ministerial Fellowship Committee when I met with it in 1981. We were later colleagues in the Prairie Star District UU from 1982 to 1985. Dr. Stephen preached the sermon at my installation at the Nora Unitarian Universalist Church in Hanska, Minnesota, in 1982. In 1982 he received an honorary doctorate from the Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. He is the author of the 1985 UU Meditation Manual, The Gift of the Ordinary. An inveterate Red Sox fan, Charles has been known to preach a pretty good baseball sermon.
Ushers: 1994 Search Committee Members.
Flowers: The flowers for this morning's service are donated by the Ministerial Search Committee that presented Harold Babcock to the First Religious Society for consideration: "If I have to climb a mountain/you know I will."
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Bert and Maxine Steeves for Harold and Sabrina in appreciation of their ten years of successful ministry.
Coffee Hour: Hospitality Committee and Friends in honor of Harold's tenth anniversary.
Rev. Harold Babcock
"Intelligent Design?"
Freelance writer David Holahan writes, "We can trace our iffy evolutionary tree back 20 million years. The cockroach, by comparison, has a pedigree of 250 million years and will almost certainly survive us at the rate we're abusing our habitat. Is this any way to design a universe?" The current debate going on in our schools and courts is about teaching evolution versus "intelligent design." But don't be fooled: it's the same old debate between science and religion. The sermon will investigate.
Ushers: Laura and Paul Daubitz.
Flowers: The flowers for today's service are donated by Tempa and Tom Pagel, in remembrance of Roberta Pagel whose greatest joys were family, friends, and gardening.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Carol Young in memory of Kenneth H. Young.
Coffee Hour: Marilyn and David Archibald
FRS Current Events Forum: 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room - "Does Jane Need Tarzan? Sorting out Relationships between Men and Women."
Yard Sale
Sunday, October 9: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, October 10: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
On the beautiful bricks of the FRS
Clean out that garage, attic and shed and bring your yard sale donations to the lower church all week from October 3 to 7. Please save clothing donations for the Rummage Sale in November. If you need help to move that big item, please call Cori Thurlow at 462-9355. All proceeds to benefit the music program at the FRS.
The choir is often in need of hymnals on a Sunday; with the church ever more full, the supply is running short. Would you like to donate a hymnal or several hymnals in the memory of some dear friend or occasion? They are available, with bookplate, for $28.00 apiece. To purchase one or more, call the FRS office at (978) 465-0602, ext. 401.
During the worship service on Sunday, November 13, 2005, we will once again welcome new members at a New Member Recognition Ceremony. If you have any questions about becoming a member of the First Religious Society, please speak to Harold Babcock or call John Mercer, Administrator at (978) 465-0602, ext. 404, or send him an e-mail at frsuu@netway.com.
People come to our churches to be lifted out of the ordinary, to be drawn up from the mundane, and to seek relief from the rampant materialism of our culture. People come into religious communities to wrestle with life's ultimate questions, looking for a place to seek meaning about living and dying and the time in between. Shared Ministry Groups provide a way to nurture deep relationships between members as they share their lives and their faith together. Since its inception at our church last year, this program has grown to include 35 members in five active groups. This year we'd like to expand it even further. If you'd like to know more about our Shared Ministry Program please pick up a flyer in the church office or contact Rick Anderson at Rick.Anderson@ca.com. A pot luck dinner will also be held in the lower meeting house on Sunday, October 23. Please come and learn more about this exciting opportunity for spiritual growth.
Many thanks to all who contributed to our first Friendship Table at the Salvation Army. The guests were most appreciative. The next Friendship Table will be on November 17. We are looking for a coordinator for this ongoing commitment. There will be three more dinners after November 17; they will be held on January 19, March 23 and May 18. If you are interested in coordinating this event, please call Ann Power.
from the FRS Hospitality Committee
Anyone who wishes to contribute a little something to the special coffee hour on Sunday, October 9, celebrating Harold's ten years with us is most welcome to do so. No casseroles or main dishes, please; we are looking for neat and tasty finger food of the sweet or savory variety (some examples are chocolate-dipped strawberries, a special cookie, bar or mini-cupcake, spinach or cheese squares . . . you get the idea. We are hoping that contributions will be homemade). Thank you so much in advance. Anyone kind enough to bring food should e-mail Marilyn Archibald at jamesmil@greennet.net so that we may keep track of the offerings.
from the FRS Building & Grounds Committee
Our committee is seeking volunteers to do an occasional chore such as waxing the organ or painting some trim. To receive a list of projects and see whether they appeal to you, send e-mail to committee co-chair Ed Anderson at simca91@juno.com.
The Fall Rummage Sale will be on Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5. Clothing donations may be dropped off at the church office on the earlier days of that week. More info to come later.
Thank you to Rob Burnham for beautifying the upper parish hall. Fresh paint on the bulletin boards and the stage has really made a difference. Thanks, Rob!
Volunteer opportunity! Do you have an artistic bent? I am looking for someone to create some visual displays, including posters with teacher photos for our classrooms. The photos will be provided. I'd also like some assistance with our Young Church bulletin board. Please call me if you're interested.
from the FRS Adult Education Committee
Many thanks to Bill and Marcia Gette for leading the Bird Migration Trip on Sunday, October 2. We learned a lot and had fun.
Plays-in-a-Day Workshop - October 14, 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 15.
Plays-in-a-Day are reviving interest in community theater. Each production follows this format. Several short plays are written, cast, rehearsed and performed for the public, all in a 24-hour period. Organizers meet with writers on a Friday evening and assign them a phrase, such as "It's really the difference between feeling brave and committing the crime" or "I don't believe anything is random; do you?" The writers go off in pairs or individually, to work on 10-minute plays.
Early next morning, the director assigns roles for each 10-minute play and frenzied rehearsals begin. Saturday evening the series of plays is performed for the public. While some experienced participants will be involved, rookies of all ages are welcome. Performance is with script -- so don't be afraid. Suggested donation for participants is $6.00. Performance tickets are $6.00, $3.00 for seniors & children. All are welcome.
Registration deadline is October 7. Call (978) 465-0602, x401 to register.
Knitting Workshop - Every other Saturday in the Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Next workshop is October 8.
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DINNERS FOR EIGHT - CIRCLE DINNERS
You can sign up to be a “Host” or a “Guest”:
The “Hosts” will open their home and provide the table settings and something for the shared meal. The Host will also co-ordinate the dishes that the various guests will provide. If you have never hosted before, please consider it this year. We can adjust the number of guests if your space is small!
The “Guests” will bring a dish for the shared meal (hors d'oeuvres, main dish, side dishes, or dessert) plus their own beverages.
This has been a favorite event for many of us. Help spread the word, especially to newcomers and the shy! Look for sign up sheets in the Parish Hall during Coffee Hour on October 9. Or call the church office.
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Fall Conference and Pot of Gold 2005
Saturday, October 29, 2005 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre
The Fall Conference and Pot of Gold, Holy Conversations: Engaging our Theological Diversity, will provide you the opportunity to think and talk with other Unitarian Universalists about what you believe. You will hear what the Commission on Appraisal discovered when asked if there was a uniting and identifiable core to Unitarian Universalist faith. Earl Holt, chair of the Commission and Minister at King's Chapel, will talk about the process the Commission used and what they learned. The report they published, Engaging our Theological Diversity, will be available for purchase if you have not already done so through the UUA Bookstore. Then, through small group participation and worship, you will be invited to explore where your beliefs connect with the wider Unitarian Universalist faith and look at how your faith has changed and evolved in your life as a UU. This can be a profound time of sharing deeply held beliefs with other UUs who are walking the same faith journey path that you are. It is through such communal conversations in faith development that we as individuals come to understand more fully not only that we are Unitarian Universalist, but why we are. Please join us for this opportunity to engage in a Unitarian Universalist Theological conversation. Click here for the registration form.
TRANSYLVANIAN UNITARIAN THEOLOGY
on Saturday, October 15, 2005 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Rev. Laszlo Kiss, minister of Weston's partner church:
The Unitarian Church, Torda, Transylvania, Romania
at First Parish Church in Weston
349 Boston Post Road
781-893-7798
Click here for website.
It would be helpful to us if you can let us know if you are planning to attend.
