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This Week
Ten of our eighteen new members from May 7, 2006
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
Memorial Day Sunday
Rev. Harold Babcock
"The Problem of Memory"
Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps that is because memory is one of my favorite subjects. Memory, as we know, can be both good and bad. As we age, memory can become a big problem, and not just because we can't remember things. Sometimes, we can remember too much. Perhaps this has theological implications. The sermon will investigate the problem of memory.
Flowers: The flowers for this morning's service are donated by sons John and David Dodge in loving memory of their parents, longstanding FRS members Caroline and Allen Dodge.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by the families of Priscilla Coffin and Dick and Lucia Luce in memory of son Robert Luce, John J. C. Coffin, and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Corduan.
Ushers: Merryl Maleska Wilbur and Nathan Wilbur.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Up & Coming UUs.
Rev. Harold Babcock
"Tongues of Fire"
This Sunday marks the day of Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday. Pentecost is an important holiday among Transylvanian Unitarians, who celebrate one of their four yearly communion services on Whitsunday. We American Unitarian Universalists generally don't pay much attention to it. The sermon will investigate why this might be so, and whether Pentecost still has anything to offer us.
Flowers: The flowers for this morning's service are donated by John Harwood.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Mary Wilkins Haslinger in memory of her gentle and loving mother, Peggy Morrill Wilkins.
Ushers: Elaina and David Sayles.
FRS Current Events Forum: 9:30 in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room - 'The Politics of Gasoline'
Coffee Hour Hosts: Up & Coming UUs.
Potluck Dinner (6:30 p.m. in the Lower Parish Hall)
Annual Meeting (7:30 p.m. in the Upper Parish Hall)
The Annual Report is on the website and will be distributed in paper form at church on Sunday, May 28, and at the meeting on May 31. The Annual Meeting is where our members carry out the Congregational Polity (democratic operations) of the FRS. It's democracy only when you participate.
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Eighteen people joined the FRS on May 7: Jeff and Ginny Bard, Monica and Darryl Brile, Alison Chatfield, Erika Cohen, Gina Downs, Mark and Lucy Gallagher, Virginia Hallman, Janice King, Ellen Link, John Lavoie, Robert Matthews and Taika Brand-Matthews, Eleanor Rogers, Bob Stables, and Dawn Wilson. Make sure to extend the right hand of fellowship to your new brothers and sisters. | 
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 Taika Brand-Matthews |
Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Greg Garnache, who had emergency cardiac catheterization following a heart attack. He is doing fine at home. He'll be out of action for awhile, but is expected to make a complete recovery.
Congratulations to K C Swallow, who recently received an honorary degree in chemistry from the University of the West in Timisoara, Romania. K C's work as a Fullbright senior specialist in Romania was highlighted in a recent article in the Newburyport Daily News. Besides her academic work in Romania, K C has visited our Partner Church in Transylvania (a region of Romania) on three occasions. She and her husband Steve were the first FRS members to visit Ujszekeley in 1998. In 1999, Steve and K C hosted our Partner Church minister Zsolt Jakab and his parents Denes and Eva on their first visit to the United States.
May 28 and 29
The Music Committee will be running a yard sale to support its various programs on Sunday, May 28, in the afternoon, and all day on Monday, May 29. Plan to attend to pick up a few bargains, but perhaps even more important, plan to support the yard sale with donated objects for sale. You may drop them off at the church office from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. through Saturday, May 27.
from the FRS Adult Education Committee
Tour of Emerson Country: On Saturday, May 27 (rain date June 3), Harold Babcock will lead his annual Emerson Country Tour. You will walk in the footsteps of famous Unitarians and Universalists at Harvard Divinity Hall Chapel where Emerson made his famous address. You will stroll in the beautiful Mt. Auburn Cemetery seeing the graves of John Murray, William Ellery Channing, Dorothea Dix and other famous people. You'll visit Walden Pond where Thoreau wrote his memorable text. And finally, in Concord you will visit the Old Manse, where Emerson grew up, and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where he is buried along with Thoreau and the Alcott Family. Bring a lunch, wear comfortable shoes, and carpool with your church friends. Call the church office today at (978) 465-0602 to register. We will car pool from the Newburyport park and ride at 8:00 a.m. promptly.
from the FRS Community Human Services Committee
The Community Human Services Committee will be collecting donations during coffee hour to fund camperships for needy children from Turning Point, a non-profit organization that provides treatment and shelter for families dealing with substance abuse or domestic violence issues. Please contact Eileen Fitzgerald for more information.
A new cache of titles has just appeared in the FRS library, a cache sure to inspire some good summer reading. They include The Gospel According to the Son, by Norman Mailer; Whole Parent/Whole Child, by Polly Berrien Berends; Between Form and Freedom, A Practical Guide to the Teenage Years, by Betty Staley; Alva Myrdal, A Daughter's Memoir, by Sissela Bok; Blackberry Winter, My Earlier Years, by Margaret Mead; and Margaret Mead, A Life, by Jane Howard.
It's (Almost) Book Sale Time Again!!!! Our Annual FRS Yankee Homecoming Book Sale is scheduled for August 3 through 5th, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. To make the sale as stunning a success as it has been for the past two years, we will need lots of volunteers and lots of donations. We are asking for books in good condition as well as specialty magazines if you have complete sets (National Geographic, Gourmet, and the like). CDs are welcome, too. Also, let's try to improve our children's section this year with wonderful books and movies for the young ones. Please start bringing in your gently used donations Starting on Tuesday, May 30. It will be a great way to help the church and to wrap up your spring cleaning. You may leave your donations in Classroom D in the Lower Meetinghouse. Last year was tremendous fun. Please join us! For questions or to volunteer your time, please call or e-mail us.
The Candlelight Choir will host a Mozart Birthday Celebration on Sunday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. Special guest, internationally acclaimed soprano Jayne West of Amesbury, will sing Exultate Jubilate (with the famous "Alleluia" at the end and the even more infamous high C). Also, Neal Ferreira, tenor, will sing a concert aria, and the Amesbury High School Chorus will sing "La ci darem" from Don Giovanni. The program will conclude with the combined choirs singing the ethereal "Ave Verum Corpus." A fee of $10 will be charged to all adults who sing to help pay for the orchestra.
from the FRS Hospitality Committee
Why wait for someone's birthday? We say, eat dessert when you get the chance! Join us on Friday evening, June 16, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for the first (annual?) We'll be serving homemade cakes of all kinds, brownie sundaes, and root beer floats. Location, Parish Hall, cost, $6.00 for adults, $5 for kids. We're also looking for help and donations for this fun event, so look for your friendly Hospitality Committee members taking names starting in mid-May during coffee hour . . . or write to Marilyn Archibald at archie4618@aol.com.
Anzie's back
Historic Walking Tour: On May 28 and 29th, Newburyport Walks will offer a historical walk of Newburyport. This guided tour, led by a fourth-generation Newburyporter (FRS member Anne Dodge), will last for two hours and cover topics including the colonial history of Newburyport, the river and its importance through Newburyport's history, abolitionists and the underground railway, religion in early New England, major historic sites, and historic and hysterical personages.
The tours will be cancelled in the event of rain
We will meet in front of the Information Booth in the Waterfront Parking lot. Price for this guided walk is $10. For more information contact: Anne Dodge, Newburyport Walks, 978-255-2386
Thoughts on Newburyport
As the President of the Ujszekely Unitarian Church and husbandman, I visited Newburyport, between 17th April and 2nd May of 2005. I accepted the invitation of your minister and members, for which hereby I thank you.
I was out of the flow of our normal life, and I saw how our partner church (the FRS) and her members are living. It was already familiar from photos, this huge and well-equipped church. The organizational life, the working committees and groupings within the church, the established friendship companies-all these were worth paying attention to.
I admired how you greatly concentrated on ways to stick your youth generation to the church. It felt good to have so many young people involved. We appreciated how welcomed we felt.
As a husbandman, I saw such things, which will soon happen at home, as soon as we catch up with the EU. The well-equipped farms, full with modern tools. All these are things which require the developing life. Here, in our little villages and small farmlands, the horse is the helpmate (camrade, assistant) in agricultural work, not something for a weekend amusement and distraction. We still use farming tools exhibited there as historical objects.
The exact and well ordered work of the family community which we saw-I liked that also.
Thus, on this trip, I have seen many things in all fields, which seem necessary and when we will have the financial means, we will be able to use.
These two week were an active recreation, rest and occasion for an lifetime remembrance for me.
Thanks for our friends in Newburyport, members of church!
From Amantha Moore, Director of Volunteer Services, Red Cross of Newburyport
To the First Religious Society -- thank you for your generosity in allowing the Red Cross Chocolate Tour of Newburyport to be based in Your Parish Hall. This year's event was a chocolate-covered success!
From Deborah Smith, Executive Director of the Pettengill House
Dear Friends of the Shared Ministry Group, On behalf of the staff, volunteers and Board of Directors of the Pettengill House please accept our heartfelt thanks for the wonderful painting that was done over the weekend. What a tremendous improvement! Thank you for choosing The Pettengill House for your Service Project. Your continued support and generosity are greatly appreciated.
