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New Carpet Being Installed
a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Summer Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, 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
August 27 - Rev. Harold Babcock: Pastor, First Religious Society, Unitarian-Universalist, Newburyport, Massachusetts
September 3 - Rev. Joseph Bassett: Pastor, First Parish Church, Unitarian-Universalist, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Program Year - September 2006 - June 2007
September 12, 2006
Noon - Parish Hall
Guest speakers: Anne Dodge and Chuck Kennedy "To Sahel and Back: Journeys in West Africa"
Hostesses: Marjorie Babcock and Joan Smart. Bring your brown bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be served.
October 10, 2006
Noon - Parish Hall
Speakers: Maxine Steeves, Marise Fraser and Judy MacGregor "A Literary Surprise"
Hostesses: Ruth Hughes and Betty Pike. Bring your brown bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be served.
November 14, 2006
Noon - Parish Hall
Guest Speaker: Julia Kirst, Anthropologist "Our Most Precious Crop: Vulnerable children at the turn of the century and the women who advocated for them."
Hostesses: Pat Ouellette and Linda Tulley. Bring your brown bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be served.
December 12, 2006
Christmas Luncheon Party
Noon - Starboard Galley Restaurant
55 Water Street, Newburyport
Call Carolyn Dawson for Reservations
As you know, no meetings of the Women's Alliance are held in deep winter, that is, January and February. Our program schedule resumes in March. New faces are welcome.
March 13, 2007
Noon - Parish Hall
Speaker: Linda Tulley "Reikki: Origins and Healing"
Hostesses: Carolyn Dawson and Cary Plumer. Bring your brown bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be served.
April 10, 2007
Noon - Parish Hall
Speaker: The Reverend Harold Babcock, Minister, First Religious Society
Hostesses: Lorraine Adelman. Bring your brown bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be served.
May 15, 2007
Noon - Massachusetts Audubon at Joppa Flats
Speaker: Bill Gette, Education Director
Bring your brown bag lunch. Chips and drinks will be provided.
June 12, 2007
Noon - Annual Picnic
Details to follow.
Call Carolyn Dawson for Reservations
Note: All programs of the Women's Alliance are open to all members of the First Religious Society. Please feel welcome to attend one or all of our meetings.
Needed: Weeders! Gardeners! Have we got tasks for you! Call Vicki Dyer at 978 465 0602, x401, if you could give an hour or two a week over the next two or three weeks.
from the FRS Vision Subcommittee
It's time to join together in workshops to share our hopes and dreams for our church over the next five years. The workshops are the next step in a process that will produce both a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement for FRS. But the greater goal is not to have a statement on paper but to clarify the FRS's ultimate guiding purpose so we can more forward decisively. The more people who participate in the workshops, the more accurate will be the vision statement and the more sure its guidance toward the future. Attendees would include FRS members and friends, as well as younger parishioners, from junior high age up. Please take part in this enlightening, spiritual, and fun experience. Childcare will be provided, as well as refreshments during breaks. Each workshop will bring together a large group, who will then break into small groups for reflection and discussion.
The workshops will be offered four times: Saturday, September 23, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Saturday, September 23, 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Sunday, September 24, 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 30, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. There are three ways to sign up: Call the church office at (978) 465-0602 x 401; sign up at coffee hour on September 10 and 17; or sign up using the online form at http://www.frsuu.org/vision.htm#Sign-up.
from the FRS History Committee
Last Month's Question: What 18th century British evangelist of the Great Awakening, now buried in the crypt of the Old South Church, inspired members of both the First Religious Society and the First Parish Church of Newbury to withdraw from their congregations and form a new Newburyport church? This desertion was called the Presbyterian Schism.
Answer: Reverend George Whitefield (FRS History, Volume 1, p. 22)
New Question: Fraternity Hall was built in 1878 and at the time three church families donated the iron fencing in front of the church and the Parish Hall. Who were they?
The answer to this, and many other questions, can be found in the two-volume history of the First Religious Society. Boxed sets of the history are available at $40.00 from the FRS office, open from 9:00 a.m. to noon weekdays during the summer.
Our deepest sympathies to Barbara Moynahan on the death of her husband, Robert; to Scott Pike on the death of his sister Jane Pike Marx; to Steve Amery of the death of his father; and to Cyd Raschke on the death of her father.
Received 7/5/2006 -- Your email re a shortfall in incoming revenue from yours truly and spouse is clear evidence that the fog, so prevalent along the coast of Maine, has not only seeped through storm doors and windows and into all the cupboards, closets, and other secret or sacred places, but finally into that most obscure of all repositories, my memory bank. High on the list deposited in that vast vacuum was a note to recommend that my bank favor FRS with a contribution from our account.
Alas, midst the less important tasks of sweeping out dead flies, hanging paintings and curtains, varnishing boats, planting gardens and whacking weeds, I have neglected this request. The National Holiday now over, I shall communicate with said institution later this morning (it now being only 05:30) in some speedy way to undertake that pleasant task. The impenetrable fog outside will, in fact, prevent me from doing anything else nearly so worth while. Just when the "green" will clang the Revere bell, however, is in the hands of The Other, but if not in time to make it into the 2005 - 2006 budget, then consider it a supplement to the 2006 - 07 ledger. In no case will the cancellation of this pledge be necessary.
from the FRS Hospitality Committee
This year we are implementing a new strategy for staffing our post-church coffee hours (actually one that was used years ago and that we are reinstating). We are assigning several families or individuals to each coffee hour throughout the year. This will provide plenty of people to handle each session. This approach has several benefits. It eliminates the increasingly difficult job of individually recruiting coffee hour hosts, week after week, it divides up an activity that falls too often on the same willing folks, and it means that families and individuals will need to do only one coffee hour during the year.
By now, many of you will have received a letter and a schedule of this. The list was done alphabetically, and those not named will be assigned next year.
We are hoping that most people will be able to participate on their assigned date for the sake of simplicity, but understand that some people will need to change their dates. We on the Hospitality Committee will not be making the changes or switches ourselves: we are asking our church-going families to take responsibility for this themselves if a change of date is necessary.
Please let us know, throughout the year, if you need another schedule. We will also post the schedule in the Parish Hall kitchen and update it as necessary. We hope also to post it on the church's web site, but this has not occurred yet. Thank you for your participation in a part of our church that so many people enjoy.
Welcome back to worship services returning to our church. Your Parish Committee meets monthly and welcomes any comments and suggestions you might have. Please note that all FRS committee meetings are open to church members. Better yet, if you have not served on a committee recently (or ever!), please take some time to think about where your talents could be used. Here's a heartfelt thanks to the many of you who grace us so generously with your gifts and a special thank you to the Vision Committee members who have been meeting this summer and whose works promise special things to come. Warm regards,
Comfort Shawl Workshops will be offered this fall through Adult Education programs, as shown below. For members who know how to knit or crochet and want to start a shawl, instructions and supplies are available in the Conference Room cabinet. A donation of $12.00 is appreciated. For the workshops, please bring size 11 or 13 needles and $12 for the yarn. You can waive the $12 if you bring three balls of Lion Brand Homespun yarn. To sign up for the workshop, please call Vicki Dyer at 978 465-0602, x401, before September 13.
Comfort Shawl Workshop <> Linda Buddenhagen <> Wednesday, September 20 <> 10:00 - 12:00 noon
Comfort Shawl Workshop <> Linda Buddenhagen <> Wednesday, September 20 <> 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Freemasonry Workshop <> James Funston <> Saturday, October 14 <> 10:00 - 12:00 noon
Is It "Yankee City" or "Clyde"? <> Ben Labaree <> Thursday, October 12 <> 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Focus on Singles <> Sunday, October 22 <> 11:45-1:00 p.m.
Exploring UUism <> Three Sundays, October 22, October 29, and November 5 <> 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Comfort Shawl Follow up <> Linda Buddenhagen <> Wednesday, November 1 <> 10:00 - 12:00 noon
Comfort Shawl Follow up <> Linda Buddenhagen <> Wednesday, November 1 <> 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
New England Transcendentalism <> Harold Babcock <> Four Thursdays, October 26 and November 2, 9, and 16 <> 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
Right or Wrong? <> Ben Labaree <> Three Thursdays, November 2, 9, and 16 <> 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Last Wishes Workshop <> Two Saturdays, November 11 and 18 <> 10:30 - 12:00 noon
These are great opportunities for you to memorialize a loved one, a friend, an event or idea.
Flower dates available: November 12, 2006, and Christmas, January 7, April 8, and Easter, 2007.
Weeks of steeple lighting available: October 22, 2006, and February 18, March 11, June 3, June 24, July 15, July 22, August 12, 19, 26, and September 2, 2007. Just call the church office to make arrangements.
Another Resounding Demonstration of Parsimonious Lexical Ambition
Yes! We were once again extremely successful in recruiting a stellar volunteer crew for the annual Yankee Homecoming FRSUU Book Sale and in exceeding our financial expectations as well. Too many thanks cannot go out to all who worked tirelessly throughout the heat to assure a great sale! We could never have done it without you. We acknowledge these fabulous folks: Vicki Dyer, Bettina Turner, Nancy Herbison-Evans, Marge Peterson, Barbara Burnim, Linda Tulley, Barbara Owen, Tom Pagel, Cecilia Healy, Meril Cullinan, Avery Cullinan, Meredith Russell, Ginger Bard, Cori Thurlow, Alex Gramling, Amy Weickert, Rob Burnham, Tom Sheehy, and Fred-from-Georgetown. Total proceeds from the sale were nearly $1800. Who would have believed those great used books and magazines would reap so many rewards both personal and financial? Thanks again and we hope you can join us again next year!
Or as the FRS Book Sale saying goes, "When your parents give you lemonade, sell it and make money for the church!" Thanks to all the wonderful children who sold lemonade and donated their earnings to the church while their parents sold books. A total of $27.50 was made by the following hard working children: Katherine Sheehy, Hannah Sheehy, Ethan Chase, Emma Gramling and Ben Gramling.
Congratulations to Florence Mercer on completing the 48 White Mountains over 4000 feet. She triumphed over the last of these, Middle Carter, on August 19. Her companion on these hikes (your church administrator) is especially joyful, for more reasons than he can express, about Florence's splendid achievement.
from the FRS Auction Committee
Since no one has stepped forward to claim the lovely earrings that were part of the Egg Hunt at the spring auction, the Auction Committee has decided to raffle these earrings. Tickets, at $1.00 each or six for $5.00, can be purchased at the church office this summer (weekday mornings) or at the first Sunday back at church on September 10. The drawing will also be on September 10. Take a chance!
from the FRS Membership Committee
After church on September 17
Bring a dish to share and the beverage of your choice, as well as lawn toys, chairs or blankets. This is a great family event.
I left Newburyport in 2000 for Singapore, and had a wonderful time traveling in Southeast Asia. Now we are living in Canada and I have become active in the Hamilton Unitarian Church. I kept thinking I would return to Newburyport. I loved the community, the congregation, the building itself and missed it very much for a long while.
But now I'm aware that much time has passed and I am not likely to be moving around the world any longer. I signed up as an adherent at the Hamilton Unitarian Church, and now I am ready to join it. They have asked me to be on the Music Committee . . . I've lost my address book somewhere across the Pacific, but remember me to Harold, to Sue and Hannah Creed, Marj B., Vinny and Hope, Beth, Marge Killam, Roxie and Janet, Ruth and Blake, Bettina, Barbara, Ed, Todd, Bob, Nancy -- oh, gosh, you were a memorable lot. Love to you all . . .
