During the service, we will dedicate the kopjafak shown above. It was commissioned for us by Max Russell and carved for us by our Partner Church minister's brother Andras Jakab, who has been working this summer and fall at Russell Orchards in Ipswich. The kopjafak celebrates our Partner Church relationship with the Unitarian Church in Ujszekely, Transylvania.

Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Betty and Charlie Baker in memory of Henry Bailey and Fanny Gray Little.

Ushers: Stan and Carol Kilty.

Coffee Hour Hosts: Barbara Boulay, Robert Matthews and Taika Brand-Matthews, Darryl and Monica Brile, and David Hildt and Kate Broughton.

If we are willing to read the record of the past, we shall find a notable company of great souls, people who lived in quite different circumstances from ours, but people who lived in such a way that their personality is still a power that reaches across the centuries and helps guide and enrich our lives.

-Frederick May Eliot, past President of the American Unitarian Association (A.U.A.)

Flowers: The flowers this Sunday are given by Gayden, Rob and Jim Morrill and their families in memory of their father, Frank Morrill, and his "better half," Frances.

Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated in remembrance of D'Arcy Van Bokkelen by his wife, Louise, and children, James and Katrina.

Ushers: Jim and Nancy Warner.

Coffee Hour Hosts: Brent Mitchell and Jessica Brown, Will and Linda Buddenhagen, John and Linda Lu Burciaga and Rob Burnham.

Three draft statements were developed out of the visioning workshops and are now ready for everyone to consider. Please take a moment to think about whether these effectively reflect the essence of your vision for the future of the FRS. Particularly consider the statements' content, emphasis and expression.

Then join the FRS community for a discussion after church on Sunday, October 22. Out of that discussion will come a refined vision statement that will be submitted to a vote of the membership on November 5. So please make sure this is on your calendar - the more people who take part the better the vision statement will be that is submitted for vote.

Even if you weren't able to take part in the visioning sessions, please come - your input will be valuable, and it will be a chance for you to join with the 123 people who did take part in the sessions in this congregation-wide effort.

Parent Breakfast - Sunday, October 29 - 9:30 a.m. - Lower Meetinghouse
This is a general forum where you can bring your questions and thoughts about raising a UU child-how do we talk about the Bible? How can we pray? What are they learning in Young Church? Bring your questions. This will be a great conversation for those who are brand new to UUism, those who are veteran UUs, and those somewhere in between. Please let me know if you need childcare. I hope to see you there!

The New UU: Those interested in preparing for membership or simply learning more about Unitarian Universalism or the FRS should sign up for "Exploring Unitarian Universalism and FRS Membership." It is broken into three parts:

• "Getting to know you" - Sunday, October 22 - led by FRS Administrator John Mercer
• "Getting to know the FRS" - Sunday, October 29 - led by FRS Administrator John Mercer
• "Getting to know UUism" - Sunday, November 5 - led by Rev. Harold Babcock

We will have the opportunity to make our broad dream (the Vision) even more meaningful by clearly defining our direction (the Mission Statements) and then defining specific action we all want to take to move those statements forward through the Mission Objectives. All the good visioning effort that happened at the Visioning Workshops was documented in detail and will serve as the foundation for all of this work.

What is a vision statement vs. a mission statement? A vision is a carefully defined picture of where the congregation wants to be in five years; the dream of what our congregation can become.

• A mission is a concise statement of what the congregation wants to be known for, or known as, within the wider world; what the congregation wants to mean to the community.

• Mission objectives define how the mission will be implemented.

• We have room for 150 with families sharing their room. Each room has 4-6 beds set up as bunks. There are 2 bathrooms on each floor in each building and a maximum of 8 rooms share those bathrooms. (for more information on the center, check out http://ferrybeach.org/about/facilities.html)

• We will use Rowland for our meetings. It has an auditorium with sound system and a number of large rooms for breakouts.

• People will need to bring their own bedding, or sleeping bags, and towels

• Childcare is available at no cost, but we will need to know your needs in advance. You can indicate your need when you sign up.
• There are several places outside for kids to play, including play structures, and outdoor space as well.

• There is no charge for lodging. Cost is for meals only-dinner Friday night, breakfast, lunch and snacks on Saturday. It will be about $30 per person for adults and children over 12 years old. Children under 12 will be about $15, depending upon how many folks attend.

1. Click here
2. Complete the insert in Sunday's Order of Service
3. Call the church office at 978-465-0602 x 401

Answer: Friendship quilts, which were a parting gift to the Rev. Thomas B. Fox (FRS History, Volume II- pg 125)

New Question: Fact or fancy? Where did the silver come from to make our "baptismal basin"?

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 1:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Output: All singers are invited to join us as we prepare for the 81st Candlelight Concert on December 17, 2006 at the First Religious Society, UU, 26 Pleasant Street in downtown Newburyport. Rehearsals are Sundays from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. starting November 5. Featured works are selections from the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach, medieval Spanish carols, A Christmas Proclamation by John Tavener, Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre, I Wonder as I Wander, and the final chorus from Gloria by Vivaldi. Input: The Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be presented on Sunday, October 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The Candlelight Choir and Orchestra will be under the direction of Frances Burmeister. Featured soloists are internationally acclaimed soprano Jayne West, Catherine Hedberg, Neal Ferreira, and Alexander Prokhorov. Mozart was commissioned to write a requiem (musical setting of the mass for the dead) by the Count von Walsegg-Stuppach for his 20-year-old wife. A number of eerie legends have emerged - Mozart, knowing that he was dying, wrote it for himself, his archrival Salieri completed the work, and so on. Actually, Mozart received the commission six months before he became terminally ill, and his student Sussmeyer completed the work from sketches and earlier conversations. Nevertheless, the Requiem is one his greatest works. "Mozart had a great affinity for the voice," says Burmeister. "He had better have! His wife, Constanza, was a singer. She was no nagging critic, but she did look over his work. All his vocal lines fit the voice beautifully, and each phrase is complete unto itself. Fugues were out of style in the 1780s and '90s, but since 'Stanzi liked them, he wrote them. The fugues in the Requiem are incredibly complex and powerful." A $15 donation will be accepted, $10 for seniors. Students and children under 18 are welcome for free.

Come to learn how to knit a comfort shawl. Bring size 11 or 13 needles and the yarn will be provided. You can waive the $12 fee by bringing three balls of Lion Brand Homespun yarn. Comfort shawls are given to people who have suffered a loss. Linda can get you started and answer all your questions. The second workshop is to finish the shawls with fringes. Deadline for signing up: October 25.

Popular lecturer Ben Labaree will examine famous moral judgments in history. Did the people involved in these events have a choice? Could they (or should they) have decided differently? How might the course of history have been changed? Join Ben in this fascinating discussion. Deadline for signing up: October 26.

An Advance Directive allows you to spend the end of your life on your terms with your wishes honored and respected. Whether you're 18 or 80, documenting your wishes today means your family won't have to make heart-wrenching decisions later. In two sessions Katherine and Rosemary will focus on health care proxies and the Five Wishes for planning and documenting your choices. They will offer suggestions about talking with your family, your friends, your doctor. They will discuss the options; then you decide what's right for you and put it in writing. Deadline for signing up: November 6.

Those who signed up for this program should come to the first session having read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Ralph Waldo Emerson's book Nature (available in many Emerson collections).