Home
Minister
Young Church
Music
Governance
Calendar
This Week
 |
 |
|
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 Service
for FRS Member
Nick Wagman
Community Worship Service
Annual Christmas Pageant
"Wrap Your Arms around the World!"
Come celebrate the season with the children of Young Church. The service will be followed by our annual soup lunch, hosted by the senior youth group, with proceeds to benefit Oxfam. Come on out for a festive morning!
Flowers: The flowers this Sunday and for all our holiday services are given by Coddie Fraser, in loving memory of her husband, Bob Fraser; Mary Wilkins Haslinger, in memory of her father, Dr. Robert Wilkins, who in his tenor voice sang Christmas carols to her when she was a child; the Madden family, in honor of children everywhere; Hope and Vincent Wood, in memory of Charles and Eva Sheridan; Marj Babcock, Merry Christmas!; Polly Tesar, in memory of Bob; Howard and Dorothy Fairweather in loving memory of Dorothy's mother, Emma Woodley; Charlie and Betty Baker, in memory of Charlie's parents, Eleanor and Charlie Baker; Jennifer Badger, in memory and honor of Bill Brinckerhoff; Stan and Carol Kilty in memory of their parents.
The Christmas star is donated by Susan Nickerson, Charles Baker, and Leon Noyes in memory of the Little sisters: Eleanor Baker, Josephine Driver, and Nancy Noyes.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Ed Metcalf in loving memory of his wife, Beverly Ross Metcalf.
Ushers: Bruce and Westy Ford.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Peter Cullinan and Amy Weickert, Laurie Evans-Daly and Richard Daly, Lorene Daniels, and Carolyn Dawson.
Current Events Forum: 9:30 in the Conference Room -- "Should America Be a Strictly Secular Country?"
Annual Christmas Candlelight Service
This popular service, now in its 82nd year, includes choirs, readings, and familiar carols. Don't miss this special tradition of the First Religious Society. Frances Burmeister directs the music, which includes carols of the season as well as Medieval Spanish Carols, selections from The Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach, I Wonder as I Wander, The Little Drummer Boy, God Is With Us by John Tavener, and Lux aurumque by Eric Whitacre. Come early to get a seat!
Rev. Harold Babcock
"The Singing of the Angels"
The late Howard Thurman once wrote, "There must be always remaining in every one's life some place for the singing of angels-some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful. . . ." This Christmas sermon will also be my last before I depart on my two month sabbatical. There will be no nursery care for this morning's service. I look forward to seeing you in church!
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by John B. Fox in memory of Rev. Thomas B. Fox, a former minister of the parish.
Usher: Jim and Jack Dyer.
Coffee Hour: Marion DeParolesa, Jean DeZarn, Walter and Ann Power, Chuck Kennedy and Anne Dodge.
Annual Christmas Eve and Candle-lighting Service
Rev. Harold Babcock
This is a family-oriented service appropriate for all ages. It includes a story, traditional carols and readings, and individual candle-lighting. A free will offering will be taken at the conclusion of the service to support our Partner Church in Ujszekely in the Transylvanian region of Romania. A Child Dedication Ceremony is offered as part of the Christmas Eve Service; please speak to Harold Babcock or Julie Parker Amery by December 17 if you wish to have your child dedicated on Christmas Eve.
Family Service
Dr. Courtney Bickel Lamberth
"Imagine That!"
Courtney Bickel Lamberth lives in Newburyport with her husband, David, and her two children Samson and Georgia. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School as well as a Master of Arts and PhD from Harvard University, the last with a specialization in Modern Theology. She has been a Lecturer on the Study of Religion at Harvard University and was Allston Burr Senior Tutor at Harvard College, where she was adviser for 400 undergraduates. Courtney will reflect on the role of imagination in religion.
There will be no nursery care for this morning's service.
Flowers: The flowers this Sunday are given by Judy MacGregor in memory of Dal MacGregor from his family.
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by the Ricker and Zarakas family in loving memory of Bill's brother, Thomas Zarakas.
Usher: Laurie Christiansen and Richard George.
Coffee Hour: Peter and Candace Erickson, Mike Dorsey and Janet Sutherland, Tim and Gina Downs, and Mary Doyle.
Kudos to Our Kids
This fall, as part of their small group ministry term, our Young Church children did these good deeds:
- Our 6th, 7th and 8th graders raised $501.52 to purchase blankets and supplies for a leper colony in Nepal. Wow!
- Our kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders collected two huge boxes of new supplies (toys, toiletries, art supplies, etc.) and made 30 canvas bags to donate to the Care Bags Foundation, which distributes the goods to children in need across the country.
- Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders made delicious meals to deliver to three church households.
Additionally, individual FRS children raised over $100 by trick-or-treating for UNICEF!
Teachers Needed for Winter Term
We are still in need of teachers for our winter term, which runs for eight weeks, beginning January 7. Curriculum, training, and supplies are provided. Teachers work as part of a team, so it's a great way to get to know other adults as well as the children in our community. Teaching is fun and a great way to contribute to FRS. Please contact Julie Parker Amery if you are interested.
From the FRS Office: Are there members of your family who would like to receive the e-mail biweekly, our newsletter? Perhaps there are college students, young adults, or aunts and uncles who would like to keep up with the FRS. If so, just send their e-mail addresses to frsuu@netway.com, and we'll do the rest.
Thank you to all Young Church Choir and Teen Choir members for working so hard at rehearsals. As of this writing, two rehearsals remain until Candlelight: December 16 and 17. On Sunday, December 17, both youth choirs will rehearse at the usual times in the upper parish hall. Please remember our mandatory extra rehearsal on Saturday morning, December 16, from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. in the meetinghouse. All singers must be present at this extra rehearsal if they wish to participate in the Candlelight service on Sunday evening, December 17.
There will be no Young Church Choir or Teen Choir rehearsals on December 24 and December 31. After the holidays, we will resume our regular rehearsal schedule on Sunday, January 7.
Both the Young Church Choir and the Teen Choir are always open to new members. An especially good time to join would be after the holidays. The Young Church Choir is open to children in grades 1 - 6 and rehearses on Sunday mornings from 9:40 - 10:20. Our Teen Choir is for youth in grades 7 - 12, and rehearses from 9:00 - 9:40 on Sunday mornings. Both groups practice in the upper parish hall.
Best wishes to everyone for a joyous Holiday Season!
The Jean C. Wilson Music Series continues to grow due to your generosity. We have been able to engage truly great artists for this season. All are returning favorites. We begin with the Lydian String Quartet, continue with Lois Shapiro, piano, and conclude with Peter Sykes, keyboards. Each concert will be on a Sunday afternoon at 4:00.
First, on January 21, the Lydian String Quartet will play a program of Beethoven and two twentieth century works. The Quartet, artists in residence at Brandeis University, has won accolades everywhere for its "volcanic energy and great tenderness."
On February 4, Lois Shapiro (Jean's friend and favorite pianist) will play a solo recital of works by Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, and Arlene Zallman.
And who can forget Peter Sykes' Goldberg Variations of a few years ago? This time, on March 4, he will present a Musical History Tour of the Keyboard. He will play music written for a variety of instruments on those instruments - clavichord, harpsichord, organ, and modern piano.
Our ticket prices are the same as last year's: $15 and $10 for seniors. Student admission is free. To offer this program, we rely greatly on the support of our subscribers, and we hope that you will become one of them at the following rates:
| Archangel | $250 | (8 series tickets) |
| Angel | $200 | (6 series tickets) |
| Benefactor | $150 | (4 series tickets) |
| Patron | $80 |
(2 series tickets) |
| Sponsor | $40 |
(1 series ticket) |
Subscription checks may be made out to "2007 Wilson Music Series" and sent to Betty Gillette, 5 Rolfe's Lane, Newbury, MA 01951. Your tax deductible gift will help this series continue into the future.
Most sincerely, Frances Burmeister, Betty Gillette, Florence Mercer, and Barbara Owen
from the Community Human Services Committee
Community Human Services Committee would like to remind everyone who picked up sheets for the Turning Point Toy Drive that the last day to drop them off at church is Sunday, December 17th. Please include your sheet with your unwrapped gift. If you have any questions you can call Ann Power. Our many thanks to all of you for helping us fulfill the children's wish lists.
A Supportive Gathering of Conversation, Contemplation, Readings, and Music
Thursday, December 14, 2006, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Union Hall, First Religious Society in Carlisle
facilitated by Rev. Robin L. Zucker
For many people, the holidays are a time filled not with joy and celebration but with mixed emotions, such as anxiety, grief, sorrow, or regret. There can be pleasure, but there is also much pain, because the season magnifies the sense of loss. Those who are grieving the death of loved ones, those facing life transitions, illness, aging parents, family and financial challenges, can experience an emptiness that is out of synch with the relentless cheeriness of the season.
On Thursday, December 14, from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m., you are invited to join, in Union Hall, with others who may be experiencing a holiday season that is more blue than green. We will share a quiet oasis of supportive conversation, readings, music, and contemplation. Directions at http://www.uucarlisle.org
Dear Friends,
On January 1, I will commence a two month sabbatical leave during which I will be traveling to Hungary and Romania. During my absence, contingencies have been made in the event of a death, hospitalization, or other emergency. Calls should be directed to John and Vicki in the church office.
The idea of a "sabbatical year" is taken from the biblical Book of Leviticus: "The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 'Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruits; but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land.'"
Though it has not been quite seven years since my last sabbatical in 2002, the Parish Committee, on recommendation of the Committee on Ministry, saw fit to grant my request for a couple of months of sabbatical leave in January and February of 2007.
The purpose of my sabbatical is twofold: First, rest, renewal, and reflection, and second, to study the Hungarian language as a way of deepening my ties with our Partner Church congregation is Transylvania. In addition to attending an intensive two week class in Hungarian in Debrecen, Hungary, I will also be spending several weeks in Romania, meeting with the Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church and visiting in our Partner Church village of Ujszekely.
An interesting line-up of guest preachers will occupy the pulpit while I am gone, so I trust that you will not miss me too much, and that you will continue to participate as you normally would in the life of our wonderful congregation. I believe the church is in good hands and will be just fine without me!
I hope to return refreshed and ready to continue meeting the demands of our growing congregation. Please know that all of you will be in my thoughts and prayers during my absence.
Yours in the liberal faith, Harold Babcock
If you were in church on Sunday, December 10, you heard FRS Young Church graduate and now Bard College undergraduate Elysia Petras describe the Nicaragua Project. It was begun in 2002 with the vision of helping to rebuild a Latin American community hit with the triple shock of a hurricane, a volcano, and the absence of government assistance. Today the community of Chacraseca, Nicaragua remains one of the most economically depressed regions in Latin America. The Nicaragua Project deals with this depression on the most fundamental level and has helped construct more than 15 electrically equipped homes. The Nicaragua Project will assist in constructing four homes in January, concurrent with Bard's winter break. Each house built is valued at $1,450.00, and requires about 290 net hours of labor to put together. Our cooperation with a contracting company ensures that the houses are optimally designed, fully electric and, above all, sturdy. Upwards of a dozen people are often housed in each new structure. Bard student participants in the project, like Elysia, are assigned a home stay family. The families provide meals, a place to sleep, and, with luck, some tutoring in Spanish. Returning students commonly cite their family as an important part of their experience, as well as a powerful window into everyday life in Nicaragua. Community volunteers provide transport from the home stays to the construction sites.
Elysia was able to raise $680 on Sunday, and the FRS Social Action Committee has given $350 to the project; so the total is now $1030. Here's what Elysia wrote after Sunday: "Wow! Fundraising for the Nicaragua Project went very well last Sunday as the money raised beat my wildest expectations by a long shot. I am so touched by the generosity of the church members and can not say thanks enough. My group leader is very impressed and said that raising this much money in one day is unheard of!"
It may be unheard of, but if we could raise $420 more dollars, the FRS could be responsible for funding an entire house. The Bard team departs on January 3, so we must send whatever we have raised by December 26. Would you like to participate? If so, make the check to 'Bard Nicaragua Project' and send get it to the church office before Christmas.
How about getting together on Christmas Day for a potluck dinner at my house in Haverhill? So that I can plan appropriately, please give me a call or write me e-mail by December 20 if you're interested in taking part.
Wendy Ford, FRS Librarian extraordinaire, worries that she may be keeping someone else from all the fun she has had and is having as FRS Librarian. So she asked us to advertise a potential opening of the position. She would be glad to act as consultant for the new Librarian. If you're interested in this post, please write e-mail to frsuu@netway.com or call John Mercer at (978) 465-0602, x 404.
