Flowers: The flowers this Sunday are given by Laura and Jon Roberts in memory of Salvatore Rizzari and Evelyn MacKenney and of beloved cousin David R. Fullerton.

Steeple: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Anne and Alec White in memory of John Neimeyer and Katharine Wormelle Meissner.

Coffee Hour Hosts: Russ and Kathy Seidel, Martin and Donna Seim, and Stephen and Ellen Sheehy.

Ushers: Monica and Darryl Brile.

FRS Current Events Forum: 9:30 in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room. The topic is "Should Morality Be Taught in the Public Schools?"

Collection for Cause: During December, one half of the loose plate will be divided between Our Neighbor's Table and The Friendship Table at the Salvation Army.

Steeple: The steeple lighting for this week has been donated by Ray, Darlene, and Joe Wilson in loving memory of Darlene's parents, Ola and George Kreighbaum.

Ushers: Janet Sutherland and Mike Dorsey.

Edson Worden is again leading the FRSUU Band again this season. Rehearsals will be after church on December 2 and 9. This intergenerational group will be playing carols in the service on December 16 at the Annual Christmas Pageant. Just show up on the December 2, and Edson will bring out your talent and make it shine.

Christmas Eve Choir
Everyone, young and not so young, is invited be a part of a special choir gathered to sing on Christmas Eve. The service is at 6:30, and we will rehearse only one time at 5:15. We will help lead the carol singing and maybe sing a carol or two by ourselves.

Celebrate Christmas with your family in music! This inter-gen event promises to be a lot of fun. Please let me know if you are planning to sing so I will have enough music ready for everyone.

Do you love to knit? Want to learn? Are you a kid? An adult? Do you want to do a great service and meet some great people in the process? If you answered "Yes" to any of these, then you'll want to come to our knitting session. We're knitting squares that will be put together to make a blanket to send to the organization "Afghans for Afghans". Please bring needles if you have them and some natural-fiber wool. We'll have extra supplies on hand, too. If you have questions, please call Julie Parker Amery.

Nancy Plumer and Michael Murray became grandparents on November 21, making our own Cary Plumer a great grandmother. Her great granddaughter is Lilith Helina Murray, daughter of Maeve Murray.

Making Things Whole
Making things whole is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about functional communities such as First Religious Society. Each person, each committee, each social gathering, meeting, worship occasion, concert, and fundraising event-all that is sacred and secular-contributes to the wholeness of this faith community. I have had the privilege of witnessing many aspects of this community: the staff, the parish committee, the mission-and-vision process, the minister, individual committee work, and even the financial status of the organization.

I have experienced the FRS as a committed group of people who care deeply about the church, one another, and the world. Yet, in any community there always is work to be done, work that will create deeper and wider wholeness. At the FRS, this work seems to include three areas: 1) the physical buildings, 2) connection to the UUA, and 3) social action.

Everything is interconnected. When one aspect of a community needs work, other parts feel it, and the whole community is affected. During a meeting I attended with the church's accountant, underspending on the building was cited as a potential problem, and during leadership council, many committees' mission objectives included the goal of social action. Yet, at that meeting, the Social Action Committee was not represented by a completed mission-and-vision process, nor was the Building and Grounds Committee, nor was Denominational Affairs. These committees are led by hard-working committee chair persons, but are apparently unable to draw volunteers from the FRS. It's a problem because their work is of enormous importance.

• The building represents this society's physical home where basic needs are met. It provides groundedness and stability.

• The UUA connects us to our heritage, our religious ancestors and teachers and to our principles and purposes.

• Social action is the vehicle we use to actualize our spiritual aspirations, to create wholeness in the rest of the world.

As this powerful process of making things whole at FRS continues, we will discover all sorts of ways to support each other, and you should know that I am available to support you in any way I can.

• approved Ned McClung as chair of the Worship Committee until the next Parish Meeting, where official approval will be sought

• approved fundraising to be conducted by the Music Committee, related to moving the Steinway piano into the Sanctuary as approved at the last Parish Meeting

• moved funds from its contingency account to fund the hiring of an accompanist for the Youth Choirs

• approved an offsite fundraiser in February to support the Candlelight Chorale concerts

• authorized the Organ Subcommittee to engage Mark Brombaugh as consultant to advise the subcommittee, the funds to come from a nonbudgeted donation received several years ago specifically targeted toward keeping the organ in good condition

• directed the proceeds of a generous bequest from the estate of Esther Macomber toward repairing to the sound system in the sanctuary.

Name:

Amount enclosed:

Small Poinsettia __

Large Poinsettia __

Wording