First Religious Society of Newburyport

Justice Action Council Retreat
2025-09-03 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | LMH Main Room, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Wednesday, September 3, LMH Main Room, 4-6pm

Program & Activities Fair
2025-09-21 12:00 - 13:00 | Lawn in Front of Parish Hall
Sunday, September 21, Lawn in Front of Parish Hall, 12pm.
Join us after worship to learn more about the many ways that members and friends can engage, connect, and take action here at FRSUU!

Justice Sunday: Justice & Relational Repair
2025-10-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, October 5, Parish Hall, noon.
Rev. Laurel and Rev. Rebecca will lead this Justice Sunday program on strategies for understanding and addressing relational repair. We’ll talk through the stages of repair that Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg covers in her book On Repentance and Repair. Join us for soup and conversation!

On Tyranny Read
2025-10-19 17:00 - 18:30, 2025-10-26 17:00 - 18:30, 2025-11-02 17:00 - 18:30 | LMH Main Room, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Sundays, October 19, October 26, November 2, LMH Main Room, 5-6:30pm.
How do modern democracies fight tyranny? Join fellow members as we read, reflect, and discuss On Tyranny, by historian Timothy Snyder. Sign up at https://bit.ly/FRSUUOnTyrannyRead. This initiative is sponsored by the FRSUU Justice Action Council.

Justice Sunday
2025-11-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, November 2, Parish Hall, noon

Rev. Liz Walker Book Talk & Signing
2025-12-07 12:00 - 13:00 | FRS Sanctuary, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Sunday, December 7, Sanctuary, 12-1pm.
Rev. Walker is a former WBZ news anchor and Pastor Emerita of the Roxbury Presbyterian Church, where the “Can We Talk…” program was developed in response to gun violence that directly and deeply affected families in the church. “Can We Talk …” is the focus of Rev. Walker’s book, No One Left Alone.
Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event, courtesy of Jabberwocky Bookshop.
Rev. Liz will also be our guest preacher for FRSUU Sunday worship on December 7 at 10:30am.

Justice Sunday: Anti-Racism Team
2026-01-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, January 18, Parish Hall, noon
Join the Anti-Racism Initiative Team for Justice Sunday for a fun, interactive activity titled American Legacy – Know Your History focused on Black history in the U.S. Enjoy this opportunity to learn together while enjoying delicious soups and salads!
We also encourage you to attend the YWCA Greater Newburyport Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration & Day of Service on Monday, January 19. Tickets are selling fast at $20 each, and must be purchased in advance! The link to purchase tickets can be found here. If cost is a barrier to attending this event, complimentary tickets are available from Rev. Rebecca, RevRebecca.Bryan@frsuu.org.

Anti-Racism Initiative Meeting
2026-02-17 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-17 14:00 - 15:00 | LMH Room A, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Third Tuesdays, LMH Main Room, 2-3pm.
The Anti-Racism Initiative team decided to change our meeting day from the third Monday of each month to the third Tuesday from 2-3 pm. The purpose of the meetings is to establish goals for the church year, discuss and implement initiatives related to the UUA’s 8th Principle, and to assist with MLK service and Justice Sunday events (in conjunction with other FRS groups).

Justice Sunday: FRSUU Shelter Team
2026-02-22 12:00 - 13:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, February 22, Parish Hall, 12pm.
Join the FRSUU Shelter Team for an informative session on homelessness in Massachusetts and local initiatives supporting unhoused individuals.
Featured speakers include Al Hansom, CEO, and Leslie Lawrence, Executive VP, of Emmaus, Inc., a leading housing resource for the North Shore. Major Jessica Berkhouldt and volunteers from the newly established Emergency Overnight Shelter at the Salvation Army in Newburyport will also share insights on collaborative efforts with area congregations and agencies.
To bring bring soup or salad to support this event, sign up HERE!

Building the Beloved Community: Unpacking Whiteness Together
2026-03-15 12:00 - 14:00 | LMH Main Room, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Sunday, March 15, LMH Main Room, 12-2pm.
Join the Anti-Racism Initiative and Immigration Justice Team for a screening of Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea, a documentary where comedian Chelsea Handler explores how white privilege has shaped her life and career. Grounded in our commitment to dismantle white supremacy, we will use this film as a catalyst to examine the “unearned advantages” that are often invisible to those who hold them. Join us for pizza and a conversation on how we can move from awareness to accountability in our pursuit of racial justice. Please note that the documentary is for “mature audiences.” Child care will be available.

Justice Sunday: Women's History Month: Celebrating Women
2026-03-22 11:30 - 13:15 | LMH Main Room, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Sunday, March 22, LMH Main Room, 11:30am.
Justice Sunday: Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women Past and Present and Exploring What the Future Might Hold
“The problem that has no name…” –Betty Friedan
Please join members of the Community Outreach Team as we join together to share the long journey of women confronting the cultural, legal, and social-psychological forces that resulted in inequality that affected the lives of women and their families.
(Internal: projector and microphone needed)

Anti-Racism Initiative Meeting
2026-04-15 14:30 - 16:00 | LMH Room A, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Wednesday, April 15, LMH Room A, 2:30-4pm

Sunday Worship Service
2026-04-19 10:30 - 11:30 | FRS Sanctuary, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Sunday, April 19, Sanctuary, 10:30am. Annual Earth Day service by the FRS Green Team.

Justice Sunday: Green Team
2026-04-19 11:30 - 13:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, April 19, Parish Hall 1st Floor, 11:30am-1pm.
The Justice Sunday potluck, immediately following the service, will be for church attendees.
After a free public event at 1pm in the Sanctuary, we will have a reception in the Parish Hall, open to the public, with beverages and light snacks and tables for local farmers to promote their farms and produce.

Justice Sunday with Afghan Food
2026-05-03 12:00 - 14:00 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Sunday, May 3, Parish Hall, 12-2pm.
Celebrating with our Afghan Family and Looking to the Future
Join us to celebrate with our Afghan family, Reverend Rebecca, and all the volunteers. Hear about what we have accomplished in four years and where we are going. Learn about the Resettlement Partnership creating creative long-term housing solutions for forcibly displaced persons in the Newburyport area.
Speakers:
–Fr. Jarred Mercer, Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Newburyport and the founder and president of The Resettlement Partnership (TRP). He will speak on TRP’s approach to creating long-term housing solutions for forcibly displaced persons in the Newburyport area.
–Sheila Trieff, LICSW and a longtime member of the community, has run the Afghan women’s circle for the last four years and will share some of the highlights of this journey. She is also on the Board of Directors for The Resettlement Partnership.
Food: soup, salad, Afghan rice and pastries, samosas, and other desserts.
For any questions, please contact Sarina Khan Reddy at 978-853-4784 or sarinakhanreddy@gmail.com.

30th Annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace
2026-05-10 08:00 - 11:00 | Town Field Park, 1565 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA, 02122, United States
Sunday, May 10, Town Field Park, Dorchester, 8-11am.
The FRSUU Walk Team has participated in the Mother’s Day Walk for many years. Join Rev. Rebecca and the Team for a morning of great exercise and wonderful fellowship with thousands of others supporting the healing work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. Show your support for the Peace Institute’s mission of serving as a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss. Carpooling will be available! Donate or join the team here.

Anti-Racism Initiative Meeting
2026-05-20 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-17 14:00 - 15:00 | LMH Room A, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
May 20 and June 17, LMH Room A, 2-3pm

Merrimack Valley Project
2026-05-28 16:00 - 18:00 | LMH Room A, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Thursday, May 28, LMH Room A, 4-6pm. Anti-racism and immigration justice.

Intro to Prison Yoga Project
2026-05-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Parish Hall 1st Floor
Thursday, May 28, Parish Hall, 7-8:30pm.
What if prison helped heal people? James Fox, the founder of the Prison Yoga Project, and European Program Director Josefin Wikstrom, will visit FRSUU to share their holistic approach to transformation in prisons worldwide. Their nonprofit has pioneered evidence-based trauma-informed yoga and embodied mindfulness practices to equip incarcerated people with tools for self-regulation, self-discovery, and personal growth. FRSUU member Lindsey Athanasiou sits on Prison Yoga Project’s board and will proudly open the presentation.
The Prison Yoga Project’s slogan is “Healing over punishment,” and their team facilitates programs in correctional facilities across 20 states and in 12 countries, positively impacting the lives of thousands of incarcerated men, women, and youth.
James Fox, M.A., CYT, has practiced yoga and insight meditation for more than 30 years. He began his mission of sharing the benefits of those practices to relieve symptoms of unresolved trauma with incarcerated people when he became a teacher in 2000.
Josefin Wikstrom, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, TCTSY-F, has worked as a yoga teacher with trauma-exposed people, including the incarcerated and refugees, since 2003. She lives in Sweden, where she teaches yoga and movement at high-security men’s and women’s prisons.
(Internal: set up includes chairs in rows, display table, projector, and microphone.)

Community Listening Session
2026-06-18 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-06-25 18:30 - 20:00 | LMH Main Room, 26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA, 01950, United States
Thursday, June 18, LMH Main Room, 6:30-8pm.
Merrimack Valley Project and Immigrant Justice Team listening session.
