Second Parish Unitarian Universalist
Hingham, Massachusetts
Glad Tidings
From the Minister –
First of all, thanks to everyone who invited friends for our special Invite-A-Friend Sunday on March 7th. We had a great turnout and a wonderful service. I would also like to extend a special “Thank You” to Rev. Kim Preveza, who came up with the idea and helped us figure out how to do it, and to Allison Crowe, who designed the wonderful postcard many of you sent out to friends and neighbors who might be interested in Second Parish.
We have a number of events and classes coming up this month:
· We’re having a Hot Topics meeting on Friday, April 2nd. We’ll have a potluck at 6:00 and then hear from Lauren Joseph, Rabbi Shira Joseph's daughter, who will be doing a presentation about the Hagar School in Israel, where she’s the development director. The mission of the school is to teach Jewish and Arab children each other's language and culture starting in kindergarten so that they will graduate understanding each other (both literally and figuratively). This is especially timely after Victor Carpenter’s service about his visit to Palestine. Let me know if you need childcare for this evening.
· We’re starting a new class at Linden Ponds. Those of you who have been participating know that we’ve gotten together a lively interfaith group, including many of the members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Linden Ponds, which has wonderful and stimulating discussions. You don’t need to come to every class and you can always come either in the afternoon (12:15 this time) or in the evening (7:00). We’ll be starting on Wednesday, April 7th, at 12:15 and 7:00 p.m. We will be reading and discussing the book Common Prayers: Faith, Family, and a Christian's Journey Through the Jewish Year, by Harvey Cox. I think many of you would find this class stimulating and educational. See me or Sandy Peavey to sign up.
· I will also be starting another class, this one an introduction to Unitarian Universalism to be held at Second Parish. We will be working our way through the book A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism by Forrest Church (whom I have quoted frequently this past year) and John Buehrens, former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We will meet for 5 weeks starting Thursday, April 22nd at 7:30 in my office at Second Parish. Please see me or sign up in Cushing Hall after services. Let me know if you need childcare for these classes.
· Finally, Rabbi Shira Joseph of Hingham’s Temple Sha'aray Shalom and I are beginning to explore the possibility of putting together an interfaith trip to Israel sometime in the next year or so. Please see me for more details if this idea intrigues you.
April is our month for Covenant Renewal, the time of the year when we reflect on what we most value about this congregation and pledge our support both in time and money to the continued prosperity of this beloved community of memory and hope, starting with a kickoff dinner on Sunday evening, April 11th.
Lots to do, lots to enjoy, lots of opportunities to learn and socialize. Welcome one and all!
SERVICES – April 4th, Easter Sunday “Resurrection” This will be an inter-generational service and another great opportunity to invite friends to bring their kids along for a great service followed by an Easter Egg Hunt and a special coffee hour. We have postcards to hand out or send out for this service. April 11th “Abundance” The start of our annual Covenant Renewal. April 18th - "The Web" Celebrating the web of all existence of which we are a part as we celebrate Earth Day. April 25th Union Service – Our annual get-together with four of our neighboring congregations, meeting this year at Old Ship. We’re making special plans for the children, and it’s always a wonderful service with lots of friends and neighbors in the congregation. I will be speaking about Daniel Shute as part of celebrating our shared heritage in this 375th year of our town.
In Faith,
Paul
Weekly Meetings
Sundays Worship Service at 10:00 am
Mondays Sewing Group 9:30 to 11:00 am
Mondays Rev. Kim’s yoga classes 7:30 pm
Wednesdays Paul’s Class on “Common Prayers: Faith, Family and a Christian’s Journey Through the
Jewish Year” by Harvey Cox 12:15-1:45 or 7:00-8:30 pm at Linden Ponds
Monday, Mar 29 9:30 am Art Show Meeting
Friday, Apr 2 6:00 pm Soup and Hot Topics: the Hagar School in Israel
Sunday, Apr 4 10:00 Intergenerational Easter Service
Easter Egg Hunt for Children
Saturday, Apr 10 8:00 am Men’s Breakfast
Sunday, Apr 11 Second Sunday Collection: Project Bread
5:00 pm Covenant Renewal Kick-off Dinner
Tuesday, Apr 13 7:30 pm Leadership Board Meeting
Sunday, Apr 18 Rev. Kim teaches all ages RE class
RE Committee Meeting after church
Tuesday, Apr 20 7:30 pm Book Group at Paul Sprecher’s home – 27 Grove St., Scituate
When the Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin
Saturday, Apr 24 2:30 pm Organ Recital. See article inside.
Sunday, Apr 25 10:30 am UNION SERVICE at OLD SHIP CHURCH. Note the time!
No worship service at Second Parish.
Music Schedule for April
4/4: Choir
4/11: Jandi Strongg, soprano
4/18: Diane and David Whiting, vocalists
4/25: Union Service at Old Ship Church: Combined choirs (including Second Parish)
Community
Men’s Breakfast
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The next Men's breakfast will be on Saturday, April 10th at 8:00 a.m. in Cushing Hall with the usual delicious menu. All men in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to join us for an hour of conversation. Come prepared to talk about whatever is on your mind. Please let Lou Belknap know if you will attend by phone at 781-749-5519 or by email at lsbelknap@verizon.net.
Book Group
The book group will next
meet at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, April 20, at
Paul Sprecher's home. We are reading When the Crocodile Eats the Sun by
Peter Godwin.
Art Show Starts May 5th!
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Committee members will be reaching out this month to all parishioners for their help in many areas.
Elaine Cadogan will be signing up people for the sales desk. We are hoping most can serve for more than one time.
Karen Delano will be calling strong people to bring in the screens from the hearse house and to assist in the nursery removing toys and arranging furniture. The date for the set up is Saturday, May 1st at 9:30 a.m.
You will be called for refreshments for the Junior reception, May 6th and again for the afternoon reception after the “Ball in the House” performance on May 8th.
We know we are asking for a lot of assistance, especially this year with the addition of a concert to the schedule. We need help from everyone to make this year’s art show a success. It’s a great way to get involved in the church, and a lot of fun!
With thanks, the Art Show Committee
News from Outreach
Our Second Sunday collection in March was for the Mary Martha Learning Center, a residential program in Hingham for homeless families, primarily women with young children. We raised $284 for the Mary Martha Learning Center.
The Second Sunday collection this month on April 11 will go to Project Bread in Boston. As the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, Project Bread is dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. Through The Walk for Hunger, the oldest continual pledge walk in the country, Project Bread provides millions of dollars each year in privately donated funds to more than 400 emergency food programs in 128 communities statewide. Project Bread also advocates systemic solutions that prevent hunger and that provide food to families in natural, everyday settings, including schools. Over the last four years, the organization has invested over $2 million in grants to community organizations that feed children where they live, learn, and play. Please be generous with your donations for Project Bread on April 11th.
Thank You!
We
would like to thank Beth Morrell for three decades
of singing, as a soloist and in the choir; her beautiful voice has moved us all
deeply. At this time she prefers to step down, but we would like to formally recognize
her contribution to the spiritual life of our church at our annual meeting on
June 6.
New Teal Hymnals
A huge thank you goes to Steve Kelsch who was inspired to donate 40 new teal “Singing the Journey” hymnals before Invite-a-Friend Sunday so that we had enough hymnals to go around. Thank you Steve!
“Organ
Crawl’ to Visit Second Parish on April 24th
On
Saturday, April 24th at 2:30
pm, Second
Parish will be part of the annual Spring Organ Tour sponsored by the
Southeastern Massachusetts Chapter of the American Guild
of Organists. This year’s tour will include five churches in Hingham and Weymouth with distinctive organs. At
2:30 pm the “crawl” will visit
Second Parish. Our own organist,
Mark Slawson, will provide a 30 minute program that will demonstrate the
musical capabilities of our organ. The concert will be free and open to
the public, especially members and friends of Second Parish. Please mark your
calendar for this special event.
Summer Plans
If you're beginning to think about plans for the summer, consider Rowe Conference Center & Ferry Beach, two of our Unitarian Universalists camps in the area; brochures for both are in Cushing Hall. Paul & Deedee will be at Ferry Beach the last week of the summer (Arts by the Sea, Aging to Sage-ing) where Paul will be Minister of the Week.
Save the date – April 11 - Covenant Renewal Family Supper
Please mark April 11 at 5:00 pm on your calendars for our annual family supper and discussion. The subject, with
Sean Gallagher moderating, will be “Celebrating Our Strengths.”
Although this gathering marks the beginning of our annual pledge drive, also known as covenant renewal, it will not be about fund raising. That process rolls out soon after and an information package will be in your hands early the following week.
Please let the church office know by April 1 that you will be attending and how many persons from your family will be there. Babysitting will be provided.
For that evening Sean will be putting together a continuous picture show of great moments in our recent church life.
He needs your photographs to do this. Please send them to him at seangallagher@marketculture.com or to 18 Euston St., #1, Brookline, MA 02446
Please call any member of our covenant renewal committee for more information.
Thanks so much,
Your covenant renewal 2010 committee
Rich Bowker
Bernie Peavey
Kim Shaw
Susan Weisenbeck
Easter is April 4th
We will have an Intergenerational Service with an Egg Tree again. After the service, we will have our Egg Hunt. For the Egg Tree please bring a decorated egg and an extra one or more for people who forget or are visiting. Eggs need to have something to hang them. You can hot-glue a string or ribbon on it or thread one through a hole in the egg. (When you blow out the eggs you poke a hole in each end and blow out the egg by blowing in one hole, pointing the other hole over a bowl. Save the eggs for later!) The Egg Tree is for all ages.
{ Easter – April 4{
Easter Plant Order Form
___ Tulips at $10.00 each = $_______
___ Hyacinths at $10.00 each = $_______
___ Daffodils at $10.00 each = $_______
Given by Name:
___________________________________
In Honor of Name:
___________________________________
In Memory of Name:
___________________________________
Please send form and check made out to
Second Parish in Hingham and mail to:
Second Parish
685 Main Street
Hingham, MA 02043
˜ No later than March 28 ™
News from our Cooperative Religious Education Program
We have another exciting Religious Education month ahead of us.
March was wonderful too. It was great to have so many friends visit on Invite a Friend Sunday. We had four new children in the Primary class and one in the nursery. It was a joy to have them in class and to meet their families. We had many more adult friends come as well.
Game night was so much fun. We learned some new games, played some old favorites, shared food, dessert, and company. No one wanted to leave and we all want to do it again.
Easter is April 4th. We will have an Intergenerational Service with an Egg Tree again. After the service, we will have our Egg Hunt. For the Egg Tree please bring a decorated egg and an extra one or more for people who forget or are visiting. Eggs need to have something to hang them. You can hot-glue a string or ribbon on it or thread one through a hole in the egg. (When you blow out the eggs you poke a hole in each end and blow out the egg by blowing in one hole, pointing the other hole over a bowl. Save the eggs for later!) The Egg Tree is for all ages.
April 11th the Primary group, Experiencing the Web of Life, is learning about Gardening and Earth Worms. Anna Maude will be teaching. The Intermediate group, Toolbox of Faith, is exploring Resiliency. Rev. Kim Preveza will be teaching. The Nursery children continue to enjoy lessons from Dr. Seuss with Lissa King and Lizzie Mackey.
April 18th all the ages are coming together to Act Out the Parables with Rev. Kim Preveza and Jane Shute.
April 25th, we meet at Old Ship Church for Union Sunday.
Soon, we will be deciding on curricula for next year. I will be contacting families to talk about what you would like to see happening in Religious Education next year, so please start thinking about it. I look forward to talking to you about it soon. The next RE committee meeting is April 18th after church.
Blessings,
Rev. Kim Preveza
SECOND PARISH UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
685 Main Street, Hingham, MA 02043
Minister: Reverend Paul Sprecher, Email: minister@secondparish.org
Minister of Religious Education: Reverend Kim Preveza, Email: mre@secondparish.org
Paul: (781) 210-2016 – Home and Office
Church: (781) 749-1671 Email: secondparish@yahoo.com
Website: www.secondparish.org
Paul’s Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 9:00 am-noon, Fri. 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
Church Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs, 7:00 am-noon
Sunday Service: 10:00 a.m.
The newsletter is published monthly.
The deadline is the 3rd Monday of each month.
Next Newsletter Deadline: April 19, noon
Production Date: April 27, 10:00 am
Newsletter Team: Alice Brewer and Sandi Smith
Editors: Lou Belknap and Susan Weisenbeck
Edition: February, 2010
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