Second Parish Unitarian
Universalist
Hingham, Massachusetts
Glad Tidings
From
the Minister –
I was away at the Unitarian Universalist
Ministers’ Convo in Ottawa during the days
surrounding Sunday, November 15th, an occasion which comes but once
every seven years. There were about 400 of us there, and I was glad to be
able to spend time with Sarah Lammert, our former minister at the Unitarian
Society of Ridgewood, NJ, as well as with both of my internship supervisors,
Kim Crawford Harvie of Arlington Street Church and Jane Rzepka of the Church of
the Larger Fellowship, as well as taking time to sing in the choir. From
Thursday through Sunday evening, we attended workshops, heard two presentations
by Thomas More, psychotherapist and spiritual leader, best known for his book Care
of the Soul, and participated in worship each morning and evening. I
really appreciated the opportunity to hear some of the finest preachers in our
denomination demonstrating how good preaching is done and how effective worship
services are put together; it was a great opportunity to observe a variety of
styles and ways of making services more moving and more engaging.
My proudest moment came in the first worship
service, when the organizers read excerpts from essays delivered each year to
the Ministerial Conference in Berry Street going back to 1820, when this venerable institution of our
ministry was founded by William Ellery Channing in his vestry on Berry Street in downtown Boston. I spent a great deal of
time during my internship finding as many of these essays delivered by our
ministers to our ministers as possible and posting them to a web site
maintained by our UU Ministers’ Association. I was gratified to have been able
to participate in making much of this long legacy of our ministry available to
all.
I expect to be able to apply many of the insights
gained during those intensive days of study and worship to my work here at
Second Parish. Thanks to all of you for giving me the opportunity to continue
to hone my skills as a (relatively) new minister.
SERVICES
– December 6th: Holidays, Shmolidays As we enter the holiday
season, we look forward to celebrations, the happy faces of children,
opportunities to spend time with family and friends and exchange presents – but
we also know that it is a time of high stress, exhaustion, and occasional
conflict. We’ll talk about getting ready by deepening our spiritual
resources. December 13th: Miracles and Martyrs The
story of Hanukkah emerges as a festival of joy against a background of terrible
persecution of the Jewish people 160 years before the time of Jesus. What
lessons might we draw from their struggles? December 20th: For
So They Came Our children will present a new version of the Christmas Story,
“The Friendly Beasts,” and I will speak briefly about the guests at the
manger. December 24th: Christmas Eve Be sure to join us and
invite your neighbors for our magical Christmas Eve celebration with carols and
stories. December 27th: Stories - Stephanie Shute Kelsch
will lead a service on “Favorite Places” for our last service of the year.
In faith,
Paul
LEADERSHIP NOTES
Finance
Notes
We
are beginning to plan our annual Covenant Renewal (fund drive) for April. Over
the past few years Susan Weisenbeck and subsequently others of us, have built a
model which seems to work well for Second Parish. We plan to essentially
duplicate it in the spring.....maybe a few tweaks.
Now
that the model is built we would like to recruit an individual to manage the
process in 2010. This will consist of building a schedule and then making sure
that the pieces happen according to that schedule.
Susan
and I, with help, will produce the main document, and I'm sure that kickoff
fellowship supper will come together really easily, as it did this past spring.
Paul has his key pieces – from the pulpit, and Sandi, in our office, can be
counted on to launch the requisite mailing of the Covenant Renewal document.
Please
speak with me if you might be interested. Thanks.
-Submitted by Kim Shaw – Finance
Supersized
Coffee Hour – December 6
We
talk for a while after church! How about instead of just a few plates of cookies
and cheese, we dig in and break bread together! On Sunday, December 6, if you'd
like to enjoy a more leisurely coffee hour, we are going to supersize the
coffee hour.
If you would
like to stay and share a little lunch, bring a dish to share. It can be some
sandwiches you threw together, a box of brownies from your favorite bakery or
your grandmother's best chicken dish. We aren't having a sign up and no
planning is required. We will have a few tables set up for people to sit down
and share lunch.
If a soccer
game is waiting for you, don't worry; there will still be coffee and cookies to
greet you at the end. But, some of us just might be enjoying a tasty lunch in
the corner!
Parishioners
Help with Food Pantry Thanksgiving Distribution
On
Sunday, November 22, about 11 adults and 8 children helped prepare 150 bags of
fruits and vegetables for the Thanksgiving distribution.
Second
Sunday Collections
On
November 8 we raised $280 for the Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry.
On
December 13 the collection will be for the Diane Edson Fund at Wellspring.
Music Schedule for December:
12/6: Choir
12/13: Diane and
David Whiting
12/20: Choir
12/24: Choir
12/27: Elizabeth Morrell,
soprano
Community
Men’s
Breakfast
The next Men's breakfast
will be on Saturday, December 12th 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 not meet in December.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th at 7:30 p.m. at Lou Belknap’s house.
We are reading The Widow’s War by Sally Gunning. Call Lou at
781-749-5519 if you have any questions.
2009 CHRISTMAS FAIR
Saturday, December 5th
from 9:00 am to 1:00
pm
Please Note: Set up-Friday, December
4th at 9:00
am
We
need help from everyone baking, setting up and working the day of the fair.
This is not only a major fund raiser for the church, but also a fun event!
Please
call one of us if you would like to volunteer or need more information.
Elaine Cadogan: 331-1492
Diana Meigs: 749-5996
Susan Weisenbeck: 740-7841
Becky Weston: 749-3291
Bake
Table: This
is a very popular table and sells out early. Everyone, please bake. You
may drop baked goods off Friday morning or the day of the fair.
Christmas
Cookie Sale: If you are planning to
help the bake table, could you please consider making cookies that we will sell
in coffee tins to time-starved people. Last year we ran out.
Sewing
Table: Unique
handmade gifts. The Sewing Group meets Mondays in Cushing Hall at 9:30 a.m. Your work done at home
is welcome. You can drop it off before the fair.
Gifts:
We need
suitable new or almost new treasures.
Cheese
Table: Cabot’s
Cheese Block - Extra Sharp - sold by weight.
Greens,
Wreaths, and Decorations: Beautiful hand-decorated wreaths with your choice of bow.
Wreaths ordered in advance will be available at the fair. To order, call Susan
Weisenbeck at 781-740-7841.
Books: Gently-used currently
popular books. Check your closets for any you are done with and can donate.
Refreshments will be available,
including a light lunch.
Clean up Crew: If you don’t have time
to work Saturday morning, please come help clean up at 1:00 p.m.
Christmas
Cards Available
What
could be better than an opportunity to wish your friends and family Christmas
Greetings and at the same time help Second Parish? Our Christmas cards are
available for purchase now. Please see the sample card on the bulletin board
in Cushing Hall. To order contact Sandi Smith at 781 749-1671 or secondparish@yahoo.com.
The
prices are as follows:
100 cards for $100 25 cards for $35
50 cards for $65 10 cards for $15
“FAVORITE PLACE” LAY SERVICE
Do
you have a description of a favorite place that you would like to share with
the congregation at the December 27th lay service? Maybe the
description is of a place you’ve visited. Maybe it’s of a place you’ve read
about. Maybe it’s a description you have written yourself! Please let Stephanie
Kelsch (skskhing4@aol.com)
know if you’d like to participate on the 27th. We’ll be needing
descriptions to read and people to read them. All ages are welcome!
-Submitted by Stephanie Shute Kelsch
News from our Cooperative
Religious Education Program
It
is the Holiday season once again. A
season of light out of darkness and a season of
giving. We have so much giving happening as we start the church year.
What a Season of Giving – Reverse Trick or Treating, helping with the Food Pantry, and Guest at Your Table Boxes.
Last
year we had such a great response to giving to Cradles
to Crayons as part of our Christmas Pageant that we will be doing it
again. You can bring your new or gently used (very gently) items to the
pageant service. They accept clothing, books,
toys, baby items, and school supplies for kids age 0 to 12. For more
information you can go to their website www.cradlestocrayons.org.
The
Christmas Pageant will be on December 20th. This year is
going to be just a little different. The script is based on the Friendly
Beasts. The kids are excited about doing their favorite traditional parts with
the addition of a few new animals. The Second Parish Band will be playing a
couple of carols. It will be a wonderful intergenerational service.
We thank all the children for participating and the pageant committee: Tasha
Allan, Stephanie Shute Kelsch, Jane Shute and Helene Soini.
Our
Christmas Eve evening service will be
intergenerational as well with the retelling of the nativity
story and I will be also telling a story about the Littlest Shepherd.
It
has been an eventful beginning to the church year. I am so pleased to see
the children involved in so much giving. What shall we do in the new year?
Happy
Holidays,
Rev.
Kim Preveza, Minister of Religious Education
Ways to Keep the Holidays Meaningful
-- Pick one night to read your beautiful Guest at
Your Table box and Stories of Hope booklet. Each week, with family and
friends, you can focus on a different person's story of hope as you sit down to
meals together and consider your many blessings.
--Try Candles. You can make or buy a wreath
and light a candle for Advent as we do in worship
on Sunday. There are various meanings behind the candles. One tradition
is to light one each Sunday for hope, peace, joy and love. Explore the
different traditions of the winter holidays with
your children. Check out the Church of the Larger
Fellowship
KidTalk: Connecting
Kids to Unitarian Universalism and Each Other http://clf.uua.org/kidtalk/2005-12/index.html
--Give -- keep up your great
spirit of giving. Help children pick out gifts for Cradles to
Crayons or other charities. Help them get into the spirit of giving when
so much can be focused on getting. Have a clean out day when they can
make room for new stuff coming in by going through their things to give away to
someone else who could really use it.
ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS
The
church, again this year, will be decorated with poinsettias on Sunday the 20th
of December for the Christmas Pageant and Christmas Eve Service.
If
you would like to order poinsettia plants, please complete the order form and
mail to the church with a check payable to Second Parish in Hingham. All orders must be
received by December 13th.
Your
poinsettias may be taken home after the Christmas Eve Service.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Order form for Christmas
Poinsettias
________ at $10.00 each
Total: $________
Please make check payable
to The Second Parish in Hingham and send to:
Second Parish
685 Main Street
Hingham, MA 02043
Please order no later than
December 13th.
Name:
______________________________________________
In Memory/Honor (please
circle one) of: ______________________________________________
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: December
21, noon
Production
Date: December
29, 10:00 am
Newsletter Team: Alice Brewer and Sandi Smith
Editors: Lou Belknap and Susan Weisenbeck
Edition: December,
2009
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