Second Parish Unitarian Universalist
Hingham, Massachusetts
Glad Tidings
From the Minister –
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can’t help falling in love with you – Elvis
It’s perhaps appropriate that we don’t know exactly who St. Valentine, patron saint of the day bearing his name, may have been or done. According to one story, the emperor Claudius II of Rome determined that single men fought more effectively (or were more likely to enroll) in the army and decreed that marriage should be abolished in Rome; but the priest Valentine continued to marry Christian couples in defiance of the ban and was martyred on February 14, 270 A.D. Another lovely addition to the story suggests that he may have befriended his jailor’s daughter and left her a farewell note signed “from your Valentine,” a custom continued in his honor to this day. Like many other Christian holidays, this one probably harks back to earlier pagan holidays. The Roman month of February was dedicated to Juno Februata, the Roman goddess of the fever of love.
Whatever its origins, Valentine’s Day is about love in one way or another, and it’s a good opportunity for us to think back to the wonderful times when we’ve fallen deeply, madly in love with another person, with an idea, or with a commitment to people or places. The sense of being overtaken by love or infatuation or commitment is something we would do well to keep in mind during this cold month of our winter. Allowing ourselves new excitement and possibility is part of how we keep ourselves young and our hearts beating fondly. Falling head over heels can be a little dangerous, particularly as we grow older, but remembering those occasions when we have can be an important part of keeping ourselves attuned to the excitement we have found and still can find in our living. Even in the middle of the coldest part of the year, the memory and practice of emotional warmth helps to keep our lives (and even our hearts!) warm.
If chocolate is part of your personal celebration of the month of love, our Second Parish Chocolate Auction after church on February 11th is the place to get your supply of stimulants for the season.
Soul Work: We had a wonderful kickoff for the Soul Work anti-racism discussions at our three parishes on Sunday, January 14th, in Cohasset with some 35 participants, including a number from here. On February 4th, we will be hosting the next session here at Second Parish starting at noon with a luncheon followed by a discussion from 12:30-2:30 of the first chapter of Soul Work, edited by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley. We will be providing a Religious Education program for kids, so families are welcome. Please sign up to join the discussion and to help us host. If you don’t have a copy of Soul Work and would like to buy the book or sample the first chapter and join us, please drop me a note. Our first discussion consisted of introducing ourselves and reflecting on one way racism had touched our lives in the past month; please consider joining us here on February 4th.
In Faith,
Paul
Leadership Board Notes
As part of our effort to reach out to those who need help and support, Second Parish is continuing to donate the bills and change collected at the second Sunday service each month to a worthy cause. Our first donation in November went to the UU Web Template Project (who helped us to design our web site). In December the recipient was the Wellspring Social Service Center in Hull; in January we collected $323 for Father Bill's in Quincy. For February, we turn to a very local group that is one of the stars of our church, the Food Pantry, whose dedicated workers just completed another splendid holiday program of caring and giving to the needy. Please be generous in giving our thanks and donations to them on February 11th. -Submitted by Allan Viden
Community
Men’s Breakfast
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The next men's breakfast will be held at 8:00 a.m. in Cushing Hall on Saturday, February 10th. All men of the parish are welcome to join us for a high cholesterol breakfast and conversation. We have no set agenda. Come prepared to talk about anything on your mind. We break promptly at 9:00 a.m. Call Lou Belknap at 781-749-5519 if you can join us, or email me at lsbelknap@verizon.net.
Book Group
The next meeting will be
Tuesday, February 27th at 7:30 p.m. at Gene Chamberlain’s home. The book for this
meeting is Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Any questions call
Jennifer Love at 781-749-3243.
Bingo Night!
Look out Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, Second Parish is starting up the games! We are planning a fun night of Bingo and potluck on Saturday, February 3, 6:00 p.m. As it says on the side of some board games – this will be fun for 8 through 80. We’ll eat first, than get down to the serious business at hand. There will be small prizes for kids who are winners. For the adults, please bring a book which you wish to exchange. Adult winners of one of the games will get to choose from the book exchange table.
Note from the Craft Connection
The Craft Connection has been busy cleaning out and organizing their supplies for the 2007 Christmas Bazaar. We have unearthed a wonderful supply of yarns that would love to be made into mittens or hats or even scarves. Ask one of us to show you our stash after church or stop by Cushing Hall any Monday morning (9:30 - 11:30) and we'd be glad to share patterns, ideas and yes, Yarn. -Submitted by Diana Meigs, Becky Weston, Helene Soini
The Chocolate Auction, February 11th in Cushing Hall after coffee hour!
Everyone is
encouraged to bring a chocolate treat to be auctioned, but all are welcome,
even without something for the auction. This is lots of fun for all ages.
Bring friends and family!
Please note that Gallagher Management has agreed to match dollar for dollar any
amount raised at the chocolate auction up to $1000. So, we need to keep those
bids coming early and often to double the amount of money raised.
The Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Fund
In remembering someone who was, as UUA President William G. Sinkford put it, a "friend, confidante, co-worker and so much more," the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations announces the creation of The Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Fund. The Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Fund will be used to support Unitarian Universalist congregations and their lay and ordained leaders who are committed to the transformative work of creating inclusive multicultural communities of the spirit.
Individuals and congregations are invited to make contributions:
· Make an online credit card donation through the UUA's secure website: http://www.uua.org/giving/bowens-wheatley.html
· Send checks payable to the "Unitarian Universalist Association" to: Bowens-Wheatley Fund, Stewardship and Development, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108
· Give stock and mutual fund shares
Contact the UUA if you have any questions about how to make your gift. Grants from the fund will be made with the approval of the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and members of the Bowens-Wheatley family.
For tax purposes: The UUA is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our federal tax-exempt I.D. number is 04-210-3733. Your donation to the Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Fund qualifies as a tax deductible charitable gift. Please consult your financial and tax advisors regarding your particular circumstances. Thank you for your generosity!
Concert for Peace to Benefit Military Families Speak Out
Old Ship Parish Hall, Saturday, February 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. More info on MFSO can be found on mfso.org.
Speaker: Melida Arrendondo, MFSO Singers: Charlie King and Karen Brandow
Friends of the UUA Phonathon
As
a supplement to periodic mailings, Friends of the UUA will be conducting a
fundraising phonathon beginning the week of February 19th and continuing
through the third week in March. Outreach Associates, a telemarketing
firm located in Pittsburgh, will be phoning members
who are currently active Friends of the UUA to ask them to renew their support.
The theme is: Progress Report on Tapestry of Faith Lifespan Curriculum.
Our
contract with this firm requires that all callers must be courteous,
respectful, and succinct as they offer identified Unitarian Universalists an
opportunity to support our Association directly. Your feedback about the
calls will help us to monitor their quality. We have established a Friends
Phonathon Hotline to facilitate that feedback: Members may call (617)
948-6525 to leave a message to ask to be placed on the "no call" list
or to share a comment directly with a UUA staff member.
Your willingness to support the UUA enhances our ability to provide services and programs to member congregations and presents avenues for future growth of Unitarian Universalism throughout the country. If this phonathon is occurring at an inappropriate time for Friends of the UUA to be contacting members of your congregation, please let me know by return email before February 5, 2007. -With gratitude, Cynthia Salloway, Director,
Friends of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Stewardship & Development
Education
News from our Cooperative Religious Education Program
Our new Coming of Age Program is designed
· to acknowledge, enrich and celebrate our high school teens’ passage from childhood to adulthood,
· to help them understand and experience being part of our UU community and
· to clarify and articulate their personal beliefs and values while exploring their own spirituality.
I wish I had had such an opportunity at their age, don’t you?
Mentors and “mentees” experience, together as a group, one activity per month relating to spirituality and they intend to choose together an interesting and deserving social actions project. There is some fun in the planning too. Mentors, who receive a copy of their mentee’s workbook, provide friendship, gentle guidance and support. The program culminates with a wonderful Coming of Age ceremony during which each mentee is encouraged to state his or her own credo, always a very moving moment. This special service will be followed by a celebration and will take place May 20, 2007.
Our pioneer young participants are Mark Bowker, James Bowker, Megan Gallagher, Ryan Gallagher and Dana Mackey. As of this writing, they are eager to each have their own mentor, so we hope you will consider joining our enthusiastic program. We need both male and female mentors. So, this is a CALL for VOLUNTEER MENTORS. Please contact any member of the COA committee for more information or with any questions or mentor suggestions. Thank you. The COA committee members are: Heidi Brieger, Richard Bowker, Rev. Paul Sprecher and Liliane Verdier.
We will be talking in church about Goddesses soon. Our culture has forgotten about them, but take a look at the Cushing Hall bulletin board little display and be prepared to be amazed by their essence and powers.
On February 18, the teachers in the Junior, Intermediate and Primary groups will have the day off. We will have a session for all the children present on “Peace and Tibetan Prayer Flags”, involving creativity, music and movement.
Thank you very much to the sewing group ladies for grouping their supplies upstairs, to the Maude family for cleaning up after the pageant and to Mary Collins for donating beautiful Advent calendars to all the children.
-Liliane Verdier, Acting Director of Religious Education Lilianevhing@aol.com, 781-749-9581
To Second Parish Kids:
We invite you to submit a piece of your favorite artwork for the
51st Annual Arts and Crafts Exhibit and Sale
May 1 to May 9, 2007
Artwork could be a drawing, painting, clay, sculpture - use your imagination!
Drop off artwork at the
church on Thursday, April 26 or Friday, April 27 between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Questions: call Sandi at 781-749-1671