Second Parish Unitarian Universalist
Hingham, Massachusetts
Glad Tidings
From the Minister –
Sarah Phillips – our Commissioner of Worship on the Leadership Board – Rev. Kim Preveza and I met recently to discuss the possibility of conducting services into the summer, including the last Sunday in June and all of the Sundays in July, with the possible exception of July 4th, which happens to fall on a Sunday this year. On that Sunday, perhaps we could march in the parade instead.
Many of the congregations who used to take the whole summer off, as we do, have more recently instituted summer services. For example, Deedee & I started attending the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, NJ, at a time when we took the whole summer off. Our minister at that time explained that “Unitarian Universalists are the only congregations that God trusts to take the summer off from attending services.” More recently, the Ridgewood Society has instituted services all through the summer. I typically fill the pulpit in Ridgewood for one of those Sundays, and there are either guest ministers or lay led services. Old Ship has conducted summer lay services for about the past twenty years.
The two and a half months of the summer are too long for us as a congregation not to gather. In the past, we have had a summer pool party, usually at the O’Connors and at least one special occasion like a beach day for our kids. But I’m sure that some of us would like more contact than this – some of you have said to me that you miss the congregation during that long break of almost a quarter of the year.
An equally significant reason is that when we have guests coming to our services later in the year, they are often startled that we take such a long break. It means that, while they may be excited to join us and bring their children to Religious Education, their interest may wane over the summer and they won’t come back in the fall.
We would line up visiting ministers, perhaps have Jim Scott, who provided some wonderful music in one of our services at the end of March, and ask some of you to lead lay services. I would also be willing to conduct one of those services myself.
It’s important that we know if you have an interest in July services. Please speak to Sarah, Kim or myself to let us know. We’ll also be doing an informal survey to gauge your interest.
SERVICES – May 2nd – “Margaret Fuller, Hero of Her Time" – A remembrance of one of the great feminists of the 19th Century, whose 200th birthday would fall later this month. May 9th “Mother Love” – A celebration of Mother’s Day and its many meanings. May 16th - "You Need a Time Out" – Sometimes our kids need a “time out,” and grownups do, too. May 23rd – Special Outdoor Meeting to place flags on graves of veterans at High Street Cemetery. See article inside. May 30th – Guest minister, Stephanie Shute Kelsch.
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
Saturday, May 1 Art Show set up
May 6 – 16 10 am to 8 pm ART SHOW (Sundays 12-4 pm)
Saturday, May 8 3:00 pm Ball in the House Concert
Sunday, May 9 Second Sunday Collection: Father Bill’s & Mainspring
Monday, May 17 7:30 pm Leadership Board Meeting, at the Parsonage
Saturday, May 22 8:00 am – Men’s Breakfast
Sunday, May 23 Budget Meeting after church to discuss budget and bylaws
Tuesday, May 18 7:30 pm Book Group at Lou Belknap’s house
Book: The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, June 6: ANNUAL MEETING after church
Music Schedule for May
5/2: Choir
5/9: MacIsaac & Ross Folk Duo
5/16: Linden Ponds Ensemble
5/23: Special Outdoor Service
5/30: Choir
From the Leadership Board: Revision of the Bylaws
Several of us are nearing completion of an update of Second Parish's bylaws. These revisions will be available for comment and review soon and will be voted on at our annual meeting on Sunday, June 6.
Our committee focused on two areas where we thought the bylaws needed updating: criteria for voting at meetings and the structure of our Leadership Board.
Membership. According to the bylaws, once you have signed the membership book and been approved by the congregation, you are essentially a member of Second Parish for life, unless you formally resign or don't respond to certified mail from us. Over time, members move away and become inactive, but they typically don't resign. This means that we theoretically have many more members than those who make pledges or attend annual meeting. And this could be problematic in a dispute over a quorum; it's also a problem when we pay our UU dues, which are based on the number of members.
Other parishes have also faced this problem. A common solution (and the one we are proposing) is to create a category of voting membership. You are a voting member in a given year if you have contributed money or volunteered your time to the church in that year. In addition, we are proposing a category of inactive membership for people who still want to be considered members of the church, but don't plan to attend meetings and vote. We believe these small changes will address the issue sufficiently.
Leadership. Here we are trying to align the bylaws with the way we are actually operating nowadays. Typically the members of the Leadership Board are the chairs of our various commissions: Religious Education, Property, Finance, etc. But the bylaws don't say that; members are nominated for, and elected to, the Leadership Board, without reference to these commissions. In practice, though, the Nominating Committee ends up looking for, say, a chair of RE, who will also be on the Leadership Board.
We propose changing the bylaws to make it explicit that this is what the Nominating Committee does, and that the Leadership Board is composed of these commission chairs, plus the chair of the Leadership Board itself.
We are also suggesting a couple of other bylaw changes with respect to the commissions. First, we are making the descriptions of the commissions in the bylaws more about their missions and less about their specific duties. We think that level of detail doesn't belong in the bylaws, although the Leadership Board should work out those details with the various chairs, to make sure we're doing everything that needs to be done.
Second, we are proposing to add a Membership commission. Finding new members and sustaining existing members is critical to our future, and we think it's important to have someone who is thinking specifically about these issues.
We don't believe this is necessarily the last word on the governing structure of the parish; in the future the Leadership Board may look more closely at governance issues and try to find out what works and doesn't work at parishes our size. In the meantime, we believe these changes are a good first step.
Please review the bylaws when they are distributed later this month. If you have comments or questions, please see one of the members of the bylaw committee: Rich Bowker, Sandy Peavey, Allan Viden or Susan Weisenbeck
-Submitted by Rich Bowker
Community
Men’s Breakfast
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The next Men's breakfast will be on Saturday, May 22 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, May 18, at Lou
Belknap’s home. We are reading The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry.
Second Sunday Collections
On Easter Sunday, April 4th, we held our Second Sunday collection a week early. We collected $162 for Project Bread and $162 to buy plants and supplies for the Community Garden at Second Parish, for a total of $324. The produce from the garden will benefit the Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry.
In May, the Second Sunday collection will go to Father Bill’s & Mainspring. The mission of Father Bill’s and Mainspring is to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to obtain a home by giving temporary shelter and food, finding safe and affordable housing for them, and providing permanent housing with supportive services. If you can’t attend church on May 9th and you would like to contribute to the Second Sunday collection, you can send a check to the church made out to either “Father Bill’s & Mainspring” or to Second Parish with a note in the memo line that it is for Father Bill’s & Mainspring. Please be generous. The importance of this organization in today’s economic times cannot be overemphasized.
Second Parish Garden
Spring is here and it’s time for us to start planning our Community Garden at Second Parish for the benefit of the Hingham Food Pantry. This year, I would like to prepare the garden plot early (April or early May), by having the plot rototilled and working in some purchased compost material. Kim Preveza says that real compost is available for the taking at the Hingham Transfer Station, but someone needs to find out when that will be available. Kim Shaw has volunteered his truck to pick it up, but additional hands to shovel it into the truck and spread it on the garden plot are needed. I would like to make the plot larger this year. Volunteers are needed for these tasks.
We also need a volunteer to talk with Susan Kiernanat the Food Pantry to get a list of what vegetables are particularly needed by the Food Pantry over the summer. I’d also like to do a better job this year coordinating with the Food Pantry on harvesting. Would anyone like to be the Food Pantry Coordinator for the garden?
Later in May, when it’s safe to plant, let’s have a planting party. Bring your whole family (especially the children) and we’ll make a party of it – maybe with even a picnic. What do you think?
It has been suggested that this summer we schedule “weeding days” when a bunch of us gather at the garden to weed. That should be a lot more fun than weeding alone.
If you have ideas for making the garden more fun and productive for all, please give me your suggestions.
-Submitted by Sandy Peavey
Calling All Covenant Renewal Replies
By now, we hope you have had time to read and respond to our covenant renewal letter. As of this writing, we have received 13 pledges for a total of $29,000. We need to hear from everyone by April 30 in order to finalize a budget for next year. Please plan to attend the informational budget meeting after church on May 23 where the proposed budget will be reviewed in detail and members of the Leadership Board will be available to respond to questions and comments. The budget will be presented and voted on by the congregation at the annual meeting in June.
-Submitted by Susan Weisenbeck
Save the Date!
May 23rd will be a patriotic outdoor meeting for all of us. Second Parish has volunteered to place flags on the graves of veterans at the High Street Cemetery. We will meet at the church for brief instructions and then carpool to the cemetery. If the High Street Cemetery Chapel is available we will meet there. We will keep you posted.
There will be jobs for all. Walkers will go in groups to different sections of the cemetery to place the flags, and non-walkers will be stationed in the center to collect old flags from last year and to pass out flags to the walkers.
We encourage as many of you as possible to come because as we all know ”many feet make light work.”
We will return to church for coffee and the hearing on next year’s budget and proposed by law changes.
EXTRA! EXTRA! ART SHOW and CONCERT
Please Come and Invite Friends
54th Annual Exhibit and Sale of Art and Fine Crafts at Second Parish
May 6 through May 16
Open Daily: 10:00 am to 8:00pm (Sundays Noon to 4:00 pm)
Opportunity to view and buy original art and fine crafts by artists from Hingham,
South Shore, Cape Cod and New England
Also on view -- artwork by area school children, kindergarten through grade 12.
Ball in the House Concert
Saturday, May 8th 3:00 pm
Saturday, May 8, at 3:00 pm in church sanctuary -- Concert featuring “The Ball in the House.”
Winner of 2009 Best of Boston Award for musical entertainers.
Sounds of instruments all by performers’ voices.
Concert followed by wine and cheese reception.
Tickets: $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Please call Jane Shute, 781-749-6518 .
On-line www.bownpapertickets.com.
Junior Exhibit
All young people are welcome to have their favorite art - painting, sculpture, photograph, collage or other piece, displayed in the Massachusetts Cultural Council sponsored Art Show to be held at Second Parish Church, May 6th through May 16th. Art work may be dropped off Thursday, April 29th or Friday, April 30th from 4-6 p.m. at the church. Older students (High School and Middle School) are eligible for prizes; younger children (Nursery and Elementary) all receive participant ribbons. There will be an opening reception for contributing artists, their families and their teachers, on Thursday, May 6th starting at 6 in the evening.
It is always a delightful show. It is also unique in that for some young people it is the only time that their work might be displayed in a 'real' art show.
Please encourage the children of your own extended families, your neighbors, and your friends to participate.
For further information please contact Jane Shute at 781-749-6518, or
call Sandi at the church at 781-749-1671.
News from our Cooperative Religious Education Program
The church year is rapidly approaching the end of the year. Our church school follows the academic year of September to June. We follow the Hingham School calendar. This is the time of year we start preparing for next year.
The Religious Education Committee is beginning to select curricula for next year and think about who will teach the classes.
As the year comes to a close, one of the things I have been thinking about is our Religious Education Philosophy. What are we trying to teach?
I have talked with the children and youth and found that they like learning about nature, doing hands on activities, and drama. This is how they like to learn. They like to have experiences. Perhaps, we could think about being a Religious Experiences program. RE could stand for Religious Education and Religious Experiences. Some churches are moving toward this type of language. Sometimes church school can feel too much like school. We use the same language, follow the same calendar, and sometimes use the same methods. But we are not a school – we are a church.
I hope next year, we give our children even more religious experiences. I hope we also give them an education in the true sense of the word – “educe” which means, "to draw forth from within." They already have so much within them, so much spirit and so much soul, and so many great questions and answers.
Here are some experiences to offer next year. We are talking about having a gathering worship. The children already do some of the things we do in the sanctuary like lighting a chalice (a LED light for safety) and sharing joys and concerns. We are talking about adding prayer and giving. So we are talking about providing more worshipful experiences in RE. We are talking about doing more social care projects as a group. We are talking about what sources we will offer to help the children explore religion. Traditionally, in most Unitarian Universalists churches we aim to offer sources from our Jewish-Christian Heritage, our Unitarian Universalist history and principles, World Religions, and about caring for each other and our planet.
This upcoming year 2010-2011, we are talking about exploring more stories from our Jewish-Christian heritage. We would also have some Unitarian Universalist history and explorations of World Religions.
I would love to hear from you about what you would like the children to learn/experience at Second Parish. Our next RE Committee meeting is May 16th. So, it would be great to talk before then.
Blessings,
Rev. Kim Preveza
Minister of Religious Education
Outside our Community
Help needed
House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Main St. Hingham has been working with surrounding communities to prepare 100 Layettes to send to Haiti and assembly night is May 5th!. We still need many Receiving Blankets to be able to achieve our goal. Anyone who can help by donating or sewing these blankets, please drop off at our church office anytime before
1:00 p.m. any week day except Tuesdays. Thank you for helping the families of Haiti !
Event Pianist
Katie Weintraub, former Coming-of-Age mentee from Old Ship Church, is available as a pianist for parties, events and functions during the summer months of June, July, and August. She has eleven years of piano training in all genres—soft jazz, old standards, classical, contemporary, Broadway, folk, etc. Previous venues include Boston College, Second Parish, and Fontbonne Academy. Hourly rate negotiable. If interested, please contact at 781.413.4839 or weintrak@bc.edu.
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: May 17, noon
Production Date: May 25, 10:00 am
Newsletter Team: Alice Brewer and Sandi Smith
Editors: Lou Belknap and Susan Weisenbeck
Edition: February, 2010
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