Second Parish Unitarian Universalist

Hingham, Massachusetts

Glad Tidings

From the Minister –

The sudden drop in temperature in mid-October triggered one of my seasonal bouts with laryngitis the week just before our installation of Rev. Kim Preveza as our Minister of Religious Education. One can generally rely on a cold to pass in about seven days, and since it settled in seriously the previous Sunday afternoon, I figured I’d be just about better on the Sunday morning of the installation. Fortunately, that’s how it worked out (though my voice was still a little rough on Sunday morning).

During the week, though, I had essentially no voice. To be without a voice meant that I couldn’t follow up on calls I’d promised to make to people. It meant I had to cancel the Genesis class at Linden Ponds, normally a highlight of the week. Voicelessness left me feeling fairly useless for most of the week – aside from the tiredness that usually goes along with a cold or a slight flu.

We are a bit more on the alert these days for symptoms of flu because of the uncertainties surrounding the H1N1 or Swine Flu virus. While its effects have so far been less than the worst fears we had in the spring about a pandemic, there is still enough uncertainty about its effects to put us on edge, alert to any hint of unexpected danger. Especially troubling was the death from complications of H1N1 of Matt Healey, a Hingham resident who had just gone off to college this fall. We all need to be on the alert for the unexpected this season. I’m sorry to have lost a week as I lost my voice, but I’m very grateful to have it back at last.

SERVICES: November 1^st: All Saints and All Souls The day after Halloween is traditionally a day for remembering the souls we have lost and hold dear. We will honor this tradition in our service. November 8^th: Ishmael and Isaac The ancient story of the sons of Abraham who became progenitors of the Arab and Jewish people helps to illuminate conflicts which continue to this day. November 15^th: Rev. Kim Preveza will be preaching about Prayer in my absence this Sunday. I will be attending the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association Convocation which meets once every five years, this year in Ottawa. This is my first opportunity to attend since becoming a minister. November 22^nd: Thanksgiving is for Everyone This will be an inter-generational service of Thanksgiving, including distribution of Guest at Your Table boxes from the UU Service Committee for sharing gifts during the holiday season. November 29^th: Hymn Sing Sandy Peavey will again be organizing a hymn sing for this Sunday building upon last year’s very successful service. Please pass favorite hymns you’d like to sing during this service along to Sandy (749-6081), to me or to Sandi Smith in the church office.

In Faith,

Paul

Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, Wednesday, November 25, 7:00 p.m.

Once again this year, we will be participating in the annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, traditionally held at the Old Ship Church, 90 Main Street in Hingham. Sponsored by the Hingham Hull Religious Leaders Association, participants will represent Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Bahai faiths. An interfaith choir will fill the Meeting House with anthems of thanksgiving. The offering will be given to the Wellspring Multi-Service Center in Hull; we are also invited to bring a can of food for the Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry. This year's preacher will be our own Rev. Paul Sprecher, who is currently the president of the Hingham Hull Religious Leaders Association.

There will be a reception following the service at the First Baptist Church across the street from Old Ship.

LEADERSHIP NOTES

One of the Leadership Board's goals for the coming year is to bring the By-laws up to date, particularly in the areas of membership and the roles of the various commissions. We'd like to start a small subcommittee for this purpose. If you're interested in helping out, please let me know. Or, if you have changes you'd like to suggest to the subcommittee, also let me know, and I'll make sure they are considered.

While I'm not sure of the exact process at this time, I believe it's important that everyone be given a chance to review and comment on any proposed changes to the By-laws well in advance of voting on them at our annual meeting. So we'll make sure there are ample opportunities for this to happen.

-Submitted by Rich Bowker, for the Leadership Board

Volunteer(s) Needed - Publicity Coordinator

This role is integral to the success of Second Parish. This person(s) will have the responsibility of making sure that all our events which are open to the public are publicized in the appropriate newspapers and on our website.

This person(s) will be responsible for getting articles written by the appropriate individual. This could be a person on the Leadership Board, the committee chairperson or someone from the congregation who is spearheading a program or event.

The Publicity Coordinator is NOT the person to write the articles,

rather the person to be sure something gets written and published!

This also includes press releases designed to inform the community about events and happenings at our church as well as ‘advertising’ any fundraising events for which we hope to attract attention to the great things we do at Second Parish. It would be really great if the article came with photos. We can start to stock pile photos of our events to use in upcoming stories. CAMERA ANYONE???

Some suggestions for publicity:

· Community Garden - both the planting and harvest!

· The new bathroom (funded solely by members to answer a need!)

· The Food Pantry Harvest Buffet luncheon (if we hold it again this year)

· The schedule of upcoming adult religious education programs

· The Not Your Average Yard Sale (POSTPONED TO SPRING 2010)

· Christmas Fair

· Christmas Eve Carol Sing

· Annual Art and Fine Crafts Show

The goal is to keep Second Parish in the news! We are trying to attract new members and this is a wonderful way to put ourselves out there in the community. Letting people know we are a busy, active church and doing great things is a great way to attract attention and hopefully new members.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved as your time permits. Much of this can be done in advance of the events. Why not find a buddy and work as a team? Please call Mariann O'Connor at 781-749-9896 if you are interested.

Music schedule for November:

11/1: Elizabeth Morrell, soprano

11/8: Choir

11/15: Diane and David Whiting, baritone

11/22: Choir

11/29: Elizabeth Morrell, soprano

Community

Men’s Breakfast

The next Men's breakfast will be on Saturday, November 14^th 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 be reading The Given Day by Dennis Lahane this month. We will be meeting at the home of Karen and Phil Delano, 150 North Truro St., Hull, on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:30 pm. Newcomers are always welcome. Please call Karen or Phil for directions: 781-925-8777.

Beyond Belief Documentary to be shown at Hingham High School

Tuesday, November, 10^th, Film at 7:00pm (followed by Question & Answer session with Susan Retik)

Please join us at Hingham High School for a special one-night showing of the documentary film Beyond Belief. This award-winning film traces the journey of 9/11 widows Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, who moved beyond their own grief to co-found Beyond the 11th, the nonprofit organization that provides aid to Afghan widows affected by war, terrorism, and oppression.

Tickets are available at the door $10 for adults and $5 for students. ALL ticket proceeds go to Beyond the 11th, to provide relief and income-generating programs to Afghan widows as they move from oppression to independence.

Please join us for the documentary film that ABC News calls "truly remarkable" as we raise awareness of the plight of Afghan widows. This documentary was shown this summer at the Shipyard Loring Cinema, and was sold out.

Thank You!

Thank you to all who came to the installation of Rev. Kim Preveza as our minister of Religious Education. It truly was a wonderful event that reflected our appreciation for all that Kim does for our children and our congregation. The Religious Education Committee, Tasha Allan, Jane Shute, Helene Soini and Susan Weisenbeck wishes to thank the following people for contributing to the celebration:

-Submitted by Jane Shute

Save the Date – Saturday, December 5 – Glad Tidings Christmas Fair

This is one of our important fund-raising events of the year and a great way to get into the spirit of the season with friends. We will be selling handmade items, beautifully decorated wreaths, ornaments, gifts, Cabot cheese, cookies and other homemade foods.

We Need Your Help

Here are ways that you can contribute to the success of each of the tables at the fair.

WREATHS: We will be decorating lots of wreaths on Tues., Dec. 1. Orders will be taken at church throughout November, and we will need willing hands to finish the wreaths.

HANDMADE ITEMS AND CRAFTS: There is still time to knit, crochet, or sew items to be sold at this table.

GIFTS: You can donate new or like- new gifts and jewelry, and handmade ornaments are always popular.

FOOD TABLE: Think about special treats to cook or bake. Breads, chili, soups, cakes, pies, baked beans, etc. are very popular.

BOOKS: Do you have gently-used books that you’re done with? Please donate them to the fair.

COOKIE EXCHANGE: We need a variety of small cookies for this table. People will pay a flat fee to fill decorated coffee cans with the varieties of their choice. You can bake early and freeze the cookies you'd like to donate. Please save your coffee cans for this table.

MEN'S TABLE: In addition to the block of Cabot cheddar, we can use birdseed, bird feeders, and other creative items for this table.

As the date approaches, we will be calling for people to help with set-up and clean-up and to work the tables. We are always open to new ideas, so feel free to call.

-Submitted by Diana Meigs and Susan Weisenbeck

Roommate Wanted
Do you have a friend who is looking for an apartment? Sarah is looking for a roommate to share the parsonage, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who might know of someone, or have suggestions where to look. Many thanks!

-Sarah Phillips 781-740-4004

News from our Cooperative Religious Education Program

Happy November, Happy Thanksgiving.

We are well into our year of Religious Education and there are so many reasons to give thanks. The church year started off with our great team of RE teachers. They deserve all of our thanks for teaching our children and youth. Let us all thank again, Juliana Dunn, Pam King, Suzette Droster, Baba Shetty, and Chip King. We have so many assistants to thank as well. It is so wonderful for the children to see not only their parents but also other adults from the congregation too.

We have men and women, and people of all ages from teens on up helping, offering their thoughts, sharing, and being a part of it all. It is great. We can all be so thankful.

I write this the day after our installation. What a joyous recognition of and commitment to our ministry of religious education as a whole congregation. The Rev. Catherine Cullen charged the congregation to give their open minds, open hands, and open hearts. I felt it before and feel it even more now. I believe the children feel it too. I believe we will continue to grow as we keep opening our minds, hands, and hearts. We are growing in breadth and depth. Ever year we plant the seeds, every year we will grow stronger and stronger in so many ways. Every year we will have such a harvest to celebrate. Every year we will have reason to celebrate our abundance. Sure sometimes, we may feel some sense of lack. We will want more – more volunteers, more supplies, more for the budget, more to offer, more kids, more families, more to do, more to be. But first, we must start with thanks for all the blessing we already have (this goes for life in general). We start from a place of abundance and then we can joyfully grow from there. It just seems to work that way. The more we appreciate our blessings the more we seem to have of what we want and need; the more we focus on what is missing, the less we seem to get of what we want and need.

Another wonderful thing that happens when we realize how much abundance we have right now is that we are more open to giving. I think it is meaningful that Thanksgiving comes before the gift-giving season. We are more prepared to give when we have counted our blessings.

-Many Blessings, Rev. Kim

It's time to welcome a Guest at Your Table!

On November 22, we'll open our Guest at Your Table program with an intergenerational worship celebration.

When we bring home our Guest at Your Table boxes, our families and friends will learn about real struggles for justice in the United States and around the world.

With each box comes a copy of Stories of Hope, written to teach children, youth, and adults how the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee helps to change our world for the better. The stories introduce you to human-rights champions, like Jacinta, a tailor and single mother of two in Kenya who is empowering other informal workers and street vendors to stand up for their rights.

When we share our blessings with our guests, we ensure that UUSC and people like Jacinta can continue their important work.

And thanks to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, N.Y., gifts of $100 or more are eligible to be matched, dollar for dollar, doubling your good works!

If you miss picking up your Guest at Your Table box and Stories of Hope on November 22, please see Rev. Kim to get one.

Note: On November 15^th, Rev. Kim will be leading the worship service. The topic will be Prayer. What is it? What can it be? Do you have to believe in God to pray? How shall we pray?

Volunteer Hands for Church School

Many thanks to all who have volunteered to assist the teachers in the religious education classes on Sunday mornings.

The following is a chart of upcoming services and volunteers. Please note that we still have several openings later in the year. Volunteering on Sunday mornings is a great way to get to know our younger members. No preparation is required; we are looking for people to provide an extra pair of hands if needed.

11/1

Helene Soini

Deedee Sprecher

11/8

Rich Bowker

Doug Preveza

11/15

Sandy Peavey

Betty Tower

11/22

Intergenerational Service

11/29

Hymn Sing

12/6

John Belknap

Doug Preveza

12/13

Stephanie Kelsch

12/20

Christmas Pageant

12/27

Intergenerational Service

1/3

Rev. Kim combined class for all ages

1/10

Allison Crowe

Alice Brewer

1/17

Rev. Kim combined class for all ages

1/24

John Belknap

Anna Maude

1/31

2/7

Tasha Allan

Anna Maude

2/14

2/21

Tasha Allan

Jane Shute

2/28

Rev. Kim combined class for all ages

3/7

Thomas Weisenbeck

Alex Droster

3/14

3/21

3/28

4/4

EASTER SUNDAY

4/11

4/18

Rev. Kim combined class for all ages

4/25

Union Service

5/2

Elaine Cadogan

5/9

5/16

5/23

5/30

Rev. Kim combined class for all ages

6/6

Elaine Cadogan

6/13

RE Sunday

6/20

Flower Communion

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 3^rd Monday of each month.

Next Newsletter Deadline: November 16, noon

Production Date: November 24, 10:00 am

Newsletter Team: Alice Brewer and Sandi Smith

Editor: Lou Belknap

Edition: November, 2009

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