Julia Norcross and Diana Niethamer, Worship Leaders Join us as we explore the history of our national anthem, talk about why songs have meaning for us, and ask whether we need a new anthem to guide and celebrate our nation. SUMMER SERVICES BEGINOur summer worship services will be held every Sunday at 10:30 am outdoors … Continue reading “The Heart of the Matter: Anthems Personal and National”
It’s been a hard year, you’ve heard it said, a hard couple of years. We continue to have a lot to deal with. Our mental health is fragile. We need to be gentle with ourselves and each other. This service is to help us find some calm. I have some thoughts to share, and I’m … Continue reading “TO BE STILL”
SUMMER SERVICES BEGINBeginning June 26th, our summer worship services will be held every Sunday at 10:30 am outdoors at Dane Street beach on Lothrop Street in Beverly, in the shade of the trees at the south end of the park. In case of rain, we will meet at our usual location at 225 Cabot Street. … Continue reading Time for reflection in celebrating the unique qualities of ourselves and in others
Most Unitarian Universalists celebrate the Flower Ceremony, created by Norbert and Maja Capek in the 1930’s. In this, our last regular Sunday of the congregational year, we will celebrate the Flower Ceremony and consider why of all our UU rituals, this one endures. The story of its creators is one of courageously living one’s values, … Continue reading “These Messengers” – Flower Ceremony
What would you like to ask the interim minister? Rev. Susan will answer questions submitted in advance on Unitarian Universalism, theology, faith, ministry, congregations in 2022, the spiritual life. We will also appreciate our members’ ministries this Sunday, so please come and be thanked for your volunteer efforts. Send questions to minister@firstparishbeverly.org. This service depends … Continue reading Question Box and Congregational Ministries Appreciation
Somehow in the midst of a year that had held many challenges, good things have been happening at First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist. Today we celebrate milestones that remind us how and why community life is important to us: appreciation of congregational ministries; recognition of new members; and a bridging ceremony for high school senior, … Continue reading MILESTONES
Memorial Day holds some surprising roots, including racial ones, which we need to remember if we are to acknowledge the depth and complexity of the occasion. The day is, as Mark Bellinti writes, “a time for remembering the human loss in human wars, the silence of voices, the bending of hearts forever. . . ”Let’s … Continue reading “The First Parade”
The Purpose of Religious Education at First Parish Church is to understand, nurture and live out our Unitarian Universalist Faith. During our Religious Sunday Service, we will hear a multitude of voices and ages express the many ways in which we embrace our shared values, practice care for one another, and strive to build a … Continue reading “Religious Education Sunday: Being Unitarian Universalist – A Faith of Action”
Brad Willenbrock, Diana Niethamer, Christian Douglas, Duncan Ballantyne, Paul Willenbrock, Roberta Villanti, Carol Ballantyne, Carol Gerard, and Rev. Susan Milnor When we become curious about our racial history, what do we find? How is our own faith tradition part of this story? It’s a little like investigating one’s own genealogy: we find both truth to … Continue reading “How the Moments Come to Us”
Mother’s Day can be a tough time for many, and there is no one right way to hold it. But most of us can appreciate the legacies of foremothers as they struggled to make lives and engage their own creativity. What did they do with that creative energy? How are those often unacknowledged legacies passed … Continue reading “Tending Our Mothers’ Gardens”
