The FUUSN Chime

Weekly Newsletter of the

First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton

December 27, 2023

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The Gift of Liberating Love

Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 10:15am

Rev. Parisa Parsa

“Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.”

The great thinker, writer, philosopher James Baldwin wrote that to truly love another, we must be committed to their liberation from delusion. This is not a comfortable, cozy kind of love, but a gift of genuine support and challenge that we can offer one another to grow into the people we were meant to be. How might we continue the path of unlearning the harmful messages that have kept us separated: by race, by gender, by assumed or implied identities and their meaning? How can our theology of redemptive love ground us on the journey?

Spiritual Practice of the Month of January:

The Gift of Liberating Love

Journal Reflection/Prompt

How have you experienced love freeing you?

When have you known that love could push you past your previously-identified limits?

When have you experienced love that is not liberating? How did (or does) that experience sit with you?

Meditation Prompt

Consider each day where you have experienced love: witnessing it among others, feeling it yourself, popping up in expected and unexpected places. Where might you wish to send love that could heal, create possibilities, or offer hope? Visualize the people, places, and situations you wish to send liberating love one by one, lingering on your wishes for them.

Ministerial Search Committee Report

Your Ministerial Search Committee continues to be busy. Ministers in search are exploring our congregation via the UUA Ministry Search Website, our FUUSN website, and via documents we assembled for their review. Those documents include the summaries of the survey and listening circles, which we recently shared with the congregation, as well as a robust assortment of documents and photographs that reflect the depth, breadth, and vibrancy of our community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported these efforts, including those who participated in the survey, the listening circles, and the B4 workshop, as well as Jenise who has updated and improved our website.

We are scheduled to begin receiving applications this week, and will be extremely busy after that as we interview and do the work of finding our best fit minister. Candidate and process confidentiality will necessitate we will be light on details for the next few months. We wish you all a lovely New Year as we have visions of Ministers dancing in our heads.

Visit the ministerial search page for periodic updates.

Covid Policy Reminder

We are delighted to be gathering in person, and to have the option of Zoom for worship and event attendance. As Covid, RSV, and other communicable illnesses rise and fall, we hope everyone will exercise caution to keep the community safe:

Stay home if you feel unwell and definitely if you have tested positive for a communicable illness.
Wear a mask if you feel well but may have been exposed.
Remember that the last few rows of pews in the sanctuary are reserved for folks masking due to increased vulnerability to illness, and respect that space appropriately.

Upcoming Events This Week

Calendar

Jan. 5, 6pm: Zoom Vespers

Jan. 6, 11am : Mary White Memorial Service

Jan 7, 11:30am: Racial Justice and Reparations presentation: Carl McCargo

Jan. 7, 11:30 am: Climate Action Task Force Coffee Hour Table: Heating without Fossil Fuels

Jan 7, 11:30am: FUUSN Band Rehearsal

Jan 7, 3pm: UU Plant-Based Eating Club meal (sold out)

Jan 7, 3:30pm: JourneySongs Hospice Choir rehearsal

Jan. 9, 7pm: Soul Matters Meeting

Recurring Events

Wed., 6:30pm: Tai Chi Class

Wed., 7:30pm: Choir Practice

Thurs., 4:30pm: CreationDance

Fri., 11am: Over 60s Walking Group

RE This Week

During Service: Spirit Circle - Racial Justice

Jan. 7, 4pm: OWL Parent Orientation: K-1 and 4-6th

Jan. 7, 5pm: All8 Arts Workshop

Jan. 8, 7pm: Mandatory Legal Guardian Orientation

Memorial for Mary White

Sat., January 6, 2024 at 11am

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mary White, who passed away on November 25th after a long and extraordinary battle with brain cancer. Service will begin at 11am. A reception will follow the memorial. The family requests that you please test for Covid before attending.

View her obituary. Attend via Zoom.

Racial Justice and Reparations Task Force presents:

Carl W. McCargo, M.S.

Speaking on society's "isms" such as racism, sexism, classism.

Sunday, January 7, 11:30am

Alliance Room and Zoom

Events and Special Services for January

Friday, Jan. 5, 6pm: Zoom Vespers - online

Saturday, Jan. 6, 11am : Mary White Memorial Service - Please test before attending - Sanctuary and Parish Hall

Sunday, Jan 7, 11:30am: Racial Justice and Reparations presentation: Carl McCargo - Alliance Room

Jan. 7, 11:30am: Climate Action Task Force Coffee Hour Table: Heating without Fossil Fuels - Parish Hall

Jan 7, 3pm: UU Plant-Based Eating Club meal (sold out) - Kitchen and Alliance Room

Jan. 7, 5pm: All8 Arts Workshop - Parish Hall and Kitchen

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 7pm: Soul Matters Meeting - Alliance Room

Sunday, Jan. 14, 10:15am: Special Guest Minister Rev. Mary Margaret Earl: The Way is Long - Sanctuary and Zoom

Jan 14, 10:15am: Day of Service for All RE Classes

Jan. 14, 11:30am: FUUSN Community Expo - Parish Hall

Friday, Jan. 19, 6pm: Zoom Vespers - online

Sunday, Jan. 21, 11:30am: Musical Instruments Demonstrations - Alliance Room

Jan. 21, 12pm: Racial Justice Book Club - Children's Chapel

Jan. 21, 6pm: UU Plant-Based Eating Club Potluck - Location TBA

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7pm: Racial Justice Book Club - online

Sunday, Jan. 28, 12pm: Racial Justice Book Club - Children's Chapel

For all events, services, meetings, and rehearsals in January, view our Events Calendar.

Volunteer Opportunities

Now that the Holiday Fair has come to a very successful close, it’s time to think about the next community event - The FUUSN Community Fair! It’s been a while since we had all our groups and committees showcase their work, and we’d like to invite your group to have a table and/or give a talk on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

If you’d like to host a table for your group and/or give a talk, please APPLY HERE.

If you'd like to help set up or clean up, SIGN UP HERE.

Save the Date

FUUSN Community Expo

Sunday, January 14, 11:30am

Remember Club Fairs from your school days? FUUSN is hosting its FUUSN Community Expo on Sunday, Jan. 14 during coffee hour. Come and find out what you don’t know yet about your community!

Racial Justice Book Clubs Forming

Groups at FUUSN will discuss the book Nice Racism, by Robin DiAngelo. One group will meet in person at FUUSN on Sundays from 12-2 PM (January 21st, 28th, and February 11th), and another will meet on Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 PM (January 23rd and 30th, and February 6th). Stop by the Racial Justice Ministry table at coffee hour or email Meg Holland.

UU Plant-Based Eating Group:

SMALL-GROUP POTLUCK DINNER - JANUARY 21

Our next plant-based potluck dinner will be held on Sunday, January 21, at 6:00 pm. The dinners will be held in people’s homes in small groups of approximately 8 people. An invitation will be sent to those on the PBEC email list later in the month. If you would like to join the list, please send an email to UU-Plant-Based-contact-us@googlegroups.com.

Mardi-Gras-Themed Services Auction on Saturday February 3!

This party is one of the more enjoyable Saturday nights you will have all year.

Doors open at 5:30 for dinner, socializing and browsing raffle and auction items.
Live Auction starts at 6:30 in the Parish Hall.
$10 per adult entry INCLUDES dinner and drinks!! (Wine/beer as well as non-alcoholic options)
Childcare in the Children’s Chapel included throughout the evening!

Alternative Coffee Hour

February 4, 2024

After you grab your coffee, feel free to join a small group (7 or 8) of fellow FUUSNites to discuss topics arising from the service. Just come to the Member Services table and you will be assigned to a group and meeting room at random. The groups will start at 11:40 and end at 12:15. All are welcome.

ANNUAL FUUSN MUSICIANS CONCERT

Come and hear the wonderful musicians of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in concert on Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2pm in the FUUSN Sanctuary.

Submit News and Events

Have a news item you want to share? Want to schedule a FUUSN Event? Please use our web forms! Note that any event using physical space at FUUSN must be approved by Fran, and until you receive confirmation from her, that event will not be scheduled or added to our Events calendar.

Submissions to the newsletter must be sent in by the previous Tuesday at 9am. Submissions to the Order of Service must be sent in by the previous Thursday at 9am.

Submit News

Submit an Event

FUUSN Contacts

Rev. Parisa Parsa, Interim Minister, parisa@fusn.org
Fran Clancy, Office Administrator, office@fusn.org
Devin Shmueli, Director of Family and Community Ministries, devin@fusn.org
Anne Watson Born, Director of Music Ministry, music@fusn.org
Jenise Aminoff, Communications and Technology Coordinator, jenise@fusn.org
Lay Minister On Call for January: Jay Flynn, jaywflynn@gmail.com, 617-340-9299
Care Crew contact, Sheila Ardery, sardery@gmail.com, 617-564-1769

First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton | www.fuusn.org