We are informed that David Holmes, longtime friend and benefactor of the Parish, is recovering at his home in New Bern, NC following a quadruple bypass procedure and is not yet up to receiving calls. We will update you on his progress as we learn more details.

An Old Colony Memorial notice announces that the memorial service for Violet Johnson (mother of writer-historian and organist Doris Johnson) will be held at Christ Church Episcopal on Sunday, April 11 at 12:30 pm. 

Longtime First Parish member (41 years) Charles M. Fletcher, of Pembroke, died this week at the age of 86. He was the loving husband of Ethel Fletcher and father of Janet Szarmach (husband David) of Stratham, NH, James Fletcher (wife Francine) of Foxboro, and Linda Purpura of Raynham. He was also the cherished grandfather of Stephanie, Kimberley, Thomas, Jack, and Madeline.

Charles was a veteran of the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946, and the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1954.  After he and Ethel relocated from Houston to Pembroke in 1968, they were active in our Parish leadership, including many years of service for the annual Book Fair and otherwise. "Fletch" was also a member of our Parish Committee and served as a diligent manager of the Parish minutes and archives as our Clerk.

Visitation and a brief service will be held on Monday, April 5^th from 9 to 10 am at the Shepherd Funeral Home (216 Main St.). A formal military graveside service will be held at the National Cemetery in Bourne at 11:15 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations may be directed to the Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301 and/or our First Congregational Parish (222 Main St.).

(10:30-11:30 am): Easter Sunday: A Whole-Church Service: "UU Salvation: Redeeming Ourselves?" with Rev. Dan King

Religious Education: Children and youth are invited to remain with their families today for a special Easter Service. Regular nursery care will be provided from 10:15-11:30 am. An Easter Egg Hunt will take place immediately following the service on the Beal House and Parsonage properties.

Tomorrow through April 11^th:  Please sign up at Info Island for one of our Stewardship Canvass Cluster events! This week you may CHOOSE in advance which of several weekend gathering events you would prefer, OR you may wait for a phone call from one of your friendly Finance Committee folks. Let us know if you need more information right away!

This Week:

Monday, April 5

(4:00-5:00 pm): Mother/Daughter Journey Dance class--2^nd session (Beal)

Looking Ahead:

Wednesday, April 21

(6:30 pm): Spring Gathering of the Cranberry Cluster (First UU Society of Middleborough)

Saturday, April 24

(9:00 am-3:00 pm):BCD Spring Conference & Annual Meeting (First Unitarian Church in Providence)

Wednesday, April 28

(10:00 am-2:30 pm): UU Advocacy Day (UUA headquarters, Boston)

Bob Kostka has decided to purchase fair trade coffee for coffee hour from Equal Exchange. It will be available for coffee hour on Sundays for $6. The coffee will be left in the office, in the middle door on the bottom of the cabinets. If you use it, please find Bob and give him the $6. The money can also be left in the Finance Committee mailbox in an envelope with his name on it. Hopefully all of you who drink coffee search out the fair trade brands that are now everywhere--just read the labels.

Equal Exchange is an organization dedicated to fair trade with small-scale coffee farmers in the developing world. Through the project, farmers earn a fair price for their products, have access to affordable credit, and gain a long-term trading partner they can trust. With your support, these communities invest in education, health care, and agricultural improvements. In addition, for each pound of coffee, tea, or chocolate purchased by UU congregations through the project, Equal Exchange makes a contribution to UUSC programs that support the human rights and social justice work of community-based cooperatives in coffee-growing regions.

Jacky Mendes of Amasa Studios in Plymouth has agreed to give First Parish a very special opportunity to have our own Mother/Daughter Journey Dance class. This is a wonderful program--part dance, part yoga, non-judgmental, free flowing and fun. The class will be held Mondays in Sampson Hall, on March 29, April 5, 11and 25, and May 10 and 17, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. 

The cost is $5 per person per class. Please try to make a commitment to the full six weeks if you can. Visit Jacky's website, www.amasastudios.com, for more information about Journey Dance and please contact Charlotte Simpson at (781) 293-3341 or charlottesimpson@comcast.net if you plan to take part. There is plenty of space, just dress comfortably and plan to enjoy yourself.

An interfaith observance commemorating the destruction of European Jewry by the Nazis and giving recognition to the significance of the Holocaust for people of all faiths will be held Sunday, April 11at 7:30 pm at Beth Jacob Community Center (Court St. at Brewster, Plymouth), in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day 2010. Special guest Ruth Oppenheim, who was in Germany on the infamous night of Kristallnacht and whose family suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis, will speak on the importance of all of us remembering the Holocaust.

In 1885 Clarke summarized Unitarian theological tenets as: (1) The Fatherhood of God; (2) The Brotherhood of Man; (3) The Leadership of Jesus; (4) Salvation by Character; and (5) The Continuity of Human Development in All Worlds, or The Progress of Mankind Onward and Upward Forever. These became a normative expression of Unitarianism well into the twentieth century. This lecture will examine the rationale behind them and their relevance to us today. The event will be held Wednesday, April 14, with a 6:00 pm reception and 6:30 pm dinner ($10 fee for dinner), followed by a 7:30 pm lecture, at First Church in Boston (66 Marlborough Street).

Lecture 2: The Church of the Disciples: Religious Community as an Agent of Personal and Societal Transformation

Clarke's principal life work was founding and leading Boston's Church of the Disciples, which he served from 1841 until his death in 1888. Dedicated to the practice of Jesus' teaching, the congregation was guided by three basic principles: (1) financial support through voluntary contributions rather than the sale and rental of pews; (2) development of close personal relationships among congregants by means of a wide range of activities engaging intellect, affection, and will; and (3) widespread congregational involvement in worship and governance. Their fascinating story holds lessons for building successful congregations today. The event will be held Tuesday, April 20, with a 6:30 pm reception followed by a 7:00 pm lecture, at Arlington Street Church (351 Boylston Street, Boston).

Lecture 3: Concept of Self Culture: Physical, Intellectual, Moral, and Spiritual

Clarke's life and ministry was undergirded by his belief that religion was not only a means of attaining heaven at death, but also a means of attaining joyful eternal life in the here-and-now through development of God-given physical, intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, and spiritual capabilities. His book on self-culture went through 23 editions by 1898 and continues to have an instructive, inspiring message to us today. The event will be held Wednesday, April 21, with a 6:30 pm reception followed by a 7:00 pm lecture, at King's Chapel House (64 Beacon Street, Boston).

Can Unitarian Universalism survive developing cultural changes?  How might we have to transform our ways of worship, religious education and outreach to be a thriving faith?  These questions and more will be considered at the Ballou Channing District Spring Conference and Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 24 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at First Unitarian Church in Providence, RI (1 Benevolent Street).

The conference will include workshops on presentation follow-up discussions, meeting spiritual and religious needs of post-boomers, and implications of changing demographics on growth and outreach. The Annual Meeting will convene at 1:15 pm to elect district officers and directors, approve the FY2011 budget, receive reports about district operations, recognize new and departing ministers and religious educators, and conduct other business.

Registration is $22 for adults and $7 for youth and includes lunch and refreshments. To register, go online with a credit card to

bcdfaithforward.eventbrite.com. You can also register by mail with a registration form available at your church or downloaded from the district website.

For 26 years, YES has been making an impact on hundreds of youths' lives. Youth attending the conference come from all different backgrounds and locations, and every conferee adds something to the conference, no matter how shy, outspoken, funny, or sensitive. This year's conference will be held Saturday, June 19 to Saturday, June 26. The registration deadline is Wednesday, April 28. The cost for the week is $600 for those under 18, or $710 (triple), $754 (double) or $972 (single) for adults. The registration form, as well as information on Financial Aid given by the Star Island Corporation, is available on the Star Island Corporation's website.

Looks like we'll be having our Book Fair again in 2010!  Saturday, July 10 is open and we have secured that date on the calendar.  Although this is certainly a heavy vacation period for many of you, we hope you will commit to helping out in some way. You can start right away by bringing your used (or better yet, unused) books to lower Sampson Hall. They will then be sorted into categories for the next three months until the big day, when they are hauled upstairs to the grounds of the Beal House.

We'll be looking for people to haul books from other book fairs in the area that take place in June and also for people to help sort the books into categories as we get closer to the event. This is often done a few hours a week in the evening by using the Sunday School rooms as category dividers.

The biggest need for helpers will be the morning of the fair, when volunteers will be needed to haul the books up to their appropriate tables and then to staff the tables once the fair begins.

Fran Pickett and Paula Fisher are coordinating efforts for this year's fair and they look forward to having fun working together to make this fair a fun and financially successful event.

Picture this for your summer vacation...glimmering ocean waves viewed from soft, warm sand, or immersing yourself in that same cool seawater, listening to the enchanting calls of a circling gull or witnessing shafts of sunlight as they beam down through majestic pines, and all of this while you renew your spirit in the company of amazing people like you! Picture yourself at Ferry Beach this summer!

 

Ferry Beach (located in Saco, Maine) is a UU Camp & Conference Center, now over 100 years old, offering 30+ acres of natural beauty. Accommodations are provided in turn-of-the-century buildings, or use your own tent or RV in the grove. Our food service is beyond belief.

Summer programs include family, adult and professional/church development conferences as well as expanded youth camps. There is something for everyone--kids, parents, grandparents; single, gay and straight. There are specific ones for:

The Unitarian Universalist Association and President Peter Morales are pleased to present a new video series, "A Religion for Our Time." These short videos will highlight inspiring work in Unitarian Universalist congregations, including innovative projects relating to worship, religious education, social justice, membership, and fellowship.  The first episode is now available and features the Ogden OUTreach Center, the UU Church of Ogden's drop-in program for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender youth and young adults.

Please share the news about this exciting series and watch for new installments to be released every couple of weeks between now and General Assembly.  Join in recognizing and celebrating Unitarian Universalist congregations as they build "A Religion for Our Time." To watch the six-minute first episode, "Ogden UUs Reach Out to BGLT Youth," click here.