The Spire

the electronic newsletter of

First Parish of Norwell,

Unitarian Universalist

In - Spire - ing News UUs Can Use

November 7, 2024

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In This Issue

Letter from Rev. Susan and Amanda

Community Dinner

Service Project this month and next month

Courageous Conversation

Zoom info for worship

Pick-up Choir

Caring Corner

Dates to Remember for Foster Family Gifts

Party People

Art and Inspiration Small Group Discussion

Holiday Fair

Collaborative Art Project

Black Friday Leftovers Party

Inclusivity Corner

Jr. Youth Group

Book Club

Dear ones,

Justice and equity – plurality and interdependence – transformation and generosity with love at the center of it all. These are our shared Unitarian Universalist values.

On days buoyed by care and action, these values feel like shining beacons of inevitable progress, like the path our society is walking together in mutuality.

On bitter days, they feel like naïve optimism, like the impossible dreams of a minority, dreams that will break our hearts without ever coming true.

And, of course, the reality is that our shared values are neither inevitable nor impossible. They are not meant to hold us captive somewhere between good and evil. In their very essence, they are guides to help us figure out how to do the next right thing.

We are so grateful to be in community with all of you. It is precious to have people who share these values, who will dream together about a world guided by love, and who will share the daily work of living these values and imagining that world into its fullness.

We are thankful for each of you, every day. And, we realize, community and connection is what is needed when we grieve, rage, celebrate and take action.

You are precious. You are wanted here. You belong.

Keep showing up. Keep joining in. Keep taking good care of yourself and savoring joy and delight as it comes.

(All day today this song from UU musician Melanie DuMore has been running through my mind. May it be a balm to you as well.)

With love,

Reverend Susan and Amanda Adams

Community Dinner is November 12th at 5pm

Join us on November 12th at 5pm for a home-cooked meal and great company.

Donations of chicken tetrazzini and apple crisp are still needed, contact Betsey Drollett to sign up.

Children will be supervised on the playground. All are welcome!

Coffee Hour Service Projects: Making Cards and Letters for Seniors This Sunday at 11:15am, Caroling Pizza Party 12/15 at Noon

We are so excited to get to know our friends at the Norwell Housing Authority better this year – and they are excited, too! They have already begin writing us some pen pal letters.

This Sunday, we’ll write pen pal letters to them! We’ll also use art materials to make cheerful greeting cards. All are welcome to join in the card making during Coffee Hour – you can make a card for the residents of the Norwell Housing Authority or for anyone else you think could use some cheer.

Then on December 15^th, we’ll leave First Parish after church and travel to the Norwell Housing Authority for a pizza and caroling holiday party at noon. This was so much fun last year, and the residents are thrilled that we’re coming back. They’re already at work planning a craft for us to do when we visit them! Alex Gordon will accompany our songs on the piano – thank you, Alex! Mark your calendars now for this feel-good holiday celebration.

Courageous Conversation

At 11:30 following the service on Sunday, November 10 there will be a Courageous Conversation in Fogg Parlor. The topic will build on the day's theme of Resilience and the importance of community. Childcare is provided.

Want to join our Worship Service online?

Our Worship Services can be found at this zoom link:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83606479122?pwd=T3MWcC9L51bgKuiYXXC2c6i9SsDT02.1

Meeting ID: 836 0647 9122

Passcode: SundayAM

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Meeting ID: 836 0647 9122

Pick-Up Choir

The second Sunday of the month means it’s time for the Joyful Songs Pick-Up Choir! Anyone who is interested can arrive at 9:15 to practice two songs: “Free to Be You and Me” and “Seasons of Love.” This is a great way to get a taste of singing with the choir even if Thursday night practices don’t work for you! The music for “Seasons of Love” can be found here if you’d like to look it over. Come sing with us!

Caring Corner

We continue to send love and care to the family and friends of Prue Miller following her passing on Sunday November 3rd. A service to honor her life will be at FPN on Saturday December 14th at 11am.

We send love and care to Kris Cahill following the passing of her beloved partner, Cheryl Kangiser, this morning (November 7th) at Pat Roche Hospice Home in Hingham.

Dates to Remember for Foster Family Gifts

Names and wish list for kids in the foster system will be available Sunday, Nov 17^th during Coffee Hour.

You will receive the age, clothing sizes and wish list for one child. You are encouraged to purchase one outfit’s worth of warm clothing in addition to something from the wish list.

All gifts should be in a gift bag, not wrapped, and brough back to church by December 8th.

Thank you so much in advance for your generosity!

Party People

For many years, the Women’s Group (originally the Woman's Support Group) at FPN has hosted a holiday party in December featuring a gift swap, shared food, and silly fun with friends. All women were invited. The organizers of this party are looking to pass the mantle on to someone else who might enjoy putting together festive fun. Would you like to organize a holiday gathering? You can follow the model of past years or make it your own: bake or wrap gifts together, have a re-gifting party in January, make up your own activities or none, target the same audience or a different one – the possibilities are endless.

If your interested in putting a party together, contact Bev Gardner to learn more about what's been done in the past. Then email office@firstparishnorwell.com to schedule a date.

Inspiration and Justice through Art

This monthly group is led by Rev. Susan in Fogg Parlor. The next gathering will be on Thursday, November 21 from 12pm-1pm. Each session provides an opportunity to learn about an artist and how they express their faith/spirituality in and through their work.

Our September session featured the work of Rachel Hayes (a fabric artist) who is based in Tulsa,Oklahoma. And, the October session was a chance to learn about Newton, MA based sculptor, Nancy Schön, who created (among other things) the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Boston Public Garden.

Collaborative Art Project

Everyone was invited to add to this collaborative art project, “Sending Love,” during the month of October. A thousand ribbons were tied by hand, each one representing a person (living or passed away) who is loved. People tied ribbons during Coffee Hour, at Youth Group meetings, and even at a birthday party in the Parish Hall. The result was truly a group effort full of heart. Thank you to everyone who contributed time and care to this project – it looks so beautiful in the Meeting House!

Black Friday Leftovers Party Nov 29^th at 5pm

Bring your leftovers – no cooking allowed!

This is strictly a come-as-you-are, no-stress affair. We’ll all put our leftovers on the table and get to see how everyone else makes the classic holiday dishes. Kids can play on the playground and everyone can relax. We hope to see you there!

Inclusion Corner

Lisa Drennan from Merge Inclusion Consulting taught us so many wonderful things in September when she trained our RE teachers and gave a presentation to the community about best practices for inclusion. One of the most important tools she shared is a very basic shift in mentality that opens up the *entire practice* of inclusion. I find myself thinking about this all the time, and it applies to many aspects of daily life.

She said our logistical minds are naturally trained to look for potential problems when we face a challenge. We ask ourselves, “What will prevent this from working?” We give ourselves a list of reasons why something won’t work, and that stops us from undertaking some potentially difficult things. It’s an inherently overwhelming approach.

However, if we think this way, we stop ourselves from doing the hard work of inclusion. There are lots of reasons why including all diverse abilities won’t work – AND – that will continue to be the case until we shift our mindset and think differently.

Instead, let’s practice asking a different question: “How can we make this work?” Asking that question assumes that there are potential solutions, and we just need to think of them. It sends us in the right direction, in search of possibilities. It requires us to imagine, to rethink the parameters and assumptions we had until we come up with ideas. It’s incredibly simple, and incredibly powerful.

I’m finding this so useful when planning for worship service. Instead of saying “including kids in adult conversations about justice won’t work because kids will be bored and distracting,” we asked, “what would it take to get kids engaged with adults in conversation about justice work?” That question led to a reframing of what small group conversations would look like and the inclusion of engaging activities in each group. It was a fun experiment! And we were able to include everyone.

I’m going to keep asking myself this question daily to keep myself from getting overwhelmed when challenges feel insurmountable. Avoid listing the reasons why it won’t work. Start brainstorming ways to make it happen.

Junior Youth Group

The middle school youth group, made up of kids from First Parish Norwell and First Parish Cohasset, will meet in the Norwell Parish Hall from 5-6:30 on 11/17 for a night of making sweet treats. We’ll make lollipops, Rice Krispie treats, and chocolate covered fruit. If you have a middle school student who would like to get in on the delicious fun, contact Amanda Adams at community@firstparishnorwell.org.

First Parish of Norwell Book Group

Please join us for any or all of our monthly book discussions. We meet on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7:30 pm on Zoom.

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Nov. 18 - "The Comfort of Ghosts” -Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and investigator, uncovers a wartime mystery involving her first husband in this historical mystery fiction the 18th and last book in the award-winning series.

Dec. 16. 7:30 on Zoom

Bring a poem you love to share. And I invite all of you to look up Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” from his book “Leaves of Grass” and read just the first two Stanzas, more if you want.

click here to join

Meeting ID: 847 0898 5879

Passcode: Bookworms

The Holiday Fair: It's Time to Prepare! Sat., Nov. 23 - 9:00 – 2:00

We will need you to bake, make handcrafts, clean out your closets and bring your clean, good toys, books/CDs and household treasures to the church the week before. All Tables need help. Contact any chair or Peg Kitchenham at 781-635-0007 to volunteer.

Calling All Artists and Crafters

The Art and Craft table at the Holiday Fair would love your creations — knitted, crocheted, sewn, painted, beaded, quilted, paper, pottery, wood carved or turned, cards, photographs, holiday decorations — all handmade items are welcomed. Please bring your items right to the Art and Craft tables between November 19-22. The sooner, the better! If your item is something you sell yourself (like paintings and wood turned pieces), please give us the price we should put on the item. For other craft pieces, we welcome a suggested price.

Support the Fair by buying a Raffle Ticket, today for an adorable hand knit Stuffed Monkey by Joan Nahigian, a walnut turned bowl by Don Messinger, an Italian Gift Basket and quilt by Peg Kitchenham.

The week of the Fair, the Building is open Tue- Fri. 9:00 till 12:00. The hall will be open Thursday evening from 7-8:30pm, and Friday until Noon. Gift Baskets for wrapping should be back by Sunday, November 17th during coffee hour.

Plant Table

We want to start a plant table this year. Small to medium house plants were sold at Grandma's Attic last year and did quite well! We would like them to have a table of their own! This would require one or two people to volunteer to be the "co-ordinator(s)" of the House Plants Table." Contact Peg K.