Dear Friends,
Recently, I started attending a Bible study group. Twice a month this group of ten or so gathers to read a small section of the Bible, talk about it, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a motley crue. We are Catholic, Episcopalian, Congregationalist, and Unitarian Universalist. Three of us have been to seminary, but most of the group is just interested in studying the Bible as a spiritual text, as a book that might have something to tell us about how to live.
I was worried at first about how I might fit into this group. My relationship with the Bible as a sacred text is by no means exclusive. I am as apt to find wisdom and inspiration in the teachings of the Buddha or in the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I was right to believe that others in the group might have a more intimate and familiar relationship with the texts, especially the Gospels. Most of the members of our group have been relating to the stories in the Bible their whole lives. While I went to Sunday school as a young person, those stories never felt familiar to me the way they did to many of my friends. Because it wasn’t a focus in my family, the Bible always felt like someone else’s book. So, while I now find great value in it and enjoy studying it, I know that I don’t have the same fluency with it as people for whom it was integrated into their childhoods. I also worried slightly about the ways in which my interpretations might vary with those of other members of the group. I am aware that the Bible has been interpreted from countless perspectives over the course of centuries, and I wasn’t sure how my thinking would land in this theologically diverse group.
Much of my anxiety was immediately soothed by my first five minutes there. As I entered a busy kitchen people were laughing and offering each other tea. Each person welcomed me in a way that felt both intentional and genuine. We sat for a time at the table and they asked me questions about myself and told me stories about their lives. Eventually, we began the more focused part of the evening with silence, and then out of the silence someone began reading the short passage we would be discussing. People told stories and shared ways that they could relate to the text, as well as making more scholarly observations. Many of us started with phrases like, “I wonder if what Jesus was trying to say was…” without really knowing for sure.
After an hour and a half or so we closed. People were even more intentional about their leave-taking. They stood in the entry noting what a nice time we had had and hugging. Each person made sure to tell me it was nice to have me there. I left feeling centered, thoughtful, and reverential.
It was as if the time was just slightly more sacred because the guest of honor was the Bible, that having Jesus as our focus helped us to see each other and our lives through slightly holier eyes. I decided that this is how worship feels, like we have put ourselves in the presence of the holy and have let it make an impression on us. Let us continue to create a place where we can see each other and our lives through holier eyes.
Faithfully,
Katie
Chairman’s Ramblings
It's October already, and the church year is up and running with activities planned through the year end. This year we are taking a leap forward for the Board and for the church fellowship. We are going to start our first 5 year plan for the congregation and the church. Like most small congregations, we have always 'managed' and reacted to our needs - “what can we afford this year?”, “who needs help doing what?”, etc. Now, it's time to change our approach as we want to move into the future. We need to become more proactive, plan for our capital needs, staffing, programs, and social outreach activities.
As with past changes, we believe it is best to involve all of the congregation in the planning process. To this end, there will be a fall gathering on Friday, November 20, to come together with a pot-luck dinner followed by the first step in the planning process. We ask you to bring your ideas, wish-lists, and thoughts for what you would have us look like in 5 years.
There will be more information coming during October - think about where we are and where we would like to be. I think it will be good for all of us.
Dick
Church BBQ & Work Party
The October 18, 2009, Worship Service will be followed by a barbeque and church clean-up until 2:00 p.m. Bring your favorite tool and sign up to bring food or drink to share!
Building Use And Rentals
Members and non-members are welcome to use the church building for meetings, weddings, baby showers, recitals, birthday parties, classes, or other events. The sanctuary has outstanding accoustics and the first level of the church contains a social hall, kitchen, and more. Please contact the Board Of Trustees by phone at 508-543-4002 or by e-mail at rentals@uufoxborough.org for a tour and additional details.
For weddings, commitment ceremonies, child dedications, or other religious ceremonies, please contact our Minister, Katie Lawson, at ministerlawson@uufoxborough.org or 508-543-4002. Visit rentals.uufoxborough.org for more information.
First Thursdays Peace Vigils
Get involved in the ongoing Social Action project hosted from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 pm. at the church the first Thursday of every month. The First Thursdays Peace Vigils community would like you to join them; candles and signs are provided. Stay for as long or as short as your schedule allows. Upcoming dates: Oct. 1, Nov. 5, Dec. 3, and Jan. 7.
Religious Education
The Hogwarts
One of our RE missions this year was to have the groups choose names to identify themselves. Thus, the 2nd to 4th grade class will henceforth be known as The Hogwarts, after the magical school in the Harry Potter books. Besides the advantage of each student being able to belong to whichever of the 4 houses of Hogwarts fits their needs on a given week, we are also going to be looking at some of the more magical elements of bible stories. For example, we recently read the story, "Jonah and the Big Fish”*. We all agreed that the only fish big enough to swallow a person whole would be a whale, but those whales big enough to do so are all baleen whales. For Jonah to end up inside must have involved some sort of magic on God's part.
*We know this story as “Jonah and the Whale”, but The Hogwarts' curriculum book points out that the true translation is 'Jonah and the Big Fish'.
Reverse Trick-Or-Treating
Interested in participating in the third annual Reverse Trick-or-Treating action where youth reverse the Halloween tradition to hand adults a sample of vegan-friendly, Fair Trade dark chocolate? Free kits are available through Equal Exchange; participants pay for shipping costs. The deadlines to request a kit are: October 1 for groups, October 13 for individuals. Visit www.uusc.org/halloween2009 for details.
October 2009 Holidays
3-9 Sukkot - Jewish
4 St Francis Day - Catholic Christian
10 Shemini Atzeret - Jewish
11 Simchat Torah * - Jewish
12 Thanksgiving - Interfaith – Canada
17 Diwali (Deepavali) - Hindu, Jain
20 Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth - Sikh
20 Birth of the Bab - Baha'i
25 Reformation Day - Protestant Christian
28 Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
31 All Hallows Eve - Christian
Restocking The Shelves
Our Foxborough Food Pantry drive donation box is in the Sanctuary - eagerly awaiting a can or box or two. Items often needed include: baked beans, beef stew, canned fruit, canned vegetables, cereal, soups, cleaning supplies, feminine products, hamburger helper, jelly, juice boxes, kleenex, laundry detergent, peanut butter, shampoo, spaghetti sauce, toilet paper, tuna, canned chili, hash, or Spam, canned pasta, Spaghetti O's, cookies, crackers, and chips. All items collected will be donated to the pantry at the beginning of next month. Please donate if you can!
UN Sunday: October 25, 2009
Following World War II, the United Nations (UN) was founded on October 24, 1945. In celebration of this annual event, the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) invites congregations and individual UUs to deepen their understanding of the United Nations by devoting one service in October to reaffirming the connections between UU principles and vital issues dealt with at the UN. Usually, congregations organize a UN Sunday for the last Sunday in October, but any Sunday in October would work. The theme for this year's UN Sunday packet is "A Safe and Dignified Life for All" with an emphasis on human rights. Please visit www.uu-uno.org for more information and a resource packet.
Wayside Pulpit
We are constantly invited to be what we are.
~ Henry David Thoreau
National Coming Out Day
National Coming Out Day began in 1988, one year following the second national march for equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people in Washington, DC. Over half a million people gathered for that march in 1987. National Coming Out Day is celebrated on October 11 every year. Many congregations acknowledge the day in one way or another. Some congregations center the entire service around it. Others provide a reading or take a moment to light a candle in honor of the day. Other congregations take the opportunity to do social justice work. For a candle lighting, a reading, links for social justice opportunities, sample sermons, and other resources to help celebrate and participate in National Coming Out Day, please visit www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/leaderslibrary/47915.shtml.
Notices
- Oct. 1: (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigil at the church.
- Oct. 3: (4:00 p.m.) Memorial service for Dr. Forrest Church. Details via www.allsoulsnyc.org.
- Oct. 4: UUA Association Sunday: “Grow Our Diversity”.
- Oct. 7: (7:30 p.m.) Men's Group Meeting at StoneForge Pub in Foxborough.
- Oct. 10: (7:00 p.m.) Dawna Hammers at First Parish Universalist Church in Stoughton.
- Oct. 24: (8:00 p.m.) Gretchen Peters at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin.
- Oct. 25: (7:00 p.m.) Board Of Trustees Meeting at the church. All are welcome to attend.
- Oct. 29: Minister Lawson's column scheduled to appear in The Foxboro Reporter.
- Nov. 4: (7:30 p.m.) Men's Group Meeting at StoneForge Pub in Foxborough.
- Nov. 5: (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) First Thursdays Peace Vigils outside at the church.
International Day Of Climate Action & 350
Guided by the 2006 Unitarian Universalist Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change, the UU Ministry for Earth, the UU State Advocacy Networks, the UU-United Nations Office, the UUA Green Sanctuary Program, and the UUA Office for Advocacy and Witness call upon UUA congregations to participate in the International Day of Climate Action, October 24. Making the number 350 visible to everyone is an important part of the request.
Why 350? The number reresents the level in parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere that climate scientists believe should not be allowed to be surpassed any longer in order to sustain life on Earth as we currently know it. During the time humans have lived on this planet, the atmospheric CO2 level was around 275 ppm. That was the level until about 200 years ago - when levels began to rise and humans began to burn more coal, gas, and oil for energy and industrial uses. At present, the CO2 level is 390 ppm. Please visit www.uuministryforearth.org/350.htm and www.350.org for some action ideas, fact sheets, resources, and more!
Milestones
Hosea Ballou 2nd, Eliza M. Tupper Wilkes, Frances Dana Barker Gage, e e cummings/Edward Estlin Cummings, Joseph Sill Clark, Weston Edward Vivian, Ida Mabel Folsom, John Adams, & Lucy Hunt Ballou
Worship Services
October 4: Today Is The Day
by Minister Katie Lawson and Worship Associate Justina Lakey
So much of our lives are motivated either by the past or the future. What does being present really mean? How can we better tune into the powerful now?
October 11: Life Is Puzzling
Lay-leader Angela Garcia
October 18: Losing Paradise
As global community we are facing many challenges related to the environment. What does this have to do with our religious and spiritual lives?
October 25: Blessing Of The Animals
Animals of all kinds are a part of the family of all being and the interconnected web of existence. The animals we choose to live with play a particular role in bringing us into contact with our belonging and are a blessing to us. Bring your pets, so that they can be blessed in hopes that they and all animals will continue to thrive in our care.
Note: This service will largely be held outdoors. If you have allergies, accommodations will be made to ensure your safety and comfort. This is a special service; we don't want you to miss it.
November 1: Guest Speaker & Topic T.B.A.
In The Community
Oct. 2 - 25 Haunted House at Orpheum (Fridays through Sundays); Oct. 3 – Annual HUGS Walk at Ahern; Oct. 4, 10, 17, & 18 – Events at the stadium; Oct. 6 – Oktoberfest at The Shops at Chestnut Green; Oct. 7 – Flu Clinic at Public Safety Building; Oct. 8 –Tri-Town Drug and Alcohol Awareness Partnership forum at Showcase Live; Oct. 10 - Fall March for Babies at Patriot Place; Oct. 16 & 17 - Friends Of Boyden Library Fall Book Sale; Oct. 17 – Open House at CRRA; Oct 24 - United Nations Day in town.
October's Global Chalice Lighting
The light of life shines through the eyes of each and every person.
The light of truth shines through each life.
May the light of this chalice remind us that our search for truth and light is ongoing, and is enhanced and nurtured by every person we meet.
May we honor the light in each other.
~ Rev. Jill McAllister, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
