First Parish Blog
Most Recent Post
Natural Evil
Sunday, March 19, 2023
10:30 am; live streamed from the Sanctuary
Rev. Catie leading
We celebrate the vernal equinox and the beauty of the Earth during this Sunday’s service. And, we acknowledge that the natural world isn’t always “good” to us humans or other living creatures on our shared planet. We then wonder, How “natural” are the natural evils we are experiencing in our modern world? How does humankind contribute to natural evil, and how could we instead mitigate its growth and damage?
Previous Posts
Youth Led Sunday Worship
Our Youth-Led Sunday worship was absolutely wonderful, and so special to have in-person for the first time since 2019! The youth offered thoughtful reflections and words, skillful music, and surprised their service trip guides with a lovely gift. The whole community...
Pastoral Message on the US Epidemic of Gun Violence
Dear First Parish, My family and I were on the Cape this past weekend for my cousin’s wedding, and the morning of her wedding we took our daughter to a small playground in Hyannis. Little did we know that a walk for suicide prevention and awareness was...
First Parish UU Needham Adopts the 8th Principle at 2022 Annual Meeting
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and...
Follow up action items from the Reproductive Justice service on May 8:
During worship on May 8, Jenna preached about the leaked SCOTUS draft Dobbs decision. She included a list of action items, first published by the UUA and Side With Love, that she said she’d include in the next few editions of the Bell Notes. The list is as...
Annual Meeting 2022 – Including Documents
Our First Parish Annual Meeting will be hybrid (in person and on Zoom), right after worship and social hour, on Sunday, May 15th, at 12:30 in person in the sanctuary. For folks participating online, use the same Zoom link as for worship and social hour. The...
Pastoral Response to Draft SCOTUS Decision Reversing Roe
Dear First Parishioners, My heart breaks with the news leaked yesterday that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade this summer, revoking the right to access to safe abortions as a nationwide protection. Though in Massachusetts we have fairly strong...
Announcing our 2022-2024 Ministerial Intern
The Ministerial Intern Committee, Parish Committee, and Rev. Catie are thrilled to announce that Darrah Bryans will join our staff team this fall as our 2022-2024 ministerial intern! Welcome, Darrah! Here’s a message from Darrah herself: Hi First Parish in...
Other Oppressions
I want to talk about the 8th principle, but not in the way you might expect. When someone asks you what you think about the 8th principle, up for a congregational vote on May 15, usually what comes to mind is race, ethnicity, maybe sexual orientation or gender...
Digital Order of Service
This is our final Saturday Bell Notes because the order of service is now available on your smart phone or tablet via this QR code or by entering uuneedham.updates.church (bookmark it!) in your browser. Each Sunday's order of service will become available on the...
It’s a Climate Emergency — But What Can I Do?
Perhaps you heard them -- church bells ringing in Needham at exactly 11 a.m. on Friday, March 11. Our venerable Paul Revere bell, which has called people to worship, celebrated important events, and warned the community of imminent danger for over 200 years,...
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine: A Community Teach-In
Join Us for a Special Lane Lyceum: Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30 pm via Zoom link: https://bit.ly/UkraineLyceum Speakers: Ilana Pavlotsky and Cinzia Solari Moderator: Smriti Rao Is Ukraine part of Russia? Is Ukraine Europe? Why do some Ukrainians...
Reflection on the 8th Principle By Charles Thomas, DEI Committee
Charles Thomas has written the following very eloquent reflection on the 8th Principle. *Please note that Charles uses the inclusive version of the word "folks."...