Category: Sunday Services

For Sunday, October 22, a Chalice Circle discussion will focus on our shared humanity. The First Principle that Unitarian Universalists affirm and promote is the inherent worth and dignity of every person. In these troubling times, how can this acknowledgement of our shared humanity offer us hope and a call to action? Ann Linge will lead the service at 10 am at the church, corner of Parker and Main Streets in Northfield. All will be welcome. As is our practice for Chalice Circle services, there will not be a Zoom call this Sunday.

During tomorrow’s Chalice Circle service, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer will gather with any children and teens who would like to engage in community care.  Our care for our congregation will be to prepare for and set up coffee hour.  Our care for our community will be to plan a community service project in support of individuals and families living in temporary shelters.  We will make signs and posts to invite members of the congregation and community to participate in the project.

Our Inheritances, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer

with music offered by Lynne Walker and Ann Linge

What are some of the things you have inherited from your ancestors (of all types) that shape your life? We will explore this question by reflecting on our own lives, our shared faith and our shared experience of being human at this time. If you have a physical item that reminds you of a value or commitment you inherited from your ancestors that is important to you, consider bringing it with you. We will create an altar of words and objects as part of our worship. The service begins at 10 am at the church, corner of Parker and Main Streets in Northfield, and on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

As we approach the Halloween season, Tony Stavely will lead a Sunday service tomorrow with the title “On the Nature of Spirit, Or What and Who Are We Anyhow?” Beginning at 10 am, Tony will consider what it is that may inhabit us in life and survive us in death, and two trinities that swim or float in our culture beside Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: body, mind, and spirit; id, ego, and superego. Perhaps such trinities too can be viewed after all as unities. The service begins at 10 am at the church, corner of Parker and Main Streets in Northfield, and on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

“Everything You Have”: What is the relationship between your spiritual life, and the things you own? Our possessions give us capabilities and comforts, but if they get out of control, they can turn into burdens and liabilities. Dan Tinen will share some thoughts inspired by his recent “moving experience“ to his half-time home in the Seattle area, joining us in the sanctuary via Zoom. The service begins at 10 am at the church, corner of Parker and Main Streets in Northfield, and on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

Inspired by Pema Chodron’s book “Welcoming the Unwelcome,” this Sunday’s 10 am Chalice Circle discussion will touch on the concept of “cultivating the broken heart” by embracing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, the ways we recognize and accept them when they arise, and how we move forward. Join us at the church for this service of reflection and sharing.

Don’t You Need a Welcome?, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer

Come join us on Sunday and we will welcome you joyfully as we gather again for a new year of worship and community. This is our annual Ingathering service for all ages. You are welcome to bring a small vial of water either from, or representative of, a place that holds meaning and power for you with you to worship.

The service begins at 10 am at the church, corner of Parker and Main Streets in Northfield, and on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

Wonders Abound, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer

Come celebrate 100 years of a uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual: the Flower Celebration. Bring a flower (or two) with you on Sunday. If you will be joining by Zoom, consider having a flower that you can share over your screen.  

People of all ages are invited to join this multigenerational service, the last of the 2022-2023 congregational year, which will be held at First Parish in Northfield at 10 am and concurrently on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome. 

service led by Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer

Often when we think about creativity, we think about art and imagination. Another aspect of creativity involves the act of transformation. This morning we will explore the theological concept of creative interchange and the way that creativity as expressed in our human relating can be a source of wholeness for ourselves and for our world.

We will also have the joy of welcoming new members to our First Parish community this Sunday. If you have been considering joining First Parish, I’d be very glad to have a conversation with you.

People of all ages are invited to join this multigenerational service which will be held at First Parish in Northfield at 10 am and concurrently on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

Led by Ann Linge, this year’s Mother’s Day service on May 14 will invite reflection on the mother figures in our lives, whether these relationships stir up joyful, painful, or complicated feelings. Please join us. We’d love to see you in person at 10:00 am at First Parish or on Zoom. To participate via Zoom, please send an e-mail message to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com for a link. All will be welcome.

Sunday, May 7, 10 am: “The Need for Liberal Religion”

Historically, liberal religion has been a crucial institution in keeping society going in a positive direction. But with the increasing secularization of society over the past 50 years, this powerful force has been allowed to atrophy, fulfilling the poet’s prophecy that “the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” Lay Reader Dan Tinen will make a case for a new generation to seize the banner of liberal faith this coming Sunday. Join the congregation in person or online at 10 am, May 7.