First Parish Northfield, Unitarian

Continuing the October theme at First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian, The Rev. Alison Cornish will conduct this week’s service on “Joy: The Uncommon Religious Value” at 10 am Sunday, October 24. Describing the service, she says, “It’s fair to ask, given the steady stream of bad news that is delivered every day, what’s there to be joyful about? But what if the source of joy is embedded in our religious practices? And what if embracing joy is actually key to addressing the most stubborn of the ills we face in the world today? Come, let us rejoice, and strive to heal the world, too!”

Jenny Wooster will be leading RE this Sunday, as an all-ages group. After the Story for All Ages, children and youth will plant bulbs, and do other movement-based activities, so they can stay warm on a chilly Sunday morning!

The service will take place at the church, outdoors as weather permits, and by online videoconference. Send an email message fo fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com to obtain the Zoom link. [Photo Credit: Fiona Bird]

Joy is not a privilege. Joy is our birthright. What would shift in our lives if we claimed this blessing more often and more fully? How might we amplify and multiply opportunities for joy as a way of living more open hearted and connected lives? Come explore these questions in multigenerational community.

Children and youth will have an opportunity to plant bulbs around the church if they like as an embodiment of the theme of our service.

We will gather outside in the courtyard behind First Parish and concurrently online at 10am on Sunday. First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian’s Affiliated Minister Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer will lead this service.

For a link to the Zoom stream for “Claiming and Cultivating Joy,” send an email request to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com.

On Sunday, October 10, at First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian, Ann Linge will lead a Chalice Circle service at 10 am outdoors in person, as well as on Zoom. We’ll explore common shared myths and messages, what we know or want to learn about Indigenous people of Northfield and surrounding communities, and how to understand current concerns and advocate with Indigenous people today. For a link to the Zoom stream, send a request to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com.

Lay reader Dan Tinen will lead the church service at First Parish of Northfield at 10 am on Sunday, October 3, with a sermon titled “A Transformational Church.” Questions raised by the service include: What is a ‘liberal church’? What do we have in common with other kinds of churches, and how are we different? Most importantly, what do we have to offer to a new generation? How do we set a course that’s effective in enlisting new ‘co-conspirators’ in bringing about the world we seek? Tinen says there are four important reasons for Gen Xers and Millennials to consider joining liberal congregations … and offers a caution about what to expect if they do.

The service will take place outdoors at the church, weather permitting, and also on Zoom. Request the Zoom link by email at fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com .

At First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian we will continue September’s theme of “Relationship” this Sunday. The Rev. Alison Cornish will lead us in examining the role of community in helping shape who we are as individuals. Patricia St. Onge notes, “The Western, and particularly U.S. frame of reference for identity is often, ‘I am; therefore, we are,’ and indigenous worldviews frame it as ‘we are, therefore I am.’” We’ll take a look at both of these worldviews, and ask – when might each serve us as individual, and also serve the greater good? What might be the role of religious community in helping us find our identities within the multiple communities to which we belong?

Our Sunday Service takes place at 10:00 am outdoors, weather permitting, at the church (corner of Parker Ave. and Main St., Northfield), and on Zoom. All are welcome to participate, including children and youth. If you are coming in person, please wear a mask and consider bringing a folding chair, if you can. Request a link for the Zoom link by email to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com. [Artwork Credit: Shelby McQuilkin.]

“Relationship” is the topic of the First Parish of Northfield’s Chalice Circle service this Sunday at 10 am by online videoconference. Ann Linge will lead the group in reflection and discussion of the topic, a foundational element of the human experience. “Relationship” is the beginning of a six-part program on Reconnection by the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Small Group Ministry. Questions for this Chalice Circle include: What does it mean to be in relationship? How are we in relationship with others? How do these relationships impact our lives? All are welcome to participate in this service. For the link, send a request to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com.

For young people, there is a Woods Walk with a Native American guide! Arrival time for the walk is between 9:30 and 10 am, allowing time for adults to participate in the Chalice Circle. Contact Mary Mayshark-Stavely via mary.maysharkstavely@gmail.com for further information including location details.