Christmas and Holiday Services for 2019 [ 2019-12-07 10:27 ]
Friday, Dec. 20:
Winter Solstice Celebration at 7:00 pm.
In the greatest darkness, the light is reborn.
Out of winter's cold, the light is reborn.
From our deepest fears, the light is reborn.
When all seems lost, the light is reborn. (Liz Benjamin)
This service is for all ages and includes music, singing, stories and simple rituals to welcome back the light on the longest night of the year. Come rest in the darkness with us and celebrate the return of the light.
Sunday, December 22:
Paper Bag Nativity Pageant at 10:00 am.
Our no rehearsal, no stress, usually hilarious and always poignant Nativity Pageant. Come to church and pull a costume out of a paper bag and join the story. The youngest baby is Jesus, there are usually more shepherds than sheep, number of wise people varies from year to year, as do the visitors to Bethlehem. Children are also welcome to wear their own costumes - all are welcome at our stable. As we say every year, there are no mistakes, just us, telling a story which is both ancient and always new, of how love is born into this world.
Tuesday, December 24:
Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at 5:30 and 8:00 pm
with Caroling from 7-7:45 pm.
5:30 pm — This service is for all ages, especially families with young children and the young at heart! It includes stories, halos, bells and crowns, and the sweet music of the children's choir.
8:00 pm — This service is quieter and more meditative and features music from the Adult Choir and a message from the minister. Both services include carol singing and the tradition of passing the candlelight to each other as we sing Silent Night in the quiet of the sanctuary. There will be cookies and cider following each service and caroling downstairs from 7-7:45 pm. All are always welcome – bring family and friends. Donations of Christmas Cookies (nut-free) would be great too!
Sunday, December 29:
Lunch Making Service at 10:00 am.
All ages and abilities gather to make sandwiches and pack over 200 bag lunches for residents of 5 area shelters. We also make homemade cards with messages of hope and love for each lunch bag, which staff tell us are as appreciated as the food. Begin the new year in service to others. Cookie donations we welcome here too!
Audio and Transcripts of Sermons at FPCoG [ 2019-11-10 12:35 ]
Here are links to audio and (where available) transcripts of recent sermons at FPCoG. All the available sermons going back to 2008 are linked from this page.December 8, 2019: Refections on a Superhero Peace Candle (Eric Elbot) ( Audio ); Undone and Imperfect, Alive and Filled with Grace (Rev. Kemler) ( Audio )
December 1, 2019: Attention as a Unit of Measurement (Rev. Aaron Stockwell) ( Audio )
November 17, 2019: Vulnerability is the Path, Courage is the Light ( Audio )
November 10, 2019: The Way of The Heart (Marisa Benson) ( Audio )
October 20, 2019: These Fleeting Temples We Make Together ( Audio )
October 13, 2019: On Behalf of Life ( Audio — Transcript )
October 6, 2019: Start Over, Always Start Over ( Audio )
September 29, 2019: In This Autumn Light, There Is a Path for Beginning Again ( Audio )
September 22, 2019: The Thread That Runs Between Us ( Audio — Transcript )
September 15, 2019: The No Becoming Yes ( Audio — Transcript )
June 2, 2019: Gone to the Fields to Be Lovely ( Audio )
May 19, 2019: The Place We Stand on the Days our Feet are Sore ( Audio )
May 12, 2019: Kiss This Beautiful, Holy Ground ( Audio )
May 5, 2019: Perpetual Becoming (Marisa Benson) ( Audio )
April 28, 2019: Restoring a Cemetery in Bialystok (Josh & Amy Degan) ( Audio; Bialystok Cenetery Restoration )
April 21, 2019: The Doors of Hope ( Audio )
April 14, 2019: Living at the Edge of Our Imaginations ( Audio — Transcript )
March 24, 2019: Radical Hospitality: Notes for Living on Planet Earth ( Audio — Transcript; Father Boyle’s speech )
March 17, 2019: Larger Worlds Than We Can Imagine ( Audio )
March 10, 2019: Loaves, Fishes, and My Grandmother’s Cookies ( Audio )
March 3, 2019: Loved into Being ( Audio [partial, missing the last 1–2 min.]; Transcript )
February 24, 2019: The Fibrillating Heart of the World ( Audio; Transcript )
February 17, 2019: UU Faith (Jane Thickstun) ( Audio )
February 10, 2019: The Kindness Which Sustains This Beautiful, Aching World ( Audio )
February 3, 2019: Faithful to Living ( Audio )
January 13, 2019: Flesh and Blood and Bone and Spirit ( Audio; Transcript )
January 6, 2019: How to Give Yourself to This World ( Audio )