Latest News Archive
Winter Solstice Celebration [ 2011-12-19 11:53 ]
December 21: All are welcome to First Parish for the annual Winter Solstice Celebration! This celebration and ceremony for all ages will be held Wednesday night, December 21, at 7:00. We will celebrate the return of the sun and the passing of the longest nights of the year. There will be music, noisemakers for children, stories, and simple ritual to welcome back the light and rejoice in hope! Sunshine Punch, Mulled Cider, and sun-round cookies will follow.
Christmas/New Year's Services at First Parish [ 2011-12-13 12:54 ]
December 24: Christmas Eve Services at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Both Christmas Eve services will include the singing of traditional carols and the passing of candlelight. The 5:30 pm service features the Children’s and Youth Choirs and a story for all ages. The 7:30 pm service features the Adult Choir, readings ancient and modern, and a message from the minister. Cookies and cider will follow both services. Plan to stay late or arrive early as there will be caroling in the Vestry from 6:45 to 7:15 pm. All are welcome.December 25: Christmas Day Open House at 10:00 am. The Worship Committee will lead a Christmas Day Open House from 10 am to 2 pm in the Vestry. Come enjoy a relaxing, festive time with your First Parish friends before you head off for your Christmas visits. There will be a chalice lighting, caroling, a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol and time to share and enjoy the warmth of the season.
January 1: The Worship of Making Lunch at 10:00 am. Join the Shelter Outreach Ministry for our annual service of lunch-making for the residents of local shelters. We will begin with a chalice lighting and continue with lunch-making for all ages in the Vestry, with some special outreach art projects for the children.
Some Inspiring Audio [ 2011-12-05 20:46 ]
Elea’s Sermon on November 13th, Every Small Spring Rising (MP3 audio, 28:25), spoke directly about our current financial challenges and her confidence that we, as a congregation, were up to the task. A number of people found the ending of that sermon particularly memorable and powerful. If you don’t have time to listen to the whole sermon, try this 7-minute clip (MP3 audio, 6:33) from the longer sermon, and you will surely be inspired.Other audio from November 13th worth listening to: Sophie Wadsworth reading her poem, What Feeds a River (MP3 audio, 7:40; transcript here) from which Elea drew her sermon title; and the beautiful Franciscan Blessing (MP3 audio, 3:35), which speaks of being “blessed with foolishness” — another theme repeated to wonderful effect in Elea’s sermon.
Recovery, Rebuild, and Build [ 2011-12-01 13:31 ]
Are you interested in providing building assistance to Habitat for Humanity or recovery and rebuilding assistance to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Springfield Tornado? The Recovery, Rebuild and Build Committee (RBBC), a new ministry at FPCoG, is looking for a few good workers to assist in repairs that are the result of hurricane and tornado damage. The rewards of these endeavors are multiple: Restore the homes of the devastated families; enhance your own skills (training workshops are available); further the Social Justice goals of FPCoG.Please follow this link for full details: ‣ more…
Sophie Wadsworth's Poem for Marion Stoddart [ 2011-11-21 10:22 ]
On November 13th, Sophie Wadsworth read the poem she had written for the film The Work of 1000. You can read it here: What Feeds a River.N E W Follow this link to hear Sophie reading her poem.
Staff, Officers, and Committees Listing Updated [ 2011-11-17 10:48 ]
Please check the list (in the password-protected Members area) for correctness and completeness; email with any corrections. Email if you need the password.Music, Monsters, and More at the Halloween Cocoa House! [ 2011-10-15 12:56 ]
Monsters, goblins, witches, and more are welcome to an afternoon of music, games, magic, and crafts at the First Parish Church Halloween Cocoa House, Sunday October 30th, from 2-4 pm. Come have some delicious snacks and cocoa while enjoying favorite spooky songs, magical sing-alongs, ghostly games, and kooky crafts. Admission is free and open to the public. (Donations will be accepted to benefit the First Parish Religious Education Service Project for UNICEF.) Location: First Parish Church of Groton, routes 119 and 40 in Groton center.
Words from the Gathering of the Water, 2011 [ 2011-09-25 16:26 ]
Every year in September, on the occasion of the first service of the church year, we hold a ceremony called the Gathering of the Water — the beginning of the process of making the holy water we will use throughout the year for many purposes, including blessing infants and sending young adults on their way. Each member of the community brings some water from somewhere their life has taken them over the summer. We begin the ceremony by pouring some of last year's holy water into a large copper vessel. This water contains traces of the water from each year before, stretching back now 12 years. Then each member of the community adds their water to the mix and speaks a single word. We have gathered these words together into a single image (click the link to open a new window). Larger words were spoken more frequently. (For comparison, here are our words from
2010,
2009, and 2008.)
Ingathering Ceremony [ 2011-09-10 10:26 ]
All are welcome as First Parish Church of Groton welcomes a new church year with our ingathering ceremony. If you collected some water in your travels this summer, bring it to pour into our big, common bowl. If you didn't collect water or you leave it on the kitchen counter on Sunday morning, don't worry, bring yourself. We'll have extra water here for you to use.
Boston Gay Men's Chorus Is Coming to Groton [ 2011-07-31 23:53 ]
The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus will be presenting a concert in Groton on Sunday November 6, 2011 at 3:00 pm. The BGMC is one of New England’s most successful choruses and is now in its 30th season.
First Parish Church of Groton, sponsor of the concert, will donate all net proceeds to the Gay Straight Alliances in the four local high schools. Youth from the schools are being asked to identify the best use for this gift as a means to spread awareness of GLBT and bullying issues.
More information is available here; you can order tickets online.
For further information about the BGMC, please visit www.bgmc.org.
Sandwich Making, August 7 [ 2011-07-23 21:47 ]
We are making sandwiches for about 80 needy people, both children and adults, in nearby towns. Andrea Mason is organizing the effort and would like your assistance. Please get in touch with her (see the church direcory in the Members area) if you can help in any of these ways:
☞ Help set-up and break down tables and wash dishes at the Church on August 7.
☞ Organize the process of making and packing the food.
☞ Deliver the food to one of two locations.
☞ Bake cookies (oatmeal and chocolate chip)-- 2-3 people needed. Andrea will provide the recipes.
Georgess McHargue, June 7, 1941 – July 18, 2011 [ 2011-07-19 13:26 ]
Our own beloved Georgess McHargue passed on July 18. Here is the obituary (PDF) that ran in the Groton Herald.Here is a list of books Georgess had published (PDF) in her lifetime.
Andrea Mason’s Chalice Lighting [ 2011-06-12 19:20 ]
A number of people have requested the poem Andrea Mason read for the chalice lighting on May 29. Here is a PDF of the poem.New Social Justice Coordinating Council Site Is Live [ 2011-05-18 11:55 ]
First Parish Church of Groton continues to transition from a single Social Action Committee to an umbrella group coordinating and advising on our many social justice ministries. The SJCC’s page is now live on the site. Your comments are welcome and your passion for social justice is even more welcome! Also see the Anyone Can Be Great page for a list of members involved in a wide variety of social justice and social outreach efforts.2011 Easter Week Services at First Parish Church of Groton [ 2011-04-01 18:19 ]
First Parish Church of Groton will hold four services (plus an Easter egg hunt) for Easter 2011:
Good Friday Service, Friday, April 22 at 7 pm
Easter Sunrise Service, Sunday, April 24 at 5:45 am
Easter egg hunt, Sunday, April 24 at 8:30 am
Two Easter Services, Sunday, April 24 at 9 am and 11 am
Please follow the link for full details. ‣ more…