Latest News Archive
Circle Meeting: FY13 Financial Update — May 6, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm [ 2012-05-01 21:55 ]
After worship service this Sunday, May 6th, the Board of Trustees will share the latest financial planning information for fiscal year 2013, which begins July 1, 2012. With two weeks remaining before the Annual Meeting on May 20th, where the budget will be presented and voted upon, the Trustees will present our current best estimates for pledges and total income and expenses for next year.This circle meeting continues the Trustees' goal of increased communication and detail concerning our finances and the short- and long-term financial challenges facing First Parish in FY13 and the years following. The Trustees are asking for congregational input, either through the development of possible new revenue sources or through instituting selected budget cuts, that will best respond to the gap between our projected income and the programs and services we want to fund next year. We invite all to attend and participate in the discussion.
— Gregg Baker, Chair, Board of Trustees
Renewal of Giving [ 2012-04-21 10:58 ]
“What we do here matters — deeply.” We are a spiritual community. And to continue to fulfill our spiritual mission of being a blessing to the world, we depend on the generosity of every member and friend of our community.
The operating costs at FPCofG run to more than $24,500 per month. Keeping up with those costs depends almost exclusively on you and on your continuing and growing generosity. Your gifts provide the financial strength that enables us, time after time to be “The Little Church That Could.”
Annual pledges from members and friends support 65% to 75% of our operating mission each year. So, to be successful we aim for 100% participation by all those active in our church life, each doing their share. Every single pledge counts.
If you are new to First Parish you can learn more about how we practice generosity from our Renewal of Giving Web page, or you can send any questions you have to the .
2012 Easter Week Services at First Parish Church of Groton [ 2012-04-05 21:47 ]
First Parish Church of Groton will hold four services (plus an Easter egg hunt) for Easter 2012:
Good Friday Service, Friday, April 6 at 7 pm
Easter Sunrise Service, Sunday, April 8 at 6:00 am
Easter egg hunt, Sunday, April 8 at 8:30 am
Two Easter Services, Sunday, April 8 at 9 am and 11 am
Please follow the link for full details. ‣ more…
Annual First Parish Seder April 15, 2012 [ 2012-04-05 21:46 ]
Our traditional sharing of the Passover Seder will occur this year on Sunday, April 15 at 6:00 pm in the Vestry. This is a beautiful extended First Parish family evening filled with wonderful food, laughter, and the telling of the story of the escaping of the Jewish people from slavery in ancient Egypt in English and Hebrew.Please follow the link for full details. ‣ more…
"Dangerously High" by Kitty McKay Comes to First Parish Church [ 2012-04-05 21:38 ]
Saturday evening April 28 at 7:30 pmThe Mental Health Working Group of First Parish Church of Groton presents, Dangerously High, a one-woman show by Kitty McKay. This show brings a message of hope for people with mental illness and their friends and families. It highlights Kitty McKay’s personal experience with mania and its repercussions. The show provides a message to help break the stigma for those people who want further education about mental illness. It is also a dramatic presentation for those who simply love theatre.
Please follow the link for full details. ‣ more…
Poem and Sermons from the Youth Service, March 25 [ 2012-03-31 11:14 ]
Many people have asked for a tangible copy of the poem, We Imagine a World, that the youth of First Parish composed and read at the service of March 25. Here it is in PDF form. And audio for the sermons given by Meghan McNierney and Clara O’Rourke is now online.Photographs from the Youth Service Rehearsal [ 2012-03-23 09:06 ]
About fifty photographs and a video slideshow from the youth service rehearsal on March 18 are linked from the Members area of our Web site. (The slideshow does not include any of the wonderful speaking and singing you'll hear on Sunday... just other fun music.) As with all the photos of church activities linked from the site and hosted on Smugmug.com, you can order prints and digital copies; proceeds of sales go to the church.Clara Barton District Choir Festival, Sunday 3/11/12, 3:30 PM [ 2012-02-02 07:02 ]
The First Annual Clara Barton District Choir Festival will be held on Sunday, March 11 at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester. The FPCOG Adult Choir, along with UU choirs and choir members from Brookfield, Greenfield, Harvard, Hopedale, Littleton, New London, and Worcester will present a concert featuring a wide selection of choral music. A free-will offering will be taken to benefit Loaves & Fishes.
First Unitarian of Worcester is located next to the County Courthouse in Lincoln Square (Main Street at Highland), across from Wesley United Methodist Church, and across the street from Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Winter Solstice Celebration [ 2011-12-19 10:53 ]
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 11:54 ]
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 19:46 ]
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 12:31 ]
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 09:22 ]
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 09:48 ]
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 11:56 ]
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.