Holidays at First Parish of Sudbury 2018

Posted by Fran Sharp on Dec 5, 2018 in General News

Come one and all–to celebrate with friends, family and neighbors.

Saturday, December 22 at 6:00pm Yule Celebration and Potluck

Monday, December 24 at 5:00pm Christmas Eve Family Service

Monday, Dec. 24 at 7:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

(Tues, Christmas Day–no gathering at FPS)

Sun. Dec. 30 at 10am Worshiping with our neighbors at First Parish in Framingham

Sun. Jan. 6 at 10:00am Sunday Service: Endings and Beginnings

Peace… (for newsletter)

Posted by Fran Sharp on Dec 5, 2018 in General News, Sunday Service Copies

Sunday, Dec. 9 at 10:00am. What is peace? Is peace attainable and maintainable in this life? Can we imagine living in peace and what would we, humankind, need to give up and accept in order to create peace on earth? Join Rev. Dr. Marjorie Matty as she imagines and embraces a practice of peace.

Insights: “Peace”

Posted by Fran Sharp on Dec 5, 2018 in General News, Minister's Column

How do we find and cultivate peace? Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor also known as the Philosopher explained that, “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world.” Building upon this teaching Thich Nhat Hahn shared that, “Nonviolence and compassion are the foundations of a peace movement. If you don’t have enough peace and understanding and loving-kindness within yourself, your actions will not truly be for peace. Everyone knows that peace has to begin with oneself, but not many people know how to do it.” The roots of peace are anchored within us… The Buddha explained that love, compassion, kindness, enlightenment, fear, greed, anger are all small seeds that reside within each one of us, the seeds that we water and feed are the ones that will grow. He encouraged humankind to focus on the seeds that we want to sprout and ignore the seeds that we want to wither.

When I think of peace, this months theme, I envision the Peace sign created in 1958. This symbol was created to support the movement of denuclearization in Europe, but ultimately was adopted by those who sought peace against war and violence around the world. Throughout history there has been constant unrest and war with a few periods when there was notable peace. The first acknowledged peace movement began in 989 ce. It was a movement that endeavored to restrict violence towards monasteries. This early movement had the foresight to understand that peace in general was difficult to achieve so they proposed to restrict the use of violence by the nobility to a certain number of days per year. Humankind has not stopped seeking the means to create peace ever since.

I am not sure about your life but in mine I truly seek peace and especially during this time of year. During the dark times we cloister and look for ways to create inner peace for oneself and our loved ones. What energy and commitment might we put towards creating peace in our lives? Thich Nhat Hahn explains that, “The practice of peace should address suffering: the suffering within yourself and the suffering around you. They are linked to each other. When you go to the mountain and practice alone, you don’t have the chance to recognize the anger, jealousy and despair that’s in you. That’s why it’s good that you encounter people—so you know these emotions. So that you can recognize them and try to look into their nature. If you don’t know the roots of these afflictions, you cannot see the path leading to their cessation. That’s why suffering is very important for our practice.”

I believe that during this time of year when we face challenges, anxiety, frustration, and suffering we receive an opportunity to look within and realize what seeds we are feeding. If we want a life of peace and happiness we cultivate within and then we spread the seeds of peace and happiness out into the world. To reduce the suffering of others we must be able to listen to one another to better understand how we can help/commiserate and to create peace within and with one another.

‘Tis the season my friends to let the ground rest and become fertile once again, it is a time to pick and choose what we will seed and grow together. It is a time to listen and give generously from our hearts to one another.

May the peace of the season be with you!

Love and Light,

Rev. Marjorie

Board of Trustees notes from Nov. 2018 meeting

Posted by Fran Sharp on Dec 5, 2018 in General News

The Board of Trustees Meeting was held on  November 6. Rev Matty reported that she is working with staff to prepare for her sabbatical. The Treasurer reported that the first quarter of the fiscal year was on track. The Sudbury Extended Day income was up 43%. The long range planning task force presented their plans for the upcoming presentation to the congregation. The Board discussed signage for outside of the church. The Investment Committee presented their report to the Board.  Deborah Kruskal and Terry Lockhart will meet with a contractor for an estimate for the kitchen. Dave Andrews presented the results of his review of two years worth gas and electric bills, which uncovered a malfunction in the gas meter and that some of the solar panels were down.

12/16 Bohm Dialogue — The Value of Community

Posted by Thomas Yelton on Dec 4, 2018 in General News, Religious Exploration, Salon - Bohm Dialogue

For December our topic will be The Value of Community.

18 years ago the first incarnation of the FPS Salon read and discussed the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. In 2003 he wrote Better Together: Restoring the American Community, but by most accounts, the overall failure of American communities that Putnam was lamenting in 2000 has continued to this day. A recent article from Alternet.org lists “5 ways American policies and attitudes make us lonely, anxious and antisocial” and claims that “At each stage of life, we are being stunted as human beings.”

Why is community valuable to humans? If it is then why do people seem to have trouble finding it, building it, and supporting it? Have we somehow moved beyond community, or are communities thriving in unexpected places? Is an online community the real thing or a poor substitute? What would make a real community thrive in America today?

Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think.  The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.

Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute.  We next meet Sunday December 16 at 7pm in the Brackett Room.

Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.