Community

First Parish Secret Santa

The Annual First Parish Secret Santa is about to get underway! Here’s how it works: the Department of Children and Family Services in Framingham gives First Parish the names of 60 children who need a little help from us to make their holiday season more joyful. In addition to their names, there is information such as their favorite colors, sports, hobbies, their sizes, their needs, and their hopes. You can use this information to buy the child an appropriate gift.

All gifts must be new and may be brought to the church on Sundays, up to and including December 15th. Santa’s helpers arrange to have the gifts delivered. A full set of instructions will be available in the Parish Hall starting November 24th.

Please contact Sherri Cline with any questions.

Sunday, November 17 – Education Forum

Education funding is an important social justice issue. Currently, how Massachusetts funds education and the impact on student outcomes is a hot topic as the state legislature takes up major reforms.

The Faith In Action Committee and the League of Women Voters of Sudbury and are co-sponsoring a public forum titled “State Education Funding: Does It Make the Grade?” on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. at First Parish. The forum is free and open to the public.

Questions on education funding can be submitted in advance via email to . The forum will be live-streamed on Facebook and will be broadcast on Sudbury TV at a later date.

Saturday, November 2 – Women’s Alliance One-Day Retreat

Please plan now to attend the annual one-day Retreat of the Women’s Alliance Saturday November, Nov. 2 from 9:30 am to 3 pm in the beautiful community building of the Harvard, MA Unitarian-Universalist Church. Our facilitator for the retreat is Lane Williamson, who will be exploring art as a spiritual path of exploration, solace, witness, and growth. The cost of the program is $25, which includes materials. Please RSVP to AnnMarie Lanza at by October 25, and please contact Peg Espinola at with any other questions.

October 19 – Harvest Fair

First Parish of Sudbury invites the community to its 118th annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 19, from 10 am-3 pm. Featuring activities to entertain the entire family! General admission is free.

While Harvest Fair was traditionally a craft fair, it’s now a diverse event for the young and not so young! Join in on a collaborative art project with birds and bird houses; bid on autumn-themed baskets, filled with fall decorations, Halloween treats, Thanksgiving items, and more at the Silent Auction; visit environmental and agricultural organizations offering information and opportunities; and enjoy home baked goodies and locally made jams, fresh soups, and bread all while listening to live music by Sally Sweitzer and Friends, as well as children’s musician Mister Vic at 1:30 pm.

Children are welcome to visit the Enchanted Garden and build a fairy house between 10:30 and 1pm. For a $4.00 admission, three special costumed characters will encourage children to create fairy houses out of natural materials, paint pumpkins to take home, and sing songs at the wishing tree! The Fairy Queen, Pumpkin Troll, and the Green Man welcome all!

First Parish Women’s Alliance kicks off new season with guest speaker – Join us September 10th at 6:30 in the Commons

The first Women’s Alliance meeting of the church year is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10 in the Commons. A potluck supper starts at 6:30 pm—any food or beverage offerings, home-made or purchased, are welcome, or just come hungry if you’ve no time to do either. Our meeting begins around 7 pm. All those who identify as women with any connection to the church are welcome to come to any of our meetings. Newcomers are particularly welcome. At this first meeting we will have a speaker, First Parish member Rebecca Parkhill, who will share with us information about her Metrowest Women’s Fund, which she founded with Sudbury attorney Rachel Sagan to “identify the needs of women and girls in our community and to raise resources to meet those needs.” She will tell us about projects already accomplished, including a school supply drive for the Moms and Me program at MCI Framingham with which First Parish was involved through our Faith in Action Committee. And she will answer questions about ongoing projects and ways we might contribute to them. We will also have time to discuss Women’s Alliance events planned for the rest of the year. Please come—no need to RSVP.

INGATHERING AND POTLUCK 

The service begins with everyone – adults and children –
gathered in the Sanctuary.  As part of the service, everyone is invited to bring a small amount of water from a place or places that have been meaningful to you during the summer.  (The water can be from the actual place or tap water used to represent the place). During the service, this water is collected in a large bowl and, later, after lots of boiling to sterilize it, used throughout the year to dedicate children, comfort those who are ill, and other appropriate uses.  Remember to bring your water!

POTLUCK at 11:30 a.m.  After the service, everyone is invited to greet each other and enjoy a potluck lunch in the Parish Hall and on the terrace.

First Parish Sudbury presents a July 4 Cook Out

The First Parish grilling team of chefs is ready for our annual summer cook out on Thursday July 4. We’ll be selling beef and vegetarian burgers, beef hot dogs, sausages with peppers and onion, french fries, popcorn, cookies, cakes and cold drinks at 12 noon on the...