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Dear ones,
This month’s musing on the state of Religious Education at First Parish of Watertown comes with an ‘ask.’ Please consider whether you might be the right person to answer this call.
Contrary to all popular adult misconceptions about what youth are like, the youth at First Parish of Watertown have been pretty consistently ambivalent about meeting on Zoom. Our youth group met at first, and we finished our OWL classes virtually, but really… on the whole, the youth group has been in hiatus this year. The one time I was able to offer an opportunity to meet in person – for the sword dance in preparation for the pageant – every single youth in our group showed up. They are longing to be in person with one another. Even those who swim in the digital ocean by nature need to come up for air.
Read More
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Virtual Trivia Night - Saturday February 20th
4:00pm to 6:00pm
Back by popular demand - Fellowship hosts Matt and Katherine Calabro invite all to join our beloved community for a fun night of cooperative trivia. This year we will use an OpinionNation game model that should work for all ages.
OpinioNation is a survey-based game that is great for everyone – not just brainiacs! Teams try to guess the five most popular responses given to fun survey questions. It’s not a test of your knowledge, it’s a chance to see what you can think of. The smartest team doesn’t always win!
Look for your Zoom invite the week of the Feb 20th.
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Come Watch Gender Revolution Together
The Safe Congregation Committee is sponsoring a showing of Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, a 2017 National Geographic documentary film about gender identity. It will be shown on Sunday, February 28 from 7-8:30pm. We will send you a zoom link so we can watch the film together. If you prefer to watch on your own, it can be found on Katie Couric’s Facebook page.
A week later on Sunday, March 7 from 7-8pm. we will follow up by hosting a panel discussion with Watertown community members who are connected to and active in the transgender community.
During the film in the chat you can ask questions that you would like the panel to answer. You can also email questions to Elisabeth Strekalovsky at caseysmom3@yahoo.com.
We hope you can join us as we all become more educated on this important subject
The Social Action Committee,
Elisabeth Strekalovsky
Lauren Strauss
Beth Parsons
Nancy Dutton
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Want to put a church or community announcement in the Arbella? Email the information (text, please, and images if you have them) to office@fpwatertown.org
Deadline for each Friday's Arbella is Thursday at noon.
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The Green Sanctuary Committee will host a virtual screening of the documentary film, The Story of Plastic, with a presentation and discussion about plastic pollution on Tuesday, March 16th at 7:30.
A link to the film will be sent out the week before the discussion on March 16th. The Story of Plastic is an amazing documentary film about the current global plastic pollution crisis. The presentation and discussion of the film will be led by Kirstie Pecci, Director of the Zero Waste Project and a senior fellow at the Conservation Law Foundation, and Emily Norton, Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association and a Newton City Councilor. All are welcome. Please register here on Eventbrite,
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Don't want to miss a service or fun community photos?
"LIKE" the First Parish of Watertown Facebook page, accessible from the FPW website or from this link.
Questions about the FPW FB page? Reach out to Beth Tappan-deFrees or Carole Katz.
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Sunday Services are currently being held on Zoom. Please contact office@fpwatertown.org by Saturday for this week's link or to be added to the weekly mailing.
The theme for February is Beloved Community
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This is the year to join in the fun!!
The same wonderful night with a new name - The FPW Variety Show (aka Talent Show) is scheduled this year for Saturday April 10th from 4pm to 6pm. The FPW Band is back in action preparing 3 tunes for our Zoom Variety Show. This is an open call for anyone, young or old, who would like to participate - create a skit, read poetry, sing, dance, tell jokes, do magic tricks, show off your artwork - this is your chance to share your hidden talents with your FPW friends. We can offer help with prerecording or helping with setup if you want to participate in real-time. Please send your ideas, thoughts, questions & concerns to Izzy Td (izzyt@rcn.com) so we can get the show organized.
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UU Mass Action 15th Anniversary & Fundraiser!
When: Sat. Feb 27, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: Zoom!
Register Here Flyer Facebook link
Join us for our 15th anniversary celebration! UU Mass Action has grown into a strong, UU justice organization because of you! We reached this milestone together, come celebrate with us!
Specials Guests: Melanie DeMore - Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director and vocal activist, Lynn Holbein - Founding member and Board President Emerita, and Hillary Goodridge - will share her reflections on the fight for equal marriage, which was our first campaign! UU's were an important faith voice in the campaign and it was our first experience with successful organizing.
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The Green Sanctuary Committee of FPW and other climate groups in Watertown encourage you to sign the petition in support of declaring Watertown Climate Emergency and attend the town council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Only Watertown residents should sign the bill.
On February 23rd, the Resolution Endorsing the Declaration of a Climate Emergency will be on the Town Council meeting agenda! Even getting this resolution up for a vote is a victory for our campaign and collective organizing. But now we need to raise our voices to make sure it gets passed.
We need your help to convince our town representatives that they should endorse our resolution.
- Please sign our petition in support of the resolution.
- Contact me if you'd like to help lobby individual town councilors.
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Come Join the Fun! Push back against this dreary winter by creating something in your yard, porch or doorway – a structure, an art project, a contraption, or anything that pops to mind. Anyone can participate–no fees and no age requirement. Your creation should be family friendly and viewable from the street or sidewalk. Your project will be listed on the YardArt map and you’ll receive a yard sign to mark your location.
Need inspiration or help? Hatch Makerspace offers ideas and assistance and free YardArt materials kits for contactless curbside pickup. Kits include recycled plastic yard signs and lumber, hardware, a screwdriver, 2 brushes, cord, and 4 metal stakes. To reserve yours, email Hatch Coordinator Liz at ehelfer@watertown-ma.gov.
Plan to have your project up and ready for viewing by March 5, 2021. The townwide “exhibit” will remain up until April 2, 2021 for COVID-safe enjoyment. Register for YardArt Watertown online here or print a paper registration form here: English | Spanish | Portuguese | Armenian | Arabic | Pashto
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Please join First Parish in Bedford on Sunday, February 21st from 4:00pm-5:00pm via Zoom for a free presentation entitled “Poetry and Process” with local poet Joyce Peseroff.
Joyce Peseroff will read from her sixth book of poems, Petition, published in November by Carnegie Mellon University Press. She will also discuss her writing process in general, the specific ways in which certain poems were written, and the vital support a decades-long writing group has offered her.
Ms. Peseroff founded and directed the Creative Writing MFA Program at UMass Boston, where she taught for 17 years. Her honors include grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation as well as a Pushcart Prize. Ms. Peseroff’s fifth book of poems, Know Thyself, was named a “must-read” by the 2016 Massachusetts Book Award.
Come and enjoy this engaging presentation!
**All First Parish in Bedford lyceums (forums) are FREE and open to the public. Feel free to share this link with family or friends who might also be interested. ***
For the Zoom link, please contact Ellen at mountainbreeze52@gmail.com
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