News and Happenings
Top Stories
Circle Suppers Returning to First Parish!
The Committee on Ministry is going to re- introduce the Circle Suppers as a way to deepen our relationships and have some fun together.
The Circle Suppers were part of First Parish some years ago but phased out. Recently there has been some interest in renewing them. So starting on Saturday, January 21st we will have our first, hopefully of many, Circle Suppers.
What is a Circle Supper? On a given date, three or four hosts sponsor a small group of congregants to a potluck at their home. The guests who attend will each bring something to make the dinner a full dining experience. The host may want to provide drinks, or a salad along with atmosphere. This is an informal way to get to know your fellow parishioners, a time for sharing and just enjoying a relaxing evening together.
Members of the Committee on Ministry will be inviting people to host and have sign-up sheets available during fellowship for folks who want to participate in the first Circle Supper on January 21st. So look for Linda, Conley, Chris, Valerie and Deborah R. who are prepared to talk to you about this event in coming weeks.
UUSC Haitian Relief Fund
http://www.uusc.org/content/major_earthquake_devastates_haiti_uusc_uua_launch_relief_fund
Published on Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (http://www.uusc.org)
Major Earthquake Devastates Haiti; UUSC and UUA Launch Joint Relief Fund
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, was devastated by a major earthquake around 5 p.m. Eastern Time on January 12. UUSC and the Unitarian Universalist Association have launched a joint earthquake relief fund to help the survivors.
Most people in the capital spent the night outdoors, without shelter, or joined those frantically digging in the rubble to rescue the tens of thousands trapped underneath it. The situation is chaotic, communications systems are down, and debris impedes movement around the city. Nonetheless, the U.N. estimates that 2.2 million people are affected and fears that the loss of life may reach into the tens of thousands. The destruction is widespread, with extensive damage to homes, hospitals, roads, water and sanitation services, and electrical and communication systems. Major news outlets are all reporting severe devastation. An alarming number of buildings, including the National Palace and the United Nation’s Headquarters, have collapsed.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s most impoverished and least-developed nation. Its society is rife with radical inequality, where large numbers of the population are systematically left out. Eighty percent of the population lives in poverty. Many people live day-to-day on what they’re able to earn in the informal sector. For those hundreds of thousands of poor people in Port-au-Prince, the daily struggle for food, water, and medical attention already amounted to an emergency — the earthquake has made these challenges infinitely more difficult to overcome, creating a humanitarian disaster on top of an existing humanitarian crisis. Poor Haitians who have never had equal access to services will be struggling to get basic necessities in the aftermath of this earthquake.
What UUSC will do
UUSC’s disaster response in Haiti will focus on those survivors less likely to have access to aid, such as child domestic workers (restaviks), women-headed households that work in the informal sector, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Haiti has a vibrant grassroots movement with a vision of empowering people. UUSC will work closely with partners in this grassroots movement to reach those survivors at greatest risk of being overlooked. As of this afternoon, we’ve already connected with three organizations and will be reaching out to others over the next 24 hours in order to shape our response.
We will be updating our website regularly as our plans develop.
Finally, we are deeply saddened at the
calamity that has devastated the lives of people in Haiti —
please support our efforts to help them.
-
Youth Group News
Relay for Life
Well, we did it! We walked in the Plymouth Relay for Life on Friday, June 26 to Saturday, June 27 at the Plymouth South High School. We had a lot of fun. We got rained on a little, but that was part of the fun too. Most of the youth stayed up all night and walked 20 miles! Our team raised about $2,000 for the fight against cancer. Thank you all who contributed!
-
News on Hat Trick
On Friday May 1st Hat Trick Theatre received the coveted ARTY award in recognition for Theatrical Production, Creativity and Children's Theatre. The awards ceremony took place at the Radisson Hotel where the award was presented to Sally Wright by members of the Plymouth Cultural Council. This is a great honor for Sally and Hat Trick Theatre and she would like to thank the First Parish Church members for their constant support to the theatre and their contribution towards the arts in our community. Hat Trick Theatre is now in it's third year of performing at Kendall Hall.
