DECEMBER 2015
First Parish has talked about "shared ministry" over the years, and many members have made that idea their own. Still, I am convinced that we need to talk about “shared ministry” a little more. Members are engaged in many ministries, ministries that live out the mission of the congregation. But it is my observation that we don't always appreciate these contributions of committed members as ministry.
When this congregation was founded in 1637 the job of the "Teaching Elder" was to share the vision of the congregation and to "equip the saints." We don't often call our members "the saints" these days, but to our religious ancestors that term meant persons of spiritual conviction and commitment, and given that definition I witness many “saints” among us today.
For me the most important thing a professional "parish" minister can do at this moment in history is motivate, connect, and equip members of the congregaiton in living out their own ministries and connecting to the congregation’s shared mission. In fact the whole church staff exists for that purpose and one of the tasks of this interim year is helping the congregation to understand how their many ministries can be helped by good planning with the Standing
Committee and the staff.
Seanan Fong our Ministerial Intern has a concrete example of our shared ministry in his article below on the Worship Associates.
Join First Parish’s Worship Ministry
Every Sunday morning at First Parish in Cambridge, our community gathers together to share a common experience — an experience of worship, of gratitude, of wonder, and of witness.
Putting each of those experiences together is a vital and vibrant ministry here at First Parish.
Whether it is planning the themes and messages of the service, or handling the logistical details of creating a worshipful space and time, First Parish’ worship ministry calls upon and nourishes the diverse talents of our Worship Associates team.
As we revisit our “shared ministry” at First Parish, the Worship Associates and ministerial staff are inviting interested First Parish members to apply to join the Worship team. We are excited to explore how you might bring your gifts to First Parish’s worship ministry.
If you are interested or have any questions or concerns, please contact Jennie Fitch, Chair of the
Worship Associates < jennifer.joyce.abigail@gmail.com
>, or Seanan Fong, Ministerial Intern
< intern@firstparishcambridge.org
>.
The annual Harvard Square Holiday Fair, which has traditionally been held in our auditorium will be moving to new venues this year. We hope you’ll help spread the word about this wonderful event and help support them in their new locations:
The Atrium, 50 Church Street - Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13
St. Paul’s Church, corner of Bow St. & Mt Auburn St.
Friday, December 18 through Wednesday, December 23. www.harvardsquareholidayfair.com

The Meetinghouse News December 2015
December 6, 2015 Indigenous Wisdom
Today as we face a crisis in our relationship to our environment, it would be good to remind ourselves of the wisdom of our ancestors.
Rev. Clyde Grubbs preaches.
December 13, 2015
Have a Merry UU Christmas
Sometimes folks say, “How come UUs make such a big deal about Christmas?” I think it is because
Unitarians and Universalists were very influential in shaping how we celebrate this day.
Rev. Clyde Grubbs preaches.
December 20, 2015 Holiday Pageant
Join us for our First Parish tradition, the norehearsal multi-generational multi-faith holiday pageant! All are invited to claim a part in the story of a baby born in deep midwinter as a hope for all people. Come ready to participate in this gentle retelling of the sacred birth story found in traditions throughout the world. We'll share the stories of
Buddha, Amaterasu, and Jesus in a classic narrated pageant that comes to life on the spot.
December 24, 2015
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 27 Freedom’s Eve
December 31, 1862: the eve of the signing of the
Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans across the United States celebrated, in the words of Frederick Douglass, "the glorious morning of liberty about to dawn upon us." As we close 2015, what morning of liberty will we call forth?
Ministerial Intern Seanan Fong preaches.
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The shared offering recipient this month is the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry
(UUUM). The UU Urban Ministry is a social justice organization based in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Programs focus on providing:
 Academic and enrichment
 programming for children and youth
Emergency shelter for individuals and

 families fleeing from domestic violence
Affordable housing and intentional community for young women, including transitional housing for those leaving shelter volunteer-based capacity-building services for Roxbury-serving nonprofits.
UUUM makes use of an extensive pool of volunteers from Boston-area UU congregations, colleges/universities, and the Roxbury community to offer a greater level of programming than our staff alone could provide. An important part of our mission is bringing together people from different walks of life to work together toward justice and equality.
More information is available at uuum.org
Please note that there will not be a
Longtimers/Seniors breakfast in December due to lots of holiday conflicts. Plan to join us on January 17 in the Parlor for the next breakfast. Contact Elizabeth Kline or
Jane Sturtevant for more information.

The Meetinghouse News December 2015
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Marcia Hams for the Environmental Justice Task Force
This week 196 countries are meeting in Paris to reach a new climate change agreement. Both government and non-governmental organizations like 350.org and Greenpeace are working hard to make sure that the deal will result in meaningful action to deal with the crisis that is growing every day. The summit is being called “our last hope” by the head of the International Energy
Agency. Leading up to the summit, individual countries have developed their own plans for carbon reduction—a huge step forward. But agreement must be reached in Paris to ensure that these individual country pledges add up to sufficient global action and that there is financial support for adaptation and the transition to a low carbon world economy.
People most affected by the unfolding catastrophe have also come to Paris from all over the world--
Pacific Islanders, Inuit hunters, low-income people from places like New Orleans—to demand a strong agreement. A huge march was planned to make these demands, but after the tragic events on November 13 th in Paris, the march was cancelled by authorities. But on Sunday, November 29 th , tens of thousands of people joined in 2000 marches around the world for one of the biggest global days of climate change activism in history. 45,000 marched in Sydney and here in Cambridge /
Boston hundreds marched, including 14 of us from First Parish. In
Paris, 20,000 pairs of shoes were laid out in the Place de la
Republique in the French capital, from high-heels to boots, to symbolize absent marchers. One was sent by the Vatican on behalf of the Pope.
What is necessary for success in Paris? Many activists are calling for a phase out of fossil fuels by 2050, replaced by renewables. The leader of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Costa Rican Christiana Figueres is pushing all countries and sectors to commit publicly to new investment decisions that signal that we are moving toward a low-carbon economy.
Because economic growth since the industrial revolution began has been made possible by rising carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels, a new paradigm is needed---uncoupling growth and emissions. Figueres asserts: “There are two things that are absolutely key to being able to feed, house, and educate the two billion more family members who will be joining us. You have to continue to grow. And, particularly, developing countries need to continue to grow. But….you can’t continue to grow greenhouse gases, because that kills the possibility of growth.” There is some reason to hope that this can be done. Last year, global emissions remained flat for the first time since the industrial revolution, while the global economy grew by 3%.
Climate groups, including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation, are calling for these elements in a 2015 agreement:
 Ambitious action before and after 2020—including national plans on mitigation, financial commitments, energy efficiency, renewable energy and forest protection.
 A strong legal framework and clear rules—with a shared accounting system, transparent monitoring and reporting requirements
 A central role for equity--ensuring that climate action links with strategies for poverty alleviation and sustainable development

The Meetinghouse News December 2015
 A long term approach---including future commitments every five years to move to a
4 phase out of fossil fuel and the phase in of clean energy technologies by 2050.
 Public finance for adaptation and the low carbon transition—to support adaptation and mitigation, aligned with other financing for development
 A framework for action on deforestation and land use—including forest protection, land use and agriculture, with involvement of local communities in decision making.
 Clear links to the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals—agreements on climate change and 2015 development goals should be complementary
The faith community, including First Parish in Cambridge, is a critical voice in continuing to build support for action by our government and by industry. On Saturday in Paris, faith groups delivered petitions with 1.8 million signatures collected on pilgrimages to Paris. Pope Francis spoke from Africa, saying world leaders must “reach an historic agreement to fight climate change and poverty” at the Paris talks and that it would be “catastrophic if particular interests prevailed over the common good of people and the planet”. Our First Parish Environmental
Justice Task Force will be planning opportunities for learning more about the Paris summit, and you can join us on December 12 th for the Jobs, Justice, Climate Rally on 12/12!
Sources:
Paris 2015: Getting a global agreement on climate change. Christian AID, Green Alliance,
Greenpeace, RSPB and WWF. August, 2014.
Elizabeth Kolbert. “The Weight of the World: Can Christiana Figueres persuade humanity to save itself”. New Yorker, August, 24, 2015.
“Pope Francis says failure of climate summit would be catastrophic”. Reuters. November 26, 2015.
United Nations delegates have been negotiating about climate change for more than 20 years, and this December, they'll meet again in Paris for yet another round of talks. There's reason to be hopeful, but we already know that even if the delegates finally reach an agreement, it won't be strong enough to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
No matter what happens in Paris, we know what we need: real climate solutions that create secure union jobs and strengthen community
power and resiliency. And to get there, we need to build an unstoppable grassroots movement that can unite organized labor, immigrant rights, racial justice and climate justice groups.
It's up to us to lead the way -- and we're starting right here in New England with a
massive rally on December 12, the day after the Paris talks end!
What: Jobs, Justice and Climate: Rally to Defend New England’s Future
When: Saturday, December 12, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Where: Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, Boston
We’ll lift up the voices of New England's organized labor, immigrant rights, racial justice, and climate justice groups as we call for jobs, justice and climate action together.
The Environmental Justice Task Force will hold a sign-making party, starting at 11:30 am in the
Parlor. We are inviting people from other nearby churches to join us. We’ll head over to the rally, via the subway, at 12:30. Join us to make signs or to travel to the rally, or meet us there.
Join us as we build connections between movements and stand together as one!

The Meetinghouse News
December 2015
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The Middle East Education Group encourages
Founded in 1970 by African American undergraduates as a safe space for Black students at the university, the Kuumba
Singers of Harvard College is a choir that celebrates the musical creativity of the African diaspora. The Dr. S. Allen Counter Christmas
Concert is a celebration of the spiritual wealth of this mission. Services are at 8:00 pm on
December 4 & 5 at the Memorial Church in
Harvard Yard; get free tickets from the you to join us at Social Hour on December 13 as we host that Sunday, featuring predominantly Middle Eastern foods. In addition, we will have a table where you will be able to purchase Equal Exchange olive oil
(great as an unusual hostess gift, as well as for your own use) and chocolate bars
Harvard Box Office.
Join us in singing our favorite Christmas carols together with the elderly residents at
Sancta Maria. We’ll meet at 799 Concord Ave in Cambridge in the 5 th floor activity room at 10:00 am and work our way down to the
4th and 3rd floors -- feel free to come late or leave early if you have a tight schedule (we will be going until noon). No rehearsal or musical talent needed – the songs are easy and familiar, and we’ll have plenty of large print song sheets for everyone. Children, newcomers, non-First Parish folks, jingle bells and Santa hats are all welcome! For more information, to request a ride, or to be added to the email list for future events, please speak with Elke Jahns-Harms or email singalongs-owner@yahoogroups.com
. Please mark your calendars for our regular
First Saturday Sing-alongs in the coming year as well!
At 7:30 pm, the First Church in Boston will be hosting the 2015 Vigil for all Victims of Gun
Violence. This is the Boston branch of a national vigil, which works in loving remembrance of all victims and with determination to save lives moving forward.
(stocking stuffers, anyone?). There is even the possibility that we will have some
Palestinian crafts available. We hope to see you there.
On Sunday December 6th after our service, we encourage you to make your way over to
First Church Cambridge at 11 Garden Street
(corner of Mason) for their Alternative
Christmas Fair from 12:30 -2:00. There will be many opportunities to support social justice organizations, including Heifer
International, Kids4Peace, LGBT Asylum
Project, and Folk Art Mavens with their
Palestinian crafts.. See the flier on the bulletin board for more details.
Our next meeting is January 24th, location and exact time to be announced. For further information, please email
MEEG@firstparishcambridge.org
Come enjoy an evening of poetry and prose - sample some free warmth and literary inspiration on a chilly winter’s evening.
Richard Blanco will read from The Prince of
Los Cocuyos, his memoir about growing up in
Miami as the son of Cuban exiles, which explores the themes of Latino identity and sense of place. Free and open to the public.
Wednesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm in the
Meetinghouse.

The Meetinghouse News
December 2015
Nothing spreads the joy of the holiday season like singing good old fashioned Christmas carols. Join the First Parish choir as we spread some holiday cheer to elderly residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities around Cambridge. Meet in the parlor at 1:00 pm for a short rehearsal, where Jonathan will ensure that we are sounding our best. We will leave at 2:00 pm, carpool to the various nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
WE NEED DRIVERS! We will return to the hour. The other dozen will be available for swapping with other cookie-bringers in the
Chapel after service. If you really love
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On Sunday, December 20, we'll enjoy a First
Parish tradition: a Christmas Cookie Swap.
Bring two dozen of your favorite Christmas cookies (home-made or store-bought) to the kitchen before the service.
One dozen will be shared with all in the social church around 5:00 pm for a delicious
potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share!
Christmas cookies, you can double down by bringing four dozen cookies and taking two dozen cookies home. Serious business! ;-)
Whether you love to bake cookies or just to eat them, this will be a fun event for all. So grab your mixer and let the fun begin!
Calling all Unitarian Universalist Teens! Join with the youth in the Roxbury Youth Program for Environmental Justice in the City, a year of learning, sharing, and justice making as we explore the intersections of environmental and racial injustice. Facilitated by ACE (Alternatives for Community and Environment), a Roxbury-based non-profit.
2nd Wednesdays: December 9, January 13, February 10, March 9, April 13, May 11,
6:00 pm - 7:30pm, Dinner Included.
Save the Date: Saturday, January 23 rd from 10:00 am-2:00 pm we will be hosting an
Anti-Racism Conference at the UUUM. Stay tuned for more details!
Hope Out Loud Community Choir Forming. Sam Martinborough, director of MssgLnks in
Boston, will be forming a community choir that will sing as part of Hope Out Loud this year on April 10th. Our UU regional churches are invited to participate in this cross cultural celebration. Mark your calendars with the dates below. Please be willing to commit to at least 2 of the 3 rehearsals—with March being a critical rehearsal. All rehearsals will happen at the
Urban Ministry at 10 Putnam Street in Roxbury. A light supper will be provided from 6:30 pm to
7:00 pm . Rehearsal will begin at 7:00 pm and go no later than 8:30 pm. We will be singing together in concert on April 10 th .
SAVE THE DATES:
Tuesday, January 26- rehearsal
Tuesday, February 23- rehearsal
Tuesday, March 29- rehearsal
Sunday, April 10- Hope Out Loud (3:00 pm performance with 1:30 pm call)

The Meetinghouse News December 2015
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The mission of First Parish includes the challenge of transforming ourselves into a multiracial, multicultural, justice-making congregation. Because we recognize the unique role and impact of racism in the histories and present situations of our country, of Cambridge, and of Unitarian
Universalism, our Standing Committee has charged the Transformation Team (TT) with the role of facilitating this process. For the last the last six years the TT, along with other First Parish leaders, has created opportunities for the congregation to educate itself about racism and multiculturalism as well as take various actions in the community. We also recognize that racism intersects with other forms of oppression that many of us experience.
Here we present a few highlights of the activities the Standing Committee and Transformation
Team are planning for this year in order to continue this journey.
We are very fortunate to have Rev. Clyde Grubbs as our interim minister. He has several decades of experience of working on anti-racism and social justice issues. The Transformation
Team is collaborating with Rev. Grubbs to organize several events and trainings to help us take the next steps in exploring these issues. In addition to a general discussion that includes historical context and current issues, each session will include small group discussions, led by a facilitator, so that issues of transformation may be delved into on a personal level.
As part of these transformation discussions, we also want to have a congregation-wide conversation about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement: what is it doing, how it is organized and what are the best ways we can support it. Since the events in Ferguson, the BLM movement has changed the narrative on race and oppression in significant ways throughout the country. Many members of First Parish have already participated in BLM protests and activities as individuals and found these to be inspiring. Last year we awarded our annual Courageous
Love Award to two Black Lives Matter student leaders at Cambridge Rindge and Latin and had the chance to hear their perspective at a worship service. We are currently exploring hanging a large banner in support of Black Lives Matter in front of the church, which many UU congregations across the country have done.
The work of transformation is happening throughout the congregation, and there are many ways that individuals can contribute including in Religious Education, worship, choir, program groups and committees just to name a few. Transformation Team members, however, have the unique opportunity to support the work of the entire congregation by helping keep the conversation about transformation alive by creating opportunities for education, sharing, and action; supporting leadership with tools and resources; and engaging with the broader community on issues of racism and multiculturalism.
To do this work most effectively, we need to add a few more members to the Transformation
Team to help with organizing and planning and/or as facilitators for the trainings we are planning. We welcome your nominations and suggestions about congregants who have an interest in providing leadership for this work. Self-nominations are, of course, welcome. The
Standing Committee and Transformation Tea, will announce details about the application and selection process soon. In the meantime, nominations may be sent to: standingcommittee@firstparishcambridge.org
For more information, please contact Marcia Hams, Rashid Shaikh or Seanan Fong.

The Meetinghouse News December 2015
First Parish is a community of many generous volunteers who donate a
8 lot of time and energy. This month, we'd like to mention a few people and groups who have gone above and beyond to help out.
The Auction Committee (Maria Altamore, Loring Brinkerhoff, Robin Brown, Jan
Ellertsen, Cushing Giesey, Jennifer Griffith, Ellen Liner, Eileen Sullivan (chair) and Nan
Waldstein.) for gathering such an enticing panoply of items for us to bid on and hope to win.
Grace Hall for always offering willing hands to help out.
Peggy Kraft and Sylvia Wheeler for the innumerable hours they’ve been putting in during our transition.
Thanks to all our volunteers. If you see someone going above and beyond, please let us know so we can acknowledge their contributions! Contact the Church Office with suggestions.
Thanks for your support of the First Parish auction - we raised $15,170 so far and there are some additional events and services still available. Invoices will be sent out to the lucky winners and a list will be posted on the bulletin board in the parlor on December 6th. If you won a basket or gift that needs to be picked up, the auction team will have a table in the parlor on December
6th and 13th. Stop by to get your item, drop off your invoice/payment or sign up for available events. Reminder that auction invoices need to be paid by January 4th.
If you had wanted to contribute to the auction and didn't have time in October, you can still contribute. We need volunteers for the three flat rate events to provide food items, assist with set up and clean up or provide donation for beverages and other items. If you can assist, contact
Eileen at auction@firstparishcambridge.org
Thank you again to everyone who offered an item and everyone who bid!