20171105_0585-faith promise catie homily Worship Service Sunday, November 5, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching Across the country on a Sunday between November 2017 and February 2018, Unitarian Universalist congregations are honoring “Promise and Practice Sunday” as part of a denominational recognition of the contributions of Unitarian Universalists of color. This worship […] The post Our Faith’s Promise and Practice appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20171029_0583-good-trouble-catie-sermon “Good Trouble” PDF Worship Service Sunday, October 29, 2017 10:30am  in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching For our multigenerational Halloween/All Souls worship service, we will remember our Unitarian/Universalist ancestors who made a difference by making “good trouble” in our churches and out in the world. We will also have time during our service […] The post Good Trouble appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20171022_0582-mark-sermon Worship Service Sunday, October 22, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary DLRE Mark LaPointe, preaching While struggles against oppression, violence and discrimination converge all along the long arch of history, in these modern times resistance seems episodic and often disconnected. Sometimes it feels like a formula — find an issue of the moment, protest for […] The post Later, If You Need Me appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20171015_0580_sermon_catie_sanctuary-edit-1 “Support Sanctuary, Save Lives” PDF Worship Service Sunday, October 15, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching An ancient method of congregational non-compliance with oppressive governments is back on the rise: providing “sanctuary” within houses of worship. Many faith communities in Needham are exploring how they can support the New Sanctuary Movement […] The post Support Sanctuary, Save Lives appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20171008_0580_sermon Worship Service Sunday, October 8, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Dr. Michelle Walsh, preaching The movement to eliminate Columbus Day and reclaim Indigenous People’s Day is a national movement corresponding to many national movements correcting our country’s history. This one has been 500 years in the waiting. Rev. Dr. Michelle Walsh, LICSW, is […] The post Over 500 Years of Getting History Wrong: Indigenous People’s Sunday appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

Fight Flight Freeze “Fight, Flight, Freeze” PDF Worship Service Sunday, October 1, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching As we head into Resistance month, we consider on this Sunday that resistance is the slowing down of any change — not only change we don’t like. What does it look and feel like […] The post Fight, Flight, Freeze appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20170924_0578-catie-sermon-my-people “Your People Are My People” PDF Worship Service Sunday, September 24, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching On our Sunday morning during the Jewish High Holy Days, we’ll reflect on the Hebrew Bible story of Ruth and Naomi and on the words of Unitarian Universalists of color about their experiences of […] The post Your People Are My People appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20170917_0577-good-god-catie-sermon Worship Service Sunday, September 17, 2017 10:30am in the Sanctuary Rev. Catie Scudera, preaching Our eighteenth-century Universalist ancestors proclaimed that the God worshipped in neighboring Christian congregations lacked a certain goodness. Furthermore, they declared that if the God worshipped on Sunday mornings was harsh, judgmental, and strict, the people of that congregation would become […] The post A Good God appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20170903_0576_john_sermon-chains Marx and Engels said to workers of the world, in their 1848 Communist Manifesto, “Unite! … You have nothing to lose but your chains!” So why are so many still swinging on them? John Buehrens was Minister of First Parish from 2002 through 2012. He worked his way through college at Harvard as a member […] The post Swinging on the Chains appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.

20170827_joy_livingston_sermon   Worship Service Sunday, August 27, 2017 10:30am in the Parish Hall Cathy Livingston, preaching Cathy Livingston is a long-time member and past president of First Parish. She has many years of experience teaching and leading in K-12, higher education, and non-profit settings. The post Joy: One of Life’s Backpack Essentials appeared first on First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist.