Every Christmas, one of the repeating truths that strike me about this season is how broad and comprehensive Christmas is. Christmas is accepting in a masterful, unconscious, way. Its worth a moment to marvel at.

When you stop and think about it, it is pretty amazing the way Christmas seems to seamlessly combine the piety of a creshe and the revelry of a holiday party, the greed of a kid in a toy store and the generosity of a Salvation Army pot. Christmas is an endlessly dazzling mix of light lights on a dark background and the blend of both Pagan and Christian myths. When you stop to think about it, Christmas has found a way to evolve into an umbrella of so many contrasting things that it is its own dare I say it Christmas miracle. I just love all that Christmas has become.

Christmas is…the mark in history that reset the calendars to the birth of an eternally important baby, which was set at the time of the year because it was the time of year our pre-historical ancestors noted the sun began its return. How cool a mash up is that. It is about getting stupid at a holiday party, as much as it is about the now awkwardly cute, animated Rudolph and Charlie Brown specials.

Christmas is about disconnected and mobile families trying to be together, just like it is about the wonder we see in kids’ eyes who still believe in Santa. The holiday is about the season that saves the bacon of all retail businesses, and an earnest pause in one of your favorite hymns in beautifully dim candlelight. I’m as good with Santa being rebooted in yet another new movie, as I am driving around and enjoying the pretty lights people put up.

Christmas is the most consumer-centric moment on the calendar, and it is also the most generous. That is frankly, pretty cool. I have no real beef with the fact that this is a season to be generous, prompted by the deadline of tax deductions. And Christmas is a model of that. Life always has to weave together the most sacred and profane instincts and needs, and Christmas might just be the best example of that. I love that the noble hero who arrives on Christmas to save us from sin, comes in the unlikely form of an infant. An infant who is a stand in for the ever so regrowing sun in the sky.

I had a moment in my teens when I was a little bit persnickety in a Christian sense about Christmas being a religious holiday about Jesus. It was brief. I have let that feeling go.

Just let it be. We need Christmas, or something like it. I want every kid in the world to get everything they want for Christmas, and I want you to get as much out of it too. However, and here is where this simple article takes a little turn. Without being a zealot, I invite you to take a pause to remember that the baby we talk about on Christmas eve is revered because his legacy as an adult was such an impressive example of what it looks like to live with passion, kindness, and bravery.

It saddens me that we are approaching the time in our culture when, so few people go to church that the average person is as likely to learn about Christmas from a “You-Tube” video or a special on A&E. Given that, I pray and invite you to remember that among all that in part- we celebrate Christmas because Jesus was ahead of his time in calling for society to transform itself into a kingdom of love and justice.

Let’s not lose that in all the tinsel and wrapping paper that Jesus called for a radical transformation of the world to be one of grace and peace.

I love the irony of the fact that the guy who painfully died on a tree, probably believing that he failed to reform and liberate his own religion, likely has no idea that he started the world’s largest religion and in doing became the most famous human of all time. I’m not a purist. I understand that Jesus is an amalgam of stories and fictions. I get that Christmas is now permanently part of a capitalist marketing machine, I know that most of what
we call Christmas was freely and unapologetically stolen from the Pagan traditions. I get it.

So, go shop, eat, drink, be merry. But don’t forget that the cute baby we talk about came to know that the earth is only healed when we put down the guns, share the wealth, turn the other cheek, rebel against what is wrong, and tell ourselves that our potential is nearly limitless.

Christmas may not be all about Jesus, and shouldn’t be, but Jesus makes Christmas better, and I encourage you not to forget that.

Steve

To start a with a quick personal note, I’m starting to feel settled in.  I still feel embarrassingly weak on names, but I’m digging being here.  Thanks for picking me.

Ok, back to fleshing out our future plans.

Between August and November, we have had a number of meaningful conversations at the Board and broader Congregational Level.  Forums that have helped me understand the nature of the congregation and our programming.  I’ve enjoyed the learning curve.  I’m getting it and us. 

What follows is the skeleton of a plan of what we might do to be more engaged in the community.  This proposal is built off of what I have heard at both meetings, and in private one on one conversations.

Please don’t feel like what is offered here is in any way an edict, from on high.  This is just one step in what I expect will be a living plan and endless conversation.

Since, at the last board meeting I broke down the list of things we do, and or might do in the context of a yearly calendar, I will follow that same pattern and begin by laying out what we do on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis.  I will follow that effort to clarify what we do with some events and programming that we might try to bring to life.  I like to think that what follows is a nice mix of being pragmatic and visionary.  Hopefully this will help pull us forward and potentially make us stronger.  First what we already do.

Weekly: On a weekly basis, we have a Sunday Service, with a choir practice on the weeks Olga is with us.  Steve and Susan host weekly office hours, and Sri Baba, and the Montessori preschool rent our space.  All pretty simple.

Monthly:  Monthly things get a little bit more interesting.  Each month as you know we… host… an “Open Mic” night which is traditionally on the 1^st Friday night of the Month, and   Our “Penultimate Potlucks” (traditionally the 2^nd to last Friday of each month). 

I think of these two events as the pillars of our community’s social life. With the Open Mic night also doing a pretty good job of bringing in outsiders.

Supplementing these two collective events are two new open Adult Ed gatherings that I host.

•  On the 1^st Monday of the month I host a Writing Group 7-8:30 in the Clara Barton Room, and
•  On the 2^nd Saturday of the month a 90-minute Theology Discussion group
•  Also monthly we are beginning an Outing Group I co-host with Kara S. to local points of interest.  The first being to historic Concord and the 2^nd to Sturbridge Village.

These three newer programs are designed to supplement our existing monthly…

• Our Living By Heart Poetry Group, 
• Our Knit Wit Women’s Sewing and conversation group, and
• Our Men’s Group.

Each month there are a variety of regular committee meetings too.  I wasn’t sure how to categorize them, but they include…

            1 Board, 1 Worship, 2 Pastoral Care, and roughly 1 Campus workday.

Overall, I think that is a sufficient amount of monthly programming and or activities for those inside our community, and for a community our size.  I have heard that what needs more attention is our capacity to reach out to the broader public. 

Three-Four Times per year:

Seemingly, falling in between what happens monthly and annually are a few other events.  For example, 3 to 4 times per year we as “First Parish” prepare and serve food at the weekly townwide free community meal that happens at Trinity Church. 

And roughly at about that same pace there is a Solstice Group that gathers mostly around the equinoxes for fellowship and ritual. 

It seems that we also host a professional concert about three to four times per year as well.  I will group those in the broader upcoming events category.   

Regular Existing First Parish Events Designed to Engage the Community

August:

September:    Jazz Solar Eco Fest? (Presently In loose conjunction with Applefest Dates)

October:        

November:     On Sat Nov 9^th @ 7pm A Concert Featuring Cara Brindisi is scheduled.

December:     On Fri Dec 20^th @ 7pm Lori Diamond-Analiese and Fred Abatelli will perform,\  

X-Mas Eve service 7pm

January:       

February:       

March:           Wed May 21^st @ 7pm Gordon Belsher and Cynthia MacLeod

April:               

May:               Monday Memorial Day Fair possible Joint BBQ/Plant Book Sale Monday.  

June:               

July:              

What follows is a list of potential events we might add to our community programming

This list of the existing (Bold) and potential events (Italic) are put forth here with a word of caution.  A caution that as we decide what we can and want to do, we will continue to be mindful and attentive to not wearing out our volunteers.  We have to want to do the following, and likely won’t be capable of all that follows.

August:                                                                                              

September:    Jazz Solar Festival (Presently In loose conjunction with Applefest Dates) 

                        Presence at Worcester Pride (Booth in 2025)

October:         (2025) A well promoted outdoor blessing of the animals.

                        An Indigenous/Native American themed event connected to Indigenous

                        Peoples Day

November:     On Sat Nov 9^th @ 7pm A Concert Featuring Cara Brindisi is scheduled.

Host Potential Townwide Thanksgiving Service (or MLK, or Juneteenth)

December:     On Fri Dec 20^th @ 7pm Lori Diamond-Analiese and Fred Abatelli will perform

X-Mas Eve service 7pm

Potential for the return of the Concert From the Private school group

January:        Host Potential Townwide MLK Service (or Thanksgiving, or Juneteenth)

February:      Belly Dancing Demonstration/Class

March:           Annual Lyceum We could frame the event around potential tribute to Greg Cox, and use it to connect to local civic groups.

                        Fancy Evening Easter Egg Pysanky Decorating class during lent

                        Wed May 21^st @ 7pm Gordon Belsher and Cynthia MacLeod concert scheduled. 

April:              Host local Choir and Acapella Festival with a focus on creating a performance opportunity for many local churches and high school groups. 

May:               Monday Memorial Day Fair possible Joint BBQ/Plant Book Sale Monday.  

                        Host Maypole Pagan event outside on our lawn

June:              Host Potential Townwide Juneteenth Service (Thanksgiving, MLK)

                        (2025) Take Road Trip to GA in Baltimore w Steve’s other Churches.

July:               Host a Church Wide Camping Trip

There is a lot here and I admit drafting this without much of a sense of where the Meeting House Arts stands on this.  All of this is part of an evolving conversation.  It is not in any way a dictate.  I am beginning to inquire about the interest people might have in anyone might have in these ideas.

Description of Ideas raised at Community Meeting & Board Retreat

I drew the above selections together from a broader list of suggestions shared at our Post Church Community Meeting on September 22^nd, and Board Retreat in August.  I have summarized those suggestions below for posterity and constant reconsideration. There is no order or priority in the way these are documented. 

Acapella/Choir Festival:  Acapella groups are very popular these days in high schools.  And obviously many churches have choirs.  Given that and our penchant for music we could host more singing events and begin relating to other choirs, and performers.  Maybe we host an annual voice only event?

New England Youth Ensemble:  Not far back in time we hosted a very broadly attended event in earth December where young performers, (mostly Christian in theology) took over a Sunday Service slot in December to perform a concert.  I believe they were connected to the Lancaster Youth Orchestra. Given that neither the performers or audience are truly locals, and the theology not essentially ours, turning over our Sunday Service to this event comes with compromises.  Although imperfect in nature, largely people seemed content to host such an event and enjoy the music and both having the sanctuary full.  (Les has some connection to them.

Presence at Worcester Pride:  Perhaps in September 2025 we walk in the Parade or get a booth at the Worcester Pride Parade.

Hosting a Town Wide Service: (Thanksgiving, MLK, or Juneteenth)

LGBTQ Adult Prom:  We host a well-advertised prom style dance event as a means to reach out to the LGBTQIA community.

Music Workshops:  The idea of hosting music workshops, ie. Guitar lessons, courting local musicians to rent space was raised as something in keeping with our mission of being more connected to the community.  I suppose working with Adi and the Meetinghouse House group to market more local talent is part of this as well.

Drum Circle:  The notion of hosting a drum circle, and/or including more drumming in our service was brought up as playing to our musical strength, and in keeping with our tradition and desire to be inclusive of more worship traditions.  The possibility of a monthly African drum circle, and/or certainly an outdoor event does not seem impossible.  Especially with the involvement of the Meeting House Arts Center.

Lyceum:  There have been lots of conversations about making First Parish the home of an annual lecture series or a series of speakers based around a theme. 

Expanded Blessing of the Animals:  Numerous times the idea of bringing back a blessing of the Animals ritual to our church, and even church lawn.  I envision at its best this moment involves local groups that work with unorthodox animals, i.e. Llama’s and or rescued animals and their handlers.  Perhaps a tribute to Service Animals might be a theme.

Service Award Celebration Event:  The idea of hosting a service award event that drew in the community groups like Rotary, or the Lions Club was raised.  Perhaps this “Celebration of Helpers” could be paired with the Lyceum

There was a beloved teacher named Greg Cox, from a neighboring town who died, and a night that pays homage to him in the spirit of a broader community event seems possible.

Generational Tech Exchange:  Younger people generally have a natural affinity and skill set that our older generation does not.  Might we reach out to local high school students who might need community service credits and host a tech support exchange at our church?  (Jeanne C might have contacts in this area)

Pysanky Egg Decorating:  In the Spring I am proposing bringing in Sara Mills who is an expert in pysanky egg decorating, and a member of the Billerica Church to lead us in a one time Eastern European Egg Decorating Event.  Time TBD later. 

Belly Dancing Class: In the spring I am considering bringing in Brita Learned who leads belly dance classes in Billerica.  Just a thought.  A worthy experiment. 

Passover Seder:  There is a long tradition of doing Passover Seder dinners in UU churches.  Passover in 2025 takes place from April 12 through the 20^th.

“One Summer Night” Camping Trip:  I know from Jeanne Barrows that there once was a beloved women’s summer weekend camping trip that is no more.  Perhaps we return that tradition, and for sake of numbers make it non gender specific, and for simplicity make it only one weekend night.  It also could be possible to do a joint camping trip with one or both of the other UU churches I serve. I serve in Billerica, and possibly even Bernardston.  Just a thought.  Added to this was the idea of going to one of the formal UU Camps  like Ferry Beach or Row Camp.

Host A Moth Storytellers festival:  We could host an evening at our church, that engages some of the most influential people in town to tell stories based on a theme.  If this event had an LGBTQ theme we could call it, “FLAME”  Apparently the School Superintendent is very LGBTQ friendly.

Memorial Day Sale:  There was some enthusiasm to return to the habit of doing an actual Monday Memorial Day Event at the church.  Perhaps an effort to combine together all the parts of this once historic event and make the day both a plant and book sale, with a corresponding cookout featuring strawberry shortcake. 

Utilize Unused Classroom Space for rentals or for Community Groups:  I know we are likely to bring in a local Girl Scout Troop, which might lead to new ideas.

Potential Annual Juneteenth, or MLK Service here at First Parish.  I will work with newly re-formed  Northborough Interfaith group to see if people want to have a town wide MLK or Juneteenth service that we host.  Given that this year, if a collective UU trip to Baltimore is planned I and others would be in Baltimore, perhaps a MLK service is more likely.

Monthly Outings Group:  Kara S. and I (SW) have created a series of social outings to local parks and museums.  So far we have planned a monthly event from October thru February.  We will see how well attended these outings are, and if they draw a crowd, we will be seeking and open to other events for the spring.

END OF EXPANDED LIST OF EVENTS

Advertising/Promotional Ideas

“Burma Shave” style promotional yard signs ideas have been created, but the money not yet raised for their printing.  I think we should try the experiment of printing one sequence of these signs, (Katherine Designed a few UU themed series). 

Broadly Advertise to the community our Adult Ed Programs. We could begin advertising our Writing, Theology Discussion, Men’s Poetry, Knit-Wits, and Living By Heart groups.  Of course we would clarify that idea with their wishes.  Maybe they are happy the way they are. 

Stronger/Clearer Marketing Advertising Strategy:  I am not sure what we have in place, but it seems important to the potential success of any program that we might run that we have a more comprehensive effort to get out the word about all that we do here.  (Ann Lenaut’s daughter Tiffany has been involved)

This “proposal” is just a conversation starter, and template for both figuring out what we might prioritize, and who might take leadership over some of these areas.  Nothing more.  Where you see one option selected over another, take that in as just one idea. 

Steve

October always brings me thoughts about Halloween, beautiful foliage, what I call a pre-
traumatic loss of light and cold, and with Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day a moment to reflect
on the disturbing relationship Europeans and Native Peoples have had. In America, we of course
have our own particular version of that.

The mid eighteen hundreds were the first time white European and European American’s really 
in large numbers began to go west across the continent.


In 1845 the famous words “Go West Young Man” were written by Horace Greely. He was a 
Unitarian, a leader of the democratic party, and the editor of the popular New York newspaper
 The Morning Post. In addition to all those titles Horace Mann was part of a zeitgeist of
individual American opportunism, adventure, and cultural expansionism that back then felt
ordained by fate or God, and today feels wrong.


Of the same era and basic message was John O’ Sullivan’s phrase Manifest Destiny. Placed in 
the sentence in which it was first written O’Sullivan said… “(It is) …our manifest destiny to over
spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the
development of the great experiment of liberty.”


Sullivan was hoping this phrase designed to have great gravitas would encourage the Federal
Government to annex Texas. As a slogan O’Sullivan believed “Manifest Destiny” had enough 
hints of destiny that it worked. It of course did, except from our perspective today we would be 
pained not to add that it was a slogan that only worked for some people. It certainly didn’t work
 for America’s native peoples.


Although it sounds like a grand declaration from the bible “Manifest Destiny” was never an 
official position, or even the title of an important book. What it was an inspirational catch phrase
in a newspaper that captured our attention. And it “caught on” because those two words helped
 validate and frame an idea people already had. That idea being that America as a nation was
religiously fated to grow.


We humans are infatuated by ideas like destiny. We really are. We across cultures love to cloak
 our behaviors, attitudes and goals under the banner of broader trends, that we like to think are
ideally divine purposes. “Manifest Destiny,” although it sounds like it was said by someone like
 Moses, was invented when we as a country were in the middle of the largest cruelest expansions 
of a nation the world had ever known.


Rather than promoting just the annexation of Texas, the phrase worked because it captured the
 cultural undercurrent and “romanticism” of the time. It made a huge land grab and the 
mistreatment of indigenous peoples who inhabited that land feel religious, obvious, inevitable
 and part of God’s plan.

In that simple fancy phrase, “Manifest” meaning already visible and incarnate existing and
“Destiny,” we Americans were, and are, quietly sold one of the greatest rationalizations ever
 uttered. That justification being that we were by following our own will- really acting in the
long-term best interest of everyone by growing and being powerful. It was concise, clarifying, 
and gave us the permission to have a destiny that lifted “us” up while ignoring others. High
falutin, arrogant stuff.
 The phrase essentially took the notion of pre-destiny that was latent in evangelical Christianity
 and made it nationalistic. Sometimes we forget that the birth and development of America is 
connected to the period in human history when the world first came to be defined and governed
chiefly by nation states. But it’s true. We as a country were born around the time when nations
 themselves became the dominant political organization in the world.


You know what? If we heard those empowering phrases back in the day I, and likely you too,
 would have fallen prey to their charms. I would likely have liked a big idea like that then, 
because I deeply like the sound of something being my divine destiny. I can also say that because
 we are all more products of our time than we think we are. Humans almost can’t think of 
ourselves as different than we are in our moment, but you, me, and everyone else is largely a
unique product of your time.


“Manifest Destiny” and the noble commission to “Go West Young Man” were both rooted in a
 short-sighted sense of what human destiny actually was, and thus what the proper moral response 
to the moment should be.

As we sit here in the early twenty-first century, I think that spreading a different highfalutin idea
 of what our Manifest Destiny actually is might be the key to moving forward.
 Had I, and I suspect you, been born back in 1800’s, I probably would have never held as I do 
today that a real morality, a real ethics always asks me to both walk as lightly on the earth as I
 can, at the same time I draw the circle of who and what I/we should care about a little wider than
 what I might selfishly be inclined to do.


The big idea that I believe today is that our ancestors jumped the gun on what “our” manifest
 destiny really is. See religiously, I am not such a nihilist, or skeptic that I don’t believe the
“juicy” idea that we as a species are fated to something. I actually do believe we have a destiny. 
I guess I am an old-fashioned UU like that, because I do think there is something of another
 destiny, a progress that is revealing or manifesting itself. Maybe possibly even pulling us
forward.


Here is some of it. I think it is destiny that we will conclude that what we call the “races” which
 first don’t really exist, but given that we think they are, really are more importantly equal.
 I believe it is our destiny to see that the inequalities attributed to different races, and most of the 
inequalities connected to gender are primarily rooted in oppression and an unequal access to the things, experiences, and educational opportunities that we ironically demand people have had in
 order to garnish our respect.


I also think it is our destiny that we broadly as a species will come to believe that race is as we 
know it is not as much a real thing as a construct, and I also think that it is increasingly clear 
enough that over time it will not be denied that men and women are each other’s equals too.
While I am at it, it is becoming clearer and clearer that humanity will continue to see that “one’s”
sexual orientation or gender preference is not as we once assumed it, so clear.
 I also take it on faith that there is something of a destiny that all those truths will spread. Just
 like it is our destiny that we will increasingly see ourselves as inter-dependent with the rest of
 earth’s flora and fauna.


It is also not only our destiny, but inevitable that we will eventually realize that our earth is a 
finite, precious place that we need to stop taking for granted. Soon enough, we will realize that
 this planet is the only place in the universe we can really live on.


Since I am on a roll, I also believe that it is something resembling our destiny that over time we
 will increasingly see that peaceful cooperation between and among the religious traditions as
essential, a. I believe it is our destiny and fated that we will see each expression of religious
truth offers “A”, not “The” version of depth, and sacredness.


See, to me, the manifestation of those ideas into reality is our real destiny.
 And as ironic as it may be, given this, I have faith that we will more broadly see the use of
“Manifest Destiny” in the 1800’s like we now see slavery, cannibalism, religious human 
sacrifice, and the idea the mental illness is caused by demons. Something once, but no longer 
believed.


I think it is destiny that all that and a host of other backward thoughts will be seen as antiquated,
 ill-founded assumptions about our true place in the world and universe.
 However, the easy thing is looking back and seeing what was wrong. The hard thing is
 dedicating oneself and us collectively to work to see that we make as much progress as we can to 
bring that forward.


Steve