Unitarian Church in Fall River

11/07/2024

“The Kingdom of Heaven in a Vineyard" Presenter
Rev Paul Sprecher
Date
Sun, 11/10/2024 - 10:30 am
THE UNITARIAN CHURCH IN FALL RIVER

A Member of the Unitarian Universalist Association

309 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720

508-678-9700 # # # www.unitarianchurchfr.org



We welcome all visitors, friends old and new, to the Unitarian Church in Fall River. We do not have a doctrine to which all adhere, nor is it finite. We can and should be learning, changing, and exploring. Life teaches, or presents us, with opportunities and challenges to which we must respond. We need to develop inner strength or personal philosophies to help us live these moments to the fullest of our capabilities. Through a sense of spirit or a spiritual life, we can expand and enhance our time of being. One way to do this is to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before us – the resources of the ages. Another way is to share our experiences and revelations with our fellow seekers.



Please remember that your help in keeping current with your pledge or any donations is more than appreciated. Thanks for your help.



Our Service On Sunday Morning Starts at 10:30 AM

The front entrance is the only door to be accessible, leading directly into the sanctuary; the community room will be off limits
Coffee will be provided, however individuals may bring their own coffee or beverage
Today is Pot Luck Luncheon Sunday
ORGFR (Our Revolution of Greater Fall River) meets monthly on every 2nd Thursday at 6pm in the Community Room.



Our Religious Discussion group meets on Wednesdays 9-10 AM go to Zoom.us Click on JOIN – Meeting ID: 822 5667 3762 Passcode = FallRiver (no space)







The Unitarian Church in Fall River



NOVEMBER 10th, 2024



“The Kingdom of Heaven in a Vineyard"



The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard challenges our ideas of what is fair in life and work in the world as we know it. Jesus tells a story about a different kind of world where everyone gets enough for their needs – the Kingdom of Heaven, a Blessed Community.



Our guest minister, Rev. Paul Sprecher, is a familiar figure here in Fall River. Since his retirement from his seven-year ministry at First Parish in Bridgewater in 2021, he has become a climate activist at Linden Ponds, a Senior Living Community in Hingham, as well as in the town of Hingham. Previously, he ministered to Second Parish in Hingham. He also served as the sabbatical minister at the Murray Church in Attleboro during the first three months of 2022. In other lifetimes, he was a middle school teacher at a boys' prep school in New York City and Vice President for Technology at the American Stock Exchange.

10/26/2024

Presenter
Rev Richard Fewkes
Date
Sun, 10/27/2024 - 10:33 am
“Is Organized Religion or Politics a Crutch?"

In light of the forthcoming election, a timely topic.

Welcome to Rev Richard M. Fewkes.

Dick Fewkes has served three churches in the Ballou Channing District: (1) First UU Society in Middleboro (1964-69), (2) is the Minister Emeritus of the First Parish in Norwell, MA where he served from 1969 to 2000, and (3) as Interim Minister at the First Parish UU Church, Bridgewater, 2000 – 2002. He resides with his partner Connie Johnson in Sagamore Beach, has a summer home on Cape Cod in West Dennis, is a grandfather to eight grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and is a member of the UU Meeting House in Chatham, MA

We will attempt to simulcast our service via Zoom. For those participating by Zoom, the experience will be different than previously. The hymns and other material will not be on the screen, and those present in the sanctuary will not be able to see or hear you. If you have an Announcement or a Joy or Concern to share, you should communicate it in advance to someone who will be physically present.
The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82879461348 and the passcode is FallRiver (no space). To join by phone, call 1 646 876 9923.

The meeting ID is 828 7946 1348 and the passcode is 556537114

You can also see some of our past services. Go to YouTube.com In the Search box, type: The Unitarian Church in Fall River Try it out and let us know how we did.

***Religious Discussion Group – Wednesday 9:00-10:00 am

Zoom Iink https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82256673762

Meeting ID: 822 5667 3762 Passcode: FallRiver

****ORGFR (Our Revolution of Greater Fall River) meets monthly on every 2nd Thursday.

Musings – How many times are you asked what church do you attend? What do you answer? When I answer ”Unitarian”, I am always asked “What is that?” How do you answer that question? I answer that I belong to a church where everyone is welcome, where we are united as a family in the belief of common good for the betterment of all of us. I do believe in God, a power greater than all of us.

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

10/07/2024

Sun, 10/13/2024 - 10:30 am

“Truth, Lies, and the Liar’s Dividend”

Guest Minister - The Rev Ann Fox

We face yet another election where we must choose the candidate whose qualities we most admire. At stake are the values that underpin the world’s religions: truth telling, avoidance of lies, and the encouragement to at least live by the Golden Rule. There is a concern that AI, Artificial Intelligence, can make it difficult to determines whether a certain interview or gathering took place or whether it was created by AI. This difficulty is called the “Liar’s Dividend”. Can our election be influenced by AI. Let’s consider together.

Join us for thought provoking conversations. And, remember that this Sunday is Pot Luck Luncheon. Bring your self and something to share. If you forget to bring something , don't worry, we always have enough to go around.

05/15/2024

THE UNITARIAN CHURCH IN FALL RIVER

A Member of the Unitarian Universalist Association

309 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720

508-678-9700 # # # www.unitarianchurchfr.org

We welcome all visitors, friends old and new, to the Unitarian Church in Fall River. We do not have a doctrine to which all adhere, nor is it finite. We can and should be learning, changing, and exploring. Life teaches, or presents us, with opportunities and challenges to which we must respond. We need to develop inner strength or personal philosophies to help us live these moments to the fullest of our capabilities. Through a sense of spirit or a spiritual life, we can expand and enhance our time of being. One way to do this is to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before us – the resources of the ages. Another way is to share our experiences and revelations with our fellow seekers.

Our Service On Sunday Morning Starts at 10:30 AM
The front entrance is the only door to be accessible, leading directly into the sanctuary; the community room will be off limits
Everyone will be requested to wear a mask and socially distance
Social hour will be in the sanctuary
You can also see some of our past services. Go to YouTube.com In the Search box, type: The Unitarian Church in Fall River Try it out and let us know how we did.

We will attempt to simulcast our service via Zoom. For those participating by Zoom, the experience will be different than previously. The hymns and other material will not be on the screen, and those present in the sanctuary will not be able to see or hear you. If you have an Announcement or a Joy or Concern to share, you should communicate it in advance to someone who will be physically present. The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82879461348 and the passcode is FallRiver (no space). To join by phone, call 1 646 876 9923. The meeting ID is 828 7946 1348 and the passcode is 556537114

***ORGFR (Our Revolution of Greater Fall River) meets monthly on every 2nd Thursday at 6 pm in the Community Room.***

The Unitarian Church in Fall River

May 19th, 2024

“A Little Extra Time”

Our Guest this week is The Rev Lisa Kirk

Won't you join us this week?

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

05/07/2024

May 12th, 2024

“Gaia: Our Unitarian Universalist
Interdependent Web" by Rev Paul Sprecher

The Gaia Theory posits that the Earth is a self-regulating complex system involving the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrospheres, and the pedosphere. The name comes from Gaia, the Greek goddess of the earth - that is, Mother Earth. And our mother is under relentless attack. We can't fix that all by ourselves -- but still, we can each do something, as we commit to doing in our Seventh Principle.

04/24/2024

Humanism and the Seventh Principle

Humanism and the Seventh Principle --- In a comparison of these two Unitarian Universalist ideas, see how they meld with each other and with our understanding of who we are today. This Sunday's Service is led by the Rev Lisa Kirk.

Rev. Lisa Kirk graduated from Andover Newton Theological School with a Masters of Divinity in 2015. She is a member of the Arlington Street Church in Boston. She has served as pulpit supply in several pulpits over the past eight years in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut, and Vermont. She has worked in ministry for the homeless on the streets of Waltham, she currently serves as a prison chaplain and works part time as a hospice chaplain.

Her favorite authors are Mitch Albom, Kate Braestrup and Ken Nye, a poet from Maine. She lives in Townsend, Mass. with her two cats, Sam and Elly.

We will attempt to simulcast our service via Zoom. For those participating by Zoom, the experience will be different than previously. The hymns and other material will not be on the screen, and those present in the sanctuary will not be able to see or hear you. If you have an Announcement or a Joy or Concern to share, you should communicate it in advance to someone who will be physically present. The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82879461348 and the passcode is FallRiver (no space). To join by phone, call 1 646 876 9923. The meeting ID is 828 7946 1348 and the passcode is 556537114



***ORGFR (Our Revolution of Greater Fall River) meets monthly on every 2nd Thursday at 6 pm in the Community Room.***

We hope to see you soon. Maybe in Church on Sunday morning @ 10:30 am. this Sunday , April 28th.

04/13/2024

Our sermon for this Sunday is “Mysterium Tremendum”. Our guest Minister if the Rev Al Boyce.

…a double form: as the mysterium tremendum (“mystery that repels”), in which the dreadful, fearful, and overwhelming aspect of the numinous appears, and as the mysterium fascinosum (“mystery that attracts”), by which humans are irresistibly drawn to the glory, beauty, adorable quality, and the blessing, redeeming, and ..

What is mysterium tremendum religion? The expression mysterium tremendum was introduced by R. Otto as a basic concept in phenomenology of religion; the author translated it as schauervolles Geheimnis, “terrible mystery.” The concept forms part of a description of how the numinous can be experienced by the religious feeling of the human subject. In study of religion: Modern origin and development of the history and phenomenology of religion…The transcendent) appears as a mysterium tremendum et fascinans—that is, a mystery before which humanity both trembles and is fascinated, is both repelled and attracted. Thus, God can appear both as wrathful or awe-inspiring, on the one hand, and as gracious and lovable, on the other hand.

See you Sunday.

03/29/2024

Well, here we are again. FAB Flooring Just completed another Assisted living unit in fall river. It's now already for new occupants. These are our bread and butter jobs. We tried to answer all needs of every client.

03/28/2024

“Resurrection” This is the season of rebirth, and our Christian siblings are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. What, if anything, can resurrection mean for Unitarian Universalists? Our guest minister is Rev Danielle Di Bona. We hope that you will join us for this Sunday either by Zoom or in person. We have attached the Order of Service for your perusal.

If you no longer wish to receive this weekly notices, please email back your desires. and you will be removed from the list. [email protected]

03/22/2024

The sermon Sunday is titled “The Fourth Commandment”.
Rev Vera O'Brien will lead us in an examination of how our Unitarian Universalist and personal beliefs might be utilized to inform our decision making. Does the Fourth Commandment have anything to teach us in this day and age? What might a Unitarian Universalist Sabbath look like?

We hope that you will Join us at 10:30 on Sunday for fellowship and worship.

02/14/2024

THE UNITARIAN CHURCH IN FALL RIVER
A Member of the Unitarian Universalist Association
309 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720
508-678-9700 # # # www.unitarianchurchfr.org

We welcome all visitors, friends old and new, to the Unitarian Church in Fall River. We do not have a doctrine to which all adhere, nor is it finite. We can and should be learning, changing, and exploring. Life teaches, or presents us, with opportunities and challenges to which we must respond. We need to develop inner strength or personal philosophies to help us live these moments to the fullest of our capabilities. Through a sense of spirit or a spiritual life, we can expand and enhance our time of being. One way to do this is to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before us – the resources of the ages. Another way is to share our experiences and revelations with our fellow seekers.

Our Guest Minister, Rumni Saha considers herself to be a proud Hindu, Unitarian-Universalist, and a citizen of the world. She has been a public-school special educator for the past 20 years. She is also a writer and a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post. She considers India, her home country, as having given her roots and her adopted country, her wings. Rumni is currently a Seminarian at Boston University on the Hospital Chaplaincy track and is discerning ordination. She is now College Chaplain, Hindu and Unitarian Universalist Community Coordinator at Wellesley College in addition to being the Multifaith Chaplain at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Rumni is also an active member of the Unitarian Church of Sharon, where she has lived with her family since 2001.

Sermon “Is Hope an Obstacle?” (At a time when hopelessness seems to be the order of the day, Rumni Saha explores Thich Nhat Hanh’s thought-provoking reflection that hope is an obstacle).

02/10/2024

Our service this week February 11th is

“Lincoln, A Man for All Times”

Leo Tolstoy wrote, “The greatness of Napoleon, Caesar or
Washington is only moonlight by the sun of Lincoln. His example is universal and will last thousands of years….He was bigger than his country—bigger than all the Presidents together…and as a great character he will live as long as the world lives.” Do you agree? Might any presidential candidate learn from his life and times? Let us take another look at this enigmatic, brilliant, country bumpkin, whose example might be encouraging in a presidential election year.

Our Guest this week is Rev Ann C Fox, Minister Emerita, Unitarian Memorial Church, Fairhaven, MA After careers in teaching secondary English, motherhood, and technical writing in software research and development, the Reverend Ann Fox made a midlife career change and earned a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology. She was the interim minister in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for two years before being called to Unitarian Memorial Church in Fairhaven in 2001, from which she retired in 2014. She now assists with pastoral care at that church. In her retirement, she enjoys reading, gardening and walking with her spouse and spending time with her grandchildren (still mostly on Zoom these days).

***Religious Discussion Group – Wednesday 9:00-10:00 am
Zoom Iink https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84129562372
Meeting ID: 841 2956 2372 Passcode: FallRiver

****ORGFR (Our Revolution of Greater Fall River) meets monthly on every 2nd Thursday.

Musings – How many times are you asked what church do you attend? What do you answer? When I answer ”Unitarian”, I am always asked “What is that?” How do you answer that question? I answer that I belong to a church where everyone is welcome, where we are united as a family in the belief of common good for the betterment of all of us. I do believe in God, a power greater than all of us.