Service Description:
First Sunday FEAST (FSF) is First Parish’s version of a combination of Small Group Meeting and “Dinner Church”. This is a service and a meal woven together to tap into what it means to be in community with one another. Unfortunately due to Covid, we will not be having FSF over a meal. But as soon as we feel it is safe to do so, we will have FSF over a shared breakfast!
For now it will be a Small Group discussion with the addition of a few short components from a typical service, such as Chalice Lighting and Extinguishing, some music and short readings.
There will not be a long message, but instead a 3-4 minute story or reading, along with a few questions to get a lightly guided conversation started. We will be using the Soul Matters monthly themes. The December theme is Opening to Joy. You will have the option to join in the conversation or just listen. We may break into groups and then rejoin and share a word or phrase that can be taken away. We may talk about actions that we can take as a group.
The theme for December will be BELOVED COMMUNITY.
Some definitions of Beloved Community:
A spiritual or divine community capable of achieving the highest good as well as the common good. Each individual should strive toward this goal of the Beloved Community, and that the more individuals who join the effort, the greater the possibility of achieving it. This would lead in time to the radical transformation of individuals.” – Josiah Royce, originator of the term Beloved Community
Beloved Community is an attitude, an orientation of the heart; it’s a disciplined understanding of your own relationship to other people, to everyone else on the planet, to every living thing. It requires love, agape. ~ Rev. Victoria Safford
A community grounded in the practice of loving – Rev Jim Robinson (from his workshop on Practices for fostering Beloved Community)
The questions for consideration at our December First Sunday Feast are:
- What do you think are impediments or threats to Beloved Community?
- What ways can we foster Beloved Community in our church and in the greater community?
Hope you are able to join us!
Led by the Worship Committee
NOTE: This service will meet in person and also be broadcast on Zoom. If attending in person, we ask that you wear a mask to help protect the most vulnerable in our community. Please attend online if you are experiencing COVID symptoms or if you have been in close contact with someone who has recently tested positive for COVID.
Zoom Information:
Join Zoom Meeting (online – computer, tablet, smartphone): https://zoom.us/j/99622652377
Meeting ID: 996-2265-2377
THIS ZOOM MEETING IS PASSWORD PROTECTED The password was sent to the First Parish Stoughton mailing list. If you did not receive the email with the password, please email webmaster@firstparishstoughton.org.
Call-in from Phone (Audio only, no video):
+1 301 715 8592 US
Meeting ID: 996-2265-2377
You can use Zoom on a computer, smart phone, or tablet. If you don’t already have it downloaded, you can create a free account at: https://zoom.us/ You do not need your own professional account, you will be joining a meeting hosted by a professional account so your personal account can be the free one. Some answers for Frequently Asked Questions about Zoom can be found here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206175806-Top-Questions
Topics: FEAST