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. Due to the improved public health situation, we are able to share breakfast together this month!
FEAST is 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 June theme is Celebrating Blessings. You will have the option to join in the conversation or just listen. We usually break into small conversation 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.
Questions & Quotes to Guide Conversation
How would you complete the sentence: “I’ve been blessed with __________.”?
What was the most significant blessing of your family system? Your birth order? Having a large extended family? Having a special relationship with your parents or siblings? Having a parent who wasn’t like other parents? A special family ritual? Your family’s love of books, or food, or jokes?
What role has the blessing of friendship played in your life?
A blessing is not something that one person gives another. A blessing is a moment of meeting, a certain kind of relationship in which both people involved remember and acknowledge their true nature and worth and strengthen what is whole in one another. – Rachel Naomi Remen
Has a loss ever led to a blessing for you?
May we be blessed with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that we may live from deep within our hearts.
May we be blessed with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation
So that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May we be blessed with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may we be blessed with just enough foolishness
To believe that we can make a difference in the world,
So that we can do what others claim cannot be done:
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor.
~ A Franciscan Benediction (with edits)
Led by the Worship Committee
NOTE: This service will meet in person and also be broadcast on Zoom. Facemasks are currently optional in the First Parish Stoughton building. For the health of all in our community, please attend online if you are ill.
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