First Parish Calendar This Week/Next Week (March 12-25)

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CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

Tuesday March 13
   First Parish Closed Due to Snow
   12:00 p.m., Meeting House News Deadline
Wednesday March 14
   9:30 a.m., Buddhist Group
   7:00 p.m., Concord Area Humanists
   7:45 p.m., Adult Choir Rehearsal
Thursday March 15
   7:00 p.m., Membership Committee Meeting
   7:30 p.m., By Your Side Singers
   7:30 p.m., Buddhist Group
Friday March 16
   7:00 p.m., Jewish Awareness Affinity Group
Saturday March 17
   8:00 a.m., AWE Meeting
   6:00 p.m., Pot O' Gold Potluck
Sunday March 18
   9:00 a.m., Chalice Choir 
   9:00 a.m., Gospel Choir
   10:00 a.m., Sunday Service
   11:30 a.m., Junior Choir
   11:30 a.m., Sunday Forum in the Sanctuary
   12:15 p.m., Contemporary Vocal Ensemble
   1:30 p.m., Family Forum on Homelessness
Tuesday March 20
   6:30 p.m., T'ai Chi
   7:00 p.m., Amnesty International
   7:00 p.m., Annual Campaign Meeting
Wednesday March 21
   9:30 a.m., Buddhist Group
   11:30 a.m., WPA Luncheon
   7:45 p.m., Adult Choir Rehearsal
Thursday March 22
   7:30 p.m., Reclaiming Our Democracy
   7:30 p.m., Buddhist Group
Friday March 23
   7:30 p.m., Rise Up Singing
Sunday March 25
   9:00 a.m., Chalice Choir 
   9:00 a.m., Gospel Choir
   10:00 a.m., Sunday Service
   11:30 a.m., Junior Choir
   12:15 p.m., Contemporary Vocal Ensemble

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THIS WEEK (March 12-18)

*First Parish Closed Due to Snow
Tuesday March 13, All Day
First Parish is will be closed due to forecasted snow. All activities have been cancelled.

*Meeting House News Deadline
Tuesday, March 13, 12:00 p.m.

The April issue deadline is March 13, and will be published on March 22. Please send your submission and images in final form as attachments to Wendy at wolf...@post.harvard.edu, and contact her if you do not receive a receipt confirmation email. Word limit is 100 and images can be either JPEG or PNG. Please review the brochure “Publicizing Events at First Parish of Concord” for details and previous MHN issues for examples. 

*Buddhist Group
Wednesday March 14, 9:30 a.m.
Come explore Buddhism with us Wednesdays from 9:30-11:00 a.m. (or Thursdays from 7:30-9:00 p.m.). Even if you have no previous experience with Buddhism, consider joining one of these groups. A typical session usually starts with some chanting and meditation to help us calm our minds and focus our thoughts. Then, after a brief reading or lecture, we discuss how to apply what we have learned to our daily lives. Questions are always welcome. We are a friendly, welcoming group. Check out a session or two. Contact Bill Seaver at Bill....@gmail.com.

*Concord Area Humanists
Wednesday March 14, 7:00 p.m.
Rescheduled due to last week's snow storm. Alan Lightman: "Fact and Faith." Alan Lightman will discuss differences between scientific and religious beliefs, how they are formed, and their different evidentiary bases. Central to spiritual beliefs is personal “transcendent experience,” which supports subsequent belief. Most scientific beliefs are founded upon objective data from the external world. Science and religion differ profoundly in the process of revision: all scientific knowledge is considered provisional. Lightman is a writer and physicist who has taught at Harvard and MIT. This event is sponsored by the First Parish Humanist Council.

*Adult Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday March 14, 7:45 p.m.

*Membership Committee Meeting
Thursday March 15, 7:00 p.m.

*By Your Side Singers
Thursday March 15, 7:30 p.m.
By Your Side Singers First Parish’s pastoral choir. Through  singing, we offer a musical presence to people seeking comfort and support during times of illness or transition. In our twice monthly meetings we sing gentle songs and chants from our hymnals and other sources. In singing meditation we provide gentle support and comfort to one another. When invited, we visit parishioners’ homes in groups of 3 or 4 singers.

*Buddhist Group
Thursday March 15, 7:30 p.m.

*Jewish Awareness Affinity Group
Friday March 16, 7:00 p.m.
"The People of the Joke." For thousands of years, the Jewish people have been persecuted, exiled, and almost annihilated countless times. Yet they have not only survived; they have thrived. This was due to their faith, a strong sense of culture, perseverance, and just plain tenacity. Now we explore another survival tactic
humor! Come consider wordplay, irony, satire, and self-deprecation as a shield against antiSemitic stereotypes. Bring your favorite Jewish jokes or just come to listen and laugh with this month's discussion leader Steph Chiha. We'll share challah, wine, blessings, and conversation. All are welcome. For more information, contact Dana Snyder-Grant at dana.sny...@gmail.com or 978-760-1129. 

*AWE Meeting
Saturday March 17, 8:00 a.m.
Are you burning to do something positive to impact women’s lives? If so, please come on March 17 to the next meeting of the Advocates for Women’s Empowerment! We’ll discuss upcoming events and want to hear your ideas about actions and initiatives to advocate for women. All are welcome to our meetings and events (men, women, people of all gender identities and expressions). Our meetings are the third Saturday of the month. Contact Lora Venesy at ven...@comcast.net with questions or to join our mailing list.

*Pot O' Gold Potluck

Saturday March 17, 6:00 p.m.
Everyone in the First Parish community is cordially invited to a Pot o
Gold Potluck dinner on St. Patrick
s Day, sponsored by the Annual Pledge Campaign Team. This will be family friendly and a true potluck. Please join us and bring an appetizer, main dish, side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Soft drinks will be provided, but feel free to bring your own wine or beer. Contact is Michelle Fortier, mforti...@gmail.com or 617-875-8915 (cell). 

*Chalice Choir 
Sunday March 18, 9:00 a.m.

*Gospel Choir
Sunday March 18, 9:00 a.m.

*Sunday Service
Sunday March 18, 10:00 a.m.
Rev. Jo VonRue: "First, You Have to Believe"
Music: First Parish Choir

*Junior Choir
Sunday March 18, 11:30 a.m.

*Sunday Forum in the Sanctuary
Sunday March 18, 11:30 a.m.
"Ranked Choice Voting." Last November, Maine became the first state in U.S. history to pass a voting system called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), which could transform politics in America. Instead of choosing just one candidate on your ballot, RCV allows you to rank multiple candidates in the order you prefer, allowing a gradation in the outcome that guarantees the candidate with the best overall support wins the race in a crowded field, and virtually eliminates the need for any runoff election. Eleven major cities in the United States already use RCV, including Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Jim Henderson of Voter Choice Massachusetts will be our speaker. To suggest a topic or speaker, join the Forum Committee; or to get emails about future Sunday Forums, contact a Forum Committee cochair: Pat Brinkman, pabri...@comcast.net; or Alan Whitney,awhi...@alum.mit.edu. Thank you for your continued support. 

*Contemporary Vocal Ensemble
Sunday March 18, 12:15 p.m.

*Family Forum on Homelessness
Sunday March 18, 1:30 p.m.
The Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness presents Children Caught in Family Homelessness, How They Are Hurt and How We Can Help. Hear from experts about life for families struggling to find housing, the long-term implications for children, and how to actively engage in advocacy that supports important programs. Speakers include Dr. Megan Sandel, Associate Director of the GROW Clinic at Boston Medical Center and Principal Investigator with Children
s Health Watch; Carl Howell, Division Director of Housing and Homeless Services for Community Teamwork in Lowell; and Kelly Turley, Associate Director, Mass Coalition for the Homeless. Q&A, refreshments, information tables, and a special thank-you to Cory Atkins follow. Contact jane_b...@me.com. 

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NEXT WEEK (March 19-25)

*T'ai Chi
Tuesday March 20, 6:30 p.m.

*Amnesty International
Tuesday March 20, 7:00 p.m.

First on the agenda is signing letters to support human rights activists determined by Amnesty/USA to be urgent cases. We ll have progress reports on our plans for April 26, when Sister Helen Prejean will speak in Concord. Ongoing projects include Massachusetts prison reform, death penalty abolition, the prevention of violence against women worldwide, and the freeing of two Azerbaijanian student activists. All are welcome to join us. For more information, contact Nancy Lyons at njly...@gmail.com or 978-369-6109.

*Annual Campaign Meeting
Tuesday March 20, 7:00 p.m.

*Buddhist Group
Wednesday March 21, 9:30 a.m.

*WPA Luncheon
Wednesday March 21, 11:30 a.m.
Don’t miss a special luncheon program on Wednesday, March 21, at 11:30 a.m., organized by the Women’s Parish Association. Fellow parishioner, Prof. Shelley Hawks, will give an illustrated presentation about her latest book, The Art of Resistance, Painting by Candlelight in Mao's China. Her findings present a compelling picture of what dedicated resisters against oppression can accomplish.  For reservations, contact the office at 978-369-9602, sign up at coffee hour, or email Dian Pekin at pek...@comcast.net by March 17.

*Adult Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday March 21, 7:45 p.m.

*Reclaiming Our Democracy
Thursday March 22, 7:30 p.m.

*Buddhist Group
Thursday March 22, 7:30 p.m.

*Rise Up Singing
Friday March 23, 7:30 p.m.
First Parish’s monthly song circle. Singers and instrumentalists of all ages are welcome at this fun and informal evening of shared music making. Bring copies of Rise Up Singing and Rise Again if you have them. Copies will be available for those who don’t. We will pass the hat for a free-will donation to cover the cost of the room and a sexton.

*Chalice Choir 
Sunday March 25, 9:00 a.m.

*Gospel Choir
Sunday March 25, 9:00 a.m.

*Sunday Service
Sunday March 25, 10:00 a.m.
Rev. Howard Dana: "Early Christian Peculiarities"
Music: First Parish Choir

*Junior Choir
Sunday March 25, 11:30 a.m.

*Contemporary Vocal Ensemble
Sunday March 25, 12:15 p.m.