CHURCH CALENDAR

Saturday, March 1, 2008

10 am ~ Peace Vigil

Sunday, March 2, 2008

10 am ~ “Fifteen Minutes of Blame”

Lara Hoke

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

7 pm ~ Parish Committee Meeting

Saturday, March 8, 2008

10 am ~ Peace Vigil

Sunday, March 9, 2008

10 am ~ JIM’S JOURNEY: A WAKE ISLAND CIVILIAN POW’S STORY

Petersham resident and author Leilani Magnino will speak about the capture and imprisonment of her father, who was a civilian prisoner of the Japanese during WWII. Ms Magnino has written a book about his experiences, which has been accepted by the Naval Historic Center for inclusion in their biographical listings for WWII POW’s.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

10 a.m. ~ Peace Vigil

Sunday, March 16, 2008

10 a.m. ~ “Our Common Call ~ Ordained and Lay Ministry” Lara Hoke

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

7 pm ~ Parish Committee

Saturday, March 22, 2008

10 a.m. ~ Peace Vigil

Sunday, March 23, 2008

10 am ~ Easter Sunday “You Are the Resurrection and the Life”

Lara Hoke

Saturday, March 29, 2008

10 am ~ Peace Vigil

Sunday, March 30, 2008

10 am ~ JUSTICE SUNDAY

“God Grew Tired of Us” the award-winning National Geographic film

which tells the story, in many different levels, of the genocide in Sudan.

4 pm ~ Ordination

Lara Hoke will be ordained at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester, 90 Holden Street, Worcester, MA. There will be a reception following the ordination.

SNOW POLICY

If on Sunday morning you are uncertain if the worship service/program is taking place due to the weather, call a member of the Parish Committee, whose phone numbers are on the cover of the newsletter.

CANVASS COMMITTEE

The 2008 Every Member/Friend Canvass is nearing completion, but there are still a number of Pledge Cards that haven't been returned as of this date. The Committee would appreciate the outstanding Pledge Cards be returned as soon as possible in order to bring the 2008 Canvass to a close.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Mary Jenkins & Russ Kennedy

Program Committee Notes

Heart-felt thanks to Mick Huppert and Lisa Payne, who completed their terms on the program committee in January. Mick and Lisa have significantly contributed to the life of our church for several years, having been responsible for the organization and presentation of two church programs each and every month during the church year, which is a pretty tall order. Although officially resigned from the committee, Mick has agreed to lend his technical expertise and equipment when needed, Lisa has also agreed to advise and help whenever needed, and has promised to share her recipe for the breakfast soufflé, which has become a Christmas and Mothers’ Day tradition. It is hoped that both Mick and Lisa will be presenting programs of their own during the coming year.

THE GREATEST GENERATION

The church hall rang with memories February 3, as members of The Greatest Generation shared their memories of WWII. Upon entering the hall, guests were greeted with the Big Band sounds of the 40’s. On display were pictures and memorabilia from the era.

Panel member Horace Coolidge shared his experiences in the “war room” in Welford Park, England, working on top-secret information regarding the location of air strips and publishing consolidated reports on the fields ahead of the front lines. He was moved into Normandy 37 days after D-Day, and lived in tented foxholes for nearly two months. One of his most memorable experiences was the day when the ground opened up in

front of their tents and a young German soldier immerged. Horace does not know what eventually became of the young man, but assumes he was sent to a detention center as a prisoner of war. Richard Moriarty was a crew member on a B-24 in the South Pacific. Mr. Moriarty gave a vivid description of a bombing mission in the jungles of the Philippines in order to clear the way for ground troops, and of the search for one of the downed planes. John LePoer, who was stationed stateside, talked about the effects of the war on his mother, who had five sons on active duty during the war. He also talked about the support Petersham residents gave to the war efforts and to the young men of Petersham who were “over there”. Members of the Petersham community made sure that their servicemen were kept up to date on local news and news of each other by publishing newsletters named “The Tatler” and sending copies to each of them. Anne Perkins was a French teenager vacationing in England when the war broke out, leaving her stranded for the duration. She spoke of the dreadful sounds of war – the air raid sirens, the sound of bombs, the weeping of her roommate whose brother was killed. Because of her experiences she became a life-long activist for peace.

Moderator Doris Coolidge, who at the time was a teenager anxiously awaiting her husband Horace’s return, answered questions from the audience about experiences at First Congregational Parish, Unitarian, during the war. She talked about parties and dances given in the hall, and about Conscientious Objectors from a nearby camp who were visited by the Pastor of the church and

who occasionally attended services here.

Many thanks to all of the panel members, and to Chip Bull for his inspirational reading at the start of the program, and for recording the event for posterity.

Betty Davis, Program Committee

WORKING FOR PEACE

Saturday, March 15, Concord, NH, 1:00 pm: Five Years Too Many March and Demonstration. Assemble in the parking lot at 6 Loudon Road at 1:00 and March at 1:30 to a Peace Rally at the State House at 2:30. The demonstration is calling for the US to leave Iraq NOW; No military strikes on Iran and Pakistan; and Funding for Human needs at home and abroad. Endorsed by American Friends Service Committee -NH, New Hampshire Peace Action, the NH UCC Peace with Justice Task Force, Seacoast Peace Response, Code Pink - NH, Pace e Bene Education Service, the Plymouth's Common People's Peace Vigil, and the Unitarian Universalist Action Network of New Hampshire.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

BRING THEM HOME!

6907 of OUR CHILDREN KILLED IN IRAQ

VIGIL SATURDAYS @ 10 AM

CHOCOLATE AUCTION

The second annual Chocolate Auction was held on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, following the service and was fun and successful. This year the selection included a book, fudge, cakes, cookies, candies (of course), and even Church Mice. We would like to thank everyone who made donations/contributions and all those who participated in the bidding. Chip Bull was our auctioneer extra-ordinaire again this year and Kathy Ballou kept tally, which ended up being $276.00.

Last year, John Pastor suggested the Chocolate Auction, while he was our minister, and we all had great fun. We decided to do it again and we had a great time and it brought a lot of laughs.

Thank you all,

Kay Berry, Parish Committee

FAMILY NEWS

Kathy Ballou and her brother, Scott LePoer, and Scott's daughter, Sarah LePoer, all took part in a benefit on Saturday at Revere Beach in Boston. The benefit, called the Special Olympics Passion Plunge, consisted of obtaining

sponsors and "plunging" into the Atlantic Ocean (water temperature 38 degrees).

Annie LePoer was made an honorary member of the team, and given one

of the special red flamingo headpieces that were part of the official “Team

Bridgewell" costume. Over $335,000.00 was raised at the event. Team Bridgewell raised over $2,200.00.

Megan Legare is responding well to treatment. Contributions can be made to Petersham Lions’ Club, Megan Fund, Petersham, MA 01366.

We rejoice at the good news that Gordon Davis has a clean bill of health from his doctors. Hurrah!

HISTORIC 40^TH WALK for HUNGER

Since 1969, The Walk for Hunger has been supported by religious organizations. Over the years, that support has grown from one to more than 1,000 religious and community organizations that come out to protest the social injustice of hunger in our midst. This is our historic 40^th Walk. It’s a year to find out what we’ve accomplished and what our plans are for ending hunger in the years ahead. Now is the time to dig out your Walk memorabilia and join us for Project Bread’s special 40^th Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 4^th on the Boston Common from 7:00 – 9:00 AM. Enjoy a festive day walking through Boston and surrounding neighborhoods while you help our hungry neighbors in Massachusetts.

With the high cost of living in the Commonwealth, hungry people need your help more than ever. Your pledges feed people through emergency food programs throughout the state and through our many food programs in schools, after school programs and pediatrician offices that integrate help into the ordinary fabric of everyday life.

Celebrate the spirit of giving along with 43,000 other concerned citizens by participating in this historic Massachusetts experience. Integrate help into the ordinary fabric of everyday life.

BUILDING USE

A reminder that all those who use one of the church buildings must complete a Building Use Agreement Form. You may obtain forms from the church Administrative Assistant, Susan Peters. Stop by the church office during her working hours or call to have her mail the form.

Office hours are Tuesday & Thursday, 8am to 1pm. Phone: 978-724-3401

NEWS LETTER

Material for the newsletter may be emailed to the newsletter team or can be left outside the Church office in the pigeonhole designated for the newsletter.

Email: firstparishnt@verizon.net

The Newsletter Team,

Don Eaton

Anne Perkins ~ Editor

Susan Peters