Church guide

This Week at First Church - Music Director Candidate - https://mailchi.mp/6a42cca91d1a/this-week-at-first-1154161

This Week at First Church - Covenant Anniversary Service - https://mailchi.mp/9dd1bd176584/this-week-at-first-1152521

Good Morning Firsties, Join me TODAY for the beginning of our Summer FCS Book Study: Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology, at 4:00 pm online. We will be using the ZOOM platform, which is a digital meeting site. It allows participants to call in by phone or to connect using their computer and camera. All participants are able to share in the conversation and the host can share the screen. This platform will allow a more natural conversation than the Facebook Live Platform and through the phone-in-feature will allow Firsties to participate from ANYWHERE in the World!. The full invitation is listed below. The Book Study will be held using the same link each Wednesday in July at 4:00 pm, with the exception of July 17th, and will conclude at 5:30 pm. Book Study Description Dr. Lightsey is a Black Queer Lesbian who serves the United Methodist Church as an Out Ordained Elder. She declares in her preface "I chose to come out, fully, because I was spiritually suffocating in the closet. I was writing and speaking as an ally which always felt like I needed to limit what I said and that I could not use the full methodological resources and arguments consistent with being a womanist scholar. I spoke as a witness, an ally, a person who knew oppression because I was Black and female. I was ashamed and fearful of speaking from my true context: Black, female and queer lesbian." This is a powerful work written in the midst of her frontline experience on the streets of Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown. Dr. Lightsey is a powerful prophet in our time and a dear friend. I hope you will join me in an examination of her good work! Rev. Day McCallister is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: FCS Summer Book Study: Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/854195568 One tap mobile +16468769923,,854195568# US (New York) +16699006833,,854195568# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 854 195 568 Grace, Peace, and Power, Pastor Day

This Week at First Church - https://mailchi.mp/482a9714744a/this-week-at-first-1152153

This Week at First Church - Big Meeting Brunch! - https://mailchi.mp/33325e86d8d0/this-week-at-first-1150541

On Father's Day this morning, we used the below responsive litany in our worship service, which we now share with you. --- Sunday, June 16, 2019 Fathering Spirit and Father’s Day Litany for Fathers ONE: Today we celebrate and honor the Fathering Spirit. We extend our love to Fathers, grandfathers, and those who have chosen to Father themselves. We honor the experience of those who do not know their fathers or who have separated from their fathers by their own choice for safety. We acknowledge the experience of those who grieve the relationship or lack thereof with their fathers. We celebrate fathers who are best friends to their children, bonus Fathers, nurturing fathers, those who tell Dad jokes, teaching fathers, dreaming fathers or a little bit of each. This Day we Celebrate the Father of US ALL and invite you to join in this litany for Fathers. ONE: We accept this celebration for the things we have done, for the love we have shown and for the tenderness we have shared. ALL: Today we know that you are HUMAN. You did your best and for this we say "Thank You." We also extend our forgiveness for the mistakes you made. ONE: We celebrate all persons who choose to father those around them and give thanks for this Beloved Community which has provided so many wonderful children to love. ALL: Thank you for your Fathering Spirit and for the love, care, and support that you offer to our community. ONE: This day is difficult for those who long to father children and dream of being called Dad, Daddy, Pop, The Old Man, Grandpa, Pa Pa or Father. ALL: We mourn with you and honor your grief. We welcome your fathering spirit and celebrate your role in our Beloved Community. ONE: We honor Biological Fathers; those who see themselves in their children, who raise them with love, who share their dreams and shelter their children’s hopes. ALL: Thank you for your Fathering Spirit! ONE: We honor Adoptive Fathers. You welcome into your heart and home those who have been left, separated and displaced. Thank you for sheltering the hearts of our children. ALL: Some of our Fathers are Not Here today and we say their names aloud to call them into this space. My father’s name is ___________. ONE: We Celebrate Foster Fathers and Bonus Dads. You who stand in the gap to offer extravagant love, and to hold a space for forever and chosen families. ALL: We give Thanks to our Father God and to all of the fathering spirits: those that are masculine, feminine, genderqueer, nonbinary, older, younger, ancestors and children. Thanks be to God!

This Week at First Church - Congregational Meeting! - https://mailchi.mp/f15f4fabc0f1/this-week-at-first-1149745

This morning our Lead Pastor Rev. Da Vita D. McCallister led us in this Congregational Confession: Invitation to Confession I confess that I have served a system that denies the humanity of my Queer Siblings and myself. I served this system as an act of my faith, as a member of the Baptist Church, a worshipper in the Pentecostal Church, a clergy person in the United Methodist Church and a leader in the United Church of Christ. I confess that the Sacred Text has been used to Strip the God-given dignity away from Trans people, to render vulnerable gay men, to suppress the voice of lesbian women, to demean bisexual siblings, to deny the wholeness of gender-nonconforming people and to serve as accomplices after the fact in the hurt, harm and all too often death of creative, beautiful, unique, strong, faithful, loving, proud, caring and compassionate LGBTQIA+ Siblings. I stand on behalf of the institutional church and confess our collective sin of exclusion and ask humbly for your forgiveness. I acknowledge the irreparable damage that we have done and the violence that we have sanctioned against your minds, bodies, and souls. This is NOT the will of God. Unison Prayer of Confession We confess that we have been silent in the face of the sin of exclusion. We have donated our time, talents and resources to communities that have harmed our siblings. We ask for forgiveness as Allies. We ask for Forgiveness as members of marginalized communities. We ask for forgiveness as members of communities of Faith. Forgive us, Holy One, for failing to see the Sacredness in All of your Creation. Stir the Spirit within us that we may be whole. Assurance of Grace Here these words of assurance, First Church Somerville UCC, has a commitment to the LGBTQIA+ Community that is 365 days long each year, and 52 Sundays strong in worship. We are Queer, Straight, Bisexual, Trans, Questioning, Curious, Gender Non-Conforming, Gender Queer, and NonBinary Siblings. We are family Today, Tomorrow, in the Joy, in Sorrow, In Struggle, In Success, In faithfulness, and In Doubt. We are Children of God and today the Body of Christ is WHOLE because we are here together!

This Week at First Church - PRIDE 🌈💒 - https://mailchi.mp/9b3538ea1989/this-week-at-first-1148797

We're excited about Pride this weekend, and also want to encourage anyone not participating in the Pride festivities to check out the below announcement about an event happening at the Somerville Media Center this Saturday: Somerville Media Center and Let’s Talk About Race announce symposium: White Supremacy: Where Do We Go From Here? You are invited to a free public symposium that will address the role of white males in dismantling white supremacy in American & Beyond When: Saturday, June 8 from 11:00am-1:30pm Location: Somerville Media Center (90 Union Square) Panelists: Larry Aaronson, Bill Cavellini, Lew Gitelman and Alex Pirie along with host & facilitator Diane Wong RSVP HERE: http://tinyurl.com/talkaboutracesmc For more details: http://tinyurl.com/talkaboutracesmc On Saturday, June 8 from 11am-1:30pm at Somerville Media Center we will hold a follow up symposium to the January 2019 “Let’s Talk About Race: Where are we now?” event titled “White Supremacy: Where do we go from here?” This symposium offers our first of four affinity groups (in this case white males) the opportunity to talk about their commitment to racial equity. The 4 panelists will share ideas around how white folks can use their specific skills, work amongst themselves, form collaborations and find effective ways to engage the system to dismantle the structures and institutions of white supremacy. The event is free and open to the public, though we will be accepting donations to go towards the development of a 6 video series set that includes 4 separate affinity group panels (White Males/Black Males, Black Females/White Females) to discuss ways each group contemplates race-related concerns while seeking to engage in the dismantling of white supremacy. The event will also include a community meal and race dialogue, which participants are encouraged to stay for. Schedule of events: 10:30am: Doors open 11:00-12:00pm: Panel discussion 12:00-12:30pm: Community meal 12:30:-1:30pm: Breakout dialogues

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Communion, Graduate Sunday - https://mailchi.mp/0b5e513ba065/this-week-at-first-1147357

This Week at First Church - Easter 6 - https://mailchi.mp/9f43d55fadd5/this-week-at-first-1145009

This Week at First Church - Work-Weekend, Board Game Night, Guest Preacher - https://mailchi.mp/c45b79e04f37/this-week-at-first-1143981

This morning, we used the below responsive litany in our worship service, which we now share with you. Mothering Spirit and Mother’s Day Litany Sunday, May 12, 2019 This Day we Celebrate the Mother of US ALL and invite you to join in this litany for Mothers. You may read any line that speaks to your self-defined experience. MOTHERS: We accept this celebration for the things we have done, for the love we have shown and for the tenderness we have shared. ALL: We are grateful for the role that Birth Mothers have played in the building of our families. We prayerfully give thanks to them for the gift of our children. ADULT CHILDREN: Today we know that you are HUMAN. You did your best and for this, we say "Thank You." We also extend our forgiveness for the mistakes you made. MOTHERING SPIRITS: We choose to mother those around us and give thanks for the Beloved Community which has provided so many wonderful children to love. MOTHERS OF CHILDREN UNBORN: This day can be hard for us to name. For some of us, we long to mother children, for others of us we have lost the children we carried or dreamt of. There are those of us who chose to end our pregnancies and this day offers mixed feelings of relief, curiosity, sadness, and joy. ALL: We celebrate the Mothers of Children Unborn and stand with you in the mix of your emotions. ADOPTIVE MOTHERS: We choose to mother YOU who have been left alone, YOU who have been separated, and especially YOU who have been displaced. ALL: Many of our Mothers are Not Here today and so we say their names aloud to call them into this space. My mother's name is ___________. FOSTER MOTHERS: We stand in the gap to offer extravagant love, to provide shelter and to hold a space for forever families. We cherish our time together and leave an imprint on your heart shaped by our love. ALL: We give Thanks to our Mother God and to all of the mothering spirits: those that are feminine, masculine, nonbinary, older, younger, ancestors and children. Thanks be to God!

This morning we will worship together with food, with song, with Jesus and the spirit inside us all! Come join us if you can (10am 89 College Ave Somerville) and join the cause if you can't be with us in person. Want to know more about the LGBTQ Asylum Task Force - go here: http://www.lgbtasylum.org/ If you'd like to give to Drag Gospel and the LGBTQ Asylum Seekers you can do that here: http://www.lgbtasylum.org/

Join us Sunday's at 10am, 89 College Avenue, Somerville MA.

Drag Gospel a Festival underway! Can I get an Amen up in here!?!

Our awesome marching band and congregation Honk!ing this past Sunday in the Honk! Parade! In the kingdom of heaven, EVERYONE gets to wear purple, the color of royalty.

"Occupy Bethlehem" - Davis Square