First Parish Bedford UU

June – July  Church open at 10 a.m. for informal gathering in our air-conditioned Common Room with coffee, newspapers, conversation, and exchange of vegetables

August 1 at 10 a.m. Ken Langer will speak about the Celtic holiday of Lammas (which means roughly "bread of the harvest"). Traditionally celebrated on August 1st, one of eight sacred days called a Sabbat by modern Pagans. It falls between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. It is the first of three harvest festivals because it comes at the height of summer. Ken’s service will honor Lammas by talking and singing about where we are in our journey around the sun and we will share bread together.

August 8 at 10 a.m. Israelis and Arabs Playing Together! Ginny Packer and friends will focus on Israel and Palestine, including constructive suggestions on what we can do in this on-going conflict. Together we will enjoy excerpts from a phenomenally honest documentary titled, "Knowledge is the Beginning: Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra." This is the incredible story of the hard work of Daniel Barenboim (and the late Edward Said, a Palestinian writer and Columbia University professor, and with help from Barenboim’s friend Yo Yo Ma) to create an orchestra and an experience where young Arabs and Jews, who would otherwise never meet one another given the fragmented world they are growing up in, perform and live side-byside. This film is about what music (and courage) can do; the way it can transcend cultural barriers, bring people together, defeat prejudice and overcome religious and political differences. This will be a morning of shared viewing, some readings, discussions, and some special live music, as well. 

August 15 at 10 a.m. "Spirituality and the Humanist" Humanists often complain that discussions of ‘spirituality’ are so vague as to be meaningless. More spiritually inclined UUs often despair over discussions that begin with wordsmithing and perhaps never progress beyond it. Is it possible to chart a course that neither runs aground nor gets lost at sea?

Doug Muder will take the bold (or possibly foolish) step of offering a humanistic definition of "spirituality" and explaining how it pulls together many apparently diverse notions and practices.

August 22 at 10 a.m. Patricia Foster will lead a discussion-style service based upon "Nurture Your Spirit, Heal Our World." She would like us to 1) prevent or pick up trash in Bedford’s streets, 2) act more personably and not be too busy to care, 3) contribute to big solutions, like preventing oil spills and other disasters. Together we can work on solutions to these issues in the hopes we can make our world a better place.

August 29 at 10 a.m. D.J. Prowell will lead a book discussion service, including her favorite book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The theme of this service will be about this book and encouraging others to bring in books that have profoundly impacted them in the realm of social justice. D.J. will share a couple of stories from the book and discuss how the book has stirred many to act upon the oppression described by the authors.

September 5  Labor Day Weekend, No Service

September 12 at 10 a.m.  Ingathering Service outdoors on the Common (weather permitting)