Worship Service: "The More Beautiful World We Know Is Possible" with an Ingathering Water Ceremony by Rev. Ian White Maher

There is more than one path into The Divine, into the more beautiful world. This path is a story about character and faith. We are Unitarian Universalists, and we are called to be in this world, we are called to be chaplains, and we are called to be prophets.

Bring water collected from places near and far during the Summer to the first service of our new church year.

musicians: The Mandoleros (Cedwyn Morgan and Tom Weisman)

Potluck Lunch after the service

Worship Service: "Oh. My. God." by Rev. Ian White Maher

When we witness something beautiful, there is an experience of gratitude. We use words like awe to indicate something beyond the limits of language. Or words like breathtaking, because we are left so struck that even the most primal drive to stay alive is suspended. The experience of beauty is sacred. We cannot manufacture it for ourselves. It comes to us from another place. Given to us, and we, more often than not, simply respond with "thank you."

musician: Cindy Schilling

hospitality: Carol McCarter

"Climate Change's Effects on Our Economy, Food and Water Supply, and Infectious Diseases – What We Can Do to Mitigate Them" by Ariel Hoover, Climate Reality Project (Al Gore)

First Day of Fall

Worship Service: "Channing's 'Slavery'" by Cedwyn Morgan

A parable for modern times.

musicians: Lizards in the Hayloft

hospitality: Liz Strong

Ashby Pumpkin Festival

The Friends of the Ashby Free Public Library are sponsoring the Annual Pumpkin Festival and Craft Fair on the Ashby Town Common from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine.

There will be live music throughout the day featuring country and children's music, food, children's games, a pumpkin decorating contest, face painting, fire truck tours, a tractor parade and craft tables. The purpose of the festival is to raise funds for the Ashby Free Public Library.

First Parish Church will be selling hot mulled cider, homemade squash and vegetable soups, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Contact Liz Strong if you can help for an hour or two, from 9:00 am (setup) to after 4:00 pm (cleaning up).

Worship Service: "This Home for Hope" by Rev. Jeanne Nieuwejaar, UU Congregation in Milford

This service will be an unabashed celebration of the gift of hope which is threaded through our liberal religious theology and our liberal religious communities, In this time in our public lives it is a gift that is urgently needed.

Rev. Jeanne Nieuwejaar is Minister Emerita of the UU Congregation in Milford NH.

musician: Stephan Arsenault

hospitality: Tiffany Call

Worship Service: "The Fetish of Be Here Now" by Rev. Ian White Maher

"Be here now," is about finding the courage to leave space in our lives so we can see what our fantasies are telling us and then to follow them, to let them help us learn who we are. To be open to the frustration of knowing we may never attain our fantasies, but it is okay so we might let go of regret and embrace who we are called to be.

hospitality: Alice & Phil

Worship Service: "From the Ancient Heavens to the Future Stars" by Rev. Sandra J. Whippie

Life experiences interacting with people of various faith traditions challenge us to consider how ancient perspectives of the heavens will journey through the generations and cultures of the modern day into an understanding appropriate for the way the people of the earth will live together in the future.

Several personal experiences will be used to demonstrate how we as modern followers of Unitarian Universalism might envision the values of traditional ceremonies and understandings adjusting to these challenges. Some modern trends yearn for a return to a world of the past. How then, do we accept the scientific advances that enrich our lives without the tangles created by the contradictions we know?

Sandra came to ministry in a non-traditional path and brings her background in education with her. Life challenges continue require religious interest and energy. Her recent work with the Monadnock Interfaith Project have enriched her experiences and led to deeper appreciation of how people differ in their faith journeys.

musician: Cindy Schilling

hospitality: Martha Morgan

Worship Service: "Caregiving as a Spiritual Practice" by Celene Ibrahim, M.Div., Tufts University Muslim Chaplain

hospitality: Katherine & Bill Stanwood

Worship Service: "Lean On Me" by Rev. Ian White Maher

It is your face that I hold. It is my face that you hold. We are recovering from a lie; we are not alone. And together we move into the companionship, all of us held by the Divine, so we might find a world of compassion and justice made real by our understanding of one another.