Arlington’s First Parish Universalist Unitarian is holding its annual observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience on November 20. A candlelight vigil will begin at 7 PM on the lawn of its Meetinghouse. An affinity gathering for trans and gender expansive people prior to the public gathering will take place at 6 PM at St John’s Episcopal Church (74 Pleasant St, Arlington).

Please use the links below to sign up to donate food or money to support the event. The donation box will be in the church office lobby on Friday or you can drop off at 25 York Road.

Food donations

Monetary donations

Please remember them when you are next out shopping for food; one or two extra items that you can purchase and donate each week can truly make a big difference for these families. The RED WAGON is located in the hallway across from the office. The other RED WAGON is stationed at the vestibule on Sunday mornings.

We know how generous our community is, and the members of the Mission and Outreach group are so fortunate to be a part of this congregation, spreading the love you share across the community. Thank you all so much.

Most needed list for Woburn Social Concern.

Please send your extra reusable grocery bags with your items.

• Proteins: White tuna, SPAM, corned beef hash, and canned or jarred meats.
• Canned Goods & Vegetables: Canned spinach, beets, asparagus, and general canned vegetables/fruits.
• Soups & Meals: Tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, Chef Boyardee meals, and canned pastas.
• Breakfast Items: Cold cereals (all varieties except Cheerios), oatmeal, pancake mix, and syrup.
• Staples & Pasta: Lasagna noodles, pasta, peanut butter, and jelly.
• Snacks & Extras: Crackers (Ritz, Saltines, Cheez-Its, Triscuits), cookies, fruit cups, large cans of baked beans, mixed nuts, chips, and dried fruit.

Also, as we get closer to Thanksgiving these holiday items are very appreciated too.

• Fruit juice (apple, cranberry, or grape)
• Large boxes of instant mashed potatoes
• Stuffing mixes
• Rice and rice preparation mixes
• Canned peas, corn, fruit, and cranberry sauce
• Turkey and chicken gravy
• Chicken broth
• Bread, cake, and brownie mixes
• Jell-O and pudding
• Cookies, nuts, and crackers
• Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate
• $10.00, $20.00, or $30.00 GIFT CARDS TO A LOCAL SUPERMARKET

We hope that you have all received your Just Peace Letter in the mail by now and have had chance to read and or hear of the plight of the legal Haitian Immigrants who had their Temporary Protected Status revoked by the Administration in July. The Haitian Support Center in Springfield, Ohio is an essential hub for legal information and financial support in these very fraught times for the Haitian Community. If you haven’t already, please consider donating any amount to support our brothers and sisters in this dark and uncertain time. To donate, text JUSTPEACE to 707070 or visit https://www.pledge.to/just-peace-2026-haitian-support-center

To contribute, please note “Haitian Support Center” in the memo line of your check or with your Venmo or electronic donation. For more information on this organization, please visit their website: https://haitiansupportcenter.org.

We would also like to remind everyone about our RED WAGON program. All the food gifts you donate so generously go to Council of Social Concern’s food Pantry in Woburn. With SNAP benefits being cut back even further again recently, the need for food is constantly growing.

Please remember them when you are next out shopping for food; one or two extra items that you can purchase and donate each week can truly make a big difference for these families. The RED WAGON is located in the hallway across from the office. The other RED WAGON is stationed at the entrance on Sunday mornings.

We know how generous our community is, and the members of the Mission and Outreach group are so fortunate to be a part of this congregation, spreading the love you share across the community. Thank you all so much.

Karen Bellacosa, Rev. Will Burhans, Carrie Ehrbar, John Keeley, Marisa Lafferty, Petra Sansom & Jenny Uzdavinis

Most needed list for Woburn Social Concern. Please send your extra reusable grocery bags with your items.

• Proteins: White tuna, SPAM, corned beef hash, and canned or jarred meats.
• Canned Goods & Vegetables: Canned spinach, beets, asparagus, and general canned vegetables/fruits.
• Soups & Meals: Tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, Chef Boyardee meals, and canned pastas.
• Breakfast Items: Cold cereals (all varieties except Cheerios), oatmeal, pancake mix, and syrup.
• Staples & Pasta: Lasagna noodles, pasta, peanut butter, and jelly.
• Snacks & Extras: Crackers (Ritz, Saltines, Cheez-Its, Triscuits), cookies, fruit cups, large cans of baked beans, mixed nuts, chips, and dried fruit.

Also, as we get closer to Thanksgiving these holiday items are very appreciated too.

• Fruit juice (apple, cranberry, or grape)
• Large boxes of instant mashed potatoes
• Stuffing mixes
• Rice and rice preparation mixes
• Canned peas, corn, fruit, and cranberry sauce
• Turkey and chicken gravy
• Chicken broth
• Bread, cake, and brownie mixes
• Jell-O and pudding
• Cookies, nuts, and crackers
• Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate

Please tell your friends, neighbors and colleagues about us and be sure to visit us to get links to sign-up for our next and upcoming events at; https://www.repaircafewin.com

The Repair Café Volunteers

Signup Here for a Repair

Join us on this special Sunday of Indigenous People’s Day Weekend for a worship service focused on what it means to remember. Remembering is a central spiritual practice of our Christian faith. Those of us who went on the Pine Ridge Service Learning Trip this past summer will remember with you what the experience was like and share our reflections of that remarkable, tragic, beautiful land, history, and people.  The choir will present a haunting and evocative arrangement of Joseph Renville’s 1842 Dakota Hymn, one of the few Native American songs included in hymnals globally, with voices, violin, cello, flute, djembe, and piano.

Download the Bulletin Here: OW 10-11-26 IPD.docx

You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love them as yourself.  Leviticus 19:34

Dear Members and Friends of First Congregational Church,

The Mission & Outreach Ministry is announcing the first of our three annual special offerings, with 100% of your donations going directly to a nonprofit organization. This year’s Just Peace offering will support the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, Ohio.

The Haitian Support Center was established in 2023 to help refugees and immigrants, particularly Haitian nationals, build new lives in Springfield, Ohio. The Center helps newcomers with housing applications, employment opportunities, legal matters, and language barriers, supporting them, as they become self-sufficient members of the community. For many, the Center is more than just a building. It is a vital piece of civic infrastructure, created by and for Haitian immigrants and other refugees at a time when public institutions often struggle to keep pace with community needs. When public systems become strained or unpredictable, trusted grassroots, immigrant-led organizations help hold communities together and become the place people turn to for support, guidance, and stability.

Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, more than 300,000 Haitians were granted Temporary Protected Status. When approximately 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians settled in Springfield, Ohio, the city was experiencing decades of population decline. They helped fill critical labor shortages in manufacturing, warehousing, and service industries. They opened grocery stores and restaurants, renovated buildings, and contributed to the local and state tax base, helping to revitalize the local economy. However, the current administration revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the U.S. in July of this year. “The Supreme Court decision is not just a tragedy for Haitians; it’s a tragedy for Springfield, Ohio,” said Rev. Carl Ruby, pastor of Central Christian Church. “We went from being one of the fastest-shrinking cities to one of the fastest-growing cities in America. This undoes all that progress.”

In response, the Haitian Support Center must help community members navigate rapidly changing immigration policies as families increasingly turn to it for guidance and support. The Center also requires additional funding as it works alongside local faith-based and advocacy organizations to provide rent assistance, food and meal deliveries, transportation, and medical support for community members who have lost income and, in many cases, are afraid to leave their homes. At the same time, many residents have stepped forward to support their Haitian neighbors. Some are making plans to care for U.S. born children whose parents may face detention or deportation. In contrast, others have offered shelter and assistance to immigrants who remain in the community.

Our goal is to reach $8,000 to help sustain their urgent work. To contribute, please note “Haitian Support Center” in the memo line of your check or with your Venmo or electronic donation. You may also use the “JUST PEACE” envelopes available in the pews during church services or scan this QR code to donate through Pledgeling. For more information on this organization, please visit their website: https://haitiansupportcenter.org.

Thank you for your generosity and responding to the Gospel’s summons to help and care for strangers among us in such a tangible way. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

In faith and solidarity, The Mission & Outreach team:  Karen Bellacosa, Rev. Will Burhans, Carrie Ehrbar, John Keeley, Marisa Lafferty, Petra Sansom & Jenny Uzdavinis.

This Sunday, October 4th, is World Communion Sunday in the church across the globe. As we gather together we’ll consider how the specificity and humbleness of the communion table connects us across borders and other lines of distinction to the heart of humanity. Our faith does not direct us above and beyond the earth and our place herein but rather situates us here more fully and helps us to become more fully human. The choir will sing a beautiful anthem called “Peace Between” which uses Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin statements of peace as a lyrical call for unity. We hope you’ll join us in person or online at 10am.

Download the Bulletin Here: OOW 10-04-26 World Communion.docx

Deadline, 9/13

If you haven’t already, please drop off Bibles you are no longer using in the clear donation bin in the church lobby. All of the donated Bibles will go towards Bibles4Kenya, a project that ships gently-used Bibles to congregations in Kenya that do not have access to new copies. We will close donations on Sunday, 9/13.