Outreach & Social Action
Outreach & Social Action
To affirm each person’s dignity
and to cherish the living earth
We say these words every Sunday and pursue them with service, education, and advocacy, as well as financial support for those serving the needy, striving to bring peace and understanding, and struggling for social, economic, and environmental justice.
At First Parish in Lincoln, outreach and social action efforts are coordinated by the ministers and the Outreach Committee:
The 2024-25 Outreach Committee team: Ralph Smith (chair), Larry Buell, Doug Crosby, Deanna Elineema, Andy Falender, Amanda Hill, Laura Protzman, and Paula Waterman.
The Outreach Committee exists:
- to research, donate to and partner with outside organizations that serve the needy and promote social and environmental justice
- to administer the annual Jean Wood Preston Endowment grants
- to sponsor congregation-wide activities and events to promote peace and justice
- to oversee the formation and sustainability of Community Service Events and support Faith in Action groups within the church
First Parish in Lincoln has a long history of charitable giving to support organizations that carry on the work of our Call to Ministry. Each year the Outreach Committee selects organizations representing a wide range of social concerns from local to international. In addition, our Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter offerings are dedicated to aid victims of natural disasters, violence, poverty or injustice.
Featured Outreach News.
Jean Wood Preston Grants.
The First Parish in Lincoln has the honor of choosing the recipients of annual grants from this fund established by a longtime member of our community. In recent years the grants have been as much as $25,000, and may be used for one-time capital projects or Transformative Innovation initiatives.
The Outreach Committee welcomes nominations of charitable organizations that you believe might be good candidates for Jean Wood Preston grants. Recent grant recipients include the Roxbury-based Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center, the MetroWest Free Medical Program, and the Community Day Center of Waltham.
Applications will be sent out by the end of October, so please email us with your suggestions at fplgiving@gmail.com.
Faith in Action Groups.
FPL’s Faith in Action groups (FIATS) provide opportunities to serve and promote justice. To volunteer, or for more information, contact Outreach Committee Chair Ralph Smith at fplgiving@gmail.com.
The Deliverers. From May through October, in teams of two, ten or a dozen First Parish volunteers divide up responsibility for making weekly, Thursday morning (8am) deliveries of fresh produce from Drumlin Farm to Open Table’s food pantry in Maynard. If you’re interested in lending a hand (with 10-12 volunteers, it works out to making, roughly, one delivery a month), please contact Tom DeNormandie at tomdenormandie@gmail.com.
The Parish Garden brings FPL members together to create a nurturing space for growing both nutritious food and connections to one another and the living earth. It’s an organic garden located in an inviting spot behind the Parish House where together we raise hundreds of pounds of produce every year for local food pantries. Join us! No experience necessary.
Community Support Events.
Throughout the year, the Outreach Committee sponsors several community action projects with partner organizations. Past action projects have included:
- Carol sing with Concord Prison Outreach
- Providing lunch at the Community Day Center in Waltham
- Family workday at Farrington Nature Linc, a Lincoln-based program for urban youth
Events will be announced during the year – please watch for them!