Author: FPLwebtech

Parish Committee Meeting: June 2020

Posted on by FPLwebtech in Committee News, Parish Committee

June 17, 2020

Members in attendance: Nick Covino (Chair), Chris Andrysiak, Priscilla Damon, Dwight Gertz, Carrie Marotta, Tim Moynihan, R.L. Smith, Jeani Welsh, Peter Hussey, Jane O’Rourke, Jessica Packineau

Ex officio: John Krzywicki (Treasurer), Jenny Rankin (Interim Minister), Sylvia Perry (Clerk)

Staff and Guests: Ralph Smith (Chair, Personnel Committee), Gina Halstead (Co-Chair, Transition Team), Chris Andrysiak, Mary Helen Lorenz (Chair Adult Programs Committee and Anti-Racism Task Force), Ken Hurd (Anti-Racism Task Force)

The PC met through ZOOM to discuss several important issues:

  1.  Carrie Marotta shared an Opening Poem:  “A Litany for Survival”, by Audre Lorde.
  2. Nick Covino introduced new Parish Committee Members and thanked retiring colleagues. Priscilla Damon, Ray Shepherd, RL Smith are cycling off of the Parish Committee.  Peter Watkinson is stepping down from the role of Clerk.   Nick expressed deep gratitude for these individuals for their service on the PC and expressed thanks for all of the work they have been involved with this year and throughout their time on the PC.  Nick welcomed newcomers to the Parish Committee, Peter Hussey, Jessica Packineau and Jane O’Rourke.  Collectively they bring experience and wisdom to the PC, and have been involved in the life of FPL in other capacities including YPC, finance, welcoming and hospitality committees, safe congregation committee, and personnel. Sylvia Perry is starting as the new Clerk.
  3. Motion made to approve Minutes from May PC Meeting, submitted by Peter Watkinson. Minutes approved.
  4. Interim Minister Jenny Rankin reported on Current Events at FPL.  She reports that we are in good shape as we head in to the summer and have held together remarkably as a community through this challenging time.  She expressed thanks for church staff and the safe congregation committee for all of their work this year, especially in managing the transition from live to online church.  She is grateful to all involved in the “staying connected” efforts including phone tree, Friday afternoon tea, and other programs.  FPL said goodbye to Meredith and Gert, and celebrated and honored the long tenure and contributions Gert made to the day-to-day operations of FPL. Summer services  will be led by Sarah, Margit and the Deacons. The Anti-Racism task force is very energized and will be active through the summer. Church Buildings will stay closed through Sept 1. Jenny said she will be working with the Deacons and Transition Team to gather feedback on virtual FPL, online services and programs, and try to evaluate what is working and what might be desired.
  5. Jeani Welsh provided an update from the Safe Congregation committee. A discussion was had around summer camp programming if the church is closed. We acknowledged that this is an opportunity to offer programming and a social community for kids when so much has been canceled.  The committee agreed they would need to hear a proposal with specific operating procedures in the next 2 weeks at which point Jenny is on summer recess. 
  6. John Krzywicki provided a Treasurer’s Report.  He reported we are running a bigger surplus than expected surplus because we are shut down.  We have 90% of pledges in at this point.  We are expecting a 96-98% rate of completions on the pledge drive by end June and this is consistent with past years.  We are aware of potential for market volatility given the current public health and economic crisis.  At the next PC meeting, John will provide a wrap up of the past 12 months. He also offered to provide a tutorial on the FPL budget for any PC members, old and new.
  7. Ken Hurd and Mary Helen Lorenz provided an update on the Anti-Racism Task Force and made a motion to display Black Lives Matter Banner on the front of the church.  At this year’s Annual Meeting and at the forum hosted by the Anti-Racist Task Force, we posed the question of what could The First Parish of Lincoln do to raise awareness and become part of the solution to purge the cancer of systemic racism that has metastasized throughout our society. We asked two questions: When folks look back 20 years from now, how do we want the First Parish to be remembered for what we did in 2020? What actions might we take to make a difference in our community and in our nation? The Anti-Racist Task Force would like to propose that, as a faith community, we seize the moment and fulfill our Call to Ministry by announcing to Lincoln that we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
    Ken shared an artistic rendering of the banner and reviewed feedback received from congregants on this proposal. Overwhelmingly people (~57 people) were in favor but some (5) people were concerned about politicization of this  issue. It has been endorsed by a number of committees including Community Engagement Task Force, Deacons, Outreach, Welcoming, and YPC.
    Ken shared a November 1963 Resolution on Racial Injustice. On November 13, 1963 a Special Meeting of the Congregation voted for this resolution to the By-Laws of The First Parish in Lincoln:
    “Recognizing racial injustice as a major social problem, we the people of the First Parish in Lincoln reaffirm our faith in the ultimate dignity of all mankind, men and women of every race, welcoming them into the membership of our church; and, as part of the Service of All for which our covenant unites us, we resolve to devote our minds and efforts to the Christian task of correcting racial injustice and helping those whose lives have been burdened and limited for generations by discriminatory treatment.”  
    A Motion made to agree to purchase and display a Black Lives Matter Banner temporality until such time as church regroups in person.  Motion was approved.
  8. Gina Halstead provided and update from the Transition Team.  For the past two years, the Transition team has focused on welcoming and establishing the Interim minister, gathering feedback from the congregation, managing through changes brought by the coronavirus pandemic, and current events around racial justice.  Looking ahead to the next 2 years, the Transition Team plans to solidify and declare our values, hold more conversations around who as a congregation we want to serve and help, and establish a mission and vision statement to help guide FPL prepare for search for new Settled Minister. Goal is for Search Committee to be announced by April 2021 and to have a budget in place for the new minister salary  by June 2021.
  9. Chris Andrysiak highlighted some financial modeling work and strategic decisions around growth to get to sustainable fiscal model. He proposed a financial and strategic planning exercise in conjunction with the work of Transition Team.
  10. Ralph Smith provided an update on the new Parish Administrator.  Her offer letter will be mailed this week and we have put together a draft onboarding plan.  She will plan to be in the office 5 days per week and will be able to work with Gert 8 hours per week, split in 2 increments. Members of this committee will be asked to be part of her orientation.
    Ralph also provided an update on Sarah Klockowski.  Jenny reports that she has  decided to enter the ordination track to become a UUA minister.  We propose that FPL adjust her contract to include ministerial duties in addition to her current communications and tech role. This would be a Full-time, year-round position and Jenny endorses this proposal and financial commitment.
    Motion was made to make this change to Sarah’s position to fulfill duties both as a ministerial intern and continue in her other FPL roles in communications and technology. Motion passed.
  11. Tim provide a quick updated from the Facilities Committee.  The Roof, Driveway, and other grounds projects are all being worked on and in good shape.
  12. John Krzywicki provided update on 3 recent Outreach Committee requests for distributions:
    1. South Sudanese Enrichment for Families is a small Lincoln-based nonprofit with close FPL ties and a regular recipient of annual Outreach grants and the sole organization that serves the needs of one of the most under-resourced and vulnerable immigrant groups in eastern Massachusetts: the South Sudanese community of some 100-150 individuals.  Its programs and finances have been upended by the COVID crisis. The Outreach Committee therefore requests PC approval of a grant to SSEF of a maximum of $2000.
    2. $24,000 Preston Transformative Innovation grant to Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
    3. $5000 Preston Emergency grant to the Lincoln Council on Aging.
      Motion to approve $31,000 as requested for these 3 recommendations. Motion approved
  13. Nick proposed the PC reviews and revises FPL’s process for Outreach Requests and Charitable Distributions.  He also requests the current committee members consider church committees for which they will serve as liaisons, and that we examine the process for how we populate committees in general.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 and the PC went in to executive session.

Minutes submitted by Sylvia Perry, Clerk

Children’s Summer Clothing Drive for Solutions at Work

Posted on by FPLwebtech in Anti-Racism, Outreach Committee

Thursday, June 18th through July 1st

First Parish has received an urgent call for help from Justina Riopelle, one of the amazing workers at Solutions at Work, an organization that serves families living in poverty in Cambridge and Dorchester. Although their center is closed, Justina and others are delivering packages of children’s summer clothing directly to families. So great is the need that their stock is rapidly running out.  This is where we come in!

Justina and her team are looking for clean, gently used children’s summer clothing for boys and girls of all ages: shorts, T-shirts, dresses, skirts, sweatshirts, socks, underwear, bathing suits, diapers, wipes, towels, sneakers, flipflops — anything kids may need for summer!

If your closets and drawers need culling, or if you feel moved to purchase some children’s staples (underwear, T-shirts, socks, diapers), please bring them to the bins on the Stearns Room porch or contact Mary Gaylord (mgaylord@fas.harvard.edu) for pick-up. Please, no toys, books or cold weather clothing at this time!

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn are causing severe ongoing hardship for urban communities already struggling. Your response to the pop-up Mother’s Day drive was overwhelming.  Let’s do it again!

This Children’s Summer Clothing Drive is jointly sponsored by the Anti-Racism Task Force and the Outreach Committee.

An Update on Outreach (May 2020)

Posted on by FPLwebtech in Outreach Committee

by Larry Buell

Throughout this season of disruptions, First Parish has risen inspiringly to the challenge of reaching out to our vulnerable neighbors near home and in the greater Boston area.  The Outreach Committee is delighted to report that thanks to the combination of our record-breaking Easter offering and remaining funds available to our committee, within the last month our church has been able to donate more than $20,000 in emergency grants to partner organizations working on the front lines to ensure food security, essential medical services, and shelter to those in need both in Lincoln and in hard-hit neighboring communities from Roxbury to Waltham to Framingham with large minority and immigrant populations disproportionately afflicted by the pandemic.  What’s more, a similar amount remains available for additional grants through the end of June, thanks to the Parish Committee’s approval of our request to set aside one-third of Outreach’s 2019-20 allocation from the Jean Wood Preston Endowment ($25,000) for grants for emergency relief.

Building on Outreach’s close ties with our partner organizations both as financial donors and as sponsor of ongoing volunteer efforts, but extending far beyond what our committee could accomplish alone, has been the outstandingly proactive work of FPL’s new Community Engagement Task Force.  

Meanwhile, Outreach’s pursuit of our usual top priority between March and May—evaluation of candidates for the Jean Wood Preston grants ($5000 – $25,000 for capital improvement or transformative innovation)—has continued in a form that has also allowed us to respond robustly to the needs of the COVID crisis as noted above.    We’ve deferred until next year finalists whose projects we judged could be postponed with little inconvenience to their overall programs and forged ahead with follow-up inquiries and site-visits via Zoom with the two contenders applying for projects whose urgency seems to demand decisions now.  We expect to announce the decisions by mid-June if not before.

COVID Response Update (5/21/20)

Posted on by FPLwebtech in COVID-19

The Safe Congregations Task Force has advised the church to continue only online virtual worship services until Labor Day. Moreover, we recommend that all church meetings and gatherings continue to abide by CDC guidelines for social distancing. New guidance from the CDC also means that we will be securing the sanctuary so that no one can enter without permission and we can maintain the required sanitation standards during this outbreak. 

The Safe Congregations Task Force is closely monitoring information from the UUA, UCC, CDC, WHO and state government and will continue advising church leadership throughout the summer. The Task Force is chaired by Dr. Andy Clark and includes Ray Shepard, Jeani Welsh, Jane O’Rourke, Deanna Laferriere and is joined by Margit Griffith and Rev Jenny Rankin. 

Webinar: Air Pollution, COVID-19 Mortality and Communities of Color

Posted on by FPLwebtech in FPL Green

Wednesday, May 27, 6pm

With a respiratory pandemic sweeping the globe, it’s important to understand the links between air quality, health, and injustice. MetroWest Climate Solutions—an all-volunteer committee made up of members of First Parish in Wayland, First Parish in Lincoln, First Parish Church in Weston, the Congregational Church of Weston, and other individuals—is presenting a webinar on this topic as part of its ongoing series on tackling climate change. The webinar is sponsored by The Union of Concerned Scientists and Conservation Law Foundation. 

Xiao Wu, a Harvard School of Public Health Ph.D. candidate in biostatistics, will describe research linking COVID-19 death rates with particulate air pollution. Paulina Muratore, a senior campaign organizer for Clean Transportation with the Union of Concerned Scientists, will describe how fine particulate matter from cars, trucks, and buses disproportionately impacts communities of color and the need to reduce air pollution from the transportation sector. Staci Rubin, a senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, will moderate the program. The speakers will share information about how to take action.

To Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/air-pollution-covid-19-mortality-and-communities-of-color-what-we-can-do-about-it-a-webcast-registration-104835582048

Conservation Agriculture

Posted on by FPLwebtech in FPL Green

By David O’Neil

Could a single idea embraced globally make a major contribution toward avoiding catastrophic climate change, while at the same time increasing the world’s food supply, restoring biodiversity and, in fact, saving farmers money?  “Conservation Agriculture” is that rapidly evolving practice.  American soils have lost more than 40% of their carbon since colonial times, first from plowing, then from chemical additives that have killed off the microscopic life of the soil. Escalating in use after World War II, it became known as “agrochemical farming,” and “the Green Revolution.”  But now, through the practice of Conservation Agriculture, very large quantities of carbon can be removed from the atmosphere and RE-sequestered over time in the soil. 

The principles of Conservation Agriculture are all in practice in Lincoln today.  Codman Farm, now managed by Pete Lowy, was formerly reliant on hay production; it is now rebuilding soil organic matter by returning animals to the pastures to increase forage fertility through the use of directly deposited animal manures. Properly managed rotational grazing of chickens, cows, pigs and turkeys assures a proper level of animal impact to the soil and an even distribution of manure.  Take a look at Mt. Misery field.

Drumlin Farm is also rebuilding soil carbon, through the basic organic principles – no chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers – and through the practice of “fallowing,” where each acre produces crops for five years and then “rests” for two years.  During that time the land is never bare, but cover-cropped with clover in order to fix nitrogen and build organic matter.  With the help of its farm animals, Drumlin Farm also produces its own compost, which is entirely recycled to its fields.  Farm Manager Matt Celona says that because of the level of soil organic matter it has achieved through these practices, irrigation is never required.

Lindentree Farm is experimenting with reduced tillage – plowing (or tillage) exposes and oxidizes sequestered carbon, turning it into carbon dioxide.  Plowing also reduces organic matter and the micro-organisms that healthy soils depend on.  One technique that Farm Manager Ari Kurtz is using is called “occultation” – a series of large black tarps are spread over prepared soils and weighted down for a period of several weeks in the spring or summer.  The weed seeds underneath germinate but then die due to lack of light.  A subsequent crop can then be planted that grows in a relatively weed-free environment, requiring less cultivation and soil disturbance.  The farm is also trying new combinations of cover crops to add soil organic matter.

Not least, Lincoln’s Agricultural Subcommittee (which works with the Agricultural Commission) has steadfastly promoted ALL of the principles of Conservation Agriculture in their leased land: they encourage organic practice, diverse crop rotations, minimal soil disturbance (no-till), and the steady use of cover crops.

FPL Green strongly encourages all of us to fight climate change by supporting Lincoln’s farms and their actions to implement Conservation Agriculture.  Buying food locally will not only help mitigate climate change but has the added benefits of improving the health of our ecosystems and our economy.