May is such an extraordinary and joyful month of flowering trees and greening grass and sunny days. In this vesper service we will focus on this time of the year and the blessings it brings. This beautiful candlelight service will be led by Rev. Tom Rosiello with several church members contributing music under Mike Pfitzer's direction. You are welcome to bring a short poem or reading that focuses on this wonderful time of the year. Vespers is a 45 minute service of readings, reflection, music, and sharing. Tom introduced this service to us many years ago and this will be his last vesper service. Come and enjoy the peace of the evening as we reflect on this beautiful time of the year.

Few, if any, in our liberal faith would label themselves "white supremacists," yet the evidence is clear that in many ways we still maintain a white supremacist culture. We talk "Black Lives Matter" and reject the idea that white supremacy should play any part in our churches and institutions, but our actions and the biases we bring to decision-making sometimes reflect something else. We are still walking "the stony road" to full racial equality. The obstacles to a truly equal and non-racist church and society are much less blatant, but still very much present. This morning we, along with over 600 UU congregations across the country, will address the hidden influences of the white supremacy legacy and what we can do, even right here at FPC, to move beyond it. At the conclusion of the formal worship there will be an opportunity to share your thoughts with others in small facilitated groups. The Rev. Tom Rosiello will be preaching and members of our Racial Justice Task Force will participate in the morning's program. Worship will include words of African Americans and inspiring music from the African American tradition.

The Rev. Tom Rosiello leading worship and preaching.
We all experience the struggle to be our authentic selves, but those folks for whom this struggle involves a transition from one gender to another face daunting challenges. Within their stories of transformation are many other stories of how their change has affected others. In the present political climate, voices of prejudice and misunderstanding are attempting to block and even take away hard-won rights for transgender folks . Affirming the equal worth and dignity of every person is fundamental to our faith and it is wonderful that we have both transgender youth and adults in our congregation, some of whom have felt comfortable enough to share their journey with us.
This winter in Mexico (perhaps not the place where you would expect this to happen) Rev. Rosiello had the opportunity to spend time and be inspired by several people who understand this journey firsthand. For more information about his experience please read his article in this issue of The Chronicle and please join us for a worship service where we learn from those stories and affirm our support for transgender folks and their families.

This candlelight service will be led by our Minister, The Rev. Tom Rosiello, our lay ministers, and musicians. We will tell the story of Jesus' final days focusing on the Passover meal that he shared with his disciples and what this ritual of "breaking bread together" means to us today. In this service we honor our history and celebrate our Christian roots while reaching beyond to the broader message of community and the ministry of humble service. We will be using the historic communion silver from both the First Parish of Stow and the Universalist Church of South Acton in the service. Whatever your religious background is, you are invited to join us for this beautiful service.