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| Serving the spiritual and intellectual needs of Unitarian and Universalist ministers since 1927. | |||
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Greenfield GroupSince 1927
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SAINTS Nat Lauriat (d) Jim Adams (d) Dick Fewkes Duncan Howlett (d) Frank Holmes (d)
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An Appreciation from the congregation he served for 31 years! Who would have thought that the young minister from Middleboro, ordained only four and a half years, would be the one to stay and stay and stay. Richard Fewkes, a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, came to First Parish in 1969. His first Sunday service was Easter of that year, and on that day he also performed two Christenings—Jefferson Detwiler and David Bailey. We put him right to work and he hasn’t stopped since. Dick would go on to do many more life celebrations for the people of Norwell, "these are" to use Dicks own words, " the most important tasks of personal ministry that ministers are called upon to perform." Weddings, Funerals and Dedications mark our milestones and bind our hearts and minds together as a community |
| and create bonds of affection and support that last a lifetime. There is no doubt that these celebrations have been one of his most creative and lasting gifts to us. And here I speak as a former student, and right here beside you, watching and listening to you, is where I learned this most fundamental and powerful work of ministry. One of the highlights of Dick's ministry was the celebration of the 350th Anniversary of the parish on February 2nd 1992, using costumes borrowed from the Plimoth Plantation. Victor Carpenter sent greetings from San Francisco and a charge to the congregation to remember their history and to learn from it. John Kolbjornsen shared in the service and offered the Prayer of Rededication. Dick's leadership has enriched First Parish in many ways. In the seventies, First Parish became a "teaching" church, and Dick and all of you would play a vital role in the shaping of the next generation of ministers up to this very day with Rachel Tedesco as the most recent graduate of the Fewkes school of practical ministry. Dick started a chapter of Psi Symposium here, which still continues to meet as an active group, serving the needs of those who are interested in spiritual, mystical and psychic development. Later, in 1990, through Dick's leadership and enthusiasm, we became a Partner Church to a little church in the village of Kadacs in Transylvania. This relationship has continued over the years and the connection has actually changed and improved the quality of the lives of many of the villagers some 3000 miles away. But it has also enriched our own lives immeasurably. We have recently become an official UUA Welcoming Congregation, a big step towards putting into practice what we preach about respecting the worth and dignity of every person. And our tireless and relentless Service Committee, which was formed during Dick's ministry, and supports many and varied service projects, makes tangible the words, "Service is our prayer". No mention of Dick's thirty years of loving leadership would be complete without the mention of the minister's helpmate and "right -arm".his wife Ellie. These two have provided love, leadership, coffee, sympathy, empathy, care and casseroles to this community for more than thirty years. It is a grand legacy in a great tradition. Dick, we will add your name to our proud history with a tear and a smile. It is the way of things and we all must move forward. But you have trained us well.Your legacy is our future. (SOURCE: First Parish, Norwell, MA/Rev. Judith Campbell) | ||
WHAT MAKES A PERSON A SAINT? The description is found in Article 2 of our Disciplines:
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