Brian Dooley, Lay Worship Leader

Worship service given June 29, 2025
Prayer by Bill Licea-Kane, Worship Associate
https://firstparish.info/

First Parish
A liberal religious community, welcoming to all
First gathered 1739

Our bodies are wired for danger. When there’s too much danger we get overloaded and we lose presence — our innate state — and we find ourselves in a state of fighting, freezing, fleeing, or fawning. And, our bodies contain some some built-in tools we can use to equilibrate. Drawing from the wisdom of Banks, Tolle and Huble, Brian Dooley will share ideas and calming techniques to keep ourselves comfortable, rational and available for ourselves and others.

During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Brian Dooley grew up with a bewildering and confounding lack of emotional intelligence. Every relationship challenge was met with an internal and deafening “DOH!” In the last few decades, Brian has discovered some resonant approaches to recognizing, understanding and managing what is inside him. “If I share these with you, you will mirror them back to me, or you’ll model them for another. One exchange at a time, we’ll pass our presence along, and in no time at all, we’ll all be living with whirled peas. I don’t always do this stuff right, but I can try. That’s my plan.”

Offering and Giving First

The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles. The program began in November 2009, and First Parish has donated over $200,000 to more than 70 organizations. For June, July, and August 2025, The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) will share half of the plate. For nearly 50 years, BAGLY has been a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization, committed to social justice and creating, sustaining, and advocating for programs, policies, and services for the LGBTQ+ youth community in Massachusetts. After serving over 200,000+ youth since 1980, BAGLY is recognized nationally for its pioneering role in creating, sustaining, and advocating for social support, leadership development, and health promotion programs for LGBTQ+ youth.

The remaining half of your offering supports the life and work of this Parish. To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive.