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Meet one of our newest clergy for Protestant Services: Rev. Holly Miller-Shank of First Congressional Church in Shrewsbury. Holly has served the United Church of Christ in multiple capacities: as a settled local church pastor in PA, as the interim Associate Conference Minister in the Southern NE Conference and for over a decade as the Minister and Team Leader of the MESA Team in the UCC National Offices. Holly was called to serve locally as Senior Minister at FCC in 2022. Holly brings a deep passion for ministry, including both domestic and international contexts. She has served with Global Ministries in India and Korea as well as completing academic studies in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and South Africa. All are welcome.

“Believe in your heart that you were meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” ~ Roy T. Bennett. Cinema itself is about getting transported from a reality to fantasy and back. That’s the magic of the movies. So join us on our magical journey as we celebrate life, laughter, friendship and the golden age of film with “The Magic of Movies”. AND we have the opportunity to pay tribute to the Southgate community on our 33rd anniversary! You don;t want to miss this extraordinary annual event. Seating is limited and theatre doors will open one half hour prior to show time. “Here’s lookin’ at you kid”.

Our speaker this month is Prof. Ben Railton from Fitchburg State University. The title of his presemtraion is “Baseball, Bigotry, and the Battle for America.” In the nineteenth century San Francisco, two sandlots play host to striking and telling events. In 1877, Irish immigrant and labor leader, Denis Kearney, whips crowds into a frenzy of anti-Chinese prejudice with his bombastic speeches. In 1881, the Celestials, a semi-pro baseball team composed of students from the Chinese Educational Mission, win one final game against an Oakland team before they’re forced to leave their adopted homeland. These contrasting yet interconnected stories and the histories to which they connect illustrate the worst and best in the battle for America. Professor Railton earned his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Temple University and has been at FSU for 17 years.

Most Southgate dwellers are familiar with our friend Dan Gabel and his musical pals the Abletones! But just in case…Hailed by the Boston Globe as “the real deal, [a bandleader] that looks and sounds like the 1940’s”, Dan Gabel is a trombonist, arranger, bandleader, historian, and educator. His popular Big Band, Dan Gabel and the Abletones, has played throughout the northeast and is featured on numerous recordings and video/television programs. Since 2014, Dan has served as the President and CEO of the American Big Band Preservation Society, a non-profit organization based in Boston and dedicated to preserving, promoting, and performing while keeping music in our schools.

Welcome back Cub Scout Pack 158 as they serenade us with holiday tunes in a stroll through our dining rooms!

Men’s Breakfast welcomes speaker Renee Senes, CDFA @ AARP MA with “Social Security: Understanding Your Benefits” Social Security is one of the most successful and effective social insurance programs in our nation’s history. In this session, we will explain the facets of Social Security (retirement, survivors, and disability benefits), discuss the options for when to claim your retirement benefits, and cover implications of working while collecting benefits. Renee joins us as a volunteer with the Massachusetts AARP Speakers Bureau. She is a frequent lecturer on planning for retirement, managing finances and social security with over 25 years of experience in the financial planning and investment field/ She is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) and the owner of Divorce Financial Sense, LLC. Renee is he author of 2 books: Money & Divorce: Costly Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make as well as Money & the Grey Divorce: Financial Challenges of Divorce Later in Life. All are welcome to the presentation at 9:30am.

Jewish Studies Group facilitator Rabbi Suri Krieger will conduct a community Hanukkah service with lighting of the Menorah as we continue to celebrate the holy season. ALL are invited–traditional refreshments will be served.