Rapid Response

(1) Purpose: The purpose of a rapid response event is to give First Parish members and other people
an opportunity to come together in response to an emergent event. This policy applies to all rapid
response events on the First Parish grounds, either inside or outside the building.

(2) Approval Authority: Rapid response events must be approved by at least one member of the
Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may decline approval for a rapid response event for
any reason.

(3) Requirements for Approving a Rapid Response Event

(A) The event is consistent with First Parish’s mission and Unitarian Universalist values.

(B) The event does not unduly conflict with or cause difficulties for events previously scheduled
at First Parish.

(C) The event is initiated by a member of the First Parish community or by an individual or
organization with which First Parish has a previously existing relationship.

Since rapid response events must be organized quickly, and quick and good organization
requires good relationships, the First Parish grounds are not available for rapid response events
organized by individuals or groups with whom First Parish does not already have an active
relationship.

(D) The event is organized by at least two people, and at least one of these people (“the partner”)
is First Parish’s Minister, Director of Religious Education, or a member of the Parish Committee,
Social Justice Committee, or Emergent Issues Task Group.

The partner is responsible for making sure that the event follows First Parish policies and is
conducted in a way that reflects well on First Parish as an institution. The partner may be
recruited by either the initiator or the Executive Committee

(E) The Executive Committee may add requirements, ask questions, and make recommendations
at its sole discretion.

(4) Query Process:An individual who wishes to organize a rapid response event should email both the lay members of the Executive Committee and the Minister and answer the following questions.

• • What are your name, email address, and the best telephone number for reaching you?
  • What is the proposed date (or selection of dates) of this event?
  • What are the proposed start and end times? (We recommend no longer than 30 minutes.)
  • Why do you want to organize this event? What is it responding to? Why do you think there is
    a need for it in Arlington this week?
  • What are the goals of this event?
  • Have you already talked with any other individuals or groups about this event? Are any of
    them working closely with you on this event? Have any of them agreed to speak or sing at this
    event, if it occurs? Who
  • Have you consulted with First Parish’s Minister, Director of Religious Education, and/or a
    member of the Parish Committee, Social Justice Committee, or Emergent Issues Task Group?
    If so, have any of these people offered to be a First Parish partner to this event
  • Have any groups or organizations officially offered to co-sponsor this event? Which ones?
  • Do you want to invite people to make signs or do other preparations before the event starts?

(5) Requirements, Guidelines, and Practical Tips: All of the event’s organizers are expected to
read the document titled “Rapid Response Requirements, Guidelines, and Practical Tips,” follow the
requirements, and seriously consider the guidelines.

Approved by the Parish Committee January 9, 2018

Document revised December 16 2020 for update that Emergent Issues Task Group replaces
predecessor Turning Outward Strategic Planning Group.

January 6, 2018

updated by the Emergent Issues Group and Office Associate December 18, 2020

Thank you for organizing a rapid response event!

This document draws on the experiences of previous event organizers and is intended to help you host a successful, safe, and satisfying event. In most cases, you are welcome to make other choices if you prefer, but you are expected to follow the requirements in the first section. Any rapid response event must be organized quickly and we hope you will find most of these suggestions helpful.

Use of the First Parish Name:

(A) No publicity or public discussions of a possible event may mention First Parish until a member of the Executive Committee has approved the event.

(B) The first mention of First Parish in all written publicity and other communications should use First Parish’s full legal name: “First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington.” Do not add the word “church,” as it is not part of our name. Subsequent mentions in the same document may refer to First Parish only as “First Parish,” “First Parish Arlington,” “First Parish UU of Arlington,” or “First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington.”

(C) Only the Executive Committee or Parish Committee can make First Parish a sponsor or co-sponsor of an event. If First Parish is a sponsor or co-sponsor, that should be made clear in the publicity. If First Parish is not a sponsor or co-sponsor, the event’s organizers may not imply that it is.

Requirements:

(1) Read the Rapid Response Policy of First Parish, which is on the First Parish, website, and abide by its provisions.

(2) Any event on the First Parish grounds reflects on First Parish as an institution. As you plan and lead this event, keep in mind the basic UU values of compassion, justice, the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and respecting the inherent worth and dignity of all people – including people we don’t agree with.

(3) As soon as the event is confirmed, notify the Arlington Police Department (APD) about its nature and timing. The APD does good work and First Parish has a positive and mutually respectful relationship with the APD. Please seek to maintain this attitude of mutual respect, both in your own behavior and in the behavior of participants in the event. This expectation holds even if the event is in response to an incident involving the APD.

(4) As soon as the event is confirmed, email the following First Parish staff and groups so they know what’s going on:

Lead Minister     leadminister@firstparish.info
Parish Minister     parishminister@firstparish.info
Office Manager     officemanager@firstparish.info
Minister of Religious Education     mre@firstparish.info
Youth Group Coordinator     youthadvisor@firstparish.info
Music Director     musicdirector@firstparish.info
Parish Committee     parcom-members@firstparish.info
Social Justice Committee     socialjustice@firstparish.info
Emergent Issues Task Group     emergentissues@firstparish.info
Racial Justice Coordinating Committee     racialjustice@firstparish.info

(5) Consult First Parish’s master calendar at firstparish.info/calendar/ to determine whether there are any events scheduled in the sanctuary, vestry, or parlor at the time of the rapid response event or immediately afterwards. If so, let the organizers of those other events know about the rapid response event, so they won’t be surprised.

(6) Do not allow the crowd to block the sidewalk or road at any time. Pedestrians, motorists, and bicyclists need to be able to get through the intersection.

(7) If you unlock the external door near the sanctuary to enable people to use the First Parish restrooms, station two greeters at the door to welcome people, direct them to the restrooms, and keep an eye on who is going in and out of the building.

(8) You are responsible for making sure that the First Parish building and grounds are treated with care and cleaned up after the event. After the event, secure and lock the building unless it is in use by other parties.

Guidelines:

(1) You may find it helpful to think of a rapid response event as having the following similarities to a worship service:

• • It should draw people together and help them feel like they are not alone.
  • It should speak to both hearts and minds.
  • It should speak of both justice and love – the need for change and the need for compassion and healing.
  • It should place the immediate event in a larger historical context and connect it with larger themes of universal importance, such as injustice, mercy, or persistence.
  • The event as a whole should have a clear arc. It should gather people together and help them feel connected, explain why we are here and our larger context, encourage people to go deeper, include a call to action (perhaps action at the event, but certainly in the longer term), provide a sense of resolution and closure, and send people on their way with a sense of both emotional easing and recommitment to the work that needs to be done.

(2) The event should start on time (meaning 2-3 minutes after the announced time) and end on time (going 2-3 minutes over is OK, but 5 minutes will make people start to get restless).

(3) The following basic outline works well:

• Opening/introduction [4 minutes, with one speaker – either First Parish’s minister or a First Parish member who helped organize this event]
  • Welcome all the participants and thank them for being there
  • Tell the story of how we came to be together at this moment (in one minute – aim for poetry, not prose)
    Outline what will happen during this event, so people know what to expect.
  • Thank the event’s co-sponsors and other partners in the program. Are there organizations or individuals that should be mentioned? Thank the Arlington Police Department for being there (if they are, which they probably will be) and for being committed to the safety of everyone.
  • Thank people who came before us and worked for justice and love before us. Whose spirit do we want with us today?
• Prayer/mediation/silence, preferably led by First Parish’s minister or another clergyperson who is introduced by First Parish’s minister [3 minutes of spoken prayer/introduction, 1 minute of silence]
• Speakers about the incident(s) this event is responding to, its larger context, how we can live in our broken world, and how we can contribute to its healing [8 minutes with two speakers, maybe three – readings can work well in this section]
• Song or physical prayer/mediation – something that touches the emotions and everyone can do together [5 minutes – can be omitted if you think another speaker is really important, but there’s only so long people can stand and listen to speakers]
• Call to action [3 minutes]
  • If there’s something you want people to do here and now, invite them to do it after the closing song. But don’t be surprised if people need to leave, and don’t try to arm-twist them into staying longer.
  • What’s really important is what we do after today, how we live our lives.
• Thank people for coming and leave them with words of benediction [1 minute, preferably by First Parish’s minister]
• Closing song [5 minutes]

(4) The following songs work well for group singing outdoors without lyrics, and may be appropriate to your event. Some of these songs would work well if led by someone with a guitar, but none of them require a guitar. Some just need a strong singer to start them off.

• “One More Step” – a good closing song (guitar helpful) (Singing the Living Tradition #168)
• “There Is More Love Somewhere” – a good closing song (guitar helpful) (Singing the Living Tradition #95)
• Walking With You Is My Prayer” – simple, repetitive, brings a group together
• “Meditation on Breathing” – calms and grounds a group (Singing the Journey #1009)
• “We Shall Overcome” – classic civil rights anthem, someone will need to call out which line is coming next before each verse as there is no standard order (guitar helpful)
• “We Are a Gentle, Angry People” – someone will need to call out which line is coming next before each verse as people probably won’t remember (guitar helpful) (Singing the Living Tradition #170)
• “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” – civil rights anthem, add words/verses to fit the situation
• “This Little Light of Mine” – civil rights anthem, someone will need to remind participants of the words in the later verses (guitar helpful) (Singing the Living Tradition #118)

(5) You will probably want to have different individuals in each of the following roles:

• Emcee
• Prayer leader
• Music leader
• Sound tech
• Police liaison
• Media liaison
• Two greeters at the sanctuary door
• Document manager (more handouts may need to be copied during the event)

Practical Tips:

(1) The portable sound system is in the copy room. It works pretty well if the speaker is put at head level – you can put it on a stand or have someone hold it. We recommend checking it out as soon as you can and replacing the batteries if necessary.

(2) We recommend telling all of the speakers to speak very slowly and clearly, as if you were reading a picture book to a child. It can be hard to hear outdoors, with all the background noise and echoes, and speaking slowly and clearly will help.

(3) You are welcome to use First Parish’s photocopier to make a one-page handout for participants. Please keep it to one page, or half a page is even better. The photocopier code is 99999 and is on the photocopier.

(4) You are welcome to use any tables that are in the vestry or stacked in the vestry closet, between the vestry and the parlor. If you use them, please return them where you found them.

(5) If you want First Parish to put up a new public witness banner, consult with the Executive Committee. They can authorize a new banner. Event organizers cannot.

(6) If you want to invite people to make signs or do other preparations before the event starts so, allow 30 minutes. You will need to provide light-colored poster board (yellow stands out well) and fat markers. First Parish can provide tables.

(7) The following groups and individuals can help with publicity:

First Parish

The deadline for First Parish’s E-Bulletin and Sunday Bulletin is Wednesday at noon: weekly@firstparish.info

To request a spoken announcement at a Sunday service, email announce@firstparish.info.

To post to First Parish’s opt-in social justice Google group, email fpuua-social-justice@googlegroups.com. (You have to be a member to post to this group.) This group is moderated, so it may take some time for a post to be approved and go through. You may be able to speed up the approval process by emailing the Social Justice Committee at socialjustice@firstparish.info.

To request that an email be sent to First Parish members who have come to previous events related to racial justice, email racialjustice@firstparish.info.

To post to First Parish’s Facebook page, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/fpuuama/?ref=bookmarks

The Minister can authorize an all-First Parish email, but they are used very sparingly.

Beyond First Parish

The Arlington Human Rights Commission would like to know about any rapid response event as soon as it is confirmed: ahrc@town.arlington.ma.us

Arlington’s Diversity Task Group can email its members, ask the Town to send an all-town email, and/or ask the Superintendent of Schools to send an email to Arlington parents: https://arlingtonmadtg.org/contact-us/

To post to the Arlington email list, email Arlington@Arlingtonlist.org. To join the Arlington email list, go to http://www.arlingtonlist.org/subscribe/ .

The First Parish Office has the email addresses of local clergy. Email office@firstparish.info to request that an invitation be sent to local clergy.

Consider inviting Arlington’s state legislators: Rep. Sean Garballey <Sean.Garballey@mahouse.gov>, Rep. Dave Rogers < Dave.Rogers@mahouse.gov>, and Sen. Cindy Friedman <Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov>

Create a Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events . Invite your local friends. Ask them to invite their local friends.

Ask the event’s organizers whether any of them use Twitter, Facebook, or other social media. If so, ask them to post however they see fit.

Send a notice to YourArlington: https://www.yourarlington.com/send-news.html

Submit a news piece to the Arlington Advocate: http://arlington.wickedlocal.com/section?template=submit&subtype=news

Post on the Arlington Patch calendar: https://my.patch.com/user-login?cta=calendar

Post on the Arlington Resist Meetup Page: https://www.meetup.com/Resist-Arlington/

Consider which of the following groups would like to hear about this event:

CAIR-MA (Council on American-Islamic Relations): Email CAIR-MA’s Executive Director, John Robbins, at jRobbins@cair.com or consult with First Parish member Lori Kenschaft at lori.kenschaft@gmail.com

Mystic Valley Branch of the NAACP: Email its president, Jillian Harvey, at jillian_harvey@alumni.brown.edu

Black Lives Matter – Cambridge: https://www.facebook.com/blacklivesmattercambridge

Mystic LGBTQ+ Youth Support Network: http://www.queermystic.org/contact.html

Document revised December 16 2020 for updates that Emergent Issues Task Group replaces predecessor Turning Outward Strategic Planning Group and update to addresses.