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The Union Church in Waban
Friday, March 17, 2017
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NO - Bible Discussion at 8:00 a.m.
Pastor Stacy is away this weekend. Bible study will resume on Sunday, March 26 and we will take up our walk through the Gospel of Luke with chapter 3. All are welcome
Choir Rehearsal at 9:00 a.m.
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Singing the Psalms
at 9:35 a.m.
Join us to sing Psalms together before worship on Sunday mornings. We gather at 9:35 a.m. in Memorial Chapel (the side chapel off the sanctuary),where we sing and pray t
ogether for ten minutes each week. Feel free to arrive a few minutes early for quiet centering prayer.
(Detai
ls here.)
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Worship at 10:00 a.m.
This Sunday is the third Sunday in Lent. Our ministerial intern Andrew Heintz will be our preacher and will take us into the Luke 15: 1-7 the parable of the one who goes in search of the one lost sheep.
Bell Choir Practice: 11:15 a.m.
Please Note:
Pastor Stacy will be away from Friday, March 17 - Sunday March 19th. If you have an urgent pastoral need during that time, please call Deacon Judy Nagle at 617-512-0794.
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 Time to update the directory!
Karen Weisgerber will have a draft copy of the directory this Sunday. Please check with her to verify and/or update your contact information. Also, please
send in a photo of you/your family. If you do not have a photo, Jim MacDonald will be available after church to take one.
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Does UCW feel like home?
Do you want to join the church?
We will be receiving new members into our life
together this Spring. If you are interested in
learning more about UCW and/or becoming
a member, please be in touch with
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Lent at the Union Church in Waban
"Creating the Beloved Community - A Lenten Journey of Communion"
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Lent is a season in the liturgical, church year that begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1st and ends at sunset on Maundy Thursday, April 13th. Lent is a season of renewal, a time of growing through repentance, fellowship, prayer, and the embrace of our covenant with each other and with God. Lent is not so much about giving up something but rather about trying to be intentional about opening up to the renewing work of God's grace. Just as the bulbs planted deep in the ground begin to stir to new life as the days grow longer in the coming of spring, so too does this season encourage a kind of germination of God's spirit in us, calling us to new life and new beginnings, of which we will celebrate in the mystery of the empty tomb on Easter morning.
In the very early church, this season was one of intentional formation where those who wished to join in following the Way of Jesus would undergo a concentrated period of study and preparation which would culminate with their baptism and welcome into the church during the Easter Vigil, Saturday service. The liturgical color for Lent is purple which you will remember is also the color for Advent, which is si
milarly a season of preparation.
Food for the Journey
:
Wednesday Evening Worship at
7:00 p.m. Throughout Lent
Come be nourished each week as we journey towards Easter! Each Wednesday night, we will share bread and cup as we are nourished for our pilgrimage. Each worship service will be unique, and there will also be some ongoing practices that we include each week. Come walk the labyrinth, pray with paint, hear a story, sing a song. There will be many opportunities to be renewed with each other!
Memorial Chapel (the side chapel off the sanctuary). Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m., starting March 8th. Childcare will be provided.
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March 22:
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Walking the Labyrinth
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March 29:
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Feeding the Soul with Quietness
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April 5:
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Babbette's Feast
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C
hildren,Youth, and
Family
Ministries
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UCW Kids and Mini-Missions
REMINDER:
Mini-Missions presentations are next Sunday, March 26th!
Please plan to have your Mini-Mission kids arrive at 9:30am next Sunday, so that we can get ready. Thank you!
Mini-Missions is UCW's new initiative to engage our Rainbows (k-3
rd
graders) and Stars (4
th
and 5
th
graders) in service learning in the community. This Sunday, during Sunday School, the kids will be completing and rehearsing their presentations to the congregation (scheduled for next Sunday,
March 26th
). The presentations will creatively introduce the service organizations they have chosen to support, and share how the congregation can contribute to their work. If you are new to UCW, or if your child has not yet been part of Mini-Missions, no worries! Our Mini-Missions leaders will be happy to help your child find his/her way to Sunday School and into a group. You can also visit the hallway outside the church offices to see some of the kids' work, or find information in the Crocker Chapel, or online under the Children's and Youth Ministry tab of www.ucw.org. With questions or to volunteer, please contact Amy at amy@ucw.org.
Youth Lenten Series - This Month
Reminder: On Sunday, April 2nd our Youth will help lead Communion
Parents of youth should have received an Evite to this special morning. If your youth is able to join us for this service, please let Amy know by responding to the Evite, or contacting her after worship, or at amy@ucw.org. Many Thanks!
The youth are engaged in a creative new series, which began on Sunday, March 5th and will run through the five Sundays in Lent, and into Holy Week. This hands-on series explores the mystery of Communion and what it means to live together as beloved community. Last week our youth baked multiple loaves of quick bread, which we shared with the Waban Health and Rehab Center, This Sunday, the youth will create items for our Communion table with potter Annie Gatewood. Next Sunday, March 26th, Rev. Stacy Swain will lead the group in a discussion of Communion, as they prepare to lead a special Communion time during worship on April 2nd. An overview of the Lenten series, as well as a calendar of Youth Ministry events this year, was sent to parents, and can be found in the Crocker Chapel or online under the Youth Ministry tab of www.ucw.org.
Thank You for the Youth Lenten Sleepover!
Last Friday to Saturday (March 10th-11th) eleven members of the youth group and Youth Ministry Team spent a fun and meaningful overnight at the church. We shared meals, explored the church, played games, and worshiped and shared Communion together. In the Reception Room, you'll notice the beginnings of a vegetable garden the youth planted as we discussed the darkness of Lent and the hope of Easter. Thank you to all the youth who made it such a great night, and especially to team leader, Kyle Pond, and chaperones Tony Abbiati, Jim MacDonald, Wat Matsuyasu, Karla Armenoff, and Liz Caronna!
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Adult Education, Fellowship, and Spiritual Formation
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Book Group, Tuesday, March 28th, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
We are reading "The Warmth of Other Suns" by Isabel Wilkerson. A Pulitzer Prize winner, this epic of the great migration from the American South to the North and West tells the story of several characters who embody the drama of different time periods in this historic movement of people in American history.
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A
dult, Small Group Retreat
Toah Nipi
Retreat Center
Rindge NH
Spring is the season when our natural world begins to wake up from its winter sleep and make ready for a new season and summer. It is when the frozen earth thaws; bears and their cousins emerge; tree sap flows. It is when many of our birds return home from their far away travels; and when our lakes and streams rebound with oodles of life. With all this stirring - "mixing memory with desire", the woods and fields become filled and pungent with ancient and new smells and sights and sounds and sensations that trigger and feed our own world and imagination. Let us take up spring's invitation and "Come to our Senses".
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Save Those Cleats !
Please put aside student sports equipment, such as cleats and other athletic shoe as
Russell School students need our sports equipment that our kids have outgrown. Any shoes that can be used for sports are appreciated.
A box will be in chapel for your drop- off convenience.
Any questions see Kevin Johnson or Wat Matsuyasu
Before you spring clean or declutter the house, please consider bringing your books, toys, electronics, and "stuff" to church for a
RUSSELL SCHOOL TAG SALE on May 13th. More details soon.
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Our partner
Can-Do
for affordable housing in Newton, and Executive Director Josephine McNeil celebrated Yes In My Backyard Annual Celebration and attending were Erika and Kyle Pond, Karla Armenoff and Wat Matsuyasu, Frank Laski and Nancy Zollers.
Josephine was part of our housing/homeless panel at church last month. The Union Church placed an ad in the event program from us in celebration of all the housing created by CanDo for families in Newton.
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GBIO News from The Union Church
Join us for a screening of the Oscar-nominated film "13th"
Friday, March 24, 7pm at UCW**
As part of our commitment to GBIO and its campaign for criminal justice reform (CJR), Union Church will host a screening of Ava DuVernay's Oscar-nominated film "13th."
All are welcome.
This film looks at the history of the 13th amendment to the Constitution which, in addition to abolishing slavery, has been used as a tool to disenfranchise people of color. DuVernay's film connects the dots from this troubled language to Jim Crow to the disproportionate incarceration of Black Americans.
**Please note: Location of screening subject to change; please see next Friday's e-blast for any last minute change of venue.
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Sun., Mar. 19
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9:35 a.m.
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Singing the Psalms
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10:00 a.m.
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Worship
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11:15 a.m.
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Bell Choir Rehearsal
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11:30 a.m. |
NICA Hopes and Dreams |
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Mon., Mar. 20
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7:00 p.m.
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Choir Rehearsal
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Wed., Mar.22
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7:30 a.m.
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Prayer Group
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9:00 a.m.
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Coffee w/Stacy at Starbucks
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7:00 p.m.
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Wednesday Evening Service
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Thurs., Mar.23
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6:00 p.m. |
Nimbus/Moderator's meeting |
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Fri., Mar. 24
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7:00 p.m. |
"13" Movie Screening |
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Sun., Mar. 26
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8:00 a.m.
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Bible Study
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9:00 a.m.
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Choir Rehearsal
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9:35 a.m.
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Singing the Psalms
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10:00 a.m.
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Worship
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11:15 a.m.
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Bell Choir Rehearsal
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1:00 p.m.
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NICA trip planning
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For a complete listing, and details of all upcoming events,
please visit our website calendar HERE
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Help lay the table during fellowship hour
One of the many ministries of UCW is hosting a fellowship hour after worship on Sunday morning. This table, laid with love and a simple spread is (as Adam Hearlson said in his mission moment a few weeks ago) very much a communion table. It not only nourishes our bodies, but it also nourishes the relationships that make us one Body, one with each other and with God. If you would like to share in this ministry and host this time of communion, please go
here.
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