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The UUCW Message
September 29, 2020
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Please click HERE to scroll to our Faith in Action News - Get Out The Vote!
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UUCW made history on Sunday, September 27, 2020 when the Video Team live streamed parts of the service. Shown here prepping before the service are the Rev. Aaron Payson, left, and Vickie Cox-Lanyon. (photo by Betty Jenewin)
Please click the Photo to see more Photos of the Week (5 this week!) on our website! |
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Health & Safety News from UUCW
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Good people. As we continue our fall programming, I want to take a moment to update you on conversations about our ongoing pandemic response. The Health & Safety Team met last week to discuss our ongoing plans.
Given the current state of COVID-19 spread in our region the team feels it necessary to continue remote operation for Sunday Morning Worship through the remainder of the calendar year. We know that this decision is disappointing for many, especially as we look toward beloved holiday services and rituals. That said, our Worship and Technology Teams are hard at work to bring you inspiring experiences which we hope you will avail yourself for in the coming months.
Small groups continue to be permitted to use the facility while adhering to the pandemic protocol for the size and safety of such gatherings. Please contact the office ([email protected]) to schedule use. The only restriction is over the next 4 weeks because of construction in our parking lot the building will be relatively inaccessible during the day and we are uncertain when it will be accessible in the evening. Stay tuned for upcoming communication regarding the progress on our property updates.
In addition to the guidelines that have already been established the H&S Team is reviewing short interview and wavier forms to be used by those facilitating groups in the building in order to assist in contact tracing should that become necessary.
Because of the work being done on the parking lot, and in the absence of guidelines from the City to date regarding Halloween activities, the H&S Team is recommending to the Board and congregation not sponsor Halloween activities on the property. However work is underway to provide an opportunity to celebrate Halloween at a distance. More info will be published about this in the coming weeks.
Finally, the H&S Team plans to meet at least monthly throughout this year and will update the Board and congregation with recommendations for winter following its November meeting.
If you have any questions about any of the information above, please feel free to reach out to Rev. Aaron Payson ([email protected]) or Board President John O'Dell ([email protected]).
Blessings,
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Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 8:30 PM via ZOOM
Another important way that we can draw closer to each other is increase opportunities to "see" each other even if it is over video, and to have a chance to share how we are and any needs that present themselves, as well as have good conversation and fun.
Join Rev. Aaron Payson online every Tuesday and Thursday @ 8:30 pm!
Watch the First 2020 Presidential Debate Online With Us!
On Tuesday, September 29 we will gather to watch the Presidential Debate via ZOOM followed by an opportunity for discussion. The Debate begins at 9 am. Please join Aaron and others on the link for the Chat with the Minister below to participate in this evening conversation. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHATS REMOTELY go to https://zoom.us/j/94275074784. Meeting ID: 942 7507 4784. To join by phone dial+1 646 876 9923 and follow the instructions.
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As the church adapts to the challenges of maintaining social distancing during this time of pandemic, many of the opportunities to meet via video conference are being planned using the church's ZOOM accounts. For those who have had difficulty using the ZOOM software, our own Vickie Cox-Lanyon has put together a wonderful short guide to using ZOOM. To view and download the guide, CLICK HERE! ZOOM Update: Zoom released a required update recently to both mobile and desktop platforms so if you are having trouble connecting to Zoom meetings, you need to update your software. Please CLICK HERE for instructions on how to do that.
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Regular Office Hours Resume:
Office hours are Mon, Tues, Wed, from 9 am - 3 pm, Thurs 9 am - 2 pm. Office hours are subject to change based on COVID response and construction necessities.
Gmail Users - Please note that if you stop receiving the Message, Nugget, and Weekend Reminder, check your Promotions tab in Gmail. Often, you will find that church emails (and other emails from Constant Contact) are in there! Please click
HERE for information on how to get the church emails to stay in your inbox. Please share this information with your fellow congregants if they mention they aren't getting the Message!
Please click the article title for more Office News!
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UUCW has a new Facebook Group "Daily Moments" which was inspired by Rev. Aaron Payson's daily posting of reflections, meditations and prayers this spring. This group will continue to host daily inspiration and invites all those interested to join the group and share their own inspiration. To join the group CLICK HERE. For more information please contact [email protected]
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Join Us For "Touchstones"
UUCW has a new Facebook Group "Touchstones" which features daily inspiration exploring the monthly and annual Touchstones Ministry theme. For 2020-2021 our Touchstones Theme is "Deepening Connections". To join the group and begin sharing CLICK HERE.
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Aaron has been posting a daily Moment of Meditation to the church's social media and his own networks. We have collected these on the church website, please click the article title to go see the September Moments!
August Moments of Meditation are available HERE. June Moments of Meditation are available HERE. May Moments of Meditation are available HERE. April Moments of Meditation are available HERE. March Moments of Meditation are available HERE.
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Upcoming Events at UUCW
(Click the titles or images for more information)
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I'd like to thank Melissa McKeon, Carole Howe, Ruth Silver and Marilyn Martin who have joined me in donating a total of almost $250 worth of native plants for our UUCW gardens.
On Sunday, September 28th Carole Howe and I picked up 32 plants from native plant expert Ellen Sousa's Turkey Hill Brook Farm nursery in Spencer. This photo shows Carole, right, discussing plants with Ellen, who had just reopened after testing Covid negative.
The weekend of October 3-4, a bunch of us will be planting them.
Very special thanks go to Carole, who suggested to her fellow Garden Committee members several months ago that we consider native plants, and explained to us why they are important. Carole and I now co-lead this native planting effort.
Look for future pieces from Carole in The Message explaining the benefits of this type of ecological gardening and the changes happening in the UUCW gardens. Yours in the interconnected web, of which we are only a part, Betty Jenewin Garden Committee Chair
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UUCW in the News
Ruth Silver had a Letter to the Editor published in the Telegram & Gazette on September 18, 2020 regarding the End of Life Options Act. Check it out at this link:
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The UUCW Website Team is thrilled to roll out our new website. It was developed using a new WordPress theme built by the UUA's Outreach Group. The new look, along with enhanced mobile support, were key features we were seeking. We would love to hear your feedback, both positive and/or critical. Please contact us at [email protected]. The Website Team is seeking new members. There are many different roles available - from monitoring the site for broken links and needed updates, to making edits in WordPress, to managing the backend, technical side of the site. You don't need to be a tech whiz, just someone who is willing to learn. We are also seeking members for our new Social Media Team, a group that will oversee the church's presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, working closely with other teams involved in marketing, membership, and outreach efforts.
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Faith In Action
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Join the National Call-in to Wisconsin with UUCW and UUTheVote
There's 5 weeks left before the election and we need your help now.
Please join members of UUCW and other UUs from around the country by phonebanking with UUtheVote on Wednesday, September 30th from 7 to 9 PM ET.
No experience needed. If you can talk on the phone and attend a zoom meeting, you can do this! We will be calling mostly people who may not be registered to vote in LatinX and Black communities in northern Wisconsin, one of the swing states. All you need is a phone plus a desktop or laptop computer and the desire to empower someone with information they need in order to vote. Training and support is provided by UU volunteers via zoom.
Once you're signed up, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to the zoom meeting to join on September 30th at 7 PM ET for phonebanking together.
Put your faith into action! Fight voter suppression and systemic racism! Protect our democracy by involving more people in the voting process!
Members of the Get Out the Vote Team are signed up. Will you join us? Sign up now.
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UUCW Anti-Racism Team Update
Side With Love: Anti-Racism Community Conversation
SAVE THE DATE for a special Anti-Racism Community Conversation focused on voter suppression within black communities. We'll watch the documentary "Suppressed: The Fight to Vote" on Tuesday, 10/13 and have a discussion following the 37 minute film.
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Sunday News - Worship Services and Religious Education for
October 4, 2020
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"As I think back over the last fifty years, I am reminded that Linda and I have enjoyed exceptional stability in our lives. Despite the stability in our personal lives, I am reminded that there has been continual and unprecedented change in the world around us in the past fifty years." - Rev. David Miller
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Click the image to Sponsor a Teen!
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Touchstones For September 29 - October 5
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2019-2020 Touchstone Ministry Theme
"Building Beloved Community"
September Theme - Worth & Dignity
October Theme - Emotional Intelligence
September 29: "There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
September 30: "It was a life of dignity and honor, not without sorrows yet fulfilling in a way that few experiences ever were." ~ Nicholas Sparks
Bonus Day: "Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves treading on [people's] dreams." ~ Max Warren
October 1: "Emotions can get in the way or get you on the way." ~ Mavis Mazhura
October 2: "Emotional self-control-delaying gratification and stifling impulsiveness- underlies accomplishment of every sort." ~ Daniel Goleman
October 3: "The only way to change someone's mind is to connect with them from the heart." ~ Rasheed Ogunlaru
October 4: "Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They're there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence." ~ T.K. Coleman
October 5: "In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels." ~ Daniel Goleman
Rev. Aaron Payson
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Ongoing Meetings
Monday Meditation is now meeting via ZOOM!
This is a drop in group and open to all with an emphasis on utilizing mindfulness meditation to enhance our connection to ourselves and others. We practice for 30 minutes and discuss the practice and often read and discuss a book related to mindfulness and meditation. We support each other in utilizing the practice in our daily lives to enhance our happiness and well being. During this time of COVID-19, we will be meeting via Zoom.
For the Zoom link, more information or if you have questions please email Wendy O'Leary at woleary25 at gmail dot com.
Lunch with the Minister will be suspended until further notice. Read the Message for future dates when our lunches will resume. Take care during these trying times. I'm available by phone anytime for conversation (774-239-3729). - Nancy Hancock
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"Believing in a community that unites all people"
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Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester
90 Holden Street, Worcester MA 01606
Phone: 508-853-1942 | Fax: 508-853-2065 | Emergencies: 508-853-1942 ext. 6
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