The Union Church in Waban |
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Friday, September 10, 2021 |
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Welcoming Sunday!
Join us for the First Sunday of our
New Church Year Together
September 12th at 10:00 a.m. Worship
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WELCOMING SUNDAY -Communion and Commissioning of our new Music Director!
Join us in person (masked, distanced) or online as we celebrate the first Sunday of the new church year together with joy, prayerfulness, and grace. On this day we'll welcome Mijin Choi as our new music director; share Communion; light a candle of remembrance on the 20th anniversary of 9-11; and gather for fellowship and a time of reconnection. Pastor Amy will lead us in worship as we consider what it means to be rooted in love and bear good fruit in this new season.
If you are joining us online, please remember to bring bread or a cracker, and water or juice for Communion. In-person (outdoor, masked) childcare will be provided on the church playgrounds.
To join Sunday Worship on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 832 2059 8969
Passcode: 458322
Dial in only: 1 646 558 8656
The bulletin is available HERE
To connect to Sunday Worship or to any of our online offerings, you may also go to our website at www.ucw.org.
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Welcome Music Director Mijin Choi |
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We are delighted to welcome Mijin Choi as our new Music Director! Mijin's first Sunday with us will be September 12th, and we hope you will join us to welcome her, as well as consider joining our choir or bell choir in this new season together!
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Mijin Choi is a versatile pianist, vocal coach, and church musician with more than a decade of experience working in the field of vocal and instrumental music. Choi holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota, in Collaborative Piano and Coaching, a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, with emphasis in Vocal Accompanying, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano from Kyung Hee University. Choi is excited to work at Union Church in Waban as its next Music Director, and looks forward to growing together.
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Upcoming Sundays & Gatherings |
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10:00 a.m. Worship - Coming Up in September and October!
We hope you will join us (online or in-person following Covid safety guidelines) throughout our new church year! Come, and find reconnection, renewal, hope, and joy as we gather together:
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September 19th - Blessing of Backpacks & ALL-CHURCH AFTERNOON FIELD TRIP - We'll worship together, and kids are invited to bring their backpacks. We'll have a special blessing outdoors following the service, and provide a gift for the kids to take with them into the year. Please also see below for details about an All-Church visit to the Art on the Trails in Southborough.
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September 29th - EXPLORING OUR FAITH - Commissioning our students: We hope all incoming 9th and 10th graders and their families and mentors will join us on this special day, as students begin their year-long journey of faith exploration.
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October 3rd - Biblical Storyteller and Guest Preacher, Rev. Cynthia Maybeck! We are delighted to share that Rev. Cynthia Maybeck will preach and share her gifts for Biblical Storytelling on this Sunday. You won't want to miss it!
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All-Church Field Trip
September 19th Following Worship
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All Ages are invited to the beautiful
Beals Preserve in Southborough for Art on the Trails: Mending.
Our own beloved UCW member Samantha Lowe was one of 18 artists selected to create an art installation for this extraordinary exhibit. Come, wander through this beautiful forest, and discover art amongst the trees, ponds, and meadows --the installations are large and small; thought-provoking, and offering comfort and healing; some are interactive, and all related to the theme of mending follow a year filled with brokenness.
We'll gather following 10:00 a.m. worship as follows (rain date, Sept 26th):
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11:00 a.m. - Blessing of the Backpacks and Fellowship (at the church picnic table)
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11:30 a.m. - Brief Orientation to the exhibit and Small Group discussions (outdoors at UCW) to prepare for the trip, including questions and a scavenger hunt for kids
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12:15 p.m. - Drive (carpool if you are comfortable) to 22 Red Gate Lane in Southborough
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3:00 p.m.-ish - Likely return to UCW or head home after a brief good-bye gathering at the Preserve (please feel free to stay for as long as you are able and head home when you need to!)
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An Update from the Interim Senior Pastor Search Committee
Dear Friends,
The search for our Interim Senior Pastor has proved more lengthy than originally anticipated. We have had several very talented candidates but have not yet been successful in finalizing a contract with any. This means that we return this fall with the opportunity to open our pulpit to a diversity of inspiring voices, and to welcome friends old and new to our sanctuary while we continue to search for the person God is calling to us for our interim period.
The Committee met this week with the local leadership of both the UCC (Area Conference Minister, Rev. Alex Shea Will) and ABC (Samuel Stillman Baptist Association leader, the Rev. Dr. Loretta Saint-Louis). They have assured us that both our profile and our process are strong and they remain confident that we will find the interim pastor who is right for us. We have made some adjustments to our profile – welcoming Dr. Mijin Choi as our Music Director and updating the benefits section – and are continuing our active search.
You may be wondering, “why not just offer Amy the role?” Indeed, our beloved Pastor Amy is talented and is every day demonstrating her skill in providing compassionate leadership during this transitional time. While this thought is very tempting, we remain committed to the interim process.
As a reminder, UCW has valued the interim periods between settled pastors as a time for reflection and renewed dedication to our ideals and goals. Both the UCC and ABC denominations strongly favor the use of interim ministry as the most certain way to assure a successful transition of leadership. From the UCC: “Interim time is a crucial time in the life of a congregation. It’s an important time to reflect on where the church has been and where it is going. To prepare for the next chapter in the life and ministry of the church this is a pivotal time to discover "Who we are?", "Who is our neighbor?", and "What is God calling us to do and to be?" Finding this crystal clarity is pivotal to an effective search process for the next pastor, as well as a healthy, faithful and effective start in the church's next chapter.” (https://www.sneucc.org/interimministry)
And from ABC USA: “{The goal of Transitional Ministry is} tapping the potential of transition times. Helping churches renew after the loss of a pastor. Assessing the congregation’s strengths and weaknesses. Helping reset healthy patterns for operations and relations. Finding satisfaction in preparing the church for its next pastor.
“Thus says the Lord who makes a path in the mighty waters…
‘Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’”
After all, the Rev. Rob Asinger and Ned Allyn Parker brought us to the point where we were able to call the Rev. Stacy Swain as our pastor 11 years ago. And we are so grateful to them!
This Committee remains dedicated to bringing an Interim Senior Pastor to UCW who can lead us through our time of introspection while also nurturing Pastor Amy’s growth and the church’s development.
In the meantime, know that we are meeting faithfully, keeping you in our prayers, and welcoming your thoughts and questions.
With love,
Alison McCarty for the Interim Senior Pastor Search Committee: Liz Caronna, Brian Heffernan, Dan Heffernan, Jim MacDonald, Alison McCarty, & Rob Purser
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A Note about Sunday School and Kids
Sunday School Beginning October 3rd - Childcare available beginning September 12th
Blessing of the Backpacks and Field Trip for all Ages above - Sept. 19th
As we begin this new school year, we are carefully monitoring the news about Covid, and have decided to postpone the official 'kick-off' of our indoor Sunday School classes until October. Beginning September 12th, we'll have worship materials kids can engage with in the pews or in our Prayground in the Memorial Chapel. Our Christian Education staff associate, Olivia DiMaio, will also provide childcare and supervision of outdoor activities/crafts during our usual Sunday School time (10:15-11:00 a.m.). Kids will gather on the playgrounds (weather permitting). If you or your teens can help Olivia provide childcare, please let Pastor Amy know. We also hope all families will join us on September 19th for the Blessing of the Backpack and All-Church Field Trip the Art on the Trails (see above)!
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Are you Called to be a Mentor?
We are looking for caring adults to walk alongside our Exploring Our Faith students this year.
Our Exploring Our Faith (Baptism/Confirmation/Affirmation) program for 9th and 10th graders will begin on September 26th. We hope to pair each student with a caring adult who can share their faith journey, meeting with their mentee a few times throughout the year to provide a listening ear, honor their questions and doubts, and share stories of faith. If you would like to learn more, or are interested in being a mentor this year, please contact Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org). After this past year when it has been hard to be together as an intergenerational community, these relationships feel more important than ever! Thank you for considering this valued role.
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Adult Education and Formation |
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UCW Book Group
Tuesday, September 28th at 7:00 p.m.
The Optimistic Decade by Heather Abel
Please join us on September 28th at 7:00 p.m. for our first book group meeting following our summer break. This month we will be reading The Optimistic Decade by Heather Abel. You will find a zoom link and sign in information below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Alan Cody (almorrow@aol.com)
Meeting ID: 832 4667 4155
Passcode: 431699
Dial in: 1 646 558 8656
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Tea Time Bible Study
Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m.
Please join us for a walk through the Book of Acts with Rev. Arlyne Grant and other friends. No biblical study or experience is needed. This will be a fun filled time of conversation and learning.
Meeting ID: 847 2838 1864
Passcode: 837512
Dial in: 1 646 558 8656
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Pastoral Care Connections
During this time of transition, please know that your church is here for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to Rev. Amy Clark Feldman by email at amy@ucw.org, or call/text her cell phone at 617-938-8112.
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Common Cathedral Sandwich-Making is Staring Up Soon (stay tuned for details coming next week), but in the meantime...
You can support Common Cathedral through the
Boston Marathon!
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We have great news.... Rev. Laura Shatzer, who many of us remember and worked with in her role as a pastor at CityReach, is running the Boston Marathon in support of Common Cathedral!
Common Cathedral Executive Director, Amanda Grant-Rose, wrote to Pastor Amy: "It was such a surprise that we got a charity bib through BMC and we could not think of a better person to run than Laura! I know that while Laura was working for Common Cathedral she had a special relationship with your congregation so I wanted to make sure you know that she would be back to run the marathon on Oct 11th!"
Laura's running page is below! Please consider supporting Laura and our wonderful partners at Common Cathedral with your prayers and/or gift.
The link to Laura's running page can be found HERE
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Traveling with the Green Book in Boston
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 11, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
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City Mission invites you to join us on a Green Book Tour of Boston. The Green Book was the AAA guide for Black motorists who took to American roads. First published in 1936, during the period of Jim Crow segregation, it identified establishments that would accept the business of African Americans. This included information about hotels, restaurants, gas stations, barber shops, drug stores, and more. To stay safe Black people never left home without a plan and a copy of the Green Book.
Date: Saturday, September 11, 2021 (Rain date: Saturday, September 18)
Time: 10am - 1pm
The Tour will include:
· Presentation by Rev. June Cooper and Mr. Byron Rushing
· Walking Tour to several Green Book sites in the South End
· Lunch at the historic Slade's Restaurant, a Green Book site. We will eat and engage in conversation about our experience. There is outside seating at Slade's and take-home food containers will be provided for those that would like to complete the tour at this point.
Led by:
· Rev. June R. Cooper, Scholar in Residence at City Mission
· Mr. Byron Rushing, Public Historian, Community Organizer, and Former State Representative of the Ninth Suffolk District
Registration is required.
Cost: $40 (includes the tour, lunch, and speakers)
Covid safety precaution: The event will be in-person and primarily outside. Masks are required inside and optional while outside and walking.
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Our Covenant
We, the members of The Union Church in Waban, true to our founding principle of being an inclusive church, covenant together to nourish and to sustain in our common life and practice a fully welcoming and affirming church for all persons. Welcoming all persons who seek to join with us in a commitment to love God and our neighbors, affirming the inclusive love of Jesus, we are open to all, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, nationality, ability or economic circumstance. We invite all to full participation in our worship, membership, leadership and life of this church.
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