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The Union Church in Waban

Friday Updates, January 7 2022 Calendar | Website I Follow Us Facebook

This Sunday

Worship (Online Only) Epiphany Sunday - January 9th,10:00 a.m.

We will celebrate Epiphany - the visit of the Magi and hear their invitation to join in wonder. We will also inaugurate the practice of using Star Words, so be ready with the word you received in the mail. (More details on Star Words below.) We look forward to seeing you on Zoom! To join Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom:   Zoom Link: HERE 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.

Star Words for the Coming Year

Star Words is a contemporary tradition of passing out intention words on Epiphany. In the common practice, a Star Word is chosen to contemplate and prayerfully consider throughout the coming year. A Star Word for this purpose was mailed to your house this past week. For multiple peopled households, please contact Pastor Wendy, seniorpastor@ucw.org for additional Star Words to be sent to you, or select a randomly assigned additional word HERE. Along with the Star Word we sent some ways to build a simple practice for its use. A copy is also available HERE. Two minutes a day can go a long way! Finally, we will share a different Star Word on our Facebook page every day to provoke more wondering. Check it out HERE.

Church Matters

Co-Moderators Report from Council - a new monthly update  The Council meets every first Wednesday. To keep communication lines open, the Co-Moderators will share key discussion items from each meeting. Below is this month's summary. Continuing the tradition of supporting local community groups compatible with our UCW values of welcoming all, the Church Council has provisionally extended our Charter relationship with the Mayflower District Council and Troop 9 of the Boy Scouts of America. The Church Council directed the Moderators to provide suitable arrangements for the use of church facilities by Troop 9 to provide family centered programs and activities for youth in our community. The Moderators are grateful to Tom Humphrey for his ongoing volunteer service as the UCW Charter Representative to the scouts.   Church Council also discussed the process for nominating members of the Transition Team and Search Committee. The nominating committee hopes to receive recommendations from church members by January 15th of those wanting to service and those suggesting others to serve. The Church Council approved having a congregational meeting on January 30th after church to consider those proposed by the Nominating Committee to serve on the Transition Team and those to serve on the Search Committee.

Senior Pastor Search Nominations are Coming Union Church is embarking on the search for calling a Senior Pastor next year. The Council will look for your help in identifying members of the congregation to serve on the Transition Team or on the Search Committee. A letter was sent to your home and your inbox this past week with more details about the search process and your important place in it. (A copy of the letter can also be found HERE.) 

Phase Forward Team Recommends Virtual Gatherings for January With Covid cases on the rise, and dear members of our congregation testing positive, our Phase Forward team has agreed to pause in-person gatherings for a good bit of January. Worship, gatherings and meetings will be held virtually through the month. Our hope is that we will contribute to breaking the chain of transmission of the virus. Stay tuned for updates on resumption of in-person gatherings.

Adult Formation and Gatherings

UCW Book Group Tuesday, January 25th at 7:30 p.m. (Please note the new, later start time.)

The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Please join us on Tuesday, January 25th at 7:30 p.m. for our next book group meeting. This month we will be reading The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 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) Zoom Link: HERE Meeting ID: 832 4667 4155 Passcode: 431699 Dial in: 1 646 558 8656

Upcoming Sundays & Gatherings

10:00 a.m. Worship - Coming Up! We hope you will join us online for the month of January! Come, and find reconnection, renewal, hope, and joy as we gather together on Zoom.

Worship on January 16th We will kick off a series on "Vision" as a way to prepare UCW for the upcoming search process for a new Senior Pastor. The series up until Palm Sunday and Easter will focus us on stories of the early Christian church as found in the biblical book of Acts. On this Sunday we will consider the vision of the church as it was forming and how it intersects with God's dream for us. We will give special focus to the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. and our collective dream for racial justice. Worship on January 23rd The series on "Vision" continues through the lens of an encounter between Peter and a lame beggar. What role does healing play in a forward looking vision? Worship on January 30th The series on "Vision" continues as we ask a big question about the church being bold and brave in its mission and purpose. The prayer of the disciples to speak with boldness will shape our understanding and give us a peek into the history of Union Church. 

Children, Youth & Families

Middle School Epiphany Hangout on ZOOM TONIGHT! - Friday, January 7th - 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Our Epiphany Party is moving onto Zoom! We'll gather to catch up, have some fun, share prayers, and receive Star Words to guide us in this New Year. Middle School families received an Evite with details. If you didn't receive the Evite or have questions, please reach out to Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org). It will be great to see you! 

Exploring Our Faith This Sunday, January 9th - 6:30-8:00 p.m. on ZOOM (come early at 6:00 p.m.to watch video) The Exploring Our Faith group will move our gathering to Zoom and meet this Sunday from 6:30-8 p.m. The Zoom instructions have been send to all EOF families, students, and mentors (mentors are always welcome and appreciated, but not expected). We'll consider THIS VIDEO, which you can watch on your own, or come early at 6:00 p.m. to watch with the group. We'll also have some New Year's and Epiphany fun, catch up and share prayers, and receive Star Words to help guide us this year. 

Children and Sunday School On Hold but Stay Tuned As we return to online worship in order to stay safe in this recent Covid surge, we will take a break from in-person Sunday School until further notice. Plans are in the works for a few outdoor (and maybe online) gatherings in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned! Parents' Group Gathering to Breathe and Connect Online in January! Gather as we begin this New Year to take a breath and connect with others doing the good and hard work of parenting. We'll share a space to still our minds, share a moment of prayer and reflection, and catch up with and support one another. Families, please watch your email for a Doodle Poll as we try to find the best times over the coming weeks. 

Advocates for Racial Justice

Getting the Details Right on Transit Oriented Devlopment Law The rule-making now underway is as important as the legislation itself.

PASSING AMBITIOUS LEGISLATION matters for obvious reasons, but so too does the rule-making process that follows a law’s passage. Final language often leaves state agencies with tremendous leeway, and real-world impact can vary widely based on administrative decisions that often get far less public scrutiny. Political scientist Leah Stokes calls this the “fog of enactment,” which opens the door for better-resourced interest groups and engaged insiders to water down the impact of landmark legislation. Responding to years of advocacy for zoning reform, the Legislature recently passed a new transit oriented development law requiring cities and towns in the MBTA service area to create at least one zoning district that legalizes modest multi-family housing construction of at least 15 units per acre. The new law is a great opportunity to address our region’s housing crisis, but critical details remain to be worked out through a complex rule-making process involving the Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Transportation, and the MBTA – which could last for much of the coming year. Depending on where this process lands, this promising new law could, in practice, net thousands of new homes – or almost none. ................ continue reading HERE

Pastoral Care

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 Revs. Wendy Vander Hart or Amy Clark Feldman for prayer or pastoral support: Pastor Wendy's email is seniorpastor@ucw.org and her office phone is 617-965-3893 Pastor Amy's email is amy@ucw.org, and her cell phone for calls or texts is 617-938-8112.

Note: Both of our pastors take Mondays off as a day of rest and Sabbath. If you are in need of urgent pastoral support on this coming Monday,, you can reach out to Pastor Amy, who will be available for emergencies. 

Sunday Sign-Ups

Scripture Reader Sign-Up If you are joining our Sunday worship in person, please consider signing up as a Scripture Reader for any of our upcoming services. Scripture Reader Sign-up: HERE

Note: Previously we had hoped to include scripture readers who could join us from their home via zoom but unfortunately this is currently not possible.

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.