The Union Church in Waban |
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Friday, September 3, 2021 |
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Summer Worship
September 5th at 10:00 a.m. Worship
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Join us for this final Sunday of our Summer Worship! Gather at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom from wherever you are, or come by the church and worship with us in-person (masked) in our beautiful Memorial Chapel. We were blessed by the voices and leadership of a variety of wonderful preachers and worship leaders throughout August (you can find most of them online HERE). This Sunday, we will be led in worship by Pastor Amy, and will consider the fruits of the Spirit and of our labor this Labor Day.
Please Note: This Sunday we will not have our usual first Sunday communion but instead will postpone celebrating communion until the following week's Welcoming Service on September 12th.
Popsicles at the Picnic Table: All are welcome to join us at the church picnic table directly following worship for snacks and fellowship.
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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Upcoming Sundays & Gatherings |
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10:00 a.m. Worship - Coming Up in September!
Welcoming Sunday - September 12th
We will continue our Summer Worship services online and in the Memorial Chapel for September 5th; and then hope all will join us (online or in-person following Covid safety guidelines) as we begin our new church year! Come, and find reconnection, renewal, hope, and joy as we gather together:
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September 12th - WELCOMING SUNDAY - Commissioning of our new Music Director! We'll begin this new season together with joy, prayerfulness, and grace. On this day we'll welcome Mijin Choi as our new music director, share communion, and gather outside for fellowship and a time of reconnection.
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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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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. - Return to UCW or head home after a brief good-bye gathering at the Preserve
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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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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 permitted). 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 Paused until mid-September but...
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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Newton Freedge: Summer Volunteers Needed!
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Despite Newton’s image as an affluent suburb, too many of our neighbors struggle to put food on their tables. The Newton Freedge is one way we can help. A free, 24/7 outdoor refrigerator and pantry, the Freedge provides free food and personal supplies to anyone who needs them. We are in need of more volunteers to help on Saturdays this summer. Please Email chanellobdell@gmail.com for more information and to join our team!
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Traveling with the Green Book in Boston
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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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