Cesar Coloma, a native of Peru, and his son Ricardo, a young man with Down Syndrome, are a  duo-guitarist team who performed beautifully during Time for Community as well as providing the music during the Prelude. The congregation showed their appreciation for their fine performance with enthusiastic applause. We hope we will have other opportunities to hear these talented musicians. Ricardo states he is a Down Syndrome musician with a mission to let people know what they can accomplish when supported.  

The church is hosting a UU District Conference on April 28th and the Prudential Committee is hoping we can spruce the place up prior to that day.

The Building & Grounds Committee organized Friday mornings to schedule chores and tasks that will quickly make an impact on making the church look presentable to our guests. We will try to accomplish as much as possible on four Fridays.

This Friday, the 27th, we plan on continuing with plaster patching and to clean up the kitchen. Work starts at 9:00 AM and ends at noon.  

Save the Date 

First Unitarian Church of Worcester

90 Main Street (Use State Street Upper Parking Lot)

Dispose of your old electronics responsibly and conveniently and raise funds for the church's programs!

Click here for details.   

PLEASE HELP OUT WITH OUR RECYCLING COLLECTION DAY  

Electronics Recycling Collection Day - Saturday, April 28th

At the State Street Upper Parking Lot of the church:

4-6 Volunteers needed: 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

• Help customers off-load electronics from cars into cardboard bins supplied by METech
• Measure and calculate amount of charge for each customer dropping off electronics
• Cashier- take money, checks and provide receipts.

Contact Moderator/Vice Moderator or Church Office staff to sign up or for more detail.

Moderator- Scott Hayman, scottmhayman@aol.com 508-625-7109

Vice Moderator, Seth Popinchalk, popinchalk@gmail.com 

Office staff - (508) 757-2708 or office@firstunitarian.com.

Click here for more information and to register.  

The Caring Community Launch Team met on Sunday, April 22 and made plans to implement the visions of the Caring Community Task Force. Launch Team members volunteered for various subcommittees. The first event is sponsoring our coffee hour on May 20.

Thanks to your generosity, BYKOTA was able to donate

about 200 food items, with a monetary estimate of about $300.00

And a total of $200 in cash and checks making the grand total of

$500.00!!!

Donated to Carty's Cupboard Food Pantry at

Wesley United Methodist Church.

Well done, BYKOTA!

Thank You to all who participated!!!

Women, if you need a boost--come to a UU Sisterhood gathering.  I felt so uplifted after our last potluck dinner and literary recitations. Members shared original literary works or books they like. Sisters provided kudos to the writers among them. Maggie read a humorous poem about her dog, Molly.  Gini presented a short story based on hay as it fit into her life--particularly how she associated it with her father as five year old up to adulthood.  Pat shared a poem she'd written based on Ibsen's "A Doll's House". Pat's house is a house of "growth and flying".  Linda recited a poem she'd written about the Armenian Genocide after watching a graphic, piercing movie last spring, entitled "The Lark Farm".  She also contributed lighter pieces she wrote for blessings received and another about our bodies particularly in our sunset years--only encasements--"It is the soul that should be the attraction."   

Jay Lavelle is returning as a chef for the 2012 Winter Gala on December 1.  Linda Carney has kindly volunteered to be one and Gini Johnson has graciously accepted my request!  Now we have six chefs.  I would like to have at least six more.

I've been asked about the responsibilities of a chef and planning a meal for about 8 to 10 people.  Well, David Spanagel and I are available to coach new chefs and anyone who wants more information.  Here's some basic responsibilities and organizational tidbits....click here to read the entire article. 

The "WALK for the Homeless" takes place on Sunday, May 20.  The Walk begins and ends at Institute Park this year (not Elm Park as in previous years) and the new route goes right past IHN's new home at 91 June St.!  Hope you can all make it. It will be a great opportunity to see the house! (Pledge sheets for the Walk will be available very soon or you can register on-line at www.cmhaonline.org)

Also on Saturday, June 9 the third annual "Ride for a Reason"  will take place.  It begins and ends at First Congregational in Holden and like last year, you have the option of riding one of three routes, 15 miles, 30 miles or 50 miles. For registration forms and to check out the routes go to www.ihnworcester.org/event.  

We look forward to seeing you at both of these events!  Many thanks for all you do for IHN!!!  ~Joanne

Share Your Travel Experiences  

You are invited to submit photos, souveniers, artwork, scrapbook pages, etc. that you have collected in your travels (local, national or international). Submit as much as you want. We have plenty of space!

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester (Holden St.) would like to invite our members to join them in a "Mass ReLeaf" tree planting project, an effort they are undertaking on behalf of environmental justice.   Mass ReLeaf grants are given to faith communities to plant trees in areas affected by poverty and the associated blight.  Holden St. is applying for a grant to plant 24 trees at Lakeside Apartments, a low to moderate income public housing project in the Coes Pond/Webster Square area of Worcester.

Planting day will be Saturday, May 5th, in the morning (start time to be determined), rain or shine. Lunch will be provided.  There will be heavy equipment to rough out the holes and maneuver the trees to the planting sites.  Participants should be physically fit, although there will be a variety of tasks for various levels of strength and fitness, including support and team leader tasks.  Minimum age is 12; we'd like for this to be an intergenerational event.

There will be a  2 1/2 hour training session for team leaders which will take place at Lakeside on Saturday, April 28;  leaders will receive tree-planting instructions and plant the first tree that day.  Lee Bona is our liaison and is already scheduled as a team leader.  Please contact Lee for questions or to sign up for this project.   LBona@earthlink.net, call (508) 353-0366, check in before or after church.

Save the Date: Saturday, June 2nd  

Save the Date: June 2 from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM Annual Spring Goal Setting Session hosted by the Lay Leadership Council. All members of First U's many groups, committees, and task forces welcome. More information will be forthcoming closer to the date. Please contact Laura Kirshenbaum with questions.