The Union Church in Waban               
Friday, January 3, 2020 

This Sunday
          8:00 a.m. - Bible Study 
Bible study resumes this Sunday.  We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in Pastor Stacy's study.  We are reading through the minor prophets of the Old Testament.  All are welcome!
  9:00 a.m. - Choir Rehearsal  
10:00 a.m. - Sunday Worship  
11:30 a.m. - NICA Traveler's Mtg. 
  5:00 p.m. - Exploring Our Faith
  6:30 p.m. - High School Youth Group
Church Matters 
Meeting of the Congregation
Sunday January 26, immediately following worship, 
 and a preparatory session on Sunday, January 12
The Church Council invites all members of the Union Church community to meet on January 26 for three important items:
  1. A briefing from our Communications Committee on a Statement of Purpose, an outward-reaching description of who we are that can be used on our web site an in publicity
  2. A vote on adding four words to our Church Covenant (our promise to each other within the church) to update our language with respect to being open to all:
"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.
 
3. A creative and interactive conversation about our visions for the church so that we may set our priorities for our spring stewardship campaign and budget-setting process the coming year. This session will set the context for the spending plan we will vote to adopt in June.
 
To prepare for this important meeting, members of the community are invited to engage in conversation and reflection on the importance of being open to all regardless of "gender identity and expression".  We will gather on the stage immediately following worship on
Sunday, January 12.

New Members - Would you like to join the church?

We rejoice and welcome all who gather and share in our life together as church. And there may be some of us who are feeling called to deepen our relationship with the community by becoming members of UCW. Membership offers the congregant and congregation an opportunity to pledge ourselves one to another in an intentional walk of faith. Membership also enables one to vote in congregational matters like the vote we will take on updating the language. We will be receiving new members into our life together during worship on Sunday, January 26th. If you are interested in membership, please reach out to  Pastor Stacy.

CYFChildren, Youth and Families
Growing in Faith and Community 
EXPLORING OUR FAITH AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP!  
This Sunday: January 5th 
Exploring Our Faith: 5:00-6:30 p.m. 
High School Youth Group: 6:30-8:00 p.m. 
This month we'll explore questions related to the Bible, including some Bible basics and discussion of some of the odd, violent and/or difficult passages. We'll celebrate the New Year; share great conversation and food; and get ready for our overnight with CityReach!  
SAVE THE DATE:  CITYREACH OVERNIGHT SERVICE TRIP 
Friday - Saturday, January 10th - 11th

Donations of travel-sized toiletries, used men's outdoor clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, carrying cases/bags, and new underwear or white socks are VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! 

Exploring Our Faith students, and other high-schoolers and adults are invited to join this powerful overnight service trip with our partner, Ecclesia Ministries in downtown Boston. We'll learn from and serve with Ecclesia members who are experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, share meals, and distribute needed clothing, blankets and hygiene items to guests. If you can contribute any of the items above, we would be so grateful, and will have a collection box in the Crocker Chapel. Please let Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org) know asap (by THIS SUNDAY, Jan. 5th at the latest) if you can join us. 
NICARAGUA BAKE SALE 
Sunday, January 12th
Save the date and start looking through your favorite bake-sale recipes (no peanuts or tree nuts please)!  In preparation for our service trip to Nicaragua in February, we will hold a bake-sale to raise funds for needed school and other supplies for our partners in San Juan del Sur.  We hope you will plan to contribute something delicious, and buy something yummy for yourself.  We'll need help baking, preparing the goods for sale on Saturday, and selling.  If you can help, please talk to Joannie Kelly or Pastor Amy.   
Adult Education, Spiritual Formation and Fellowship

Book Group
Tuesday, January 28 th  at 7:00 p.m. 
Our next book is " Evicted " by Matthew Desmond.

" In Evicted," Princeton sociologist and MacArthur "Genius" Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as "wrenching and revelatory" (The Nation), "vivid and unsettling" (New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America's most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible . "
(Amazon review)
norwood health  
Pen Pal ministry
   
Once a month, a group from UCW worships with the residents of Norwood Health.  Many of these residents were formerly our neighbors, living at Waban Health before that facility closed.  

In addition to our monthly worship service, many of the residents enjoy writing and receiving cards.  We know that loneliness adversely affects health and well being and many of the residents are quite socially isolated.  Writing cards is one way we can help foster connection and share the love of UCW.  If you are interested in being a pen pal with a resident of Norwood Health.  Please be in touch with Stacy .
NEW DAY - THURSDAY MORNINGS   
PRAYER GROUP: 7:30 - 8:15 a.m.
  
 
We live in a noisy world.  There is much that clamors for our attention.  Even when we shut our eyes at night it may take a while for the din to die down enough for us to sleep.  You are invited into a practice of cultivating spaciousness and silence.  You are invited into the beauty of the morning light streaming in through the windows of Memorial Chapel.  You are invited to rest a while in the peace of stillness.  If you have questions, please be in touch with  Sandra DaDalt or  Pastor Stacy .
Mission Outreach 
Advocates for Racial Justice (ARJ)
A new group at the The Union Church
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 22nd, at 4:30 p.m.
The June travelers to Montgomery, Alabama have formed a new group to promote the work of racial justice in our community and nation. We are calling the group Advocates for Racial Justice. To read the groups mission statement please go to out Mission Outreach website page  here. The next meeting ARJ is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22 nd at 4:30 p.m. in Pastor Stacy's Study.

homelessness and housing


This year your    Mission Outreach Leadership Team  is organizing its work (and coordinating with the other areas of UCW life) around seasonal themes. These will provide an organizing context for the many mission activities and we will coordinate educational opportunities, worship, and children's education around these themes when possible. We also hope to coordinate our seasonal offerings around these themes.

Our winter theme is  -  Homelessness and Housing.  Please consider participating in some of the offerings listed below: 
        
February 2 -  Common Art Show at the Union Church
    March 1 - Public Voices Speakers from City Mission
    March 8 - Evening with Josephine Bolling McCall 

Our spring theme is  -  Climate Change (and disaster relief)

For more information about these offerings please feel free to reach out to
Carol Bascom-Slack,Jaap van Reijendam or Julie Heffernan.
                                                
                                      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, nationality, ability or economic circumstance. We invite all to full participation in our worship, membership, leadership and life of this church.


From the Wider Community



Revisiting Civil Rights Sites in  Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham Alabama,  and Boston MA
 
Purpose             
We propose a project of Civil Rights era remembrance for two audiences, for youth and for civic and academic leaders. This venture is intergenerational. Youth will be involved with film and social media; civic and academic leaders in an academic conference drawing from the New Democracy Coalition's program on Civic Literacy, CMM's Values over Violence and Interfaith Youth Initiatives, the Ella J Baker House and Seymour Institute, and additional partners, churches and synagogues. We seek to acknowledge the 55 th anniversary of the crossing of Pettus Bridge in Selma (2020) and related events.
Selma - 2020     Phase One:
Focus on Youth: travel seminar by bus and one night's hotel lodging

February 28         Friday: 20-hour bus trip as traveling seminar with civil rights video
February 29         Saturday: Montgomery, AL; visit National Memorial for Peace & Justice                                       (Saturday Night - in hotel/motel)
March 1                Sunday: Jubilee Sunday: Church Service and Pettus Bridge Crossing
March 2                Monday: Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and 16 th Baptist Church      
March 3                Tuesday: Back in Boston in the early morning/mid afternoon
April                      Gathering of Sojourners: "What Did It All Mean?" Date & Place: TBA
Boston - 2021   Phase Two:
Five nights of Boston hospitality, receptions and academic conference

April 16                Friday: Welcome reception by a supporting Institute
April 17                Saturday: Freedom Trail and civic welcome, Faneuil/Crispus Attucks Hall
April 18                Sunday: Church Services and Thurman Center, Boston University
April 19                Monday: Black Freedom Trail, Tubman, Baker Houses welcome
April 20                Tuesday: Seymour Institute Academic Round Table, Harvard University
April 21                Wednesday: Depart

Contact CMM for interest and further information at  info@coopmet.org
or by phone at 617-244-3650.
For a complete listing, and details of all upcoming events,  please 
visit our website, www.ucw.org 
 
Note : Material for inclusion in the Friday e-Blast newsletter should be e-mailed to the office at ucw@ucw.org , by 9:00 a.m. on the previous Wednesday morning.