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The Union Church in Waban

Friday, June 25, 2021 Calendar | Website

This Sunday

June 27th, at 10:00 a.m. Worship This Sunday, Pastor Stacy will take us into Jesus' question to the disciples "Who do you say I am?" as told by the Gospel of Mark 8:27-30. Our service will conclude with a liturgy of release as we honor and celebrate the ministry that Pastor Stacy and the congregation have shared in together over these past eleven years. To join Sunday Worship 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 go to our website at www.ucw.org. There you will find a click through to Sunday morning worship and to other online opportunities. You may also use the link below.

Upcoming Summer Sundays & Gatherings

Backyard Church Summer Social! Would you like to reconnect with Union Church folks in person this summer? We'll be hosting backyard "socials" with dessert, conversation, and, if the spirit moves us, some reflection on what it has been like to be people of faith (more or less!) during the pandemic. The first social will be at Jon and Anya Bassett's house on Wednesday, July 7th from 7-8:30 p.m. (rain date, Thursday, July 8th).  We will ask non-vaccinated people to wear masks. RSVP to anyabassett@gmail.com; by Tuesday, July 6th so we know how much food to prepare and so that we can send directions and parking information. We can't wait to see you in person!

Summer Worship - Hybrid Worship at 10:00 a.m. - Continues in July We are excited to share that we will continue to worship through the summer at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings, both over Zoom and in-person. We will lift our hearts, hands, and voices in prayer and praise, and find joy, inspiration, and comfort in being together! Pastor Amy will lead and coordinate us, but we are hoping others will offer their talents and leadership as well! Would you like to read scripture, help lead a prayer, offer music, share your art or a reflection? We will create our worship experience together this summer, and all are welcome! Please be in touch with Pastor Amy if you would like to join in (amy@ucw.org).

Children, Youth and Families

Children, Youth and Families Ministries Our ministries teams for children, youth and families are looking ahead to the summer and fall, eager to gather, serve and play; find grounding and guidance in our faith; and share care and connection as we enter this new phase of our journey together. It you would like to be part of our gathering and imagining, please contact Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org).

Adult Education and Formation

Listening In "The Beholder" by Rainer Maria Rilke Join us as we explore Rilke's poem "The Beholder". This gorgeous poem is full of unexpected and profound insights. Listen for the first few minutes as Tom gives an introduction to Rilke and reads through the poem, or listen all the way through. We hope this poem speaks to you as it did to us.

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. Zoom Link is HERE Meeting ID: 847 2838 1864 Passcode: 837512 Dial in: 1 646 558 8656

Advocate for Racial Justice

An Update at this End of the Church Program Year:  We begin our update this Friday with an enormous thank you to Pastor Stacy as she moves on from UCW. We are grateful to her for leading us as a church on the Selma/Montgomery pilgrimage and then leading us in creating an active Advocates for Racial Justice committee at Union Church chaired by Brita Gill-Austern.  And thank you for your participation and ideas all year long as we learned together what justice might look like.  We look forward to our work ahead. What can we do as a church to impact fair housing? Which other Houses of Worship would join us in this work? Can we be a part of repairing the segregation and the loss of opportunity that housing discrimination and housing policy has created? Our conversations and our prayers can help us to be a church community that through our work remedies all that unfair housing creates and help achieve Loving Our Neighbor As Ourselves.

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization

News from GBIO from Listening Sessions Union Church of Waban had four listening sessions in the month of May with a total of 24 persons. In these sessions we heard the stories and concerns of people which addressed the question, “What stands in the way of our city and state being the kind of society you would most like to live in?  An underlying thread for most was ways to overcome the isolation, division and lack of inclusion that characterizes so much of our society and city. A concern for the most vulnerable was front and center, as was the paucity of ethnic and income diversity in Newton. Out of the many concerns expressed that could be put in focused issues for action for GBIO were these top priorities for Union Church of Waban: Fair housing in suburbia and Boston and housing for those with mental illness, those who are elderly, those with special needs and those who live without shelter was at the top of all concerns. A concern expressed again and again was to create housing which addresses social isolation and the need for community. Climate change was much on people’s minds although no policies for action were  recommended other than urban reforestation. Planting trees in poor, low income urban areas has been shown to be good for people’s health and improves the environment in multiple ways: lowers cases of asthma, lowers crime rates, increasing community building, lowers apartment temperatures mitigating critical need of air conditioning in summer, and reduces carbon in the atmosphere. This is an environmental justice issue as well.   Quality public education for all was a central focus. This would include increased funding for Community Colleges which lack the financial support they deserve and a concern for increased attention to the needs of developmentally disabled where there is now a greater gap after Covid, A longing to create a more diverse community was expressed by many as one way to begin to address income inequality, educational gaps, create more genuine, mutual relationships with BPOC and to get out of our own bubbles of isolation and privilege. On June 21st GBIO held regional caucuses to share the findings of over 200 listening sessions and 1500 stories from 60 institutions. The following priorities emerged: Housing Mental Health Care Substance Use Disorder Policing Re-Entry from Incarceration Education Immigration Themes that underlie all these are: Racial Justice, Climate Change and Income Inequality Between now and August 12th when the General Assembly will gather the GBIO steering committee and listening session committee will do research and work to discern from the Regional Meetings and the listening sessions, three or four issues that GBiO will focus on for at least the next year. They will be chosen with four primary foci in mind: How do they address racial justice, economic and climate justice? What is the need? Are there others working on this issue? Leadership – Are there sufficient passionate and committed leaders to lead on this issue?  Political alignment - Is this an issue that aligns with any bills in the legislature or committee that we could help push forward. Please put August 12th at 7:00 p.m. on your calendar for GBIO ASSEMBLY for the presentation of GBIO Priorities and Action Plan.   All candidates for Mayor of Boston will be present.   We need a new GBIO Liaison, if anyone is interested, please talk to Brita Gill-Austern, 617 851 6871 or bgillaustern@gmail.com. Very worthwhile!!!

Mission Matters

Nicaragua Mission The mission work related to Nicaragua began almost twenty years ago and has grown from sending school uniforms and shoes into providing in-country clean water, school supplies, rehabbed school/health buildings , books/educational materials and college scholarships all mixed in with love, faith and hope and a sister church relationship. This is accomplished by both travelers and non travelers

This Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. at 189 Langley Road, Newton Centre (Weisgerber/Brown's Hosting) there will be a Nicaragua task force meeting to talk about what has been going on the past year and to look ahead at how we can support our partners and friends. We will also be discussing the possibility of a trip in Feb 2022. Please join us if you would like to be part of the discussion or if you want to join the Nicaragua Task Force group. RSVP to Nicatask@ucw.org or if you are unable to make but would still like to be part of the group please email us as well.

Newton Freedge Volunteers Needed!

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!

Common Cathedral - Continuing this Month and Beyond With our partners at the Wellesley Hills Church, we've delivered more than 3000 sandwiches since the start of the pandemic! 

Thank you to everyone who has made this ministry possible. It means so much, and there is still so much need. We'll continue delivering food (sandwiches, fruit, and granola bars) as long as we can to our unhoused siblings in downtown Boston, and are signed up for each week this June. To learn more or sign up to help with this ministry, please CLICK HERE. Thank you!

From the Wider Community

International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, Short Term Mission

Virtual Opportunities with teams in Nicaragua, Latvia, Israel/Palestine, Creation Care Ministries, and Lebanon The American Baptist Churches has a long history of mission to "proclaim, through both word and deed, God’s reign of justice, peace and abundant life for all creation." During the time of Covid, ABC's International Ministries has been conducting virtual 'mission trips' that allow people to experience their work around the world. Here are a few of the up-coming virtual journeys sponsored by Short Term Missions Team of the American Baptist Churches. All are invited to sign up and attend: 3-Day Mission Express Immersion with AMOS Health in Nicaragua and the City Center Church in Latvia. The team will follow health promoters doing home visits in remote areas of Nicaragua and then travel to worship and fellowship with pastor Toms Bermaks and church leaders in Liepaja, Latvia. The 3-Day immersion is scheduled for July 16, 21 & 23. To register, follow the prompts on this link. You will be directed to a form to complete after you hit APPLY NOW: https://portal.internationalministries.org/global-service-opportunities/record/a073m00000mMCW5AAO What’s in your cup? is a series of one hour conversation with Rev. Rebecca Driscoll, Creation Care Minister at TABCOM and global servants from IM. The topics to be covered will be Tea/Coffee on August 3rd at 4:00 p.m.; Honey on September 7th at 4:00 P.M.pm; Sugar on October 5th at 4:00 p.m. Attendees will look at the origin of these items, and the social justice or injustices behind each one and how God is asking us to respond as we live Micah 6:8. Recipes and links to documentaries will be shared. Send an email to volunteers@internationalministries.org if you would like to register for this series. Ministry in Israel/Palestine hosted by the Association of Baptist Churches will shed light on Arab Christians spreading God’s good news in Cana, Galilee and other communities, on October 26, 27 & 29. Come and learn how to be better peacemakers by siblings in Christ who are themselves considered to be the marginalized of the marginalized. Planting Seeds of Hope with LSESD (the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development) and a couple of development workers in Lebanon who will be our hosts during this visit, scheduled for January 24 – 28, 2022. We pray it may be a hybrid journey, with some members of the team in-person in Lebanon, while others are accompanying from their living rooms or office desks. For more information about any of these up-coming journeys, please visit the website, https://www.internationalministries.org/up-coming-virtual-journeys/ or contact the Short-Term Mission team at volunteers@internationalministries.org

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.