The Union Church in Waban |
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Worship (In-person and Online)
Sunday, Oct. 24th,10:00 a.m.
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We Welcome Our Interim Senior Pastor,
Rev. Wendy Vander Hart!
We'll also welcome Guest Preacher Rev. Dr. Mary Day Miller
We are very excited to welcome our new Interim Senior Pastor on this day, and hope you will join us. We will also be blessed to have Rev. Dr. Mary Day Miller, Executive Director of the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts joining us to share her preaching and leadership on this day.
To join Sunday Worship at 10 a.m. on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 832 2059 8969
Passcode: 458322
Dial in only: 1 646 558 8656
The bulletin is available HERE
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YOU ARE INVITED - Following Worship this Sunday!
Gather after worship on Zoom and at our outdoor reception together as we welcome Rev. Wendy!
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To connect to Sunday Worship or to any of our online offerings,
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A Message from Rev. Wendy Vander Hart |
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Hello Union Church in Waban!
God is so good! I am thrilled to accompany you on this transition journey. We will see what God is up to in and through you and prepare the ground for new leadership to partner with you in that purpose. Together with leaders, staff and lay, we will map out the territory to be covered in this span of time. You should know that you brought together a stellar search team who represented you well through the process and extended an extravagant UCW welcome on my first day. I am grateful to God and to all of you for this opportunity to serve.
You may wonder, where does one start in the task of transition? For now, my work is building relationship with the staff, leaders, members and friends of Union Church so that from a growing base of trust we can dive into mission, purpose and leadership questions. To that end, I am setting up one-on-one meetings with staff and the Council. Soon after, UCW folks can sign up for gatherings of 1-4 people for connecting conversation (stay tuned for sign-ups to schedule). From everyone, I will be curious to hear what passion is stirred in you by the three pillars that call UCW together – Welcoming + Inclusive, Intergenerational, Mission + Outreach Minded.
This Sunday we will meet in worship and bless this time of transition. Before Sunday and in the next weeks, feel free to send me an email using seniorpastor@ucw.org introducing yourself- including pics! I have good facial recognition “software” and this will help me settle in. I look forward to learning your story, experiencing this community and wondering together what God will do next. Feel free to call me Pastor Wendy or Wendy. By whatever name you address me, I am grateful to have said yes to this call. See you in worship!
Peace, Pastor Wendy
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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 Revs. Wendy Vander Hart or Amy Clark Feldman for prayer or pastoral support:
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Pastor Wendy's email is seniorpastor@ucw.org and her office phone is 617-965-3893
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Pastor Amy's email is amy@ucw.org, and her cell phone for calls or texts is 617-938-8112.
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Please 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, October 25th, you can reach out to Pastor Wendy, who will be available for emergencies.
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Upcoming Sundays & Gatherings |
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10:00 a.m. Worship - Coming Up!
We hope you will join us online or in-person following Covid safety guidelines!
Come, and find reconnection, renewal, hope, and joy as we gather together
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Sunday, Oct. 31th
Rev. Wendy Vander Hart Preaching - All-Saints Sunday
Pastor Wendy will preach for the first time as our Interim Senior Pastor, as we remember all the saints, past and present, in our lives.
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Save The Date!
All-Church Helping Hands
Clean-up & Service Day
Help with the Community Thanksgiving Dinner!
Saturday, November 13th at 9:00am
(until we're finished!)
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Join in as we serve our beloved church and community together!
Bring your rakes and garden tools.
We'll have fun and re-connect while we:
- Clean-up and work on projects inside and outside our church building
- Lend a Helping Hand to members of our church community who could use help with fall clean-up or other projects
- Prepare and Pack Meals and gifts to share for our Community Thanksgiving Dinner!
For more information, please contact:
Thank you for being part of this meaningful and important day!
All ages (including kids and youth) are welcome and needed!
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This Sunday - Youth Group VISIT TO UNITY FARM!
October 24th - 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Middle Schoolers (and any other families - older or younger) are invited for an awesome afternoon at this beautiful animal sanctuary. Meet Maxine the Llama, Dudley the bull, Handsome Paul the turkey, and a whole host of other animals who have been rescued. We'll have a tour of the farm, be able to help with the animals, and then have time for reflection and maybe an ice cream or snack before heading home. Please be in touch with Pastor Amy if you'd like to join in (amy@ucw.org)!
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Sunday School and Kids
Sunday School - This Sunday
Our younger kids are invited to join our Children's Ministry Staff member Olivia for Sunday School this weekend! Olivia will bring the kids to the playground (weather permitting; Littlehale, if not) after the passing of the peace, and will work with kids on "Pumpkin Prayers" for our Prayer Station, and a special welcome for Pastor Wendy!
Exploring Our Faith: Next meeting, Nov. 7th
Gather from 6:30pm-8:30pm in the Youth Room!
Thanks so much to everyone who came to the Agape Spiritual Retreat! We'll meet at our regular monthly time on the first Sunday in November (7th) from 6:30-8:30pm. Jay O'Beirne will join us, and we will talk about where God is when bad things happen. We'll also begin thinking about our June Mission trip. It will be great to see you then!
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Fall Youth & Families Calendar Now Available! |
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Adult Formation and Gatherings |
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UCW Book Group
This Tuesday, October 26th at 7:00 p.m.
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Phillip Halle
Please join us on October 26th at 7:00 p.m. for our next book group meeting. This month we will be reading Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Phillip Halle - the story of the village of Le Chambon and how goodness happened there. 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
Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m.
This Tuesday, we'll take a break from Bible Study, but gather for conversation and prayer, and a look at the weeks ahead. We hope you'll join us!
Meeting ID: 847 2838 1864
Passcode: 837512
Dial in: 1 646 558 8656
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Common Cathedral Sandwich-Makers! |
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Common Cathedral
Sandwich-Making for November!
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Sandwich-Making for BostonWarm!
We continue to make sandwiches for our friends at Boston Warm every week. This month, we will bring sandwiches to the center on Monday mornings.
If you can help make 25 sandwiches, donate granola bars,
or drive in on Mondays, please sign up HERE.
With questions, please contact Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org).
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Book Buddies
We are continuing our Book Buddy program with elementary school children in Lowndes County, Alabama. Many of you are already involved in sending a new book to your Book Buddy each month. If you want to continue to send books please just let me know you are doing that so I can keep you in the loop on Book Buddy news.
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Some of you would like to have a new Book Buddy. We will focus on third graders this year. We will have 10-15 students from each of the three schools who will need a new Book Buddy. The principals at the three elementary schools suggested we have all new Book Buddies mail books for their child to the school address. The principals will take a picture of the child with the new book each time you send it so you will know your book arrived safely. Plus you will get to see a picture of your Book Buddy with the new book! Please volunteer to be a Book Buddy! The kids love having a new friend, and a new book each month!
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Advocates for Racial Justice- Did You Know... |
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Zoning is the tool our communities use to determine what can and cannot be built, translating into who has or does not have the opportunity to live there. In Massachusetts in 1969, we adopted Chapter 40B to open access to communities by providing a mechanism for building affordable housing when communities don’t allow for it themselves, but we still have work to do.
Zoning is historically rooted in segregation and shaped by redlining, and the effects of decades of lost wealth-building for black and brown households persist today, leaving many communities out of reach for households of color.
The reality is that communities can be in the driver’s seat, by zoning for multifamily housing that creates opportunities for people across income levels.ext Link
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Greater Boston Interfaith Organization |
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GBIO Action: Boston Mayoral Assembly
Wednesday, October 27th, 7:00 - 8:30 pm on Zoom
We need to SHOW UP strong, flex our collective citizen power, and remind the final two candidates that we mean business and want to know for sure that we can count on their YES COMMITMENTS. You can…
We will press the candidates to give details on commitments they previously made to fun initiatives for: affordable housing and rentals, public housing maintenance, and meeting the needs of formerly incarcerated citizens. For more information, contact Kathy Malone (j2kathleen@gmail.com).
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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.
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Host Reception - Sign-Up
Hosting Reception after Worship is so meaningful. This year guidelines are a little different e.g. individually wrapped snacks keep it simple and in lieu of coffee, lemonade or something that can be served easily is preferred. Please follow the link below to sign up or for more information.
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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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