The Union Church in Waban |
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Weekly Update: Friday, January 8th, 2021
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Online Worship: Affirming our Faith Sunday
January 10th at 10:00 a.m.
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On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday our Exploring our Faith youth will be leading us in worship. They will be sharing with us their insights from their faith journey and we will be celebrating and acknowledging their exploration. |
To join worship on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 832 2059 8969
Passcode: 458322
Dial in only: 1 646 558 8656
Find a Copy of the Bulletin HERE
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Image: Jan Richardson's Blessing the Baptism
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Family Walk - Looking for Light
This Sunday, January 10, 2020 , 3:30-4:30 p.m.
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In this week that has been so full of difficult news and uncertainty, families are invited to come together for an outdoor, distanced, masked walk as we:
- Remember the story of the wise ones in this weekend after Epiphany
- Decorate and hide stars as we remember how God travels with us and leads us to light and love
- Light candles and pray at sunset
- Meet at the front of the church and walk to the river
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NOTE: We're carefully monitoring numbers to make sure we all stay safe. Please let us know you are coming by clicking the link to the RSVP Sign-up Genius below:
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NOTE: 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.
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Children, Youth and Families |
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Family Walk - Looking for Light
This Sunday!, January 10th, from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
.....see This Sunday section above for details and sign-up link.
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Family Resources - When Bad Things Happen
Since the beginning of COVID-19, our UCW Parents' Group has been compiling resources we've found helpful as we face the challenges of this time. We have added resources to the top of this document that may be helpful after the events in DC, as well as the shooting in Newton this week. You can find the document by CLICKING HERE.
Please know that Pastors Amy and Stacy are also always available for our children, youth and families. Pastor Amy can be reached at amy@ucw.org or by text or phone at 617-938-8112.
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Brita Gill-Austern and Mark Smith |
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We are very grateful to the 12 members of UCW who made calls and sent emails to Baker and legislators to get the police reform bill passed. This is a major success for GBIO, being one of the primary organizations working to pass the most extensive police reform bill of any state since the Black Lives Matter Protests this summer. It is not perfect, but it goes a long way in setting up safeguards for police accountability, more extensive civilian participation in training and certification, and protection of people from the use of chokeholds and other excessive force.
We received the following letter today from the executive director of GBIO that we wanted to share with you.
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Hello GBIO Facilitators and Liaisons,
The events that took place yesterday were horrific. I am sure many of you like me watched more cable news yesterday than you have in some time. Watching the historic display of white supremacy play out live was enraging, not surprising, surreal, devastating....I am sure many of you have your own words.
My own reflection on the events of yesterday is that It is easy rip apart and tear down out of fear. Sadly we glorify destruction.
Please take some time to listen to this podcast regarding the work of Stacey Abrams to rebuild the democratic part through organizing! Abrams has been rebuilding in Georgia over the past ten years! And many of her strategies came from her Clergy parents' experience building congregations.
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I took a break after watching too much cable news and relistened to this podcast. I found myself wanting to uplift and celebrate the hard work of creation! Because that is truly hard but beautiful work that will be our only chance of upholding the ideals of democracy.
Going through this time in history I am convinced now, more than ever, that the desire for power, desire to create, desire to act, is God given to humans. The first thing God did was create, “let there be light.” And if we are created in the image and likeness of God we are called to build power - the ability to act and create.
That is what we do each day in power organizing. We create every day. Create new relationships, new ideas, new networks, new power, new imagination, create opportunities out of chaos. All of this I believe brings ourselves closer to who we are meant to be and working with leaders we meet to do the same.
I am drawn to the words of the late Rep. John Lewis again today. And oddly I find myself calm and committed to do our work and uphold the promise, aspiration, and ideals of democracy.
Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
Thank you all,
Kathleen Patrón
GBIO Lead Organizer/Executive Director
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Please look at the Sign Up Genius HERE, and sign up to read Scripture. Youth are greatly encouraged to sign up, too! (The link is also always available on the ucw.org homepage)
Thanks you, UCW Deacons
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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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