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The Union Church in Waban
Friday, November 2, 2018
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A reading from the Prayer Service many of us attended in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters last Sunday
at Temple Shalom
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When evil darkens our world,
let us be bearers of light.
When fists are clenched in self-righteous rage,
let our hands be open for the sake of peace.
When injustice slams doors on the ill, the poor, the old, and the stranger,
let us pry the doors open.
When shelter is lacking,
let us be builders.
When food and clothing are needed,
let us be providers.
Where knowledge is denied,
let us be champions of learning.
When dissent is stifled,
l
et our voices speak truth to power.
When the earth and its creatures are threatened,
let us be their guardians.
When bias, greet and bigotry erode our country's values,
let us proclaim liberty throughout the land.
In the places were no one acts like a human being,
let us bring courage;
let us bring compassion;
let us bring humanity;
let us bring love.
NOTE -- Share Shabbat
We have been invited to share in this evening's, Friday Shabbat service at our GBIO Sister Congregation, Temple Israel. Please also consider reaching out to a local Newton congregation they join in a now international effort called
#Show UP for Shabbat.
Please go HERE to view the invitation from Rabbi Matt Soffer of Temple Israel.
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This Sunday -- All Saints Day Worship
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9:00 - All-Saints All-Ages Choir
Come for Choir Rehearsal and/or Sunday School!
As we celebrate all those who have been as saints to us, showing us God's love now and in the past, we invite all ages to sing together during our worship this Sunday! Families are invited to come at 9:00a.m. to rehearse a song with the choir. Then, all kids will learn the song with our Asst. Music Minister, Kayla, during Sunday school, before returning to sing the song with our choir during the morning offering.
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10:00 - Worship
It's All-Saints Day, and the kids will learn a song in Sunday School that they will then share during the offering in worship
. We also invite any families (kids, parents, grandparents) who would like to arrive early at 9:30 a.m. to join choir rehearsal to prepare the song a bit ahead of time.
Youth Group: Helping Hands Clean-up and Donuts
Following worship, the Middle and High School Youth Groups will gather in teams to lend a hand to any members of the congregation who could use help with yard or house work, or other projects. If you could use a helping hand or can lend a helping hand, please contact Pastor Amy (
[email protected]). Thank you!
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Blessings from the
Taiwan Presbyterian Church of Greater Boston
For many years the Union Church in Waban was blessed to share our church building with the congregation of the Taiwan Presbyterian Church of Greater Boston (TPCGB), who has recently moved to their own, permanent church building in Waltham. Last Sunday, on October 28th, Rev. Amy Clark Feldman, and Deacons Jim and Judy McDonald, attended a special worship service of celebration and thanksgiving to bless and dedicate their new church home. It was a beautiful service in three languages, led in conjunction with the Presbytery of Boston (including attendance by our own Rev. Bart Kelso). During the service, Amy and Jim represented Union Church as we presented our friends from the TPCGB with the gift of a new Communion chalice and plate, blessed by our congregation on World Communion Sunday. In return, the TPC presented Union Church with a beautiful, framed map of Taiwan with the words, "We have Shared Together the Promise of God." It was so good to see our dear friends of the TPC growing and thriving. While we will miss them terribly, it is clear that God is working through them in new and wonderful ways. May we continue to hold them in our hearts and prayers, as they enter this exciting new phase of their life and ministry.
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This year we continue to partner with Waban Health and Project Care and Concern to bring Christmas gifts to those who otherwise might not receive one. We are looking for one or two additional volunteers (a high school or adult volunteer - or a pair) to assist with the mitten tree immediately after worship on Sunday, Dec. 2nd and Dec. 9th and then sorting gifts prior to pick-up by Sister Joyce the week of Dec. 16th. If you are interested, please contact Carol Bascom Slack or email [email protected].
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Kids, Youth and Families
Growing in Faith and Community
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THIS SUNDAY!
Youth Group: Helping Hands Clean-up and Donuts
Sunday, November 4th
Following worship today, the Middle and High School Youth Groups will gather in teams to lend a hand to any members of the congregation who could use help with yard or house work, or other projects. If you would like to join us, please come downstairs to the vestry following worship as we divide into teams, and head out into our community. Thanks!
Pajama and Movie Morning for Kids at UCW!
Next Sunday, November 11
th
:
Next weekend, many of us will be at the All-Church Retreat in Andover, MA. Children and youth who are staying here in Waban, are invited to a fun and relaxed morning at UCW! Come in your PJ's, and enjoy time during Sunday School with a movie, craft activities and snacks in the
Littlehale Room.
UCW Parent Group:
It can seem like parenting is harder than ever before. What can we do to help our kids thrive through their childhood, youth, teen years and into adulthood? As fellow parents in a faith community, let us come together to support and learn from each other, and share the joys and challenges of parenting.
The Parenting Group g
a
thers every 2nd Tuesdays of the Month in the
Reception Room from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
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Education, Spiritual Formation and Fellowship
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ADVENT REFLECTION BOOKLET
Stepping out of the Boat
Would you consider contributing something to our Advent Reflection Booklet? In our Advent book we will be reflecting on what "stepping out" for (or in) Hope, Peace, Joy and Love looks like (or could look like) in our lives and in our world. Do you have a story, poem, picture, thought or wondering that you'd be willing to share? The Advent Booklet is a much beloved tradition where we get to hear from each other what is on our hearts and minds. If you'd be willing to contribute a piece to the Booklet, please be in touch with Pastor Stacy.
The deadline for contributions is Sunday, November 25
.
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No Other Gods - Rev. Anne Robertson.
Sunday, November 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Please mark your calendars and plan on staying after worship for what will be a remarkable conversation with Rev. Anne Robertson. Anne lifts up the first three of the Ten Commandments and sees in them a methodology for making our way through these confusing times. She writes "Idols are not just relics of a pagan past. They are the things that trick us into putting them above all else in our lives, taking for themselves the power and authority that rightly belong to authentic faith and loving community. From naked partisanship to gun control, our divisions are stoked by undue influence from shadowy players. Come, help us pull back the curtain to see the pretenders." For more information please be in touch with Pastor Stacy (
[email protected]
).
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Developing Our Capacity to
Respond Faithfully in Difficult Situations
During our congregational conversations regarding mission that were held last year, we heard the desire for opportunities to help us build our skills and capacity to respond faithfully in difficult situations.
As such, we are forwarding to you this opportunity offered through the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC). It is:
We will be taking a look at several key dynamics that have to be present in a system that tolerates a bully - and how to disempower both the dynamics and the offending members.
Claire Bamberg, Potentials Coaching and Consulting, will present case studies throughout the presentation, and participants are welcome to come with their own in mind, ready to offer for discussion. Active Bystander Training seeks to equip individuals with the tools to discern when to intervene and how to interact appropriately to de-escalate tensions and protect the targets of those interpersonal attacks.
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Stepping out of the Boat
Our guiding theme and image for the year.
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This year at the Union Church in Waban, we are going to try something new. In early October, the leadership met to discern a
theme
for the year. The idea behind a theme is not to prescribe what we are to do or even to describe what is being done. Instead the theme is intended to
spark imagination, conversation, exploration, growth and discovery.
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Stepping out of the Boat
by Marvin Barham. |
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Our theme this year is "Stepping Out of the Boat" and it is based on
a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 14: 22-33).
In this story, the disciples, get into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. A winds comes up and the waves begin to beat against the boat. In the early morning, the disciples see someone coming to them across the water. At first they think it is a ghost, but Peter recognizes the figure to be Jesus. He calls to Jesus. "If it is you Lord, command me to come to you." Jesus says come. And with that, Peter steps out of the boat. With eyes locked on Jesus, Peter takes a few steps across the water. But then he looks down at the sea and begins to sink. Jesus reaches out to him and catches him by the hand and with a question
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?".
Throughout the course of this program year, all are invited both personally and as we come together in our ministry areas, to engage this story and use it as a lens to explore and wonder at the work, learning, worship, and all that we share in as a community of faith.
What invitation, consolation, or challenge does the text hold for us? Where do we as individuals, ministry areas and as a church as a whole find ourselves within the story? Do we like Peter feel called to step out of the boat? What could doing so in our time look like?
As we shove off into this year, may we do so with quick minds, open hearts and eyes full of wonder. May we rise to the challenges of our time and may we discover the presence and call of Christ in our midst. And maybe, just maybe - we too will find ourselves stepping out into something we never before thought possible.
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All Church Retreat
The all church retreat gives us the opportunity to affirm the
belonging and blessedness of all of our gathered community, to deepen t
he connections that create a
community of cooperation and care and helps us to remember our purpose as a faith community and as individuals.
For more details and to register online go
HERE
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For a complete listing, and details of all upcoming events,
please
Note
: Material for inclusion in the Friday e-Blast newsletter should be e-mailed to the office at
[email protected]
, by 9:00 a.m. on the previous Wednesday morning.
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Updates on Gun Reform Safety: #VoteforGunSafety:
In Massachusetts, Stop Handgun Violence is honored by Emerson College School of Public Health.
In Washington DC, students ratify a Students' Bill of Rights for School Safety.
In Oregon, the Brady Center for Gun Control announces a landmark settlement against internet and retail gun dealers.
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Ranked Choice Voting
Dear ERN Members and Friends,
So much is happening in election reform that we haven't been able to share much information recently about the reform we first focused on, ranked choice voting. So I thought I'd send out a recent Boston Globe Magazine
feature story
that has quite strong coverage of current developments in this area and a good profile of the team (in part pictured below) that led the RCV victory in Maine, the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting (who's 501c3 arm we backed last year).
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The article also highlights the extraordinary organizing of VoterChoice Massachusetts, now by far the largest RCV state group in the U.S. VoterChoice MA is building momentum to pass an RCV bill in 2019, or a state referendum in 2020. (I've pitched in a bit with a house party fundraiser and some meetings with legislatures, and will join their Advisory Board.)
(The link to the Globe article again is
here
.)
It's encouraging that this reform, which was largely unknown before the Maine success, now shows up routinely in political discussions and opinion pages. For example, over just the past three weeks, there were columns, letters, or editorials supporting ranked choice voting in newspapers from Allentown, PA; Palm Spring CA; Honolulu; Pittsfield, MA; New York City; Kingston Ontario; London, Ontario; Toronto; Los Angeles; Charleston, SC; Salt Lake City; Virginia Tech, VA; and Glenn Falls, NY. (Thanks Fairvote media monitoring!)
That feels like a movement!
We expect to make one more grant this year to support ranked choice voting. Thank you again to everyone who joined Election Reformers Network and helped make that financial support possible.
Kevin Johnson
Executive Director
Election Reformers Network
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Immigration Can Unite Us
You are invited to the 4
th Annual Anne Berry Bonnyman Symposium entitled, "Love Thy Neighbor: Equity in Immigration" at the Trinity Church, Copley Square. The event will be held Nov. 10 -11
th beginning with a keynote address by Mr. Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.
Registration is required. For more information go here.
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