The Union Church in Waban |
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Thursday Updates, December 30 2021 |
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Worship (Online Only)
Second Sunday After Christmas - January 2nd,10:00 a.m.
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Join us, online for now, as we share in communion and community to worship. Please prepare ahead of time some bread/crackers/tortillas and juice/water/wine - God can work with whatever we bring to the table!
We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!
To join Sunday Worship at 10:00 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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To connect to Sunday Worship or to any of our online offerings,
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Star Words for the Coming Year |
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Star Words is a contemporary tradition of passing out intention words on Epiphany. In the common practice, a Star Word is chosen to contemplate and prayerfully consider throughout the coming year. We will be mailing a Star Word for this purpose to each household. For multiple peopled households, please contact Pastor Wendy, seniorpastor@ucw.org for additional Star Words to be sent to you.
Along with the Star Word we will send some ways to build a simple practice for its use. Two minutes a day can go a long way!
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Senior Pastor Search Nominations are Coming
Union Church is embarking on the search for calling a Senior Pastor next year. The Council will look for your help in identifying members of the congregation to serve on the Transition Team or on the Search Committee. The Transition Team will be tasked with drafting a description of who we are as a church, based on input from you as to our mission and purpose, who is our neighbor and who is God calling us to be. This description along with church data will be submitted to UCC and American Baptist as well as other outlets to let others know details of our senior minister search. The Search Committee would then complete the process by meeting pastoral candidates, discerning a call, and presenting a candidate to the congregation. Watch for a letter coming to your home and in your inbox on or after January 4th with more details about the search process and your important place in it.
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Phase Forward Team Recommends Virtual Gatherings for January
With Covid cases on the rise, and dear members of our congregation testing positive, our Phase Forward team has agreed to pause in-person gatherings for a good bit of January. Worship, gatherings and meetings will be held virtually through the month. Our hope is that we will contribute to breaking the chain of transmission of the virus. Stay tuned for updates on resumption of in-person gatherings.
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Year End Giving Information |
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Your generosity creates our shared ministry. Thank you so much for all the ways you contribute to our practice and sharing of the love of God. Here are a few giving reminders as we approach the end of the year.
2021 Contribution Deadline: 2021 Contributions must be postmarked or received in the church office by December 31st, 2021. Contributions postmarked or received after December 31st are required to be classified as 2022 contributions. The church office will be closed on Friday, December 31st.
2022 Prepaid Pledge Gifts: If your 2021 contribution is a pre-payment for 2022, please mark your check clearly as such.
2021 Year-End Giving Statements: All 2021 contributors will receive a year-end summary giving statement in January 2022 that reflects all donations received or post-marked prior to January 1, 2022.
Please contact the church office at ucw@ucw.org or 617-527-6221 with any questions.
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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 for the month of January!
Come, and find reconnection, renewal, hope, and joy as we gather together on Zoom
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Worship on January 9th
We will celebrate Epiphany - the visit of the Magi and hear their invitation to join in wonder. We will also inaugurate the practice of using Star Words, so be ready with the word you receive in the mail.
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Advocates for Racial Justice |
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A Letter on Behalf
of the Union Church in Waban
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In response to disturbing and hateful messages sent to two Newton School Principals in response to their educational practices addressing racism in the news, the following letter of solidarity was sent to the principals and Superintendent of Schools on behalf of UCW. |
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"On behalf of The Union Church in Waban, grace, mercy and peace be to you this day. Please know that your leadership, administration, staff and students-and all the inhabitants of Newton and the Commonwealth, even our country- are on our hearts and in our prayers today. Your frustrations are our frustrations, your dismay is our dismay. Our scripture counsels us that when one part of the body suffers, all suffer with it.
While our church’s Advocates for Racial Justice are making steps to call out the intersection of race and housing in Newton, you are on the front lines of pushback to learning spaces that uncover patterns of racism present in our society. While we are making small efforts to join interfaith communities together in pressing questions about zoning and its impact on communities of color, you are daily navigating the effects of the segregated community those laws have produced.
Thank you for your strong and resonant voice for educational spaces that encourage curiosity about diversity, inclusion and the harmful effects of racism in our city. We support brave spaces for difficult conversation so that the expansive vision God has for our world is made manifest.
In the meanwhile, please receive our love, our recognition of the pain that emanates from the hateful responses your staff have received and our prayers for students and future leaders to be artful creators of inclusion and hope. In addition, you have our commitment to unmask, dismantle and eradicate racism in Newton.
We are embracing you in prayers. You are not alone. May God bless you and keep you in this time."
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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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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,, you can reach out to Pastor Amy, who will be available for emergencies.
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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
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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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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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