The Union Church in Waban
Friday, June 12 , 2020 
Online Worship - This Sunday
Worship June 14th
We will gather on Sunday at 10:00 for online worship
This Sunday we will celebrate and bless our graduates, including our 5th and 8th graders, High School Seniors and others graduating from college and graduate programs. We hope you will join us in this blessing!  

A separate e-blast will be send out tomorrow, Saturday. In it you will find all the information you need to partake in worship and learning together on Sunday.
Upcoming Worship Service


Preparing for Worship on June 21st
During worship on Sunday June 21st, we will be compiling a video of pictures of those who have been as fathers to us.  Please send us a picture of your special perso n or a picture of something that reminds you of them.  Please send all photos to Jade by June 16th. 
Do you have an offering you'd like to share?

Do you have an offering of creativity including music, dance, visual art, poetry, etc. you are interested in contributing during our program year and summer services? We would love to include your offering in our worship. Please reach out to Daon Drisdom at [email protected] to discuss plans.  
Church Clean-up Last Sunday - Thank you!  
  
Many thanks to all who contributed to last Sunday's Church Clean-up!  

Last Sunday, 25 volunteers came together to clean up and beautify our church grounds.  We filled more than 60 leaf-bags,  tended to our beautiful flowers, hung a new sign, and had a wonderful time working together!  We're especially grateful to Judy Nagle for organizing us all! 
 

Ways to Connect this Week
Tea Time 
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 p.m.
Grab a cup of tea and share in some conversation.
To join via Zoom go   HERE; 
Meeting ID: 746 243 368 
Password:  016341
or call  +1 646 558 8656. 


Wednesday Morning Prayer
Every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.
  
In these times of uncertainly, we can feel adrift without a sense of security or a firm foundation.  Morning prayer on Wednesdays can help ground us in the power and presence of God that is our foundation in these times.  Please consider taking up a prayer practice and joining us in this time of silence, candle lighting and blessing.   

We begin with 20 minutes of meditative silence after which we speak aloud our prayers and light candles (if we have them) to help spread the light  and warm of God's presence into the lives of those for whom we pray.  We close with two prayers of blessing.  The prayer of St. Francis and the Serenity Prayer.  Please consider joining us.  If you have any questions, please reach out to  Pastor Stacy. 

Join us on Zoom HERE ,  Meeting ID: 825 631 369;   Password: 022055.  
Or call in at   +1 646 558 8656 

Wellspring Women's Group
Wednesday, June 17th, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
  
Dear women of the church,
Please consider joining us for our monthly gathering where we share together the joys and challenges of our lives.  

Join us on Zoom HERE
Meeting ID: 878 1142 1106
Password: 179999
or call in at +1 646 558 8656 
2020_21 Stewardship Campaign 
Thank you to all who have returned their pledge forms for the 2020-2021 church year.  
 If you have not yet returned your pledge card, you can do so here  .
CYF   
Children, Parents and Families 

Parents Group - Every Tuesday at 7:30 pm Gather to connect, laugh and share mutual support as we do the good work of parenting in these challenging times. CLICK HERE to log-in; password (if needed) is 499897

Sunday School for Pre-K through Elementary School, 9:15am to 9:40am Sundays
Younger kids gather each Sunday before worship we gather for songs, stories and prayer. Please watch for our "How to Connect" email on Saturday for details.

Story-time with Pastor Amy - Thursdays at 4:30 pm Pastor Amy gathers with kids and families each week to share a story and check-in. CLICK HERE and join our next story-time live (password:  069830). You can see past story-times with Pastor Amy reading by clicking HERE .
 
Pastoral Support:
Please know that Pastor Amy is available for calls, texts or video-chats. We'll be working on other ways to get together in virtual small groups as well. Amy's email is [email protected] and cell is 617-938-8112.

Youth Groups & Exploring Our Faith
High School Youth Group - This Sunday, June 14 - Netflix Party - Watching and Discussing the Movie 13th - 6-9pm
This week the High School Youth Group will gather to watch and discuss the movie, 13th.  We'll begin by connecting over Zoom, then watching the movie and discussing. Pastor Amy sent an email to all parents about this powerful, but difficult and often upsetting film about the history and present-day of racism and mass incarceration.  Parents should consider watching or learning more about the film before Sunday, and be in touch with Pastor Amy with any concerns or questions.  You can see the full film on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.  Common Sense media has reviews for parents, as well.   
Middle School Youth Group - Sunday, June 21th 
Mark your calendar for youth group the following week!  

Advocates for Racial Justice
Advocates for Racial Justice
   
Brian Stevens the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative was interviewed by Isaac Chotiner for The New Yorker.  He was asked: 

What has been your biggest takeaway from the past week?

We need to reckon with our history of racial injustice. I think everything we are seeing is a symptom of a larger disease. We have never honestly addressed all the damage that was done during the two and a half centuries that we enslaved black people. The great evil of American slavery wasn't the involuntary servitude; it was the fiction that black people aren't as good as white people, and aren't the equals of white people, and are less evolved, less human, less capable, less worthy, less deserving than white people. (To read the complete interview go HERE.)

Jenny Weisz's brother Tom Graves wrote this parable drawing from the prophetic word of the prophet Isaiah1:7,15-20:
 
There were people living in their homeland of Europe, Asia, South America, Central America, and Africa who raised a loud cry to their God. Give us a new land where we may prosper, give us a new place where we can be free, give us a new country that we can call our own. Oh God, give us the right portion of our earthly inheritance. Oh God, give us hope that we might have a future for ourselves.
          
And so the new land of America was opened for settlement, given as an inheritance to the disinherited of the world, as a hope to the hopeless, as a home to the homeless, as wealth to the poor, and as security to the defenseless.  (To read the parable go HERE.)
We have some books for you!

Josephine Bolling McCall who was with us for worship on March 8 and spoke to us about her book that u nmasks the violence around her father's lynching when she was a child, sent us 20 signed copies of her book.  If you are interested in one of them please reach out to Pastor Stacy.  While there is no charge for her book, if you are inclined a donation to the  the Elmore Bolling Foundation would be greatly appreciated. 
  

Mission Matters
  
Can You Be Part of our On-going 
Common Cathedral Team?  

Did you know that there is a team of UCW members bringing sandwiches, granola bars, fruit, socks and other  needed items to  Common Cathedral's Boston Warm Day Center each week?  The need among our beloved unhoused brothers and sisters in Boston is great.  How you can help: 
  • JOIN THE FOOD PREP TEAM:  Most weeks, we sign up to bring 50-100 sandwiches. Can you make 25?  We'll collect them and bring them to the drop-off center for you. Contact Pastor Amy ([email protected]) for details
  • DONATE GRANOLA BARS, TUBE SOCKS, UNDERWEAR OR CLEANING SUPPLIES:  Contact Pastor Amy if you have items to donate, or bring them to the big green bin outside the elevator lobby at the church.
  • CREATE CARDS, SIGNS : Help our friends at Boston Warm know they are not alone, and share your love and prayers with them.  Cards from all-ages are so appreciated and cherished, hung on the walls of the center for all to see.
  • PRAY & PRAY WITH AN ARTIST: Prayer makes a difference!  The Artists in the community also left a number of works of art in our church building after this winter's Common Art Show.  Rev. Mary has asked that we invite UCW members to take a piece of art home and hold the artist in prayer.  Contact Amy if you can pray and host a piece of art in your home. 
Thank you so much!  
___________________________________________________________________

Our Mission Group Makes Donations to Common Cathedral's Boston Warm and Project Care and Concern 
  Given the great need due to the current pandemic, mission will be using a portion of our discretionary funds to provide a donation to Common Cathedral's BostonWarm and to provide grocery gift cards to Project Care and Concern. Thank you to the many of you who have donated food, socks, books and much more to these long-term partners.  

                                                
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.