Sunday Morning

"But What is Unitarian Universalism?"

Led by Rev. Laurel Gray

Do you ever find yourself drawing a blank when someone asks you what Unitarian Universalism is? We want to share this wonderful tradition and community with people outside these walls, and yet it can be hard to describe. Today we’ll return to the basics: what’s a Unitarian? What does Universalism mean? How do we talk about it to people who are religion averse?

This service will be held in the sanctuary and on Zoom:

Join us online at zoom.us/j/89873989254

Join us by phone at 301-715-8592, meeting ID 89873989254

Masks encouraged in the sanctuary. 

Religious Exploration Class

"So... What is Unitarian Universalism, anyway?"

9:30 am in the Chapel

Welcome Back from the Board

September Greetings and Welcome Back!

It was wonderful to see so many of you in person, for our opening Sunday on September 10th!... Read the full letter here

Come Sing With Us!

Choir is starting again on Sunday, October 15 at 9:30 am. We would love to have you join us! For any questions, contact Kala Farnham at [email protected]

Let's Support our Jimmy Fund Walk Team!

Please show your support for research and provide hope for people with cancer by clicking on this link to donate to my JF walk page. If you'd rather mail a check please make it out to BMJFW and note my walk ID # 1009228 in the memo line, then mail it to BMJFW P.O. Box 3595 Boston MA 02241-3595

Please feel free to share this email with others if you are so inclined. Maybe consider joining our team next year? Every step we take makes a difference. Imagine what Corinne would be doing were she still alive in this world. This keeps me walking.

Thanks in advance for your support,

Pauline Sciarappa

[email protected]

508-648-6149

From the Garden Committee:

We are finally making headway in the shade garden! Roots, weeds, trash and broken asphalt have been cleared. Stability supports, foundations, drainage and the basic stonework have been set in place. Our planting area has been limited by such discoveries as a larger asphalt apron than was previously visible. Most plants donated months ago have now been planted. But we could use some specific plants for remaining special areas. There will be room for only 1-3 plants of any one type. If anyone has any extras to donate from the list below, it would be sooooo appreciated!

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbekia)

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Blue Lobelia (L.siphilatica)

Little Bluestem ‘Jazz’ (only this variety)

Carex pensylvanica

Hakonechloa (any golden variety)

Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia aurea) Only this non-invasive variety!

Barrenwort (Epimedium)

Heuchera

Blue iris (Iris versicolor)

Or let us know your suggestions for other ground-cover, low-growing, part-sun, (fiberous-rooted-for-the-rain-garden), and colorful plants.

Thank you all for your help and support!

THANK YOU to those who on short notice dropped off infant clothing at the end of August! As promised, a second opportunity is available this month. We are answering the call from Dr. Sara Shields from the Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) https://fhcw.org/  Recall she spoke to us last Spring during a Sunday service about maternal health and infant mortality. The FHCW Baby Shop is urgently in need of infant clothing sized newborn through tweny-four months. Collection of new and gently used baby clothes will be gratefully received TODAY: Thursday September 28 during the traditional SMOC collection time. For alternative drop off arrangements please contact Pauline at [email protected]; for other questions please text/call Nancy at 508-259-0923. Thank you!

SMOC Food and Clothing Drives

SMOC Food & Clothing Collections are on the following Thursdays:

Today: September 28

October 26

November 16

December 20



4:30 pm

Ruggles St. Door

Book Group

Our next book group meeting will be on October 13th, 7pm at the back door of Central One Federal Credit Union, 40 South Street, Westborough. The book this month is Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Please contact Susie Wells with any questions: [email protected]. All are welcome!

Concert at UUCSW

October 22, 1pm



We are planning an joint organ and choral concert here at church with:

LEONARDO CIAMPA

And

THE WESTBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR

Don't miss this wonderful event!

Details to follow

Community News

First Unitarian Church in Worcester has invited us to a "UU Hymn Sing Bingo"! The event will be hosted by the music directors of First U and UU Church of Worcester, Allegra Martin and Matt Johnsen.

Banned Book Read-In

at Westborough Public Library

10/2-10/6

Hello, Library Supporters!

I am writing to recruit support for a program that we are planning for Banned Books week in October. We would like to have "Freedom Readers" who will sit in the library Monday October 2 through Friday October 6 to read banned and challenged books.

We will request banned books from the ALA's banned book lists (the archive, and from 2022) to have available for anyone to check out, and we want "Freedom Readers" to read them. We will set up four comfortable chairs behind the Reference Desk, and we're looking for people to sit in them and read silently in two-hour shifts the entire time that we're open (9am-8pm Monday-Thursday, and 9am-5pm on Friday). On Wednesday October 4, from 6:30-7:45pm, we plan to have a "Freedom to Read-In" program open to all, where people will be invited to take a book from the pile on hand, then pick a place in the library to read silently.

We have a SignUp Genius for people to sign up; people are more than welcome to take more than one shift. We would love to have all of you sign up, and we ask you to please let other supporters know so that they can sign up too. Sign up here.

Please let us know if you have questions. Thank you very much!

Tracey Graham & Jen McGrath

Westborough Public Library