Sunday Service

"Racial Injustice: A Perspective on Local Health Inequities"

led by Members of the Racial Justice Committee

Join us as we welcome Dr. Sara Shields as our speaker. She will reflect on her work addressing the issues of infant mortality, and race based health inequities in the Worcester community. We gather to learn, to gain understanding, and to be moved to action.

Sara Shields, MD, MS, is a professor of family medicine at UMass Medical School and a family physician since 1995 at the Family Health Center of Worcester, one of the city’s two community health centers. Her clinical practice includes prenatal care, labor and delivery, and newborn/infant care. She is chair of the Worcester Healthy Baby Collaborative, a local coalition seeking to reduce infant mortality in the city of Worcester.



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

RE CLASSES THIS MONTH

This Sunday, April 23

9:30 am

This week, our children will be talking about Ramadan. What can we learn from the Muslim observance of Ramadan? How does it relate to the UU Principles and Sources? And how can we apply some of this learning to help us with our own faith development?

In May, we will be taking our learning outdoors with some fun games and activities. Stay tuned!

RE classes are held the 

FIRST and THIRD Sundays from 9:30 - 10:15 am. All are welcome! Snacks provided!

Childcare will always be available during worship!

Please use the buttons below to register your child(ren) for RE, or to volunteer to help!

All children participating will need a registration form.

Thank you!

Please contact our RE Coordinator, Colleen Munson, with any questions. [email protected]

Youth Group News

Youth group is holding a babysitting night on April 29th! There will be food, fun, and games to keep your kids entertained while parents can have a relaxing night to themselves. The cost is $15 initially, and then an additional $5 for every child after the first. All proceeds will go towards sending youth group to General Assembly in Pennsylvania this year. If you wish to sign up, please fill out this form!

April Vista Letter from the Board

Spring Greetings from the Board of Trustees!

There is important work going on within our congregation and the UUA this spring, much of it

“behind the scenes”, and ALL of it affects you! This is a long, but hopefully not long-winded, letter, because there is so much to talk about!....

Click here to read the full letter.

UUCSW Is Germinating a New Landscape this Spring - and We’d Love Your Thoughts on It!

We are wrapping up Phase I of our long-overdue outdoor renovation. Phase I is all about cleaning up the grounds and deciding on a basic layout to update and expand the usefulness, eye appeal and Earth-friendly stance of our landscape. We are planning on offering the congregation a survey on key points soon, but here’s your chance to ask questions, add your feedback and participate in the designing overview now. 

Once we are in accord with how the landscape design will function and flow (the plan), we will move onto more phases to address efficiency, watering, choice of plant and non-living materials. …And finally, the installation.

Keep checking your emails and join the Facebook UUCSW Members and Friends page to be a part of this. The sketched plan will be posted there. (Or we can email you a copy if you send us your address.) 

For more information, please contact Phyllis Barrett: at [email protected]

Or Jane Gates: 

at [email protected]

Or find us on Facebook at:  https://m.facebook.com/groups/UUCSW/?ref=share

Pledge

EMERGENCE: Our Annual Pledge Campaign!

We are getting close! With 65% of our pledge units responding, we are at $121,000 towards our goal of $150,000. Please help the pledge committee by getting your pledge in as soon as possible.  Don't forget this year's special matching feature - an anonymous donor will match any increase over last year's pledge which means your increased generosity counts for twice as much.

The easiest way to pledge is to simply email our treasurer, Lisa Shumway at [email protected] with your pledge amount. Or, you can pledge online in Realm here: AddPledge

Or, you can fill out and mail the pledge card found in the letter we sent you (and available at church). Get in touch with Lisa if you have any questions.

Thanks so much! Let’s get there – TOGETHER! 

Sincerely,

The Annual Pledge Committee

Pete Allen, Bruce Hall, David King, Rev. Laurel, Kathie Metzger, Ellen Rutter, Lisa Shumway, Nancy Siegal and Juliana Spofford.

Greeters Needed

We need smiling faces greeting our friends at the doors. Can you help? Please sign up using this sign-up genius link: Greeter SignUp Genius Link

Thank you for your help in making UUCSW a more welcoming congregation!

Wondering what being a greeter entails, or have other questions? Please contact Lisa Shumway at [email protected]

Come join our Community Choir! Previous experience is not required, all are welcome to join us in embracing the connective healing power of communal singing. Please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am!

Contact Kala Farnham at [email protected] with any questions. 

Book Group

Our next Book Group meeting will be held Fri, May 12.  We will be reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

This month we will meet at First Central, 40 South street at the back door at 7pm.

Contact Susie Wells at [email protected] with any questions.

SMOC Food and Clothing Drives

SMOC Food & Clothing Collections are on the following Thursdays:

April 27

May 25

4:30 pm

Ruggles St. Door

Community News

The Halalisa Singers, the Boston-based world music vocal ensemble performs “Concert For The Earth” honoring Earth Day and featuring the amazing “Missa Gaia (Earth Mass).” 

Composed in the early 1980s, the riveting multi-movement work weaves lyrical melodies with Latin and Gospel traditions and the calls of wolves and whales as a joyful tribute to the planet, reminding us of the incomparable beauty, preciousness and precariousness of nature. Special guests include UU composer, singer, and guitarist Jim Scott, who joins us as performer and soloist in his own works including “Missa Gaia” and “We Are the Earth”, acclaimed saxophonist/vocalist Stan Strickland, First Parish of Arlington member Meg Candilore and local branch members of the national climate movement organization Mothers Out Front including singalong with Music Out Front members!

Come be moved to action and uplifted! Saturday, April 29, 8pm at the First Unitarian Church of Worcester and again on Sunday, April 30, 4pm at First Parish in Arlington. Visit www.halalisa.org for tickets and information! 

Susie Wells has tickets to sell! If you'd like to attend you may contact her for tickets at [email protected]