The Union Church in Waban   
Friday, May 12, 2017
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This Sunday - 
Bible Discussion  at 8:00 a.m.  We are walking through the Gospel of Luke wondering at what we read and making connections with our lives today.  All are welcome!

Choir Rehearsal at 9:00 a.m.  
Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m. 
There will be many blessings during worship on May 14.  We will light candles of prayer in memory, honor and celebration of our mothers and those who have been as mothers to us.  We will bless and send the Lang Hearlson family as they prepare to leave Newton and launch into the next chapter of their lives.  Priscilla Kelso will share with us the work of Bread for the World and how we can join in their important advocacy work in behalf of ending global hunger during a mission moment and Pastor Stacy will take us into the Gospel of John 14: 1-14 in a sermon entitled "Finding our way"
Planning Session for Russell School Field Day: 11:30 a.m.
Field Day (morning of June 9 ) is a great opportunity for Russell students to get out, run around and enjoy beautiful Moakley Park. UCW volunteers will help out at this event again this year, by managing activity stations, joining soccer games, etc. This is a great chance to meet and help Russell students. If you're interested in helping out, come to a planning session this Sunday at  11:30 a.m. after service  Although the 9  is a school day, UCW youth are encouraged to consider joining.   We will help with requests for permission to leave school for this social service activity.
Contact Kevin Johnson ( [email protected] ) for more information. 
This Sunday!  Signing of Letters for Bread for the World
In this Sunday's church bulletin there will be a sample letter for you to sign, urging our legislators to vote for food aid legislation that benefits the needy, particularly the nutritional needs of mothers and children, here and abroad.  Please sign these letters in your support of Bread for the World, a Christian ministry that works with Congress for hunger and poverty issues.  The signed letters will be collected after the church service by members of our Missions Committee.  Remember, every letter counts on behalf of the poor in the congressional deliberations of the 2018 federal budget.
 
Please note  Pastor Stacy will be on vacation beginning Monday, May 15.  She will be returning on Tuesday May 22.  Pastor Amy will be happy to help with any pastoral or other needs that may arise. 

Featured - All-Comer's Potluck Dinner

SAVE THE DATE!  All- Comers' Potluck Dinner: 
Friday, May 19
th
, 6 - 9:00 p.m.
Everyone is invited to the always-fun All-Comers' Potluck Dinner. The All-Comers' Dinner is an informal gathering of our community for a time of fun and fellowship (it's a party!). This year's dinner will be held at the home of Alicia Collins and Tony Abbiati, 128 Avalon Rd., Waban. Childcare and drinks are provided. It's a potluck, so RSVP to  [email protected] the number of kids/adults and a potluck item (appetizer, entree, salad, or dessert) that you would like to bring. See you there!
 
Church Matters
Growing Together: 
2017-2018  Stewardship Campaign
Y ou Can Now Submit Your Pledge Online!

Friends of The Union Church,

Thank you for your continued commitment to the work of the Union Church. 
We now have a way for you to return you pledging information online for those who may find this more convenient.  This is a quick and simple way to return your pledging information. By filling in the form and clicking the submit button your pledge for our 2017_18 program will be recorded.

To access the online pledge form click on the green "Make A Pledge" button below.,


You can also access the online pledge form at any time by going to the 
Union Church website homepage (uwc.org).
 
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to  Grant Gund, co-chair of our Stewardship Team.  Hard copies of pledge cards will also be available in the bulletin this Sunday.

Adult Education/Spiritual Formation

Next Book Group: May 30, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Our book selection for May 30 th will be "The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found", by Mary Beard (Harvard Press). Edith Moricz will be leading the discussion.  
 
Our final book for June 27th before the summer break will be "The Book of Joy", by the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu.    
   

Worship
"A Song for Our Mothers"
This Sunday, May 14th , we will celebrate and honor the mothers  and those who have been as mothers to us in our lives, past and present. Our Bell Choir will ring for our new Call to Worship, "Rejoice, Rejoice, Come Sing with Me".
 
The men of the congregation are invited to sing on that morning. We will offer a beautiful Appalachian folk hymn, "I See the Morning Breakin'" as well as other songs which celebrate our mothers. No musical experience or reading skills are needed. These are very melodious pieces which are easily learned.
 
The rehearsal for this service will be at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the service. Please come and join us--this will be an enjoyable time of joining our voices together in love, thanks, and praise.
 
William Merrill
Music Director

Hymnsing!  
Sunday Morning, May 28th at 10:00 a.m. during worship

"Be filled with the Spirit, singing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music to God with your hearts always!"  Ephesians 5:18b-19.
 
God calls us to lift our voices in song, and our worship time is the voice of the whole church. You are invited to submit your favorite hymns and spiritual songs for us to sing together in worship the last Sunday of this month. Share your favorites, whether or not they come from the hymnal we use. The staff will weave together the requests into our worship service on Sunday, May 28th.

Please jot down your favorites and drop them in the offering plate or in the box in Crocker Chapel. You can also submit them online at  the Union Church website   HERE

MissionMatters
City Mission Society Celebrates 200 Years
 

UCW joined with June Cooper of City Mission Society and hundreds of others to celebrate 200 years of rooting out poverty in Boston's neighborhoods at their gala event on March 4th.  City Mission Society is a key part of our partnership with the Russell School.  As part of the evenings' program Principal Tamara Blake of the Russell School lifted up the Union Church in our work with City Mission Society and the Russell School supporting the coat drive, the music program and other initiatives at the school.  
COOKOUT! YOU ARE INVITED!
graphic-bbq-dad.jpg
Sunday, May 21st, 1:00 p.m.,
538 Talbot Ave., 
Dor chester

Enjoy a cookout lunch with our neighbors whose names are always on our Mitten Tree at Christmas! Carpool together after church, or meet us there. Meet the folks who want to meet us, as they receive only one gift at Christmas - our Union Church mitten tree gifts! Stay for a yummy cookout, optional. We will be inside in case of rain.

Bring nothing, but your family - 
RSVP to Beth Sears or Nancy Zollers, please.

Russell School Computer Club

Join Rob Purser, Susan Hunt Stevens and volunteers from Mathworks, WeSpire and UCW, as they teach SCRATCH, a kids programming language to 3rd-5th graders at the Russell School.  Classes are from 3 - 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning May 24th, and continuing through June 21st.  Come for one week or for all four! You do not need to know SCRATCH or anything related to computer programming to be helpful.  You just need to like to encourage kids to try, and be willing to high-five them when they figure something out.  CORI forms are required so please contact Rob Purser ( [email protected] ) to let him know which dates you plan to attend.

Upcoming Mission Opportunities in May and June!
 
On May 21st, we plan to travel to Dorchester to cook hotdogs and burgers, serve members of the Project Care and Concern community and enjoy a conversation during our afternoon together. We will depart at 1:00 p.m. from UCW. See more details above.
 
On June 25th, we plan to travel to Common Cathedral to serve our homeless neighbors.  Help will be needed preparing sandwiches on Saturday. Sunday departure will be after services at UCW.  
 
Please let us know if you or anyone in your family will be able to attend these opportunities - or if you have any questions - by emailing Nancy Zollers  or Beth Sears  . We would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible if you think you might want to come! Thank you. 

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) News

RSVP:   Mark Smith ( Mark Smith  )  or 
                     Kathleen Hopson ( Kathleen Hobson )
   
    
 C hildren,Youth, and
Family
Ministries
 
UCW Kids and Mini-Missions - Upcoming Service Events  
Many thanks to all those who have donated to and supported our kids and their Mini-Missions projects, supporting the Newton Food Pantry, MSPCA, and Birthday Wishes!  The Mini-Missions teams have been busy planning the following service trips, scheduled as follows:  
  • MSPCA:May 21st at 12:30 p.m. (departing UCW at 11:45 a.m.).  The kids will deliver their donations and have a tour of the MSPCA facilities.
  • Newton Food Pantry:  May 21st from 11:30 - 12:15 p.m. (departing UCW at 11:15 a.m.).  The kids will deliver the donations, learn about the pantry and help stock shelves.
  • Birthday Wishes:  Thursday,May 18th (departing UCW at 3:30 p.m.).  Kids will deliver donations and goodie bags!
If you or your child would like to attend one of these service visits, please speak with Jill Coull or Amy ( [email protected] ). Permission forms will be sent to parents/guardians and can also be found on the Mini-Missions bulletin next to the Littlehale classroom.   

SAVE THE DATE - JUNE 11th:  Youth Pool Party, Children's Sunday and All-Church Picnic!
Please save the date for this special child & youth-led Sunday worship, followed by our church picnic.   Kids will begin planning their worship service today, and we look forward to being in touch soon with details!   

 
YOUTH YEAR-END POOL PARTY - CHANGE OF DATE!  
Also on June 11th from 5-7:00 p.m., the youth will meet at the home of the Abbiati family for a year-end pool party!  Youth families and Youth Ministry Team members should have received an Evite and we are grateful for RSVPs.  For more information, or if you didn't receive the Evite, please contact Amy at
[email protected] .   

TheWeekAhead
The Week Ahead
 
 
 
Sun.,  May 14
11:15 a.m.
Bell Choir Rehearsal
 
11:30 a.m.
Russell School Field Day Planning
Mon., May 15
7:00 p.m.
Choir Rehearsal
  Wed.,  May 17
7:30 a.m.
Prayer Group
 
 
Cancelled: Coffee w/Stacy*
Thur., May 18
10:30 a.m.
Waban Health Worship
 
7:00 p.m.
GBIO Action
Fri., May 19
6:00 p.m.
All-Comers' Potluck Dinner
Sun.,  May  21
8:00 a.m.
Cancelled: Sunday Morning Bible Study*
 
9:00 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal
 
10:00 a.m.
Worship
 
11:15 a.m.
Bell Choir Rehearsal
 
1:00 p.m.
Project Care and Concern Cookout
 
 
 



















For a complete listing, and details of all upcoming events, 
please visit our website calendar HERE

* Pastor Stacy will be on vacation the week of May 15. 
  Please be in touch with Pastor Amy as  needed.  



Directory is ready!

Stop by the table in Crocker Chapel this Sunday 
to pick up a hard copy of the church directory.  

If you would like a PDF of the directory sent to you, please be in touch with Office Manager, Aidan Cunningham.   


FROM THE WIDER COMMUNITY

Upstander Training in Newton
Tuesday, May 23rd
6:00-8:30pm
 
Learn how to support people targeted by bigotry. Workshop includes dramatically exploring the challenges of intervening, short presentations and handouts, and role plays.
 
Co-sponsors: Newton Human Rights Commission, First Unitarian Society in Newton, Temple Shalom, The Walker Center, The Protestant Chaplaincy Council, Just Peace Players, Newton Highlands Congregational Church, West Suburban YMCA, Jewish Voice for Peace - Boston. Food donated by BJs.