Children, Youth & Families
The Union Church in Waban                
Saturday, February 3, 2018
This Sunday - 
    8:00 a.m.:   
Bible Study in Stacy's study.  All are welcome. 

 9:00 a.m.:    Choir Rehearsal
 
10:00 a.m.: 
W orship Service.  
This Sunday is a Communion Sunday.  We will also be receiving new members and will have the joy of worshiping with our 1K partner, Sandra Okiror (see below for more details).  

11:15 a.m.:  Bell Choir  

11:30 a.m.: Conversation with Sandra 
Upcoming Sundays - 
February 11th  -- we will commission those that are traveling to Nicaragua during the February school vacation week to engage in service work.  The travelers will be rebuilding a health center, painting a school, laying water pipes and constructing latrines in the town of San Bernadino that is located about 45 minutes outside of San Juan del Sur to the northeast.  

Wednesday, February 14 Ash Wednesday - -  Please consider joining us in an intergenerational worship service, accessible for all ages at 6:00 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent which is a time of preparation and reflection as we make our selves ready for Holy Week and Easter.  

Featured
Union Church 1K Micro-Loan Economic Justice Mission 
You are invited! Fellowship time with entrepreneur Sandra Okiror,
Tomorrow!, Sunday, 
Feb. 4
th , 
after worship.
What does God's Economy look like?
Sandra Okiror-Njoroge (right) with
daughter  Wambui

That was the question posed at the Union Church 1K Bible Study series in 2015, in response to the  1K Churches Campaign  launched at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012.  Here at UCW, we have taken our first steps toward "building just, faithful, and transformative economic relationships between churches and their communities that reflect what we believe God's economy to be" by making loans to two small businesses in the Greater Lowell area.

Our first loan was made to Sandra Okiror, owner
of Wham's Café in Lowell.  (More pictures and details HERE).   Sandra grew up in Kenya, and emigrated to Canada to attend university where she studied entrepreneurship.  Sandra has revived Wham's Café on a corner (with parking!) in Lowell, just across the river from UMass.  This iteration of the Café grew out of a catering business that Sandra began by circulating leaflets at church receptions in her Lowell neighborhood.  She operates the Café with her older daughter, and serves inexpensive Kenyan foods while also building community with her customers.  It was one of her customers who introduced Sandra to our 1K initiative. 

Sandra will be sharing worship and fellowship with us on  Sunday, February 4th .  Anyone interestedin learning more about Sandra, her approach to community-based business, or her charitable work on behalf of schools for disabled children in Kenya is welcome to join her after church on the stage for informal conversation.

In the weeks leading up to Sandra's visit, signup sheets will be available for any who would like to take a trip to dine together at Sandra's restaurant , Wham's Café in Lowell.  We promise it will be a memorable experience.
Field Trip to Wham's Cafe

Join UCW friends on a "field trip" to Wham's Café in Lowell.  Owner Sandra Okikor  will welcome our groups of 4 - 8 people so we can enjoy authentic Kenyan food and fellowship.  

Click Here to sign up for lunch on Feb. 23, dinner on Feb. 24 or breakfast on March 3.  Meal prices are very reasonable.  Enjoy!
Children, Youth and Families
Teacher Breakfast - 
Tomorrow, Sunday, February 4th at 8:30 a.m. (Amy's Office)
All teachers and any parents/members of the community interested in learning more about Spiritual Formation with children and youth are invited to gather in Amy's office for a light breakfast before worship next Sunday.  We'll share updates about Sunday School, talk about possibilities for our Mini-Missions this spring, and begin planning for our youth-and-child-led Palm Sunday Service that will be the focus of our Lenten journey with our kids.  We look forward to seeing you there! 
YOUR HELP:  Baseball Equipment for Nicaragua

 
One of our beloved partners in Nicaragua is supporting the launch of a new baseball program in a school outside San Juan del Sur.  The town in which the school is located, El Oro, is very under-resourced and we have offered to help supply them with the equipment (new/gently used) they need to get this meaningful program up and running.  Nick Tuozzolo  (Nica traveler and member of our Confirmation/Exploring Our Faith group) will be coordinating the collection and transport of the equipment.  If you can help, or make a donation, please contact Nick (cell: 617-637-7741), Susan Gedrick (cell: 617-460-6619), or 
Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org). 
Thank you so much!
Winter/Spring Youth Calendar - On the Way! 
Our calendar of Youth Group events is almost finalized, and will be sent to families early next week.  We have a wonderful series of events and gatherings ahead, and are so looking forward to this season with our youth! With questions or details, please contact Pastor Amy (amy@ucw.org).  
  • Coming up next:  Nicaragua prayer partners.  Youth families will receive a note in the coming week inviting youth to be included in a prayer group linking our Youth Group with our Nica travelers during the school vacation week.  The kids will be invited to pray for one another and share a note mid-week with updates.   
Save the Date:
Commissioning Nicaragua Travelers and Sunday School, February 11th
On Sunday, February 11th, we will commission our travelers to Nicaragua.  During Sunday School, our children and youth will be invited to participate in a service project preparing supplies and gifts to share with the children of our partner church and school in San Juan del Sur.   We'll prepare and bless the gifts together, as we seek to strengthen the bonds of relationship and love between our UCW community and our partner communities in Nicaragua.  
Mission Matters
GBIO Listening Campaign
The GBIO Strategy Team (board of directors) is proposing a new "listening campaign" to determine, 1) how much appetite and energy GBIO member congregations have for building more power and getting more done, and 2) whether there are any latent issues ripe for collective action. Please consider attending these related events.
 Questions? Contact Kathleen Hobson or Mark Smith .
  • Delegates Assembly, Mon., Feb. 12th, 7-8:30 p.m., Grant AME Church,
    1906 Washington Street, Boston. Attendees will get progress updates on current GBIO campaigns and be asked to ratify the listening-campaign proposal. We're looking for     4-5 people. See flyer here, which leads with the big question, "Who do we want to be in 2018?"
  • House Meeting Training, Mon., Feb. 26, 7 p.m. (location TBD). Many UCW members participated our "relational meeting" sessions in the fall. This training is an opportunity to learn about another critical organizing tool, and we hope as many people as possible can attend. See GBIO in Action, to better understand how house meetings fit into the overall GBIO approach to social justice activism.
GBIO Training Opportunity
 
If you thought about attending the 3-day GBIO organizing training back in November but couldn't manage 3 consecutive whole days, this course might be for you. The more UCW members get trained in GBIO "ways," the greater our capacity to participate effectively in GBIO efforts. Questions? Contact Kathleen Hobson or Mark Smith.
 
A Course in Power, Broad-Based Organizing, and Leadership
  • 5 Tuesdays, 6:30-8pm: Feb. 6, 13, and 27, and Mar. 6 and 13
  • Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston
  • Cost: $200-If this is prohibitive for you, please contact Fran Godine (godine@comcast.net) about a possible reduction in price.
In today's America, how can a faith community engage in civic life? How do we put our values into action in pursuit of social justice? Course content will include exercises and role-play combined with lecture and discussion. Stories about GBIO's biggest successes and challenges will be woven throughout. The course will be taught by GBIO organizer Kathleen Patron and other GBIO leaders. To register, follow this link or email Mike Fishbein of Temple Israel (mfishbein@tisrael.org).
NICA Service Trip
During the February public school vacation, over fifty UCWers will be traveling to San Juan del Sur to engage in service and learning with our Nicaraguan friends.  Go here to read the latest about the project and to share in the preparation as this trip draws near.  We will be commissioning the Travelers during worship on February 11, but in the meantime all of us can share in the preparations by praying for the travelers.  The relationships they will engage and the work they will do is not theirs alone.  It is all of ours!  
Faith Formation and Education 
Book group:
Our next book for our multicultural theme is  "Interpreter of Maladies"  by Jhumpa Lahiri  (Indian/American)  -- a collection of short stories that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000.   Based on the lives of  Indian-American immigrants  in  America.  Lahiri  "speaks with universal eloquence to everyone who has ever felt like a foreigner,"   Her prose is both powerful and gentle in her gift of story-telling.  Jhumpa Lahiri  received  her graduate degrees  from  Boston University.  
 
There are several copies of the book at the Newton Free Library.
 
Looking forward to seeing you on FEB. 27  (last Tuesday),  7 PM at the reception room.      Priscilla, Alan, and Stacy
Capital Campaign


Thrive in Faith. Ho nor our Legacy. Build our Future. The word is out! All church members should have received Ke nt's inspiring letter this week announcing that our Capital Campaign is under way! The Executiv e Committee of the Capital Campaign has been working hard over the past month to launch the campaign, and we all will soon celebrate our vision, goals, and work for our beloved Union Church building and the start of a great capital effort. Please save the date for the Capital Campaign Kick Off Dinner: March 2 nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Wellesley College Club. 

Capital Campaign Kick Off Dinner:  March 2
nd at 6:00 p.m. at the 
Wellesley College Club.
The Week Ahead at UCW
 
 
 
Sun., Feb. 4
8:00 a.m.
Bible Study
 
9:00 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal
 
10:00 a.m.
Worship
 
11:15 a.m.
Bell Choir Rehearsal
 
11:30 a.m.
1K Church: Sandra Okiror, Wham's Café
Mon., Feb. 5
7:30 a.m.
Living waters prayer in Memorial Chapel
Tue., Feb. 6
6:00 p.m.
Deacons
Wed., Feb. 7
6:00 p.m.
Council
Thur., Feb.8
6:00 p.m.
Worship Team
Sun., Feb. 11
8:00 a.m.
Bible Study
 
9:00 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal
 
10:00 a.m.
Worship
 
11:15 a.m.
Bell Choir Rehearsal
 
11:30 a.m.
Nica Travelers
 
3:00 p.m.
Advance Gift Training
 
5:00 p.m.
Campaign Executive Committee
 
 
 

For a complete listing, and details of all upcoming events,  please 
visit our website,  www.ucw.org 
 
Note : Material for inclusion in the Friday e-Blast newsletter or our Sunday Announcements insert should be e-mailed to the office at ucw@ucw.org , by 9:00 a.m. on the previous Wednesday morning.  Please specify whether for e-Blast, Sunday Announcements, or both. Thank you!  
From the Wider Community

Waban Community Blood Drive
 
Every two seconds someone in the U.S needs blood. Please help show how much the Waban community cares by attending  Angier Elementary School's first-ever Red Cross Blood Drive!
When:      Sunday, February 11th , fro 9 - 2:00 p.m.
Where:   Angier Elementary School Gym (Refreshments will be served)
How:        Sign up for a time slot by calling 1-800-733-2767 or going
                to www.RedCrossBlood.org and selecting "Angier". Walk-ins will also be welcome.
 Why:        After a number of tragic events occurred last fall, the Angier Community Service                       Team called the Red Cross to see how we could help. They asked us to wait until                       February when supply is low and donating isn't as top-of-mind. Being that Boston                     has so many incredible hospitals, demand for blood is even higher here. Don't let                     the supply get too low. Show your love this February saving a life with your blood                     donation!