Gmail Users - Please note that if you stop receiving the Message, Nugget, and Weekend Reminder, check your Promotions tab in Gmail. Often, you will find that church emails are in there! Please click HERE for more information. Please share this information with your fellow congregants if they mention they aren't getting the Message!

PLEASE NOTE: Our trash and recycling is generally picked up once a month. Please be sure to break down all cardboard boxes before putting them in the recycling dumpster so it doesn't fill up too fast!

Congregational Mission Statement

"The members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester covenant to be a congregation of love, hope and justice inspiring people to take on the challenges of a changing world."

Welcoming Church

Mission Statement

The LGBTQI and Allies of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester strives to further the affirmation and celebration of LGBTQI individuals in all aspects of the church community. We also seek to increase the visibility of UUCW as a Welcoming Congregation within the greater community.

UUCW Covenant

In consonance with the principles and purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we the members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester covenant to sustain and support a courageous and caring community by:

* Bringing our best selves to form a welcoming, loving, and inclusive community of faith;

* Creating an atmosphere of celebration and worship in a safe environment;

* Providing opportunities where diverse people and points of view are respected and where open-hearted and open-minded discussion of our differences is encouraged;

* Treating each other with kindness and respect;

* Approaching conflicts with a spirit of humility and with the respectful intent for peaceful resolution;

* Engaging in and encouraging spiritual and intellectual growth across the lifespan;

* Fostering social justice and positive transformation in our community and in the world at large;

* Growing and maintaining the resources necessary to support the missions and ministries of this congregation;

* Fostering fellowship and enjoying each other and the unique gifts that each person brings to our community.

Current News at UUCW

Special Congregational Meeting to Vote on Solar Panels - January 10, 2016

Immediately Following Sunday Worship

There will be a special meeting after church to approve this project. We need to have a quorum present of Members of the Church to get this approved. As one long-time member said: "We can't be putting panels up that will be there for the next 20 years without a decision by the whole congregation that this is what we want to do. This is not a board decision, or a committee decision. This is everybody." So BE THERE!

The Solar Team needs your approval to move ahead with this project of installing PhotoVoltaic solar panels on our roof, so we can get some of our electricity from the sun. The plan is to lease the panels from a solar company that will put them up and maintain them for us for free. We get a portion of the electricity that will be generated, and the remainder of the electricity goes to the company that installed them, to repay their investment.

It seems like a good idea all around.

I hope you'll agree on Sunday, and vote YES,

Mara Pentlarge and the Solar Panel Team

Interfaith Hospitality Network Host Week

January 24 - 30, 2016

Please support the continued good work happening at the Interfaith Hospitality Network, 91 June Street, Worcester by volunteering to host an evening or overnight slot during the week of January 24-30 and/or make a contribution towards groceries for the week - typically $300. The schedule is posted in Fellowship Hall and details are available. You may also email me directly to sign up. Please see me or Robin Mitzcavitch to volunteer/make a contribution or mail your check to me directly at 6 Browning Road, Shrewsbury 01545.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sue Neaz

Touchstone Monthly Theme -

January Theme - Non-Violence

January 5 - 11

Jan. 5: "The word 'jihad' has nowhere been used in the Qur'an to mean war.... It is used ...to mean 'struggle.' The action most consistently called for in the Qur'an is ...patience." ~ Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Jan. 6: "If we divide reality into two camps-the violent and the nonviolent-and stand in one camp while attacking the other, the world will never have peace." ~ Th�ch Nhất Hạnh

Jan. 7: "I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Jan. 8: "Nonviolence aims at doing no harm to living being. Compassion aims at doing good to all beings." ~ Amit Ray

Jan. 9: "There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.." ~ C�sar Ch�vez

Jan. 10: "It never helps to draw a line and dismiss some people as enemies, even those who act violently. We have to approach them with love in our hearts and do our best to help them move in a direction of nonviolence." ~ Th�ch Nhất Hạnh

Jan. 11: "The non-violent resistor not only avoids external, physical violence, but he avoids internal violence of spirit. He ... refuses to shoot his opponent, ...he refuses to hate him." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Rev. Aaron Payson

Religious Education News

RE News For January 10, 2016

Dear Families,

We had a nice start back in our classrooms this past Sunday. It was good to see all of you! This week, classes continue!

Please save the date of SundayJanuary 24th - during coffee hour to join in our One Church -One Book discussion of The One and Only Ivan. We will have goodies in the lounge , so have your coffee hour with us! Lead by Loree Burns- all ages welcome and encouraged!

Sunday January 10th

All children begin in the sanctuary and will be dismissed to classes following the "Change for Change" coin collection.

3-6pm Teen OWL- Last class and graduation!

Youth Group-

6-7pm Evensong Fishbowl 7-8pm- YG Service Planning

Robin Mitzcavitch, Director of Religious Education

One Church, One Book -

Our Annual All Church Read

We hope everyone is enjoying their read of The One and Only Ivan!

On Sunday, January 24th - come join our multi-generational discussion of this book in the lounge with Loree Burns during coffee hour and a bit after! We will have goodies in the lounge.

Robin Mitzcavitch

Sunday News

Weekly Worship

Sunday, January 10, 2016 - 10 am & 6 pm

Sign Up To Be Part of a Sunday Morning Worship Team

Worship at UUCW is the product of many voices, hands and hearts. Each Sunday we look forward to hearing from each other about the important happenings in our lives and the world, and our worship experience is made rich and meaningful because of the variety of voices included in it.

We are looking for people to become part of one of our Sunday Morning Worship Teams as a Worship Associate (WA), Worship Reader (WR) or Chalice Lighter (CL) . WAs work with the Worship Leader to help setting up the sanctuary prior to the service. WR work with the worship leader to read the welcome, presenting the opening words, and sometimes introduce the offertory or assist with a ritual. CL's work with the worship leader to provide the chalice lighting for the service. You do not have to have any previous training, we'll work with anyone willing to lend their presence to this program.

Congregation Leaders! Do you have a special church program, project or group that you are promoting? Becoming part of a Worship Team on the Sunday(s) before your activity gives you a moment to introduce the congregation to your activity.

New to the congregation? This is a wonderful way to become known and to have an opportunity to introduce yourself.

Willing to give it a try?! Then please visit HERE to sign up on any upcoming Sunday morning.

Want more information or have questions? Please do not hesitate to contact our Minister.

Rev. Aaron Payson

HosT Coffee Hour News

The HosT coffee hour team thank all the many church teams, groups, and committees who have signed up to HosT coffee hour this year!

HosT (Hospitality Task Force) will provide the fair trade coffee, tea, water and juice. (HosT depends on coffee hour donations to keep supplies in stock....your donations during any coffee hour are gladly accepted!)

Would you like to be involved with the HosT Team? Let us know!!

Groups on deck for HosT-ing:

January 10	Connections Class
January 17	Nursery & Spirit Play Classes
January 24	To Be Announced
January 31	To Be Announced
February 7	Soup Sunday & IHN Task Force

Nancy Hancock

Ongoing Event News

Lunch With the Minister -

Wednesday, January 6 at Noon!

Join us Wednesday, January 6 at Noon for Lunch with the Minister. Bring a bag lunch and something to share if you desire. We'll have coffee and a place set for you in the lounge. Come join the conversation and camaraderie! No reservation necessary.

Rev. Aaron Payson

Readers Unite Afternoon Book Club - January 6!

Our selections and meeting dates for the Readers Unite Book Group on the first Wednesday of the month at 1 pm, following Lunch with the Minister.

Jan 6: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Kim)

Read a book and join our discussion group!

Kim Napoleone

Men's Group Meeting,

January 8, 7 - 9 pm, in the Lounge

The Men's Group meets monthly to share a meal and conversation.The group's members strive to build trust and close friendship with one another. Our next gathering will be in Fellowship Hall on Friday, 01/08/16 at 7 pm. All who consider themselves male are welcome.

Food will be brought from a local restaurant and all those who wish to eat can split the cost of the meal. Please bring your favorite beverage to drink with dinner. Please R.S.V.P to willliamderr@hotmail.com or call the UUCW office at 508 853 1942. Please note whether or not you want food and any dietary restrictions.

Bill Derr

Evening Book Club - January 13, 7 - 9 pm, Lounge

Join us this January 13th at 7:00 in the lounge for UUCW's Evening Book Club.

Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson's New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed The Innovators is a "riveting, propulsive, and at times deeply moving" (The Atlantic) story of the people who created the computer and the Internet.

What were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail?

The Innovators is a masterly saga of collaborative genius destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution-and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens. Isaacson begins the adventure with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Larry Page.

This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so inventive. It's also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative. For an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity, and teamwork, The Innovators is "a sweeping and surprisingly tenderhearted history of the digital age" (The New York Times).

Evening Book Club Reading List:

January: The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson (Cristina Heffernan)

February: Girl in Transition, by Jean Kwok (Nancy Hancock)

March: Trapped Under the Sea, by Neil Swidey (Dianne Mann)

April: In the Heart of the Canyon, by Elisabeth Hyde (Nancy Hancock)

May: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Building Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell

(Judith Lazar)

Debbie Merrill

Race and Racism Through Page and Screen - First Unitarian Church in Worcester, 90 Main Street

What can we do about racism today? It is clear to us that the struggle for racial equality and justice in our country continues. Especially if we identify as White people, we need more opportunities to understand racism and explore what steps we can take to become anti-racist allies.

This book and movie discussion will invite us to explore race and racism in America through novels, essays, feature films and documentaries. We will explore historical moments and our present realities. We will follow themes from work to work: What is beautiful? How are dark-skinned bodies treated in America? How can racial equality be pursued and achieved? What has changed since the Civil Rights Movement, and what work remains to be done? As people of faith, what can we do?

Please CLICK HERE to view and download more information about this workshop series, including a schedule.

Rev. Sarah C. Stewart, Minister, First Unitarian

Invitation to Join Touchstones Small Group Ministry Groups

One of the exciting parts of the new Touchstones Ministry Themes program is the launching of Touchstones Small Group Ministry Groups. These groups will meet regularly throughout the year to discuss the monthly themes published in the Touchstones Journal. If you are interested in being part of a Touchstones Group, and/or becoming a leader/co-leader of one of our groups, please take a moment to fill out our short survey HERE. We'll collect responses for the next month and hope to launch these groups in October 2015.

Rev. Aaron Payson

Reminder about Fundraising!

Please keep in mind that one of our fundraising programs is the two bins across the street in our parking lot for books and clothing. We actually make very good money from this endeavor! So, as you're doing your fall cleaning or whatever, please take a minute to fill the bins as well as you can!

Denise Darrigrand

Introducing SimpleGive!

UUCW's New Online / Digital Giving Platform

For those of you who do your bill paying and giving online, now you can add UUCW to your list of online donations!

SimpleGive is an online giving platform that gives donors a variety of options to financially support the church. Give one time or schedule giving throughout the year. Become a registered user or give a quick donation without registering.

Now you can give right from your smartphone (iPhone click HERE, Android click HERE) or computer.

To reach the UUCW SimpleGive page click HERE.

Rev. Aaron Payson

Please Click Here to view the UUCW Google Calendar

Community News & Classifieds

Greater Worcester Humanists - Linda Miller, Co-Chair of GWH Steering Committeee

"Secularism 2016" will be the topic of the next meeting of Greater Worcester Humanists on Tuesday, January 12 at seven P.M. in Fellowship Hall at the church. Social hour at 6:30.

American Humanist Association legal director of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center David Niose will discuss the state of secularism in America today. He'll discuss recent developments in church-state separation law, including major precedents from the Supreme Court and various lawsuit in which the AHA is currently involved. He'll also discuss the American secular movement, the emergence of the atheist-humanist demographic, and its impact on politics and society. Niose has served as president of both the AHA and the Secular Coalition for America, and is author of two books about secularism and politics.

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