The UUCW Message
February 9, 2016
In This Issue


Office Notes and Flyers

 


Office Hours
(Sept 1, 2015 - 
June 30, 2016):
Mon, Tues, Wed: 
9 am - 3 pm
Thursday 9 am - 2 pm
(Closed 2nd Wednesday
Oct - May)

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
Escalating Inequality Workshop Series
EscIneq
Evensong Lenten Reflection Series - 
Feb 3 - March 23, 7 - 9 pm 
LentenSeries

The Season of Lent is a time of introspection and atonement for many Christians as they prepare to celebrate the dawn of New Life with the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Jews enter a time of self-examination and repentance in the Fall, during Yom Kippur, to prepare for the Jewish New Year at Rosh Hashanah. Pagans, who honor the natural rhythms of the Earth, enter a time of introspection and renewal during the dark days of winter just as seeds germinate beneath the snow in preparation for the emergence of new life with the dawn of Spring. As Unitarian Universalists we may value an opportunity to pause, reflect on the course of our lives, and reset our intention for the New Year to further align our actions with the values expressed by our Seven Principles.
 
Contemporary American theologian, James Fowler provides us with an opportunity to explore and rededicate ourselves through a series of 8 questions. Each designed to help us examine the structures of values, the patterns of love and action, the shapes of fear and dread, and the directions of hope and friendship in our lives. Each answer has the potential to raise our awareness and generate new direction toward more wholeness, contentment, and true happiness.
 
For the next 8 weeks we will have the opportunity to gather in the spirit of evensong to consider each one of Fowler's questions listed below: 
  • Feb   3rd - Question 1:  What do you spend? How are you spent?
  • Feb 10th - Question 2:  To what do you give your best time and best energy?
  • Feb 17th - Question 3:  For what causes, dreams, goals, or institutions do you pour out your life?
  • Feb 24th - Question 4:  What power or powers in your life do you fear or dread?
  • Mar  2nd - Question 5:  What power or powers in your life do you trust or rely upon?
  • Mar   9th - Question 6:  To what or whom are you committed in life? In death?
  • Mar 16th - Question 7:  With whom (individual or group) do you share your most sacred and private hopes for your life and for the lives of those you love?
  • Mar 23rd - Question 8:  What are the most sacred hopes, compelling goals, and purposes for your life?
Evensong is a contemplative opportunity to consider, that which is of greatest importance in our lives. Come, yet again, come... into the heart of the Beloved Community.

ACE Volunteers Needed 
ACEVol

On Sunday, March 6, at noon, Kelsey Renner and Frank Murphy from the African Community Education Program will be at UUCW to meet with members and friend here who are interested in volunteering as a mentor, tutor or after-school volunteer for youth served by ACE. 
 
The African Community Education Program is a non-profit community-based organization that grew out of a 4-year old tutoring program run by the medical students of University of Massachusetts. The students had created a program offering one-on-one tutoring/homework help for refugee children from Liberia. Although the student initiative had expanded through the years and offered services to more children, occasional one-hour tutoring sessions, unfortunately, were not sufficient for facing the educational crisis faced by the refugee and immigrant population.
 
Many of the children we serve have had little or no formal education at all prior to coming to the U.S. due to the difficult situations in their home countries. Thus we saw children who were 12 years old who had never been in school but were placed in 6th and 7th grade. These children need a lot more attention than the medical students' program could offer. Additionally, there was an increasing number of children coming for help and a limited number of tutors to work with them.
 
As the need for a larger program became more obvious, several members of the Worcester African community and some medical students joined efforts in hopes to address the problem. It was decided to create an organization whose sole purpose would be to serve children from ALL African countries, who are refugees/recent immigrants/children of immigrants, who are behind in school, and who want help with their studies.  
 
Click HERE for a video introduction to ACE and its programs.
 
Interested in learning more about volunteering with ACE? Sign up HERE.

The Cool Beans Coffee House - February 12 - 7 - 9:30 pm
Tickets on Sale NOW! $7! $10 The Night of the Show! 
CoolBeansCoffeeHouse



Looking for a warm spot to get in from the cold?  Do you like a nice cup of java or tea while listening to a poem or a piece of music?  How about an evening with friends of the UUCW to help support the Interfaith Hospitality Network?  We have the evening for you!
 
SEE US IN FELLOWSHIP HALL OR 
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS!  

 Questions? Contact Robin Mitzcavitch or Dianne Mann!

Linking Communities of Faith: Building Love and Compassion in an Age of Mistrust: Feb 16, 7 - 9 pm, Fellowship Hall 
LinkingCommunities

A panel discussion featuring members of the New England Islamic community sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester, 90 Holden Street in Worcester, MA.  The meeting will be in the church Fellowship Hall on Tuesday, February 16, from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
 
Asima Silva is an Indian American who graduated from Wachusett Regional High School. She obtained her undergrad and graduate degrees at WPI in Computer Science. She is a software engineer and Master Inventor for IBM and is the co-founder and Director of Outreach for EnjoinGood.org.

Ellyn Sayers is a very recent American convert.  She obtained an undergraduate degree in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire and a graduate degree in Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University.  She is a Quality Assurance Manager for Bristol-Myers Squibb, certified Spin instructor, marathoner and avid fitness enthusiast and proud mother of two children.

Ahmad Abojaradeh is a recent WPI grad and current Worcester resident who is the co-founder and Director of Mental Health for Muslim Community Link, A Global Compliance Engineer for Avery Dennison, a Peer Support Specialist and a Novelist.

Madeline Errishi, known by her nickname, Dina. She is an American convert and has been a Muslim for the last 23 years.  She was raised in upstate New York in a Roman Catholic family, but she has been living in Massachusetts since 1987.  She is married and has a daughter and two sons.

Imam Abdul Latif is the resident Imam at the Islamic Center of Rhode Island in Providence and also a Chaplain for the state of Massachusetts Department of Corrections. He accepted Islam about 20 years ago and traveled extensively in the Middle East to study Islam and the Arabic language.
 
For more Information contact:
Linda A Miller, 508-853-8964, canoteur725djm@gmail.com , or
Rev. Aaron Payson, 508-853-1942, arpayson@charter.net


A Great Super Bowl Party!!SuperBowl
 
Members and friends gathered to watch the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.  A great time was had by all!  Charlie Payson was the 1st quarter pool winner and the Youth Group took top prize in the remaining quarters for their Cat Food Drive!  Many thanks to Paul Marr for his "sound" help and to Deb and Joe Zawelski for their clean up prowess!  Thanks to everyone for the wonderful food and great comradery!



 
Touchstone Monthly Theme - 
February Theme - Communion
February 9 - 15 TchstnQuotes
 

Feb. 9: "The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen.... Together, our vision widens and our strength is renewed." ~ Mark Morrison-Reed
 
Feb. 10: "...Here is the mystery of our global responsibility: that we are in communion with ...all people. ...If we want to be real peace-makers ...our primary concern ...should be survival of humanity, the survival of the planet, and the health of all people." ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen
 
Feb. 11: "Our homes, imperfect as they are, must be a haven from the chaos outside ...where troubled souls find peace, weary hearts find rest, ....lonely pilgrims find communion, and wounded spirits find compassion." ~ Jani Ortlund
 
Feb. 12: "There is almost a sensual longing for communion with others who have a large vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality impossible to describe." ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
 
Feb. 13: "The ocean was the best place, of course. ...It was a feeling of freedom like no other, and yet a feeling of communion with all the other places and creatures the water touched." ~ Ann Brashares
 
Feb. 14: "When people enter community, especially from a place of loneliness... they find the warmth and the love exhilarating. This permits them to start lifting their masks and barriers and to become vulnerable. They may enter into a time of communion and great joy." ~ Jean Vanier
 
Feb. 15: "Soul grows in communion. ... From true conversation... communication deepens into compassion and creates community." ~ Sam Keen

Religious Education News
RE News For February 14, 2016
RENews 

Dear Families,
 
I would like to thank  Lois Divoll,  Alanna Keyo, Justin Keyo and Forrest Homan for reading during our "One and Only Ivan" service this past Sunday!   You all did wonderfully !  Thanks to all involved in making this a very special Sunday.
 
I hope to see you at the Cool Beans Coffee House this Friday from 7-9 ( or even for a little while).  It is a family friendly event that will help families at IHN Family Shelter.  Please help us support them!!  $7 reserved tickets, $20 family max.   Reserve HERE.   $10 the night of the show.
 
We are back to classes this Sunday, Feb 14th, with LOVE!   If your kids would like to continue the love toward helping animals this year, the Youth Group has a collection box for canned cat food in fellowship hall!  Please bring some cans , and we will deliver them to the Pat Brody Cat Shelter on Feb 21st.  This is a very special shelter, which you can read about HERE.
 
Wonderful Welcome (grades 1 and 2 )  are scheduled to host coffee hour.   Sign up here:  host coffee hour.
 
Sunday February 14-
 
10am-  All children will begin in the sanctuary and then will be dismissed to classes following the Change for Change collection!
 
6-8  Youth Group-  Candy Making
  
Robin Mitzcavitch, Director of Religious Education
Canned Cat Food Drive: Now - Feb 21CatFoodDrive 

Our Youth Group annually visits and helps support The Pat Brody Shelter for Cats in Lunenburg , Ma.  This is a no kill shelter where cats live in open spaces full of cat structures and hiding places.  They also have an enclosed outdoor area for cats to play.  The Youth Group is bringing cat beds, and toys, and food .  We need help with canned food and /or monetary donations.

Donations needed by Feb 21st

If you would like to make a donation, please see any teen in our youth group or advisers Lee Hill, Bart Hill, Bruce Leshay , Lydia Proulx, or deposit food in the specially labeled box in fellowship hall   Look for the cat!!  The shelter  does not need dry food donated, only cans.
 
                                            Thanks for your help!
   
Robin Mitzcavitch & The UUCW Youth Group

What is Mystery Pals?  Mystery Pals are pairs of pals made up of one young person and one adult or teen who do not know each other's identity. This is a multi-generational community-building project that has shown great success in many other UU communities,and this year, we have decided to run it again!  This project is closely managed by the Religious Education Committee.  Pals who sign up to participate are matched to each other by the committee.  Sign up now  through February 13th - CLICK HERE to download a form to print to bring to church this Sunday!
 
What do Mystery Pals do?  Mystery Pals communicate with each other through the exchange of notes, drawn pictures, cards, riddles, puzzles, baby pictures, hints about identity, and small trinkets.   The main thing is to stay in touch and remain a mystery! All communication is managed by the RE Committee.
 
How do Mystery Pals keep in touch?   Beginning on  February 14th come to Fellowship Hall with your first piece of mystery pal mail and put it in the giant mailbox.  The following week, not only will you mail something again, you will check in with the Mystery Pal Postmaster and collect the mail that your Mystery Pal has mailed to you!  The Religious Education Committee will ensure that everyone receives their communication weekly after the notes have been reviewed!
 
When do the Pals find out the identity of each other?  Identities will be revealed during our Mystery Pal Reveal Party on April 3rd directly after the service. FUN FUN FUN!  It's all about the connections we make in the world!!  Sign up right away!  And especially before February 13th.
 
We are excited for another fun run of The Mystery Pal event!!
   
Sunday News
     

February 14, 2016 50/50 Collection -  
Literacy Volunteers of Greater WorcesterFifty50                                         
Our 50-50 collection on Sunday February 14 will benefit Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, an organization that since 1973 has been providing adults with the English language skills they need to thrive in the community. 

As an official Refugee Resettlement Community, Worcester becomes home to hundreds of individuals every year who need to learn English. LVGW offers one-on-tutoring, group ESL classes, a Rosetta Stone language lab and tutor trainings, all free of charge. Thanks to numerous volunteers and the generous support of private donors, LVGW is able to serve hundreds of students per year.

A Literacy Volunteers representative will be on hand to talk more about the organization and you can get involved as a volunteer. And if you like to play word games, you'll love learning about LVGW's upcoming Scrabble Tournament Fundraiser. All are welcome! Hope to see you next Sunday.
 
Sara Schweiger, Director of Education, LVGW
Sign Up To Be Part of a Sunday Morning Worship TeamSMWT
     
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. 

HosT Coffee Hour NewsHosT
     
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:
February 14Wonderful Welcome Class
February 21Buildings & Grounds and Technology Committees
February 28To Be Announced
March 6Board of Management
March 13Popcorn Theology Class

Ongoing Meetings OngoingMtgs
Join us Wednesday, March 2 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. 

 

Our next book is Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand. We will discuss the book on March 2 at 1:15pm. 

 

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, 02/19/16 at 7 pm. This meeting was originally scheduled for February 12, but has been rescheduled due to the Cool Beans Coffee House. All who consider themselves male are welcome. Food will be brought from a local... Click to read more

 

Join us on February 10 at 7 pm in the lounge for UUCW's Evening Book Club.  We will be reading Girl in Transition by Jean Kwok. When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life-like the staggering degree of her... Click to read more

 

The Hooks and Needles Group meets on alternating Mondays at noon (February 15, and 29, March 14, 28, etc.)   in a classroom.  Bring your projects - knitting, crochet, cross stitch, quilting, to work on.  Or if you wish to do a prayer shawl or lap robe, we have yarn and patterns available. Want to learn a needlecraft?  We will be happy to teach you.


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.
 
Reminder about Fundraising! 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!

Introducing SimpleGive!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.
 


Greater Worcester Humanists - Linda Miller, Co-Chair, GWH Steering Committee canoteur725djm@gmail.com
Greater Worcester Humanists will meet on Tuesday evening, February 9th, at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.  Doors open at 6:30 for socializing.
 
We will show the film (out May 15, 2015)  A Better Life:  An Exploration of Joy and Meaning in a World Without God.  If this is the only life we have, how does that affect how we live our lives, how we treat each other, and how we cope with death?  Photographer and filmmaker Chris Johnson introduces us to some of the many voices from his book and film.  In this compelling documentary, Chris interviews some of our greatest thinkers from Daniel Dennett and A.C.Grayling to Julia Sweeney and Robert Llewellyn.  With Chris, we explore the issues of joy and meaning and challenge the stereotypes of atheists as immoral and evil.  Through these interviews with famous and not so famous people, we learn the various ways many atheists live lives filled with love, compassion, hope and wonder.

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Contact Information

Phone:

508-853-1942

Email:

office@uucworcester.org

Fax:

508-853-2065 

Website:

www.uucworcester.org

 

Emergency Phone:

508-853-1942 

ext. 108

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