The UUCW Nugget

March 2, 2016

Office Hours

(Sept 1, 2015 -

June 30, 2016):

Mon, Tues, Wed:

9 am - 3 pm

Thur. 9 am - 2 pm

(Closed 2nd Wed.

Oct - May)

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.

The Bucket

Robin Mitzcavitch, Director of Religious Education

Love is the spirit of this church,

and service its law.

This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace,

To seek the truth in love,

And to help one another. - James Vila Blake

At the center of our chalice table stood a bucket ½ full of water. I sat in a circle with young people in grades 3-5. We were talking in that class about the metaphor of filling a bucket with help and kindness. What happens when your bucket is empty? Do you remember a person who has helped you fill it up? What about a time when your bucket was full, maybe even overflowing? How were you able to then help someone else?

As we each shared ways we have been helped and ways that we have helped others, we dropped a stone or a piece of sea glass in that bucket. With a plop and a splash , we discovered together that when we all contributed something , the water level got higher.

As Unitarian Universalists, we have a heritage of being a body of people who strive to help others. We have stood by the disenfranchised with their buckets run dry and worked together to fill them up. As the bucket becomes full, the possibility of this person or community then sharing their help and kindness with others blossoms. The ripple effect will be felt, and there is no end to how far and wide it will go. Just imagine if a larger percentage of the world was not running on empty.

As one very aware 4th grader pointed out during our discussion; along with kindness there needs to be money to help. I know that it's true. We discussed that often, when you are following your "calling" or what your heart says is right, the money somehow finds a way to be present. If everyone puts something in, like our little rocks and pieces of sea glass...the level gets higher.

In our UUCW community , I feel that we do a fabulous job filling buckets wherever we go. There are volunteers enriching the lives of young people in our very church, encouraging the discovery of justice and outreach. In turn, I hear the stories of the amazing things these children are doing out in their world. I hear about how our kids are helping animals, other children who happen to be homeless, their own families, the food pantry, and other kids in their school. As parents and educators, when we fill a child's bucket, the ripple effect spreads far and wide.

I have said this before, and I will say it again...I pledge to UUCW every year not as an admission fee or for services rendered. I pledge to the covenant of what this church represents to our community, neighbors and world. I want it to continue and to flourish. I want the bucket of help, justice, love and kindness to overflow into the empty areas. I want to spread the word about the wonderful things that happen within our walls and beyond.

As Unitarian Minister James Vila Blake wrote, "Love is the spirit of this church and service is it's law. This is our great covenant." What a great covenant ! And to know that sometimes you'll walk through our doors needing a fill-up, and at other times you will be full enough to turn and tend to others, is a great truth and blessing. Filling the bucket of UUCW allows this truth to be a consistent reality for us and for the multitude of others that we will continue to be able to reach out to.

With Love and Spirit,

Robin

Food For The Fridge Campaign - March 13

Dianne Mann

Perhaps as a child you were once told to "eat your peas", you know, the little, unusual colored ones that come out of a can. I remember sitting at the table for a very long time getting up the gumption to eat those little things. Now, I think nothing of purchasing what I want in the produce section of my local store. Fruit and veggies are some of my favorites! I often wonder if our clients ever get fresh fruits and vegetables as we distribute food at the Pantry...

Hmmm...

Let's change that!!!

The Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry folks are very pleased to announce the installation of two new industrial refrigerators in the Pantry. These were made possible through a $3,000.00 grant from the Rotary Club and the hard work of our own Rev. Aaron Payson.

Kindly bring fresh fruits and veggies for a special collection on Sunday. We can see the carts roll up the aisle filled with carrots, pears, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, etc. Perhaps there may even be some of those delightful peas! The children in R.E. will take up the collection and fill the fridge. We will be distributing them on Saturday, March 20th.

And, because we have the refrigerators we will be able to bring back food from the Food Bank that we have been unable to in the past. Sometimes we have left yogurt and milk behind, much to our dismay!

We would also like to take this time to note that we were also given a $900.00 grant from the United Way this year toward the purchase of one dozen eggs for each family, each month.

For more information please contact Dianne Mann at djmann@charter.net or 508-963-0183

Contact Information

Phone:	508-853-1942	Email:	office@uucworcester.org
Fax:	508-853-2065	Website:	www.uucworcester.org
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