The UUCW Message
March 29, 2016
In This Issue

Current News at UUCW
Tech Committee News

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
UU Connections  
UUConnections

In conjunction with our series of Escalating Inequality workshops, there are numerous opportunities to put our beliefs into action.  UUMass Action is sponsoring, along with many other like-minded progressive organizations, a chance to have your voice heard in the Massachusetts legislature.  There will be a strategy briefing on the RAISE UP INITIATIVE on Saturday April 2nd from 10am-12 noon at the Rock of Salvation Church, 829 Main Street, Worcester. 

The RAISE UP INITIATIVE is a collaborative advocacy effort by many secular and religious organization to change priorities by funding education programs and by shoring up infrastructure of our decaying roads and bridges.

The jobs created would pay a living wage and provide benefits to workers.  These family-supported jobs are the prototype of the kinds of jobs we want to see more of in Massachusetts.  So please come out next Saturday, April 2nd, to work to support the RAISE UP INITIATIVE as the next-step of our education and empowerment workshops on Escacalating Inequality.  If you are unable to join in on Saturday, there is another chance for advocacy on Tuesday April 12th in Boston. And finally, the last of the ESCALATING INEQUALITY workshops will that place this Tuesday, March 29th, at 7 pm at the downtown church, 90, Main Street.  Ericca Saunders will speak on Climate Justice and how already impoverished communities are disproportionately affected by pollution.

So, please mark it on your calendar and come to some or all of these events.

In other UUA developments, in an effort to reduce costs and streamline efficiency ,the UUA has decided to eliminate local districts in favor of larger regionalized offices.  We will now be part of the New England Regional system. Rev. Sue Phelps and other Clara Barton employees will still be available to us and will continue to offer workshops as has been done previously.   This change will allow more people with expertise in certain areas to be available to more churches.  This change will be voted on in the upcoming district meeting of the Clara Barton Chapter on Saturday April .

Joan McGinn, UUA Liaison
Tech Committee News: Assistance Needed   
TechComm
The Tech Committee is looking for assistance for several projects:
  1. Sunday Mornings: help with sound and recording of Worship services
  2. Transferring the Sunday morning recordings from mp3 SD Card to the computer and edit audio to post reflections on website
  3. Various computer tasks like updates, maintenance, etc.
Contact Paul Marr if you are interested in helping with any of these projects!

Paul Marr, Tech Committee
"Escalating Inequality & Climate Change" with Errica Saunders
Tuesday, March 29, 2016  7:00 PM
First Unitarian Church of Worcester 
EscIneq

We conclude our latest Escalating Inequality workshop series on Tuesday, March 29 at 7 pm at First Unitarian Church with Errica Saunders who will present on escalating inequality and climate change.  Errica Saunders has been actively engaged in the environmental movement for almost 5 yearsnow.  She is the coordinator of 350 Central Mass a local group of 350.org, an international environmental organization.  She helped to organize locally for the People's Climate March in 2014.  Most recently she 
helped organize Jobs, Justice, Climate in Boston this past December.  Errica  is actively engaged in the Divestment movement and in the stopping of any new fossil fuel infrastructure.

A resident of Worcester for almost 10 years, Errica is a supporter of all things Worcester!  She believes that in order to combat the inequalities of our time that we each need to bring our strength and courage to our communities to empower leadership and build a movement of movements.  She invites everyone to be part of the conversation believing that we each are an expert of ourselves and our own perspective but that all our voices deserve to be heard.  
Constellation
AndStillWeRise
 
Get Your Smiles On!! - All Church Photo, Sunday April 10 
AllChurchPhoto

Please mark your calendars:

Sunday, April 10th is the All-Church Photo.  As per usual, we'll gather on the front lawn at the conclusion of the morning service.  I hope you'll be part of this important record of our community.  Plus, you get to make funny comments about me up on the roof, trying to herd everybody together.  ;-)

UU Women's 14th Annual 
Runaway Weekend in Rockport - April 15 - 18 
WomensWeekend

Why come?
Join us for a weekend of no cooking, no cleaning, no one to take care of but YOURSELF! We hear all the time how important it is to take a respite, however brief, from the daily stresses and responsibilities of everyday life. So take this opportunity and return refreshed, renewed, ready to take on the world again!
 
Who can come?
We are now opening up our runaway weekend to the community. Invite your mother, mother-in-law, daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, aunts, friends and cousins to enjoy Rockport with you.
 
Where is it?
Our Runaway Weekend is at the Linden Tree Inn in Rockport http://lindentreeinn.com/, a 5-minute walk to Front Beach and a 10-minute walk to downtown Rockport. And we have the entire inn to ourselves.
 
What's the cost?
The entire cost for the weekend is $158 for a quad (2 rooms share one bath), $174 for a double or $204 for a single. This includes:
  • Lodging Friday, Saturday and Sunday night
  • Breakfast Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning
  • Dinner on Saturday night
  • Sunday lunch
 
What do you do there?
You get to do whatever you like-you may just want to curl up on your bed and read those books you've been meaning to read.  Or if you love shopping, downtown Rockport is a shoppers' paradise of art galleries, unique boutique shops and consignment shops. Or attend a performance at the beautiful Shalin Liu Center featuring musical performances on a stage opening to a view of the ocean!.  All of this within a short walking distance of the inn!
 
Or get into your car for a short drive to Halibut Point State Park or to Gloucester (more shops, restaurants, and beaches). Some of the places we've enjoyed visiting on previous runaways have been the Paper House, Wolf Hollow, Newburyport, Salisbury Beach State Park and Plum Island.
 
What's the best thing about Runaway Weekend?
So many things!  Escaping, time alone, being with friends, meeting new people, enjoying activities and leisurely conversations with like-minded women, discovering new treasures on the North Shore, the list goes on.....
 
If this interests you, send a check made out to Linden Tree Inn to hold your spot. Also include any food preferences/allergies you may have.

Mail to: Ruth Silver 
71 Angell Brook Drive
West Boylston, MA 01583 :

We Hope you'll join us. If you have any questions or comments, email Claire Breyton cbreyton@gmail.com.

Cosmology
Please CLICK HERE to download and print this flyer
2016 Annual UUCW Yard Sale - June 11! YardSale 

The date for this year's Yard Sale has been chosen - it will be on Saturday, June 11.  If you are interested in working either on set up or on that day, please let me know.  And, for all, please start setting aside all your goodies that you would like to give away this year - my goal is to make even more than the $7000 we pulled in last year.  More to follow...

Visit Our New Improved Website! NewWebsite
If you haven't seen it already, please visit www.uucworcester.org to view the new and improved UUCW website.  Thanks to a host of volunteer website junkies (Rachel Peckar, Cris Heffernan, Vickie Cox Lanyon, Betty Jenewin, Anna Bediako) working with our Office Administrator, Jennifer Landry and Aaron, we have launched and continue to develop our new website as a core component in our evolving strategic communications plan.  Forthcoming upgrades will include a members-only section, interactive adult faith development opportunities, and weekly communications that are more integrated with web content.  We welcome your feedback, which can be submitted through the "contact us" link on homepage.

Touchstone Monthly Theme - 
March Theme - Renewal
April Theme - Mindfulness
March 29 - April 4 TchstnQuotes
 


March 29: "It is so important that we renew our minds constantly 'coz by doing so we'll be able to see things as they are, not as they might seem. If we renew our minds, we have a better chance at seeing the opportunities hidden within each storm...."   Rafael Garcia
 
March 30: "Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."  Dale Turner
 
March 31: "With each breathe we take we renew our commitment to stay in life. With each thought we think ...we decide what kind of life we will live."   L.G. Space

April 1: "Treat everyone you meet as if they were you."   Doug Dillon
 
April 2: "Patience has all the time it needs."   Allan Lokos
 
April 3: "Most of us take for granted that time flies, meaning that it passes too quickly. But in the mindful state, time doesn't really pass at all. There is only a single instant of time that keeps renewing itself over and over with infinite variety."   Deepak Chopra
 
April 4: "Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone."   Louis L'Amour

Religious Education News
RE News For April 3, 2016
RENews 

Dear Families,

I hope you had a great Easter Day. We sure had a lot of egg hunters!
 
                                               

Classes  resume this Sunday and for those of you participating in the Mystery Pal Program, Sunday after the service is the BIG  REVEAL!.  Children should be picked up from class , grab a coffee and a snack from fellowship ha;; and bring to the Lounge.  There we will start revealing Mystery Pals to each other by 11:25 and also have a cake and quick discussion activity to enjoy with your pal!
 
Sunday April 3-  10am
All children will be dismissed to classes following the hymn, there will be no coin collection this Sunday. 
 
11:25-  Mystery Pal Big Reveal - In Lounge  (grab a coffee and a snack and bring to lounge!) There will be cake and water in the lounge.
 
Youth Group - 6-8pm- Soulful Sundown first ½ hour.
  
Robin Mitzcavitch, Director of Religious Education
Mystery Pal Big Reveal!!
Sunday April 3 following the Service!!
MysteryPals
 
Dear Mystery Pals - After the service, pick up your coffee and a snack in fellowship hall and bring to lounge .  By 11:25 we will begin revealing  the Mystery Pals to each other~!  We will also have a special cake  and small activity for Pals to do together!!    Can't wait to see you!

Sunday News
 
Announcing the 2016 Dr. Irving & Annabel Wolfson Award Recipient and Lecturer - Herb SilvermanWolfsonLecture
     
On Sunday, April 3, the Wolfson Lecture Taskforce will host the 4th Annual Dr. Irving & Annabel Wolfson Lecture, celebrating humanism in liberal religion.  Funded by a gift from the estate of Irving Wolfson, this lecture is an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate those whose work continues to promote humanistic values in our world and/or liberal religious movement.
 
This year's lecturer is Herb Silverman.  Growing up in Philadelphia, Herb's life journey has taken him from Orthodox Jew, to apathetic atheist, to activist atheist when he moved to South Carolina. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the College of Charleston. Herb is founder and president of the Secular Coalition for America, founder of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry, and founder of the Atheist/Humanist Alliance student group at the College of Charleston. He ran for Governor of South Carolina in 1990 to challenge the state provision that prohibited atheists from holding public office. After an eight-year battle, he won a unanimous decision in the South Carolina Supreme Court that nullified the anti-atheist constitutional clause. He has appeared in a number of debates, including one at the Oxford Union in Oxford, England on the topic: Does American Religion Undermine American Values? He has written articles for the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Humanist, Free Inquiry, Secular Nation, On Faith, and other publications. His latest book is Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt.
 
Herb's writes about his talk on April 3, entitled "Positive Atheism"  that it will put a positive face on atheism and dispel the many stereotypes that abound about this world view. "Since we have but one life to live, we try to make the most of it in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. This usually involves helping others to fulfill their needs, too. In fact, God loves us more than he loves religious people because we don't bother him for anything. And, yes, most of us do have a good sense of humor."
 
As is our tradition, following the lecture on April 3, we will gather for a grand reception in the Fellowship Hall of the church.  Please join us for what we are sure will prove to be a fantastic morning!

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:
April 3Meditation Group
April 10Linda Miller, Doris Horgan, Mary Plummer, Pauline Courchesne
April 17UUCW Green Team
April 24Stewardship Committee
May 1Religious Education Committee

Ongoing Meetings OngoingMtgs
Join us Wednesday, April 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! 

03-08-2016 12:04:27 PM

Please join us after Lunch With The Minister on April 6 for our Afternoon Book Club. We are reading Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain. Discussion will be April 6th around 1:15pm, after the Minister's Luncheon. 


Men' Group Meeting - April 8, 7 - 9 pm, 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, 04/08/16 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 ...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!

Community News & Classifieds CommNews

Looking for Minimum Wage Workers to Speak in Worcester April 2 - Laura Wagner, UUMass Action
The organizers of an Economic Justice District event are looking for a minimum wage worker from Worcester who might like to share their story at the event.  If you are earning minimum wage and are willing to take part in this important meeting, please contact:
Laura Wagner LICSW, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalist Mass Action Network
Phone: 617-971-8731 Email: LWagner@uumassaction.org

 *******************************************

 



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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