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.

Joys & Sorrows

We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Greg Gustafson (husband of Bob Allen) who was an active member of our congregation for many years, serving on the Board of Management and, most recently, the Internship Committee. Greg died in his sleep at home last Thursday. Our hearts and prayers go out to Bob and all of Greg's family and friends during this poignant and precious time. A Memorial Service celebrating Greg's life will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 3 pm at UUCW. All are welcome to attend. Notes of sympathy can be sent to Bob Allen (bob.r.allen@gmail.com). Greg's obituary from the Telegram & Gazette can be found HERE.

Rev. Aaron Payson

Upcoming Events at UUCW

Plug-in Electric Car Event - April 1, noon - 3 pm

Please click here to download a copy of this flyer.

Craig Van Batenburg

Righteous Women of the UUCW - April 1, 4 - 7 pm

Lynsey Heffernan has offered to host our next gathering of *Righteous Women of UUCW*. This is an informal social gathering of UUCW women. There will be appetizers, drinks, and sparkling conversation with other UUCW ladies. It will be held Saturday April 1 from 4PM - 7PM. Feel free to bring a snack to share, but it is not required. 25 Wachusett Ave Shrewsbury MA 01545. Please let Maya and/or Lynsey know if you are coming.

Maya Desai

Annual All-Church Photo - April 9

Our annual all-church photo will be taken on Sunday, April 9 2017, immediately after church. We'd love it if you'd be there!

Betty Jenewin

Climate Action Meetings in Washington DC

APRIL 27: EDUCATION REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE

APRIL 28: LOBBYING

APRIL 29: MARCH

If you are interested in going, all the information you need is here:

http://www.eldersclimateactionday.org/

People attending from Cambridge/Boston are arranging their own transportation and lodging.

If you intend to go and are interested in car pooling or travelling with others from UUCW, contact Steve Ober at steven.p.ober@gmail.com. Include your name, email, phone #, and interest in car-pooling. Steve will then recirculate the list to all who respond so you can connect and make plans.

Steve Ober

Women's Weekend is Coming!
April 28 - May 1

~ Women's Runaway Weekend in Rockport ~

Update!

Thank you for the quick replies, our rooms have filled up quickly this year! We do still have a few beds available (two or three) in the quad. If you want to join us but have not contacted me yet, please do so before sending your check as we are very close to full. A group email to attendees will be sent out soon. Looking so forward to April 28!

2017 Rates:

$ 158 Quad - 2nd floor, private entrance, 2 bedrooms with 2 beds each, one shared bath)

$ 174 Double - Main House or Carriage House

$ 204 Single - Main House

These rates include:

Lodging from Friday afternoon 4/28/2017 to Monday morning 5/1/2017, or any part thereof.

~Breakfast and Dinner on Saturday,

~Breakfast and Lunch on Sunday,

~Breakfast on Monday .

Please make checks out to the Linden Tree Inn,

and send, with specific information*, to Ruth Silver at:

71 Angell Brook Drive

West Boylston, MA 01583

*1) food allergies/preferences

*2) accommodation/roommate requests (not required)

This is a special annual weekend for UUCW women to pamper ourselves and enjoy each other's company in beautiful accommodations right in the heart of Rockport on Cape Ann.

Please email Claire for more information.

First timers are urged and encouraged to join us!

Claire Breyton

Yard Sale is Coming!
- June 10, 2017

The Yard Sale - one of our biggest fundraisers - is coming up! This year it will be held on June 10. Many hands are needed to pull this off. First, we need you to start squirreling away your goodies to be sold. As always, we just ask that things be clean and in working condition. It's a great opportunity to do some spring housecleaning. Second, I need people to help - setting up on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and then working at the sale on Saturday. If you are willing to run one of the areas please let me know soon. Thanks!

Denise Darrigrand

Current News at UUCW

Congratulations to CUUF and Rev. Cheryl Leshay!

Congratulations to the Clark University UU Fellowship & Rev. Cheryl Leshay for the outstanding article in the Friday, March 24, 2017 Telegram & Gazette! You all ROCK!!!

http://www.telegram.com/news/20170324/local-college-students-make-space-for-faith

Rev. Aaron Payson

Message from the Committee on Right Relations

(AKA Committee on Ministry)

Due to changes in responsibilities for the Board along with that of Minister and Leadership for the congregation (as outlined in the current Governance Experiment), the Committee on Ministry has recognized that much of what has been the responsibility of the committee have now been taken on by the Board.

Over the past couple of years, COM has been reviewing the feasibility of transitioning to a Committee on Right Relations or "CORR". There has been a movement within the larger Unitarian Universalist community to have a formal body that can help organizations with the difficult task of transforming congregational behavior and emotional systems.

During this exploratory stage, the members of COM have been discussing what this transition would look like, and what would be our role for helping members of our congregation. Last October we attended a workshop in Barnstable presented by the UUA of New England called Living into Right Relations. We gathered additional information to help guide us through the transition, but what we learned most of all was that we are on the right track and already ahead of the curve when compared to other congregations.

Over the next several months, our committee will roll out more information and will communicate what we learn with the congregation. But we are going to need your help. Our first task which we are starting today is to ask you to spend some time over the next few weeks to think about our existing Covenant of Right Relations (The Covenant is listed on the sidebar of this email). As with many policies in place in different organizations, many of us are aware the covenant is in place and, while most of us live this covenant, we probably haven't paid much attention to it.

Our goal is to make our covenant a living document. Our community does not have a test of faith, but we do have a social contract in the covenant. Beginning this week as part of the Nugget, we will be adding one line item of our covenant per week for you to reflect on. We are also asking for input from you on each one, asking for your experiences and observations. Your responses will be confidential and the information will be shared anonymously. At future meetings the committee will discuss the comments and share with the congregation some of what we have learned.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CORR SURVEY

At coffee hour, in the coming weeks, the committee will have a table where you can talk to one of the members about your experiences and thoughts regarding our Covenant. We welcome any comments and questions. Additionally you can email any member of the Committee at the addresses below.

Thank you for your time.

Dan Secor, Marilyn Martin, Ken Basye &

Barbara Wahlstrom

Touchstone Monthly Theme
March Theme - Balance
April Theme - Consolation/Desolation
March 28 - April 3

March 28: "There's a major fault in Western society. It makes room for only one god, and in only one gender. There's no balance, no co-existence, no partnership." ~ Tomson Highway

March 29:"A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct." ~ Frank Herbert

March 30: "How one walks through the world, the endless small adjustments of balance, is affected by the shifting weights of beautiful things." ~ Elaine Scarry

March 31: "...you have to use your failures as stepping stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair. In the end it's all a question of balance." ~ Rohinton Mistry

April 1: "To look for solace is to learn to ask fiercer and more exquisitely pointed questions, questions that reshape our identities and our bodies and our relation to others." ~ David Whyte

April 2: "She wondered whether there was a limit to desolation or whether it grew endlessly, infinitely. Desolation with a hundred faces and more, desolation of a hundred different kinds and more, like the color blue." ~ Antonia Michaelis

April 3: "You don't have to put your hand on [Mother] Mary's heart to get strength and consolation and rescue, and the other things we need to get through life," she said. "You can place it right here on your own heart. Your own heart." ~ Sue Monk Kidd

Rev. Aaron Payson

Fundraising News

Reminders about Fundraising!

Amazon Smile Shopping Reminder

Just a reminder - if you shop on Amazon there is an opportunity to earn money for the church. Just go to Amazon Smile and select the church as a place where Amazon will provide a contribution based on what you buy. We get a percentage of your total purchase. Even if you are using Amazon Prime it will still kick in but you have to go to Amazon Smile at the outset. Thanks - every little bit helps!

Denise Darrigrand

Photos of the Week

From left, new member David Fields looks on as Bill Derr, President, Board of Management and Denise Darrigrand, Membership Committee Chair congratulate new member Wesley Shepeluk. The Rev. Aaron Payson directs Steve Ober to the table to sign the membership book. This was the New Member Ceremony during the service on March 26, 2017.

From left, Bill Derr, President, Board of Management looks on as Denise Darrigrand, Membership Committee Chair hands a rose to new member Kathleen Landry Cooper during the New Member Ceremony on March 26, 2017. The Rev. Aaron Payson is at right.

From left, Bill Derr, President, Board of Management and Denise Darrigrand, Membership Committee, applaud new members David Fields, Ilona Forgeng, Linda Webster Moore, Steve Ober, Karen Stephenson, Wesley Shepeluk and Kathleen Landry Cooper at the conclusion of the New Member Ceremony during the service on March 26, 2017.
The Rev. Aaron Payson is at right.

Religious Exploration and Education at UUCW

RE News for April 2, 2017

Robin Mitzcavitch , Director of Religious Exploration

Sunday News

Weekly Worship

Sunday, April 2, 2017 - 10 am & 6 pm

Announcing 2017 Wolfson Award

Recipient and Lecturer

The UUCW Wolfson Lecture Committee is pleased to announce that Maria Greene, Executive Director of the UU Huumanists has been chosen as this year's Dr. Irving & Anabel Wolfson Award Recipient and Lecturer. This year's lecture will take place on Sunday, April 2 during the 10 am Worship service with a reception to following in Fellowship Hall.

Ms. Greene's lecture is entitled, "Humanism and Unitarian Universalism: Better Together". She writes, "Recent events have convinced me that the world needs more of what we UUs have. Humanism is a positive lifestance that puts the responsibility for progress into human hands. We UUs are not all Humanists, but we do share the same humanistic values and the same appreciation for diversity and difference. The UU embrace of Humanism sets it apart from other liberal religions and its time for us to proudly proclaim and celebrate our welcome of all. Differences in metaphysics pale in importance to the need to provide support and hope as we navigate through challenging times together."

Maria Greene has contributed articles related to Humanism to the American Humanist Association, to the UUHA's journal "Religious Humanism" and the UUHA blog, and she has a chapter in the recently published book from Skinner House, "Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism". Ms. Greene is also a computer programmer with a degree in Computer Science from Brown University. Ms. Greene and her family currently reside in Acton, MA, where they are members of the First Parish Church of Stow & Acton.

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!

At coffee hour we extend the hospitality we proclaim! Many people judge a congregation by its coffee hour hospitality - especially newcomers . Please make it a point to speak to someone you don't know!

Date	Group on deck for hosting	Hospitality Team Contact
April 2	Humanists Group	Nancy Hancock
April 9	Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry	Nancy Hancock
April 16 Easter Sunday	Members & Friends of UUCW	Moira Rouse

Nancy Hancock

Ongoing Meetings

Lunch With The Minister - Wednesday, April 5 at Noon - Lounge

Join us Wednesday, April 5, 2017 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. All are welcome to enjoy conversation with Aaron and friends. We often bring up a topic of interest. The Reader's Unite Afternoon book group meets following lunch.

Standing On The Side of Love Task Force - Sunday, April 2, 11:45 am

The SSL Task Force will meet following service on Sunday in Classroom 2. Please join us to discuss ongoing efforts to respond to the peace and justice challenges we currently face in our community, country and world.

Hooks and Needles Group - 2nd & 4th Monday, noon - 2 pm, Meeting Room 3

This group will be meeting on the second and fourth Monday of each month from noon - 2 pm in Meeting Room 3. Bring your projects - knitting, crochet, cross stitch, quilting, to work on. Want to learn a needlecraft? We will be happy to teach you. Next meeting on April 10. Please join us!

Men's Group Meeting -April 28, 7 - 9 pm, Fellowship Hall

The UUCW Men's Group meets on the fourth Friday of the month in Classroom 1 (Across from Aaron's Office) from 7pm to 9pm. All who consider themselves male are welcome. The Men's Group is a community of men that help and support each other. The meetings are confidential and are an opportunity for men to share their thoughts and opinions in a respectful conversation. No food will be served, but ...continue reading