The UUCW Message
April 4, 2017
In This Issue




Office Notes and Flyers
 
 


Office Hours
(Sept 6, 2016 - 
June 29, 2017):
Mon, Tues, Wed: 
9 am - 3 pm
Thursday 9 am - 2 pm 
 
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.
Upcoming Events at UUCW
Click the flyer to go to the registration page! GameNight
Annual All-Church Photo - April 9  AllChurchPhoto
 
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!

Climate Action Meetings in Washington DC  Ober
 
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:
 
 
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.

Women's Weekend is Coming!
April 28 - May 1  WomensWeekend
 
~ Women's Runaway Weekend in Rockport ~ 

Update!
Thank you everyone for your interest and for signing up.
The Inn is now full!
 
Yard Sale is Coming!
- June 10, 2017  YardSale
 
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! 
Save the Dates! Ferry Beach 2017!  FerryBeach
 
Many of us begin the church year with a weekend of retreat, reunion, and reflection at Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine (http://www.ferrybeach.org).  The weekend is affordable and open to everyone. We join together with friends from First Unitarian Church for beach walks, volleyball, time to rest, a talent show, and even a campfire!
 
Mark your calendars now for September 15th-17th, 2017.  Online registration will begin mid-May.  There will also be a registration forms available.  Last year we had a waiting list, so be sure to register and pay early to guarantee your spot!
 
Prices include dorm style accommodations, food and activities. Camping is also available! We hope you'll join us this year!
 
Maya Desai & Sean Divolls, Ferry Beach Coordinators
Annual UUCW Craft Fair - December 2, 2017 -
Now Booking!  CraftFair
 
CRAFTS! CRAFTERS!   NOW BOOKING FOR OUR AWESOME FAIR on December 2, 2017 . Last year we filled up fast!! Right now we are just booking crafters! Click HERE to go to the registration form! 
Current News at UUCW
Easter Basket Donations Needed  DCFEaster
 
The Worcester East Department of Children and Families Area Office is seeking donations for Easter Baskets for its children in care.
 
Items Needed:
  • Baskets
  • Decorative grass
  • Easter candy
  • Small toys/puzzles/books/coloring books/crayons(new items only)
Donations can be dropped off at Worcester East DCFArea Office. Rev. Aaron Payson and Denise Darrigrand are both involved in this project so items can be dropped off to either one of them.

Please mark items 'for Easter Baskets' 
151 West Boylston Drive
Worcester, MA  01605
Monday - Friday 9am-5pm
CORRSurveyMessage from the Committee on Right Relations
(AKA Committee on Ministry) 
 
Survey Deadline:
Please respond by Thursday, April 6.

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.
 
 
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.
 

Touchstone Monthly Theme 
April Theme - Consolation/Desolation
April 4 - 10TchstnQuotes


  
April 4: "How desolate the landscape can be / between the regions of kindness." ~ Naomi Shihab Nye
 
April 5: "The only choice we have as we mature is how we inhabit our vulnerability, how we become larger and more courageous and more compassionate...." ~ David Whyte
 
April 6: "We need to be angels for each other, to give ...strength and consolation. When we ...realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink." ~ Henri Nouwen
 
April 7: "People who are less happy, I find, are always consoling those who are more [happy]." ~ Renata Adler
 
April 8: "Thus even tragedy can be accompanied by a trace of relief. The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity." ~ Lionel Shriver
 
April 9: "This overwhelming need for help never really changes in a human life from the first day we are brought from the womb...." ~ David Whyte
 
April 10: "Memory, which so confounds our waking life with anticipation and regret, may well be our one earthly consolation when time slips out of joint." ~ Keith Donohue
      
Fundraising News
Flower Power Spring Fundraiser FlowerPower 

Gardeners, growers, and flower aficionados!  Members and friends of UUCW, thanks to new member Kathy Cooper, we are launching our first ever - Spring Garden Fundraiser!  Itching to get out into the garden to plant your spring flowers or vegetables and fruits?  Then this is for you!  Know someone in your family who grows great gardens, then share this wonderful resource with them!  Click HERE to order seeds, bulbs and plants for your garden this year and we'll keep 50% of the money earned. Let's raise $5000 toward this year's fundraising goal!  If you have questions about this spring's campaign, please contact Kathy Cooper.
 
Reminders about Fundraising! 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!  
 
Photos of the Week WeeklyPhoto
Maria Greene, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association, delivers the 2017 Dr. Irving & Annabel Wolfson Memorial Lecture during the service on Sunday, April 2, 2017.Her topic was "Humanism and Unitarian Universalism: Better Together."  


Helen Wolfson, daughter of Irving and Annabel Wolfson, delivers family remarks during the service on Sunday, April 2, 2017.

Helen Wolfson, left, daughter of Irving and Annabel Wolfson, and her husband Eric Thomas play the song "Helen's Distraction/Father Kelly's Reel" as the postlude at the end of the service on Sunday, April 2, 2017.  
 

People enjoy the spread of Middle Eastern food in Fellowship Hall following the service on Sunday, April 2, 2017.
 
  
Religious Exploration and Education at UUCW
RE News for April 9, 2017 RENews 



 
Robin Mitzcavitch , Director of Religious Exploration
 
Sunday News 
Weekly Worship WeeklyWrsp
Sunday, April 9, 2017 - 10 am


Upcoming Services HolyWeek
Holy Week - Thursday, April 13 - Sunday, April 16



HosT Coffee Hour News HosT
 
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 9 Loaves & Fishes
Food Pantry 		Nancy Hancock 
April 16
Easter Sunday  		Members & Friends
of UUCW  		Moira Rouse  
April 23 Board of Management/
Stewardship Team 		Nancy Hancock 
 
   SermonArchive
 
Ongoing Meetings Ongoing

 

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. 

 

The SSL Task Force will meet following service on Sunday in the Sanctuary.  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!

 

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

   

Community News
 
Greater Worcester Humanists - Linda Miller, Co-Chair, GWH Steering Committee
Greater Worcester Humanists will meet Tuesday, April 11th at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall of the UU Church of Worcester. Social Time at 6:30. Our speaker will be Bo Bennett, author of the book Uncomfortable Ideas. All are welcome.
Bo writes, "Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.
Some uncomfortable ideas entertained in this book:

-Political correctness can be harmful
-Identity politics is a dangerous game
-Morality is functionally democratic
-Victims often do share some of the responsibility
-God is a far more horrifying character than Satan
-There is no such thing as freewill
-Americans are manipulated into being pro-war
-Non-whites can be racist, and women can be sexist
-Some people do choose to be gay
-Sometimes the bad guys win
-Obese people are not perfect the way they are
-It's okay to find inappropriate jokes funny
 
Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage. Uncomfortable ideas. Prepare for a bumpy ride."
About Bo
Robert (Bo) Bennett is currently an adjunct professor/researcher at Lasell College. After many years immersed in the business world, Bo returned to school and received his master's degree in general psychology. He continued to the PHD program in social psychology, focusing on social, cognitive, and positive psychology. Bo is the author of many books and has hosted several podcasts, including The Humanist Hour for the American Humanist Association.
Books will be available for purchase

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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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