The UUCW Message
May 2, 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
   TrueColors
 
Please CLICK HERE to download this flyer.

   GameNight
 
Please CLICK HERE to download this flyer.

   EVCars
 
Please CLICK HERE to download this flyer.

Save the Date!
UUCW Spring Fundraising Dinner
Saturday Evening, June 3
  SpringDinner
 
Join our own Robbie Johnson Erikson, graduating senior of Johnson & Wales  for a fantastic Spring Dinner!  An evening of fantastic food, entertainment and great company!  More details to come!
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
Current News at UUCW
 UUCW Minister Featured Blogger & Co-Host of National Webinar  MinBlog
 
On Tuesday, May 2, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice featured the first of four blog posts, Where Loss is Felt, Grief is Known, by Rev. Aaron Payson on the intersection of Grief, Loss and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice.  In addition to the blog, Aaron will be co-hosting a national weekly webinar series for RCRC with Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson beginning Wednesday, May 3 @ 12:30 pm (EDT).  CLICK HERE to register for the webinar. 
Interfaith Hospitality Network Opportunities  IHN
 
Don't miss the next opportunity to host at IHN.  UUCW is scheduled to host May 14 - 20, 2017.  We still have several openings to help by providing your time, a little energy, and/or maybe a few dollars for groceries.   If you haven't taken the opportunity to spend a few hours at 91June Street to be with the guests, I strongly encourage you to do so.  And if you have, I need your help too.  The families at IHN benefit greatly by our time and you can rest assured your time is appreciated.  Please contact me with any questions or to sign up or look for the sign up chart in Fellowship Hall.  You may also make a grocery contribution with cash, check or click HERE for a Simplegive contribution.
 
From now through May, we will be collecting shoes for funds2.org.  Funds2.org recycles & sells gently used shoes and proceeds will benefit IHN.   Look for the gray bin in fellowship hall to place your shoes.
 
On Sunday, May 21, the Central Mass Housing Alliance is sponsoring the 32nd Walk for the Homeless.  Information can be found in fellowship hall.  Please join UUCW and other folks raise funds and awareness for homelessness and join us after the Walk for a cookout and music by the popular Chuck and Mud band.
 
Thank you for your support!
Touchstone Monthly Theme
May Theme - Acceptance
May 2 - 8
TchstnQuotes


  
May 2: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
 
May 3: "No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow." ~ Alice Walker
 
May 4: "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." ~ Audre Lorde
 
May 5: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." ~ Reinhold Niebuhr
 
May 6: "For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
May 7: "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
 
May 8: "I have accepted fear as part of life - specifically the fear of change... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back...." ~ Erica Jong    
   
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
People dance the Maypole after the
Beltaine service on Sunday, April 30, 2017

 


Minister Emeritus David Miller sounds the rain stick as people assemble on the lawn to dance the Maypole after the Beltaine service on
Sunday, April 30, 2017.

The Rev. Cheryl Leshay gives a final benediction after the dancing of the Maypole on Sunday, April 30, 2017.


Religious Exploration and Education at UUCW
RE News for May 7, 2017 RENews  



  
Robin Mitzcavitch , Director of Religious Exploration
 
Sunday News 
Weekly Worship WeeklyWrsp
Sunday, May 7, 2017 - 10 am


Meeting to Discuss the Governance Policy Experiment Results
Sunday, May 7 - 11:30 am
  CongMtg
 
At the Annual Meeting on June 4, 2017 at 11:30 am, the congregation will vote on extending the UUCW Governance Policy experiment by another 3 years. The board will be having a meeting this Sunday, 5/7/17 at 11:30 am in Meeting Room 1 (across from Aaron's office) to discuss the results of the Governance Policy  experiment and to explain why the board is suggesting that the congregation extent this experiment.
 
Bill Derr, President, Board of Management
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
May 7 Women's Runaway Weekend Group Ruth Silver 
May 14 Youth Group Robin Mitzcavitch 
May 21 UUCW Men's Group Nancy Hancock 

   SermonArchive
 
Ongoing Meetings Ongoing

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

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.

 

Lunch With The Minister - Wednesday, May 3 at Noon - Lounge
Join us Wednesday, May 3, 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.

 

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 May 9. Please join us!

 

The Evening Book Group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, in the Lounge. The Evening Book Group meets next on May 10th at 7 p.m.  Books are chosen by the group and vary monthly between fiction and non-fiction. This month's book is The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohleben.

 

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. continue reading..

 

 


Community News
 

   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Greater Worcester Humanists - Linda Miller, Co-Chair, GWH Steering Committee 
The next meeting of Greater Worcester Humanists will be Tuesday, May 9th, at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall of the church.  Social time 6:30 - speaker at 7:00.  All are welcome.

 "Hitchhiker'­s Guide to the Secular Galaxy,"­ Maria Greene
 
What are all these secular groups and what are the differences between them? Where does Greater Worcester Humanists fit in?

The influence of secularism is growing radically in our society and the number of organizations (and their publications) is growing as well. Find out how they fit on the spectrum of rationalistic vs. holistic, anti-religious vs. "accommodationist", individualist vs. community-focused and so on.
Join us for a lighthearted look at the varieties of non-religious experience. Maria Greene will explain the who, what, when, where and how of many of the most important Humanist, atheist and other secular organizations that make up the alphabet soup of our movement, both local and national/international.

Maria is on the Concord Area Humanist (CAH) steering committee and the outreach subcommittee. Recently, Maria also became the Executive Director of the UU Humanist Association (formerly HUUmanists).  Maria is a web developer and lives in Massachusetts with her husband, their three busy kids and assorted pets.
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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