First Unitarian Church of Worcester
Information and Upcoming Events
June 21, 2015 This is the last weekly Tuesday email newsletter until September. A mid-week email "postcard" will be sent with weekly worship information throughout the summer.
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The weekly deadline for articles is noon on Monday.
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The Rev. Sarah C. Stewart, Minister
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Sarah is typically in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday . To schedule an appointment please call the church at 508-757-2708, ext. 107. She can also be reached at To learn more about Sarah, click here.
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Wheel of Life
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Our sincere condolences to Kristi Voelkerding whose wife, Donna M.Leria, 65, died on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Click here to view Donna's obituary.
There will be a memorial service held in the sanctuary at First Unitarian Church on Sunday, June 21 at 1:00 pm. Rev. Sarah Stewart will officiate.
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Summer Garden Tours
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Summer Sunday tours of church members' and friends' gardens are back! This year they will be 4 to 6 pm, when gardens aren't quite to wilted-should be really lovely and a nice chance for community. They'll occur any week it isn't storming. Questions? Call email Kate O'Dell at odellkk@gmail.com.
Sunday, June 21 Diane and Ken Mandile,#779 School St., Webster. From church take 290 West onto 395 to exit 1. Go through light at exit and 1 mile to left onto School St. by stop sign. #779 is just after nursing home on left with parking along driveway just before #779, a pink colonial with a red barn.
Sunday, June 28 -
The garden tour for June 28 will be at our very own Memorial Garden at 90 Main St., Worcester, at 4 p.m. We have realized that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the first summer of our garden. This offers the occasion for a Garden Party, and we shall serve appropriate refreshments. We want you to know how the garden came to be established, and the names of some plant and feature donors through the years If you have some garden history to contribute to our (archival paper!) garden record book, please come to share it. If you would like to be on the host team for this event, let us know. Kate O'Dell, Nancy Wilson, Mary Mcalister,
Click here to see the July - August Garden Tour Schedule.
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A New Approach to Pledging
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by the Stewardship Team
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Your stewardship Team has solicited feedback after previous pledge drives, and one comment we often receive is that the pledge drive runs too long. Last year, we reduced the time to about six weeks in response to your comments.
This year we are going to compress the major pledge drive effort into one day: Saturday, October 3.
We are calling it Pledge Day. Think of it like Voting Day. Come by, pledge any time during the day.Stay just to pledge, take part in an event, or have a quick meal. No matter what time you come by, we plan to have food, activities and events. We will be asking each church group and committee to sponsor an event or activity during the day. Our goal is to offer a range of activities that are both meaningful and fun for everyone, including the kids; and also to make this a true Church community event. We may also provide additional incentives, perhaps a raffle open to all who have pledged, which will give away significant prizes.
Your admission ticket for a meal or to any activity or event on Pledge Day will simply be the "I Pledged" sticker you will get when you turn in your completed pledge card.
We are busily planning the events now. An event schedule and other details will be sent out by mail before the new church year starts in September. If you have any ideas for an activity or event, please contact any of us.
Raising funds to support the mission of the church is obviously very important, but we think it can also be fun!
Your Stewardship Team,
Rick Silva (avlis@aol.com)
Lee Bona (leebona@verizon.net)
Diane Mandile (dmmandile@swissturn.com)
Steve Knox (stevetroyknox@gmail.com)
Ellen Foley (efoley@clarku.edu)
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Encore Fund
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by Will Sherwood
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First Unitarian is fortunate to have a music heritage fund, the ENCORE FUND, for which we offer the opportunity to donate for our music program in honor or memory of beloved or friends or causes (to be listed if you like in the Nov 1 order of service). This year we have a matching grant of $2500 to help underwrite donations for the following endeavors.
- Our annual Nov 1 All Souls Music Sunday will feature an additional concert in the afternoon, open to the public
- We will be refurbishing the key & hammer action in our two Steinway model B concert grand pianos this fall
Our goal is to raise $11000 for the Encore Fund for these endeavors. To accomplish this, we're inviting parishioners and music friends of 1st U to donate what they can
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This year we have the offer of a $2500 MATCHING GRANT so that your donation can be DOUBLED.
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Safety and Security Notes
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by Lee Reid
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*One member mentioned that her car was broken into on Sunday, June 7. It was parked on Main Street in front of the church. A phone was visible inside and a window was broken to retrieve it. Other cars have been broken into in the parking lot and computers taken. Please be vigilant and keep valuables out of sight.
*Sometimes people come into the church looking to use the bathrooms or to see if there is food available. It would be nice to be friendly and engage them in a little conversation.
*Just a reminder that there is a defibrillator in the Bancroft entryway. There are easy to follow instructions inside the package.
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Court Hill Singers Reassemble for Summer Worship
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by Jerry Bellows
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Now that nature is 'Rising Green' again, our thoughts 'Turn, Turn, Turn' to the summer season of singing!
June 28th marks the date of the first lay-led services. Mike Keating will preach and the Court Hill Singers will reassemble to provide some anthems. Jerry Bellows returns to the music director's bench this year.
If you are interested in singing with the Court Hill Singers, please let Jerry know so he can include you in the planning. CHS rehearsal warm-up start promptly at 9:00 A.M on Sunday mornings. A pot of hot coffee (or tea), camaraderie and an opportunity to contribute to the service will all be present. Hope to see you there!
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Community News and Events
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UUA New England Region June Newsletter - click here
This Week's UUMass Action News - June 8, 2015click here
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