News & Events

March 15, 2016

The deadline for newsletter submissions to this enews is noon on the Monday before Tuesday publication.

The Rev. Sarah C. Stewart

Sarah is typically in the office on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00am to 4:30pm; Friday 10:00am to 2:00pm. To schedule an appointment please call the church at 508-757-2708, ext. 107. She can also be reached at

minister@firstunitarian.com

My Adult Faith Development offering this year is a book and movie discussion group on race and racism held in the Landers Room at 7pm.. The next meeting is Monday, April 11 - a book discussion of "The Death of Josseline"

The schedule is:

April 11 - Book discussion of "The Death of Josseline"

April 25 - Documentary Screening and Discussion of "Race: The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between Us"

May 9 - Documentary Screening and Discussion of "Race: The Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell"

May 23 - Documentary Screening and Discussion of "Race: The Power of an Illusion:

"The House We Live In"

June 6 - Closing Worship Service

For details about this series click here.

Wheel of Life

Our sincere sympathy to Ellen O'Neall-Waite and family on the death of her father, Frederick Alan O'Neall, who died Sunday, March 13 at the age of 92. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 16 at 11:00 a.m. in First Unitarian Church. The Rev. Sarah C. Stewart is officiating.

Lenten Series

This Lenten season, join Rev. Sarah for Friday luncheons and a study of the Gospel of Mark. We'll gather from noon to 2 p.m. on Fridays from Fri. Feb. 19 through Good Friday, March 25. The gospel of Mark is the oldest of the four gospels and presents a rich picture of the life and ministry of Jesus. Our discussion will consider the context of the gospel, the stories it tells, and the spiritual meanings they convey for our lives today. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for this series of six discussions.

Please bring a Bible with you (any translation is fine). Rev. Sarah will be using the book Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark by Marcus J. Borg to guide the discussions. You may get a copy of this book if you wish, but it's not necessary to participate in the study group.

Please sign up for one or all of these Lenten Friday Luncheons with Rev. Stewart here.

Readers Needed for Easter Sunrise Service

Join us for an Easter Sunrise service at Bancroft Tower at 6:00 a.m. on March 27. Jesus' ministry shared a message of liberation and love. We will share that message with each other through poetry, prose, silence, and the glory of the sunrise. Led by the Rev. Sarah Stewart.

Readers are needed for this service. If you would like to participate in the service as one of the readers please sign up below. Rev. Stewart will contact you with your assigned reading.

Click here to sign up

The Story of an Asylum Seeker

This month's 50/50 offertory will benefit the LGBT Asylum Task Force. This agency helps LGBT asylum seekers who have fled their home countries because of threats of violence and death based on their sexual orientation or sexual identity. All donations will go to providing housing, food, and spending money for asylum seekers in Worcester.

On Sunday, we heard from an LGBT asylum seeker from Uganda. Because his friends and family in Uganda could be at risk if his name appeared online, we are using his alias, "John"

Read John's story here.

UU Mass Action Advocacy Day
Tuesday, April 12, 10am to 4pm
Arlington St. Church, 351 Boylston St. Boston

UU s Action Advocacy Day

When: Tuesday April 12, 10 AM to 4:00 PM

Where: Arlington St. Church, 351 Boylston St, Boston

Join our annual gathering at the State House!

The day will begin at 9:30 AM with registration and the program will begin at 10:00 sharp! We will gather at the Arlington Street Church in Boston where Rev Sarah Stewart, First Unitarian Worcester, will lead us in worship.

Our keynote speaker will be Senate President Stan Rosenberg D-Amherst. Senator Rosenberg is a champion on many of our core social justice campaigns. He was unanimously elected to the position of Senate President in January 2015.

This will be an important opportunity for advocacy on our four core issues: Immigrant Rights, Ending Mass Incarceration, Economic Justice and Climate Change. The current legislative session ends July 31st. We will need to work hard to have our priority bills pass into law!

Following the keynote address, participants will break into their issue groups and be briefed on the bills we will advocate for at the State House. If you have not already done so, please sign up for the weekly newsletter to stay informed of our preparation for this big event! To sign up for the newsletter, go to: www.UUMassaction.org

Lunch will be provided before we depart for the State House at 12:45 PM

Transportation to the State House will be available if you have mobility limitations.

Ticket Price $25 (includes breakfast, lunch, beverages, materials & building use fee)

Reduced Fee $10 tickets are also available

Click here to register.

First U Welcomes a Refugee Family

We have a team in place to co-host a refugee family. Ascentria, the agency which brings the family to Worcester and gets them settled, calls this forming a community circle of caring around the family. Our "circle of caring" consists of Lynn Simmons, Danna Peterson, Ellen Foley and Sandra Hakkarainen. They have chosen a family which arrived in December after fleeing the Central African Republic, a mother and 3 children.

Easter Plants - Orders Taken Thru March 23

Each year at this time, members and friends of the church are invited to contribute a pot of flowers for the sanctuary on Easter Sunday. This year we will are offering a 6" pot of tulips (5-6 bulbs per pot.) You may give a tulip in your own name, in memory of someone, or anonymously. After the service, the plant is yours to take home, or, if you wish, donated to one of our homebound members. The donation is $20 per pot. (This is a small fundraiser for the church.)

Click here to order a pot of tulips.

Easter Egg Hunt provides funding support
for local charities

Our Easter Egg Hunt will take place on Easter Sunday, March 27 after the

worship service. As is our new tradition, we ask folks to help us out by taking a bag or box of plastic eggs from the table in the Bancroft room and return them filled with money (coins or bills). NO candy, please. The eggs are hidden, then found, and the money is collected and sent to local organizations doing great things for children. Our children are given a small gift when they turn in the found eggs.

This year the money will be divided between organizations that directly benefit three of our church families. These are the organizations:

It's My Heart, NE Chapter, provides support, awareness, education & advocacy for those affected by Congenital Heart Defects in the New England area.
The Lipka Family Fund providing needed financial support Christi, Sam, and Lily Lipka after the untimely death of dad and husband, Mitch Lipka.
Diamond Is the Sky, a charitable organization founded by church family Sean and Jennifer Daly to honor Skylar (a.k.a. "Sky"), their daughter diagnosed with autism.

Click here for more information about these charities.

The Welcome Table

The Welcome Table in the Bancroft Room has a life of its own. Things

come and go, sometimes mysteriously, sometimes with intention. Five stacks of cards appeared, one side has a UU quote the other UU contact information. Below is one quote, if you'd like to see what the others are, stop by.

"Our religion is a religion of social concern, a religion of intellectual and ethical integrity, a religion that emphasizes the dynamic conception of history and the scientific worldview, a religion that stresses the dignity and worth of the person as a supreme value and goodwill as the creative force in human relations

- Rev. Lewis A. McGee

On Sunday mornings people often linger about the Welcome Table looking for bits of information about the life of our church or someone to talk with. Please, stop by.

NEW Faith Development Collaborative

On Sunday, April 3rd, we will hold our first 1st-Sunday-of-the-month open meeting of parents, teachers, and congregants for the purpose of sharing joys, challenges, and the work of providing spirited and meaningful faith development opportunities for children, youth, and families. You are invited to work with us on some of the nitty-gritty details of planning, designing, recruiting for, and implementing our deep desires for Children and Youth Faith Development and Family ministry. All are welcome to attend.

At this meeting, we will consider--

Curriculum and recruitment planning for 2016-17
Ways to welcome and support new families
Special events like First Friday Fun Nights

Childcare will be available with advance notice. RSVP and childcare signups here

Men's Group

Next Meeting Will Be April 3

Our next meeting will be Sunday, April 3, at 6 PM, in the Mirick Room. We will be viewing and discussing a TED Talk. We'll order pizza for dinner. Please bring your own refreshments. Hope to see you there!

For more information about the men's group, please contact Rick Silva at avlis@aol.com, or Ken Mandile at kmandile@swissturn.com

Wiogora Registration Open Now!

Wiogora First Unitarian Church Worcester UUA

The Wiogora Council and Professor Veralyce Gibbons, Headmistress, are excited to announce that Registration is open for Wiogora's Summer program - July 25th to August 5th. Our fifth year's theme is Mystery: The Order of the Phoenix! Go to www.wiogora.org to sign up young scholars; After last year's success, we anticipate filling up quickly! Our program uses Harry Potter's story to teach the inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and use of democratic process; The goal of peace, liberty and justice for all; and Respect for the interdependent web of existence by caring for planet Earth.

Community Briefing Thursday March 31st at 6:00 PM