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Unity Church of North Easton News
(Unitarian Universalist)
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"We Pledge to Walk Together..."
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Volume 3, No. 6, September 13, 2013
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Ends and Beginnings...
"Ends and beginnings - there are no such things. There are only middles." These words by Robert Frost came to my mind as I sat down to write this message of greeting. I have been serving with this congregation for just over a month, but after such a warm welcome at August's potluck and last Sunday's Water Ceremony, my beginning here at Unity Church is starting to feel a lot like a middle already! A new ministry in any congregation is a big change, but my presence here is hardly the beginning or ending of this congregation's period of recent transition. From saying goodbye to Rev. Tess to sustaining a year of fantastic lay-led worship and program ministry, I feel I have entered this community well into a voyage through seas of great change. As I mentioned in my sermon last Sunday, the Executive Committee has identified the church vision as a priority for this year. So, in addition to preaching, administration, and pastoral care, I have been charged with guiding this community in a process to picture what is possible, to dream about what Unity Church could be in the future. Worship, leadership development, social gatherings, and Appreciative Inquiry will all play a big part in this process. While my focus for the next many weeks is to get to know the members, friends, traditions, hurts, and hopes of this congregation, I will share a general timeline of visioning events in partnership with the Executive Committee sometime in mid-autumn. Please keep an eye out here in the Newsletter and in Sunday order-of-service announcements for details. In addition to visioning, I hope everyone is looking forward to what the Worship Committee has planned for this year. From September through May, most worship services will be inspired by a different monthly theme. The theme for September is "Revival" and as such we are deepening our celebration of life at Unity Church. This Sunday, September 15, we will kick-off another year of learning, serving, and fellowship, commission our church leaders, and send our children into the school year with a blessing of the backpacks! Children of all ages are welcome to bring their backpacks to the service be blessed, and everyone is also invited to bring school supplies (especially new backpacks) to donate to School on Wheels of Massachusetts, a non-profit organization that serves local children impacted by homelessness. Here is a complete list of needed items. Please bring any donations with you to worship. See you in church! Rev. Kristin
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 Emerson Covenant Group
Emerson Covenant Group invites people to join us as we explore the "UUA Common Read", as UU's across the country read and discuss the same book. More information is available at Each month, from November 2013 to May 2014, we will discuss one chapter of the book, Behind the Kitchen Door by Saru Jayaraman. So if you would like to talk about social justice issues, such as advocacy for low wage workers, sustainable food, etc., consider joining the Emerson Covenant group discussion on the first Monday of the month.Copies of the book will be available during coffee hour. Hope to see you! MaryLu Love, Audrey Davies, Cheryl Brigante, Sue Merow, Nancy D'Uva, Stephanie Leighton, and Bob Champagne-Willis (and, of course, the memory of R.W. Emerson)
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Job-apAlooza
A new and exciting opportunity for congregation leaders in the Ballou Channing District is coming up on October 19. Join congregation leaders and congregation staff from around the district for a morning of networking and sharing conversation about how we do things in our churches. Topics will include:
- Money and Finance
- Worship & Music
- Social Action Membership and Outreach
- Committee on Ministry
- Social Media
- Leadership and Governance
- Religious Education and Faith Formation
This is a job-a-like event on a big scale, and there will also be brunch and worship. Come network and share your ideas, experiences, questions, and perhaps learn some new ways of doing things. Here are details: For any other information, please contact Rev. Bill Zelazny, District Executive, Ballou Channing District at 401-353-5334 or wzelazny@uua.org. Ever wondered what would be like to see thousand of Unitarian Universalists (UUs) in one place? Well that opportunity will be coming our way. Each year UU's across the nation gather in June for General Assembly. Unitarian Universalist will be gathering in Providence, RI June 25-29, 2014. General Assembly is more than the annual business meeting of the Association. The myriad of programs, worship events, witness and service opportunities, and exhibits not only provide a rich experience to the thousands of UUs who attend each year, they also give participants a renewed sense of energy, up-to-date information, inspiration, and innovative ideas to take back to their congregations and communities. Love Reaches Out is the theme for 2014. Right now, the UUA is seeking people to submit proposals for workshops, social justice events, etc. at http://www.uua.org/ga/program/contribute/index.shtmlThere will be more opportunities shared as the event approaches, but for now please mark the dates in your calendar, plan your vacation time, and look forward to connecting with UUs from across the nation, right in our back yard. Maybe we can get a big Unity Church contingent at GA this year!
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Unity Church Music Program in September
Please join Richard Hill, Music Director and Organist at Unity Church, on Wednesday, September 25th at 12:15pm for "Sept  ember Serenade". This concert is free and open to the public, and will be a program of works by American composers: MacDowell, Foote, Shelley, Lemare, Joplin, Young, Titcomb, and Philip Jones
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Worship & Fellowship News
Attention! Thinkers, Dreamers, Ponderers, Meditators, Preachers (but, really, Everyone)
The Worship Committee is looking for Lay Leaders! This year, under the guidance of our new minister, Rev. Kristen Grassel Schmidt, we have chosen monthly themes for worship.
If you are interested in speaking on any of the topics below, please contact Jannelle Codianni at janelle41@yahoo.com by Sunday September 15th. We can't wait to hear from you!
- September 29: Revival
- November 10 (Veteran's Day): Generosity
- December 1 (Hanukkah): Light
- March 2 & March 9: Success
- May 25 (Memorial Day): Joy
Unity Church Book Group
 The Unity Church Book Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month. The meetings will be held on at Noon at the home of Walter Tramontano. All are welcome! For information about the book selection or directions please contact Michele Blake at 508-230-2839 or mfblake@comcast.net. |
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Executive Committee News
Reminder - Executive Committee Meeting Schedule Change
To better accommodate the schedules of our Executive Committee members, Executive Committee meetings will be moved from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Please call President Chris Pender with any questions.
Affirmations
At the beginning of every Executive Committee meeting, we go around the table and ask if there are any special affirmations anyone would like to make. Though they do make it into the EC meeting minutes every month, we thought it would be nice to express this appreciation in a more public way.
So, they are included in our Unity News regularly! Here are the
recent affirmations:
- Bernie Champagne for putting up the no parking signs.
- Bob Champagne-Willis for doing the audit for the past fiscal year.
- Jenn Gold who is the new treasurer of the Music Committee for her good work and dedication.
- Unity Church received a thank you letter from a New Day to thank us for our $1,603 donation from the proceeds of the Mother's Day Concert.
To read all the EC minutes, click here to Login as a Member.
If you have affirmations that you would like to pass on, please share them by sending them to welcome2ucne@gmail.com.
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Looking for Unity Church Member Contact information?
You can find it on our web site under the Member Access menu,
after you log in as a member.
Now in a more eco-friendly format of 6 (or 3, 2-sided) printable pages!
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New to Unity Church?
New to Unity Church or want to Join Our Mailing List?
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Upcoming Events
The CalendarSeptember Serenade, Organ Concert on September 25th at Unity Church
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Photo Credits for this Issue of the Unity News
Cathy Adler, Ellen Dehm, and Ernest Cohen
Unity News Contact Info
For questions or comments regarding this message, please contact Cathy Adler, Unity News Managing Editor & Web Administrator, at welcome2ucne@gmail.com . |
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